Today, May 23, 2023, I saw two articles on the Internet concerning the decline of religion (especially Christianity) in the US. The first article reports the results of the General Social Survey, the University of Chicago’s research group NORC, the Pew Research Center, Public Religion Research Institute, and a 2022… Continue reading
Why has the church today gone on the defensive behind the walls of its fortresses protecting its complacent members?
What “weapons” can the church use in its assault on the very gates of hell? Continue reading
(11 minutes) In part one of this series, I wrote about a fundamental disconnect between the life and message of Jesus and Christianity as it has been practiced over the centuries. Of course, there have been times when the church and individual Christians have been faithful to the revelation of… Continue reading
On September 13, 2022, the Pew Research Center and the General Social Survey released some alarming statistics. In the early 1960s, approximately 90% of the U S population identified as Christian (this percentage included children). In 2020, only 64% identified as Christian. The number of people who identify as religiously… Continue reading
Sociology and political professor Hartmut Rosa in a paper entitled “Two Versions of the Good Life and Two Forms of Fear” wrote the following: In a way, we moderns resemble a painter who is forever concerned about improving his materials—the colors and brushes, the air conditions and lighting, the canvas… Continue reading
MLK was absolutely on target when he called the church to be a thermostat. I suggest it’s time—way past time — for the church to “heat things up.” Or in the words of another Civil Rights hero, it’s time to engage in some “good trouble” for the sake of our integrity as followers of Jesus and for the sake of the common good of all people and this precious, vulnerable planet. Continue reading
Perhaps the most striking feature of their beautiful sanctuary is the stained glass window which stands at the front of the rebuilt 16th Street Baptist Church. The history behind this work of art is so moving. John Petts, a gifted Welsh artist renowned for his talent in creating works of stained glass, read about the tragedy which occurred on September 15, 1963. He immediately volunteered his services to create a replacement window for the church. Petts wanted this window to be a gift from the Welsh people. He and David Cole, editor of The Western Mail, rejected funding from wealthy individuals who could have easily paid for the window. Instead, they capped donations to a maximum of half a crown (about 15 cents in today’s currency) so that as many people as possible from Wales could be a part of this gesture of solidarity. Thousands of Welsh citizens offered their donations, many of them school children sharing their allowances. Very quickly, the money was raised and the Wales Window was installed and dedicated in 1965. Continue reading
Read the Scripture I have a confession to make. My favorite book of the Bible is the Gospel of Luke. No single part of Scripture speaks to me as does Luke’s Gospel. Now, that’s not my confession. My confession is that until several years ago, Acts was one of my… Continue reading
The context Mark provides for Jesus’ teaching is a dispute over fasting. His critics ask why his disciples do not fast as John’s disciples do. Jesus responds that with him there is a new age–the age of the bridegroom–the Kingdom time of a perpetual wedding when the appropriate response is… Continue reading
“Whom do YOU say that I am?” Jesus asked his disciples. And Simon answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” “The good confession” we Disciples call it. And then Jesus sternly ordered the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. Why? Why this… Continue reading
