Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.21.08 in Church Trends, Theology
A recent USA Today article told of new research regarding who goes to heaven. Most American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Christ as their savior, a new survey finds. Of the 65% of people who held this open view of heaven’s gates, 80% named at least one non-Christian g…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.15.08 in Bible Study, Church Trends
I was asked about church discipline for a young adult who has made some very bad moral and spiritual choices. The question was, “When does 1 Corinthians 5 come into play?” That answer is, it comes into play at the end of the process, not at the beginning. Evidently the sordid situation inside the church at Corinth had been festering for a long time a…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 12.9.08 in Bible Study, Church Trends
On Sunday I encountered a most unusual evangelical church. From the outside CrossPoint Church of Trussville, Alabama has all the marks of a growing, dynamic, contemporary church. The spirit of the church is infectious and comes in large part from its pastor, Ryan Whitley. I could make a long list of the things I like about CrossPoint, but let me fo…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 11.12.08 in Church Trends
An email came from someone asking for advice on how to leave a church. The details don’t matter except that both the husband and wife have concluded that after years of being in one particular congregation, the time has come for them to find another place of worship. Partly it involves their children and partly it involves a desire to be part…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 9.21.08 in Church Trends
So how should we dress for church on Sunday morning? When I was growing up, the answer was easy.Women wore dresses.Men wore suits and ties.Children dressed neatly.Pretty simple. And it worked for a long time because the church reflected the norms of the surrounding culture. Now we have “business casual” and “dress-down Friday…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 8.14.08 in Church Trends, Current Events, Internet/Blogging
Here are a handful of useful articles and blog entries:Joe McKeever writes about three things to look for when you trying to find a good church. Steve Furtick reminds us that good opportunities must be seized because they don’t last forever. John Piper offers wise words about the Lakeland “revival.”Ron Ethridge reminds us why…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 6.3.08 in Christian News, Church Trends, Churches, Current Events
How should evangelical churches respond to the growing movement toward same-sex marriage? Here’s one answer. Put a statement about marriage in your church constitution.
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 5.15.08 in Church Trends
A friend sent me this comment yesteday . . .Do you know what I love about the Word of God? Well, one thing, anyway is that it is unchanging. It will be the same when I am 80 as it is today. Yet something tells me that I will not recognize the larger evangelical community when I am 80. I’m sure many faithful believers, …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 5.14.08 in Church Trends, Homosexuality
This week’s Monday Morning Insight contained an article with the intriguing title Should An Openly Homosexual Person be Baptized? The article is worth reading mostly for the comments that follow it. The article itself is based on a blog entry by Pennsylvania pastor Brian Jones.Here is my take on the subject . . .1. Th …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 1.4.08 in Church Trends, Internet/Blogging
Brian Bill passed along this quote from a summary of a book called Glocalization:The next Great Awakening, and perhaps the last, most likely will be global in scope since the world has gone global. The medium will likely be the Internet, not the preacher in the pulpit.Sounds right to me. Because the Internet levels the play …
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