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IT IS TIME TO BEGIN SPEAKING: The Church and Domestic Violence
2008-06-25 10:21:00 Kimberly B. George of Faith and Gender wrote a paper about domestic violence. I have to say a major KUDOS to her and her voice and gift for writing this peice!The number of American soldiers killed in Iraq almost equals the number of women who have been killed on American soil by husbands and boyfriends over the same span of time. Since 2003, just over 4000 American soldiers have been killed in the war. Approximately 6000 women have been killed on the homeland (1).Like the soldiers killed in battle, these deaths have left children without parents, fathers without daughters, brothers without sisters. Children witnessing domestic violence are suffering posttraumatic stress disorders. Many of the boys who witness the violence of their fathers will themselves grow up to physically, emotionally, or verbally abuse their partners. I long for Christian communities to pay more attention. YIKES I didn't even realize that! MORE people have been killed by domestic violence than in the war so...
The Church of the Comfortable and Tolerant
2008-06-05 18:53:00 By Jesse MorrellOnce upon a time in the land called Feel Good there was a Church. This new Church was called "The Church of the Comfortable and Tolerant". Very recently this Church hired a new Pastor, Pastor Peace Keeper, who just graduated from the Seminary of Smooth Talking.The congregation "of the Comfortable and Tolerant" loved the new Pastor's sermons. Some of their favorites were "God is happy with everyone", "Everything is fine and dandy", and "There is nothing but good times ahead".Pastor Peace Keeper once made a terrible mistake. He wrongfully allowed Mr. Conscience into the pulpit. Mr. Conscience did nothing but call human mistakes "sins" and called the good folks of the congregation to "repent". Mr. Conscience had never been to the Seminary of Smooth Talking, and maybe he should have before attempting to preach. The congregation of the Comfortable and Tolerant were shocked at Mr. Consciences audacity and arrogance. They said things among themselves like "who does this se...
From the Church of Rome to the Family of God
2008-06-02 06:01:00 I was raised in the Roman Catholic church in an all catholic town in Northern Maine. My father was an alcoholic and my mother a devout catholic. I was also a devout catholic and was even taught catechism in the CCD program. I married my high school sweetheart in 1974 and moved to the Northern Virginia area.After six years of a failed marriage, knowing I could not get divorced (remember, this was the 70's and divorce was still frowned on by the catholic church), I decided that suicide was the only answer. I was "in love" with someone else who did not even know that I existed and life seemed too much to bear!My best friend from Maine came to visit Virginia during her vacation. She had become this "born again" Christian and I had warned her not to "preach to me." However, the Lord had quite different plans for me. During her visit, we discussed the "end times." I had a great interest in Nostradamus and the future. I was so afraid to go through the horrible times that these so-called p...
By: The Watchman
Domestic Violence and the Church
2008-05-30 18:29:00 Exeter CRC had an article called, "Domestic Violence and the Church"It spoke of her own personal journey dealing with this issue, and how the church failed her!Its VERY moving!Annette - one of the responses to this article states:But this has NO bearing on this discussion. Is having women in spiritual leadership over a body of believers biblical? That's what this discussion is about. Not on the horrors of domestic or child abuse, and the bad responses to it.I recognize that it is easy to link the two, but they are different, and seeing that difference is important.I say it DOES!LOL I of course responded!I'm personally confused by Annette's comments.'''But this has NO bearing on this discussion. Is having women in spiritual leadership over a body of believers biblical? That's what this discussion is about. Not on the horrors of domestic or child abuse, and the bad responses to it.'''If you are saying that men only have the spiritual leadership role what is being done about ...
He lied to get into the church
2008-05-19 12:56:00 Taibbi, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone, spent more than four months in 2006 and 2007 pretending to worship at the San Antonio megachurch whose pastor, John Hagee, has lately aired regrets if his past comments, including a reference to the "great whore" in the Book of Revelation, proved hurtful to Catholics.
