17 Yr. Old Speaker, Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally, Athens, GA

17 Yr. Old Speaker, Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally, Athens, GA

 

Upcoming Film 'Hellbound?' Explores Ugly Debate on Hell

By Lillian Kwon , Christian Post Reporter

June 8, 2012|11:29 am

 

When it comes to the debate on hell, Kevin Miller sees nothing short of an ugly battle where Christians tend to dehumanize those who disagree with their views and show little humility.

"Something that tends to happen during these debates is that certain beliefs or doctrines ... become a sort of litmus test to help determine insiders and outsiders, to help people figure out 'are you one of us or one of them?'" the filmmaker observed.

Miller – whose previous work includes "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" with Ben Stein – is the writer and director of an upcoming documentary titled "Hellbound?" and in it he explores the many questions and the even greater number of beliefs people hold in regards to hell.

Along with theologians and pastors – including Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church and Brian McLaren – the documentary features heavy metal musicians, exorcists and people who claimed to have seen hell firsthand.

But this isn't just an academic discussion or a matter of... Read full article... Upcoming Film 'Hellbound?' Explores Ugly Debate on Hell

What the Psalms Do

What the Psalms Do http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DGBlog/~3/gvpwe3bNVS0/what-the-psalms-do   http://www.desiringgod.org/blog  Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:00:00 GMT  

From Pastor John's sermon, “Songs that Shape the Heart and Mind” (May 25, 2008):

If you read the Psalms only for doctrine, you’re not reading them for what they are. They are psalms, songs, poetry. They’re musical, and the reason human beings express truth with music and poetry is to awaken and express emotions that fit the truth.

One of the reasons the Psalms are deeply loved by so many Christians is that they give expression to an amazing array of emotions. Listen to this list of emotions I pulled together:

1. Loneliness: “I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalms 25:16).
2. Love: “I love you, O Lord, my strength” (Psalms 18:1).
3. Awe: “Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psalms 33:8).
4. Sorrow: “My life is spent with sorrow” (Psalms 31:10).
5. Regret: “I am sorry for my sin” (Psalms 38:18).
6. Contrition: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalms 51:17).
7. Discouragement and turmoil: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me” (Psalms 42:5)?
8. Shame: “Shame has covered my face” (Psalms 44:15).
9. Exultation: “In your salvation how greatly he exults” (Psalms 21:1).
10. Marveling: “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalms 118:23).
11. Delight: “His delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psalms 1:2).
12. Joy: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psalms 4:7).
13. Gladness: “I will be glad and exult in you” (Psalms 9:2).
14. Fear: “Serve the Lord with fear” (Psalms 2:11).
15. Anger: “Be angry, and do not sin” (Psalms 4:4).
16. Peace: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep” (Psalms 4:8).
17. Grief: “My eye wastes away because of grief” (Psalms 6:7).
18. Desire: “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted” (Psalms 10:17).
19. Hope: “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalms 33:22).
20. Brokenheartedness: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:18).
21. Gratitude: “I will thank you in the great congregation” (Psalms 35:18).
22. Zeal: “Zeal for your house has consumed me” (Psalms 69:9).
23. Pain: “I am afflicted and in pain” (Psalms 69:29).
24. Confidence: “Though war arise against me, yet I will be confident” (Psalms 27:3).

More explicitly than all the other books in the Bible, the Psalms are designed to awaken and shape our emotions in line with the instruction they give. What happens when you read and sing the Psalms the way they are intended to be read and sung is that your emotions and your mind are shaped by these psalms.

What is the New Atheism?

Question: "What is the New Atheism?"

Answer: The early 21st century has seen secularism and atheism promoted throughout the Western world with an ever-increasing vigor and militancy. This has led to the emergence of the “new atheists,” notable members of which include best-selling authors such as Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens.

The contention of the new atheists is, obviously, that there is no God. Adherents to the philosophy of new atheism believe that blind, natural forces are responsible for all of reality which we perceive. The new atheists do not restrict themselves to a passive disbelief. Rather, they are actively engaged in admonishing others to follow suit, to declare their non-belief in God, and to take the necessary steps to rid the world of religious belief and practice. As outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins puts it in The God Delusion, “I do everything in my power to warn people against faith itself.”

An ironic feature of the new atheism is its strong faith in the inferiority of... "Read more: What is the New Atheism?

Why does unbelief appear to be increasing in the world today?

Question: "Why does unbelief appear to be increasing in the world today?"

