Culture Archives - Page 13 of 16 - Baptist & Reflector

DON’T LET A COFFEE CUP DIM HIS LIGHT

December 3, 2015

By Todd Brady
Todd Brady, Vice President for University Ministries, Union University, Jackson

Todd Brady

Since Starbucks released its plain red 2015 holiday season cups, a social media storm has been brewing among two groups of Christians — those who find themselves offended and those who couldn’t care less. Starbucks has said that simplicity motivated their seasonal design while one news agency responded to their latest style of holiday cups by exclaiming, “War on Christmas: Starbucks Red Cups are Emblematic of the Christian Culture Cleansing of the West.”

Each year at the beginning of the Christmas season, Starbucks changes the color of their coffee cups from white to red (a genius marketing idea). After enjoying several Pumpkin Spice Lattes throughout the Thanksgiving season, I always look forward to drinking a Peppermint Mocha in a Christmas cup — complete with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. [Read more…]

‘EVANGELICAL’ DEFINED AFTER NEW RESEARCH

December 3, 2015

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — The National Association of Evangelicals and LifeWay Research released an evangelical beliefs research definition Nov. 19 for accurate and consistent use among researchers.

NAE initiated development of the research definition more than two years ago. In partnership with LifeWay Research, the definition was crafted, reviewed, and tested for validity.

Numerous surveys seek to capture the opinions and practices of evangelicals in the United States. From tithing behaviors to political inclinations, evangelicals are regularly identified in research and polls. Because researchers use different tools to identify evangelicals, results vary from poll to poll. Even the estimated number of U.S. evangelicals ranges from 23 percent to 35 percent of American adults. [Read more…]

WOMEN DISTRUST CHURCH ON ABORTION ISSUE

December 2, 2015

LifeWay news office

NASHVILLE — Many women with unplanned pregnancies go silently from the church pew to the abortion clinic, convinced the church would gossip rather than help, a new study by LifeWay Research shows.

More than four in 10 women who have had an abortion were churchgoers when they ended a pregnancy, researchers found in a survey sponsored by Care Net, a nonprofit organization supporting more than 1,100 pregnancy centers across North America.
“That’s a huge opportunity for the church to have an impact on those decisions,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research.

But only 7 percent of women discussed their abortion decision with anyone at church. Three-fourths (76 percent) say the church had no influence on their decision to terminate a pregnancy. [Read more…]

AMERICAN GIRL, STARBUCKS PROMPT ‘BOYCOTT’ TALK

November 18, 2015

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — As retailers open the Christmas shopping season, One Million Moms is calling for a boycott of American Girl products and the parent company Mattel, because American Girl Magazine’s November/December cover features a gay couple and its four adoptive children. The morality watchdog group’s call comes even as various media outlets report that some Christians are opposed to the new Starbucks holiday cup, although no Christian group has been specifically identified as calling for a Starbucks boycott. Instead, Christians have decried news of a boycott of the coffee chain.

The American Girl controversy arose after the magazine featured a story about an 11-year-old girl and her two adoptive dads, whom she refers to as “Daddy” and “Dada.” The magazine could have spotlighted adoption with a family that promotes biblical values, One Million Moms said. [Read more…]

STUDY: THANKFULNESS STILL PRIORITY AT THANKSGIVING

November 13, 2015

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE (BP) — For Americans, Thanksgiving is about faith and family, and not much else, a new study shows.

More than half (56 percent) tell LifeWay Research the most important part of the annual holiday is “being thankful to God for my blessings.” Nearly 4 in 10 (39 percent) say “time with family and friends” tops their Thanksgiving priorities.

Times of prayer and thanking God for the harvest stretch back to the Protestant Reformation in Europe and continued as Pilgrims and Puritans settled in America. While Abraham Lincoln tried to establish a settled day for the holiday, Thanksgiving was not set as the fourth Thursday of November until 1941. [Read more…]

THREAT OF DIVORCE HARD TO SPOT AMONG CHURCHGOING COUPLES

October 30, 2015

By Lisa Cannon Green
LifeWay News

NASHVILLE – Before a divorce, churchgoers in troubled marriages look a lot like their happily married counterparts at church—participating, serving, and leading at similar rates.

After a divorce, the differences can be stark. Twenty percent have dropped out of church entirely. In many cases, their children have stopped attending too. A third give less to the church than they did before. Their churches report leadership voids and fractured relationships.

Yet pastors may have difficulty helping couples save their marriages, because churchgoers on the brink of separation often keep quiet at church about their marital woes.

