Johnny and Chachi strike again—this time with some “Killer Community Tips” about how to have an effective small group ministry.
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Tebow in Pro-life Superbowl Ad
Focus on the Family has enlisted Tim Tebow to tell the pro-life story of his own birth. Doctors advised Tebow’s parents to abort him due to some complications with the pregnancy. His parents ignored the doctors’ recommendations and brought the pregnancy to term. And of course the rest is history. Tim Tebow grew up to become one of the greatest players in the history of college football. The Associated Press reports:
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What is Pat Robertson talking about?
When I first read news yesterday of Pat Robertson’s remarks about Haiti, I couldn’t believe that he had done it again (e.g., here, here, and here). The news report that I read said that he attributed the earthquake to a divine “curse.” Reading further, I found that his “curse” remark actually had more context–a context which only seemed to amplify the offense not lessen it. Read his remarks for yourself below, or watch the video above.
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Give to Haiti Disaster Relief
If you are horrified by the pictures coming out of Haiti and if you have any means at all, please consider giving a financial gift to disaster relief efforts. Many news reports say that the immediate need of relief organizations is cash, and many of us can help with that right now. Mark Kelly reports that Southern Baptist disaster relief is being led by Florida Baptists, who have had ministry relationships in Haiti for more than 20 years and currently have seven Haitian staff members who live and work in the country. Initial funding for the relief effort will come from the International Mission Board’s disaster relief fund. You can…
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Russell Moore on the Social Gospel
Russell Moore has a great piece on the social gospel in the latest 9Marks journal. Among other things, he asks and answers the question whether the emerging church represents a revival of the social gospel. He writes: “The doctrinal left wing of the ’emerging’ movement isn’t clarifying the doctrinal content of Christianity, but using, it seems, cunning words to downplay this doctrinal content in order to substitute a social program there instead. This can—and has—happened on the political right as well as on the political left, and with the same kind of wreckage left in its wake. . . “Let’s remember that the gospel is social but the social gospel…
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Air-Conditioning Hell
Albert Mohler says “embarrassment is the gateway drug for theological accommodation and denial.” The line appears in his article in the latest issue of the 9Marks journal, “Air Conditioning Hell: How Liberalism Happens.” Mohler argues that many evangelicals slip into liberalism simply because they are ashamed of certain doctrines. He enumerates four phases of backsliding that evangelicals go through on their way to liberalism. First, a doctrine simply falls from mention. Second, a doctrine is revised and retained in reduced form. Third, a doctrine is subjected to a form of ridicule. Fourth, a doctrine is reformulated in order to remove its intellectual and moral offensiveness. This is a really helpful…
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The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
Carl Trueman has another gem of an article in the latest 9Marks journal. It’s cleverly titled “The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.” So what’s the “scandal”? He explains: “Years ago, Mark Noll wrote a book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, in which he argued that the scandal was that there was no such thing. When it comes to evangelical scholars and scholarship, I disagree: the scandal is not that there is no mind; it is that these days there is precious little evangel.” Trueman is on point with this article. Read the rest here
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Which god?
A court in Malaysia recently overturned a government ban on the use of the word “Allah” to denote the Christian God. As a result, several Christian churches have been firebombed. Pray for Christian brothers and sisters in Malaysia. They need it now. Perhaps you are aware that western theologians and missiologists have long debated whether or not the Christian God and the Muslim “Allah” are the same God. It is a contentious debate with profound missiological implications. Have you considered, however, how that question has been answered on the Muslim side? According to the New York Times , the strife in Malaysia owes to the deeply held conviction among Muslims…
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California’s Same-Sex-Marriage Trial
This case could end up being the Roe v. Wade of the same-sex “marriage” debate in our culture, the Baptist Press reports. Two homosexual couples are challenging the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay “marriage” and which Californians passed with a majority vote in 2008. The plaintiffs argue that their 14th amendment right to “equal protection under the law” is being violated by Proposition 8. The New York Times reports about the first day of the trial, and a Baptist Press report implies that the California judge is likely to rule in favor of the plaintiffs. The case is likely to go all the way to the Supreme…
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Ross Douthat on Brit Hume
Ross Douthat of the New York Times weighed-in yesterday on the Brit Hume controversy. He writes: “What Hume said wasn’t bigoted: Indeed, his claim about the difference between Buddhism and Christianity was perfectly defensible. Christians believe in a personal God who forgives sins. Buddhists, as a rule, do not. And it’s at least plausible that Tiger Woods might welcome the possibility that there’s Someone out there capable of forgiving him, even if Elin Nordegren and his corporate sponsors never do.” His conclusion is right on point: