Can you be a Christian without believing in Christ? (COMMENTARY)

The rise of the “nones” — Americans who no longer check a religious affiliation on demographic surveys — has stirred up interesting conversations among church leaders. A generation ago, many Americans would have been considered “nominal” in their devotion. Today, many have stopped claiming a religious identity altogether.

But what happens when the “nones” find themselves longing for the religious world they once knew? Is it possible to reclaim your religious affiliation if you no longer believe in the doctrines of the faith?

This is the situation of Alana Massey, who calls herself a “cultural Christian” — an atheist who finds she can neither fully embrace a secular identity nor abandon her Episcopal heritage. In an article in The Washington Post, “How to Take Christ out of Christianity,” Massey claims a “profound connection to Christianity” even without “theistic belief.” In her experience, secularism isn’t good enough; it doesn’t create a lasting community bond for celebration during the good times and comfort during the bad. What’s more, the “self-help” advice from the nonreligious world is a poor substitute for the robust vision of Christianity, where the moral and ethical stakes in the Bible are so high.

So, if younger American Jews can base their identity on “ancestral, ethnic and cultural connections rather than religious ones,” why can’t Christians celebrate their religion’s moral benefits and societal aspirations, even if they don’t believe in God?

Massey believes we should broaden the meaning of Christianity so that nonbelieving people can be part of the same family seeking peace in the world.

Should we accept a “cultural Christianity” that relishes religious ritual while rejecting religious belief? I offer both a firm “no” and an unreserved “yes.” Keep reading

Also see
How to Take Christ out of Christianity

Nominality has been a longstanding problem in the Episcopal Church. In Leading Christians to Christ: Evangelizing the Church (Morehouse Publishing, 1990) Rob Smith notes that a significant number of the people who become Episcopalians are drawn by the ambience of the Episcopal Church. While acknowledging that ambience has its validity as an evangelistic tool and can mediate the presence of God, Smith points out that it also can be a shield against the encroachment of the presence of God. 

Nominals to Nones: 3 Key Takeaways From Pew’s Religious Landscape Survey

How are Christians to understand the data from the newest Pew study on Christianity in America?

As I've said before, Christianity is not dying; nominal Christianity is.

Today, Pew Research Center released a report drawing a variety of headlines—everything from “Christianity faces sharp decline as Americans are becoming even less affiliated with religion” to “Pew: Evangelicals Stay Strong as Christianity Crumbles in America.”

So what are we supposed to think of Christianity in America?

The big trends are clear, the nominals are becoming the nones, yet the convictional are remaining committed.

In other words, Americans whose Christianity was nominal—in name only—are casting aside the name. They are now aligning publicly with what they’ve actually not believed all along.

The percentage of convictional Christians remains rather steady, but because the nominal Christians now are unaffiliated the overall percentage of self-identified Christians is decline. This overall decline is what Pew shows—and I expect it to accelerate.

As I have said before, not one serious researcher thinks Christianity in America is dying. What we see from Pew is not the death-knell of Christianity, but another indication that Christianity in America is being refined.

As such, let me share three takeaways from the data. Keep reading

Photocredit: Pixabay, public domain

Pew: Evangelicals Stay Strong as Christianity Crumbles in America

Amid changing US religious landscape, Christians ‘decline sharply’ as unaffiliated rise. But born-again believers aren't to blame.

The main methods for measuring American faith are flawed.

So thinks the Pew Research Center, which today released the second wave of a massive study designed to “fill the gap” left by the United States census (no questions on religion), the self-reporting of denominations (“widely differing criteria”), and smaller surveys (too few questions or people).

Scrutinizing the past seven years, Pew finds that, amid the rise of the “nones” and other popular talking points, the fate of evangelicals is proving much brighter than Christianity at large.

Here are highlights from the US Religious Landscape Study, conducted among more than 35,000 adults in English and Spanish, of how American religion has changed from 2007 to 2014.... Keep reading

Also see
Study: Americans becoming less Christian, more secular
Study finds fewer Christians, more unaffiliated in US
Americans are becoming less Christian and more 'spiritually unaffiliated', new survey finds
Losing faith in America: Study shows decline in religion, rise in atheism

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain

Undoing the English Reformation with the Anglican Church in North America

A Survey of the ACNA Doctrinal Statements and Their Theological Leanings: The Ordinal

By Robin G. Jordan

The order in which the ACNA Ordinal is arranged is the order of the 1928 Ordinal and its predecessors. This order is as follows:

The Preface
The Form and Manner of Ordaining a Deacon
The Form and Manner of Ordaining a Priest
The Form and Manner of Consecrating and Ordaining a Bishop
The Litany and Suffrages for Ordination.

The ordination services in the ACNA Ordinal, however, follow the pattern of the ordination rites in the 1979 Ordinal, using contemporary language versions of the texts from the 1928 Ordinal in place of the texts from the 1979 Ordinal.  A number of additions and alterations have been made to these rites. We will be examining these changes to the rites as they affect the doctrine of the rites.

One of the most significant changes in the ACNA Ordinal is not in the ordination rites themselves but in the Preface.  The phrase “these orders of ministry” has been altered to “these three orders of ministry.” This change is significant because it reflects an Anglo-Catholic interpretation of the Preface and excludes a longstanding conservative evangelical interpretation of the Preface, which is also how Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformers interpreted the Preface. It is an early indication of the theological bias of the revised Ordinal, which as we shall see is unreformed Catholic.

While the English Reformers recognized three offices in the Church—deacon, presbyter, and bishop, they recognized only two orders—deacon and presbyter-bishop—a view consistent with the New Testament in which terms presbyter and bishop are used interchangeably. 

The ACNA Ordinal brings the ordination rite for deacons into line with its ordination rites for presbyters and bishops. The Examination is followed by the singing of the Veni Creator Spiritus and a period of silent prayer. The bishop says a prayer for the ordinand after which he lays hands on the ordinand, reciting a formula modeled upon the formulae in the other two ordination rites. The bishop concludes the setting apart of the ordinand with a prayer for the newly-made deacon. These changes are justified on the grounds that they restore the ancient dignity of the office of deacon. They represent significant departures from the doctrine and liturgical usages of the 1662 Ordinal and the 1552 Ordinal upon which it is based.

Archbishop Cranmer in the Preface to the 1552 Ordinal states that no man may execute the office of deacon, presbyter, or bishop except that he has been admitted to such office “by public prayer, with the imposition of hands.”  In the ordination rite for deacons in the 1552 and 1662 Ordinals the only prayer that precedes the laying on of hands is the Litany to which has been added a special petition and which concludes with a special collect. To Cranmer the Litany sufficed as “public prayer” in the form for making a deacon. He saw no need for additional prayer other than the collects before the blessing. Of the three ordination rites in the 1552 and 1662 Ordinals, the ordination rite for deacons most clearly reflects the English Reformers’ view of ordination. With the imposition of hands the bishop gives formal authority to execute a particular office. The ceremony of lying on of hands has no sacramental efficacy. While the ordination rites for presbyters and bishops are more elaborate, they reflect the same view of ordination—a view also reflected in Articles 23 and 25.

The revised ordination rite for deacons in the ACNA Ordinal, however, reflects a different view of ordination—a view of ordination close to that of the Roman Catholic Church if not identical with its view of ordination—a view of ordination that the English Reformers rejected as having no basis in Scripture. This unreformed Catholic view of ordination regards such ceremonies as the imposition of hands and anointing with blessed oil as having a sacramental efficacy. With these ceremonies the bishop confers special gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit essential to the performance of the functions of a particular ministry. These gifts and graces enable the priest to offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the bishop to confirm and ordain. Only a bishop in a line of succession of bishops going back to the apostles is able to confer such gifts and graces.

Among its alterations to the ordination rite for deacons, the ACNA Ordinal changes the form of the question addressed to ordinands concerning the Bible .It “avoids the necessity of asserting blanket belief.” This change was first introduced in the 1928 Ordinal and reflects the influence of the Anglo-Catholic and Broad Church Movement on the 1928 Prayer Book.

While the ACNA Ordinal draws heavily on texts from the 1928 Ordinal, it omits the optional use of an alternative formula at the imposition of hands in the ordination rite for presbyters. In The American Prayer Book: Its Origins and Principles (Charles Scribner’s Sons,1937) Edward Lambe Parsons and Bayard Hale Jones discuss the importance of this addition to the American Ordinal:

In the American books, one important addition was made in 1789 in the service for Priests, by inclusion of an alternative Sentence of Ordination: “Take thou Authority to execute the Office of Priest in the Church of God, now committed to thee by the Imposition of our hands. And be a faithful Dispenser of the Word of God,” etc. This form omitted the words from the Fourth Gospel, “Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained.” The purpose of the alternative was of course to make the service more acceptable to the evangelical groups who disliked the sacerdotal implications of the English form.

The First Formula of Ordination bore an uncomfortable similarity to a phrase in the Roman Catholic ordination rite for priests. The canons of the Church of England required clerical subscription to the Articles of Religion and the Articles provided doctrinal standards for interpreting the Prayer Book. By these standards the doctrines reflected in the Roman Catholic rite are not consistent with the teaching of Scripture.

In The Tutorial Prayer Book for the Teacher, the Student, and the General Reader (Harrison Trust, 1913) Charles Neil and J.M. Willoughby give the received interpretation of the formula, which is based upon the English Reformers’ view of ordination.

This formula consists of a prayer, an address, and a charge. The Bishop, by speaking these words, doth not take upon him to give the Holy Spirit, no more than he doth to remit sins, when he pronounceth the remission of sins; but by speaking these words of Christ ... he doth show the principal duty of a minister, and assureth him of the assistance of God s Holy Spirit, if he labour in the same accordingly.
*
(See also pp. 96, 322, n.) The words Receive ye the Holy Ghost, do not occur in any Ordinal prior to 1200 A.D.

The wording of this formula would not become a major cause of controversy in the Church of England until Anglo-Catholics began to challenge the accepted interpretation of the formula and to reinterpret its meaning according to Roman Catholic teaching in the nineteenth century. The Articles of Religion also came under fire from the same quarter with Anglo-Catholics lobbying for the abolition of clerical subscription to the Articles.

To avoid any suggestion that the bishop confers the gift of the Holy Spirit in any way in ordination, more recent Anglican service books have substituted different wording for the formula “Receive the Holy Ghost….”

“Almighty God grant unto thee the gift of the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Presbyter now committed unto thee by the Imposition of our hands….” The Book of Common Prayer of the Free Church of England (1956)

“Therefore, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son, give your Holy Spirit to N.; fill him with grace and power, and make him a priest in your Church.” The Book of Common Prayer (1979) of the Episcopal Church in the USA

“Send down the Holy Spirit upon your servant N for the office and work of a priest in your Church.” The Alternative Service Book 1980 of the Church of England

“Send down your Holy Spirit upon your servant N, whom we consecrate in your name to the office and work of a priest in the Church.” The Book of Alternative Services (1985) of the Anglican Church of Canada

“God of grace, through your Holy Spirit, gentle as a dove, living, burning as fire, empower your servant N for the office and work of a priest in the Church.” A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)

“May God empower you, through the Holy Spirit, for the ministry of presbyter in the Church of God, now committed to you by the laying on of our hands.” The Prayer Book of the Church of England in South Africa (1992)

“Send down the Holy Spirit upon your servant N, whom we set part by the laying on of our hands, for the office and work of a priest in your Church.” A Prayer Book for Australia (1995)

“Send down the Holy Spirit on your servant N for the office and work of a priest in your Church.” Common Worship (2000) of the Church of England

N, may the Holy Spirit stir up all the gifts of God that are in you for the ministry. May he equip you with all wisdom, strength, and power necessary for the execution of the duties pertaining to the priesthood. We lay our hands on you to confirm your ordination to this ministry. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Our Modern Services (2002, 2003) of the Anglican Church of Kenya

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon your servant …. for the office and work of priest in your Church….” The Book of Common Prayer (2004) of the Church of Ireland

All of these service books were available to the ACNA Liturgy and Common Prayer Task Force that drafted the ACNA Ordinal.  The retention of the formula “Receive the Holy Ghost…”in a contemporary language version and the omission of the alternative formula point to one conclusion: it is not by coincidence that the ACNA Ordinal reflects unreformed Catholic positions on ordination, as opposed to reformed Anglican positions. This conclusion is supported by the other changes that the ACNA Ordinal makes in the American Ordinal. 

