The document discusses three possible futures for Christianity: continuing contraction, conservative resurgence, or pregnancy. It argues that pregnancy, characterized by theological and liturgical renewal, missional reorientation, and new ecumenical alliances, is the best future. For Christianity to experience pregnancy, it will require convergence between progressive Catholics, evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and other groups. Pregnancy will convert, cost, and change Christians, and will require a romance between social movements and institutions.
What is the true test of Godliness? How can one fellowship with the true church without being contaminated by the religious impositions of men of today?
The Prince of this world has long been striving and seems almost close to achieving that victory. it is the natural result of the error by the Church; a lowering of the standard of the Kingdom of God through the introduction of the gospel of convenience, a walk with God without transformation of life , a Christianity without the Cross. The church surrendering this basis of her power and legitimacy has made her to exist in a perfect and harmonious accord with the world.
The visible church has virtually created her own ‘GOD’ a religious deity who seems satisfied with his subjects excesses ,cares little about their sins, highly appreciates their works of virtue, even though these were predicated on human pride , and looks with pleasure upon their bold deeds and intellectual displays. Packages of doctrines, whole pedestals of understanding and range of thinking system which form the basis of people’s faith have been tailored to satisfy the cravings of fallen men.
The God of the bible has been left of his own House. His city lies in virtual ruins while the city wall are continually been compromised so that strangers may enter at will. This book written by Ayodeji Ezra-Williams brings to mind the words of Jesus Christ comparing the days of his coming to the days of Noah
What do Muslims believe? What do they have in common with Christianity? What are the important differences? Let's cut through the stereotypes and find the Truth.
What is the true test of Godliness? How can one fellowship with the true church without being contaminated by the religious impositions of men of today?
The Prince of this world has long been striving and seems almost close to achieving that victory. it is the natural result of the error by the Church; a lowering of the standard of the Kingdom of God through the introduction of the gospel of convenience, a walk with God without transformation of life , a Christianity without the Cross. The church surrendering this basis of her power and legitimacy has made her to exist in a perfect and harmonious accord with the world.
The visible church has virtually created her own ‘GOD’ a religious deity who seems satisfied with his subjects excesses ,cares little about their sins, highly appreciates their works of virtue, even though these were predicated on human pride , and looks with pleasure upon their bold deeds and intellectual displays. Packages of doctrines, whole pedestals of understanding and range of thinking system which form the basis of people’s faith have been tailored to satisfy the cravings of fallen men.
The God of the bible has been left of his own House. His city lies in virtual ruins while the city wall are continually been compromised so that strangers may enter at will. This book written by Ayodeji Ezra-Williams brings to mind the words of Jesus Christ comparing the days of his coming to the days of Noah
What do Muslims believe? What do they have in common with Christianity? What are the important differences? Let's cut through the stereotypes and find the Truth.
Using Media & Popular Culture to Facilitate Encounters with ChristRose Pacatte, D. Min.
This is a presentation for those involved in evangelization and catechesis and offers a media literacy/media mindfulness approach to popular culture in faith formation. It defines culture, popular culture, and considers approaching these through the route of values and virtue. It invites catechists to embrace a life of prayer and cultural mysticism in their own lives to be witnesses to those with whom they share faith.
Keeping Faithful to Our Lord in an Increasingly Hostile CultureJeff Phipps
7-part Labor Day Conference series at North Stonington Bible Church on September 3-4, 2016
Audio: http://www.bibleframework.com/lessons/keeping-faithful-hostile-culture/
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Using Romans 12:1-2 as the theme, this 7-part Labor Day series deals with how to avoid being “conformed to this age” by having our minds “transformed.” Paul’s warning certainly applies to Bible-believing Christians living in our increasingly hostile culture—a culture using the secular public schools, the media, and government leadership to forcefully, continually and ubiquitously mold U.S. population into suppressing God in every important area of life.
As this new series moves from creation to the conquest, I point to specific cultural agendas that by substituting fictional counter-notions seek to suppress what God shows about Himself in each event. I also cite by number the exact Power Point slide I am using so you can refer to the accompanying slide as you listen to the audio. Included in this series is the complete handout for note-taking. I hope you will feel less intimidated when you see the flimsy foundations under these fictional substitutes for Biblical revelation. May you be encouraged to see the corresponding strength of the Word of God at each point—strength you can rely upon to remain faithful to our Lord!
The search for an ethos in which the poor also have a space. We wish to articulate a minimum consensus to save and regenerate our common home, today crucified due to ecological devastation, international systemic injustice, violence… we are called today to ensure a future for Earth-Humanity. To update our identity…to overcome our crisis before it is too late…
by Guillermo Campuzano, CM
Epiphany: Finding Truth Without Losing Faith. It challenges readers to celebrate and applaud their differences – as God does – and to seek their personal truth wherever it may come.
Dr. John Oakes taught a class titled Christianity in a Postmodern World at the 2013 ICEC at San Diego State University. He proposes a rational Christian response to both the good and the bad which comes with postmodern thinking. The class covers the history of modernism and why it was replaced by postmodernism, as well as a brief bio of the major influences in the movement as well as suggesting both the strengths and weaknesses of the postmodern mood.
