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Evangelicals Fear the Loss of Their Teenagers

Posted by Ron on Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:21:04 PM
I'm afraid this might be true. I wish there were better stats, but my gut feeling and experience tells me we are losing our youth:

Despite their packed megachurches, their political clout and their increasing visibility on the national stage, evangelical Christian leaders are warning one another that their teenagers are abandoning the faith in droves.

At an unusual series of leadership meetings in 44 cities this fall, more than 6,000 pastors are hearing dire forecasts from some of the biggest names in the conservative evangelical movement. Read More.

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Random Thoughts on the Sign Gifts

Posted by Ron on Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:19:58 PM
Considering issues I have no problem with. This is for Christians's who are unsure of this "spiritual gifting" stuff. HT: Smart Christian

...mulling over the issues with regards to the 'sign' or 'miraculous' gifts. Here are some random thoughts I've been chewing on...

1. 1 Corinthians 13.8-13. This is not profound, but merely an acknowledgement of what the majority of evangelicalism has already said: these verses are not referring to the closing of the canon. Without this text, the intratextual evidence for any strong cessationist position is incredibly weak. To my knowledge this is the only text cessationists use to argue their position that Paul knew of the gifts coming to an end. Further, even if we could allow that this text is speaking of these gifts (tongues, prophecies, and knowledge), then why do we include things like the gift of healing in the list of gifts which have ceased? Read More.

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The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals

Posted by Ron on Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:17:58 PM
Totally subjective (though thought out) list of the top 50 books that have shaped the Evangelical movement. This list also shows how out of touch I am, I didn't recognise many of them!

People and movements can be defined by the books they read and remember.

The time it takes to read and digest a book requires us to engage someone else's ideas with more seriousness than almost any other activity. So it is with some trepidation that we present this list. Read More.
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Thank You, Mike Gallagher

Posted by Ron on Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:11:21 PM
DJ Drummond on the Westboro Baptist Church:

Like vultures and jackals around a corpse, the mad pack calling themselves Westboro Baptist declared that they would be protesting at the funerals of several Amish schoolgirls murdered in Pennsylvania. How anyone could be so craven and evil as to play such an event for publicity is beyond even my normally active imagination, but the bottom line is that Mike Gallagher stepped in and made a deal – if the group would promise – in writing – not to picket the funerals of these innocent girls, he would turn over an hour of his nationally-broadcast radio show to the group. The group accepted, and so far appear to have honored their word, such as it is. Read More.

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Poll Says Many Pentecostals Don't Speak in Tongues

Posted by Ron on Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:09:34 PM
Just from anectodal evidence I would say this poll is fairly accurate. It is also of concern:

Speaking in tongues, long a hallmark of Pentecostalism, is not practiced by a significant number of charismatic and Pentecostal Christians, a new 10-country survey shows.

The survey, released Thursday by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, found that experiences of divine healing of physical ailments were far more prominent for those who affiliate with the vibrant and growing segment of Christianity.

Researchers found that many Pentecostals and charismatics attend worship services where speaking in tongues and other signs of the Holy Spirit are evident. But in six of the 10 countries surveyed, at least 40 percent of Pentecostals said they never pray or speak in tongues. Read More.

HT: Jerry

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Race clashes hit Windsor

Posted by Ron on Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:08:25 PM
This hits close to home, I used to live in Slough, which is right next to Windsor.

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Extra police are being drafted into the Windsor area today after three nights of violent clashes between white and Asian youths.

Gangs have fought battles in the streets using baseball bats and pitchforks. A Muslim-run dairy which wants to build a mosque was petrol bombed.

Dozens of officers have been deployed to stop and search youths and mounted police are being brought in. Read More.

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Bible-Reading Student Gets Lesson in Litigation

Posted by Ron on Friday, October 06, 2006 12:12:44 PM
Is this crazy or what?

Amber Mangum was a frequent reader during lunch breaks at her Prince George's County middle school, silently soaking up the adventures of Harry Potter and other tales in the spare minutes before afternoon classes. The habit was never viewed as a problem -- not, a lawsuit alleges, until the book she was reading was the Bible.

