Within the last hour, a invitation-only media call featuring the producers and star of the forthcoming film Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, was accessed by outspoken Intelligent Design opponent PZ Myers. Upon entering the call on a participant code, allowing him to hear and be heard rather than only listen (like yours truly), Myers confronted the film’s content as “lies” and accused it’s producers of being “dishonorable” and of “propagating their lies”.

Myers voiced his presence on the call as a media question regarding his expulsion from a Minneapolis, MN by-invitation-only screening of the movie (to which Myers was uninvited) was being addressed by producer Logan Craft.

Stay tuned! (posted at 4:35 pm ET)

Update 1, 7:00 pm ET: I’m presently exchanging emails with Dr. Myers. I’ve asked several questions to clarify his objections to Expelled’s content, and to the address the cause of the heated conversation that occurs in the scientific community regarding evolutionary theory and intelligent design theory.

There are a lot of social media experiments going on. The interesting thing about social media websites is that you’ve got no idea what will work and what won’t. Here’s a brand new one worth checking out.

PlugRug.com

If you use Digg.com to sort out what’s how on the web… (So 2007, I know) you’ll recognize the format of PlugRug. Here’s how they describe themselves.

PlugRug is a collection of all the latest and greatest ministry articles, stories and resources on the Internet as recommended by people like you.

One thing I noticed… um, no ads? I’d be interested to hear the theory there.

Like any social media site, it’s impossible to know if this one will take off. But I think it has potential. I like aggregators and I like the seemingly democratic feel. I just hope that clickfraud doesn’t take it down like Digg.com got dug in late 07.

Thoughts? Do you like it?

We all know that we have a tough job to do. Reaching today’s generation with the message of Jesus Christ is a high calling.

According to a Pew Forum study covered in today’s New York Times we are failing to slow or reverse a trend of Americans choosing a life without church.  (click image to see full size version)

 In the Pew survey 7.3 percent of the adult population said they were unaffiliated with a faith as children. That segment increases to 16.1 percent of the population in adulthood, the survey found. The unaffiliated are largely under 50 and male. “Nearly one-in-five men say they have no formal religious affiliation, compared with roughly 13 percent of women,” the survey said. link

Let’s deal with reality. We need to stop focusing on keeping and change the American church into a reaching mode. Right before our eyes we have become one of the largest mission fields in the world! 

Questions for Youth Ministry

• How is this trend effecting your ministry today?
• What can you identify from your experiences with youth ministry that will help reverse this trend locally for you?
• Is this an issue of discipleship or evangelism?