Here’s the next half of the post on ’should Christians go to counseling?’ These are the arguments for going to counseling:

1. The bible does not speak directly to certain issues that the believer may face, where they would benefit from counseling. Although the bible is sufficient for instructing the Christian on how to live a righteous life, it doesn’t speak directly to problems Christians may face. For example, anorexia is a problem that some Christians go through that is not spoken of in the bible. Although Christians should apply the principles of the bible to their lives in order to help them with a problem like anorexia, it doesn’t speak directly to the issue on how to resolve it. To deal with the issue directly, then, the Christian should seek professional help.

Counter argument: Although the bible doesn’t speak directly to certain issues that the believer may face, the bible does give general principles to help the believer through the issue they’re facing. For example, the bible doesn’t speak directly to the issue of anorexia, though it does speak on how food is a positive thing that God made, rather than a negative thing to be avoided. And so, through believing and apply principles such as this the believer is more than able to overcome issues like anorexia without the need for secular counseling.

2. The bible clearly teaches that we should seek the help and advice of others when struggling with issues. For example, when God created Adam in the garden of Eden He said it was ‘not good for the man to be alone’. There were also counselors to the kings of Israel, and in proverbs it says that we should listen to wise counsel. So biblically speaking, we shouldn’t have an issue with having to go to counseling.

Counter argument: Although the bible says that we should listen to wise counsel, it also says that we should not follow the counsel of the ungodly. That means that if we are to take counseling, it should be with a godly Christian counselor based upon biblical principles, not a secular one. It also says in the bible that God is our Counselor, and that the bible is a counsel to us. So, secular counseling is unnecessary and goes against the biblical model which only allows for ‘godly counsel’.

3. The issues that Christians face are sometimes due to psychological factors that need to be addressed through counseling. Issues such as depression may not be caused by spiritual factors such as sin, but by psychological factors like a chemical imbalance of serotonin in the brain, and negative thinking. Since these are psychological factors, they need to be addressed by psychological treatments. Such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, talking therapies and sometimes medication.

Counter argument: Although there may be psychological factors involved in issues such as depression, that does not mean that psychological treatments are to be used to deal with the issue. The issue may be better dealt with through prayer, applying biblical principles and having other Christians help you through it. So, psychological treatments are not necessary to help Christians deal with psychological issues like depression.

This has been an interesting few posts for me. I hope I have dealt with the issue properly and represented both sides of the argument accurately. I would like to point out that there are not two strict categories that Christians are to adhere to. I believe some Christians are more radical than others on these positions. For example, you may believe that going to counseling is wrong when dealing with some issues rather than others. But I have had to generalize for the sake of the argument.

Although I believe that counseling is right for many Christians who are going through certain issues, I have come to respect the arguments of the other position. I didn’t realize how well thought out they were! But I guess that just shows my ignorance. :)

But what about you?

Which arguments are the strongest and weakest? Which one’s made you think differently about the issue? Have any persuaded you to change your mind about counseling? What do you believe is the right position to hold?

I know a lot of Christians who have problems. Maybe not problems with sin, but problems none the less. Yet many Christians are reluctant to find help outside of praying, reading their bible and being advised to ‘claim the victory in Christ’. Many Christians feel guilty about going to councelling. As if it’s some terrible sin that they’re committing if they open up to someone they have never met… who might not be a Christian!

There are good arguments for and against, and I think it’s an issue that needs to be discussed as it has serious implications for our lives. I believe that many Christians may not have to go through the problems and suffering that they are going through now if they sought professional help. I have been to councelling many times, and I am not ashamed of it. But there are some who would disagree with me. Let’s first have a look at the arguments against going to councelling:

1. Councelling is based upon the theories of anti-God secular psychologists. It is a fact that many of the major theories put forward in psychology are by people who are anti-God. Freud, for example, was very anti-God and even used psychological theories to explain why people believe in God, and why they are mistaken. A lot of psychology follows his theories on the subconscious, childhood, sexuality, memory, etc.

