Forbes recently released its latest list of the world's most powerful people. Americans and politicians both fared well this year, and an American politician received the highest overall ranking. Rank Name/Title Organization Age 1 Barack Obama President United States of America 50 2 Vladimir Putin Prime Minister Russia 59 3 Hu Jintao President People’s Republic of China 68 4 Angela Read More …
Trends
There is an App for That (#0539)
The Pew Research Center recently released the results of a survey conducted by their Center’s Internet & American Life Project, which was a national survey of the state of apps culture conducted from July 25-August 26. Among the findings: Half (50%) of all US adult cell phone users now have apps on their phones (up from 42% in April) Three-quarters (75%) of all US adult tablet owners now have apps on their tablets So What? What computing devices American adults use is also Read More …
Findings from 2011 Baylor Religion Survey (#0537)
Baylor University recently released the findings of its latest Baylor Religion Survey, which is characterized as "one of the most extensive surveys ever conducted on the religious practices, attitudes, beliefs and values of the American public." The 2011 survey is a follow-up to those released in 2006 and 2008 by Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. (For more on the results of earlier surveys consider reading Rodney Stark's What Americans Really Believe. My review is Read More …
The Future of Seminary Education (#0534)
During the months of October and November, Patheos is providing a unique look into the future of seminary education. They have invited 25 leaders to write blog posts exploring the topic. In reviewing the October contributions, I found the following remarks of considerable interest: Jim Burklo: "I envision a time when seminaries are better known as retreat centers for lay people than as schools for professional pastors. If seminaries have a much wider cultural focus and Read More …
Pastors & Forced Termination (#0531)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared some observations on church staffing trends in a piece for the Christian Post. One of the six trends he discussed is the percentage of senior pastors who lose their jobs each year because of forced terminations. Over the last seven years, approximately 1.5% of senior pastors have been subject to forced termination each year. So What? Basic math indicates that over that 7 year period, 10.5% of senior Read More …
Surprising Statistics About Catholics (#0530)
David Gibson and Kevin Eckstrom recently wrote about an online survey of 1,400 adult Catholics. The research, conducted by D’Antonio, Gautier and Dillon in cooperation with the National Catholic Reporter, found: 86% don’t think that following the Vatican’s teachings is the only way to be a loyal member of the faith 83% say the clergy sexual abuse scandal has hurt the bishops’ moral and political credibility 74% said you could be a good Catholic without donating time or Read More …
Charities Could Lose 5 Billion Dollars a Year (#0528)
Suzanne Perry's recent article, available on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's website, explores the projected decrease in giving to charitable organizations if the charitable deduction were to be limited for the wealthy as per President Obama's recent recommendation. One study projects the potential reduction in giving at a range of $2.9 - $5.6 billion per year while another projects $1.7 - $3.2 billion per year. (The possible change in charitable deductions is significant Read More …
Church Websites & First Impressions (#0527)
When I visit a church website for the first time the following items are most likely to make a negative first impression: Unattractive and/or dated overall appearance Unhelpful information: upcoming events happened months ago, multiple typographic errors, etc. Lack of easy access to basic data: contact page, worship information, and staff profiles So What? Today most potential church visitors will visit a congregation's website before attending worship or any ministry activity in Read More …
Bible-believing Means . . . (#0526)
Casey and Bob Baggott, executive minister and senior minister of the Community Church of Vero Beach, recently wrote an article for TCPalm about just what it means to call one's self "Bible-believing." In contrast to those who are Biblical literalists, the Baggotts propose: . . . none of us is capable, nor do we choose, to live out every literal dictate of the Bible. Instead, all faithful people must apply some principle by which we are capable of discerning the underlying Read More …
A New Day in the PCUSA (#0516)
The Presbyterian Church (USA) or PCUSA has been in the news more this past week than any time this year. The denomination officially amended its constitution earlier this year to allow gays and lesbians to serve as ministers and lay leaders. Last Saturday, the Rev. Scott Anderson was ordained as the denomination's first openly gay pastor. He told CNN: "It's an exciting time for me personally to be the first openly gay person ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and Read More …