Thursday, December 30, 2010

A dad at 94

Geez whiz! a dad at 94


December 30, 2010

It's never too late to start a family.

A 94-year-old Indian man -- who relies on a high-fat diet -- claims he's the world's oldest new dad after his wife gave birth last month to their first child.

"This child is God's gift to me," Ramjit Raghav said of the baby, Karamjit.

He said the secret of his miraculous virility was being in shape as a wrestler in his youth and adhering to a remarkable nuts-and-dairy diet.

Raghav said he drinks about 3½ quarts of milk a day, and eats a pound of almonds and a pound of clarified butter, which is known as ghee in India.

Doctors confirmed that his wife, Shankuntala Devi, had a normal delivery -- at age 59. They said the baby boy is healthy.

"Having babies at such age is a remote possibility, but then it can't be ruled out as it just needs one sperm to fertilize the egg," said Dr. Paramjeet Singh, at Kharkhoda Civil Hospital, where the child was born.

Raghav is a farmer in a northern Indian village about 50 miles from New Delhi.

He and his wife own no land and manage to get by with the two cows they own, a government pension and about $100 a month in wages from farming.

Pension records confirm that Raghav is 94.

The title of world's oldest dad was last set three years ago by another Indian, Nanu Ram Jogi, who sired his 22nd child at 90.

andy.soltis@nypost.com

SOME NEWS FOR YOU

COVER STORY
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Exercise, technology, and diet help us live longer than ever. Should those who look to eternal life care?


Stay Younger! Live Longer!
That's not just a silly promise of our culture.
FROM HER.MENEUTICS
Our Favorite Books by Women
Or at least the ones that we read in 2010.
For Many Missionaries, More Tech Means Shorter Furloughs
Constant connection keeps missionaries on the field, but has its costs.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Top 10 News Stories of 2010

The events, people, and debates of the past year that have shaped, or will significantly shape, evangelical life, thought, or mission.
  1. Aid groups rush to help an already-hurting Haiti after its 7.0-magnitude earthquake, raising $750 million in a mere five weeks. But scandal over Baptist missionaries' efforts to move 33 children to the Dominican Republic becomes a major plot line and raises questions about "amateur" aid.
  2. Thousands of global evangelical leaders gather in Cape Town to discuss missions, highlight evangelicalism's global diversity, pray for religious liberty, and build relationships that will likely bear unexpected fruit in the decades to come.
  3. In a closely watched case, World Vision wins its employment case at the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled 2–1 that the organization can fire employees who aren't orthodox Christians. A loss would have caused turmoil for faith-based organizations' hiring rules.
  4. Midterm elections halve the number of pro-life Democrats in the House of Representatives. Activist groups say the vote is a backlash against March's health-care reform bill, which also prompted new state abortion funding restrictions and the rise of the tea party (whose social concerns are still unclear).
  5. The U.S. Supreme Court rules against the Hastings College of the Law chapter of the Christian Legal Society, saying the school's policy that student groups must open all positions to all students—even those who oppose the group's core values—"is a reasonable, viewpoint-neutral condition."
  6. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill shifts the creation care debate. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary dean Russell Moore calls it a "defining moment" comparable to Roe v. Wade, and oversees sbc resolution calling for "full corporate accountability."
  7. American evangelicals find themselves at odds with African Christians over Uganda's proposed anti-gay bill, which would punish homosexual acts with life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
  8. Prominent Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke resigns from Reformed Theological Seminary under pressure amid debate on the historicity of Adam. "If the data is overwhelmingly in favor of evolution," he said in a video for BioLogos, "to deny that reality will make us a cult."
  9. Christian musician Jennifer Knapp announces she is in a same-sex relationship, spotlighting questions of pastoral response to gay Christians.
  10. Terry Jones, the pastor of a small church in Gainesville, Florida, sparks worldwide condemnation when he threatens to burn a Qur'an. He later promises never to burn one.
Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS


Glory to God in the highest,
and peace on earth to all men

God’s glory is in the highest heavens,
but his high state is now found in the stable,
what was lowly has now become sublime.
God’s glory is on the earth,
it is the glory of humility and love.
And even more: the glory of God is peace.
Wherever he is, there is peace.
He is present wherever human beings do not attempt,
apart from him, and even violently,
to turn earth into heaven.
He is with those of watchful hearts;
with the humble and those who meet him at the level of his own "height",
the height of humility and love.
To these people he gives his peace,
so that through them, peace can enter this world.

