Christianity // Current

Gazing into the Eternal | Absolute Publishing Press LLC

http://absolutepublishingpress.com/gazing-into-the-eternal

gmwood1
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TX teacher claims fingerprint ID 'Mark of the Beast' violates freedom of religion

A Texas kindergarten teacher is refusing to undergo fingerprint identification because... more

locutus
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gay marriage

In the Bible’s book of Judges 17:6, we read this statement: “When they had no king... more

cindydupree
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Are people born to a homosexual lifestyle?
We won’t presume to offer a definitive answer as to what causes homosexual behavior. We can point out, however, that in a world that has experienced over 6,000 years of the Curse (Genesis 3), it is not difficult to argue that genetic factors accumulated over the millennia could lead to a predisposition toward aberrant behavior. And, of course, there is the combined factor of personal choice involved, where people who are inclined toward a certain behavior can decide whether or not to follow through on a course of action. In other words, a person’s lifestyle can be influenced by that individual’s genetic makeup (and perhaps even by how that person was brought up—nature plus nurture).

In fact, Christian behavioral researchers point out, for example, that some people can be more genetically predisposed to alcoholism, to committing violent acts, etc. Now, this does not mean that these actions are to be condoned (the Bible calls them sin), because a predisposition does not lead a potential alcoholic to automatically walk into a bar to begin his drinking habit. Intentional, personal choice can certainly fend off that predisposition. While all people sin (Romans 3 and Romans 6) and thus that is “natural,” it does not make the sinning correct or acceptable.

Therefore, even if some genetic component (a so-called “homosexual gene” as some might call it) were found, it does not make this sin natural or normal. As indicated before, this world suffers from thousands of years of the Curse, and in this fallen, decaying world, all kinds of genetic mistakes have been occurring. It is important to note that such abnormalities are the result of the Curse, not of any creation by the Creator. Moreover, what Scripture teaches against certain behavior (drunkenness, infidelity, homosexual behavior, etc.,) trumps what anyone might say is acceptable behavior. There is right and wrong apart from people’s opinions of what they might observe in nature and what it suggests to them, and that moral standard comes from God’s Word.

It is possible that how a child grows up in certain situations might play a factor in determining sexual identity. Thankfully, though, the Bible presents all kinds of teaching on how to correctly raise children (see our book The Genesis of a Legacy). Sadly, though, it may not be far-fetched to say that as the breakdown of the family continues in America and as people increasingly reject biblical principles, impressionable young people will be even more inclined toward homosexuality, and thus gay marriage will probably grow. However, standing up for biblical truths in the culture can stem that tide.Are people born to a homosexual lifestyle? We won’t presume to offer a definitive... more

cindydupree
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gay marriage

Gay marriage—is evolution the cause? After reading explanations from Answers in... more

cindydupree
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Why Europe is Dying: Neo-Darwinism

Europe is facing a population crisis because of attacks on religion by secular... more

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Still On the Wall: Identity Crucifixes and Christian Sensitivity

E' dalle parole di Karima Moual in "Simboli di identita' aiuto all'integrazione"... more

dia_offman
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American Airlines offends passengers with Christian music

American Airlines is offending passengers with Christian music. According to reports,... more

locutus
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Jesus Goes to the Dark Carnival: Hell House Gets a Makeover?

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/religiousright/1976/jesus_goes_to_the_dark_carnival%3A_hell_house_gets_a_makeover

A demon guides you through the shadows. The bodies of teenagers are strewn about like broken dolls in the mangled remains of a car, bottles of Jim Beam tellingly scattered about the wreckage. A young woman sits steeped in her own blood, surrounded by what looks like modern medical equipment in a women’s clinic but dying from a “botched abortion” anyway. Finally, an angry voice from a glowing figure shrouded in white orders you off into hell, a basement room where scenes, the likes of which Clive Barker dared not dream, swirl out of the dry ice. Male S&M Demons whip teenage girls who cry out in pain and despair.

These are maybe not the kinds of things you’d expect to see on a crisp fall evening at your local evangelical church. Still, in the 1990s, tens of thousands witnessed these scenes at church sponsored attractions known as “Hell Houses.” Born out of anxiety over the allegedly satanic meanings of Halloween and the desire to convert souls, evangelical churches created these “Christian Haunted Houses” to convince children and adolescents of the reality of the last judgment and damnation. Instead of unquiet spirits, vampires, and chainsaw-wielding madmen, the vengeful ghosts of the culture wars haunted these Houses.

