Helping People Flourish, Livestream Church Services & Receiving Criticism

Engaging with Scripture, forgiving others and using spiritual gifts help people flourish and lead hopeful lives, the latest release from the American Bible Society’s 2023 State of the Bible shows.

People who rank highest in Scripture engagement report the highest levels of human flourishing when considering six factors including happiness/life satisfaction, character/virtue, and meaning/purpose, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in releasing in the third chapter of the annual study, now in its 13th year.

Forgiving others results in higher levels of human flourishing, the ABS said. People who said they can forgive others, even when the offending party doesn’t seek forgiveness, proportionately rank higher in human flourishing at 7.7, compared to 6.0 for those who described themselves as least able to forgive.
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As many churchgoers continue watching livestream church services at least occasionally, they also recognize limitations in its validity and utility.

According to a Lifeway Research study, nearly 2 in 5 Protestant churchgoers (39 percent) say they have watched a livestream service instead of attending a church service in person on more than five occasions over the past year. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 (20 percent) have not watched a livestream service in the last year.

Today, watching livestream services at the highest frequency (18 times or more in a year) is about half as common as it was in February 2021, during COVID (15 percent v. 32 percent). Still, churchgoers today are nearly four times as likely to watch church services online 18 or more times in a year than they were in 2019, before COVID (15 percent v. 4 percent).
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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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Everyone has received criticism at some point in life. Not all of us have received the criticism as we should. In a piece on Baptist Press, Michael Visy offers some suggestions on how we can receive critique well.

First, he encourages a person to assume the best motives. The person may voice criticism to you because they love you and want what’s best for you.

Second, listen for the truth in what they share.

And, then, thank them for their concern.

Visy encourages the receiver to then ask for some time to pray and process.

Then, make sure to follow up if it’s merited.