All in Culture
It’s common knowledge that marriage is a risky business. If you’re strictly looking at it from a success rate, you might have better results investing in real estate. Sadly, too many modern marriages just don’t survive. Yet, even with high divorce rates, cohabitation soaring, and marriage rates falling, people are still taking the risk. And for most, I daresay, they don’t go into marriage expecting it to end. They, instead, are drawn to the hope of a love story that will have a happy ending.
Should the church wage war against society in order to enforce a more pious remembrance? I think not. But perhaps a better question to ask is this: what would it look like for Christians to embrace the true meaning of Christmas?
Consider the love the Father has for us. We experience God’s love in great depth not only because God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, but because He fully knows us and has chosen to love us. Love is fully realized by being known.
As Christian leaders, we understand the importance of caring for the well-being of all members of our community, particularly those who are vulnerable and in need. The disparities in maternal health outcomes for women of color demand our attention and action.
It occurred to me that it’s hard to get to know people on a Sunday. We are all in the same building, but rarely does the Sunday structure allow for in-depth conversations. Worship is the priority, of course, but those in-depth conversations are gems of connection and inspiration. I wish I had asked my parents and grandparents to share their stories in this manner.
In 2000, a group of congregational researchers conducted the largest survey of congregations in the United States. They called it the Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey. The Siburt Institute joined FACT as a faith group partner representing Churches of Christ.
It’s my belief that more thinking rarely changes a person’s thinking. Instead, we need the experience of actually test-driving our thinking with real-life action. As we do that, we also need interaction with new circles of people with whom we want to identify and who can push us into exploring new ideas and new lines of thought.
What if the work in front of us is not to inspire more individuals to be prophets? What if the task ahead of us is actually priestly work – to attend to the rituals, texts, and structures that gather and define the people of God?
Wright and Bird ground their response in Jesus’ primary message about the kingdom of God. They argue that in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crises of various kinds, Jesus is King and Jesus’ kingdom remains the central object of the Church’s witness and work.
Ross’ principles are valuable and speak to the pastoral heart Ross holds towards Kingdom-people. Ross desires to remind Kingdom-people of the calling of God and the imagination of Kingdom-living available to each person in light of that calling.
I developed these rules several years ago to help me live in a way that honored God. My rules are not spelled out in the Bible, though they very much reflect my understanding of Biblical principles and practices.
The pursuit of purpose, particularly for Christians, transcends individual spiritual alignment; it is a societal imperative giving rise to discerning, disciplined, and transformative individuals.
Parents, as you face this milestone event, remember that the very term “empty nest syndrome” indicates that it is a very big deal.
On a deeper level, I am not convinced that as a Christian my mission is to save America. I accept that my mission is to save Americans, not America.
Perhaps we should focus less on developing skills that could be done by AI, and focus more on developing skills like emotional regulation, living within our values, being authentic, and having empathy.
I want to encourage us with the conviction that we as ministers, theologians, and Christian leaders have something important to add to the conversation.
As the Siburt Institute exists to equip church leaders and help churches thrive, a conversation around power becomes a crucial topic for leaders who partner in God’s work of transformation.
Christ is alive and present among His church. He knows us well and has the power to help us overcome our spiritual challenges but will not tolerate persistent disobedience.
Inequality of sexes was not God’s original idea but a consequence of the fall; therefore, it is temporary in nature and destined to disappear under the reign of Christ.
We must begin to view the world through a different lens, one that adopts the priorities of the Kingdom over those of our culture.
