Free Republic

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” – Mary worshipping God in Luke 1:46–47 Mary was simply a very godly young woman who loved the Lord and trusted in Him despite great risk to her own reputation. She repeatedly appears as a devout woman who loved God and was a loving mother to Jesus. Contrary to some aberrant teaching, she did not remain a virgin, but mothered other sons such as James and Jude, who visited Jesus with Mary during His ministry (Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21) and later became pastors who penned...

Controversial Book 'The Shack' Touts Growth Amid Sales Slump For 33 straight weeks, popular novel The Shack has been holding the No. 1 spot on the New York Times best-sellers list for Paperback Trade Fiction and reported a significant growth in sales last month while overall book sales dropped. Thu, Jan. 15, 2009 Posted: 08:29 AM EST For 33 straight weeks, popular novel The Shack has been holding the No. 1 spot on the New York Times best-sellers list for Paperback Trade Fiction and reported a significant growth in sales last month while overall book sales dropped. "During the five...

One of the key leaders of today's most cutting-edge church movement has opened an Internet discussion on the issue of same-sex marriage with the bold proclamation that he believes "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and queer" individuals can and should live out their sexuality in – and blessed by – the Christian church. "I now believe that GLBTQ can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity (as least as much as any of us can!)," writes author and church leader Tony Jones, "and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state." Jones is an author...

I Hope I Can Count On Your Vote Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama. I have many thoughts about this important election and all that has gone with it. At this exciting time I have my own announcement to make. After two years of thinking, planning and dreaming I have made a decision to add a new component to my work and service life: I am going to join the political field and run for public office. So, today I announce that I am running for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2010. While the 2008 election just ended minutes ago, I...

What is emerging in the modern Church? In America - historically Israel's greatest friend - there is a growing dislike of the Jewish state among certain Christian groups. This follows a downturn in interest in Bible prophecy teaching in U.S. churches. What are the reasons for that decline? There are many, but a major one is the emergence of the "Emerging Church." Emergents still identify themselves as evangelicals, which is clever since they share many of the same views as radical scholars like Marcus Borg or John Spong (who don't believe any of the fundamentals of the faith). Emergents, though,...

Pagitt and Jones have attracted national attention for calling on Christians to re-consider their theological assumptions. Solomon's Porch is the laboratory for their experiment. Pagitt started the church in 2000 after a stint as the youth pastor at Wooddale Church, a suburban megachurch led by National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) president Leith Anderson. Before moving to its current location, Solomon's Porch gathered in a downtown neighborhood near John Piper and Bethlehem Baptist Church. Piper has publicly criticized emergent, as he earlier had criticized St. Paul pastor Greg Boyd, a controversial advocate of open theism. ...(snip) The limits of Piper's flexibility,...

Younger evangelicals split over Palin choice as VP Sun Sep 14, 12:50 PM EDT When Jessica Stollings learned on Facebook that John McCain had named Sarah Palin as his running mate, the 26-year-old from Bristol, Tenn., took the day off and picked up some campaign yard signs. Just like that, she went from "just a voter" to a McCain evangelist. "He's a lot more visionary than I thought," said Stollings, a blooming evangelical activist for her generation who believes God has raised up Palin "for such a time as this."Similar excitement built on the Virginia campus of conservative Christian Patrick...

The polished services at large churches today may be earnest, but spiritually, they can miss the mark. My friend Jennie is a singer with a worship team at a local "megachurch." Recently, while rehearsing songs for the next day's worship service, she found herself experiencing a deep sense of union with God. As the music faded away, she stood in silent worship, then noticed someone speaking her name. "Jennie," called the worship leader, observing the rehearsal from the front seats, "when you're worshipping, don't forget to keep your fingers evenly spaced on the microphone. Thanks, everybody. Take a break." Ouch....

