“Be yourself! Be who you are! You’re on the right track, baby; you were born that way!” Sound familiar? We hear these phrases (or some form of them) constantly. The idea is we can just find our real self and live it, all will be well. As compelling as that idea is in theory, it's often disastrous. I often think of Joss Whedon’s counter-commentary: “Remember to always be … [Read more...]
“America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists”
Christopher Hitchens claimed religion poisoned everything; Dawkins has compared a religious upbringing to child abuse. Are they right? Sociologist Rodney Stark draws from an impressive range of studies to make the case that the opposite is true. Religion – specifically evangelicalism – helps everything it touches to flourish. Stark, a sociologist of religion, began his … [Read more...]
Church in crisis: a message every Christian needs to hear
It isn't much of a secret anymore that the church in the West is in crisis. If you haven't read one of the many church-produced or sociological studies, you've probably noticed it just by watching the news or looking around at society. But why is this the case? How did we get here and, more importantly, how do we fix it? … [Read more...]
Why Do We Need the Church?
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Many modern people seem to indicate that they are “spiritual, but not religious,” or “I’m a Christian, but I don’t go to church” which is often code for “I don’t have people with whom I worship God.” Some of them … [Read more...]