Ironwood Church

Why we will no longer be a welcoming church

We’ve decided to quit being a welcoming church. No kidding. We’re giving it up. Like so many congregations, we’ve sunk an amazing amount of time and energy into becoming a welcoming church. We changed worship styles, trained greeters and ushers, wore name tags, brewed coffee, went to workshops on hospitality and put our friendliest people …

Why Homosexuality Is Not Like Other Sins

Homosexuality is not the only sin prohibited in the Bible, but it is different from all the rest, at least right now. And we have really good news for homosexuals.

Should the Church Be Welcoming to Homosexuality?

Should the church be welcoming to practicing homosexuals? The answer depends on how you define the term "welcoming."

Go Big or Go Home: How "Big" Has Invaded the Church

Is our obsession with big churches rooted in mission our just our desire for “big”?

Why Are So Many Single Women are Leaving the Church?

A few years ago, I attended the Women of the World festival in London. Arriving late, I hurried up to a panel called ‘Faith and Feminism,” which featured a panel…

What Is a Healthy Way to Leave a Church?

Leaving the church is painful for Christians and pastors, and we've seen a lot of it over the last couple of years through COVID, election crises, and racial crises.

The Joy of Generosity: 10 Reasons Christians Should Love to Give

Imagine what Christian outreach might look like if the church wasn’t constrained by a lack of financial resources.

“Does the Christian church need different denominations?”

Where Can Women Teach? Eight Principles for Christian Churches

How do women honor God’s pattern of male headship in the church while also exercising a spiritual gift of teaching?

Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO

Is your church online? Most people start looking for things online. So, your church needs to be online for them to find you. Knott Avenue Christian Church is doing that. See how and see what the results have been.

The Ever-Growing Religious Movement That Doesn't Get Enough Attention

Is it Religious Freedom or Just Religious Opinion?

We don't need any more “religious freedom” laws, but we could certainly use more graciously religious people. Instead of laws, we need more people of faith, free enough from prejudice and arrogance and condescension, to be able to express convictions with compassion – not just with passion.

Why Religious Cops Live Longer Than Non-Religious Cops

Most of us serving as police officers have considered our mortality, especially in light of the dangers we face every day. No one is guaranteed a long life, but everyone strives to lengthen the days and years we get to spend with family and friends. All of us are interested in living longer. Recent studies […]

How Religious Are You?

Pew Research has developed a typology of religion based on "how religious" a person is, along with the nature of that religious belief.

How Religious Are The World Religions?

How religious are the world religions? Most “religions” do not conceive themselves as doctrinal systems.

What is Religious Liberty?

The Baptist Joint Committee advocates a “golden rule” of religious liberty: Do not ask government to promote your religion if you don’t want government to promote somebody else’s religion; and do not permit government to hinder somebody else’s religion if you don’t want government to hinder your own religion.

Is yoga religious?

Many outsiders to contemporary popularized yoga profoundly trivialize it by reducing it to a mere commodity of global market capitalism and to impotent borrowings from or “rebrandings” of traditional, authentic religious products. In other words, according to this account, popularized yoga can be reduced to mere commodities meant to fulfill utilitarian needs or meet hedonistic desires.

Legalism or Love? Religious or Radical?

If you’re struggling with legalism, don’t fight it by quitting your quiet times. That’s the good advice I remember once hearing from a pastor.<br>In other words, there’s a temptation to presumably fight legalism by running away from good things…