Resurgence » Scripture Children Church Worldviews Culture Suffering

The weekly Resurgence Roundup brings together some of the most interesting content we’ve found online, as it pertains to the church and the people God has called us to reach. Keep in mind, we don’t endorse or agree with everything you’ll see included in the roundup.

How Should We Respond to the Tragic Death of Fred Phelps?

Ed Stetzer:
Death is always a tragedy. Hate makes it more so. Today, a man known for hate died. CNN concluded that his infamy was worth a breaking news alert. But how do we respond? How does this breaking news relate to the gospel’s good news?

A Map of God’s Countries

The Atlantic:
Last week, the Pew Research Center released the findings of a survey that asked a single question: Is it necessary to believe in God in order to be a moral person? Between 2011 and 2013, more than 40,000 people in 40 countries were asked to answer this question. Here’s what the world looks like, according to what people think about the connection between faith and ethics.

Losing Faith: 21 Percent Say Religion ‘Not That Important’

NBC News:
One in five Americans say religion does not play an important role in their lives, a new NBC/WSJ journal poll shows – the highest percentage since the poll began asking participants about their focus on faith in 1997.

The Most Popular and Fastest Growing Bible Translation Isn’t What You Think It Is

Christianity Today:
When Americans reach for their Bibles, more than half of them pick up a King James Version (KJV), according to a new study advised by respected historian Mark Noll. The 55 percent who read the KJV easily outnumber the 19 percent who read the New International Version (NIV). And the percentages drop into the single digits for competitors such as the New Revised Standard Version, New America Bible, and the Living Bible.

Denominations Downsizing and Selling Assets in More Secular Era

New York Times:
Multiple religious denominations, citing everything from diminished financial resources to a need for more contemporary office space, are simultaneously downsizing and raising money by selling longtime headquarters in expensive neighborhoods. The moves come at a time when increasing secularization in the United States is taking a toll on many religious institutions.

Ukrainian crisis may split Russian Orthodox Church

Religion News Service:
Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church called for prayers “that brothers of one faith and one blood never bring destruction to one another.” Russia has prided itself on its revival of Orthodox Christianity after decades of Soviet persecution, but a war with the Ukraine could splinter the Russian Orthodox Church.

Iran’s Oppressed Christians

New York Times:
Christianity of course is not alien to Iran. It arrived in ancient Persia not long after the death of Christ and has waxed and waned ever since. But in recent decades, especially in the last few years, things have grown worse.

Christians beheaded by extremists in Somalia

Baptist Press:
Islamic extremists from the rebel Al Shabaab militia last week publicly beheaded a mother of two girls and her cousin in southeastern Somalia after discovering they were Christians.

A big-bang theory gets a big boost: Evidence that vast cosmos was created in split second

Washington Post:
An idea called cosmic inflation — a powerful twist on the big-bang theory — [has] received a major boost from an experiment at the South Pole called BICEP2. A team of astronomers led by John Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced that it had detected ripples from gravitational waves created in a violent inflationary event at the dawn of time.

The Overprotected Kid

The Atlantic
The Land is an “adventure playground,” although that term is maybe a little too reminiscent of theme parks to capture the vibe. In the U.K., such playgrounds arose and became popular in the 1940s, as a result of the efforts of Lady Marjory Allen of Hurtwood . . . The idea was that kids should face what to them seem like “really dangerous risks” and then conquer them alone. That, she said, is what builds self-confidence and courage.

 

« Newer Older »