Sermons are a distinctive feature of worship services among most of the various traditions of Christian churches. And while many churchgoers consider sermons a major element of the worship experience, satisfaction with sermons is widely mixed, Pew Research Center says in a report posted Jan 28 on its Fact Tank page.

In reporting on two related recent studies, Pew says, “there are differences by religious tradition in how satisfied churchgoers are with what they hear from the pulpit – as well as in the length and content of those sermons.”

In its 2019 opinion survey of 6,364 U.S. adults, Pew said that 90% of respondents who attend church services “at least a few times a year are satisfied with the sermons they hear.” Protestants, Pew reported, “are somewhat more satisfied than Catholics” with the sermons they hear.

In breaking down opinions of sermons, Pew said its survey found that 61 percent of evangelical Protestants (six-in-ten) say they are “very satisfied” with the messages. That’s almost double the 32 percent of evangelical respondents who said they are “somewhat satisfied,” according to Pew’s report.

Almost a third – 32 percent – of Catholic respondents, indicated they are “very satisfied” with sermons, which are formally referred to as the “homily” in the Catholic Mass, as well as in the worship traditions of Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Just over half – 52 percent – of Catholic respondents indicated they are “somewhat satisfied.” A higher percentage of Catholics – 15 percent – than Protestant respondents – 7 percent – say they are “not too” or “not at all” satisfied.

“It is unclear from the 2019 survey why churchgoers’ satisfaction in sermons differ,” Pew said.

Some clues about the levels of satisfaction in sermons among Christian faith and worship traditions may be found in Pew’s review of 49,719 sermons on video.

In its study The Digital Pulpit: A Nationwide Analysis of Online Sermons, Pew said that its analysis revealed variations of length and content among Christian groups.

Source: Christian Headlines

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LONDON – Britain’s 47-year relationship with the European Union officially ended at 11 p.m. Friday night to shouts of jubilation by Brexit supporters.

The party is over and London is out of the European Union. Now Brussels will be watching nervously to see if any other nations will follow Britain out the door.

Italy, Poland, Denmark, and Finland are all said to be unhappy with the EU. But are they unhappy enough to leave?

And Britain still has an 11-month transition period, until 2021, before its last ties to the EU are cut. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he likes the way Prime Minister Boris Johnson is handling it so far.

“Well, I think he’s saying all the right things. I mean he’s saying we won’t have any jurisdiction from the European Court of Justice, good. We are aiming for a Canada-style trade deal, which means the rest of our economy won’t be bound by EU rules. Good. No regulatory realignment, good. In fact, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” Farage said.

But there is a sense here that Britain has just stepped into the unknown, and those who opposed Brexit fear rough times ahead.

Brexit opponent James Parkes described his mood as, “Depressed. Down-beaten.”

But Brexit supporters believe that, for their great nation, the future just got brighter.

Supporter Toby Brennan said, “I think things are going to be tough in the beginning, but I think we’re going to make it. It may take a year, it may take a couple of years, but you know what? It smells like freedom.”

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Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, University of Durham) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Portland Seminary, George Fox University, Oregon, and author of Worship that Makes Sense to Paul. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

A few days ago, Owen Strachan made this statement on Twitter

“The gospel of grace takes men who have been softened by the devil and makes them hard, strong, lean, loving, and ferocious in pursuit of God and his glory. See νδρζεσθε in 1 Cor. 16:13, best translated “act like men.” Men aren’t soft. Men must be tough in Christ.”

There are quite a number of things that are unclear and unbiblical about this statement. Strachan seems to have a developed a theology of “softness” that he doesn’t bother to define or explain here. His theology has more in common with a Hans and Franz SNL sketch (watch one HERE) than the Bible. I think his statement is easy to refute. (And I am sad that it needs refuting at all.)

I. The Devil does not seem to have a man-softening agenda

A study of satanology in the Bible will quickly reveal the Devil’s main objective is to convince people to sin. In fact, we find that his agenda tends to involve getting people to acquire power rather than relinquish it (see Matt 4:9). He is associated with murder (John 8:44), acts of power. Man-softening is not his MO.

II. Strachan does not (and probably could not) define “softness” as a vice relevant only to men

Strachan fails to define softness in a clear or convincing way. Does it mean gentle? All Christians are called to be gentle (Gal 5:23). Does it mean warm and intimate? The model for this is Jesus who lovingly leans on the Father’s chest (John 1:18). Or perhaps it means cowardly? But in that case no believer should be cowardly, man or woman. All are called to be brave, resilient, strong. Who would favor “softness” if it meant cowardice? And perhaps again he means “weak in faith”—again, not a sin only relevant to men.

III. The verb νδρζεσθε is not best defined as “act like a man”

It is true this literally means “act like men,” but that does not assume that is the best way to translate it or understand it in 1 Cor. This verb comes from a cultural image of the courageous and fearless man, a nod to the great warriors of the day. But we must not assume all men were always courageous. And, likewise, we must neither assume all women were always cowardly. Hebrews extolls the brave faith of Rahab (11:31). Note too the intrepid and clever mother of the Messiah (Revelation 12). And what shall we say about the early martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas? The verb νδρζεσθεwould naturally apply to all of these because they were brave.

Source: Christianity Today

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JOS, Nigeria, January 30, 2020 (Morning Star News) – At least 32 people were killed and a pastor’s house and church building were burned down in two nights of attacks this week by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Plateau State, Nigeria, sources said.

The Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) building and home were destroyed in an attack on predominantly Christian Marish village on Monday evening (Jan. 27), one of three communities in Bokkos County hit in armed assaults that began the previous evening, area residents said. The attacks were the latest bloodshed in an escalation of violence in Plateau state, where herdsmen killed Christians in Riyom and Mangu counties earlier this month.

Herdsmen killed 17 people in Marish and Ruboi villages on Monday after killing 15 people in an attack on Kwatas on Sunday (Jan. 26), Titus Ayuba Alams, former speaker of the Plateau state House of Assembly, told Morning Star News.

“The attacks took place between the hours of 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Kwatas on Sunday, and also on Monday within the same time frame on Ruboi and Marish by the herdsmen,” Alam said.

Five people were wounded in the attacks and several houses were burned, area resident Theophilus Mancha told Morning Star News.

“A pregnant woman and 16 others have been killed,” Mancha said.

Kwatas, Marish and Ruboi are suburbs of Bokkos town, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) southwest of Plateau State University, Bokkos.

Kelly Kanang, another area resident, confirmed that Fulani herdsmen launched the attacks.

Benjamin Dogo of Kwatas informed Morning Star News in a text message, “Our people have been killed again. About 15 of the dead have been evacuated to the mortuary along with many others that sustained injuries during the attack on Sunday night.”

State police said 13 persons were killed and five injured in the attack on Kwatas. Police spokesman Ubah Gabriel Ogaba on Monday confirmed the attack by “unknown gunmen” on Kwatas in a press statement.

Ruboi and Marish were attacked after police issued the statement, and officers have provided no details on those attacks.

Source: Christian Headlines

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It’s that time of the year when spring or summer getaways are planned.

But instead of following the crowds to a beach consider a trip centered on religious heritage, including unique architecture and art on par with the finest museums.

Norway

This Nordic country isn’t known for its old churches, but with 28 wooden medieval-era churches it should be.

Called stave churches, the name comes from the construction method of erecting load-bearing posts — staves in Norwegian — upon rocks or sill frames.

Kaupanger’s 12th century stave church features a 16th century baroque interior. Other notable stave churches are found in Borgund and Urnes, the latter of which dates to the year 1130 and includes its original crucifix.

Most of the stave churches are located in Norway’s Fjord region, which means flying into Bergen or Trondheim and renting a car.

Norfolk and Suffolk, England

East Anglia, as the region encompassing the historic English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk is called, has over 150 medieval churches with round towers. By contrast, this style is incredibly rare elsewhere in England.

Many remain active houses of worships. Others are so-called redundant churches in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Dennis Lennox

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It’s that time of the year when spring or summer getaways are planned.

But instead of following the crowds to a beach consider a trip centered on religious heritage, including unique architecture and art on par with the finest museums.

Norway

This Nordic country isn’t known for its old churches, but with 28 wooden medieval-era churches it should be.

Called stave churches, the name comes from the construction method of erecting load-bearing posts — staves in Norwegian — upon rocks or sill frames.

Kaupanger’s 12th century stave church features a 16th century baroque interior. Other notable stave churches are found in Borgund and Urnes, the latter of which dates to the year 1130 and includes its original crucifix.

Most of the stave churches are located in Norway’s Fjord region, which means flying into Bergen or Trondheim and renting a car.

Norfolk and Suffolk, England

East Anglia, as the region encompassing the historic English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk is called, has over 150 medieval churches with round towers. By contrast, this style is incredibly rare elsewhere in England.

Many remain active houses of worships. Others are so-called redundant churches in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Dennis Lennox

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

While God used apologetics to bring me back to faith, God uses theology to humble, awe, and comfort me before his amazing presence. Theology is a passion of mine. My resume will show how much I love theology. As I mentioned in a previous post, I realized that schools hiring teachers desire applicants to possess 18 hours of graduate study in a chosen field. Curious as to what hours I held, I began to investigate how many hours I possess in different fields. I realized that by the time I finish my Ph.D., I will carry 30 hours of theological study. I guess you could call me an overachiever. I certainly don’t say this to sound braggadocios. I merely mention this to note the great impact theology has made in my life.

Even while I have devoted much of my time to theological studies, I still find the words of Dr. Daniel Mitchell, Professor of Theology at Liberty University, to ring true, “The more we study God, the bigger God becomes.” I asked him about what he meant by that statement in a class that I had with him. Mitchell noted that he did not mean to say that we make God bigger in our imaginations, but rather we begin to understand how big God truly is the more we study him. When we understand the grandeur of God, our worries tend to fade away in the warm, strong arms of God.

One divine attribute that provides both awe and serenity is God’s divine omnipresence. The word omnus means “all.” We all understand what the term presence means. Thus, God has the capacity to be in all places at all points of time. There is not a place where God’s presence is not found. Scripture indicates the omnipresent nature of God in many locations, but it is most explicitly found in Psalm 139. David writes as he speaks to God,

“Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, even there your hand will lead me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night’—even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you” (Ps. 139:7–12, CSB).

From the text at hand, God is shown to be present in every location at the same point in time. Wayne Grudem defines God’s omnipresence as the following: “God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 173). Divine omnipresence impacts the believer in multiple ways, but for the sake of space, I will concentrate on only five.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Brian G. Chilton

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