By David Gushee Follow David on twitter: @dpgushee In my last article, I suggested that realism demands that we “say goodbye to Christian America,” because it is passing. I intended to join neither those who wholly celebrate this fact nor…
Saying goodbye to Christian America
By David P. Gushee Follow David on twitter: @dpgushee One day in a doctoral seminar at Union Seminary, my ethics mentor Larry Rasmussen said words I will never forget: “There are advantages and disadvantages in every power position for the…
You mean they weren’t so bad after all?
A recent cover story on Christianity Today tells of the groundbreaking research of Dr. Robert Woodberry. Dr. Woodberry has done a thorough examination of the economic and political realities of a number of formerly colonially-controlled modern nations and sought an…
Norman Rockwell and Blanche Dubois
Say the name “Norman Rockwell,” and immediately iconic images of vintage Americana spring to mind. His paintings for Boy Scouts of America and for the covers of the Saturday Evening Post all portray a vision of American life that we…
I see what you did there
This past fall I was intrigued enough by the promos for the Fox drama, Sleepy Hollow, to watch. With the first season now ended, here are some reflections on the show and some of the worldview assumptions undergirding it. For…
Charting clergy trust
By Bill Leonard “Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields — very high, high, average, low, very low.” That’s the question asked in a Gallup poll regarding ethics and…
Many congregations are stuck in an overly churched culture
In the midst of a region of the world where the impact of a churched culture is fading, many congregations in North America are stuck in an overly churched culture perspective. As a result these congregations become insulated, isolated, and…
Lawyer says religious liberty at risk
By Bob Allen Religious liberty is becoming a casualty of America’s culture wars, a leading expert on the separation of church and state told an audience Nov. 7 at the Newseum in Washington. “I certainly didn’t predict the last 20…
We can dance if we want to
By Alice Horner Dancing is a longstanding part of culture. Through every decade, new styles of dancing emerge. Yet more often than not, the church watches from afar. We Christians reserve dancing for the privacy of our own homes, or…
SBC leader: Bible Belt collapsing
By Jeff Brumley Russell Moore has been making the rounds of national media outlets, telling his secular interviewers of the collapse of the Bible Belt and how it is bad for America but good for the church. Moore, president of…
The club-like church
By Kenneth Meyers Many churches are failing to imagine being and doing church in the 21st century. Forays into social media, marketing campaigns, new buildings and so much more compose the traditional church response to stagnated vitality and membership. The…
Cherry picking the Bible
By Thomas Whitley Neale Donald Walsch had a post on Huffington Posts‘s Religion blog recently titled “Buffet-Style Bible Believers” to which I’ve wanted to respond, but have had little time until now. The message of the post is nothing new….