tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74119482009-07-10T19:44:04.772-07:00Discussion of the theological direction in which the church is moving.Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.comBlogger1143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-54882042791349973402009-07-10T19:41:00.000-07:002009-07-10T19:44:04.781-07:00

I've been a Christian a long, long time and have found that one way God leads is through everyday things you just decide you want to do. For example, I've read books in which I was interested but not necessarily Christian. I see now that many of these books will provide a background to a future Christian teaching ministry. Books on politics, economics, history business and all sorts of other

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-11888088363122575312009-07-09T16:52:00.000-07:002009-07-09T16:56:25.858-07:00

I read a blog post that presents a very interesting concept. Are Christians responsible for creating the welfare state? Previously, I also have written along these same lines, so I get happy when I see another blogger thinking like me. Here is the post,http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2009/06/is-the-welfare-state-the-fault-of-christians.html

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-72622262485044716572009-07-08T16:52:00.000-07:002009-07-08T16:53:40.632-07:00

"Frequently, I hear persons announce that they are "really passionate" about this or that. What they mean is that they feel quite strongly about a particular issue, subject, or belief. Increasingly, Christians are determining the rightness or wrongness of their belief based upon how passionate it makes them feel. Bypassing revelation and reason, they feel their way to faith. Theirs is a religious

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-27574957414812288632009-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:002009-07-05T19:52:46.749-07:00

Today, conversion doesn't seem to be understood. With huge parts of the evangelical church declaring they are Jesus followers, which is very vague as to conversion, and postmoderns like Jones saying "you are doing violence to the text" when traditional Bible interpretations are put forth, we seem to be in chaos. The Christian Right (and now the New Christian Left) thought it could change society

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-74909233244180095142009-07-02T16:08:00.000-07:002009-07-02T16:11:46.774-07:00

"He [Jesus] did not start a movement of latte-drinking disciples who excelled in spiritual conversations. He founded the church (Matt. 16:18) and commissioned the apostles to proclaim the good news that Israel's Messiah had come and the sins of the world could be forgiven through his death on the cross (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:14-36)."I just love it!Source: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-43804971598696436902009-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:002009-07-01T15:56:30.465-07:00

Have you ever wondered what you pastor does all day? I mean, his or her day is usually not regulated like the days of most workers.Our interim pastor gave us an accounting a few months ago and I thought it was interesting. So, here is what one pastor does during the work day (+ Sundays too, of course).Six Weeks in the Life of the PastorActivity Sunday morning (Education, worship, fellowship

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-18974143668421110142009-06-30T17:07:00.000-07:002009-06-30T17:11:53.261-07:00

It makes me happy to see that finally!----many Christians are seeing the emptiness of the Christian Right movement and how it has not followed the Holy Spirit or even Biblical passages in the New Testament as to how to change people and thus, a nation. Now, sadly, we have the mirror image - the New Christian Left which will do the same type of DUMB things the Christian Right did. Here is a blog

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-38025076803136793662009-06-27T16:55:00.000-07:002009-06-27T16:58:17.106-07:00

When I find someone who presents clearly when and how the Holy Spirit brings people to Christ, in contrast to when and how men's fleshly ways "try" to bring people to Christ, I always want to present it to you. Here is the latest one I've read in this genre,The Gospel.

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-28819902835541447192009-06-26T19:57:00.000-07:002009-06-26T20:11:42.363-07:00

I am in an interesting class for senior adults paid for by the state of California and given throughout my city by our junior college. They are free and very stimulating. They last two hours and are mostly discussion with some lecture if they are that type of class. One of my classes is Contemporary World Issues where we discuss the news of the day, whether it be international, national, state

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-87774438395641306812009-06-25T16:16:00.000-07:002009-06-27T17:01:46.150-07:00

The National Bureau of Economic Research released a study that shows women's happiness has measurably declined since 1970. Added to this, in one of the best books I've read, Generation Me by Dr. Jean Twenge, she says that studies show that despite the BIG self-esteem movement in schools in the 1970's and beyond, high school girls in the 1950's seemed to have more self-esteem than college-aged

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-74419086066936265902009-06-24T16:54:00.000-07:002009-06-27T17:02:16.125-07:00

The Christian Carnival is now open at the Fathom Deep blog.One of the carnival entries is at C. Orthodoxy. He lists the top ten books that have influenced 50 Christian bloggers.I am very disappointed that three of the top ten listed are the triumvirate of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) guys - Wright (at #1), Sanders (at #3) and Dunn (at #8). I remember when there were theological

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-89032790666950216822009-06-23T19:53:00.000-07:002009-06-23T20:05:16.048-07:00

The theme of the book I've been reading, The New Evangelicalism: Releasing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity by Soong-Chan Rah, is the white population of the United States is diminishing which has obvious implications for the future of the white church. In the last part of his book Rah discusses second generation immigrants as the logical bridge between first generation immigrant

