I have noticed this for years — the media seems blind to the influence of the religious left but is hyper-sensitive to the religious right. It’s especially clear the Catholic church is in view — their voice is welcomed on immigration or the death penalty but marginalized on abortion and LGBT issues. 

Why Are Anti-Abortion Clerics Called Theocrats, While Anti-Gun Clerics Are Not?

Imagine if a group of prominent religious leaders went to Washington, D.C., to advocate against abortion. Imagine these clerics filmed a television ad in which they made a faith-based appeal for the c… 

Sadly, few of the people who most need to hear this will intuitively grasp that it is about them.

Dilbert comic strip for 03/19/2013 from the official Dilbert comic strips archive.

The Official Dilbert Website featuring Scott Adams Dilbert strips, animation, mashups and more starring Dilbert, Dogbert, Wally, The Pointy Haired Boss, Alice, Asok, Dogbert’s New Ruling Class and mor… 

File under “things you did not expect to learn about today” — Between 2002 and 2010, an estimated 17 616 patients presented to US EDs with trouser zip injuries to the genitals. The penis was almost always the only genital organ involved. Zip injuries represented nearly one-fifth of all penile injuries. 

Zip-related genital injury. [BJU Int. 2013] — PubMed — NCBI

PubMed comprises more than 22 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central an… 

I have not looked in the methodology they used to conduct their research, but their conclusions resonate with my instincts. If I ever name a church, there is a reasonable chance I will work “Assembly” into its name.

Should Your Church’s Name Include Its Denomination?

(UPDATED) New research says both churchgoers and the unchurched agree decision is a ‘two-edged sword.’ 

Wow. Consider my mind boggled. How does a university think that this is a good idea?
 
“In a statement, City University said the room used was never a dedicated space specifically for Friday prayers and was instead an area that students could use for various activities ranging from meetings to pilates classes. Last year the University asked those organising the prayers to submit their sermons in advance and keep them online afterwards for people to view.

“Friday prayers were deemed University events open to all students and staff, and are not solely a student or student society event,” the statement read. “As such the University needs to be assured of the quality and appropriateness of what is being delivered and that all students eligible to deliver prayers and sermons are considered equally and given the opportunity to do so.”

Censorship row erupts after City University shuts down Muslim students’ Friday prayer meeting

Muslim students at a London university have had their weekly Friday prayer meeting on campus shut down because they refused to allow staff members to view and pre-authorise their sermons before delive… 

This is a bit insider-ish, but is pretty helpful if you’re familiar with the debate about supernatural gifts in the modern church.

NT prophecy is for today and is NOT authoritative

None of these reasons listed below are unique to me, but I thought I would collect and restate them here for you. One of the best writers on this subject is Wayne Grudem, and though I have not gone ba… 

“…

“First, you need to preach the text in its scriptural context; second, you need to preach Christ and the gospel every time; and finally, you need to preach to the heart. Put another way, you should preach the truth, not just your opinion; you should preach the good news, not just good advice; and you should preach to make the truth real to the heart, not just clear to the mind.”

Preaching that Cuts to the Heart

I can easily imagine some (especially younger) preachers will aspire to imitate my method and miss the underlying principle.I can easily imagine some (especially younger) preachers will aspire to imit… 

This was quite interesting: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/02/the-epic-surprisingly-sexist-fight-that-brought-the-minimum-wage-to-america/273161/?google_editors_picks=true

The Epic, Surprisingly Sexist Fight That Brought the Minimum Wage to America

Guaranteeing workers 25 cents an hour two decades, a public scandalized by prostitution, a states’-rights rebellion, a Great Depression, a Supreme Court battle, and a lot of patriarchy.