Older people occasionally lose their ability to taste food. They lose interest in eating. This is similar to what many younger folks are experiencing, but they’re not losing interest in food. They’re losing interest in the faith.
Mounds candy bar was originally advertised as indescribably delicious. So good you had to taste it to believe it. Scripture makes a similar claim, but not about candy bars.
July and August are what is known as the “slow news” season. But that might not be the case at all. Just depends on how you define slow and news.
Last month, Americans heard the strains of “Amazing Grace” as President Obama, eulogizing the victims of the Emmanuel AME Church shooting, broke into the timeless first verse. It’s amazing, but more so when you learn more about the hymn’s author, John Newton.
“Safe places” are the new sanctuaries. They’re most prevalent on college campuses but you can find them in the faith community as well. They’re not sacred, however, as “safe places” yield postcard people.
Neverland was Peter Pan’s playground. The Scottish writer J. M. Barrie invented it as a metaphor for childishness and escapism. Neverland also depicts another invention—America as a “Christian nation.” It too is escapism.
Christians are understandably upset about the Supreme Court’s ruling giving gay and lesbian couples a fundamental right to marry. President Obama called the ruling a thunderbolt. If it was, it’s a great opportunity for believers to recognize reality.
Research indicates that people have three “awe” experiences a week on average. The benefits make us less self-centered. But for most folks, even Christians, these experiences occur more in nature than in church. Why?
About 14 percent of Zappos’ workforce recently quit. It’s similar to what happened when Ford introduced the assembly line. Many workers abruptly resigned. Ford and Zappos remind us of why it’s sometimes wiser to be an early non-adopter.
There’s an old adage—be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. Take the rise of the ‘religious nones.’ They might represent what evangelicals have long wished for.