, a part of the Pew Research Center, has come out with another interesting survey. The Research Center is a nonpartisan and nonadvocacy group that was started in 2001 and “seeks to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public life.” It provides a neutral venue for discussions on these issues and many others.
In this most recent poll, 3412 people were given a 32 question survey (you can take a sample to see how you fare) to distill their ambient knowledge of religious facts.
Here is a bit of the Executive Summary. You can find the whole thing .
Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.
On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers. Jews and Mormons do about as well, averaging 20.5 and 20.3 correct answers, respectively. Protestants as a whole average 16 correct answers; Catholics as a whole, 14.7.
Go ahead and take the quiz and let me know how you did. I got 14 out of the 15 sample questions right. But hey, I am in the biz right? 
Peace, Jim
A couple of days ago I posted on the new at Northern Seminary in the Chicago area.
So, I wanted to take a look at why this new program is not just exciting in its own right, but is a good move forward for the missional church. So, in no particular order, here are a few reasons I am amped about this new D. Min and a bit envious of those who get to take advantage of it…
1) , , and . These guys have an intriguing blend of theological backgrounds and present perspectives on the scriptures and practices within the church. They have written some quite compelling books over the last few years, on missiology, the church and how we seek to follow Christ in our post-Christian world. More than that though, they are strong thinkers. They are able to take the trajectory the Church has been on over the centuries and carry it forward into our world today. In my experience, that is rare to walk in a healthy balance. They are certainly not the only ones to do so, but they are doing it.
2) The program blends theology and practice (as they always should be) in a local church expression arc. Dave Fitch(who I know the best of the three) is deeply committed to the church and to remaining involved in its leadership. In fact, he remains a co-pastor at . Theology, like many pursuits, needs to remain deeply rooted to its most basic expression. The farther you get away from the nuts and bolts world of leading people and being led by them, of revealing your soul to others and receiving their revelation, of extending grace and receiving grace; the more disconnected it becomes from its purpose.
3) It accomodates those who, like me, are unable to engage the standard seminary experience. Being based out of week long intensives, it provides the immersive experience that living and breathing these issues can bring. You develop with a cohort of others who are asking similar questions, reflecting on similar things. But, you don’t have to live in the area to be a part and you don’t have to have all your days free. This is nice. It also uses technology well for what technology can deliver.
4) The missional movement within the evangelical church is in need of, and seeking to, define what it believes. It is in the process of understanding and describing its theological scope, in a good way. Not as a means of exluding, but as a means of mobilizing churches and ministries to live out the gospel in their context. This is an important time and task. Fitch, Roxburgh and Van Gelder will be involved in that process.
5) It is affordable! Honestly, I was excited when I saw the cost, and there are, from what I understand, scholarships available.
6) Out of all the seminaries out there, they got the best URL: seminary.edu! How is it that no one took that?!
If you would like to take a look at the way that Northern would describe Northern, feel free to do so .
It can truly be said that not all seminaries are created equal, this one is a good one.
Peace, Jim
Alright, perhaps my post title was a bit misleading. Or really misleading.
What is offering is a new (read Doctorate of Ministry) program. And while I am overall very un-excited about demons, I mean.. look at that thing…I am very excited about this new offering.
I often get the question of why I haven’t pursued a graduate degree in some aspect of ministry. I have been in vocational ministry for almost 15 years, have been on a panel that has been able to speak into the development of a Masters program at a seminary, and highly value the intellectual component of my pursuit of God. So, it seems strange that I have yet to get my Masters. When I first came on staff I had three reasons and now I have a different three. I’ll let you in on those and then tell you why they make me so excited about Northern’s program.
Reasons I didn’t initially pursue a graduate degree…
Go Hokies! Okay, I just wrote that because I bet that very few outside of my mom (Hi Mom) will read this section. Honestly I am not sure that I would. But I do think I had some valid and not so valid reasons for my decision.
1. We were super-poor, no way we could afford it. The first few years of Tracy and I being in ministry were financially very tight. Once she sat on her $5 sunglasses, and we couldn’t afford replacements for a several weeks. The cost of a graduate degree was simply out of our reach.
