I had the opportunity recently to go up to Crossroads Camp and Conference Center in Lowesville, VA for the Gathering of Silence hosted by the Virginia Baptist Epiphany Institute of Spirituality and sponsored by the WMU of Virginia. This week…
Religion’s killing fields: When will we ever learn?
By Bill Leonard “Afterwards it happened, before I had ever heard of the existence of [Anabaptist] brethren, that a godfearing, pious man, named Sicke Snyder, was beheaded at Leeuwarden, for being rebaptized. It sounded strange to me, to hear a…
Denominations Now Provide Fewer Resources for Congregations
Previously covered in my series is the death of the gapology framework for denominations, and the fact that money follows the information flow more than it follows the denominational channels. This post deals with the third element no longer part…
Endings and beginnings — both essential to healthy churches
By David Hull I write these words in the midst of a most unusual week. The first part of the week was spent in the home of my deceased parents. Their house is for sale, most of the furniture has…
Remembering Isaac Backus
The New England Puritan Isaac Backus was born in 1724 and died 208 years ago today, on November 20, 1806. As an outstanding advocate of religious freedom and the separation of church and state, he is well worth remembering, and…
Evangelism implosion
By Bill Wilson It’s time to talk about the obvious: We have a problem with evangelism. Let me explain what I mean. • “We”: All of us, regardless of theology, denomination, setting or worship style are struggling with this issue….
Humblebragging — a double technical foul
By John Chandler False modesty is as old as humanity itself — see the fate of Haman in the biblical story of Esther. But give credit to comedian Harris Wittels, writer for the NBC series Parks and Recreation, whose Twitter…
Has church become a fairytale?
By Seth Vopat “My dog,” one replied. Another said, “Beauty and the Beast.” Agreeing with the first response, another responded, “My dog.” “I think the couple in the movie The Fault in Our Stars,” someone else said. The question: Does…
My writing life
(I need to get this off my computer or I will never get any writing done.) Write Write Delete Write Edit Google
Balancing a congregation’s spiritual diet
By Doyle Sager Is your congregation receiving all its spiritual vitamins and minerals? We all know how crucial a balanced physical diet is; our spirits also need a healthy mixture of “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). But before…
We really do love you, honey, but …
By Jonathan Waits While some parents like the surprise element, my wife and I wanted to know. I remember the moment with each of our boys. We headed to the doctor for a regular checkup with a bonus: an ultrasound….
Soar past tithing on your way to becoming wildly generous
Should we forget tithing? Is it passé? Does it set up an artificial target on which too few people actually agree? Tithing seems like an obvious principle–10 percent of your income–yet too often it becomes a negative point for confusion,…