Connecting
man to man to God
For
week of May 9, 2010
Issue 303
The
Men’s Ministry newsletter of Path Of Life Ministries.
Our
mission is to lead men to Jesus Christ and provide opportunity for
Christian men to grow in their faith and minister to others.
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“Seek
good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of
hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.”
Amos 5:14
CONSIDER
“The
lure of quantity is the most dangerous of all.”
Simone Weil, French philosopher and social activist
AMERICANS
FEEL CONNECTED TO JESUS
In
the age of Facebook, Twitter, and texting, many Americans feel
more connected to people than ever, but a new national survey by
The Barna Group shows that Americans are not just connected to
each other. One of the dominant connections in people’s
lives is with Jesus Christ. In fact, more people claim to be
closely connected to Jesus Christ than have a Facebook page or
Twitter account.
The
Barna study, conducted among a random sample of 1,002 U.S. adults,
discovered that two out of every three adults (67%) claimed to
have a “personal relationship” with Jesus that is
currently active and that influences their life.
While
a majority of most demographic segments said they had such an
active and personal relationship with Jesus, some segments were
more likely than others to claim such a connection. For instance,
women (72%) were more likely than men (62%) to do so. Protestants
were more likely than Catholics to cite such a relationship (82%
versus 72%). People who describe themselves as mostly conservative
on social and political matters were far more likely than those
who see themselves as liberal on such issues to connect with Jesus
(79% compared to 48%). And one of the most instructive findings
was that the younger a person was, the less likely they were to
claim to have an active and influential bond with Jesus.
Specifically, while 72% of adults 65 or older and 70% of Boomers
(i.e., ages 46 to 64) had such a relationship in place, 65% of
Busters (i.e., ages 27 to 45) and only 52% of Mosaics (ages 18 to
26) did, as well.
For
any relationship to be meaningful there must be effective two-way
communication. While an overwhelming majority of Americans claim
to pray during a typical week (more than 80%), the new Barna study
points out that a majority also believes that Jesus speaks back to
them. Overall, 38% said they are “completely certain”
that Jesus speaks to them in ways that are personal and relevant
to their circumstances. An additional 21% said they are “somewhat
certain” that He does so, while 10% contend that Jesus
speaks to them but they were not as sure about that communication.
Eight percent did not know if Jesus Christ speaks to them.
In
total, less than one-quarter of all adults (23%) stated that Jesus
does not speak to them. Those people were most likely to be
atheists and agnostics; under the age of 30; residents of the
western or northeastern states; Asian-Americans; and those who
describe themselves as mostly liberal on social and political
matters.... Read this in full at
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/364-americans-feel-connected-to-jesus
LIBERTY U.
BACKS SEMINARY PRESIDENT AMID CHARGES OF MISREPRESENTATION
The
president of Liberty Theological Seminary, who apologized in
February for calling the head of the Southern Baptist Convention
International Mission Board a liar, is now being questioned about
his own testimony of conversion from radical Islam to
Christianity.
Liberty
University's board of directors decided not to reprimand Ergun
Caner, dean of the theology school since 2005, after conducting an
inquiry into questions raised in numerous blogs about his
credibility.
The
ruling, reported by Christianity Today, follows weeks of questions
in the Baptist blogosphere about written descriptions of Caner's
academic credentials and apparent embellishments in recorded
versions of his testimony, preached in prominent Baptist pulpits
over the years.
On
April 26, Focus on the Family radio re-broadcast a sermon preached
shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, at Prestonwood Baptist Church in
Plano, Texas, in which Caner said he was born in Sweden, grew up
in Turkey and did not learn English until moving to the United
States in 1978. He claimed he was part of "Islamic Jihad"
and said it was "my people" who carried out the horrors
of the day.
The
problem, according to various Internet sites, is that none of that
is true. .... Read this in full at
http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/5118/53/
YMCA TRIES
TO `LIGHT UP THE C’ IN NAME, PROGRAMS
About
50 teenagers and their parents gathered at the YMCA Trout Lodge
recently, in the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest, to
praise Jesus Christ. "We pray that this weekend our hearts
are touched, Lord," one of the group leaders, Mark Patterson
said, "and that we grow closer to you."
But
this was not one of the many church retreats that meet here, and
Patterson is not a pastor. He's the program director of the South
City Y in St. Louis, and the group he prayed with was there for
FaithFest, the most public evidence yet that the Young Men's
Christian Association in St. Louis is returning to its Christian
roots.
FaithFest
-- a weekend full of Christian rock performances, prayer circles,
and a worship service -- was the latest piece of the nonprofit
group's effort to "light up the 'C' in YMCA," as
staffers have begun to put it.
"It's
a physical, tangible example of us showing our commitment to
faith," said Julie Catron, vice president of marketing and
membership for the YMCA of Greater St. Louis.
FaithFest
is just the beginning of the Y's move toward a more visible
Christianity. For 157 years, the St. Louis YMCA's mission has been
"to put Christian principles into practice through programs
that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all." But for
almost as long, the Y has moved steadily away from overt displays
of Christian principles. That's about to change.... Read this in
full at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/ymca-tries-to-light-up-th_n_561610.html
2010
CHRISTIAN BOOK AWARD WINNERS
The
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has announced
the winners for the 2010 Christian Book Awards. Presented annually
to the finest in Christian publishing since 1978, the Christian
Book Awards honors titles in six categories - Bibles, Bible
Reference & Study, Christian Life, Fiction, Children &
Youth, and Inspiration & Gift. The winners in each category
were announced at the ECPA Awards banquet held Monday, May 3,
during ECPA's annual Executive Leadership Summit in Nashville, TN.
One title, "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns,
received the top honor by being named the 2010 Christian Book of
the Year.
The
Christian Book Awards selects five finalists in each category
based on both editorial excellence and category-specific criteria.
This year, 226 entries (published in the last year) were submitted
by 33 ECPA member publishers for review and scoring by a total of
72 judges.
The
2010 Christian Book Award winners are:
*
2010 Christian Book of the Year
"The
Hole in Our Gospel," Richard Stearns, Thomas Nelson,
9780785229186
*
Bibles
"Glo",
Immersion Digital, Zondervan, 9780981990200
*
Bible Reference & Study
"The
New Moody Atlas of the Bible," Barry J. Beitzel, Moody
Publishers, 9780802404411
*
Christian Life
"The
Hole in Our Gospel," Richard Stearns, Thomas Nelson,
9780785229186
*
Fiction
"Watch
Over Me," Christa Parrish, Bethany House/ Baker Publishing
Group, 9780764205545
*
Children & Youth
"B4UD8-
Before You Date," Hayley and Michael DiMarco, Revell/ Baker
Publishing Group, 9780800733087
*
Inspiration & Gift
"Grace
Notes," Philip Yancey, Zondervan, 9780310287728
....
Read this in full at
http://www.ecpa.org/
'THE HOLE
IN OUR GOSPEL' NAMED BOOK OF YEAR
"The
Hole in Our Gospel," the Christian bestseller by Richard
Stearns, the president of World Vision US, has won the "2010
Christian Book of the Year" award. The award was presented
May 3 in Nashville by the Evangelical Christian Publishers
Association (ECPA).
"We
hope the honor of being named 'Christian Book of the Year' will
help 'The Hole in Our Gospel' mobilize even more Christians to
care for the poor worldwide," said ECPA's President Mark
Kuyper. "In a year of unforgettable world disasters,
including the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we are eager to
encourage believers to take action for those in need."
Published
by Thomas Nelson, the book chronicles Stearns' journey of faith,
as well as his decision to leave the corporate sector after more
than 20 years and lead the major fundraising office of the world's
largest Christian humanitarian organization.
"The
response to 'The Hole in Our Gospel' has far exceeded my hopes,"
says Stearns, who heads up the U.S. offices of the global agency.
"Hundreds of readers have contacted me to explain how the
book has enlightened them to embrace Jesus' commandment to serve
the poor and the downtrodden." .... Read this in full at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/8213813812.html
GLOBAL DAY
OF PRAYER
May
23
http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/
PREAKNESS
STAKES
May
15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preakness_Stakes
http://www.preakness.com/
BELMONT
STAKES
June
5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_Stakes
http://www.belmontstakes.com/
NBA 2010
PLAYOFFS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_NBA_Playoffs
http://www.nba.com/2010/playoffs/2010/04/15/schedule/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
STANLEY
CUP 2010 PLAYOFFS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Stanley_Cup_playoffs
http://www.nhl.com/cup/round1/index.html
INDIANAPOLIS
500
May
30
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_500
http://www.indy500.com/
2010 FIFA
WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA
June
11 – July 11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html
HOW DO WE
ASSESS SPIRITUAL GROWTH?