Counter argument: Although some psychologists are anti-God, that doesn’t necessarily mean that their theories are anti-God. Modern psychology is based upon a scientific approach where evidence is needed to support a theory. This means that even though some psychologists are anti-God, their theories are based upon evidence and not upon their anti-God bias.

2. Councelling is based on the theories and principles of secular psychology, and not on Gods Word. To the Christian, the Word of God should be the source of guidance and truth for their lives. Believing and putting into practice the principles of secular psychology that you will learn through councelling is dangers, as it undermines the Word of God.

Counter argument: To say that the theories and principles of secular psychology go against the Word of God is a ‘false dichotomy’. This means that there isn’t necessarily a contradiction between the two, both can be true. For example, the theory that negative thinking can eventually lead to depression does not contradict anything stated in the bible.

3. Councelling makes you rely and depend upon it, rather than relying and depending upon God. The Christian should learn to rely and depend upon God for their emotional needs. Gods grace is sufficient for them and God is more than able to help them through their struggles. And so, councelling teaches them to rely and depend upon it to help them rather than relying and depending upon God.

Counter argument: Although we should rely and depend upon God, there is nothing wrong with relying and depending upon people aswell. When God created Adam in the garden of Eden, God said that ‘it is not good for the man to be alone’. God recognises that although we need God in our lives, we also need other people. We need help from other people aswell as God, and especially if that person is able and qualified to help, listen and give advice.

‘Are you sure you’re a ‘true’ believer?’

May 14, 2008 | 4 Comments

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under Salvation, Christian Life 

I hate this question.

Mostly because it’s a question some evangelists use in order to stir their audience into examining their salvation, in order for some who haven’t ever been ’stired’ before (because they’ve probably been brought up in a church-going culture but have never put their trust in Jesus to save them) to make a decision. The problem is, it makes a lot of Christians who have already made a decision and really are trusting in Christ to doubt their salvation. And because they really do believe in hell… that means they don’t feel so good. They start getting terrified of God (in a very unhealthy and bad way), they don’t know where they’re going when they die, they think God’s going to punish them and they don’t know whether to trust that God will save them.

I know preachers who ask this kind of question have good intentions. They really don’t want anyone to be going to hell. And they really want you to be sure of where your going. Have you been asked that question and felt inadequate? Like you’re not good enough to be a ‘true’ believer? That you’re supposed to live this impossibly holy lifestyle that no one can live?? I think if you’ve been a Christian long enough you probably have. And you may not have reacted very well afterwards. Maybe you’re still recovering!

So, how can you know?

1. Was there a time in the past when you decided to trust in Jesus death in order to be forgiven by God? (Acts 10:43, 1 John 1:8-10)
If so, then God’s already forgiven you. It isn’t about how ‘forgiven’ we feel, or how close to God we feel. If you have made that decision and asked for forgiveness then God has forgiven you. You don’t have to remember exactly when this happened, just so long as it happened.

2. Do you believe that Jesus died to take the punishment for your sins? (John 3:16-18, Romans 10:9-11, Romans 5:6-10)
If so, then you have faith. The end! It doesn’t matter how much faith you feel you have. If you believe the above statement is true, then you believe it’s true. That’s all the faith you need, and you no longer need to fear God’s punishment for your sins.

3. Has it made a difference in your life? (John 3:1-8)
If so, then you’re born again. I don’t mean ‘has it made you perfect?’ No one is perfect… and you’ll never be perfect! Sorry to break it to you, but it’s true. But God isn’t concerned with whether or not your perfect, He’s much more concerned about the direction you’re heading. Generally speaking, has it changed the direction of your life so that your growing as a Christian? However slow that growth is, it’s still growth. Growing as a Christian doesn’t make you saved, it just provides evidence that you’re already saved.

