Today I begin teaching an online course for Andover-Newton Theological School called, “Pastoral Uses of Social Media.” In the course, we’re learning about social media and its ministry uses, but we’re also learning about how social media has been a game-changer as far as being a leader in our culture. To that end, I’ve assigned four books in the course, each of which has a lot to say about the way that organizations (like churches and ministries) need to organize... Read more
I’m blogging through Kenda Creasy Dean’s new book, Almost Christian, a theological follow up to Christian Smith’s Soul Searching. I hope you’ll join me. Find all the posts here. To end the series on Kenda’s book, a few links for further reading. First, CNN posted an article with the title, “Author: More Teens Becoming ‘Fake’ Christians“: No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep... Read more
I’m blogging through Kenda Creasy Dean’s new book, Almost Christian, a theological follow up to Christian Smith’s Soul Searching. I hope you’ll join me. Find all the posts here. Kenda’s final chapter and conclusion is called, “Make No Small Plans: A Case for Hope,” and in it she attempts to find the good news in the otherwise rather dreary conclusions of the NSYR and the finding that most American teens practice a version of Christianity called, “Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism.” She... Read more
Scot takes on an issue I’ve rarely seen him touch before. He has discussed divorce in the past at Jesus Creed, but never advocated for a position (at least as far as I can recall). But last week he allowed Taylor George to guest post, and George asks why divorce proceedings still favor the mother: Truth be told, there is no perfect way to split a family. It is obviously a complex situation for a third party to figure out.... Read more
School starts for my kids today, and I’ve returned to a wonderful little book that I first discovered in 2001, when I was writing my second book. It’s called, Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life, and it describes a way to easily integrate the Ignatian Examen into your everyday life — and your family’s life. The odd title comes from an orphanage during WWII. The children therein had gone hungry so many times that they were in constant... Read more
I’m blogging through Kenda Creasy Dean’s new book, Almost Christian, a theological follow up to Christian Smith’s Soul Searching. I hope you’ll join me. Find all the posts here. In chapter 8, “Hanging Loose: The Art of Detachment,” Kenda uses the youth group short-term mission trips as the backbone of chapter. She writes, Every year, youth ministers immerse teenagers in cross-cultural encounters, cajole them into unasked for leadership roles, and confront them with Bible studies on cultural and theological sticking... Read more
The Faith & Leadership project of Duke Divinity School has posted a video and transcript of an interview with Phyllis in which she talks about her latest thinking on Emergence and the role of denominations in the future. Q: What will mainline denominations need to do to survive and thrive? PT: If one were going to put one adjective to the Great Emergence, and thereby one adjective to emergence Christianity, one would say “deinstitutionalized.”I’m Episcopalian, and I hear with the... Read more
I’ll admit, I don’t know many Mormons. In fact, Jana is one of the few that I know. I like her and consider her a good friend. One of the things that I like most about her is that she always keeps her good-natured smile when answering one of my questions about Mormonism, questions that are usually laced with incredulity. For all of my (supposed) openness, I don’t tend to be that open or understanding of the Church of Jesus... Read more
It’s no Life of Brian, but it did cause me to laugh out loud at one point (you can try to guess). Here’s a taste: God: Hey Jews. Jews: Hey. God: So listen guys, I’m thinking we go in a different direction with this whole religion. Jews: What? God: You know, do a non-gritty reboot. Same God taste, new God packaging. That sort of thing. Jews: We don’t follow. God: Okay, work with me here guys. Remember the whole ‘angry... Read more
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