The philosophy within the emergent movement: 'It's time for us to take back Christianity' By Jane Clifford UNION-TRIBUNE FAMILY EDITOR June 21, 2008 It's not often that you can go out for an evening and enjoy book readings, musical theater and a spiritual message – all in the same place. But that's exactly what happened for those who showed up for “The Church Basement Roadshow: A Rollin' Gospel Revival� Sunday night at Christ Lutheran Church in Pacific Beach.Three guys – Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt and Mark Scandrette – play six characters in their 90-minute show, which is a provocative way...

Whose 'Evangelical Manifesto'?Warren Smith - Guest Columnist - 4/17/2008 6:00:00 AM If all goes according to plan, on or about May 7, a group of evangelical leaders -- including the Rev. Rick Warren (of Saddleback Church and "Purpose Driven Life" fame) and Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals -- will publish a document to be called "An Evangelical Manifesto: The Washington Declaration of Identity and Public Commitment." Though the document has been circulating around the Internet for a month, it has been "embargoed." For purposes of our discussion here, I will honor the embargo and not delve...

Emergent Church Spreading Spiritual Cancer Marsha West In the Sixties the counterculture rejected consumerism, individualism, traditional values and ideas, and protested against their parent’s middle class values. Thus began an all out assault on what had made America prosperous for two centuries. Now a similar assault on historic orthodox Christianity is underway that’s gaining momentum. Some Christians believe a paradigm shift is taking place in the Church and as a consequence “everything must change.” This is anything but good news for Christendom, my friends. In a radio interview with Worldview Network’s Brannon Howse, Professor Peter Jones of Westminster Seminary warned...

The participation of emergent church leaders in an interfaith dialogue raised flags for some conservative Christians who have been concerned over a growing cooperation of emergent church leaders with New Spirituality/New Age leaders.Thu, Apr. 17, 2008 Posted: 08:31:33 AM EST The participation of emergent church leaders in an interfaith dialogue raised flags for some conservative Christians who have been concerned over a growing cooperation of emergent church leaders with New Spirituality/New Age leaders. Prior to Tuesday's InterSpirituality Day panel discussions, hosted by Seeds of Compassion, Christian talk show host Ingrid Schlueter of Crosstalk Radio warned the public that emergent leaders...

Are you a part of life’s rhythm? Or do you march to the beat of your own drum? It was these and other questions that thirteen Butler University and Franklin College students attempted to answer Wednesday night, April 9, after viewing a video that is the 11th in a line of videos called “Noomas.” Grace Unlimited sponsored the event which took place at Butler’s Center for Faith and Vocation, and promoted it as “an open, unpressured discussion of life’s big questions.” According to etymonline.com, “nooma” comes from the Greek word “pneuma” which means “spirit, wind or breath.” Rob Bell is...

MONTREAT, NC — Diana Butler Bass, author of six books on American religious practice, including Christianity for the Rest of Us and The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church, will head the slate of preachers and teachers at this year’s “Reclaiming the Text� conference, May 26-30, at Montreat Conference Center.  The conference theme for 2008, “New Life Emerging from Ancient Texts: Breathing New Life Into the Lectionary,� will focus on connections between ancient texts and emerging contexts.“An emergent church is a congregation that is trying to speak to a new set of cultural conditions,� Bass said.  “It’s not any...

In a city of people not exactly known for having formal religious ties, some 7,400 cheered Tuesday morning as they welcomed the Dalai Lama, Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and about a half dozen other religious leaders. On the last day of the Dalai Lama's visit to Seattle for a gathering on compassion, he joined Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and other Buddhist representatives — along with some young people — for a panel discussion on spiritual connection. Moderator Joan Halifax Roshi, a Zen Buddhist master, began the morning by asking everyone to "come into collective silence and pray in whatever way...

