I’d Probably Still Cancel Your Short-Term Mission Trip

Research by Robert Priest, Brian Fikkert, Dambisa Moyo, and Bob Lupton (among others) on short-term trips has shown three things:

• They don’t change participants’ lives.
• They don’t cause more people to commit to long-term missions.
• They often harm both local economies and orphans.

But here’s the problem: research rarely trumps the anecdotes that participants recount after their cross-cultural experiences. With an outsider’s view of complex cultural dynamics, we’re left evaluating short-term cross-cultural experiences based on felt needs and personal testimonies. It’s like a pastor evaluating his sermon based on how he felt about it.

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5+ Questions to Ask a Visiting Missionary at Dinner

1. Have you had any near death experiences?
2. What are your most prized food items?
3. What about weird cultural experiences?
4. Have you met any famous people?
5. Are you reading any good books?

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Netflix Is Making It Harder to Be a Missionary

A missionary’s supporters and church community should start by asking how the cultural acclimation journey is going for the person. In what areas are they struggling? Are there ways technology is hurting their ministry? Is it best to travel home for this event, or is it okay to miss it? In what ways are they experiencing culture shock? Is it getting easier or harder? Are there areas of sin that have gone unchecked? How can we help in prayer and accountability?

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Ten Fears for the American Church

1. I fear we go through the motions without really experiencing God’s presence.
2. I fear we get way too hung up on things that don’t matter nearly as much as we think.
3. I fear we think too lightly about persecution.
4. I fear we think we’re the most important church people in the world.
5. I fear we think too little about Bible study and scripture memorization.
6. I fear we have little idea what power there is in prayer.
7. I fear we tolerate sin far too much.
8. I fear we’re not providing enough practical training for young ministers and missionaries.
9. I fear we sometimes get in the way of missionaries on our short-term trips
10. I fear we don’t pray enough for missionaries.

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It’s Official: Merriam-Webster Has Added They to Its Online Dictionary as a Nonbinary Pronoun

Merriam-Webster notes in a blog post that people have been using they as a singular pronoun since the 1300s, and quoted an 1881 letter in which Emily Dickinson refers to a person of unknown gender with the pronouns they, theirs, and even themself. The post also mentions that using you as a singular pronoun wasn’t always considered grammatically correct, either: it was born out of necessity, gained popularity in casual conversation, and eventually became formally accepted as a singular pronoun.

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50 Years Ago, Scooby Doo Was the Perfect, Weird, Hopeful Mystery Series 1969 Needed

Scooby Doo suggests to the youth of America an alternative path for resistance against a greedy grown-up world, one achieved by outsmarting the enemy, rather than either fighting it or protesting it.

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Police chief: Non-homeless, non-handicap Abilene man making $1,000/weekend panhandling

They learned he is not homeless. Standridge said the man lives in a home in south Abilene. He is also not wheelchair-bound, according to Standridge. Someone drops him off every weekend to seek charity. Standridge said the man earns about $1,000 a weekend.

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Girl, 11, throws loaf of bread at armed robber

Police said the half-baked bandit bottled it when customers threw “squash and a loaf of bread” at him.

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Can a religious school fire a gay teacher? It’s complicated.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive Order 11246 barring federal contractors who do over $10,000 of business with the government in one year from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion sex or national origin. In 2002, President George W. Bush issued an executive order that added a religious exemption to the measure, using language lifted from Title VII. In 2014, President Barack Obama added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected characteristics in Johnson’s original order, affording specific protections to LGBTQ workers, but Obama left intact Bush’s protections for religious organizations.

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Sorry, but Politico’s long exposé on Jerry Falwell Jr. lacks adequate named sources to be taken seriously

That’s a lot of sources, yes. But they’d have much more credibility if they had names attached to them. On-the-record sources with names attached have more skin in the game than those granted carte blanche to say whatever they want without their names attached. That’s basic Journalism 101 reality.

Falwell Jr., Liberty University share GetReligion’s post on Politico story — but did they actually read it?

As with many red-hot stories mixing politics and religion in the Trump era, there’s a lot of noise — some of it helpful, some of it not — on both sides of the Falwell story. My advice remains the same: Rely most heavily on on-the-record sources, documents and facts. Be careful about accepting as the gospel truth undocumented statements and claims, especially from those who decline to be named.

