“Especially when religious leaders are confronted with temptation or seduction, it is the responsibility of that leader to hold the line. They must model how to care for others. They should never take advantage of another’s neediness or vulnerability.”
Diana Garland
Dean of the Baylor University School of Social Work, on clergy sexual abuse
“We tend to measure churches by how well they stay within their budgets, not whether they achieve results … . Thus, the level of trust needed to capture the heart of the giver is eroded. People want to be involved in co-creating an ‘investment portfolio’ that defines what kingdom ventures will be funded with the resources God has entrusted to us and provides a metric by which to judge the effectiveness or return on investment. If the church does not adapt to this shift, it risks losing the dollar of the person in the pew who may decide to fund another organization’s budget.”
Ben Stroup
Marketing coordinator in LifeWay Christian Resources’ Christian stores division (Baptist Press)
“The church has lost its ability to be a disciplined community because we’re now, religiously, in a buyer’s market. Christianity has to bill itself as very good for your self-realization, and that’s killing us because we’re not very good for your self-realization. We’re good for your salvation, which is not the same thing.”
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Stanley Hauerwas
Duke University ethicist (RNS)
“Every time Haiti takes one half-step forward, something like this happens. … It’s so unfair. Why does this happen to Haiti over and over again?”
Lauren Stanley
An Episcopal missionary in Haiti (RNS)
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