The Humanitas Forum

It is predictable!  When the Pew Research Center releases a new poll on religion in America, gallons of virtual ink are spilled attempting to interpret the new data.  The assessments and the headlines vary considerably, sometimes wildly.  …

Pure and simple, the future is the great unknown.  But the Pew Research Center’s “The Future of World Religions” should be taken seriously—given the massive amount of research that went into the report.  In sum, religion is not …

The challenge of living in a post-Christian culture is becoming more and more obvious to more and more evangelicals.  The trends show movement away from positions critical to evangelical faith and practice. Evangelicals “must face the reality that we …

“Misery and Mercy” is the title of the chapter where Rodney Stark confronts the accusation by atheists that Christianity caters to the weak and suffering by promising “pie in the sky.”  Yes, he says, it is most often the …

Hearing is one of our natural senses, but listening is more.  Listening requires focus and attention.  In fact, good listening is just another way of talking.  It speaks clearly—it says, you’re important.  What you have to …

The Gospel becomes something other than the Gospel if it is relegated to the private realm.  Compartmentalized, privatized faith was not what the early Proclaimers of the Good News had in mind. Declaring what they had “seen and heard,” …

Soul Searching has been described as an “illuminating and disturbing exposé of the faith of American youth.”  But, more significantly, for those of us committed to the teachings and practices of orthodox Christianity, Soul Searching is good sociology in …

Shame is a powerful motivator—one of the most powerful!  It hurts to feel inadequate, to feel stupid, to be counted among the uncool.

Most people are willing to pay a significant price—sometimes an enormous price—to avoid being an …

It goes against the grain of church marketing.  There is no praise band and no PowerPoint for either the sermon or the music.  The sermons are long, really long!  But the typical Sunday congregation is mostly young …

Since its release in May of this year, reviewers have been giving high praise to Got Religion?: How Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues Can Bring Young People Back. 

A broad range of experts insist that Got Religion?…