Trump (Accidentally) Insulted a Pastor on Twitter. Here’s What He Said in Response

Now, Carl’s sharing his response to the episode. In a post which you can read here, Carl wrote that “I’m not mad at you, I’m sad for you … Our words overflow from our hearts and can quickly evidence the health or sickness of our souls. Your heart must be in a dangerous place to have such a consistent flow of defamation and disrespect towards so many.”

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The First Sexual Revolution: The Triumph of Christian Morality in the Roman Empire

Harper explains that from Paul onward, Christian sexual morality “collapsed all forms of same-sex contact, whether pederastic or companionate, into one category” (99). “Nature” was seen as that which corresponded to social norms. With Christianity, “nature” would be that which corresponded to a gendered morality of sex. Preachers like Chrysostom condemned same-sex behavior, with no concern for whether it was pederasty, the exploitation of slaves, or more durable same-sex partnerships. Under Justinian we see the criminalization of same-sex behavior, though there is little evidence this was carried out with any kind of intrusive spying upon private life.

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How highly religious Americans view evolution depends on how they’re asked about it

These findings are in keeping with arguments from scholars of religion that highly religious people may feel conflicted about saying that humans have evolved over time unless they are able to clarify their views about the role of God in these processes.

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Wednesday Night Still a Church Night for Most Congregations

Almost 6 in 10 churches have small group adult Bible study classes. Most (53%) also have some type of student ministry or youth group gathering. Around half of pastors (48%) say they have children’s activities. Slightly less (45%) use the night for a prayer meeting. Close to 2 in 5 pastors say they have choir or worship team rehearsals on Wednesday. A third (33%) say their church has a worship service that night, while 8% say they do something else.

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Praying Beyond the Prayer Card

I no longer want a list of simplistic prayers supported by isolated Bible verses to inform my petitions to God for my daughter. I need a robust vision of the life God casts in his word, a life that is not defined by radical individualism, personal fulfillment, and self-actualization via Christianity. Instead, I need a vision that is informed by our identity as adopted children of God who are members of the household of faith. Only then will I invite others into that household and faithfully act as an agent of restoration in light of God’s promise to make all things new.

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Chef ditches job to become ‘dumpster diver’ – and makes £16,000 in six months

April Smith, 35, says she has saved £3,250 on food bills and has acquired beauty products and household goodies worth another £16,250, by diving into giant supermarket dumpsters and turning other people’s trash into treasure.

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Things Stay-at-Home Mothers Aren’t Allowed to Talk About

Emerald made me a card this weekend, saying she loves it that I “didn’t want a job.” I have never specifically talked with her about being a stay-at-home mom, but at seven years old she is already understanding a little bit of my heart when it comes to our family. I don’t know if she’ll wind up being the PTO President or a CEO, but if she chooses to stay home with babies, I pray that she will find in it the complete joy that I have. Because this world needs kind and artistic and smart and funny women like her in the kitchens and the laundry rooms and the carpool lines, and there is nothing at all wrong with her giving herself to her family, undivided.

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Why the day to day of marriage is radical service to God

Obedience to the call of God to die to yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus is where any act done for the Lord becomes radical—whether it be mission work overseas, in the inner city, or in the suburbs with your spouse and kids in a minivan on the way to the grocery store. The day-to-day self-denial of choosing resurrection life over temporary comforts, dying to self to serve the other, and the year-after-year investment of your life into your spouse’s is a counter-cultural radical stance. With the adventurous heart of Christ in us, those of us who are married can be radically faithful in the everyday life of marriage.

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Did Jesus Preach the Gospel?

Did Jesus preach the gospel? Yes, he did! He preached the good news of the kingdom of God. But Jesus not only preached the gospel, he also enacted the gospel. He healed diseases, raised the dead, drove out demons, reconciled people, forgave sin, and included the marginalized.

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Seven Things We Can Learn from Attractional Churches

1. Have an intentional strategy to reach people.
2. Think about the unchurched.
3. Promote excellence.
4. Keep moving people in the direction of evangelism.
5. Demand strong communication.
6. Apply the gospel.
7. Maximize the opportunity.

