What makes a congregation vital? Is it a common faith? Or a common cause? Does the emotional intensity of the worship or the fervency of the preaching make for a vital congregation? It may be all or none of these because a vital congregation is a community of intentional practice,
The Sydney Morning-Herald reports that GAFCON has moved their mailing address to the diocesan offices of Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen. But, he says, that doesn’t mean he is becoming the home office for a breakaway movement.
In its statement the Diocese of Virginia “expressed grave concerns about the validity and fairness of the voting procedures used by the CANA congregations, [but] will forgo judicial review of that process to focus on those issues that will most effectively and quickly return Episcopalians to their church homes and result in the overturning of the 57-9 ‘Division Statute.’ ”
Conroy Guyer says that Pittsburgh Episcopalians who vote to secede from the national church will likely regret it.
Bishop Kirk Smith of Arizona writes about a ballot proposition in his state designed to protect marriage from…what?
When Christianity becomes a sub-culture that prides itself on living outside the mainstream but still wants to enjoy all the mainstream perks, what do you get? Here is a blog that looks at what Christian sub-culture likes.
It’s very disconcerting to be in church and have the officiant order everyone to sit down, in the same tone of voice we in the West use to command a dog to sit. Or to be talking to one person, have another walk up and demand – demand – that you stop what you’re doing to greet them. (And if you don’t, be prepared to be lightly punched. Or to have a hand suddenly reach across your face to get your attention.)
Matthew was exactly the kind of person that Zealots regarded as the scum of the earth. It is easy to imagine that Simon [the Zealot, also one of the twelve disciples] would have gladly killed Matthew with his little curved knife before Jesus came into his life.