tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74119482009-11-20T20:16:39.769-08:00Discussion of the theological direction in which the church is moving.Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.comBlogger1205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-82841106884004583272009-11-20T19:36:00.000-08:002009-11-20T20:16:39.777-08:00

I was looking at the description of the new Roger Olson book at amazon.com and as I was reading the product description, I thought, "Boy, is this part of that description ever a great phrase to describe the transition evangelicalism is going through..........facts/rationalism vs. feelings/experience.Postconservatives want to free evangelical theology from its paradoxical captivity to

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-12608487232458003262009-11-19T21:21:00.000-08:002009-11-19T21:24:27.877-08:00

You think the evangelical world has hit a low and then you learn there is a new low achieved. This is happening so rapidly--the downgrade that is--that one cannot keep up. Now I'm hearing some Christian novelists want to write about Christian vampires. Please tell me this is a joke.Anyway, this is a great idea (and a spoof) for a "Christian" novel by Tim Challies.It's title is.....The Ultimate

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-89784783392584243332009-11-18T07:57:00.000-08:002009-11-18T19:21:03.924-08:00

Want this badge?Welcome to this week's Christian Carnival.*I am going to start out with a post that I had to think a lot about as to whether it should be included because it's kind of on the borderline of what we accept here - that is, a distinctive Christian view. I've decided to include it with the caveat that the reason for inclusion is to sharpen all of us in our thinking about an

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-54675698576776318182009-11-17T17:12:00.000-08:002009-11-17T17:19:55.937-08:00

This is a different spin that I've never thought of before....it's very clever. The post starts out by talking about Christians who boycott certain stores that don't share their values. But then it completely takes you by surprise by saying..... Well, you'll have to read it for yourself to find the surprise........Who Are You Going to Boycott This Christmas?

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-26725994247823463642009-11-15T18:13:00.000-08:002009-11-15T18:22:06.471-08:00

I am saddened today to see so many young Christians, both teens and younger adults, not perceiving God as who He is. They have created a postmodern "fantasy" God. The fantasy God is very tolerant, even of evil. This God is always merciful but never judges as that is "intolerant and mean." The fantasy God allows almost complete freedom for you to do almost anything you want to do in the culture

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-56768860366393039612009-11-11T19:40:00.000-08:002009-11-11T20:17:17.082-08:00

Here are some choice posts for you to ponder:This is the logical conclusion you have to come to if you udnderstand that the emergent/Postmodern "evangelicals" consider the logocenter of their faith to be doubt and uncertainty. Then what abour assurance of salvation? Well, sadly, that really suffers. Phil Johnson really nails that concept and talks a bit about universalism here.As I've written

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-15533460097838004442009-11-09T16:30:00.000-08:002009-11-09T16:38:41.952-08:00

I came across this the other day and it illustrates exactly what I've been talking about concerning getting the church unsegregated according to age.Friendship knows no age barriers, and a series of events at a church here is showing that clearly. The next in a series of gatherings titled Where the Yellow Brick Road Meets Memory Lane takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-20112037533014812282009-11-04T17:13:00.000-08:002009-11-04T17:20:56.519-08:00

This is a great statement from Michael Spencer at the Internet Monk. Lately, this is just what is possessing me and making me crazy too.I’m left sad that I can go weeks without hearing the Gospel, but never a day without moralism, culture war idolatry and consumer church.

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-14071497361027126082009-11-02T19:19:00.000-08:002009-11-02T19:22:55.197-08:00

I read an article in the November issue of Charisma magazine in which the following appeared,If we divide over forms of church government or peripheral doctrines, we will miss completely the true purpose of the church, which is to make disciples of Jesus.I always wonder what "peripheral doctrines" are when people use this term. It used to be things like baptism--infant or adult and things like

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-16007208852908115282009-11-01T17:50:00.000-08:002009-11-01T18:12:25.906-08:00

Today I visited the cemetery where most of my relativesare buried. First, I need to give you some background. Four years ago this cemetery was closed down and the owner arrested because she sold some plots to several different people, and the state inspectors also found ashes in the crematory section in coffee cups and on the floor. After a few months the court allowed the cemetery to be opened

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-5596836461251189552009-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:002009-10-30T16:02:46.935-07:00

"We have granted you everything you demanded of us, we who had always been the givers, but have only now understood it,” Galt lectures the “looters” and “moochers” who make up the populace. “We have no demands to present you, no terms to bargain about, no compromise to reach. You have nothing to offer us. We do not need you."Was that quote from someone telling us we don't need all of this

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-68401904972338853572009-10-28T19:40:00.000-07:002009-10-28T19:43:05.672-07:00

This has to be the best quote of the month, if not the year. It's from the blog. And how true it is.The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) was originally created to provide a counterweight to the leftward lurch of the National Council of Churches. Unfortunately, in recent years, the NAE has, at times, seemed to be playing catch-up with the NCC. And in doing so, they’re pulling away from

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-22797834801711244312009-10-26T16:19:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:26:51.261-07:00

