Hundreds of students from around the nation spent this past weekend at Princeton University for the 5th Annual Coming Together Interfaith Conference (CT5). The conference promoted "the importance of inter-religious engagement and understanding at American universities" and provided the student participants opportunities to "discuss how interfaith councils are formed, the role they have on campus and ideas for meaningful programs that promote unity and peace." Attendees at Read More …
Discipleship
An Overview of American Church Membership (#0279)
Earlier this week the National Council of Churches released its annual analysis of church membership: 2011 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. According to the Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner, editor, the data in this year's report suggests that recent membership trends have continued: "That is, churches which have been increasing in membership in recent years continue to grow and likewise, those churches which have been declining in recent years continue to decline." The yearbook reports Read More …
Is Virtual Community Real Community? (#0278)
While most followers of Jesus who have been on the journey of faith for many years grasp both the theological and pragmatic need for community, newcomers to the faith may be unfamiliar with the concept given the increasingly individualistic society in which we live. Many local congregations would benefit from a renewed focus on Christian community. One helpful example of restoring an intentional emphasis is Our Savior's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Circle Pines, Read More …
Evolution Weekend: Worth Celebrating? (#0269)
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 …
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 …