Rethinking Faith

"God cannot get close when everything is delightful. He seems to need these darker hours, these..."

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:19:42 -0500

“

God cannot get close when everything is delightful. He seems to need these darker hours, these empty-hearted hours to mean the most to people. You and I have known that over the coffin. We have known it when we parted and our hearts were sore. We have known it when we lay in bed helpless. Is this a deep truth in the very heart of nature? We sing,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me.

Is the cross the only doorway to the very heart of God?

”

- Frank C. Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic (p. 61). Purposeful Design Publications. Kindle Edition.

New Blog Addresses the Generation Known As "Leavers"

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:44:00 -0500

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you may relate to Tim Leigh and a new blog that gives voice to generation of Christians who, although they still identify as Christians, have left or are leaving the “church” as we know it. Having left, they still want what the church was supposed give them. They just can’t find it in the current menu of options that go by the word “church.”

In a blog at (re)churched entitled “Unchurched Christianity: Where do we go from here?” Tim writes:

If you’re like me, you wish there was another word to identify with other than “Christian” as Christianity has become associated with the stigma of being politically extreme, anti-science (anti-fact), narrow minded, or simply intolerant of those who believe or live differently. If you take offense to that statement, and I myself know that it does not represent Christianity in its truest form, you may need to come to terms with the fact that it is the reputation that we have earned due to the actions of those of us with the loudest mouths and failure of the rest of us to make any noise to the contrary.
I believe in God, but I just can’t go to church anymore. By “anymore”, I mean since senior year of High School. As a Christian, I feel bad about this fact, but it would appear that the stats are in my favor in that I am not nearly the only one that feels this way. For example:

According to USA Today, 70% of Protestants between the ages of 18 and 30 will leave the church before age of 23

Christianity Today cites a study that claims the percentage of Americans checking the “no religion” box has almost doubled from 8% in 1990 to 15% in 2008

Andrew Sullivan made a stir recently with the article Forget the Church, Follow Jesus published in the Daily Beast and featured on the cover of Newsweek

On the “Tony Campolo & Friends” blog, Red Letter Christians, Christian Priatt found 7 main responses to why young Christians have chosen an alternative to contemporary church:

Read the rest here.

New Blog Addresses the Generation Known As "Leavers"

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:37:34 -0500

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you may relate to Tim Leigh and a new blog that gives voice to generation of Christians who, although they still identify as Christians, have left or are leaving the “church” as we know it. Having left, they still want what the church was supposed give them. They just can’t find it in the current menu of options that go by the word “church.”

In a blog at (re)churched entitled “Unchurched Christianity: Where do we go from here?” Tim writes:

If you’re like me, you wish there was another word to identify with other than “Christian” as Christianity has become associated with the stigma of being politically extreme, anti-science (anti-fact), narrow minded, or simply intolerant of those who believe or live differently. If you take offense to that statement, and I myself know that it does not represent Christianity in its truest form, you may need to come to terms with the fact that it is the reputation that we have earned due to the actions of those of us with the loudest mouths and failure of the rest of us to make any noise to the contrary.
I believe in God, but I just can’t go to church anymore. By “anymore”, I mean since senior year of High School. As a Christian, I feel bad about this fact, but it would appear that the stats are in my favor in that I am not nearly the only one that feels this way. For example:

According to USA Today, 70% of Protestants between the ages of 18 and 30 will leave the church before age of 23

Christianity Today cites a study that claims the percentage of Americans checking the “no religion” box has almost doubled from 8% in 1990 to 15% in 2008

Andrew Sullivan made a stir recently with the article Forget the Church, Follow Jesus published in the Daily Beast and featured on the cover of Newsweek

On the “Tony Campolo & Friends” blog, Red Letter Christians, Christian Priatt found 7 main responses to why young Christians have chosen an alternative to contemporary church:

Read the rest here.

On a hill, far far away - the Whirlpool Galaxy. Blessed Good...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:46:10 -0500

On a hill, far far away - the Whirlpool Galaxy. Blessed Good Friday, fellow earthlings!

Source: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire/pr1992017a/

This Is My Father’s World This is my Father’s...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:34:24 -0500

This Is My Father’s World

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world: he shines in all that’s fair; in the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!

Text: Maltbie D. Babcock Music: Trad. English melody; adapt. by Franklin L. Sheppard Tune: TERRA BEATA, Meter: SMD

Who are we, that we should NOT know God? (cf. Isaiah 1 & Romans 1:18-25)

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:02:31 -0500

Who are we, that we should NOT know God?

(cf. Isaiah 1 & Romans 1:18-25)

"I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God..."

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:54:08 -0500

“I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God disgusting.”

- Frank Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic (p. 23). Purposeful Design Publications. Kindle Edition.

(Oh to find that spot and stay there!)

"We are not saying that radical Islam is not a threat. We are not denying that there are some..."

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:19:05 -0500

“

We are not saying that radical Islam is not a threat. We are not denying that there are some struggles that we face as a minority….

What we are saying, is that for us [Palestinian Christians], the real issue and the core of our struggles is the Israeli occupation. The occupation is real. It has been our reality for the last 45 years. It is the main reason why Palestinian Christians are leaving. Every Palestinian Christian leader and every major Christian movement, Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants alike, have stressed this. The Kairos Palestine document, which clearly states that the occupation is the core issue for Palestinian Christians, was endorsed by all the heads of the churches. In addition, when one speaks about the exodus of Palestinian Christians from the Holy Land, it must be stressed that almost 50,000-60,000 Christians were forced to leave historical Palestine as a result of the Nakba of 1948.

To insist that radical Islam is the primary struggle for Palestinian Christians undermines the sufferings of Palestinian Christians caused by the occupation, and labels these struggles as imagined and unreal. This is insulting. To blame the Muslims is an attempt to mask the injustices of the occupation.

”

- Munther Isaac, Vice Academic Dean at Bethlehem Bible College and a PhD candidate at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies. He is also the director of the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference.

Source: http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/03/27/palestinian-christians-react-israeli-ambassador%E2%80%99s-claims-about-holy-land-churches#

"From my observations, it adds up to this: the new atheists’ difficulty with valid, responsible..."

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:06:13 -0500

“From my observations, it adds up to this: the new atheists’ difficulty with valid, responsible reasoning is widespread and systemic. Far from being the defenders of reason, they are among the chief offenders against it. It’s time we called them on that.”

- Tom Gilson, writer, missions strategist and blogger at www.thinkingchristian.net, and the managing editor of the collaborative e-book “True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism.”

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/atheists-dont-own-reason/2012/03/21/gIQA4JWUSS_blog.html

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t..."

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:13:31 -0500

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

- Dr. Seuss

"Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks..."

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:34:47 -0500

“

Christ be with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

”

- This prayer is attributed to St. Patrick.

www.commonprayer.net 3-17-12

"Easter holds the secret to being unstoppable! Our world seems to languish in perpetual ‘winter’—a..."

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:16:54 -0500

“

Easter holds the secret to being unstoppable!

Our world seems to languish in perpetual ‘winter’—a teetering world economy, wars and terror cells, violence in our streets, disease and natural disasters, fragmenting families and relationships. Our society has even been called a ‘culture of death’ (Pope John Paul II). Yet, to quote our dear friend Dr. Bilezikian, who will be with us on Palm Sunday, ‘Looming over all the devastation, there is the towering figure of the risen Christ. Having himself come from death to life, he wants to infuse us, our families, our church, and our world with resurrection-powered renewal!’

Easter will make us dance on our own graves!

‘Easter is God’s festal protest against death’ (J. Moltmann). It tells us that Christ’s followers can rise above all challenges, even as someday they’ll rise like Jesus to overcome death. It is God’s battle cry for all who would live life to its fullest purpose and meaning, now and in eternity. If that is you—or the person you’d like to be—and you welcome Jesus’ voice like the warm breath of spring, please gather with us this Easter!

Come celebrate Easter and the transforming life Jesus unleashed when he blew open the gates of Hades from the inside out and toppled the stone meant to lock him in his tomb. Together we can experience his resurrection-powered renewal in community, as individuals and families changed by him!

See you in church!

”

- Rev. David Leigh Armenian Evangelical Church Mount Prospect, IL

www.thejesusagenda.net

Heartless Zionism Twenty-three-year-old American activist Rachel...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:02:18 -0500

Heartless Zionism

Twenty-three-year-old American activist Rachel Corrie was killed on this day in 2003. While countless Palestinian people have been killed the way Rachel was, her death marks a key moment symbolizing international concern. She was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza as she knelt in front of the home of a Palestinian friend and tried to stop the demolition of their house.

Source: commonprayer.net 3-16-12

Israeli Group Opposes Demolition of Palestinian Homes--And More!

