Community-minded Pastor Redefines Expectations

When you mention "pastor" and "election" in the same breath, many people react negatively. But for Don Coleman, a minister in Richmond, Virginia's East End, the two go hand in hand.

An active minister in his struggling neighborhood, Coleman decided he could make a difference for the community by running for the local school board. On the third try, he got elected, and since has worked tirelessly both as a minister and on behalf of parents. His efforts have not gone?unnoticed.

"People appreciate the fact that I'm not just on the school board. That, as a minister, I'm investing here in the community … people see that as somebody who authentically cares and wants to see things get better here. … As a believer, I see public service as part of our DNA."

Sometimes, redefining expectations looks like local politics, like long board meetings, like neighborhood playgrounds slowly starting to fill up again.—From Christianity Today's "This is Our City" project.

Pope: The Internet "a Gift from God"

In a world [of increasing human conflict], media can help us to feel closer to one another, creating a sense of the unity of the human family which can in turn inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life for all. Good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity. The walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another. We need to resolve our differences through forms of dialogue which help us grow in understanding and mutual respect. A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive. Media can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the networks of human communication have made unprecedented advances. The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God.

—Pope Francis, "The Internet is a Gift From God," CNN.com.

More Skin on Little Screens = More Skin on the Big Screen

More films at the box office are being rated "R"aunchy, largely given the prevalence of pornography and sexually explicit media easily available through the internet and smartphones.

"No longer taboo" the BBC says of the growing trend for more explicit scenes. "When you scan the list of 2013's films, you could be forgiven for thinking that today's directors have sex on the brain."

The BBC's Nicholas Barber continues: "Henry Fitzherbert, film critic of UK newspaper The Sunday Express, believes that the sexual floodgates have been opened by 'the normalisation of pornography.' The internet is so awash with porn sites, risqué music videos, and raunchy Twitter 'selfies,' he argues, that sex scenes are no longer taboo in cinemas. Ironically, however, the ubiquity of such online imagery also means that people are less likely to pay to see it in cinemas."

"While a certain demographic might be swayed by the promise of saucy scenes in movies," says Anna Smith, a film critic for Time Out London, "the size of that group must be vastly reduced since the advent of the internet. Porn is readily available online, so no one with a computer or mobile phone is going to see Nymphomaniac for sexual kicks."

Jonathan Romney, another critic, agrees. "Recent reports suggest that sexual content is actually a turn-off for the box office," he says. "Mainstream audiences simply aren't interested, not on the big screen, at least."

Films with sexual themes are, of course, not necessarily problematic in themselves. Christianity Today even included the recent Lovelace, a surprisingly moral movie about the "less-than-glamorous" life of abused and exploited porn actress Linda Lovelace in their 2013 film picks. But more explicit skin in the cinema shows are changing cultural attitudes that impact you and your church with far more than just an "R" rating.

—From LeadershipJournal.net's "Trendwatch"

Skye Jethani on "What Pastors Can Learn from 007"

"While the popular model of ministry today views pastors more like M—the organizational chief who determines the agents' missions—the New Testament presents a model of church leadership that looks more like Q [the Quartermaster responsible for supplying Bond with needed equipment for his missions].

" … Like Bond's quartermaster, leaders are to 'equip' Christ's people. This equipping is first applied to our common calling to '[build] up the body of Christ.' In other words, leaders equip us to serve one another within the community of Christians so that we may all grow in our communion with Christ. Here's another way of thinking about church leaders: the pastor's specific calling (to equip the saints) allows us to accomplish our common calling (to build up the church family), so that we all attain our highest calling (to live in unity with Christ)."

—From Futureville (Thomas Nelson, 2014).

Blessed Are The Poor, for They Shall … Know the Meaning of Life?

"Blessed are the poor," Jesus said, and the implications of that statement are rich enough to meditate on for eternity. One example of that principle was recently observed by researchers drawing on Gallup poll data gleaned from thousands of participants worldwide:

An analysis of polling data from 132 nations shows that religious belief appears to be the main reason why people in poor countries see greater meaning in life than residents of wealthy countries, say Shigehiro Oishi of the University of Virginia and Ed Diener of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Among the nations with the highest sense that life has meaning are Niger, Sierra Leone, Togo, Ethiopia, Laos, and Ecuador. By connecting daily experiences with a coherent belief system, religion plays a critical role in helping people construct meaning out of extreme hardship, the authors say.

What's the meaning of life? Answers may vary, but the poor have a better handle on it than the rich. Not quite what you'd expect.

Unless you take Jesus seriously.

—Harvard Business Review referencing Psychological Science, "Residents of Poor Nations Have a Greater Sense of Meaning in Life Than Residents of Wealthy Nations"

Spiritual Shift

" … [E]ven in one year, the spiritual climate has notably shifted," says Barna's latest report on America's most (and least) "Bible-minded" cities. While much of the map looks the same as 2013's, there are some changes. For one, the Midwest's representation of high scriptural savvy has dropped a bit. Most notable though, is California's three-way tie for a spot in the bottom five. San Franciso, Oakland, and San Jose join East Coast standards, such as Providence, R.I., right down there at the bottom.—From Barna.org