Reading Time: 6 minutes There is a phenomenon that has been taking place, particularly in the US, with greater regularity over the last few decades—the behavior of “church shopping.” The congregant attends a church and listens to the pastor making moral-political statements, and they think to themselves, “This pastor is off the track here. I need to find me […]
church attendance
Posted inReligion
Surprise! Empty pews are nonpartisan
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s been common knowledge since the coronavirus pandemic arrived in America several years ago that empty pews have sharply increased, as churches, often controversially, closed their doors to protect congregants from spread of the deadly disease among their flocks. But in reading some year-old statistics on the pandemic’s effects on religious ritual, I was surprised […]
Posted inLeaving Religion
The Big Quit has hit pastors too
Reading Time: 7 minutes Even in the best of times, pastors have a very difficult row to hoe. With every passing year, their job just seems to get harder, pay less, demand more of them, and feel more thankless. And yet there always seemed to be roughly one quintillion more aspiring pastors than there were churches needing the position filled. Well, now, amid the general Great Resignation/Big Quit trend, that last truth is changing at lightning speed.
Posted inReligion
That Gallup Church-Membership Survey: More Devastating Than It Seems
Reading Time: 5 minutes Hi and welcome back! Recently, Gallup released a new survey they did. In it, they asked Americans about their religious affiliations. And oh dear, Gallup got back some bad news for Christians! For the first time ever, fewer than 50% of Americans claimed membership in any churches! Today, let me show you this survey — […]
Posted inReligion
Pew Research Surveyed Christians’ Attitudes Toward Casual Sex
Reading Time: 7 minutes Hi and welcome back! I promised you a palate cleanser yesterday, and here it is! See, Pew Research recently released the results of a survey they conducted about casual sex. In it, they asked people in various religious groups (including Nones and atheists) what they thought about sex. The results give us quite a lot of […]
Posted inGeneral
Churches Defy Advice & Rules (& Science) to Gather Congregations
Reading Time: 3 minutes Churches in the US have long been a hotbed for adhering to the findings of science. The coronavirus has made no exception, as you no doubt will have heard. The most newsworthy case of the downright stupidity – no, that is being polite – downright criminal endangerment of life is Life Tabernacle Church: Pentecostal preacher […]
Posted inReligion
How Christians Use Promises of Peace To Dehumanize
Reading Time: 10 minutes But peace is way more than a nice feeling that most Christians don’t really understand. It’s also a way for the more toxic of Christians to dehumanize and look down on their tribal enemies. Today, let me show you how they do it–and more importantly, why.
Posted inReligion
Thom Rainer: His new gig (won’t help his religion)
Reading Time: 8 minutes Thom Rainer just retired from LifeWay. Immediately afterward, he plunged full-time into his new old hustle. That hustle will benefit exactly one person: himself. I’ll show you what he’s up to and why it won’t help Christianity at all–and why he probably won’t care either way.
Posted inReligion
A First Look at the SBC’s 2018 Numbers (OW OW OW OW)
Reading Time: 9 minutes Before their convention every year, SBC leaders like to offer up some sneak peeks at what the denomination can expect from their Annual Report. As usual of late, the news is not great for them. Today, let’s explore the sparse information they recently released about last year. We’ll see what the SBC has revealed–and what they’ve carefully hidden away out of sight.
Posted inReligion
52 Reasons to Dread Invitations to Church (LSP #77)
Reading Time: 8 minutes This awful list shows us some important things about the people who made the list, too. Today, Lord Snow Presides over Christians busy inventing whole new forms of friendship evangelism.