Quote of the Week

"The Church in America has lost its impact, insight, and identity because it has lost its identification with the head of the Church, Jesus Christ. We are more associated with the political process - Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Christians than with the work of Jesus Christ. We have sought and become a political-economic force rather than a spiritual one. Why is it that we can assemble five thousand Christians to champion a cause or boycott an artists public display of sensuality, but at that same time its virtually impossible to gather five hundred Christians for prayer meeting? The problem with the world is not the world, ladies and gentlemen.
The problem with the world are Christians trying to sneak into heaven incognito."

___Steve Camp

Source: http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/2006/10/picketing-sin-boycotting-moral.html

A Different Kind of Benediction

As you probably know, the usual benediction at the end of most church services (those that have them) goes like this:

May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord shine His face upon you
May the Lord lift His countenance upon you,
and grant you peace


In my Presbyterian church, our new pastor has brought the following in. I think it's pretty good and perhaps a refreshing and more meaningful change. I do hope I'm not sopunding too emergent or Purpose Driven....:)

Pastor: You go nowhere by accident!
Congregation: Wherever we go God is sending us;
Wherever we are, God has put us there
He has a purpose in our being there

Pastor: Christ who indwells in you has something He wants to do through you where you are. Believe this, and go in His grace and love and power.

Evangelicals - Is This Your Future?

You go to the church. The music is nice, the people fairly friendly and the sermon is all about God's love for you and how we should love others. People can basically do what they want; practicing homosexuals are welcomed and even ordained. But no gospel message. Welcome to the liberal Protestant church. Sadly, but understandably, these [mainline] churches are losing scads of members and their headquarters are having to lay off alot of their staff.

If the evangelical church continues to go into emergent and seeker-sensitive models, which IMO as I've said here many times before, is simply going into liberal Protestantism, then...........

evangelicals ----- this might be your future - empty churches, bad budgets, and gentrifying churches.

How Far Should They Go?

It's been interesting to me to watch certain people in the ministry appearing on secular TV programs and/or secular magazines. The two who pop up are Rick Warren and Paula White. I personally think this is a good thing as the secular society needs all the good input it can take. However, in the case of Warren, he's been critized by several Christians for not spilling even one iota of the gospel. No Jesus. And certainly no cross.

As for Paula White who co-pastors a Pentecostal/Charismatic church in Florida with her husband, she was recently (yesterday in fact) on the Tyra Banks show. This is a talk show and the topic was young women who are promiscuous. Paula was there with Tyra to help these women see the light. I didn't know it was going to be on or I would have watched it, but from the description at Tyra's website (see the end of this post) it seemed that Paula was basically giving the psychology line. The program description stated,

Paula White, a life couch and Tyra Show expert, brought firsthand knowledge to the discussion. She talked about how she too walked the same path as these girls, and changed only when she “stopped violating herself, and started valuing herself.”

I didn't read anywhere in the rather long program description any mention of how Jesus changed her. This was also true when Warren went onto the Larry King show and also in his column in a popular secular magazine. And this brings me to the subject at hand. When Christians go on secular programs, or write or are interviewed for secular magazines, should they mention their faith and life change through Christ?
Or does it depend on the program/magazine - that is the situation?

What do you think?

Source for the Tyra Banks program with Paula White: http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/show_recaps/show_recap_thu76.html

New Agey Evangelicalism

From The Evangelical Christian, September 1960. Note the early date and what was said.....truly amazing.....

"While we are sending missionaries to the Far East, that same area of the world is sending missionaries to us. Western governments and others seem at times to go out of their way to flatter the ancient but pagan religions, and often do much to undercut a vital influence that could be exercised in a spiritual mission to the world.

"Of particular note is the fact that 'meditative religion' such as Buddhism is gaining influence and power over the souls of men to an alarming degree. And as this material is being prepared for the press, a Toronto newspaper carries a full page advertisement to the effect that there will be a series of articles on Yoga 'exercises.' The student of comparative religions will know that these are not physical exercises, although the body is used as a means to attain a state of suspension and relaxation, but only for the spirit or soul to seek an unattainable position in the 'world soul.' As an exercise it may have benefit. But the true Yogi does not stop with an exercise of the body and this could be a means of luring many unsuspecting, anxious seeking souls into the false religion of Buddhism. Let the people of God beware of these subtle manoeuvres to instill pagan concepts into the spiritual life that can only be satisfied by the Lord Jesus Christ."

Sounds almost as if this writer had a crystal ball as to what would be happening in the evangelical churches 45 years from his announcement. And speaking of occultism and new agey practices, here is an interesting statement by a man who is a high practitioner of Hinduism. And boy, is he miffed!

From Yogi Baba Prem,

He says there is no such thing as "Christian yoga." According to the yogi, it's impossible to separate yoga from Hinduism. He wonders if this is a quest on the part of Christians for a more spiritual experience. If you listen to many emergents, that may be exactly what it is - a part of a spiritual quest.

And on a simlar note, in his years in the emergent church, Jason Carleson left for many reasons and among them was(in his words),
Openness to pagan religious practices like Hindu Yoga and incorporating them into the Christian life and Christian worship.

Euthanasia's Slippery Slope

Today, I was listening to the top rated Christian talk show in the United States - it emanates from where I live, So. California, and they were discussing California's "socialist" legislature considering passing a euthansia bill similar to Oregon's. The guest on the show pointed out that money can all too easily enter into the individual's decision. For example, somebody feels they are dying, and to save their money for their heirs; or to offset exorbitant medical expenses, decides to end it. My 20+ year study of Nazi Germany tells me where this could go. For those who don't know that history, the Nazis exterminated many of the feeble, demented, and developmentally and physically disabled. And of course there were also the Jews. And that is the slippery slope. Notice the word usually used when historians discuss that story - "exterminaton."

Extermination - like in exterminating pests. You get the idea. Where then is the barrier? That is, where is it in THIS non-Christian society. Yes, this is basically now a non-Christian society in it's public mores and laws no matter how much the Christian Right wants you to believe otherwise.

The guest on the radio program also reported that in, I think he said Sweden, mentally ill patients can now end their lives legally too.

And so, the slippery slope keeps sliding.....further.....further....further.......

Sanctification - What Is It Exactly?

As soon as you admit that you cannot please God; as soon as you realize that Christ alone is your sufficiency and you believe on His name and what He did at the cross to save you; as soon as you recieve that in your mind and heart and make it your own, then, you become a Christian. This means you are justified(made right in God's eyes); you are now an adopted son or daughter of God and your sins are removed because Christ bore them. The word bore used in the New Testament means a substitutionary bearing or taking away, as in "He bore our sins...." - Heb. 9:28.

OK, so now you're a Christian but find yourself in the same predicament as Paul did in Romans. This is called the sanctification process. Sadly, the "false holiness" movement, which is once again a-risin' - does somewhat what the Roman Catholics do - confuse and mesh justification and sanctification. Keep justification separate - its a done deal. Now onto sanctification. That word simply describes God molding you into the image of Christ. But it takes time. In other words, it's a process. Here is one of the best illustrations of the sanctification process I've heard - AND it's true.

Years ago, in a three-year denominational Bible college, some of the male students decided to play a flag football game among themselves. During the game one guy (who I will call Guy #2) did a nasty clip on another guy (Guy #1). Guy #1 became extremely angry at Guy #2.

Three years later, some students played another flag football game. Guy #1 was in this game too. Another student (Guy #3) did almost same thing - a nasty clip to Guy #1. This time Guy #1 started to get angry but he just couldn't get the anger going. So, he smiled and said, "That's alright."

That's sanctification.


Here's a poem I received in my email this week. It shows we are still in the flesh. However, this poem doesn't really show the true sanctification process. What should be added to each paragraph? It might look something like this:

"and God is molding me into His image every day."

I've added this phrase in italics to the original poem.

"When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven.
and God is molding me into His image every day."

"When I say.. 'I am a Christian'
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
and God is molding me into His image every day."

"When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
and God is molding me into His image every day."


"When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
and God is molding me into His image every day."

When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
and God is molding me into His image every day."

When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
and God is molding me into His image every day."

When I say... 'I am a Christian'
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow,
( thru faith that He died for me on that cruel cross !)
and God is molding me into His image every day."

Fascinating Polls - Part 2

Here are more polls from the Gallup organization. For Part 1 of the polls scroll down to the Thursday, Feb. 15, 2007 post. Again, I feel Christians should at least be aware of some good polls (and Gallup probably is the best) to know how our citizens feel about certain topics.


General Mood of the Country
In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?
Satisfied-31%
Dissatisfied-66%

Healthcare System
Do you think it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have health care coverage?
Yes, it is the government's responsibility-69%
No, it's not the government's responsibility-28%

Homosexual Relations
Do you think homosexual relations between consenting adults should or should not be legal?
legal-56%
illegal-40%

Do you feel homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle or not?
Acceptable-64%
Not Acceptable-41%

Illegal Drugs
How much progress do you think the nation has made over the past year or two in coping with the problem if illegal drugs?
Made progress-33%
Stood still-30%
Lost ground-36%

Iraq
All in all, do you think it was worth going to war in Iraq?
Worth it-37%
Not worth it-62%

In general, how would you say things are going for the U. S. in Iraq?
Well-28%
Badly-71%

Moral Issues
How would you rate the overall state of moral values in this country today?(May 8, 2006)
Excellent-1%
Good-13%
Fair-43%
Poor-42%
No opinion-2

Race Relations
How would you rate race relations between various groups in the United States these days?
Percentage of whites and blacks who say somewhat good:
(non-Hispanic) Whites-67%
Blacks-62%

Satisfaction with Personal Life
In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in your personal life?
Satisfied-84%
Dissatisfied-15%

Stem Cell Research
Tell me whether you personally believe that in general it is morally acceptable or morally wrong [for] medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos?
Morally acceptable-61%
Morally wrong-30%

War on Terrorism
How satisfied are you with the way things are going for the U.S. in the war on terrorism?
Satisfied-51%
Dissastified-49%

Fascinating Polls-Part 1

A few years ago I happened to see a book in the library on various polls taken by university research centers and independent think tanks. There was a poll for every conceivable subject imaginable. For each poll the authors showed the top three responses of multiple choice questions; and how many yeses and noes on yes/no questions. They also divided the responses into how many men answered a certain way and how many woman answered a certain way. I especially remember this question:
What is the one subject that no one wants to hear discussed in public? Both men and women also put this as their #1 choice. Give up on what it is? See the answer at the bottom of this post.*

I seem to be fascinated with polls. I take about two or three a week - they come in my email. One is the Harris poll and each time I take it I get points. After so many points I can pick neat gifts. I've gotten a really nice wok and a also battery-operated massager.

Here are some interesting polls I found from the Gallup organization. But they aren't just interesting for interest's sake. Christians should be aware how their fellow-citizens think and feel about important subjects facing out country and society. These polls were taken in 2006 with some in 2007. I will present this in two parts, the first part being today.
[Source: The Gallup Poll In Depth: Topics A-Z]

Abortion
Do you think abortion should be:
Legal under any circumstances-30%
Legal only under certain circumstances-53%
Illegal in all circumstances-15%

Big Business
Would you like to see major corporations in this country have:
More influence-7%
Less influence-65%
Keep their influence as it is now-26%

China
What is your overall opinion of China?
Unfavorable-49%
Favorable44%

Congress and the Public
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans/Democrats in Congress are handling their job?
Republicans who approve-33%
Democrats who approve-38%

Crime
Is there more crime in your area than there was a year ago?
Less-30%
Same-15%

Death Penalty
Are you in favor of the death penalty for a person convicted of a murder?
Yes-62%
No-27%

Education
Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of education students receive in Kindergarten through grade twelve in the U.S. today?
Satisfied-45%
Dissatisfied-52%

Election 2008(2/1/07)
Democrats were asked who they would vote for:
H. Clinton-29%
Barack-18%
J. Edwards-13%
A. Gore-11%
J. Biden-5%

Republicans were asked who they would vote for:
R. Giuliani-31%
J. McCain-27%
N. Gingrich-10%
M. Romney-7%

Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design
Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on the origin and development of human beings?
God created man in present form-46%
Man developed with God guiding-36%
Man developed, but God had no part in the process-15%

Environment
Which one of these statements about the environment and the economy do you most agree?
Protection of the environment should be given priority even at the risk of curbing economic growth?-52%
Economic growth should be given priority even if the environment suffers to some extent-37%

*Answer: Menopause

Quote of the Week

If Christians hadn’t completely ignored ministry to homosexuals decades ago, we wouldn’t be fighting a lot of the moral battles we are now. The Church’s utter lack of care for homosexuals sent them running to whatever group would listen. We weren’t listening. The feminists were. We know the results.

___Dan Edelen in Cerulean Sanctum - "Sex and the Created Order"

Disenchantment by Some on Emergent?

For a long time now I've been looking for the first fallouts from some emergent churches. I know that when people are in churches resembling liberal Protestantism, the churches will eventually bleed members just like their liberal counterparts are today. I found a testimony from someone named Jason Carlson in his article, My Journey Into and Out of the Emergent Church. Here are some snippets from it.

Like many, Carlson became enamored of emergent when he attended seminary. He's also a close friend of Doug Pagitt, one of the "founders" of emergent. Pagitt was Carlson's youth pastor. Through Pagitt he was introduced to Brian McLaren, Tony Jones and others int eh emergent "conversation."

I think this statement from Carlson really sums up why this movement is so attractive to the young, especially those in seminary and Bible colleges:

I was challenged both intellectually and spiritually through what I encountered, and I was really forced to wrestle with what I believe and hold dear.

After three years, he says he was getting very concerned about the "deviations from Biblical truth" that he felt was taking place. Here are some items sparking red flags to Carleson:

*A highly ambiguous handling of truth.
*A desire to be so inclusive and tolerant that there is virtually no sense of biblical discernment in terms of recognizing and labeling false beliefs, practices, or lifestyles.
*A quasi-universalistic view of salvation.
*A lack of a proper appreciation for biblical authority over and against personal experience or revelation.
*Openness to pagan religious practices like Hindu Yoga and incorporating them into the Christian life and Christian worship.
*Openly questioning the relevance of key historical biblical doctrines such as the Trinity.
*An uncritically open embrace of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
*An unbridled cynicism towards conservative evangelicalism and fundamentalism.
*A reading of scripture that is heavily prejudiced towards a social gospel understanding.
*Little or no talk of evangelism or saving lost souls.
*A salvation by osmosis mentality, where if you hangout with us long enough you’re in.

At the end of his article he writes this [parents--ATTENTION!]:

How did I make it out of my time in Emergent to return to a solid Christian worldview? I owe it all to my parents who raised me with a deep appreciation and respect for God’s word and the truth it reveals. For as far back as I can remember, my parent’s trained me in a biblical Christian worldview. I was taught from a very young age to test all things by God’s word and I was regularly exposed to the writings and teachings of great Christian apologists and theologians like Josh McDowell, Norman Geisler, Ken Ham, and Walter Martin. Through reading solid Christian scholars and attending numerous high quality Christian worldview-training conferences, like Worldview Weekend, I was equipped with the tools I would need later in life to discern truth from error.

Parents, you cannot take lightly the influence that a godly, biblically based upbringing can have on your children! Each generation will be faced with their share of trials, tribulations, and errors which threaten the integrity of the church, but when our young people are raised up with a firm foundation in God’s truth, they will be able to discern truth from error and will have the tools they’ll need to overcome any challenge to their faith.

Source: Christian Worldview Network.

The Right Foundation

I was at my small group today. My group is all women, probably because we meet during the day. Most of our church's groups are following a guide put out by my church which are questions based on our pastor's series on the book of Ephesians.

One of the women in my group said something which I thought had loads of truth. She said she really never understood some of the Epistles like Ephesians very well until she studied Romans in another Bible Study.

She's absolutely right! Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and the other epistles, Pauline or not, need the foundation of Romans and Galatians FIRST!

And maybe that is what is plaguing Christians today. Perhaps their churches give them a shaky foundation?

What Would satan Do?

If you were satan, how would you afflict the evangelical church to stop its message?

My answer would be deception, discouragement, persecution and the cares of the world. In fact, I think there is a verse in the Bible that alludes to that--[see Matt. 13:3-23 ]. Here is a vision from Hollie Moody that I think might have some crediblity.

Satan was speaking, and I heard him say, "This will be our strategy." He
then got up from his throne and went to stand in front of a large map on the
wall behind him. As I stared at the map, I became aware that it was a map of
the entire world. Satan began to divide the world up into sections. Then, he
called out some names. I saw the creatures and the men gathered before Satan
part, and very large and strong looking angelic beings approached Satan. I
could sense the power of these beings, and sensed the evil and wickedness of
that power. A hush had fallen over the crowd. "Who are these beings?" I
whispered to the angel who I was with.
The angel I was with seemed concerned. "They are Satan's princes."
Satan began speaking again, and he was assigning sections of the world to
each of these "princes."
"You will need your armies," Satan said to them.
"Choose whoever you will. All is at your disposal."
The large beings then began to pick and choose who would be in their
particular army. When they were finished, they all turned back to Satan and
stared at him.
"Each prince will teach you our strategy to deceive and to destroy and to
slay mankind," Satan said. "Go with them."
The prince's and their armies began to exit from the presence of Satan. The
angel and I began to follow one of the groups. They went into what appeared
to be a school room. The prince went to the front of the room and began to
instruct his army on how to deceive, destroy and slay the people in their
particular section of the world that had been allocated to them. The angel
and I then went to each "classroom." The same plans and strategies were
being "taught" in each "classroom."
Suddenly, the "classes" began to leave the rooms. The angel and I followed
them. They congregated back in front of Satan.
"Report," Satan said. "How will we deceive, destroy and slay mankind?"
One of the princes came forward and began to outline their plans and
strategies to Satan.
"The people want signs and wonders and miracles from their religious
leaders," the prince said. "We know that our enemy will be, and has begun
already, to grant this unto his children. We will slip in with a counterfeit
move, and deceive many. We have taught our armies how to mimic worship,
praise, and looking and acting like a true believer. We will give unto our
armies the ability to work signs, wonders and even miracles. But while all
become focused upon these outward manifestations, others of us will begin
behind the scenes to dilute the message of the gospel. We will accomplish
this partly through speaking to the people about God's 'true' nature. We
will allow the people to create God into what and who they want Him to be."
"Good," Satan said. "Very good."
The prince began to speak once again. "When the people have created their
own version of God, then, we will give them OUR god." The crowd before satan
began to cheer wildly.

I hope you get my point...:)

Diane

The Evangelical Church in America -Where It Is and Where It Should Be

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN AMERICA - WHERE IT IS NOW - 2007

*"My date book contains cartoons first published in the New Yorker. One shows a young boy in front of his class, doing arithmetic at the blackboard. He has just written "7 x 5 = 75" and says to his astonished teacher, "It may be wrong, but it's how I feel." There, in a nutshell, is the problem with the post-secular university. Faith is dead, reason is dying, but 'how I feel' is going strong."

[Stephen Carter in Christianity Today]


*Dr. Ascol will introduce a resolution at the next annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, requiring that church members actually be born again.


*A Chinese Christian once returned to China after a visit to America. His fellow believers asked him what impressed him the most about the American church. He replied, "How much American Christians can accomplish without God".


*John Sandford, Founder of Elijah House Ministries, said that before the election he heard the Lord saying,
"The Church, our nation and the world are hanging in the balance. Unless there is more repentance, the Church will move into more degradation, the nation will inherit leaders that will lead us further away from our foundation and the world will go into chaos."
He believes that God is looking for a few righteous who will stand in the gap."

[My comment: Just a few??]


THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN AMERICA - WHERE IT SHOULD BE

*"When I was born again, I found that my own worldview, my personal opinions, my prejudices, my tastes, and my 'culture' were all out-of-whack from God's."

[From the comment section of Steve Camp's blog about emergents contextualizing the gospel.]


*"Convicted sinners are very poor judges of what 'will do them good'. The very things which they think they need, are often the very things that are snares to their souls. How is it possible for 'natural man, who discerneth not the things of the Spirit of God', to tell what will do him good? He has no sincere liking for God, or the truth of God. And if likings are to be consulted, the truth must often be sacrificed."

[Source: OldTruth.com]


*"We should also pay attention to the state of civil society, being careful not to overreact to atheism's newly aggressive stance. In an already polarized culture, we cannot afford to destabilize the balance further. Most of all, we must be careful to live out our faith—with demonstrable neighbor love—rather than coasting along in a civil religion that blesses consumer culture and sings praises to the God of materialism. After all, the greatest apologia is love lived out."

[Christianity Today, Jan 25, 2007]

Christian Carnival CLX

Welcome to the Christian Carnival for this week.

*One of the hot topics in the evangelical world today, especially between emergent and non-emergent churches is, How far do we go into the culture?; How far do we stray from Scripture?; and, How do we know if a church really is hearing from God? Veracity at Veracity-the Way begins a dialogue of this very important topic in her post,
God’s Vote.

*At Church Hopping, you’ll find Five Old Testament Anecdotes. Here’s one of the five to start you off – Is Psalm 51:10-12 (…renew a right spirit in me) for Christians today?

*Martin, a former University science professor and now current blogger at Sun and Shield, ponders the question, What does it mean when God promised as many offspring to Abraham as the stars? You can read his answer at in the post entitled, Numbering the Stars.

*Jordan of Power Blog tackles a question that I think is one of the most important facing the church today – the tension between accepting sinners but not their sin. Jordan quotes Augustine from two of his writings in this most well-thought out post,
Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin.

*John at Light Along the Journey has written another post in a series about the book, Future Grace by John Piper. He answers the question, "what is at the root of anxiety?" in his post,
Fighting Anxiety.

*Annette at Fish and Cans asks,
How do we then keep Sunday's special? . Her article provides a good tension between making the Sabbath too legalistic vs. just doing whatever we want to on that day.

*Is there a difference between an Emerging church and an Emergent church? This one is of prime interest to me so I really appreciated what Shawn of Lo-Fi Tribe wrote in his post,
Essential Differences Between Emerging and Emergent .

*What word did Arthur Stace write 500,000 times? And what was the result of that action? Find the answer at thoughtsofagyrovague in the post entitled,
Eternity.

*Brian at Real Ministries points out that the Old Testament can also teach us about being missional. He lists seven points that I had not thought of before. You can read this fascinating post at
Missional Hermeneutics and the Old Testament .

*Michael at Tantalizing But True challenges us to be more specific when reading about sin – in other words, let’s hone in on our own sin. HIs post is entitled,
Don’t Get Specific With Me.

*I don’t know if you’ve heard what is going on in Venezuela. The newly elected president, Hugo Chavez, recently declared himself what would be considered a dictator. So, what does this mean for the Christians there? Barbara at Tidbits and Treasures challenges us to do something in addition to praying for the Venezuelan Christians and the missionaries who work with them. To find out what this is, read her post,
Christians Concerned for Venezuela.

*What does the Hebrew word Shema mean and why is it important for us? Matt at Random Acts of Verbiage tells us in his post,
The Shema.

*Let’s see…um…I think I will pick definition #3 of that word. And for the next word I think I will pick definition #2; and for the next one, definition #7. This is what happens all too often when people do Greek and Hebrew word studies using Strong’s Concordance but don’t know the grammar of Greek and Hebrew. Henry at Participatory Bible Study Blog has a long overdue critique of this dangerous method in his post entitled,
Word Study Dangers: Overview.

*We interrupt the Christian Carnival to bring you A Saturday Funny brought to you courtesy of
Rev Bill at Rev Bill.

*Thomas at Everyday Liturgy discusses the terms, or "jargon" we use in our church services and how they can be both helpful and confusing, especially to the outside world, in his post,
Worship and Jargon.

*Does nature exist simply for the pleasure and use of man? If so, we might not have any obligation toward it. But perhaps there is another reason for its existence too. A.J. at
Put Up Thy Sword discusses this and throws in a lot of philosophers for all of us philosophy fans – Aristotle, Aquinas, Jardins – and even the neo-Platonists show up in his post,
The Earth: A Gift to Man from God

*At Three Sticks we learn that tithing can be a matter of conforming our will to God’s in the post entitled,
How to Give and Tithe Cheerfully.

*Here is something I didn’t know. There actually is a good side to apathy. Our friend Mark at Pseudo-Polymath talks about this in his post,
In Praise of Apathy.


*Jeremy at Parableman discusses Leland Ryken’s book, Choosing a Bible in his post,
Review: Leland Ryken, Choosing a Bible

*Mick at Romans 15:4 Project is resonating with a theme that I have been exploring at my blog too. More and more Christians are being restricted (read that persecuted) in our telling the larger society the gospel. I commend Mick for his post,
Prayer Team: Boldly Proclaim the Gospel in encouraging us to hang tough.

*Richard at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos theophilos discusses the visions of abomination in the 8th chapter of Ezekiel and its relevance to the 16th chapter of Luke, in his post,
Band of Strong Men.

*The Fleet Guy at Brain Cramps for God says that it might be time for another type of discussion about abortion. You can read this fascinating post at
AbortionFoundations of a Discussion

*Don at The Evangelical Ecologist questions the use of chemicals in the environment and their impact on the unborn. He also shows the hypocrisy of those who want pollution’s effects curbed on the animal kingdom but have no trouble with chemicals injected into an embryo to induce abortion. Read this fascinating post at
Pre-Fetal Americans and Ecology.


*Matthew at Mere Orthodoxy asks us to open up ourselves to the book of John in his post,
The Key to the Gospel of John: Final Installment.

*David at Lingamish shows us how the Greek word for "lord," kurios, is translated in two languages – Portuguese and a Bantu language in
"Why do you call me Lord?" Part 5: Translating kurios in languages of the world.

*"Smokey the Bear was more effective in getting a generation of Americans to worry about forest fires than are a labful of scientists in making us worry about global warming." This is the start of Jan’s post at The View From Her. And why does Smokey do a better job? Jan says, "Environmentalists are bursting with facts, passion and dire warnings... But they have no story……Christians have the best story…." Read her great post on telling a story at The Power of Story.

*I'm sure we've all had friends who were suckered into selling health junk in direct marketing programs where they were promised great wealth. Dr. Philip comments on this at Fed Up With Health at his blog, The Blog of Dysfunction.

*And last but hopefully not least, my entry is entitled We're Purty Stupeed. This is the final post in a series on the coming persecution of Christians here in America. In this post I look at how the media portrays us.

Quote of the Week

The inner attack on the church is the shifting of authority away from the Bible toward a 'false gospel,' but from without the church's most significant threat is Islam.

___Anglican Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda,

We're Purty Stupeed

The Germans were told the Jews were cunning, rat-like in apearance, dirty in body and in mind, and trying to subvert both society and individual's morals. While evangelicals aren't being portrayed that bad....YET....it gets worse every year. Have you noticed how we are always portrayed in film and on TV? Out of all the programs I've seen on the three networks (CBS, NBC and ABC) as well as PBS, here is what evangelicals are like:

-We barleee got out of thurd graid
-We all live in a small rural town in the South
-We don't look too bright when you see us in our church services; we seem to be in a trance
-We are mostly middle aged
-We are both white and black but no Asians, Hispanics, Native American Indians or Middle Eastern people
-We definitely are in the lower middle class or below; or at the most - the lower part of the middle class
-We all follow the Christian Right and do exactly what they tell us to do. We are all against homosexuals, lesbians, the transgendered (well, we are so stupid we probably don't know what that last word means); and abortionists. We want them out of the country.

The only exception to this, kind of, was Bill Moyer's American Citizen episode on "Evangelicals and the Environment." Bill Moyers is quite liberal so I was surprised to see him be this fair. Of course the subject matter was in liberal topic territory so perhaps that was why. I don't know.

I would love these TV reporters to go to Long Island, NY; Cambridge, Massachussets, some of the really wealthy areas of Los Angeles county, Ca; Scottsdale, AZ and other well-to-do places where there are evangelical churches. But they won't go because then the evangelicals might look good.

At least its It's just the media portraying us this way and not the government - at least NOT YET.