Abundant Life Christian Center in Colorado created one of the first, most successful, and most controversial Hell Houses. Attempting to be as edgy as possible, Abundant Life actually used animal intestines to represent an aborted fetus in the stock “women’s clinic” scene. Gruesome effects such as these proved successful enough to allow Abundant Life to package and franchise their effort, creating a 280-page guide explaining how other evangelical churches could create their own Christian horror show. Hell houses spread throughout the Southern and Western United States garnering lots of attention and claiming plenty of converts. In 2001, filmmaker George Ratliff took notice of the phenomenon in his wonderfully rendered documentary Hell House.

In the last decade, a new version of the Hell House, a softer and gentler version, has appeared known as “Judgement House” (yes, always judgement with two ‘e’s). Judgement House, which specifically presents itself as a remodeled Hell House, points out that Hell Houses tend to deal with “socially controversial issues such as homosexuality, date rape, and suicide.” In contrast, Judgement House claims to avoid such topics preferring, according to its FAQ section, to “show participants the consequences of choosing the gift of eternal salvation… as well as experiencing a small part of the separation from God in hell that is the consequence of rejecting that same gift.”

Although the Judgement House scripts do make a conscious effort to avoid the language of the culture wars, the symbols are still present and powerful. One of their scripts entitled “Home of the Brave, Land of the Free” tells a story of conversion against the backdrop of the Iraq War. An online preview of the script suggests that the narrative marries jingoism with true piety, portraying the heroes of the script, Corey and Kevin, as “living their dream of defending the country they love,” having gone to Iraq to “love and serve Jesus Christ, the Hero of all mankind.”http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/religiousright/1976/jesus_goes_to_the_dark_ca... more

hpseaton
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A victory against hate considered a dark day for American Christianity.

Barrack Obama knew that in order to win the US Presidential election, he had to win over a large voting bloc: evangelical born-again Christians. So he put on a good act, tried to talk the talk, and managed to convince many gullible believers that he was one of them.

Of course now that he is firmly ensconced in the White House, he can leave all pretense behind, and pursue his real agenda – an agenda which is quite far removed from biblical Christianity. Each week he seems to implement more policies and practices which are diametrically opposed to the Christian worldview.

Many of these have to do with his radical pro-abortion position, and his relentless attempts to placate and promote homosexual activism. His most recent slap in the face of Christianity was his signing into law of the notorious “hate crimes” bill.

Yesterday he enacted the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. The worrying hate crimes law was actually just one segment of a larger bill, so he in effect had to sneak it through, albeit sadly with the support of many federal politicians.

Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association said that the new law “creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals. This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American.”

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, said this: “It is fundamentally unjust for the government to treat some crime victims more favorably than others, just because they are homosexual or transsexual. This bill is an unnecessary federal intrusion into state law enforcement authority, and it is an unwise step toward silencing religious and moral viewpoints.”

“The fact the hate bill had to be passed in such an unscrupulous and cynical manner (attaching it to the Defense Authorization Act) reveals the depth of President Obama’s commitment to a radical, anti- Christian agenda. He will stop at nothing to undermine the will of the majority of Americans to pay back militant homosexual activists who raised millions of dollars for his campaign and worked to get him elected. To sign the bill in the Rose Garden is another slap in the face and shows the level of contempt President Obama has for the majority of Americans who oppose the ‘homosexualization’ of marriage and public education.”

And as Peter J. Smith notes, “The bill has also been labeled the ‘pedophile protection act,’ in large part due to the refusal of House members to approve an amendment specifying that the bill would not penalize the free speech of those objecting to homosexual perversions such as pedophilia. The term ‘sexual orientation’ is not defined in the bill, an oversight that some legislators charged could lead to an overly broad interpretation – since the term is used by psychologists to encompass a variety of sexual deviancies (including pedophilia), and not just homosexuality.”

The US now joins nations like Canada and England with these fundamentally flawed and unjust hate crimes laws. We already know the grief Christians in particular have been put through in these other nations because of such wretched laws. Now believers in the US will have their turn.

And of course there are activists here in Australia working on the very same thing. The only sure way these laws will come to pass here is if no resistance is offered. Are we willing to stand up and be counted, or will we simply cave in yet again, and allow more Christian freedoms to be stripped away? The choice is ours.Barrack Obama knew that in order to win the US Presidential election, he had to win... more

hpseaton
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Who needs an actual church when there's the internet?

