Seek Social Justice: Foretastes of Heaven (Breakpoint)
"When you hear the term “social justice,” what comes to mind? Perhaps for you these words are intertwined with the social gospel movement that emphasized good deeds without the power of the Gospel. Well, if that’s the case, it’s time to revisit social justice, and I’m thrilled to tell you about a new resource, which is going to be a tremendous help for you and your church...."
Saturday, March 26, 2011
In His Image: The Roots of Social Justice (Colson)
"The Roots of Social Justice.
We’re hearing a lot these days about human rights and social justice—particularly among younger evangelicals, but also among secularists. It’s a good thing that there is a growing concern for the poor and the oppressed around the world..."
"The Roots of Social Justice.
We’re hearing a lot these days about human rights and social justice—particularly among younger evangelicals, but also among secularists. It’s a good thing that there is a growing concern for the poor and the oppressed around the world..."
A Biblical View of Social Justice (John Wheaton)
"Life is just not fair.
Is it fair that Tiger Woods makes millions for playing a game of leisure while the average person struggles to pay the bills working 50-60 hours a week? Even worse, is it fair that some people are born into extreme wealth and freedom while others must live and often die in dire poverty or under severe oppression? No, life is not fair; unfairness is inherent in the human condition. But life can and should be just. When human acts or omissions are at the heart of these inequities and suffering, then social injustices have occurred. Unfortunately, these injustices shame and scar our world every day. This begs the question: What should a Christian do about it?..."
"Life is just not fair.
Is it fair that Tiger Woods makes millions for playing a game of leisure while the average person struggles to pay the bills working 50-60 hours a week? Even worse, is it fair that some people are born into extreme wealth and freedom while others must live and often die in dire poverty or under severe oppression? No, life is not fair; unfairness is inherent in the human condition. But life can and should be just. When human acts or omissions are at the heart of these inequities and suffering, then social injustices have occurred. Unfortunately, these injustices shame and scar our world every day. This begs the question: What should a Christian do about it?..."
Biblical Mandate for Mercy Ministries (Tim Keller)
"Mercy ministry is working to alleviate the burdens of another person, it is meeting their real or perceived needs through Gospel driven deeds. Mercy Ministry is kingdom ministry. It incorporates all of the effects of the coming of the kingdom of God and thus is a visual, viable representation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, through whom all things are redeemed, first partially in the old covenant, then really and more fully in the new covenant, and finally and completely in the kingdom to come. This kingdom principle and God’s own pattern of "mercy ministry" can be traced throughout Scripture, beginning at creation and continued through these last days. ..."
"Mercy ministry is working to alleviate the burdens of another person, it is meeting their real or perceived needs through Gospel driven deeds. Mercy Ministry is kingdom ministry. It incorporates all of the effects of the coming of the kingdom of God and thus is a visual, viable representation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, through whom all things are redeemed, first partially in the old covenant, then really and more fully in the new covenant, and finally and completely in the kingdom to come. This kingdom principle and God’s own pattern of "mercy ministry" can be traced throughout Scripture, beginning at creation and continued through these last days. ..."
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Depression
Battling Depression (Dan Phillips)
"Many folks never know a moment's real depression. The very notion is a strange one to them. If someone spoke of being depressed for years, their response might be an honestly incredulous "—years?" I knew a pastor of this temperament once, a really good guy, who simply was unable to tell a depressing story in the first-person. Every time he tried, his stories wound up with happy endings..."
"Many folks never know a moment's real depression. The very notion is a strange one to them. If someone spoke of being depressed for years, their response might be an honestly incredulous "—years?" I knew a pastor of this temperament once, a really good guy, who simply was unable to tell a depressing story in the first-person. Every time he tried, his stories wound up with happy endings..."
.Love Wins - A Review of Rob Bell's New Book
A Review of Rob Bell’s controversial book on Hell: Love Wins (Tim Challies)
"Questions matter. They can help you to grow deeper in your knowledge of the truth and your love for God—especially when you’re dealing with the harder doctrines of the Christian faith. But questions can also be used to obscure the truth. They can be used to lead away just as easily as they can be used to lead toward. Ask Eve...."
"Questions matter. They can help you to grow deeper in your knowledge of the truth and your love for God—especially when you’re dealing with the harder doctrines of the Christian faith. But questions can also be used to obscure the truth. They can be used to lead away just as easily as they can be used to lead toward. Ask Eve...."
