I have been in Salem, MA pastoring The Gathering since June 1999. Over the years, we have been at the center of creating events, and helping Christian ministers to act like regular people when they come to the city of Salem in October, and now the monthlong outreach has expanded to over a dozen events, … More Announcing the Big Transition: from Salem to the World
This recent article in the Religion News Service outlines the recent findings by a study from the Public Religion Research Institute. The study suggests that most of those who have been leaving churches in recent years have done so because they simply stopped believing. My experience is an inversion on these statistics. I go to … More I know – I go where those who “stopped believing” go
A week away. We put up the stage. We get ready for the first weekend of October in Salem, Massachusetts. It’s not anything you’ve ever seen before, if you’ve not been here. Costume witches, real witches. bullhorn street preachers, live music on the streets, crowds of tourists, barking vendors, and families here for the Halloween … More Deep Fun: where the Gospel meets festival culture
Before I moved to Salem, MA, I was working on a theory: That Witches are just regular people with an alternative spirituality. So, I took a class in Folk-Religion at Fuller Seminary, and did some anthropological work on American Neo-Pagans. Guess what I discovered?! Yup, that’s right. I discovered the rather non-sensational fact that Witches … More Witches Are Real People Too!
Churches and Halloween have had a tenuous relationship since the 70’s, but that is changing, and churches realize that this is a perfect day to engage our culture, and be creative. Help spread the word that Christians can be smart, not only in the workplace, but in the festival play place too. Here you will … More Churches and Halloween
Burning Man is happening in just a few days. Apparently, those in charge cannot imagine the event without me. I have passed on my tickets, but they keep sending me verification that my ticket will be waiting for me a Will Call when I get there. Oh my, don’t tempt me Burning Man peeps! In … More Burning Man is Just Days (and 2,945 miles) Away
I was completely surprised by the response to my last post “Leaders Do Not Have the Right to Pretend it Didn’t Happen.” Hundreds of people responded to my simple story of email posts and responses from a former friend who was part of a team of abusive leaders that shafted our little church, and more … More Their Light is Their Darkness: exposing shallowness of leaders who don’t get it
Leaders Do Not Have the Right to Pretend it Didn’t Happen It has been a little over 10 years since I was falsely accused of being a heretic by my former denomination, followed by the apparently more heinous sin of questioning the actions of that same “authority,” that made the accusations against me. There were … More Leaders Do Not Have the Right to Pretend it Didn’t Happen
My friend Andrew Thomas is an extremely intelligent man. He is a Molecular Biologist and a lecturer at Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales. Until fairly recently, he had an uncomfortable relationship with the faith in which he was raised. Here he talks about the change in that attitude. We met Andrew at HowTheLightGetsIn at Hay-on-Wye … More Church Life and Sharing Your Faith: Andrew Thomas’ thoughts
Last year, the summer Solstice was on a Sunday evening. This year, the Solstice was Monday night, and the Stones were open to the public Monday night through Tuesday morning. The crowds were smaller this year. The Solstice was not on a weekend, and the weather had been wildly wet the day before the Solstice … More Stonehenge Campsite Festival and a Night at the Stones
For the last few decades, there has been a great degree of information in evangelism and missions circles about Christians in the marketplace. I certainly would not negate the need for committed Christian believers to take up their space in the marketplace in order to fulfill the Great Commission. But, after mixing it up in … More Christians in the Playplace
Burning Religion 