Why does everyone seem so anxious these days? And how can pastors lead their congregations through these anxious times. Those are the questions that Mark Sayers attempts to answer in his book, A Non-Anxious Presence. Sayers first digs into the sources of the pervasive anxiety that seems to sit over the whole culture, even the … Continue reading A Non-Anxious Presence
Culture
What Does “Post-Christian” Mean Anyways?
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about what I think “secular” means. Today, I want to explore the concept of our country being “post-Christian.” The idea that America is now “post-Christian” gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean? I think there’s a lot of confusion about our current cultural moment because … Continue reading What Does “Post-Christian” Mean Anyways?
Culture and Leadership: My Story of Coming to Grips with Change
My wife was the first woman to pray during Sunday morning worship service in the history of our church. It was Mother's Day 2014 when my wife ascended the steps on the stage during the worship service, walked over to the microphone and prayed for the mothers and the women who desired to be mothers … Continue reading Culture and Leadership: My Story of Coming to Grips with Change
What was the zenith?
Decline narratives of American culture are so interesting to me. They seem to raise more questions than answers. Decline narratives typically go something like this: America's culture is decline. It used to be much better, but now it's not. So my question is this: What was the zenith? What was the "high point" or best … Continue reading What was the zenith?
Church of (Human) Glory? Or a Church of the Cross?
Amid our shifting culture—moving away from a culturally Christian, modern culture to a postmodern and neo-pagan culture—how should church respond? I think that we should reclaim some of our Protestant roots and learn from the great Reformer, Martin Luther.[1] In 1518, Martin Luther was still a monk within the Catholic church. His superiors, however, wanted … Continue reading Church of (Human) Glory? Or a Church of the Cross?
What Should Be Worn to Church?
After disputes over worship music, possibly one of the most debated issues in conservative church culture is what should be worn to church. Are only suits for men and dresses for women acceptable? Are shorts too casual? In Part 1, I walked through the Bible's storyline with special concern for its theology of clothing. Clothing … Continue reading What Should Be Worn to Church?