Earlier this week Mashable featured a post by Zoe Clark wrote an article about friending trends on Facebook based on recent research by NM Incite. This research suggests that offline relationships drive online friending while offensive remarks and attempts to leverage Facebook relationships to sell goods or services are significant reasons for defriending. The detailed infographic of why people friend and defriend others on Facebook appears at right. So What? The number Read More …
Christmas Spending by Country (#0584)
The Economist published a chart comparing the anticipated average Christmas spending in and per person GDP of several countries. So What? American's plan to spend more on Christmas this year than citizens of any country apart from Luxembourg. Of course, once one considers the spending as a percentage of per capita GDP, the United States leaps well in front of Luxembourg. While there is considerable publicity given to Christmas gift giving and the spending associated with such, Read More …
What’s My Grade? (#0583)
As the semester draws to a close, students are increasingly interested in grades. I have received several inquiries about grades, and expect to hear many more this week. So What? Most of those reading this blog are not currently pursuing a degree or enrolled in any type of educational pursuit for which they will earn a grade. We are, however, all heading toward the end of another year. Take a few minutes and grade yourself on 2011: How faithfully have you sought to pursue Read More …
Review of Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (#0582)
Meet the Author Mark A. Noll is the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. Previously, he taught at Wheaton College for twenty-seven years. Additionally, he has served as a visiting teacher at Harvard Divinity School, University of Chicago Divinity School, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Regent College of Vancouver, B.C. Noll is widely regarded as a leading scholar of religious and cultural history. He is a prolific author who has Read More …
1 in 2 Americans = Low Income (#0581)
Over the last few days I have encountered many people talking about the same data but using very different language to do so. Some examples of what I have encountered include: 50% of Americans are now living in poverty The middle class is on its collective deathbed - people are now either wealthy or in poverty Half of the country receives food stamps or some other form of government assistance While each of these statements is false, many who proudly make the claims do so Read More …
Restoring the Protest to Protestantism (#0580)
Dianna Butler Bass is the author of seven books, a sought after speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. Earlier this year she blogged about the need to restore the idea of protest within Protestantism. Bass places the current situation in context: in recent years the percentage of Americans who self-identity as Protest has declined from roughly 2/3 to 1/2. Furthermore, Protestantism has "often been torn between the impulse to Read More …
Adult Enrichment in 2012 (#0579)
One of my many roles during this season in life is as Director of Adult Education at Naples United Church of Christ. The document below is my first attempt at what I intend to become an annual brochure. The 2012 edition features events in January, February and March. I welcome your feedback (if you happen to be in Southwest Florida, I hope you will join us for one or more of these events). Open publication - Free publishing - More adult Read More …
Joel Osteen Meets Reality TV (#0578)
I have never really understood the popularity of the so-called "reality tv shows." I have never really understood, although I have studied it at far greater length, the popularity of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen. I don't pretend to know what will come of the agreement Osteen made to develop a reality tv show with "famed reality tv producer Mark Burnett." Each episode of the show will apparently feature 300-500 of Osteen's faithful (members of his Lakewood Church in Houston, TX) Read More …
A Free Mainline Seminary Education (#0577)
Recently Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary announced that they will become the first mainline seminary to charge no tuition for "students in its master’s degree programs in divinity, marriage and family therapy and religion beginning in 2015." Rather than cutting costs or quality, the school intends to finance this initiative by increasing its endowment and decreasing the number of students admitted (moving from 150 to 130). So What? Many students begin their seminary Read More …
Viewing the Bible as Holy (#0576)
M. Craig Barnes is the Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. His "Faith Matters" article in the December 13, 2011 edition of the Christian Century explores how his view of the Bible developed over time. It includes these words: The more I understand about the Bible's dust-and-grit humanity, the more holy it becomes to me. Long after I'd left behind my Read More …