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Preaching abundant living
Los Angeles Times ^
| December 2, 2003
| Larry B. Stammer
Posted on 12/06/2003 6:30:18 PM PST by TBP
Preaching abundant living The Rev. Della Reese Lett teaches lessons of material success and personal empowerment in her own church.
Della Reese, who played a down-to-earth heavenly being on "Touched by an Angel" isn't acting as she stands in front of a congregation on Sundays in West Hollywood. She's preaching — in her own church.
And her message has no mention of sin, no mention of good and evil and no endorsement of sacrifice if it means doing without. She talks about abundant living, not in the hereafter but in the here and now.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
TOPICS: Current Events; Ecumenism; General Discusssion; Ministry/Outreach; Other Christian; Other non-Christian; Prayer; Religion & Culture; Religion & Science; Skeptics/Seekers; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: abundance; almighty; angel; avarice; betterliving; bible; bread; cbs; chicago; christian; christianity; dellareese; divineman; divinescience; divinity; empowerment; evil; god; good; greed; humanity; johnniecolemon; losangeles; mankind; material; materialism; middleclass; moneyhungry; newthought; oneness; positivethinking; practical; prosperity; racism; religiousscience; reverendike; sacrifice; secularism; sin; stewardship; success; televisionstar; thewayshower; thinking; thought; touched; ufbl; unchristian; unity; worldliness
A very interesting article. I know that many FReepers like Rev. Della due to her work on "Touched By an Angel" (which I still miss.)
1
posted on
12/06/2003 6:30:19 PM PST
by
TBP
To: TBP
If someone preaches another Gospel...she is not preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, but of Della Reese!
To: LiteKeeper
It's not "another" Gospel. "I come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." "It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom."
Many denominations have buried this part of Jesus's message. As Dr. Ernest Holmes puts it, "The world has never followed the simple teachings of Jesus, yet it ia loud in its proclamation that it is Christian."
Rev. Della is preaching the gospel of living abundantly, as Jesus told us to do.
There is an entire movement based around these principles, called New Thought.
3
posted on
12/08/2003 11:35:43 AM PST
by
TBP
To: TBP
"Abundant Living" does not equate with "Prosperity Today"
Her denial of an after life, denial of heaven means that it is, in fact, another gospel.
To: LiteKeeper
She's not denying an afterlife. She is saying that life is eternal.
She doesn't deny Heaven and Hell. She says that they are not places, but states of mind. Or as Richard Bach puts it in Jonathan Livingston Seagull: "Heaven is not a place or a time. Heaven is being perfect." Lest we complain about that ambition for perfection, remember that we are, according to the Bible, made in "the image and likeness of God" and also that Jesus implores us to "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."
5
posted on
12/08/2003 12:45:10 PM PST
by
TBP
To: TBP
To claim that heaven is a state of mind is to deny the traditional, orthodox Gospel.
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