Maybe not yet, but studies are predicting that this will be the case by 2015. According to Dr. Youfa Yang, who led a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University,
Obesity is a public health crisis. If the rate of obesity and overweight continues at this pace, by 2015, 75 per cent of adults and nearly 24 per cent of US children and adolescents will be overweight or obese.
The research also predicted that “obesity [will] soon become the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.”
Tens of thousands of Christians recently gathered in Nashville for united massive fasting and prayer for the nation—and the church—to repent and turn to God. The gathering was led by Lou Engle, visionary and co-founder of The Call, which describes itself this way:
The Call is not an event. The Call is a movement emphasizing prayer, worship and fasting for Spiritual breakthrough. It is a nameless and faceless movement joining the generations. Therefore, it will not be marketed as a convention of celebrities. The primary participants are young people. The musicians on stage are to be worshippers, not entertainers. The board of directors will not receive financial compensation, and speakers and leaders come at their own expense.
People should prayerfully consider fasting on the day that The Call gathering is in their city, region, or nation; no food will be provided. The Call is a grassroots movement. It is a cross-cultural and cross-denominational gathering. The Call espouses these definitive values: worship, unity, prayer, fasting, follow-up, transformation, repentance, reconciliation, impartation, equipping, revival, and a holy revolution.
Most who attended fasted for the gathering. Some even fasted for the 40 days leading up to it—devoting themselves to focused prayer for God to do an unusual work.
The sins of a nation drew an estimated 55,000 believers to Nashville July 7 to convene a “solemn assembly” and pray for spiritual awakening among America’s young people.
Christians from all 50 states and countries as far away as Nepal and Mongolia gathered in Nashville’s riverfront LP Field for The Call—12 hours of worship and prayer they hoped would spark a renewal movement that would sweep the country.
The nondenominational event marked 40 years since the “Summer of Love” in San Francisco unleashed a wave of sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, abortion on demand and pornography in the country and separated a generation of Americans from God, organizers said.
Ben the Baptist Blogger has a helpful discussion of a topic that probably isn’t addressed in very many sermons, Sunday school lessons, small group meetings, or Bible studies—or books for that matter: the ethics of the use of pharmaceutical enhancements like Viagra (Wikipedia).
After giving some cautions and warnings about its abuse, he concludes:
It is entirely possible that marriages suffering for cause of premature erectile dysfunction can be aided with cautious use of drugs like Viagra. But it is equally possible that an inordinate concern for sexual gratification by Christians can precipitate a neglect of primary and eternal spiritual duties. For this reason, sexual enhancement drugs should be taken cautiously.
While there is nothing inherently wrong, sinful or evil about a Christian man availing himself of advances in medical science that would enable him to remain sexually potent, a man must be cautious not to gain his sense of self-worth, adequacy or even the love of his spouse on account of his sexual virility. It should always serve as a reminder that the ultimate state of Christian men is heaven, where they will neither be married nor given in marriage. For this reason, only those who are certain that taking drugs like Viagra will not diminish their proper focus on things eternal should avail themselves of the drug’s benefit, and then only with caution and moderation.
For some time now ethicists have warned that the development of real animal-human combinations—known as chimeras—was nearing on the horizon. Now, according to some reports, the future has arrived.
. . .
Scientists have already produced humanized mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Now, scientists at Stanford University propose to put human brain cells in mouse brains in order to replace dying neurons. In reality, that would mean a human/mouse brain.
. . .
This raises the frightening prospect of a human brain within an animal species. The proposed research at Stanford would not reach that point, but granting a mouse brain “some aspects of human consciousness or some human cognitive abilities” should be enough to set off the ethical alarms.
. . .
We need a set of rules and policies in force right now—before a mouse really does come up and ask for a cookie.
Human-animal hybrid embryos conceived in the laboratory—so-called “chimeras”—should be regarded as human and their mothers should be allowed to give birth to them, the Roman Catholic Church said yesterday.Under draft Government legislation to be debated by Parliament later this year, scientists will be given permission for the first time to create such embryos for research as long as they destroy them within two weeks.
But the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, in a submission to the Parliamentary joint committee scrutinising the draft legislation, said that the genetic mothers of “chimeras” should be able to raise them as their own children if they wished.
The bishops said that they did not see why these “interspecies” embryos should be treated any differently than others.
It would be hard to ignore the providential connection apparent in the timing: theResurgence releases a 1996 article by Tom Wells asserting the inevitability of controversy just as PastorForums.com launches.
The end of the first paragraph of Wells’ article could be a motto for discussion sites:
In a fallen world, truth and controversy are bedfellows.
There are times that the love of Christ is nearly absent from the comments being exchanged in Christian forums. There are also times that touchy subjects can be talked over and looked at from different angles calmly, lovingly, and respectfully, even in a way honoring to Christ.
How? Well, such a miracle as the latter is only possible by the grace of God.
Humanly speaking, however, there are steps we can take, in the power of Christ, that will help us keep the focus on Him. Wells lists several for our benefit, with more explanation in his article:
Show Respect for the Persons with Whom You Differ
“We are commanded to love those who belong to Christ. Can we then treat them with less than fullest consideration?”
Give Your Opponent Accurate Definitions of Your Key Ideas
“Our finitude makes it difficult for us to clearly grasp our own ideas, so as to define them accurately. Our sinfulness adds to the difficulty by making us impatient with those who “pretend” not to understand us.”
When in Doubt, Put an Orthodox Construction on Your Opponent’s Words
“To put it another way, our first impressions of others’ language, like our first impression of others’ persons, is often inaccurate.”