An
interview with Dallas Willard
Q:
How can churches know if they are being effective at making
disciples?
A:
Many churches are measuring the wrong things. We measure things
like attendance and giving, but we should be looking at more
fundamental things like anger, contempt, honesty, and the degree
to which people are under the thumb of their lusts. Those things
can be counted, but not as easily as offerings.
Q:
Why don't more churches gauge these qualities among their people?
A:
First of all, many leaders don't want to measure these qualities
because what they usually discover is not worth bragging about.
We'd rather focus on institutional measures of success. Secondly,
we must have people who are willing to be assessed in these ways.
And finally, we need the right tools to measure spiritual
formation. There are some good tools available like Randy Frazee's
Christian Life Profile and Monvee.com, which John Ortberg
likes.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2010/spring/weassessspiritual.html
THE
SERIOUSNESS OF MORTALITY
“We
should be very sure that the ruined soul is not one who has missed
a few more or less important theological points and will flunk a
theological examination at the end of life. Hell is not an "oops!"
or a slip. One does not miss heaven by a hair, but by constant
effort to avoid and escape God. "Outer darkness" is for
one who, everything said, wants it, whose entire orientation has
slowly and firmly set itself against God and therefore against how
the universe actually is. It is for those who are disastrously in
error about their own life and their place before God and man. The
ruined soul must be willing to hear of and recognize its own ruin
before it can find how to enter a different path, the path of
eternal life that naturally leads into spiritual formation in
Christlikeness.”
Dallas Willard
(b. 1935), The Renovation of the Heart, Colorado Springs, Colo.:
Navpress, 2002, p. 59
VA.
GOVERNOR LIFTS BAN ON POLICE CHAPLAINS’ SECTARIAN PRAYERS
Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell has lifted a two-year-old ban on sectarian
prayers -- including those referring to Jesus Christ -- led by
Virginia State Police chaplains at department-sanctioned public
events.
The
recently elected Republican governor instructed police
superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty April 28 to inform the nine
troopers who serve as chaplains of the change in policy.
“The
governor does not believe the state should tell chaplains of any
faith how to pray,” McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin told
the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Religious officials of all
faiths should be allowed to pray according to the dictates of
their consciences.”
Flaherty,
who was reappointed superintendent by McDonnell on April 28,
initiated the ban in September 2008 in response to a ruling by the
4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that a Fredericksburg, Va., City
Council member may not pray in Jesus’ name during council
meetings because invocations are government speech. Flaherty said
the chaplain-prayer policy never applied to private ceremonies or
individual counseling sessions, but only official public
departmental events.
In
response, six chaplains -- all troopers who hold the religious
post voluntarily -- resigned in protest. Then-Gov. Tim Kaine, a
Democrat, said at the time he did not initiate the ban but
supported it. Attempts to change the policy failed in the Virginia
General Assembly in 2009 and 2010.
Conservative
Christian groups hailed McDonnell’s reinstatement of
sectarian prayers.... Read this in full at
http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/5102/53/
A FADED
RELIC OF CHRISTENDOM REAPPEARS
The
Roman Catholic Church is weathering another sex scandal, but it is
impossible to tell in Turin, Italy, where the faint image of a
bearded man on a yellowing linen sheet provides the moment, if
brief, for pilgrims to declare and reaffirm their faith. For some,
it does not matter if the Shroud of Turin is authentic. It is the
shared spiritual experience that counts most.
Ten
years after the shroud last went on display, nearly two million
people have made reservations for a timed glimpse of the religious
object (five minutes on weekdays, three on weekends, depending on
the bookings, though the labyrinthine line can take well over an
hour).
For
most of them, the bearded man is Jesus Christ and the
14-foot-3-inch by 3-foot-7-inch linen cloth now encased in a
bulletproof frame is his burial shroud. It is one of the most
venerated -- and contentious -- relics of Christendom. The image
is so faint that a recorded announcement assists rapt onlookers to
decipher it.... Read this in full at
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/world/europe/04turin.html
RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM GROUP CHALLENGES ARMY SYMBOL
A
religious watchdog group says a cross and motto on the emblem of
an Army hospital in Colorado violate the constitutional
requirement for separation of church and state and should be
removed. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation asked the Army
this week to change the emblem of Evans Army Community Hospital at
Fort Carson, outside Colorado Springs.