Speaking Seriously and Sensitively about Hell
How Should We Talk about Hell in our Day and Age (Ligon Duncan)
"What is the preacher to do with hell and eternal punishment? In our day and age these truths strike some as comical and others as cruel. To some, hell is a joke. It's about little devils in red tights (so teach the cartoonists). It's a place where illicit pleasures are indulged (if we believe the entertainment media, not to mention the porn industry). It conjures up images of old-fashioned, red-faced TV preachers (before they figured out that only "nice" plays on the tube) preaching the disdained "hellfire and brimstone" sermon. On the other hand, in more thoughtful settings - major universities, mainline seminaries, serious print media - the mere admission of one's belief in such a destination for the unredeemed evokes sheer horror from the enlightened. How could you possibly believe something so primitive, so backwards, so mean, so exclusive, so intolerant? A rampant relativism and universalism makes hell the only heresy...."
"What is the preacher to do with hell and eternal punishment? In our day and age these truths strike some as comical and others as cruel. To some, hell is a joke. It's about little devils in red tights (so teach the cartoonists). It's a place where illicit pleasures are indulged (if we believe the entertainment media, not to mention the porn industry). It conjures up images of old-fashioned, red-faced TV preachers (before they figured out that only "nice" plays on the tube) preaching the disdained "hellfire and brimstone" sermon. On the other hand, in more thoughtful settings - major universities, mainline seminaries, serious print media - the mere admission of one's belief in such a destination for the unredeemed evokes sheer horror from the enlightened. How could you possibly believe something so primitive, so backwards, so mean, so exclusive, so intolerant? A rampant relativism and universalism makes hell the only heresy...."
Thursday, March 17, 2011
5 Q&A's on the Defense of Marriage Act
DOMA: Defense of Marriage Act – Q & A (Baptist Press)
WASHINGTON (BP)--"The leadership in the House of Representatives voted March 9 to step in and defend the Defense of Marriage Act in light of President Obama's decision not to do so. Following are five commonly asked questions, and answers, about the law:..."
WASHINGTON (BP)--"The leadership in the House of Representatives voted March 9 to step in and defend the Defense of Marriage Act in light of President Obama's decision not to do so. Following are five commonly asked questions, and answers, about the law:..."
Saturday, March 12, 2011
According to Government Data, Virginity is making a Comeback
Virginity Making a Comeback (Baptist Press)
WASHINGTON (BP)--"A growing number of teenagers and young adults are virgins, according to a study by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics described as "the largest and most in-depth federal report to date on sexual behavior" in the United States.
What's more, the mainstream media is recognizing that the trend may be attributable in part to abstinence education. An Associated Press article stated, "... perhaps emphasis on abstinence in the past decade has had some influence"...."
WASHINGTON (BP)--"A growing number of teenagers and young adults are virgins, according to a study by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics described as "the largest and most in-depth federal report to date on sexual behavior" in the United States.
What's more, the mainstream media is recognizing that the trend may be attributable in part to abstinence education. An Associated Press article stated, "... perhaps emphasis on abstinence in the past decade has had some influence"...."
Changes in Religious Identities in the USA
Shifting Religious Identities (USA Today) "Explore this interactive graphic showing data collected over 18 years from the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). The 2008 results, to be released today, are based on 54,000 interviews with a margin of error of plus or minus 0.5%. It finds that, despite population growth and immigration adding nearly 50 million more adults, almost all denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS data was released in 1990.
FULL STORY: For many in USA, religion is now fill-in-the-blank
FAITH & REASON: What's your religious 'path?' Any? Many? or None?..."
FULL STORY: For many in USA, religion is now fill-in-the-blank
FAITH & REASON: What's your religious 'path?' Any? Many? or None?..."
An Argument for God's Existence by Rabbi Adam Jacobs
A Reasonable Argument for God’s Existence (Rabbi Adam Jacobs) "Friends, In our recent dialogue I have noticed a consistent theme. It was frequently remarked that religious lines of argumentation lack reason. The contention seems to be that most, if not all, religious systems rely solely on wholly unsubstantiated faith to support their beliefs. Is this contention in fact true? From a theistic perspective the reality seems quite inverted in that it would appear to require an unreasonable commitment to naturalism to maintain a denial of the transcendent..."
Are we all called to witness?
Necessary Evangelism (Timmy Brister)
"Is the call to evangelize the lost something that all Christians are expected to engage in? This is a question that was recently raised to me. I certainly don’t think it will look the same way with each person, but I do believe we are all called to witness for Christ and live evangelistic lives commending the gospel to others in word and deed. As I reflected on this, four verses began to surface in my thinking about how Paul shows the necessity of evangelism:.."
"Is the call to evangelize the lost something that all Christians are expected to engage in? This is a question that was recently raised to me. I certainly don’t think it will look the same way with each person, but I do believe we are all called to witness for Christ and live evangelistic lives commending the gospel to others in word and deed. As I reflected on this, four verses began to surface in my thinking about how Paul shows the necessity of evangelism:.."
