A regular Friday round-up of articles which I have found interesting / thought-provoking / challenging / amusing during the week, pointing you in the direction of some stuff you might have otherwise missed.

This week: Forgiving God, what happened to downtime, and the problem with the church.

Christianity: Why you have to forgive God

If you have been disillusioned that the Creator God – who controls all events – allowed you to suffer as you have, I don’t blame you. God could have stopped what happened but didn’t. You are therefore very, very hurt and possibly very, very angry. But you need to let God totally off the hook for allowing what he did. read more

The Ninety Nine Percent: What Happened to Downtime? The Extinction of Deep Thinking & Sacred Space

There has been much discussion about the value of the “creative pause” – a state described as “the shift from being fully engaged in a creative activity to being passively engaged, or the shift to being disengaged altogether.” This phenomenon is the seed of the break-through “a-ha!” moments that people so frequently report having in the shower. In these moments, you are completely isolated, and your mind is able to wander and churn big questions without interruption.

However, despite the incredible power and potential of sacred spaces, they are quickly becoming extinct. We are depriving ourselves of every opportunity for disconnection. And our imaginations suffer the consequences. read more

Missing Generation: The problem with the church

There is an outlook that seems to be pervasive in almost church communities that I have encountered. I myself have been guilty of expressing it on many occasions. This idea is so widespread that I have heard it voiced in almost every group and by most individuals.

It is the idea that whenever there is something wrong or people are unhappy then it is ‘the church’ who is the cause, or the church is against, or the church isn’t doing enough, the church aren’t supporting us. read more

YouTube: Graham Cray: What Is Church?

Huffington Post: Physical Churches: Do They Matter Anymore?

Micah Bales asked a deep question. He suggests that the wealth in property we’ve inherited is hindering our work for social justice. He talks provocatively (as a spiritual challenge, he clarifies) about “burning the meetinghouse.” He asks, “What would happen if we put the movement of the Spirit ahead of property management?” read more