Christians who are engaged in works of justice and compassion make a tremendous difference in the world, but usually do not receive considerable attention from the media. Over the last few days several stories have put on display behaviors that can only be viewed as unhelpful, unhealthy, and un-Christian. Three such stories are Fake church kidnapping; Black couple denied church wedding ; and Puppeteer who performed at churches sought to become a cannibal. So Read More …
Church Size & First Time Guests (#0805)
Faith Perceptions recently released the latest edition of their church index, which provides insight into the experiences of first time guests. More specifically, the findings are based on 1,152 separate and unique church services attended by the company's mystery guests (think mystery shoppers for church attendance) between early 2008 and June 1, 2012. The overall results for each church size are shown below (p.6). So What? Large churches (those with average weekly Read More …
Is Incarnational Ministry Wrong? (#0804)
J. Todd Billings, associate professor of Reformed theology at Western Theological Seminary, wrote an article in the July/August 2012 edition of Christianity Today that challenges the popular understanding of incarnational ministry. Billings finds most recent approaches have "serious problems" with wide ranging implications (p.59), and almost all reject the view that Billings proposes as normative: "Jesus alone is God incarnate" (p.63). In contrast to that theological Read More …
Marks of Transformed Christians (#0803)
Gordon MacDonald, chancellor of Denver Seminary, recently shared a list of twelve outward signs that an individual follower of Jesus is maturing or being transformed (Leadership Journal, Summer 2012, p.31-34): Has an undiluted devotion to Jesus Pursues a biblically informed view of the world Is intentional and disciplined in seeking God's direction Worships, and has a spirit of continuous repentance Builds healthy, reciprocal human relationships Knows how to engage the Read More …
Religious Confidence Reaches All Time Low (#0802)
Americans' confidence in religion has been declining for decades. According to the latest Gallup poll, religious confidence has reached an all-time low. So What? Comparing the responses from 1975 to those of 2012 offers a sense of the significance of the shift: % of Americans with “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in “the church or organized religion" Then: 68% Now: 44% Rank on the list of 16 organizations included in the poll Then: #1 Now: #4 Read More …
New Church Metrics (#0801)
Cameron Trimble is the Executive Director of the Center for Progressive Renewal, which seeks to “renew Progressive Christianity by training new entrepreneurial leaders, supporting the birth of new liberal/progressive congregations, and by renewing and strengthening existing progressive churches.” In her article on church metrics in the Spring 2012 edition of New Times she proposes a new scorecard for churches that is designed to more accurately reflect the Read More …
Are You An In Between Christian? (#0800)
In a recent blog post, Rachel Held Evans included a bit of self-disclosure that warrants consideration by all who seek to lead the church into the future. After mentioning the recent article by Ross Douthat and response by Diana Butler Bass (something I have written about recently as well), she shares the disheartening reality that many with differing theological perspectives choose to attack the other's position rather than collaborate to craft a brighter future for Read More …
Review of Winning the Story Wars (#0799)
Meet the Author Jonah Sachs, cofounder and CEO of Free Range Studios, is an internationally recognized storyteller, author, designer and entrepreneur. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, FOX News, Sundance Film Festival, NPR, The Colbert Report, and in FastCompany Magazine, which named him one of the 50 most influential social innovators. Book Basics During the broadcast era a relatively small group of people could control the message about a Read More …
Growing Student Loan Debt (#0798)
Student loans have been a hot topic in recent weeks as the deadline approached (included in a 2007 law) for the current interest rate for subsidized Stafford loans to double (rising from 3.4% to 6.8%). When Congress passed legislation that continued the very low rate, the topic of student loans was no longer front page news. With this recent issue fresh on the minds of many, a new study provides troubling details of how quickly the amount students are borrowing is Read More …
Saving Liberal Christianity (#0797)
Earlier this week, my post "Can Christianity Be Saved" considered Ross Douthat’s July 14, 2102, New York Times editorial “Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?,” and Diana Butler Bass's reply later that same day on the Huffington Post. During the course of the week I returned to the topic in online and in person conversations. The most encouraging part of the dialogue was the shared understanding about three interelated matters: There is a real Read More …