After recently facing some financial challenges, the seminary decided to more or less literally sell itself for $50 million to a large donor who helped transform it from a Christian seminary into Claremont Lincoln University, devoted to jointly training Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Jain clergy. In celebrating the move, Claremont President Jerry Campbell bizarrely... Continue Reading

So how has such pandering worked out for the UCC?….the UCC stands poised to finally dip below the benchmark of one million members…half the size it had when it was founded in 1962….the denomination has shed a whopping 37 percent of its congregations since that year, and just in the first decade of the new... Continue Reading

American Christianity has often individualized the faith, often over-emphasizing the personal, the private walk with God. But it’s a mistake to live apart from Christ’s body, for doing so severs you from the life and love and fellowship you need to fight the good fight. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with God’s people is courage. Standing alone is... Continue Reading

During that meeting, the session of New Hanover Presbyterian Church expressed its unanimous intent to leave the denomination and graciously indicated its desire to help the Administrative Commission provide for the transition of members wanting to leave the church and pray for those who choose to remain. Because of the session’s unwillingness to stay and... Continue Reading

Yes, there are some terrible megachurches. Just like there are some terrible churches that run 125 every week. But my job, and yours, is not to indiscriminately cast stones at every church that happens to be, or not to be, a certain size.   So this week inadvertently turned into Megachurch Week on the blog.... Continue Reading

Far from “callous disregard” for seniors’ concerns, those entrusted with spiritual leadership should help seniors see their true needs, learn to trust God instead of routines, and continue to press on toward the goal of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.   In my last post I explored a few issues involved with... Continue Reading

The study asked both the unchurched and people who regularly attend a denominational Protestant church about the impact of a church including a denominational reference in its name….The research reveals that the decision to include or exclude a denominational reference in the name is a two-edged sword, with advantages and disadvantages to both choices.  ... Continue Reading

This is one reason why confessionalism runs counter to the evangelical passion for Top Men and for making parachurch organisations functionally more significant for identity than local churches and ecclesiastical denominations. Not that all parachurches do this: seminaries, groups like the Alliance with very limited briefs, and charities focused on particular issues are unlikely ever... Continue Reading

For obvious reasons, the church would value apostolic books over and above other type of books. And this is exactly what happened. The books that the church regarded as apostolic were the books that were read, copied, and used most often in early Christian worship. These are the books that eventually became the New Testament... Continue Reading

Every wise and seasoned Christian leader I have ever heard has told me the same thing: You need the daily discipline of getting up early and reading the Bible and praying for an hour. I do not deny the wisdom of this advice, but I have often thought that we seek out a “one-size-fits-all” solution... Continue Reading