I am still debating how much I am enjoying Poker Face đź“ş, but seeing John Darnielle in episode 4 was a major joy!
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Religion in Ireland: Numbers Don’t Tell the Story
For obvious reasons, I find myself on Twitter less and less. I do hop on every once in a while because it remains, for now, a great source for news, and there are certain people whose writing I enjoy. One of those people is Ryan Burge (@ryanburge). Burge is a professor, pastor and author who…
Where Have I Been?
With the big social media platforms all feeling less and less appealing, I’ve been checking out Micro.Blog for a bit. I’m not sure I’ll be there long term, as it feels like a tough group to break into. But I have enjoyed some of the micro-projects they have tried. The latest was based on a…
Rich Mullins, Keith Green or Who?
I was listening to a recent episode of the Holy Post Podcast and heard Skye Jethani interviewing James Bryan Smith about Rich Mullins, who died 25 years ago. Much of the conversation was about how influential Mullins was on the spiritual formation of many people, especially those coming of age in the 90s. That conversation…
Would You Go To Church Here?
It is said doctors make the worst patients. So, when I visit a church, I work at being positive and noticing the good. At the same time, I believe it is crucial to critique what we, as the church, do. In Ireland, just as in the States, the fastest growing religious group is the “Nones”. While you can find a lot out there blaming the Nones, the ex-vangelicals, or those who are deconstructing their faith, for why fewer people attend church than did previously, I believe the first place we need to look is at ourselves.
The Clergy-Laity Thing is a Problem
I have been writing a series of posts on Christendom and have shared both some of the positives as well as some of the negatives. Today we’ll start getting into some specifics. One of Christendom’s most enduring legacies is creating a professional clergy class. As someone who has been in full-time ministry for 34 years and ordained for…
The Early Church or Christendom? Or a Third Way?
I was preparing to write a post discussing the clergy and laity dichotomy resulting from Christendom and recognised an important point I wanted to make. Becoming the Early Church is Not the Goal While I have and will continue to critique Christendom, that does not indicate that the church pre-Christendom was perfect or nearly perfect…
3 Ways Christendom Has Been Bad for the Church
This is the fourth post in a series I’ve been writing on Christendom. The previous ones (here, here and here) were to lay some groundwork as I move into the main idea I want to dig into: the damage done to the church by aligning with the Roman Empire and, subsequently, the nation-states of Europe….
Christendom: Acknowledging the Good
Last week I wrote a couple of introductory posts on the topic of Christendom, providing a broad overview as well as a brief history of how it began. This post will look at some of the good things that resulted from this era, and the next will examine some of the negative results. I believe Christendom has done…
What Is the Best Worst Apology You Have Ever Received?
I have been thinking about someone quite skilled at scapegoating. That got me thinking about apologies. This led to the question in the title of this post: What Is the Best Worst Apology You Have Ever Received? I have two. One I have mentioned previously: I am sorry for whatever it is you think I…
Constantine and Christendom: How We Got Here
In the previous post, I provided a brief overview of Christendom. I mentioned that while a definitive definition of the term is complex, Christendom is generally used to describe the relationship between the church and the Roman Empire (and subsequently the nation-states of Europe) over the past seventeen centuries. Here I want to provide a…
Christendom: An Introduction
I often write about leadership, power, and church structures. Some of the issues and ideas I’ve presented may seem at odds with how the church has always done things. And some of the questions I receive from readers back that up. There is an old story where one fish asks another, “How’s the water?” and the second…
Protecting the Powerful
I have never been a fan of The Gospel Coalition (TGC). There is too much hubris in their writing for my taste. If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know I think power and arrogance are two of the most harmful and dangerous aspects of church leadership. So I try to avoid…
Turning Submission on its Head
I introduced the topic of mutual submission a couple of weeks ago and wanted to jot down a few thoughts. First, a question. When Jesus took off his outer garments, wrapped a towel around his waist and began washing the feet of the disciples, would you consider him in a position of strength or weakness?…
Is Submission Really Supposed to be a Thing in the Church?
A few week’s ago, I wrote about a pastor here in Dublin telling me that if I ever wanted to plant a church, I would need to submit to him, which led me to write the following: “If a church leader tells you that you must submit to them…you should run away…and fast. That is…
What is the Local Church’s Why?
I have just started listening to Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why. A key question he asks is why some companies and some leaders inspire and others don’t? As he often does, he uses Apple as an example of a company that inspires people. And whether you are a fan of Apple or not (as you probably…
Nouwen on Power
I’ve been writing about power and its misuse in the church recently. Today I was sorting through my notes and came upon this from Henri Nouwen. He sums the whole topic up perfectly. No further comment necessary. One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that its leaders constantly gave in to…
Stop Assuming Character
I saw a recent post over on the Wartburg Watch. This site covers stories of abuse in the church, and they have been covering a story I mentioned a couple of weeks ago (it is at the end of the post under US Leaders). In that story at the Wartburg Watch, the author described how…
What is the Problem with Benefactors?
In the previous post, I shared what Luke recorded Jesus saying at the last supper. “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one…
We Need a Paradigm Shift About Authority in the Church
In one of last week’s posts, I made a strong statement concerning leadership and submission. “If a church leader tells you that you must submit to them…you should run away…and fast. That is simply abusive and not what Jesus modelled for the church.” I want to explain why I believe that. But I think I…
Interested in an Internship with the Table?
I have been looking forward to sharing this news for a while! The Table, the community of faith I am part of, is offering a 12-month church planting internship! The person accepted into this role (which is open to male and female candidates) will work closely with the Table’s leadership community and have the opportunity…
A Surreal Year (part 3)
This is part three of a series of posts I’ve written sharing some leadership experiences we have had over the past 12 years. Here are links to part 1 and part 2. I have also written a short post about why I am sharing this now. This has been the most challenging part of this…
March 2023 micro.blog Photo Blog Challenge
As the social media’s pre-post-Twitter era is upon is, I’ve ended up over on a site called micro.blog. They regularly have monthly photo blog challenges, and this month I am giving it a go. If you’d like to follow along, you can check out my micro.blog page (rrw1.micro.blog), & even subscribe if you are into…
Mind the Gap – (context for previous posts)
Recently I have been sharing some of my church leadership encounters. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about church war rooms. And this week, I shared a bit of Liz and my story over the past decade-plus. I want to explain why I am sharing these stories (here & here). But first, why I…
You Should Not Have Come, Now Please Go Away (Part 2)
I wrote yesterday regarding a situation that has unfolded over the past 12 years. If you haven’t read that, I encourage you to do that first. When I posted it on Facebook, I received several kind comments. Many expressed sympathy, which was very much appreciated. But that wasn’t why I wrote it. I shared it for those…