http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/protestant-religion/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:42:52 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418614/posts It is a vision most mainstream Canadian church leaders can only dream of: Sunday mornings in which parishioners dance and sing through three-hour services. Seminaries overflowing and unable to keep up with demand for pastors as the number of the newly baptized rises. The dream is a reality in such places as Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, where there is an explosion in Christianity. In the past decade, this demographic surge has started to spill out of Africa, as well as Asia and Latin America, in the form of missionaries to the West, a trend influencing everything from styles of worship... Holy Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418614/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:42:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418390/posts 1. What is theology? The term “theology” comes from the Greek words for “God” (theos) and “word,” or “body of knowledge” (logos); hence, it means, literally, “the body of knowledge about God,” or, more simply, “the study of God”. Therefore, in its strict sense, theology has to do only with the knowledge of the Godhead, and not with the other doctrines found in the bible. However, for many centuries, the term “theology” has had a broader connotation, and is often used to refer to the entire body of knowledge related to the Christian worldview, including all the various truths that... CPRF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418390/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:04:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418246/posts CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING IS SATIRE Last summer, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted  to accept actively homosexual persons as members of their clergy and to condone gays and lesbians living in “lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships.” This has caused a firestorm of controversy in that church body. In response, the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, an independent pan-Lutheran organization that produces a magazine called Lutheran Forum, and a newsletter Forum Letter, published an article titled “Temple Prostitution: A Modest Proposal” by the Associate Editor of Forum Letter, Pastor Peter Speckhard, nephew of the late Father Richard John Neuhaus. I asked for... First Things http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418246/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:56:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418165/posts To my Children that are ready , that are calling on me even now , I AM and shall be your breakthrough !Merely shake off all these sacred cows , Fast the Earth completely , leave within your vessel only me , So that you may walk in my fullness as one with me , Take on my likeness in Spirit and Truth , Encourage others to walk as I do , For I AM the Resurrection , The Power , The Way , And it is in The Father's lap I desire you to stay , Do not look... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418165/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:21:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418134/posts SUCH IS MY LOVE FOR THOSE IN MY WILL (A NEW MOON )7th day \o/ Posted on Monday, December 07, 2009 9:45:06 PM The substantiality of my wealth is in abundance that exceeds paradise for truly where ever I AM in you this quotient exists in a udepleteable manner and such is my Grace for those in my will . So watch now as I dress my children of light as Job and reward them even now for the trials and tribulations , " Yeah " the pathway of fire they have surrendered to for my name sake . Did... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418134/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:01:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417886/posts "I’m not troubled in my heart about your self-esteem. I’m not troubled in my heart about whether or not you feel good about yourself, whether or not life is turning out like you want it to turn out, or whether or not your checkbook is balanced. There’s only one thing that gave me a sleepless night. There’s only one thing that troubled me all throughout the morning..." "Do you realize how much love it takes for me to stand before 5,000 people and tell you that that American Christianity is almost totally wrong?" You Tube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417886/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:56:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417724/posts From Where Did the Water Come? December 30, 2009  "And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered." (Genesis 7:19)  Lack of an answer to this question led many theologians in the early 1800s to abandon the biblical doctrine of the global Flood in favor of uniformitarianism. At the time, scientists were saying that the concept of a young earth had been disproved and that since the mountains had been around since before the time of Noah, obviously they couldn't have been covered by the Flood waters.... Institute for Creation Research http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417724/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:55:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417723/posts December 30 Trials and Pain: Moses' Prayer So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. --Psalm 90:12 A few days after these words appear in print the old year of our Lord will have gone to join the long procession of years and centuries that move on into the shadows of a past that can come no more. In the year just gone the world has been writing history, not with ink only but with blood and tears; not in the quiet of the study but in violence, terror and death in city... Literature Ministries International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417723/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:54:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417343/posts QuestionDoes James 2 contradict Romans 4? AnswerThe most serious problem these verses pose is the question of what James 2:24 means: "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." Some imagine that this contradicts Paul in Romans 3:28: "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." John Calvin explained this apparent difficulty: It appears certain that [James] is speaking of the manifestation, not of the imputation of righteousness, as if he had said, Those who are justified by faith prove their justification by obedience and good... Bible Bulletin Board http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417343/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:47:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417309/posts QuestionSince people can be saved only through Christ, how did the Old Testament saints get saved? AnswerThrough Christ. Through Jesus Christ. Question continuesBut, Christ did not die until after they died. AnswerOh, you mean, what did they have to do at the moment to be saved? Everyone is saved through Christ. He died for the sins of the world. For them, it was future. For us, it is past, but it was still through Christ. It was His death, His sacrifice. It atoned for the sins of the OT saints as well as the NT saints. And, every time they... Bible Bulletin Board http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417309/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:47:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417222/posts Being Like Him December 29, 2009  "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)  Some evangelical theologians teach that physical death was a part of God's "good" creation, just like life itself, and that God's warning to Adam in the Garden was merely an allusion to "spiritual" death. If that teaching is so, then a whole host of biblical passages must be ignored or interpreted... Institute for Creation Research http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417222/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:26:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417221/posts December 29 Trials and Pain: Underneath Are the Everlasting Arms The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, "Destroy!" --Deuteronomy 33:27 Surely Bible-reading Christians should be the last persons on earth to give way to hysteria. They are redeemed from their past offenses, kept in their present circumstances by the power of an all-powerful God, and their future is safe in His hands. God has promised to support them in the flood, protect them in the fire, feed them in famine, shield them against... Literature Ministries International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417221/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:24:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417114/posts The Syllabus of the principal errors of our time, which are stigmatized in the Consistorial Allocutions, Encyclicals, and other Apostolical Letters of our Most Holy Lord, Pope Pius IX. I.