Realpolitik

I didn't post the video above because I agree or disagree with what the guy is saying (what do I know about British politics?). It's just refreshing to hear a guy in politics, "say it like it is."

HT: Gene Veith

CCM

"You didn't make Christianity better, you made Rock 'n' Roll worse!"

-Hank Hill commenting on modern Christian Praise music

There's a satirical article on CCM at the Wittenburg Door that y'all might find funny. Here's a snippet:

Repetition is very important in contemporary Christian music. We repeat: Repetition is very important in contemporary Christian music. Just because a song may have one verse and one chorus does not mean that you only sing it through once. Old hymns have several verses, each of which introduces a new theological concept, and are meant to be sung once followed by "Amen." This is no longer how it’s done. The correct procedure is to sing the identical verse and chorus at least three times. Often it is preferable to repeat the verse two times initially before moving on to the chorus.

Also the worship leader may want to repeat a verse or chorus found in the middle of the song. This is signaled by “calling an audible." When this occurs, the worship leader will say the first few words of the verse or chorus he will be singing next. Sometimes, due to the similarity of the verses, this may be confusing and the overhead projector may flash several pages of text until the correct one is arrived at. Don't panic, this is normal. Just continue singing as though you know the words and soon either the correct slide will appear or a new chorus will begin.

After the verse and chorus are sung at least three times, it is permissible for the song to end. However, the chorus must first be repeated in its entirety, then the last paragraph, then the last line. When singing the last line it is important to slow down a little and look upward. Raising a hand is permissible and often done at this time. This may take a little getting used to but don't worry, if you just join in, in a short time you won't even notice and soon you will forget that you ever did it any other way.

Being a Pastor of a Church that employs some of this music, you know that I don't have the disdain for it that some do, but does the author of the article make a valid point?

The True Vine

Disconnected? Detached? Get connected here.

The Normalcy of Sin

A while ago Westminster Seminary had an article in their monthly magazine entitled, "Porn is Norm." The article makes the point that at one time pornography and similar things used to be things that were there but hidden in society. People could get their hands on that stuff, but they usually had to go to some seedy place to get it, or endure the shame of checking it out at a video store. No longer. Now, the article states, porn is norm. MTV has specials on porn stars for teenagers to watch; pornography is by far the most viewed thing on the internet (every day except on 9/11. On that day Osama Bin Laden was #1 followed closely behind by some form of porn.) It is just accepted in society now and it's not a big deal, just sort of a joke.

So it is not surprising that now extramarital affairs are promoted as normal. Last night on a major network I saw an advertisement for a service that hooks up married people that want to have an affair, yet still stay married. Their slogan is, "When divorce is not an option." The commercial attempted to be playful and it's message was "you just need a little spice in your life."

Once again something that was once secret, that is now in the open. However, no shame attached (at least according to the commercial). I guess I'm not surprised when the world celebrates sin. After all Paul said it would be like this:

Romans 1:

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Once again as Francis Schaeffer said, "Don't get angry at them, weep for them."

Adventures in Being Relevant?

HT: The Right Reverend Jake Magee

Does Satan Exist?

That's the debate on tonight's Nightline @11:30. Representing the Christian view are Mark Driscoll and Annie Lobert. Representing the non-Christian view are Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson.

You can wait for tonight, Tivo it or watch it here online right now.

HT: The Resurgence

Vocation: The Truth that could change the world

Dr. Veith once again has a great article up on Vocation. I cannot overstate how life-changing, and revolutionary a basic understanding of this Biblical/Lutheran doctrine can be. It brings eternal significance to everything!

The Biblical Grounds for Divorce and Remarriage

Funny and Painful...mostly Painful

This video satirizes the cult of personality that often follows youth ministry. It's over the top, but it makes a fantastic point:


Ignatius from travis hawkins on Vimeo.

Oh, how I thank the Lord for the people who serve the little lambs of His sheepfold His gospel. It's not flashy, but it's faithful.

Ch...ch....ch...chia!

