By Curtis Honeycutt Dear “Wounded”: Just the mention of the word “church” leaves a bad taste in your mouth and may cause you to throw up in your mouth a little. You recall old scars that you’ve been trying to cover up for years. I get that. At some point (or maybe for much of … Continue reading Open Letter to those Wounded by Church
By George Elerick In Gainesville, Florida a church is encouraging their members to burn the Quran in remembrance of the victims of 9/11. Their hopes are to rally as many people together from 6pm to 9pm on the day and burn the holy book from a religion they deem is “from the devil.” The church … Continue reading Power and Love: When Churches Burn the Koran
By Mary DeMuth When we came home from France after being church planters there for two and a half years, I received an email from a friend asking me if we’d missed God by going there in the first place. After all, we came home early, so maybe our going had been a failure on … Continue reading God, Success, and Failed French Church Plants
By Tera Shelton During a year of volunteer work in the city, God began working in my heart to show me how I had been trying to contain Him in the boxes that I felt comfortable with. I knew God, I knew His Word, I knew what to do,say or pray to feel close to … Continue reading Poem: Free from Cardboard Box Religion
By George Elerick We long for paradise. It’s as if something deep down cries out within us and reminds of how it used to be, or at least how it’s meant to be. We long for a state of existence where pain isn’t in our vocabulary. A place where strife, war, anger, lust, and hurt … Continue reading Longing for Paradise: A Jewish View of Heaven
By Tim Chermak Much has been written recently concerning the budding phenomenon of faith-based media. The Christian church is experiencing a revolution in how it approaches media, as more and more pastors are now using Twitter, Facebook, and other communication channels to spread the good news. A renaissance is brewing. In the midst of … Continue reading The Godfather of Christian Media: Exploring the Sermon
By George Elerick God is a metaphor for the realization that there are experiences beyond our words. Theology, by definition, is “words” about a deity. Theology is something that is uttered between friends and enemies. At times, theology creates more enemies than friends. More wars than peace. More destruction than beauty. As is, theology as … Continue reading Breaking the Lightbulbs: How to Silence Theology
By Tim Chermak Wrecked recently got a chance to hear about Brandon J. O’Brien’s new book The Strategically Small Church. Here’s a look at the discussion we had with the author: What initially led you to explore the idea of a “strategically small church?” The fact is, most churches are small churches-something like 95 percent of … Continue reading Interview with Brandon J. O’Brien: The Strategically Small Church
By Tim Chermak For millions across the globe, Earth Day is the once a year opportunity to rally support for a favorite cause, celebrate the planet, and work to make it a better place to live. In honor of this sacred annual occasion, I propose the following: Let’s boycott Heaven. Really, when it comes down … Continue reading Boycott Heaven: A Celebration of Earth Day
By Karen Swank I almost walked out of church today, at the beginning of the sermon. Ever done that? Walked out of church, I mean? I haven’t. Though, there have been a number of times over the years that I “almost” have. My overwhelming desire to vacate the premises quickly usually happens amidst what I … Continue reading Better Questions than Answers