Benedict XVI

Back from the Dead, Reborn Into the Light


They called a time of death on Jeff. Then, his doctor heard the Lord say, 'Pray for him.'

Didn't These People Ever Go to Sunday School?


By Gary DeMar

With Christmas not too far away, we will hear the inevitable revisionist version of the Nativity story: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph exemplify the poverty stricken homeless family that needs the government to help them. Jesse Jackson was the first to turn Joseph and Mary into a "homeless couple" when he claimed that Christmas "is not about Santa Claus and `Jingle Bells' and fruit cake and eggnog" (true) but about "a homeless couple" (false).1 He continued the fabrication in 1999 by repeating the biblical sleight of hand.2 Barbara Reynolds, a former columnist for USA Today, following Jackson's early lead, scolded the Christian Right for opposing government welfare programs: "They should recall," she wrote, "that Jesus Christ was born homeless to a teen who was pregnant before she was married."3 Hillary Clinton, in comments critical of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's homeless policies, sought to remind all of us that "Christmas celebrates ‘the birth of a homeless child.’"4 What does the Bible actually say?
  • Mary did not engage in premarital sex. Her circumstances, to say the least, were unique (Luke 1:26–28). We don't know if Mary was in her teens.
  • Mary went to live with her cousin Elizabeth upon hearing about her pregnancy and "stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home" (Luke 1:56). Presumambly her parents owned a home and did not throw her out when they learned of her pregnancy.
  • Mary and Joseph were actually married at the time she learned she was pregnant even though a formal ceremony had not taken place. Joseph is called "her husband" (Matt. 1:19).
  • Joseph was a self-employed carpenter (Matt. 13:55).
  • An edict from the centralized Roman government forced Joseph and Mary to spend valuable resources to return to their places of birth to register for a tax (Luke 2:1-7). This meant lost wages and unplanned expenses because of a mandate by the State.
  • Typical of governments that make laws without considering the consequences, there was not enough housing for the great influx of traveling citizens and subjects who complied with the governmental decree (Luke 2:1).
  • Mary and Joseph had enough money to pay for lodging, but "there was no room in the inn" (Luke 2:7).
  • Joseph and Mary owned or rented a home. It was in their home that the wise men offered their gifts: "And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11).
Isn't it curious how politicians and social critics are quick to quote and misquote the Bible when they believe it supports their quirky political views but are shocked when conservatives appeal to the Bible in support of their causes. If a conservative were to quote the Bible pointing out the evils of abortion and homosexuality, we would hear the cry of "separation of church and state" on talk shows from coast to coast.
Notes
1. As reported in The Atlanta Journal/Constitution (December 28, 1991), A9.
2. Jesse Jackson, "The Homeless Couple," Los Angeles Times (December 22, 1999).
3. Barbara Reynolds, "These political Christians neither religious nor right," USA Today (Nov. 18, 1994), 13A.
4. Cited in "Washington" under Politics in USA Today (December 1, 1999), 15A.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Arne Duncan Returns to Reality Changers

For the second time in less than a year,
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Reality Changers -
this time with his wife and kids. "I'm thrilled to be back,"
said the Secretary during his second visit.
"I'm just a huge fan of Reality Changers (and)
I wanted my family to see the great work going on here." 


Monday, December 13, 2010

Barna Group Research


Megathemes
Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010
An annual tradition of the Barna Group has been the year-end summary of trends that emerged from the company's research conducted throughout the year. This year's overview provides six megathemes that were consistently found across the entire year's worth of studies. To find out more about the direction of the culture and the Church within it, read this new Barna Update report >

Saturday, December 4, 2010

The BBC Debate


Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of Britain, goes head-to-head with the author and atheist Christopher Hitchens to debate whether religion is a force for good in the world.

Does religion provide the common values and ethical foundations needed in the 21st Century or do deeply held religious beliefs promote intolerance and exacerbate ethnic divisions?

Chaired by Rudyard Griffiths in front of a 2,000 strong audience in Toronto, Canada.

Listen to part one    (25 minutes)
Listen to part two   (28 minutes)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The gospel is for Christians too.