Redefining the Church
2008-05-17 22:17:00 Alan is one of my favorite bloggers, and "Redefining the Chruch" is a concise, yet poignant entry on his blog (bold added by me):"This is not an article about the scriptural definition of the church. Instead, it is about how our terminology and use of words has worked in such a way as to re-define our understanding of church. I mean "re-define" in the sense of defining church in a manner that is not consistent with the description of the church that we see in Scripture.What kinds of terms and words am I talking about? Well, there are many. And, I'll list a few later. But for now, when you read about the church, when you watch television programs that discuss the church, when you see churches arguing and fighting to the point of splitting, when you see Christians talking about important aspects of the church, what terms and phrases are used? What concepts concerning "church" are important to believers today as demonstrated by their conversations and writings?I would suggest that man...
By: Accidental Blog
GOP.com Joins the Church of Global Warming,
2008-05-14 04:13:00 The GOP website is now featuring a presentation on how John McCain?s cap and trade program will not only encourage businesses to go green, but will actually increase jobs in America. This latest insult, in a long line of insults from John McCain, is unforgivable.
The Future of the Church (Part 3 of 3)
2008-05-11 04:23:00 In Part 1 and Part 2 of this short series on the Future of the Church, I wrote about how the church needs to escape the attractional, church-growth model of the church, and become more missional. Doing so will enable us to prepare for the world-wide reawakening of the church that is coming. In this post, I ...
The death of the Church of England
2008-05-10 18:41:00 Great news, sort of: Church attendance in Britain is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation, research published today suggests. The fall - from the four million people who attend church at least once a month today - means that the Church of England, Catholicism and other denominations will become financially unviable. ... According to Religious Trends, a comprehensive statistical analysis of religious practice in Britain, published by Christian Research, even Hindus will come close to outnumbering churchgoers within a generation. The forecast to 2050 shows churchgoing in Britain declining to 899,000 while the active Hindu population, now at nearly 400,000, will have more than doubled to 855,000. By 2050 there will be 2,660,000 active Muslims in Britain - nearly three times the number of Sunday churchgoers. The important thing now is to stop Islam (and other growing religions, including some of the ver...
By: Bad Thinking
Book Review: The Church Ladies
2008-05-09 12:35:00 This will be a brief review. I read a novel, The Church Ladies, by Lisa Samson. I wanted to read a known fiction Christian author and Lisa was the only one I could think of (besides Peretti and the left behind books). Anyways this was the shortest one available at the library and so I ...
By: Trying to Follow
The Future of the Church (Part 2 of 3)
2008-05-09 03:39:00 In the book Back To Jerusalem three Chinese church leaders tell about their vision that God is going to use the Chinese church to finish the Great Commission. They note that in general, the church started in Jerusalem and moved Westward into Northern Africa and Europe. While there, it experienced several cycles of awakening and decline for ...
The Future of the Church (Part 1 of 3)
2008-05-08 03:24:00 Thanks to a comment by Brad on yesterday’s post, I found the Missional Church Network blog. (See? Posting comments on someone else’s blog does work! If you make comments on the blogs of others, it helps people find your blog.) I love everything written by Alan Hirsch, and so when I saw a post containing a YouTube Video by ...
What The Church Should Be Telling You About Sexuality But Isn?t?
2008-05-05 01:47:00 I have heard every type of sermon in 30 years time ranging from the typical foundational teachings to Dr. Seuss (if you can believe it) as a reference for deeper truths. But the more typical subjects on sexual issues and relationship issues in the church and elsewhere range from marriage, single dating, and sex before ...
The church is ailing - send for Dr Who
2008-05-04 09:11:00 At a conference last week, vicars watched Doctor Who clips that were said to illustrate themes of resurrection, redemption and evil. It analysed the similarities between the Doctor and Christ, and whether daleks are capable of change.
Quotes For The Church; Quotes of Faith
2008-05-02 14:59:00 Once again, I was sifting through my blog drafts and found some wonderful, forgotten treasures! I’m always seeking encouragement and perspective on this journey of faith, and there are many who have traveled this road before us, who have words of wisdom. Check out these awesome quotes on Christianity, the church, and ...
