6:19 PM CST 5 January 2009
If you’re searching for …
Faith rather than simply religion
Virtue rather than simply values
Relationship rather than rule-keeping
Divine help rather than self-help
Then we may be the place for you!
Tags: contrast community, welcome
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One of the most significant developments in Western history was the way the Enlightenment used a “scientific” approach to history to “debunk” the bible.
Tags: enlightenment, higher criticism, history
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Familiarity with the “sheep and goat” scene in Mt 25:31-46 is common– understanding Matthew’s pastoral imagery is not.
Who are the sheep; who are the goats; and what’s the real point of the parable?
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The first three centuries of Christian history were dominated by Trinitarian (nature of God) and Christological (nature of Christ) controversies.
While those controversies were winding down, another one was brewing– Donatism.
Tags: anabaptists, donatists, protestant reformantion, rebaptism
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The essence of Spirit-filled community is full participation in God’s purposes…
Tags: - Holy Spirit, kenosis, perichoresis
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You or your mom may have a “Betty Crocker” cookbook.
So do 55 million others.
Tags: community, marks of a christian
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Being “taken for granted” is generally understood as a bad thing. It hurts to have one’s contributions of time, talents, or treasure go unacknowledged and unappreciated.
Being taken for granted though can also be a good thing …
Tags: dependability, faithfulness, new year, resolution
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Add one more thing to the three basic human needs: food, clothing, shelter, aaaand …
entertainment!!
Tags: entertainment, fun, happiness
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The nature of homosexuality is tightly coupled to the nature of God.
Tags: - Homosexuality, gay, gender, intersexual, lesbian, sexual orientation, transsexual
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Song of Songs is sometimes described as the Old Testament counterpart to Paul’s famous chapter on love (1 Cor 13).
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned– Song 8:6-7.
Tags: eroticism, sexuality, song of solomon, song of songs
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Satan is God’s adversary and has been since before the foundations of this world were laid. He is not unskilled or incompetent at his work. He is not lacking in strength or desire to accomplish his task even to the point of bruising the heel of the Son of God. A sinister warning is given in I Peter 5 to all of us walking in his habitat.
Peter says, “Be of sober spirit, your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” Satan, through sin, has the power to bring destruction on the souls of mankind in cataclysmic proportion.
Tags: sin
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Lose weight, get out of debt, save more money, get a better job, get into shape, eat better, get a better education, drink less, quit smoking, reduce stress, take a vacation, volunteer to help others… play the lottery more consistently….
What do all of these things have in common?
Tags: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, New Year's Day
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“Let me write the songs of a nation and I don’t care who writes it’s laws”– Andrew Fletcher, 18th century Scottish political activist.
Tags: andrew fletcher, bryan adams, idolatry, kenny rogers, mariah carey, popular songs, whitney houston
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Describing Mary, the mother of Jesus, as “an unwed teenage mother” will likely soon become a cliche. A former governor made the comparison on national TV just last night.
Painting of the “Annunciation” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
No doubt the governor was sincere in making the connection, but do unwed, pregnant teens really have much to do with the true meaning of the virgin birth?
Tags: annunciation, birth of Jesus, unwed teenagers, virgin birth
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Anabaptists are famous for rebaptism.
In 1536, Dutch priest Menno Simons renounced his connection with the Roman Catholic Church and joined the Anabaptists to form his own congregation. Practicing baptism by immersion, the autonomy of the local church and the priesthood of the individual believer, Simons’s new Christian sect, called Mennonites, soon spread from the Netherlands to the rest of Europe and, eventually, to America. Out of the Mennonite church grew other Christian sectarian movements like the Moravians and the Amish, who retained the Mennonite emphasis on pacificism but diverged in other important ways from the theological doctrines of the Mennonites. This marvelous book traces the history and teaching of the Mennonite church from its roots in New Testament Christianity through the emergence of Anabaptism in the 16th century and the settlement of Mennonites in North America to the contemporary work of Mennonites around the world. In accessible prose sometimes spiced with cartoons, the authors recount the struggles and successes of Mennonites to establish their religious traditions in an often inhospitable world and provide a balanced and humorous overview of Mennonite history– Publisher’s Weekly, copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Tags: anabaptist, donatists, mennonites, novationists, rebaptism
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Continuing our discussion on views of sin; this week we will focus on the Christian view. But first, let’s review from the last two weeks.
Click image for a larger view.
Tags: - Legalism, lawlessness, sin, worldview
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Pastoral identity should be based on a sound theology of the church and its leadership.
Tags: elder, pastor, pastoral theology
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Infant baptism is a complex and sensitive subject.
Tags: confessionalism, conversionism, infant baptism, marks of a christian, teenager
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From a cultural warfare standpoint, the recently released Dakota Fanning movie Hounddog offers an opportunity to ask some clarifying questions . . .
From left, actresses Penn and Fanning with director/screenwriter Deborah Kampmeier during the Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 23 07.
Copyrighted AP Photo. Use here in critical commentary is considered fair use.
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