The question: What are the central characteristics of a genuine conversation in your opinion? I want to draw your attention to a massive and brilliant study, but for most of us far too specialized to be a book to “blog” our way through. The book is Benedetta Craveri’s The Age of Conversation. Her book is a detailed analysis of 17th Century salons, directed mostly by women, designed not for professors and specialists but for a nobility that wanted to form a... Read more

This summer at Northern Seminary I will teach a public-open course on Women in Ministry. Here is a list of our summer offerings, and my course on Women in Ministry will be taught June 17-21. Here’s the official edu-scoop: Women in Ministry will focus on understanding, recognizing and encouraging the gifts God has given to women in the church. The course will focus on biblical texts about women, both from the Old Testament and the New Testament, with particular concentration... Read more

From Gabrielle Giffords: On Wednesday, a minority of senators gave into fear and blocked common-sense legislation that would have made it harder for criminals and people with dangerous mental illnesses to get hold of deadly firearms — a bill that could prevent future tragedies like those in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., Blacksburg, Va., and too many communities to count. Some of the senators who voted against the background-check amendments have met with grieving parents whose children were murdered at Sandy Hook, in... Read more

From a reader of the blog who comes to us for wisdom for a difficult situation in his church: What to do? What’s your advice? Here at the rural church I pastor I’m dealing with one of those issues I thought might make for good discussion on the blog. Through the combined outreach of another couple in the church and myself, a 40-something man in our community has come to faith in Christ. The circumstances are not relevant but they... Read more

Donald Miller, at Storyline: There are a few very loud theologians who want us to believe the heart of man is evil, as is spoken of poetically in Scripture. But they are often wrong (and emasculating) in the way they interpret and teach this idea. They use it as a method to devalue and so control people. The real idea is that apart from God, true purity does not reside in us. Without His light shining through us, we are... Read more

This story illustrates why I am nervous about pseudonyms on this blog … a person can say whatever he or she wants, misrepresenting himself or herself recklessly and with impunity, if one refuses to use one’s own name. What do you think of pseudonyms in County Blogdom? Atlanta (CNN) – A top-tier rabbi and expert in Jewish law and ethics is now under the microscope for what many see as his own ethical transgressions. Rabbi Michael Broyde was outed last week... Read more

From David Kinnaman: Definitions The level of irreligion in America depends on how you measure it. And the vitality of faith in America is much more than simply how people label themselves. Barna Group tracks the following 15 metrics related to faith, which speak to the lack of Christian identity, belief and practice. post-Christian = meet at least 60% of the following 15 factors (9 or more factors) highly post-Christian = meet at least 80% of the following 15 factors... Read more

In the middle of any commitment to a relational ministry will be the gift or ministry of empathy. Andrew Root, in his new and important study about pastoral theology called Relational Ministry, takes us one step at a time into an education in relationally. Empathy rates high in any emotional intelligence or relational ministry. If earlier today we looked at Roger Olson’s “relational theology” now we look at Root’s relational ministry. But what is empathy? What happens to ministry when pastoring... Read more