By: Daily Provision
Catholic Stewardship of the Church?s Religious Patrimony!
2008-04-28 21:27:00 Stained Glass at the now suppressed St.Aloysius Church, Philadelphia, Pa. April 28, 2008 - There is no such thing as ?desanctification? within the Catholic Church. That is precisely the reason we need to develop good stewardship practices. The Church needs to reuse, restore and refurbish materials when new parishes are built, not loot the parishes that ...
The People Running The Church Are Stu? Not Exactly Smart
2008-04-27 20:08:00 It’s quite funny that people say stop and smell the coffee a lot. This suggests that most people have the innate ability to spot things that are logically amiss. Ironically, most people just turn a blind eye when it comes to the mishaps that their church have done throughout the ages. While there are surely ...
By: Atheista
The People Running The Church Are Stu? Not Exactly Smart
2008-04-27 20:08:00 It’s quite funny that people say stop and smell the coffee a lot. This suggests that most people have the innate ability to spot things that are logically amiss. Ironically, most people just turn a blind eye when it comes to the mishaps that their church have done throughout the ages. While there are surely ...
By: Atheista
The Church In Danger
2008-04-27 18:27:00 Jehan Georges Vibert (1840-1902)The Church In DangerOil on panel29 x 22 7/8 inches (73.7 x 58.4 cm)
Painting the church again
2008-04-25 15:42:00 Three from yesterday. This a view of that church that I have painted before, I like this area, lots of nondescript city corners and holes that are depressing and pointless. The church being the centerpiece of the insanity. Probably will go back here today. At least there are no parking meters around there which ...
The women of FLDS: teary-eyed defenders of the church of child rape
2008-04-21 08:04:00 In 2005, the state of Texas passed one of the quickest bills in decades, changing the age at which young people with parental consent could legally marry from 14 to 16. Why the hurry? Warren Jeffs and the FLDS had come to town. Here?s a quick, easy definition of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints: ?The FLDS practice polygamy in arranged marriages, sometimes between underage girls and older men.? This is the accepted tagline used with almost no variation by AP, Reuters, the Post, the Times, Fox News… palatable. Neutral. Not too upsetting to hear during breakfast. Not nearly as hard to think about as the truth, which is simple enough for even the Texas Legislature to grasp: An underage girl is a child. A child cannot consent to a marriage, arranged or otherwise, or to the sexual consummation of that illegal marriage, nor can her parents consent for her. Non-consensual sex is rape. Jeffs, his father before him and two generations of their fellow predators had created...
Redesigning the church site.
2008-04-20 14:02:00 Over the last few days I’ve been thinking about how I could redesign the church site to function better visually. I had been using an older template that was only lightly modified with two sidebars on either side. The Problems The old site was hard to navigate. The logo was too large. Smaller screen resolutions had trouble ...
By: deCloned
The Church’s Big Secret II
2008-04-20 08:16:00 In October 2007 we posted one of our most popular blogs to date which was titled The Church’s Big Secret. The substance of that blog was to discuss the hypocrisy which exist within the church, especially the Catholic church. We zoomed in on the reported high incidents of sexual molestation and homosexuality rhampant in the ...
Ex Scientologist Blasts The Church
2008-04-16 18:58:00 SOMEONE page Tom Cruise - his former friend and Scientolo-pal is slamming his beloved church. Jason Beghe, a character actor best known for roles on TV?s ?CSI,? ?Numb3rs? and the now-canceled ?Cane,? took to YouTube (see below) yesterday to slam his former religion. Beghe, who was a member of the Church of Scientology for 13 years and ...
