When the towers fell on September 11, 2001, the whole world changed. But for the Arabic community in New York City, the aftermath was felt in particularly painful ways. Fear and grief blanketed the city, but for Arab immigrants and their families—even those who had lived in the U.S. for decades—their very identity became a...
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How can the church reach the emerging generation? This question anxiously flitters in and out of the evangelical mind, like the journey through a revolving door. However, no amount of reading will replace the experience of the subject at hand. In-person dialogue always brings previously unknown worlds to life. ‘Reaching’ the next generation starts with...
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Denominations used to dominate American Protestantism. Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and other denominations used to make up the majority of churches you would drive past in your neighborhood. Now new names pop up on church signs, names that denote no denominational affiliation. Non-denominational churches have been growing rapidly in recent years, and while I...
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Will it be any better the next time? For several years, the trifecta of COVID, an election, and race tore churches apart. What was obviously missing was that pesky fellow Paul’s understanding that we ought to put the needs of others first. (See 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14.) Instead of becoming a hotbed of...
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In honor of the end of the college football conference championships, and looking forward to the beginning of the college football championship, and in mourning over the exit of the United States from the round of 16 in the World Cup, may we take a moment to meditate on the curious phenomenon of life as...
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In 2019 my wife and I worked with a team to start a new church in East Harlem. “I work on Wall Street. Will this church plant be a place where my non-believing finance co-workers feel welcome?” asked an attendee at one of our church plant vision nights. “Yes,” I responded. “We certainly want to...
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