The doctrine of a rite is not only expressed or inferred its texts and their particular ordering but also in its ceremonial. Even ceremonial that is optional must be considered in evaluating the doctrine of a particular rite. This is especially the case when the ceremonial is incorporated into the rite itself and not in a separate section after the rite and in the absence of a disclaimer to the effect that no particular doctrinal significance is attached to the ceremonies permitted by the rubrics in the rite, and the use of such optional ceremonies is not to be understood as implying any doctrines other than those contained in the Articles of Religion of 1571 and The Book of Common Prayer of 1662.

Ceremonies are not theological neutral. They are not entirely free of past and present doctrinal associations. These doctrinal associations may go back centuries and cannot be dismissed lightly.

The vesting of a newly-made deacon with maniple, stole, and dalmatic permitted in the ACNA ordination rite for deacons has longstanding doctrinal associations. So does the vesting of a newly-ordained priest with stole and chasuble and the anointing of his hands with oil permitted in the ACNA ordination rite for priests; the presentation of a newly-consecrated bishop with a pastoral staff, the anointing of his forehead with the oil of chrism, and his presentation with a pectoral cross, an episcopal ring, and a mitre permitted in the ordination rite for bishops; and the prostration of the candidate as an alternative to kneeling permitted in all three rites. They are not innocent ceremonies. They point to unreformed Catholic doctrines related to the Eucharist and apostolic succession. Their inclusion in these rites is an affirmation of these doctrines even thought their use is optional. The doctrines in question and the ceremonies associated with them were rejected by the English Reformers who found no basis for them in Scripture

The rubrics of the ACNA ordination rite for priests require the bishop to give the new priest a Bible in one hand and a chalice in another. The giving of the chalice has longstanding associations with what the Roman Catholic Church regard as the most important duty of the priest—the offering of the sacrifice of the Mass. The rubrics do not prohibit the filling of the chalice with wine mixed with water or the nestling of a paten with an unconsecrated host on it in the chalice. In the Roman rite the giving of these instruments of ministry, along with the authorization to function as a sacrificing priest, forms the essence of valid ordination. 

The English Reformers rejected the entire Roman Catholic concept of Christian ministry as a sacerdotal priesthood. In order to remove any possibility of misunderstanding, the 1552 Ordinal discontinued the giving of a chalice to the ordinand. The sole instrument of new priest’s ministry in the reformed Church of England would be the Bible. Phillip Edgcombe Hughes in Theology of the English Reformers (Horseradish, 1997) makes an important point.

This does not mean, however there is no longer a ministry of the sacraments, but rather that the sacraments, being sacraments  of the gospel, can not rightly be separated from the ministry of the word. Thus the bishop still says to the candidate: “Tke thou authority to preach the word of God and to minister the holy sacraments.”

It is noteworthy that while the rubrics of the ordination rites in the ACNA Ordinal permit the optional use of a number of ceremonies to make the rites more visibly unreformed Catholic in doctrine and liturgical practice, they do not permit the omission of the giving of the chalice to make the ordination rite for priests more acceptable to evangelicals to whom the sacerdotal connotations of this ceremony are objectionable.  The ACNA Ordinal makes no attempt to comprehend Anglicans who hold the reformed Anglican view of Christian ministry and ordination.

The ACNA College of Bishops has publicly stated that this version of the ACNA Ordinal is the final version authorized for use in the ACNA. No proposals for further revision of the ACNA Ordinal will be entertained. However, the Provincial Council has enacted no legislation authorizing its use nor has the Provincial Assembly ratified such legislation Under the provisions of the ACNA Constitution the Provincial Council, not the College of Bishops, has final authority in this matter. See Article V of the ACNA Constitution. The College of Bishops is clearly overreaching its authority. The unreformed Catholic doctrine of the ACNA Ordinal and the College of Bishops’ position on the ordinal points to the strong influence of vested interests in the College of Bishops—vested interests that seek to make room for only one school of thought in the ACNA—their own.

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain

Eight Common Characteristics of Successful Church Revitalizations

There is one type of church revitalization that is more successful than all others. The church closes its doors for a season, and then re-opens, usually with a new name and new leadership. I know this approach is not an option for most of you, so I gathered data from the “other” category. This category includes churches that kept the same name and, for the most part, the same leadership.

Keep in mind, this information is not a step-by-step guide to revitalization. We offer that resource periodically. Make certain you are on our email list, and we will let you know the next time that training opens.

As I gathered the information for successful revitalizations, I noted eight common characteristics that took place in most of the congregations. Unfortunately, many leaders are not willing to make all the sacrifices these characteristics suggest. Those who will make the sacrifices, however, are often seeing blessings beyond what they anticipated. Keep reading

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Grasping at Growth

Here are three signs signaling your church may be in trouble and in need of revitalization.

I’ve spent the majority of my ministry planting local churches. I have an entrepreneurial bent and find the challenge of church planting exhilarating. When God presented me with an opportunity to revitalize an established church, I was a bit apprehensive.

I had heard the horror stories of churches controlled by power-hungry deacons and family groups. I’d also heard about burned-out pastors exhausted from constant and sustained conflict. In prayer, the Holy Spirit assured me He was orchestrating this season of my life. So, with that confidence, I accepted the pastorate of the church, and God has blessed. Since that time, I have given myself to thinking and learning about church revitalization.

Let’s begin with this truth: All churches need revitalizing to some degree. Every pastor sees areas of his or her church in need of help. Perhaps the youth team needs leadership training. Maybe the women’s ministry requires a structural overhaul to sustain its rapid growth. The list of ministry areas in need of constant support is unending. There are times, however, when a church (for reasons we will examine) has lost its way and needs total revitalization.

The obvious outward sign of a church in need of revitalization is a consistent stagnation or decline in membership and evangelistic effectiveness. In reality, decline and ineffectiveness are only the fruits of larger problems. Somewhere in the local church’s history, it drifted from its vision for the community. No one intended for it to happen. The drift was slow and virtually unnoticed by many. Then suddenly the local church found itself in a leadership or financial crash. Fingers point, and feelings are hurt. Sadly, some wash out and never again connect with a local church.

I want to explore three marks signaling a church is in trouble. While there may be more marks, my involvement in and research of churches requiring revitalization has led me to see these three as chief. The ordering of these marks is purposeful. They paint the picture of a church moving away from vision toward decline and death. Keep reading

5 Bad Reasons To Go To a Small Church

People are really picky about the kind of church they like.

