Why the “Big Drop in Share of Americans Calling Themselves Christian” Isn’t Our Problem

Last updated on: May 14, 2015 at 5:38 am By Tim Suttle

The New York Times reported earlier this week on the sharp decline in the number of Americans who self-identify as Christians. I’m guessing Christians will likely blame this on shifting cultural values or some other outside phenomenon. As for my take, I think the church should probably be able to manage faithfulness with or without cultural approval. If you want my full take, read Shrink. The book gives my interpretation of what’s going on, and why it’s really not a reason to mope around.... Read more

Monday Morning Confessional: Frederick Buechner, and Listening to Your Life

Last updated on: April 27, 2015 at 10:01 am By Tim Suttle

I confess that a friend of mine just picked up Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner, and sent me a pic that reminded me of this great little devotional book. I’m grateful for the reminder. There were a couple of years in the late 90s, while I was traveling with Satellite Soul, that this book was a part of my daily life that spilled over into sprawling, capacious conversations about Jesus and our own lives. I picked it up... Read more

Nazarene Controversy Highlighted in The Daily Beast: Here’s My Take…

Last updated on: April 23, 2015 at 10:02 am By Tim Suttle

I’m just going to give you my take on this, then link back to the article… Karl W. Giberson is serious scholar, and a former faculty member at Eastern Nazarene College. Giberson says Oord is the victim of a fundamentalists witch hunt. He says, “The controversy at NNU is one battle in the long war that is being waged—and slowly won—against thinking evangelical Christians.” I know he’s right about the battle being waged. I hope he’s wrong about it being... Read more

Earthday: Why Christians are so Bad on the Environment

Last updated on: April 22, 2015 at 6:07 am By Tim Suttle

Do you know what scientists commonly call ecological studies? Dissipation studies: Terrestrial field dissipation studies, soil dissipation studies, habitat dissipation studies, natural resource dissipation studies, petroleum, forest, reef, fisheries dissipation studies… The Catholic theologian Ronald Rolheiser says that to be human is to live with an excess of desire. “Desire is always stronger than satisfaction,” he says. (p.3) To be humans is to have an excess of desire. Not all desire is bad. We desire justice, mercy, love, and belonging—all... Read more

New Shrink Video Releases Today: A Creative Introduction

Last updated on: April 20, 2015 at 8:11 am By Tim Suttle

Author readings are all over youtube.com, but I’ve never seen an author take any care with the medium–make any kind of creative investment in them. I have long thought author reading videos could have value beyond their use as a promotional tool. They could exist as a creative way to experience the author’s voice first hand. That’s what I’m trying to do in this video. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen another author do this kind of video treatment of... Read more

Everyday Sundays: Frederick Buechner on Why the Subdued Sundays of Eastertide are So Important

Last updated on: April 17, 2015 at 1:01 pm By Tim Suttle

In his sermon “The Secret in the Dark,” Frederick Buechner wonders at why in the four gospels, when they get to the most important part of the story (resurrection), the gospel writers tell it in whispers–no choir of angels, no explosion of light, not a soul was there to witness it. “It was the most extraordinary thing they believed had ever happened, and yet they tell it so quietly that you have to lean close to be sure what they... Read more

3 Myths About Calling: Why RELEVANT’s Take Falls Short

Last updated on: April 17, 2015 at 6:16 am By Tim Suttle

Let me start by confessing a pet peeve: I believe that the combined Jewish and Christian traditions express the most profound wisdom ever contemplated by human beings. This stuff is deep, and you really shouldn’t handle it with marketing in mind. So when someone—usually a pastor-slash-writer-slash-musician with an appealing headshot and a self-composed bio—attempts to produce (and we’ve all had to do it), a list of “Three Great This,” or “Ten Ways to Do That,” I get a little twitchy,... Read more

Walter Brueggemann’s Blurb for my book Shrink: Faithful Ministry in a Church Growth Culture

Last updated on: April 15, 2015 at 9:45 am By Tim Suttle

It was great to finally meet one of my heroes face to face yesterday. Walter Brueggemann’s work has meant a great deal to me over the years. His book The Prophetic Imagination continues to be a source of guidance and inspiration for my life and ministry. When I was working on Shrink, I relied heavily on it for a couple of the chapters. So, I contacted Dr. Brueggemann to see if he’d take a look at my work, and give... Read more

Walter Brueggemann at Faith & Culture Conference 2015 – Lecture 01 Detailed Notes

Last updated on: April 14, 2015 at 1:21 pm By Tim Suttle

The Redemption Church staff & friends are in St. Joseph, MO today, listening to Walter Brueggemann talk about The Prophetic Imagination. Here’s a set of my notes from the first lecture he gave. CONTEXT We live in in the midst/under the rule of Empire Totalism: totally contained socio economic political educational social system outside of which there is nothing imaginable, thinkable, sayable, doable… that’s where we live. That was the regime of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Caesar. The money has coopted the... Read more

What Role Does Dread Play in Your Life? – Monday Morning Confessional

Last updated on: April 13, 2015 at 11:17 am By Tim Suttle

I confess that I went to a gathering of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies last week (CAPS) in Denver. My wife is working toward a master’s in Marriage & Family Therapy. Over the years she’s had to endure many a boring theological lecture with me, so attending this conference was a little payback (although, full confession, I skipped out one day to ski at Eldora). I thoroughly enjoyed the conference, and heard some fascinating lectures and research presented by people who... Read more