Brian McLaren At Campbell University

Dr. Jonas introducing Brian McLaren.

Yesterday I went back to my Alma Mater Campbell University to hear Brian McLaren speak at Butler Chapel about Postmodernism and the Church. Here is the program from yesterday's events:



This was part of The Reavis Ministry Lectures which is part of the Ministers Continuing Education Program at Campbell. The first session was about the hurricanes of change within human history. Here are the slides that Brian used during the sessions---give or take a few minor differences:

Emerging Missional Church

View more presentations from brianmclaren.

Me in front of Butler Chapel.

Brian basically discussed how the changes of history effect the way that we think about things and the world around us. He began with writing followed by the invention of the printing press and last the computer and how all of these inventions revolutionized the way that information is communicated and received. Another important theme touched upon was the militaristic language used in Christendom---for example see: Baptists Today Blogs: Warriors for Jesus?. Brian discussed finding a new way of thinking about faith in light of I Peter 3:15-16. Also of interest is how the word Gospel and Kingdom of God in Christian speak are subversions of their original meanings. In Greek εὐαγγέλιον(evangelion) originally meant the good news of the Βασιλεία (basilea) the kingdom or empire of Caesar and this was spread primarily by military conquest. For further research on this concept see: God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now.

I was hoping to get Brian to sign one of his books for me and meet him in person as he is one of my Facebook friends, but didn't get a chance. Unfortunately we missed the second session in the afternoon as well as yesterday was a joint purpose visit. We dropped my grandmother Helen off in Dunn on the way to Campbell and had to get back to help her sort through some more stuff she left at her old house. She just moved to Wilmington last Monday to be close to us. (I found two old family bibles while I was there---Helen's father's bible and my late grandfather Hank's mother's bible which was neat). However, I did get by to the new Convocation Center to see my late grandfather Hank's baseball Hall Of Fame plaque:



However for those of you wondering about the afternoon session---here is a Campbell Divinity student's impression of some of what was discussed during the second session:

During the afternoon session, McLaren talked about hell. He believes the doctrine of hell is antithetical to the cross. In other words, he does not believe in a literal hell. I would love to explore this thought further, but I have two exams next week, my friend Debra is coming to visit tomorrow, and I’m going to the U2 concert this weekend – no time to think about hell today! So for now, I will leave you with this bold prayer:

“Loving God, if I love thee for hope of heaven, then deny me heaven; if I love thee for fear of hell, then give me hell; but if I love thee for thyself alone, then give me thyself alone. Amen.” - Dr. Samuel Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel - 12/10/2006

Also Brian wrote on his Blog:

On hell - You're right that I don't follow the conventional teaching on hell as eternal conscious torment for all nonChristians. But that doesn't mean that I don't believe the Bible: it means that I don't believe many of us have rightly interpreted the Bible on this subject. If you're interested in exploring why I would say that, you might be interested in reading a book I wrote on the subject - The Last Word and the Word After That. And my upcoming book will actually go into this as well.

All in all, it was an interesting day and great to be back on campus at Campbell. And one final thought comes from Kevin Ritter's Blog:

Thanks Brian for recognizing a difference in us. I am excited about the future God has for us also. Keep up the good work CBF! God be with you on the Journey! Kevin

I'd also like to thank Brian for all that he shares and does for the Kingdom of God both here and not yet.

Ecumenical Disaster Relief Efforts In Asia

Baptists appeal for aid after typhoon hits Southeast Asia
By ABP staff
Published: September 29, 2009

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) -- Baptists in the Philippines are appealing to the global Baptist community for donations as they gear up for relief efforts in the wake of a Sept. 26 typhoon that has killed 300 people there and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

"For Christians, every disaster is a call to action," said Joel Raner, president of the Luzon Baptist Convention, a regional body affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance that serves in an area of the Philippines hard hit by Typhoon Ketsan. "We are called to help those who are suffering when they need it, and this is certainly the time of most need."

Baptist World Aid, the BWA's relief-and-development arm, urged Baptists around the world to respond to drastic needs of victims of flooding.

"We are also concerned that Typhoon Ketsana is now heading for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam," said Paul Montacute, BWAid director. Montacute said the BWA has also relationships with some Baptist groups in Vietnam, and BWA president David Coffey has visited with Baptist leaders there.

BWAid's Rescue 24 team, operated by Hungarian Baptist Aid and made up of trained international volunteers, is trying to work out details to offer services to the Philippine government, the Luzon convention and Vietnam.

Donations can be made online at the BWA website.

PCUSA'S Response:

PDA Response

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is working with our partners, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). The NCCP has been monitoring the situation through its member churches, regional ecumenical councils and people’s organizations in the affected areas. Local churches in the affected communities have been immediately opening their premises as evacuation and relief centers and providing basic humanitarian assistance of food, drinking water, nonfood relief items, basic medicines and personal hygiene necessities.

Action by Churches Together (ACT) is cooperating to provide assistance to poor urban communities in the riverside areas of Quezon City; there, in addition to the loss of homes and possessions, most residents have also lost their means of livelihood as factory workers, tricycle drivers and small vendors. ACT is preparing a package of relief goods, including food, water, clothes, candles, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, pots and pans, etc., that will be distributed to the most vulnerable families affected in this region.

ACT is preparing an international ACT appeal to provide additional assistance of food, drinking water, nonfood relief items, basic medicines and personal hygiene items. Support for local partners will include transportation, communications and operational support for volunteers and relief coordinators as well as design of relief packages that are compliant with Sphere Minimum Standards of disaster relief, monitoring and reporting.

The ELCA's response is here. The ECUSA's response is here and last but not least, many Roman Catholics are helping out alongside their Protestant brothers and sisters:

Philippine churches work frantically on relief for storm victims
Wednesday, 30 Sep 2009
More news

By Maurice Malanes

Churches and church-based organizations in the Philippines are helping thousands of families, who have lost relatives, homes and other properties after a tropical storm unleashed torrential rains for nine hours, flooding Metro Manila and neighbouring provinces.

As of 28 September, the government's National Disaster Coordination Council reported 144 people killed, four missing and 23 injured as a result of the storm "Ketsana" two days earlier, locally known as "Ondoy". It said the numbers of victims are expected to increase.

"We are concentrating on massive relief operations. The system is overwhelmed, local government units are overwhelmed," the disaster council's head, Anthony Golez, told reporters. "We were used to helping one city, one or two provinces but now we were following one after another. Our assets and people are spread too thinly."

