From 2003-2011 Paul Brandeis Raushenbush was the Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel at Princeton University. Now he serves as the Senior Religion Editor for the Huffington Post. A few weeks ago he wrote an article focusing on the power and prevalence of the internet as a source of religious information. He concluded that piece with these insightful and challenging words: Instead of the bombs of negativity, distrust and conflict that can find Read More …
More Than Coffee (#0941)
When it comes to church, it seems coffee is everywhere. Because of its significant visibility, people often use it as a way (or sometimes the way) of enacting change for the good. Thankfully, as a result of conversations about what should be offered, many congregations have chosen to transition to fair trade coffee served in more environmentally friendly cups. Thomas Turner, program manager at International Justice Mission, recently blogged about the importance of Read More …
Sex Outside of Marriage by Religion (#0940)
A new study published in the American Sociological Review, found that Muslims and Hindus "are more likely than Christians and Jews to refrain from sex outside of marriage". More specifically, the data shows: Those who report having premarital sex: 94% of Jews 79% of Christians 65% of Buddhists 43% of Muslims 19% of Hindus Those who report having extramarital sex: 4% of Jews 3% of Christians Less than 1% of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists So What? While this Read More …
Review of When God Talks Back (#0939)
Meet the Author T. M. Luhrmann is a psychological anthropologist and the Watkins University Professor in the Stanford Anthropology Department. Her books include Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft (1989), The Good Parsi (1996), Of Two Minds (2000), and When God Talks Back (2012). Luhrmann was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2003) and awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship (2007). Book Basics T. M. Luhrmann grew up in an environment that Read More …
Memorable Moments in Worship (#0938)
Some church services are more memorable than others. While many faithful churchgoers have heard hundreds or even thousands of sermons, most can only recall a few in any detail. The following video from Hickory Grove Baptist Church illustrates what I imagine was the most memorable moment for almost everyone present in that service. Catch The Kid from Hickory Grove Baptist Church on Vimeo. So What? Pastor Clint Pressley likely prepared for many things, but apparently not Read More …
Youth Ministry Is (#0937)
Rachel Blom is a seasoned youth ministry leader who founded Youth Leaders Academy: "a blog aimed at training youth leaders worldwide to serve better in youth ministry." Recently she wrote about her understanding of the shift underway in the preferred model or paradigm for youth ministry. More specifically, she believes it is shifting from big youth ministry to smaller youth ministry; from event-driven and program-oriented to personal and relational; from making Read More …
Review of Social Media for Educators (#0936)
Meet the Author Tanya Joosten is Interim Director of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Learning Technology Center (LTC) where almost 3000 instructors (faculty, academic staff, and TA's) are supported in their use of digital technologies to facilitate teaching and learning. She has over ten years experience teaching online and blended courses in communications, co-chairs the UWM Online Program Council, is the campus liaison for online and blended programming, is a mentor for the Read More …
Leadership Must-Dos (#0935)
Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie is a seasoned executive leader with over two decades of experience in the cable television industry, who has partnered with Liz Strauss to create Inside-Out Thinking (a venture centered around the development of great leaders who can make a difference in any organization) and SOBCon (a business “think tank” with a Social Media twist). On his blog, he recently shared his list of three must-dos for great leaders: Establish two-way trust Read More …
Dumb Ways to Die/Live (#0934)
Last month, a rather unusual video sharing oh so many dumb ways to die went viral. The video was originally designed as part of a safety campaign for Metro Trains in Melbourne, although I suspect most viewers are unaware of such. So What? It is easy to smile at the catchy tune and recognize that all of the choices listed are truly dumb ways to die. As you listen to the song, think about life and ask yourself: how many dumb ways are there to live? Is your own life Read More …
Hurry Up & Be Generous (#0933)
Seth Godin is the author of twelve books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change, and work. He is also the master of saying a great deal using relatively few words on his blog. Recently he shared that while people are in a hurry to do many things, generosity isn't usually on that list. Godin then asked a powerful question: What happens when we adopt the posture of being in a hurry to be generous? So What? As we Read More …