The term Hipsters originally described the grandchildren of the ever so popular Hippy movement. A new generation who wants to bring back the overtly casual mystics of independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of dark-art and indie-rock, creativity, second-hand intelligence, and witty banter.
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
Discover various methods for clearing negative entities from your space and spirit, including energy clearing techniques, spiritual rituals, and professional assistance. Gain practical knowledge on how to implement these techniques to restore peace and harmony. For more information visit here: https://www.reikihealingdistance.com/negative-entity-removal/
2 Peter 3: Because some scriptures are hard to understand and some will force them to say things God never intended, Peter warns us to take care.
https://youtu.be/nV4kGHFsEHw
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
Why is this So? ~ Do Seek to KNOW (English & Chinese).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma teaching of Kamma-Vipaka (Intentional Actions-Ripening Effects).
A Presentation for developing morality, concentration and wisdom and to spur us to practice the Dhamma diligently.
The texts are in English and Chinese.
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
15. “It is customary to blame secular science
and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse
of religion in modern society. It would be
more honest to blame religion for its own
defeats. Religion declined not because it was
refuted, but because it became irrelevant,
dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is
completely replaced by creed, worship by
discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of
today is ignored because of the splendor of
the past; when faith becomes an heirloom
rather than a living fountain; when religion
speaks only in the name of authority rather
than with the voice of compassion--its
message becomes meaningless.”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search
of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism
16. the narrative of decline
... whom do we blame?
N
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N
AM
ES
N
EW
IDEN
TITY
N
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ARRATIVE
29. Three possible futures:
Continuing contraction
- Shrinking numbers
- Wrinkling members
- Low retention
- Low evangelization
- Constrained leadership
- Secure finances
30.
31. Three possible futures:
Conservative resurgence
- Immigration fears
- Western domination
- Terrorism fears/revenge
- Playing to bases
- New alliances (global,
ecumenical)
32. Three possible futures:
Conservative resurgence
- Immigration fears
- Western domination
- Terrorism fears/revenge
- Playing to bases
- New alliances (global,
ecumenical)
33. The greatest threat to world peace is radical Islam... Only the United States, and more
specifically, only the conservative, evangelical Christians of America are who stand
between radical Islam and their quest for global domination.
If the world is to be saved from Muslim conquest, it will be America who does it. And
if America is to be saved, only conservatism can do it. And if conservatism is to be
saved, it will be those Bible-believing patriots who do it–those conservative,
evangelical Christians who are the bedrock of the American way of life.
Why? Because only Christianity has the intellectual and spiritual horsepower to defeat
radical Islam and prevent the world from returning to the darkness of the 7th century.
After all, the story of the birth and growth of Western Civilization is pretty much the
story of the birth and growth of Christianity. The divide between East and West today,
fundamentally, is the divide between Islam and Christianity. Christians and Muslims
know this, it’s the secularists who don’t get it–or at least won’t admit it. -
Why Al Queda Supports the Emerging Church
- #1 Religious Talk Show Host
NRB Award Winner
34. Three possible futures:
Pregnancy
- Theological & liturgical
renaissance
- Missional reorientation
- Post-national, post-partisan
identity/ethos
- Spiritual-social movement
(Peace, planet, poverty)
- New alliances (global,
ecumenical)
37. Which future(s) should you prepare for?
Which future seems most likely?
DO NOT CONSPIRE INYOUR
OWN DIMINISHMENT!
(PARKER PALMER)
38. Which future(s) should you prepare for?
Which future seems most likely?
Which future should you help create?
DO NOT CONSPIRE INYOUR
OWN DIMINISHMENT!
(PARKER PALMER)
39. Three possible futures:
Pregnancy
- Theological reformation
- Missional reorientation
- Post-national, post-partisan
identity/ethos
- Spiritual-social movement
(Peace, planet, poverty)
- New alliances (global,
ecumenical)
41. Two Parents ...
Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant
Mainline and Evangelical
Critical and Experiential
Contemplative and Activist
Institution and Movement
Rooted and Innovative
Majority and Minority
Convergent and Distinct
Pregnancy
42. Two Parents ...
Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant
Mainline and Evangelical
Critical and Experiential
Contemplative and Activist
Institution and Movement
Rooted and Innovative
Majority and Minority
Convergent and Distinct
Pregnancy
43. Two Parents ...
Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant
Mainline and Evangelical
Critical and Experiential
Contemplative and Activist
Institution and Movement
Rooted and Innovative
Majority and Minority
Convergent and Distinct
Pregnancy
54. “Making the decision to have a child - it is
momentous. It is to decide forever to have
your heart go walking around outside your
body. ”
― Elizabeth Stone
Pregnancy converts you.
55. “Making the decision to have a child - it is
momentous. It is to decide forever to have
your heart go walking around outside your
body. ”
― Elizabeth Stone
Pregnancy converts you.
Pregnancy costs you.