The nine-hour deluge left some areas of Metro Manila, a sprawling city of 12 million people, under six metres (20 feet) of water.

Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and organizations such as Caritas Manila, a Catholic agency, immediately responded, delivering at least 1000 bags of relief goods to hundreds of families on 27 September.

(Read on: Here).

The Post-Emergent Church

The Post-Emergent Church Of The Future---For old people that never grow out of their youth. A non-seeker-sensitive approach to church: How to lose friends and alienate people. The Post-Emergent Church will return us back to fundamentalism while still remaining relevant. Praise Hymn Rock Songs Include:

In Awe Of Thy 600+ Commandments, Praise Jesus 25x Chorus, Jesus Is Coming Now Grab Your Guns, We're Old But We're Still Young In Church, A Mighty Fortress Is Our Bible, I Saw Jesus Shoot A Heretic But He Did Not Shoot The Deputy, We Hold The Absolute Truth And So Can You, We'll Annoy You With One More Praise Chorus, We Wish You A Servetus Barbecue, O I Hope My Shoe Is Holey Enough For The Rapture and Raise A Banner Of War On The Non-Elect

Confession of Faith: Legalism is Lord. Church services will include inquisitions on non-believers followed by forced baptisms. Afterwards, we'll have a pot luck lunch. Everyone wins---souls that is!

Wolfhart Pannenberg On Hope

"Hope and love belong together. Only those who hope with and for others can also love them ... Love's imagination, its creative impulse, lives on hope."


Pannenberg, W. Systematic theology, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 3:182

[H/T] Chrisendom: Hope And Love

Imago Dei And Mutual Submission

Here is an interesting excerpt from the Blog Targuman:

The fact that “the image of God” is represented by both male and female reminds us that God is neither gender. The Bible does consistently use masculine imagery (and verbs of which God is the subject are always conjugated in the masculine form), but this is more due convention and the confines of language than a theological position. When it is appropriate, God and his traits (e.g., wisdom) are described in feminine forms. Fundamentally, however, God transcends gender. Where he is complete and perfect, we are partial representations that require fulfillment in order to approximate his likeness.

This passage also emphasizes that we are to be partners with others in this life. The first man and woman were not created in isolation, but in a relationship with one another. Notice also that this relationship is not purely sexual. They are called to “be fruitful,” but also to work together in order to oversee the world and its care. Each have individual traits and characteristics which are most effective when in harmony with the other.

There is also no inherent hierarchy in this account. Man and woman are created at the same time and are given the same directive. Some who write on this topic refer to this as the “complementarian” model. Each brings different talents and has a different role to play. These roles, however, are not explicated here. Instead Gen. 1 presents us with a true equality of man and woman; created in the same instant the combination of both uniquely represent the image of God.

If Gen. 1 teaches us anything at all about the relationship between husband and wife, wife and husband, it is that they are equal partners in the divinely appointed task of reflecting God’s image and obeying his commands. Together we are to be fruitful, not just in procreation, but in all our works; we are to govern, not as a despot, but following the divine model of a caring and conciliatory king.

Religious Star Wars Humor

Choose this day which Skywalker you will serve.


[H/T] http://www.ooze.com/toolofsatan/









[H/T] http://sermonfire.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-be-missional-dungeon-master-part_11.html

Gospel Singer Tonex Comes Out

Here is part of the article from Black Voices:

Tonex: Opening Up About Hysteria Over Homosexuality
Posted by Karu F. Daniels on Sep 25th 2009 8:08AM
Filed under: Music, Interviews, Celeb Updates, Video

Earlier this month, clips of a taped television interview that gospel music sensation Tonex conducted for 'The Lexi Show' (on the Gospel network) surfaced on the Internet and caused a heated frenzy within the black religious industry. During the revealing conversation, the internationally renowned music superstar (nee Anthony Williams III) talked candidly about his homosexuality, his failed marriage and his thoughts on the black church. As expected, when someone touches upon such a taboo subject, it strikes a chord among others. But as the multiple Stellar Award-winning virtuoso tells it, in his very own words, it was a lot more than he ever bargained for. Below is Tonex's exclusive testimony to BlackVoices.com:

Okay, so now since it's really gone mainstream, there is really no backpedaling is there?

After all of the buzz surrounding the Lexi interview, things started spinning out of control. What was said, what wasn't said, and how after you tell the truth even that truth has the propensity to get twisted. However, it's never a crime to face yourself and speak your heart. And you must have heart to tell the world who you are.

I never thought in a million years that I would find the courage to speak so freely about where I am as a human, a man and a child of God. After much soul searching and Bible reading, I had to come to some decisions about myself that I knew weren't going to be the easiest to confront, especially since I was a prominent figure in the religious community and gospel music at large. How would my family deal with this when it aired? And would the content be congruent with what was actually filmed after post production? I have to say that Lexi kept her word about professional journalism, and if people watch all three parts, they will see the totality of what was covered -- not just the sensationalism.

(Read full article: Here).

This is a similar story to Contemporary Christian Singer---Ray Boltz's coming out story from Sept. of last year. He caught mass hysteria from Conservative and Fundamentalist Christians because the man who sang:
---wasn't who they wanted him to be. See: TheoPoetic Musings: Todd Friel's Arrogance About Ray Boltz and Clay Aiken for example. All I have to say is may Tonex and Ray Boltz find peace in the walk with God regardless of what others think and feel about them.



See also: TheoPoetic Musings: Bill Clinton Is Now In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage.

Bruce Springsteen Rocks Out

Bill Clinton Is Now In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage

Embedded video from CNN Video

Here is the accompanying article:

Clinton Changes Mind on Gay Marriage
AOL News
posted: 14 HOURS 36 MINUTES AGOcomments: 3301filed under: National News
PRINT|E-MAILMOREText SizeAAA

(Sept. 26) -- Former President Bill Clinton has revealed he recently had a change of heart on the issue of same-sex marriage.
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper Friday, Clinton explained that he still believes each state should decide whether to legalize gay marriage, but he is no longer personally opposed to it.
"I think if people want to make commitments that last a lifetime, they ought to be able to do it," Clinton said.
"I was against the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage nationwide, and I still think that the American people should be able to play this out in debates," the former president added. "But me, Bill Clinton personally, I changed my position."
Asked what caused him to switch his stance, Clinton said he realized his support for other gay-rights issues -- such as adoption rights for same-sex couples -- didn't square with his position on marriage.
"I realized that I was over 60 years old. I grew up in a different time ... and I was hung up about it," Clinton said. "I decided I was wrong."

