Submit or Die

Americans hate that word “submit.” By its very nature it seems to indicate defeat. In the new fighting craze (names like Mixed Martial Arts, Ultimate Fighting, and so on), a match can end before the final bell without a knock-out if one fighter submits. They keep a statistic on defeats by submission. Many women cringe [...]

Great research–wrong conclusion

Two Harvard researchers recently released an article in Trends of Cognitive Science that have some interesting theological implications. The essence of the research is that a wide range of people all came to the same conclusions as to what was “right” when presented with a moral dilemma, regardless of their religious backgrounds (or lack thereof).

Babies, bathwater, and the Church

Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water! We’ve all heard this old saying. But did you know that this proverb was applied to the church as far back as 1526 by Martin Luther himself?1 I was reminded of that during my Bible time as I read the story of Moses receiving the Ten [...]

How to Impress People

Today it’s called “spin.” It’s the art of withholding information and choosing words to put the best possible face on something.

Follow-up to Jobs v. Obama

If you’re wondering if your language is appropriate for your listeners, and would like help in explaining things to them, see this video on Speaking in Christianese:

Are you more like President Obama or Steve Jobs

Two significant public presentations were made yesterday: one by Steve Jobs and one by President Barack Obama. The audience responses were quite different to the two presentations and provide food for thought for how people are responding when you speak. Yesterday morning (Pacific time), Steve Jobs addressed an audience in San Francisco where he announced [...]

Christians and Politics

If you’re not supposed to discuss religion or politics, I guess I’m likely to upset twice as many people by tackling this question. But the truth is that my opinion is changing, and I’d like to pass that on to those who have heard me discuss this in the past. I’ve summarized my feeling by [...]

Guest Post – What Star Trek Taught Me About Leadership

I’m delighted to welcome Michael Holmes, author of I Shall Raise Thee Up, as a guest blogger. To be honest, I haven’t been a Trekkie long. So don’t ask me about the time Kirk had dinner with the Klingons and they served Romulan pie! But I was won over after the 2009 version. It was [...]

A Middle-Class White Guy Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was working for a Fortune 500 company, and several of us were sitting in the plush lobby of a Manhattan hotel. We were representing our company at a trade show in New York City, and relaxing together in the evening. The group was mixed in race, and the conversation somehow moved to opportunities to [...]

What churches can learn from Dakota Indians

The Dakota Indians say that when you discover you are riding a dead horse you should dismount. But some churches today…