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The Skeptical State of Bible Reading in 2017
But a growing segment— 19 percent in 2017, up from 10 percent in 2011—say it’s simply a book of teachings and stories written by men.
That group has remained fairly stable in recent years (17% in 2013, 19% in 2014, 21% in 2015, and 22% in 2016). So this year for their State of the Bible report, ABS and Barna asked the people in that category a new question: If you think the Bible was written only by humans, do you think it was meant to be manipulative or controlling?
Almost 4 out of 5 skeptics said yes, which adds up to 13 percent of the US population. (A similar number of Americans told LifeWay that the Bible was bigoted (8%) or harmful (7%).)
These dark and troubled days need not testify to the power of death and the triumph of chaos, but they can be for us another step in our journey toward God’s promised Heaven and earth. What the world interprets as chaos and destruction, Jesus reads as opportunity. So lift up your head. Don’t be afraid. Lean toward the future with God. Walk as disciples of Jesus.
Pope Francis and Coptic pope agree not to re-baptize
In a joint declaration signed April 28 by Francis and Coptic Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria during Francis’ visit to the Orthodox St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo, the two churches agreed that they would not hold baptisms for members of one church wishing to join the other.
EPA removes climate change data, other scientific information from website
The Environmental Protection Agency is updating its website and, in the process, has removed a page that explained the causes and effects of climate change.
What the Press Still Doesn’t Get About Trump
Now that journalists have spent a few months covering President Trump, we asked a range of media critics, political operatives, historians and more: What does the press still get wrong about Trump, and what do we just not get at all?
Who Decides Who Decides? Developing an Action Plan
Using the above criteria can help your leader group determine whether a particular decision should be made primarily by the minister, primarily by the elders, or through some mutual process. For many leadership teams, it can be a difficult conversation to have. Yet I am certain that many leaders know the frustration and wasted time that accompany unnecessarily endless discussions about a particular decision. Having clear, written guidelines about who decides what will empower your leadership team for meaningful work.
Becoming an Effective Assimilating Church
So everyone is gifted. God has put every new member coming into the Levy family into the body exactly as he desires. He recreated them to fit and plug right into the body of Christ. It then becomes up to local body to help them assimilate in order for them to use that gift.
Census: More Americans 18-to-34 Now Live With Parents Than With Spouse
“There are now more young people living with their parents than in any other arrangement,” says the Census Bureau study.
“What is more,” says the study, “almost 9 in 10 young people who were living in their parents’ home a year ago are still living there today, making it the most stable living arrangement.”
The Science Is In: Sarcasm Makes You (and Your Friends) Smarter
When you’re brain first hears a sarcastic comment it goes through three stages to understand it. First, the language section in the brain interprets the literal meaning of the word or words. Then, the frontal lobes and right hemisphere break down the intention of the speaker and look at things such as body language, tone of voice, and facial expression to interpret differences between the actual meaning of the word and this specific social context of the word. And lastly, the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex makes a decision on whether or not the comment is sarcastic based off of our social and emotional interpretation.
Tornado Carries Mobile Home 130 Miles, Family inside Unharmed
A family from Tulsa, Oklahoma, underwent the scariest experience of their life yesterday, when their mobile home was carried over 130 miles by a tornado, landing in a rural Kansas area. Five members of the same family were inside the building during its “flight”, and all of them have miraculously survived without injuries.