Eklektikos: A Contemporary Christian Blog

Traffic...

2005-10-23T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well, this blog was started as a mirror to my main website, Eklektikos: A Contemporary Christian Digest. My thinking was, as there are so many bloggers out there, perhaps this would be a great enhancement to the main site. However, traffic has been so absent here (with the exception of a couple of great folks who do drop by), I'm thinking the blog may not be worth the time it takes to update each week.
So, it is with some degree of sadness that I announce plans to pull the blog plug. I do wish each of you who read this message would visit main site at:

http://thechristiandigest.net

The main site has more to offer than the blog site, and the message board provides a great place to post your comments and/or questions. I sincerely appreciate your visit to my blog, and pray God's blessings upon you all. Thanks!

Panhandling Evangelism?

2005-10-18T17:51:00.000-05:00

A pair of Boston-area sidewalk evangelists – one of whom is confined to a wheelchair – claim they were roughed up by city police for little more than trying to spread the Gospel.

Sidewalk Evangelists Beaten By Police?

The Boston Herald reports Ann Cataldo, 50, and friend Ann Hayden, 35, "officially" were arrested for "panhandling" – requesting money from passers-by on the street – but they maintain they only were passing out religious literature for donations.

Caution: No Speech Zone Dead Ahead

2005-10-18T17:49:00.000-05:00

A judge who declared all public areas of Los Angeles County courthouses "no speech zones" has been hit with a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Judge Sued For Ordering 'No Speech Zones'

According to the complaint filed Thursday, a general order issued Sept. 13 by California Superior Court Judge William MacLaughlin "prohibits such free speech activities as picketing, distribution of literature, and demonstration."

Strange Days, Indeed...

2005-10-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

The generations now living have witnessed an explosion of knowledge, the collapse of distance, the rising and falling of empires. Cultures and societies have been radically transformed, and expansive wealth has brought great material comfort even as the most basic structures of society are undermined. Families are fractured, lawlessness abounds, violence invades, and the media bring a constant stream of chaos into our lives.

Strange Days: Apologetics In A Post Modern Age

The reality of truth is itself denied. Postmodern Americans accept meaning as a replacement for truth, and exchange worldviews as quickly as they try on new clothes.

Grace That Surprises

2005-10-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

GRACE is the love that takes us by surprise. It's the help we hadn't counted on, the kindness we didn't think we deserved. And maybe we don't, but it's there anyway,and this is how we survive most of our disasters.

Grace That Surprises

Quotations to stir the heart and mind, compiled by Richard A. Kauffman

Toxic Christians

2005-10-18T17:42:00.000-05:00

Some of my friends are so negative, discouraging, and judgmental. It seems as if the Christians are the worst! I know I should try to be a good influence on them, but it's difficult to be around such negativity all the time. What should I do?

Toxic Christians

Sometimes God does put difficult people in our lives, so that we can minister to their needs and serve as godly role models—whether they appreciate it or not!

No More Mr. Nice Group

2005-10-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

God has entrusted us with his most precious treasure—people. He asks us to shepherd and mold them into strong disciples, with brave faith, and good character. I would not give my life to any church that was not serious about this calling—the transformation of human beings. God has decided, for his own good reasons, that people are not transformed outside of community.

No More Mr. Nice Group

Here are 5 practices that take small groups beyond polite "sharing" to the disciplines that change lives.

Being Alone In The Crowd

2005-10-18T17:38:00.000-05:00

Everyone suffers moments of loneliness. Mine came during a church retreat.

Quarantining A Generation

I wondered why, surrounded by the body of Christ, I would feel so spiritually isolated. After all, didn't Christ establish the church as a support system where people could belong? Why, then, do we as young adults struggle to find our place in churches? Perhaps the answer lies in a movement that is radically changing the face of the church.

Being Holy

2005-10-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

How often do you find yourself anxious about a particular problem or circumstance? Sometimes it might consume your thoughts. You may feel as if you've got to do something or things will never get better.

Take Time To Be Holy

We should question our reasoning and listen for answers like "I have no choice" or "I have to do something". If we accept reasons like those we will certainly fail to take the time to be holy. If we take time to be holy we'll find our mind free to dwell on those things that God intended.

Love At Long Range

2005-10-18T17:34:00.000-05:00

This blogging thing is very interesting. I feel a bond with every one of the people whose blogs I regularly visit, and who regularly visit me. I suppose you each have the same experience.

Loving Each Other (From A Distance)

I really, really like reading your thoughts. I really, really like that you come read mine. Somebody explain all of this to me.

Internet Snares & Emotional Intrusions

2005-10-18T17:30:00.000-05:00

Needing a change, I enrolled in a local community college. I met Stephanie my first semester. We attended several classes together. I learned her father worked for the same company I did, and Stephanie and I both had a child the same age. She was stuck in an unsatisfying relationship with her live-in boyfriend; I was disillusioned in my marriage. We connected instantly, sharing long conversations over lunch, in-between classes, and sometimes even during class.

I Had An Emotional Affair

Though my job requires that I correspond with colleagues, male and female, through e-mail and instant messaging, I limit my conversations to work-related topics. If a conversation drifts to a personal tone, I end it. I also meet with six other men to share, study, and pray on Sunday mornings.

Fighting Back Against the ACLU

2005-10-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

A group battling the American Civil Liberties Union nationwide on First Amendment issues is taking its fight to academia – representing students forced to take oaths against their will, to undergo mandatory "diversity" training and victims of religious discrimination.

