Cathy Lynn Grossman's March 6, 2012 USA Today article explores a recent American Bible Society survey that finds "more Americans would follow Donald Trump's financial wisdom than the Bible's." Half of those surveyed (50%) would follow Trump's counsel while only around a third (32%) would take advice from the Bible. So What? The Bible, however, did receive favorable treatment from those who do not currently follow its teachings: roughly a quarter (24%) of those "who do not Read More …
The New Ten Commandments (#0669)
Evangelical preacher J. John is bringing his updated version of the Ten Commandments to the UK and the world through a new DVD: “just10 for churches.” Hannah Furness, in a piece for the Telegraph, reports that the new commandments use "short, simple language interspersed with slang." Additionally, some of the changes go well beyond simply updating language: The tenth commandment, for example, has altered the Biblical “thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou Read More …
Toward a Religiously Literate City (#0668)
Bill Tammeus, a Kansas City area author and religious blogger, recently shared a list of ideas to help increase religious literacy. He submitted these suggestions to the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council in response to their desire to engage in a sustained effort that would last a year or longer. Tammeus' list included: Offer tours of sacred structures all over town — churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc. Put on a film festival Read More …
Top Challenges for the Mainline (#0667)
Carol Howard Merritt, a Presbyterian pastor and the author of Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation (2007 – read my review here) and Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation (2010 – read my review here), chaired a national committee for the Presbyterian Church (USA). She shares the four significant challenges for the next generation as identified by the committee: Our denomination is over 90% white, while the overall population Read More …
Review of I Am a Follower (#0666)
Meet the Author Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism atDrew University and visiting distinguished professor of Evangelism at George Fox University, was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America, and continues to write and speak prophetically about the church. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Sweet has authored over 20 books and 600 articles, and is perhaps best known for his forward thinking ideas about the church. For Read More …
The Light of Lent (#0665)
Prolific author and progressive religious leader Sister Joan Chittister, recently shared an excerpt from her short book Journey into Light in a Lenten article for the Huffington Post. She concludes that article with these powerful words: The light of Lent is the beacon that enables us to see under the obvious, the systemic, the hypocritical in both state and church to the evil they mask from us. It is the path to integrity, to righteousness, to the Spirit of God. So What? Lent Read More …
Top Church Websites (#0664)
Sharefaith recently posted their list of 22 Top Church Websites on Church Relevance. The alphabetically ordered list includes: Church on the Move - Tulsa, OK Fellowship Church - Grapevine, TX Imago Dei Community - Portland, OR Hillsong Church - London, UK LifeChurch.tv - Edmond, OK Mars Hill Bible Church - Grandville, MI Second Presbyterian Church - Memphis, TN Watermark Community Church - Dallas, TX So What? The author notes that this updated list for Read More …
Facebook Friends Friday (#0663)
While I spend a great deal of my day online and tend to be an early adopter, I was so late to Facebook that it already boasted over 100 million members when I joined. The network has expanded to include some 850 million accounts that were active during the month of December, 2011. Interestingly, one's age appears to be an indicator of the likely size of one's Facebook friends network. Lee Raine, Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, Read More …
Tattoos for Lent? (#0662)
In recent years I have heard about many non-traditional Lenten disciplines. Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, provided his congregation a unique opportunity that "combines the ideas of sacrifice and devotion that mark the Lenten season." More specifically, he asked them to consider getting a tattoo of one of the stations of the cross. So What? Writing for CNN, Dan Merica reports that more than 50 people associated with the congregation Seay pastors have Read More …
Refocusing (#0661)
Staying focused is an ongoing challenge. There is so much one can do that it is easy to lose sight of what one is called to do. The urgent can override the important and the exciting can trump the routine. So What? Living a focused life requires intentional periods of refocusing. How do you refocus? When? What role does Sabbath play? Do you know yourself and your identity well enough to know when you are living an out of focus life? Do you have others in your life Read More …