Friday's Catch: 'Salt, Light and the Third Way' And More

Salt, Light and the Third Way
The early Christian church had a nickname that many Christians are unaware of. It was known as the “Third Way.” This title appeared as early as the second century. It was a reference to how some religious expressions catered to culture by co-opting and reflecting it, while others isolated themselves from it. As Gerald Sittser has written, the first would have “undermined the uniqueness of their belief system and way of life,” and the second “would have kept them safe on the margins—safe, … but irrelevant.”

The False Hope of ‘Rebrand Yourself!’ Identity Shifts
...the identity-shift method has gained traction in recent years because of how the concept of identity has been reshaped by the internet. And because Christians are very much shaped by these digital dynamics too, we can be just as tempted toward the identity-shifting mindset.

The Strengths of Smaller Healthy Churches
The majority of churches in the world are small, and many of these small churches are very healthy. This article is not about why some churches remain small while others explode in number. What I will say is that I know lots of evangelistic, dynamic, healthy, outwardly focused churches that are glorifying God, growing believers, reaching the lost—and most of these churches are not on the fast track to becoming a megachurch.

With this in mind, here are a few reflections on some of the strengths a small church exhibits.

6 ways to gain credibility in our gospel witness
The gospel message itself always has been a big ask for much of the world to accept: an unmarried virgin’s conception, Jesus’ myriad supra-science miracles, the atoning death, the bodily resurrection. It is for this very reason the Apostle Paul calls it a “stumbling block” to some, and to others, “foolishness.”

Yet, what if there are other factors besides the claims of the gospel itself that are making it hard or impossible for the unbelieving world to accept? What if, instead of disputing the credibility of the gospel, it is the credibility of the followers of the gospel that many are simply having a hard time looking past?

7 Ways Satan Brings Attacks on the Church
Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:8 I’m not a pastor who is constantly looking for Satan behind everything that goes wrong. I concentrate my attention on Jesus and encouraging others to follow Jesus and not to focus on the defeated one. Yet, I’m fully aware that Satan loves to destroy, or attempt to destroy, a church. Obviously Satan is a limited being and God’s church is secure, but there are such things as attacks on the church. The gates of hell shall never overcome what God started, but Satan certainly loves to disrupt what God’s church is doing.

New Jersey mayor abandons effort to seize Episcopal church’s property to build a park
Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick on Aug. 27 unexpectedly dropped his plan to seize Christ Episcopal Church’s land for a public park.
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Minneapolis Episcopalians Respond to School Shooting
Episcopalians responded in grief and anger over a shooting at South Minneapolis’ Annunciation Church and School during a celebration of the Mass on August 27, which resulted in the death of two schoolchildren, ages 8 and 10. Another 17 people were injured, 14 of whom were children ages 6 to 15.

Also See: Bishop Urges Prayer After Minneapolis Shooting

England’s cathedrals enjoy post-pandemic revival as attendance and engagement grow
New figures from the Church of England show that cathedrals across the country are experiencing steady growth, with worship, music, and civic activities drawing in more people than in previous years.

Weekly attendance rose to nearly 32,000 in 2024, up 11 per cent from 2023.

Despite Trump’s words, most Americans believe racism is widespread
Despite the MAGA campaign to rewrite American history to deemphasize racism, a supermajority of Americans still believes racism against Black people is widespread in the United States.

The latest Gallup poll finds 64% of Americans saying racism against Black people is widespread, tying with the previous reading, in 2021, as the highest recorded in Gallup’s measurements since 2008.

Warnings escalate about Trump and RFK Jr.’s threat to public health
President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are “threatening the lives” of the American people, according to the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control work on immunizations who resigned this week.

“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health,” said Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

He called Trump’s CDC “a political weapon, not a scientific institution.”

Also See: Health experts warn 'highly contagious' Covid variant has unique symptom; The Risks of Trump’s Turn Against mRNA Vaccines; Opinion: The quiet collapse of America’s pandemic preparedness; Vaccine skepticism crisis spills over as students return to school

Higher Prices Are Coming for Household Staples
U.S. companies have an unwelcome message for inflation-weary consumers: Prices are going up.

Companies including Hormel Foods, J.M. Smucker and Ace Hardware said this week they would raise prices for reasons ranging from higher meat costs to tariffs. Large retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy said some tariff-related price increases are already in place. More are on the way.

This is not good news for US community food banks and church food pantries as well as US households. They will be faced not only with an increased demand for emergency food assistance but also greater difficulty in stocking their shelves.

Season of Creation begins Sept. 1 amid worrisome data on climate change Episcopal congregations and individuals wanting to observe the Season of Creation can make use of some new resources this year, even as data shows the increasingly devastating effects of climate change.

The Season of Creation is a worldwide ecumenical Christian observance that begins with the Day of Prayer for Creation on Sept. 1 and ends with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, on Oct. 4. This year’s theme is “peace with creation,” with a dove carrying an olive branch bringing life to the garden of peace as the symbol.