Monday morning yet again. If you came looking for a challenge, check out the following articles!
Historical White Supremacy
This long read gives a snapshot of pre-Civil War white supremacy.
Question: How does history temper your feelings about the present?
Pastors NOT Leaving
Perhaps you’ve heard about pastors leaving or planning to leave their churches. This talks about why pastors will NOT leave.
Question: Which of the six reasons encourages you the most? For me, #3 really stands out.
Jesus and Masculinity
This quote will give you a taste of this reflection on the recent book Jesus and John Wayne:
Any Christian who reads this book to the end, especially the final chapter, has to question whether the emphasis upon patriarchy has been good for evangelicalism. And yet, what is more likely for most evangelicalism would be “yeahbutism”—as in, “Yeah, but there were extenuating circumstances, his theology was bad, he was a jerk, he had no oversight.” Complementarian evangelicals may be reading the salient biblical texts on gender correctly—but surely, we have failed repeatedly in living out basic Christian morality and have abused power over and again.
Questions: How much should masculinity play a part in Christianity? How can men follow Jesus and stay healthy?
When the Mormons Come Calling
This article gives good suggestions for engaging the Mormons.
Question: Do you have a strategy for talking to the Mormons when they come to your door?