It's Thursday: 'Are We the Baddies?' and More

Are We the Baddies?

"The perception of Christians as the "bad guys" by a growing proportion of our society has come about largely by our own fault. The moral failings of Christian leaders, the hypocricy of many ordinary Christians, and the substitution of politics for the gospel are among the factors that have contributed to this perception. Much of what is good about Christianity is consequently ignored. Christians may be their own worst enemies. What is missing is a serious commitment to modeling our lives on the character, teaching, and example of Jesus.

Oil, Wine, and Bandages
The two Great Commandments, the Golden Rule, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus' acts of kndness, were central to the Christianity of my childhood. I don't know about what passes for Christianity today.

5 Keys to Preventing Church Dropouts
Young people are leaving the local church and not returning when they are older.

Why Church Shouldn’t Just Be on Facebook
There are some good reasons for in-person church. At the same time we should not exaggerate them or twist Scripture into order to get people back in the sanctuary.

Celebrate Facebook’s Outage? Many faith Communities Couldn’t Talk at All.
Facebook meets a need for many churches and religious organizations. We should not be too quick to dismiss Facebook

A Reason to Be Suspicious of Worship Bands
Worshiping God is not something that someone else can do for us. We cannot worship God by proxy. We either must worship God ourselves, not only with our lips but in our lives, or we are not worshiping God at all.

What Are Some Good Video Production And Editing Courses?
Easy Church Tech looks at the opyions for those who cannot go back to school.

Sunday School vs. Small Groups: Why You Must Choose
Sunday School classes are not small groups. The optimal size of a small group is around 5 people. The larger a small group, the weaker the small group dynamics grow. They disappear around 11 people. In a Sunday School class the focus is on learning from a teacher. In a small group the focus is on building each other up in the Christian faith and living the Christian life together.