4. Do you desire to please God by what you do? (1 John 2:3-6, Romans 7:7-25)
If so, then you’re born again. We still have inward battles to fight. We want to do good and please God, but we get tempted back into sin. The apostle Paul went through this struggle in Romans 7. But having the desire to please God shows that we have been born again. Again, having a desire to please God doesn’t make you saved, it just provides evidence that you’re already saved.

These are just some things to help you work things out for yourself. If you’re going through a similar experience to what I went through with my struggle with depression, just keep reminding yourself of these things. I’m not trying to trick you into believing your saved when your not, I just don’t want you to sink as low as I did… and not knowing how to deal with it or where to get a reliable source of information about this is the worst part. Look at the scriptures, work it out for yourself. I hope I’m being helpful!

Take care.

My struggle with depression, Part 2

May 13, 2008 | 6 Comments

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under Personal 

The answer to my problems came quite unexpectedy. A friend of my dads came over to visit and invited me out to have a coffee in Starbucks. He’d heard about how I had been asking my dad a lot of questions and wanted to give me some words of advice. I explained the situation to him over a large cup of hot chocolate and he quietly took in all the information. Then he asked me a question I wasn’t expecting.

‘What would happen if you were to stop praying, stop reading your bible, and stop trying to please God by working for it?’ That was something I’d never thought of. I didn’t answer, but I understood the point he was trying to make. ‘You can’t make God love you by working for it… pray if you want to, but if you’re only doing it to try and earn His forgiveness it just isn’t going to work.’ I came back home that day a little confused. It seemed I had to make a choice between working to prove to God I was a true believer, and realising that nothing I can do can make God love more any more or any less.

I struggled for another month or so. I was in a state of limbo, not knowing what to believe. But there was one night that changed everything. I had only what I can describe as a panic attack in my room, I thought I was going to die that night… and wasn’t sure where I’d be going afterwards. I wasn’t ill, it was just my paranoia getting the better of me. I lay there petrified for a few hours until I was forced to make a decision. I chose to believe that God loved me no matter how good or bad I was, no matter how I felt about myself. That when Jesus died on the cross, He died for my sins, and that is the only grounds on which I’m forgiven by God… and my works have nothing to do with it.

I felt a mixture of liberation and apprehension. I still had in the back on my mind ‘what if I’m wrong?’ But I had made a choice, and that was the end of it. Over the next few months I began to go to councelling to try and get myself out of the depression I had fallen into because of my paranoia. I began to take medication which helped me a lot with sleeping and helped me control my paranoid thoughts. Things were looking up for me.

I started preaching in my local church, and found a good job in a Christian bookshop. I went to Tanzania on a mission trip to help build a school. I even managed to preach the gospel there to a crowd of about 1500… it was fantastic! I began playing guitar on a Sunday and now lead the worship team. And I now have plans to go to bible college (seminary to people in the US) which I’ll be leaving for in September. God has really blessed me.

I can now say that I have learnt that God loves me for who I am, not for what I do. I can say that Jesus is my saviour and that even thought I know I can’t earn His favor, I still serve Him out of love and gratitude for what He’s done for me. I do all this because I want to, not because I have to. I now know I’m a child of God and one day will reign with Him in His kingdom. And that I now no longer have to fear death or judgment.

You could say ‘why did I have to go through all that to learn something so basic and foundational?’ But I know that my struggle has only made me more certain about these things. It has changed my life for the better and I now know them not just because I read them in a book, but because I have experienced them for myself.

My struggle with depression, Part 1

May 12, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under Personal 

My struggle with depression as a Christian has been one of the biggest struggles I have had to face. It has changed my life and changed how I see myself and God, I believe for the better. It would be easy to look back and see how horrible it was to go through and how it has left me somewhat scared afterwards, but I think it has been a necessary experience that God has used. I hope reading this encourages and helps you if your struggling with depression, having doubts or know someone close to you who is going through this.