Answer: Studies show that unbelief is indeed on the rise these days. We are living in increasingly secular times and, unfortunately, those who do not believe in the truth of Scripture often seem to have the loudest voices in the public domain. Skeptics are becoming bolder and more vocal, and their influence is seen in education, entertainment, court systems, and government. They have made significant progress toward their goal of having God’s name entirely removed from the public realm.

Add to this the fact that we are living in what some call the most “biblically illiterate times,” and it’s apparent why unbelief is on the rise and why moral standards continue to deteriorate. Other factors include the pervasiveness of secular humanism; the church’s halfhearted adherence to the hard truths God’s Word; the significant growth of New Age and Eastern religions; the attempts to redefine the family; the postmodern rejection of absolutes; and the aggressive rise of the New Atheists.

The bottom line is this... Read more: Why does unbelief appear to be increasing in the world today?

Pastor Manning: End Welfare to Restore Black Man's Honor

Pastor Manning: End Welfare to Restore Black Man's Honor

Controversial Pastor James David Manning has a bold policy of ending all welfare almost immediately. He says that he'd allow for a time period of less than two years (17 months) for people on welfare to prepare themselves for the responsibility of taking care of oneself.

He believes welfare takes away the honor from the people in his own community. He says his people find it more convenient to live off of welfare than to work which puts their families in a horrendous downward spiral -- describing it as "children born on welfare and dying on welfare".

This day in WND History: June 3

ARE YOU SERIOUS… LOL! OMG!

This day in WND History: June 3WNDhttp://www.wnd.com/2012/06/this-day-in-wnd-history-june-3/

 

Was Jesus Christ really a woman?

June 3, 2005: A publisher of a new version of the Gospels, based on Thomas Jefferson’s selective editing of the New Testament, went one step further and changed the gender of the Messiah to female and named her Judith Christ.

The new version, according to the publisher, revised familiar stories, tranforming the “Prodigal Son” into the “Prodigal Daughter” and the “Lord’s Prayer” into the “Lady’s Prayer.” The familiar passage on the crucifixion, from John 19:17-18, was changed to read: “And She bearing her cross went forth. There they crucified Judith.”

Amazon.com readers, posting their reviews of the new Gospel, were not amused. One read:

“A friend with a Hebrew doctorate noted to me: ‘There is no feminine form of the name Jesus (or Joshua). Judith is the feminine form of the name Juda – or Judas.’ How perfectly fitting!”

To see WND highlights from every calendar date, click here.

Never miss another big story. Sign up for WND’s free email news alerts right now!

This day in WND History: June 3
-NO AUTHOR-
Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:05:30 GMT

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex MarriageAlbertMohler.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlbertMohlersBlog/~3/-JhKaObeWIg/

 

Is President Obama’s “evolution” on same sex marriage finally complete? His call for the legalization of same-sex marriage yesterday is an historic and tragic milestone. An incumbent President of the United States has now called for a transformation of civilization’s central institution. And yet, no observer of this President could be surprised. The arrival of this announcement was only a matter of time.

The White House confirmed this within hours of the President’s announcement. As The New York Times reported on May 10, “Advisers say now that Mr. Obama had intended since early this year to define his position sometime before Democrats nominate him for re-election in September.”

Previous news reports indicated that the 2012 platform for the Democratic Party would likely include a call for same-sex marriage. The pressure was on the White House, with the President caught in an awkward and embarrassing situation in which major figures on both sides of the controversy believed that his public position did not reflect his true convictions. Keep Reading

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage
Albert Mohler
Thu, 10 May 2012 06:47:08 GMT

Thirty Three Things (v. 10)

Thirty Three Things (v. 10)The Gospel Coalition Bloghttp://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/05/31/thirty-three-things-v-10/

 

1. What it means to love the sinner but hate the sin

There are two errors that are often committed in these areas. The conservative error is to reject both the sinner and the sin in the interests of purity and holiness. The liberal error is to minimize or even celebrate the evil of the sin as good in the interests of acceptance, tolerance, and "love."

Augustine helps us to avoid both errors. If we are at pains to legislate against certain types of behavior but are not undertaking evangelistic efforts to convert those who need it most, we engage in Pharisaic legalism. If we do nothing to rebuke sin, we engage in licentious antinomianism.

°°°°°°

2. 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Dad

°°°°°°

3. From 613 to 1

It has been said somewhere that the whole Law, according to the Jews, was given to Moses in 613 precepts, that David reduced them in the fifteenth Psalm to eleven, that Isaiah further diminished them to six, Micah to three, Isaiah in a later passage to two, but Habakkuk condensed all 613 into one: the just shall live by faith.

