Friday's Catch: 'Who was Mother Julian of Norwich and why is she important?' And More

Norwich Cathedral

Who was Mother Julian of Norwich and why is she important?

8 May is the traditional day to remember Mother Julian of Norwich. She is important because her book remains a classic of Christian spirituality and is the first book in English known to have been written by a woman. This is her story....

When I was a young boy, I lived in Seely Suffolk, or Holy Suffolk, so named for its many churches, and visited Norwich with my family. Norwich was in the adjoining county of Norfolk, a little over 20 miles from the village of Ilkeshalt St. Andrews where we lived. Norwich Cathedral is the see of the Diocese of Thetford.

Three Collects and Three Spiritual Songs for the Feast of Julian of Norwich
Dame Julian's Revelations of Divine Love has inspired a number of prayers and spiritual songs. Here are three of each.

Two years after schism, a United Methodist scholar pens a road map for growth
If the United Methodist Church wants to reach younger, more ethnically diverse people, it must focus on densely populated urban areas, suggests researcher Lovett Weems Jr.

Johnson Amendment Remains in Effect After Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit
The Johnson Amendment—the controversial Internal Revenue Code (IRC) provision prohibiting most political activities by churches and other tax-exempt organizations—remains alive, despite a highly publicized lawsuit seeking to undo it.

Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' could drastically impact seminaries and Christian colleges, school leaders warn
Christian college and seminary presidents are speaking out against a provision in President Donald Trump’s most significant domestic policy legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that will have consequences for students pursuing degrees in ministry and religious studies.

The Association for Biblical Higher Education, which oversees 165 institutions with a combined 86,639 students, invited nearly two dozen presidents of schools in its association to lobby Congress to exempt their students from Section 84001 of the Big Beautiful Bill, also known as H.R. 1.

Sam Allberry Removed From All Ministry Within the Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast Following ‘Inappropriate Relationship’
Bishop Clark Lowenfield, who is the first ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, released a statement stating that he is “deeply grieved and broken-hearted” for Sam Allberry.

Allberry, an apologist, author, and speaker, was disqualified from ministry early this month for engaging in an “inappropriate relationship with an adult man.” He served as an associate pastor at Immanuel Nashville since 2023.

New Suicide Prevention Resource for Faith Leaders
The E. Stanley Jones Foundation and the General Boards of Higher Education and Ministry and Global Ministries have partnered to develop and release a suicide prevention video training course designed to equip faith leaders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to prevent suicide, respond to crises, and care for individuals and families affected by suicide loss.

Warning Dreams from God: 10 Biblical Signs and What They Mean
A warning dream from God is a divinely initiated dream that alerts, redirects, or prepares a believer for something important. Unlike ordinary dreams — which often process stress or daily experience — a warning dream typically feels different in tone, urgency, and staying power. You remember it. You wake with a weight, a clarity, or a holy unease that doesn’t fade with coffee and a commute.

Navigating the Pre-Transition Space
In a season of transition for the church, Jonathan Page offers practical and pastoral insights into how congregations and clergy can navigate change with intention and faithfulness. Rather than rushing ahead or clinging to what was, he invites leaders and communities to finish well, make space for reflection, and keep the main thing the main thing.

Leading Faithfully through Transitions
In seasons of transition, leadership is tested as much as it is revealed. Dontá McGilvery reflects on how shifting roles and uncertainty have shaped his understanding of resilience, trust, and spiritual grounding. Rather than treating change as disruption alone, he challenges leaders to see it as formation—an opportunity to lead with greater humility, awareness, and dependence on God.

Sunday Style and the Devil's Beat
As technology kept advancing and music became an actual business, the denominations and their hymnals gave way to publishing companies’ and record labels’ albums and videos as our main form of church song discovery.

Two interesting things have happened because of this....

Effective Small-Church Prayer Strategies, with Chris Paavola (Ep 127)
“Just get together with two or three people—your Peter, James, and John—and just start praying.”

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (May 7, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

In this Thursday evening’s message, we take a look at one of the “abide” passages of the Gospel of John—John 15: 9-11—and what it tells us about being a disciple of Jesus.

Reading: John 15: 9-11

Message: “Abide in My Love”

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/05/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-may-7.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Thursday's Catch: 'Why Small Churches Stay Small — And What Finally Breaks the Pattern' And More

Church of Our Saviour, Lugerville, Wisconsin (Closed September 10, 2024)

Why Small Churches Stay Small — And What Finally Breaks the Pattern
Most small churches stay small not because they lack resources, but because they resist change. Common barriers include rapid pastor turnover, control by a few key members, lack of a clear growth plan, prayerlessness, and an unwillingness to welcome outsiders. These patterns can be diagnosed and addressed — and many small churches that have confronted them have experienced meaningful, lasting growth.

Church of England publishes report on mission funding impact
The Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB) has published its annual review for 2025, outlining the results of its investment into mission and church growth activities.

The SMMIB said it had distributed £98 million to Church of England dioceses and £5.9 million to mission partners in a bid to “revitalise” parish churches and fund ministry, youth work, renovation and other mission projects.

Hearings to Begin in ACNA Primate’s Trial
The Anglican Church in North America’s Court for the Trial of a Bishop will hold hearings this week on the first pretrial motions filed in the disciplinary matter of the Most Rev. Steve Wood, according to a court announcement.

Archbishop Wood, the denomination’s primate, was indicted on ecclesiastical charges of personal and sexual misconduct last December. His trial is scheduled to begin July 20.

SBC membership down, but baptisms and attendance on the rise: report
Southern Baptist Convention membership declined in 2025, but attendance and baptisms continued to rise, according to a newly released report.

Lifeway Research published a report on Tuesday about the Annual Church Profile (ACP) statistics, which found that SBC membership dropped by over 3% last year, going from approximately 12.72 million members in 2024 to approximately 12.33 million in 2025.

How the devil was disguised in the SBC and Paul Pressler's Conservative Resurgence
During the Conservative Resurgence, I thought we were fighting for the Bible. Instead, we were also political pawns for an abuser.

