Why millennials are leaving the church
What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance.
We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.
We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.
We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation.
We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.
We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.
You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around. We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there.
Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep down, we long for Jesus.
My husband is not my soul mate
And then he gave me some of the best relationship advice I ever got: There is no biblical basis to indicate that God has one soul mate for you to find and marry. You could have a great marriage with any number of compatible people. There is no ONE PERSON for you. But once you marry someone, that person becomes your one person.
The Charitable-Industrial Complex
Money should be spent trying out concepts that shatter current structures and systems that have turned much of the world into one vast market. Is progress really Wi-Fi on every street corner? No. It’s when no 13-year-old girl on the planet gets sold for sex. But as long as most folks are patting themselves on the back for charitable acts, we’ve got a perpetual poverty machine.
First Amendment ‘Goes Too Far’ on Freedom, Say Record Surge of Americans
But even though most people don’t know what freedoms they have under the Constitution, that didn’t stop more than 1 in 3 Americans from saying the First Amendment goes too far in the freedoms it promises. That’s nearly triple the 13 percent of people who said the same last year.
An Open Letter to All Christian Theologians
Sadly, today’s theological discussions are often about who can shout louder. They are marked by hate, anger, bitterness, and disunity. Instead of using theology to attract people to God, it’s being used as a weapon to promote agendas and point out the mistakes or “misbeliefs” of others. Rather than being inspired, individuals simply walk away from these encounters with a sense of discontentment, viewing Christians (often rightfully) as being hypocritical.
I Am a Church Member by Thom Rainer
Those attitudes are (along with my own one-sentence summary):
- I will be a functioning church member: The church is a unified body made up of many parts. All parts must function in their role or the church becomes weak.
- I will be a unifying church member: Unity is every church members’ responsibility. Gossip and unforgiveness break down unity.
- I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires: Church membership is about servanthood.
- I will pray for my church leaders: Without ongoing prayer for leaders by church members, our churches will not be healthy.
- I will lead my family to be healthy church members: Show your children and spouse how to love the church unconditionally.
- I will treasure church membership as a gift: When we view membership as a gift, our sense of entitlement fades.
The World’s Top Missionary-Sending Country Will Surprise You
While the U.S. still does send the largest total number of missionaries, “127,000 in 2010 compared to the 34,000 sent by No. 2-ranked Brazil,” the prize for the largest percentage per million Christians in the population goes to a contender that many will find surprising.
Palestine.
This country’s vibrant population of Christians send 3,401 missionaries for every million Christians.
I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Our Kids
We may believe in the innocence of youth, but our children know better. They see the children in the schoolyard (and they see us at home!). They don’t need the counterfeit gospel of pack-mule-moralism; they need the kiss of the Beauty.
Maybe we do too. Besides, it’s what the Bible in fact teaches.
The One Where I Say Its Okay To Send Your Child To School
I’m not scared to send my child to school. She knows God, she knows what is right, she knows how to be a good influence, and she knows that there are people out there who don’t believe in God – and she’s prayed for them. No, I’m not saying she’s a little missionary, but she has a heart for God that I didn’t have when I was 5. She will have a chance to influence the boys and girls in her school for God.
What’s a “myriad”? (Monday with Mounce 197)
BDAG says μυριάς can mean, “a group/collective of 10,000, myriad,” but it can also mean, “a very large number, not precisely defined, pl. myriads.”
It is this second meaning that is most interesting. Basically, it means a “gajillion.” Or perhaps a “bajillion.” What slang do you use? A gajillion means lots and lots and lots, with no specific number in view.