2. Hubris. Plain and simple. I didn’t value graduate education in ministry. I thought it was primarily an institution that was funded by very wealthy churches that were out of step with where our culture is today. That seminaries were preparing ministers for a world that didn’t exist any longer. Just for the record, I still feel that can often be the case. My hubris came in with my pre-judging all programs based on my awareness of a few. I thought too highly of myself.
3. I wasn’t yet sure enough of what I believed to find a program that would challenge and push me toward what I sensed God was pushing me to become. Honestly, I am glad I didn’t go early in ministry for this reason.
Here is why I haven’t gone recently…
1. Time. It would appear that while finances can still be tight, the most tight comodity I have in my life is my time. With the churches, congregations and non-profits that [nlcf] has launched and my roles in many of those, added to my roles in other organizations, my roles within [nlcf], my family, time spent with the writing and launch of my book, the plans for another… Yikes. Things get busy very fast.
2. Lack of a program that I am really excited about, that I can meaningfully engage remotely. Yes there are programs around me, but none that truly generate that level of excitement in me.
3. Lack of a direct need to have one. The reality is that I ask my friends who are attending seminary to share their reading lists with me and I read many of those books. I have several groups around me where I can share my reflections and have those reflections challenged. I feel intellectually invigorated and am growing. I enjoy these times greatly.
But I sense that God might be moving in me to take the plunge. Tomorrow, the reasons why Northern’s approach is key in that. If you have found yourself in a similar situation to what I was in or where I am now, you will want to hear about Northern’s program and heart behind it.
See you tomorrow!
Over the past couple of years, my good friend and co-worker Matt has been putting a great deal of effort into reflecting on his homosexuality, among other parts of his life.
He has been reading widely, flying around the country to talk with people he feels like can help him during this season. And just about every Thursday night we have hung out on his back porch talking about where he is in this process. Processing what we are both thinking, and reading. Sometimes the discussions have been low-key and fun, and other conversations have been more intense.
I have been blessed by not only Matt’s friendship and his walk with Christ; but also by his honesty and willingness to allow me to walk beside him on this path. I am very fortunate.
Today, Matt passed along a letter written in 2005 by The Very Rev. Dr. Peter Short, Moderator of the United Church of Canada. The United Church of Canada was responding to Canada’s passage of Bill C-38 which allowed civil marriage for same-sex couples. The United Church had churches within it that both were celebrating this passage and churches that were against its passage. Dr. Short speaks wise words to our neighbors to the north.
As the issue of same-sex unions and the definition of marriage come more and more into our cultural and political dialogue, we that are followers of Jesus (regardless of our perspective on those issues) would do very well to carefully reflect on his challenge to give primacy to what deserves primacy. Certainly vigorous debate is ahead of us, and should be. But as Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 13, how we speak is as important as what we say. So, let me allow The Very Rev. Dr. Peter Short to take it from here…
THE VERY REV. DR. PETER SHORT
Pastoral Letter Following the Passage of Same-Sex Marriage LegislationJune 29, 2005
Sisters and Brothers in The United Church of Canada,
Greetings in Christ!
Yesterday the Parliament of Canada passed legislation granting gay and lesbian couples legal access to civil marriage. This legislation comes as no surprise. The question has been debated and contested in a very public manner. The United Church of Canada has been an active participant in this issue in the 18 months since the 38th General Council asked the government to include same-sex marriage in the marriage legislation. During this time, United Church congregations have been encouraged to assess and determine their marriage policies with respect to same-gender couples.
This legislation is no surprise to anyone who has been in touch with current events in church and society. Nonetheless, it represents a profound change in civil society’s definition of marriage-an institution that stands at the heart of Canadian family life. It may not be a surprise to the mind that has been tracking the trajectory of the legislation, but the heart is deeply surprised as the legislation makes the passage from theoretical debate to law of the land. (more…)
At the start of October, is going to start a new series called, “Show Us Your Buts – our reasons for not getting closer to God.”
Part of the intent of this series is to look at the issues that can hold us back from following Jesus more closely, trusting him more.