San Francisco-based Joseph Enterprises, the company behind the Chia Pet and The Clapper, is rolling out its own brand of patriotism with a clay statuette of the commander in chief. Just add water and Obama's hair grows faster than the national deficit.
"It's unbelievable the interest we've had on the product," says Joe Pedott, president of Joseph Enterprises and the company's namesake, speaking by telephone Monday from the International Home & Housewares Show at McCormick Place.
Although the official launch of the product is April 2 for stores such as Walgreens, the Chia Obama has been rolling out slowly on the Internet and in Chicago and Tampa, its first two test markets. Others who share the Chia honor: Homer Simpson, SpongeBob SquarePants and Scooby-Doo.

HT: Real Clear Politics

If you want to see animation of how the chia would look go to www.realclearpolitics.com/blog

What would you do?

Outrage Greets Child Killer’s Arrival in New Hampshire Town

By ABBY
GOODNOUGH and ARIANA GREEN
Published: March 17, 2009

CHICHESTER, N.H. — Residents who turned out for a town meeting here
last week expected to vote on a budget, a repaving project and a plan to protect historic stone walls. They did not expect the announcement that a convicted child killer was their newest neighbor.

The stunned crowd learned that the killer, Raymond
Guay, who recently served 35 years in prison, was staying with a minister, his wife and their five children in their home on a rural road dotted with other young families.

The town has been gasping ever since, with the police stepping up
patrols, the elementary school sending cautionary letters home with students, and neighbors of Mr. Guay’s host, the Rev. David Pinckney, seeking weapons.

“A lot of people in town are planning on getting pistol permits,” said
Kenneth Smith, a father of two who lives across the street from the Pinckneys. “I pulled out a hunting gun, and I’m keeping it close by.”

Mr. Guay was convicted of killing a 12-year-old boy in Hollis, N.H., in
1973, chasing him into the woods before shooting him in the eye. After escaping from a state prison in 1982, he held two residents of nearby Concord hostage in their home. He was later sent to a federal prison in California, where he got in more trouble for stabbing an inmate in 1990.

“I’d be derelict in my duties if I didn’t have some concerns,” said the
Chichester police chief, Patrick Clarke, who said he was sending a patrol car by the Pinckney residence once an hour.
While Mr. Pinckney has defended Mr. Guay as a “follower of Jesus” and a changed man — and said Mr. Guay would be his guest for two months at most — people like Katheryne Ingram, a mother of four who lives nearby, are not convinced.

“The reverend keeps touting this as a Christian thing to do,” Ms.
Ingram said of Mr. Pinckney, pastor of River of Grace Church, an evangelical congregation in Concord. “But I’m Christian, too, and I don’t agree that he should put us at risk without even having asked.”

Read the rest of the story here.

HT: Creation Project

The Freedom of a Christian

The "victorious" Christian life as defined by Martin Luther:

"A Christian is lord of all, completely free of everything.

A Christian is a servant, completely attentive to the needs of all."

From the book: The Freedom of a Christian (short, wonderful, excellent treatise on what it is to be a Christian. Read this book!)

The Good Shepherd

Sunday's sermon: Who are the sheep?

Adventures in "Being Relevant"

The "Christian" version of "High School Musical."



Coming next: The Saint life of Zack and Cody (the hilarious and touching story of two identical twins getting into all sorts of hijinks in a monastery)

HT: A Little Leaven

Church Planting

Yesterday there was an interesting article about planting a Church by Fred Barnes (the political commentator). It turns out that he is among a group of people that are actually planting a Church in the D.C. area.

Some of you know that God has given me a desire to plant churches in areas around Southern California. This article gives a little description of why and how it might be done. (HT: Between Two Worlds)

Also there's an informative video from The Resurgence on what the calling of Church planter looks like if you're interested:

The Virtue of Cynicism?

Is there something virtuous about cynicism?

Definition:

a: Contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives

b: Based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest

- Webster's Dictionary

Just asking the question.

Who Thinks Like This?

Pathetic Political Correctness:

Chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton resigns over ban on word 'God'

Ban on word 'God' at meetings has chilling effect, she says

By Howard Goodman South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 18, 2009

A chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton has resigned, she says, over a ban on use of the words "God" or "Lord" in public settings.

Chaplains still speak freely of the Almighty in private sessions with patients or families but, the Rev. Mirta Signorelli said: "I can't do chaplain's work if I can't say 'God' — if I'm scripted."

Hospice CEO Paula Alderson said the ban on religious references applies only to the inspirational messages that chaplains deliver in staff meetings. The hospice remains fully comfortable with ministers, priests and rabbis offering religious counsel to the dying and grieving.