2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2009-09-26 11:17:37

One more step forward for Baptists that support marriage equality.

John Calvin On Bible Onlyism

Here's another interesting quote from Sze Zeng's Blog:

"...John Calvin belongs to that part of the Christian tradition which affirmes philosophical achievements... It has been said that Reformed theology consists of "the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible." Of course, Calvin affirms the centrality of the Scripture, but, by his example, he suggests that one who knows only the Bible does not even know the Bible."
(Charles Partee, Calvin and Classical Philosophy, p.146. Bold added.

Important Scene From Inherit The Wind

The Rev's Rumbles: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Why They Matter

Check out the new post from Rev's Rumbles: The Rev's Rumbles: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Why They Matter.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are indeed one of the most important finds of the 20th Century along with Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus.

---Luke 11:2 in Codex Sinaiticus.

Kirk Cameron Anti-Separation Of Church And State

Kirk Cameron violates the separation of church and state by spreading anti-evolution material and Fundamentalist Christian propaganda around while proselytizing on public school grounds. So what's new? Here is part of the article about it:

Kirk Cameron Defends Attack on 'Species'

Posted Friday 25 September 12:30 PM By: PopEater Staff


Former teen idol Kirk Cameron has it out for Charles Darwin, and is making no apologies for his controversial (and mocked, see below) plan to distribute thousands of altered copies of 'The Origin of Species' to college students.

The 'Growing Pains' alum released a video last week announcing that on Nov. 19, he and other Creationist activists will distribute a special 'Species' with a 50-page intro that slams evolution and paints Darwin as both racist and misogynist and explicitly highlights "Adolph Hitler's undeniable connection to the theory." Nov. 21 is the 150th anniversary of the book's original publication.

Cameron tells PEOPLE he is "proud to bring this to people's attention" and hopes his plan will curb the rise of Atheism among college kids. Watch the actor's video, left, and a critics reaction to it, after the jump.

"Atheism has been on the rise for years now, and the Bible of the atheists is 'The Origin of Species'," Cameron says. "We have a situation in our country where young people are entering college with a belief in God and exiting with that faith being stripped and shredded. What we want to do is have student make an informed, educated decision before they chuck their faith."

He backs his beliefs by citing a study that found that in the nation's top schools, a clear majority of Psychology and Biology professors describe themselves as Atheist or Agnostic.

"No wonder Atheism has doubled in the last 20 years among 19-25 year olds," he explains in the video. "An entire generation is being brainwashed by Atheistic Evolution!"

The 50-page intro, written by evangelist author Ray Comfort, will present a "balanced view of Creationism with information from scientists who actually believe God created the universe." Those scientists include Albert Einstein and a host of thinkers whose lives predated 'The Origin of Species,' such as Isaac Newton and Nicolaus Copernicus.

His plan has quickly ruffled feathers among academics, who blast his claims that evolutionary theory is not compatible with Christianity. Cameron's campaign has also been met with spoof videos galore, including a popular rebuttal by YouTube user ZOMGitsCriss, who splices up the original video with counterpoint-by-point arguments. Her 'Origin of Stupidity' has recieved over 4 times more views than Cameron's.

(Read on: Here).

Here is the video in question:

And here is a parody of it:

Stuff Todd Friel Hates

1. The Girls Scouts Of America:

I just caught the tail end of Todd Friel's Wretched on FamilyNet while channel surfing. I only saw maybe 10 minutes of it, but that was enough to last me a whole year.

On this episode, Friel was bitching because The Girl Scouts of America is run by liberals and that they want to teach girls how to be leaders and not the footstools for men. Friel's monolouge sounds condescending, dismissive, and just plain rude.

2. VeggieTales:

On the show, Todd tied this in with VeggieTales. He made the case that:

Sunday school tries to present sanitized Bible stories for kids, so they learn them as cutesy fairy tales rather than stories of an angry and vengeful God, by whom we need to be saved from sin.

The cartoon offers cute little morality plays, also presenting of tidied up versions of Old Testament stories but never really inserting a Veggie Jesus into the action. Instead of salvation through grace, they emphasize things like responsible behavior and doing the right things for good reasons, rather than because the Bible said so.

---The Atheist Experience: Todd Friel does not like VeggieTales

3. Rick Warren:


4. Contemplative Prayer:

5. Rob Bell: blah blah blah: Rob Bell and Todd Friel

6. Glenn Beck:


7. Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Clinton recently proclaimed to Holy Flame Pentecostal Church in Little Rock, "As you know, I consider myself an evangelical Christian, really a Christian conservative." Really? a pro-choice, pro-gay marriage conservative evangelical? Did you know there was such a thing? There is now.

8. Atheists:


9. Non-Fundamentalist Calvinist Christians: “Are You Really a Christian?” by Todd Friel

10. Basically anyone that does not agree with his narrow view of the world: http://www.worldviewtimes.com/bio.php/authorid-2/Todd-Friel, todd friel, Wretched

11. There are plenty of other things---care to add to the ever-growing list?

12. Oh yeah...I almost forgot Todd Friel hates The Shack:

Fundamentalism= True Humanism

Reasons Why Fundamentalists Are Truly Humanists

Fundamentalists worship/have faith in the bible---a product of sinful/errant humanity which happened to be inspired by God---for the bible was written by human hands, compiled by human councils and printed by human inventions in human-made factories. Yet despite the errors in the bible whether attributed to scribal mistakes or printing errors, fundamentalists maintain a blind faith in sinful humanity’s ability to accurately produce the mind of God otherwise known as the doctrine of biblical inerrancy or infalliballism.



Fundamentalists believe that humanity supersedes the Holy Spirit in biblical interpretation which is what bible literalism is. Fundamentalists believe that God only speaks to us through the bible and/or sinful men but does not directly speak to us. See Way Of The Master Radio November 29, 2007 Hour 2 for example. Fundamentalists believe in the human created institution of government and rule by military force for security rather than a radical dependence on God's grace as the root of all true security.

There are other reasons as well, but what are your thoughts?