God, Freedom and the Adjustment Bureau (Russell Moore)
"If you view the trailer for new film “The Adjustment Bureau,” you might wonder if you’ve seen this movie before. You have, kind of. The thriller follows the same narrative pathways as such previous films as “The Matrix,” “The Truman Show,” and “Inception.” Of course, Hollywood never makes the same movie only once, if that movie makes money, so this is hardly surprising. The question is why do movies about escaping from an illusory universe, of recapturing the humanity of free will, seem to resonate with filmmakers and moviegoers?..."
"If you view the trailer for new film “The Adjustment Bureau,” you might wonder if you’ve seen this movie before. You have, kind of. The thriller follows the same narrative pathways as such previous films as “The Matrix,” “The Truman Show,” and “Inception.” Of course, Hollywood never makes the same movie only once, if that movie makes money, so this is hardly surprising. The question is why do movies about escaping from an illusory universe, of recapturing the humanity of free will, seem to resonate with filmmakers and moviegoers?..."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
How did this Happen?
How Did this Happen? Why Same-Sex Marriage Makes Sense to So Many (Al Mohler)
"Why does same-sex marriage make sense to so many people? The momentum toward the full legalization of same-sex marriage seems to intensify with every passing month — or even faster. The moral divide in this nation is now seen most clearly in the distance between those for whom marriage is exclusively heterosexual and thus a settled issue and, on the other hand, those who honestly see the legalization of same-sex marriage as a moral mandate required by justice. Given the venerable status of marriage and its universally established heterosexual character — at least until very recently — the burden of argument falls on the need to explain how such a movement for a moral revolution gained credibility, cultural mass, and momentum. How did this happen?..."
"Why does same-sex marriage make sense to so many people? The momentum toward the full legalization of same-sex marriage seems to intensify with every passing month — or even faster. The moral divide in this nation is now seen most clearly in the distance between those for whom marriage is exclusively heterosexual and thus a settled issue and, on the other hand, those who honestly see the legalization of same-sex marriage as a moral mandate required by justice. Given the venerable status of marriage and its universally established heterosexual character — at least until very recently — the burden of argument falls on the need to explain how such a movement for a moral revolution gained credibility, cultural mass, and momentum. How did this happen?..."
Money Decisions
The Real Bottom Line of Money Decisions (Chuck Bentley) "GAINESVILLE, Ga. (BP)--"I once met a man who told me he could increase the "velocity" of my money. I told him I didn't get it. He said he thought it was over my head. Turns out, he didn't get it either -- his investment company crashed and burned less than two years after our dialogue. In man's economy, financial advisors and experts can lead you through any financial need you face; but regardless of their expertise, their wisdom is no substitute for the wisdom of God. When we transfer our hopes to God and His economy, we are to turn first to the Lord and seek His wisdom for all issues, including financial decisions...."
"Stop Doing" List for Jesus?
What if the Religious Leaders had made a “Stop Doing” List for Jesus (Perry Noble) "Here are five things they MAY have asked Him to stop doing… “Dear Jesus, we need you to stop doing the following things…
#1 – You are really going to need to STOP healing on the Sabbath. You see, we’ve worked really hard creating a religious system that works for us…and even though people ARE being healed (we cannot deny that) we just do not approve of the day you are doing it. Sure, it’s miraculous…but the only miracles we are going to give approval of are the ones that take place in our system. And please understand…not adhering to our request in this matter could prove to be detrimental to your ministry. (Matthew 12:1-14)..."
#1 – You are really going to need to STOP healing on the Sabbath. You see, we’ve worked really hard creating a religious system that works for us…and even though people ARE being healed (we cannot deny that) we just do not approve of the day you are doing it. Sure, it’s miraculous…but the only miracles we are going to give approval of are the ones that take place in our system. And please understand…not adhering to our request in this matter could prove to be detrimental to your ministry. (Matthew 12:1-14)..."
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Truth About Christian Divorce Rate
The Christian Divorce Rate Myth (Baptist Press)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)--""Christians divorce at roughly the same rate as the world!" It's one of the most quoted stats by Christian leaders today. And it's perhaps one of the most inaccurate. Based on the best data available, the divorce rate among Christians is significantly lower than the general population.
Here's the truth....Many people who seriously practice a traditional religious faith -- be it Christian or other -- have a divorce rate markedly lower than the general population. ....."
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)--""Christians divorce at roughly the same rate as the world!" It's one of the most quoted stats by Christian leaders today. And it's perhaps one of the most inaccurate. Based on the best data available, the divorce rate among Christians is significantly lower than the general population.
Here's the truth....Many people who seriously practice a traditional religious faith -- be it Christian or other -- have a divorce rate markedly lower than the general population. ....."
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