One Counseling Resource Every Church Should Have
Regardless of church size or context, there’s one counseling resource every church can and should have available for those in their churches.

Climate change is getting so bad that it’s making food less nutritious
Climate change’s effects often aren’t obvious.

In a particularly lateral example of how our planet’s changing environment is coming to affect our lives, scientists are now warning that our increasingly CO2-suffused atmosphere is causing the plants we eat to be less nutritious. Though the changes are subtle, they could already be endangering millions of people with poor diets, and hundreds of millions if the trend holds in the coming decades.

Also See: Fewer insects, fewer nutritious crops: Pollinator decline puts human health at risk; After 9,000 years of cultivation, rice has reached its thermal limit

7 Traits of the Best Leaders: Lessons from a Wisdom Seeker
Looking back...the best leaders I ever had shared some common traits. There were things that set them apart from other leaders, helped them be successful, and caused me to take notice in them.

The ‘Lordly’ Supper: An Antidote to What Ails the Church
By describing communion as a ‘Lordly supper,’ Paul emphasizes the dignity and honor involved in the ordinance.

The Corinthians thought they had accepted the invitation to this great supper, but Paul’s critique reveals they had shown up to the wrong celebration.

Is a secular religion propelling the AI race?
Philosopher Émile P. Torres contends that a bundle of techno-utopian ideologies is ubiquitous in Silicon Valley. AI ‘doomers’ and ‘accelerationists’ may be locked in a ‘clash of eschatologies,’ but Torres sees them all as part of the same futuristic faith.

Faith plays key role in young people’s mental wellbeing - study
A new study suggests that religion can play a significant role in shaping the mental health and emotional resilience of young people, particularly when it is expressed through positive coping practices.

The research, led by Dr Lydia Mannion of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, examined how religious belief and practice intersect with psychological wellbeing among students.

Don’t Divide Enjoyment and Edification in Youth Ministry
Mikey Lynch recently published an article for TGCA encouraging youth ministries to display both social activities and teaching topics on their term calendars, and I’m grateful he did. It’s a simple, practical and easily applied set of suggestions, which I can see being immediately useful to a number of contexts. Plus, Mikey wasn’t grumpy or despairing at youth ministries, nor is he belittling or condescending in his proposals. As a youth minister, I was encouraged.

However, when he asked me for my thoughts, I did find myself wanting to nuance (or even push back on) something in his initial premise. So, after a friendly exchange of emails, he invited me to pull together some thoughts.

Parents' refusal to give newborns vitamin K shots is increasing preventable deaths in US
Babies across the United States are dying from vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a preventable condition, after parents refuse the standard newborn vitamin K injection.

ProPublica's Duaa Eldeib reports multiple infants experienced catastrophic bleeding in their brains, seizures, and respiratory failure within weeks of birth. Along with autopsies revealing deaths that could have been prevented with a simple, inexpensive shot.

10 Easy VBS Tips That’ll Make Leading Vacation Bible School a Breeze
VBS doesn’t have to be hard; use our 10 easy VBS tips to make your VBS even easier!

Image Credit: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service

Wednesday's Catch: 'How the Modern Church Was Shaped: The Seminary Class Every Church Leader Actually Needs' And More

Logo of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Louisville, Kentucky (Closed April 24)

How the Modern Church Was Shaped: The Seminary Class Every Church Leader Actually Needs
Most church leaders are leading inside a model they never chose and rarely understand.

In this episode, Todd Wilson, founder of Exponential, walks through the true history of the modern church: Church Growth, Seeker Sensitive, Attractional, Missional—and what’s coming next.

This is the seminary class no one got, but every church leader needs.

Crucial Commitments: 5 Simple Decisions That Members of Healthy and Growing Churches Make
Churches that are laser-focused on these five commitments tend to experience a continuous cycle of healthy church growth, while churches that allow the urgency of the moment to distract them from these commitments tend to experience decline. Thom and Sam discuss the new book, Crucial Commitments.

Depressed Congregations: Root, Rosa, Acceleration, and Innovation (Part 2)
Part 1 of this essay appeared yesterday, May 5.

What it means: SBC membership shrinks as US population grows
Although the Southern Baptist Convention remains the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, only about 3.6% of the 342 million Americans were members of SBC churches in 2025. Not only has membership in SBC churches been on the decline for two decades but the proportionate influence of Southern Baptists continues to decline as well.

Pope Leo poses a huge problem for far-right Christians: expert
Pope Leo XIV poses a huge problem to far-right Christian elements who have fallen in with the MAGA movement, University of Pennsylvania religious studies professor Anthea Butler told MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday — not just because he opposes much of Trump's war and immigration agenda, but because he sets an example for Christianity that they can't follow.

Poll finds broad rejection of religion-related messages from Trump, Hegseth
Americans are deeply uncomfortable with recent religion-related statements by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — a striking rebuke in a closely divided country, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

The poll finds positive ratings for Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized U.S. actions on immigration and in Iran, clashing with Trump.

Experts say anti-Christian bias task force report is full of bias
The report fundamentally misunderstands religious freedom and how it is legally protected in this country.

Republican tax bill has kicked millions off food benefits 

Enrollment in the federal government’s main nutrition program has fallen sharply as a result of changes Republicans enacted last year to help pay for tax cuts.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program had more than 3 million fewer beneficiaries in January than it had last July, according to the government’s latest data. It’s a drop of 8%, among the steepest ever. The program is the government’s largest antihunger initiative and one of the most responsive to economic need.

What affects the people of a community affects the churches of the community.

World 'unprepared' for next pandemic as countries fail to agree on sharing information, tests and vaccines
A key deadline to finalise a global pandemic treaty has been missed by negotiators, prompting warnings that the world remains unprepared for the next major disease outbreak.

Countries have been trying to agree how they should share information on pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses, that could cause pandemics – and what access to any resulting vaccines, tests and treatments they should be guaranteed in return.

The Sin We’ve Stopped Taking Seriously
I’m convinced we don’t take pride seriously as a sin—either in ourselves or in others. We live in a world overflowing with self-promotion, where arrogance is reframed as swagger and narcissism passes for self-confidence. We have lifted up leaders whose egos are so massive we no longer flinch at their self-aggrandizement. Boasting marks our culture today. It’s now normal.

