What do People Beileve in?

What People Do and Do Not Believe In (Harris Poll) "NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new Harris Poll finds that the great majority (82%) of American adults believe in God, exactly the same number as in two earlier Harris Polls in 2005 and 2007. Large majorities also believe in miracles (76%), heaven (75%), that Jesus is God or the Son of God (73%), in angels (72%), the survival of the soul after death (71%), and in the resurrection of Jesus (70%)..." 

More of the Twilight Series

Flirting with Danger: New Moon of Twilight Series (Chuck Colson)  "The Twilight series of novels—and now the movies—are wildly popular with teenage girls. And that’s a shame. I’ll tell you why. You may remember that last year, Mark Earley on BreakPoint reviewed the film Twilight, which was all the rage. Now there’s a Twilight sequel, which is drawing millions to the box office..."
Mormon Vampires in the Garden of Eden: More on the Twilight Series (Touchstone) "If you have visited a bookstore, scanned the tabloids at a grocery store check-out, or watched Entertainment Tonight at the airport (no one I know admits to watching the show at home) any time in the last four years, you know something about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books. They continue to dominate best-seller lists more than a year after the finale was published, and the movies based on the stories, like the novels, are second only to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series in popularity."

The Senate's Abortion Compromise

Q & A: The Senate’s Abortion Compromise (Baptist Press) "The Senate is on the verge of passing a health care bill that includes a compromise on federal funding of abortion. Pro-life groups and pro-choice groups, though, are not happy with the compromise language, promoted by Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Following are a few common questions, with answers, about the compromise..."

Quiet Time

Should We Really Call It a Quiet Time? (David Powlison)  "Many years ago I worked through the psalms looking for the vocal cues. By my count, more than 95% of the psalms portray or invite audible words directed to God. You "hear" what is written, because so much of it is out loud: crying out, the sound of my voice, songs, shouts, the tongue and lips, asking God to listen, groaning, seeking, calling on, making requests, and so forth..."

Benefit from Bible Study

How to Benefit from the Bible (James MacDonald) "...I want us to think about how to benefit from the Bible by starting with my favorite verse from God’s Word, Jeremiah 15:16 which says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” What food is to our bodies, Scripture is to our souls. Here are five things you need to do if you want to eat God’s Word and feed your soul."

God with Us (Tim Challies) "...Though the word appears just three times in Scripture, twice in Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming of Christ and once in Matthew in the fulfillment of that prophecy, it’s a word we have all used and a word whose meaning most of us know. Our children read about it every Christmas and our pastors mention it in their Christmas sermons. That word is Immanuel. God with us. God is with us."

When Was Jesus Born?

When Was Jesus Born? (Dr. Paul L. Maier) An article on the date of the nativity and the chronology of Jesus' life.

Christmas Business Boycott?

Christmas Business Boycott? No Thanks (Zach Nielson)

Theology of Handel's Messiah

The Biblical Theology of Handel’s Messiah (Daniel Block)

12 Rules of Christmas

The Twelve Rules of Christmas (Rutherford Institute) a must read

Hunting Tiger Woods

CJ Mahaney writes a great piece about the Tiger Woods story that reminds us all of the seriousness of unaddressed sins.

Hunting Tiger Woods (CJ Mahaney)

A Day of Thanksgiving

A Day of Thanksgiving…its beginning (Wall Street Journal) "When was the first Thanksgiving? Most of us think of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1621. But if the question is about the first national Thanksgiving holiday, the answer is that the tradition began at a lesser-known moment in 1777 in York, Pa..."

Be the Church?

Be the Church? by Jeff Purswell 11/18/2009 3:02:00 PM. "The other day I saw a sign that captured my attention—and deeply concerned me. It said—“Don’t go to church. Be the church.” Now, despite the element of truth (God’s people are the church), there are all kinds of things wrong with this statement...."

'Blind Side'

‘Blind Side’ movie one of the best of the year (Baptist Press). "...Actress Sandra Bullock, director John Lee Hancock and a family from Memphis have done just that in the film "The Blind Side," which opens in theaters this weekend, and tells the true story of a homeless black youth (Michael Oher) who is taken in by a white family. He goes on to play college and pro football."

The Manhattan Declaration

Read the Manhattan Declaration. "A Call of Christian Conscience. Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family. We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good..."