But you knew that, didn’t you?

Most people choose their church home based on a combination of several factors, including theology (hopefully that’s first on the list), worship style, location, where their friends go, etc.

For many, one of those factors is size.

I’ve met plenty of people who say they could never feel at home worshipping in a big church. I’ve met just as many people who feel the same discomfort about worshipping in a Small Church.

And that’s fine. To each their own.

But, along with the valid reasons I’ve heard for wanting or not wanting to worship in a certain size of church, I’ve heard some really bad reasons, too. Keep reading

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Taking the Shallowness Out of Your Preaching

Here are four suggestions that will add depth to your preaching.

“Pastor, I like you, but I need preaching that is, well … deeper.”

Ouch.

Why would you want to swim in the deep end of the pool when you are not spending time in the shallow end? What exactly do you mean by deeper? I prepare my sermon every week. What about it isn’t deep enough for you?

Who wants to come across as a shallow preacher? Not me. Not you.

It’s hard to know what someone means when they say our sermons are not deep enough. Yet such painful critiques can help us learn lessons and improve our communication methods.

Every hearer (including you) has a certain set of intellectual and emotional needs. When a message meets those needs, it feels deep. When the needs remain unmet, it feels frustrating. Although we know our congregations ultimately need an encounter with the triune God and a commitment to be doers of the Word, throwing them some “depth” bones will go a long way in helping them sense fulfillment. Consider these suggestions. Keep reading

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Google update could decrease churches' web traffic

A change in Google's formula for prioritizing search results could keep churches without mobile-friendly websites from being as visible online to potential visitors.

Starting April 21, Google updated its algorithms for searches done from mobile devices to give higher placement in the results to websites that are compatible with such devices. That means churches with older, more basic websites may not appear among the top results when, for example, mobile phone users search for "Baptist church" and their city.

"Why is this a concern?" asked Michael Magruder, director of LifeWay.com for LifeWay Christian Resources. "Google estimates that over 60 percent of search queries currently originate from mobile devices. The biggest question businesses and organizations ask is, 'How do I know if my website is mobile optimized?'"

Tony Boes, the Missouri Baptist Convention's webmaster, told Baptist Press there are simple ways a church can determine whether its website qualifies as mobile-frienay, public domaindly. First, pull up the site on a mobile phone. If it fits the screen well and has buttons that are a clickable size, the site likely is mobile-friendly. Keep reading

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How the Church Can Reach Nominals and Seculars

Regardless of the groups we are trying to reach, we need evangelism strategies.

Evangelism requires a strategy.

Whether you’re reaching out to Muslims, bikers, students, business people, previously unreached people—it doesn’t matter—there’s a unique way to go about it, ending in the same gospel. The mission is always the same, but the method is usually different.

There’s a certain strategy needed when you engage people who are a part of the church culture, and another when you’re looking to reach people who want nothing to do with church culture.

In each case, you need to speak the gospel in a way that connects and challenges those listening to respond to Christ. I am convinced that every church needs to have a strategy to reach both those who are close to the things of God and those who are far off.

I think most of our evangelism methods, particularly many of the seeker-movement methods from the 80s and 90s really appealed to people’s religious memory. A lot of it was saying to people, “This is not your mama’s church—we are updated and rocking. Now, you come back and be a part of it.” So they would say, “Okay. I never disliked the church, but I’ll go and be a part of it if it is updated.” Keep reading

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Why Islam Grows

“It is as well to admit when your enemies are onto something.” So wrote Douglas Murray in his essay in the May issue of the British magazine Standpoint. While Murray’s point was on the broad theme of the West’s move to secularization, I was most arrested by Murray’s point about the growth of Islam—and I think there are some things there we Christians ought to pay attention to.

By the growth of Islam, I am not here talking about demography, although there is much to consider there. Reports indicate that the global future is religious, not secular, but that religious element includes a massive Islamic population. The world’s tomorrow is heavily Islamic, even if, as I believe, the world’s day after tomorrow is the kingdom of God. By the growth of Islam, I am also not referring to the paramilitary conquests of radical Islamic groups—such as those driving ancient Christian communities out of Iraq. No, today I’d like to consider the stories of those Westerners who convert to Islam. Keep reading

Also see
Is The West's Loss Of Faith Terminal?

Photo credit: John A. Gillis, The (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Daily News

Why Are Christians Divided by Denominations?

Are denominations and church fellowships in themselves shameful and sinful? Are they a mark of disunity? Do they diminish the Church’s witness? How should we think about denominations? Here are some answers to these questions. Keep reading

The Skills to Become an Excellent Leader of the Smaller Congregation

Here are five skills of excellence that will impact the smaller congregation.

There were typos in the worship bulletin — again. The restrooms, cleaned by a volunteer custodian, did not have hand towels in the wall dispenser — again. The worship leader walked into the sanctuary three minutes before the start of the service — again. And the Christian education class for the four teenagers in the youth group joined the adult class because their teacher did not set her alarm — again.

Sound familiar?

As a former church planter, I have lived in the spiritual euphoria and emotional angst of the emerging congregation. The ultimate challenge was not getting warm bodies into those folding chairs. Rather, my frustration was convincing the new congregants God deserved nothing less than excellence because Christ, the Son of God, was living among us.

Since a church will always reflect its spiritual leadership, I am convinced the only option to rediscover growth, renewed worship, and a mesmerizing mission is for spiritual leadership to discover pragmatic excellence. Keep reading

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain

What Small Churches Can Do, Parts One and Two

What Small Churches Can Do, Part One

I have a lot of experience in and with small churches through my own pastoral ministry as well as denominational cooperation. I have seen small churches that are healthy and some that are toxic. I have seen some die, and some grow dramatically in number. There are all kinds, and I would never assume all churches considered "small" by their own leadership or by outsiders are the same. But I do want to encourage some of Christ's smaller churches who are struggling.

Before I begin with the first post in this series, allow me to clarify what I mean by "small." Keep reading

What Small Churches Can Do, Part Two

Many smaller churches feel extremely limited by their size, believing that they simply cannot do much of what they would like to do, or believe they should do. Before I suggest what smaller churches can do, let's first consider two things smaller churches do not have to do. Keep reading

Great mothers in church history

Augustine of Hippo is known by Christians the world over for standing against heresy in the fifth century and laying a foundation for the Protestant Reformation a thousand years later.