Beyond Ax Throwing: 8 Non-Stereotypical Men’s Ministry Events That Actually Disciple Men
Healthy men’s ministries don’t just plan events; they build pathways for men to take a next step toward community, discipleship, and purpose.

The Pastoral Virtue of Avoidance
At least seven times in the pastoral epistles, Paul directly charges Timothy and Titus to “avoid” and to “have nothing to do with” ideas and people who pose a threat to their flock. This is jarring since one of the main purposes for these letters is to encourage Timothy and Titus to engage false teaching and teachers. Yet here is where the paradox emerges: Paul teaches a pastoral virtue of avoidance—showing that sometimes the wisest form of engagement is careful restraint.

So, what is going on here? Given that Paul clearly wants false teaching and teachers dealt with and also wants these pastors to avoid certain discourse and people, the question arises: What is Paul prohibiting here and what does it mean for pastors today?

4 Bad Reasons (and 4 Good Ones) to Use a Commentary
...Bible commentaries can be an invaluable tool when used with intention, but careless use can hinder real learning. The goal of all Bible study is not that we would assimilate the facts we find in our study aids but that we would dive deeply into God’s Word and grow to love its divine author.

Before you open that Bible commentary (or rush to put it back on the shelf!), consider four bad reasons—and four excellent ones—to use it.

From panic to false alarm: the danger of ‘rage bait’ 

Earlier this month, Surrey police reported an alleged gang rape of a young woman in Epsom. Further information was unforthcoming, and the vacuum was filled by increasingly frenzied speculation on social media, driven by what a BBC headline called a “rage bait frenzy”.

‘Rage bait’ is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive”. It may contain no truth but seeks to stir engagement through fury.

Should I Report Abuse in Church to the Police?
Russell answers a listener question about whether church policies should include reporting abuse to local law enforcement. (Spoiler alert: yes, you should.)

Op-Ed: The power of persistence in child abuse prevention — in wake of legislation, commitment is key
“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” The Little Engine That Could taught many of us the power of persistence – not giving up when the going gets tough and maintaining a sense of hopefulness when all seems lost.

That mantra, backed by the persistence of our community partners, helps the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement remain hopeful in our mission to prevent and end child abuse in Kentucky. Now with nearly 200 partners serving families and children in communities across the Commonwealth, that bold mission drives our commitment to promoting best practices, empowering the community, and advocating for effective policies for more than a decade.

Child Safeguarding Resources
The following materials are available from the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement. All of our educational print materials are provided at no cost to ensure there are no barriers to getting the information in the hands of parents, caregivers, and professionals. If you would like to help us further our mission by supporting the work, please consider donating to Kosair for Kids.

These resources may be available outside of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Check with the provider.

Image Credit: St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Louisville, Kentucky

Tuesday's Catch: 'Are Atheists and Agnostics Really Declining in Number in the United States?' And More

Are Atheists and Agnostics Really Declining in Number in the United States?
Thom reviews recent data from the Cooperative Election Study and Ryan Burge, focusing on atheists and agnostics. The information raises many questions and provides encouraging opportunities for churches.

Also See: Are the Boomers Nones No More?

The Crowd is Not a Church
Jesus isn’t interested in gathering a crowd. He’s interested in building a church.

United Methodism two years after 25% of churches disaffiliated
The United Methodist Church’s experience with the disaffiliations of a number of its congregations has received widespread coverage in church media and in some secular media outlets. Because the polity of the UMC differs from that of many other denominations, this chapter in our denomination’s history may be confusing to those with different approaches to the ways congregations and whole denominations govern themselves.

Some may find it helpful to learn of the steps that led to the disaffiliation process, what its effect has been upon the denomination and what it may hold for the future of the denomination in the United States. The following constitutes a brief overview of these concerns.

Also See: Signs of Rebound Amid Uneven Recovery: the Changing Congregational Landscape

Depressed Congregations: Root, Rosa, Acceleration, and Innovation (Part 1)
This is a two part essay. Part 2 will appear tomorrow, May 6.

Evangelical groups warn Trump’s deportations could leave 1.3M 'torn apart' from families
'What might have been an abstract policy decision that's taking place in Washington now is actually impacting communities,' said Walter Kim, head of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Why MAGA’s Christian revival claim is a total fantasy
In 2026, right-wing media have been full of reporting on an alleged Christian fundamentalist revival among young Generation Z men — who, they claim, are going to evangelical churches in big numbers. Many of these reports also claim that Gen-Z men are searching for "tradwives" who reject feminism, wear old-fashioned attire (including prairie dresses) and are determined to be stay-at-home moms.

But Salon's Amanda Marcotte, in article published on May 4, argues that this "Christian revival" among Gen-Z men is a myth.

Conspiracy and the Christian
Conspiracy theories have been around a long time. But they have surfaced with a vengeance in recent years, serving up a counter narrative to the official explanations for all sorts of things. Conspiracy theories are fringe beliefs but have become increasingly popularized and believed by average voters, citizens, and—important for our purposes—church members.

Why do Christians say “Amen”? 

There are certain words we use so often in church that we rarely stop to think about them. “Amen” is one of those words. It slips so naturally off our lips at the end of a prayer or sermon that it can almost feel automatic. But this small, familiar word carries a depth of meaning, history, and spiritual weight that is far from ordinary.

Let’s slow down and rediscover what we are really saying when we say Amen.

For Every Minister Who Struggles With Your Prayer Life
Real prayer is about relationship. And relationships are hard. Even (especially?) with God.

You Answered an Altar Call. But Was It a Conversion?
This article argues that while altar calls can serve as meaningful moments of response, they risk producing emotional decisions without lasting faith.

The Algorithm Is Changing How We Speak and Strive
“Algospeak” capitalizes on our desire for attention and status. We should turn to God for both.

Grok convinces man to arm himself because assassins are coming to kill him
Over the past year or so, a bizarre phenomenon has emerged: people start talking with AI chatbots about delusions or conspiracies and get sucked into mental health crises that doctors are calling “AI psychosis.”

