“Wendland observes that the conversations spread through Twitter are most times cut off from the context that allows participants to verify the claims, but no one cares; its connection and movement through the ‘tribe’ gives it communal authority.” - C.Post

“More than 275 Russian Orthodox priests and deacons from around the world have signed an open letter expressing their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, challenging the Russian government and breaking with the tacit support of the military action by church leadership in Moscow.” - RNS

“In one week, I narrowly avoided one case of misinformation and two cases of disinformation. But rather than feeling pride, I asked myself, how many falsehoods slipped past my radar? Probably more than a few.” - TGC

“according to a new study, alcohol consumption even at levels most would consider modest—a few beers or glasses of wine a week—may also carry risks to the brain.” - Neuroscience News

“It’s also important to note that we still haven’t even figured out how precisely the human mind works, says Shane Saunderson, a robotics engineer and research fellow at the Human Futures Institute in Toronto.” - Discover

“…our world is not destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system. On the contrary, every frayed thread of creation will be restored and knit together in harmony. Creation is barreling toward peace.” - TGC

“… glorifying God calls for a wide variety of people, skills, and knowledge sets. The world is a better place because I’m not an electrician just as certainly as it’s a better place because good electricians exist.” - Olinger

“New breakaway denomination moves up its launch as the United Methodist Church announces it’ll be two more years before voting on a split over LGBT stances.” - C.Today

Also at RNS

“Gerardo Martí is professor of sociology at Davidson College and co-author of The Glass Church: Robert H. Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Strain of Megachurch Ministry.” - C.Leaders

Reposted from Rooted Thinking.

When I was just a little guy, my parents planted a peach tree in our back yard. The tree grew as I grew. By the time I turned seven, the first few peaches appeared on that tree. I was so excited. However, the next year, we moved from that home. I never got to enjoy the fruit from that tree again, but someone did because that tree kept on bearing fruit.

“In my experience, the search process usually takes longer for smaller churches. With limited financial resources, most small churches cannot provide a full-time compensation and benefits package for their pastor and his family, which often requires the pastor to serve in a bi-vocational capacity.” - BPNews

“Below, we’ll offer a glimpse into a couple key aspects of our research on flourishing people and thriving churches, as well as information on how pastors can start measuring what matters in their ministry.” - Barna

ACCtoo is “a group of anti-abuse advocates who were stirred by Proctor’s story to take up her cause. On Feb. 17, 2022, ACCtoo published an open letter to ACC leaders” - RNS

“Children, in particular, are the subjects of this social experimentation….If the early days of the sexual revolution were about being free from the confines of sexual morality, these latter days are about being free from the confines of sexual reality.” - Breakpoint

“In the Christian tradition the criteria for justly engaging in warfare has been known as jus in bello (justice in war) and includes the primary criteria of discrimination … who are legitimate targets in war.” - TGC

5 Social Media Stats Pastors Should Know

In 2013 I was pretty sure I’d never love my work, ever again. I’d served as a full time pastor since 2001, and though I kept some small side jobs going for fun and a little income, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else as a vocation and finding it satisfying.

That perspective was emotional, not theological. Circumstances led to my leaving ministry, and though I made the decision, I didn’t make it happily. The transition to “a normal job” was dramatic, frightening, and depressing. Being just a bit into middle age at the time, I wrestled with the feeling that my best days were over, and my remaining years were going to be a relatively meaningless glide to the grave.

“…in a short video released by the church saying he believes ‘God is calling [him] to devote the next five to 10 years of [his] life’ to pursuing racial reconciliation through the local church.” - C.Index

“Pray for our brothers and sisters affected—both in Ukraine and in Russia. Things may get very difficult for them. Prayer is the least we can do.” - Straub

Related: Baptists in Poland respond to support Ukrainian refugees and Polish Baptists, Southern Baptist mission board rally to aid Ukraine

“There is only one clear reference to tattoos in Scripture:.. (Leviticus 19:28)….an Old Testament precept, and many Christians argue that it is no longer applicable today. This claim deserves some careful consideration.” - Ref21

ERLC’s Chelsea Sobolik: “Senators should be focused on protecting life, not ending preborn lives by bringing one of the most extreme abortion bills in history to the Senate floor” - BPNews

“The so-called memento mori (meaning,”remember that you will die”) is a staple of classic Christian art (as in motifs of the skull on the table, the hour glass, extinguished candles, wilted flowers, etc.).” - Veith

On a recent viral video: “The 2012 video actually shows a Palestinian girl, Ahed Tamimi, confronting an Israeli solider in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.” - Dispatch

“About seven-in-ten Americans think young adults today have a harder time than their parents’ generation when it comes to saving for the future (72%), paying for college (71%) and buying a home (70%)” - Pew

“Division is caused exclusively by sin, and Jesus Christ crucified and raised to life offers the only solution to sin. We do not need any worldly ideologies or frameworks to recognize sin as the problem and Christ as the solution.” - C.Leaders

“Ayn Rand’s plot and unsubtle message were so relentless that reading the book, the essence of her Objectivist philosophy, was much like being struck repeatedly over the head with a rolled up copy of, say, Foreign Affairs, annoying but not bad enough to cause actual pain or loss of consciousness.” - Acton

“I’ve felt a tension between the pleasure of making plans and looking forward to delights in this life, even as I know lasting joy is rooted in the eternal hope already secured for me in Christ.” - TGC

“A lawsuit against Gordon College will go forward in Massachusetts but four justices say the court will eventually have to clarify the ‘ministerial exception.’” - C.Today

Read the series.

There is an unpardonable sin.

Jesus’ greatest critics were the scribes and the Pharisees. As we have seen above, they were religious men who possessed much biblical knowledge but who refused to submit to God’s will. On one occasion, they actually accuse Jesus of per­forming miracles by the power of the devil rather than by the power of God. Jesus’ response is tremendously sobering:

“The whole church prayed on their knees for our president, our country, and for peace….After the service, we did a first-aid training.” - C.Today