The latest Barna report is entitled, “Is American Christianity Turning Charismatic?” The report is made up of two different studies showing that “Pentecostal perspectives and practices has grown significantly in the past two decades.” While conversations about Pentecostalism tend to bring up images of snake-handling …
Read MoreReading and Listening in 2008
So it is the second week of 2008 and I have yet to post a blog in this new year. Shame, shame… So here is a few snapshots of the last few weeks. Reading I have been working through NT Wright’s Simply Christian. I don’t …
Read MoreTerry Mortenson and Millions of Years
In January 2008, our church is hosting a conference with Answers in Genesis. Our speaker will be Terry Mortenson. I am looking forward to having him in our church. He has done a wonderful job in defeating evolution on scientific and philosophical grounds. It will …
Read MoreMystery II: Ends & Means
In Sunday’s sermon, I read this poem/hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” There is a great story behind the writing of the hymn. It was penned by a Brit, William Cowper, in 1774. Cowper was depressed. He called for a driver to take him …
Read MoreThe “B” Word & the “S” Word
It is time for Christian leaders to collectively agree to drop two words from our vocabulary – the “B” word and the “S” words. These two words are utterly offensive and they ought to never be uttered from the lips of those who follow Christ. …
Read MoreMystery
Mystery is an invitation. It invites us in to explore, to look around, to discover. Mystery evokes awe, wonder, imagination, intrigue. The wonder is in the not knowing. The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true …
Read MoreWhat I like about Billy Graham
After watching these wonderful videos of Billy Graham and Woody Allen, I got thinking about how much I admire ol’ Billy. I don’t know what it is about him…his wit, his faith, his humor, his charm, his simplicity? I don’t know. He is towards the …
Read More75% of Americans believe the resurrection of Jesus is literally true
Andrew Vanover recently blogged on the latest report from the Barna Group concerning the contemporary beliefs in various Bible stories. Barna conducted a nationwide telephone survey in August 2007 of 1000 randomly-selected adults. What surprised me most is that 75% of the participants said they …
Read MoreThoughts on The Golden Compass & Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman is an Oxford-educated British author. He published a trilogy of children’s books in the 1990s called His Dark Materials. The books include Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). He has been honored with several awards for these …
Read MoreThe 95
Today is October 31st. Halloween gets all the attention today, but there is a far more important event to recognize on Oct. 31st…the nailing of “the 95 Theses” by Martin Luther on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. The document which is popularly known …
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