Group Battling ACLU Takes Fight to Campuses

The Alliance Defense Fund is branching out to challenge violations of college students' First Amendment rights of religious freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Your Children, and Your Children's Children

2005-10-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

Day after day our hearts and minds are being poisoned by the insidious lies of our culture. Satan has so infiltrated our culture's worldview that we now find ourselves engaged in a battle of epic proportions…a war for the hearts and minds of our children.

The Battle for the Next Generation

And the lives of our children and grandchildren… the next generation… are at stake.

Grace Gone Wild

2005-10-09T11:25:00.000-05:00

God has given all Christians an amazing gift: Grace. But many Christians misunderstand and abuse this gift.

Grace Gone Wild: Embrace the Gift

And, in the process, they rob themselves of the joy it's intended to bring them. Here's how you can avoid bad grace and embrace good grace in your life...

Something Lost in Translations?

2005-10-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

As evangelicals debate the inclusive-language Today's New International Version (TNIV), many liberal mainline churches have slipped far down the slippery slope in what they have done to the Bible.

World Word

But does any of this matter, as long as people are exposed to the Bible? Yes, it does. The bisexual deity "Father-Mother" is not the true God, nor is this made-up religion Christianity. These translations are not the Word of God. Just the Word of Man.

How Do You FEEL About That?

2005-10-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

I have stated often that regardless of what we think or how we might feel at any given moment we ultimately act on what we believe. Our decisions as to what we do and say are based on our beliefs.

Faith and Emotions

One might then presume that emotion is only a stumbling block to making good decisions. This is often the case when our faith is not grounded and established in the Truth.

A Timely Word...

2005-10-09T11:19:00.000-05:00

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be too. Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately." (full text, Luke 12:34-48)

I am at a decision crossroad at this point in time, so this is very much a word in season. But God unpacked and opened up these verses in a way I didn't expect...

A People In Waiting

Casting nets at the right time and place. I for one need to be wise to heed what the Lord said to me today.

Take a Look Around You...

2005-10-09T11:17:00.000-05:00

I recently responded to a study post on the Bible Blog which posed the question, "Does God still perform miracles today?" Of course He does!

Seeing the Miracles

God makes everything to happen for a reason. There are miracles that go on around us every day. We simply have to have eyes to see them.

Jumping Through a Closing Window

2005-10-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

Evangelist Johnny Jernigan has been neck-deep in storm recovery since Hurricane Katrina smashed the Gulf Coast more than a month ago, leading hundreds of people to Christ — people who weren’t open to the gospel before the disaster.

A Preacher's Plea: Don't Forget the Gulf Coast

Yet Jernigan fears this new spiritual openness may not last. He also is concerned that Christians who have been generous with both money and time may choose to forget Katrina’s victims by the time Christmas arrives.

You're Hanging Out With WHO?

2005-10-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

I have heard that some Christians say that it is a sin to socialize and be friends with non Christians. My thoughts on that are "Huh??!!" Didn't Jesus eat with sinners and tax collectors (who were considered to be really bad guys)? Didn't he walk among sinners offering them His healing, His ministry, His love?

Associating With Sinners and Such

I'm thinking they just don't get it, these people who think this. We need to be among non-Christians in order to share Jesus with them.

Renewing the Mind: A Bible Blog Study

2005-10-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

After we are saved, or Born Again, scripture says that we have “the mind of Christ"(1Cor. 2:16); however, scripture also declare that we need to be “transformed” by the “renewing of your mind"(Romans 12:2).

Renewing the Mind

Renewing the mind must then mean that we need to discord old, worldly ways of thinking and replace them with God’s ways of thinking.
Eph.4:23 puts it like this: “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;”

Editor's Note...

2005-10-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

We apologize for not posting a weekly update in the week immediately following hurricane Rita, and appreciate the fact that you're here again this week to see what we've got to offer! Thanks for visiting, and may God Almighty continue to be with you.

- Kitty, Editor
Eklektikos

It's Time to Do This RIGHT!

2005-10-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Bush administration has asked the Supreme Court to hear a case that could reinstate a ban on partial-birth abortions. The request was made last week, asking the Court to reverse a ruling by a federal appeals court that said banning the practice was unconstitutional.

Supreme Court Asked to Reinstate Partial Birth Abortion Ban

It's time for our nation to get it right. Abortion is murder - plain and simple. Call it what it should be. Illegal.

Renovaré

2005-10-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

Prayer. The Word of God. Spiritual gifts. The sacraments. Social justice. Pursuit of holiness. Christian disciplines. These are the rivers of Christian tradition that flow into the interdenominational sea of small groups called Renovaré.

The Making of the Christian

It's impossible to say how many of these spiritual formation groups function worldwide, because the group's leaders say that "it would be a failure" if they counted them. They're not into numbers and organizational growth charts.

Would That Be Enough?

2005-10-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

Jesus willingly went to the cross of Calvary to die a substitutionary death to pay a sin debt we owed, but dare not try to pay. He paid the debt we owed to God for the sin in our lives.

Once Is Enough

If Jesus never, ever did anything else for us, would that be enough?

Faith and Fairy Tales

2005-10-02T10:57:00.000-05:00

Once there was a land where religion had not yet been forgotten. To be sure, it was declining in importance, for the people were busy and prosperous. But most of them carried a vestigial memory of their ancestral faith. And for the children of these not-yet-faithless people, a man of great learning and warm imagination wrote stories that quickly became beloved.

Of Wardrobes and Potters

A generation of schoolchildren read them at night, dreaming of worlds inside wardrobes.

