“2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined […]
church
33,000 denominations. And the problem is…?
So there are 33,000 Christian denominations. Or 42,000. Or 51,000. What’s the problem? Let’s preface the discussion at the outset with the rather glaring observation that over a billion Christians are Catholic. And the rest can, for the most part, be subdivided into rather large groups: several hundred million orthodox, a hundred million Anglicans, Lutherans, […]
Do bad jokes undermine the credibility of the Church?
Today I saw a reader board sign outside a church that read “Jesus loves you snow much.” Yes, it said “snow much”. It was a pun. A bad pun. A very bad pun. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against humor. Even bad jokes have their place. But is this really the place? Even those […]
Why you shouldn’t clap in church
Some years ago a friend of mine told me he’d switched churches because he “didn’t get anything out of the worship.” I replied, “Worship isn’t about getting. It’s about giving.” Within a few moments we’d moved on in our discussion and soon I forgot the exchange altogether. But my friend didn’t. Years later he reminded […]
It’s not easy being Osteen
There’s an old joke about a chauffeur who drives a quantum physicist to an important speaking engagement. Just before they arrive the physicist says “Listen, I’m exhausted and still jeg-lagged. I simply must get some sleep. Why don’t we change outfits, and you can go up on the dais and read my lecture and I’ll […]
Psychopaths in the pulpit and pew
Clifford Everybody knew Clifford. He was loud and brash but also had the ability to be charming, even mesmerizing. He had a criminal record longer than your arm, but he could also quote scripture like nobody’s business. The year was 1981 and Clifford was attending the same church in Surrey, British Columbia as “Dave”. (I […]
How do you schedule a convenient Christmas service?
In a new poll 28 percent of Canadians said they would be attending church for Christmas. Ironically, 68 percent responded on the survey that they were Christian. (See ” Traditional holiday customs on the outs in Canada: study” available here: http://www.canada.com/life/holiday-guide-2011/Traditional+holiday+customs+outs+Canada+study/5905786/story.html) Wow, a little over one-third of Canadian “Christians” go to church at Christmas. If you’re not going to church at […]
Developing Christ-minded leaders who make a difference in the world?
A few years ago our seminary adopted the following mission statement: “To develop Christ-minded leaders who make a difference in the world.” What is the function of a statement like that? One possibility is that it is there to remind the employees of the institution — the faculty, staff and administration — of their purpose […]
What’s splitting your church? Worship music or genocide?
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 Suburban North American Church As everybody rose to sing Al stayed seated in the pew, arms crossed defiantly. He never stood during the choruses. Driving drums, distorted guitar and vacuous lyrics. “They make it sound like Jesus is […]
Is the church supposed to be “a place for you”?
In the late 1970s a young preacher named Rick Warren started going door to door asking people why they didn’t attend church. He then took that data and used it as a basis to start his church. And the rest, as they say, is history. I’m sure you could learn a lot of value from an […]