WHAT I DREAM FOR THE CHURCH
2008-04-16 15:17:00 Yesterday I talked about my vision for the church in Childress. Let me continue those thoughts today with a dream I have for this church.About a week ago I did something I usually don't do. I looked to see what the men serving communion were wearing. This used to be an issue years ago. I'm glad we're passed it. I had a woman a few years back mention that "so-in-so" was not wearing proper clothes while serving at the table. She also mentioned that one of the young men could have used a haircut. Finally, she closed with, "And there were some people talking during communion." I had heard her complaints many times before and I'd been very kind and gracious to her, but that morning for some reason, she caught me at a weak moment. "It's obvious," I told her, "if you have that much time to look around and take notes of who is doing what during the Lord's Supper, then you are not focusing on the things the Bible says that you need to be focusing on!" She took it remarkably well. I tri...
By: Trey Morgan.net
WE NEED VISION IN THE CHURCH
2008-04-15 17:40:00 Vision is believing it CAN be done! And, we must have vision to see the great things God can do through us.In Numbers 13 we're told of twelve spies who went into the promised land of Israel to see how to conquer the land for Israel. Ten spies didn't have any vision but two of the spies did. The ten visionless spies said, "We can't take the land, because the people who live there are like giants. We are like grasshoppers compared to them." God called their opinion an evil report. The two spies with vision, Joshua and Caleb, said, "Let us go up at once and possess it. The Lord will give us the land; the Lord is with us; don't be afraid." I find it interesting that we remember the names of the two spies with vision, Joshua and Caleb, but we don't remember the names of the ten that were visionless. Walt Disney's brother used to say to him, "Walt, you will never amount to anything; everything you dream of is too big and costs millions of dollars." Old Walt didn't do so badly did h...
By: Trey Morgan.net
Catholics?Ring The Church Bells of April 15!
2008-04-11 16:31:00 When Shepherd 1 touches down next week, Catholics all over the United States will joyfully welcome Benedict XVI our Church?s spiritual leader. We need to mark this momentous event with the ringing of our Catholic Church?s bells across the entire country. While there will be very few opportunities for American Catholics to greet the Holy ...
The Church of Oprah....
2008-04-09 19:50:00 If you haven't seen this, you need to. We need to know our Bible and stand up for the Living Word of God.Kurt Greenhttp://www.themarketleader-s.com/profile/KurtGreenJoin me on the On Purpose Entrepreneurs Network! http://TheMarketLeaders.com/pro-file/KurtGreen
The "Church Signs Say the Darndest Things Part 2" Offensive
2008-04-06 20:48:00 I don't know why, but Sundays always make me feel like casting aside my offensive thoughts to take the time to contemplate the deeper, more spiritual things in my life. It is a day for reflecting on all my blessings and to really work on being a better person.OK, I'm lying, Sundays make me really only think of two things:1) I wish Jesus's taco truck was open today.2) The church sign generator is too much frigging fun to play with!My first round of church signs still brings more traffic to my blog than any other post to date so I thought it was time for round 2.Enjoy!!:)They say the darnedest things over at humor-blogs.com too!!
They Don?t Like Jesus or the Church
2008-04-06 05:10:00 A while back I read Dan Kimball’s They Like Jesus, but Not the Church. I highly recommend this book since it does reflect the thinking of a lot of people in our communities. However, I ran into a whole group of people today who don’t think much about Jesus either. They don’t like Jesus OR the ...
The Purpose Of The Church In The Bahamian Society
2008-04-04 23:47:00 The purpose of the Church: By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter - Nassau, Bahamas: The Bahamas is touted as a Christian nation built on the values and principles of the Bible, and boasts a number of denominations from Roman Catholic to Anglican, Assemblies of God, Ba'hai, Baptist, Brethren, Greek Orthodox and Jewish, among others. In New Providence alone there are so many churches that it is hard to put a figure on the actual number, with new ones opening their doors almost daily. They're all filled to capacity on any given Sunday, or Saturday ? depending on your faith. Despite the church's faithful followers there are those people who are said to have lost sight of the "true" purpose of the church, which is to guide the nation and prepare people for the Kingdom of Heaven. Take for example Dr. Ian Strachan, who in an article published in The Nassau Guardian said: "I used to be one of those 'smart' people who turned their backs on church-going. I turned my bac...
