Church & Culture
Historically, whenever the church of Jesus is dynamic and healthy, it grows.
But healthy, missional Christians don’t just clump together in larger and larger groups.
The healthier the church is, the more Christians mobilize into outward-looking teams to start new groups. ...
Our church used to partner exclusively with other Christian ministries. For everything from missions to community service.
Before that, we would only partner with ministries in our denomination.
Today, while we still only partner with Christian groups for missions (can’t ...
Why don’t people wear their Sunday Best for church any more?
A lot of older churchgoers (that is, my generation) seem to be worried about that lately.
I’d like to respond to that question with a couple of my own.
When did the members of my generation become such old ...
Brand loyalty is dead.
Good riddance.
The so-called good-old-days when a person committed to a church, then stuck with it no matter what, have come to an end. But many churches don’t know it yet.
The same goes for denominations. Today, even fully committed believers are unlikely ...
Truth matters.
Especially as followers of Jesus.
Christians should have the reputation for being the most truthful people on earth. But we don’t.
Instead, whenever I’m on social media and see a tagline like, ‘This is huge, if true’ linking to a news item, ...
2016.
Worst. Year. Ever.
It must be. Social media says so.
Certainly, 2016 had its share of serious issues. From escalating problems in race relations, to horrific acts of terrorism, to the ravages of war in places like Syria, and more.
But that’s not what people are referring ...
Well, we did it.
We made it through this Christmas without a major national brouhaha erupting about a not-holy-enough red cup, banned lyrics at a school play, or a disallowed manger scene.
So let's keep it up, shall we? Let's resolve to go through the coming year determined ...
Are pastors supposed to be shepherds any more? Or is that idea passé?
If so, have we replaced it with something better? Or worse?
What if we had some raw, unsolicited opinions from the people who matter? Namely, the people in our churches – or those who have left.
“Keep Christ in Christmas” is a familiar saying this time of the year. But you don’t expect to hear it from the local rabbi.
For several years I was involved in our town’s Police Chaplaincy. One year, at our December meeting, the Methodist pastor noticed ...
I have friends I’m not supposed to have.
From every imaginable political, theological, social, ethnic background, and more.
People with whom I have radical, even angry disagreements.
Yet they remain my friends.
Not just in the Facebook way. In the old-school, meet face-to-face ...
Read More from Karl
