Michael Hyatt is the former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. Additionally, he has worked in the book publishing industry nearly all of his adult life. His own writing has been well received with two of his eight books landing on the New York Times bestseller list. Given his knowledge of the industry, his recent blog post questioning the number of books now being published deserves Read More …
Trends
Exercising While Preaching?! (#1160)
I have heard more than my fair share of strange preaching habits over the years, but nothing that I can place in the same category as the exercising preacher. Chris Townsend, pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church (Lodi, CA), believes he is the first pastor to regularly deliver his sermon while exercising. So far he has preached using a yoga ball, riding a stationary bike, and even while walking on a treadmill. So What? Townsend was inspired by members of his congregation to work on his Read More …
Cell Phones & Traffic Fatalities (#1158)
Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, recently encouraged his readers to struggle with the topic of cell phones and their role in making the roads a safer or more dangerous place for those traveling in motor vehicles. After mentioning "a powerful new documentary by Werner Herzog is making the rounds (presented by the phone companies), showing the consequences of accidents caused by phone-distracted driving," Cohen goes on to explore what the data Read More …
Most Americans Bank Online (#1154)
According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in April and May, the majority of Americans now bank online. More specifically: 51% of U.S. adults, or 61% of internet users, bank online; and 32% of U.S. adults, or 35% of cell phone owners, bank using their mobile phones. So What? Over the last several years more and more people have joined the online world. In general, the adoption rates are highest among the youngest adults. While the percentages decline as Read More …
North American Christianity is Broken (#1149)
New York Times best selling author Frank Schaeffer, recently wrote a strong critique of both the evangelical and progressive forms of Protestant Christianity in North America in which he claims that "The problem with North American Christianity is not the window-dressing– it’s the whole package." So What? Like Schaeffer, I believe the current trend of decline among Protestants in North America signals that Protestant Christianity as we have known it for the last hundred years has major Read More …
WEIRD Western Bias (#1146)
The global community includes an incredibly diverse population of humans, yet people often wrongly assume that every culture is similar to their own. Surprisingly this erroneous assumption appears even in research published in the top psychological journals. Robert Gonzales explains: The vast majority of psychological studies recruit test subjects who are Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic – or "WEIRD." Which is... well, weird, given that Read More …
Church without God (#1145)
Dan Merica's recent post, "Church without God - by design," explores gatherings of the Humanist Community at Harvard University, which is the brainchild of the school's Humanist chaplain: Greg Epstein. After meeting for the last several years in a "small three-floor walk-up off the bustling streets of Harvard Square," the community will transition to "a nearly 3,000-square-foot community center with an event space for nearly 100 people." So What? Epstein sees the transition in Read More …
Fatherhood: Churches over Bars (#1144)
University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox, recently wrote an article that overviews how fatherhood transforms men. These changes, however, do not impact all fathers equally. In reality, the positive changes associated with fatherhood apply only for men who live with or in close proximity to their child(ren). Those fathers who do not live with their children consistently share more in common with childless men. Fathers who live with their children are Read More …
Mormons Go Social (#1143)
Late last month leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a shift in missionary strategy. More specifically, the church will increasingly encourage missionaries to leverage social media rather than the traditional door-to-door approach. This change is significant for several reasons, including: the recent lowering of the minimum age for missionary work ( from 21 to 19 for women and from 19 to 18 for men), the old rules that limited Read More …
Happy Christian Tweeters (#1139)
While multiple research studies have sought to determine if Christians are happier than atheists, only one has considered this by relying solely on data from tweets. The results of this new study conducted by a research team led by University of Illinois psychologist Ryan Ritter are published in the June edition of Social Psychological and Personality Science. Ritter and his colleagues focused on over 877,000 tweets written by over 7,500 individuals following one or more of five well Read More …