Rogues, scandals and the Church of Baseball: S&R honors Babe Ruth
2008-03-31 19:30:00 Walt Whitman once said, “I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us.” You could look it up. - Annie Savoy I’ll promise to go easier on drinking and to get to bed earlier, but not for you, fifty thousand dollars, or two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will I give up women. They’re too much fun. - Babe Ruth Today is Opening Day for America’s Pastime, and to mark the occasion S&R honors our newest Scrogue, George Herman Ruth. The Bambino. The Sultan of Swat. The Babe. What Ruth lacked as a scholar he more than made up for in roguishness, and his appointment to our masthead comes at a time when our game is facing its own set of troubles. The Mitchell Report is a desperately flawed effort, but BALCO, the Federal pursuit of Barry Bonds, admissions of cheating by Andy Pettite and others, the now-discredited denial of cheating by Rafael Palmeiro, the strange case of Mike McGw...
The Church of Ill Repute
2008-03-30 21:03:00 Fart Blossoms, ol’ Maxine took a big step on her spiritual journey today, and I owe it all to Trailer Park Barbie. I have become an ordained minister. I am now the REVEREND MOTHER MAXINE LEGAY. It’s true. Here’s my Certificate of Ordination: That’s right, Fart Blossoms. I can now officiate at weddings, births, funerals, animal blessings and drag ...
Are You Smarter Than a Sixth Grader Indoctrinated into the Church of Global
2008-03-26 16:00:00 The Heartland Institute recently concluded the first International Conference on Climate Change, where global warming was discussed, debated and debunked. This conference was a problem for sixth grade science teacher Michael Steria at David A. Brown Middle School in Wildomar, California. So much of a problem that he took class time to have his students write letters to the Heartland Institute to tell them how evil they are. It seems the children read ten whole articles which described the certain doom that global warming created, and were encouraged to write the Heartland Institute and express their concern. The Heartland Institute published the letters online (pdf), protecting the identities of the students by blacking out their last names in a very CIA-esque style. Perhaps rather than filling the children’s minds with environmentalist propaganda, they should spend a little more time in English class: ?I think your fools for denying G.W. you know it could kill us all ...
Carry On My Wayward Son - A Case for Bringing Back the Church Organ.
2008-03-22 20:29:00 Amazing Young Organ Player Rocks Out - Watch more free videos
By: deCloned
Carry On My Wayward Son - A Case for Bringing Back the Church Organ.
2008-03-22 20:29:00 Amazing Young Organ Player Rocks Out - Watch more free videos
By: deCloned
From the Church House to the Mission Field
2008-03-21 12:41:00 My dad started pastoring his first church in 1997. We were only there for ten months. We had a bad experience there, but God knew what He was doing! He was preparing my dad to be the pastor of Eagles View Baptist Church.My dad started pastoring Eagles View in July of 2000. When I found out that my dad was going to pastor again, I was a little apprehensive because of what our family had gone through with the previous church. We had been hurt badly by the people in the church. They would say they backed him up all the way, but behind his back, they were saying and doing differently. Since what we had been through had been my only experience as a pastor's kid, that was all I could go by.Being at that first church (which will remain nameless) hurt my family and me in many was. I had been really upset with the people there because of what they had done to my daddy. After all, that's my daddy! It really, really hurt, but I had to learn to let go of that.When we first started g...
By: The Watchman
We Are the Church
2008-03-21 05:17:00 This is "I Am the Church Part 2". (I posted part 1 a while back). On a related note, there is a great discussion going on at Kingdom Grace in the comments under her post "Mini-church Done Badly?" (a post on house churches, but the discussion encompasses more than that and includes a lot of good insights from a variety of commentors).
By: Accidental Blog
Sydney Anonymous protestors rock the ?Church? of Scientology
2008-03-17 00:01:00 I have just stumbled upon a collection of pictures from the Sydney, Australia Anonymous protest against the Church of Scientology, where attendance has been estimated at 300. More pictures below. For more pictures from this collection, click here.
