Oliver Thomas recently wrote an interesting opinion piece for USA Today: Why Do We Need Religion? In the article, Thomas suggests that religion's greatest contribution to society is that it "makes us want to live." He continues: Alas, many of us have discovered purpose for our lives through religion. Inside America's churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and ashrams, we wrestle with the great questions of life. And with due respect to my atheist and left-leaning friends, most Read More …
National Back to Church Sunday – September 12 (#0134)
The group of people known as de-churched or previously churched has risen significantly in recent years. To help welcome these folks back into the life of a local congregation, LifeWay has created an event called National Back to Church Sunday, which will be held on September 12. Individual congregations of all denominational traditions and those with no such affiliation are invited to be a part of the event and to register their participation with the National Back to Church Sunday Read More …
A Youth Movement in Pastoral Ministry (#0133)
Many mainline denominations face or will soon face clergy shortages. As a result several denominations have and others are in the process of creating guidelines that allow multiple paths to ministry especially to facilitate providing enough clergy to fill pastoral positions in smaller congregations. Young clergy in their twenties and thirties are increasingly rare and makeup a small percentage of the clergy in any given denominational tradition, especially in traditions where a Read More …
Review of Transformational Church (#0132)
Stetzer, Ed and Rainer, Thom S. Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations. B&H Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 9781433669300. Meet the Authors Ed Stetzer is the President and Missiologist in Residence of LifeWay Research. Ed is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine and Catalyst Monthly, serves on the advisory council of Sermon Central and Christianity Today’s Building Church Leaders, and is Read More …
Review of Jesus Manifesto (#0131)
Sweet, Leonard and Viola, Frank. Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Thomas Nelson, 2010. ISBN: 9780849946011. Meet the Authors Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew University and visiting distinguished professor of Evangelism at George Fox University, was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America, and continues to write and speak prophetically about the church. An ordained United Read More …
Review of Nudge (#0130)
Sweet, Leonard. Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who's Already There. David C. Cook, 2010. ISBN: 9781434764744. Meet the Author Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew University and visiting distinguished professor of Evangelism at George Fox University, was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America, and continues to write and speak prophetically about the church. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Sweet has authored Read More …
A Still Speaking and Still Doing God (#0129)
Offertory Sentences The God of creation and new beginnings The God of prophets and promises And the God of you and of me Is a still speaking God and a still doing God A God who welcomes us to participate in God’s ongoing work with our giving Prayer of Dedication Holy One, we acknowledge your power and welcome your influence in our lives and in the world. Enable within each of us a heightened spiritual awareness – an ability to see the expansive tapestry of your love. Accept now our Read More …
Review of God’s Welcome (#0128)
Oden, Amy G. God's Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World. Pilgrim Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780829817355. Meet the Author Amy G. Oden is Dean and Professor of History of Christianity at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. She is the author of two books on hospitality: And You Welcomed Me: A Sourcebook on Hospitality in Early Christianity (2001) and God's Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World (2008). Additionally, she is the editor of Read More …
My Response to Anne Rice (#0127)
Anne Rice Quits Christianity As the days pass since Anne Rice wrote of her decision to “quit being a Christian” I have returned to her words on several occasions. Her words are those of a follower of Christ who cannot fathom why the church she thought she knew and loved has become an institution more focused on being against issues rather than for Christ. Rice’s pain and frustration have led her to walk away and to distance herself from the body of Christ. Today I quit being a Read More …
A UCC Response to Anne Rice (#0126)
Anne Rice, the best-selling American author whose books have sold more than 100 million copies, announced on Wednesday that she has quit being a Christian. According to the AP, Rice was "raised as a Catholic, she had rejected the church early in her life but renewed her faith in recent years and in 2008 released the memoir Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession." Other sources suggest that her progressive views have been at odds with the Roman Catholic Read More …