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...]
Abdu Murray and Grand Central Questions, Part 1
We recently had the opportunity to talk with Abdu Murray about his new book Grand Central Question: Answering the Critical Concerns of the Major Worldviews (IVP, 2014). Murray is an attorney, a former Muslim, and an experienced apologist, and his book examines the critical questions of human existence in light of some of today’s major worldviews. This is part one of our … [Read more...]
Concerning the “Nones”
[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: In current times, there is no doubt religious affiliation has at least leveled-off or worse, in sharp decline. Scores of data resemble what one can see, specifically in the church – a sea of grey. Many, … [Read more...]
Has the Church Become an Atheist Incubator?
I suppose I should first apologize for baiting you into reading this article with a catchy title. No, I don't actually suspect the church is creating a huge number of atheists, as there simply aren't that many of them (as vocal as they may be!). While their numbers are on the rise, they are statistically few. What I am going to argue the church is often creating, might be … [Read more...]
From Religious None to Disciple: My story.
When I was 15 I thought Christians were all idiots. And I had good reason, based on what little I knew. Raised in a home where the most religious thing we ever did was say grace at dinner, I had very little exposure to church. I'm not even sure I knew it existed. Despite this, I was always instinctually curious about religion. I was raised to be a reader, and at 14 I had … [Read more...]
Is There a Religion of None?
Someone once said, “Give me the making of the songs of a nation and I care not who writes its laws.”[1] In his book Can Man Live Without God, Ravi Zacharias gives the context of this quote, stating that these words “not only divulge a major cultural access point to our contemporary mind-set, but also acknowledge the extraordinary control of song lyrics upon the moods and … [Read more...]
Responses to Challenges from the New Atheists and 'Nones'
Over the last few months, I have been posting responses to some of the challenges coming from the (new) atheists and the "Nones" (those who profess no religious affiliation or faith). What I have done here is provided you with a listing of those responses from the Real Issue blog, so that you have a collection of them for your reference. By no means is this an exhaustive … [Read more...]