Excellent Reads

Boondoggle or Worse? The Houses Health Care Reform Bill (Chuck Colson) 

The Long-term Effect of Spiritual Activity Among Children & Teens (Barna Research)

If He Talks and Behaves Like a Terrorist (Baptist Press)

Excellent Reads

Not Optional: Human Rights (Chuck Colson)

Your Teaching My Kid What? Exposing the Sex-Ed Blitz (Chuch Colson)

Dr. Phil and the Fort Hood Killer: His terrorist motive is obvious to everyone but the press and the Army brass (Wall Street Journal)

Obama vs. Stupak: Why Obama is rejecting the biparisan ban on funding abortion in healthcare reform (National Review)

Sermon Supplement (11/8/09)

NewsNote: The Hypersocialized Generation

Jeffery Zaslow of The Wall Street Journal opens his article with the story of a 17-year-old boy sent to the vice principal's office after being caught sending text messages in class. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy to pay attention to the teacher, not to his cellphone. Even as the boy nodded politely, Gallagher noticed something amiss -- the boy was texting about his discipline for being caught texting.

Excellent Reads

Here are some excellent articles to read and think about.  
Do You Pray? (JC Ryle) JC Ryles article on prayer is a great reminder on the vital importance of prayer which can be often neglected.

Abortion Kills More Black Americans Than the Seven Leading Causes of Death Combined (CDC) The shocking little-known truth about abortion in the Black American community is something that needs to somehow be addressed, but it is tragically underreported. 

Planned Parenthood Leaders Resigns After Viewing Ultrasound (Texas) This article makes you wonder what might happen if more of those who perpetuate this kind of murder really knew and saw the truth of what they are doing.

The Church and the Arts:(Kevin DeYoung) This article makes you think about the arts and the church

Do We Worship a Bully

(by Kelly Wright)
God’s wrath permeates the pages of Scripture. Its presence cannot be overlooked. The presence of wrath in the Bible has led one author to conclude that: The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. (Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, 31)
Read the entire article: Do We Worship a Bully? A look at God’s Wrath (Shepherds Fellowship) and then post your comments.

Breakpoint Articles on Global Warming

Not Evil, Just Wrong: What’s Really At Stake with Global Warming (Breakpoint)

Everyone Stop Breathing: Global Warming and CO2 (Breakpoint)

What Can Sin Do in a Believer's Life?

What can sin do in a believer’s life? While “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7), we can still receive the consequences of those sins in the following ways if unconfessed and unaddressed in our life:
o It can disqualify us from our ministry (I Cor. 9:27)
o It robs you of your joy in the Lord (Psalm 51:12)
o It can disgrace your reputation (2 Samuel 12:14)

Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus...to you?

This question may not stir up all kinds of excitement in your life, but your answer to it is of supreme importance.  What you and I believe about Jesus Christ is essential not only for securing our eternal future, but also for understanding and enjoying our life right now.  I ran across an excellent reminder of this in a piece that I shared in the kick-off of our new series of study in I John.  It was written by Pastor Kevin DeYoung and it challenges our American distortions of Jesus.  2000 years later, we still struggle to maintain a purity in our belief about Christ and to keep Him at the center of our belief and focus.  Kevin's analysis is spot on and challenges us all to think through how we may have allowed the culture around us to negatively influence our view of Christ which is at best slanderous and at worst, heresy.

Enjoy Kevin's piece as you seek to keep Christ rightly represented in your thinking and centered in your heart!

Jeff

Who is Jesus?

The greatness of God is most clearly displayed in his Son. And the glory of the gospel is only made evident in his Son. That’s why Jesus’ question to his disciples is so important: “Who do you say that I am?”

The question is doubly crucial in our day because not every Jesus is the real Jesus. Almost no one is as popular in this country as Jesus. Hardly anyone would dare to say a bad word about him. Just look at what a super-fly friendly dude he is over there. But how many people know the real Jesus?

Christianity loves the light

Christianity loves the light…because we have nothing to hide!

The other day my nephew, a graduate of Whitworth sent me an email with a question. He’s always engaging people around him who both know Christ and others who don’t, but I find it interesting how there seems to be a growing chorus of skepticism from those who are supposedly inside the faith. Here is what my nephew’s note said:  "I was thinking about something this week…I’ve had talks with friends (liberal Christians) who have been taught some of the books of the Bible like Jonah and others were fictional stories not real stories. How do you contend with this? Can this be disproven?" Good question and one that is often asked. Here is what I proposed for a reasonable response as I Peter 3:15 instructs us to be ready to do.

Fellowship of the Unshamed

UNASHAMED
By Dr. Bob Moorehead

I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made...I am a disciple of Jesus, I won’t look back, go back, hold back, let up, slow down, back away, hesitate or be still! My past is redeemed, my present remade and my future re-aimed. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, dwarfed goals, deficient faith and cheap grace.

Does the Church Really Oppress Women?

Jimmy Carter: Does the church really oppress women?

I was a little stunned when I read the following words by Jimmy Carter in an op-ed piece he wrote on July 15th: “My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.” He went on to say, “At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.” (see the full article here)

Now, my concern is not what other religions believe and teach, but how Christianity is falsely portrayed. The teaching of Christianity is crystal clear about the God-determined and designed roles of men in marriage and the church.

