Will the iPad Replace the Bible?

That is the title of this article that is very relevant given our discussion of religious apps and products in today's lecture.

"There are different churches for different people," says Josh Burns, marketing manager and blogger for Social Church. "There are churches that are going to invest heavily in the arts and music and technology, and they're going to reach a certain demographic of people that another church who may intentionally decide not to invest in those things may not reach. [Technology] has definitely changed the dynamic of the church and the people inside the church, but I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing. It's a tight line to walk."

Why is this is a tight line to walk?  What trade-offs exist for a church that is considering how it adopts technology?  Can you imagine how the printing press changed religion 500 years ago?

Religious Apps Winter 2015

Here is a list of the religious apps and other products submitted by class members.  Non-app products are denoted by *.

Bible Study
3D Salah Guide
ChristianMingle Singles Dating
Daily Bible Devotion
Free Bible Trivia Quiz Game
Religious Quotes
Christian Radio+
GCSE Religious Studies
Smart Church
Gospel Library
Bible Trivia
Church Castor Lite
OneParish
Pray God's Will
The Bible Game*
JSwipe
Harvest
My First Bible Stories
Children's Bible Games & Activities
Learn Iqra
Cavalry Chapel Costa Mesa
Bible Quiz - Christian & Religion Trivia
PocketBible
Saddleback Church
myParish
FlyRights
Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism
Alive Festival*
GoBible*
ChristianCafe
Christian Filipina
Faithlife
EWTN

How Churches Can Attract the 'Nones"

That is the title of this Deseret News article. from yesterday.  Some quotes from the Rev. Tom Ehrich, an Episcopal priest and church consultant, are particularly interesting.

Here are some good quotes about :

Ehrich, who is based in New York City, said church leaders need to consider ways to meet the needs of newer generations. Today, he said, many congregations have become stuck in a rut accommodating older members.

"The average age (of members) in a mainline church is somewhere between 62 and 66; 20 years ago it was between 42 and 46," Ehrich explained. "We've missed two successive generations of young adults, and the same people who stuck around are getting older. We can't go on much longer before the 66-year-olds are 76 and 86. That's why the (churches) are closing."

... "Churches that are growing have small groups, high mission activities, mission teams, lots of people engaging with each other, and digital dialogues," he said. "The mainline churches and many churches are resisting it because people don't want" those changes, preferring traditional routines.

...Church consultant Ehrich said congregations also need to position themselves as providing answers to the questions those seekers eventually will bring.

"What the churches have to communicate is this is what they're about and not keeping up tradition," he said.

Some questions:  Why have some churches become stuck accommodating older members rather than younger members?  What challenges will a group face in changing how it accommodates the desires of different members?

Economist's Analysis of United Methodist Church

Economist Don House, a life-long member of the United Methodist Church (UMC) and chair of that church's Economic Advisory Committee, has projected long-run decline in the UMC in the United States.  His projections help shape denominational budgets, but they are also sparking discussion within the denomination about its future more generally.  This article summarizes some of the issues.  I recommend that you also browse the full report of his analysis here, but do not read it very closely unless you are interested.  Just get a sense of the kind of analysis done.

Some questions for you to think about as you read the article:

• Why is it useful for churches to have these kinds of projections when planning church operations?
• What has happened to UMC average worship attendance recently?
• Why did House say that the UMC is gracefully closing its doors?
• What does House mean when he said that "the denomination has church buildings that were in the right locations in 1952 but not for today?"

Churches Using Public School Buildings

A recent article in the Boston Review discusses "church planting" by evangelicals in Boston.  Church planting involves creating small, low-cost congregations, often using underused buildings.  A new approach is using public school buildings for church meetings, which can be rented at little-to-no cost.  Read the article.  Why is church planing an effective strategy?  What challenges, legal or otherwise, do these churches face?

Pew Research Center Study on America's Changing Religious Landscape

The Pew Research Center has conducted a new survey on religion in America.  Their complete report is quite long, so you can just browse it.  But everyone should read the summary.

Here are some of the findings from the summary:

• Christians have declined in overall percentage share and in absolute numbers.
• Religious intermarriage is on the rise.
• Switching religion is a common occurrence.
• Evangelical Protestantism is the only major Christian group that has gained more members than lost via religious switching.

The overview chapter has some nice charts and tables showing changes from 2007 to 2014.

• The Protestant and Catholic shares have both declined.
• Orthodox Christian, Mormon, and Jehovah's Witnesses, and Jewish shares have remained steady.
• Muslim and Hindu shares have both increased, yet the shares are quite low (each less than 1%).
• Atheist and Agnostic have both increased.

USCIRF Annual Report 2015

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report on religious freedom around the world.  Press release here and full report (200+ pages pdf) here.  You will learn more about the USCIRF later in the quarter, but for now you should read the brief Introduction and Overview found in the full report.  You do not need to read the full report, but  you should browse it and pick a few countries to read about the types of religious freedom violations occurring around the world.

The USCIRF recommends that the following countries be redesignated as "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPCs) where severe violations of religious freedom are perpetrated or tolerated by the government:  Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

It also recommends the the following be added to the list of CPCs:  Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

Still other countries are noted as ones with governments that engage in or tolerate violations of religious rights of individuals.

Rajdeep Singh Podcast on Sikhism

The lastest Research on Religion Podcast is an interview with Rajdeep Singh about Sikhism and religious liberty.  Listen and enjoy .. and be sure to do the homework question.