The fact that the churches are built in the World Wide Web became wide-spread. A growing number of congregations are creating Internet offshoots that go far beyond streaming weekly services. The sites are fully interactive, it is possible to see a dedicated Internet pastor, use a live chat in an online "lobby," Bible study, one-on-one prayer through IM and communion. The viewers on one site can accept Christ as their savior clicking on the tab during worship. Flamingo Road Church, based in Cooper City, Fla., twice conducted long-distance baptisms using the Internet.

When the religion became interactive, the Christians were forced to re-examine their idea of church. This is a many-sided matter involving theology, tradition and cultural expectations of Christianity. Even developers of Internet church sites have the various opinions. The critics affirm that true Christian community requires in-person interaction. They ridicule the sites and call them religious fast food or Christianity lite. But advocates regard the Internet just another neighborhood where real relationships also the religious ones can be built. Granger Community Church of Indiana is one of the churches which are going to launch its Internet campus soon, considering the Internet the church's "front porch." Pastors who back the sites say they feel a religious duty to harness this new way for reaching the spiritually lost. Central Christian Church started a new church service this fall on Facebook creating for people the ability to go to church online as they bank online, date online and so on.

Rock-style worship music and a sermon recorded at the in-person weekend service that is mixed with live or recorded greetings expressly for online viewers – this is the same basics such sites share. Volunteers on live chat emphasize that day's Bible teaching and block inappropriate posts.

Each site also has its individual features. For example, at Seacoast Church, based in Mount Pleasant, S.C., online viewers can repent by posting a private record of their sins on a cross. On the Granger site, visitors will be able to choose "seats" in an auditorium, and then click on surrounding seats to exchange Facebook and Twitter addresses.

There is no an exact count of interactive online campuses for the present day. The Leadership Network, which studies and supports innovative churches, has found at least 40 and this number permanently grows.

Everything started from Oklahoma megachurch named LifeChurch.tv in a nod to its use of technology. The congregation had already expanded to physical sites in several cities when in 2006, pastors launched what they now call Church Online. LifeChurch.tv now broadcasts more than 25 online services each week and plans more. The services collectively draw up to 60,000 unique viewers from 140 countries weekly, although the number of new computers that log on for several minutes is about 5,000. There is also an uncommon way to attract people who are far from pious invented by LifeChurch.tv. The congregation buys Google ad words so that a person searching for them sees an ad inviting them to a live worship service instead. The goal is to move people into some in-person Christian experience, in church, a small Bible group or even a group that watches online services together, as explained Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor.The fact that the churches are built in the World Wide Web became wide-spread. A... more

hpseaton
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Is monogamy realistic?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/28/monogamy.realistic.today/index.html If you were... more

singrrr
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11 days ago
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Zombies and vampires beware! Pastor to hold traditional service in graveyard!

Church tradition and customs of the Middle Ages are not lost to Pastor Ryan Stout and his congregation at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York Mills.

Along with the candy and trick-or-treating, Halloween is often thought of in today’s society as a scary night of ghouls, goblins, death, and often evil.

Not so, says Pastor Stout, who plans to hold a non-traditional church service Halloween night in the cemetery.

Despite its image of vampires, werewolves, and walking dead, Halloween is actually an important date on the Christian calendar. It’s a holiday associated with Hallowtide, which is a three-day celebration of Halloween (Oct. 31), All Saints Day (Nov. 1), and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).

Stout wants to push aside some of Halloween’s scariness and underlying evil, and celebrate the night by resurrecting some of the Christian traditions the holiday holds.

What better way to dig up the overlooked Christian holiday of Halloween by holding a church service in a graveyard... at night, as a light fog slowly creeps over the headstones?

We’ve come to know Halloween as a fun fright night, perpetuated by spooky cemetery scenes from pop culture icons like Scooby-Doo. Zoinks!

“We tend to think of Halloween as something scary and don’t think of it as something associated with Christianity,” Stout says. “Some even think of it as anti-Christian.”

Pastor Stout chose four Biblical readings for this service, to be read by members of the church. Those interested in attending the service will meet in the cemetery, and it’s a good idea to bring a flashlight.

Different points along the walking service will have people set up to do readings, and act out different scenes in the Bible.

Readers will be dressed in costume to fit the appropriate Bible passage. Stout expects to see a witch, possibly a skeleton and other characters with Halloween and Biblical associations.

“We’re not doing anything weird,” Stout claims. “We’re reclaiming the Christian roots of Halloween.”Church tradition and customs of the Middle Ages are not lost to Pastor Ryan Stout and... more

hpseaton
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Larry David Blasted for 'Curb' Episode Where He Urinates on Jesus Painting

"Comedian Larry David is under attack from critics who say he pushed the mocking of... more

clish1
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12 days ago
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Christian in Somalia Who Refused to Wear Veil is Killed

NAIROBI, Kenya, Three masked members of a militant Islamist group in Somalia last week shot and killed a Somali Christian who declined to wear a veil as prescribed by Muslim custom, according to a Christian source in Somalia.

