Christians Can Give Church the "Tourist Treatment"

Elyse Fitzpatrick writes in her book “Because He Loves Me”:

A number of years ago, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to vacation ...

Professionals Have Taken the Roles Once Filled by Family and Friends

In his book Bad Religion, Ross Douthat argues that as families have weakened and true friendships have waned, we have tried to fill the vacuum by relying ...

Fire Ants Float by Becoming One Super-organism

For years scientists were baffled by the mystery of floating fire ants. When placed in water, an individual fire ant will flounder, struggle, and then ...

An Orchestra Needs the Authority of the Conductor

In his book Up with Authority, Victor Lee Austin uses the analogy of an orchestra to explain why we need human authority. Orchestras need conductors because ...

Experiment Shows Our Reluctance to Get Involved in Uncomfortable Situations

The Nobel Prize winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman recounts the story behind a famous experiment conducted at New York University:

Participants ...

What Church Membership Looks Like

In his book The Pastor, Eugene Peterson describes his wife Jan's understanding of what it means to be a pastor's wife. As I read Peterson's ...

Worshipping with People We Didn't Hand-Pick

Writer and NPR commentator Heather King, a recovering alcoholic who has come to faith in Christ, reflected on her initial experience with the church:

My ...

The Early Church Grew by Caring for the Sick

Sociologist Rodney Stark has written a brilliant book, The Rise of Christianity, in which he describes how Christianity arose from a small group … ...

Ancient Christian Wisdom on Staying Committed to Community

When you experience conflict or pain in a church setting, don't run away to another church. It's often better to stay put and work through it. ...

Actions of One Soldier Affect Everyone in the Platoon

For fifteen months journalist Sebastian Junger followed a single platoon of U.S. soldiers stationed in a dangerous part of Afghanistan. Living and working ...