Five for Friday: Who Needs Church, Cadillacs, Titus 2

By Stan Friedman

CHICAGO, IL (February 14, 2014) — Many Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos with one another that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of any views expressed.

Is Church Really Necessary, and Is That Even the Right Question?

Donald Miller of Blue Like Jazz fame caused quite the stir with his recent posts about why he rarely goes to church. The above link is the third in a series, and you can check out the links he includes to the previous columns. He raises some points worth considering, and I’d venture that lots of Christians would agree with some, if not most, of them. On the other hand, Christianity Today’s Ed Stetzer has written an excellent response. Music quiz: Which punk band’s lyrics does he include in the headline?

21 Things That Shouldn’t Be Said to Sexual Abuse Victims

It’s hard to believe Christians would say these things, but they do. I’ve heard them said to victims. If you really want to help, try checking out the Covenant’s Advocacy for Victims of Abuse site.

Cadillac Commercial Encourages Worship at Altar of Work and Stuff

I have two problems with this commercial. 1) I like it. 2) The author’s critique of it is right. I hate it when that happens.

If Men Were Given the Titus 2 Treatment

Another reason to consider how you do your proof texting: someone else just might do it the same way.

If Jesus Were a Hipster, Emerging Post-Evangelical

I love parody, and hipsters are ripe to be its target. Like good parody, this one has an important underlying message. As for hipster, I didn’t even know the word existed until a couple of weeks ago when I learned of it from posts by some Covenant worship leaders. Does that mean I wasn’t hip? Am I now? I’m pretty sure I wasn’t in the ’70s, and I’m apparently not in the 2010s.

Picture of The Covenant Companion

The Covenant Companion

The Covenant Companion brings together stories and voices that connect, inform, and inspire. Subscribe to our print edition.
CONTINUE READING

Explore More Stories & News

Features

A Story of God’s Pursuing Love: Nicki’s Journey at Rock Harbor

After a devastating job loss, Nicki Andersen made God a promise: she’d read the Bible from cover to cover. What followed was a conversion, a baptism, and a community at Rock Harbor Church that would expand to embrace her granddaughter too, in the midst of her most difficult moments.

Features

The Joy of Choosing Broccoli

Intellectual agreement isn’t the same as living it out. Through honest stories of allyship and real advocacy in ministry, Jessica explores what women and men must do to build teams where everyone truly flourishes and grows stronger together.

Features

Jochebed: Lessons My Mother Taught Me

Julie Bromley traces a line from Moses’s mother, Jochebed, whose very name carried the glory of God, to her own mother, a Sunday school teacher and lifelong Bible student who taught her to ask hard questions and know who she belongs to.

Features

The Kitchen Where Work Is Prayer

How Covenant pastor and church planter Alex Song went from addiction and a Korean monastery to opening a community kitchen in Windsor, Ontario, where they feed neighbors, train teenagers, and create spaces of belonging.

Arts & Culture

Life or Death Circumstances

Adapting content from his new book, Don’t Despise Our Youth, Covenant pastor David A. Washington makes the case that the youth crisis gripping urban America is, at its core, a church problem. He proposes that we stop ministering to young people and start raising them up to minister to each

Features

Two Camps, One Centennial

Mission Springs and Covenant Point celebrate their 100th birthdays this year. From scrappy, faith-fueled beginnings, both ministries have become enduring places where generations of Covenant kids encounter God in creation, community, and a kind of holy foolishness.

CovChurch Now is a weekly email to share news, stories, and resources with the Covenant family.