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Since it is not 1965, we have to do church different

[This is the second blog post in a series. The first was "Since it is not 1955, we have to do church different" found at...

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Attracting a new generation of leaders in ministry

When I was growing up, Christian ministers were widely held in high esteem. Although a few Elmer Gantrys may have been in the mix, churches and communities generally received their ministers with...

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Grandma’s never coming back

Each time I returned to my grandparents’ home, I felt like I needed an arsenal of anxiety medications to get me through the feelings of emptiness, sadness and yearning for what used to be. My...

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Fifty years from now

What might it mean to be a Baptist Christian at the mid-point of the 21st century? I’m hesitant to try and answer such a question. In my experience, actual developments over time usually take...

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My marriage fell apart the day the dog died

I am sure you’ve heard the old adage that married life begins again when the last child leaves home and the dog dies. Frequently I also hear people say they moved to a new house without a forwarding...

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Desperately seeking 20-somethings.

If you’re a long time reader of my work (thanks Mom!) you’ve likely come to the not-so-startling conclusion that a great deal of my ramblings are primarily concerned with my struggles, disagreements,...

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What do Millennials want from denominations?

Associated Baptist Press writer Jeff Brumley recently posted an article responding to research by the Public Religion Research Institute suggesting that “the rise of religious progressives and a...

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A tale of two Chucks

What a couple of agnostics taught me about congregational business. I have two friends who are particularly dear to me, both named Chuck. I first met The Chucks, as I call them, a few years ago in a...

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Let’s play: morph your church into a museum

The long-range goal of many congregations is to turn their church into a museum. It is not intentional. It is unintentional. It is just that actions taken year after year migrates them away from...

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spare your face the razor

*Author’s Note: For maximum poignancy, please listen to The Oh Hello’s The Truth is a Cave repeatedly whilst reading. You’ll thank me later. A few mornings ago, as I stood staring groggily into the...

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it floats (or what it’s like being on Satan’s payroll)

Whenever I’m asked to describe my job as a professional Christian, I usually stammer something along the lines of: “I talk about God for a living.”  Or, if I’m feeling especially cynical: “It’s mostly...

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It’s embarrassing, but it doesn’t have to be (being Baptist, that is)

Hello there! I just recently realized (in the midst of writing blog after blog after endless blog) that I don’t think we’ve met before (aside of course, from you mom! I promise I’ll come get my mail...

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Worship style surprises

“If we put up screens in worship, I’m quitting Wilshire!” Guess the age of the person who said this at a recent gathering at our church. If you surmised this must be the stubborn opposition of an older...

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How Seminaries Fail 2: “this time it’s personal”

Recently, pastor, author, and professor Brett Younger penned a thought provoking essay outlining a few of the ways in which seminaries fail. Aside from listing the more obvious shortcomings of any...

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A Baptist’s report from Tehran

Report from Tehran,  January 22, 2014 I spent the afternoon today ambling along the streets of Tehran soaking in the city, negotiating the tiny, bustling alleys of its bazaar, and reflecting as I stood...

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For Pete’s sake

My last sermon of 2013 was named after a Pete Seeger song – “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Based on a Ecclesiastes 3, it is a text that I’ve mostly used for funerals. I wanted an opportunity to use the song in a...

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Feb. 9, 1964: the day the church changed never to go back again

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricardlopez/ Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 was the 50th anniversary of The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The British musical invasion hit its first quality live prime...

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Embrace the variety

I read a blog post recently that really got me thinking. In the post, fellow ABP blogger, Alan Rudnick advocates for services based on differing worship styles to be de-segregated, that is, to be...

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Are Millennials different than Baby Boomers 40 years ago?

Back in the 1970s a lot of congregational prognosticators warned that the Church, in general, was in the process of losing a whole demographic generation known as Baby Boomers. Existing congregations,...

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the next right thing.

Quite often, over the course of numerous conversations unfolding inside the circled wagons of wounded American Evangelicalism, there develops this almost liturgically repetitious refrain amongst the...

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