During a recent ministry conference I was attending, I was listening to a well-known (and one I respect) leader in men's ministries. He was explaining to a pastor why women leading Sunday School classes didn't work. His explanation? "Men won't accept the authority of a woman." He went on to extend this argument, saying that …
Book Review: The Gospel According to Starbucks
Next August, the ministry I work for has invited Dr. Leonard Sweet to speak at our luncheon during our church's General Assembly. In looking forward to this, it occurred to me that it would be nice if I brush up on his work. The most recent manifestation of that work in book form is The …
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The Trouble With Morality
Time magzine is wading into deep waters with its article What Makes Us Moral. Christians automatically assume that morality is their objective, as opposed to those who would "abolish" it. But the truth is more complicated than that. Back in seventeenth century France, there were two very prominent preachers, the Jesuit Louis Bordaloue and the …
Being Right May Not Be Enough
It's tempting for me to dismiss Russell Kelly's last outburst in our back and forth on tithing. But I can't quite bring myself to do so. The whole encounter has been rather bizzare, given that we both agree on the most important premise: that tithing is an Old Testament concept, not a New Testament one. …
Once More, With Feeling, on Tithing
Russell Kelly responded via email to my last post on tithing. He had problems with the "math question" (which I will discuss below.) But I will reproduce his email and my response. You have a lot of verbiage but little concrete content. I am not sure what your postilion is on tithing, but it seems …
Pickett’s Charge and Tithing
Russell Earl Kelly was quick to respond to my piece The Backlash Against Tithing. But, like our Confederate ancestors at places like Gettysburg, he may have charged without properly assessing what was in front of him. Let me start by reiterating one important point that Dr. Kelly has obviously missed: I do not say that …
The Backlash Against Tithing
As my church's Finance Committee chairman, the article about The Backlash Against Tithing (also here) certainly hits home. It's something I deal with all the time, especially at budget season. At one time in evangelical churches, people tithed first and then gave offerings on top of that. Today people are more likely to mentally allocate …
A Special Thanksgiving Verse
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9, 10) The special opening sentence for Thanksgiving from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.
Some Things Look Great on Paper. And Then…
Zack has an interesting response to my posting More on the Fairness of God, both on this blog and on his own Mutantcheez. Let me respond in turn to a couple of his comments. Paul goes on to talk in the letter about how Abraham is considered righteous based on his faith in God, and …
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What Will American Christianity Do After the Baby Boomers?
What should churches start doing, given Wuthnow's findings? My answer would be that they should redistribute energy. When we think of all the time and energy that churches invest in children, youth and their parents, and when we think of the high level of clout exercised by senior church members, it's clear that young adults …
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Positive Infinity 