Just after I became a Christian I started going back to my local church that I was raised in. It was a great experience to finally go somewhere I felt I belonged, make new friends with people I had known all my life but never had a positive relationship with. I would be involved every week with going to 2 Sunday services, the bible study group and the prayer meeting. But there was something within me that was still wanting more. I wanted to know everything the bible taught, I wanted to be as close to God as I possibly could, I wanted following Jesus to be a 24/7 thing, not just something that happens on a Sunday.

I began to look around for sources where I could daily be taught and challenged to follow Jesus the way it should be done. I came across a Christian podcast that lasted for 2 hours every day. I found myself hooked on it, it wasn’t like anything I’ve ever heard on a Sunday. It wasn’t ‘nice’ or accommodating, it was absolutely challenging and hard-hitting. They didn’t mess around trying to make their messages sound like they just wanted to give you a little ‘inspiration’ to get through your day. They wanted to completely turn your life upside-down to make you into radical disciples of Christ, whether they offended you or not. Just what I needed, I thought.

Their main ministry was to do evangelism and train others to be effective witnesses. They were very prescriptive about how you would go about doing this, and how often. I would set myself targets to witness to at least one person every day… whether they were someone I knew or not! I would go out on the streets and hand out tracts, 100s a week. I didn’t get much support from my Church as everyone was too nervous to come do that kind of thing with me… they’re obviously not ‘true’ witnesses of Christ, I thought. I became just a little elitist.

Time went on as I continued to listen to their program everyday. I had set high standards for myself that I felt I had to meet in order to be a ‘true’ believer. Reading at least 3 chapters of the bible everyday. Praying at least for 30 minutes every day. Witnessing to at least 1 person every day. Trying to keep a huge list of do’s and don’ts (which often weren’t even commanded or spoken against in the bible!) in order to feel I was on the ’straight and narrow’. I had to have works to go with my faith, I thought. The problem was, I couldn’t keep up.

I would get out of the habit of reading the bible and beat myself up about it. Having to repent and ask God for forgiveness every night because I didn’t read it enough… and after I asked for forgiveness I still didn’t feel forgiven. I would listen to the program to try and give me comfort but all it would tell me was that in order to be a ‘true’ believer, in order to really be saved, you needed to have works to prove you had saving faith. Works which I couldn’t keep up with. I began to feel that God was going to punish me for my disobedience, that I was going to be one of those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ and that He would say ‘depart from me’. I was terrified of going to hell, and seeing that I wasn’t up to the standard to have a saving faith just made things worse. I was going to hell, I thought.

Every night I would go to my parents and have hour long conversations about how I could have a ’saving faith’. How I could be right with God and how it all works. I didn’t get the answers I wanted to hear. I was told that all I needed to do was trust that when Jesus died for me, my sins were paid for once and for all, and that I didn’t need to be afraid of God sending me to hell if I would just believe. It didn’t work. I still needed to prove I was a ‘true believer’ by be up to Gods standards, I thought. I sank lower and lower into depression.

I stopped listening to the program. I was frustrated with God and with myself. I wanted to die, but I believed that if I killed myself I would just end up being sent to hell… which was much worse than the state I was in! I had meetings with various pastors in my town, theological debates on the doctrine of salvation, informal chats about how I should ‘lighten up’ and enjoy being a Christian, scouring the internet for answers to why I was in such a mess. I would cry myself to sleep at night, scared I might die in the night and end up in hell the next morning. The answer to my problems came quite unexpectedly…

To be continued.

6 myths about being English.

May 9, 2008 | 19 Comments

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under Culture, Personal, Uncategorized 

I am English. And if you’re reading this blog, it most likely means you’re not. A 86.36% chance to be exact (I checked the blog statistics :) ). So just so we’re on the same page, I thought it might be fun to give you my run down on the 6 things I find people get wrong about the English. I do apologise to any English readers that might be offended by falling into any of these spiffing categories. Tally ho!

1. All English people drink tea. Don’t get me wrong, I love tea! And so do most English people… but you rarely find any non-adult drinking it, it’s more of an aquired taste. Think of it like vegetables! Oh, by the way, Tea doesn’t come from England ;) .

