You may be surprised to learn that this weekend, February 11-13, is the sixth annual Evolution Weekend. While not found on any liturgical calendars, it affords congregations of all faiths a focused opportunity to consider the compatibility of religion and science. Meet the Founder Michael Zimmerman (pictured at right) is the founder and director of The Clergy Letter Project , which is the international organization of more than 14,000 religious leaders and scientists that sponsors the Read More …
Discipleship
A Christian Way of Being Present in the Digital World (#0265)
On January 24, Pope Benedict XVI shared his message for World Communications Day: "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age." Writing for the Associated Press, Nicole Winfield, noted, "The 83-year-old Benedict is no techno wizard: He writes longhand and has admitted to a certain lack of Internet savvy within the Vatican." His speech and actions, including significantly enhancing the Holy See's online presence, are signs that while he may not Read More …
Do Americans Share a Common Morality? (#0264)
Yesterday I wrote a review of America’s Four Gods: What We Say About God - & What That Says About Us by Paul Froese and Christopher Bader. One of the book's more interesting findings hints at a common American morality, which is shown in the chart below (p. 66). The authors write: But note the relative ranking of moral issues for all believers -- they are exactly the same. Specifically, no matter what kind of God a person believes in, he ranks the comparative Read More …
4 Christian Perspectives on LGBT (#0256)
Julie Clawson is the author of Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices (2009). She describes herself as "Mom, Writer, Activist, Dreamer" who has "worked as a telemarketer, librarian, substitute teacher, children's pastor, and church planter" but now balances her time between her family, writing her blog, and her studies at Seminary of the Southwest. Those interested in connecting with her can friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Yesterday Clawson wrote Read More …
Online Worship: Should My Church Offer It? (#0255)
What it means to be church, especially in the area of worship, has changed dramatically due to recent technological advances. Douglas Estes' SimChurch (2009) continues to be an important book in this emerging field (you can read my review here). In that text Estes focuses on this new way of being church, which he labels third wave. In the first wave churches used the virtual world as a marketing billboard, primarily via a website with little or no interaction. The Read More …
Christian Unity: What Are You Willing to Let Go Of? (#0254)
January 18-25 was the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This annual event utilized resources sponsored jointly by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church. This year's theme was selected by a group of Christian leaders from Jerusalem and is based on Acts 2:42: “One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. ” The Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Read More …
The Future of Global Missions: 9 Trends (#0251)
Eric Swanson is Leadership Community Director for Externally Focused Churches and co-director of the Missional Renaissance Leadership Community for Leadership Network, which seeks to accelerate the impact of leaders by focusing on three big ideas: connecting, innovating, and multiplying. Previously he served with Campus Crusade for Christ for twenty-five years. Swanson has co-authored several books including To Transform a City: Whole Church, Whole Gospel, Whole City (2010) and Read More …
Let us Commit to Being the New Church (#0249)
In the Fall/Winter 2010 edition of the "New Times Newsletter," a periodical associated with the Center for Progressive Renewal, Amanda Hendler-Vost, co-pastor of Land of the Sky United Church of Christ shared the story of the birth this congregation. During their first official worship service on Pentecost Sunday, 2009, co-pastor Sara Wilcox (pictured at right), included these words in her sermon: Let us commit to more than singing a new church into creation. Let us commit to being Read More …
What Does it Mean to Live as a Follower of Jesus? (#0247)
What does it mean to live as a follower of Jesus? The profoundly simple yet incredibly challenging answer is found in this creative two minute video. So What? Director, animator and compositor Dan Stevers created this video for Journey Community Church to help publicize an upcoming event featuring Scot McKnight. If you don't know anything about Scot McKnight beyond what you just watched, I encourage you take the time to learn more. You can read his award winning blog, Read More …
The Acceptable Year of the Lord – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (#0245)
Today our nation observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While many people know about The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., far fewer are familiar with any of his sermons beyond "I Have a Dream." I invite you to take a few minutes to read two excerpts from Dr. King's sermon entitled "Guidelines for a Constructive Church," which he preached at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on June 5, 1966. This morning I would like to submit to you that we who are followers of Jesus Christ, and Read More …