Ur Video: What Christmas is All About
December 23, 2011 12:00 AM
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All posts from “Christmas”
Skye Jethani: The Wrong War on Christmas
December 19, 2011 12:00 AM
A few years ago I was walking through Woodfield Mall, the largest one in Illinois, just before Christmas. I was disappointed to see that Santa’s grotto, where children waited in line for a brief one-on-one consultation with Mr. Claus, had...
91% of Churches Will Be Open on Christmas Day
November 29, 2011 3:04 PM
The folks at Lifeway have just released numbers from a survey they did among 1,000 Protestant pastors. They were asked, “Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on Sunday this year. As a result, does your church plan to have...
Closed for Christmas (Redux)
November 28, 2011 12:00 AM
Back in 2005 Christmas fell on a Sunday, and many churches (but especially megachurches) decided not to open for services. At the time we ran a series of articles about the decision, the media coverage, and the public's reaction. Well,...
Catalyst 2011 Justice and Mercy Part 1
October 7, 2011 11:49 AM
One of the things I appreciate about this conference is the beautiful blend of worship and compassion, evangelism and justice, love for the church and love for a broken world. The Catalyst culture promotes so much talk and action around...
Url's Links of the Week
December 22, 2010 12:00 AM
Urthlings, this is your leader. Here are videos, articles, and blog posts you should be reading this week. Live long and proselytize. Peace on Urth, Url Santa Executed The war on Christmas just got ugly. The leaders at Repent Amarillo—a...
The Christian Industrial Complex (Part 2)
December 17, 2010 12:00 AM
(Read part 1) In light of all the exciting movements addressing world hunger and peace, many with Christians in the forefront, I really believe Christian stores should be pioneers and innovators, rather than chameleons. Selling fair trade coffee is a...
The Christian Industrial Complex (Part 1)
December 15, 2010 12:00 AM
I went into a Christian bookstore the other day and was surprised to see some of the most prominent display space given over to military flags for the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. These flags, and a vast...
Url's Links of the Week
December 10, 2010 12:00 AM
Urbanitos, this is your jefe. Here are videos, articles, and blog posts you should be reading this week. Live largo and proselytize. Adios, Url Accountability stinks. New research from the Barna Group concludes that only 5 percent of Christians are...
Burger King Health Clinics and Christmas Humbug
December 21, 2009 12:00 AM
Today's newspaper contained some great news. Nearly $9 million of federal stimulus money is flowing to Portland in the form of a grant to open a health care clinic for the poor in the middle of downtown. And the best...
Urban Exile: Will Compassion Survive This Season?
December 19, 2008 12:00 AM
by David Swanson An excerpt... For all of our recent talk of being missional, these days of economic uncertainty may prove to be an important test. Serving and giving from a position of security is one thing; generosity to the...
Advent...the Conspiracy
December 18, 2008 12:00 AM
Our friends at Advent Conspiracy have produced a truly thought provoking video for this season. Is your church participating in this campaign? I'd love to hear about your experiences. If not, how would people react in your church if you...
Advent Conspiracy Videos
December 20, 2007 12:00 AM
Earlier this month Skye Jethani posted about the obstacles we face during the Advent season, and his church’s attempts to overcome the busyness and materialism of the season. Last week, David Swanson reported on the new film What Would Jesus...
The Obstacles of Advent
December 3, 2007 12:00 AM
Last week my wife and I got all of our Christmas shopping done - in one day. This blitzkrieg approach has become a tradition for us. It's like pulling a tooth; better to have the whole thing out at once....
Who Will Save Thanksgiving?
November 22, 2006 12:00 AM
Wal-Mart announced this week they will return the word "Christmas" to their seasonal greetings. Good move, especially given their faithful hick-hop constituency. No more generic salutations that so many of us carped about last year, when many merchants dropped Christ...
Closed for Christmas 3: Scot McKnight's Good Will Toward Megachurches
December 20, 2005 12:00 AM
Advent 2005, rather than a season of peace and good will, may be remembered as a month when cantankerous Christians did battle with the culture and one another. This was the year a Florida church spread Christmas spirit with a...
Closed for Christmas 2: The Megachurch Response
December 15, 2005 1:41 PM
By now it seems everyone has formed an opinion about the decision of megachurches throughout the country to not hold services on Sunday, December 25th. Some see it as proof that the American church has surrendered to consumerism. Others believe...
Closed for Christmas: The Ghost of Christmas Past
December 9, 2005 12:04 AM
The media frenzy over the decision of megachurches throughout the country to close their doors on Christmas day doesn't seem to be dying down, and numerous articles are framing the action as unprecedented. But is that accurate? Although likely unaware...