Over the last several weeks, I've read a wide variety of new books. The list below features the ten best books I read in the last month that were published in 2019. (5.0) Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus by Jim Wallis (HarperOne, 2019)(5.0) How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going: Leading in a Liminal Season by Susan Beaumont (Rowan and Littlefield Publishers, 2019)(4.5) Miracles and Other Reasonable Things: A Story of Unlearning and Relearning God by Sarah Read More …
A Decade of Rapid Decline in American Christianity (#1831)
Earlier this week the Pew Research Center published an update on America's changing religious landscape titled In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace. Rapid Decline The following statistics from this new report showcase just how rapidly Christianity has declined in America over the last decade 12% fewer Americans identify as Christian (down from 77% to 65%)8% fewer Americans identify as Protestant (down from 51% to 43%)3% fewer Americans identify as Catholic (down Read More …
Welcome Isn’t Enough (#1830)
Yesterday I attended Connecting the Dots: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Training. The event was co-sponsored by More Light Presbyterians and Just Texas and hosted by Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. The Rev. Alex Patchin McNeill, Executive Director of More Light Presbyterians, served as the primary trainer. My biggest takeaway from the day was a reminder that simply saying "all are welcome" on websites, worship bulletins, and other materials is not enough. Read More …
Expanding My Horizons (#1829)
During the fall semester, I'm teaching an adult Sunday School class at First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, TX) on Future Faith. Each week we are exploring one of the ten challenges Wesley Granberg-Michaelson identified in his new book: Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century. Last Sunday our topic was "Embracing the Color of the Future." This message was challenging for us to consider. The Read More …
Book Recommendations – October 2019 (#1828)
Over the last thirty days I've read a number of good books published in 2019. (5.0) When Islam Is Not a Religion: Inside America's Fight for Religious Freedom by Asma T. Uddin (Pegasus Books, 2019)(4.5) Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor by Steven Greenhouse (Knopf, 2019)(4.5) Health Justice Now: Single Payer and What Comes Next by Timothy Faust (Melville House, 2019)(4.0) Catholic Social Activism: Progressive Movements in the United Read More …
My “What Next?” (#1827)
Tomorrow I start a a new role as the Associate Executive Director at the Mansfield Mission Center. In this new role, I'll be focusing on three Ps: People: designing and implementing a new human resources strategy (we currently have an amazing team of 30+ staff and 500+ volunteers and expect many more people to join us as we live into our bold vision for a brighter future for all people in our community)Programs: refining and implementing a new integrated program model to better serve Read More …
Overwhelmed with Gratitude (#1826)
I’m overwhelmed with gratitude in response to the incredible turnout and generous support the community provided the Mansfield Mission Center this week. Three Years of Expansion I've been blessed to contribute to the incredible growth of the Mission over the last few years 2017 - I joined the staff as Director of Social Enterprise 2018 - I helped open our second location - the best thrift store in the area (don't take my word for it, our store was recently Read More …
Tweeting: My First Decade (#1825)
When I logged on to Twitter this morning I was greeted by a message wishing me a Happy Twitter anniversary and reminding me that I've now been tweeting for 10 years. Unexpectedly Consistent In 2015, I blogged about my first six years on Twitter noting some similarities between my first three years and my next three years. Now, at year 10, I'm intrigued that the last four appear to be an extension of that pattern. First Three Years Next Three Years Last Four Read More …
Farewell to White Protestant Texas (#1824)
Demographic shifts are happening more rapidly than many realize. In a 2014 post titled "End of the White Majority," I shared that the National Center for Education Statistics projected that after years of decline white non-Hispanic students would no longer be the majority in the public schools in the United States.In a 2016 post titled "Farewell to White Protestant America" I shared some of the findings presented by Robert P. Jones in his then recently published book: The End of White Read More …
Another Decade of Major Decline in The Episcopal Church (#1823)
Earlier this week Episcopal priest Tom Ferguson wrote a piece titled "The Collapse is Here," exploring The Episcopal Church's recently published statistics on Sunday worship attendance from 2008 to 2018. Ferguson offers several high level observations about what has happened and what the Episcopal Church looks like today: Average attendance dropped 25% (24.7%) between 2008 and 2018. Average attendance in 2018 was 562,529.There are now more parishes with an average attendance of less than 10 Read More …