The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project recently released Social Networking Sites and our Lives, which is a report based on the findings of a survey on Americans' use of the internet conducted from October 20 to November 28, 2010 with a sample of 2,255 adults, age 18 and older who were contacted via both landline and cellular phones. The research shows: "The number of those using social networking sites has nearly doubled since 2008 and the population Read More …
Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World (#0417)
The world in which we now live is multi-religious. For the last five years, the World Council of Churches, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the World Evangelical Alliance have worked together to craft "Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct," which provides recommendations for "conduct on Christian witness around the world." The document recommends the authoring bodies: study the issues set out in this Read More …
How Much Patriotism is Too Much? (#0416)
Matthew Kelley, pastor of Arlington United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN, recently wrote an article about the difficult situation many pastors face on Independence Day weekend regarding just how much celebration of that national holiday is appropriate in worship. He relates an experience he had while serving as pastor of a church in a town with a military base. On a regular Lenten Sunday, not near any national holiday, a guest "sang Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an Read More …
You Might Be a Progressive Christian If . . . (#0415)
Bruce Reyes-Chow is a consultant who served as founding pastor of Mission Bay Community Church, until May of this year, and was the former moderator of the General Assembly of the 2.3 million member PCUSA. He recently wrote a piece about what Progressive Christianity is for Patheos' new Progressive Christian portal. In the article, he suggests: “You might be a progressive Christian if . . .” You can be described, but not defined . . . The Progressive Christian Read More …
The Unique Vocation of the United Church of Christ (#0414)
The United Church of Christ is currently in the midst of General Synod 28 (July 1-5) in Tampa, FL. Yesterday afternoon, I joined other members of local churches from across Florida as guests at a special community wide afternoon worship service. The Rev. Dr. Laurinda Hafner, Senior Pastor of Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, preached a prophetic sermon marked by hope, which included these words: A year ago Bishop John Shelby Spong, the former Episcopal Bishop Read More …
Reuniting Old Friends (#0413)
This morning I am preaching at Naples United Church of Christ in Naples, FL. You can read the full text of my sermon, Reuniting Old Friends, here. For more information about the books referenced visit my reviews of Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood (2011) by Alan J. Roxburgh To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (2010) by James Davison Hunter Putting Away Childish Things: A Tale of Modern Faith Read More …
Demand for Intelligent Internet Video (#0412)
TED is "is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading." TED conferences "bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less)." Writing for Mashable, Sarah Kessler shares the story of how recordings of these talks have now been viewed 500 million times: When Director of TED Media June Cohen shopped around the idea for a television show featuring lectures from the organization’s famously elite Read More …
Never Complain About (#0411)
Jon Acuff, author of Stuff Christians Like (2010) and Quitter (2011), recently blogged about complaining. In that post he shared his past personal experiences of complaining about various aspects of church life, before learning how unhealthy his perspective had become. In contrast, he suggests a better way for members and active participants to respond to areas of church life they see as less than ideal: then I learned a pretty powerful truth about church volunteers that forever Read More …
Half Way Through 2011 (#0410)
I spent a great deal of time in my youth on soccer fields. While no two games were the same, we always paused at the midpoint for half-time. During the half-time break the coach helped us evaluate our performance during the first half and offered recommendations for what we needed to do in the second half. Unfortunately there is no national half-time holiday each year to remind us to stop and assess our performance and consider what changes we need to make in the Read More …
The Stages (or not) of Grief (#0409)
In the June 28, 2011, edition of the Christian Century, Thomas G. Long contributes an article that questions the wisdom of the idea of well defined stages of grief. Over the last generation, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) gained widespread acceptance and led to the creation of a "cottage industry of bereavement counselors and grief managers" (p.35). Drawing on Ruth Davis Konigsberg’s new book The Truth About Read More …