Members of the comparatively “moderate” Suna Waljameca group killed Amina Muse Ali, 45, on Oct. 19 at 9:30 p.m. in her home in Galkayo, in Somalia’s autonomous Puntland region, said the source who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Ali had told Christian leaders that she had received several threats from members of Suna Waljameca for not wearing a veil, symbolic of adherence to Islam. She had said members of the group had long monitored her movements because they suspected she was a Christian.

The source said Ali had called him on Oct. 4 saying, “My life is in danger. I am warned of dire consequences if I continue to live without putting on the veil. I need prayers from the fellowship.”

“I was shocked beyond words when I received the news that she had been shot dead,” the source in Somalia told Compass by telephone. “I wished I could have recalled her to my location. We have lost a long-serving Christian.”

Ali had come to Galkayo from Jilib, 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Kismayo, in 2007. She arrived in Puntland at the invitation of a close friend, Saynab Warsame of the Darod clan, when the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab invaded Kismayo, the source said. Warsame was born in Kismayo and had lived in Jilib but moved to Puntland when war broke out in 1991.

The source said it is not known if even Warsame knew of Ali’s conversion from Islam to Christianity.

“She might not have known, because Warsame is not a Christian,” he said.

In 1997 Ali, an orphan and unmarried, joined the Somali Christian Brothers’ Organization, a movement commonly known as the Somali Community-Based Organization. As such she had been an active member of the underground church in the Lower Juba region.

Muslim extremists have targeted the movement, killing some of its leaders after finding them in possession of Bibles. The organization was started in 1996 by Bishop Abdi Gure Hayo.NAIROBI, Kenya, Three masked members of a militant Islamist group in Somalia last week... more

hpseaton
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Church Burning Bibles on Halloween

Church ib West NC will be burning Bibles which are not Authentic King James; scheduled... more

wncchase
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APOCAMON: THE FINAL JUDGEMENT

THIS COMIC IS A REVELATION!

remanns
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13 days ago
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Hitchens: Christianity is a fraud if it’s not literally true

If the story of Jesus Christ isn't literally true, then Christianity is a fraud that promotes "a positively wicked doctrine," conservative writer Christopher Hitchens told Fox & Friends Monday morning.

Hitchens, an avowed atheist whose 2007 book God is Not Great attempts to divorce conservatism from religious teachings, discussed the role of religion in American society in the wake of a recent study (PDF) that shows the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has roughly doubled in the past two decades, from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2008.

The study, conducted by Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, predicts that a full one-quarter of Americans will have no religious affiliation by 2028. The study notes that the number of non-believers among younger people is considerably higher than among older people, suggesting that the trend of Americans growing less religious will continue in coming years.

Those people who claim no religious affiliation are "not all atheists by any means," Hitchens told host Gretchen Carlson. "They're just people who don't attend a church, don't have a faith. I think it's fair to call them agnostics. The number of people, like myself, who think religion is false, that it's a delusion and that it's bad for you, is still pretty small."

Hitchens said Americans are increasingly turning against organized religion "because they want to push back against theocracy and the parties of God and the awful challenge they pose to us internationally."

"By the way, your side seems to be winning in public schools, at least across America," Carlson told Hitchens.

Hitchens appeared on Fox with pastor Douglas Wilson, who appeared along with Hitchens in the recent documentary Collision, which explores the battle of ideas between the religious and the non-religious.

The two came to an unexpected agreement on one issue: They both attacked the notion, popular among some secular thinkers, that Christianity is a socially positive thing even if it's not true.

"If Jesus didn't come back from the dead, then Christianity is appalling, it's an appalling fraud and delusion and every unbeliever should attack it," Wilson said. "Christianity is not good for the world because it makes people decent and sober and that sort of thing. At the end of the day, if it's not true, if it's not objectively true, then I don't have any more use for it than Christopher does."

Hitchens echoed that idea, but made it clear he does actually consider Christianity a fraud.

"They say, well the Bible story's not really true, they're morality tales. Don't listen to it, because if it's based on a fraud, if the virgin birth and the resurrection and the miracles did not occur, which they did not, then those teachings are immoral, they teach that sins can be forgiven by throwing them on to a scapegoat -- a positively wicked doctrine."If the story of Jesus Christ isn't literally true, then Christianity is a fraud that... more