Rachel Held Evans | Tag Landing

Guest Post: Are You in the “Real” Christian Camp?

Today’s guest post comes to us from Laura Ziesel. Laura is a freelance writer and editor living in Azusa, California with her husband. She blogs on matters of faith, gender, church culture and more at www.lauraziesel.com. She is also a contributing writer for The Redemptive Pursuit, a weekly devotional for women. I think a lot of you will relate to her thoughts here! *** My husband and I have lived in a combined total of 17 unique cities (3 outside of the U.S. or its territories). ... read more

Beware of Overcorrecting

photo © 2006 Don O'Brien | more info (via: Wylio) Have you ever met someone who really hated Catholicism?—you know, a guy who will listen to any perspective but a Catholic perspective, join any group but a Catholic group, read any book but a Catholic book, and worship in any church but a Catholic Church? There are many possible explanations for why such a person would hate Catholics, but one of the most plausible is that he used to be one. Recently I’ve no... read more

Tell us about your church...

photo © 2005 ~Sage~ | more info (via: Wylio) So Wednesday’s post, “Blessed Are the Un-Cool,” turned out to be a hot one. I’ve been overwhelmed by the response, and so grateful for your input. One thing I especially enjoyed about the comments following the post was that so many people shared what they love about their church. (I like that several of you tried to sell me on your denomination because it is more “un-cool” than the others! We're an ... read more

Blessed are the un-cool

photo © 2010 Ed Yourdon | more info (via: Wylio) People sometimes assume that because I’m a progressive 30-year-old who enjoys Mumford and Sons and has no children, I must want a super-hip church—you know, the kind that’s called “Thrive” or “Be” and which boasts “an awesome worship experience,” a fair-trade coffee bar, its own iPhone app, and a pastor who looks like a Jonas Brother. While none of these features are ... read more

So our church plant failed…

photo © 2009 Patrick Feller | more info (via: Wylio) Easter Sunday will be the last time we meet together as The Mission. We’re throwing a little send-off party for our pastor and his family, who made the difficult decision to move to south Florida where a new youth ministry position awaits. There were no big arguments, no dramatic exits, no taking sides. We just couldn’t sustain the church financially. Yep. It's that boring...and it's tha... read more

Why Not?

photo © 2009 Kevin Lallier | more info (via: Wylio) Today I’m delighted to introduce you to Michelle DeRusha, a woman whose writing talent truly inspires me. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Michelle moved to Nebraska ten years ago, where she discovered the Great Plains, Husker football, grasshoppers the size of Cornish hens, thunderstorms that herald the Second Coming…and God. She writes about finding and keeping faith in the everyday on her blog, Graceful. (Ke... read more

Rob Bell and the perils of Christian fandom

This short clip entitled “Rob Bell Comes Clean” made the rounds last week, and although I would wholeheartedly affirm everything Bell says in it, I found myself squirming a bit at the sound of the audience cheering as he spoke. As I mentioned in my review of Love Wins, I’m concerned that the controversy surrounding this book has reduced an important and complex theological conversation to two “sides,” as though it were some kind of football rivalry—comp... read more

Church: To Stay or To Go?

photo © 2008 Tambako The Jaguar | more info (via: Wylio) Today’s guest post comes from my friend Mason Slater. Mason is a husband to Melinda, a seminary student, a youth pastor, a blogger and a freelance writer in the Mecca of Christendom, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He blogs at New Ways Forward. (Add him to your Google Reader; he's one of my favorites!) *** So this past week Rachel has been blogging about how faith changes our relationships, which has been brillian... read more

The truth can set you free…and get you fired

***Update: Since writing this post, Chad has become famous. I hope he still moves to Tennessee!*** Back in February I wrote a post entitled “Dear Pastors, Tell Us the Truth” in which I urged pastors to be honest with their congregations about their fears, their failures, their needs, their journeys, their opinions, and their ideas. Emails poured in from pastors all around the country…(indeed, the world!)…who told me that if they were honest with their con... read more

28 ideas for Advent

photo © 2008 Gabo Halili | more info (via: Wylio) Happy New Year to my fellow liturgical nerds! This will be my second year observing the church calendar and incorporating seasonal liturgy into our worship services at The Mission. As I’ve eased into all of these rich, ancient traditions I’ve found collaboration with fellow Christ-followers to be invaluable. Back in February, I shared 40 Ideas for Lent, so I thought I’d do the same for Advent in ... read more

Update: The Mission, doubt, and lawn chairs

(Note: Views expressed by me do not necessarily reflect those of everyone at The Mission. We’re a diverse group, and that’s a good thing!) So as it turns out, starting a new church is hard. There are relationships to maintain, money problems to solve, rumors to diffuse, and a surprising amount of paperwork to fill out. And just when we were starting to pick up some momentum after Easter, summer happened and our numbers (and funding) plateued. But though it all, o... read more

