On whether Christians should keep supporting World Vision
All this makes for a relatively thorny problem. But one possibility that Christians should avoid, it seems to me, is simply ignoring the difficulties altogether on the pure grounds that World Vision USA saves lives. Many organizations save lives, and the Christian who gives money to World Vision USA is unquestionably committed to doing so. But they are committed to more than that, which is why they have chosen to give to World Vision rather than some other organization.
The Other Side of the Donald Miller Post: Church PTSD
But somehow just plain being “mean” doesn’t garner any type of outrage. “It’s not ideal, but we are fallen people, after all, so you can’t expect anything better.” Church people have half jokingly admitted to “shooting their wounded” for years. What would it take for people to think there is actually a problem? It will never be any better if we keep justifying the way it is now.
Let the Children Come to Me…Unless They’re Too Loud, Distracting, or Difficult
The church in American has raised a whole generation that has never really been spiritually formed by the larger church gathering.
Think about it: As babies, they were in the nursery. As children they were in children’s church. As youth, they were in youth group Sunday schools. As college students they were in college groups.
For their entire lives, they have been spiritually formed by their peers. And if your church has multiple services, it’s even worse because a kid could legitimately go through from infancy to childhood and never once worship with the larger, intergenerational people of God.
And then we wonder why our kids go off to college and never come back to our church. Maybe we need to consider that it’s not primarily their fault; the decisions they make are really the natural outflow of the decisions we made for them their entire lives.
Ways to Restore Zeal When Sharing Your Faith
- Spend more time in prayer.
- Ask God to open your eyes to see people who need Jesus.
- Share Jesus naturally.
- We are to be faithful in sharing our faith but it is the work of God to lead someone to faith.
- Get out of your Christian world.
- Build meaningful relationships with people who need Jesus. Invite them into your life.
How to Get More People Involved in the Church
- Provide an encouraging and accepting environment.
- Help people see involvement in the church as involvement with Jesus.
- Teach Christians what the Bible says about our talents and abilities.
- Teach Christians that God expects them to bear fruit.
- Set goals for your church family.
- Finally, consider why folks are not involved and attempt to remove these obstacles.
What’s the Place of the Bible in American Christianity? Surprising Results from a New Survey
I’m struck by the popularity of the King James Bible (it’s popular with Bible Gateway visitors, but not quite to the extent that this report found in broader American culture); and by the (pleasantly higher than I would’ve expected) percentage of Americans who regularly read and even memorize Scripture. That the Internet is the least popular source for finding help in understanding the Bible is a surprise, although it’s reassuring to hear that Christians are turning to trusted clergy with their Bible questions.
Housing The Homeless Not Only Saves Lives — It’s Actually Cheaper Than Doing Nothing
It’s cheaper to give homeless men and women a permanent place to live than to leave them on the streets.
That’s according to a study of an apartment complex for formerly homeless people in Charlotte, N.C., that found drastic savings on health care costs and incarceration.
Air pollution killed seven million people in 2012
Air pollution by sources from cooking fires to auto fumes has become the globe’s worst environmental health problem, contributing to a shocking seven million deaths worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.