During a shift from the modern world to what many call a postmodern world, ministers who lead younger flocks are finding more reason to change their approach to youth ministry. Thu, Apr. 10, 2008 Posted: 14:33:08 PM EST During a shift from the modern world to what many call a postmodern world, ministers who lead younger flocks are finding more reason to change their approach to youth ministry. With students walking away from the church in droves, youth ministry is no longer viewed as just fun and games. Rather, it's a serious time in ministry where high levels of creativity...

Non-Christians are more receptive to the Gospel today than at any point in recent American history, according to one research team. Tue, Apr. 08, 2008 Posted: 15:19:18 PM EST Non-Christians are more receptive to the Gospel today than at any point in recent American history, according to one research team. "We are seeing a new level of curiosity among those who are seeking out religion – and we rejoice that people are willing to hear about Jesus," said Sam S. Rainer III, who heads Rainer Research. While Rainer said he finds the increased receptivity among non-believers encouraging, the problem lies...

'Deep Shift' hopes to shake things upEverything Much Change Tour tries to alter dynamics of religious conversation Brian McLaren Those who think they have evangelicals figured out and have relegated them to a confined conceptual box may be in for surprise if they hear Brian McLaren speak at First United Church, April 4-5 as he brings his Everything Must Change Tour to Oak Park.In his book by the same name, which he is promoting on the tour, McLaren acknowledges that evangelicals have in the past been concerned only with getting people "saved." While he has nothing against being born again,...

Profile: Mars Hill Bible Church pastor Rob Bell Posted by slangford March 23, 2008 00:00AM Press Photo/Paul L. Newby IIFull of humor: The Rev. Rob Bell, of Mars Hill Bible Church, lets out a big laugh as he speaks to his congregation on a Sunday morning. Bell works on a sermon for weeks, sometimes months, before he delivers it. "A good sermon will exhaust you and inspire you," he says. "You'll say, 'Whoa -- that's a full meal. It'll take me a week to recover from that.'" More photos The Rev. Rob Bell hops up onto the circular stage...

Tickets to see the Dalai Lama in Seattle next month are going fast. The Tibetan Buddhist leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner will be in Seattle April 11-15, joining other global leaders in discussions about the importance of nurturing compassion in children....

..."It is the same style of meditation that is basically being performed by Eastern religion practitioners," said Deborah Dumbowski, who with her husband, Dave, started an Oregon publishing house, Web site and 25,000-name e-newsletter to oppose the incorporation of such elements into evangelical worship. "It's being presented as Christianity, and we're saying this isn't Christianity -- not according to what the Bible says. . . . We believe it really does deny the gospel message."... "We do believe there is value in confessing our sins to each other," said Bobby Gruenewald, pastor at Lifechurch.tv, an Oklahoma-based megachurch that runs mysecret.tv,...

Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll preached on the still popular and still controversial topic of emerging churches in his latest sermon. But it’s an issue he normally wouldn’t teach to his mainly twenty-something church crowd in Seattle. That’s because Mars Hill attendants don’t use the language “emerging church” as many Christian leaders label them. The issue of the emerging church, however, was raised when thousands of people, who regularly tune into Mars Hill sermons every week through the Internet, voted to make it the No. 2 most popular topic they wanted Driscoll to address in a sermon series titled “Religion...

If Jesus walked the earth today, he'd drink fair-trade coffee and fill his Blackberry with non-church activities. So says Brian McLaren, author of more than a dozen books on modern Christianity - most recently Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis, and a Revolution of Hope. In Everything Must Change, McLaren urges an examination of four critical issues: the environment, poverty, world peace and religious understanding. The book is titled Everything Must Change. Do you mean everything? Are we doing anything right?The laws of gravity and the speed of light are just fine. (laughs) But what I'm saying with "everything" is...

