christianity's decline

The Adventures of Thom Rainer and the Strawman

Normally you’d think that inaccuracies in Christians’ perception of others is just their problem. But their cultural flaws have a tendency of creating headaches for other people, too, not just for themselves. While they’re making strawmen about non-Christians and wrestling with their fictional creations, they’re getting an entirely wrong idea of what we’re really like and why we reject their claims and sales attempts. Today I want to talk about why Christians misrepresent us so often.

By Captain Cassidy, ago

The Titanic Band is Striking Up the Next Song

Some churches like their lights to be super-bright; some prefer their churches to be dark and secluded-feeling. Some vote for the lights to start bright and then dim during the sermon; others prefer the dead opposite. The Worship Matters blog argues for both before settling on “brightly lit”, as does this rather inconsistent music minister. One blogger identifies the fight as somewhat generational before landing on “both are nice at different times.” But Thom Rainer himself insists in his comment section that this fight is indeed heating up and getting ugly.

By Captain Cassidy, ago

Oh Noes! A ‘Baptism Drought’ for the SBC!

One group of Christians, however, is finally coming to grips with their own drop in numbers. They might have the wrong explanation for it and the most nonsensical way possible of dealing with it, but they’re at least dimly aware that their denomination is starting to falter. That group is the Southern Baptist Convention, who recently declared that their denomination is facing a “baptism drought.” Today we’ll talk about why they’re facing it, and why they think they are, because those are two different things.

By Captain Cassidy, ago