Lesser known is the fact that Augustine might never have become a Christian if not for his mother Monnica, who prayed for his salvation for years before eventually sailing from North Africa to Italy to beg her son to attend church. He honored her wishes and was saved when he heard the Gospel under the preaching of Ambrose of Milan.

Monnica -- as her name is spelled on her tomb despite commonly being rendered as "Monica" -- is one of many noteworthy mothers in church history. Keep reading

Graphic: Laura Erlanson

Why Sermons Often Bore

When Tim Keller talks about preaching, I listen. And so did roughly 1,900 others during his breakout workshop, “Preaching to the Heart,” at the recent TGC National Conference in Orlando, Florida. You can watch or listen to the entire talk. Also, Keller’s new book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, will be released in June, and is available for pre-order now.

How often have we heard (or preached!) sermons that feel more like a lecture than a sermon—sermons that inform, but fail to transform. Keller helped us think about how to preach to the heart, and through the heart to the whole person. Keep reading

How To Listen To a Sermon: Eagerness and Examination

In the spring of 1741 Jonathan Edwards visited and ministered to a small congregation in Suffield, Connecticut. This little church was without a pastor for a short time but was blessed with a few excellent servants, including Edwards himself and the great evangelist George Whitefield.

A few months after Edwards visited the church, Elizabeth Hatheway, a member of the congregation, asked Edwards for some spiritual guidance. In response, Edwards wrote this young lady a lengthy letter with 19 points of advice on Christian living. Several years later, the letter was published under the title, Advice to Young Converts. It is currently published along with Edwards resolutions by P & R Publishing.

On point #3, Edwards gives some timely advice on how to listen to sermons. Keep reading

The Ordinary Christian Church

Throughout its history, the church has tended to view itself as extraordinary. For example, in the medieval period, the church was an extraordinary place apart from the world, the sacred separated from the profane, the place of salvation, the holder of the mysteries of heaven.

The church contained extraordinary people—monks and nuns, priests and bishops, and above all the pope as Christ’s representative on earth. These extraordinary people were the ones who had callings to do ministry; everyone else simply did work. Even more, the church had extraordinary means—sacraments that conveyed grace through the working of the rituals themselves. As monks and mystics did mighty deeds and fed the laity with heavenly food, some of the extraordinary received sainthood while the ordinary longed for final release from sin and a glimpse of God in heaven.

To heighten the extraordinary aspect of the church and its most holy servants, church buildings themselves were constructed with the extraordinary altar at the far end of the sanctuary separated from the ordinary people by a fence, screen, or rail. The line was drawn again at the Eucharist, in which the laity was denied the chance to partake of the wine (as the blood of Christ) for fear of what would happen if it was spilled. The Christian church was filled with reminders of the extraordinary.

One of the key contributions of the Reformation—and of Protestantism generally—has been its emphasis upon the ordinariness of the church. To be sure, John Calvin would approve of Cyprian’s observation that the church is our mother and “away from her bosom one cannot hope for any forgiveness of sins or any salvation,” or as the Westminster Confession of Faith teaches, “The visible church … is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (25.2). The church is God’s normal place of grace. However, God’s grace does not come through an extraordinary display; rather, God uses His ordinary church to sustain and nourish believers through ordinary ministry, people, and means. Keep reading

Also see
Disciple-Making is Ordinary Christianity

Issues in Church Leadership: Nine Articles

4 Necessary Mindsets for Developing Transformational Leadership

Leadership development is vital to church health.

I am convinced that gifted and well-equipped leadership is absolutely essential for every church. Biblical leadership is taught clearly in the Scriptures but perhaps often lost in the application of the local church.

Second Timothy 2:2 says, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Here we see the transference of the core teachings of our faith to new leaders who will teach others.

This is biblical leadership development.

Now, it’s interesting, I have not always thought that leadership was a big deal. As a matter of fact, as I was writing a book with Mike Dodson a few years ago called Comeback Churches, I was really hoping we would find that it was just not true—that everything did not, in fact, “rise and fall on leadership.”

I was honestly tired of all the pithy leadership-related quotes that are venerated in church life, and I was looking for a reason to write them off.

Once we began the research and writing of the book, however, there was no denying that leadership was absolutely critical for revitalizing churches. The right leader turned out to be key to the process, so I gained a new appreciation for leadership. Keep reading

13 Signs of Leadership Fatigue

Leadership is sometimes wearisome – so wearisome that we come close to giving up. Over the years, I’ve watched leaders slide into defeat, and I’ve seen some of these common signs of trouble.

I list these symptoms of “leadership fatigue” here not to discourage you, but instead to help you recognize them, address them, and move forward. At the end of this post, tell us how we might pray for you if you see yourself in this list. Keep reading

Eight Reasons Ministry Leaders Lose Their Drive

I love listening to pastors and church staff. Most of them offer great ministry insights and practical advice. Over the past few years, I have been asking ministry leaders a series of open-end questions. Though my methodology is more anecdotal than scientifically based, the responses I receive are invaluable to me as leader. I think they may be helpful to you as well.

One of the questions I asked was: “Have you ever lost your leadership drive? If so, what were the reasons for it?”

Almost all of the ministry leaders responded affirmatively. They indeed had lost their leadership drive at some point in their lives. And the majority identified a single reason for their diminished drive, though a number identified multiple reasons.

In this article, I identify the top eight responses in order of frequency. Some of the responses may not be mutually exclusive, but I still separate them into distinct categories. Keep reading

7 Ways To Respond When You Want to Punch Someone—And You’re a Christian

Feel like you want to punch someone? Or at least not deal with them anymore?

What do you do when the person in question goes to your church?

How do you handle that tension when you’re a…Christian?

It’s strange, but being a Christian doesn’t automatically make you good at resolving conflict. In fact, many Christians and many churches are terrible at it.

Unresolved—or poorly resolved—conflict sinks a lot of potential in the church. It also causes thousands of staff and volunteers to leave every year. And it makes millions of church goers simply miserable.

Fun isn’t it?

Chances are you already know exactly what I’m talking about. Even better. You know exactly who I’m talking about. Keep reading

How to Find a Mentor

Last week I was asked a question I’ve been asked before, probably over a thousand times before. This time the question came from a young man in ministry in Central America. He’d grown up in the foster care system, without many male role models in his life. He wanted to know how he could find someone to mentor and disciple him. Maybe you’re in a similar situation. If so, here’s what I’d say. Keep reading

7 Examples of Shallow Leadership

Growing in our leadership abilities — including growing in the knowledge of leadership and the relational aspect of leadership– should be a goal for every leader.

