More linking, for your thinking

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 5 churchy phrases that are scaring off millennials  -- "When I returned to church, it wasn’t because of great programs, alluring events or a really cool “café” set up in the foyer. I went back not because of what the church was doing, but rather in spite of it."
* 6 Reasons Not to Abandon Expository Preaching -- "Puritan theologian William Perkins wrote that preaching "'has four great principles: to read the text distinctly, from canonical Scripture; to give it sense and understanding according to the Scripture itself; to collect a few profitable points of doctrine out of its natural sense; and to apply, if you have the gift, the doctrines to the life and manner of men in a simple and plain speech.'"
* Atheist 'mega-churches' take root across US, world -- "Sunday Assembly — whose motto is Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More — taps into that universe of people who left their faith but now miss the community church provided, said Phil Zuckerman, a professor of secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont."
* Identity Crisis -- "Let's face it, the truth is we do not want to “lose” members and “lose” money. We will employee whatever new and cool idea we have and hope it adds to our membership."
* Killing Christians With Impunity? -- "When I was a child, I somehow picked up the notion that persecution against the Christian church basically ended with the collapse of the Roman Empire."
* Obamacare's Insurance Cancellations: A Feature, Not a Bug -- "While the White House was seemingly caught off-guard by people angry over rising rates, anyone who’d taken a close look at Obamacare saw this coming months ago."
* The Five Reasons for Church Discipline -- "The goal of chastening is not mere outward conformity to established standards, but an inner commitment of the heart and will to obey biblical mandates because it is right to obey."
* Whitley County Cross Country Runner Refuses To Run After Being Assigned "666" Number -- "[Cross country runner Codie] Thacker couldn't bring herself to run while wearing '666' because of her faith. So, she and her coach tried to get a different number. They asked three different officials. They were told no three different times."
With Warmest Regards: The 12 Most Annoying Email Habits You See Every Day -- "Email is a universal plague, though some people make it feel more of a plague than others."