All Show and No Go? What's the Point?

2005-10-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

Some people think of Jesus as being a passive man who let others push Him around for the sake of the Gospel. He was no pushover. And those around Him knew it! When it came to purity and serving His heavenly Father, Jesus was serious.

Holiness: Pretty or Powerful?

The holiness & purity I desire is not a set of requirements so I can feel as if I've arrived. That's like putting a fresh coat of paint on a car with no engine. It looks the part, but has no power.

The Truth of Hydroplaning...

2005-10-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

And just for the record, hydroplaning is not one of my favorite past-times. In one eery instant, my foot braked, my heart lurched, and my spirit sent up an S.O. S. I don't like losing control of my car.

A Soul On Her Knees

Perhaps "S.O.S." really means "surrender of my spirit" into His hands.

Not Because of Us - Because of Him

2005-10-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

Every Christian will say we are saved by grace - that we do not merit God's forgiveness and love; that in His mercy, He has embraced us into a relationship with Him. Intellectually, we believe this statement, but how many of us truely have this fact rooted into our whole beings? Cause many a time, our behaviours betray what we profess.

Our Soul's True Anchor

God does not love us because we are good, God loves us because He is good.

Ripe for the Plunder...

2005-10-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

America’s disintegration accelerates--driven by money, power and novel for this century--critical mass. This country suffers a free fall because most Americans sit clueless in their Lazy Boys while a silent invasion undermines this nation’s ability to function.

The Fractured States of America

If ever a country was ripe for plundering, this nation mirrors the fall of the Roman Empire.

What Voices Are You Listening To?

2005-10-02T10:46:00.000-05:00

In a great song from my Casting Crowns CD, the lyric says, "I will listen to the voice of truth." In this article from Paul Proctor, recent 'heroic' events are once again dismembered, displayed and commented upon.

Voice

What voices are you listening to?

Those Who Ignored Warnings Now Heroes?

2005-09-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

In stark contrast to our own totalled controlled and biased media, the London Telegraph has it's own unique perspective on those who chose to ignore the warnings - and orders - to evacuate New Orleans.

Threatened With Eviction At Gunpoint, The Big Easy Holdouts Are Now Hailed As Heroes

And I quote: "In a remarkable U-turn, the authorities - who had previously reviled, goaded and even threatened force against the few hundred remaining 'holdouts' - are hailing them as examples of the indomitable spirit needed to rebuild the 'Big Easy'."

Does this smell fishy - or is it just me?

There's Good in Everything - If You Just Look in the Right Places

2005-09-18T09:59:00.000-05:00

If you’re tired of all the bad news about the Gulf Coast disaster, be patient. Good reports are arriving by the truckload every day.

Katrina's Cloud Had a Silver Lining

I expect by the time all the water is pumped out of New Orleans and the electricity has been restored to Gulfport we’ll have heard of a thousand more small miracles. They all prove that God can use the darkest tragedy as a backdrop for His tender mercy.

Ministry In The Astrodome - And Beyond

2005-09-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

In T-shirts and pajama bottoms they'd worn for four days and shoes caked in New Orleans sludge, Christopher and Monika Sheppard arrived at Houston's Astrodome. In one arm was a cardboard box that held all they owned that the rising waters didn't snatch before they escaped. In another arm was their 16-month-old son, Jackson, quiet with fever and clutching a baby bottle.

"I Was A Stanger..."

They joined an ever-growing number of those made homeless when levees broke following Hurricane Katrina's rampage through Louisiana last week. Although the family owned a car, like many residents of the below-sea-level city who weathered the storm in their homes, they stayed because they had no place to go outside New Orleans and thought they could ride it out.

Lessons From Lives Rebuilt

2005-09-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

Mimi Doe was only 10 years old in August 1969 when hurricane Camille, a Category 5 storm, pounded the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It leveled her family's beachfront home in Pass Christian, Miss. In an instant, the antebellum-style house with white pillars was gone. So was everything in it - family antiques and heirlooms, legal papers and documents, toys and photo albums.

After Catastrophe, Lessons From Lives Rebuilt

"People who have had this forced on them often make changes," says Al Siebert, a psychologist specializing in resiliency. "In the process of doing this, they discover a better version of themselves. They find different skills and abilities."

Welcome to California! Please Leave God Outside

2005-09-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

U.S. judge says 'under God' phrase violates right of Sacramento-area schoolchildren to be free from a requirement to affirm a deity.

Pledge Again Ruled Unconstitutional

Remind me... didn't this judge place his hand on a Bible and swear "so help me God" before he planted his butt on the bench? Is there some contradiction here, or what?

Christian Charity Seeks Militant Jesus

2005-09-18T09:50:00.000-05:00

The church is to draw on images of two of the most famous Communist revolutionaries of the 20th century in an advertising campaign aimed at ending the perception of Christ as a "wimp in a white nightie".
Bold, red posters featuring Jesus as a baby play on the idea of the infant Christ as the South American guerrilla fighter Che Guevara or the Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Christian Charity Hopes Agitprop Art Will Oust 'Wimp' Image of Jesus

"We are not saying that Christians should take up armed struggle or be Communists, although there are similarities between Communism and Christianity. This is a vehicle to convey the message that Christianity actually is revolutionary."

Sex Sells... Now What Do We Do About It?

2005-09-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

For sure, there is nothing new under the sun. Since the dawn of entertainment, sex has been used as a selling point.

