Today kicks off a new series of blog posts called “What’s Trending,” where I will specifically discuss cutting edge trends that might push a few boundaries for many rural churches. The trends I will name in this series will range…
Pope Francis declares Oscar Romero a martyr, moves slain archbishop toward sainthood
Four emerging trends in small town churches
Six observations about speaking to pastors right before they preach
For most pastors, preaching is one of the most important facets of their ministries. It is that time when they get to expound on God’s Word. Much of their training has focused on preaching, and they often spend 15 to…
Remembering Thomas Merton
Growing up in rural northwest Missouri, I didn’t have much opportunity to know people who belonged to the Catholic Church. And then during my years in two Baptist colleges and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, that didn’t afford much possibility…
Kick ’em out: Why it’s gotten so hard to work together
In Los Angeles, Muslim women find empowerment in female-only Friday prayers
Pastor Joshua Harris, an evangelical outlier, heads to mainstream seminary
‘Halal In The Family’ Web series to fight Islamophobia with comedy
China tells U.S. it’s against Obama meeting Dalai Lama
Fire damages church led by controversial pastor Henry Lyons
Christianity at a crossroads in America
Christianity, along with other faith traditions, is at a crossroads in American life. Many sociologists see the road leading us to a European secularism, where mostly-empty churches are monuments to the hollowed-out faith of the masses, and serve as reminders…