David Van Biema recently wrote about how two radically different Christian causes have used Psalm 139: Starting in the 1970s anti-abortionist evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics began using the text to suggest that God's involvement makes abortion unthinkable, and Starting in the 1990s gay and lesbian liberal Christians began using the text to suggest God's foreknowledge and acceptance. So What? While the Bible has long been used to defend both sides of an issue, I cannot think of Read More …
The Power of Why (#0727)
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 this wisdom about the power of why: "Why?" is the most important question, not asked nearly enough. So What? The life of faith and the ministry of a given local community of faith both benefit tremendously from why questions. Read More …
The Changing Church (#0726)
Renowned New Testament scholar Scot McKnight has always managed to balance academic excellence with immersion in and understanding of the real world of church life. Given such, it isn't surprising to learn he will be leaving North Park University after this academic year for Northern Seminary. His recent blog post on how the church has changed during his lifetime is a must read. The piece is not intending to pass judgment on the changes, but rather call attention to Read More …
Bread for the Journey (#0725)
I have been privileged to be a part of Christian communities that celebrate Communion differently. Among these differences: Name: Holy Communion, Lord's Supper, or Eucharist Frequency: weekly, monthly, or periodically Who Presides: only ordained clergy or only lay leaders or both groups are welcome in this role Presence: a complex continuum of understanding how Jesus is present Elements: (1) bread - a single shared loaf or multiple loaves - single option for all or for Read More …
Mormon Growth: Myth or Fact? (#0724)
According to the latest data from the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) U.S. Mormon growth rose 45.5% "jumping from 4.2 million in 2000 to 6.1 million in 2010." This incredible growth does not accurately reflect the growth in adherents during the last decade; it reflects a change in the data being reported. More specifically, ASARB tracks self-reported data given to them by some 153 bodies. What happened? In 2000 Mormons reported 4.2 million, a Read More …
Reaching Young Adults (#0723)
Naomi Schaefer Riley's recent Wall Street Journal article considers how churches in Charlotte, NC have worked together across denominational lines to create a growing ministry to a demographic most congregations struggle to reach: young adults. Supported by 40 area congregations, Charlotte ONE worship experiences regularly attract capacity crowds of around 600 people. And, like most collaborative Christian endeavors many of the critics are leaders from Read More …
Review of Going Solo (#0722)
Meet the Author Eric Klinenberg is Professor of Sociology; Public Policy; and Media, Culture, and Communications at New York University. At NYU, Klinenberg teaches courses on "the sociology of cities, culture, and media, as well graduate seminars on research methods, ethnography, and urban design." His first book, Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (2003), won six scholarly and literary prizes. In the years since, he has written two additional Read More …
Differing Standards for Eternity? (#0721)
Last month megachurch pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren was interviewed by ABC News about the spiritual state of the union. During that conversation he gave very different answers about how people and dogs get to heaven. In his view, people get to heaven only through faith in Jesus Christ but dogs (as well as cats and other pets) are guaranteed admission into heaven. So What? According to recent research Heaven is a more popular notion than Hell. Nearly two-thirds of Read More …
A Way Forward for American Christianity (#0720)
New York Times columnist Ross Gregory Douthat was interviewed in the May 2012 edition of Christianity Today on the occasion of the release of his latest book: Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (2012). He suggests that the United States has always been a "nation of heretics," but that this tendency was, until recently, always countered and overwhelmed by institutional Christianity. In response to the question "How can we begin to address a nation of heretics" Douthat proposes, Read More …
College Presidents’ Pledge Against Global Poverty (#0719)
The Presidents' Pledge Against Global Poverty (PPAGP) invites current and former college presidents to pledge to donate 5 percent or more of personal income to fight global poverty by giving to organizations of their choice. Since PPAGP was founded in 2010 by Ann Svennungsen, past president of Texas Lutheran University and The Fund for Theological Education, 28 presidents have joined. So What? According to the nonprofit's FAQ sheet Presidents’ Pledge participants believe that personal Read More …