Facing a Modern Goliath: Sex Marketed to Our Kids

But today’s parents fight battles much deadlier than the ones my parents fought or their parents before them. And, they fight them whether they want to or not. In fact, if you are a parent or grandparent and have any form of entertainment technology in your home, you are smack in the middle of pornography’s invasion into the life of your child or grandchild. Statistics, even those concerning Christian teens, are staggering. It’s as if the war against the Christian family is nearly at an end…with the Christian family on the losing side.

Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates... Right?

2005-09-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

Life is full of unexpected surprises right? Try as we might, well-orchestrated plans unravel at the last minute. It's like there's some law of physics or force of nature that exists just for this purpose -- to make sure we never quite know how life will turn out.

Searching for Home

Knowing I have a true home that awaits me -- a permanent home that far exceeds any earthly home, yet mysteriously includes all the comforts and familiarities of my parent's living room -- sheds new light on my situation.

Can You Hear Him Calling?

2005-09-18T09:43:00.000-05:00

Portions of scripture seem to skip over some very helpful things. Now, don't brand me as a heretic. Work with me on this. For example, in Genesis 12 God shows up and tells Abram to pack his stuff and move to another country — and he does. That's right, the very next verse says, "He went ..."

Calling and Obedience

Wait, what about the list of pros and cons? What about the time-to-pray-about-it weekend retreat? Or, what about the conversation that must have happened between Abram and his wife, Sarai? That would have been great to hear.

Love 'Em - Just As They Are

2005-09-18T09:40:00.000-05:00

Even though some of Christ's immature followers refuse to be inclusive, God's word teaches that he himself welcomes penitent, baptized believers into his church regardless of their background or circumstances. He pays no attention to family connections, socio-economic class, education, race, nationality, gender or the kind of life they used to live. All who submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through faith and obedience can become "fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household."

Christianity: A Divine Paradox

Excluding someone whom Jesus has included is a sin, and so is including a person whom God has excluded from his family. Whether Jesus includes or excludes people from God's spiritual family, he still challenges us to love and reach out to them in kindness.

"Where do I donate to the ACLU relief fund?"

2005-09-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

As you read this, we will once again be in New Orleans feeding the hungry, clothing, the naked, giving water to the thirsty, and bringing hope to the disheartened.

Katrina, Just Some Thoughts

The City of New Orleans is America’s cesspool. Much of Central US dumps into the Mississippi River, which dumps into New Orleans, and the septic tank is full.

Maybe I missed it. Did anyone see truck loads of supplies from the atheist’s organizations?

Get Out Now, Or We're Comin' In To Getcha!

2005-09-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

"All Our Visitors Bring Happiness," reads the wrought iron sign on the front column of Albert Cousin's 102-year-old Victorian house.

Not Wednesday.

St. Bernard Residents Told To Leave, Or Else

Sheriff's deputies in body armor and holding rifles came to try to force Cousin and other residents of St. Bernard Parish to get out of town.

Some People Can't Take a Hint...

2005-09-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

New Orleans's business leaders and power brokers are concocting big plans, the most important being reopening the French Quarter within 90 days.

New Orleans Executives Plan Revival

Also under discussion are plans to stage a scaled-down Mardi Gras at the end of February and to lobby for one of the 2008 presidential nominating conventions and perhaps the next available Super Bowl.

Losing Everything in New Orleans

2005-09-10T18:04:00.000-05:00

When Hurricane Katrina unleashed its fury along the Gulf Coast on August 28, Steve and Theresa McKnight lost their home, their church and hundreds of dollars in diapers, toys and clothes that were given to them at a baby shower two weeks earlier.

Losing Everything In New Orleans

It was painful to lose their new crib and the 100 new chairs they recently bought for their church, River of Life Worship Center, located a few miles east of New Orleans. But what hurts most, they say, is that they have heard from only three church families since the day the McKnights loaded their car and drove to Alabama to escape the killer storm.

It's Gonna Be Your Turn Next...

2005-09-10T18:02:00.000-05:00

In America they came first for the Muslims and I didn’t speak up because I am not a Muslim. Then they came for the property owners and I didn’t speak up because I am not a property owner in Arizona or New London, Connecticut. Then they came for the Christians and I didn’t speak up because I didn’t attend that gay rights festival in Philadelphia. Next they came for the disabled but I didn’t speak up because I am healthy. Next they came for the enemy combatant and I didn’t speak up because I am not combative. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Wake Up, Christians! It's the Eleventh Hour!

What an abusive, ‘unaccountable to their constituent’ government is allowed to do to someone – they will ultimately arbitrarily do to everyone.

Anatomy of a Grief

2005-09-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

I remember wrapping my way around the cathedral as the November evening settled, pretending to myself that I was in the throes of religious rapture even though I wasn't entirely sure there was even a God out there.

Anatomy of a Grief

It wouldn't have done any good to tell me so then, but now I notice that there is something selfish about grief.

Intellectual Skepticism vs. Vibrant Christian Faith

2005-09-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

The Ivy League has always attracted America's best and brightest. Three centuries ago, that meant rising generations of clergy. Harvard's Puritan founders intended "to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches."

The Holy and the Ivy

Dartmouth's motto—"a voice crying out in the wilderness," taken from Isaiah 40:3—reflects the school's beginnings as a frontier outpost for missionaries to Native Americans. Dartmouth's current interpretation of the motto, however, reflects the spiritual state of these schools today: "Although the college is now secular," Dartmouth's chapel website says, "the motto is still symbolic of the college's voice of intellectual enlightenment in our beautiful natural surroundings."

What Do You Know About 'New Age'?