Sadly, many leaders settle for status quo leadership rather than stretching themselves to continually improve. They remain oblivious to the real health of their leadership and the organizations they lead. They may get by — people may say things are “okay” — but it isn’t excellent.

I call it shallow leadership.

Perhaps you’ve seen this before in leadership. Maybe you’ve been guilty of providing shallow leadership. For a season, at least. I certainly have.

Still wondering what shallow leadership looks like?

Here are 7 characteristics of shallow leadership.... Keep reading

Are You Putting Your Team in Danger?

Being resolute means you are purposeful, determined, and unwavering in your commitment. Would your team describe you as this kind of leader?

The team you lead needs a leader who is all in. Resolved. Determined. Committed. No excuses and no wavering from the mission. Anything less is hurting your team. How determined are you to lead?

There are always reasons to give up and quit as a leader. The critics are real and the problems can be overwhelming. The challenges of change are a constant reminder that there is no room for complacency. Your team requires a leader that is all in, resolved to move the mission and organization forward no matter what the challenges. Keep reading

Networking When You Hate Talking to Strangers

The power of serendipity is hot in business circles. Silicon Valley campuses have been constructed to foster more “random collisions.” One key to creativity, many thinkers say, is unexpected interactions. “Create spaces where you’re wandering around and exposing yourself to new people,” John Hagel of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge told me in an interview. And venture capitalist Anthony Tjan and his colleagues conducted an expansive survey of entrepreneurs that revealed a quarter of them self-identified as lucky and traced their success to embracing serendipitous encounters.

All that is well and good – for people who don’t mind talking to strangers. But as an introvert, one of the situations I hate most is making small talk with people I don’t know. Here’s how I’ve managed to strike the balance between meeting new people – and being exposed to interesting new ideas – and not having to initiate awkward conversations. Keep reading

Pastoring Your Church through a Leader’s Misconduct

Tips for a redemptive response

When the assistant pastor called the church’s key leaders to his house for an urgent meeting, my husband and I both suspected something serious had happened. We could not have guessed just how serious. Once all 20 of us had packed into the living room, our senior pastor came in and simply said, “I have something to tell you.”

His subsequent admission of marital infidelity made sense of his angry outbursts, controlling behavior, and whimsical abandonment of several key programs. Though we felt relief to finally understand what had been propelling his perplexing conduct over the past year, his confession plunged the church into a season of chaos.

Each year an alarming number of churches will face a similar situation. Based on a 2005-2006 study done by the Francis Schaeffer Institute, more than 30 percent of all pastors have admitted to having either an ongoing affair or a one-time sexual encounter with a parishioner during their tenure. (And of course sexual misconduct is but one of the ways that a leader can disqualify himself or herself.) Despite the fact that this situation happens far too often, “pastoring your church through trauma” is not a class taught in many seminaries or church growth conferences. Keep reading

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain

Small Groups: Fellowship Is a Verb

In early 2000, our leadership team began asking the question: What does a healthy follower of Christ look like? If we are to be successful in fulfilling Christ’s commission to make disciples, we need to define the term “disciple.” Through a series of meetings, we determined that a healthy follower of Christ is someone who is balancing the five biblical purposes in his or her life and heart.

A healthy follower of Christ is:

• Surrendering his or her heart and life to Christ on an ongoing basis.
·
• Experiencing fellowship with other Christians.
·
• Growing in Christ through “being” and “action.”
·
• Discovering and using his or her God-given gifts and abilities.
·
• Reaching out and sharing the love of Christ with nonbelievers.

Unless you know what the target is, you cannot hit it. For us, the target became health through balance. As we begin to reflect Christ and become more like him, the focus of our lives will shift away from self-centeredness and toward serving him through every area of our life. That is health and balance.

So if we as a church were trying to produce healthy followers of Christ, our leadership team had to decide what the best tool or delivery system is to produce that desired result. Eventually we agreed that small groups are the best environment to produce health through balancing the biblical purposes in each person’s life.

Whenever you start a new approach to ministry, you usually get the question of “why?” Why should we do small groups? What makes small groups a good method for helping people develop these five things in their lives? Over the past 15 years, we have realized several things about small groups that makes them an effective strategy in growing people. Keep reading

5 unremarkable things that stop people dying from hunger

We're all familiar with scenes of famine and crisis appeals. There are pictures of malnourished children on the news, and aid workers who are seen as Bear Grylls-esque heroes dropping food packages from a helicopter over the desert.

The thing we don't often think about is how it gets to that stage. There are large swathes of planet (about 805 million people, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa) where people live precariously without access to a reliable supply of nutritious food. All it takes is for something to go wrong – conflict, not enough rain, too much rain – and the balance is tipped the wrong way.

Climate change has exacerbated things. It affects weather patterns resulting in unpredictable harvests – one year the rains will be ok and people will be able to grow enough, the next year they can't and they don't have much spare.

So is it possible to hope for a world that has enough to eat before things get critical, before the distended bellies, before the food aid drops?

There has been significant progress in recent years. The number of people going hungry has decreased, and, as I discovered when I visited a number of Christian Aid projects in Burkina Faso, the things that make the difference are often surprisingly simple. In Burkina, one of a number of countries in the Sahel region that experienced an acute food crisis in 2012, things as mundane as compost, water and the way you dig holes to plant seeds can make a real difference to life in rural communities. Truly unglamorous though they may be, they are often the difference between being able and unable to feed their children. So here they are.... Keep reading

There are a surprising number of simple ways of increasing the crop yield from subsistence agriculture, making water safer to drink, preventing the spread of disease, and improving the lives of those who live in parts of the world where death by starvation and preventable disease are common occurrences. The Church can play an important role in introducing such methods and encouraging their use, both world-wide and locally. 

Photo credit: Christian Aid/Andrew Testa 

China Attempts to End Its War on Baby Girls

If you were asked to name the technologies whose proliferation inadvertently threatens the human race, what would you include? Landmines? Assault rifles? Nuclear warheads?

Add this one to your list: the sonogram machine.

The widespread use of sonogram technology—coupled with liberal abortion laws—has made it easier than ever for women to identify the sex of their child so that those without a Y chromosome can be killed before they’re even born. Keep reading

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain. 

