A recent article from the International Herald Tribune on the increase in church attendance that coincides with the economic troubles:
The sudden crush of worshipers packing the small evangelical Shelter Rock Church in Manhasset, New York – a Long Island town of yacht clubs and hedge fund managers – forced the pastor to set up an overflow room with closed-circuit TV and 100 folding chairs, which have been filled for six consecutive Sundays.
In Seattle, the Mars Hill Church, one of the fastest-growing evangelical churches in the country, grew to 7,000 members this fall, up 1,000 in a year. At the Life Christian Church in West Orange, New Jersey, prayer requests have doubled – almost all of them aimed at getting or keeping jobs.
This reminds me of the Pew survey which linked wealth to religiosity. We may be sliding up and to the left on that curve.
Can I get an Amen ?
Have you ever wanted to study at Yale? Now you can. For free. And at your own pace.
Yale has put quite a few of their world class lectures online for anyone to use. They have quite a few courses with more being added. You can see the complete list here.
I’ve always been interested in studying the Old Testament but have never had access to a quality source. With Open Yale courses, this is no longer a problem.
This course examines the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) as an expression of the religious life and thought of ancient Israel, and a foundational document of Western civilization. A wide range of methodologies, including source criticism and the historical-critical school, tradition criticism, redaction criticism, and literary and canonical approaches are applied to the study and interpretation of the Bible. Special emphasis is placed on the Bible against the backdrop of its historical and cultural setting in the Ancient Near East.
The course is taught by Prof. Christine Hayes:
Here is a comprehensive list of similar courses from some of the best universities around the world: free online courses
Isn’t the internet wonderful?
