By Matt Marino It is now axiomatic among church researchers that young adults are leaving church in unprecedented numbers (see Luis Lugo, “The Decline of Institutional Religion and Implications for American Civic Life”). In 2008, the Pew Forum reported that those in their 20s and 30s attend church at one half the rate of their parents and one quarter the rate of their … [Read more...] about Renewing Your Youth
Archives for August 2013
Vol. 247, No. 6, Posted
The latest edition of The Living Church is available online to registered subscribers. This edition features a cover essay by the Rev. Matt Marino on renewing youth ministry. Fr. Marino writes:Where we do still give students leadership, we tend to give them community built around fun without much spiritual formation and a strong commitment to progressive political causes. … [Read more...] about Vol. 247, No. 6, Posted
Depraved Malthusianism
Cultures By Ian S. Markham Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame has just produced his latest offering. Inferno has all the classic Brown features: some great descriptions of Florence, Venice, and Istanbul; a well-delivered and intriguing plot; and a sophisticated encounter with Dante’s Divine Comedy. It is going to be widely read, and is sure to be a bestseller. Yet it … [Read more...] about Depraved Malthusianism
Bishops Celebrate Reunion
The bishops of Chicago and Quincy have written a joint letter to their people on the eve of the dioceses’ reunion on September 1. The reunion proceeds now that a majority of bishops and standing committees have agreed to it.The Diocese of Chicago will retain its name and what has been the Diocese of Quincy will become known as the Peoria Deanery. It will include the 125 … [Read more...] about Bishops Celebrate Reunion
Worship Meets Postmodernity
Review by David Heetderks The worship wars are over, or so claims Mark Galli in Christianity Today (March 11, 2011). Congregations have largely weathered the upheaval caused by the introduction of contemporary praise styles into Sunday morning worship in the 1980s and 1990s. Individual churches have either settled on one style that best represents their worshiping body, or … [Read more...] about Worship Meets Postmodernity
Manteo, Virginia Dare, & HIV
Stephen J. Batten writes on the weblog of the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition:On August 18, 2013, parishes throughout the Diocese of East Carolina were directed by our Bishop Provisional, the Rt. Rev. Peter Lee, to commemorate the Baptisms of Manteo and Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island as a part of the settlement later styled “The Lost Colony.”… Manteo and Virginia … [Read more...] about Manteo, Virginia Dare, & HIV
Citizens of Heaven
August 28Augustine, Bishop of HippoReview by Jeremy BergstromOne of the better things happening in the world of Patristics is the quiet yet steady work going on at New City Press towards producing a contemporary English translation of most of St. Augustine’s extensive corpus. The latest release in its effort is the first of a two-volume edition of The City of God, beautifully … [Read more...] about Citizens of Heaven
Bishop Fights Gambling Fever
Massachusetts Christians have lost their battle to keep casinos out of the commonwealth, but the Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher continues to fight against a gambling resort opening in his region’s largest city, where he is based.Fisher, Bishop of Western Massachusetts since December, remains undaunted in his campaign, although Springfield voters threw their support behind a casino in … [Read more...] about Bishop Fights Gambling Fever