This Maundy Thursday, I will be participating in a service unlike any I have ever experienced. Ron Thompson, Interim Associate Minister at the United Church (Marco Island, FL), has designed a sensory experience that will offer worshipers the opportunity to rotate through five sense specific stations: Smell: anointing oil Sound: Taizé music Sight: stained glass Touch: foot washing Taste: Holy Communion/Eucharist/Lord's Supper So What? While every congregation I have served Read More …
From Hallelujah to 20M Views (#1388)
Pope Francis' warmth and authenticity are among the reasons I am attracted to him. As I listened to a recent viral video (over 20 million views in the first week) of a parish priest singing words no one expects to hear at a Catholic wedding, I found that I was drawn in by his warmth and authenticity. So What? There are many desirable attributes religious leaders may possess. Which characteristics would you place atop your list for a minister/pastor/priest? Read More …
Check Your Privilege (#1387)
I rarely click through when I see friends sharing their score to the latest quiz, but I did a few days ago after seeing a number of posts on my Facebook feed declaring just how privileged people were based on their response to a rather lengthy checklist. As I took the assessment, I realized my score would be high. I was, however, surprised by just how high it was, and that this placed me in the "you're the most privileged category." So What? I invite you to take the quiz, and to reflect Read More …
Implied Institutional Messages (#1386)
Jim Palmer, ordained minister turned activist in the non-religious spirituality movement, offers several implied messages of the institutional church based on Marshall McLuhan's frequently quoted premise that the medium is the message. The first three are especially troubling as we begin Holy Week: church is a place, a location, a building; Christianity happens in services, classes, meetings, events, and programs; and what people need most is good information about God. So Read More …
Sermon: Competing Expectations (#1385)
Sermon Text: Matthew 21:1-11 Sermon Excerpt Scholars rarely agree on much of anything, but when it comes to Palm Sunday there is a general consensus that this is the beginning of the final week of Jesus’ earthly life – at least inasmuch as life had always been understood. If we lived back in this era, I think our individual decisions about whether or not to attend the parade would have been focused on our understanding of Jesus’ ministry up until this moment. We cannot really imagine Read More …
What I Really Do (#1384)
James McGrath, an associate professor in the Religion and Philosophy department at Butler University, recently shared his contribution to the meme "What I Really Do." He later, after receiving input from readers, added a second image that intentionally differed from the first with regard to the inclusion of women. Since the first image is what captured my attention, and since that is largely the goal of a good meme, I will repost it below. So What? One of the many roles I have in life Read More …
End of an Era (#1383)
Travis Scholl, managing editor of theological publications at Concordia Seminary - St. Louis, recently reflected on what some view as signs that we are at or nearing the end of an era. More specifically, he mentioned two recent news stories: (1) Alban Institute's decision to shut its doors and (2) the Unitarian Universalist Association's decision to sell its historic headquarters atop Beacon Hill in Boston. Scholl places these changes in their appropriate historical Read More …
Religious Diversity in the US (#1382)
While I often hear people state as fact the idea that the United States is a land of considerable religious diversity, it is important to note that such claims are simply untrue. According to a new Pew Research Center study, the United States is nowhere near making the list as one of the world's most diverse countries or territories (we ranked #68). So What? Just how diverse are we? The research shows that only 1 out of every 20 people living in America is an adherent to a Read More …
Christian Youth: Learning and Living the Faith (#1381)
Princeton Theological Seminary was recently awarded a $1.1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to fund a study that will "provide church leaders with strategies to help children connect with their religion." This study of confirmation in five denominations - United Methodist, Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal and African Methodist Episcopal - will include two elements: : (1) a survey of youth and parents about their beliefs, and (2) research that will Read More …
Is Christianity Bad for Entrepreneurship? (#1380)
A new study by economists Travis Wiseman (Mississippi State University) and Andrew Young (West Virginia University), found that the "measure of total Christian adherents is robustly and positively correlated with states’ unproductive entrepreneurship scores.” Put more simply: the more Christians in a given state the more likely that state is less successful in entrepreneurial endeavors. Additionally, the study found that atheism and agnosticism positively Read More …