Never Attribute to Your Opponent More Than He Asserts
“It is so easy, because we think we see where his statement is bound to take him, to decide that he has already come to these apparently logical conclusions.”
Suspect a Man’s Judgment Before You Suspect His Sincerity
“Yet nothing is more common in controversy than for opponents to disparage each other’s integrity. This is a sin against charity at the very least, unless the grounds upon which it is done are beyond question.”
Be Ready to Believe That the Truth Is Larger Than You Have Understood It to Be
“The determination not to learn from others often accompanies the certainty that we are right. That is unfortunate; one might almost say insidious.”
As PastorForums grows, and as we participate in other discussions across the web and across the desk or conference table, let’s try to keep these guides in our mind; let us, by His grace, have His glory our highest goal.
Due in theaters on June 22, Evan Almighty is the latest in semi-religious hubbub. All the usual questions are flying: “Isn’t that blasphemous?” “Don’t religious movies have to be serious?” followed closely by all the usual hasty conclusions: “Let’s pretend it isn’t happening,” or “Let’s make tracts to hand out!” or “I’m going down to protest outside the theater.”
All that aside, there is one unique aspect of Evan Almighty that is worth considering:ArkAlmighty. It’s a program coupled with the movie that centers on fulfilling needs. When a church registers, it receives a media kit and a dedicated page on the ArkAlmighty website (e.g., Greenville Community Church). The church can then hand out the provided flyers, which direct their readers to the church’s page. Online, ArkAlmighty has a sort of garage-sale for needs. If a person has a need, he can go to the page and post it. The church then does what it can to meet that need.
The idea is that the publicity already generated by Evan can help churches be more available. The program is designed to be an outreach tool, to bridge gaps between churches and their communities. On the surface, it sounds good. Maybe it’s even good underneath.
Here are a few pros and cons to consider:
Pros (not exhaustive)
Millions will be exposed to a religious message
Needs are being met
Ties to secular communities are being made
Religious movies don’t have to be serious
Excellent selection of teaching points
Cons (not exhaustive)
Possible cheapening of the holy
Possible misrepresentation of biblical ideas/concepts
Does the church need a movie to accomplish God’s purposes?
Association—would Steve Carell ever speak from your pulpit?
Excellent selection of teaching points
Your decision should be made in prayer: whether to see the movie, whether to associate with ArkAlmighty, whether to jump onto the bandwagon or watch it roll by.
In addition, read all you can and be as informed as possible. It should be your goal to provide helpful, insightful advice and answers to your flock.
James Merritt of PastorsEdge, a new site that is sure to be controversial, is making his sermons available for $8 each ($5.50 without artwork) or $30 for a series. A pastor can download the sermon manuscript, a corresponding PowerPoint presentation, and a handout for the congregation. The pastor is told not to think of this as plagiarism, since he has the permission of the sermon’s author.
PastorsEdge.com features sermons can be downloaded as a complete package. When you see the phrase “Sermons with Artwork” it means that when you purchase that series you get:
The complete sermon manuscript in Word ® and as a PDF ®.
A complete PowerPoint® presentation that highlights each main point.
A beautifully illustrated listening sheet that can be easily duplicated for your congregation.
The only thing left for the pastor to do is prepare the message. All of the supporting files are ready to go!
The book traces the development of a baby girl through the sequence of trimesters. Her physical development is breathtaking in its beauty. But the biggest surprise for most readers may well be the revelations about fetal behavior. Babies are learning to sleep, taste, smile, cry, and suck their thumbs—all while in the womb.
. . .
The development of these sophisticated imaging technologies is reshaping the abortion debate. Once these images are seen, they can never be forgotten. For the first time in human history, this generation has been given the gift of seeing inside the womb. Once these images are seen there is no way to deny what we see—the miracle of life.
. . .
In the Womb, the book, is based upon In the Womb, the television documentary. The documentary is also breathtaking, and it offers the additional benefit of seeing these unprecedented images in motion. The book and the DVD together represent a scientific education of sorts. Parents will want to watch the DVD and read the book with their older children.
I would strongly suggest that parents read the book and watch the DVD, and then share these with their children, allowing for generous discussion and parental instruction. These images and photographs hold the promise of helping children and youth to understand the miracle of life in a whole new way. That is exactly what the pro-abortion movement should fear.
Al Mohler comments on the recent rise in infanticide in Germany.
A spate of murdered babies has shocked Germany in recent weeks. The Times [London] reports that at least 23 babies have been killed this year, “many of them beaten to death or strangled by their mothers before being dumped on wasteland and in dustbins.” German officials believe the total number of babies killed this year to be even higher than what has been reported.
He makes a solid connection between infanticide and abortion, showing the inconsistency of objecting to infanticide but not abortion.
The rise of infanticide is shocking, but hardly surprising. After all, in many societies these babies could be safely aborted almost up to the time of their delivery. The logic of infanticide is just the logic of abortion pushed beyond the moment of birth.
The fact that Germans have responded with outrage over this spate of infanticides is comforting in one sense, but it also reveals the hypocrisy of the age. How can infanticide be wrong and abortion be a basic right? Both mean the killing of a baby, and both represent the Culture of Death at its most deadly.
Maybe not yet, but studies are predicting that this will be the case by 2015. According to Dr. Youfa Yang, who led a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University,
.
Tens of thousands of Christians recently gathered in Nashville for united massive fasting and prayer for the nation—and the church—to repent and turn to God. The gathering was led by 
Ben the Baptist Blogger has 
Two discussions of 
Reuter’s 
It would be hard to ignore the providential connection apparent in the timing: 
James Merritt
