Christmas is now just a week away. This Advent I have heard the phrase "keeping Christ in Christmas" more often than most. It is a phrase with nearly endless possible meanings. A few weeks ago Ron Patterson, Senior Minister of Naples United Church of Christ (Naples, FL), wrote a helpful piece on the topic in the Naples Daily News. Consider these excerpts: Taken literally "keeping Christ in Christmas" might mean imprisoning the power of God in a single day or single season. Read More …
The Decade of Christian Decline (#1268)
2000-2010 can best be labeled as a decade of decline for American Christianity. David Roozen's recent piece in the Christian Century provides an important look at just how rapid the decline was for conservative/evangelical Protestants, mainline/oldline Protestants, and Roman Catholics. As a percentage, the declines were oldline/mainline: 13% Catholic: 5% conservative/evangelical: 1% So What? After decades of progressive Christianity, it should not be surprising to see Read More …
Personally Helping the Poor (#1267)
December is a time for gift giving. In addition to choosing just the right gift for friends and family, many people also extend their generosity to charitable organizations. As I was thinking about my own end of year giving, I happened to read Stephen Mattson's recent blog post featuring five reasons why we should consider going beyond funding charities to getting personally involved in helping the poor. So What? Mattson wasn't suggesting that giving money to organizations that Read More …
70%+ Favor Higher Minimum Wage (#1266)
Recently, the Public Religion Institute shared the following graphic of the week: So What? Minimum wage is one topic that is talked about with some regularity in certain circles. It has, however, become a far more common conversation topic of late for an expanding group of people. Rarely do the majority Democrats, Independents, and Republicans all agree on changing anything, much less increasing minimum wage by at least 50%. The same can be said for a majority of Read More …
Get Off the Phone (#1265)
Rhett and Link, morning talk show hosts and self-proclaimed Internetainers, recently created a thought provoking music video: Get Off the Phone. To date, it has received almost 1 million views. So What? The type and number of tasks for which people rely on phones continues to increase. Given this trend, it is important that smart phone users occasionally consider the ways in which they use their devices to determine if such is appropriate. Are you pleased with the Read More …
Pope = Person of the Year (#1264)
Earlier this week, TIME named Pope Francis as the 2013 Person of the Year. I encourage you to read their article and watch the brief video explanation of why he was selected. So What? Pope Francis is a change agent. In his talking and in his doing, he continues to clearly communicate what he understands the role of pope to be as well as how the church should be participating in and caring for the world. I have blogged more about Pope Francis in 2013 than I have about all Read More …
Christian Expectations (#1263)
Stephen Mattson recently shared a list of invalid stereotypes held by Christians about Christianity. His list includes: all your questions will be answered; you’ll be “blessed” with wealth, prosperity, comfort, and security; and you're always happy. So What? Christianity is thankfully far too rich a tradition to answer all the questions thinking people ask. It is far too deep a religion to suggest material prosperity is associated with living out one's faith; it acknowledges Read More …
Trust is Waning (#1262)
People are less trusting than they used to be. Research shows a dramatic decline in trust in recent decades. More specifically, over the last 40 years the percentage of Americans who say that most people can be trusted has declined from 50% to 33%. So What? Only 1 out of every 3 Americans thinks most people are trustworthy. Our churches must be and become communities where trust in one another is normative rather than something that is present just 1/3 of the time. Do you think Read More …
Hispanic Americans Leaving Catholicism (#1261)
I often hear that the Catholic church in America will remain a power for years to come primarily because of Hispanics. The assumption that Hispanic Americans are and will remain Catholic is one that is challenged by recent data from the Public Religion Research Institute. Current Affiliation A majority of Hispanics identify as Catholic (53%), one-quarter (25%) identify as Protestant—nearly evenly divided between evangelical Protestant (13%) and mainline Protestant (12%)—and 12% of Read More …
Becoming an Intergenerational Church (#1260)
Scott Cochrane recently shared how Bill Hybels responded to a question about how congregations can become more intergenerational. Hybels', Founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, answer focused on intention. Congregations that seek to value the intergenerational dynamic must create structures that affirm persons from all age cohorts, including selecting them for leadership positions. So What? Becoming more intergenerational doesn't happen overnight, and Read More …