"I was sensitive to the fact that we don't impose religion on our staff, and that it is not appropriate in the context of a staff meeting to use certain phrases or 'God' or 'Holy Father,' because some of our staff don't believe at all," Alderson said.

Signorelli, of Royal Palm Beach, said the hospice policy has a chilling effect that goes beyond the monthly staff meetings. She would have to watch her language, she said, when leading a prayer in the hospice chapel, when meeting patients in the public setting of a nursing home and in weekly patient conferences with doctors, nurses and social workers.

"If you take God away from me," she said, "it's like taking a medical tool away from a nurse."A devout Christian who acquired a master's degree in theology after a career as a psychologist, running a program for abused and neglected children, Signorelli has been ministering to the dying for 13 years. She worked at the Hospice of Palm Beach County before moving seven years ago to Hospice by the Sea, a community-based nonprofit organization that cares for terminally ill patients in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Signorelli said that she and other chaplains were told Feb. 23 to "cease and desist from using God in prayers."Signorelli said her supervisor recently singled her out for delivering a spiritual reflection in the chapel that included the word "Lord" and had "a Christian connotation."

"But that was the 23rd Psalm," Signorelli said — not, strictly speaking, Christian, as it appears in the Old Testament."And I am well aware that there were people from the Jewish tradition in attendance. I didn't say Jesus or Allah or Jehovah. I used 'Lord' and 'God,' which I think are politically correct. I think that's as generic as you can get."

Signorelli resigned Feb. 25.

Why Marry Anyway?

It turns out that 2007 was a record year for the U.S. in terms of how many babies were born; this is good! However, the trend of single, unwed parenting is higher than ever: 40% of all children born in the U.S. are born to unmarrieds!

Can anyone tell me why this is a good thing for society? I'm not saying that we should not value those children of single, or unmarried parents. Nor am I implying that we should treat the parents differently, but isn't it best to endorse and encourage children be brought into the world through married couples? It is obvious that biblically speaking this is the case, but can't we make an argument from nature (or general revelation) that this is also the preferred way?

Preach the Gospel!

Tim Keller - Preaching the Gospel from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

Light

Come into the Light.

Great Hymns of the Faith

Follow this link to download a whole album by Page CXVI for free! On the album there are 7 classic hymns put to guitar, piano, drums, and other things. I think you'll like it.

Where are the Lutherans?

According to Time magazine, the third biggest idea changing the world right now is "The New Calvinism." Essentially, what this strand is made up of is people who line up theologically for the most part with Calvinistic theology, while at the same time being relevant (in a good way) to the culture. They plant their churches in the heart of cities, rather than in the suburbs. They preach doctrine on Sunday morning for up to an hour and a half. Yet their Pastors dress "hip" and their music is "cutting edge" (Sorry, I couldn't think of a better phrase than that to describe it).

The New Calvinists are excellent at marketing and outreach to their communities and are most popular with young people (not young families, young single college students and others in that age group; they love the in depth talk about theology.)

So here is the question that I have had for a long time: Where are the Lutherans? Our theology is just as robust (actually I think more so) and at least in our denomination, the emphasis on mission to our neighbor is extremely high. So why aren't we making the same kind of impact? Here's my guess: Lutherans are terrible at marketing and actually have an aversion to it. What do you think? Can "New Lutherans"(is that an oxymoron?) be just as "world changing" as the New Calvinists?

Stupendous

HT: The Sacred Sandwich (again)

Being a Homosexual and a Christian

There is a great little article on what it's like being a celibate homosexual and a Christian. The author is a PhD. student at Durham and writes candidly about the struggles he has with loneliness. He stresses the need for other Christians to compassionately support our brothers and sisters who struggle with this sin in the same way we would gather around any other brother or sister struggling with any other sin. Amen to that.

