Why do people stop going to church? This big question is the subject of Julia Duin’s small book, Quitting Church: Why teh Faithful are Fleeing and What To Do About It. Duin is not a disinterested observer of the phenomenon of church-dropping; rather, she’s a churchgoer who wants churches to work well, and also a…

Slate asked for an essay on Ted Haggard’s spiritual restoration. I’m okay with what I came up with for now, but the more I think about it, the more I think we need better thinking on what restoration looks like for very public, outspoken, influential men and women like Haggard: Most people who fail need…

That’s the apt headline over the New York Times Magazine’s profile of Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll. Fascinating story, not least because there is so much theology in it–Molly Worthen does a commendable job of summarizing Driscoll’s neo-Calvinism and capturing how a theology so severe can appeal to so many young people.  There is also much…

So says a report released today. Seminarians might be having it, but they aren’t talking about it. The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing surveyed 36 seminaries and rabbinical schools, and found that ministers-to-be are woefully under-prepared for dealing with one of the most central issues in their congregants’ lives:  More than 90%…

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