Bradley Wright on the Upside of Life

tonygill — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:00:08 +0000

If you are feeling depressed about all the horrible news you’ve been hearing recently, Prof. Bradly R.E. Wright — associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut — returns to Research on Religion to deliver you some upbeat news from his recently published book Upside. Brad starts by reminding Tony that it was the Connecticut Huskies, not the Washington ones, that recently won a basketball championship and that is one of the reasons he is in a good mood. But more than that, Prof. Wright shares a number of suprising statistical trends that show the world is becoming a better place all around. We begin our discussion with the state of the economy, covering growing wealth in the US and the world over the past 50 years. This discussion covers the oft-repeated claim that the middle class is disappearing and we take a closer look at income inequality. Our attention then turns to crime , showing that crime rates have decreased significantly since the 1970s. The middle part of our interview takes a step sideways to reflect upon why so many people think the world is getting worse even though the statistical record suggests otherwise. We look at the role of the media, clergy, and academics in perpetuating negative information about the state of the world. After this discussion we move on to health, happiness, marriage, and the environment, before closing with reflections on whether Christianity is on the brink of disappearing. Throughout this podcast, Brad spices up his statistics with stories about how Christians are actively engaged in making a positive difference in people’s lives. Listen until the end to discover what prescriptions Prof. Wright has for continuing the positive trends we’ve seen over the past half century. Recorded: June 7, 2011.

RELATED SITES

Bradley Wright’s website and blog.

Upside: Surprising GOOD NEWS About the State of Our World by Bradley R.E. Wright.

Christians Are Hate Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve Been Told by Bradley R.E. Wright.

News about the North Korean happiness survey, ranking China and North Korea #1 and #2 respectively!

Urban Ministry website.

HOPE International website.

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Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church

tonygill — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:00:56 +0000

Welcome new visitors. Please check out our other great podcasts or subscribe to us on iTunes.

How can a small Bible study group in the heart of one of America’s least churched cities grow to be one of the largest mega-churches in just a decade and a half? This is the question we put before Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church based in Seattle, Washington. Pastor Driscoll recounts how he came to take on his pastoral mission and recounts many of the early difficulties he had in setting up his ministry including the challenges of finding adequate space to accomodate a rapidly growing membership. We discuss how Mars Hill developed a multi-campus approach that utilizes modern telecommunication technology to broadcast sermons from the main church in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle to seven other branches in the Puget Sound area and another one in New Mexico. What is perhaps most amazing about Mars Hill is that it attracts a demographic that is not typically known to be regular churchgoers — young single males. Mark relates how a message rooted directdly in Scripture can appeal to youth and to individuals who have been sinned against. We further touch upon the Acts 29 Network aimed at planting churches around the country and how it screens and trains future church leaders in the process. Mark reveals what characteristics he and his staff look for when determining who should lead a new church plant. Finally, Pastor Driscoll offers some reflections on why churches that are theologically conservative are growing whereas mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking. Admittedly, your host was expecting to learn how various organizational innovations have determined the success of Mars Hill. And while the church does rely upon creative organizational techniques, I learned that the content of the pastoral message is really what has been the main driving force in this church’s growth. Recorded: October 12, 2010.

Research On Religion » modern media

Bradley Wright on the Upside of Life

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church