2005-09-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

The media, our friends, family-and unfortunately, even some pulpits-challenge us to "find our inner strength." These words might seem harmless to you, even encouraging and uplifting, but the truth is that these messages have their roots in the New Age Movement...a movement that is a very real danger to you and your family.

A Spirituality That Kills

The devil is deceptive and charming-a wolf in sheep's clothing. And one of his greatest disguises is in the New Age Movement. Yet, many don't even realize it!

"...the acrid taste of dread..."

2005-09-10T17:54:00.000-05:00

You want to go to church; just not your church. Your church is a 'good' church. The music is tolerable, the people are fine, the sermon is okay - mostly based on Scripture. But the whole experience slips over your soul like unflavored gelatin - tasteless and fluffy.

When Good Churches Aren't Good Enough

Sound familiar? And that's the experience of clergy and laity alike. In a world desperate for Truth, a good church just isn't good enough.

The Ramblings of a 30-Year Old Virgin

2005-09-10T17:49:00.000-05:00

Women must hold a degree in forensic investigations and have read at least three Sherlock Holmes novels to find a godly man in today's dating environment.

The Extinction of Men

From what I understand, the San Diego Zoo now has a Christian Man Exhibit, located right between the rare Black-Footed Ferret and the prized Asian Pandas.

Please Help The Victims of Katrina

2005-09-04T11:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some key ways - but, by far, not the only ways - to help the struggling victims of one of the worst natural disasters in American history:

10 Ways You Can Help Disaster Victims

Many cities and towns across the country are pitching in to give badly needed assistance to the victims of this horrific storm. Even if all you can donate is a moment of prayer, please do. While so many would silent the voice of Christ in this country, we can still make certain that He is heard loud and clear. Thank you and may God bless you.

"And I watched it all on CNN..."

2005-09-04T11:05:00.000-05:00

In a very real sense, my hometown no longer exists. I am from Biloxi, Miss. My family members are there now, enduring the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina despite pleas to evacuate. The house I grew up in is a complete catastrophe, but at least it was not completely swept away.

Christ, Katrina and My Hometown

And as I spend most of the night praying and flipping from CNN to FOX News to MSNBC, I am reminded of how unnatural natural disasters really are.

Shut Up and DO SOMETHING!

2005-09-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

This is a time to stop worrying about who is in power and start doing whatever it takes to help those who are suffering from the effects of Katrina.

ARRRRRRRGH!

If nothing else, carry buckets of water over to the levies and pour some water back into the Gulf of Mexico. Be a REAL part of the human race and show the compassion of action.

You tell 'em, Joe!

Let's Keep It Moving, People...

2005-09-04T10:59:00.000-05:00

With the Hurricane Katrina disaster still unfolding, events at the United Nations might not seem of much consequence. But if resources are truly in short supply in dealing with domestic problems, it is worth noting that a major push is underway to force the U.S. to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on the rest of the world through a global tax.

Billions for the UN, None for Katrina?

Globalization. Forget your tired, your poor, your hungry huddled masses - just give us your money and sit down.

You Grab Some Food, I'm Gonna Go Look At The TV's...

2005-09-04T10:57:00.000-05:00

People will either be self-disciplined or need the whip of tyranny, to paraphrase the famous 19th century sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville. He noted that the United States was self-disciplined because it was a deeply religious and Christian people.

Looting and the Liberal Elite

For 50 years, however, the media, in cahoots with the self-appointed nomenklatura of the educational establishment, have ripped religious values out of the public square and out of the educational system serving our children.

No Prayer In School! Oh, You're Muslim...?

2005-09-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

If you mention the name 'Jesus', or attempt to utter a Christian prayer in a public school in the United States, an ACLU lawyer will break his leg trying to get the suit filed. But, evidently that only counts if your praying to Jesus...

Muslim Parents Gain Momentum in Schools

In New Jersey, Muslim students are allowed to use an empty classroom to unfurl their prayer rug, face Mecca and touch their head to the floor in a few moments of worship. Welcome to the Christian persecution segment of American history...

Tuning In To Jesus

2005-09-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

Today's intentional communities are very different, and very similar to, those formed in the '70s.

Drop Out and Tune In to Jesus

Timothy Miller, a historian who has studied '60s communes, guesses that there were several thousand Christian communes in total from the late '60s to the late '70s. It probably blows away anything that's going on today. A lot only lasted six months or a year, but the fact that they existed at all in the context of American middle-class society and typical evangelical ways of constituting churches and households makes it stand out.

Don't Do That Here...

2005-09-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

Telling underage kids not to have sex is surprisingly controversial. Can we be good without God? The question seems somehow abstract, a topic for Atlantic Monthly cover stories and college seminars more than practical applications. So here's another question: Can we keep our pants on?

Abolishing Abstinence

Ironically, the group that often answers "yes" to the first question says "no" to the second. And some believe that not only can't we stay chaste, but we should not.

These people obviously don't read their Bible as much as they should...

Yeah, I'm Ready - Can You Give Me A Minute?

2005-09-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

Why is it so hard to be 'heavenly-minded'?

Come, Lord Jesus - But Not Too Soon

It is hard to wait for what we cannot see; harder yet to long for what we do not know. Fortunately for us, the apostle goes on to say that God has revealed these things to us by his Spirit.

Methodists, Gays & the KKK - Only in America...

2005-09-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

About a dozen members of the Ku Klux Klan protested Saturday outside a meeting of United Methodists who want gays welcomed in all aspects of church life.

