If you know much about American Christianity, you may expect Mainline Protestants to be more likely to have more liberal political leanings than the average American. The Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study affords an unparalleled look at this topic by breaking down many of the larger religious denominations by what political party their members self-identify as leaning toward or with which they affiliate. Among all US adults the survey found that 37% are Read More …
Love Your Non-Christian Neighbor (#1612)
I fondly remember taking a course called "Contemporary Theologies of Mission" from Dr. Rob Sellers in seminary (Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary). It was a class that transformed my perspective on what mission can and should look like in the twenty-first century, especially that which is done in God's name by those who seek to follow the Way of Jesus. Earlier this week, I happened upon Ken Camp's recent article in the Baptist Standard that summarized Sellers' remarks Read More …
Recent Reading: Politics & Bible (#1611)
Politics are everywhere; I have yet to spend more than a few seconds scanning my social media feeds before encountering a political remark. Political experts are everywhere; 99% of the political remarks I read and hear are communicated as though the communicator is a subject matter expert. In reality, of course, most are simply people who have strong feelings about their particular perspectives. Political writing is particularly popular. As a non-expert, I have Read More …
Reflections on Average Worship Attendance (#1610)
Most American churches have relatively small memberships. Since the accuracy of membership roles varies widely, average weekly worship attendance is often used to compare congregational size. Median American congregation has 75 attend weekly worship (National Congregations Survey) Average American congregation has 186 attend weekly worship (US Congregational Survey) Half (50%) of all church attendance is accounted for by the largest 10% of congregations - those with 350+ average Read More …
Closing the Clergy Gender Pay Gap (#1609)
Equal pay for equal work has been the law of the land in the USA for my entire life. That legal expectation, however, has not translated into actual dollar per dollar gender equality. In fact, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates women earn just $0.83 for every dollar men earn. American Clergy Since the Christian church holds equality of all persons as a core value, one should reasonably expect it would be a model of pay equality. Unfortunately, the pay gap for Read More …
More Than Commas (#1608)
The United Church of Christ has long been known as the church of the comma. That campaign resonated with me to the degree that I have (and have often worn!) a comma pin. I have also said the line attributed to Gracie Allen on many occasions: "Never place a period where God has placed a comma." In short, I appreciate the reminder that God is still speaking. New Punctuation Since God is still speaking the United Church of Christ's latest additions to the punctuation serve both Read More …
Small Congregations – Big Challenges (#1607)
While I have spent most of my life affiliated with large congregations, I realize that there are more small congregations than large ones and that small congregations increasingly face big challenges. The FACT The 2015 FACT (Faith Communities Today) research (American Congregations 2015: Thriving and Surviving) was published earlier this month. It is the latest survey in a series that started in 2000, and was repeated in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2015. Read More …
Top Religions by State (#1606)
There are many ways to look at America's top religions. The Public Religion Research Institute's new American Values Atlas offers a helpful way to consider the religious makeup of the United States on both a national and state level. National Perspective As a whole the top three religions in our country are Catholic - 22% Religiously unaffiliated - 22% White Evangelical Protestants - 18%. Personal Experience I have spent my life in Texas and Florida. The largest Read More …
Completing the Dream (#1605)
More than fifty years have passed since Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream" speech in 1963. While there are many signs of progress toward racial equality that progress is inadequate, incomplete and inconsistent. Far too much work remains yet unfinished. Next Steps The work of moving our nation forward requires everyone's involvement. As a white male I need to become more intentional about knowing who I am and how I can help. Over the weekend I Read More …
Returning to the Classroom (#1604)
2016 is well underway. In just a few more days I will return to the virtual university classroom. This semester I will be teaching three completely full sections of Introduction to World Religions at Hodges University (my 16th, 17th, and 18th times to teach a course on world religions since accepting this adjunct role in 2011). So What? Most regular readers of my blog are religiously literate about their own religion. I wonder, however, how religiously Read More …