Viewing Profile: Shane Raynor
About Shane RaynorShane Raynor is a writer and publisher based in Austin, Texas. He is a certified lay speaker in the United Methodist Church and from 2002-2008 he did ministry work with at risk teenagers in Southeast Austin. A native of North Carolina, Shane has worked in local Christian radio and television (both on-air and in production), and in Christian retailing and publishing, for 5 years in management with Grand Rapids-based Family Christian Stores and most recently as a key account manager and church consultant with the retail division of the United Methodist Publishing House. From 2004-2006, Shane was the author of the popular Wesley Blog, one of the first weblogs devoted to news and theology in the United Methodist Church. In addition to publishing Wesley Report, Shane also does freelance writing and is a book review editor for Circuit Rider magazine.
Latest Posts by Shane Raynor
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How Television Keeps Us From Hearing GodBy Shane Raynor on September 6, 2010 | No Comments
In the 1976 Academy Award winning movie Network, the “mad prophet of the airwaves” Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) tells his television audience to turn off their TV sets and leave them off. I’m thinking maybe the guy was actually on to something, because I didn’t reali... -
Time Isn’t Money… It’s More Than MoneyBy Shane Raynor on September 1, 2010 | 6 Comments
It’s been 5 days since I arrived in Nashville, and so far, so good. Leaving Austin was harder than I thought it was going to be, but I’m confident I’ll adjust to everything in a few weeks. Working at the United Methodist Publishing House is going to be a blast– the people there have... -
Tool Kit for Radical Methodists: Wesley’s General RulesBy Shane Raynor on August 24, 2010 | 9 Comments
A few years ago, someone in our church’s youth ministry decided to make a list of rules for the church gym. If I recall correctly, the rules were written in red letters on white poster board. Someone hung the rules at the main entrance, and with gems like “no profanity”, “no... -
President Obama, Franklin Graham and IslamBy Shane Raynor on August 20, 2010 | 25 Comments
Watching cable news these days makes me feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. First, President Obama spoke at a White House Ramadan dinner and expressed his support for the right to build a mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan: President Obama But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as Presiden... -
Special Announcement from Shane RaynorBy Shane Raynor on August 18, 2010 | 16 Comments
I’m excited to announce that within the next couple of weeks, I’ll be joining the United Methodist Publishing House as an editor, writer and content manager. I’m going to be part of a team working on an exciting new project called MinistryMatters.com– a website aimed at ever... -
Dr. Laura and Free SpeechBy Shane Raynor on August 18, 2010 | 3 Comments
I haven’t listened to Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s radio show in over 10 years. One, I rarely listen to talk radio anyway. Two, I can’t handle much on-air “therapy” . Whining people and chastising hosts… it just gets old to me. Mind you, some of the people who call i... -
Rethink Church: 3 Lessons We Should Learn from KFCBy Shane Raynor on August 17, 2010 | 8 Comments
Last year, when I was reporting on the United Methodist Church’s “Rethink Church” campaign, I noted the similarity between the look of the UMC’s ad campaign and KFC’s “Unthink Chicken” campaign. The post was written in fun– I figured the similarity ... -
Methodist Mysteries: Erasmus of ArcadiaBy Shane Raynor on August 16, 2010 | 11 Comments
No, I don’t mean that Erasmus. The one I’m referring to was an 18th Century Eastern Orthodox bishop, from the Diocese of Arcadia on the Greek island of Crete. What does he have to do with Methodists, you ask? Well, not much or a lot, depending on what you think of the Catholic view of a... -
5 Reasons Teens Are Avoiding ChurchBy Shane Raynor on August 11, 2010 | 17 Comments
USA Today would have you believe that teenagers are staying away from church and youth group because they’re too busy. Not so. I don’t buy the excuse that youth are busier now than they were ten years ago. Sure, there are technological distractions that didn’t exist then, but does... -
How Reading Makes Us FreeBy Shane Raynor on August 10, 2010 | 4 Comments
Roland Martin is one of my favorite analysts on CNN. He believes what he says, and he says it with passion, whatever the issue. In a cable news environment full of stale talking points, Roland keeps things interesting. His Twitter feed is no different. Sunday he was Tweeting about his visit to the ...
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