SOULWORK
Evangelizing Ourselves
Mark Galli | posted 12/02/2010 09:43AM

When Christians share their faith with others—especially those of other faiths—our conversation sometimes begins with an unfortunate assumption: that we Christians have absorbed the message of Jesus and that non-Christians have not. That we are on the righteous side of God's ledger, and that Muslims and Jews are the sinners' side. We are near to God, and Buddhists and Hindus are far from God. Our conversation implicitly assumes that non-Christians need spiritual help and we do not so much. Non-Christians are lost, and we are not; people of other faiths need to hear the words of the gospel, and we do not.

We never say any of this in so many words—this is not the sort of thing that can be said at interfaith dialogues! But we Christians sometimes come across that way, and when we do, we are labeled arrogant and self-righteous. This puzzles us, because at such forums or in personal conversation with non-Christians, we usually work hard at being civil and kind. I suspect the problem in some cases is the above assumptions.

Let me suggest, in fact, that whenever we communicate to non-Christians that we have found it and that they have not, that we have been chosen and that they have not, that we are the apple of God's eye and that they are not—whenever we assume that stance, consciously or not, we are communicating something other than the gospel, the Good News.

Let us rehearse a core dimension of that gospel: All have sinned—including Christians—and fall short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23). And while we were sinners—all of us—Christ died for us, all of us (Rom. 5:6). And in Christ God was reconciling the world — Muslim, Jew, and Christian—to himself (2 Cor. 5:19). For God so loved the world — Sufi, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, and Christian—that he gave his Son (John 3:16).

Last week in this column, I began to explore the question, How do we talk about our faith without making others feel denigrated or angry? For one, we can talk about our faith so that everyone feels equally denigrated and equally inflamed! So that everyone—even the Christian—feels addressed by the one who is both Judge and Father. So that everyone—even the Christian—recognizes his or her sinfulness. So that everyone—even the Christian—stands at the foot of the Cross, in desperate need of a savior.

If we can do that, a couple of remarkable things will happen. First, we will recognize afresh that we're not talking about our religion versus their religion, not about how we are right and they are wrong, not about how we are peaceful and they are violent, not about how we are righteous and they are not. We will see that we're not on opposites of a religious war, but allies in the foxhole of faith. We will realize that Christian and non-Christians alike are going to have to cover each other's backs, because all of us—Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian—are being assaulted by a divine judge with a whip of cords who looks at us with equal concern and says "hypocrites" and "blind fools."

At the same time, we will also see a merciful divine hand extended to all of us, like the hand that Jesus used to grab and raise up the lame man, the hand that touched the eyes of the blind and gave sight and cupped the ears of the deaf and restored hearing. That's when we all will hear afresh the invitation that comes to any who are weary and heavy laden, that there is a yoke that can give us rest and a peace that passes understanding.

We are tempted at this point to wonder, "But haven't we Christians accepted that invitation, and non-Christians have not? Doesn't that make a difference? Aren't we called to invite non-Christians to follow Christ?"

But of course! By grace through faith we have been made aware of God's global reconciling work in Christ, and those who know this reality are commissioned to share the message of Christ's reconciliation work with the whole world (2 Cor. 5:19).

Then again, is this not an invitation we Christians need to accept anew every morning? Is this not a gospel that shakes us to our core daily and yet raises us daily to new life? Is not today, once again, the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2)? Should we not preach this gospel as if we also need to hear and accept it daily? And if so, can we ever preach to others a gospel that does not apply equally to us?

Can we see, then, how if we preach this gospel, it will be nigh impossible for anyone to dodge the message by charging us with self-righteousness? And can we see why the only hope for civil and humble interreligious dialogue hinges, from our side, on our entering it with a firm grasp of this gospel? And can we see why when Christians enter into interreligious dialogue—especially in those contexts where evangelism is explicitly ruled out—that we cannot help but evangelize? That is, when asked what we believe, how can we not share this extraordinary Good News that affects everyone in the room?

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today, and author of Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God (Baker).