By the end of the year, “Oprah & Friends” listeners will have completed all of the lessons laid out in the Course in Miracles Workbook. Those who finish the Course will have a wholly redefined spiritual mindset—a New Age worldview that includes the belief that there is no sin, no evil, no devil, and that God is “in” everyone and everything. A Course in Miracles teaches its students to rethink everything they believe about God and life. The Course Workbook bluntly states: “This is a course in mind training”5 and is dedicated to “thought reversal.”6

TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida pastor has a new challenge for his parishioners. It involves sex - a subject that may be taboo in many congregations. The Relevant Church in Tampa's Ybor City has issued a 30-day sex challenge. ... Single men and women can't have sex for 30 days, and married couples are urged to have it every day. Click here to read more on this story from MyFOXTampaBay.

Cedarville University, a Baptist school in southwest Ohio, decided on January 30 to cancel a lecture from Christian social activist Shane Claiborne originally slated for tonight (Feb. 11) in the school's Dixon Ministry Center, after a small but vocal number of bloggers saw the lecture as a step toward liberal theology. After Cedarville's public relations office announced on January 22 that Cedarville would be hosting "An Evening with Shane Claiborne," some blogs decried the decision to invite someone they labeled as belonging to the Emergent community. Links to the blogs were then e-mailed to alumni and pastors, some of whom...

The Future Lies in the Past -- Why evangelicals are connecting with the early church as they move into the 21st century.Many 20- and 30-something evangelicals are uneasy and alienated in mall-like church environments; high-energy, entertainment-oriented worship; and boomer-era ministry strategies and structures modeled on the business world. Increasingly, they are asking just how these culturally camouflaged churches can help them rise above the values of the consumerist world around them. For younger evangelicals, traditional churches are too centered on words and propositions. And pragmatic churches are compromising authentic Christianity by tailoring their ministries to the marketplace and pop culture....

ince Vatican II the Mass has fallen victim to various kinds of irregularities. This issue has been much discussed from various perspectives, but in this article we will examine a previously neglected aspect of the situation — namely, the psychological reasons why priests have introduced these changes. We will not deal with theological explanations for why the Mass has been subject to liturgical experimentation, nor will we discuss liturgical rationales for such innovations. Instead, we will focus on the psychology of the priest and those assisting at the liturgy that is, on the psychological motives as distinct from theological and...

The information in this article about Tony Jones (the US director of the Emergent Church and closely aligned with Brian McLaren) is bothersome, to think that Tony Jones may not be a true believer and yet is accepted by many in the church as though he were. This is just an excerpt from a three part article on the Emergent Church by Richard Bennett. We should pray that Tony Jones really meets Jesus and repents from promoting forms of Eastern mysticism and Roman Catholic heresies. I do not know if he is born again or not, I can only go...

KEN SILVA THREATENED WITH LAWSUIT OVER TONY JONES In my post Tony Jones Defender I mentioned that during a recent phone call Julie Jones had threatened me with a lawsuit for defamation of character. For those who don’t know she is the wife of Tony Jones, a well known leader in the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church. Quite understandably she has taken exception to my writings concerning her husband Tony Jones. In her letter, which I published at her behest, Julie Jones went to great lengths to prove Tony Jones is a Christian. Well today in responding to a...

2007 Trends Analysis: Americans Reformulating Christianity By Audrey Barrick Christian Post Reporter Tue, Dec. 04 2007 09:34 AM ET As fewer Americans identify themselves with Christianity, research indicates that those who remain Christian are redefining what "Christian" means. Study: Christianity No Longer Looks Like Jesus Younger generations are not bound by traditional parameters of the Christian faith and instead are embracing values that are not necessarily based on biblical foundations, according to a recent analysis by The Barna Group. Although faith is an acceptable attribute and pursuit among most young people, their notions of faith do not align with conventional...

WAKE FOREST, NC --The emerging church movement has arisen to fill a void created by the ineffectiveness of most conventional churches in spreading the Gospel, researcher-missiologist Ed Stetzer said at a Sept. 21-22 "Convergent" conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Stetzer and Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and president of the Acts 29 Network for church planting, were among the conference's featured speakers at the Wake Forest, N.C., campus. Before comparing the orthodoxy of conventional churches and emerging churches, Stetzer challenged the crowd of 500-plus pastors, church planters and seminarians to ask what has prompted the...