Tax Payer Funded Abortion

Update on the tax-payer funded abortion issue in the Healthcare debate: A website has been set up to keep up to date information on the facts and myths of the proposed funding of abortion services in the healthcare reform discussion. This is a great way to stay informed and ready to respond.

Jimmy Carter on Women's Roles

The Gospel of Oppression? Jimmy Carter on Religion

ChristsChurch 9/1/2009 9:35:43 AM

Sorry, President Carter…This Argument Falls Flat

Update on Tax Payer funded abortion issue

Update on the tax-payer funded abortion issue in the Healthcare debate.

Update on the tax-payer funded abortion issue in the Healthcare debate: A website has been set up to keep up to date information on the facts and myths of the proposed funding of abortion services in the healthcare reform discussion. This is a great way to stay informed and ready to respond.

Health Care Reform, is it ok to Force Abortion

ChristsChurch 7/24/2009 9:40:42 PM
Healthcare Reform: Is it right to force taxpayers to fund abortions?

As the details of the current controvesial “health care reform” bill continues to unfold, we are learning that it contains the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade (read the story here and here. ) Apparently, taxpayers will be forced without exceptions to fund abortions. This is quite a stunner and not going to sit very well with most Americans (so far, polls are showing that half of all Americans disapprove of President Obama’s handling of this reform). It’s one thing to make abortion legal and accessible (as it is today) and quite another thing to mandate its support.

Who Says Christians Weather Stress Better?

Well this is the latest in a string of research studies over the past few years:(see here and here and here and here that have noted that people of faith tend to live healthier, happier, longer and less stressful lives than those with no practicing faith tradition. Now this may be a surprise to those who don’t take faith in God seriously or even reject it out of hand, but it is not a surprise as a general rule to those who follow the life-enriching prescriptions for living from God’s point of view.

Since we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), then it makes good sense that He would know best how this life is lived and enjoyed to its maximum potential. This healthcare wisdom is communicated to us in His Word, the Bible. Listen to just a few of the insights and highlights from God Himself.

Solving the Abstinence Problem

POSTED: http://www.ccfw.org/ 8/18/2009 12:53:22 PM

Solving the Abstinence Problem:

The Case for (Early) Marriage (Al Mohler)

The Case for Early Marriage (Christianity Today)

Health Care Reform, Is it Okay to Force Abortion?

(Posted 7/25/09 on http://www.ccfw.org/)

Healthcare Reform: Is it right to force taxpayers to fund abortions?

As the details of the current controvesial “health care reform” bill continues to unfold, we are learning that it contains the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade (read the story here and here. ) Apparently, taxpayers will be forced without exceptions to fund abortions. This is quite a stunner and not going to sit very well with most Americans (so far, polls are showing that half of all Americans disapprove of President Obama’s handling of this reform). It’s one thing to make abortion legal and accessible (as it is today) and quite another thing to mandate its support.

The bills currently offered are being pushed by President Obama and would result in federally mandated coverage of abortion by nearly all health plans, abortifacient drugs, federally mandated recruitment of abortionists by local health networks, and nullification of many state abortion laws. It is feared that once abortion is established as a federal “essential benefit”, it will require “access” to and massive subsidization of elective abortion, which will require many issuers to establish and staff new abortion-providing sites. It may also nullify state “access” laws (such as waiting periods and parental notification requirements) and undermines healthcare workers’ conscience rights.

We can debate the $1 trillion dollar price-tag and whether or not it would suffocate everyone from small business owners to upper-income taxpayers with its incalculable new taxes. We could also debate the inevitability of rationed care and the limits on end-of-life care. All these have their merits for debate and discussion, but forcing taxpayers to fund abortion is unconscionable.
God is the author of life from conception (Psalm 139:13-16) and each person is created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). This places a high value upon each individual life conceived and leaves the right to take that life away in the hands of the Creator and Designer. God has forbidden the taking of innocent life (Exodus 20:13) except in the cases of self-defense (Exodus 22:2-3), manslaughter (Exodus 20:12-13), a just war (Ecclesiastes 3:8) or in the government execution of criminals convicted of a capital crime (Romans 13:4).

Since life is precious in the eyes of God (we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”) and therefore sacred, we are forbidden by God to end life by homicide (Genesis 9:6) or suicide (I Corinthians 6:19-20) or feticide (abortion – Exodus 22:21-25) or euthanasia (2 Samuel 1:2-16). And though the government has unfortunately given the right to end a life inside the womb (from conception to full-term) and in some states outside the womb (for qualitative end of life decisions), it is unthinkable that anyone who opposes abortion would then be forced to fund such actions against their will.

Lord willing, these measures will be removed from any final form of healthcare reform for the sake of God’s special creation and the future of our country.

Gay Clergy, What's Going On?

