church Archives

The American Church Has a Choice to Make

Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, has been consistently coming out with interesting and relevant perspectives on the Christian faith, the general culture and the interaction between the two. I enjoyed sitting down with him in Nashville recently for an interview on his popular internet-based show.

In a piece published last week for Christianity Today, “4 Trends for Churches to Consider,” Stetzer builds on some of the points he presented earlier this year refuting the myth about the “dying” American Church.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, pop culture, religious liberty June 9, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Man with One Ear

I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Peter cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest. It’s by no means a major part of the Passion, but it communicates quite a bit in just a few short sentences.

According to John’s Gospel (18:10), the servant’s name was Malchus.

But that’s all we know about this man, except that Jesus stepped in and miraculously healed him.

We don’t know anything about his family, his background or what happened to him after that fateful Thursday night.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith March 5, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What’s the Best Christian Response to the Mistreatment of Homosexuals?

In various countries around the world, homosexuals are being beaten and even killed with their governments’ approval.

For example, in Nigeria, a recent law criminalizing homosexuality provides punishments, like whippings, to men who are caught having homosexual relations. The New York Times reports that crowds in the African nation are demanding their local officials to go even further, because local Islamic law requires the penalty for such an act to be death by stoning. In many places these same types of punishments are also meted out for other nonmarital sexual behaviors.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, homosexuality, news, pro-life February 25, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Is It Wrong to Meet with Your Ideological Opposite?

I once met with a well-known homosexual activist. I remember feeling the Lord’s prompting to reach out to this man – and pushing off that meeting for months. (I recently shared more about this meeting with the Catalyst conference via video.)

You might have also heard in the news awhile back that I’ve met with abortion rights groups in hopes that we might find a way to realize their stated goal of making abortion more rare.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, relationships February 5, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

3 Revealing Things About “Atheist Churches”

You might have seen some of the media coverage of so-called “atheist churches.”

The concept started with two British comedians, Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans. Jones told the AP, “If you think about church, there’s very little that’s bad. It’s singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with wonderful relationships. What part of that is not to like?”

The only problem for Jones was, “at the heart of it, it’s something I don’t believe in.”

And so “Sunday Assembly” was born: a “church” where men and women gather together to sing, listen to an inspirational talk and reflect … all without any mention of God.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, news January 8, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tickets Available for Focus on the Family Movie Event

For more than 35 years now, Focus on the Family has been sharing the wonderful truth about God’s design for family. This time, we’re doing it on the big screen.

Again and again, culture tries to deconstruct, discredit and dismiss God’s design for family. That’s why in our first feature-length film, “Irreplaceable,” host Tim Sisarich (who heads up Focus on the Family New Zealand) will go on a journey to try and figure out who has it right: God, or culture?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, entertainment, faith December 13, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Christians at the Intersection of Faith and Laws

What would you do if you were asked to compromise your religious convictions?

For an increasing number of believers in this country, that’s not a hypothetical question anymore. It’s a real-life decision they’re having to make – and the cost for standing for their faith can be high.

Christian business owners who are trying to run their companies according to their biblical beliefs are finding themselves increasingly at odds with our country’s laws and “erotic freedom.” That’s why in today’s broadcast, we’re exploring the challenges to our religious liberties.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, religious liberty November 20, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: Dear Parents with Young Children in Church

This stay-at-home mom’s blog post has already encouraged many parents who, week after week, faithfully attend church services with their young children. I hope it encourages you, too.

***

You are doing something really, really important. I know it’s not easy. I see you with your arms overflowing, and I know you came to church already tired. Parenting is tiring. Really tiring.

I watch you bounce and sway trying to keep the baby quiet, juggling the infant carseat and the diaper bag as you find a seat.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, kids, pastors November 12, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Pass Along a Faith that Lasts to Your Kids

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the misperception that millennials are losing their faith. In that post, I mentioned two facts that will springboard us to today’s topic of faith retention:

1. Young people are not leaving the church in droves.

2. Of all young adults that do leave the church, only 11 percent came from homes where a consistent/serious faith was practiced, whereas 89 percent came from lukewarm or no-faith homes.

In other words, what parents do to build faith into their kids matters.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, kids, parenting November 6, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

No, the Church in America is Not Dying

To borrow and adapt a phrase from the late Mark Twain, reports of the Church’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Christianity Today recently ran an article by Pastor Ed Stetzer, the president of LifeWay Research, that drives home this point. In “The State of the Church In America: Hint: It’s Not Dying,” Stetzer corrects this false narrative that the Evangelical Church is on an irreversible downward trajectory.

In doing so, he makes an important distinction – and I’ll quote Stetzer here: “Christianity is represented by people who live for Christ, not check ‘Christian’ on a survey form.”

As he fleshes out this idea, Stetzer separates the 75 percent of Americans who identify with one of three categories – those who say they are Christian because of their family history or heritage; those who do nothing more than attend church every now and then; and, finally, those who acknowledge a personal relationship with Jesus and have experienced a real life-change.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors, religious liberty October 14, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

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