In an informal interview for an associate pastor position, I was once told by a senior pastor, “being an associate pastor is about paying the rent.” “What’s paying the rent have to do with ministry?” I asked. I though the…
Three responses to 9/11 grief
Eleven years ago on September 11, I was in college. I was getting out of a Tuesday morning class when I heard people talking about an airplane crash. As I walked back to my apartment, I heard more and more…
Do you want a pastor-in-chief?
With the selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate, religious history was made. Some historians believe this is the first presidential, major party ticket that does not feature a Protestant running for president or vice-president. Romney is Mormon…
Three reasons why churches don’t use social media
Even though about half of all Americans use Facebook once a week,only 40 percent of people report that their church has an active Facebook page. Only 14 percent of Catholic Churches have a Facebook presence. And, only about 10 percent…
Did you support Chick-fil-A day?
I did not eat a Chick-fil-A sandwich on Aug. 1 in a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Why? Is the nearest Chick-fil-A two hours away from me? Yes. Am I supporting gay marriage by boycotting Chick-fil-A? No. The comments from Chick-fil-A’s president Dan Cathy supporting…
Sometimes, churches need to ‘die’
A 100 year-old plus-mainline-congregation closes its doors. The church dies. What’s left? An empty shell of a building and a disbanded group of church members. Many have predicted the death of mainline churches for the last 20 years. People have…
Behind George Zimmerman’s comment, shooting ‘God’s plan’
In perhaps the most shocking development to come out of the Trayvon Martin shooting, since George Zimmerman‘s alleged plans to flee the country, occurred in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity. During the interview, Zimmerman discussed a number of topics,…
Take a digital fast this Advent
By Alan Rudnick Driving to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with my family I wasn’t thinking about turkey, cranberry sauce or who would get to try their luck at the wishbone. I thought about only one thing: Twitter. This year I…