The results can be grim. We’ve seen mainstream AI implicated in numerous suicides, involuntary commitment and even murder.

Image Credit: St. Columba Episcopal Church, Bristol, Tennessee

Monday's Catch: 'Your Church Is Placed Where It Is on Purpose' And More

Your Church Is Placed Where It Is on Purpose
Your church is not where it is by accident.

God, in His sovereignty, has placed that congregation in a specific location, among specific people, at a specific time. The address is not random. The neighborhood is not incidental. The community is not a coincidence.

It is an assignment.

The Protestant faith is losing people in the UK
Protestant churches are experiencing a complex pattern of growth and decline across the world, with Western nations - particularly the UK - emerging as key areas of concern, according to new findings from the Pew Research Center.

The data, drawn from surveys conducted in 24 countries in 2024, highlights how “religious switching” - when someone adopts a different faith from the one they were raised in - continues to reshape Christianity globally.

Why MAGA Christians are suddenly embracing Islam 

In recent months, there has been an unexpected trend among far-right, MAGA influencers. These often self-described Christian nationalists, some of whom have spent years railing against Muslims, are suddenly showing a strange level of interest in Islam. Writing for the Washington Post, religion editor Matthew Schmitz suggests that it’s because, to a large degree, these fundamentalist Christians have begun to recognize ideological parallels between themselves and their Islamic counterparts.

Thousands expected as ‘Jesus March’ returns to London for Pentecost
Thousands of Christians from across the UK are set to gather in central London this Pentecost weekend for a large-scale public event celebrating the Christian faith.

The gathering, known as the Jesus March, will take place on Saturday 23 May from 2pm to 5pm.

US churchgoers report stronger faith and renewed commitment five years after Covid pandemic
A major new survey of over 24,000 Christian churchgoers in the US suggests many believe their faith and congregational life have strengthened in the years since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report, This Place Means Everything to Me, was produced by Faith Communities Today and the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project.

Not all revivals are noisy
...there has been much debate in recent times about whether or not we are experiencing a quiet revival here in the UK. Now, I wonder how many people involved in the debate have actually been in a situation that has been widely or officially recognised as revival?

More Gen Z adults say life can be fulfilling without marriage, children: study
Compared with previous generations, more of America’s youngest adults, popularly known as Generation Z, believe that you can have a fulfilling life without children and that marriage is not necessary to provide children with a stable home, new data shows.

While most Gen Z young adults, born around 1999–2015, hope to get married, new data from Barna’s "The State of Today’s Family" report suggests they are delaying marriage due to economic concerns and greater emotional awareness.

Is Your Women’s Ministry Accessible to Single Moms?
Here are some guiding questions to help churches consider how their women’s ministry can serve single moms.

Two buses, three hours and 13 miles: how Americans in ‘transit deserts’ get groceries without cars 

Zen’Yari Winters’ job, at a pet shop in East Memphis, Tennessee, should be a 20-minute trip from her house. She leaves herself three hours to get there. “The bus is always, always late,” she said – if it shows up at all.

It’s not just her work commute that’s affected by the time-consuming guessing game that is riding with the Memphis Area Transit Authority (Mata). The only full-service grocer in the Chelsea-Hollywood area where she lives closed in 2025. To shop for food in person, she could take two buses for a 13-mile (20km) trip to Walmart. But she risks waiting at bus stops for hours with perishables – or shelling out about $24 for an Uber back.

This is a need that local churches can meet.

Who Is God?: The Church’s Task of Proclaiming the Triune God A substantial number of Americans are getting God wrong. They’re believing in a god but not the Christian God.

The Art of Clear Teaching and Preaching
The eighteenth-century English bishop J. C. Ryle wrote what is, perhaps, the most outstanding article ever on simplicity in preaching (pp. 1145–1161). I’d be very happy for you to stop reading this article and just read his! But leveraging off what he says, as well as my own observations and experience, I want to suggest nine things to work on if you want to be clear in your Bible teaching and preaching (whether that is a sermon, a Bible talk, a devotion, a lesson for kids, or any other ministry of the word).

How to Worship When God Feels Distant
As Christians, even though we know we’re supposed to actively worship God, and we experience days or even long seasons where we enjoy giving him the praise he’s due, sometimes we just don’t feel like it. In the midst of the daily demands of work, family, school, and home, worship can feel strange and out of place. Things like social media, our favorite TV show, shopping, or watching our favorite sporting event can feel more exciting, enticing, and deserving of our praise, attention, and devotion. As we give time, money, and attention to other things, our senses can become dulled to the awareness of God’s presence and promises, further perpetuating our feelings of apathy and distance.

In those moments, how can we continue to live a life of worship, even when God feels distant? What are the next steps for a Christian who knows they ought to worship God but just doesn’t feel like doing it?

Before You Record a Video Lesson
Should your local church offer its next discipleship or membership class as a series of YouTube videos? Is this wise and best? Here are three questions to help you navigate this foggy question with wisdom.

4 Summer Family Fun Ideas to Help Boost Attendance
Fend off the summer attendance slump by intentionally connecting families to your ministry using these four summer family fun ideas.

Image Credit: St. Peter’s of the Lakes, Gilbertsville, Kentucky

Sundays at All Hallows (May 3, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of Easter for those Christian denominations that have adopted a version of the three-year Revised Common Lectionary. For churches following the one-year lectionary of the classical Anglican Prayer Book, The Book of Common Prayer of 1662, it is the Fourth Sunday after Easter. In either case, we are in the midst of Eastertide, a season devoted to the celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ’s victory over death and the remembrance of the events that followed his resurrection.

In this Sunday’s message we address two questions related to the worship, ministry, and life of the church with the help of 1 Peter 2: 2-10.

