What is the future of the church?

The main stream, liberal Christian denominations are dying.  They are all steadily losing membership.  That's the Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Methodists, according to Rodd Douthat, columnist for the New York Times in his article of July 14, 2012, titled "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?" The article can be found at http://tinyurl.com/bppvdqu.  

In 1998 an Episcopal bishop suggested that in order to survive they must embrace sexual liberation in almost every form and essentially abandon the doctrines of the church.  That is essentially what the church did.  Douhat  goes on to say that instead of attracting younger, more open-minded church goers the Episcopal church's Sunday attendance has declined 23% in the last ten years.  Not a single Episcopal diocese saw attendance increase.

In contrast, the fastest growing churches in America have Bible believing leadership.  Kent Shaffer of Church Relevance lists the fastest growing churches in two groups: the fastest growing new churches and the fastest growing old churches.  I checked the web sites for the new church list and found that eight of the nine listed had a statement something like this one: "We believe the entire Bible is God’s Word to mankind. We believe men were moved by the Spirit of God to write the very words of Scripture. Therefore, we believe the Bible is ultimate source of truth and guidance without error."  Some of the older churches have similar statements.  Shaffer's list is at http://tinyurl.com/7sjx877. 

It appears from these two snippets of church news that American people today are put off by religion that abandons its roots.  They are attracted instead to churches who gain their authority from the word of God.  "Keep the faith" brethren and "Don't be ashamed of the gospel."

Should I serialize my new book?

I need your commentary on this one.  I am considering serializing my new book.  The book, "Peace on Earth? Relax Christian, God Still Has Your Back," should be out in about a month depending on how fast the publisher moves.


If I were to serialize it, I would post one chapter each Wednesday until it had all been posted on my blog.  There are 12 chapters and some other materials so it would take about three months.  I am now trying to post to the blog every weekend (like this post) and I would continue to do that, not replacing my blog with the book chapters.


Here is some of my thinking on it. I am interested in yours as well:

• It will be like giving it away. How will that affect book sales?
• I have been told that people who read a book electronically often go ahead and buy a paper copy. I am not sure I believe that, but it might be interesting to check out.
• My intent in writing these books was never to make money. At least not much money. My major goal was to get the message out. This might be another way to do that.

Check out the cover art and tell me what you think it means"

Grandpa's Profundities

pro·fun·di·ty

 [pruh-fuhn-di-tee]

noun, plural pro·fun·di·ties.


1.  The quality or state of being profound;  depth.
2.  Usually, profundities. profound  or deep matters.
3.  A profoundly deep place; abyss.

                                          - Dictionary.com

Through the years I have posted in my office a list of "Grandpa's Profundities."  They have grown from my interaction with teens living in the house and my observation of their interaction with others.  Here are all six profundities, totally free of charge, with comments on their origin and effects (if any).

1.  The quickest, surest, most permanent way to stop a war is immediate. total surrender.

Comment: This one was aimed at ending ongoing hostilities between a teen and an adult, with the responsibility for action being placed on the teen.  It was a total failure.  I learned too late that the teen had no interest in ending the war.

2.  The only cure for anger is forgiveness.

Comment:  This or something else, perhaps a little old fashioned growing up, seems to have done a  lot of good.

3.  Boredom is a character flaw.

Comment:  This one is my favorite.  I have very seldom heard a complaint that "I am bored" since posting it, and on the few occasions it has slipped from a mouth, a quick "See profundity #3" has ended the discussion.  There is now a new generation of grandchildren in the house and it seems to be having an effect on them as well.

4.  The value of a good night's sleep far outweighs the worth of whatever else you might be thinking of doing.

Comment:  The jury is still out on this one.  It has had no noticeable effect so far, but I am still hopeful that one day...

5.  Always drive as if everyone else on the road were stark raving mad and were about to do the dumbest thing you can possibly imagine.

Comment:  To measure this one would be to measure a negative.  That is, trying to count accidents that did not occur.  I guess I'll just have to trust on this one.