After falling for an April Fool’s Day prank yesterday — hope you enjoyed yesterday’s here — you may be overly cautious today, but as far as we know, everything below is legit.
Despite a submission guide at PARSE that allows writers to post additionally at their own sites, our Leadership Today overlords want you clicking from their site, thereby depriving me of stats. So if you see something you liked, leave a comment here or there; it’s the only way I know. Clicking anything below will take you first to PARSE.
- Church Life: Six reasons why you may see attrition in what Carey Nieuwouf calls “high capacity” volunteers.
- Local media in Grand Rapids, Michigan notes the 75th anniversary of Christian publishing mainstay, Baker Book House.
- Oprah Network personality Iyanla Vanzant, “Eat, Pray, Love” author Elizabeth Gilbert and Pastor Rob Bell are among the people who will join Oprah Winfrey on the fall ‘Life You Want’ tour… with Deepak Chopra an occasional guest.
- Location, location, location: The American Bible Society is vacating its Manhattan digs, which will also mean a move for other ministries such as Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
- An interview with Antoinette Tuff, a school bookkeeper who talked down an intruder with a loaded AK-47.
- Sadly, on Sunday a man performing an ocean Baptism in California was swept out to sea.
- Raw Honesty Department: A year later, a former children’s ministry pastor finds himself still deep in Post-Traumatic Church Disorder.
- In the context of classic gospel tracts, an undated article online looks at the criteria for movie ratings then and now.
- A bit of irony in the response to the World Vision announcement(s)…
- …and now it’s England’s and Wales’ turns to be front and center in the same sex marriage circus.
- A committee of the United Nations is asking the Catholic Church to change its position on abortion.
- Sunday services at two East L.A. churches were filmed for a post-earthquake TV news story.
- As some leadership issues unravel at Mars Hill Seattle, a new website hosts stories of former staff and board members.
- A U.S. family had the camera rolling as their 5-year old daughter vividly describes being asked not to pray for her meal at school…
- …While at a Virginia Christian school, an eight-year old is stigmatized for being too masculine.
- I think it’s so appropriate that someone charged with project management for The Voice Bible was so greatly influenced by the J. B. Phillips translation, New Testament in Modern English.
- Essay of the Week (1): Re. Noah movie — What do you mean by ‘Is it Biblical?’
- Essay of the Week (2): On Shame — To All The Girls Who Didn’t Say No.
- IVP author and Good Questions blogger Chris Smith is now taking your random Bible questions on Twitter.
- Ministry Moment: Do you have to be crazy to go into full time ministry?
- Ever wonder what made Charles Spurgeon such a great orator? Here’s a glimpse into his personal correspondence with his wife written while under an attack by mosquitoes.
- A Mormon family offers a very candid look at the aftermath of their son’s coming out as gay.
- Church Agriculture aka Planting: Here’s a situation; an article from Scotland about men doing ministry when their wives aren’t all-in.
- An appeal on behalf of a Christian Pakistani woman accused of blasphemy is once again postponed. It’s one of several blasphemy trials in the country involving Christians.
- Some churches are accused of being too ‘happy clappy’ but Dr. Cornelius Plantinga says that musically and lyrically modern worship is found wanting.
- A Tale of Two E.C.s: Can you spot the difference in these job requirements?
- J. Warner Wallace is an apologist who treats the Bible as a crime scene investigation. He’s asked, Have the gospels been altered?
- Brian Doerksen has launched a new band, The SHIYR Poets, and a funding project for a new album.
- This speaks for itself, an infographic titled How To Make a Bible.
- Regulatory compliance can inhibit ministry opportunities for Christian camping ministries.
- My CCM Song of the Week: Shawn McDonald “We are Brave.”
- An Ohio pastor is organizing rallies to respond to ‘Jesus is Muslim’ billboards appearing regionally.
- The winner of the Praise Charts song contest was Bori Afolabi with a song reminiscent of Pharrell Williams’ current hit, called Whose Somebody. (Play it loud!)
- My favorite Tweet this week: @FlagrantRegard Would love to see this on a T-shirt: “Was chosen by God to be an Arminian but freely decided to become a Calvinist” (link)
- We do not have a link to anything related to Pope Francis this week. Link List staff are investigating.
- Finally, some Lutheran levity: The Gilbert & Sullivan Mass.
While leaving no Christian internet news stone unturned, Paul Wilkinson also writes at Thinking Out Loud, Christianity 201, and Twitter.
Thinking Out Loud 
I clicked on: How to Make a Bible Infographic; Evangelical Worship is Too Cheerful; To All the Girls Who Didn’t Say No; The J.B. Phillips Bible; Repentant Pastor; Obsolete Church Tracts; Post Traumatic Church Disorder; and, the Flagrant Regard retweet. Are you not on Facebook?
Comment by Joel Black — April 2, 2014 @ 10:05 am
Don’t expect to see me on Facebook or LinkedIn anytime soon. Both are far too invasive. And yesterday I learned that the “Card Crunch” smartphone app is owned by LinkedIn and records all the business cards you scan in a central database.
Comment by paulthinkingoutloud — April 2, 2014 @ 10:34 am
You have no link for Pope Francis this week . . . one thing I’ve asked on Twitter and my blog but have yet to receive a single answer is for a recommendation on a Pope Francis biography. Do you have any? Or, can you post a recommendation next week?
Comment by Joel Black — April 2, 2014 @ 10:07 am
I’ve actually been keeping an eye on this. The primary market, obviously, is Roman Catholic, and what they seem to be more interested in is transcripts of his teachings. But there are some biographies out there, I’ll see what I can do.
Comment by paulthinkingoutloud — April 2, 2014 @ 10:36 am