Readings: Deuteronomy 6: 20-25; 1 Peter 2: 2-10; and John 14: 1-14

Message: A Spiritual House, a Holy Priesthood

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/05/sundays-at-all-hallows-may-3-2026.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Every Church Needs the Global Church' And More

Every Church Needs the Global Church
From the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit blew into the upper room, the church has been a global people. It can be easy for Western Christians, however, to forget that they need the global church just as much as the global church needs them. Listening to fellow believers from around the world can help Western Christians assess their own theological formulations with a critical eye, better understand Scripture, more faithfully engage in mission, and learn what faithfulness under persecution might look like. Adopting a posture of mutual edification helps the Western church to receive these good gifts from global brothers and sisters.

Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Church Unity
In the aftermath of 2020, many church leaders continue to navigate fractured relationships and deep political division within their congregations. In his book Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, Caleb Campbell calls pastors to respond not with hostility, but with a missionary posture shaped by the way of Jesus.

Also See: Part 1 — “Loving Across the Divide: Conversations on Christian Nationalism” featuring Caleb Campbell and Rachel Williams; Part 2 — “Loving Across the Divide: Conversations on Christian Nationalism” featuring Caleb Campbell and Rachel Williams

Anti-Christian bias task force blasts Biden for targeting 'traditional Christians'
The 500-page report offers an array of incidents to depict a clash between the Biden administration and what the report calls 'traditional Christians.'

The Myth of the Devout Immigrant: Why immigration won't reverse America's secular drift
There’s another argument for increased immigration that I see every once in a while on my social media feed, though. It’s that immigrants tend to be more religious than people whose family has been in the United States for generations. So, if we bring in a lot of new immigrants, that will move the needle on overall religiosity in this country and stem the tide of secularism that has been increasing since the late 1990s.

But is that actually the case, though? I mean the entire presupposition of that argument is that immigrants to the United States are significantly more religious than folks who already live here. I can test that.

Also See: What Pulls Christians Toward Trump: Abortion or Immigration?

How to Welcome Gen Z Men to Your Church: Some dos and don’ts
I ran across a link to this articles on the Reformed Episcopal Church Discussion Group's page on Facebook. The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is one of the founding organizations of the Anglican Church in North America and forms a sub-province of the ACNA. The REC was founded in the late 19th century in reaction to the spread and growth of the Oxford Movement and ritualism in the then Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is composed of conservative traditionalist clergy and congregations of various stripes. The REC is one of the subdivisions of the ACNA opposed to the ordination of women in that ecclesial body. 

Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church are reportedly attracting Gen Z men. I would like to see more research on what kinds of churches are attracting Gen Z men and why.

A note on Anglican ecclesial understanding
It is necessary to address certain assertions that misrepresent both the ecclesiological self-understanding of the Anglican Communion and the nature of inter-ecclesial relations within historic Christianity.

Finally! A satisfying answer to why God sometimes seems absent
Christians love to talk about feeling God’s presence, especially in the highs and the lows. But there’s a quieter, more uncomfortable reality most believers don’t volunteer: the moments when God feels nowhere to be found … right when you need Him most.

Ever been there? I have.

What If Church Leadership Isn’t about Doing More?
Is the church’s biggest problem decline—or distraction? Craig Meek says that the answer may be unexpected. He engages with When Church Stops Working by Andy Root and Blair Bertrand, challenging common assumptions about leadership, innovation, and growth. Rather than offering another strategy for success, the answer may be to slow down, discern, and recover a way of being rooted in God’s action.

4 Ways Pastors Can Successfully Lead Change in Ministry
Great leaders manage change well. Great pastors also manage change well. But it’s not easy. In my research for my book, Brain-Savvy Leaders: the Science of Significant Ministry, I learned that brain insight can help us navigate change successfully. Consider these 4 ways to successfully navigate a change you’re facing. (Reprinted by permission from Brain-Savvy Leaders).

The Best Board and Trustee Structure for Churches
While some church power struggles stem from bad actors, a more common cause is blurred lines. In this episode, Thom and Sam tackle one of the most common sources of church dysfunction: confusion between what the board should do and what the staff should do.

Image Credit: St. Julian of Norwich, Cedar Park, TX

Friday's Catch: 'Are Mainline churches on the brink of extinction?' And More

Are Mainline churches on the brink of extinction?
“The religious landscape of the United States has never looked starker than it does today. There are huge geographical swaths of America where the only place a Protestant can worship on a Sunday morning is an Evangelical church that takes a literalist view of the Bible and believes that women have no role in spiritual leadership....”

“The vibrant religious marketplace that was pervasive for most of U.S. history has been replaced by a type of faith that certainly appeals to a subset of the country but is objectionable, if not downright repulsive, to a significant number of Americans....”

“In short, American religion has become an ‘all or none’ proposition — conservative Evangelical religion or none at all. This leaves tens of millions of theological and political moderates with no place to find community and spiritual edification, or to work collectively to solve societal problems.”

Church Attendance Increases for the First Time in Decades
In 2025, the median congregation welcomed 70 attendees, up from 65 before the pandemic, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Also See: Median worship attendance highest since COVID lockdowns: report

Attending multiple places of worship is the norm for many Americans
Surveys about religion often ask a single question about how often people go to services. That means researchers miss an important piece of the puzzle.

The Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Black churches know exactly what to do.
We have been here before, and each time the Black church did not simply encourage participation. We enabled it.

Also See: Supreme Court further dilutes Voting Rights Act

Growing in Grace
Growing in Grace, an initiative of Discipleship Ministries, exists to research, equip, and empower churches, denominational leaders, and parachurch organizations to form all children as anti-ableist Christians through worship by helping them learn and believe that all God's creation is God's good creation.

What Does the Bible Say About Angels and Demons?
What guidance does the Bible give for what Christians in modern culture should believe about angels and demons?

4 Axioms for Leaders
...in this article, I want to extract four axioms from Spurgeon’s teaching on leadership. If we boil down his profound insights on leadership, we can create four simple axioms or truisms that apply to church planting and all of pastoral ministry.

Also See: 3 Elements of Spurgeon’s Spiritual Leadership

Advice on How to “Preach the Gospel” to Yourself
Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a discipline that we should consistently practice in order to mature in Christlikeness. But what does that actually look like? Practically, how do we “preach the gospel” to ourselves? Recently, a young woman in our church asked me those very questions—ones you may be wondering about as well. If so, I hope the advice I gave her will be helpful to you too.

