George Bullard's Journey

Rising Restrictions on Religion

One-third of the world's population experiences an increase

ANALYSIS August 9, 2011

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Rising Restrictions on Religion, a recent report by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, finds that restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose between mid-2006 and mid-2009 in 23 of the world’s 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged in 163 countries (82%).

Because several countries with increasing restrictions on religion are very populous, however, the increases affect a much larger share of people than of states. More than 2.2 billion people – nearly a third (32%) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion – live in countries where either government restrictions on religion or social hostilities involving religion rose substantially over the three-year period studied.

Explore the report using the table of contents to the right or the resources below.

Facebook Sponsored Stories Performing 2 Times Better Than Standard Ads | Fast Company, July 15, 2011

When Facebook launched a new form of advertising called "Sponsored Stories" earlier this year, some folks weren't buying the plot. The new ad unit, which takes content generated by Facebook users and turns it into ads, seemed to be crossing some kind of line.

Six months later, it looks like Facebook actually might have hit upon a powerful new form of advertising. The ads, which grab actions users perform on the Facebook platform (like Liking a brand page or checking in to a restaurant) and turn that into an ad that gets displayed only to the user’s friends, are in fact amplifying word of mouth.

Live Face-to-Face Coaching to Be Offered Friday, July 24th in Tampa, FL

Special for Friday, June 24^th at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Annual Gathering in Tampa, FL as a Service of CBF Missional Congregations

Three coaches/consultants from The Columbia Partnership will be available 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday in Room 34 in the Convention Center for 50-minute appointments with individuals or teams from congregations as a service of CBF Missional Congregations. These coaches/consultants are Eddie Hammett, George Bullard, and Ken Kessler. Preregister now at www.50for99.info to reserve your time. Or, you can request a time on-site by calling 803.622.0923 during the General Assembly.

Minister Moms Split Between Pulpit, Potty Training - USATODAY.com, May 4, 2011

By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) Every now and then, the Rev. Amy Butler will find herself having to do a little simultaneous parenting and preaching from her pulpit at Calvary Baptist Church in downtown Washington.

"My daughter, in particular, knows the look," said Butler, whose teenage children sit -- and occasionally chat -- with their friends in the balcony. "And if I'm up front leading worship, I can see everything so if I need to shoot a look, I do.

"And they know exactly what that means."

Female pastors with one flock at home and another in the pews say being a minister and a mom is a perpetual juggling act, with high expectations, never enough time and challenges that their male colleagues will never face.

At the same time, they say, it can also be a profound blessing.

Five myths about Muslims in America - The Washington Post, April 1, 2011

By Feisal Abdul Rauf, Friday, April 1

I founded the multi-faith Cordoba Initiative to fight the misunderstandings that broaden the divide between Islam and the West — each perceived as harmful by the other. Millions of American Muslims, who see no contradiction between being American and being Muslim, are working hard to bridge this gap. It is therefore not surprising that they have become the target of attacks by those who would rather burn bridges than build them, and the subject of recent congressional hearings exploring their “radicalization.” What myths are behind the entrenched beliefs that Muslims simply do not belong in the United States and that they threaten its security?

1. American Muslims are foreigners.

Islam was in America even before there was a United States. But Muslims didn’t peaceably emigrate — slave-traders brought them here.

Historians estimate that up to 30 percent of enslaved blacks were Muslims. West African prince Abdul Rahman, freed by President John Quincy Adams in 1828 after 40 years in captivity, was only one of many African Muslims kidnapped and sold into servitude in the New World. In early America, Muslim names could be found in reports of runaway slaves as well as among rosters of soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Muslims fought to preserve American independence in the War of 1812 and for the Union in the Civil War. And more than a century later, thousands of African Americans, including Cassius Clay and Malcolm Little, converted to Islam.

Currently, there are two Muslim members of Congress and thousands of Muslims on active duty in the armed forces. Sure, some Muslim soldiers may have been born elsewhere, but if you wear the uniform of the United States and are willing to die for this country, can you be really be considered a foreigner?

Millennial Generation the Next Big Thing, CNN, March 24, 2011

By Peter W. Singer, Special to CNN

March 24, 2011 10:13 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Peter Singer: More Millennials, born between 1980 and 2005, than baby boomers or Gen X
• Study of Millennial future leaders confirmed some generalizations but shattered others, he says
• Singer: They follow politics of parents, are isolationist, and don't get news from talk shows
• China second only to Iran as nation they think will be a future problem, he says

Editor's note: Peter W. Singer is senior fellow and director of Brooking Institution's 21st Century Defense Initiative. He is the author of the report, "D.C.'s New Guard: What Does the Next Generation of American Leaders Think?"