(Posted 7/15/09 on http://www.ccfw.org/)

Gay Clergy? What’s going on with the Episcopalians?
Do we have the right to approve what God has clearly forbidden? This is apparently the case, if you accept what the leadership and lay representatives of the Episcopal General Convention approved this last Tuesday, July 14th at their legislative assembly in Anaheim, California (see the story here ). By a vote of 77-19 (by the leaders) and 78-21 (by the lay representatives), the representative body of Episcopalians decided to overturn its moratorium on gay ordination. This move lays the foundation for the ordination of gays and lesbians in the church and pushes the American Episcopal Church even further away from the larger Anglican Communion. The bishops said that “God has called and may call” to ministry gays in committed lifelong relationships. Currently, Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, elected in 2003, is the only openly gay bishop in the church.

The bigger question is this: What does God think of this? The church is His church, not ours and He has determined the lines and boundaries of our lives, and specifically, the morality and usefulness of those in leadership and in the pew. Homosexuality, as well as every other form of immoral perversion (i.e. adultery, fornication, incest, etc.) is forbidden by God. God is a holy God and has called His people to be holy as well (I Peter 1:14-17) and this includes our sexual choices (I Thessalonians 4:3-8, I Corinthians 6:9-11).

God is a God of grace and truth. He sets the standards of truth by which we can know what is right and wrong, but He also gives us the grace we need to overcome our sinful distortions. Ever since Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God’s will and original design in the beginning, we all continue to struggle with the sinful temptations to distort God’s ideal and transgress His boundaries. Whether it’s lying or stealing or gossiping or any other violation that God has called sin, including homosexuality, God’s standard of holiness gets rejected and denied when we choose our sinful preferences and this gets us in a whole lot of trouble with Him.

The Bible says the “wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Our only hope for real joy and forgiveness and change comes in a willingness to admit our sinful choices even if the culture or church calls them OK and to receive the free gift of God (His grace and forgiveness) through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly gave up His perfect life to cover our willful sins against God so that we could be forgiven and restored. That’s an incredible act of love and grace.
It’s sad to see the church in some circles stand up and misrepresent God and confuse so many people on an issue that is so clearly addressed by the Lord of the church. We all need to take our cues not from the culture or even from some of the misguided in the church, but from God’s timeless Word which gives us the truth and grace we need to live and enjoy life God’s way.

See the following article for additional helpful information on this topic.

Michael Jackson's Real Legacy

(Posted 7/15/09 on http://www.ccfw.org/)

Michael Jackson's Real Legacy. A post by Greg Stier, guest Columnist for the Christian Post (July 11, 2009). "...Michael Jackson, perhaps the most talented musician in the history of humanity, died a tragic death and lived an even more tragic life. But I believe that there is one legacy he left that will make a lasting difference..."

Religion Thriller: Michael Jackson & Faith

(posted 7/8/09 on http://www.ccfw.org/)

Here is a brief Michael Jackson religion roundup. Make of it what you will...Posted July 1, 2009 by Michael Paulson (covers religion for The Boston Globe).

What's Next for Michael Jackson

What’s Next for Michael Jackson?

The worldwide reaction to Michael Jackson's death has been unbelievable in the amount of discussion it has prompted. His pop star status, unique musical talent, strange and sad personal life, dysfunctional family background, prescription drug abuse and so much more have all become front-page topics for everyone to read and talk about, but what has been noticeably absent from the discussion is Michael’s destiny beyond death. When Michael died, where did he go? This is a subject that evokes all kinds of reactions and beliefs, yet it is one that don’t want to neglect or misunderstand since it is the future course of every person’s life.

Talk of the afterlife is mysterious to many and full of all kinds of intriguing beliefs: from thinking there is nothing beyond the grave (you just go out of existence) to reincarnation (continual cyclic rebirths or transmigration to greater or lesser forms of life depending upon the karma you sowed in the previous life) to everlasting life in one place or another.

For Christians, the Bible teaches that every person will give an account of his life to God and participate in an eternity beyond the grave. It says “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). God describes two possible destinies for all human beings: one is heaven and the other is hell…both are eternal and places of conscious existence. Your destination is determined in this life by what one does with the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said many things about our eternity, but the following two statements sum up His thoughts most clearly.

• “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, see also John 5:24, 6:40, 47, 11:25-26)
• “…for unless you believe that I Am He, you shall die in your sins” (John 8:24, see also John 3:36)

What’s next for Michael Jackson or you and me for that matter? It all depends on what we do with Jesus Christ. He alone gave His life in death for us because of our sin and He alone rose from the dead to prove what He did on the cross was true. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6). That’s the good news…we don’t have to fear death or what’s beyond the grave because Jesus Christ provided a forgiveness for anyone who wants to turn from their sins and trust Him for their needed rescue.

Why would we wait to see what happens when we can make reservations now for our future eternity?