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The global Christian population has been shifting southward for at least a century and is expected to continue to do so over the next four decades, according to demographic projections from the Pew Research Center. Overall, the share of Christians in the world is expected to remain flat. But Europe’s share of the the world’s Christians will continue to decline while sub-Saharan Africa’s will increase dramatically. Read more from Pew Research.
Nearly all pastors (96%) say they use a computer at church, but with only 39% using it to access the Internet (97% to find information, 88% to buy products, 80% to keep up on existing relationships, and 39% to have a spiritual or religious experience). Read more from Barna Group.
⇨ See more Bible-related stories in this week's Bible News Roundup.
With all the advantages of today's technology, there are inherent dangers, deceptions, and abuses that can contribute to self-centered character, negative behaviors, and beliefs that inhibit spiritual growth. Bible Gateway interviewed Dr. Kathy Koch about her book, Screens and Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World (Moody Publishers, 2015). Read this interview.
In his latest Bible lesson on Bible Gateway Blog, pastor and author Mel Lawrenz says, "Reading, meditating, discussing, practicing, praying, and memorizing are all ways for the biblical text to form the spiritual muscle tissue of our lives. This is not about having a list of verses rattling around in our heads, but having the shape and motion of our lives formed by biblical truth." If you want to understand the Bible better, read this installment of his series on our Blog and sign up to receive it by email.
What was God’s original vision for men? In her new book, Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World (Zondervan, 2015), Carolyn Custis James explores the biblical idea of manhood and the Kingdom-way of being male. Read this excerpt.
The Message Bible on Bible Gateway is now available to be heard as well as read. In creating The Message, Eugene Peterson desired to engage his congregation in the Word of God in a way that would make its relevancy obvious in their lives. His goal was to bring into English the rhythms and idioms of the original language. Read more and listen to The Message.
(Reading the Bible in multiple languages is always just a click away online at Bible Gateway and in print from the Bible Gateway Store, where you'll save money while supporting the ministry of Bible Gateway when making a purchase.)
There must be many reasons why God uses singing and music so extensively in believers’ lives. Two reasons that readily connect to Scripture engagement are that singing can be a form of Scripture meditation and that singing can help us to memorize Scripture. Read the rest of this article, one of 12 practices explained in our new Scripture Engagement section.
We asked Bible Gateway Blog readers to answer the sentence: “What’s your Bible reading goal in 2015?” We allowed people to select up to three responses. More than 4,000 of you voted. Of that number, 41% chose the phrase, “Read through the entire Bible, Genesis – Revelation.” The second-highest response was less ambitious: “Read a verse a day” (24%). Read more.
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Reminder: Father's Day is June 21. Click to browse gift ideas for dads in the Bible Gateway Store.
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