The same ones insisting that the minimal requirements to join a church should be increased to include not only a profession of faith but some kind of tangible evidence probably rank among the same ones that sneer down their noses at those that attend a particular congregation quite regularly (even faithfully) but are reluctant about joining formally.
Isn't the Book of Proverbs an inherently non-Calvinist book. Proverbs 13:24 says "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." If individual decision plays no part in one's soteriological disposition, it would not matter what the parent did in relation to the child's discipline one way or the other.
A minister opposed to entertainment not so much from the standpoint of content but rather out of opposition to the concept as a whole denounced that particularly communicational methodology as inherently manipulative. Couldn’t the same be said of any ecclesiastical informational transference apart from a stentorian reading of the Scriptures?
The same ministers claiming it's wrong to entertain as part of vacation Bible school are the same ones that would throw a hissy fit if no children show up.
One doesn't earn brownie points with God for making ministerial presentations as dull as possible.
A pastor opposed to movies criticized Christian films for being "too ecumenical". To those this hardcore ramrod, that can mean as little as the protagonist not explicitly distinguishing himself as an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist that attends services twice on Sunday from a Conservative Southern Baptist or Bible Church that holds only one Sunday service.
In a sermon condemning movies, a pastor shared that he use to go to amusement parks but no longer does out of a sense of profound spiritual conviction. That translates roughly that he got old and now expects everyone below his level of existential chronology to embrace his own individual preference in regards to an issue not clearly defined in Scripture.
What's so wrong with Vacation Bible School having an element of fun entertainment as a conveyance to deliver profound truth? Unlike school, the state can't compel attendance. And since it is not part of formalized liturgical worship, one can't beat over the head with a Bible those that don't show up.
A number of bishops in the Church of England are suggesting that, even though they oppose efforts to legalize gay marriage, they will not oppose legislation authorizing the practice. In other words, they will only stand for morality when it’s not their silky frocks, posh digs, and job security on the line. So why should those of less established means then stick their necks out for anything if the leaders won’t jeopardize their own status?
Bill Clinton was named father of the year. It must be in recognition for the time he was overheard calling out to Monica “Who’s your daddy?” as the staff could not escape the sound of her moans filling the halls of the Oval Office.
Fox host Brian Kilmeade called into question the allegations of Edward Snowden in large part because the intelligence leaker is only 29 years old. Is he as dismissive of Fox reporter Peter Doocy who is also under 30 and likely has his professional position at Fox News in large part because he is the progeny of Fox & Friends cohost Steve Doocy.
Interesting. So Obama operatives can command a ministry conducting outreach to abused woman to remain silent regarding the organization’s religious and moral objections to abortion while the Obama administration authorizes the distribution of human pesticides irrespective of age. So why is the one considered an imposition of a morality while the other is not?
So if federal investigators determine that the destruction in a given area wasn’t caused by a tornado, does that mean that the property damage is miraculously repaired or that anyone killed during such devastation somehow less dead than initially thought?
If NSA whistleblower Eric Snowden is such a fraud, why should the government and the elites be all jacked out of shape at his allegations?
Marco Rubio has been telling the English media that the border will be secured before a path to citizen is established for illegals. However, it seems he has been telling Spanish media that illegals will be granted what amounts to modified amnesty before the border is secured. Didn't Arafat use to pull this kind of linguistic stunt?
Looking down one's nose at those wanting to see loved ones again someday in Heaven is akin to looking down one's nose at someone for having to take a leak after a large glass of water or getting after someone for getting the runs after eating Taco Bell. One can't demand one beg God for forgiveness for those aspects of finite creaturehood that are not inherently sinful.
I will not apologize that one of the things that keeps me going in this life is the hope that I will one day see my grandparents again in Heaven. If that makes me less of a Christian, I do not care to be affiliated with your brand of religion. The only thing I feel sorry for in regards to this matter is the fact that an individual has been so deprived of human love and devotion that their idealized eternity does not consist of an unending reunion with the dearly departed but rather the obliteration of the awareness that these individuals were in one's life at all.
Under Calvinism, shouldn't God delight in the damnation of the unregenerate since He deliberately created some for no other reason than to toss them into Hell?
A Portland, Oregon school district spent $500,000 insinuating that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist. If government continues this kind of foolish spending, the problem will eventually resolve itself. That is because society will collapse and there won't be anything to eat anyway.
In attempting to appeal to assorted minorities, the Southern Baptist Convention is condemning what is perceived as the nation's high incarceration rate. Does this ecclesiastical association also intend to condemn the attitude pervasive among a number of minority communities that those of certain backgrounds are not obligated to adhere to "White man's law"? Do the "non-violent" offenders Southern Baptist elites coming down with the affliction of liberal guilt want paroled include those stealing from churches?
Frederick Meekins is an independent theologian and social critic. Frederick holds a BS in Political Science/History, a MA in Apologetics/Christian Philosophy from Trinity Theological Seminary, and a PhD. in Christian Apologetics from Newburgh Theological Seminary.
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