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More Than Half of U.S. Adults Trust Law Enforcement to Use Facial Recognition Responsibly

At the same time, the survey finds that this relatively broad acceptance of facial recognition use by law enforcement does not necessarily apply to other entities that might use these technologies. Notably smaller shares of the public say they trust technology companies (36%) or advertisers (18%) to use facial recognition responsibly.

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Alex Jones Loses Another Legal Battle In Sandy Hook Defamation Case

Conspiracy theorist and lawsuit magnet Alex Jones lost another legal battle last week when a court struck down an appeal related to a defamation lawsuit against him and his fearmongering website Infowars.

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Stop playing sound on your devices on flights and in public!

More people should speak out when they are being assaulted by sound. Reasonable people will turn it down, turn it off, or put on some headphones. Business people doing the wander should be advised to leave the room for their conversations.

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Popovich helps build team camaraderie with ‘Pop Quizzes’

That has been one of the challenges that U.S. head coach Gregg Popovich has given his players along the journey to the World Cup knockout rounds. At the beginning of some of the team’s meetings, Popovich has selected a player to answer a non-basketball question, a “Pop Quiz” if you will.

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Pit bull pretends to faint to avoid having her nails trimmed

A pit bull has gone viral for her acting chops after she dramatically escaped her owner’s attempt to trim her nails. Footage shared Thursday on Twitter showed the pooch pretending to faint as her owner tries to use a nail clipper on her.

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“No More of This!” (Why Jesus Armed and Disarmed Peter)

Jesus did not arm his disciples so they could fight; Jesus armed his disciples so that prophecy would be fulfilled and so he could disarm them! Jesus allowed those arresting him to falsely assume he was a violent revolutionary (as the prophecy in Isaiah says); but when his disciples actually attempted to employ violence, Jesus stopped them.

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Yet another ex-ex-gay leader apologizes — but no one really investigates facts in this story

Game was in the closet until 1993 when he became a Christian and tried to live a hetero existence; getting married and having two children. His wife (and they are still married), Julie Game refused to be interviewed. That fact sends up a red flag for me. If this turnabout is so wonderful, why isn’t she applauding it? Hope for Wholeness also wouldn’t be quoted, even though it operates in some 15 states, according to the article.

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What Christians Don’t Want to Admit About Celibacy and Homosexuality

Shouting, “One man, one woman!” louder and louder isn’t the answer. The answer involves a careful examination of American community, a look into the reasons why denying the right to marry has become synonymous with denying the right to love, and a willingness to fix these problems, at least within the church.

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LGBT Activists: Drew Brees Promoting The Bible Is Homophobic

Brees, a man of conviction and religious faith, should not be held to the moral and social standards of people who choose to express their views through actual, tangible hatred and literal intolerance. Conservative Christians do not deserve public shaming, shunning and baseless accusations simply for promoting their faith to their own community.

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Why I’m Still an Evangelical

Yet over and over again, I come back to Peter’s response. Where else would I go? And it’s not because this was how I was raised, or I am afraid of what people will think, or this is what is comfortable. I believe because there is no where else to go. Again and again, I explore other belief systems. Again and again, I ask myself the hard questions. And again I am convinced: This is the Truth. What the Bible teaches is Truer Truth than any other belief system I have encountered.

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Another Learning Experience

If you arrive at university this year and find yourself settled and growing in a good student church, then that will be fantastic. But before you do that, why not take a second look at some of the other churches a little further afield? You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

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In Search of a Better Land: A World on the Move and a Church on Mission

• Takeaway #1: God is sovereign over migration.
• Takeaway #2: How we receive the foreigner will determine how the foreigner perceives our God.
• Takeaway #3: The great migration attunes our hearts and lives to the theological reality that we too are migrants longing for a better world.

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There’s a $218 billion design problem sitting in your fridge right now

There’s a nice piece of fruit in your refrigerator right now. Perhaps it’s a veggie. Or a boneless skinless chicken breast. Whatever it is, you’re definitely going to eat it. You’re not a food waster! But here’s the truth: There’s only a 50% chance, or worse, that you’ll finish any of those things, in their entirety, a week later. The rest will only be partially eaten, or perhaps prepared and sitting in your fridge as leftovers. In any case, much of that remaining 50% will end up in the trash soon, representing lost money and one of the greatest contributors to carbon emissions and climate change.

