Entries from September 2007

September 30, 2007

Ministry and Mission

The Journey cites Dream Awakener. The latter has this list under the heading of “success” in ministry; the former has it under the heading, “what a missional church looks like.”

Not simply how many people come to our church services, but how many people our church serves.
Not simply how many people attend our ministry, but how [...]

September 29, 2007

Mayflower

I just finished Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, which I picked up in the Atlanta airport last Monday.
It’s about much more than the voyage of the Mayflower, telling the story of Plymouth Colony (which was more than the village) from its origins in the Nottinghamshire village of Scrooby through King Philip’s War. It tells of the differences [...]

September 28, 2007

The Reality of Abortion

Dom links to the tragic story of 22 year old Laura Hope Smith, who died on September 13 of an abortion performed by Rapin Osathanondh of Hyannis, MA. More.

September 27, 2007

Church Planting = Evangelism

Via Just Pastors, CT article–Go and Plant Churches of All Peoples: Crusades and personal witnessing are no longer the cutting edge of evangelism.
Crusades haven’t disappeared, and churches still teach personal witness. But today, church planting is the default mode for evangelism. Go to any evangelical denomination, ask them what they are doing to grow, and [...]

September 27, 2007

Camp Meeting 2.0–Baptism

Ryan Bell on “Baptism as Naturalization.”

September 27, 2007

Tompaul in England

The many exciting adventures of the Wheelers.

September 27, 2007

“Seeking a Sanctuary”

In a recent comment, Ryan Bell mentioned the chapter on women in Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream, by Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart (recently reviewed by Gary Land). I don’t have the new edition, so can only comment on the 1989 original edition (Harper & Row).
Bell had noted their take on [...]

September 27, 2007

The Morality of Congress

In a Senate hearing, General Peter Pace reiterated his conviction that homosexual acts are immoral, and reminding the senators that the UCMJ prohibits them and adultery. Some jeered. Senator Harkin suggested the UCMJ be changed.

September 26, 2007

Prisons to Submit to First Amendment

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has faced fire from the left and the right for its effort to censor religious books. It is now returning to libraries those books it removed. It hasn’t yet said whether it will give up censorship completely.

September 26, 2007

Feminized Christianity

Rod Dreher gives us another example of the feminized Christianity that is driving men from many churches.

September 26, 2007

Ticketmaster Evangelism …?

Rob Bell is having another tour. Charging $13-$17 (plus Ticketmaster service fee) for tickets. One listing adds: “EVERYONE MUST have a ticket INCLUDING infants.”
Did Jesus charge admission …? Did he require tickets? Or security? Or special accommodations? Any of the things that various “evangelists” or “religious leaders” demand today?

September 26, 2007

Robert Sungenis and the Jews

Someone posted a YouTube video of Robert Sungenis’ statements about the Jews. More about Sungenis’ latest at Mark Shea’s blog.

September 25, 2007

Another Taser Assault

This time, a Muslim in Ocala, FL, was tasered for refusing to throw his Quran on the ground.

September 25, 2007

Israel and Arab Christians

Israel is cracking down on Christian leaders in the Occupied Territories. Should they leave the OT, whether to go to an Arab country or the US–or even to their office in Jerusalem–they must reapply for a visa to reenter the OT. HCEF reports.

September 24, 2007

Prayers

Please remember Alan and Christina Phipps.

September 23, 2007

A Little Sore …

I’ve been away a few days, and I couldn’t post anything about it in advance because it was a surprise. My four brothers and sister and I planned for several months a three day canoe trip for our dad in the mountains of North Carolina. We concluded today, and I’m back at my brother Jim’s [...]

September 19, 2007

A Student Perspective

From the UMass Collegian:
Every time a moderately controversial speaker comes to UMass, there seems to be no shortage of student protesters to accompany the event. The Republican Club knows that they cannot sponsor a lecture without some group somewhere on campus finding a relatively creative way to disrupt it. Maybe I haven’t been paying enough [...]

September 19, 2007

A Slippery Slope Leading to the Erosion of Civil Liberties

Rep. Peter King of New York was responding to a question about whether the country is on a slippery slope leading to the erosion of civil liberties. He said, along the way, that “There are too many mosques in this country.” His spokespeople said later he was taken out of context, but the video of [...]

September 19, 2007

A War Run by Mercenaries

The Iraq war is the first American war to rely heavily on the use of mercenaries. Recent Iraqi accusations against Blackwater have highlighted this problem. Where once the US would have protected diplomatic personnel by use of soldiers, now it relies on mercenaries such as those managed by Blackwater. And the US has given them [...]

September 19, 2007

“A Classic Assault on the First Amendment”

Nat Hentoff on the forcible silencing of Andrew Meyer.
Under First Amendment law, you can loudly question, disagree with, or heckle a speaker—unless you make it impossible for the speaker to continue. That’s called “the heckler’s veto,” and is not protected by the First Amendment.
In this case, as the insistent Meyer’s own speech was fractured—his microphone [...]

September 19, 2007

An Under-reported Instance of Police Brutality

Sgt. Mark England got pulled out of a security line at the Las Vegas airport for having a bottle of Sprite. The TSA agent claimed to be an Army lieutenant. England asked him to show his ID; he refused. England went on to try to get on his plane, but it had left. He came [...]

September 19, 2007

Patterns of Police Insanity

In Utah, a great-grandmother tackled by a cop and arrested for not watering her lawn. Cop was cleared of any wrongdoing. She’s charged with a misdemeanor. Video.
In another case, cops tased a 56 year old schizophrenic woman in a wheelchair ten times. She died.

September 19, 2007

ACF

Adventist Review writes about ACF (Adventist Christian Fellowship).

September 18, 2007

Pokemon Mom

A Wonderful Life.

September 18, 2007

U Thant and Mon Mothma

Dom has a quiz: Secretary General or Star Wars Character. I got 91%.

September 18, 2007

Students Protest at UF

Video of student protest of UF police brutality.

September 18, 2007

Muslims in the Military

Things are improving since Chaplain Yee was forced out, it appears.

September 18, 2007

When the Incarnation Is Denied

The Book of Hebrews is clear that Jesus shared our full humanity, flesh and blood, in all its weakness (2:14ff). It’s an uncomfortable thought for some. The Docetists denied it completely and said he only appeared to be like us, when he really wasn’t. Others, including the Catholic Church, have done all they could to [...]

September 18, 2007

Texas GOP Straw Poll

My wife and I were invited to go, but couldn’t. The big winner of the Texas GOP presidential straw poll was …. Duncan Hunter.
Who?
Then Fred Thompson and Ron Paul.

September 17, 2007

“Evangelicals and the Mother of God”

Timothy George, a Southern Baptist theologian, writes at First Things; Eric Svendsen comments.
George says,
It is time for evangelicals to recover a fully biblical appreciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her role in the history of salvation-and to do so precisely as evangelicals.
I think evangelicals do have a “fully biblical appreciation” of Mary–I wonder if [...]