Julia Duin, who wrote the fascinating book, Quitting Church, recently interviewed atheist Adrian Wooldridge. Here is what he said about [evangelical] Christianity,When Duin asked Wooldridge, an atheist, how he personally reacted to his findings, he replied: "I must say I have more respect, I felt more warmth for religion after doing research for the book, partly because of the people I came

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-88324812744277300032009-10-22T15:50:00.000-07:002009-10-27T16:41:16.468-07:00

In the October Issue of Christianity Today magazine there is a good review of a book that looks very interesting. Professor at Houston Baptist University, Hunter Baker, wrote the book, entitled, The End of Secularism. The fascinating thing that caught my attention was the fact that before his conversion, Baker was a committed secularist. Here are some snippets from the interview with the

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-91477773134715734952009-10-21T16:28:00.000-07:002009-10-21T16:46:12.442-07:00

Jollyblogger today has a quote from a Christian conference made by one Doug Wilson. I am assuming from the conference live blog that this is a very Calvinist affair. Here is the quote,We declare what has been accomplished, not what we would like to be accomplished.This quote hit me because it shows two parts of evangelical Christianity today who are at war with each other. Meanwhile, the rest

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-12317284313558214052009-10-16T17:01:00.000-07:002009-10-16T17:12:04.056-07:00

Brannon Howse has listed five specific national consequences for denying God gleaned from Romans chapter 1. He wanted to focus on Paul's warnings in this passage because "they are so explicit and frighteningly relevant to what is happening in America today."I felt these were worth considering so here they are. The link to the entire article describing each point is at the end of this post.1. The

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-15790631261810457272009-10-15T16:44:00.000-07:002009-10-15T16:45:06.936-07:00

Today we need prophetic preachers; not preachers of prophecy merely, but preachers with a gift of prophecy. The word of wisdom is missing. We need the gift of discernment again in our pulpits. It is not ability to predict that we need, but the anointed eye, the power of spiritual penetration and interpretation, the ability to appraise the religious scene as viewed from God's position, and to tell

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-30990375461132146562009-10-12T16:51:00.000-07:002009-10-12T19:24:58.949-07:00

If you've never heard of Brother Yun, this is a sample. Good stuff indeed.Here is an excerpt from Brother's Yun's book.

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-61624457627853407162009-10-10T17:30:00.000-07:002009-10-10T17:38:32.969-07:00

I almost gave up on Christianity Today magazine because of the "emergenty" direction I saw it going in. The CT publication Leadership Journal was even worse and so I canceled that one. But I kept on with CT itself and I'm glad I did because lately I've seen "the other" side presented a little more. In this month's issue (Oct. 2009) there is an excellent article by Mark Galli about the various

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-57053719965644129532009-10-09T20:06:00.000-07:002009-10-09T20:07:35.500-07:00

Another great editorial from Lee Grady in this month's Charisma and Christian Life magazine. Grady is really batting 100 lately. The editorial is about how so many Christians get carried away with the last days teachings. At the end of the article he quotes the 19th century English Baptist pastor/evangelist, Charles Spurgeon. And boy do I ever agree with this quote.O that Christ crucified were

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-50460944717842675652009-10-09T19:55:00.000-07:002009-10-10T17:39:49.215-07:00

Great editorial from Lee Grady in this month's Charisma and Christian Life magazine. The editorial is about how so many Christians get carried away with the last days teachings. At the end of the article he quotes the 19th century English Baptist pastor/evangelist, Charles Spurgeon. And boy do I ever agree with this quote.O that Christ crucified were the universal burden of men of God. Your

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-31039696767917943702009-10-07T17:52:00.000-07:002009-10-07T17:54:49.984-07:00

I speak in tongues and most people think I am pretty intelligent.Peter Smythe was a law student and that means he was probably (and still is) pretty smart and he speaks in tongues too. What did his friend (female) do when he told her that? This is a must read......:)http://petersmythe.org/tongues-and-anti-intellectualism/

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-80141194029435909202009-10-06T17:25:00.000-07:002009-10-06T17:27:05.571-07:00

This is a great post on the new social justice bandwagon. You can read it here.

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-57602513098025016132009-10-04T17:20:00.001-07:002009-10-04T18:22:29.335-07:00

Lately I've been very frustrated about the low level of teaching in our churches, both from the pulpit and in our adult Sunday School classes (as well as in children's and youth classes too). It usually doesn't get any better in our small groups and Bible studies either. I've written a tad about this before but want to enter this discussion again. Many churches are doing something I think is

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-20701535713190190482009-10-02T16:26:00.000-07:002009-10-02T16:48:09.225-07:00

As you can probably guess, I read a lot, including Christian books and magazines. And, because of this, I tell you a lot about things I read that strike me. One of the sources I've used often here is Modern Reformation magazine. That probably is because I love Michael Horton. I really hadn't understood Calvinism before I read his books, Modern Reformation magazine and listened to the radio

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0