Author: Michelle Van Loon
-
A vaccine to innoculate against Prosperity-itis
Prosperity preaching is not just for TV preachers. Prosperity-itis has infected us all. One vaccine against it might be found in a very old school source. I appreciated this analysis from writer Brandon Peach, who explains that we’ve married American notions of the Good Life with the call to follow Jesus: God wants to…
-
Looking for your input: how do we talk about family in the church?
Typically, I don’t share bits of my writing work-in-progress because…well, it’s in progress, which means it’s not quite ready for prime time. But I’m breaking my own rule because I’m looking for some feedback on this snippet of a longer piece discussing the focus in the modern Evangelical church on marriage and family. I’ll first…
-
What’s Growing In The Soil Of This Town?
The first building in this 13-second video, The Cotillion banquet hall, used to be Willow Creek movie theater in Palatine, IL. It was also the first site of Willow Creek Community Church, which met here from 1975-1981 before moving to their own building in nearby South Barrington. The last building in this video, a hulking…
-
A word to those in the inner circle of a church
If you see something, say something. But if you say something, know it will cost you. In the wake of the exposure within the last year of toxic leaders and cultures at Willow Creek and Harvest Bible Chapel, there’s been a quiet self-assessment going on among some of those who enabled these leaders at an…
-
Update: Where In The World Are The Van Loons Going Next?
The short answer to this post’s title query: Still trying to figure it out. No stumbling pilgrim in the dark / the road to Zion’s in your heart. – Petra, “Road to Zion” I’ve never seen a book end with a comma. But when you’re writing about the Jesus-follower’s life, it seems as though a…
-
Reflections on “Reflections”
Yesterday, I attend the GC2 Summit at Wheaton College, hosted by the Billy Graham Center. The summit was designed to challenge church and organizational leaders to address sexual harassment, abuse, and violence in their midst. Speakers included some well-known names from the Christian community (Beth Moore, Max Lucado) as well as mix of others with…