Youth Most Open to Religious Dialogue

According to a recent survey, young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are more open to discussing religion than any other age group.

Read the article.

 Email This    Culture, Youth    Add a comment

Federal Vision Conference

Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC will be hosting a one-day conference critiquing the Federal Vision. Speakers will be Dr. Guy Prentiss Waters and Dr. Joseph A. Pipa. The conference will be on Saturday, February 10, 2007 from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. It appears that the only cost is $5 for lunch. More information is available on the church’s website.

HT: Heidelblog

 Email This    Conferences, Theology    Add a comment

The Ten Most Redeeming Films of 2006

Christianity Today features an article on the ten most redeeming films of 2006. By “redeeming films” the author means that the storyline includes themes analogous to the gospel—some with a character who acts as a savior. Here are their picks:

10. Children of Men
9. Akeelah and the Bee
8. The Three Burials of Mequiades Estrada
7. Tsotsi
6. Charlotte’s Web
5. The Second Chance
4. Joyeux Noel
3. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
2. The New World
1. The Nativity Story

Read the article.

 Email This    Movies    Add a comment

“False Christs . . . Will Arise”

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the Puerto Rican pastor who claims to be Christ Himself (who, by the way, also formerly claimed to be the Apostle Paul reincarnated). Strangely enough, he also claims to be the Antichrist, having the number “666″ tattooed on his forearm. The 60-year-old Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is the leader of Growing in Grace International Ministry and claims to have more than 100,000 followers.

Read the full story.

 Email This    Religious Groups, Leaders, Christianity    Add a comment

Scripture References to Music

Hampton Park Baptist Church has posted a helpful PDF on their website of the Scripture references to music. Someone wishing to study in depth what the Bible has to say about this important subject would surely profit from this list.

HT: SharperIron

 Email This    Music, Worship, Biblical Studies    Add a comment

Mark Driscoll on Worship Styles

In the latest issue of RELEVANT, Mark Driscoll answers the question, “What trends in church and worship styles do you see? Are they positive or negative?”

I’ll be happy when we have more than just prom songs to Jesus sung by some effeminate guy on an acoustic guitar offered as mainstream worship music. Right now most worship music is still coming from the top down through such things as Christian radio and record labels. But the trend today in a lot of churches is writing your own music to reflect your culture and community, and I pray this trend of music from the bottom up continues.

HT: MMI Weblog

 Email This    Worship, Evangelicalism    Add a comment

Cultural Relevance vs. Biblical Faithfulness

Over at Resurgence emerging leader Ed Stetzer posts an article where he tackles the question, “Why is cultural relevance a big deal?” Here’s the heart of it:

On the one hand, the church can be so focused on cultural relevance that it loses its distinctive message. Don’t think it won’t happen—it has happened to countless churches and denominations. On the other hand, it can decide that culture does not matter. That leads to a church whose message is indiscernible and obscure to those who are “outside.” Let me propose an alternative: our churches need to be biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter culture communities.

Read the whole article.

 Email This    Culture, Evangelicalism, Emerging/Emergent    Add a comment

A True Work of the Spirit

Over at Pulpit Magazine John MacArthur starts a series that seeks to answer the question, “How can a true work of the Holy Spirit be distinguished from a false one?” Based on Jonathan Edwards’ treatise The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, MacArthur gives five criteria for answering that question. Each one will occupy a post.

• Part 1 - It Exalts the True Christ.
• Part 2 - It Opposes Satan’s Interests.
• Part 3 - It Points People to the Scriptures.
• Part 4 - It Elevates Truth.
• Part 5 - It Results in Love for God and Others.

 Email This    Theology    Add a comment

There’s No Catch

Tim Challies meditates on the beauty of the freeness of God’s grace. What a stark contrast to a world full of “deals” that always have a catch.

Read the article.

 Email This    Theology    Add a comment

Who Was the “Beloved Disciple”?

Most Christian children could tell you that the “beloved disciple,” the disciple whom Jesus loved, was the apostle John, who authored the Gospel and the three epistles that bear his name. But some are not so convinced. The expression occurs in the following passages:

• John 13:23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus.
• John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
• John 20:2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
• John 21:7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
• John 21:20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”

Ben Witherington, Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, has created quite the stir by arguing that this unidentified disciple was not John but Lazarus. He does so partially based on John 11:3, where Lazarus is identified as the one whom Jesus loves: “So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’”

Read the article.

 Email This    Biblical Studies    Add a comment