Obamanolatry Equal To Idolatry Of Bush

Regardless of Right Wing paranoia you have to admit that there is not much difference between this:



And this:



Other than setting. Albeit the Obama worship isn't as overt, it is still there. However I have to say that I don't believe children are being indoctrinated by the Obama administration any more than any other Presidential administration.

Bruce Prescott On Reforming Baptist Identity

These are some good thoughts from Bruce Prescott's latest post---Mainstream Baptist: Reforming Baptist Identity:

Jesus revealed that the meaning of election is not about privilege but about service. Everyone who is chosen by God is chosen for service. Jesus also revealed the meaning of service to God. Jesus set aside his power and privileges and submitted himself to death on a cross in the service of God. That is what he was chosen to do. When he died, the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. God himself tore down all the barriers that had been erected to keep people at a distance from his blessings.

Everyone who responds to the call of God has been chosen for service. Service to God always involves sacrifice. We have been commanded to take up our own cross when we follow Jesus. At the very least that means that we must be willing to share the blessings that God has given us with others.

Too many Baptists in America resemble the ancient Jews more than Jesus. They are more concerned about preserving the privileges of their nationality than with sharing the blessings of the good news about God’s love for all people.

Too many Baptists are among the armed vigilantes standing guard at our borders.

Too many Baptists are among the placarded protestors at tea parties blocking the entrance to our medical clinics.

Too many Baptists think God called them for pampering and privilege rather than for sacrificial service.

Blessings can quickly turn into curses when we insist on hoarding them all for ourselves rather than sharing them freely with others.

And here are my thoughts related to the post: Indeed God's call is a radical call to loving and self-sacrificial service to others---it is a lifelong activity as Karl Barth says:

“God so loved'—not the Christian, but—'the world'. 'I am the light of the world', says the Lord, and by His own self-giving He passes the light on to His disciples: 'Ye are the light of the world!' It is the duty of the real Church to tell and show the world what it does not yet know. This does not mean that the real Church's mission is to take the whole or even half the world to task. It would be the servant of quite a different Master if it were to set itself up as the accuser of its brethren. Its mission is not to say 'No', but to say 'Yes'; a strong 'Yes' to the God who, because there are 'godless' men, has not thought and does not think of becoming a 'manless' God—and a strong 'Yes' to man, for whom, with no exception, Jesus Christ died and rose again. How extraordinary the Church's preaching, teaching, ministry, theology, political guardianship and missions would be, how it would convict itself of unbelief in what it says, if it did not proclaim to all men that God is not against man but for man. It need not concern itself with the 'No' that must be said to human presumption and human sloth. This 'No' will be quite audible enough when as the real Church it concerns itself with the washing of feet and nothing else. This is the obedience which it owes to its Lord in this world.”

—Karl Barth, "The Real Church," Against the Stream: Shorter Post-War Writings 1946-52 (London: SCM Press, 1954), 73.

Also:

To stand in the unconditional loving service of God and others, the church must first stop acting as if it or bible translations are the Holy Spirit---as if any human, human cultural biases or human institution can restrict and regulate, whom the Holy Spirit wills to call to ministry or in general---for a lot of people (mainly Fundamentalists and bible literalists) actually believe that they can usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit from willing, whom the Holy Spirit wills to call to the ministry or in general and/or that it is their task to determine whom can and can’t be called to the ministry or in general instead of the Holy Spirit alone---and in so telling the Holy Spirit what to do, they not only commit idolatry (ecclesiolatry as well as bibliolatry and poimenolatry/clericalism), but also worse than that it grieves the Holy Spirit (the only unforgivable sin). As Christ is the True pillar of the church for us and in giving the Great Commission, Christ excluded no one from ministering the Gospel, serving and being served including gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and both women and men of every culture, climate, race, type and personality. Secondly, in the Bible, the unfolding of God’s will and self-disclosure of God’s self-revelation, in the Person and work of Christ---we find that God was most fully revealed as being Love itself---for Christ is Love---as Robinson (influenced by Paul Tillich) wrote: "For it is in making himself nothing, in his utter self-surrender to others in love, that [Jesus] discloses and lays bare the Ground of man's being as Love" (ibid., p. 75, italics added). He also wrote: "For assertions about God are in the last analysis assertions about Love" (ibid., p. 105)--- (Honest To God --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A.T._Robinson). When we divinely encounter Christ as Love for us, in the advent of the proclamation of scripture---we see all of Christian ethics is contingent upon the moral axioms of the Higher Law of Righteousness, Love, Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness---the Golden Rule and to love God completely and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self. If the sum and substance of Christian morality and ethics then is this---then why should we read Christian morality out of a vacuum with no insight, inquiry and reference to the Higher Law, on which the line of all Christian morality is drawn? For what profits one to have morality without love? For all of Christianity is rooted in loving service---just as Brennan Manning says*---quoting from Barbara Doherty: "Love is service. ‘There is no point in getting into an argument about this question of loving. It is what Christianity is all about---take it or leave it. Christianity is not about ritual or moral living except insofar as these two express the love that causes both of them. We must at least pray for the grace to become love.’" (*-pg. 29 of A Glimpse Of Jesus: The Stranger To Self-Hatred)

J. Wentzel van Huysteen On The Imago Dei

Here is a good quote from Sze Zeng's Blog:

“...the image of God is not found in humans, but is the human; and for this reason imago dei can be read only as imatatio dei; to be created in the image of God means we should act like God , and so attain holiness by caring for others and for the world...”
(J. Wentzel van Huysteen, Alone in the World?: Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology, p.320. Italic added.)

Stupid Fundamentalist Quotes Of The Day With Brannon Howse

Here are some doozies from Brannon Howse in my latest email from Worldview Weekend:

Brannon Howse on the Deconstructionists in the Culture and Within the Church:

Postmodernists seek to deconstruct western society by denying absolute truth even in the disciplines of reading and writing. Postmodernists within the American Church deconstruct Christianity-as did Kierkegaard-by proclaiming that the Bible is not the absolute, inerrant, divinely inspired Word of God. And the Emergent Church is gaining ground in spreading this false church.

There are other symptoms of deconstructionism as well. Deconstructionists tell us America was founded by rich, white men who wrote our founding documents in order to control the masses and implement an evil capitalist worldview by which to enrich themselves at the expense the majority. Many deconstructionists within the Church add that rich, white men also founded the Church as we know it and defended certain Biblical theology and doctrines in order to control and manipulate the masses while commercializing the Church for their own personal gain.