56. “Making the decision to have a child - it is
momentous. It is to decide forever to have
your heart go walking around outside your
body. ”
― Elizabeth Stone
Pregnancy converts you.
Pregnancy costs you.
Pregnancy changes you.
57. Many Christians, pastors, denominational
leaders, and congregations would rather
not be converted, pay the cost, or undergo
the changes of pregnancy.
Pregnancy converts you.
58. Many Christians, pastors, denominational
leaders, and congregations would rather
not be converted, pay the cost, or undergo
the changes of pregnancy.
Pregnancy converts you.
That’s OK. Just
don’t let them hold you hostage!
70. Movements may ...
- successfully inject their
values into the institutions
they challenge.
- create their own institutions.
- be co-opted.
- be defeated.
73. 1. Opportunity Structure (Context
Awareness)
Current restraining realities ...
in tension with ...
emerging opportunities.
74. Opportunities:
- Problems needing to be solved
- Elites who hold power, resist change or
promote negative change
- Fissures, Problems among elites that
make the status quo vulnerable
- Values of the movement in conflict with
values of elites
- Potential advocates and allies in
academic, civil society, arts, church,
government, business, science, etc.
75. 2. Rhetorical Framing/Conceptual Architecture
What is our message?
How do we redefine current reality?
Desired reality?
What are our proposals or demands?
76. 3. Protest (messaging) strategy
Raising awareness, attracting growing
numbers of participants...
Campaigns, tactics, deployments, making
demands, public relations, sustaining
conflict, forcing a crisis, managing internal
tensions, managing stigmatization,
showing results, maintaining momentum,
not overreacting, defining acceptable
level of disruption
77. 4. Mobilization Structures & Strategies
- Authority and Decision-Making Structures
- Transparency/Confidentiality,
Communication Plans
- Leadership development, Relational
Development, Conflict Management Plans
- Coalition development
- Resource, Technology, Finance
Mobilization and Management
- Evangelism, recruitment, induction
- Renewal and Increase of commitment
78. 5. Movement culture
- Emotional vibe (fun, serious, angry,
playful, heady, gutsy, etc.)
- Feel of spaces, physical and digital
- Songs, slogans
- Virtues, values, moral ethos
- Dress, Graphics,
- Nicknames, terminology
- Emotion, motivation, motion
79. 6. Participant Biography
How does involvement benefit - or harm -
participants? How does the movement promote
emotional and social sustainability ... avoiding
burnout, squabbles, etc.
How does it contribute to personal formation:
- character
- attitudes
- knowledge
- recovery from trauma
- relationships
- renewal
What do participants gain from being involved?
82. Jesus seizes the opportunity
structure provided by
conflicted elites (Pharisees/
Sadducees; Herodians/
Zealots) and struggling
masses (Galilee/Judea)
83. He provides rhetorical framing on
hillsides, in houses, on retreats, in
public teach-ins, in debates, through
parables, through rituals and
practices. He repeats key themes -
commonwealth of God, life to the
full, life of the ages, liberation -
rooted in dynamic tension with
tradition.
84. His protest (messaging) strategy
includes public demonstrations
(healings & miracles), teach-ins
(sermon on mount), civil
disobedience (turning tables), guerilla
theatre (exorcisms), festivals
(feasts & feedings), naming evil
(woes), naming heroes (blessings).
85. He develops a mobilization
strategy based on 3, 12, 70, and
multitudes. He entrusts freely
with responsibility and
expresses high confidence in his
agents (greater things shall you
do ...)
86. He associates his
movement culture with
love, joy, justice, risk,
hope, healing, creativity,
courage, service,
willingness to suffer,
nonviolence.
87. He provides his disciples
challenge, rest, retreat,
encouragement, recovery after
failures. They testify that
their participant biographies
have been forever changed for
the better.
96. 1. We call upon just and
generous Christian communities
who have embraced conversion/
pregnancy to identify
themselves, and where no such
communities exist, we call upon
people to start creative new
ones.
97. 2. We call upon Christian
leaders and parents to begin
afresh with children, youth, and
college-aged adults - and
reenvision Christianity
primarily as a youth movement
with support by elders.
98. 3. We call upon Christian
communities, movements, and
institutions to recruit different
leaders and train them
differently (and without debt -
or cost, if possible).
99. 4. We call upon Christian
communities, institutions, and
movements to convene people in
the new old-fashioned way:
through stories and saints -
rather than doctrinal
statements/beliefs/polity.
100. 5. We call upon Christian
congregations to sing, pray, and
preach differently.
101. 6. We call upon Christian
individuals, communities, and
institutions to mobilize new
alignments of Christians for
creative public engagement on
the critical issues of today and
tomorrow.
102. 7. We call upon Christians to
collaborate creatively with our
colleagues from other traditions
to address the global challenges
we face together - protecting the
planet, eliminating poverty, and
making peace.
103. 8. We call upon Christian
administrators to sequester the
funds from all excess real estate
and invest these funds in an
endowment to create sustainable
fresh expressions of Christian
community and mission.