Why Small is the New Big for Today’s Church By Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Rabbits reproduce quickly and with abundance, while elephants do so slowly and infrequently; this is a metaphor for the church. The established institutional church is likened to the elephant, while the house church is […]
Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America By Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Divided by Faith investigates race relations between whites and blacks in the United States. Although white evangelicals have a well-intentioned desire to end racial inequality, their efforts can—and have—unwittingly serve to do more […]
Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend By Andy Stanley (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Is your church all that it can be and should be? Do you ever wonder what’s missing or long for more? Are you serving those who are churched or seeking those who are unchurched? Andy Stanley’s new book, Deep […]
I recently read an article where the author lamented, “Young people are leaving the church.” A bit later he wrote, “Young people don’t stick with their faith.” His implication was that the two statements meant the same thing. They do not—and assuming they do is part of the problem. I’ve had frequent, ongoing struggles with […]
On a blog I follow there was a drawing for a free book. I’m all about books and it’s even better when they’re free. To enter, I needed to share “what the theological vision for your church is in two sentences or less.” Now the word “theological” repels me, even though theology is simply “the […]
For the past 19 weeks, my bride and I have been visiting different churches to expand our understanding of how others worship and understand God. We call this initiative “52 Churches” and I blog about the experience each Monday morning. However, friends frequently ask for more: “What are you learning,” “Is your journey changing,” or […]
The Hip-Hop Church: Connecting with the Movement Shaping Our Culture By Efrem Smith and Phil Jackson (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) In The Hip-Hop Church, authors Efrem Smith and Phil Jackson assert that hip-hop transcends the music on which it is based, forming its own culture that has been largely missed or dismissed by the church. […]
The book of Jude—which I’ve blogged about quite a bit—addresses ungodly men in the church, not those outside the church. Jude’s key passage is verse 11, where he compares ungodly men in the church to Cain, Balaam, and Korah. It’s noteworthy that each of these men has an overlooked connection with God, as do ungodly […]
For an Entire Year, We Visited a Different Christian Church Every Sunday Next week, I will begin reposting a thread called “52 Churches.” It reflects on my church experience when my wife and I took a year to visit a different Christian church each week. The journey begins—again. Each week it will be of a […]
I think it was Reggie McNeal who first said, “People…are not leaving the church because they have lost their faith. They are leaving to preserve their faith.” That statement may be shocking—even heretical—to some, but I suspect that for many it is enlightening, effectively explaining declining church attendance, albeit in a disconcerting and confronting manner. […]