Dr. James Emery White

Strange that a famed atheist bemoans the loss of what Christianity has brought to culture, and an agnostic the loss of what Christianity brought to the dynamics of human community. They both reject the faith itself but also mourn the loss of its influence.

Specifically, there has been a trend across genres toward the "simplification of lyrics and an overuse of choruses." Further, the "vocabulary range has also shrunk and the structure of the songs made more predictable."

The story isn't dropping church attendance. The biggest and most concerning revelation is the number one reason people gave for leaving a faith tradition. 67% who left a faith tradition did so because they simply stopped believing in that religion's teachings.

All things COVID might be over, but how it changed the world – and us – did not. Refusing to acknowledge those changes is neither helpful nor wise.

This is for all the church planters and their volunteers on post-Easter Monday, struggling to make it from week-to-week, and for the leaders and members of established churches that are anything but “mega”—well below the 200 threshold in terms of average attendance. I don’t know how Easter Sunday went for you, but I have a hunch.

The amazing thing about Good Friday is that it was – and is – part of the “good” declared by God at creation. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, NIV). The Fall was not good; sin, disobedience and suffering are not good. But God’s purpose in creation and the redemptive drama that ensued were – and are – good.

This past weekend has been known as Palm Sunday weekend. So what? It’s a fair question. In our culture, the significance of sacred days and times has long been forgotten.

The Zone of Interest recently won the Oscar for best international film along with the rare distinction of also being nominated – as an international film – for best picture. Why did I want us to watch this film? Not all staff development has to do with leadership principles or time management. There’s also a need for cultural awareness and spiritual insight.

The legends surrounding Patrick are… well, legendary. He reportedly drove the snakes out of Ireland into the sea. Whether true or not, there are no snakes in Ireland to this day. Another legend is that he used the shamrock to explain the Trinity.

Savannah Guthrie is the co-anchor of NBC News’ Today, NBC News’ chief legal correspondent, and a primary anchor for the network’s election coverage. A graduate of Georgetown Law, she is a New York Times bestselling author and executive producer of a Netflix show.