Christian Piatt is the author of multiple books, including Banned Questions About Jesus and Banned Questions About the Bible. Recently, he shared a list of things he feels are holding Christianity back: church buildings, denominations, worship, church boards, and fear. So What? Piatt labels these items as "the five biggest things I’ve seen that tend to keep us from doing our best work as the living, breathing body of Christ in the world today." While Read More …
future
Review of God is Alive And Well (#0967)
Meet the Author Frank Newport is Editor in Chief at Gallup. Before joining Gallup, Newport taught sociology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was news director and talk show host at KTRH Radio in Houston, and was a partner at a market research and public opinion research firm in Houston. He is the co-author of two books and the author of Polling Matters: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People (2004) and God is Alive and Well: The Future of Read More …
Statement on Ministry (#0962)
Tiger population has declined by 90% over the last 50 years; those involved in creating a brighter future for tigers understand that extinction will be reality if significant changes are not implemented soon. The role of religion in America has changed dramatically and the size of mainline/progressive Protestantism has declined dramatically over the last 50 years; those involved in leading United Church of Christ communities today must be open to innovation and experimentation in order to Read More …
Tomorrow’s Church (#0894)
Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity After Religion (read my review), recently sat down with Chris Yaw (check out my conversation with Yaw on mainline decline) to discuss what the church of tomorrow will look like. This fifty-five minute conversation is a rich resource for those who care about the church, and want to better understand what the church will look beyond an era dominated by conventional religion. She cites research that shows belief in God has fallen from 99% Read More …
Episcopalian Praise for the UCC (#0809)
John Shelby Spong served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. In retirement, he has been a prolific writer and speaker. His latest essay, "A Salute to the United Church of Christ," portrays the United Church of Christ (UCC) as a denomination with the potential to "inspire, bring about and participate in the necessary reformation required to break the Christian faith out of its dying patterns." While Spong has had Read More …
Saving Liberal Christianity (#0797)
Earlier this week, my post "Can Christianity Be Saved" considered Ross Douthat’s July 14, 2102, New York Times editorial “Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?,” and Diana Butler Bass's reply later that same day on the Huffington Post. During the course of the week I returned to the topic in online and in person conversations. The most encouraging part of the dialogue was the shared understanding about three interelated matters: There is a real Read More …
Review of The Mobile Wave (#0792)
Meet the Author Michael Saylor founded (1989) the publicly traded company MicroStrategy, a leading provider of enterprise software platforms for business intelligence, mobile intelligence, and social intelligence applications. Currently he serves the business as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO. Saylor earned degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering and in Science, Technology and Society. He has appeared on Read More …
Reorganizing Denominations (#0769)
In the "Under Discussion" column in the June edition of Christianity Today, six evangelical leaders responded to the question "Should denominations be organized geographically?" Their responses follow: Yes: Carl Trueman and Greg Peters Between Yes and No: Bob Thompson and R. Albert Mohler Jr. No: Will Willimon and Paul Detterman (p.12). So What? I often write about the future of denominations on this blog. The only thing about which I am certain is that the future will look Read More …
Life is Now (#0762)
So much happens in a year’s time. As I reflect back over the last year of life I think mostly about several shifts alongside considerable continuity. While my complete list of changes during the past 365 days is rather lengthy, a few examples adequately address the impact these have on how I spend my time. Professionally, I moved from having a single employer to multiple employers. Personally, my wife and I became landlords after purchasing a rental property. So What? Life is Read More …
Facebook’s Future Viability (#0732)
Facebook is everywhere I turn lately. I continue to encounter: news, news and more news about and leading up to the IPO; blogs and news stories on how the Instagram acquisition will not happen soon as was originally indicated; information that all is not well with online ad revenues, especially compared to Google; and people who are passionate about the future of Facebook, especially from those favoring both extremes. With this in mind I was intrigued to learn the Read More …