William H. Willimon. Why Jesus? Abingdon Press: 2010. ISBN: 9781426700286. Meet the Author Since 2004, William H. Willimon has served as a Bishop in the United Methodist Church responsible for overseeing 57,000 members and 792 pastors in North Alabama. Previously, he served for twenty years as Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University. Willimon is the author of over sixty books including two best sellers: Sinning Like a Christian: A Read More …
Discipleship
Catholics to Recognize Protestant Baptisms (#0189)
After working for the last six years on a means to provide mutual recognition of baptism with several Reformed Protestant denominations, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted in favor of the measure at their annual Fall General Assembly. While similar agreements have been reached in other countries, this is the first of its kind in the United States. According to Religion News Service, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, chairman of the ecumenical and Read More …
Lessons I am Learning (#0187)
For those in liturgical congregations, this Sunday’s celebration of the reign of Christ will mark the end of the church year. Next Sunday, November 28, we will begin a new year with the season of Advent. As we near the end of this year, I have been reflecting on my journey of faith over the past twelve months. Three experiences have played critical roles in informing and continually reforming my faith: Exploring Experience: After serving five congregations in lay or Read More …
Reign of Christ / Christ the King (#0186)
From Christ the King to Reign of Christ to . . . This Sunday is the final Sunday of the liturgical year: Christ the King. Carey Gardner Mack provides a brief history of this new addition to the church year: Christ the King Sunday is a relatively new development. It does not bear the history of many long-held church traditions such as All Saints or Christmas or Easter and does not possess the deep and traditional biblical backing of these celebrations. Pope Pius XI brought Christ the Read More …
Preparing Visitors for Communion (#0181)
Preparing Visitors for Communion/Eucharist/Lord’s Supper Most congregations celebrate Communion/Eucharist/Lord’s Supper in their corporate worship services on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, once a quarter, etc.). While those who attend regularly know what to expect, newcomers do not. As guests are seated and begin to prepare for worship they may note the elements and wonder: Is everyone welcome at the table or only those with certain beliefs or membership? Should Read More …
Reading the Whole Bible (#0180)
Who Reads the Bible? Considerable research has been done regarding Bible reading. Most research focuses on the percentages of people who read it and how often they engage in that behavior. In What Americans Really Believe, Rodney Stark reports that 28% of Americans (24% of women and 32% of men) read the Bible at least once a week (p.64). Very little research has been done regarding those who have read the entire Bible. Earlier this week, New Testament scholar Scot Read More …
Theological Humility(#0171)
Roger Olson is Professor of Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. He is widely regarded as one of the important evangelical voices and writes prolifically for both popular and academic audiences. Olson has written a number of books including How to Be Evangelical Without Being Conservative, The Story of Christian Theology, and The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology. His next book, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God’s Read More …
Handling the Issue of Homosexuality (#0162)
Research conducted earlier this month by Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News Service provides a unique look into an important topic. The second survey question asked, "If you had to grade America's places of worship on how they are handling the issue of homosexuality - would you give them an A, a B, a C, a D, or an F? A: 5% B: 11% C: 30% D: 18 % F: 24% Don't Know: 12% The third survey question asked, "If you had to grade your own place Read More …
Positive Picketing (#0160)
Jeff Boes, moderator of the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Joseph, Michigan, wrote an interesting article for Church Marketing Sucks about his congregation's experience with positive picketing. Boes shared these "notes on our tactics and lessons learned:" Make it quick and easy None of our picket signs identify the church Good locations and good causes Don’t ask permission Keep learning and improving So What? Negative picketing done in the Read More …
Moving the Mainline Forward (#0156)
The Future of Mainline Denominations Recently, I have written several articles designed to introduce my readers to a variety of perspectives related to the future of mainline denominations. Leaders within the mainline denominations understand that change is essential to reverse the decades of decline. In recent posts, I have shared many voices including those of Peter Wallace, Bruce Epperly, and Bruce Reyes Chow Stephen Sterner Landon Whitsitt Read More …