Brannon Howse on the Compromise of the Republican and Democratic Parties:

The leaders in the educational establishment, the apostate Church, occultism/pagan spirituality, or the government-corporate complex want the idea of social and spiritual evolution embraced worldwide in order to bring about their desired "new order" or "new world order."

......

Brannon Howse on Today's Pastors:

Most pastors, church staff, and Sunday school teachers are products of a secular school system that did not warn them about the worldviews of the influential people I cover in this book. Schools, for the most part, promoted many of their ideas. Even pastors who attended seminary did not learn the significance of the competing worldviews and anti-biblical philosophies represented by such people, and most seminaries did not teach apologetics or a comprehensive Biblical worldview. Thus today, even most of America's conservative pastors are ill-equipped to protect their flock against the worldviews of these 21 radicals.

......

Brannon Howse on One Connection Between The Apostate Church and Big Government:

The pastors and authors of one of America's fastest growing spiritual movements, the Emergent Church, sing the praises of socialism. As I'll explain in more detail later, the Emergent Church champions the neo-Marxist call for a utopian society through spiritual evolution where good and evil merge to form a "better" third option. This idea derives from the belief system of philosophers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and finds its contemporary manifestation in the "Third Way" movement of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. In the Third Way, capitalism, socialism, and communism merge to form a misanthropic combination of the three. Many republicans agree with this philosophy. This blending is now represented in the terms "the New World Order" and "the new enlightenment."

Brannon Howse on One-World Spirituality:

The three worldviews that are merging into a dominant new worldview embraced on a global scale include evolutionary humanism, Hindu pantheism, and occultism have merged to create a worldview I call One-World Spirituality. The theology of this worldview is pantheism; the philosophy is pagan spirituality; the biology is Darwinian evolution; the economic system is socialism, the politics is globalism, and the activism of this worldview is centered on radical environmentalism and political correctness (cultural Marxism). The goals of this One-World Spirituality are just what we've outlined before: a one-world government, one-world religion, and one-world economic system.

The social implications of pagan spirituality are stunning. If we are all one, no individual or nation should be better or worse off than anyone else, and thus the only acceptable economic worldview is socialism, the attempt to equalize the distribution of wealth.

Brannon Howse on European Christianity's Influence on America's Liberal Churches:

History screams that ideas have consequences, that worldview matters. Most Germans, including German Christians, willingly traveled the road to Hitler's hell, largely because they had lost the courage of their convictions. They had sold out to paganism, pragmatism, and a new gospel that promised everything and required nothing.

Does this not sound like churches, seminaries, Christian colleges, and some of the best-selling Christian authors in America? Wellhausen's liberal philosophy eventually jumped the ocean, became popular on the East Coast, and has spread throughout the United States. Many American Christians seem all too willing to go down a path that will surely lead to the destruction of a once great nation. Incredibly, many self-professing Christians are not just following but leading the way over the cliff.

A domineering false church is rising, largely due to pansies in the pulpit.

........

Brannon Howse on Feminism:

Feminism has accomplished its goals-the destruction of the American family through the destruction of the father and the resulting the rise of the welfare state.

The bottom line is that feminism has been a tool of the humanists to destroy the family. Leading humanist Paul Kurtz said, "Humanism and feminism are inextricably interwoven."[3] Humanists and Communists have sought the destruction of the American family because they know that, for America, the family has been the instrument for passing on Christian values and a Biblical worldview-the source and foundation of our freedoms and Constitutional Republic.

Anyone care to take on these absurd and moronic quotes?

Shane Claiborne's Litany Of Resistance

Jesus For President Litany of Resistance

Created with the help of our friends Jim Loney (CPT Reservist) and Brian Walsh (activist theologian)

--------------------------

One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world

All: Have mercy on us
One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world

All: Free us from the bondage of sin and death
One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world

All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.


One: For the victims of war

All: Have mercy
One: Women, men and children

All: Have mercy
One: The maimed and the crippled

All: Have mercy
One: The abandoned and the homeless

All: Have mercy
One: the imprisoned and the tortured

All: Have mercy
One: The widowed and the orphaned

All: Have mercy
One: The bleeding and the dying

All: Have mercy
One: The weary and the desperate

All: Have mercy
One: The lost and the forsaken

All: Have mercy


One: O God -- Have mercy on us sinners

All: Forgive us for we know not what we do
One: For our scorched and blackened earth

All: Forgive us
One: For the scandal of billions wasted in war

All: Forgive us
One: For our arms makers and arms dealers

All: Forgive us

One: For our Caesars and Herods

All: Forgive us

One: For the violence that is rooted in our hearts

All: Forgive us






One: For the times we turn others into enemies

All: Forgive us

One: Deliver us, O God

All: Guide our feet into the way of peace

One: Hear our prayer.

All: Grant us peace.


One: From the arrogance of power

All: Deliver us
One: From the myth of redemptive violence

All: Deliver us
One: From the tyranny of greed

All: Deliver us
One: From the ugliness of racism

All: Deliver us
One: From the cancer of hatred

All: Deliver us
One: From the seduction of wealth

All: Deliver us
One: From the addiction of control

All: Deliver us
One: From the idolatry of nationalism

All: Deliver us
One: From the paralysis of cynicism

All: Deliver us
One: From the violence of apathy

All: Deliver us
One: From the ghettos of poverty

All: Deliver us
One: From the ghettos of wealth

All: Deliver us
One: From a lack of imagination

All: Deliver us

One: Deliver us, O God

All: Guide our feet into the way of peace

One: We will not conform to the patterns of this world

All: Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds

One: With the help of God’s grace

All: Let us resist evil wherever we find it


One: With the waging of war

All: We will not comply
One: With the legalization of murder

All: We will not comply

One: With the slaughter of innocents

All: We will not comply
One: With laws that betray human life

All: We will not comply
One: With the destruction of community

All: We will not comply
One: With the pointing finger and malicious talk

All: We will not comply
One: With the idea that happiness must be purchased

All: We will not comply
One: With the ravaging of the earth

All: We will not comply

One: With principalities and powers that oppress

All: We will not comply
One: With the destruction of peoples

All: We will not comply
One: With the raping of women

All: We will not comply
One: With governments that kill

All: We will not comply
One: With the theology of empire

All: We will not comply
One: With the business of militarism

All: We will not comply
One: With the hoarding of riches

All: We will not comply
One: With the dissemination of fear

All: We will not comply


One: Today we pledge our ultimate allegiance… to the Kingdom of God

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To a peace that is not like Rome’s