KKK Protests Methodists Meeting On Acceptance of Gays

"There's no drag queen shows here this weekend," said the Rev. Monica Corsaro, spokeswoman Reconciling Ministries, the sponsor of the meeting that ends Monday. "There are just ordinary folks that you would see anywhere, anytime in America."

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the building...

See What Happens When You're Up Too Late...

2005-08-28T00:11:00.000-05:00

Hi! I must apologize for the way this week's postings have been 'disorganized.' It seems that, when you have your archives set to 'weekly', and you're posting up the current weeks articles somewhere in the neighborhood of midnight on a Saturday night, only two of them show up out of the ten that got posted!
I'm sorry for the bad timing of my update this week! The titles of all ten articles are listed under 'Recent Posts' in the left column. Please click on the title to check out the articles.
Specifically, I'd like to point out that we have an Eklektikos exclusive in the article titled, The Power of Love here on the blog this week. It's an essay submitted by one of our readers, Lia Lewis, and it's worth the read!
Again, sorry for the seemingly short list! I'll get an earlier start next week!

Seek and Ye Shall Find...

2005-08-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

Our search for truth has deepened and intensified since September 11, 2001. Terrorists in that one day killed approximately 3,000 men, women and children who had not harmed them in any way. Hundreds of others were injured and the emotional lives of thousands were shattered.

Searching for Truth in a World of Confusion

Living as we choose, with utter disregard for absolute truth, leads to anarchy and the collapse of a moral society. It means “every man is doing what is right in his own eyes” and that always produces death and destruction.

Does Diversity Work in the Church?

2005-08-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

Martin Luther King Jr. said that 11:00 on Sunday morning is "the most segregated hour in America." Not much has changed since King made that statement. But is this a bad thing?

An Army of Ones

As America has grown more diverse, and not just racially, the church has responded by creating congregations to appeal to specific subcultures. We see not only black congregations and white congregations, but also boomer and postmodern, contemporary and classical, liturgical and spontaneous.

What About the Person Sitting Next to You?

2005-08-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

During a conference that I attended several years ago, Tony Campolo recounted one of the witnessing strategies he had used while on a commercial flight. He had simply closed his eyes and focused on the passenger beside him. Before long a conversation opened up in which he was able to share the gospel.

Planes, Trains, and the Timid Evangelist

I decided to go for the gusto. "If you were to die tonight and God were to say to you, 'Why should I let you into heaven?' what would your answer be?"

Buy 'Em the Books, Send 'Em to School, But...

2005-08-27T23:56:00.000-05:00

Too many "educated" Christians have gotten lots of information but are the least Christ-like.

Informed, But Not Transformed

Too often there seems to be a direct correlation between knowledge about theology on the one hand and arrogance, contentiousness, and an uncharitable spirit on the other. No one is in favor of ignorance, but mere knowledge that "puffs up," as Paul points out, isn't much better.

Amazing Grace...

2005-08-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

For a long time, people have thought that Christianity always has a catch. It’s that little hesitancy that people have in the back of their minds that’s just waiting for that all-too-familiar Christian punch line. When they don’t hear one, they get uneasy. They don’t get it, and that part they don’t get—it's grace.

The Second Mile

Grace is surprising. That’s the way it should be.

The Power of Love

2005-08-27T23:52:00.000-05:00

What's so great about science fiction and fantasy is that the evil guys never understand what motivates the good guys. In the end, love conquers all whether the outcome is happy or tragic for the good guys. What's so great about this genre is that it recognizes that love is THE conqueror. It is the one thing that destroys evil once and for all.

Overcoming Evil

To me, this sounds a lot like God.

Transformation?

2005-08-27T23:50:00.000-05:00

We first encountered this usage of the word during the early 1990s, when “transformation” came to be associated with the massive plan to overhaul our nation’s education system.

What is Transformation?

In today’s neo-evangelical church, the term “transformation” is currently in vogue.

Jew vs. Jew

2005-08-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

It’s been all over the news lately that in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jew has now turned against Jew.

The Day of Reckoning

Israeli soldiers have been forcibly removing Jewish families and entire communities from their homes and properties in anguish and in tears for, of all things, the sake of peace; the result of an ungodly agreement between Israeli leaders and Palestinian terrorists whereby Israel willingly exchanges certain parts of God’s Covenant Land in hopes of co-existing peaceably with its sworn enemy.

What Kind of Organization Is This?

2005-08-27T23:46:00.000-05:00

Why does the work of the gospel have to be managed at all?

Lose Control

It occurs to me that our need to organize, to create structure for, to institutionalize good works (or any of the functions of the Church [the true Church, not the organizational church]) stems from a craving to control (and a willingness to be controlled, I suppose).

Don't Mess With Nina Shea!

2005-08-27T23:43:00.000-05:00

Nina Shea is not someone to tangle with. And the persecuted are mighty glad.

The 'Daniel' of Religious Rights

Shea has been advocating relentlessly for human rights for decades now, yet her passion is as palpable as ever—so much so that colleagues must edit some of her "stronger adjectives" from CRF reports. Her outspoken advocacy has provoked the ire of foreign and State Department officials alike.

And So It Begins...

2005-08-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

Israel's evacuation of Gaza's Jewish communities is a victory for "Palestinian resistance" and the beginning of the destruction of the Jewish state, senior Hamas leaders said this week, announcing they would next focus their efforts on removing Israel from the West Bank.

Gaza Evacuation 'Beginning of Israel's Destruction'

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and God's blessings upon Israel.

My School Board Is Staffed With Terrorists...

