Multiply
Populations grow and shrink due to number of factors. Never is it just one thing, but a combination of things. Healthcare, the economy, education, tech, and many other factors also play a role.
Needless to say, our world is growing in places where we Americans might find that growth puzzling. As it has been, and always will be, it’s true that we don’t know everything, even though we’d like to believe that we do.
There’s an idea all throughout scripture that through oppression, through hardship, and through suffering, comes growth.
How does that apply to us today?
Ryan Phipps is the Senior Minister at Church In Bethesda.
Raised in the church, becoming a pastor was the one thing Ryan vowed he would never do. After spending many years away from faith, he found that for all of its flaws, the church can still occupy a unique place of good in the world if it is willing to evolve with reason and empathy.
Ryan has a special place in his heart for those who have been damaged or disillusioned by the church, and longs to lead those within it toward a more just and generous expression of itself.