Articles for tag: Wall Street Journal

Restoration Movement History

A Friendship Recession

Over the past 30 years, a growing number of Americans are reporting they have fewer friends—and the situation has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. What can your church do?

May 17, 2020

Michael C. Mack

The Churches of Our Movement Were Made for This

By Michael C. Mack I believe the Restoration Movement is a strong and vibrant movement with a bright future. Here are four reasons I believe that’s true. First, our movement is in good hands. Every feature writer this month is under the age of 45, and many are in their 20s and 30s. We sought younger writers to make a point. As one young writer, Josh Ross, put it, “In the kingdom of God, the movement is before us, not behind us.” While we often look back at the rich history of our movement, it’s time to look to the

January 29, 2020

Kent E. Fillinger

Culture & Public Square

"This Is for All the Lonely Boomers"

By Kent E. Fillinger “OK Boomer” is a new social media catchphrase that is becoming popular with many people younger than 40. In the Washington Post, Holly Scott defined the phrase as “a jab from the young to the old, a collective eye-roll at the out-of-touch judgments baby boomers pass on the tastes, values and lived experiences of millennials and Gen Zers.” Generational divides and derision are nothing new. Ironically, when boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) were young adults, many said you can’t trust anyone over the age of 30. In my June 2019 Metrics article, I asked,

December 17, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Devotionals

‘I’ll Be (Living at) Home for Christmas’

By Kent E. Fillinger This Christmas, you might be looking forward to your adult children returning home. Or maybe they’re home already. A Pew Research Center report found that 15 percent of millennials (ages 25 to 37) were living at home in 2018, nearly double the rate of older baby boomers when they were in that age range. In fact, a smaller percentage of people in the rising generations are checking off the four major life events that historically have signified “adulthood”: leaving home, getting married, becoming a parent, and getting a job. And the percentage of adults in the

December 12, 2017

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

Parting Thoughts for the End of the Year

By Kent E. Fillinger I want to share three statistical thoughts that challenged me, plus a final word of encouragement, as we conclude 2017 and prepare for another year of ministry. I hope these insights cause you to stop, reflect, and dig a little deeper as you continue to lead your church. The Golfer”s Delusion Imagine the recreational golfer eyeing the green. He may have laser-guided binoculars that tell him the exact distance to the flagstick. Or he may have a GPS that indicates the precise distance to the front, middle, and back of the green. Armed with all

September 3, 2017

Church & Ministry

An Inside Look at Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities and Churches

By Kent Fillinger To reflect the themes this month and next””urban ministry and rural ministry, respectively””I”ve written a two-part article that captures the present realities for both and adds some insights on suburban areas as well. I”ve examined our recent church survey data and other relevant research to identify notable differences and national trends for each type of ministry location. I don”t intend to proclaim one location type as better than another, but rather to share some commonalities and differences based on research findings and facts from the larger story taking place in our country. My goal is to help

April 4, 2017

My Read on a Surprising Remedy

By Mark A. Taylor Readers of a certain age can”t resist a bold, red headline that says, “Live Longer!” And when the caption below it promises “50 Proven Ways to Add Years to Your Life,” an almost-retired guy like me knows he wants to know more. You could probably guess several of the live-longer tips offered by the March 2017 AARP Bulletin: get your sleep, drink water, eat whole grains, exercise. But some of it is less intuitive: get rid of throw rugs (they cause falls), find a woman doctor (statistically their patients have better results), watch your grandkids (regular

March 29, 2016

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

After Easter: the Challenge Remains

By Mark A. Taylor Churches and church leaders around the world are breathing a collective sigh of relief this week. Easter is over. All the hard work anticipating big Easter attendances is finished. Larger numbers of volunteers were recruited. Worship services were added (some megachurches began Easter services on Thursday evening). Musicians practiced harder and longer; choirs and worship teams prepared their best. Preachers gave special effort to make sure their sermons were polished and ready. New churches and multisites launched on Easter Sunday, with the hope to attract newcomers on the one Sunday when tradition prods the largest

August 18, 2015

Just Say Yes!

By Mark A. Taylor Most of us obey most of the laws most of the time. But how often could we say the law delights us? How often is our obedience grudging (tax time is coming), or forced (radar detectors, anyone?), or incomplete? How often do we think about the law, any law, with gratitude and joy? The news today is full of protests against bad law-keeping and unjust treatment of some citizens. But these exceptions underline the value of the law; without it there would be no recourse against those who violate it. Theft is forbidden, murder is punished,

July 28, 2015

Calm in the Chaos

By Mark A. Taylor How shall we react in times that seem to become more unsettled every week? In a society besieged by gun violence, in a culture increasingly fragmented by political division, in a world where peace seems impossible and conflict far away breeds pain and destruction close to home, what should be the Christian”s outlook? When the media celebrates and the government certifies rights we believe God forbids, and when Christian leaders struggle to find middle ground between the extremes of permissiveness and legalism, where will we take our stand? In blog posts and coffee shop conversations all

February 17, 2015

Ethics & Moral Issues Gender

Your Church: a Boys Club?

