Warren Smith

Charlotte

https://t.co/TqkjsUUjRQ; author of 10 books: Faith-Based Fraud, Restoring All Things, A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church, Prodigal Press, etc.

Articles

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Warren Smith’s Quarterly List of Books Worth Noting

1 week ago | ministrywatch.com | Bill Wichterman |Molly Worthen |Deborah Fallows |Warren Smith

Editor’s Note: Most Saturdays we feature this “Editor’s Notebook” column. MinistryWatch President Warren Smith will offer his opinion on stories in the week’s news or, sometimes, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do what we do. However, once a quarter (or so), we use the ‘Notebook” for Warren Smith’s list of books either released in the past quarter, or those he just got around to reading this quarter. To read last quarter’s list, published in November, click here.
MinistryWatch Index Flat in May

1 week ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith

ANALYSIS–The MinistryWatch Index was essentially flat in May. To be precise, it fell .02 percent and remains at 151. The MinistryWatch Index is based on the revenue of 38 large Christian ministries, ministries that represent all of the 21 ministry segments tracked by MinistryWatch. This month’s lackluster performance adds another month to a now record six months of flat performance by the Index.
Ep. 479: What an Obscure Itinerant 19th Century Preacher Can Teach Us Today

1 week ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith |NATASHA SMITH

Michael Tait. Robert Morris. Mark Driscoll. Ravi Zacharias. Are you tired of celebrity preachers? I am, and I think that’s why the story of John Dyer fascinates me. My guess is that you’ve never heard of him. But I have come to learn that he played a significant role in the spread of the Gospel in Colorado and throughout the Mountain West, and his life has some lessons for us today, especially in this age of celebrity. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.
Ep. 478: Brad Edwards and “The Reason for Church”

1 week ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith |NATASHA SMITH

The evangelical church is a mess. If you believe the surveys, more than forty million Americans have “de-churched” in the past 25 years. That is why it is a good thing Brad Edwards reminds us why the Body of Christ still matters. Trevin Wax, whose opinion I value in such matters, has called The Reason for Church “one of the most important books of the year.” I agree.
Look For Me In Heaven

2 weeks ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith

Michael Tait. Robert Morris. Mark Driscoll. Ravi Zacharias. Are you tired of celebrity preachers? I think that’s why the story of John Dyer fascinates me. My guess is that you’ve never heard of him. I had not either until I came across his biography in a used bookstore in Colorado a few years ago.
Ep. 475: Sean Feucht, Doug Willson’s Empire, Christianity Today, and Robert Morris

3 weeks ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith |NATASHA SMITH

On today’s program, ministry leader Sean Feucht is being accused of moral, ethical, and financial failure by former leaders of his various nonprofits. The accusers issued a formal statement this week detailing their accusations and are calling for an independent investigation. And, with the construction of a new school campus, Pastor Doug Wilson’s empire continues to grow in Idaho. We’ll take a look.
Ep. 473: Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa Say We Are “Scrolling Ourselves To Death”

3 weeks ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith |NATASHA SMITH

In 1985, Neil Postman published Amusing Ourselves to Death. That means this year is the 40th birthday of this landmark book. And in that 40 years, Postman’s troubling prophesies have mostly come true. Screens have reshaped our minds, our relationships, and our culture. Ivan Mesa and Brett McCracken say that “social media and smartphones have brought an appetite for distraction, an epidemic of loneliness, and increased rates of mental health challenges.
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Results of MinistryWatch Reader Survey

4 weeks ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith

OPINION–Twice each year, usually in April and October, MinistryWatch conducts a survey of its readers. We’ve been doing this survey for almost four years, and we have used it to understand you, our readers, and to make changes to the way we serve you. We began sharing the results of this survey with you last October. (You can read that article here.) Today, we do so again. So, with that preamble, let’s look at some of the results. I’ll also provide a bit of commentary along the way.
Ep. 472: Gateway Church, Doug Wilson’s Christ Church, Fuller Seminary

4 weeks ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith |NATASHA SMITH

On today’s program, Gateway Church has named a new senior pastor. The appointment comes a year after child sexual abuse accusations surfaced against founding pastor Robert Morris. We’ll have details. And, the Department of Justice is suing a city in Idaho for discriminating against Christ the Redeemer Church—a church plant of Doug Wilson’s Christ Church. The church has been seeking a permit to meet in an old bank building—a request the city has denied. We’ll take a look.
Ep. 471: S.D. (Sam) Smith on Rabbits With Swords And Staying Put in West Virginia

1 month ago | ministrywatch.com | Warren Smith |NATASHA SMITH

I was recently trying to remember the first time I met S.D. (Sam) Smith, the creator of the wildly popular Green Ember books. I think it was at a homeschool conference a decade ago, back when I was working at The Colson Center. I noticed that one of the booths in the exhibit hall was crowded with kids and their parents.