The effectiveness of collegiate ministry depends on how you play the long game. And that doesn’t happen without support. “The Cooperative Program is vital for our work,” said Michael Ball, director of the Baptist Student Union at Mississippi State. “When BSU was formed, it was a cooperative effort of churches coming together to have a presence on the campus.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Preaching to teenagers has always been a challenge. In the smartphone age, clergy need to realize that the odds of making a spiritual connection have changed — radically. Young people who spend as many as 10 or more hours a day focusing on digital screens will find it all but impossible to listen to an adult talk about anything, especially in a religious sanctuary.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I have to admit that I was pretty gob smacked when I saw a post on X about the result of the Harvard Crimson’s annual poll of the school’s incoming class that will presumably graduate in 2027. The graph that grabbed all the traffic was about the political persuasion of these 18 year olds at one of the most elite universities in the world.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The religious group that is the most likely to be straight is Muslims at 85%, followed closely by a whole bunch of other groups such as Protestants, Catholics, “just Christians” and Hindus. But here’s a really big surprise to me — only 78% of Latter-day Saints in college say that they are straight.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Anyone who thinks mental health is not a key issue for churches and ministries is simply not paying attention. But could our smartphones really be responsible for all this carnage and suffering?
Read More(OPINION) Pity U.S. colleges coping with political feuds, “diversity,” declining applications and enrollments, student debt and tight budgets. Add religious and moral issues, and things get even more complex.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There is no doubt in my mind that politics is one of the main culprits for the emptying out of American religion. That was my starting point for this piece. What follows is a peek inside how I think through a problem like that.
Read MoreWith membership shrinking, churches closing and preachers in short supply, how do churches grow again? It’s not a new question, but Kairos’ answer is one it believes many Christians haven’t considered: Instead of focusing entirely on maintaining or revitalizing existing churches, put efforts into planting new ones.
Read More(OPINION) A headline in The New York Times dubbed it a “‘Woodstock’ for Christians,” the Woodstock reference being a quote from a Minnesota evangelist. Now that we’ve gotten a bit of distance from the immediate spiritual fervor, I thought I’d share a few further thoughts about what happened at Asbury University’s revival.
Read More(OPINION) It starts with the reenchantment of the body and sexuality, extending to the entire natural world. And here I offer a suggestion for parents, especially those drawn to “purity pledge” programs. The results remind me of Jesus’ warning that merely getting clean from something rather than for something often results in the second state being worse than the first.
Read More(OPINION) The atmosphere in Hughes Auditorium was electric as Asbury students — many in tears — streamed to the altar to pray, while worshippers sang hymns, mixed with Bible readings, testimonies and public prayers of repentance.
Read More(REVIEW) "The Chosen" wraps up an uneven third season in a triumphant manner, highlighting all the strengths and weaknesses of what might be the biggest faith-based project ever made.
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