Please Don’t Start another Non-Profit

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

Chris Heuertz, who has been faithfully running an anti-trafficking organization for two decades, has some advice for young, social justice-minded Christians who want to start a organization that will do good in the world: Don’t. About 8-10 times a year I get random calls from sincere 20-somethings asking me for advice about the non-profit organization they want to start. Usually these new, innovative ideas are cause-driven organizations that aim to help victims of human trafficking or women and children caught... Read more

A Secret Group of Evangelicals Picks Santorum

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

So, it turns out that I was only partially right when I posted that evangelicals wouldn’t vote for a woman, a Mormon, or a Catholic. At least their leaders will vote for a Catholic. At a secret meeting, an unidentified group of evangelical leaders, they took a vote, and Rick Santorum won. The New York Times reports, The extent to which those attending the meeting will be able to mobilize their followers behind Mr. Santorum remains unclear. The group’s vote... Read more

Hey, Jefferson Bethke, Let Me Tell You What Religion Is [VIDEO]

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

In the most over-hyped video of our young year, spoken word poet, Jefferson Bethke, tells us all how much better Jesus is than religion. Same song, new verse. It’s cool to be pissed at “religion” when you’re 20. I get it (though I can’t say I ever went through this phase). And then, as you age, you realize something: Religion is simply the social and psychological framework by which human beings organize their experience of the Divine. That is, most... Read more

Don’t Hit Your Space Bar Twice

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

For the writers among us, let’s heed this warning. At Slate, Farhad Manjoo chastises all of us who use two spaces between sentences in our typing. Can I let you in on a secret? Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong. … Most ordinary people would know the one-space rule, too, if it weren’t for a quirk of history. In the middle of the last century, a now-outmoded technology—the manual typewriter—invaded the American workplace. To accommodate... Read more

Stop Saying “Faggot”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

Adam McLane has a guest post by a friend of his who, as a Christian, has struggled with his sexuality, and with the way that Christian groups have demeaned him: I managed to keep in secret until about 18 when I told my high school counselor. He sympathized and explain that there were other people out there like me. Once I got to college, my life would change. It did. My first week at college I became a Christian. And... Read more

Mark Driscoll Thinks British Preachers Are Cowards

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

So much for the kinder, gentler Driscoll: “Let’s just say this: right now, name for me the one young, good Bible teacher that is known across Great Britain. You don’t have one – that’s the problem. There are a bunch of cowards who aren’t telling the truth.” READ THE REST Mark Driscoll takes aim at the ‘cowards’ in the British church | Christian News on Christian Today. Read more

Christian Nightmares’ 15 Worst Videos of 2011

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

I visit Christian Nightmares a lot. It’s like picking a scab. It hurts, but I can’t stop. Christian Nightmares’ 15 favorite/worst video posts of 2011 (in no particular order; for last year’s list, click here) 1) Satanic, psychedelic remix of Christian public access evangelist Reverend Dolly Harrell – 2) Evangelist and failed comedian Dawson McAllister preaches against ‘worldliness’ – 3) An incredibly infectious and upbeat Christian kids’ song about the Bible – 4) Evangelist Patricia King marvels over her pal Joshua Mills as God... Read more

Steve Knight Lauds the Language of Participatory Church

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

When it comes to publishing, social media, and the church, Steve Knight knows what he’s talking about: I’ve been working full-time on the Web (in one shape or form) for over a decade now, and it’s been fun to watch the language of it evolve from “interactive” to “multimedia” to “Web 2.0″ to “social media.” The radical shifts in culture that have taken place because of the Internet have been astounding. At the same time, there’s been a similar shaking... Read more

God in Creation – A Defense of Panentheism

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

I’m currently re-reading God in Creation, Jürgen Moltmann’s ecological doctrine of creation. It’s my third time through the book — maybe fourth. It’s a beautifully written systematic theology text. In the preface, Moltmann admits that he didn’t mean to write a thorough monograph on the doctrine of creation, but the more he got into the subject, the more topics he felt he had to cover. He addresses some pretty cool topics, which will be out-there for some readers. For instance,... Read more

Tattoos Are “Morally Neutral” Says Pastor

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm By Tony Jones

An evangelical church in a shopping mall has opened a tattoo parlor, and the presiding pastor says its about being “relevant”: FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan pastor who says he’s doing everything he can to reach out to people who don’t feel comfortable at a traditional house of worship has opened a tattoo parlor inside his church. Rev. Steve Bentley of The Bridge, a church located inside a Flint Township shopping center, said his ministry is built on... Read more