Tengsl vonar og hamingju eru áhugaverð. Þannig er mér minnisstætt þegar prófessorinn minn í Kristniboðsfræðum talaði um að rannsóknir í Afríkuríkjum bentu til þess að þeir sem tækju kristna trú færðust upp á við í þjóðfélagskerfinu. Mest áberandi væri breytingin frá hópnum sem lifði við eymd og færðist upp í hópinn sem býr við gífurlega fátækt.
Tag: seeker
1. Mósebók 32. kafli
Enn á ný sjáum við hvernig ákveðin svæði/staðir/brunnar fá nafn og eru með beinum hætti tengdir við sögu Hebrea. Þannig hefur 1. Mósebók í einhverjum skilningi gildi sem kröfugerð á þá brunna og það land sem afkomendur Abrahams grafa eða ná á sitt vald þegar þeir koma sér fyrir í fyrirheitna landinu. Continue reading 1. Mósebók 32. kafli
It is personal: About The Quest for Celtic Christianity by D.E. Meek
Donald E. Meek takes it personally. Celtophiles (59) and plastic surgeons (190) are stealing his cultural heritage and religion. The elements that make him what he is. Meek’s account of the events are scholarly based, witty, ironic, and at times his anger is quite visible. His humor is wonderful, and from time to time, I laughed out loud, as I read through his description of contemporary Celtic Christianity. At one time I put the library book aside, grabbed my computer and ordered my own copy from amazon.com, thinking that this was one of the text books I had to own.
Yes, I liked Meek’s book, his meekness in the introductory chapter, his way of confronting the contemporary Celtic Christianity and the way he stands up against what he considers to be a theft of his own personal identity. Continue reading It is personal: About The Quest for Celtic Christianity by D.E. Meek
Defining Universal Truth
Pre-Modernity -> Both And
Modernity -> Either Or
Post Modernity -> Neither Nor
Benedictine Women of Madison
The welcoming reception, uncluttered space and natural environment offer you a place to discover more about yourself, God’s place in your life and your connection with the world.
Our ecumenical community also invites single Christian women of any denomination to visit the monastery and explore a call to monastic life.
It is our privilege to share our life of prayer, hospitality, justice and care for the earth with people of diverse views and cultures. We invite you to join those who say, “When I come in the door, it feels like coming home.”
The Association of Religion Data Archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) strives to democratize access to the best data on religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997 and going online in 1998, the initial archive was targeted at researchers interested in American religion. The targeted audience and the data collection have both greatly expanded since 1998, now including American and international collections and developing features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers. Data included in the ARDA are submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world.
Did Christianity Cause the Crash?
Your Best Life Now, which has fueled a TV show that Osteen claims is now seen in 200 million homes worldwide, opens with a story of a man on vacation in Hawaii. He was “a good man who had achieved a modest measure of success, but he was coasting along, thinking that he’d already reached his limits.” While sightseeing, he and his wife admired a gorgeous house on a hill. “I can’t even imagine living in a place like that,” he said. For this bit of self-deprecation and modesty, Osteen pities the man: “His own thoughts and attitudes,” he writes, “were condemning him to mediocrity,” or what is known in the gospel as the “defeated life.”
via Did Christianity Cause the Crash? – The Atlantic (December 2009).
Hartford Institute for Religion Research
Various links to resources and researches about Religious life in US.
The Question is…
… can you be a Christian and think for your self?
A Conversion Story
Young people today are probably more likely to be confronted by Christianity for the very first time through Ann Rice, Mel Gibson, or the Idiots Guide to the Bible then in a Church Pew, they decided one day to sit in.
Radical Hospitality
The first thing to know is that we will not be able to grow more people like us. If we want to grow we must be prepared for something new, for our own change. (based on Dr. Doubleday)
Religious Identification in the US
This is a link to an interesting GALLUP poll about religion, done in 2009.
Willow Creek’s ‘Huge Shift’
But the analysis in Reveal, which surveyed congregants at Willow Creek and six other churches, suggested that evangelistic impact was greater from those who self-reported as “close to Christ” or “Christ-centered” than from new church attendees. In addition, a quarter of the “close to Christ” and “Christcentered” crowd described themselves as spiritually “stalled” or “dissatisfied” with the role of the church in their spiritual growth. Even more alarming to Willow Creek: About a quarter of the “stalled” segment and 63 percent of the “dissatisfied” segment contemplated leaving the church.
via Willow Creek’s ‘Huge Shift’ | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.
Who needs a small church?
Dr. Lewis A. Parks talks about what kind of persons look for small churches.
So who needs a small church these days? What I hear paints a hopeful picture. Call it a work of prevenient grace. Call it a wooing by the Spirit. Call it a happy confluence of the new seekers and the congregations they seek. Whatever you call it, five types of persons keep showing up as visitors to small churches, whether those churches are located in cities, towns, or rural settings.
The space
If there are seats for 200 in the sanctuary the attendence for each worship needs to be between 101-160. More or less will feel unwelcoming for newcomers.