The Same Gospel

Two years ago on Christmas eve, Martin and Maria (not their real names), along with their two young children, came to our worship gathering. For this family, from a “least-reached nation” in the East, it was the first time they had ever stepped foot into a gathering of Christians. Martin and Maria thought they were merely accepting an invitation to show interest in their friends, but what happened that night would change their lives forever.

The order of service wasn’t fancy—there was singing, reading God’s Word, and a sermon. During the presentation of the gospel, both Martin and Maria felt, in their own words, “a sensation they’d never felt before.” In the days that followed, they couldn’t get Jesus out of their minds. They began to study the Bible with someone from our church. Through study of God’s Word it became obvious to them that Jesus is who He says He is. Both Martin and Maria repented of their sin and confessed that Jesus Christ is both Lord and Savior.

The gospel changes lives. Though there are certainly cultural differences between the West and the East, we must resist the temptation to change the gospel. If we do, and people respond, then we have won people not just to a “variation” of the gospel, but to a false gospel, which is no gospel at all. Only the gospel of God concerning His Son is the good news. We want people to hear God’s truth and not a deceitful version of the message. The truth is that our sin against a holy God deserves death and God’s righteous judgment. It is only through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for sinners that we will be saved. Keep reading

Planting and Growing New Churches: Three Articles

Church Planting, Thermometers, and Thermostats

Are you merely taking the temperature of the world around you, or are you actually doing something about it?

This week's guest post for Thursday is for Thinkers comes from Daniel Im.

Daniel is part of our team at LifeWay to help us launch our New Churches initiative—more on that later, but we are excited about the new plans we have to resource church plants and churches launching new sites.

A while back, Daniel contributed a post on Lesslie Newbigin and church planting, and you'll see Daniel posting more as I'd like to keep him around as a regular contributor on the blog. A few weeks ago, he wrote about how crowdfunding and Kickstarter may be noteworthy for church planters.

This week, he explains how our church needs to be more like a thermostat than a thermometer. Keep reading

The Third Wave of Church Planting: From Startup to Scale

In a recent Fast Company article, The Startup Revolution Is About To Surge Again, Coca-Cola VP of Innovation David Butler discussed his ideas about what is needed for the “next wave entrepreneurial growth.”

I see some parallels with church planting and church growth movements.

Butler talks about three waves, two of which have already occurred and one which is forming. Keep reading

Also see
The Startup Revolution Is about to Surge

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain

Am I My City's Keeper?

Jesus served the people he came to save. We should join him in that mission.

There is much talk today about “seeking the welfare of the city.” To various people it means different things. As a biblical phrase, it has serious missional connotations. I want to look at what that phrase means to us in the church today, and also tease out what it doesn’t mean. Keep reading

Contemporary Issues in Baptism: Three Articles

Same Sex Marriage and Infant Baptism

A controversy has erupted in the Diocese of Central Florida over an apparent request by the dean of the cathedral to postpone the infant baptism of a same sex couple. This led to Facebook and blog postings, general outrage and immediate calls for charges under Title IV. All this before the facts were known.

Given the lack of knowledge of all the relevant facts in this instance it is not appropriate for reasonable people to comment on this particular case, let alone encourage legal proceedings founded on ignorance of the facts. We will not address this case here. However, the question of baptizing infants of same sex couples raises theological issues deserving comment. Keep reading

Also see
Church refused baptism for son of gay Christian couple

The second article provides the back story to the first article.

Baptizing children & regenerate church membership

Associated Baptist Press recently reported that Rodney Kennedy, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, sprinkled an infant. The event was newsworthy because, by definition, a Baptist church does not baptize infants. To practice the latter is to forfeit being the former. Or at least it used to.

The article read as a congratulatory piece, as though it was one small step for a church, but one giant leap forward for Baptists everywhere -- no doubt a leap away from draconian biblical and confessional markers of Baptist identity.

But one need not look to a CBF Baptist church to find believer's baptism being renegotiated. At least a few conservative Baptist churches have adopted -- or have flirted with adopting -- some form of dual baptism. Keep reading

If clergy of the Church of England are sprinkling infants, they are not complying with the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer, which direct that the infant should be immersed in the water at his baptism or the water should be poured over him if poor health does not permit his immersion. Only Methodists and Presbyterians have historically practiced sprinkling.

Photo credit: Pixabay. public domain 

"Lord, Teach Us to Pray...": Two Articles

8 Questions about Prayer That You Were Probably Too Embarrassed to Ask

Have you ever had a question about prayer that seemed so obvious (at least to everyone else) that you were afraid to seek an answer? If so, you’re not alone. At some point in their spiritual journey, every Christian has had questions about prayer. We should never be embarrassed by the sincere questions we have about prayer, though, for they provide us a reason to search the Scripture to gain knowledge about God and to ask knowledgeable believers the questions we have about communicating with God.

Here are a few examples of questions you may (like me) have had about prayer but have (also like me) been too embarrassed to ask.... Keep reading

13 Tips for Leading the Congregation in Prayer

1. Prepare. Some traditions use set prayers. Others rely on extemporaneous prayers. Both have their place. But I believe what our congregations need most are studied prayers. These prayers may or may not be read, but will be thought through ahead of time. Public prayer is often boring because little thought is put into it. There’s no training for it, no effort put it into it. An hour or two is not too long to spend in preparing a long, pastoral prayer.

2. Use forms with freedom. Learn from The Valley of Vision or Hughes Oliphant Old or the Book of Common Prayer. But suit their prayers to your own purposes. The Didache, after laying down set prayers for Communion, also allows “the prophets to give thanks however they wish.”

3. Pray Scripture. Don’t just ask God for what we want. Let him teach us what we should want. Keep reading

Protecting Your Ministry from Sexual Orientation Gender Identity Lawsuits [PDF]

In the culture, in the courts, even in casual conversation, it is increasingly obvious that we have lost sight of over 200 years of social and legal tradition that has secured our fundamental freedoms – namely, freedom of speech and religion.

A new concept – that “sexual liberty” trumps religious freedom – has begun to impact churches, ministries, and individual Christians across this nation. This concept has led to the passage of sexual orientation, gender identity ordinances (SOGIs). SOGIs elevate sexual special interests over our cherished fundamental freedoms, especially religious freedom. These ordinances place terms like “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in the same category as race or religion. But they are not designed for the innocent purpose of ensuring all people receive basic services. Rather, their practical effect is to legally compel Christians to accept, endorse, and even promote messages, ideas, and events that violate their faith.

