What happens as our artificial intelligence devices become “smarter” the more we use them? Will they crowd out or confuse our ability and will to make uniquely human connection, to build authentic community?
Breaking out: crossing the lines of old denominational structures
When done from an unhealthy place, these new alliances have the ring of old retailers like Sears or Kmart who can no longer compete in the marketplace of ideas. But when done out of conviction about the needs for the unity of the church in responding to an increasingly indifferent post-Christendom society, they strike me as creative, inventive and hopeful.
Looking for clues to thriving faith communities in a post-Christendom church
What characterizes a sort of Western “underground” church doing well within a larger context of the church having been pushed to the margins of society?
Dwelling in silence: the future of noise
I have to admit that I am a headphone snob with a portfolio of devices. There’s my Bose noise canceling set for lawn mowing and air travel. The in-ear set for motorcycling. The Beats wireless for exercise. If you have…
Fording the stream, mid-career
Over the next nine months, we will take a big-picture look at the trajectories that shape and reflect our North American lives. We will consider “the future” of things as ordinary as the relationship we have with animals and consumer…
What will it take to unite a divided U.S.? The answer might surprise you.
In the feature story of March’s Atlantic Monthly, James Fallows asks, “Can America Put Itself Back Together?” Fallows’ surprising good news is that he believes America can.
Embracing the power of what we don’t yet know
Can we resist our native evangelical bent for clarity, certainty, closure, purity, decisiveness and (yes) judgment — at least long enough to simultaneously value listening, nuance, creativity and (yes) the fresh wind of the Spirit?
Tapping into vitality with congregational residencies
It’s a sociological axiom of congregational life that what we see indicated in North American megachurches functions as a “canary in the coal mine,” signaling what’s coming for the rest of U.S. congregations. With that in mind, here’s some of…
Why do congregations keep firing their leaders?
In a recent conversation, a pastor whose father was also a pastor related to me this interesting observation. The elder pastor said, “In my generation, if you could really hang your hat on one or two aspects of ministry, you…