In the weekly Resurgence Roundup, I compile some of the most interesting content I find online, as it pertains to the church and the people God has called us to reach.

I’ve never been a sci-fi fan, but recently my 7-year-old son, Gideon, asked if he could watch Star Trek. So I sat down with my buddy and we found it on Netflix. What seemed to interest him the most were the wormholes. The idea that you could be in one world and pass through to another world in an instant was fascinating to him.

Western culture has gone through a wormhole. In A Call to Resurgence, my big idea early on is that we have passed from the world of Christendom, where religion was generally respected and included at the center of culture, to a funeral for Christendom, where faith has been pushed to the fringe.

As I was preparing the weekly news Roundup for this week, the stories that jumped out to me were those related to this subject of the place of faith in the new world.

Homeschool organization joins fight after court orders children to attend school for ‘socialization’

Who has the ultimate authority over the education of children? Is it parents, or the state? In the past, the answer would have been the parents, but today there is a debate, as one story illustrates. Apparently, home-schooled children who were performing well academically were forced to attend public school to socialize with others. Read the whole story on the Christian News Network.

Kansas school district sued after middle school student banned from posting Bible verses

Does freedom of speech allow students to post Bible verses on flyers at a public school? In the past, when education in America was closely tied to the church, this would have not even been a question. However, events at a Kansas middle school tell a different story:

Read the whole story on the Christian News Network.

The court ruling on the ministers’ housing allowance

Should religious leaders receive the tax benefits of a minister’s housing allowance? In the past, religious leaders were seen as an essential and beneficial part of society, and tax laws reflected their value. However, today a legal battle is on to see if that remains the case in the future. Thom Rainer has a good summary article on the case. As an aside, if you are a ministry leader, you need to follow Thom. He’s incredibly helpful and insightful all the time, and he’s an example of what a humble and godly “king” looks like when they use their gifts to help serve ministers and ministries. Read his summary article on his blog.

New poll: ‘Faithful Catholics’ an endangered species

Does adherence to a religious tradition require actually believing what that tradition has always taught? Today the locus of authority is internal, in the individual, which contrasts with the previously held view that the locus of authority was eternal in God. According to this article, British “Catholics” are not very Catholic—the majority support gay marriage, most want female priests, and 81% do not support an abortion ban. As we pass through the wormhole, the gap between Catholic opinion and official teaching widens with every generation:

Read the whole piece at Religion Dispatches.

Atheist group demands that city in Kansas shut down police chaplaincy program

Should a police department have Christian chaplains who help grieving people in times of tragedy? In cities across America, there is growing opposition to having Christian chaplains, as this recent example shows. Whether or not chaplains are no more, the opposition to them reflects a shifting cultural mood. Read the whole story on the Christian News Network.

A game of musical chairs

Think of Christianity after the funeral for Christendom like the game “musical chairs” you played as a kid. For 500 years, religion always had a seat. But recently the music has stopped playing, and we are now standing without a seat.

We have passed from the world of Christendom, where religion was generally respected and included at the center of culture, to a funeral for Christendom, where faith has been pushed to the fringe.

In some ways, this is good news. It means that there are no longer any benefits to waving the Jesus flag unless you really love him. Why? Because unlike in the past, there are no longer social and cultural benefits for claiming allegiance to Jesus. This helps clarify who is merely religious and needs to be evangelized that they might be redeemed. Also, it forces the church and her leaders to get creative in finding new ways to teach the eternal truth, because some of what we used to do is no longer working, and old opportunities we once had to access people and places of influence are now closing.

Wasting time infighting among Christian tribes is a luxury we no longer have—that time is better spent innovating, church planting, and evangelizing.