12 Reasons Why Correcting with Gentleness Is One of the Hardest Parts of Pastoral Ministry
The idea of gentle instruction with repentance as a goal might seem straightforward. “How difficult can it be?” The answer is, “It’s incredibly difficult.” And considering some of the reasons why this is the case motivates pastors to pray, dig daily for wisdom, and to be less surprised by the interpersonal challenges of pastoral work (Prov. 2:4; 1 Pet. 4:12–19).

Here, then, are twelve reasons why gentle correction is one of the most difficult aspects of pastoral ministry.

Book of Common Prayer draws Gen Z to the Anglican, Episcopal tradition
In St. Luke’s Chapel at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, Books of Common Prayer slump in chair pockets, their spinal integrity lost to decades of common worship. Every day, seminarians pray liturgies that connect them to Anglican and Episcopal tradition.

The Book of Common Prayer is the primary liturgical resource of The Episcopal Church. It was last revised in 1979, but supplements and trial liturgies have since been authorized. The prayer book’s preservation of church history, communication of Episcopal theology, and evolution as a symbol of unity draws Gen Z seekers interested in an inclusive Christian community grounded in tradition.

I have read similar claims for the 1662 BCP, the 1928 BCP, the REC's 2005 BCP, and even the ACNA's 2019 Proposed BCP. As the author of this article does, those making the claims cited only anecdotal evidence to support their claims. In the recent past claims that the younger generations were flocking to liturgical churches were not backed by research findings. It was wishful thinking.

‘Suggested for You’: 5 Values AI Suggests 

Christians need wisdom to discern what any given technology suggests, what’s good and bad about those suggestions, and how we might use the technology for God’s glory.

One of the most powerful technologies mankind has ever created is generative AI. What are some of its suggestions?

Are we losing our minds to AI?
While past tools let us externalize discrete mental processes—notebooks for memory, calculators for computation, maps for navigation—AI widens the aperture. Now, summarizing and analyzing information, generating ideas, and making decisions can all be offloaded too. “It's starting to creep into the things we thought were cognitively ours,” says Evan Risko, a professor at the University of Waterloo who studies “cognitive offloading,” or the practice of taking external action to make mental tasks easier.

Although the creators of these AI tools describe them as “thought partners” and “collaborators,” the role AI plays in our lives is often stranger. With its jagged but expansive knowledge, ceaseless attention, and persuasive tone, AI dotes on us while asking for nothing but our data in return. This produces a structural asymmetry: no prior relationship, with tools or people, has this shape.

High trust in AI leaves individuals vulnerable to cognitive surrender, study finds
A recent study posted as a Wharton School Research Paper provides evidence that people increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to make decisions, a phenomenon scientists call “cognitive surrender.” The findings suggest that individuals tend to adopt computer-generated answers without critical thought. This habit boosts human accuracy when the software is correct but significantly harms performance when the system makes mistakes.

OpenAI tells ChatGPT models to stop talking about goblins
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has had to instruct some of its AI tools to stop talking about "goblins", after finding the term had randomly crept into responses.

In a blog post on Thursday, the company said it spotted increased mentions of the mythological creatures, as well as "gremlins", in ChatGPT, powered by its latest flagship model, GPT-5.

Train Students To Be ‘In but Not Of’ the World
What strategies does our enemy deploy against us? One is to make faith in Christ irrelevant to the “real lives” of children and teen­agers.

When Jesus used fishing, farming, money, or common cultural practices to unveil his good news (bad news to some), he was bridging God’s transcendent truths into the everyday world of the people. We must do the same.

Let the Little Children Hang with Church Grandmas
he U.S. Isn’t Just Getting Older,” argued an article at the Harvard Business Review. “It’s Getting More Segregated by Age,” and “the extreme degree to which we’ve shunted young people into educational institutions, middle-aged adults into workplaces, and older people into retirement communities, senior centers, and nursing homes has come with costs.”

This is sometimes true inside the church as much as out. Children spend much of their time with peers, whisked away from the worship service to kids’ church or sent off to youth group while their parents do a Bible study. And even when different generations are physically together, not all adults feel comfortable—or permitted—to meaningfully engage kids who aren’t their own. Communal discipline is no longer the norm.

But our children need intergenerational relationships, and not only for healthy growth in social skills. This kind of fellowship is a beautiful reminder, as pastor Cameron S. Shaffer notes in Keeping Kids Christian, that the church is a place for all generations, together.

Image Credit: St. Thomas Episcopal Church , Louisville, Kentucky (Closed. Last Service on Sunday, April 26, 2026)

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (April 30, 2026) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

In this Thursday evening’s message, we take a look at the meaning of Jesus’ words in John 13: 20, at what they means for those who do not yet believe as well as those who are believers and have become disciples of Jesus.

Reading: John 13:16-20

Message: A Promise Given, a Promise Kept

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/04/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-april_30.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Thursday's Catch: 'Why Most Church Discipleship Plans Stall (And 6 Practical Ways to Fix It Fast)' And More

Why Most Church Discipleship Plans Stall (And 6 Practical Ways to Fix It Fast)
Most church discipleship plans don’t fail because of bad strategy. They stall because they’re not clearly communicated.

3 Essential Steps to Clarify Your Church Planting Vision
Seasoned church planters understand that extensive preparation is required long before a public launch. This article outlines three essential steps to clarify your church planting vision before you announce a date or recruit a launch team.

Reformed firestorm
A simmering conflict at the church founded by theologian R.C. Sproul has spread repercussions to nearby Reformation Bible College and Ligonier Ministries.

Pope Leo signals shift away from Catholic Church's focus on sex
Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour featured firm denunciations by the pontiff of despotism and war and also unprecedented attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump that grabbed headlines.

But a smaller moment, in which the pope said the Catholic Church should prioritise questions of inequality and justice over those of sexual ethics, may prove to be of longer-lasting importance for the Church's 1.4 billion members, said experts.

Catholicism has lost people to religious switching in many countries, while Protestantism has gained in some
Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses from religious switching of any faith group around the world, according to our 2024 surveys. Religious switching refers to when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child.

