Reflections on the “State of Theology” Report and PRRI’s “Structural Racism Index” — According to the 2022 “State of Theology” report from Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries, most American Evangelicals understand Evangelicalism’s political stances but not the person and nature of Jesus. The “Structural Racism Index” study by the Public Religion Research Institute demonstrates how (willfully) blind white American Christians can be to…

We score highest on the “Structural Racism Index” from PRRI — On April 17, 1960, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., went on Meet the Press and lamented: “… 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours, if not the most segregated hour, in Christian America.” In 2012, over 50 years after King’s lament, 80% of U.S…

Figuring out what to discard and what to keep — Christians take it for granted that they ought to “mature” in their faith over time. The Apostle Paul encourages his readers: “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) James 1:4 adds: “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and…

But I have four reasons to not be worried — The Pew Research Center released a study called, “Modeling the Future of Religion in America,” on Sept. 13, 2022. By 2070, the study concluded, less than half of Americans will identify as Christian and the majority will consider themselves “nones,” or religiously unaffiliated. If recent trends in religious switching continue…

The 2022 “State of Theology” Report — Every two years since 2014, the uber-conservative groups Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries have partnered to conduct mostly worthless research on the religious beliefs of U.S. Christians. I wouldn’t describe myself as an expert on surveys or polling, but I know enough about survey-based research thanks to my doctoral studies…

There’s more than one way to be a Christian — Faith deconstruction is a terrifying process when you think it can only result in a binary either/or dilemma. You notice something, or many things, in the beliefs, behaviors, or doctrines of your faith community that you just can’t reconcile with Jesus, scripture, or your conscience. …

People are hungry to rebuild their spirituality. We have resources. — Faith deconstruction has swept through an entire generation of younger Christians over the last decade or so. Now, we’re beginning to ask: How do we reconstruct our faith? Much digital ink and podcasted breath has been spent deconstructing Christianity. …

#1: The Bible is human AND divine — Many Christians who deconstruct their faith struggle with the Bible long after they reconstruct it. Perhaps the Bible was held up to them as “inerrant and infallible,” and then they started reading it and noticed plenty of errors and flaws. …

Can men and women be friends in Evangelicalism? — Mega-church pastor Matt Chandler has stepped down from his position at the Village Church outside of Dallas, TX, because he exchanged direct messages, or DMs, through Instagram with a woman over several months. After learning about these DMs, Village Church elders commissioned an independent investigation of Chandler’s social media, emails…