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Hindrances to Fullness of Life

by T. Austin-Sparks

While it is true that every spiritual blessing is a gift of grace and not something to be merited, it is equally true that no blessing is entered into without a real challenge, demanding a genuine and honest proof that we mean business with God. The history of Israel's entering into the inheritance of the land covenanted to them is a great illustration of how spiritual fullness is withstood by foes of many kinds. The New Testament is one continuous revelation of how spiritual fullness for the Lord's people is withstood. It is an education to read the Word with this in mind and to recognize the many forms which this obstructing and frustrating activity takes. Both outside and inside of the Church, and often inside believers themselves, the enemy of spiritual fullness is shown to have his ground of vantage. The fact is, beloved of God, that only ''men of violence'' will really secure the Kingdom (Matt. 11:12), and this violence will often have to be done to some of our own positions, mentalities, prejudices, fears, reservations, antipathies, etc. We may settle it once for all that for the fullness of the Lord's life and blessing we must be on the Lord's ground. This is a law which will apply to many particular matters.




First published in "A Witness and A Testimony" magazine, Nov-Dec 1941, Vol 19-6

Friday, November 26, 2010

The Most Romantic Thing My Husband Ever Said to Me


I happened to be throwing up at the time.
We have funny ideas about romance. We think of it as candlelight, being showered in gifts, and a stolen kiss. That may be sort-of romantic, but at my age those things have worn kind of thin. And I think they have for a lot of people.

Take Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, for instance. He’s probably the most romantic figure in fiction. Women hold him up as the ideal that they’re looking for. But what is he like? For most of the story he’s cold, distant, and insulting. He certainly never does the candlelight and gift thing. He doesn’t even steal a kiss! But he’s a man of action. When it comes right down to it, he moves heaven and earth for the one he loves at great cost and inconvenience to himself.

And isn’t that what we all ultimately want? Someone who has our backs and will be there when we really need them?

The dictionary defines romance as: Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people. I like that definition. One of the most romantic things my husband ever said to me was when I was puking my guts out after an airline flight. Feeling like the scum of the world, I apologized that I’d once again put a damper on our trip by getting airsick (for about the 3,000th time). His response? “You’re the bravest person I know.” In that moment, I felt an ardent emotional attachment that was much greater than if he’d bought me 10 dozen roses and suitcases full of candy.

So what’s the key to having an ardent emotional attachment and involvement? I can think of at least five things.

1. You have to set aside time together. Regularly make a date to get away from jobs, ministry, kids, and the phone. If you’re living in the same house and never interacting, that isn’t ardent emotional attachment.

2. Become each other’s warrior and defender. Stick up for each other in front of the kids, in front of extended family, and in front of your friends. That doesn’t mean that you don’t see the other’s faults and face them, but do that privately after much prayer and thought. On a daily basis, make a commitment to build that person up whenever possible.

3. Return blessings for arrows. Whenever possible, return kindness for unkindness. Not only will it improve your marriage, but it will make you more Christ-like.

4. Talk about everything. If you’re afraid to talk to your spouse about how you really feel about something, you won’t feel an ardent emotional attachment. You’ll feel that you’re placating him so that you don’t have a blow out. That will end up feeling like walking on eggshells after a while. I’d rather see a couple have a shouting match about something they disagree on than refuse to talk about it at all. Every once in a while, my husband and I have a good old yelling match, which lets us know how strongly we’re feeling about the subject, then we calm down and really talk about it.

5. Sincerely desire the other person’s best. Most times that I’m angry with my husband, it’s because I didn’t get my way. When I step back and think about how I can help him be everything he can be in Christ, I feel a lot more compassion for him—indeed I feel an ardent emotional attachment that I would call romance.
What about you? What do you think romance truly is?

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Three Questions to Ask Your Spouse



They'll open doors for better communication and a stronger relationship

Margie and Bill faced each other in two living room chairs. Four couples observed as this husband and wife demonstrated a process they share with each other every Saturday morning.
This particular evening was part of a six-week lesson and discussion with our church home fellowship group on building intimacy in marriage.

I glanced at the three-by-five card in my hand. Bill had passed out one to each person. "This is a personal exercise," he announced. "Each partner is responsible for his or her part." The headline read: "Three Questions to Ask Each Other Every Week."
  1. Is there anything that I need to apologize for? (i.e. Did I do anything that hurt you?)
  2. Is there anything you need from me that you're not getting?
  3. How can I be a better spouse?
I noticed my heart rate increase. There might be more here than I bargained for. Sure, I was open to a few tips. Charles and I had just celebrated 26 years of marriage and we could always use a refresher. Even so, a feeling of dread came over me. My husband and I were not the best at communicating about our own relationship. We were much better at evaluating other people's marriages!