°°°°°°

4. The Cost Of Being An Unbeatable Evil Overlord

°°°°°°

5. At Clifton's Cafeteria, someone left a light on. For 77 years.

During renovations of the Broadway eatery, a neon lamp that was switched on during the Great Depression is found behind a partition. The owner estimates it's generated more than $17,000 in electric bills.

°°°°°°

6. The Top Four Forgotten Conflicts in American History

°°°°°°

7. What is catnip, and why do felines love it?

°°°°°°

8. 10 Young Adult Books That Scarred Us For Life

°°°°°°

9. The Plant That Hunts Its Prey

Think that plants are just sitting around photosynthesizin', think again: some plants like the parasitic dodder vine actually hunt.

Consuelo De Moraes of Penn State University discovered that the parasitic plant can even sniff out its prey

°°°°°°

10. Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Castles

°°°°°°

11. The Monarchy: More Ancient than Modern

Commentators repeat with regularity the claim that the Queen's greatest achievement, besides simple longevity, is her modernisation of the monarchy. But, says Dan Jones, she still owes a great deal to her medieval predecessors.

°°°°°°

12. Animal Video of the Week: Cantaloupe the Kleptomaniac

°°°°°°

13. What Speed Do You Read?

°°°°°°

14. Is Kansas as flat as a pancake?

While driving across the American Midwest, it is common to hear travelers remark, "This state is as flat as a pancake." To the authors, this adage seems to qualitatively capture some characteristic of a topographic geodetic survey 2. This obvious question "how flat is a pancake" spurned our analytical interest, and we set out to find the 'flatness' of both a pancake and one particular state: Kansas.

°°°°°°

15. New Yorkers drink seven times as much coffee as the rest of us

New Yorkers really love their coffee: They drink 6.7 times as much as do people who live in other major cities. Philadelphians, however, look to be especially partial to pretzels, eating about five times as many as those who live elsewhere, according to the number crunchers at health-care start-up Massive Health.

°°°°°°

16. The Top Ten Botched Escapes from Gilligan's Island

°°°°°°

17. Socrates acquitted in ancient trial re-run

Judges narrowly acquitted Socrates, the philosopher whose teachings earned him a death sentence in ancient Athens, in a retrial Friday billed as a lesson for modern times of revolution and crisis.

Socrates spoke himself at his trial in the fourth century BC, but this time in his absence, a panel of 10 US and European judges heard pleas by top Greek and foreign lawyers at the event at the Onassis Foundation in Athens.

°°°°°°

18. 10 Highbrow Books to Read on the Beach

°°°°°°

19. Do You Really Want to Live Forever?

Cave identifies four immortality narratives that drive civilizations over time which he calls; (1) Staying Alive, (2) Resurrection, (3) Soul, and (4) Legacy. Cave gracefully marches through his four immortality narratives citing examples from history, psychology, and religion up to the modern day. "At its core, a civilization is a collection of life extension technologies: agriculture to ensure food in steady supply, clothing to stave off cold, architecture to provide shelter and safety, better weapons for hunting and defense, and medicine to combat injury and disease," he writes.

°°°°°°

20. Learn Proper Breathing Techniques for Different Exercises to Last Longer with Less Effort

°°°°°°

21. MIT Scientists Develop a Device for Needle-less Injections

MIT scientists are developing a needle-less injection that could make getting a flu shot as painless as a mosquito bite.

The device shoots a tiny, high-pressure jet of medicine through the skin as fast as the speed of sound.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, hospital healthcare workers incur about 385,000 needle-related injuries every year. Meanwhile, fear or discomfort from needles prevents many patients from complying with doctors' orders.

°°°°°°

22. How the 'Hatfields and McCoys' Feud Ruined the Image of Rural America

°°°°°°

23. Analog Father Writes To Digital Son

Your friends will become your surrogate family once the cruel, Darwinian abandonment of your parents and siblings is complete. And by friends, I refer to those rare few people who will bring you soup when you are sick, correct your tendency toward self-aggrandizement and do whatever onerous favors that are the Digital Age equivalent of driving you to the airport. A Facebook friend will not drag you to the health clinic when you develop a mysterious and fast-spreading rash.

