I’ve written here before about why I believe family focused talk in churches is alienating and excluding Christian singles and childless couples. I was thinking more on the topic recently, and thinking about how family focus also devalues other kinds of important relationships.
For example, I’ve lived with the same roommate for the last 2 years. [...]

A friend of mine is a chaplain for a NFL team. He and his wife spend time with players and their families. He prays with them, mentors them, encourages, challenges, and teaches them.
He’s not mentioned in Time Magazine’s recent write-up on NFL chaplains, but the roles sound similar.
The Time magazine piece seems to emphasize the [...]

(Guest Blogger: Dave Trout.  Dave is the host of the nationally syndicated program ‘Under the Radar’ which features the best in under-appreciated Christian music.  He also writes a weekly column called ‘The Gourmet Music Report.’  In this post, he’s taking a little break from music to talk about culture.)
Should a pastor friend of mine have [...]

A recent Washington post article talks about the prevalence of faith-based weight loss plans. I had no idea this was going on, and I have to say, I’m torn about the whole thing.  I was more skeptical when I read the headline than I was after I read this justification from Pastor Steve Reynolds:
“About [...]

Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA has received a lot of press lately for the decision to sell its brand new building and use the money to take care of those in need in the community. The $1.4 million dollar new facility is nearly paid off, but the congregation overwhelmingly voted to put the [...]

I wrote earlier on celebrating sexuality within a Christian worldview. I still think the world yearns for affirmation of our sexuality from God’s point of view, especially since the world never hesitates to offer distortions and lies on the topic.
However, the most intriguing responses to me were the voices of Christian singles. I heard much [...]

Church Marketing Sucks recently posted about a church near Christmas, Florida that it looking to raise $12 million dollars to build a year-round Christmas theme park for terminally ill children.  Complete with reindeers and Santa, the Covenant Community Church hopes Christmas Dreams can be a good outreach tool for families.  Here’s an excerpt from an [...]

Last Sunday my regular Sunday school class was looking kind of slim; it was mothers day and the university graduation had happened the day before, meaning many students had skipped town already. Instead of doing our usual formal study, we sat around a table with coffee and engaged in some non-directed chatter.  We talked as [...]

For my article on the resurgence of traditional church architecture in the May issue of Christianity Today, I interviewed Eric Jacobsen, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington, and author of Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith (Brazos Press, 2003). He agreed to have our entire e-mail exchange shared [...]

If Lent is the time for doing without, Eastertide is the time to try something new. We’re living in a new kingdom. A spirit of new life and restless growth is upon us. I’m going to propose an experiment as you approach Pentecost. Try some new spiritual gifts. We find out what we’re gifted at [...]