G. Elijah Dann, author of God in the Public Square (2010) and an instructor of philosophy and religion for Simon Fraser University's Senior Program, recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post considering what Jesus' ministry might have been like had it occurred during the age of social media. Dann's introduction to the idea begins with the birth of Jesus and his use of MapQuest, GPS, Facebook, Google and Travelocity reminded me of The Digital Story of the Nativity. Additionally, he Read More …
Discipleship
How Should We Read the Bible? (#0351)
Timothy Beal is Florence Harkness Professor of Religion at Case Western Reserve University and the author of twelve books and numerous articles on the cultural history of the Bible, religion and popular culture, and relations between critical theory and academic religious studies. He recently shared a portion of an essay from his latest book, The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book (2011), in an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Read More …
Questions Worth Answering (#0347)
Established in 1999, the Spirituality Book Club is "an on-line global community of kindred spirits who explore spirituality through books, music, discussion, and ways to get involved in doing good things globally." Yesterday, I was featured on their Real People, Real Lives, Real Spirituality blog. A copy of my interview follows: Name: Greg Smith Where you live: Naples, FL What you do as a vocation or avocation? Research, speak and write about education, especially relating to Read More …
Most Catholic Women Now Use Birth Control (#0345)
Catholic Answers, a lay-run site focusing on "Catholic apologetics and evangelization," summarizes the Catholic Church's teaching on birth control: In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his landmark encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (Latin, "Human Life"), which reemphasized the Church’s constant teaching that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence. Contraception is "any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act Read More …
Theology on Tap / Theology Pub Discussion Starters (#0344)
Adam Walker Cleaveland is Minister for Youth and Young Adults at Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore, CA. At 31, he is among the younger voices of note in the emerging church movement and a co-founder of Presbymergent. Adam is a candidate in the Presbyterian Church (USA) ordination process as well as a prolific and thoughtful blogger, writing primarily on his sites: PomoMusings and DazedDad. To connect with him, view his flickr stream, follow him on Read More …
Truly Welcoming Visitors on Easter (#0342)
In almost every congregation, Easter is the most attended Sunday morning of the year. Many congregations feature additional services to provide these religious consumers with the greatest number of options possible and to ensure that there is room (especially parking and seating) for everyone. Most parishes seek to do what they can to ensure visitors have a positive experience and are likely to visit again. Toward that end, I suggest: Providing an extravagant welcome is not Read More …
Should Clergy-Scholars Lead the Church? (#0339)
Donald Miller is the author of several books including A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing my Life (2009) and Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (2003). To connect with him, read his blog, like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter. Earlier this month he posted, "Should the Church be Led by Teachers and Scholars?" In the article he questions the centuries old norm of the church being led by Read More …
The Most Popular “Church Blogs” or Are They? (#0332)
Kent Shaffer is the founder of ChurchRelevance.com, an online resource created to inspire and train ministers to be more relevant and effective, and a volunteer strategist for lifechurch.tv. He recently published his updated list of the "Top 200 "church blogs." His list intrigues me for several reasons, beginning with his methodology, which he describes as follows: Several hundred blogs are reviewed in a preliminary screening to determine if their statistics are competitive enough to be Read More …
Is Tithing Required? (#0330)
Cnn.com religion editor Dan Gilgoff shared the findings of a recent informal survey of the National Association of Evangelicals in a blog post. He writes: The survey, conducted by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) among its 100-member board of directors, found that 42% of evangelical leaders believe the Bible requires tithing, while 58% do not . . . The National Association of Evangelicals, the nation’s biggest evangelical umbrella organization, would not say how many of its Read More …
What the Church Is and What it Should Be (#0328)
Jason Fairbanks, pastor of First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Lake Worth, Florida, recently wrote a series of posts on his blog about what the church is and what it should be. In making his case for what the church should be he offered the wisdom given him by his father: A church is a hospital for those that find themselves hurting and on our doorstep. It is these that we have the opportunity to receive and to love. A church is a greenhouse for those interested in Read More …