Gospel

Can We Please Stop This?

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Photo Credit: srose15 via Compfight cc

I’m sure I have written about this elsewhere, but I am continually frustrated over the church’s ability to make itself look foolish in the eyes of the world.  I’m not talking about the foolishness that is perceived as a result of genuinely following the Lord Jesus.  What I am talking about is some of the foolish ways the church has tried to engage today’s culture with its message.  When are we ever going to stop the nonsense and get back to what Jesus told us to do?

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We May Need to Change the Label

What do you think when you hear the term “Christian”?  Do you think of someone who is “saved,” or “born again”?  Maybe you think of someone who goes to church.  The face of a relative may come to mind who you would think of as a Christian.  You may even think of yourself!  Regardless what comes to mind when you think of the word, an honest investigation will show that it has lost a good deal of its original meaning.  For the sake of effective ministry in this post-Christendom era, we may need to change the label we wear.

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The Joyful Discovery

The fact that God is beginning to reign in our present time and space is presented throughout the Gospels as good news.  And it is indeed good news as God’s reign is the only thing that will truly put things right in our lives no matter how messed up they have been.  This good news demands that we respond.  In this post we will examine two of the King’s stories that illustrate the joyful response of those who make the joyful discovery of the Kingdom of God.

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Things Have Changed…

When Bram Stoker first penned his Gothic horror novel Dracula, vampires were seen as utterly malevolent beings that were to be hated, feared, and destroyed at all costs.  This view of the Un-dead continued through the early days of cinema as well.  My, how things have changed!

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Getting the Whole Picture
We have often heard people point to some of the more unfortunate events in Church history as evidence that Christianity has created more problems than it has solved.  While we cannot deny that our history has not always been pretty, we must also remember that those events do not paint the whole picture.  In this brief video, Bishop N.T.Wright widens the lens to show how the Church has been a benefit throughout history as well.  I think it provides great encouragement for us to continue living in the Reign,
Enjoy!
M

How Do You Read It?
Listen to N.T. Wright, brilliant and insightful New Testament scholar, talk about how the Bible should be read. It will be seven minutes very well spent. Enjoy!
We must be people of the Book if we are truly intent on living in the Reign.
M

What is a Christian?
On his blog, Jeff K. Clarke asks the question, “What is a Christian?”  I believe this is a critical question that must be answered by this generation.  While I hope you read the entire post, I want you to take a good look at his conclusions and see if you agree.

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