On Not Agreeing to Disagree: Supporting Gay Marriage and Losing Your Job

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA is a student ministry with over 1000 staff members serving over 40,000 students and faculty on over 665 college campuses across the United States. The evangelical group has been making headlines recently for its new policy of “involuntary terminations” for staff who disagree with its theology on human sexuality.

IS INTERVARSITY REALLY DISMISSING EMPLOYEES WHO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE AS REPORTED IN TIME MAGAZINE? WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE, AND WHAT ISSUES DOES THIS RAISE FOR OTHER CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS?

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Like It or Not: Appreciating Pastor Appreciation Month

I don’t know who first declared October as Pastor Appreciation Month, but it’s never been a special focus for my congregation. I don’t get showered with Pastor Appreciation cards. No one plans a special worship celebration acknowledging my ministry and leadership. My church has never taken out a full-page ad in the local newspaper with my photo and an expression of their thanks as suggested by one LifeWay blogger–and good thing they haven’t, since I’d feel totally embarrassed!

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When You Work for the Church: What Readers Say Behind the Scenes

A fellow blogger laments that blog comments are dying, and another lists reasons why readers might not leave a comment:

the post is already so complete they don’t know what to add,
they take exception to what’s written but don’t want to argue,
there’s no concrete question to respond to,
they’re too tired or too busy,
no one else is commenting.
In my few months’ experience with this blog, I would also add: many readers would rather respond privately than in a public comment where they might be identified.

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Doing Good Better: 9 Reasons Why You Need to Read This Book

I often think of the church as the body of Christ, a family of believers, a community of faith–and much less often as a “nonprofit organization.” That’s not a definition found in Scripture, yet in our twenty-first century, North American context, the church and church-related agencies do function as non-profit organizations with boards, budgets, personnel, and other responsibilities.

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Is There a Better Way to Terminate an Employee?

When a friend heard of my husband’s abrupt job termination through no fault of his own, she immediately responded, “You don’t have to tell me, but have they done this before?” And then she proceeded to tell me about another Christian organization with a history of abrupt and painful terminations. The stories she shared were from another community and another denomination, yet they sounded sadly familiar.

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