(Via: Take Your Vitamin Z)

°°°°°°

24. Infographic of the Week: The Average Person Gets 9,672 Minor Injuries in a Lifetime

°°°°°°

25. It's Not Just You: 'Old Person Smell' Is Real

In a study published today in PLoS One, researchers report that young people aged 20-30 are able to accurately guess when a scent comes from an elderly individual aged 75-95. While study participants were also able to determine when a smell was associated with someone in middle age or in their youth, they were much better at smelling old people than young people

°°°°°°

26. Cracking Your Knuckles Can Give You Arthritis: Science or Myth?

°°°°°°

27. How the Golden Gate Bridge Was Built

°°°°°°

28. How-To of the Week: Turn an Old Cellphone Into a Super Cheap Home Automation System

°°°°°°

29. Anachronisms that aren't actually anachronistic

"Fly" mentioned above is one of my favorites (though it's considered dated by youngsters today -- they'll basically only use it ironically), but one not mentioned so is "crib" (also a bit dated) which has meant something like "house" or "home" since 1600. OED: "A small habitation, cabin, hovel; a narrow room; fig. a confined space. In N.Z. now esp. a small house at the seaside or at a holiday resort."

°°°°°°

30. How Headphones Changed the World

°°°°°°

31. Should We Be More Skeptical of Brain Scan Research?

Imagine you are playing two roulette wheels. Clearly, the result of one doesn't affect the outcome of the other but sometimes they'll both come up with the same number just due to chance. Now imagine you have a roulette wheel for every point or voxel in the brain. A comparison of any two scans could look like some areas show linked activity when really there is no relationship. Ideally, the analysis should separate roulette wheels from genuine activity, but you may be surprised that hundreds if not thousands of studies have been conducted without such corrections.

°°°°°°

32. 10 Fictional Characters People Need to Stop Idolizing

°°°°°°

33. Measuring the Universe: How Astronomers Learned to Measure Celestial Distances

Thirty Three Things (v. 10)
Joe Carter
Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:35:12 GMT

God’s Comfort When You Are Discouraged, Depressed & Fear the Future – Part 1

God’s Comfort When You Are Discouraged, Depressed & Fear the Future – Part 1John Ankerberg Showhttp://www.jashow.org/television-shows/comfort-discouraged-depressed-fear-future-part-1/

 

This Week on
The John Ankerberg Show

Facing the Fear of Death

(CLICK ARCHIVE BUTTON TO WATCH)

At some point, every person faces the fear of death. What does the Bible teach about the proper response to the end of life? Is there information to comfort us as we face our final days?  Joni Eareckson Tada and Michael Easley share the vivid accounts from their own lives about their encounters with death in a way that offers hope and inspiration. God’s Word has played a major role for both of them in responding to life-threating situations. We will learn what verses and principles helped them that can also be of benefit to our lives and to those we help.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER PACKAGE

God’s Comfort When You Are Discouraged, Depressed & Fear the Future – Part 1
ATRI Staff
Sun, 29 Apr 2012 04:00:15 GMT

New Bible strips 'God,' 'Jesus,' 'angels'

 

A new Bible translation released by Thomas Nelson changes the nouns for God, Jesus Christ and angels to Eternal One, the Anointed One and a messenger of God. But critics say the project that supposedly is “attuned to the times” is just a Gospel that’s been “watered down.”

The Voice translation, a joint project between Thomas Nelson and the Ecclesia Bible Society, was released this spring.

The translation comes at the same time that critics contend Wycliffe Bible Translators is changing the names for God and Jesus to appease a Muslim target audience.

David Wells, a research professor at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, said debates over Bible translation are nothing new.

“This, actually, is an old debate,” he explained. “Do you translate Scripture word for word or sense for sense? The ESV is word for word (i.e. what we would call literal).

“I can tell that the Ecclesia Bible Society/Thomas Nelson version is sense for sense. It is more of a paraphrase like the old J.B. Phillips.”

Wells continued, “That’s OK if you read it as a paraphrase. But if you read it as a translation, it is not OK because there is always commentary in the paraphrase. Commentary is OK if it is read as commentary, but it should not be read as the text itself.”

Thomas Nelson gives its reason for the new translation on its website.

One of the byproducts of the information age in the church has been its focus on biblical knowledge. Many Bibles reflect this, packed with informative notes, charts, and graphs. While there’s nothing wrong with having a deep knowledge, a personal connection and deep relationship are far better. This is exemplified by Jesus’ comment to Martha, “Oh Martha, Martha, you are so … concerned about a million details, but really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won’t take it away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 The Voice).

A theologian and biblical scholar, who asked to remain nameless, said the Nelson comment reveals a major social trend.

“The statement is right in line with a trend in current evangelicalism – [a] trend that says experience with the Scripture is more important than actual knowledge of the Scripture,” the theologian said.

An example of what Wells calls the “Sense for Sense” translation in the Voice is God’s statement to the prophet, Zechariah, in Zechariah 4:6. The English Standard Version (the translation Wells cited) reads as follows:

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

The same verse in The Voice reads as follows:

“Your strength and prowess will not be enough to finish My temple, but My Spirit will be.”

