Board of Peace, Creators United, Cumberland Presbyterians Decline
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.
Board of Peace. The UK-based ministry Christian Solidarity Worldwide is criticizing the inclusion of United Arab Emirates in President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. It says the UAE has taken an active military role in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The group said UAE’s representative, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, should not be part of a body intended for international peacebuilding because of his country’s alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia accused of war crimes in Sudan.
Demography is Destiny. New data from Ryan Burge suggest that some of America’s oldest denominations are dying — literally. About 22% of Episcopalians are over the age of 75. About 66% — a full two-thirds — are over the age of 60. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is in the same shape, with 65% of members over the age of 60. Demographically speaking, that means two-thirds of these churches’ members will die in the next 20 years. And they are not alone. Among the denominations looking at a demographic winter are: United Methodists, Presbyterian Church USA, the Presbyterian Church in America, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Among the youngest churches are the Church of Christ and the Free Will Baptists. I recommend digging into the data, which you can find here.
Creators Unite. A group calling itself Stealing Isn’t Innovation has launched a website and released a statement calling on Artificial Intelligence to stop stealing their intellectual property in order to “train” AI models. This is an interesting development in the ongoing evolution of the AI world, but what makes it more interesting from my point of view is that a lot of Christian artists have joined some of the entertainment world’s elite as co-signers. Among the Christian artists signing on to the statement are Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Lauren Daigle, Buddy Miller, CeCe Winans, Jordan Family Band, and a whole lot more.
The statement says, in part, “America’s creative community is the envy of the world and creates jobs, economic growth, and exports. But rather than respect and protect this valuable asset, some of the biggest tech companies, many backed by private equity and other funders, are using American creators’ work to build AI platforms without authorization or regard for copyright law. Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are banding together with a simple message: Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple.”
The statement goes on to say, “A better way exists – through licensing deals and partnerships, some AI companies have taken the responsible, ethical route to obtaining the content and materials they wish to use. It is possible to have it all. We can have advanced, rapidly developing AI and ensure creators’ rights are respected.”
Second Great Awakening Seminary Shutters. Memphis Theological Seminary, an institution of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, will shut down July 31 “in light of current economic realities,” according to the school’s president, Reverend Jody Hill. The closure of Christian colleges and seminaries is not new. MinistryWatch has reported on more than two dozen closures over the past six years. But what caught my attention about this one is that the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (and predecessors and affiliates) played a big role in the famous Cane Ridge Revival that some historians say began the Second Great Awakening. Cumberland Presbyterians grew rapidly in the 19th century, especially in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. But in the 20th century it succumbed to theological liberalism and went into decline. Today, the denomination has less than 30,000 members. According to the school’s website, 177 students are currently enrolled.
Your Own Philanthropy Plan. MinistryWatch recently did a story on family offices. Family offices are used by ultra-high net worth individuals and families to help them manage their philanthropy and other financial activities. But family offices and philanthropy consultants – while helpful, and we sometimes recommend them – are not appropriate for most Christian givers. That’s why MinistryWatch is developing a new tool to help the rest of us develop a philanthropy plan that is more appropriate for what I call “mid-major” donors: people who give significant amounts to Christian ministries who also want to make sure they have a real plan, and are not merely giving on a whim. Check out our new assessment tool here. It will take about five to eight minutes to fill it out, and you’ll end up with a personalized and confidential philanthropy plan.
Readers in San Francisco, Nashville, Los Angeles. I have some travel coming up in the next couple of months, and I would love to see you. I will be in San Francisco and Nashville in February, and Los Angeles in April. I will be doing reader lunches in all three cities. The San Francisco lunch will be on Feb. 5 at noon. Let me know if you would like to join us. My email is [email protected].
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