Through the years, Christians have understood Sunday in various ways. In years past, even during my childhood, Sunday was a day of rest, and the majority of businesses were closed. In many parts of the world today, Sundays are so secularized that Sunday differs little from other days of the week. In the United States, …
Monthly Archives: June 2023
Sunday: When the Sermon Comes to Life
The last Sunday of January 2008, my Sunday morning sermon challenged the congregation to develop a more global view of God’s work and interests around the world. I urged the church to pray about things beyond our little circles of knowledge and interest. That afternoon, an email came with news of a devastating fire that …
Challenges for the Church: Strengthening the Foundations
Barna Research Reveals Four “Mega-Themes” in U.S. Culture (#4) As today’s young adults, teenagers and adolescents have become accustomed to radical individualism, they have introduced such thinking and behaviors into the realm of faith realm. Faith is an acceptable attribute and pursuit among most young people. However, their notions of faith do not align with …
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Challenges for the Church: Strengthening the Family
Barna Research Reveals Four “Mega-Themes” in U.S. Culture (#3) Most parents want to do a great job of raising their children. However, Barna studies conducted among parents of children under 18 revealed that few parents have a strategy or plan for how they will accomplish that goal. Barna’s surveys point out that most parents underestimate …
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Challenges for the Church: Redefinitions of Christianity
Barna Research Reveals Four “Mega-Themes” in U.S. Culture (#2) The research also reported that people are reframing Christianity to suit individual tastes. Fewer adults (and many fewer teens) identify themselves as Christians. The image of the Christian faith has taken a beating due to a combination of factors: harsh media criticism, “unchristian” behavior by church …
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Challenges for the Church: Helping the Self-Satisfied
Barna Research Reveals Four “Mega-Themes” in U.S. Culture (#1) A Barna report from over 20 years ago (December 2007) identified four significant “mega-themes” in contemporary U.S. culture: high self-acceptance or self-satisfaction, new definitions of Christianity, increased challenges and concerns in parenting and family dynamics, and individualized “designer faith” with rootless values. The report noted that …
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Sunday: The Holy Spirit and Being Spiritual
“I love worship at that church–they are so spiritual….Those are such spiritual men….She is so spiritual.” We talk about it a lot. We think we know what it is. Spiritual–what do we mean? What makes worship or a person or a Bible class spiritual? The idea of being spiritual and the word spirituality are not …
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