Zondervan Blog

New Book by Cathleen Falsani Explores the the Films of the Coen Brothers, Including 'A Serious Man'

The new movie by Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man, opening today, is “easily the most overtly religious and autobiographical” of all their films, says author Cathleen Falsani. She examines the moral order of the Coeniverse in her new book, The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers.

Falsani, who saw A Serious Man at the Toronto International Film Festival, says the Job-like tale “poses questions that are as brutal as they are universal. The answers the Coens provide are unsatisfactory but truthful. There is no quid pro quo with God.”

An award-winning author and columnist, Falsani is a long-time Coen fan who named her blog, and now this book, after the mantra of the iconic slacker-hero of The Big Lebowski. The "Dudey Satva" of Dudeism (the tongue-in-cheek—but 60,000-strong—"religion" based on the theology and ethics of The Big Lebowski), Falsani offers an insightful guide to the moral order of the Coeniverse. Read More

Does Your Church Have Multiple Sites? Tell Us Your Story. You Could Get a Free Book.

In the opening session of the Leadership Summit at Willow Creek on Thursday of last week, Bill Hybels spoke about Leading in the New Reality. He was talking about how the rogue waves of the economic downturn have changed the game for leading the church. In a similar vein, multi-site ministry has become a new reality, or as the authors of the upcoming book, A Multi-site Church Roadtrip, say multi-site churches are becoming the new normal.

In an effort to adapt to the changing reality of economics, space, and atmosphere, multi-site ministry is becoming more and more prevalent. The authors share inside the book that

• On a typical Sunday in 2009, some 5 million people attend a multi-site church in the US and Canada.
• Leaders at some 45,000 churches are “seriously considering adding a worship service at one or more new locations or campuses in the next 2 years.”
• 37% of megachurches reported being multi-site in 2008, up dramatically from 27% in 2005.

So multi-site is truly becoming the new normal. Authors Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird takes readers on a guided tour of issues that arrive when doing multisite ministry and to 14 different multi-site churches and their lessons learned in A Multi-site Church Roadtrip. They also have a good deal of fun as they visit these churches. In keeping with that sense of fun, Zondervan is sponsoring a roadtrip contest. Here's how it works:

1. Write how your church creatively uses multiple venues in 100 words or less AND/OR send a photograph of a humorous road sign. Feel free to also include an iTunes imix with your favorite 10 roadtrip songs.
2. Email your definition/photo to Zondervan at: LNIS@zondervan.com. 
3. Include your name and mailing address.
4. The best entries will be posted on the Zondervan blog and the Multi-site Church Revolution blog and 50 select winners will receive a free advance copy of A Multi-site Church Roadtrip. Entries must be submitted by September 10th to qualify.

Vatican: Knights Templar Hid the Shroud of Turin

According to the Vatican, the Knights Templar hid the Shroud of Turin, which disappeared during the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 during the fourth crusade only to reappear in the middle of the fourteenth century. This appears to solve the mystery of what happened to the Shroud during this period. Read the entire article from The London Times here.

For other articles that discuss archeological evidence surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, including an article about the Shroud of Turin, visit the special Archaeological Study Bible Easter page.

Enjoy!

Keith

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Technorati tags: Easter, Shroud of Turin, Knights Templar, Archaeological Study Bible, Zondervan

Bible Experience Actress Nominated for an Academy Award

Taraji Henson, who reads Psalm 53 and 55 in The Bible Experience, has been nominated for an Academy Award for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. To download a free clip of Psalm 55, go to www.BibleExperience.com and use download code PS55OSCHEN.

 

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Technorati tags: Bible Experience, Audio Bible, MP3 Bible, iPod Bible, Taraji Henson, Benjamin Button, Academy Awards, Oscars, Hollywood, Zondervan

Pastor Rick Warren's Inauguration Prayer

Pastor Rick Warren delivered the opening prayer at President Barack Obama's inauguration. If you missed the prayer, here it is in full. What are your thoughts?

Rick Warren to Deliver Inauguration Invocation

Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life, has been selected by Barack Obama to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. Read More

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Technorati tags: Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life, Barack Obama, inauguration, Zondervan

Lynne Hybels Appeals for Help for Crisis in Congo

Comparing the gravity of the situation in Congo to the Rwandan Genocide, author Lynne Hybels is calling upon the Church to get involved before it's too late. More Information

Rick Warren to Interview Presidential Candidates on National Television This Saturday

Rick Warren, bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback church, will be interviewing Barak Obama and John McCain on the nationally televised Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency Saturday, August 16, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. PST.

“This will be an historic event. Never have the two candidates been interviewed by a pastor in a church. It will be a great day for all churches, showing the importance of the local church being at the civil table,” said Warren in an email sent to fellow pastors.

Warren confirmed that, at the candidates’ request, this two-hour event will be held in a non-debate format and open to all media. Questions will be posed exclusively by Warren, and each candidate will converse separately with Warren for approximately one hour, beginning with Senator Obama as determined by a coin toss. This historic forum will be the only joint campaign event prior to each party’s national convention.

For more information, visit the Saddleback Civil Forum website (www.saddlebackcivilforum.com).

Is the American Church In Crisis?

According to an article by David T. Olson in the March/April 2008 issue of Rev! magazine, research by the American Church Research Project (TACRP) shows that church attendance from 1990 to 2006 hasn’t come anywhere near to keeping up with population growth. Only 17.3 percent of the population regularly attending worship services today, a far cry from the 40 percent figure we’re used to seeing.

So how can churches reverse the trend? Olson says that churches need to adapt to cultural change, help established churches become healthy, start more well-conceived new churches, learn to share Jesus in a firsthand manner, and recover the message and mission of Jesus. For details, pick up a copy of Olson’s new book, The American Church in Crisis, now available in stores everywhere.

The Evangelical Covenant Church also recently wrote an article about The American Church in Crisis that you can read at this link.

HIV/AIDS: What Would Jesus Do?

Here are two great opportunities to learn how the church can better engage the world as Jesus did in the battle against AIDS.

Global Summit on AIDS & The Church, November 28-30, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California. From the Website: “What is faith without action? This summit will provide you with the information and tools you need to discover how your congregation, organization, or agency can start to make a positive change.” Speakers include Rick Warren, Kay Warren, John Ortberg, John Thomas, Lynne Hybels, Dennis Rainey, Bruce Sonnenberg, and Her Excellency, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, First Lady of Rwanda.


HIV/AIDS Youth Summit, a free event (for those with CCN satellite equipment) put on by CCN. From the Website: The world has never seen a greater humanitarian crisis than the current AIDS pandemic. But the world has also never seen a generation of students like today’s teenagers!” Speakers include Rick Warren, Kay Warren, Jenna Bush, and Francis Chan.

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Christianity, God, Rick Warren, AIDS, Saddleback, Zondervan, Bible, HIV, Youth, Kay Warren, Jesus