Annie Dillard
Plus, Cru’s 75th birthday, cutting screen time, major free speech award, and more.
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.
Black Protestants and White Evangelicals Together. My go-to data guru, Ryan Burge, makes a compelling case that Black Protestants and White Evangelicals have much more in common with each other than either group has with other religious traditions. They have similar beliefs regarding the existence of God, of heaven, of hell, of Jesus, of…well…just about everything theological. Burge concludes: “Stripping away politics reveals a surprising alignment.” Moral of the story: we should not let politics define our faith. We should let our faith define our politics.
Annie Dillard and Jim Kilgo. At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I draw your attention to an article I did last week for Christianity Today. It is the story of one of my friends and mentors, Jim Kilgo, and his humorous first meeting with the writer Annie Dillard, who died on Sept. 15. The story was one that did not quite fit here at MinistryWatch, and I am grateful that my friends at CT chose to publish it. You can find it here.
Cutting Screen Time? A new Murmuration survey finds that nearly three in four Americans (73%) say spending in-person time with friends and family has become more important to them over the last year, while a majority (55%) have seriously considered quitting social media.
In a statement, Murmuration said, “The survey, which includes an oversample of nearly 3,900 Gen Z adults, finds that the shift is sharpest among the generation that grew up online: nearly two-thirds of Gen Z adults (64%) have seriously considered quitting social media — more than any other generation — and 44% have deleted a social media app from their phone.”
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“We spend our time listening to Americans at scale, and what we’re hearing is clear: as more of life moves online — from doctor’s appointments to parking meters — people are reaching for more life outside their screens,” said Sarah Stamper, Murmuration’s chief research officer. “Our research finds that 81% of adults have already taken steps to reduce their screen time, and what they’re looking for — is where to go next.”
I will state the obvious: That finding represents a significant opportunity for churches and Christian ministries.
Compelling Testimony. A year or so ago I recommended my friend Paul Hasting’s podcast “Compelled.” Each episode contains the testimony of someone who has had a radical, or inspiring, or otherwise interesting conversion experience. The current episode features my friend Dr. Marvin Olasky. If you do not know of his journey, from Jewish upbringing through communism and other ideologies to his conversion to Christianity, I recommend this podcast episode. I also hope this episode might be your introduction to the “Compelled” podcast. They are all excellently done, with great guests and great production quality.
Major Free-Speech Award Announced. The Russell Kirk Center announced this week that Eugene Volokh will receive this year’s Richard D. McLellan Prize for advancing free speech and expression. Volokh is an influential legal scholar and fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. The prize carries with it a cash award of $50,000 for Advancing Free Speech and Expression.
According to a statement from the Kirk Center: “Eugene Volokh is one of the most prolific and influential legal scholars of our time. He is the Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus at UCLA School of Law. He is editor-in-chief and founder of the ‘Journal of Free Speech Law’ and is also known for his legal blog, The Volokh Conspiracy — a must read in the conservative legal community and in the highest courts, including the Supreme Court.”
Volokh has had a remarkable life and career. At the age of 12, he began working as a computer programmer and was enrolled as a sophomore at UCLA. He graduated from UCLA at age 15 with a B.S. degree in mathematics/computer science. Volokh later attended the UCLA Law School, graduating in 1992. He clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court. He has written two legal textbooks that have become standard books in the field, as well as over 100 law review articles. His work has been cited by opinions in 12 Supreme Court cases and over 400 court opinions in total, as well as over 12,000 academic works indexed in Google Scholar. Three of his academic articles, for instance, were cited by the majority opinion in the landmark Second Amendment decision in D.C. v. Heller, which affirmed an individual’s right to possess firearms.
World Venture Presidential Search. World Venture, a global Christian missions organization serving in more than 65 countries across six continents, is seeking its next president. The position is based in the Denver, Colorado, area, with relocation assistance available. Midpoint compensation is $175,000. Personal support raising is not required. If you or someone you know may be a fit, please review the Opportunity Profile.
Cru’s 75th Birthday. The organization formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ is 75 years old. In 1951, former businessman Bill Bright and his wife Vonette started sharing Christ on the UCLA campus. The organization grew into a global organization that has 16,000 team members in 190 countries.
I love Cru and have been nourished by its ministry. And I had the chance to meet Bill Bright several times before he died in 2003. He always encouraged my journalistic work, telling me that transparency and accountability are important. That is why I think he would be dismayed that Cru no longer files a Form 990. They stopped doing so around 2018.
In 1976, on Cru’s 25th anniversary, Bright sat with Christianity Today for an interview. In it, he said, “We at Campus Crusade are very transparent in all our financial operations.” Alas, not anymore.
So, congratulations to Cru for 75 years. One of the best ways it could celebrate its birthday and honor the memory of Bill Bright would be to begin filing a Form 990 again.
