MC News
A staggering economy pushed a capital campaign for a new cathedral for the Madison Diocese back by at least a year, the diocese said in a statement Friday.Read more of this story.
The Psalms, says theologian Eugene H. Peterson, are God’s gift to those who want to learn how to pray."If we wish to develop our entire heart, mind, soul and strength, the Psalms are necessary," the author of the bestselling "Message Bible" writes in "Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer." "We cannot bypass the Psalms."Read more of this story.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–God does not reward those who earnestly seek rewards, He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, author John Revell writes in a new book titled "Getting the Most from God (but not how you might think!)," which uses Scripture to debunk the prosperity gospel often preached by popular televangelists.Read more of this story.
When Amelia graduated last December, she told her father she was thinking of going to L’Abri, the Christian study center and commune in the Swiss Alps founded by celebrity apologist Francis Schaeffer. "When I brought up the idea, Dad said, ‘That’s great, I love Schaeffer,’" she said.If her father remembers L’Abri as it was when Schaeffer was alive—a place where thoughtful young Christians went to breathe the fortifying Alpine air and to sit at the feet of their goateed guru—Amelia embodies what L’Abri has become: a community ambivalent about Schaeffer’s legacy and ill at ease with mainstream evangelical culture. Read…
Christianity has long been stereotyped as a Western, white man’s religion, but a prominent theologian stated Thursday that that image will soon drastically change.Read more of this story.
WASHINGTON (BP)–Does living together before marriage increase the chances for a successful marriage? The answer may surprise some.Between 50 and 60 percent of all marriages begin with the two partners cohabitating, and many of those couples no doubt believe they are making a wise move up front. But living together before marriage actually increases the chances of divorce in a first marriage — 67 percent of cohabitating couples who marry eventually divorce, compared to 45 percent of all first marriages.Read more of this story. More on this subject:Evangelicals less likely to divorce, Barna survey says
CHICAGO, IL – Dave Olson jokes that his new book has lots of pictures. They’re mostly charts and graphs, actually, but they illustrate what he says is no laughing matter—church attendance is far lower than most people believe and has been declining.Read more of this story.
As a plant of Saddleback Church 20 years ago, Main Place’s ministry has burgeoned, planting seven churches of its own and expecting to birth a dozen more by 2020, says pastor Rich Mathisrud. As a church planter, Main Place spends much of its time running businesses to locate and serve the downtrodden. Its church-planting abilities surprisingly come from starting nonprofit businesses.Read more of this story.
The death early this week of a young Wisconsin girl from a treatable form of diabetes, whose parents prayed over her rather than seek medical help, could re-ignite a debate over a state law that essentially shields such activity from criminal prosecution. So says the Madison-based author of When Prayer Fails, a new book about parents who, for religious reasons, refuse to provide medical care for their children."Maybe the statute will get tested out soon," muses Shawn Francis Peters, who teaches writing and U.S. history at the UW-Madison.Read more >>
Longhorns’ men’s basketball coach now watching what he says, eatsDespite a long history of, uh, very colorful language during a consistent coaching career that has included one Final Four, 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances and 15 postseason victories, Rick Barnes has had a change of heart.And voice.The Texas coach no longer curses.Swear to God.For many coaches, giving up cursing would represent a sterner test of wills than being unable to question a ref’s call. Using four-letter words, hyphenated words and words that would make a sailor blush have been a part of coaching for as long as basketball has been…