We are engaged in a war that is not only defining our times, it is determining our destiny. I'm not talking about the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, or even the broader war on terror – those are offshoots of the real war. I'm talking about the culture war. The culture war is a struggle between secular socialism and free market traditionalism, and the outcome of this struggle will ultimately determine whether or not the jihadists will pick up the pieces to convert America and Canada into a North American caliphate.

Some are calling it the "Emerging Church Poster Wars." A group of "PyroManiacs" bloggers recently posted a series of what they called "Motivational Posters for the Emerging Chaos" which were denounced by some as mockeries. The posters featured several themes, each including a saying and image to go along with them. "Relevance: Tell me what I want to hear or else shut up and go away," states one poster picturing a young man with long hair, his eyes closed, and his hands cupped over the headphones he’s wearing. "Truth: It's an adventure, not an axiom. A story still unfolding, not...

Most people remember Sinéad O'Connor one of two ways: as that angelic, lovelorn figure in the video of her smash "Nothing Compares 2 U," or for tearing up a picture of the pope on Saturday Night Live. Her 20-year career has been marked with pop stardom and accolades, but also with controversy and misunderstanding. Even as she takes the stage at Joe's Pub in New York, one can sense the polarity. The venue only seats 150, enough to house a handful of fans and some of the biggest papers in town. But O'Connor, 40, isn't there to impress anyone. Her...

By Ray Baumann Posted: 07/02/2007 Ten Ways To Grow a Church Without GodBy Ray Baumann I have spent many hours figuring out how to grow churches. I recently found some old notes that I had taken at a conference some years ago. To my surprise, I had an outline for success that was void of a Savior even being involved. Back then I focused on what attracted people to church. This is what my list read: 1.  “Leadership is key.” This will be my number one way to grow the church without God. Thinking back, I would say that if I had...

For Roger Moran, the most powerful Baptist in Missouri, the past represents victory and personal grace. He has spent nearly a decade building a political Baptist empire, one based on a conservative foundation that he put in place. But when talk turns to the future — specifically, the future of the Missouri Baptist Convention — Moran is suddenly an Old Testament prophet of doom. His target: a young band of moderate Christians that he believes is trying to steal back the convention, undercutting his empire. It's a growing movement he'd like to see disappear. "You begin to see this new...

ATLANTA (ABP)—Atlanta church planter Jake Myers used the images of beer, candles and theologian Soren Kierkegaard to describe the “emergent conversation” taking place within Christianity, which he said could be a good fit for members of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Myers, who leads an emergent community in the Little Five Points area of Atlanta, led a breakout session during the CBF general assembly. He also serves on staff at Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta as a church planter and mission leader. The “emergent church” movement is a decade-old movement of Christians—both mainline and evangelical— exploring new expressions of Christianity...

An influential Baptist in Missouri believes the Emerging Church movement is one of the most dangerous and deceptive movements infiltrating Southern life and he's out to stop it. Roger Moran, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, is a conservative layman at First Baptist Church in Troy, Mo. But he's also considered the most powerful Baptist in the state, St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported Monday. Moran's driving concern is the rise of the emerging church and its threat to the future of the Baptist church in Missouri and across the nation. "Not since the stealth tactics of the...

I've Got To Get Some Things Off My Chest Greg Austin! www.gregaustin.org Don't Read This I warned you - I asked you NOT to read this, but here you are anyway . . . . Consider yourself warned! I've gotta say something. It's going to make some good, Emerging Church folks mad and it's going to offend "Ex-Church" friends alike. Some "Institutional Church" people won't like what I'm going to say any better. What I need to say is going to be extremely controversial, and knowing I'm going to stir folks up, I'm going to speak out anyway. Get mad...