When several hundred Lutherans in Bavaria, Germany, attended a service on June 9, 2023, designed by ChatGPT, the program not only selected hymns and prayers, but also composed and delivered a sermon, delivered by an avatar on a big screen. Indeed, programs like ChatGPT, that can produce a sermon in seconds, might seem attractive to Read more
A great deal has been heard of late about the use of vaccine mandates to control who can and cannot work in various organisations, from hospitals to schools, and who will or will not be allowed to attend concerts and sporting fixtures. In the midst of what can be a confusing scene, the leaders of Read more
For years the church talked a lot about the holiness of God and the righteousness of God, and for years the church told us we should have the fear of God. When you walked into a church sanctuary, there was a reverent tone. But then there was a swing in the other direction. Of course, Read more
Praying through the tedium at Mass can be a more authentic way of sharing the divine life. As citizens of late modern life, we seek to avoid boredom. We alleviate the stillness of a quiet moment by turning to our smartphones. We delight in the arrival of new emails, fresh stories and notifications from social Read more
It’s often said Church is a place of solitude, reflection and silence. But that’s not the case at Joyful Ministries – a monthly church service and social group with activities for people with intellectual disabilities in Hamilton. Church goers are encouraged to express themselves by singing and being as loud as they please. Organiser Jeni Read more
So many churches pour money and energy into flashy worship services meant to make teenagers and young adults think that church is cool. But it turns out cool isn’t what young people want. Forget the rock-band vibe and the flashing lights. Warm is the new cool. For our book “Growing Young,” we researched more than Read more
Church authorities fear that a new Psychoactive Substances Bill in Britain could lead to the banning of the use of incense in church worship. The bill as it currently stands is worded so broadly that the use of incense in worship would be an unwitting casualty of the new legislation. The Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service, Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship has suggested an appendix to the Roman Missal contain parts of the extraordinary form of the Mass. In an article in L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Robert Sarah stated that the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy should not be read with a “hermeneutic of rupture”. “It would be wrong Read more
If your church has one service at 11:00 am on Sunday mornings, it is likely in the minority. In a recent reader survey we conducted with 1,649 responses, slightly over half of the congregations had only one worship service on Sunday morning, and the times of that single service varied. The “sacred hour” of 11:00 Read more
We are people of the Way, an ancient term for the first Christians which is found in the Acts of the Apostles. Jesus showed us that way throughout his whole life on earth, but this way becomes particularly clear and calls to us most profoundly in the events of Holy Week, not only by Jesus’s Read more