2. Our favourate food is fish and chips. Surprisingly enough we eat more curry than fish and chips. It’s just so much more interesting and exotic that way! By chips I of course mean ‘fries’.

3. We all speak either like John Cleese or Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins. Don’t get me wrong there are some (not that many) who speak like this. But for the most of England we have too many different accents to count. I come from a town called ‘Darlington’ (which, by the way, invented railways and trains) with a population just over 100,000 and I wouldn’t be able to count the amount of different English accents on one hand… never mind the fact we have plenty of Polish, Indian, Asian, Irish, Scotish, etc. people living here aswell.

4. We drive on the wrong side of the road. Different isn’t the same as wrong! Even though we’re just about the only country that drives on the left… :P

5. We wear tweed suits, top hats, canes, and every other kind of 19th Century piece of clothing you can think of. No… not unless you’re 100 and you live in a mansion. Though we’re probably not as bold and over-stated as Americans in our dress.

6. We use phrases like ‘tally ho!’, ’spiffing!’, and ‘good show old boy!’ at random. Again, these are ancient phrases that I’ve never heard anyone use without being completely sarcastic. I don’t even know if anyone used them sensibly ever! We do have odd phrases we overuse, but mostly this is because of regional dialects.

Hope this was fun and informative for my non-English friends across the pond(s). So here’s your turn, what do people get wrong about your country?

The gospel according to YouTube.

May 8, 2008 | 3 Comments

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under General Discussion, Funny 

Found this (hilarious) video a while back on YouTube. Aparently it was made to show how some people perceive Jesus to be. I agree. Whenever I see street preachers over in the UK (I don’t know how true this is in America), I always get this kind of portrayal of Jesus: Judgmental, obsessed about getting to Heaven, mean, no fun allowed, very strict moral standards about debatable issues, obsessed about ’spiritual’ stuff rather than normal everday stuff… I could go on.

What do you think? Do people you know see Jesus like this, or see other Christians like this? Whos fault is that?

***Warning: May cause offense***

“This video was used to describe how some people percieve who Jesus is, judgmental, mean, etc.”

I was getting ready for my house group today, which is a cool new thing we’ve just started up where some of us get together round someone’s house. And what we usually do is sit and have a chat, cup of tea (we’re English btw… and we all wear black top hats and walk with canes!) and discuss a Christian book we’re reading. We read a chapter a week and that gives us time to sit, and think it through, and come back with some questions.

I didn’t like this weeks chapter.

I found so much I disagreed with. Not so much in what it was saying, just the fact that it was using bible quotes completely out of context. One of the bible verses was quoted to support the idea of being ‘filled with the Spirit’ everyday… only in context it was talking about not getting drunk? Interestingly enough as soon as I got to the house group I immediately stopped caring so much that it wasn’t using the bible properly and was very accepting of what it had to say, despite it’s bad use of ‘hermeneutics’.

I get this a lot with theology. I can find so much I disagree with in some doctrines, and so much I want to make a stand for. So long as I’m on my own. But as soon as I get with someone else, my convictions change. I’m not as strong on some things as I am when I’m around someone else. I’m not saying that my views change… I believe the book in that chapter was using the bible out of context whether I’m with someone or not. But my conviction and certainty about something changes.

When I’m around homosexuals I’m very uncomfortable about making a stand against it and saying that I’m absolutely sure that it’s a sin, even though I still believe it’s wrong. When I’m around charismatics I don’t speak up about some practices of the spiritual gifts that I disagree with, because I’m not as convinced that I’m right in their presence (though I still believe the spiritual gifts are for today). And on the other side of the coin I get very argumentative for absolute truth around postmoderns, and very convicted of an inability to know everything for certain around moderns.

