The Politics of Worship: Who Do You Serve?
When believers in any nation allow the worship and adoration of the state to be become part of the creed, rituals and practices of Christianity it renders the church impotent to stand with skeptical criticism of the nation in which she is a part. And possibly even more dangerous, the church then functions to accept as part of her raison d’etre the preservation of the state, absolving the state all along of any and all activities necessary to maintain her conservation. As Craig Watts reminds us:
“No clear distinction between being American and being Christian is even a possibility because the two have become one in the hearts of many. The God being worshiped is the American God and the nation they love is in some fashion God’s nation. Consequently, many Christians find it incomprehensible that incorporating the rituals of America into the worship of the church could be anything other than a positive, edifying practice.”
Why Don’t They Just Learn English?
Americans get frustrated when immigrants speak heavily accented or grammatically incorrect English, but when it comes down to it, the reason they don’t speak better English is because you won’t speak it with them.
Seven Ways to Hurt Your Pastor
- Criticize the pastor’s family.
- Tell the pastor he is overpaid.
- Don’t defend the pastor.
- Tell your pastor what an easy job he has.
- Be a constant naysayer.
- Make comments about the pastor’s expenditures.
- Compare your pastor’s preaching and ministry unfavorably to that of another pastor.
Society has made a lot of gains with technology, gains that have made our lives more pleasant and enjoyable in many ways. But, society has lost some things in the transition from the farm to the iPhone as well. Might it benefit us to occasionally put the phone down, turn off the tv, sit around a home cooked meal, and be family?
Members of popular Christian metal band are really atheists according to ex-frontman
“We toured with more ‘Christian bands’ who actually aren’t Christians than bands that are,” Lambesi said. “In 12 years of touring with As I Lay Dying, I would say maybe one in 10 Christian bands we toured with were actually Christian bands.”
June 3: Jeremy Schopper: Leaving the Noise Behind
June 5: Danny Holman: Jesus Challenge
June 10: Carl Jenkins: Give A Man A Fish
June 17: Jonathan Dobbs: Why Me, God?
June 19: Scott Elliott:The Beauty of the Gospel
God’s mercy is greater than we could ever imagine. The incarnation is something we still have not fully wrapped our minds around and it has been 2,000 years since God first took on flesh. God is serious about redemption. Since Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden, no one had ever imagined that God would leave heaven and enter into this world as an infant. The glory of God is not just about how God is different from us. The glory of God can clearly be seen in this radical act of God becoming human. The story of redemption is not about what humans must do to be saved, it is about the amazing things God has done to save humanity.
Some helpful lists here. Thanks.