Taizé: Stirring Europe's youth 
By Greg Warner

Why would thousands of young Europeans travel to this tiny village in southern France and camp out for a week to sing monotonous songs with Catholic monks? Many are seekers exploring Christianity in a focused but non-threatening setting. Others seek a return of the mystical to their intellectualized faith. "There is something that happens in the prayer [chants] -- an openness to mystery, simplicity, authenticity," says Brother Emile, my guide for the week. "Lots of things are going to be new to everyone -- and everyone is going to feel at home."

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React!  Why do you think Taizé worship is becoming more popular, even in the U.S.? 

Is our preaching out of touch?
By Tom Allen

Clad in faded jeans, paisley shirt, and sandals, Doug Pagitt doesn’t look much like a preacher. At least, not the ones I grew up with in rural Georgia. But Pagitt, thirty-something pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, is on the vanguard of an effort to help today’s emerging, largely unchurched culture connect with the gospel. At a gathering of alternative church leaders in San Diego, Pagitt bluntly told 1,100 of us that “preaching is broken.” In today’s culture, people are increasingly distrustful of authority figures, especially preachers, with overarching explanations of how the world works. “The thing that’s changed is that Wizard of Oz part,” says Rudy Carrasco, of Pasadena, Calif. “The screen is pulled back, and you see who the wizard is."

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React!  Do you think the traditional sermon is out of date, or is something else 
the problem?