2005-08-20T20:48:00.000-05:00

A local ACLU director equated al-Qaida terrrorists with members of a Louisiana school board seeking to open their meetings with prayer.

Praying School Board Likened to Terrorists

The local ACLU has filed three lawsuits in the past 10 years on behalf of "offended parents" with children in the Tangipahoa Parish district. That's just pathetic...

Madeline Murray O'Hare Wouldn't Have Seen This Coming

2005-08-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

A federal court of appeals ruled yesterday Wisconsin prison officials violated an inmate's rights because they did not treat atheism as a religion.

Court Rules Atheism A Religion

I wonder how the ACLU will react to this one? Seems to me, now, fighting for Atheists is a violation of the Establishment Clause!

Just Another Day...

2005-08-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

We all (or at least most of us) get up in the mornings, get dressed, and head off for just another day at work. Earning a living for ourselves and our families generally occupies a large slice of our daily pie, and most eventually come to some sort of routine - you know, get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, eat supper, go to bed, sleep, repeat x 5, then rest for a couple of days. I've even gone so far as to mutter about wishing five days of my life away just so I could sleep in for two more days. I've learned that's a dangerous habit to allow ourselves to fall into.

Just Another Day At Work

Christ taught that we should be ready, for we never know when the Master will return. I pray that we can find it within our busy schedules to heed that teaching.

Fear NOT!

2005-08-20T20:39:00.000-05:00

Does God care when we experience fear? Yes! Reassurances from God are plentiful throughout the Scriptures.

Facing Fear With Absolute Faith

You should never doubt that God loves you and cares for you. His direction to you in the midst of fearful and terrifying circumstances will always be, "Fear not." Why? Because God answers, "I am with you."

The Selling-Out of Our Churches

2005-08-20T20:36:00.000-05:00

To succeed, a number of denominations and local congregations alike are seeking marketing know-how, whether among church staff or from from hired experts.

Churches Seeking Market-Saavy Breed of Pastor

"The best marketers and best salesmen will have more converts, will have more people, will take in more money.... Evangelicals are marketers because they're really passionate about their product."

Hmmm... I don't see that in my Bible...

Sorry, Cindy... You Know Not What They Do

2005-08-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

Do you really believe that Michael Moore or the New York Slimes cares about the plight of Cindy Sheehan? Be not deceived: they use grieving activists because they know that such pawns are both handy conduits - through which they can damage political opponents and promote their agendas...

The Grieving Activist

I'll have none of it.

Slavery? Here? Again?

2005-08-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

One African-American responded on my radio talk show by saying, “You must remember what happens to all societies that keep a slave class…in the end, they throw off their shackles and demand equality, financial fairness and a piece of the pie...

Illegal Aliens: America's New Slave Class

History illustrates that enslaved people will not tolerate continual exploitation forever.

If It's Ugly, Call It Ugly...

2005-08-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

The super new highway systems are not American systems – they are global-corporate mandates. The super trade corridors are being built all over the world. They are not our government’s brainstorm. They are massive highway systems that we, the taxpayers, are forced to fund in nearly all countries.

Globalized America - Not a Pretty Sight

Since they can’t force us to leave all the rural and wilderness areas, they can force all jobs and businesses into business and trade corridors, and they can remove rural and wilderness roads. So, living outside of the super trade corridors will be difficult when you can’t get to work without a horse or a helicopter.

Are We the 'United' States?

2005-08-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

There are six functions of the federal government revealed in the preamble to The Constitution of the United States of America. The first of those is "...to form a more perfect union,..."

Of the United States

We should be becoming MORE united with time if, and only if, the federal government is doing its job.

The Tolerance Industry

2005-08-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

Psychobabbler Abraham Maslow once said, "I sometimes think the world will either be saved by psychologists, in the very broadest sense, or it will not be saved at all."

This Tolerance Industry Is Killing Us

Many protestant churches began employing psychologists on staff. Jesus was no longer needed for salvation. God does not differentiate between sins. But the sins traditionalists once condemned are now being winked at in the name of tolerance.

Mao Would've Been So Proud

2005-08-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

In California and Kentucky, the American Civil Liberties Union has gone to court to force reluctant school systems to take part in pro-homosexual promotions.

ACLU Tactics Reminiscent of Chairman Mao

A pro-family advocate feels the ACLU, in its effort to force the homosexual agenda in American schools, is using the bullying tactics of Chairman Mao to "reprogram" staff and students on the issue of homosexuality.

Here Comes the Boogeyman!

2005-08-14T20:17:00.000-05:00

Our secular popular culture is throwing a fit over President Bush's endorsement of teaching in public schools the controversies surrounding Darwinian theory.

The Intelligent Design Boogeyman

Note that the president did not recommend that the teaching of Darwinism be banned in public schools, merely that the theory of intelligent design (ID) ought to be taught as well. Bush said, "I think part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought."

Wouldn't You Love to Take a Dip?

2005-08-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

Workers repairing a sewage pipe in the old city of Jerusalem have discovered the biblical Pool of Siloam, a freshwater reservoir that was a major gathering place for ancient Jews making religious pilgrimages to the city and the reputed site where Jesus cured a man blind from birth, according to the Gospel of John.

Biblical Pool of Siloam Uncovered in Jerusalem

The discovery puts a new spotlight on what is called the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a trip that religious law required ancient Jews to make at least once a year.

So What Is Justice, Really?

