CHANGE, CHANGE, AND MORE CHANGE

Much of the church in the U.S., including my own, needs change, change, and more change.  Even a quick glance at what is happening around and among us should be enough to convince us that the church simply must change.  In the U.S., most denominations are in decline and some of them must “pull up” …

ON CHANGING CHURCHES

Given the current condition of our culture—both inside and outside the church—I think as many of us as possible should seriously consider changing churches!  Let me explain.   Some time ago, Lavone and I were driving somewhere, not on the interstate, but on a two-lane highway through the countryside.  We came up over a bluff …

IMAGINE A “CHRISTIAN” CONGRESS

According to the Pew Research Center, just under 88% of members of Congress identify as Christian (87.8%) compared with 63% of the U.S. population.  In addition, less than 5% of the Congress identify as religiously unaffiliated (e.g., humanist or unwilling to say) compared with 33% of adults in the U.S. today. ** Let the findings …

Christmas Transformation

The message of Christmas means that things are not what they seem, that a new world has dawned so that we find ourselves on the front edge of powerful and beautiful realities worthy of the Maker who became like the made in order to re-make everything better than new.  In the jubilant words of Mother …

Renewal is NOT a Missional Work-Around

Spiritual renewal requires followers of Jesus to be shaped (or “discipled”) into the KIND of people who become agents of God’s renewal.  IF renewal happens, it normally happens first to them and then through them to and for others. It is common for us to read the remarkable report on Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2) and …