Sometimes I’ll listen to someone speak on a certain issue and they’ll be so convincing I’ll almost completely ‘convert’ to their position on an issue. And then a few weeks down the line I’ll hear someone else’s position on the issue and it’ll unsettle me again. I get this every time I listen to someone speak on the Calvinism/Arminianism issue. I’m Arminian. But sometimes after listening to a very good argument for the 5 points of Calvinism I wish I wasn’t!

How certain I am of different theological issues changes depending on who I’m with, and who I’ve just listened to.

I was reading Michael Patton’s post on ‘Where I Stand‘, showing where he stands on a lot of different controversial issues. I left a comment stating where I was on the issues. But the thing is, if I were to state how certain I am on these issues tomorrow I would probably give a different answer. Maybe not a completely different answer, but the answer wouldn’t be exactly the same.

Is this right?

Am I just too postmodern for my own good? Should we have our theological convictions set in stone? Or am I just human?

Does God use our guilt as a proper motivation?

April 10, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by Daniel Eaton · Filed Under General Discussion, Ministry, Random thoughts 

I know that God, through the Holy Spirit, uses our conscience to guide us to repent, but I’m talking about something else. My daughter is headed to the Dominican Republic for a month-long mission trip. She has sent out support letters trying to raise the necessary funds. Sending them out though is kind of like the parable of the sower, they are going to land on all kinds of ground. I expect that many will contribute to her trip because they like her and want to help her out. They may not even be Christians. Many will contribute because they feel God is directing to. But I also think that many will contribute because they are trying to appease their own guilt for never doing something similar - whether they ever specifically felt led to do it or just a general “go to all the world” kind of call.

From my daughter’s standpoint, every dollar raised is going to be equally used. But I’m curious about the blessings for those that contribute. Does the person trying to appease their own guilt get the same level of blessing as the guy or gal that can’t really afford a contribution but makes a sacrificial one because they believe God told them to? Is doing something out of guilt doing the right thing for the wrong reason? Or is it a case of doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason but God will work it out for the good of someone else? Or, does God use our guilt and wrong motives for His will? I don’t know the answer to this. I have a suspicion though that our motives are just as important to God as our actions and that good things done for the wrong motives won’t result in the same reward. I’d be curious of your thoughts. Is guilt a proper motivation?

Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People

April 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Christian Philosophy 

Interesting blog post by Alex Pruss at Problogion (great name!):

A traditional formulation of the problem of evil is to ask: “Why do bad things happen to good people and good things to bad people?” An interesting feature of our discourse–both academic and popular–about the problem of evil is that the second part is not much talked about these days.

There are, of course, good reasons for me not to be too deeply worried about the second part. Sinner that I am, I had better hope that good things happen to bad people. God’s mercy is sovereign, and he has the right to refrain from, or at least delay, punishing the sinner. And, anyway, in the end, vengeance is his, and he will repay the unrepentant (may his grace give us the gift of final perseverance).

See the rest here.

Scot had done a series of blog entries on the relationship of the kingdom of God to the Church and now it is online in one pdf document if you want to read it.  I haven’t read it all, but skimmed it, and it looks good.  Check it out if you want at:

http://www.vanguardchurch.com/mcknight_kingdom.pdf

Joanie D. 

Another Reason I Don’t Like Christian Music

April 5, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Uncategorized 

Maybe this is the answer to all my questions.

“A Spirituality of Waiting”

April 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Posted by joanied · Filed Under Christian Philosophy 

 http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/

Ben Witherington III gives a link on his blog to an article by priest/author Henri Nouwen called A Spirituality of Waiting

You can read it at:

http://www.ciu.edu/resources/displaypdf.php?25

I like how he talks about some of the people in the Bible actively waiting.

Some of my favorite things from it are:

“So waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more.”

“The secret of waiting is the faith that the seed has been planted, that something has begun. Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening. A waiting person is a patient person.”

“To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life. So is to trust that something will happen to us that is far beyond our own imaginings. So, too, is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life, trusting that God molds us according to God’s love and not according to our fear.”

Experiencing the resurrection

“When we allow ourselves to feel fully how we are being acted upon, we can come in touch with a new life that we were not even aware was there.”