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-56144592066308607902009-06-22T16:31:00.000-07:002009-06-22T16:59:22.513-07:00

This is the second part of my review of the book I'm reading by Soong-Chan Rah, The New Evangelicalism: Releasing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity.The second part of Rah's book deals with what postmoderns would call binary oppositions and hierarchies. I've gone over this in some of my previous posts, but basically they are opposites with one opposite having more influence and power

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-26604180681005042002009-06-20T16:52:00.000-07:002009-06-22T17:06:17.624-07:00

I'm reading Soong-Chan Rah's book, The New Evangelicalism:Releasing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity. As you can probably guess from the author's name and the title, this is about how the Third World way of doing Christianity can come into the Western "white" church - in other words, real diversity and true multi-culturalism. I will be reviewing this book all next week, but I just had

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-40323798850647445132009-06-19T17:19:00.000-07:002009-06-19T18:22:49.266-07:00

Are you tired of...........*The word authentic when the person using it is the most INauthentic person you've ever seen or heard?*The word tolerant from those who are so INtolerant it makes your head spin?*People who talk incessantly about the "Kingdom of God" but never define it and then when you don't catch on, accuse you of not participating in the "Kingdom of God?"*People who criticise white,

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-31220848216740112452009-06-17T16:52:00.000-07:002009-06-17T17:11:56.136-07:00

In my continuing search for how to reach postmoderns in an authentic (yes, I know - I hate that word too) postmodernly way WITHOUT losing the gospel message of substitionary atonement, I would like to share some thoughts from one of my very favorite writers, Michael Horton, in the May/June 2009 issue of Modern Reforamtion magazine. He wrote a short article, entitled Responding to Today's

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-30011423983821751992009-06-16T16:34:00.000-07:002009-06-20T16:52:33.236-07:00

Over the years I see Christians having problems they should never have IF the church would just do what the New Testament says. First of all, the church should be a family that takes care of its sicker and poorer members. This includes widows, [singles] and orphans. Yet we force our members onto the world systems to take care of them. "Go to the doctor/dentist/chiropractor/psychologist, etc.,

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-14407883343462849992009-06-15T15:53:00.000-07:002009-06-15T16:38:38.247-07:00

There are some very good posters parodying the emergent movement over at Emergent See/Po-Motivators.Here is my favorite (you can probably guess why if you've read my blog a while):

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-63867942855514826132009-06-13T17:09:00.000-07:002009-06-13T17:14:47.763-07:00

There is a clever chart at an Internet Monk post about church growth since Jesus' time. But I want you to note the 11th comment down from a reader named John. He lists how to get a church to grow in the 21st century and what it took in the first century. Classic.

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-37109813316072999592009-06-10T07:50:00.000-07:002009-06-10T16:35:37.064-07:00

Want this badge?Yes, many of you know what the above picture means.....it's that time again.....time for the weekly Christian Carnival. We have today 20 very good posts. Your BIG mission, if you should accept it, is to read all 20. (Or, maybe just those that interest you). So here we go,*First up, here is a fascinating question that I frankly have never pondered. But, after reading James'

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-57961226512114278282009-06-08T19:26:00.000-07:002009-06-08T19:27:07.481-07:00

"Frequently, I hear persons announce that they are "really passionate" about this or that. What they mean is that they feel quite strongly about a particular issue, subject, or belief. Increasingly, Christians are determining the rightness or wrongness of their belief based upon how passionate it makes them feel. Bypassing revelation and reason, they feel their way to faith. Theirs is a religious

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-3523171373468231582009-06-06T17:42:00.000-07:002009-06-06T18:03:55.794-07:00

In the past year I've heard some radio interviews (on the Internet) of emergent leaders by basically anti-emergent radio hosts. The two interviews went the same way as I suspect they always do in this type of situation. Here was the basic scenario they had in common,First, the radio host "baited" the emergent by asking him a question relating to a very orthodox Christian (and what the host

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-5474536059747189022009-06-05T16:34:00.000-07:002009-06-05T16:54:47.692-07:00

All we hear from the evangelical church today is "reaching out" to help the poor, both in your own country and in others, mostly Africa. And there is certainly nothing wrong with this. However, I've seen many of these types of churches (not all ) for years now, whose real agenda is they love to brag about how they help the poor. They are the ones that like to brag how they are helping AIDS

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-32625406878008729432009-06-04T16:15:00.000-07:002009-06-04T16:16:17.620-07:00

"Isn't it staggering when you think that one sermon on the day of Pentecost produced 3000 people? And we had some cities yesterday where 3000 sermons were preached and nobody was saved. And it doesn't even faze us."-Leonard Ravenhill

Diane Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442757505452061995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7411948.post-49702882096464310302009-06-02T17:20:00.000-07:002009-06-02T17:23:09.363-07:00

I've been saying what you read at the link below, for 30 years now. You absolutely must read it to understand what is going on now and in the coming months, and probably years.The link is here.

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