2005-08-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

What is justice? It's a threshold question for any society. The classic definition handed down through the ages is simply seeing that "each person gets his due." Fair enough. But secular liberals and secular conservatives today interpret this very differently—and their views translate into very different public policies.

What Is Justice?

The problem is that humans don't behave the way we should in order for human society to function as God intends.

Feel United Yet?

2005-08-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows the Supreme Court ruled that one kind of Ten Commandments display on government property is unconstitutional, but that another kind is acceptable. But no one—including the Supreme Court itself—seems to be able to explain why.

Broken Tablets

So are Commandments displays worth it?

Jesus, Inc.

2005-08-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

Here are lights flashing, there is music pumping, there is dry ice fogging the air and everywhere you look there are people on their feet, clapping enthusiastically. There are people all around - to the front, to the sides, behind, above, below. People. More than you can count. People everywhere. Suddenly, amid all of this, on the stage in front, a full band emerges from a sunken riser, rocking out and swaying as the people clap and whoop. There is a choir dressed in purple and blue and they are clapping and swaying as well. It's 8.30 on a Sunday morning and we are here to praise the Lord.

Jesus, Inc. Welcome to the World's Biggest Church

Feel good. Make money. Oh, and praise God.

Living On the Verge of History

2005-08-14T20:06:00.000-05:00

Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar believes the Earth will soon see the coming a Messiah to judge all mankind.

Chief Rabbi Sees Imminent Coming of Messiah

"We are living on the verge of history," he said. "It can be felt everywhere."

Religion In School? Not Here!

2005-08-14T20:04:00.000-05:00

A Spanish teacher at Tabb High School has sued the York County School Division, saying school officials violated his right to free speech by tearing down posters and other items with religious themes from his classroom wall.

Teacher Cites Bias, Sues York Schools

The 'Darkest Day'

2005-08-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

With Jews in Israel and around the world marking the darkest day of their history by fasting and reading the Book of Lamentations, the Jewish state today prepares to expel its residents from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, and a nation once again braces for the possibility of tragedy.

On Jew's 'Darkest Day' Expulsion Set To Begin

After being kicked out and expelled so many times by other nations, who would ever believe the Jewish people would be doing the expelling?

Showdown On the Temple Mount

2005-08-07T11:20:00.000-05:00

A Palestinian Temple Mount leader with alleged links to Hamas has called on Arabs to flood the holy site next weekend to protect it from "Israeli protesters," while a Jewish group is urging Jews to ascend the Mount en mass the same day.

Arabs, Israelis Prepare for Temple Mount Showdown

Is prophecy being played out before our eyes?

Freely Given Must Still Be Freely Received

2005-08-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

An old Spanish proverb goes like this in English, "God gives food to the birds, but does not put it in their beaks." And just as God freely gives food to the birds, so God freely offers substance by which all humanity can gain eternal life (continuance of life in the kingdom of light). The object is given to the whole world, but each one must collect it themselves.

We Must Take What God Offers

Just as it is freely given, it must be freely received.

Is There Oil In Your Lamp?

2005-08-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

I, for one, find this truth to be resonated over and over again in my own life. Let’s face it- we live in a very dark world. Bad things happen all around us, satan prowls, and there days when I feel like one of those bridesmaids standing there with a lamp but no oil to fuel the light.

The Difference Light Makes

Fortunately Christ has not just come to give us eternal life, but to be our light here in this world! After all, Jesus did call Himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12).

The Trivial Pursuit of Donkey Chasing

2005-08-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

It is much too easy to stand and take potshots at all that is wrong with churches and denominations -- to be a naysayer. Reams are written about how we aren’t doing this or that. This is not a column meant to bash all things evangelical. I pray it is a contribution to a growing cry for the church to wake up! It is an emergency call for a sense of urgency.

Are You Chasing Donkeys?

Paul cautions in Ephesians 5:15-16 to “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk ... making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” If we are going to walk as wise men and women we must engage our world with urgent relevance.

The Unconditional Promises of God

2005-08-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

I'm human. I’m unwise. Our God is neither. He loves us more than we can fathom and He’s put together quite a package of unbreakable promises that have no flaw in the redemption, so long as we submit them with faith.

Love Coupons From the Lord

"Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and patience." (Hebrews 6:12)

Prayers Above the Ceiling

2005-08-07T11:08:00.000-05:00

I can’t help but wonder how many of us know we ought to communicate with God, we may even try to do it, yet we haven’t made the proper preparations for the journey—we haven’t established a relationship with Him.

Effective Prayer Requires a Relationship

It is, after all, rather audacious for one who doesn’t know God personally to reach a crisis and suddenly try to storm the doors of heaven with requests or demands.

How Can We Be Disciples Without Discipline?

2005-08-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

Is corrective church discipline where we have to say, "Hey, Tom, I think you're wrong there." Or, "Sally, we need to switch groups because you're being destructive to that person." Or even finally, according to Jesus' teaching, "Mona, I know that you are claiming to be a Christian, but we've got to treat you like a non-Christian, because you won't stop lying. We love you, but you may not take the Lord's Supper because you're not following Jesus, as far as we can tell, and we beg you to repent."

Shaping Holy Disciples

An interview with Mark Dever, who is senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington D.C., where he has been intentional about deepening the meaning of church membership and thus church discipline.

Building a North American Community

2005-08-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

While the media concentrates on other diversions: terrorist explosions in London (who knows who really planted them?), the war in Iraq, partisan prattling and a myriad of other more trivial things like Tom Cruise and his latest romance, our treasonous leaders are giving our country away.

The "Selling Out" of America

How much more can our country take?