Age is just a number Another year old, another year wiser You don't look your age Celebrating a Milestone Birthday The three expressions above were all shared with me earlier this month on the occasion of me letting the world know I was celebrating a milestone birthday. Upon hearing the final remark I wondered if the person imagined I looked much older or much younger than my age (if she was even aware of the age I had achieved). According to popular wisdom I have not yet reached Read More …
Politically Partisan Pastors (#1689)
Over the last week I have seen one red, gray and blue graphic more than any other. It seeks to tell the complex story of pastoral political affiliation in the United States in a single image. The widely shared graphic comes from Kevin Quealy's June 12 New York Times article "Your Rabbi? Probably a Democrat. Your Baptist Pastor? Probably a Republican. Your Priest? Who Knows." Quealy's article reports on the most ambitious research of its kind, which was undertaken by Eitan D. Read More …
Book Recommendations – June 2017 (#1688)
As we move toward mid-June many people are creating or actively revising their summer reading lists. Wherever you may be in your planning (even if your plan is not to plan at all), I encourage you to consider picking up some of my recent reads. The following ten books have all been published in 2017. I have rated them on a 1-5 scale allowing for the top of the scale to be extended to a 5+ for the best of the best. (5+) The Witness of Religion in an Age of Fear by Michael Read More …
3 Powerful Words for Ministry with Youth (#1687)
Have you ever asked a teenager a question and received a yes or no answer? Have you ever asked a string of open ended questions and received a few words or a short sentence in response to each? Have you ever felt like at a certain age the ability for youth to speak openly and freely comes to an abrupt halt? A Different Question Brad M. Griffin, Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, wrote an in-depth article about a relatively simple yet incredibly powerful approach to extending, Read More …
Less & Less of the Old Testament? (#1686)
Earlier this month Yonat Shimron's Religion News Service article "Is the Old Testament Dying?" captured my attention. Put differently: Is the First Testament losing importance for those who follow the Way of Jesus? Do Christians have far greater biblical literacy in the Christian Scriptures than in the Hebrew Scriptures? Less & Less? Shimron's article answers the initial and repackaged questions affirmatively based on a new book by Brent Strawn titled The Old Testament Is Dying: Read More …
The End of Biblical Literalism (#1685)
For the last 40 years Gallup has polled Americans on their view of the Bible. For the purposes of this research, respondents are asked to choose between inspired by God not to be taken literally actual word of God to be taken literally, and fables, history, and moral precepts recorded by people. Over the entire 40 year period the most common way Americans have interpreted the Bible is as a book that is inspired by God but not to be taken literally. That perspective has held Read More …
Will Mainline Protestantism Disappear by 2039? (#1684)
A week rarely passes when one or more of my colleagues doesn't share with me some new bit of news about the poor health of American Christianity. Some of these pieces are based on nothing more than personal opinion or inappropriate generalizations from very small samples while others are reflections on richer data sets alongside more thoughtful reasoning. In my very informal review of the last dozen pieces of news others shared with me about the future of the American church a total Read More …
Water is Life (#1683)
I grew up taking water for granted. Wherever my little feet took me, water flowed freely whenever I turned on a faucet. It was always there when I was thirsty. It was a given for bathing and toileting. It filled pools and lakes and oceans providing endless options for summer fun. Water was everywhere. Water was always there. Water is More and Less Of course, water was, is and always will be far more and far less than my childhood memories. It is more as it signals the Read More …
Americans Like but Don’t Read the Bible (#1682)
Last week LifeWay Research released the results of their latest poll of Americans' thoughts about and readership of the Bible. It turns out that overall Americans continue to hold this sacred text in high regard even as readership rates and biblical literacy decline. Previous research by the American Bible Society found that at least one Bible is present in 87% of American homes. Also, more than 75% of American homes have an Internet connection they could use to access the Read More …
Fading America: Disappearing Dream – Emerging as Developing Nation (#1681)
When did you first realize that the so-called American Dream has died? Or, put in nicer terms, when did you realize that the American Dream as understood in a popular sense is realistically attainable for a shrinking portion of those living within the borders of the United States? Perspective A few hours before writing this post I had a lengthy conversation with an older Baby Boomer. This person is greatly concerned that the current President is providing many people with Read More …