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the Gospel of enemy love

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the Kingdom of the poor and broken

All: We pledge allegiance

One: To a King that loves his enemies so much he died for them

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the least of these, with whom Christ dwells

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the transnational Church that transcends the artificial borders of nations

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the refugee of Nazareth

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the cross rather than the sword

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the banner of love above any flag

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the one who rules with a towel rather than an iron fist

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the one who rides a donkey rather than a war-horse

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the revolution that sets both oppressed and oppressors free

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the Way that leads to life

All: We pledge allegiance
One: To the Slaughtered Lamb

All: We pledge allegiance
One: And together we proclaim his praises, from the margins of the empire to the centers of wealth and power

All: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb
One: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb
All: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb

Wed. Nights Are Back At FBC Wilmington

Wed. Nights actually started back 2 weeks ago---but we officially started back last week. 2 weeks ago, we had a seminar on world religions aided by Campbell Divinity School. More on that in a later post---but anyways, this session I am reading Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution. Our Minister of Administration and Senior Adults, Daryl Trexler is leading the group study. Here is our reading schedule for the session:



During tonight's discussion the question of how many Christian Adherents there are in the world so here are the findings from a 2005 study:

1.Christianity: 2.1 billion

2.Islam: 1.5 billion

3.Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion

4.Hinduism: 900 million

5.Chinese traditional religion: 394 million

6.Buddhism: 376 million

7.primal-indigenous: 300 million

8.African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million

9.Sikhism: 23 million

10.Juche: 19 million

11.Spiritism: 15 million

12.Judaism: 14 million

13.Baha'i: 7 million

14.Jainism: 4.2 million

15.Shinto: 4 million

16.Cao Dai: 4 million

17.Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million

18.Tenrikyo: 2 million

19.Neo-Paganism: 1 million

20.Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand

21.Rastafarianism: 600 thousand

22.Scientology: 500 thousand

Finally the main theme of tonight's discussion was what it means to do church, so I'll end this post with a thought from my friend Drew Tatusko:

go where god is, not where you believe god ought to be.
Sep 23rd, 2009 by Drew Tatusko. Print This Post

The church, no matter what community you find, packages God into something that can be controlled for human use and whim. This sort of package is not all evil or disreputable – all of the time. God has been a source of divine legitimation for human power that people have used to kill and torture people under the despotic rule of fear and oppression. Still, the social packaging of God that is the church can be a source of grace for people which is also true. Regardless, as H.R. Niebuhr argued in 1929, the church is a human social creation that ought to be given life by God. All religious and church structures conceal and distort the presence of God even as they work to be so many media to reveal the reality of God.

However, as Jesus said, the presence of God is simply in a community which does not have to be formed by doctrine, polity, law, and God forbid property. God is not just in the Tabernacle, God is everywhere.

Perhaps our faith has been distracted by our religious institutions and we fight so hard to maintain those institutions, that we forget how frail, tentative, and distorting they are to the very presence of God. The medium of the church itself has to be transformed from the inside out if it is to transform the hearts and minds to do the basic things that Jesus commanded: love God, love neighbor, heal the sick. When we fail to do these basic things and instead begin to love the institutions that are nothing but media to accomplish this task, we may as well craft a golden calf since this is exactly the function the church then serves.

Why is your church worth saving if God is indeed everywhere? What profit do we gain to preserve the media of human invention if that media is no longer a source of revelation people are currently receiving through other means? This is no longer a question of people being "spiritual but not religious." Rather it is the offspring of those "spiritual" baby boomers who are asking: I want to be religious, but it is hard to find the God that has been revealed to me in the churches where my parents worshiped when they were children.

For this and other reasons, I often find God in my backyard, in a conversation with my wife, in the giggle of my sons, the cool fall breeze, a note from someone expressing care for me or someone I love, my dog running through the snow, the smile of an elderly person who is lonely most of her life, gratitude for healing in sickness and in death, and a song. I find God in these places more often than in a pew. After seminary, I had to leave church for a while to find God again. I continue to ask where I see God. The clarity I receive in return is this: Go where God is, not where you believe God ought to be.

Servetus And Calvin's Birthday Chat In The Afterlife

[H/T] Thinking of Servetus on Calvin's Birthday


See also: TheoPoetic Musings: Happy Belated 500th Birthday John Calvin!.

Southern Baptist Robin Foster On Simply Being Baptist

Here is a good quote from Robin Foster from SBC Today:

I am a Baptist, pure and simple in the historical and biblical sense. I believe being a “good” Baptist means we are to be people of the book and that the truest form of a New Testament local church is a visible group of regenerate Christians who covenant together to practice believers baptism by immersion, carrying out the two ordinances of the church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper (participants are to be saved and properly baptized), organized under a congregational system of polity, submitting to the Lordship of Christ, and propagating the gospel to the lost. As a “good” Baptist, one should uphold the doctrines of inerrancy, priesthood of all believers, and soul competency. Now, in a biblical sense, there is no one “good” but God. I am only borrowing the language used by both speakers, but also in a biblical sense I am under the strong belief that these doctrinal stands, working together, identify us as Baptists. I again revisit the question, “Why can’t we all identify ourselves as Baptists and be free to be a Calvinist or a non-Calvinist?” Why does identifying with Calvinism make one a better Baptist than a non-Calvinist? The answer, it doesn’t. Both groups have been instrumental in passing on a rich heritage to us. To classify us into a hierarchy based on our understanding of soteriology creates nothing but worldly division. Again, for all including those who distort Calvinism as the dreaded death knell to Southern Baptists, let’s be Baptist and be free to choose how we define our soteriology.

I would prefer to be known as a Baptist pastor who diligently searches the scriptures for God’s wisdom, shepherds the flock for which I have been given responsibility, and tells others about the love of Jesus for them. Pure and simple.