I am thrilled that we are doing this series. It has been one we have been talking about for about a year now, and it strikes very close to my heart. So many of my conversations are peppered with the whys of faith. Why is it so hard? Why does it work out this way? Why can’t it be more clear? Why does the bible say this? Why doesn’t it say this? These questions are central to my story with God as well. So, I love ‘em. Can’t always answer them as much as I, or the asker may like, but they are so important to so many of us.
A couple of weeks ago I asked you to let us know what your buts are. There have been a smattering of replies on Facebook and here on jimpace.org. I have received many more responses via text or to my email account. Here is how the suggestions are going thus far. I have broken them down into three categories: Intellectual Questions, Current Events, and Personal Life Questions. These are all general categories and most of the questions or comments I have received fall into more than one. It is just a way to break them up a bit. (more…)
As promised, the second post to walk us through the process of truly choosing to walk in covenant with God. It is the best deal we could ever be offered. If you are in the New River Valley area this weekend (and aren’t a member of another church ) you won’t want to miss this week as we look at how we can specifically overcome common obstacles that we can encounter as we try to walk closer with God. If you would like to listen in to the series so far,
First of all, just to be clear, the ! was for the new site. While I am excited about my posting, not sure I would give it a !.
I haven’t been posting as much over the past month as things have been insane at . I do have several that are close to ready to go, and now that my schedule has died down, they will be coming soon. Everything from how I learned that I don’t ever have to attend another rave, to discussions of some of the most difficult topics that Christians face in our culture today. Impressive, eh?
Probably not.
Well, at any rate, if you were at any of our three gatherings on Sunday I said I would post a couple of times to help continue the discussion about how we reclaim an identity that has been stolen. If this makes no sense to you, my suggestion is that you take a look , once you are on board, take a look . And if that really piques your curiosity, the first talk in the series is . (We are a bit behind on posting the talks as we are shifting servers and that can mean that our blah blah blah… all the computers that connect to the internet need to change where they are pointing blah blah… so that our site won’t crash… blah. All that to say, please be patient with us as we shift our servers.
If none of that really interests you, then you might want to just look at this video of a kitten being cute.
A have a good friend that I respect a great deal. His name is JR Briggs and he is lead pastor and cultural cultivator of , in Lansdale Pennsylvania.
Over the past several weeks I have had more and more people ask me my thoughts on the proposed mosque that would be built two blocks away from ground zero. Opinions have been strong on both sides of this issue and as I was praying and reflecting on it, I ran across JR’s post. I liked it so much I even stole his image. So…
JR,
Thoughts?
Jim
So, it is upon us. For those of us who are connected to non-quarter colleges and universities, the beginning of Fall Semester is here!
For me, being in Blacksburg Va and co-pastoring a church that works to empower both local residents and college students to see more clearly the picture God is trying to show them; fall is an exciting time. Just this morning I was walking into my office and heard the Marching Virginians drum corps practicing. You could here the reverberating drum beats all over town! That is one of my favorite indicators that fall kick-off is about to commence.
As is our custom, this past week our campus staff team met for the entire day to plan, pray, reflect, dream a bit and discuss our mission for the year. I always look forward to that time to hear what God is saying to those I serve with, and to see how they reflect on what I sense God is saying to me. One section of that day is where we discussed the events that we undertake in those first two or three weeks. Overall [nlcf] isn’t a church that puts on a ton of events. In fact, we typically try to pull back our meetings to as few as possible so that people can we out living the gospel and not just meeting to talk about it.
But the first couple of weeks is different. What we have seen over the years is that the majority of the literally thousands of people who will be arriving at Tech (many for the first time) are helped by having certain events available to them. So, we have our list.
During that time, I was asked a question by one of our newer staff people, Sarah. She asked how an introvert was expected to navigate the numerous events that we host, almost all of which are built around meeting new people and trying to help them feel at home and get involved in whatever groups they prefer. IE NOT optimized for introverts.
