I don’t know what to think about church growth anymore. I’ve always believed it’s God that causes a church to grow–and I still do. But what role does the leadership of the church play in bringing more people in? I’m afraid the answer to this question I’ve long held to is actually little more than a caricature: If it’s God that does the growing, then the pastors need only preach the Bible and sit back […]
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Last week I watched a few episodes of “Beyond Scared Straight,” the reality show that follows a group of rebellious teens to prison, where they get a taste of life behind bars. Aside from being thoroughly entertained, I learned a lot about false hopes and society’s view of redemption. The show introduces us to fresh-faced juvies caught up in drugs, sex and gangs. Their parents enroll them in prison programs designed to scare the shiz […]
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” –Albert Einstein Anders Behring Breivik looks almost ghostly. In every picture that I see of him, he appears serious and menacing and totally unrepentant. This repentance he lacks should be for the murder of seventy-seven people last year when he both detonated a bomb in Oslo – killing eight – and arrived at a Labor Party Youth Camp in Utøya shortly after, killing sixty-nine […]
As fun as flannel-gram Bible stories were, I always found it frustrating (especially when trying to teach with them) that so often, you are short the people and the objects necessary to tell the entire story. Sometimes you just don’t have enough Galilean common folk to make two crowds, or enough leapers or demonized people to do justice to some narratives. But perhaps the most frustrating is when you are missing entire unique characters to […]
Yesterday Albert Mohler published an article at his website entitled, “Is the Megachurch the New Liberalism?” The article–or at least its title–inspired megachurch pastor Rick Warren to tweet, “@albertmohler A TITLE questioning 1000s of churches’ orthodoxy due to size is unChristlike. U need to apologize to pastors Al.” Despite the knee-jerk reaction it elicited from Warren, Mohler’s article is more a warning to megachurches than an indictment. The warning is in large part inspired by an […]
My wife took her first philosophy class at her southern California high school. Along with many other historical figures in philosophy, her teacher lectured on Kant. Unfortunately, the only thing that she can remember about Kant is the phrase, “Kant was a real pisant.” To be honest, I have found that this sort of reaction to Kant’s philosophy is pretty common. Michael Slote in his book Essays on the History of Ethics has a chapter […]
Disclaimer: I haven’t lost my job, and the company I work for isn’t evil in any way shape or form… In my role I get the chance to work with many unique organizations and dynamic leaders. It’s been an opportunity that has taken me through many industries from insurance, retail, manufacturing, and many more. It’s a great organization and based on previous experiences, I never thought that I’d end up with the dilemma that one […]
The Industrial Revolution changed the world. It made possible much of the wealth and prosperity that would have otherwise remained elusive. But now, it also is destroying the environment and dehumanizing laborers. The good of the Industrial Revolution obscured the bad. The consequences, though they could have been predicted (and maybe were by some) remained unforeseen by the majority. About six month ago I lost my iPhone. I dropped it from my third story balcony, watched it […]
Ministry isn’t easy. Those who serve, whether as pastors of churches, or who minister in other ways, can certainly resonate with that fact. And, it’s tough in different ways for different people. Although I’ve come to grow substantially in this area, for years, vulnerability was one of my most difficult hurdles. To share with another… perhaps even the person you are trying to counsel or minister to… your own faults, stories of your own hurts […]
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