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Texas Popeye’s ran out of chicken sandwiches, man pulls gun

Police say a man pulled a gun at a Popeyes restaurant in Houston after being told they were out of chicken sandwiches.

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Maid of honor wears T-Rex costume to sister’s wedding: ‘I regret nothing’

In a hilarious Facebook post, Meador shared a photo of herself on the big day in full Tyrannosaurus rex ensemble, dutifully holding her sunflower bouquet. “When you’re maid of honor and told you can wear anything you choose…I regret nothing,” Meador captioned the photo.

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Politics vs. governance

Politics is organized sparring about power, without much regard for efficacy or right or wrong. Governance is the serious business of taking responsibility for leadership.

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Brown skin and Christian civility

Let’s leave the partisan politics to those preoccupied with the Caesars and kingdoms of this world. We urge Chronicle readers to consider the real feelings of our dear Hispanic sister — and all of our Latino brethren — when they engage in social media. May the fruit of our lips openly profess the name of our Lord.

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9 Questions to Ask Before Addressing Cultural Issues at Your Church

1. Does the concern affect a substantial portion of your congregation in a substantial way?
2. Should this concern be affecting them?
3. Does this concern pose a threat to God’s people morally, doctrinally, or in some other way?
4. Does this concern necessitate a pastoral response of comfort?
5. Does the preacher need to inform the church of a hazardous issue or circumstance?
6. Is there a clear connection between the concern and a specific text?
7. Has this concern come to the preacher?
8. Is there a biblical “therefore” to the text and the concern?
9. Are you moved by principle or just wanting to break the boredom?

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Our Modern Ephesian Moment

• Marker #1: The congregation fosters ongoing growth in the person’s awareness and acceptance of their ethnicity, encouraging them to grow in their uniqueness in Christ.
• Marker #2: The congregation accepts the person’s ethnic perspective as normative and valuable to its development as a theological and discipleship community.
• Marker #3: The congregation sees the completed work of Christ as the means to regulate the person’s ethnic pride, combating ethnocentrism and elitism.
• Marker #4: The congregation challenges the person to regularly give up their preferences in order to live peaceably and to reflect the gospel to the world.

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Just Show Up

We want to make a difference in the lives of our family, our community of faith, and in our world. Elders want to shepherd their flock in real and meaningful ways. Preachers want their words to have real and lasting impact. We all want to give support, encouragement, and help. Love one another. Be there for each other. So if you really are serious, here is a suggestion. Show up.

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Why the Church Needs More Practitioners and Fewer Preachers

James stops short of suggesting there is no place for formal teachers in the Church. There is clear biblical evidence to suggest otherwise. However, instead of calling for more aspiring teachers in the Church, James suggests we need more practitioners of God’s love. It’s the role of every follower of Christ and leader in the church.

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Ordinary Faithfulness in the Smallest Tasks

Let us be faithful in the small things. Sure, serving in the nursery, providing food for a family, or a simple phone call of encouragement doesn’t sound as “exciting” as conquering a kingdom, but perhaps what the church needs most is ordinary people willing to pull weeds. Our Lord cares about the smallest task, and he said he will not forget even when we provide a glass of cold water.

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What If the Worst Comes to Pass? Developing a What If Theology

What if the diagnosis was in fact cancer? How would we cope? What if our child was in fact violated? What would we do? What if the worst came to pass? What would that look like in honest-to-goodness reality? The Christian disarms the what ifs when she carries them out to completion in her imagination because she finds she has an answer. She finds that she would actually be okay. That she would actually make it. That she would be devastated, yes, but not beyond the reach of her God.

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100 Figures Who Shaped the NFL’s First Century

This list is not meant to be definitive, and you could compose another, with a whole host of new names, that would be valid and compelling. Omissions should not be considered slights. Rather this is meant as a mosaic, a picture with 100 pieces from which, when they’re fit together, an image of the NFL at the century mark emerges.

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