So last week I started a short series responding to a great article in the Atlantic called “America’s Empty Church Problem” I loved this article, because it’s written to and by people who have previously assumed that America’s Empty Churches weren’t a problem, they were the solution! I’ve grown up hearing religious leaders like me lament that people are leaving church, we’re losing our youth etc. And I’ve read lots of books on how to get them back or keep them from leaving.... Read more
I’d like to start a short series over the next few weeks responding to a great article in last month’s edition of The Atlantic. The article is called America’s Empty Church Problem and it’s both profound and surprising. It’s surprising because it’s in The Atlantic. It’s not written by Christianity Today or some pastor lamenting that their church is slowly dying. It’s written for (and by) people, who often assume that empty churches aren’t a problem, they are the solution. So what would... Read more
I don’t know if you’ve seen the old Reality T.V. show Best Funeral Ever, if you haven’t, then please don’t let me get you started. But the show is kind of a fascinating glimpse into the human condition. It’s about a funeral home in Dallas that does Themed Funerals. Like, for the woman who loved Christmas they buried in a sleigh and had it come down a Holiday themed, snow-covered aisle. For the guy who sang the Chili’s “Baby-back-Ribs” jingle, they... Read more
“Honor is the good opinion of good people.” -Seneca a Roman 1st Century Poet A couple of years ago, Ira Glass, the Host of This American Life, began his show by interviewing 3 High School freshman students. Specifically interviewing them while they were posting a selfie on Instagram. In a year with stiff competition, I can’t think of much that made me sadder than listening to this conversation. These young women were describing the cloud of shame that they feel hovering over them constantly, and the ever shifting need... Read more
A little over a year ago, Monica Lewinsky took to a public stage once more. This time on purpose. She stood in front of some of the world’s brightest minds and most progressive thinkers and did the impossible. She talked about what everyone already knew about her but in polite society would never mention. Lewinsky’s TED talk became a sensation immediately. Ranking up there with Brene Brown’s work on shame she addressed what it felt like when the world gangs... Read more
If the Bible were ever made into a movie, there are certain parts of it I wouldn’t watch. I would love to see Jesus talk to the woman at the well. I would love to see God part the Red Sea for Moses, or see Elijah call down fire from Heaven. But the Bible is raw, and wild, and it doesn’t just consist of church-like stories. It involves sordid stories of sex, lies, violence and betrayal…in the first few chapters. Murder Sex and... Read more
In 2013, two guys were at a tech conference, they worked together and they were friends, but they were also both shy and had social anxiety so they kept to themselves. During one of the conference presentations, one of these guys, Hank, whispered a slightly off-color joke to his friend, and as they were giggling to each other the woman in front of them stood up and took their picture. Her name was Adriana, and she later said that she knew that they were... Read more
I’d like to start a blog series today that will run through the season of Lent talking about Witches, Politics, the Stanford Prison Experiment and Evil. And it all revolves around Shame. Specifically what we do when we feel shamed, and why we feel this such persistent need to shame each other, and try to put people or keep people in their rightful place? And why do people who have been shamed themselves, often very compassionate people, so often become the people who... Read more
Since I started this series on Netflix binge-worthy series “Stranger Things” I’ve had several friends send me links to other places on the web where people have attempted to do similar things with this series. Sometimes it’s been people pointing out the reviews on the Soundtrack or that Times article on the Nostalgia of ST, and sometimes it’s links to other Christians writing about the Gospel According to Stranger Things the way they see it. I’ll divide these links into a couple of... Read more
“I went back to church thinking it would be like an epidural, taking the pain away. But I realized that church is more like a midwife, standing next to me saying push…it’s supposed to hurt a little bit.” -Brene Brown “Love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and broken Hallelujah” -Leonard Cohen Ash Wednesday is tomorrow, and I know for some of the readers of this blog that may be an unfamiliar tradition. Before I started participating in Ash Wednesday,... Read more
Jonathan Storment
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