The
emblem says "Pro deo et humanitate" or "For God and
humanity." Fort Carson commanders will review the complaint,
Lt. Col. Steve Wollman said. He said the emblem had been approved
by the Army Institute of Heraldry and has been in use since
1969.... Read this in full at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-04-29-army-cross_N.htm
BRITISH
JUDGE: CHRISTIAN BELIEFS HAVE NO LEGAL STANDING
A
top British judge has ruled that Christian beliefs have no
standing under secular law because they lack evidence and cannot
be proven. Lord Justice John Grant McKenzie Laws made the
declaration April 29 in throwing out a defamation suit by
Christian relationship counselor who refused to offer sex therapy
to gay couples. Gary McFarlane protested that he was fired because
offering sex therapy to same-gender couples violates his Christian
principles. But Laws said "religious faith is necessarily
subjective, being incommunicable by any kind of proof or
evidence." He added that to use the law to protect "a
position held purely on religious grounds cannot therefore be
justified." No religious belief, said the judge, can be
protected under the law "however long its tradition, however
rich its culture."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/british-judge-christian-b_n_559244.html
VERSE TO
PONDER
“Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood
the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised
to those who love him.”
James
1:12
CONSIDER
“A
man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he
can eat enough for the next six months or take sufficient air into
his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw
upon God's boundless store of grace from day to day as we need
it.”
Dwight L. Moody
CHURCHES
ARE MAKING THEIR MESSAGE APP-LICABLE
by
Alex Murashko
For
tech savvy Christians or for just about any of the faithful under
35 years old it's a no-brainer: spreading the Gospel means using
the tools available now … and for a growing number of
churches that means having their own iPhone app.
Before
getting into why churches like Mars Hill and Saddleback, as well
as ministries of every type, have increasingly embraced apps used
in mobile devices such as the iPhone, here's the basic definition
of app:
APPlication
- The term is shorthand for "application" and was used
in the IT community for decades but became newly popular for
mobile applications, especially since the launch of Apple's App
(online) Store in 2008. An app is software that is commonly used
for business or entertainment. It can be virtually any type of
program. You might be familiar with its use in media players such
as iTunes.
Tech
leader, Chris Ediger, works for Giant Impact, which includes a
leadership development group and program named “Catalyst.”
The group hosts conferences in the U.S. and last month launched
their own app during Catalyst West. Ediger explains why Catalyst,
along with software and app developer company, Subsplash, made the
free app available.... Read this in full at
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2010/s10050028.htm
iPHONE APP
AIDS PREACHING, EVANGELISM
A
free iPhone application that includes preaching resources and
evangelism tools has been launched by Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary.
"More
than just provide information about Southwestern, we wanted to
give all Christians and pastors helpful resources for use in life
and ministry," said Matt Fuller, director of web services and
developer of the iPhone app. "We believe this app captures
Southwestern's heartbeat: 'Preach the Word, Reach the World.'"
The
app features several preaching resources, including audio from the
seminary's annual expository and advanced expository preaching
workshops. During the past six years of the Expository Preaching
Workshop, Southwestern professors along with guest professors and
pastors such as Jerry Vines, Jim Shaddix and David Platt have led
sessions on the state of preaching and strategies for becoming
more faithful expositors of God's Word. The seminary's Advanced
Expository Preaching Workshop has featured intensive studies for
pastors who know the basics of expository preaching and wish to go
deeper, utilizing the original languages. In addition to audio,
the app contains "10 Steps to Effective Text-Driven
Preaching," which takes a pastor through the development of
an expository sermon.... Read this in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=32883
SAFE
SPEECH
Franklin
Graham, infuriated by his disinvitation from the National Day of
Prayer ceremony at the Pentagon, went on a media tour, arguing
that he was being discriminated against for his Christian beliefs.
He prayed outside the Pentagon and at other locations throughout
the nation's capital. NEWSWEEK editor Jon Meacham and religion
editor Lisa Miller met with the son of the evangelist Billy Graham
NEWSWEEK's offices. Excerpts from their conversation:
Meacham:
Would your sense of Christian humility not lead you to see the
point of critics who say that, because of the things you have said
[calling Islam "wicked" and "evil"], you could
possibly be more divisive at a state-sponsored occasion than
unifying?
Graham:
Well, sure, someone can try to make that argument. But you have --
what is it? -- 80 percent of America claims to be of the Christian
faith. OK, so there may be 20 percent that may be offended, but it
won't be 20 percent.... Read this in full at
http://www.newsweek.com/id/237453
A
DANGEROUS BELIEF
by
Stephen Prothero
When
I was a college student in the 1970s and 1980s I was told
repeatedly that all religions are one. Today teachers who profess
this view are in good company. According to Gandhi, "belief
in one God is the cornerstone of all religions." According to
the Dalai Lama, "the essential message of all religions is
very much the same." From this perspective, popularized by
"perennial philosophers" such as Aldous Huxley, Joseph
Campbell and Huston Smith, all religions are beautiful and all are
true. The prevailing metaphor portrays the world's religions as
different paths up the same mountain. "It is possible to
climb life's mountain from any side," writes Mr. Smith, "but
when the top is reached the trails converge."
This
is a seductive sentiment in a world in which religious violence
can seem as present and potent as God. But it is dangerous,
disrespectful, and untrue.
The
world's religious rivals do converge when it comes to ethics -- no
religion tells you it is OK to have sex with your mother or to
murder your brother -- but they diverge sharply on doctrine,
ritual, mythology, experience and law. Such differences may not
matter to mystics or philosophers of religion, but they matter to
ordinary religious folk. Muslims do not think that the pilgrimage
to Mecca is inessential; in fact, they include it among the Five
Pillars of Islam. Catholics do not think that baptism is
inessential; in fact, they include it among their Seven
Sacraments. But religious differences do not just matter to
religious practitioners. They have real effects in the real world.
People refuse to marry a Muslim or a Hindu because of them. And in
some cases religious disagreements move adherents to fight and
kill.
Whether
the world's religions are one or many might appear to be an
academic question. But our world remains furiously religious, so
religion remains, for good and for evil, one of the most powerful
influences in world history. In the 21st century alone, religion
has toppled the Bamiyan statues of the Buddha in Afghanistan and
the Twin Towers in New York City. It has stirred up civil war in
Sri Lanka and Darfur. Today religious rivalries are either
simmering or boiling over in Nigeria, Myanmar and Kurdistan.
Religion also remains a prime mover in Kashmir, where two nuclear
powers, the Hindu-majority state of India and the Muslim-majority
state of Pakistan, remain locked in an ancient territorial dispute
with palpable religious overtones. Our understanding of these
battlefields is not advanced in the least by the shibboleth that
"all religions are one." .... Read this in full at
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703709804575202261474208230-lMyQjAxMTAwMDMwMDEzNDAyWj.html
BELIEVE IT
OR NOT
by
David B. Hart
I
think I am very close to concluding that this whole “New
Atheism” movement is only a passing fad -- not the cultural
watershed its purveyors imagine it to be, but simply one of those
occasional and inexplicable marketing vogues that inevitably go
the way of pet rocks, disco, prime-time soaps, and The Bridges of
Madison County. This is not because I necessarily think the
current “marketplace of ideas” particularly good at
sorting out wise arguments from foolish. But the latest trend in à
la mode godlessness, it seems to me, has by now proved itself to
be so intellectually and morally trivial that it has to be
classified as just a form of light entertainment, and popular
culture always tires of its diversions sooner or later and moves
on to other, equally ephemeral toys.
Take,
for instance, the recently published 50 Voices of Disbelief: Why
We Are Atheists. Simple probability, surely, would seem to dictate
that a collection of essays by fifty fairly intelligent and
zealous atheists would contain at least one logically compelling,
deeply informed, morally profound, or conceptually arresting
argument for not believing in God. Certainly that was my hope in
picking it up. Instead, I came away from the whole drab assemblage
of preachments and preenings feeling rather as if I had just left
a large banquet at which I had been made to dine entirely on
crushed ice and water vapor.... Read this in full at
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/04/believe-it-or-not
WORKPLACE
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BILL FINDS REVIVED INTEREST
More
than a decade after it was first introduced, an on-again off-again
bill to protect employees' religious expression in the workplace
is attracting renewed attention that could lead to action on
Capitol Hill in coming weeks.