“If it is true that God in Jesus Christ is waiting for our response to divine love, then we can discover a whole new perspective on how to wait in life.”

Joanie D.

OK, That Settles It…I Hate Emerging Stuff

March 31, 2008 | 8 Comments

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Emerging Church 

If this is what it is coming to. Brian McLaren wrote this:

This makes Christian pop sound like U2.

(HT:  Shane Bertou)

Historical First: Muslims Outnumber Catholics

March 31, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Uncategorized 

See here.

The Arminian Demiurge

March 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Calvinist/Arminianism 

Very interesting. Read the whole post.

http://crmafia.blogspot.com/2008/03/arminian-demiurge.html

N.T. Wright on Heaven

March 24, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Uncategorized 

I think that Wright has exposed one of the most common folk theologies about the Christian future.

Do You Know This Painting?

March 23, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by joanied · Filed Under Uncategorized 

Jesus & Samaritan Woman at Well

I saw this painting on a blog and love it.  I asked the blog owner if he knows the name of the painting and/or the artist and he does not.  I would like to be able to find a print of this.  I did an internet search and found all kinds of paintings of Jesus at the well, but not this one.  (Some of them were REALLY bad!)

 The story of Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman says so much about Jesus.  It shows us his knowledge, his power, his love, his acceptance.  It shows him as a man willing to go against the grain of what the religious leaders would expect from a rabbi or teacher.  Jesus is my kind of man.  He is my kind of God.  Jesus lives!

While continuing to look for this painting, I just ran across a wonderful sermon about the woman at the well.  Check it out at:

http://www.trinitychurchboston.org/worship/sermons/pdf/sermon_20080224.pdf 

Joanie D.

Joel Osteen is alright with me

March 21, 2008 | 4 Comments

Posted by Samson · Filed Under Evangelicalism, Church History 

 Don’t cry to me.

Should We Ask Jesus Into Our Heart?

March 20, 2008 | 2 Comments

Posted by michaelp · Filed Under Folk Theology 

Snodgrass:

“How did language that is not biblical become the most important language for doing evangelism? Jesus never even comes close to saying, “Invite me into your heart so you can go to heaven.” Nor does the rest of the New Testament. (Concerning the misguided focus on going to heaven, see my blog for March 17.) If people really knew what it meant for Christ to take over the controlling center of their being, that would be one thing, but they do not. Jesus does not seek people to make a decision, but people who become disciples, who follow him, and who are attached to him.”

Read the rest.

Did Jesus Intend to Start a New Religion?

March 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Posted by joanied · Filed Under Uncategorized 

In Dan Kimball’s Book, “They Like Jesus But Not the Church” Dan quotes the late Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson who said, “But historians of religion like to say that Christianity was born in the Middle East as a religion, moved to Greece and became a philosophy, journeyed to Rome and became a legal system, spread through Europe as a culture–and when it migrated to America, Christianity became big business.” I find that an interesting quotation.

Do you think Jesus INTENDED for Christianity to become a religion? I think he intended to fulfill the Jewish scriptures which included dying, resurrecting, sending the Holy Spirit. I don’t know Greek so I don’t know if the word that gets translated as “church” in the gospels was also in the “Old Testament.” Even if Jesus talked about his church, does that mean he was starting a religion? Or is it more that Jesus was beginning the Kingdom of God on earth? Did his followers have to be part of a new religion? I think about these things.

Joanie D.

The Crowd or The Christ ?

March 18, 2008 | 1 Comment

Posted by Jay Foreman · Filed Under Christian Traditions, Trinitarianism, Christian Life, Apologetics 

Palm Sunday…

How well do you understand what it means?

For a great sermon on Palm Sunday, actually the best explanation I’ve ever heard….

On iTunes….
go to Podcasts….
search for Southbrook Church in North Carolina
and download for FREE…

The Crowd or The Christ ? 3/17/2008 Message by Rob Singleton