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“When cynicism and suspicion gain hold of a society, economic institutions crumble, long-term prosperity becomes a wan hope, and even simple day-to-day transactions become impossible.” - Acton
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On Building Trust with a Congregation
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“I’ve met many church members who no longer trust church leaders. Often that distrust is unjustified, but sometimes it’s valid. If you want to gain and grow your congregation’s trust, here are some ways to do that.” - Chuck Lawless
Pew Research: Americans trust each other less than they did a few decades ago.
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“Americans who say most people can be trusted are twice as likely to say the federal government can be trusted most of the time (22% vs. 11%). However, there is no consensus on whether declines in institutional trust lead to declines in social trust, or vice versa.” - Pew
Our Call to Protect and Disciple Our Children, Not Crave Their Approval
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“ ‘But I don’t want my children to think I don’t trust them.’ …Some parents trust their teenagers in situations I wouldn’t trust myself in. You can trust your fourteen-year-old to his level of maturity and life skills. But that doesn’t mean you would trust him to fly the space shuttle or have a smart phone with unrestricted internet access.” - Randy Alcorn
Pew: Republicans, young adults now nearly as likely to trust info from social media as from national news outlets
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“Today, 37% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they have a lot of or some trust in the information that comes from social media sites. This is nearly on par with the 40% of Republicans who express this level of trust in national news organizations.” - Pew
Americans' Trust in Media Remains at Trend Low
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“Trust in political and civic institutions highest for local and state governments, lowest for media and Congress” - Gallup
Controlling the Control Bug
A few years back, in an editorial for the Kokomo Tribune, in a series about “social connectedness,” I mentioned what I call the “anonymous lifestyle.” Now I would like to use that concept as a jumping board for another issue: the “control obsession.”
The Principle of the Open Hand
There is a dynamic that each of us must learn by experience that has the power to transform our understanding of the Christian life. I call it the principle of the open hand.
I have tried to determine who first enunciated this concept. Apparently, it traces to Martin Luther, who stated: “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
Apparently, Corrie Ten Boom—one of the great Christian heroes who arose through the horrors of the Holocaust—loved that quote and added her own twist, saying: “I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands.”
Above Reproach? Fewer Americans See Pastors as Ethical
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“The country’s perception of clergy hit a new low in recent Gallup polling, with fewer than a third of Americans rating clergy as highly honest and ethical.” - CToday
Gallup: Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S.
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“Americans’ ratings of nearly all 23 professions measured in Gallup’s 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll are lower than they have been in recent years… Nurses remain the most trusted profession, with 78% of U.S. adults currently believing nurses have high honesty and ethical standards.” - Gallup