A vice principal at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel last month ordered Amber, then 12, to stop reading the Bible or face punishment, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by Amber's mother. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, alleges that the vice principal's actions violated the girl's civil rights. Read More

HT: Jerry


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Quantum data teleported from light to atoms

Posted by Ron on Thursday, October 05, 2006 10:52:01 PM
This is pretty cool and the ramifications for computers is staggering:

Beaming people in "Star Trek" fashion is still in the realms of science fiction, but physicists in Denmark have used weird quantum teleportation to transfer information from photons to atoms, bringing the dream of lightning-fast quantum computers closer to reality. Read More.

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Muslims are waging civil war against us, claims police union

Posted by Ron on Thursday, October 05, 2006 9:04:42 PM
Sounds like France is having some serious problems. It is difficult to say what will actually happen, but they must get a handle on it:

Radical Muslims in France's housing estates are waging an undeclared "intifada" against the police, with violent clashes injuring an average of 14 officers each day. Read More.


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Hizballah's use of Western Media

Posted by Ron on Thursday, October 05, 2006 9:03:49 PM
LGF linked to this translated page from Hizballah that gloats how they manipulated the western media in the Lebanon war. Link.

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Show Them Who Is the Boss in France

Posted by Ron on Thursday, October 05, 2006 9:02:26 PM
Another article on the spreading intifada that is beginning to engulf Europe. HT: Powerline.

Here are today’s headlines in Belgium’s (only) Sunday newspaper De Zondag. Page One: “No Sign of Revolt in Belgium Yet.” Page Five: “Violence Moves Towards Belgium.” It almost sounds like a weather forecast, anticipating the onslaught of a hurricane that is inevitably coming.

What is happening in France has been brewing in Old Europe for years. The BBC speaks of “youths” venting their “anger.” The BBC is wrong. It is not anger that is driving the insurgents to take it out on the secularised welfare states of Old Europe. It is hatred. Hatred caused not by injustice suffered, but stemming from a sense of superiority. The “youths” do not blame the French, they despise them. Read More.


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'Too late' to stop N Korea's bomb

Posted by Ron on Thursday, October 05, 2006 3:30:23 AM
This is actually quite frightening:

China, the US, Japan, South Korea and the UN launched frantic diplomacy in response to Tuesday night's announcement that North Korea would stage its first nuclear explosion because of an "extreme threat of nuclear war and sanctions" from the Americans.

China confirmed yesterday that President Hu Jintao would meet Japan's tough-talking new Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on Sunday in a summit that now has a sharp edge of urgency.

Mr Abe yesterday repeated the demand that North Korea halt nuclear test preparations and promised: "Japan will work with the US, China South Korean and other countries concerned to respond to this situation." Read More.

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Anti-Gay Kansas Church Denies Protests at Funerals for Slain Amish Girls

Posted by Ron on Thursday, October 05, 2006 12:01:02 AM
These people are sick, they have no concept of what christianity is all about. Notice in the article how big the congregation is, 70. What they aren't saying is it's almost all family members.
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The controversial anti-homosexual Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., plans to stage a protest at the funerals of the five Amish girls executed in their Pennsylvania school, according to a flyer posted on the church's Web site.

The church is protesting the funerals because of the attendance of Pennsylvania Gov. George Rendell, who has spoken out against the church publicly, the flyer says. Read More.


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RUDY GETS MAJORITY

Posted by Ron on Wednesday, October 04, 2006 11:59:46 PM

Giuliani is the only politician to get majority support in the latest Marist poll:

The front-runners for the 2008 nominations are Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, and only Giuliani gets majority support in a general election, according to the latest Marist poll.

Republicans who want to hold the White House need to look at these numbers; they’re amazing. Giuliani gets majority support for his political views across almost all political demographics, and a plurality of Democrats. Thirty-two percent of Democrats want him to run in 2008. His candidacy has gained support from last year, something that only Newt Gingrich can say, and then only from fourth place. John McCain has suffered a significant drop in his support from February; perhaps his new emphasis on conservative values has caused some revisionism among his former fans on the Left. Read More.

McCain seems to be losing support. Interesting.

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The Islamic doctrine of abrogation

Posted by Ron on Tuesday, October 03, 2006 12:30:42 PM
This article explains why the Koranic verses on violent jihad takes precedence over the earlier verses on peace. Spencers article in in response to Dean Esmay and is a must read for a better understanding of the Muslim justification of violent jihad. Link.

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