Within Christianity, however, religious switching has affected the two largest subgroups – Catholicism and Protestantism – differently....

Tim Keller Did Not Avoid Difficult Topics for the Sake of Being ‘Winsome,’ Says Kathy Keller
Contrary to what some people have claimed in recent years, the late Dr. Tim Keller did not avoid difficult topics for the sake of being “winsome,” said Keller’s widow, Kathy Keller. Speaking to Collin Hansen on the “Gospelbound” podcast April 20, Kathy said that from the beginning of her husband’s ministry in New York City, he graciously faced challenging questions and a hostile environment head on.

Personal change thresholds may explain why popular policies fail to spread
Why do widely supported solutions to major problems, such as climate change, so often struggle to gain real traction? A new study suggests that part of the answer lies in understanding why people resist change, and how the combination of their preferences and social networks can help overcome that resistance.

8 Reasons the Church Is a Light in a Troubled World
Cultivating hope, expressing encouragement and maintaining an authentically positive spirit are vital to your leadership. People need to sense your optimism as a leader.

But that’s not always easy, is it?

What Happens When the Pastor’s Kid Leaves the Church?
On most Sundays, the work of a pastor is unmistakably public: preaching sermons, offering prayers, counseling families, and guiding congregations through the rhythms of faith. Yet behind that visible calling lies a quieter, more complicated reality that rarely makes its way into sermons: what happens when a pastor’s own child walks away from the church or from Christianity altogether?

Why you don’t want your AI chatbot to be nice to you
Friendly AI chatbots are less accurate, a study has found.

AI Makes Research Easy. Maybe Too Easy.
ChatGPT and other “large language models” promise to make learning easier than ever. But new research suggests that lessons learned so easily are less likely to stick.

AI agent deletes company's entire database in 9 seconds, then confesses
An AI coding agent designed to help a small software company streamline its tasks instead blew a hole through its business in just nine seconds.

Evolving AI may arrive before AGI and create hard-to-control risks
Evolutionary biology holds clues for the future of AI, argue researchers from the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Eötvös Loránd University, and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. In a new Perspective published April 20 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team warn that evolvable AI (eAI) systems that can undergo Darwinian evolution may soon emerge, and they will generate special risks that can be understood, and mitigated, based on insights from evolutionary biology.

Babies exposed to air pollution during pregnancy take longer to learn to speak, research finds
Babies exposed to higher levels of air pollution in the early stages of pregnancy take longer to learn to speak than those exposed to lower levels in the womb, new research suggests.

A study by researchers from King’s College London found exposure to nitrogen dioxide and fine and ultra-fine particulate matter during the first trimester of pregnancy delayed speech development at 18 months.

Why it’s good to admit when you’re wrong – and how to improve
You may be familiar with the feeling. Someone factchecks you mid-conversation or discredits your dishwasher-loading technique. Heat rises to your face; you might feel defensive, embarrassed or angry. Do you insist you’re right or can you accept the correction?

Admitting to being wrong can be difficult and uncomfortable. But the ability to admit to incorrect ideas or beliefs – what psychologists call “intellectual humility” – is important. Research shows that people with higher intellectual humility think more critically, and are less biased and less prone to dogmatism.

Former Georgia church properties become hubs for outreach ministries, community activities
The Diocese of Georgia is finding new life for two repurposed church properties after the congregations that had worshiped there disbanded.

One is now the diocesan headquarters. Last year, staff moved into the second floor of the parish hall at the former St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Savannah. The main space in the parish hall has become an active hub for community events, and an Episcopal worshiping community that had held services in secular spaces in the city has begun gathering regularly in the former church’s nave.

And in Augusta, a building formerly occupied by Christ Episcopal Church until it closed in 2020 is now home to the Byllesby Center, a collection of community ministries overseen by the Rev. Larry Jesion, the center’s executive director.

5 Things We Lose When We Subtract Evangelism from the Christian Life
What’s the real reason Christians often avoid evangelism? Some would say they’re afraid of being asked hard questions. Others might mention the inappropriateness of pushing religion on people. We might blame it on the busyness of life or on our social inadequacies. But I have observed that in my own life and in the lives of others, the problem is much simpler than that.

The real reason many of us avoid evangelism is the relational risk it brings. We don’t want people to avoid us. We fear losing friends. We dread the awkward Thanksgiving with a relative who mocked our gospel presentation, or the cold shoulder of a coworker who ridicules our belief in the resurrection. We tell ourselves that our commitment to maintaining relationships—at all costs—is to protect opportunities for future gospel conversations, while our highest priority is actually our own comfort—at all costs. If we’re ever to overcome our fear of evangelism, not only must we love others more than ourselves, but we must also believe that evangelism’s benefits outweigh any risks involved. But what are the benefits associated with sharing the gospel? Rather, what might we lose if we subtract evangelism from our lives? Here are five things to consider.

From Friend to Friend
The gospel has always had a way of moving in the most beautiful and ordinary way.

Image Credit: St. Alexis Episcopal Church, Jackson, MS (gone but not forgotten)

Wednesday's Catch: 'Have You Been Making Disciples or Just Keeping Members?' And More

Have You Been Making Disciples or Just Keeping Members?
What do you do when you run a playbook on discipleship that’s worked for years, and it stops working? That led Robby Gallaty to a place of despair, and out of that, revival and renewal came. Robby Gallaty and Replicate CEO Vick Green explain how to renew your ministry through revival and discipleship.

Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families – and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
The increasing percentage of Americans who are not married or in a long-term partnership is testing employers, marketers and religious institutions.

The psychological reason we judge groups much more harshly than individuals
New research published in Journal of Personality & Social Psychology finds that people see themselves as moral, individuals as decent, and groups as falling short.

How God Uses Worship to Reach Unbelievers
Pastor, you’ve likely heard this question again and again: How can a service be both a worship service and seeker friendly? At Saddleback, we learned you can have both without compromising either. A clear message paired with genuine worship will not only attract unbelievers. It will also open their hearts to the power of the gospel.

