Forced Out: Pastors’ Fight and Flight

Research shows more than a quarter of pastors have been edged out of a church, regardless of denomination.

Forced Out: Pastors' Fight and Flight

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This article appeared in the May, 2012 issue of Christianity Today as "Pastors' Fight and Flight".

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

May

Christianity Today May, 2012

My Top 5 Books On Fatherhood

Getting to the Crux of Calvary

Richard Mouw

Works and Words: Why You Can't Preach the Gospel with Deeds

Duane Litfin

From Powerlifter to Powerless

Kathleen Anderson

Throwing Christ Over the Cliff

Leslie Leyland Fields

Review

Brave New Web: Navigating the Conflict Between Pluralism and Freedom

Joseph Knippenberg

Teach Us to Pray: Learning from Prayer Partners in History

Interview by Elesha Coffman

News

Quebec: Canada's Prodigal Province

Ann-Margret Hovsepian in Montreal

News

Black Church Barrios: African American Churches Adapt to Latino Neighbors

C. L. Lopez

Touched by Jesus: Healing Body and Soul

Timothy Morgan

Miracles in Mozambique: How Mama Heidi Reaches the Abandoned

Tim Stafford

News

Marketing Martyrs: Does Iranian Pastor's Theology Impact Advocacy on His Behalf?

Ken Walker

Helping Urbana Find Its Voice

Elissa Cooper

News

Should Churches Halt Missions Trips to Mexico?

Compiled by Ruth Moon

Wilson's Bookmarks

John Wilson

The Choir's Steve Hindalong: Celebrating Sobriety

Dave Urbanski

News

Sensation Before Scholarship: Gospel Fragment Tantalizes Experts

Gordon Govier

Private Faith and Public Policy: Where Obama and Santorum Agree

Letters to the Editor

Should We Stop Child Placement Programs if We're Required to Work with Same-Sex Couples?

Paul Shrier, Lynne Marie Kohm, and Ryan T. Anderson

Review

Dollars and Moral Sense: What Money Can't Buy

Todd C. Ream

News

Quotation Marks

Compiled by Ted Olsen

Excerpt

Subversive Kingdom

Ed Stetzer

Review

Journeys of Faith

Michael McGowan

News

Foreign Aid Cut from Religious Charities, Authorities Target Official Churches, Religious Quota Creates Controversy, and More News

Review

Rhetorical Darwinism

John Mark Reynolds

Review

How God Became King

Bill Walker

News

Migrant Ministries: European Churches Revitalized by Asian Diaspora

Ruth Moon

News

Passages

News

Go Figure

Compiled by Ted Olsen

Review

Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us

Andrew Greer

Editorial

The ‘Monsters’ Among Us: Child Sex Abusers in Our Midst

A Christianity Today Editorial

Why We Need 'Community'

Todd Hertz

Q & A: Ross Douthat on Rooting Out Bad Religion

Interview by Sarah Pulliam Bailey

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Turn Toward Each Other and Away from the Screen

Perhaps technology has changed everything. But God is still here, still wiring humans for connection and presence.

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The Call to Art, Africa, and Politics

Daniel Silliman

In 1964, CT urged Christians to “be what they really are—new men and women in Christ.”

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The Bulletin

Pete Hegseth’s Future, Farmers on Tariffs, and Religious Decline Stalls

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll

Hegseth scrutinized for drug boat strikes, farmers react to Trump’s tariffs, and a Pew report says religious decline has slowed.

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The Debate over Government Overreach Started in 1776

Three books to read this month on politics and public life.

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Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

BONUS: Amanda Knox on the Satanic Panic and Wrongful Convictions

How elements of the satanic panic and conspiratorial thinking shaped a wrongful conviction.

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The Chinese Christian Behind 2,000 Hymns

X. Yang

Lü Xiaomin never received formal music training. But her worship songs have made her a household name in China’s churches.

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Death by a Thousand Error Messages

Carrie McKean in Midland, Texas

Classroom tech was supposed to solve besetting education problems. The reality is frustrating for students and costly for taxpayers.

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The Surprising Joys of a Gift-Free Christmas

Ahrum Yoo

Amid peak consumerism season, I prayed for ways to teach my children about selfless giving.