Atlanta police in the back pocket of the ?Church? of Scientology? Peaceful
2008-03-16 22:59:00 In what appears to be a collection of eggregious acts of police injustice, Atlanta police officers arrested a set of peaceful protestors and ticketed a number of drivers who honked in support of the protestors at yesterday’s Anonymous protest on Scientology in Atlanta, Georgia. Two protestors were arrested, apparently for speaking and chanting at the ...
[Amusing] Officials at the Church of England have written a good-sex guide
2008-03-10 15:12:00 The Sun
Tom Cruise marriage to Katie Holmes arranged by the Church of Scientology t
2008-03-09 18:25:00 Shocker: Tom Cruise’s marriage to Katie Holmes was set up by the Church of Scientology after a series of fake casting calls for actresses including Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson failed to deliver a suitable wife, according to sensational new claims by a former Scientologist.
By: Gossip Boulevard
5 Things I Must Have in the Church That I Will Attend Tomorrow
2008-03-08 14:04:00 Attending church tomorrow ought to be a decision you’ve already made. It’s a good thing to do, a smart thing to do; if nothing more than for the discipline that says an awfully lot about who you are and what you want out of life. The question is, what kind of church ...
By: davidfoster.tv
The Church Sessions!
2008-03-06 22:30:00 Holla! Finally...a Mr.Black party NOT at The Cock. Save the date kids! I will definitely be there next Saturday for the opening of Church Sessions! You should come. Party with me and the rest of New York!the church sessionsEVERY SATURDAY, STARTS MARCH 15, 2008GANTNITAROSEXANDERMILANONE--HALF-NELSONMICHAELKINGDOMTELFAR-VIOLET150 VARICK$10 BEFORE 2AM, $15 AFTER
UP Chapel and the Church of the Risen Lord
2008-03-06 08:09:00 If you remember, I've already featured three campuses and their chapels namely the Ateneo and the Church of the Gesu, La Salle and the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and FEU and its chapel. Now I'm featuring UP Diliman and its two chapels.The Catholic church of UP Diliman is the Church of the Holy Sacrifice or the UP Chapel. It is a National Historical Landmark and was designated an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum owing to the fact that it stands as a testament to the creativity of not one, not two, but four national artists!The dome-shaped structure, a fine example of Modern architecture in the Philippines, was designed by Leandro Locsin. Around the UP Chapel are fifteen large murals painted by Vicente Manansala depicting the Stations of the Cross. The marble altar and the large wooden cross above it were sculpted by Napoleon Abueva. And finally, the mosaic floor mural called the ?River of Life? was designed by Arturo Luz.Another renowned architect, Cesa...
By: Ivan About Town
How did the Church lose its moral authority?
2008-03-05 01:14:00 In the Philippines today, as the Church continues to claim its moral authority, the more I become cynical of its dark past. And I think it is necessary to provide a sketch of my cynicism against one the most unholy institutions on earth, Christianity.The impact of the early Christian communities as social movement led into the formation of a council in Nicaea. It was an indispensable consequence of the political implication of the growing movement. Constantine had to do something in order to keep the empire intact that resulted into the Christianization of the entire empire which was also the beginning of making the church as a state apparatus for control and repression. Because of a single letter attached to 'homoousious' (same substance) that made it ?homoiousious? (similar substance) there was created a great division between the East and the West. The condemnation of homoousious happened in the Synods of Antioch in 264-268; but it was concluded in Nicaea in 325. The East was t...
Attending the Church that God Does
2008-03-04 06:14:00 When I pastored in Montana, a man who had attended our church for years stopped coming. He came by to let me know why (which I respected greatly, since most people just disappear and then get upset when the pastor doesn’t call them to find out why they haven’t been attending). He said that the reason he wasn’t going ...
Essential Reading on Fundamentalism
2008-02-29 21:12:00 I don’t have time now to get in depth, but I wanted to at least give you the link. 9 Marks Ministries‘ March/April e-journal is on the topic of fundamentalism and separation. Some of the very issues, I’ve been debating about recently here are covered (including article’s I’ve referenced by Albert Mohler and Wayne Grudem). There ... |
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