W. Allen Thomason recently wrote a post about things your pastor wants to tell you, but lacks the courage to say. He writes, "I know that every pastor has things on his or her heart that he or she would love to tell the church, but they never get said for fear that it might cost them their job in the long run." The following items are among those on Thomason's list: The Pastor is not responsible to do all your “Christian Stuff” for you You are not as loving as you think you are Read More …
More Variety in Worship or Not? (#0478)
Jim Moss is the pastor of Clarksville Presbyterian Church in Clarksville, VA. He and I have interacted from time to time via Twitter, and I appreciate his willingness to discuss big issues. Recently, he reflected on a conversation he had with several others via Twitter about the future of the church. More specifically, he was surprised to find less openness from progressive clergy to the possibility of pursuing alternative styles of worship as one of many avenues toward the Read More …
Review of Working with Words (#0477)
Meet the Author Stanley Hauerwas is currently the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School, where he has been on faculty since 1984. Additionally, he holds a joint appointment in Duke Law School. Previously, he taught at the University of Notre Dame. Hauerwas was named America's Best Theologian by Time magazine in 2001. He has been a prolific author and speaker throughout his career. Publishers Weekly named his memoir, Read More …
Rethinking Religious Rules (#0476)
This morning I am preaching at Naples United Church of Christ in Naples, FL. You can read the full text of my sermon, Rethinking Religious Rules, here. For more information about the books referenced visit my review of One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow and my thoughts on The Jesus Creed, which was a part of my Who is Jesus? series. So What? In his recent book, One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow, Scot McKnight writes these words: “Every religious culture Read More …
Best Church Logos (#0475)
Will Mancini is an author, pastor, and speaker as well as the founder Auxano – a church consulting group with a unique approach to developing a church’s vision frame before providing traditional consulting services. In a recent blog post, he shared his list of the "Top Ten Church Logos for Telling Story through Design" created by Auxano design. Visit his post to learn more about how each logo "connects with the church’s story and vision" and the links below to see the Read More …
Review of Beginnings (#0474)
Meet the Author and Translator Meir Shalev is well-know internationally for his writing. He is a columnist for the most widely circulated Israeli daily newspaper: Yedioth Ahronoth. Shalev has authored six novels, including the Brenner Prize winning A Pigeon and a Boy (2009). Additionally, Shalev has written five works of nonfiction, including Beginnings: Reflections on the Bible's Intriguing Firsts (2011). His writings have been translated into more than twenty Read More …
New Church Growth Via Social Media (#0473)
Out of the Box Worship Center in Hillsville, VA is a non-traditional United Methodist small town church that is gaining attention for its dramatic social media driven growth. Launched in January 2011 as an extension of First United Methodist Church of Hillsville, VA, the new church start has grown enough to need two services in their 180 seat worship center. So What? Out of the Box's pastor, Ronnie G. Collins, stated, "When the church first started, we placed one full-page ad Read More …
Education & Religion — It’s Complicated (#0472)
Two weeks ago, I blogged about Philip Schwadel's latest research that shows that while education does influence religion (religious participation, belief, and affiliation) the nature of that influence is far more complicated than the commonly held view suggests. My original post was based on a summary of his findings. After writing that post and engaging in a few discussions, I sought out a copy of the journal article: "The Effects of Education on Americans’ Religious Practices, Read More …
Favorite Authors of Progressive Pastors (#0471)
Earlier this summer, the United Church Observer posted an article revealing the most highly recommended theological or philosophical authors according to a select group of United Church of Canada clergy. The top five: Marcus J. Borg is an American theologian and a prominent voice among contemporary Jesus scholars. He is the author of 19 books. Douglas John Hall is a United Church minister and emeritus professor of theology at McGill University in Montreal, Read More …
Review of Engaging the Culture, Changing the World (#0470)
Meet the Author Since 1996, Philip W. Eaton has served as the President of Seattle Pacific University, an Evangelical Protestant school of around 4,000 students. Earlier in his career, he spent eight years as a professor of English and American literature followed by eight years in business as a commercial and industrial property developer. Eaton has served on many boards, including the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Read More …