The
Workplace Religious Freedom Act would revise and strengthen the
existing requirements imposed on employers to accommodate the
religious practices of their employees.
"The
bill will be introduced to Congress soon in a fashion that will
eliminate the concerns some folks had since its inception,"
said Richard Foltin, the director of national and legislative
affairs for the American Jewish Committee.
Touted
in certain circles as the "WRFA god," Foltin co-chairs
an unusually broad coalition of almost 40 religious groups, from
Sikhs to Seventh-Day Adventists to Southern Baptists, who support
the bill's religious freedom expansions.
If
passed, the now narrowly tailored legislation would require
employers to make reasonable accommodation in the three areas
where the vast majority of religious accommodation claims fall:
religious clothing, grooming, and scheduling of religious
holidays.
Previous
versions of the bill had been criticized for being overly broad.
The ACLU and the US Chamber of Commerce were concerned other
employees might be forced to carry additional workloads to
accommodate co-workers, and that it would allow religious
viewpoints to interfere with a secular workplace.... Read this in
full at
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2010/05/workplace-religious-freedom-bi.php
EVANGELICALS
TAKE AIM AT ONE OF THEIR OWN
Southern
Baptist theologian Jim Hamilton doesn't write a lot of parables.
But he recently posted an original one on his blog in a bid to
delegitimize a popular author who Hamilton says is falsely
advertising himself as an evangelical. In the parable, author
Brian McLaren transforms a Whole Foods Market into a McDonald's,
yet misleadingly retains the "Whole Foods" name.
Hamilton says that's exactly what McLaren is doing in his new
book, "A New Kind of Christianity."
In
short, McLaren's refashioning Christianity into something
altogether different, but still claiming the "Christian"
name, while leading the unaware astray, Hamilton said. McLaren's
"is the same kind of `Christianity' that colluded, went along
with, Hitler's program in Germany," says Hamilton, associate
professor of biblical theology at Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Louisville, Ky. "Leading theologians in that era
of Germany regarded the Bible and history of the Christian faith
in the same way as Brian McLaren does, which is: `This is
outdated. Let's replace it with something up to date."'
In
attempting to marginalize McLaren, Hamilton has plenty of company.
In March, the flagship seminary took the rare step of convening a
panel to debunk a single book: McLaren's. Bloggers, meanwhile,
have described McLaren's approach as "dangerous,"
"seductive" and "heretical."
In
his book, McLaren, who says he comes out of a fundamentalist
background, questions long-held assumptions of Christianity. He
bristles at the notion of worshiping a God whose wrath sometimes
appears unjustified. He engages the Bible as literature, in which
God is a main character, rather than as an authoritative type of
"constitution" for the church. And he suggests people
need divine salvation from human evil, not from a sovereign
God.... Read this in full at
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2010/05/evangelicals-take-aim-at-one-o.php
GERMANY'S
MEGA PASSION PLAY IS BACK, AND JEWS ARE WATCHING
With
its focus on the last days of Jesus’ life, a Passion play
should, by its nature, arouse passions. But in Oberammergau,
Germany, the world’s most famous Passion play keeps stirring
the wrong kind.
As
it has almost every 10 years since 1634, this Bavarian town put
the final touches on the Oberammergau Passion Play in February,
keeping up its end of a divine compact after residents survived
the bubonic plague amidst the Thirty Years War.
And,
as has become almost routine in recent decades, plans for the play
-- particularly the choice of words in the script -- are causing
heartburn among some of the world’s Jewish leaders.
“Passion
plays, by their very nature, present serious problems,” says
Rabbi James Rudin, the American Jewish Committee’s senior
interreligious adviser. “It is possible to have a Passion
play without the Jews as villains, but I have never seen one.”
.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianindex.org/6374.article
CONSIDER
“We
find comfort among those who agree with us -- growth among those
who don't.”
Frank Clark
VERSE TO
PONDER
“May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in
him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
THIS
WEEK'S HYMN: FAR BE SORROW, TEARS, AND SIGHING
Words:
Unknown author, 13th Century or later; translated from Latin to
English by the compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern
Music:
Samuel J. Rowton
Far
be sorrow, tears and sighing!
Waves
are calming, storms are dying,
Moses
hath o’erpassed the sea,
Israel’s
captive hosts are free;
Life
by death slew death and saved us,
In
His blood the Lamb hath saved us,
Clothing
us with victory.
