Faith
The church has grown anti-intellectual and sensate, out of touch with the relevancy of Jesus and the gospel to contemporary life. Marred by scandal, infighting, and a lack of conviction, the church’s prophetic voice, once resounding with power on issues of slavery and human rights, is now but a whimper. The gospel no longer receives a fair hearing
... See morePaul M. Gould • Cultural Apologetics
The Rise of the ‘Umms’ - Christianity Today
The article discusses the rise of "umms," individuals who desire church involvement but feel disconnected, highlighting their struggles and suggesting new approaches for re-engagement in community and faith.
LinkUmms are a different category altogether, and the ones I have spoken with share several common characteristics. They are fond of the local church and were active members in the past. They take Jesus seriously and want to belong to a local congregation. They are not bitter or cynical—in fact, if anything, umms are uncomfortable with not being committed to a church body.
As a result, there is a gap between their desire and their situation. They are umms because they are uncertain and hesitant about how to reengage with the church. And although their individual stories are myriad and diffuse, I would like to present four potential types of umms and their struggles: disoriented, demotivated, discouraged, or disembodied.
Open, O doors and bolts of my heart,
that Christ the King of Glory may enter!
Enter, O my Light, and enlighten my darkness;
Enter, O my Life, and quicken my deadness;
Enter, O my Physician, and heal my wounds;
Enter, O Divine Fire, and burn up the thorns of my sins;
Ignite my inward parts and my heart
with the flame of your love;
Enter, O my King, and... See more
that Christ the King of Glory may enter!
Enter, O my Light, and enlighten my darkness;
Enter, O my Life, and quicken my deadness;
Enter, O my Physician, and heal my wounds;
Enter, O Divine Fire, and burn up the thorns of my sins;
Ignite my inward parts and my heart
with the flame of your love;
Enter, O my King, and... See more
“Yesterday the Lamb was slain and the
doorposts were anointed, and Egypt
bewailed her Firstborn, and the Destroyer
passed us over, and the Seal was dreadful
and reverend, and we were walled in
with the Precious Blood. Today we have
clean escaped from Egypt and from
Pharaoh; and there is none to hinder us
from keeping a Feast to the Lord our
God—the Feast of... See more
doorposts were anointed, and Egypt
bewailed her Firstborn, and the Destroyer
passed us over, and the Seal was dreadful
and reverend, and we were walled in
with the Precious Blood. Today we have
clean escaped from Egypt and from
Pharaoh; and there is none to hinder us
from keeping a Feast to the Lord our
God—the Feast of... See more
One of the many reasons my wife and I want to plant a church is because it is the very place to foster such virtues and practices! The church gathers to announce that even in the midst of feeling disoriented, demotivated, discouraged, and disembodied, God has not abandoned us.
In a season that is marked by so much death and distance, we confess our
christianitytoday.com • The Rise of the ‘Umms’
God uses the uneducated to confound the wise. But that doesn’t make ignorance a virtue.