An example of the change in the names used for God and the emphasis placed on God’s law is seen in Matthew 22:37-40, where Jesus is answering a question about the most important commandment:

And he (Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Voice version of the same set of verses is as follows:

Jesus (quoting Scripture): “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is nearly as important, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The rest of the law, and all the teachings of the prophets, are but variations on these themes.”

Another example is from the scene where Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth in Luke 4:18-19.

The English Standard Version renders the passage:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

The same passage from the Voice reads:

“The Spirit of the Lord the Eternal One is on Me. Why? Because the Eternal designated Me to be His representative to the poor, to preach good news to them. He sent Me to tell those who are held captive that they can now be set free, and to tell the blind that they can now see. He sent Me to liberate those held down by oppression. In short, the Spirit is upon Me to proclaim now is the time; this is the jubilee of the Eternal One’s grace.”

A second Christian ethicist and theologian who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The differences may not seem significant. It’s a subtle and gradual effect.”

“Christians are correct in being concerned that versions like The Voice slowly contribute to a lessening reverence for the holiness of God,” the theologian said.

Evangelical cultural analyst and publisher of the Christian-based “Movieguide,” Ted Baehr, said he shares the concerns of those who believe The Voice will harm people’s perception of the holiness of God.

“These translations are undermining the Truth of Jesus Christ and His Word written,” he said.

Baehr, who is also a leader in the Coalition on Revival, said there’s a very basic fundamental debate going on within the evangelical community.

“There is a lot of theology going on here as you well know,” he said. “That said, even if the translation captures some of the meaning of the terms. It is dreadfully watered down. C. S. Lewis once said something like, ‘Watered down Christianity is nothing.’”

Wells said the likely motive for the new project is profit: “Why did Nelson do this? My guess – pure guess – is the dollar signs.”

His second another likely reason is due to weakness in the present evangelical community.

“The Christian faith of the evangelical kind is somewhat distant from where it started out, even in the immediate post-War period,” Wells said. “The Bible doesn’t make as much sense today in the evangelical world as it once did – isn’t that an irony? So, to a new translation more attuned to the times.

“Was it T.S. Eliot who said the less people read the Bible the more they translate it?”

New Bible strips 'God,' 'Jesus,' 'angels'
Michael Carl
Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:25:48 GMT

Christian Leaders Are Powerhouses on Twitter

 

Twitter is courting Christian evangelical leaders, who have found the network to be surprisingly effective for building influence and spreading inspiration far and wide.

Christian Leaders Are Powerhouses on Twitter
By AMY O’LEARY
Sat, 02 Jun 2012 04:00:00 GMT

God’s Chisel Remastered Video « The Skit Guys

When God chisels the dead weight out of our lives it can be quite painful. In this new high quality, remastered version of their most requested skit, Tommy and Eddie give a very creative look at a typical believer having to go through the process of discipline.

The writer of Ephesians says “For we are God’s workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). Elsewhere we’re described as a “poem.” God views us as being his original masterpiece. God’s Chisel Remastered Video « The Skit Guys

The Church and Homosexuality: Ten Commitments – Kevin DeYoung

Of the many complexities involving the church and homosexuality, one of the most difficult is how the former should speak of the latter. Even for those Christians who agree that homosexuality is contrary to the will of God there is little agreement on how we ought to speak about homosexuality being contrary to the will of God. Much of this disagreement is owing to the fact that there are many different constituencies we have in mind when broaching the subject. There are various groups that may be listening when we speak about homosexuality, and the group we think we are addressing usually dictates how we speak.

• If we are speaking to cultural elites who despise us and our beliefs, we want to be bold and courageous.
• If we are speaking to strugglers who fight against same sex attraction, we want to be patient and sympathetic.
• If we are speaking to sufferers who have been mistreated by the church, we want to be apologetic and humble.
• If we are speaking to shaky Christians who seem ready to compromise the faith for society’s approval, we want to be persuasive and persistent.
• If we are speaking to liberal Christians who have deviated from the truth once delivered for the saints, we want to be serious and hortatory.
• If we are speaking to gays and lesbians who live as the Scriptures would not have them live, we want to be winsome and straightforward.
• If we are speaking to beligerent Christians who hate or fear homosexuals, we want to be upset and disappointed.

So how ought we to speak about homosexuality? Should we... Read more: The Church and Homosexuality: Ten Commitments – Kevin DeYoung

Related articles

• Christians and Homosexuality

  ---