— PANTHEISM, NATURALISM, AND ABSOLUTE RATIONALISM. 1. There exists no supreme, most wise, and most provident divine being distinct from the universe, and God is none other than nature, and is therefore subject to change. In effect, God is produced in man and in the world, and all things are God, and have the very substance of God. God is therefore one and the same thing with the world, and thence... Creeds of Christendom (from the Chair of Peter) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417114/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:32:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417053/posts I was an associate pastor in New York City in the early 1980’s, and one of the other pastors had been a member of the motorcycle gang called the Pagans. They are a large and notorious gang that has a record of violence and drugs. This man, named Tom, began to date a backslidden Christian and led her into a sinful lifestyle. The girlfriend’s mother was a strong believer, and God had burdened her heart not only for her daughter, but for this man Tom. One day, led by the Spirit, this little woman marched right into the Pagan’s clubhouse... Following Judah's Lion http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417053/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:57:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417015/posts I have been looking for God my whole life. I first recognized Him in the black foster parents I worked with who manifested Christ-consciousness. I then found him four years ago, when my parents died three weeks apart and I was carried by a force stronger than myself. And more recently, as I’ve gone from left to right, I have discovered him in the many conservatives guiding me, such as AT readers. American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2417015/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:01:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2416563/posts Inheriting the Earth December 28, 2009  "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)  This third of Christ's beatitudes has always seemed paradoxical because those who now rule the earth seem anything but meek. It has always been the strong and aggressive who control the world, not the meek of the world.   Christ, however, was confirming an ancient promise given through David: "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace" (Psalm 37:11). Surprisingly, there are also four other promises in this psalm describing those who are... Institute for Creation Research http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2416563/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:52:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2416562/posts December 28 Trials and Pain: Nothing to Fear You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. --Isaiah 26:3 The only fear I have is to fear to get out of the will of God. Outside of the will of God, there's nothing I want, and in the will of God there's nothing I fear, for God has sworn to keep me in His will. If I'm out of His will, that is another matter. But if I'm in His will, He's sworn to keep me. And He's able to do... Literature Ministries International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2416562/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:50:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415910/posts In Chapter 5 of Evangelicals, Catholics and Unity, Dr. Michael Scott Horton, Vice Chairman of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, admits that Protestants are not too much into history. He has proven the validity of this statement — in regard to his own knowledge. Dr. Horton claims that Protestantism has been the true faith since the Church's inception. In chapter 2, Dr. Horton incredibly classifies himself and other Protestants as members of the "early Catholic Church". He defines the "early Catholic Church" by saying: "Catholic means universal, and it refers to those truths that are, as St. Paul identified them,... cerc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415910/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:40:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415679/posts A Pastor, a Rabbi and an Imam - It May Sound Like a Joke Setup, but the "Interfaith Amigos" are Serious about their Mission (CBS) As more details of an attempted Christmas terror attack emerge, it's clear that achieving peace on earth remains elusive. But three clerics of different faiths have teamed up to chase it, by provoking laughter and thought, as CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports. http://www.cbsnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415679/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:14:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415346/posts Religious leaders yesterday condemned homosexuality as they led thousands of Christians in prayers to mark Christmas Day. Bishop of Kampala Archdiocese Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, who led celebrations at Rubaga Cathedral, told hundreds of Christians that homosexuality is immoral and forbidden. “The Catholic bishops of Uganda applaud the government’s effort to protect families and the church teachings remain clear. Homosexuality acts are immoral and evil and are against the divine laws of nature,” he said. He added: “The church condemns homosexuality because we were created in God’s image and we must remain that.”The archbishop attacked donors whom he accused of forcing... The Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415346/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:44:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415296/posts Beware of men...men and their ideas about God or no God have always sought to change yours. Sometimes by dialog but often by force of law or violence. We see this on the world stage... read more... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415296/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:49:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414961/posts A very merry Christmas to all Freepers and their families and loved ones. May God bless each and every person and may each of you have a blessed Christmas http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414961/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:40:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414825/posts St. Francis Lutheran Church, San Francisco, will celebrate its first "Feast of Hope" worship Dec. 27, in celebration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly decision directing changes in ministry policies. The Rev. Anita Hill, pastor of St. Paul-Reformation Church, Minneapolis, will serve as guest preacher. Since 1995 the congregation has held a "Feast of Expulsion" in late December, commemorating the date when the congregation was expelled from the ELCA, according to a news release from the congregation. On Dec. 31, 1995 St. Francis was removed from the ELCA's roster of congregations for calling ministers in same-gender... Worldwide Faith News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414825/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:22:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414543/posts In 2002, I had a plane ticket to fly to England to begin a PhD programme in Wesleyan Studies at the University of Manchester, England. I was a Wesleyan-Arminian theologian in the making. I spoke at conferences on John Wesley and wrote several academic publications that were published in the top Wesleyan academic journals including The Wesleyan Theological Journal and The Asbury Theological Journal.1 I even wrote a book entitled Rediscovering John Wesley, about the life, ministry and theology of John Wesley.2 I lived, breathed, believed, wrote and preached Wesleyan-Arminian theology. However, my Wesleyan world began to radically change in... Banner of Truth http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414543/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:17:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414461/posts Led by a Palestinian Lutheran bishop, 16 Palestinians Christians have blasted Israel in a new declaration that the 4.9 million Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is obligingly disseminating. “We…declare that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a sin against God and humanity because it deprives the Palestinians of their basic human rights, bestowed by God,” asserted the “Kairos Palestine Document. “It distorts the image of God in the Israeli who has become an occupier just as it distorts this image in the Palestinian living under occupation.” Not content to criticize the Jews, the manifesto also excoriates Christians who... Front Page Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414461/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:53:45 GMT