Those are among the findings of new research by Nashville-based LifeWay Research. The study, sponsored by Focus on the Family, surveyed Protestant pastors, churchgoing Americans in healthy marriages, and churchgoing Americans who divorced in the past five years. [Read more…]

FALL FESTIVAL SAFETY TIPS FOR CHURCHES

October 28, 2015

Baptist Press

Fall festivals as outreach events can be fun but experts say proper precautions are vital. This photo of a fall festival at Northpark Baptist Church in Trussville, Ala., was taken in 2014.
-Photo provided by The Alabama Baptist

JASPER, Ala. (BP) — Fall festivals can be fun but broken bones, food poisoning and burns are not. That’s why churches should take steps to protect themselves and their guests from unnecessary risks during special outreach events, experts say.

Before hosting any special event, a church should first make sure its insurance policy covers activities that are outside the normal ministry schedule.

“From a risk management standpoint, what often happens is that churches don’t think about exposures. They are only thinking about having fun. Danger doesn’t even cross their mind,” said Arthur Williams, an account executive with insurance firm Byars Wright Inc. in Jasper, Ala.

However, some insurance policies have special events exclusions, which mean if an injury or accident happens during the event the church has no insurance protection. A church needs to know the specifics of what its insurance policy will and will not cover.

“Check with your agent and confirm there is no exclusion and that the church does have liability and medical payments coverage for special events held on the premises,” Williams said. “Most of the time, you should be able to get your insurer to include that within your policy if it’s not already included.” [Read more…]

KEEP HALLOWEEN IN PERSPECTIVE

October 28, 2015

Eli, aka Spider-Man, and Parker, a cuddly teddy bear.

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

As it has been for centuries, Halloween will be observed on Oct. 31.

According to a study by LifeWay Research, nearly a third of Americans avoid the celebration of Halloween or at least its pagan elements. I agree wholeheartedly with avoiding the pagan elements, but I’m not completely sold on the fact that it is necessary to avoid Halloween completely, especially for younger children.

When I was a kid (I actually was one, believe it or not), we celebrated Halloween. I didn’t know or care about the history of Halloween. All I cared about was that it provided an opportunity to dress up in a costume and get free candy. In those days, candy was a special treat, not the norm that it is today.

The older I grew the less I cared about Halloween. And, as a Christian, I certainly do not like the pagan elements associated with Halloween and the evil that some have associated it with. [Read more…]

MOST AMERICANS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN: LIFEWAY RESEARCH

October 28, 2015

By Carol Pipes
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — When it comes to Halloween, most Americans don¹t have a problem celebrating the spooky holiday. Yet, one-third say they avoid Halloween or its pagan elements.

Although three in five Americans told LifeWay Research Halloween is “all in good fun,” 21 percent avoid the holiday completely and another 14 percent avoid the pagan elements.

Halloween has been known in North America since colonial days. But it wasn’t until Irish immigrants brought their Halloween customs to America in the 1840s the festival grew in popularity. Since then, it has been woven into the fabric of American culture. By the 1950s, Halloween was mostly considered a children’s holiday celebrated with costumes and candy. [Read more…]

EVEN NON-RELIGIOUS SEE EVIDENCE OF CREATOR

October 21, 2015

By Lisa C. Green
Lifeway News Office

NASHVILLE — Life didn’t just happen, most Americans say — and a surprising number of nonreligious people agree.

More than 4 in 10 of the nonreligious believe physics and humanity point to a creator, LifeWay Research finds. A third say human morality indicates a creator who defines right and wrong.

And although the nonreligious are less likely than other Americans to see evidence of a creator, they are more likely to agree (46 percent) than disagree (40 percent) with the statement: “Since the universe has organization, I think there is a creator who designed it.”

Traditional evidences for belief in a creator resonate with most Americans, including many of the nonreligious, said Ed Stetzer, executive director of Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

“People who seek to set out reasons to believe, often called apologetics, have historically framed their argument in similar ways,” Stetzer said. “The large number of nonreligious people agreeing with some of these arguments points us to a surprising openness to classic apologetic arguments. Or, put another way, even nonreligious people are open to the idea there is a creator.”

Not blind chance

Human life and a complex universe are powerful indicators of creation, Americans say. In a survey of 1,000 Americans, LifeWay Research found almost 8 in 10 (79 percent) believe the existence of human life means someone created it, while 72 percent think the organization of the universe shows a creator’s design. [Read more…]

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