He Had Me With The Opening Paragraph – "I’m sitting in a donut shop. I’ve been here many times and nobody has ever complained about this place, saying, “This donut shop is too donuty.” It’s a donut shop; so you expect it to be donuty. No one ever said that a sporting event was too sporty, a library too booky, a concert too musicy, an airport too planey, a home too homey, a college too schooly, or a hospital too hospitally. Yet, I hear all the time, 'That church was too churchy.'" A good reminder of our priorities, though I think you double the 't' in donutty.
No I Haven't Read the Latest Leadership Book, But I've Seen the Movie – Now you can actually say that: "We have all heard 'leaders are readers' but even though we know it’s true we just don’t have enough time to read the books we really want to. Our passion is to help other pastors and church leaders become more productive and effective. We do that by making short and fun video summaries of leadership books." You can get that from a new subscription service at Ministry Library.
My Experience of Heaven, is For Real – "Among conservative Christians who think critically about these matters are Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland, both of whom have written on the subject. In discussions with them, they seem to agree that while NDEs [Near Death Experiences] have debatable significance in giving us a glimpse of heaven, and little to no value in proving the Christian faith, they do have significant value in discrediting naturalism (the belief that there is no transcendence to nature) and scientism (the belief that science can explain all things). Why? Because, at the very least, NDEs give evidence that there is a conscious part of individuals that transcends the body and brain. NDEs give evidence of the soul." More from Michael Patton.
On Vanishing Numbers – Though using only anecdotal evidence, Wil Mancini's conversations with leaders all seem to point to a single emerging trend: Church attendance is declining because of a decline in the frequency of attendance by members. "What does this mean? Simply that people who used to attend 4 times a month may only attend 3 times a month. Members who used to come twice a month will only come once a month." He then offers some counter-moves churches can consider.
Sunday Choices: Church versus Watching the Big Game – "People have been skipping church for centuries. And though we may think we’re busier today than ever before, we should remember that in agricultural societies, harvest season sometimes interfered with attending church to the point congregations would gather for prayer in the fields. Pastors and church leaders expect congregants to miss from time to time due to health reasons, vacation, or occasional conflicts. But skipping church for football rubs pastors the wrong way, perhaps because they sense an inherent competition with the event itself." Trevin Wax on worship attendance and guilt. (Also, some poll results at CT's Gleanings page.)
Becoming The People We Have Despised – Benjamin Corey: "As I write in my forthcoming book, Christian Outsiders, once we begin to draw our identity from a Christian label instead of Christ himself, we quickly find ourselves in a destructive cycle of needing to police the borders of that label—correcting, chastising, and expelling those who cross outside of the lines the label has drawn. While fundamentalists and Evangelicals do this, progressives do it too—and I find it exhausting to deal with. Progressives do this mainly via the Progressive Twitter Police—folks who are probably well meaning, but have failed to realize they’ve just crossed over into a different kind of fundamentalism."
The Military Model Church – David Murrow: "Have you heard about the church that’s building itself on a military model? It’s led by a general—not a bishop. Their clergy are not referred to as pastors, priests or vicars, instead it’s captain, major, colonel and commander. Officers go through seven years of training and are barred from earning outside income. This church even tells officers whom they can and cannot marry." Okay, I think we know there is headed, but then he ends with a teaser that leaves me waiting for part two.
On Women and Girls Who Don't Dress for Church When They Dress for Church – "I'm not sure if you've ventured into a Forever 21 or Abercrombie and Fitch lately, but being a young woman with a commitment to modesty and purity isn't easy. Marketers aren't pushing girls toward the 'respectable apparel' that Paul mentioned in 1 Timothy but toward the opposite. If the girls in your church are going to live like Christ has called them to in this area, they are going to need reinforcements. Care for her heart, first, through love and Bible study, but then help her give teeth to what she's learning by venturing with her into the mall with ideas and encouragement." However, the author says you don't start with confrontation or with that shopping trip, but rather you start with an open Bible.
It's Not Just Megachurch Pastors – "Clearly, 'lifestyles of the rich and religious' doesn't cut it for Pope Francis. The pontiff has said it 'breaks my heart' to see priests and nuns driving the latest-model cars. He's blasted 'airport bishops' who spend more time jet-setting than tending to their flocks. And he's warned against church leaders who bear the 'psychology of princes.' The Vatican fired one such 'prince' last year: German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst—aka 'The Bishop of Bling'—who spent $43 million to remodel his opulent pad. (Bronze window frames? $2.4 million. Getting on the wrong side of the Pope? Far more pricey.)" A photo-research story from CNNs revamped religion page.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Every once in a while I find something online that literally leaves me without words. I waited more than a week wondering what to do with a couple of websites dedicated to help married couples learn the routines of "Domestic Discipline," where the "Head of Household" (read: husband) disciplines (read: physically) the other partner (read: wife). I offer it to my readers as an internet curiosity first and foremost, and secondly as a glimpse into the world of some (adjective desperately needed here) Christian marriages. Reporting definitely does not imply endorsement.
One (really good one) for the road – "24 Things World Christians Wish North American Short-Term Missionaries Would Quit Doing" from the Pathways International blog, Becoming Indigenous.
Paul Wilkinson tackles topics like domestic discipline at Thinking Out Loud but takes the high road editing devotions at Christianity 201.