What Posture Should I Use When I Pray?
Posture is not something we talk about very often. In fact, to talk about posture—how to orient one’s body in various settings for various purposes—may sound silly today. In a society that prizes free expression and throwing off the bonds of old manners, including biblical values, traditions, and practices, being purposeful in our posture is not a high priority. Yet, disciples of Jesus Christ understand the importance and great privilege of coming before our holy and just God in prayer. As such, in communing with our Lord, we ought to consider how our posture affects our prayers.

AI Is Replacing Leaders Who Can't Do This One Thing
AI can write your emails, summarize your meetings, and generate your content. But there's one leadership skill it will never replace — and most leaders are quietly losing it.

In this video, I'm breaking down what's actually happening to your brain in a distracted world, what it's costing your leadership, and the practical steps I've taken to get my deepest thinking back.

If you're leading a church, organization, or team, this one is important. The future belongs to leaders who can still think in paragraphs while everyone else is thinking in captions.

Hope for the Algorithm-Shaped Self: How AI Deepens Our Identity Crisis
According to Harvard Business Review’s 2025 analysis of generative AI usage, the top three applications are no longer technical or productivity-focused but deeply personal: therapy and companionship, organizing one’s life, and finding purpose. We’ve shifted from asking AI to help us become more productive at work to asking it to just help us become. AI has moved from being a mere tool to help us complete our work faster to being part of identity formation itself.

The challenge facing anyone concerned with human flourishing isn’t that AI is creating entirely new problems. Rather, AI compounds the problems of modern identity formation, exacerbating modern identity’s fragility, incoherence, and hidden moral frameworks. AI acts as a catalyst, intensifying each problem while making the symptoms feel like solutions.

Stanford experts say you should avoid using AI chatbots as a personal guide
Stanford researchers are warning that using AI chatbots for personal advice could backfire. The problem isn’t just accuracy, it’s how these systems respond when you’re dealing with complicated, real-world conflicts.

Political operatives are weaponizing a new tool that could reshape elections forever
In an op-ed/essay published by the New York Times on April 28, journalist Thomas B. Edsall talks to political scientists and strategists about the "upheaval" AI could cause in the future.

Also See: When Large Language Models are More PersuasiveThan Incentivized Humans, and Why

Tuesday's Catch: 'Global Christianity faces major challenges in 2026 despite signs of growth, new report finds' And More

Global Christianity faces major challenges in 2026 despite signs of growth, new report finds
A new global study has highlighted fresh developments affecting Christianity worldwide, with researchers pointing to demographic shifts, persecution and urbanisation as some of the key areas of focus for church leaders.

The findings come from the Status of Global Christianity 2026 report by the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity.

What Does the Decline in Americans’ Religious Engagement Mean for Churches?
Religious engagement in America is lower than it has been in living memory. But that isn’t a reason to panic. It’s a reason to work.

Charles Spurgeon: 8 Clear Convictions about Evangelism in the Local Church (Part 1)
Charles Spurgeon died in 1892, but his influence on churches is still pervasive today. Thom looks at one major aspect of Spurgeon's ministry: his emphasis on evangelism in the local church. He takes two episodes to share Spurgeon's eight convictions.

Also See: Charles Spurgeon: 8 Clear Convictions about Evangelism in the Local Church (Part 2)

The Christian DNA of suspected White House Correspondents’ dinner shooter
President Donald Trump described the would-be assassin as anti-Christian. The evidence hints at a complex faith background.

Archbishop of Canterbury risks Donald Trump's wrath after praising Pope Leo's anti-war stance
The Archbishop of Canterbury risked the wrath of Donald Trump after praising Pope Leo for speaking out against injustice.

NAE urges church participation in Good Neighbor Day America
A nationally coordinated day of volunteerism next month is an opportunity for congregations to live into their callings to serve others at a time when issues of religion, government and society are hotly debated, said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

“Rather than engaging in these contentious debates about a national religion or Christian identity, let’s actually just be the church by getting engaged in transformational ways and in courageous ways that speak to the truth of who Jesus Christ is,” he said.

One way to do that is to join the coalition of faith communities and nonprofit organizations that have partnered with America250 to hold Good Neighbor Day America May 16. The NAE is an organizing partner of the project.

What Is Sin? Is Your Definition Missing the Mark?
Sin is a fundamental concept in Christianity. In English-language Bibles, words for sin appear over a thousand times. Salvation is frequently explained as the forgiveness of sins. Whether certain activities are sinful and how to avoid sin are common questions among Christians. Understanding sin is, therefore, a necessary part of understanding Christianity itself.

So what is sin?

The Back Forty and the Cure of Souls
Scripture is thick with agricultural connections, metaphors, and lessons. Around this time of year, something in my blood wakes with the sun, and I feel again the impulse to prepare the ground in addition to the soil of my heart for Christ’s resurrection. I am a son of the soil, a fifth-generation farmer. Farming formed my imagination long before the Church ordained me, and many of the lessons the land taught me have proven just as true in the cure of souls.

‘Proclaim Every Atom’: On Courage in the Pulpit
Last year, I had the privilege of participating in a preaching conference at Beeson Divinity School with the British theologian Alister McGrath, who gave three lectures on preaching. These were followed by responses from me and other scholars.

In building on one of McGrath’s lectures, I offered several takeaways, including this one: Know your people well enough to anticipate their objections.

I Don't Know
Ideally as the pastor you should be one of the better-educated people in your church. You have likely gone to college and then studied for three or four years to earn your MDiv. During that time you’ve probably read thousands upon thousands of pages of theological literature. For your sermon preparation you ideally read a great deal each week, and that’s not counting your leisure reading. For these and other reasons I suspect that people regularly come to you with their questions, and I suspect that you regularly dispense answers. This is a good thing. But never be afraid to use three words, “I don’t know.”

CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show
The Trump administration’s decision to drop the long-standing recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth will likely lead to hundreds of additional infections among children, along with more cases of liver cancer, deaths and millions in added health care costs, according to studies published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

Image Credit: Holy Cross-St. Christopher Episcopal Church, Huntsville, Alabama