Tuesday's Catch: 'We’re About to See the Biggest Demographic Shift Since the Black Death' And More

We’re About to See the Biggest Demographic Shift Since the Black Death
Not since the 1300s, when the world’s population imploded due to the bubonic plague, have we faced a demographic downsizing of the magnitude projected for the century ahead. Many observers predict the global population will peak in the coming decades, with estimates ranging from 2053 to the late 2070s or 2080s, before entering a period of decline.

The Dangers of Being Future Blind
I’m not a psychologist, but I’m declaring a new malady that I’m calling Future Blind. The symptoms could apply to a great number of people, and for many it can be deadly in a variety of ways.

Ed Stetzer: The Polarization Problem
Despite the call of Christ to unity, many churches sadly reflect the polarization we see in the broader society. We must address this disconnect. To do that I want to dig deeper into the roots of polarization, its impact on the church and pastors, and some ways we can respond.

7 ways Americans who leave religion are basically pretty boring
Here are some facts you may not know about the nonreligious.

In their preaching and teaching pastors need to be careful not to perpetuate misconceptions abou this segment of the US population.

Mass deportations will devastate the economy, business leaders warn
The mass deportation of immigrants promised by Donald Trump would have immediate and disastrous effects on the U.S. economy, Bob Worsley said during a virtual press briefing hosted by American Business Immigration Coalition.

A number of measures that President-Elect Donald Trump is intent upon implementing during his second term—tariffs, escalation of the trade war with China, spending cuts, further tax cuts for the wealthy will have a deleterious effect upon the economy. They will have a negative impact upon everyone except those in the upper income brackets.

Consider what happened during the first Trump presidency.  Most US farmers do not grow food crops. They grow commodity crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat for export, livestock feed, and biofuel production. Until Trump started the trade war with China, China was the primary importer of these crops from the United States. China responded by increasing its domestic production and importing corn, soybeans, and wheat from Argentina and Brazil. US commodity farmers lost an important market and became dependent upon federal government farming subsidies. 

While the United States subsidizes the growing of these commodity crops, it does not subsidize the growing of food crops. Many areas in which commodity crops are grown are not suited for the growing of food crops and farmers cannot change the crops that they grow. The United States imports 15% of its food supply, primarily fruit and vegetables, from other countries. These imports include food crops that cannot be grown in the United States. What we can anticipate during Trump’s second term is higher food prices and food shortages. 

Trump is also intent upon dismantling the US social safety net so we can also anticipate increased food insecurity and hunger. At the same time US churches can anticipate a decline in giving and an increase in the number of families and individuals in need of emergency food assistance.

Stella Immanuel is campaigning to join RFK Jr.’s team at HHS
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn’t the only anti-vaxxer potentially headed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if President-elect Donald Trump gets his way. He could be bringing with him one of the most notorious anti-science doctors of the COVID era: Stella Immanuel.

US public health can be expected to suffer a major setback during a second Trump presidency as well as the economy. This will have ramifications for US churches too.

Former Vice President Mike Pence Urges Conservatives To Resist the ‘Siren Song of Populism’
“Today, conservatives in America are struggling with an essential question,” said former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday, Nov. 15. That question is “whether we will continue on the path of the traditional conservative agenda that has defined our party and, in so many ways, our nation throughout our history,” said Pence, “or whether our party will follow the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles.”

Reclaiming Compassion—A Call for the Church To Become the Good Samaritan Once Again
Who do the people in our cities look to as the Good Samaritan? The church, or the government? For much of history, churches have embodied compassion by actively engaging with and ministering to those in need.

Roots and Wings: Musical Makeovers for Classic Hymns and Hymn Texts
For dozens of generations, hymns have been the mainstay of worship music. Christians have praised with them, prayed with them . . . and played with them. Good pastoral musicians have always played around with hymn arrangements, seeking creative expression and the best liturgical effect. And of course, texts and tunes are made to mix and match. This playfulness sometimes yields wonderful results (try the text “When I Survey” to the tune o waly waly), and sometimes painfully bad results (ever heard a youth group sing “Amazing Grace” to the tune of the theme from Gilligan’s Island?).

Getting Out Of The Sermon Prep Rut
One of the challenges for preachers who have been preaching for some time is that it is much easier to coast, to do less preparation and to simply rely on your experience.

4 Prayer Practices of World-Changing Leaders 

Here are four prayer practices to inspire your prayer rhythms that we learned from these praying leaders

6 Reasons Why Most Church Greeter Ministries Struggle
Church greeter ministries are among the most undervalued ministries in churches today, even though churches of all sizes can have this ministry. Sam and Thom examine six reasons the ministries struggle or fail.