Some see the nation’s burgeoning church merger and multisite movements resulting from larger congregations preying on smaller ones, pressuring them into relinquishing buildings and land in exchange for survival. In some circles, that’s called “steeple-jacking.” But it’s also largely a…
OPINION: The nature of conversion
This past June, during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly in Greensboro, I had the privilege of attending a workshop led by Dr. Bill Leonard, one of my former Wake Forest professors. This workshop was titled “Take Me to the…
TRENDING: Continuous partial attention
Around the turn of the century, tech-industry veteran Linda Stone coined the term, “continuous partial attention.” This state is, in the words of her June interview in The Atlantic, “the modern predicament of being constantly attuned to everything without fully…
REVIEW: In ‘Fruitvale Station’ an opportunity to dialog about one of America’s toughest issues
A friend posted a comment on Facebook that bears repeating. She said, “I never cry at movies. In fact, I rarely cry at all. That changed Wednesday when I went to see Fruitvale Station.” Fruitvale Station tells the true story…
Looking for common ground in what it means to sacrifice for greater good — in theory and practice
Christians tend to agree the Bible commands sacrifice for the greater good, but they differ about what that means. In a July 18 letter to elected federal officials, 5,000 Christian leaders asked Congress to work to protect the most vulnerable…
Living sacrifice: What does it mean for Christians to sacrifice today?
In biblical times, priests offered animal and grain sacrifices — as thanksgiving or to seek forgiveness for sin. Sacrifice meant death. But in Romans 12:1, the Apostle Paul called on believers to be “living sacrifices.” How does a believer live,…
REFLECTIONS FROM NEW YORK: Realizing the Kingdom
Talking about the “Social Gospel” within a congregational setting can often be difficult. The phrase has come to mean many different things to different people. In recent years public figures like Glenn Beck have spoken negatively of the Social Gospel,…
OPINION: What are we willing to pay for?
Last week, Thom Yorke, lead singer of the band Radiohead, pulled his new album from Spotify in protest of the low return artists receive from the music-sharing site. Pandora and other such sites have similar practices, offering music free or…
EDITORIAL: Spiritual schizophrenia
When CBS wanted to visually portray “the perfect American small town” in the trailer of its highly touted series, Under the Dome, the camera came to rest on a classic white frame church building. Curiously, whenever TV and movie producers…