Writing for the CNN Belief Blog, Dan Merica distills the newly released Pew Research Center study on Islam into five major takeaways: Differences between U.S. and international Muslims are vast, Sharia law favored, especially by more devout Muslims, Most Muslims believe religion, politics should be intertwined, Around the world, Muslims heralded religious freedom, and Islamic extremism widely rejected, but still a concern. Says Who? This four year long study included a total of Read More …
Global Religious Futures (#1081)
Earlier this week the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life launched a beta website, Pew-Templeton Religious Futures Project, that explores demographics and survey data on global religion. The site is the home for all things related to the project, which "analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world." While the current data and functionality are impressive, the group is planning enhancements to both. So What? When I learned of this new Read More …
Dealing with Change (#1080)
May has arrived. One of my routines as one month draws to a close and another begins is to ensure I have completed all of my tasks for month that is ending and to review my planned activities for the upcoming month. As I look at the month of May, I realize it is a time when I will experience several significant changes, including: teaching a course (perhaps two courses) I have never taught before, welcoming (and working for) the first ever dean of online learning at Hodges Read More …
Goodbye Blackberry, Hello S4 (#1079)
For the last several years I have been a Blackberry user addict. Day and night, my Blackberry has been within arm's reach. During this phase, I transitioned from writing most of my e-mails on a computer to composing the vast majority on my Blackberry, eliminated my land line at home and relied on my Blackberry, placed my files in the cloud, enabling easy access on my Blackberry (thanks Dropbox!), joined the social conversation, especially via Twitter, and experienced Read More …
A New Vision for Christian Education (#1078)
Yesterday, I spent a good deal of my day at church. After worship, the Board of Christian Education gathered in a meeting room for a five hour retreat focused on planning for the future. While a summary of of those proceedings will likely fill many pages, one sentence sets the tone for the future: Vision: To have as many participants each week in educational experiences as are present in worship. While retaining high quality standards, our congregation's educational programs for Read More …
Future of the Faith (#1077)
This past Thursday Yale Divinity School hosted a one-of-a-kind event: The Future of Faith. This two-part event featured author and scholar Diana Butler Bass and New York Times Op-Ed columnist Ross Douthat. The first hour,"The Future of Faith: Two Views," was moderated by Bob Abernethy, host of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. The second hour, "Future of Faith and Church Life," was moderated by Lillian Daniel, a writer and United Church of Christ pastor. Bass' Read More …
Who Volunteers Most? (#1076)
While religious people tend to volunteer more than non-religious, a new study finds that one factor makes more difference than any other in determining who volunteers the most: type of high school attended. Jonathan Hill and Kevin den Dulk's research, published last month in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, "shows that graduates of Protestant high schools out-volunteer peers from Catholic, secular, public, and home schools—all Read More …
Top Time-Saving Tech Tips (#1075)
David Pogue, personal technology columnist for the New York Times and a tech correspondent for CBS News, recently gave a 6 minute TED Talk titled "10 Top Time-Saving Tech Tips." While you may know most of the tips in this short video, learning one new time saver or being reminded to use one you had forgotten makes watching a good investment of your time. So What? On an almost daily basis I watch people waste time completing basic tech tasks. When appropriate, I offer Read More …
Churches: Be Who You Are (#1074)
David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church and founder of Church for Men, recently blogged about the strength that comes when churches know who they are and work within that framework. For Murrow the importance of such was illustrated when he visited a traditional church that made a poor attempt at offering an occasional contemporary worship service. His sound counsel for all local congregations follows: . . . be who you are. Do what you do well – and do it Read More …
Religious Freedom: The 75% (#1073)
Brian Grim, a leading expert on global religion and religious freedom who serves as Senior Researcher in Religion and World Affairs at the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, recently shared two troubling statistics: 37% of the world's countries have high or very high restrictions on religion, 75% of the world's population resides in these countries. So What? Repeat the 75% statistic to yourself a few times. This number cannot be viewed as Read More …