I thought it was a great question and as I have reflected on it, I have a few thoughts. So, I will list our events that we are hosting, the goal of the event, and how different personality types might manage those times. Away we go… (more…)
So… If you are a master of context clues, you have probably gathered that I do have an ipad.
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I have learned to provide that extra long pause so that anyone that hears that I have an ipad can make whatever joke they feel they would like to make about the fact that I have an ipad. They are inevitable. So, now I just give time to let them happen.
Which leads to this equally inevitable posting about why I have one. So, without further ado…
Why Jim Pace Has An Ipad
First and foremost, (Tracy) my wife bought it for me. She set aside money, and for Father’s Day, she wanted to get me something very special. She nailed it. The past five or six months prior to Father’s Day had been incredibly intense, and Tracy said she just wanted to do something really nice for me. So, when we recieved some unexpected money, she put it some aside and we got it with that.
She will tell you that I almost hyperventilated when she first told me that was what she was doing. Mostly because of the cost. She will also tell you that I initially said no, but I was told it wasn’t up to me, and so that was that.
Second, yes, I am an apple fan.
Yes, I like that their products look cool, but I know something about myself. It applies to apple products and couch material patterns.
I get used to anything after about two weeks. Truly. Anything.
While I like the look of Apple products, what I like most about them is that they work. So, I am a committed Apple guy, but only after trying an HP, two Dells, and a Viao and having them all crash repeatedly on me. Now,I have an Apple laptop that has made it longer than any other one I have ever had. It has been stolen and then mailed back to me. Dropped by an unknown dropper, leaving a big dent in the back, but it kept on ticking. But, now its age is starting to show and it really isn’t working very well. So, I need to replace it, and the ipad (with the exception of two things) does what I need a computer to do. With only those two things left, I only use my laptop sparingly and I suspect I will get more time out of it.
Third, and this one is the kicker… I do use my ipad when I am teaching, but NEVER when I am on my Segway, I’m too afriad it will fall off and break. If that makes no sense, take a look …
I have been a wandering teacher for as long as I have been teaching. I go up around the stage, up the aisles sometimes… wherever I can. One of my questions whenever I guest speak is “How far can I go?” The lighting team at one of our venues has a wide setting just for me.
One of the hardest parts about moving is that I have preferred for years to carry my notes with me. Not a big notebook, but a small piece of paper. I also like to make changes right up to the time I get up to speak, so I would often have arrows and lines, things scratched out and things added in… What made that especially hard was that when I would wander up the aisles, it would get dark. So I would be reading my chicken scratched, marked up outline in the dark. Not easy to do.
So, I could either wander and try to close the gap of space in some of the big rooms I speak in and have a hard time reading what I had written, or I could stay up front in the light.
Heh… until now.
Now, I can arrange my notes, on the fly, underline, make bold, whatever I need, right up until the start of my teaching. I love that! It is easy to carry and is very simple to use in that environment. It has a light so I can read it… ahhh… perfection.
The only thought I have ever given using it in public is that I am going to get razzed for it.
Ready for another? Fourth, I cannot count how many times I have been running around the room looking for my notes, asking people if they have seen that little piece of paper, asking from the front when I walk up if people can look around… I have even had to give talks without my notes on at least five separate occasions. Not lying. Five.
Let me just say that I will not lose the ipad. Won’t happen. And if it does, then I just about guarantee you that Tracy will kill me. Doubt me? Those of you who know her say she won’t? Just ask Seth how mad she gets when he can’t find his soccer shin guards. I’m just saying, if I happen to disappear unexpectedly after losing the ipad, or my brakes freakishly don’t work…. Check her minivan for a pair of pliers…
Fifth… Here is the last reason. For me, one of the toughest things I do is manage my time so that I can live a life of balance. Beyond my other talk preparation times during the week, on the Sundays I teach, I get up at 4.15am to do my final prayer, reflection and preparation. So, anything that lets me save a few minutes of time, that helps me avoid recopying notes that I will just mark up again, is great in my book.
So, I use it, I like it, and will continue to use it. Unless someone will volunteer to get up at 4.30 on the Sundays I teach to re-write my notes for me and follow me around with a flashlight.
Take that… you haters…
