At a meeting in York, the General Synod gave final approval to legislation introducing the changes by the required two-thirds majority. Overall, the Synod voted 351-72 on the measure. Ten abstained…. In a statement Welby said: “Today marks the start of a great adventure of seeking mutual flourishing while still, in some cases, disagreeing.”  ... Continue Reading

“I do want to be clear that this permission does not define an expectation for clergy,” he writes. “In your own life of prayer and within community, you will decide how to respond to this statement of permission.” Each church’s vestry or mission committee also can take up the issue. Before priests can perform the... Continue Reading

When Phelps first arrived at Highland Baptist in 1997, he said there was a don’t ask, don’t tell policy regarding gays. The following year, a gay couple’s photograph appeared in the church directory, and slowly the church began to openly welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members and dedicate their children, he said. In 2012,... Continue Reading

“What has persuaded me to vote in favour this time is the House of Bishops’ statement of five principles,” he said. “The risk is that that is a statement of intent and there isn’t really a legislative provision backing it up; so I will be stepping out in faith, as it were.”   The pivotal... Continue Reading

Millennials have a dim view of church. They are highly skeptical of religion. Yet they are still thirsty for transcendence. But when we portray God as a cosmic buddy, we lose them….When we tell them that God will give them a better marriage and family, it’s white noise….When we tell them they’re special, we’re merely... Continue Reading

“The vote on same-sex weddings in Presbyterian churches was very skewed–429 to 175. Regional presbyteries still have to vote, but that is unlikely to change what occurred in Detroit–many if not most of those opposed to same-sex marriage have already left the denomination, either by joining more orthodox splinter churches or by swelling the ranks... Continue Reading

“In South Carolina, even an irregular appeal from an interlocutory (i.e., not final) order of the trial court — normally such orders are not subject to appeal — apparently divests the trial court of jurisdiction pending the resolution of the appeal. Thus if this latest appeal is dealt with as was the earlier one, the first... Continue Reading

“When two-thirds of pastors address the issue of domestic violence in church one time a year or less, we have a serious disconnect with the realities of American life,” Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research Division, said. “Pastors cannot ignore or downplay the issue, when lives are being ruined — and sometimes lost — through... Continue Reading

What these “pastorpreneurs” found was that people would still attend church in a post-Christian culture if it appealed to their felt-needs. Rather than viewing the church as simply a means to an end (connecting people with God), they made the church an end in itself. The logic was simple: if the masses did not feel the need to... Continue Reading

To the degree that Mars Hill pushes this teaching, they are part of the problem identified in 2013 via research by Lifeway. Ed Stetzer at Lifeway reported that 48% of evangelicals believe prayer and Bible study alone can cure serious mental illness. In the case of Mars Hill, apparently prayer, Bible study and a demon... Continue Reading