Might I add an amen---now if the rest of the SBC would follow suit maybe they could get back to the basics of being Baptist. A return to Liberty Of Conscience and Soul Freedom---the traditional Baptist virtues for starters would allow the freedom for one "to be Baptist and be free to choose how (they) define (their) soteriology" rather than blind creedalism. Even better---putting Christ at the center and as the main point of all things will eradicate "the worldly divisions" within the Body of Christ as a whole---for focusing on Christ and participating actively in His redemptive work eliminates the need to get caught up in the external trappings of religion and the non-essentials of faith.

Christology and Postmodern Philosophy

Catch my friend Tripp's latest podcast: Christology and Postmodern Philosophy with Jan-Olav Henriksen: Homebrewed Christianity 62.

Liberty Of Conscience: More On Bill Leonard And Baptists

See: Mainstream Baptist: Reasserting, Reinterpreting, and Reforming Baptist Identity: "At the CBF General Assembly"

Highlights from the above post:

I wholeheartedly agree with Leonard's concerns about the Baptist movement, but I was too busy preparing for the Norman New Baptist Covenant meeting to respond at that time. Now, in a series of blogs, I plan to offer my suggestions for Baptist Identity in the 21st Century.

I would begin by reasserting the Baptist emphasis on liberty of conscience. Baptists began by dissenting from the established church and asserting their right to a free conscience on matters of religion. Our appeals for liberty of conscience were made on behalf of all people and not for ourselves alone. 78 years before the enlightenment philosopher John Locke wrote his first Letter Concerning Toleration, Thomas Helwys was writing:

Men's religion to God is between God and themselves; the king shall not answer for it, neither may the king judge between God and man. Let them be heretics, Turks, Jews or whatsoever, it appertains not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure.

45 years before Locke said it was "necessary above all to distinguish between the business of civil government and that of religion, and to mark the true bounds between the church and the commonwealth," Roger Williams warned that whenever "a gap" was opened "in the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broke down the wall itself . . . and made his garden a wilderness."

While John Locke could never bring himself to extend religious toleration to Catholics and atheists, revolutionary era Baptist evangelist John Leland boldly asserted:

Let every man speak freely without fear, maintain the principles that he believes, worship according to his own faith, either one God, three gods, no god, or twenty gods, and let government protect him in so doing

.

Death Star/9-11

[H/T] Exploring Our Matrix: Remembering the Death Star Tragedy

Scripture as History?

Here's an interesting excerpt from the latest post of the Blog---Awakening:

Scripture as History.

Recently April DeConick posted some excellent thoughts on 10 commandments or operating principles for engaging a text from the historical-critical method. Her post is well worth the time to read and ponder. Once of her points struck a chord with some of the things we've been wrestling with in Community of God, namely to what degree are certain texts communicating "history." Here's one thing she had to say:

The text is not reporting history, it is reporting theology and it is using story to do so. This makes recovering history extremely difficult because all is not as it seems. We need to ask questions such as why is the author reporting his history and his theology this way? What other histories and theologies does the author know about? What traditions has the author received? How has the author shaped those traditions? Why has he shaped them in the manner that he has? Who has something to gain by this view of history and theology? Who has something to lose by this view of history and theology? What are the author's assumptions and how do these impact the author's narrative? How is the author's narrative related to other narratives? How is the author's narrative related to history? Etc.

Concerning the quote above, I tend to agree with James McGrath [see the comment section of her post] that certain texts may not be communicating what we would define as "history," as we have come to embrace it in our post-enlightenment mindset. As I've said before here, I think we need to temper our vision of "history" when we approach the text of the scriptures.

Read on: Here. I have to add these are good thoughts especially when dealing with inerrantists and bible literalists. And these are questions we must all ask as we seek the context of the text. Scripture is truly not history in our sense of the word history but rather the spiritual history of the people of God.

Bill Leonard: Baptists must find new ways to express ideals

This is good---thanks Vick:

Leonard: Baptists must find new ways to express ideals
By Robert Dilday & Ken Camp
Published: July 07, 2009

HOUSTON (ABP)—Baptist denominational systems across the United States are in transition and being redefined, spawning a number of issues that are complicating and clouding the Baptist landscape, Bill Leonard told a group of Associated Baptist Press supporters.

And those issues have implications for communicators who “write, blog and broadcast for and about Baptists in the years ahead,” said Leonard, dean of the divinity school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Leonard spoke at the annual “Friends of ABP” dinner, held in conjunction with the general assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

“The once-formidable Baptist presence in the United States retains its significant numerical dominance in American Protestantism, but the demographics ... reflect a denomination in a considerable decline, torn by internal controversies on one side and megachurch competition on the other, held together by an aging constituency, faltering finances and turbulent identity crises,” said Leonard.

Shaken by the changing nature of religious life in 21st century American culture, Baptist systems are “coming apart, being re-defined, in dynamic transition, disconnecting, in disarray, being reclaimed, collapsing or experience unending schism,” he added.

Among the indicators:

• Transitions in American—and Southern—culture are now “normative” in Baptist communities. “A new generation of Baptist clergy and laity find themselves working and worshiping together in new and creative ways in changing neighborhoods, interracial marriage, community organizing and of course the election of President Obama,” said Leonard.

• Denominations—including Baptist ones—matter less and less to religious Americans. “Both the Southern Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Churches this very year were given new proposals for reorganizing cumbersome denominational structures that inhibit rather than enable ministry possibilities and funding realities,” said Leonard. Baptist churches and their associated networks have settled into a “de facto society method not unlike that of earlier Baptist organizations.”

• Most moderate Baptist organizations—including the Alliance of Baptists, the CBF and Texas Baptists Committed—have “reached a plateau numerically and financially.”

• Many Baptist churches are “renegotiating their ‘Baptistness’ and their connections with old denominational identities.” Technological changes increasingly allow local congregations to function effectively without relying on denominational resources. “Some Baptists, left and right of center, observe that ‘brand-name’ religion no longer attracts.”

• Because Baptists under the age of 45 are unfamiliar with intact denominational systems, they increasingly reject sectarian divisions for a generic Christianity that is “part denominational, part contemporary church, part emerging church, part postmodern church,” he said. “If Baptist identity is to be carried beyond mid-century, it must be reasserted and reinterpreted and reformed immediately.”

• Years of controversy about the Bible and control have left other theological problems unexamined, said Leonard. “Obsession with theories of biblical authority ... have often obscured serious questions of ... how the text is interpreted,” he said. And developments in evangelistic theology have left “many Baptists uncertain as to what conversion means, how it is experienced and what is the most effective means for declaring the gospel.”