Jesus
Christ from death has risen,
Lo!
His Godhead bursts the prison,
While
His Manhood passes free,
Vanquishing
our misery.
Rise
we free from condemnation;
Through
our God’s humiliation,
Ours
is now the victory.
Vain
the foe’s despair and madness!
See
the dayspring of our gladness!
Slaves
no more of Satan we;
Children,
by the Son set free;
Rise,
for life with death has striven,
All
the snares of hell are riven,
Rise
and claim the victory.
>from
NetHymnal at
http://nethymnal.org/htm/f/b/fbsorrow.htm
ON PRAYER
“Fix
my thoughts, my hopes, and my desires, upon heaven and heavenly
things; teach me to despise the world, to repent me deeply for my
sins; give me holy purposes of amendment, and [spiritual] strength
and assistances to perform faithfully whatsoever I shall intend
piously. Enrich my understanding with an eternal treasure of
Divine Truths, that I may know thy will: and thou, who workest in
us to will and to do of Thy good pleasure, teach me to obey all
Thy commandments, to believe all Thy revelations, and make me
partaker of all Thy gracious promises.”
Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667), Holy Living [1650], in The Whole Works
of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.D., v. III, London: Longman,
Brown, Green & Longmans, 1847, p. 34
PRAY FOR PERSECUTED
CHRISTIANS TODAY
http://christiansincrisis.net/
DAILY BLESSING
PACT
Use
the following list as your daily prayer guide. Think of a brother
or situation that applies and lift them up in prayer.
I am
agreeing in prayer with you for God’s blessings to overtake
you!
PERSONAL
Marital harmony
Family unity
Children
saved
Faithful pastor
Spirit-filled church
Real
friendships
Relatives redeemed
Educational
benefits
Recreational time
Fulfilling career
Favor with
God and man
Be in God’s will
FINANCIAL
Better
Jobs
Raises or bonuses
Benefits
Sales &
commissions
Business Growth
Settlements
Estates &
inheritances
Investment increase
Rebates &
returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts & surprises
Money to
be found
Bills decrease while blessings increase
"And
all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God" (Deut.
28:2).
[As you travel on business or vacation, let me know
if you'd like the church guys to pray for your safety and
spiritual effectiveness. I'll add your name to the list for the
time you'll be away.]
CLASSIFIEDS
Are
you looking for something or do you have something to sell? Let me
know and I'll put it in this newsletter.
Book your next
vacation with us!
Http://www.ChristianConnectionTravel.com
Books,
Music & More!
http://www.ChristianConnectionBooks.com
Get
your domain name here!
http://www.GoGlobalDomains.com
Let
me show you how to earn money as you
travel!
http://www.earnGlobalVacations.com/
It's
as easy as 1-2-3!
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE
WEBSITES
Tell
us what sites you find enjoyable and why.
Iceland
Volcano Photos
http://blogs.tampabay.com/photo/2010/04/iceland-volcano.html
Historical
Browser Statistics Visualization
http://www.axiis.org/examples/BrowserMarketShare.html
Amazing
Photos of Animals
http://devsnippets.com/article/animal-photography-at-its-finest.html
All
links to websites are provided as a service, and do not imply
endorsement by this ministry.
(BTW: whenever the URLs in
this newsletter are too long to turn into links on your e-mail
program, just copy the entire URL (two lines or more) and paste it
into a temporary email message. Then delete the return in the
middle of it and copy it again. Then paste it into your web
browser and hit enter.)
Do
what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Min.
Frank Coleman, Editor
Rev.frank@gmail.com
Thanks
for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
----------
CONNECTIONS is a periodic newsletter of
announcements, news, recommendations, articles, and other
information helpful to men in our spiritual growth. Thanks for
welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
-----------
The
CONNECTIONS Team offers a variety of activities for men to
interact with other men on our journey of faith in Christ
together. Large group, small group, and one-to-one events
encourage relationship building and spiritual strengthening that
result in maximizing the potential we all have in Christ.
Contact
Min. Frank Coleman, 773-410-1483, frank@frankcoleman.com
if you'd like to participate in a men's discipleship program.
Path Of Life Ministries is located in Chicago, IL.
Visit
our website at: http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/
----------
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