Those promoting these ordinances use public sympathy – gained through misleading rhetoric about “discrimination” – to silence dissenting voices. And no ministry will remain immune if they remain true to Scripture’s teachings about sexuality and gender.

Alliance Defending Freedom created this manual to help you prepare for the legal intrusions some of your fellow believers and Christian leaders around the country have already faced, and for other threats on the near horizon. Keep reading

Gay row could ‘cause Church of Ireland schism’

The top churchman warned fellow believers that the Church of Ireland is too small to withstand a schism over the issue, and said he hopes such a split will be avoided.

He was speaking as it emerged dozens of church figures have written joint open letters highly critical of the liberal stances taken by the bishops of Cork and Cashel.

They were writing after 43 members of the clergy last week penned a joint letter endorsing same-sex marriages, ahead of a referendum in the Republic on the issue. Keep reading

Also see
Irish Catholic Bishops Say People 'Ridiculed' and 'Condemned as Homophobic' for Opposing Gay Marriage, as Country Prepares for Marriage Referendum

Updated: After Removing 400 Crosses, China Proposes Where Churches Can Put Them Instead

Days after at least a dozen crosses were forcibly removed from churches, China formally protested a United States report on its lack of religious freedom. Now a proposal has surfaced to ban crosses entirely from the rooftops of churches in Zhejiang, one of China's most Christian provinces. Keep reading

Also see
New: Chinese province to ban rooftop Christian crosses

Photo credit: China Aid

Wanted: A Teaching Church

The Bible is the Word of God. All Bible-believing evangelical churches affirm this. In historic Protestantism, there is a theology of the Word that not only professes sola Scriptura but also professes the sufficiency of Scripture for all things concerning doctrine, worship, and godliness. What the church of the twenty-first century needs to be is a teaching church that plainly and powerfully proclaims the Word of God. Then the church will be equipped to fulfill its task in the world to worship and to witness to that world. Keep reading

Also see
God Grows Us Through Practical Teaching

Photo credit: Pixaby, public domain

“What’s the big idea?”

A woman came up to me last Saturday night after I’d spoken for 25 minutes at a leadership banquet. “I love the way you speak out of the overflow.”

Any preacher would love hearing that.

What exactly does that mean, I wondered.

I’ll tell you what I hope it means. When I preach, my subject is so important to me, I could have gone on another hour without repeating the material or boring the listeners.

I hope that’s true.

I think it is. Keep reading

Is It Necessary to Preach Divine Wrath?

The Genevan Reformer John Calvin said, “Preaching is the public exposition of Scripture by the man sent from God, in which God Himself is present in judgment and in grace.” Faithful pulpit ministry requires the declaration of both judgment and grace. The Word of God is a sharp, two-edged sword that softens and hardens, comforts and afflicts, saves and damns.

The preaching of divine wrath serves as a black velvet backdrop that causes the diamond of God’s mercy to shine brighter than ten thousand suns. It is upon the dark canvas of divine wrath that the splendor of His saving grace most fully radiates. Preaching the wrath of God most brilliantly showcases His gracious mercy toward sinners. Keep reading

Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain

Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Guest in a Worship Service

If you want to make certain guests never return to your church, say one of these sentences to them when they visit.

Indeed, these unfortunate and ill-timed comments almost always guarantee that you will offend guests and make them very uncomfortable. Most of the time guests are already ill at ease since they are in a new place and a new environment. By the way, each of these quotes was actually communicated to a guest in a worship service. My guess is that all ten of them have been said many times . . . too many times. Keep reading

The Forgotten God

The latest issue of Credo Magazine is on the Internet and may be downloaded.

"Looking back on the first half of the twentieth century, H. Richard Niebuhr famously described liberal Christianity’s understanding of the gospel like this: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” Such a mentality has had its influence and still does today. There are certain Bible stories that you just don’t talk about, not even in church. For many people today, Bible stories having to do with divine wrath, anger, or jealousy are embarrassing. And yet, no matter how uncomfortable they make you feel, it is nearly impossible to get through a book (sometimes a chapter!) of the Bible without coming face to face with these forgotten attributes of God. In a culture that capitalizes on tolerance and love, a focus on divine judgment is considered harsh, even primitive. Gordon Rupp’s words still speak today when he said, “What it means to feel oneself under the Wrath of God is something that modern man can hardly understand.”

Though unpopular to do so, this issue of Credo Magazine aims to make you, the modern reader, feel the weight of these biblical attributes of God. They are forgotten attributes of God, no doubt about it. But our desire is that by the end of this issue you will see just how important these attributes are to the story of redemption and for knowing God in a saving way. As has often been said, it is impossible to relish the grace of God in the cross of Christ unless you first understand the condemnation you sit under as a rebel."

Read or download the magazine now

United Methodist Regional Body Accused of Bullying Pastor for Supporting Traditional Marriage

A regional body of the United Methodist Church based in Georgia has been accused of bullying a pastor and her church over their support for traditional marriage.

Carole Hulslander, pastor at Still Waters UMC of Atlanta, has accused the UMC North Georgian Conference of removing her from her congregation over her decision to sign a statement calling for the denomination to maintain its views on homosexuality.

According to "The Erick Erickson Show" radio program, since expressing her support for the UMC to maintain a traditional definition of marriage, Hulslander found herself harassed by NGUMC leadership. Keep reading

Also see
Georgia Church Suffering Split After Vote to Leave PCUSA Fails

'Sinicization' of Christianity China's aim

Persecution of Christians and other religion groups in China has increased in scope, depth and intensity in the past year, according to the latest annual reports from religious persecution watch groups.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and the international non-profit China Aid Association USA both report high increases in abuses against Christians and other religious groups in the 12 months of 2014.

Religious persecution in China rose more than 152 percent comprising six categories of persecution, China Aid reported in its 2014 Annual Report of Religious and Human Rights Persecution in China, The Year of "Persecution and Endurance." The largest increase was noted in the number of persons sentenced for religious and human rights violations, which rose more than 10,516 percent, from 12 arrests in 2013, to 1,274 arrests in 2014. Keep reading

Photo credit: China Aid