Those indicators of Baptist transition could evoke several responses from the denomination’s adherents, noted Leonard. Baptists might:

• Choose between their heritage of dissent or their more recent role as upholders of the establishment. “Many conservative Baptists cannot seem to decide if they are dissenters, standing against the secularism that they believe to be the unofficial religious establishment of an increasingly anti-religious nation, or establishmentarians, demanding a certain kind of religious privilege for their way of believing in a historically ‘Christian’ nation,” said Leonard. “Moderate/liberal Baptists are so uncertain about their past and future that they can’t seem to decide what, when or if to protest anything at all.”

• Find in their history keys to responding to a postmodern world. “In a sense, our (Baptist) forebears invented pluralism; they helped invent congregational localism; they understood conversion as linking God’s story with each individual’s story and linking it to a community of stories, made public in a healing, cleansing ritual. Can you be more postmodern than that?” asked Leonard.

• Recast their idea of religious pluralism and how to engage it. “Pluralism does not mean ... a blending of religious traditions in some nebulous attempt at tolerance,” said Leonard. “Yet pluralism may force us to ask what we mean by the nature of our witness and the tone of our voice.”

• Respond to the “connectionalism of media—a communications network that reconnects old communities and facilitates new ones,” said Leonard. “Efforts by ABP to anticipate these changes and move toward a multimedia approach are to be complimented and must move ahead with haste.”

• Learn to live out a “responsibility of the minority”—something Baptists worldwide have known for four centuries, said Leonard. “We have an opportunity to recover a lost witness in a society where our voice may not be privileged but it must be heard, where we rediscover the power of witness in a society ... that pays less and less attention.”

Earlier in the day, Leonard had touched on some of the same themes in a workshop on 400 years of Baptist history he led in tandem with James Dunn, resident professor of Christianity and public policy at Wake Forest School of Divinity.

(Read more: Here).

James Dobson Breaks Ties With Glenn Beck

My previous post on Glenn Beck was a satire all in good fun but here is something real:

Fundamentalists vs Mormons… Is the honeymoon over?

About a month ago I quoted Lisa Derrick from the Huffington Post:

During the Yes on 8 campaign, Mormons got used like an ugly chick by a sleazy rock band–it was fine for her to pay for rent, food and gas, and provide certain services, but when it comes time for the record release party, she won’t be on the list.

Here is an example, a prime example.

The Mormon Times is reporting that Focus on the Family has pulled an article off their website because the faith of the person is a “cult” and is a “false religion” and shouldn’t be promoted by a Christian ministry.


This all started on December 22, when an anti-Mormon group called Underground Apologetics issued a release through Christian News Wire which read:

Focus on the Family has a story on Glenn Beck, a Mormon, on their CitizenLink Web site.

Glenn Beck was a CNN host and will move to Fox News in January.

Beck is currently promoting his book, ‘The Christmas Sweater.’

The CitizenLink story focuses on Beck’s faith and why he wrote ‘The Christmas Sweater.’

While Glenn’s social views are compatible with many Christian views, his beliefs in Mormonism are not. Clearly, Mormonism is a cult. The CitizenLink story does not mention Beck’s Mormon faith, however, the story makes it look as if Beck is a Christian who believes in the essential doctrines of the faith.

Through the years, Focus on the Family has done great things to help the family and has brought attention to the many social ills that are attacking the family. However, to promote a Mormon as a Christian is not helpful to the cause of Jesus Christ. For Christians to influence society, Christians should be promoting the central issues of the faith properly without opening the door to false religions.

Can I get an “OUCH!”

Hey Glenn seems your money was good, however, you, your products, and your beliefs, are no good.

Sigh...oh those loopy fundamentalists.

Humor Of The Day: Actual Announcements (Misprints) From Church "Bulletins"

Actual Announcements (Misprints) From Church "Bulletins":

The 1991 Spring Council retreat will be hell May 10 & 11

The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.

Thursday night-Potluck Supper. Prayer and medication to follow.

The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

The associate minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Now Up Yours."

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Irving Beltson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.

The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.

A new loudspeaker system has been installed in the church. It was given by one of our members in honor of his wife.

The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use back door.

Ushers will eat latecomers.

Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on "It's a Terrible Experience."

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Odds And Ends From AOL News

Flooding in Southeastern USA:

Toddler Among 6 Killed in StormsBy GREG BLUESTEIN, AP
posted: 44 MINUTES AGOcomments: 86filed under: National News
PRINT|E-MAILMOREText SizeAAA

ATLANTA (Sept. 21) – A two-year-old Georgia boy swept from his father's arms Monday was among six people killed by storms pounding the Southeast, and forecasters were calling for more rain after the historic dumping that submerged major Atlanta-area highways.
The boy, Slade Crawford, was found downstream of his family's ruined mobile home, which was split apart around 2 a.m. by a surging creek, said Ed Baskin, deputy coroner in Carroll County. The parents had been rescued as their one-year-old son clung to his mother's arms in the county southwest of Atlanta.

(Read full story: Here).

Pray for those who have lost loved ones and the safety of others.

Rapper Accused of Killing Pastor, 3 OthersBy DENA POTTER, AP
posted: 6 HOURS 28 MINUTES AGOcomments: 566filed under: Crime News, National News
PRINT|E-MAILMOREText SizeAAA

FARMVILLE, Va. (Sept. 21) - Prosecutors said Monday they had to investigate hundreds of pieces of forensic evidence in their case against an aspiring 20-year-old rapper from California suspected of killing a Virginia pastor and three other people.
Richard Alden Samuel McCroskey III made his first court appearance by video in Prince Edward County and was appointed attorney Cary Bowen, who was not present and said he had not talked to the suspect. A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 11 because of the amount of evidence discovered.

(Read the rest of the story: Here).

A clear case of bigotry and prejudice:

Muslim teen sues Abercrombie over its 'Look Policy'
Posted Sep 20th 2009 3:10PM by Tom Johansmeyer
Filed under: Law, Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF)

More

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) is being sued by a Muslim teenager who wanted to work at an Abercrombie Kids store in Oklahoma's Woodland Hills Mall. When she applied in June 2008, Samantha Elauf was told that the hijab she wears is inconsistent with Abercrombie's "Look Policy." So, the 17-year-old took her concerns to U.S. District Court on Wednesday, where a lawsuit was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

(Read whole article: Here).