The 6 Worst Things About American Christianity
America is wonderful! We have religious freedom to express our beliefs and worship according to our preferences, but there are also very distinct problems associated with American Christianity.
Missing the Mission: Looking for the Right Results While Loving the Wrong Things
Love is good– and everyone wants a loving church. However, loving the wrong things leads you the wrong way. Loving what is good, including our context, Jesus’ mission, and the next generation (to name a few things), moves the church in the right direction. The church should be always reforming, that is, humbly looking at itself and assessing their ability to reach people with the good news of Jesus. Sadly, many of the people Jesus devoted his time to would not feel welcome in our churches.
But I have to wonder…
If we have been so heavily invested in youth ministry for all these years then how can we be so worried about losing our young people?
Or has youth ministry failed us?
What’s tricky is that everyone seems to have a verse to back up their beliefs. So what is the truth? If the Bible says, “We rejoice in our sufferings (Romans 5:3),” and also, “Test me in this … and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it (Malachi 3:10),” then what can we really expect in this lifetime in regard to prosperity and wealth?
“The Gates of Hell Shall Not…”
Oh, my friend, the church may suffer and we will have our ups and downs – but we are not going anywhere. It will be here forever – Daniel 2:44, Matthew 16, Luke 1:33.
It’s gonna be here so let’s learn to love it, believe in it, help it be healthy, grow it and by all means encourage each other in it in every way possible. Remember what you do to and say about the church you do to and say about the Lord (Acts 9:3-5).
Majority of Pastors Doubt Global Warming, but Recycle at Church
“Pastor opinions on global warming reflect their own political beliefs,” said Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research. “The pendulum of public and pastor opinions on man-made global warming is swinging back toward agreement but still lacks a majority. For some, the terminology has shifted, and environmentalists now speak of ‘climate change.’ However, for consistency and comparison, we have asked the same question multiple times – and pastors are split on the issue – along most Americans.
The question is: now that we know these people, will we listen to them in an effort to understand? Tom Friedman famously wrote that there’s never been a war between two nations that had McDonald’s franchises in them. I wonder if we’re going to develop a new sense of mass, one where it’s harder than ever to demonize a group that contains your friends, even if they’re merely online friends. Or, are we going to get better at hating people we know, at de-personalizing our experiences…
Remember – Beginning, Middle, & End – The True Basics of a Good Speech/Good Presentation
Here’s my observation. The better speakers have pretty good “middles.” But the very best speakers have superb “Hooks,” and really clear “Calls to Action.” So, here’s my suggestion – start working a lot more diligently on these two aspects.
Wishing Mom a Happy Mother’s Day…on Facebook
Are you planning to wish your mom a Happy Mother’s Day on Facebook? If so, you’re not alone. “Moms” (defined as women with a child or children under the age of 18 living at home) are especially likely to be Facebook users, even compared with dads, or with other women, according to Pew Research Center’s 2012 data on social networking. Some 79% of moms use Facebook, compared with 61% of all women and 57% of men with a minor child living at home. (As of December 2012, 54% of all American adults and 67% of internet users use social networking sites.)