Magazine
Prodigal magazine was created in 2005 by Jason Wenell for “men of integrity.” It did well and in 2012 it was taken over and revamped by two new guys who wanted to expand the audience to “sons and daughters” of God. They put out some great articles. Topics include relationships, justice and faith/church. While there are advertisements, they are relevant to the subject matter and unobtrusive. Oh, and they’re there because subscriptions are free. Recently I enjoyed the article “Love in a Taco Shop.” It begins: “The first time as an adult that I felt like God actually loved me, I was eating tacos. I wasn’t in a church, wasn’t fasting or praying. I wasn’t by the ocean, I wasn’t on a mission trip, I wasn’t pouring my heart out over bread and wine with a friend.” What’s not to love?
Find it @ prodigalmagazine.com
Church Media
NewSpring Church is a part of the Southern Baptist Church. It’s located in South Carolina and it has a goal of reaching 100,000 people for Christ. The church is multi – site with 13 different campuses. Each one has its own on – site “campus pastor.” It’s one of the largest churches in the United States. With the help of his mentor Bill Hybels, founder and lead pastor Perry Noble brought the church to life in 1999.
Now Perry Noble is no stranger to controversy and his church isn’t all that different from most other mega – church models. So what’s so great about them?
Well, while I don’t agree with much of their theology or find the minister particularly impressive, what I am impressed with—very impressed with actually—is the church’s website. Upcoming sermons are posted like movie trailers. They have mastered the art of these things. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before. They pretty much grab you, put you in the pew and force you to watch. It’s basically the most impressive form of church marketing I’ve ever seen.
Find it @ newspring.cc — Click on “Watch,” pick a few, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Personality
John Howard Yoder was one of the world’s most prominent Christian ethicists. He was a Th.D. student under Karl Barth, a prolific writer and a professor at the University of Notre Dame. He had been most well – known for his work, The Politics of Jesus.
However, in the early 1990s, rumours began to circulate that Yoder had been inappropriate with several female students. More accusations would come. Protests at my brother’s alma mater, Bethel College, resulted in Yoder’s cancellation as a speaker and that soon led to official complaints. Later that year, Yoder faced a disciplinary case through the Mennonite Church. At this point Yoder was nearly 70 years old. Now it is important to note that Yoder submitted to the process, agreed to counselling for vaguely defined “unresolved issues” but was never removed from his position. Until his death, Yoder maintained his innocence. Yet more accusations come to light each year.
In December of 2013, the publishing company for most of Yoder’s books decided to do something rather bold. They added a note to the introduction of each future publication of his books. A statement released by publisher MennoMedia states that each book will include the following: “John Howard Yoder (1927–1997) was perhaps the most well – known Mennonite theologian in the twentieth century. While his work on Christian ethics helped define Anabaptism to an audience far outside the Mennonite Church, he is also remembered for his long – term sexual harassment and abuse of women.” There are three more paragraphs that follow.
Find it @ mennomedia.org
