Category: Ecclesia

Religion Links

Apr 17, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Christian Life, Culture, Ecclesia, Gender and Sex, Links – Religion, Politics, Public Policy, Religion, Sociology, Trends: Social

1. Huffington Post: Understanding Why Americans Seem More Religious Than Other Western Powers Many Western Europeans think of Americans as hopelessly, bafflingly, and dangerously, religious. Many Americans think of Western Europeans as distressingly, inexplicably, and unrelentingly, secular. In 2009, the German sociologist Hans Joas observed that “it is widely accepted that the United States is…
Two-thirds of churched adults say it has been at least three years or more since they heard church teachings on work and career

Apr 17, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Christian Life, Ecclesia, Vocation

Barna Group: Three Trends on Faith, Work and Calling I'm two months slow in posting this article, but it is important. … Barna Group's new research shows that three-quarters of U.S. adults (75%) say they are looking for ways to live a more meaningful life. Whether such meaning is found in family, career, church, side…
Religion Links

Feb 12, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Christian Life, Ecclesia, Gender and Sex, History, Links – Religion, Religion, Sociology, Theology, Trends: Social

1. Business Insider: A Fascinating New Poll Shows That Americans Are Losing Faith In God A new Harris Poll released today reveals that only 74% of Americans believe in God, an 8% decline since 2009. Before today, U.S. adults had remained fairly consistent in their religious beliefs — 82% of U.S. respondents previously reported that…
Religion Links

Nov 27, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Christian Life, Ecclesia, History, Links – Religion, Politics, Public Policy, Religion, Sociology, Trends: Social

1. A federal Judge Declares Tax Exclusion For Clergy Housing Payments Unconstitutional. Peter Reilly makes the economic and legal case for preserving the exclusion, In Defense Of Special Tax Treatment For Clergy: … Section 107 is best analyzed by reviewing the historical context surrounding the development of Section 107 of the Internal Revenue Code, the…
Capitalism and the Kingdom – Bob Lupton

Nov 25, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Capitalism and Markets, Ecclesia, Politics, Religion, Sociology, Theology

I love Bob Lupton's monthly posts in Urban Perspectives newsletter. I identify with what he writes in his latest installment, Capitalism and the Kingdom. Capitalism is not "biblical" in the sense of being prescribed by God. And in that sense, there is no "biblical" economic system. All economic systems are human constructs that incorporate human…
How Churches Can Help Without Hurting After Super Typhoon Haiyan

Nov 14, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Ecclesia, Economic Development

Jamie Aten with some excellent adive: How Churches Can Help Without Hurting After Super Typhoon Haiyan Rule #1: Don't jump into action before you know the needs on the ground. … Keep Your Focus on the Survivors' Needs … He shared with me that after the Exxon Valdez, many of the local communities were overwhelmed…
Church is not Worship, Community, or Mission. It’s All Three

Oct 4, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Christian Life, Ecclesia, Missio Dei, Theology

Rachel Young has a thoughtful article at the The Presbyterian Outlook's Outpost blog titled, Consumers, missionaries, or worshipers? She writes: … We use the language of buying and selling, of efficiency, of getting the best product for the best price, even as we think about our relationships, our work, our leisure, our church. We are…
Religion Links

Sep 30, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Ecclesia, Health and Medicine, Links – Religion, Politics, Public Policy, Religion, Sociology

1. First the Nones, now the Spirituals … Earlier this year, Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, my colleagues over at Trinity's Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture, decided to find out. In an email survey of nearly 2,000 students at 38 colleges and universities across the country, they asked, "In general…
The Gospels of Sin Management

Sep 24, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Christian Life, Ecclesia, Theology

Jesus Creed: The Gospels of Sin Management and Their Empty Allegiance American evangelicalism is what it is because of its gospel. Dallas Willard calls its gospel the “gospel of sin management.” American liberal Protestantism is what it is because of its gospel. Dallas Willard also calls its gospel the gospel of sin management. (Some of…
Saturday Links

Sep 14, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Business, Demography, Ecclesia, Economics, Education, Environment, Europe, Generations, Health and Medicine, Links – Saturday, Politics, Public Policy, Religion, Social Media, Sociology, Sports and Entertainment, Technology (Digital, Telecom, & Internet), Technology (Energy), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Theology, Trends: Economic, Trends: Social

1. Population Reference Bureau has a great resource that maps their 2013 World Population Data Sheet on an interactive map. Here is one example: 2. Modern family redefined: Say 'goodbye' to the typical American family A New York Times story looking at the skyrocketing rate of birth outside of marriage among women under 30 (now…