Another Member of Korn becomes a Christian

Here is an article from the Associated Press that came out yesterday regarding the bass player from the rock group Korn:

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Another member of the heavy metal band Korn has overcome drug addiction by becoming a Christian.
Korn’s bassist, Reginald Arvizu—who calls himself Fieldy—will release his book, “Got the Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery and Korn” on Tuesday.
He says he was a mean addict and womanizer who quit drugs cold turkey when his father, a born-again Christian, told him his dying wish was for his son to find God.
Fieldy says Jesus Christ and the Bible were his only rehab, and the change in his life is “an amazing and powerful thing.“ Now he’s married with three children and working on a new album with Korn and his side project, Stillwell.
Fieldy’s former bandmate, Brian “Head” Welch, left Korn after becoming a Christian in 2005.
Associated Press Published: March 9, 2009

As I read this it reminded me of the story found in Mark of Jesus healing the demon possessed man and sending the demons into the pigs. He tells the newly healed man, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." The man did what he was told and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Let us all marvel at what Jesus has done in this man's life and in our lives as well.

Photo by Michael Buckner/ Getty Images

Wake Up Call!

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the way you look at it) I have to agree with this writer about the future of Evangelicalism.

Africa, Asia, Latin America, send the missionaries!

Americans Less Religious

This morning a study was released that shows the number of Americans who say they're "religious" or have anything to do with a religious institution is declining. The study was taken from February to November 2008.

These findings in my estimation aren't surprisiing at all. I think they continue a trend that has been going on for quite some time with the rise of New Age religions and a greater awareness of other world religions. The interesting thing is that the more "relevant" the Church has tried to be by preaching the gospel less, the more irrelevant they have become. In other words, preaching messages on the "felt needs" of the consumer has actually just done more to drive people away from the Church.

Now these survey results are from last year; I wonder if there will be an increase in "religious" adherents in 2009 with the financial crisis deepening? My suspicion is that many Churches will see a number of people who have just realized the god of money is deaf, dumb and powerless enter into their services. When we meet them, we dare not preach a message about money management to them from the pulpit! They've heard plenty of advice about that lately that hasn't panned out so well. They need to hear about the God over money, houses, cars and everything else: Jesus Christ.

Growth in the Wrong Direction

The desire to "grow" a Church numerically is super strong. This desire can be a good desire (to see persons come to the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and be saved) that results in a Church that shares the gospel fervently with it's neighbors. The goal is to see people saved, not to have a "big church." On the other hand this desire can be perverted if the goal becomes growth in itself for the sake of growth. Usually this is motivated by insecurity on the part of the leadership (they base their validity on whether the Church is "big"). So they will water down the gospel, preach endless topical sermons on people's perceived "felt needs" and give people what they want to hear (Joel Osteen would be a good example). This results in the picture above: A church that is out of shape, unhealthy and shallow.

Would that Victoria Community Church be a Church that continues to grow. But may it be a Church that grows with converts to Christ based on sound teaching from the word of God. If there is growth for any other reason then it is just growth in the wrong direction.

HT: The Sacred Sandwich for the picture

Why I'm not a Cat Guy

"I'm not the panicky type!!???"

Check out this story about a couple that drove over an hour with a spitting cobra in their car. The snake wrapped itself around the man's leg while he was driving!!!! He just kept on driving, saying later, "Fortunately, I'm not the panicky type."

Pure Awesomeness

HT: The Sacred Sandwich

The Sacred Sandwich

Kudos to Rev. Bill Cwirla for finding "The Sacred Sandwich." This is a website that is set up sort of like an old newspaper, but with modern Christian "stories" (they're all fake of course). It is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a good laugh (especially this story about the couple that hired a "personal church shopper")

Questions and Answers

Continuing our Questions and Answers series, here is the second question from our first meeting:

Question #2: Biblically, how often should a married couple have sex?

Answer: All the time. This is clearly taught in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 where Paul writes,

"The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."

Paul essentially says sex should be regular and consistent in marriage. It should be seen as a gift that God gives to you; yet sex should also be practiced in marriage as an act of obedience to the Lord (how many times have you heard that preached?) Now of course there are times where the couple cannot come together for all sorts of reasons. Therefore what should guide us in our view of sex in marriage is the admonition at the end of Ephesians for the husband to treat his wife as Christ treats the Church, and for the wife to submit to her husband as to the Lord. Sex in marriage is not something to be taken from the other, but always to be given to each other.

Now of course, sex is only permitted within marriage. All other sexual activity is forbidden. Those who practice sex outside of marriage are guilty of breaking God's law and according to Paul "cannot inherit the kingdom of God." So if you're not married, but are pretending to be in this way, stop it!

Bread

Hungry? Eat here.