Meanwhile, in China: Pastor Wang Yi’s Declaration of Faithful Disobedience (Faithwire) Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ. When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting … Continue reading »
Weekend Roundup – November 17, 2017
He’s not worried that you’re following along on YouVersion: Pope Says No Phones in Church. Parishioners Keep Scrolling. (Note: you can get YouVersionhere.) Not sure Francis would agree: The Reformation is over. Protestants won. So why are we still here? “Winning is dangerous — what do you do next? Do you return to Mother Church? … a number of my … Continue reading »
Gun Violence Information
It doesn’t seem like it. Mass killings happen randomly, yet rate has remained steady, study finds. However, other data support that conclusion: Kieran Healy: Assault Deaths to 2015 Point and Counterpoint: America’s unique gun violence problem, explained in 17 maps and charts (Vox.com), and I used to think gun control was the answer. My research told me otherwise. (Leah Libresco, formerly … Continue reading »
Knowing Your Why, Baseball Edition
Church revitalization begins with knowing your why, your reason for existing, the irreducible minimum that everything else either supplements or, occasionally, is at odds with. If you know your why, it’s easier to figure out what you must do, what you can do without if you have to, and (sometimes) what you need to stop … Continue reading »
Bishop Barron – long interview
I’ve enjoyed a lot of Bishop Barron’s postings inspired by things going on in pop culture. So I was intrigued when YouTube recommended this longer form interview between him and Dave Rubin. Barron is especially interesting here discussing gay marriage, since he’s talking to a married gay man. Here’s part one of two: The part … Continue reading »
Honoring God’s Name
In the book of Malachi (Malachi 3:16) we read that “a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” What is the honor of God’s name? What does it mean to think about it? I suspect that many of us … Continue reading »
Habakkuk – a Good Question
In verses 12–13 of the first chapter of Habakkuk, the prophet affirms that God is sovereign. Israel’s troubles are not because God is unfaithful or weak. Rather, the Babylonians are tool God is using to punish Israel: O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. … Continue reading »
Sunday Worship Attendance
Tony Morgan has a series of blog posts about declining attendance in Sunday worship services, and I found it interesting: Part 1: Panic at the Church: Dealing with Less Frequent Attendance Patterns Part 2: How One Church Leans In to Less Frequent Attendance Part 3: Church Attendance Decline? There’s a Problem with Your Product. Part … Continue reading »
Wesley’s Questions
If you’re familiar with 12 Step programs, you might remember that Step 4 is the Truth, i.e., “Make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of yourself.” There’s a reason they say *searching and fearless* — it’s hard to be honest about yourself. (Especially in writing.) John Wesley and his Holy Club used to do … Continue reading »
GA222
My friends from Seminary, many of them, are posting from #GA222 in Portland. Reading their posts, I feel like such a dog in the manger. “They’re happy. Why can’t you be happy for them?” I ask myself. The reason is the same reason I wouldn’t be happy if someone had cancer and they were treating … Continue reading »