The Hallway and the Rooms
I’m not against evangelicalism as a village green or hallway. In fact, I think it’s a wonderful meeting place. However, when it acts like a church, much less replaces the church, I get nervous. Movements are funny things. Especially in the Internet Age, they can be like a summer monsoon in the Arizona desert, gathering... Continue Reading
Why Bruce Waltke’s Story Is Being Told (in the mainline press) and David Coppedge’s Isn’t
There was an imagined scent of Scopes about the matter and so, despite the fact you can be sure no one on Diane Sawyer’s producing staff previously had any clue who Bruce Waltke is, it merited attention from ABC World News. “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” That’s the memorable opening line in... Continue Reading
The Presbyterian Church In America has peaked and plateaued
Self-preserving institutions are not able to keep up with cultural movements, risk new ideas, nor implement new innovations to reach lost people in a changing culture because it’s busy trying to figure out who does not belong in the organization. In 2004 there were 261,675 communicant members in the PCA and by 2008 there were... Continue Reading
When it comes to religious groups, who’s really facing discrimination?
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, in reference to the Old Testament, that “every word . . . comes from the mouth of God.” That does not allow much wiggle room for many in tailoring their views to meet societal demands. Can a nondiscrimination policy be discriminatory? That question, bordering on legal Zen, will be before... Continue Reading
Earth Day Special: Dave Says “Don’t do it for the gas mileage”
The truth is that a lot of people who do this kind of thing aren’t as worried about the environment or saving gas as they are about having that “I’m cool in a hybrid” feeling. Dear Dave, Is it worth the trouble to sell my old car now and buy a hybrid or another car... Continue Reading
Told You So: WormTape Facebooks, #5
The following conversation took place on a lovely spring day outside of the offices of a certain church board. These comments were later posted on various Facebook pages. Hard to believe?? Just wait. Following the April release by the AdminComm, this earlier find seems more factual than some imagined. Lisa: “Wow! I’ve been here 18... Continue Reading
Some Thoughts on the Strategic Plan for the Presbyterian Church in America
Maybe we need to become true federalists, and simply have a government that is very limited at the top, and far more responsive and active at the bottom and just eschew denominational visions and a top-down leadership model An Open Letter to the CMC: Dear brothers in Christ, I have worked through the videos and... Continue Reading
What do statistics tell us about the unchurched?
In a world where there is abounding advice on using mercy ministries for evangelism, training in how to reach various religious groups, and untold World and Life seminars to teach apologetics to average church members – could it be a main target group out there is ‘fallen-away born-agains’? I find myself spending several hours every... Continue Reading
Liberal Mainline Denomination begins ‘viral marketing’ campaign using Social Nerworking
Even before the UCC officially launched its new viral marketing message, The Language of God, leaked links to the video had become so popular that YouTube froze the view count on the message, thinking significant traffic was computer generated and not legitimate viewing. Just a few years ago, the United Church of Christ couldn’t buy... Continue Reading
Reflections on the Special Commission on Erskine College and the March 2-3, 2010 Called Meeting of General Synod
Editor’s Note: This document is an expansion of comments made on the floor of the March Called Meeting of Synod. After the Temporary Restraining Order was filed in the Erskine College case on April 9, a third party – with the permission of the author – submitted the document to the Executive Board of the... Continue Reading