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:00:06 -0500

Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) is a non-violent, direct-action organization established in 1997 to resist Israeli demolition of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territories — 24,000 as of this writing and counting. As we gained knowledge of the brutalities of the Occupation, we expanded our resistance activities to other areas – land expropriation, settlement expansion, by-pass road construction, policies of “closure” and “separation,” the wholesale uprooting of fruit and olive trees, the Separation Barrier/Wall, the siege of Gaza and more.

Today, while we continue our active opposition to the Occupation “on the ground,” and in particular Israel’s demolishing of Palestinian homes, we engage in a vigorous campaign of international advocacy to end the Occupation altogether and to achieve a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. ICAHD does not advocate for any particular solution to the conflict, believing that is solely the Palestinians prerogative, but we do support any solution — two-state, one-state or regional — which offers a just and inclusive peace. ICAHD supports the Palestinian civil society call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) on Israel until the Occupation ends.

ICAHD works closely with both the Israeli peace camp and our Palestinian partners, as well as with dozens of civil society organizations world-wide. Our work in the Occupied Territories, especially the rebuilding of demolished homes (ICAHD has rebuilt more than 165 homes as acts of political resistance) is closely coordinated with local Palestinian groups.

Learn More

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:17:35 -0600

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

- Joseph Campbell via Greg Boyd on fb

Stephen Biko (1946 – 1977) was an anti-apartheid activist in...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:48:32 -0600

Stephen Biko (1946 – 1977) was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. Died in police custody.

Partisanship runs precisely counter to Jesus’ own observation that his followers would be known by their love (John 13:35). How so? Partisan rancor has reached a fever pitch in our political process. Long serving politicians have resisted seeking re-election because the politics of “personal destruction” have become so prevalent. Potentially good candidates simply do not want to put their families through the gauntlet. Those who disagree with the “party line” are not just rational persons with a different perspective. Instead, more and more frequently, they are demonized for their disagreement. And, that partisanship that has become increasingly the norm in the culture is quickly becoming the norm within the church—if it hasn’t already.

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:48:46 -0600

Partisanship runs precisely counter to Jesus’ own observation that his followers would be known by their love (John 13:35). How so? Partisan rancor has reached a fever pitch in our political process. Long serving politicians have resisted seeking re-election because the politics of “personal destruction” have become so prevalent. Potentially good candidates simply do not want to put their families through the gauntlet. Those who disagree with the “party line” are not just rational persons with a different perspective. Instead, more and more frequently, they are demonized for their disagreement. And, that partisanship that has become increasingly the norm in the culture is quickly becoming the norm within the church—if it hasn’t already.

Rethinking people who fly….

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:59:49 -0600

Rethinking people who fly….

israelfacts: Professional Torah restorer Mehrdad Sassany works...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:08:08 -0600

israelfacts:

Professional Torah restorer Mehrdad Sassany works on the restoration of a 100 to 120-year-old Torah, first hand written in Baghdad on cow leather, at Iran’s Jewish Association in Tehran, March 1, 2012. Iran’s 25,000 strong Jewish community is represented by one member of parliament as guaranteed by the constitution. The country’s parliamentary elections will take place on Friday. (Reuters)

"Our blessed Saviour and His Apostles are wholly taken up in doctrines that relate to common life...."

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:41:58 -0600

“Our blessed Saviour and His Apostles are wholly taken up in doctrines that relate to common life. They call us to renounce the world, and differ in every temper and way of life, from the spirit and the way of the world: to renounce all its goods, to fear none of its evils, to reject its joys, and have no value for its happiness: to be as new-born babes, that are born into a new state of things: to live as pilgrims in spiritual watching, in holy fear, and heavenly aspiring after another life: to take up our daily cross, to deny ourselves, to profess the blessedness of mourning, to seek the blessedness of poverty of spirit: to forsake the pride and vanity of riches, to take no thought for the morrow, to live in the profoundest state of humility, to rejoice in worldly sufferings: to reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: to bear injuries, to forgive and bless our enemies, and to love mankind as God loveth them: to give up our whole hearts and affections to God, and strive to enter through the strait gate into a life of eternal glory.

This is the common devotion which our blessed Saviour taught, in order to make it the common life of all Christians. Is it not therefore exceeding strange that people should place so much piety in the attendance upon public worship, concerning which there is not one precept of our Lord’s to be found, and yet neglect these common duties of our ordinary life, which are commanded in every page of the Gospel? I call these duties the devotion of our common life, because if they are to be practised, they must be made parts of our common life; they can have no place anywhere else.”

- William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (c. 1729 AD, Kindle Edition: Locations 127-139).