I squirmed in my seat as I listened to Margie question Bill and then Bill ask the same of Margie. They were sohonest. Not that I expected them to lie. Of course not. But could we do the same?

To Ask or Not to Ask


On the way home I asked Charles what he thought of the evening. "I don't think we need this process," he said. "We're talkers. We pretty much cover everything on a day-to-day basis."

I nodded, relieved not to wade in any deeper than we were already. And yet, I wanted to try—to see what would come up. My husband has a quick temper and I have a tendency to back off when things get hot so I couldn't predict how these questions would work for us.

And so we let it go, week after week after week. Then one day on a drive to the city, I suggested we test the process. We were in a good place emotionally and it seemed we could "practice" without the risk of a meltdown. He agreed. I started. "Is there anything that I need to apologize for?" I asked.

Charles paused. "I get frustrated by our lack of understanding each other, but it's not usually anything specific you've done."

Whew! I got by easy on that one.

Next question. "Is there anything you need from me that you're not getting?" I sensed the answer before it came.

"I'd like more sexual intimacy. I know it's not like it used to be between us (before his prostate cancer), but I'd like to at least be playful with each other."

"That would be nice, but I'm scared," I replied. "I'm older now and I'm not as interested as I was. I like cuddling in bed and a massage is nice, but …"

"Okay, we can start there."

Relief. We'd gotten past the first two questions and we were still talking. Yeah!
"How can I be a better spouse?" I asked.

"I don't know. You work hard. You're good to me. I'm happy."

Nice to hear—all of it—even the part that had scared me. Now I worried that I might not be able to answer Charles' questions as easily as he answered mine.

My Turn in the Hot Seat


He started with question number one and I was quick to respond that his temper is an ongoing challenge and I need him to apologize when he takes out his anger with others on me. "I want us to talk about that habit and make some changes."

Question number two raised the hair on my arms. "Is there anything you need from me that you're not getting?"

I had a ready answer. "I need simple kindness," I said in a quiet voice. "I'm grateful for all your help, the gardening, ironing, painting, financial management, and your support of my writing but I long for a kind attitude, bits of grace when I'm stressed or worried."

His eyes opened wider. I knew I had picked at a scab. Our viewpoint on kindness differs. He seems to see it as practical acts of help. I view it as an understanding disposition and words of comfort.
And finally, the last question about how to be a better spouse. I told Charles he is a good mate, a willing partner in so many ways that matter, and aside from what I'd said before I didn't have anything to add.

Love—and Then Some


We hugged each other, said, "I love you," and agreed that even though the questions prickle, they also release pent-up anxiety about each other that festers if it's not expressed.

Have we repeated this process every week since? No. But we do talk more often now about the "state of our union" and we ask these and other questions that cover the same terrain. We're moving closer together. In fact, just this morning, I was able to ask Charles for mercy when he spouted his impatience over something trite. He apologized. I accepted it and then he left for a meeting. I don't know how it will be when he returns. But however it is, we'll have a conversation about that.

A marriage partnership, at least for us, is not 24/7 harmony. It's about telling and living in the truth of the moment. The three questions included here can help. They've helped us. But don't stop there. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the questions and answers that work for you. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5, NIV). I can't imagine better advice than that.

Karen O'Connor is a freelance writer and writing mentor from Watsonville, California. 
Visit Karen at www.karenoconnor.com

This Week in Christian History

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

1863 - President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens..." (Read more)
Read the full article here

1531 - Oeceolampadius, the "House Light"
Today most Protestant churches, at least in the western world, take for granted that those who attend a church should have some say in how it is run. That hasn't always been so. Even when the Protestant Reformation began in the sixteenth century, Luther and other reformers thought that the church ought to be directed primarily by the clergy. The first person to suggest otherwise was a little known reformer... (Read more)
Read the full article here

1654 - Blaise Pascal's conversion
Blaise Pascal of France was a Renaissance man. He was a prominent mathematician, physicist, and inventor. He made important contributions to geometry, calculus, and helped develop the theory of probability. But on November 23, 1654, he experienced a Christian conversion that would cause his outstanding scientific work to take second place in his pursuits... (Read more)
Read the full article here

1963 - Death of C.S. Lewis
November 22, l963 is the date that is remembered around the world and annually recalled on the evening news as the date President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Far less noticed is the fact that another famous twentieth century figure also died on this date. C.S. Lewis (who preferred to be called "Jack") went to be with the Lion named Aslan... (Read more)
Read the full article here

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Word, Church Tradition and EXPERIENCE


May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love... that you may really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience. (Ephesians 3:17,19).

The Holy Spirit, with all that the gift of the Spirit means of enduement and endowment and instruction and strengthening, is not a substitute for experience. We are very often found asking that certain things shall be done for us by the Holy Spirit which the Holy Spirit will never do. He has to lead us into experience. It is the only way in which He can answer our prayers. Many prayers are answered through experience. You ask the Lord to do something, and He takes you through experience, and you arrive at the answer in that way. You had not meant that, of course: you wanted the Lord to do the thing there and then as a gift, as an act; but that would have been merely objective, something given, whereas He wants to make it a part of yourself, and so He answers prayer by some experience. 'Stedfastness worketh experience', and if there is no experience, what is the good of anybody or anything?

So then, experience is of greater importance than being delivered from tribulation. 'Tribulation worketh experience'. Oh, how often we have asked the Lord why He allowed this and that, or why He did not do this or that. Why did He not hinder Adam from sinning? Why has He not stopped the world in so many things that have had most terrible results? Experience is very largely the answer. Experience is very important because, after all, it is the very quality of service. When we come to real life, and we are really up against things and the issues are of the greatest consequence, we do not want just information, we want experience, and we go where experience can help us. Is that not so? Thus experience is the very body and quality of service and usefulness to the Lord.

By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Importance and Value of Experience 

Saturday, November 20, 2010

a man's perspective

a man's perspective

Philip Yancey: A Living Stream in the Desert

How the Christian faith will be a subversive—and liberating—influence in the Middle East.
If someone had stood here in Julius Caesar's day and predicted the decline of the mighty Roman Empire and the triumph of an upstart religion founded by a Galilean peasant, he would have been judged a lunatic. As would anyone who stood in the Middle East five centuries later and predicted the downfall of Christianity, by then dominant in places like Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Yet here we are in the 21st century meeting rather furtively in a backyard in an Islamic state, hoping that none of the hired help are eavesdropping. As a visitor, I cannot help wondering why this part of the world, the birthplace and once the center of the Christian faith, became the region most resistant to it.  

Friday, November 19, 2010

Aunt Bethany saying grace

This Week in Christian History

Friday, November 19, 2010

1863 - Sarah Hale Gave Us Thanksgiving Day
Sarah Hale used her popular magazines as a forum to advocate America's national day of gratitude to God. She worked tirelessly towards this goal for over fifteen years before Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863. Not a bad track record for a girl educated at home, largely by her own efforts... (Read more)
Read the full article here

1839 - John Williams Martyred on Erromanga
November 20, 1839 - John Williams encountered hostility when he landed on Erromanga, New Hebrides (Vanuatu). He tried to dash back to his ship, but he wasn't quick enough. The missionary who had hoped to feast them with the Gospel became their... (Read more)
Read the full article here

1827 - Henry Alford, Author of "Come Ye Thankful People Come"
Henry Alford is best known as the author of the Thanksgiving hymn "Come Ye Thankful People Come." Among scholars, he is better known for his commentary on the Greek New Testament, on which he labored for... (Read more)
Read the full article here

869 - Enduring Legend of Popular Martyr King
It is said that Edmund was a godly English king. When the Danes invaded in 866, Edmund struggled to hold his little state against them. Upon his capture, he refused to submit to pagan conditions saying that his faith was dearer to him than life, and that he would never purchase his life by offending God. Infuriated, the Danes beat him with sticks, then tied him to a tree and tore his flesh with whips. Next they shot arrows into him until..." (Read more)
Read the full article here

270 - Gregory Worked Wonders
When Gregory became bishop of Neocaesarea in the region of Pontus (modern Turkey) in the year 239, there were only seventeen Christians. When he died (which tradition says happened on November 17, 270), there were only seventeen pagans. That transformation was owing largely to... (Read more)
Read the full article here

Ricky Bobby family dinner or How Not To Pray

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Eschatology Matters: Competing Worldviews

By GARY DEMAR   
Christians aren’t the only ones with a view of the future. Every religion and major social or political movement has an eschatology that effects how they conduct day to day life. In this episode Gary looks at some of the various major eschatological views and the impact they have had on our culture.
Related posts: