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Emergent Church: Wacko Environmentalism Not Evangelism!
2008-10-01 05:33:00 -By Don Boys, Ph.D. There can be no argument the Emergent Church leaders emphasize the environment over eternity. Brian McLaren wrote that a Christian?s goal is not simply to reach people for Christ but to save the planet from destruction (A New Kind of Christian, p. 83). No, that is not our goal. While we are ...
By: Publius Forum
Terrible Advice from Atheist Revolution
2008-06-05 22:08:00 VJack from Atheist Revolution has given some terrible advice about witnessing to atheists. He says not to do it. I advocate ignoring that advice completely. VJack says: I know your church says you are supposed to do this and that you’ll win friends and magic Jesus points for your efforts. I know your bible makes you ...
Simple Solutions
2008-05-27 23:38:00 New York, 1952 “Hello friends, I’m your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run - down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle. VITAMEATAVEGAMIN. Vitameatavegamin contains Vitamins, Meat, Vegetables, and Minerals. Yes, with Vitameatavegamin, you can spoon your way to health. All you do is take a great big ...
By: Sharp Iron
Moving toward Missional
2008-05-16 17:12:00 Katdish (Kathy Richards) asked a great question on a previous post of mine, and I realized my reply needed to be it’s own post. Here is what she asked: We’re in the beginning stages of planting a church. I’ve been reading quite a few blogs about church planting. I like what I’ve been reading for the most part. My biggest ...
Great Customer Service
2008-05-09 15:05:00 I have spent the last few days in training for a part time job with a bank. Throughout training they have invested the majority of their time, resources, and money to reinforce the value of excellent customer service. Last night as I drifted off, I began to evaluate the “customer service” in most churches I’ve ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Great Customer Service", url: "http://www.twoinstitutions.org-/?p=313" });
By: Two Institutions
A Minister of the Gospel?
2008-05-08 15:17:00 Politics certainly bring out the best and the worst in us. Here at TI we have steered away from talking much about politics because it is not our main focus. There has been an intersection between faith and politics this season, however, that warrants some commentary. I have watched with much frustration and dismay as the ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A Minister of the Gospel?", url: "http://www.twoinstitutions.org-/?p=312" });
By: Two Institutions
Sidewalk evangelism: The Tom to reasoned discussion's Jerry
2008-05-06 17:19:00 We never tire of watching the religious community's biggest public relations headaches do their aggressively judgmental thing: Seriously, what is it about the marriage of concrete, fresh air, and personal faith that leads to such overconfidence? And why is it...
By: Good As You
The Tangible Kingdom
2008-05-05 22:11:00 I was able to get my hands on a free copy of The Tangible Kingdom last week, which thrilled me because I was going to buy it anyway. It’s the newest book from The Leadership Network, and so far, I haven’t read a book from them that I don’t like. The Tangible Kingdom was no ...
Not Reaching or Not Coming
2008-04-29 15:43:00 ?The number of people baptized in Southern Baptist churches fell for the third straight year in 2007 to the denomination?s lowest level since 1987. Although the SBC added 473 new churches and gave more than $1.3 billion to support mission activities around the world, there?s no escaping the disappointing fact that Southern Baptists are not reaching as many people for Christ as they once did, according to Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, which gathered the information on the denomination?s behalf.?This is the opening paragraph to a LifeWay research article by Rob Phillips. This post is not for or against Rob Phillips, but I would like to consider the thought ?there?s no escaping the disappointing fact that Southern Baptists are not reaching as many people for Christ as they once did.? In fact, we could further narrow down the point of this post to ?not reaching? in the scope of the context of the paragraph. What exactly is meant by ?not reaching? in t...
When I Became a Christian
2008-04-28 07:02:00 I was just listening to a message given by Michael Frost, and in it he read the following poem by Adrian Plass. It is exactly what I am thinking and feeling. For me, following Jesus has become a life full of deep faith and great fear. The poem portrays both wonderfully. When I Became a Christian By ...
Forward!
2008-04-25 10:42:00 Yesterday I mentioned that for the final round of the blogging tournament at PlantingSpace.com, I wrote two articles and then submitted the one that I thought was best. That’s not actually true. I only wrote one, which is the one you find below. I showed it to my wife for her input. She liked it, made some ...
Faces
2008-04-24 10:00:00 I made it to the final round of the blogging tournament over at PlantingSpace.com. Thank you voting for me in the previous rounds. I also want to thank Mark Doebler who has also made it to the final round. His posts have been excellent. He pastors The Grove in Peoria, IL, so if you are ...
Shrewd For The Gospel
2008-04-23 20:03:00 Have you ever noticed how clever sin can be. Think about all the marketers out there who work in the porn industry, in the abortion movement, or in the darwinism camp. Satan has his agents who cleverly go about spreading lies through being cute, clever or just persistent. Satan’s agents are shrewd and so should ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Shrewd For The Gospel", url: "http://www.twoinstitutions.org-/?p=301" });
By: Two Institutions
Shut the Door! I?m Changing!
2008-04-22 15:36:00 I wish I could be at Exponential this week. Instead, I’m going to Exposed, which I am actually a bit more excited about. Why? For three reasons. First, Exposed is more “grassroots” which fits me better. Second, since it’s smaller, It will be more intimate and relational. There will only be about 30 of us, ...
REDNECK EVANGELISM?
2008-04-19 16:52:00 There are plenty of bad church signs out there, but this "Get'r Done" sign made me laugh. I also like this one and this one! This is not a church sign but I fell over in the floor laughing when I saw this one.Have you seen any funny signs or bumper stickers?
By: Trey Morgan.net
Singaporean Couple Charged For Distributing "Seditious" Evangelism Tract
2008-04-15 17:22:00 I just learned about this from reading the blog posts at Simply Jean and Mr Wang Says So. ST April 15, 2008 Couple charged under Sedition Act By Elena Chong A COUPLE were charged on Tuesday with distributing a seditious publication to two others. Ong Kian Cheong, 49, and Dorothy Chan Hien Leng, 44, are alleged to have distributed The ...
By: Joie de Vivre
How Calvinism Informs Evangelism
2008-04-15 02:07:00 Despite what many have said or heard, Calvinism does not negate or downplay evangelism. Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, William Carey, and Adoniram Judson were not exceptions to the rule. Rather, they are simply some noteworthy examples of evangelists and preachers who were both Calvinistic in theology and evangelistic in practice. Of course, Spurgeon said ...
I Like Lance a Lot
2008-04-14 19:20:00 I had a good long talk with Lance again on Saturday, and he may be one of the most refreshing people I have ever met. I want to know more people like him. He is open, honest, and genuine. He says what he thinks, but in a way that is unoffensive. And wow, does he know ...
Do Christians Intentionally Scare Non-Christians With Hell To Convert Them?
2008-04-05 18:08:00 One of the most oft-heard accusations of non-Christians against evangelism is that Christians are basically just using hell to scare many into becoming Christians. Is there justification for such an accusation, and do Christians really seek to scare non-Christians with hell? I’m going to say an emphatic “no”. Think about it this way: Christians know, from the Bible ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Misconceptions Of Christianity
2008-04-03 13:23:00 A local blogger recently posted an article calling Christians hypocrites because while many of us here in Asia choose not to consume food offered to idols, we have no qualms about consuming halal food, i.e. food that is slaughtered according to Islamic rites. Now, for those who are unfamiliar with the Asian context, especially in Singapore ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Re-Judaizing Jesus
2008-03-29 16:00:00 My daughter, Dorothy, informed me that a couple of weeks ago, Time/ABC World news did a TV special on “Ten Ideas that are Changing the World”, the tenth one being the ‘Re-Judaizing of Jesus.’ They quote a Jewish New Testament scholar, Amy-Jill Levine. I missed this program but coincidently I am now reading her ...
By: Sharp Iron
The New Media and The Old Message
2008-03-25 16:15:00 I am slowly but surely coming out of the dark ages. A little over a year ago I started blogging. (This blog is the product of that baby step.) Last fall I purchased my first ipod or to be more specific an iphone. A few weeks ago, I was made aware of the concept of ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The New Media and The Old Message", url: "http://www.twoinstitutions.org-/?p=278" });
By: Two Institutions
So, What Do You Do Now?
2008-03-24 06:54:00 Resurrection Sunday is over; most of us have been soberly reminded of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to bear upon Himself the suffering and death that we deserve for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)! Many Christian blogs I visit on ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Jesus Saves from What? (Using the law as a form of evangelism)
2008-02-24 23:32:00 This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Northern Kentucky to preach for a youth minister buddy named Thom Brown. We had an incredible night of salvation and fun as we saw many come to know Christ.I preached a message that I've delivered several times using the ten commandments. In this message we understand that we can never live without breaking these commandments. Because of our sinful nature we are prone to be lawbreakers. We are sinful.I heard an old preacher once tell me "How can people know that they need Jesus before they know that they are lost?" I think this is a great question to ask. We are often inviting people to come to know Christ and make a decision for Christ without truly explaining WHY we need to make decisions for Christ. When asking someone if they want to follow Jesus is sometimes asking someone to vote for a particular candidate. Why should they vote for this person for no reason, and why should they "just" follow Christ without explanation.Ro...
Jesus Saves from What? (Using the law as a form of evangelism)
2008-02-24 23:32:00 This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Northern Kentucky to preach for a youth minister buddy named Thom Brown. We had an incredible night of salvation and fun as we saw many come to know Christ.I preached a message that I've delivered several times using the ten commandments. In this message we understand that we can never live without breaking these commandments. Because of our sinful nature we are prone to be lawbreakers. We are sinful.I heard an old preacher once tell me "How can people know that they need Jesus before they know that they are lost?" I think this is a great question to ask. We are often inviting people to come to know Christ and make a decision for Christ without truly explaining WHY we need to make decisions for Christ. When asking someone if they want to follow Jesus is sometimes asking someone to vote for a particular candidate. Why should they vote for this person for no reason, and why should they "just" follow Christ without explanation.Ro...
Evangelism bluff
2008-02-20 00:46:00 Mang Fredo was a peasant from the small town of Santa Cruz. He lived in a remote village 10 km. away from the town proper.Because he rarely went to town for the simple reason that he would hike for 3-4 hours, Mang Fredo just stayed with his wife Aling Linda and 9-year old son Kardo in the village.Mang Fredo was sick of tuberculosis (TB). TB kept him from going to town hospital. He's weak. And there was no road to town. There was no vehicle for transportation.Because of poverty, Mang Fredo could not even afford to buy a horse. Kardo stopped from studying because his parents could not afford his daily allowance of 5 pesos (US$ .12). One unfortunate day, an evangelist came to the home of Mang Fredo. The evangelist brought with him the message of healing through faith in the 'trite' name of Jesus Christ. He prayed over Mang Fredo, and afterwards asked for a donation of 20 pesos (US$ .50).Mang Fredo, was not cured from TB. Instead of using his 20 pesos to buy food, the evangelist took...
Best Bit Of Street Evangelism
2008-02-19 10:08:00 In case some of you don’t already know, I love listening to Way of the Master (WotM) Radio — I think it’s one of the better Christian radio programs available over the Internet, in addition to White Horse Inn. A feature of the daily two-hour broadcasts on WotM is street evangelism, when they share the evangelism ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Evangelism- christiansquoting.org.uk
2008-02-09 16:12:00 Our Presbyterian forefathers are good caretakers of our ancient fireplaces, but many of them haven't started a fire in quite some time. --Rice Brooks"...if some are evangelists then is it their job to preach the gospel and be responsible for the work of evangelism rather than every Christian? I remember well when this idea first came to us. It was welcomed with open arms. Everyone immediately discovered they didn't have to bother unless they were 'evangelists'. They were equally certain that none of them was! It was the only time in the history of the country when we were left with no 'evangelists' - (except me, and I had to because I was the Director of the Department of Evangelism!). What a great foolishness it all was."--John ChapmanWe are not sent to get galley-slaves for the oars, or a bear to the stake: but He sends us to woo you as spouses, to marry you to Christ. - WALTER CRADOCK[Christ] feeds and gathers at once, and this gathering of souls is as sweetly refreshing an...
By: Christian Quoter
Short Takes
2008-02-08 03:24:00 Unfortunately, I don’t have much time today to actually write the post that I had planned to, it being the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year so there’s visiting to be done. In light of that, I thought I’d leave you with some interesting bits that I’ve come across in the past 24 hours. Best ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Advanced Evangelism: The Wheel of Power
2008-02-05 06:00:00 Friends, This is a great witnessing tool you can use any time you feel personal doubts about your faith, or perhaps when you encounter an Atheist. It’s a simple diagram that the STR fellowship calls the “Wheel of Power”. It was invented, or should I say revealed to Pastor Magnus Bucks the other day. If you feel ...
B-lood-What?!
2008-01-29 19:46:00 I kid you not when I say that there are just some really, really bad ‘Christian’ T-shirt folks out there. So, if you plan on proclaiming your faith with a Christian T-shirt, please do it with some discernment. I present to you three of the worst examples: The Blood-Wiser The blood that our Lord Jesus Christ shed on ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Go Share Your Faith!
2008-01-28 16:36:00 I had intended to post my take on some other issue initially, but decided to pass on this video instead after watching it in the hopes that it shall also encourage and inspire you as it did me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VbuV53kJz1M Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of ...
By: Joie de Vivre
Jim Wallis on the Daily Show
2008-01-25 01:43:00 Jim talks about his new book and his opinion that people of faith are awaiting a spiritual awakening that will transcend politics. from www.thedailyshow.com posted with vodpod
By: Sharp Iron
WordPress Evangelism And Why I Use It
2008-01-23 11:38:00 In the past two days, I’ve been faced with this question on a few occasions, considering that our team of developers are into developing customized platforms for specific projects. Generally I believe in “to each his own” and this post is not criticism of this stance (which are shared by many), but being a firm believer in open-source firstly and secondly being grateful to WordPress for launching my career online (to some extent anyway), I’ll definitely classify myself as being a WordPress Evangelist. And I reckon that this passion for WordPress is based on a few things: it’s open-source and it’s free; the platform gets updated / upgraded every three months; the community is passionate and the knowledge base extensive; and plugins has been developed for most blog / website features and functions already. Now if you consider the above, why would you decide to develop your own CMS / blog platform? Especially if you consider that WordPress is becom...
By: Wp Wordpress
Dr.King?s Prophetic Condemnation of the Church
2008-01-21 15:11:00 Americans (some begrudgingly) recognize Dr. Martin Luther King as the leader who was the driving force behind the Civil Rights Movement. Few of them may recognize him as one of the few Biblical prophets of modern times, much less a martyr for the Gospel. What follows is an excerpt from his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail“, in which he responds to ...
By: Sharp Iron
The Graham Formula
2008-01-17 17:25:00 I have just finished watching this really interesting seven-part series that illustrates the evolution of evangelism methods from pre-20th Century to the watered-down versions of altar calls and pre-made repeat-after-me “sinner’s prayers” that we today experience. The series is a video presentation based on the book of the same title by Patrick McIntyre. By explaining the ...
By: Joie de Vivre
The Dilemma of the Trilemma
2008-01-14 20:10:00 I?m a big fan of C.S. Lewis. I was first exposed to his writings with The Screwtape Letters and since then I have enjoyed many of his other books and essays. His ?trilemma? is one of the most well known of his propositions and has been repeated in numerous apologetic sermons, speeches and books. This ...
By: Sharp Iron
Hissing in the Wind
2008-01-12 17:22:00 OK, let me try to set a few things straight. The major purpose of this blog has been to engage others with perhaps differing opinions and differing world views in friendly and thoughtful conversations that we all may profit from. Hence the title: Sharp Iron, a line from the biblical book of ...
By: Sharp Iron
Author details path to evangelism and his journey out
2008-01-10 12:50:00 ?It?s like being raised in the mob; it?s the world that you know,? Frank Schaeffer said. ?Really, it?s like growing up in New Jersey and killing people seems normal. Until you get out of it and realize maybe this isn?t as normal as you thought.?
Clayton King on Evangelism Done Right
2008-01-03 19:25:00 Later during the weekend, late at night in their hotel room, all 4 of those girls decided that what they were really searching for was unconditional love and acceptance. They found that when they prayed with their christian friends and asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins. When the youth pastor shared that story with me the next morning, I realized that is how you do evangelism. You love people just as they are, right where they are, expecting nothing from them, showing them the mercy and grace of God. He will take care of the saving.That's the guts of it, for the story of how the girls came to this decision read the whole article here. It's worth it.
Electronic Evangelism?
2007-12-27 18:30:00 I've been reading some articles online that are discussing Evangelism, but from the safety of your own home! Groups are going out into the world of video games and preaching the gospel and the story of Jesus. One article I just finished reading is here. Churches buy the games and even bring the games into the Church to attempt to reach youth. I was reading another article were the Churches support people heading into the world of Azeroth in the game World of Warcraft to attempt to convert people towards Christianity. They had created a guild called "convert or die" and they spend most of their time messaging people in game about God. The Church of these people supported this so much, they bought 300 copies of this game to outreach people.Now I am all for Jesus, our Lord and Savior. However personally electronic Evangelism seems to me like it's just a cover - up for people who want to play the games. What's your opinion?I spent yesterday afternoon with my good friend from home. We...
Evangelism Q&A
2007-12-20 14:11:00 Q – Someone that I know died recently. I had the opportunity to witness to him but never did. Now I feel that he may be in hell and it?s my fault. How do I deal with this guilt? A — The Bible teaches that God is sovereign. Ephesians 1:3-5 explains, ?Blessed be the God and ...
Evangelism Q&A
2007-12-18 15:51:00 Q. Is evangelizing over the holidays different than evangelizing at other times of the year? A. Yes and No. READ MORE.
Evangelism Q&A
2007-12-15 16:45:00 Q. When seeking to reach the lost, where is the balance between developing friendships and sharing Christ? A. Friendship and evangelism are both important. They may go hand in hand, or they may not, but don?t confuse the two. Friendship was never intended to take the place of evangelism and is not necessarily a prerequisite for ...
Evangelism Q&A
2007-12-13 15:20:00 Questions and Answers Q. After I finally got the courage to share the gospel clearly and simply with my coworker, she responded by saying very definitely that she was not interested. Now our interactions seem awkward. What can I do to restore the relationship? READ MORE.
Evangelism Q&A
2007-12-11 14:41:00 Evangelism Q&A Q. If I have opportunities to share the gospel this holiday season, what do I actually say? The first step is to turn the conversation to spiritual things. After you?ve turned the conversation to a spiritual topic, ask a question to create the opportunity for sharing the gospel. An example is ?Have you come to a ...
Being effective in closing your evangelism presentation
2007-11-24 14:28:00 Just Ask! A man was sitting on the park bench when a believer strolled by and took a seat alongside of him. As they chatted, the believer turned the conversation to spiritual things. When the conversation ended, the believer thanked the man for allowing him to share the gospel and went on his way. Moments later ...
A Balancing Act in Evangelism
2007-11-20 13:57:00 A Balancing Act in Evangelism People swing from one extreme to the other. We are either frugal consumers or compulsive shoppers. We might neglect our family or shift our focus only to family. We are either workaholics or slackers. Most of us struggle with maintaining balance. Balance is also crucial in evangelism. The overriding question is, ...
An Over-Commitment to Scripture?
2007-11-16 21:57:00 There is an interesting article over on the CT blog site. It concerns remarks made by J.P. Moreland at a recent gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society. He strongly voiced his concerns over ‘bibliolatry’ among American Evangelicals: ?In the actual practices of the Evangelical community in North America, there is an over-commitment to Scripture in a ...
By: Sharp Iron
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