Announcing the Eighth Letter Synchroblog

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a letter to the Church entitled “Let’s Build Bigger Banquet Tables,” and I mentioned that my letter was just one of many being composed all across North America as part of the Eighth Letter project. To help compile these letters, I’m teaming up with Ian McLaren and Chris Lewis to host The Eighth Letter Synchroblog, which will take place September 12-18 (this week!) across the Web. To participate, take the following steps: ... read more

Extrovert or Introvert? (A review of “Introverts in the Church”)

People are usually surprised when I tell them I’m an introvert. They’re surprised because I’m typically very friendly, open, animated, assertive, and comfortable sharing my thoughts and feelings with others. A lifelong Southerner, I know how to navigate a conversation and make people feel welcome. I like to take the lead, and can even come across as bossy to those who tend to be shy or passive. (I say “come across.” Sometimes I’m just plain bossy... read more

40 Ideas for Lent

As I’ve been researching the season of Lent over the past few weeks, I’ve come to realize that Lent is about so much more than just "giving something up." It’s about repentance, preparation, reflection, discipline, self-denial, and reevaluation. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what this means for me, and if you are too, here are 40 ideas to get you started: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself 1. When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different? 2.... read more

Lent, Depravity, and Why Hyper-Calvinism Has It Backwards

One of my responsibilities for The Mission is to help keep our fledgling little faith community in step with the traditional church calendar. We do this for a couple of reasons—to acknowledge that our small church is part of a much bigger Church and to remember that our young community springs from a very old Community. It keeps us humble, and it provides those of us whose singing voices can best be described as “joyful noises” with another way to worship, through liturgy. So... read more

How NOT to respond to the Church’s “masculinity crisis”

Let's talk about this so-called "masculinity crisis" in the Church. In recent years, it has become popular for evangelicals to lament the noticeable absence of men in the pews. Citing a mountain of statistical data that shows women are more inclined than men to remain faithful to their religious affiliation and participate regularly in communities of faith, some folks—like controversial West Coast pastor Mark Driscoll—have declared the situation a "crisis," concluding tha... read more

The Mission - Part 1 of Many

Dan and I are about to do something crazy. In fact, it might be one of the craziest things we’ve ever done. We’re about to start a church. Well, really it’s our friend Brian Ward who’s officially starting the church. After serving on the pastoral staff of one of the most progressive evangelical churches in the country, Brian and his wife Carrie took a big step of faith and returned to Dayton to launch The Mission—a new community of Christ-followers c... read more

Five Things I Miss About Youth Group

Remember youth group? The lock-ins. The retreats. The super-hip worship band. Wednesday nights. Stupid games. Trying to give the church basement a coffee-shop-like atmosphere. Hopeless crushes. Long talks. Painstaking efforts to make Jesus seem cool. If you do, then you’ll probably be interested in this fascinating interview in Leadership Journal with Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary and a former youth pa... read more

Shhhh! You can't say that in church!

Today Anne Jackson re-opened a fascinating conversation that she started on her blog a year ago when she asked, “What’s one thing you feel you can’t say in church?” The wave of responses that followed (nearly 400 comments) reveals just how much angst and repression there really is in the Christian community. Although you really should visit the site and read them all, here are some that struck me as particularly interesting: "I’d rather look like a good Christ... read more

Finding Our Notch in the Bible Belt

As you can see from this map of Chattanooga, we have no shortage of churches here in East Tennessee. The Yellow Pages list over 500 in the Chattanooga area, and there are nearly 200 surrounding my hometown of Dayton, which is located about 50 miles north of the city. We don’t exaggerate when we talk about a church on every street corner. Our skylines are peppered with steeples, and signs announcing revivals and church picnics line the winding highways that crawl up and down the mount... read more

Finish-the-Sentence Friday: Church (with a lower-case "c")

Finish the following sentence: “I feel most at home in a church that...” I’ll start: I feel most at home in a church that 1) takes its mission to care for the poor and marginalized seriously, 2) does not make assumptions about its congregation’s political positions nor emphasizes political action to begin with, 3) speaks of Scripture in terms of its ability to “equip us for every good work,” 4) embraces diversity (theologically, ethnically, etc.... read more

Lars, the Real Girl, and the Real Church

So while we’re on the topic of movies, I’d like to recommend one that Dan and I recently discovered, called “Lars and the Real Girl.” It’s a quirky dramedy about a delusional guy named Lars (played by Ryan Gosling) and his relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet. Yes, it sounds dirty...but it’s actually one of the most innocent, sweet movies I’ve ever seen. It beautifully portrays the purpose and power of community, as Lars’ ... read more

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