The rise of the nones, and the corresponding fall of Christian affiliation, is arguably the most important trend in 21st-century American religion. According to the General Social Survey, between 1972 and 2018, the religiously unaffiliated grew from 5.1% of the … Continue reading The Doubters’ Club | Book Review
When I became a pastor in 1990, seeker was the term of art for a nonbeliever. Churches such as Willow Creek and Saddleback had popularized the term as part of their attractional ministry model. Rather than emphasizing that a person … Continue reading Apatheism | Book Review
Between 1972 and 2018, the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian declined, while the percentage who claim no religious affiliation increased by nearly 500%. This growing segment of “nones” is younger than the general population, but Ryan Burge writes … Continue reading Everything Church Leaders Need to Know about Nones | Influence Podcast
Over at The Gospel Coalition, Chris Castaldo reminds us that how we Christians see God impacts how others see our God: The parable [of the prodigal son] ends there. Unlike the earlier stories, there is no explicit lesson from Jesus. We don’t know whether the formerly lost son’s big brother joins in the celebration, though it is clear that he should. The point, you see, is not bowing to some crabbed notion of fairness, but losing ourselves in God’s grand graciousness. Will the son forsake his pride and jealousy and become more like his gracious father? Will the Pharisees and … Continue reading What Legalists and Atheists Cannot Understand: Grace
DECEMBER 22: Happy Winter Solstice Day! POT, MEET KETTLE: “The Accidental Universe: Science’s crisis of faith.” That same uncertainty disturbs many physicists who are adjusting to the idea of the multiverse. Not only must we accept that basic properties of our universe are accidental and uncalculable. In addition, we must believe in the existence of many other universes. But we have no conceivable way of observing these other universes and cannot prove their existence. Thus, to explain what we see in the world and in our mental deductions, we must believe in what we cannot prove. Sound familiar? Theologians are … Continue reading The World Wide (Religious) Web for Thursday, December 22, 2011
“A Very Christian Atheist.” About George Orwell. I liked this quote from Orwell in particular: …when one’s belly is empty, one’s only problem is an empty belly. It is when we have got away from drudgery and exploitation that we shall really start wondering about man’s destiny and the reason for his existence. One cannot have any worthwhile picture of the future unless one realises how much we have lost by the decay of Christianity. _____ “Breaking Up with God: I Didn’t Lose My Faith, I Left It.” I’m interested in these kinds of stories because my doctoral research is … Continue reading The World Wide (Religious) Web for Monday, June 13, 2011
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