Zera Today With Pastor Lorenzo Neal

During a recent radio interview, Bishop Noel Jones defended his relationship status with long term girlfriend by stating that the Apostle Paul was not married. It has long been the expectation by congregationsfor pastors to be married. In light of current divorce trends and pastoral couples ministry teams, is having a married pastor more relevant or effective in the black church? Join Pastor Neal for this and other topics on Zera Today.

As the news of black individuals being overtly harrassed and killed by the hands of law enforcement, the question has come up about the expendability of black life. Blacks lead in abortions, have high homicide rates and other issues. Yet in spite of this, only pockets of black church leadership even speak to these issues without having a personal agenda attached to it. Should it be the pastor's duty to speak to these issues and lead the community in facilitating change? Join in the discussion with Pastor Neal

During the early 2000's the Roman Catholic Church was in the midst of serious sexual abuse scandals that cost the institution millions of dollars in court settements. Today, Protestant churches are now in the spotlight for similar scandals with their clergy. The church cannot afford to be silent any longer regarding this epidemic of pastor pedophiles. What are things that can be don to prevent clergy sexual misconduct with youth in today's churches?

In August, cartoonist Aaron McGruder, creator of the infamous Boondocks comic strip and cartoon series will premier a new show titled "Black Jesus" on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim time slot. The comedy parody show features a live action series of Jesus as a black man in Compton, CA. This show has brought about good and negative publicity for AS and McGruder, but how should black pastors engage the show and the viewers? Is the show any more offensive than Jesus Christ Superstar, Tyler Perry's Madea series, or even George Burns' O God movie series?

The church world is abuzz about money. One man, David Lee, claims to have had his ministerial credentials revoked and was forcibly removed from The Potter's House Church in Dallas because his book " The Sunday Morning Stickup" discussed how tithing isn't required under the new covenant through Christ. Also, rapper turned pastor, Mason (Mase) Betha has left his ministry to perform rap full-time. In both cases, the underlying issue was money. Why is money such a terrible issue in the church (and the black church in particular)? Should pastors consider full-time or bi-vocational ministry as options to accumulating the wealth they need? Join Pastor Neal for discussion on this and other topics.

Many of us have had experiences where we have had poor services provided by professionals. If a pastor is blatantly immoral or unethical in their professional capacity, should members of the church be able to file malpractice actions against them? Drawing from the recent legal woes of Memphis pastor Frank Ray, what can members do to be proactive in their faith while holding pastors accountable for ethical violations in ministry?  When it comes to ministry, should pastors be subject to liability and even legal action for providing poor services to members/nonmembers? How and to whom should the pastor be liable if there are valid complaints regarding their public ministry? Join Pastor Neal for this topic on Zera Today

A recent article posted in the Atlanta Black Star listed 8 pastors whose income is 200x greater than that of their congregants. Here is the link to the article: http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/06/26/8-black-pastors-whose-net-worth-is-200-times-greater-than-folks-in-their-local-community/ Among those listed are several Nigerian pastors whose combined wealth is over 100 million US dollars. The debate on how and how much pastors should be compensated is an age old one. The underlying question for Western Christianity is how much is too much for a pastor's compensation package and when do other items cross into excess? Should pastors/clergy have their own planes, luxury cars and homes, and other toys, or should their wealth reflect the communities they serve. Join Pastor Neal for this and other lively topics.

Individuals spend lifetimes in search of finding meaning and purpose for their lives. As Christians, many people are taught to believe that once they receive salvation, they no longer need to search for meaning and purpose. This leads to them experiencing conflicting existential moments in their life and faith. Did Jesus ever succeed in discovering meaning and purpose in life. Should Christians settle for a future promise of eternal life and not be intentional in a personal quest for meaning? Join Pastor Neal as he disusses this and other topics of the day.

Have you ever been to a church where the leadership team and members were always in the latest trends? Does your church have the catchy mottos every year? Does your pastor(older or younger) not wear suits or robes? Do you feel more comfortable in a relaxed church atmosphere or the traditional church atmosphere? Join Pastor Neal as he discusses why being trendy may do more harm than help to the black church

It's the summer time and there is so much going on. Many churches will be hosting Vacation Bible Schools this summer and there will be plenty of summer church conferences occuring. Is it possible that smaller churches suffer more during the summer months because their members or pastors get the wander bug and want to travel other than for summer family vacations? Join Pastor Neal as he discusses how smaller churches can manage during the summer month crunch and still be viable ministries for their communities.

Many Christian pastors, leaders, and plain jane believers find themselves often having to defend their belief systems, leadership strategies and models, and in some cases their personal conversion narrative. In II Corinthians 9-12 we find Paul doing just that regarding his authority as an apostle and church leader. How does his defense narrative reflect the issues of accountability, deception, and doctrinal authority in today's church? How do we deal with the internal conflicts of leadership like depression, self abasement, and other issues. How do we deal with some of the obvious foolishness and deception among some of today's clergy? Join Pastor Neal for this discussion and others on Zera Today.

If church folk would be honest with themselves, a great deal of their spiritual episodes are based on memories of previous ones. In other words, they believe their experience was good if it was lively and corporately sensual and that it was bad if there was an individual or corporate sense of a dead church. These episodes are called the experiencing and remembering self. Drawing from Paul's personal narratives in scripture and the writings of Daniel Kahneman, Pastor Neal addresses how manipulative we can be when it comes to our church experiences that can lead to stunted spiritual growth and connection with The Divine.

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Everyone has their own story of something they've survived or attempted that empowered them to have a deeper connection with the divine. Everyone has enjoyed some visual or performing art that brought on a sense of divine connection. Many times, these events are never fully engaged or transcendent for most individuals. Join Pastor Neal as he delves deeper into the alternative paths to the sacred.

Western Christianity has been hijacked into a thoughtless, heartless, and spiritless religion in many places. In American evangelicalism, it has been divided into cognates of hatred, capitalist prosperity theology, and heretical new age fusions. Drawing from David Elkins' book of Beyond Religion, Pastor Lorenzo Neal explains how the arts, mythology, nature, and dark nights of the soul can be used as personal programs for spiritual life outside of traditional Christian traditions. Join in the dialogue and be blessed!

The four sypnotic gospel accounts of Jesus' last week of life present rich conflict and consolation that is often missed during the Holy Week sermons and lessons. How should we deal with conflicting gospel accounts and how does that add or take away from the authority of those accounts for believers today? Is there a deeper revelation waiting to be exposed during that last week that can empower Christian believers today? Join Pastor Lorenzo Neal as he discusses this and other great topics

Passion Sunday and Week gets kicked off this weekend leading up to elaborate celebrations in the western church of Easter Sunday. Few western Christians take the time to ponder the Paschal Mystery and its mystical underpinnings. Join Pastor Neal as he explores the Paschal Mystery from a contemplative perspective with the hopes of empowering you to a deeper and more meaningful spiritual ressurection experience.

Join Pastor, Author, and Teacher Lorenzo Neal as he discusses the latest in religious, political, social, and education topics. Be empowered and illuminated with Pastor Lorenzo Neal on Zera Today

A Pastor confesses to adultery then reportedly dies afterwards and one popular Evangelical pastor has said he will no longer be the "Angry Prophet."Join Pastor Neal for discussion on this and various religious, educational, political, and social topics of the day.