Chalice Pages are in Pilot Phase

Digital manuscripts from Chalice Press are now in their pilot phase! You can test the system along with us. 

The Columbia Partnership, through its affiliation with Chalice Press, is part of their effort to provide digital manuscripts that can be downloaded for use by individuals and groups. [Check out http://www.chalicepress.com/Ebooks-W2.aspx.] 

These digital manuscripts of 2,500 to 7,500 words will be available in read-only for $2.99. They will be available in printable format for $9.99.  

 

The digital format being used is ePDF using the free http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/software. Go ahead and download this Adobe Digital Editions software to your computer so you will be ready to download and read these manuscripts.

 

One test manuscript is available now for purchase and download. It is Leaving, Staying and Becoming Well Following a Lose/Leave Conflict in a Congregation by George Bullard.  

 

This is part of Sharing Knowledge which is one of the five emphases of The Columbia Partnership

Posted via email from George Bullard's Posterous

Report on Earthquake from Missionary Couple in Japan on Friday, March 11th at 8:00 p.m. EST

Don't know how much you may have heard already, but will try and fill in where I can, This is the largest Earthquake in 150 years, 160 times stronger than the one that hit Christchurch. We're still trying to get reports from our folks, but it looks like all personnel are safe. Several, like us, were away from home when it hit, and had to spend the night in shelters since all transportation had stopped. Hardest hit was Sendai, and in most need of your prayers. We still haven't managed to contact anyone there, although one friend there was able to get a facebook comment out that most homes have no gas, water or electricity. Please pray for our churches and friends there, that they will be able to be a light in the darkness.

 

Another growing concern is the nuclear reactor halfway between Sendai and Tokyo, which did not shut down properly. Residents have been evacuated, but pressure inside is building, which will require a release of radioactive steam.

 

Here in Tokyo, some services are being restored, but still no gas and only partial train service. We plan to spend the day in the local park, encouraging neighbors and looking for ways to show God's love. Thanks for your prayers.

 

Posted via email from George Bullard's Posterous

Attention to Anti-Gay Protest Group Worries Fellow Baptists : Associated Baptist Press, March 3, 2011

By Bob Allen

Thursday, March 03, 2011

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (ABP) – A tiny independent Kansas congregation composed mostly of extended family members of founding pastor Fred Phelps captured headlines March 2 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 their controversial “God Hates Fags” protests at funerals of slain military veterans are protected as free speech under the First Amendment.   It isn’t the first time that Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., has made news with its provocative message that is commonly labeled hate speech. Each time, it gives pause to millions of Americans who also identify as Baptists but find repugnant Westboro’s message that God is killing soldiers as punishment for America’s toleration of homosexuals. “Every time they hit the news, ABC receives e-mails asking why we don't do something,” Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, commented about constituents who complain the Westboro clan is giving Baptists a bad name. The ABC/USA website carries a detailed disclaimer that Westboro Baptist Church and Phelps are in no way and have never been affiliated with the denomination.

The American Spectator : Thriving Christianity, The American Spectator, February 28, 2011

Special Report

Thriving Christianity

By Mark Tooley on 2.28.11 @ 6:08AM

Most secular media in the U.S. imply that the world is largely dividing between resurgent Islam and enlightened secularists, with isolated evangelicals and Catholics left on the sideline. A recent report by the ;International Bulletin of Missionary Research indicates otherwise, with one third of the world professing Christianity, virtually unchanged as a global percentage since 100 years ago. Christians today are estimated to number about 2.3 billion. About 1.5 billion are estimated to attend church regularly at over 5 million congregations, up from 400,000 100 years ago. 

There are 1.6 estimated Muslims, 951 million Hindus, and 468 million Buddhists. Atheists are thought to be 137 million, a declining number. The report estimates about 80,000 new Christians every day, 79,000 new Muslims every day, and 300 fewer atheists every day. These atheists are presumably disproportionately represented in the West, while religion is thriving in the Global South, where charismatic Christianity is exploding. Over 600 million Christians, including millions of Roman Catholics, are charismatic or Pentecostal.