By Mark A. Taylor Many, many years ago I bumped into the president of a parachurch ministry who was considering a woman for an executive role with his organization. “You know,” he said to me, as if he couldn”t quite believe the statement he was about to make. “She”s really sharp.” She would be the first woman to serve (with distinction, I might add) with such authority at his institution. That incident reminds me of a Christian college teacher who wrote on a student”s paper, “You write really well for a woman.” Admittedly, both these incidents occurred decades ago. But

September 24, 2013

Ethics & Moral Issues

A Difficult Standard, a Tricky Balance

By Mark A. Taylor The September 20 issue of The Wall Street Journal quoted from a 12,000-word interview Pope Francis had given to the Italian Jesuit journal CiviltÃ¡ Cattolica. “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage, and the use of contraceptive methods,” he said. While affirming that the teachings of the church are clear about these matters, he added, “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards.” While

February 14, 2013

Family & Relationships Marriage

Real Love, Real Joy

By Mark A. Taylor My preacher had advice for married folks in his sermon last Sunday: “As long as you”re going to be married the rest of your life, you might as well enjoy it.” His list of strategies for pursuing and discovering joy in marriage was a thought-provoking challenge even for an oldster like me (anticipating my 40th wedding anniversary in just a few months). But I was even more interested in a Wall Street JournalÂ feature Tuesday that quoted scientific research to underscore a fact about marriage that Jesus himself might have offered. “People who put their mates” needs

November 27, 2011

Church Leadership

Beyond How-to

By Mark A. Taylor Roy Lawson once wrote at this site that he generally avoids books about leadership. I haven”t pressed him, but I”m guessing his point is something like this: There must be some substance beneath our leadership methods. “Casting vision” and listening to the team and being decisive, along with a dozen other useful tactics, don”t mean much from a would-be leader who is not himself a person worth following. So let”s read books that nourish the soul and expand the mind before we go looking for technique. And yet many among us devour leadership books and seminars

November 7, 2011

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Negatives We Can”t Ignore

By Mark A. Taylor A quick skim of the newspaper on a Friday in September reminds me of other correspondence I had seen earlier in the week. “¢ A Wall Street Journal report quotes the Pope who warned against increasing apathy toward religion in Germany. “We are witnessing a growing indifference to religion in society,” he said in Berlin. “¢ A column appearing a few pages later chronicles and decries efforts of the Obama administration to promote sermonizing by rabbis on such topics as the President”s jobs bill, the impact of budget cuts on the poor, and the country”s need

November 25, 2009

Daily Choices and the Ultimate Test

By Mark A. Taylor US Airways Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger doesn”t view himself as a hero. The celebrated pilot of the January 15 Flight 1549 successfully landed his Airbus A320 in the Hudson River shortly after its engines were stalled by a bird strike. The feat soon became known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” But, as Jeffrey Zaslow writes in the October 14 Wall Street Journal, “that description never felt right to Sully.” Of the many letters of gratitude and congratulations Sully received after the incident, it is significant which are his favorites. Zaslow, who is cowriting Sullenberger”s book,

October 21, 2009

Restoration Movement History

A Life that Matters

By Mark A. Taylor After Lewis Foster died several years ago, David Faust spoke of his last visit with him in the hospital. “I read John 14 to him from the New International Version and then said, “˜It”s a little humbling to share this with you, because, after all, you translated these words.”” Then Dave told Dr. Foster all his scholarship had meant to him and how much he had learned as his student. The professor looked up at Dave from his hospital bed and said, “You make it all seem worthwhile.” Think of it. The great New Testament scholar,

October 14, 2009

Culture & Public Square

No Laughing Matter

By Mark A. Taylor Have you caught The Jay Leno Show, NBC”s new weeknight offering? It premiered September 14, a few days after this issue went to the printer, so this is no review of its content. But I couldn”t help thinking about the work the church does as I read about the work Leno did this summer to get ready for his new show. An August 21 Wall Street Journal piece pointed out that Leno”s move to 10 pm from 11:30 was a big risk for him as well as the network. Leno is trying something largely abandoned years

October 29, 2008