June 2006
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June 20, 2006
Metaphors and Stories
Apprising Ministries Ken Silva provides the following quote from Brennan Manning:So Jesus comes in the way of weakness, giving us the chance to love him and making us feel that we have something to give him. Isaiah prophesied that he... ... morePosted at 12:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 15, 2006
The Emerging Parables
As noted by EmergentNo, Gary E. Gilley reviews Brian McLaren's latest book: "McLaren reasons that believers have long misunderstood the true gospel because Jesus’ message was not given in a straight-forward manner but in a secret, codified form. The parables... ... morePosted at 07:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 13, 2006
Telling Quotes
I meditated for hours on words, images, and sounds. I reached the point of being able to achieve alpha brain patterns. —Mike Perschon, freelance writer for Youth Specialties T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at... ... morePosted at 09:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 12, 2006
Female Pastors
No amount of textual gymnastics and humanistic compromise will actually change the fact that women cannot possibly be ordained to the office of pastor-teacher without violating God's Word.... Slice it here.... ... morePosted at 07:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Business of the Church
Sales Baptisms are down so why not try something new? How about a contemporary service:"I didn't want it, didn't like it ... knew I wouldn't like it," Lincoln said of adding a contemporary service at his church in 2000. "I... ... morePosted at 07:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Vain Repetitions, Vain Repetitions, Vain Repetitions, Vain Repetitions
Brian Flynne writes:The technique involves repeating a word or phrase over and over until reaching what is called "the silence." Sometimes, instead of a word or phrase, the breath is focused upon, thus the name breath prayers. The goal? Reaching... ... morePosted at 07:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
June 11, 2006
This whole cultural drift
It is curious to me, in studying this whole cultural drift, that so many pick up the latest theological fashion and hail it as something new. But in fact, what the new theology is now say has already been said... ... morePosted at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Gandi Tried to Live Like Jesus
Gandhi probably made more of an intentional effort to live like Jesus than anyone else—more than any Christian I know. He actually tried to live it. - Philip Yancey in a Feb. 2004 interview with Sojourners... ... morePosted at 02:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 10, 2006
Episcopal Church Continues Slide into Irrelevance
The U.S. Episcopal Church faces a fractious debate next week over the controversy caused by the desecration consecration of the church's first openly gay bishop, which has rubbed raw relations with fellow Anglicans worldwide. The denomination is working on proposals... ... morePosted at 06:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Contemplative Prayer and the Evangelical Church
By Ray Yungen There is a practice that is becoming more and more popular within the evangelical church. It is called contemplative prayer or centering prayer. Youth organizations and seminaries are particularly drawn to this, thus impacting the Christian youth... ... morePosted at 05:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 09, 2006
Rick Warren and Breath Prayers
By Rick Warren Breath Prayers - God wants us to connect with Him on a moment-by-moment basis. When we pray once a week or even once a day, we fail to take advantage of everything God has for us! Breath... ... morePosted at 08:53 PM
Contemplative Prayer
From CenteringPrayer.com:Contemplative Prayer is a prayer of silence, an experience of God’s presence as the ground in which our being is rooted, the Source from whom our life emerges at every moment. For the Church's first sixteen centuries Contemplative Prayer... ... morePosted at 07:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Centering Prayer
According to www.contemplativeoutreach.org, "Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, Lectio Divina, (praying the scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross and St.... ... morePosted at 05:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 08, 2006
Is something wrong ...
... with the evangelical church? The New York Times describes a tug of war "unfolding behind the scenes over theology--should evangelicalism be a big tent open to divergent views, or a smaller movement with more pure theology?" Jan Markell describes... ... morePosted at 07:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Consumer Culture and Contemplative Prayer
A commentary from an Opus Dei numerary member suggests: Can consumer culture be combined with contemplative prayer? For us in Opus Dei it can. Our ideal is the life Christ lived before his public life, his life of ordinary work... ... morePosted at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Characteristics of Mysticism
It is characteristic of mysticism that it makes its appeal to the feelings as the sole, or at least as the normative, source of knowledge of divine things. This Christian mysticism, now, obviously differs in no essential respect from the parallel phenomena which are observable in other religions. It is only general mysticism manifesting itself on Christian ground and interpreting itself accordingly in the forms of Christian thought. It is mysticism which has learned to speak in Christian language
Posted at 07:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)
June 07, 2006
Mysticism & Christianity
by Benjamin B. Warfield (1851-1921) This essay originally appeared in The Biblical Review (vol. 2 ,1917, pp. 169-191) RELIGION is, shortly, the reaction of the human soul in the presence of God. As God is as much a part of... ... morePosted at 05:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Contemplative Prayer Necessary ...
Slice of Laodicea gives an update on the Be Still DVD controversy:The underlying theme of the Be Still DVD is that we cannot truly know God or be intimate with Him without contemplative prayer and the state of silence that... ... morePosted at 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 06, 2006
A conduit to mysticism?
There is a virtual disdain of theology, doctrine and the transcendence of God by many in mainstream churches. Ironically, those expressing these sentiments often think of themselves as cutting edge or radical when in reality they are one among many... ... morePosted at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 03, 2006
The Emergent Church
Christians believe in absolute truth and the reality of the Gospel regardless of man’s experience of it precisely because God, as creator, is independent or self-existent. To argue the contrary necessarily elevates man to a godlike status and causes truth to center upon subjective, variable and finite experiences in man’s life.
Posted at 11:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Contemplative Prayer
It's a code word ... When Christians contemplate God's Word or are meditating on it, the mind is still engaged and the individual is still thinking. Popular movements such as contemplative prayer, centering prayer or breath prayers are different. These... ... morePosted at 03:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Eros Spirituality vs. Agape Faith
Reformation Theology provides several insightful excerpts from David Wells’ book, Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World. One statement that hit home describes the evangelical church as ignorant, embracing a revolutionary belief system that it does even understand:Many... ... morePosted at 03:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 02, 2006
Revising
We are in the process of updating our design and will be done shortly.... ... morePosted at 09:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
True Religion is Born From The Knowledge of Truth
The grounds of religion must be taught and learned as truly as the grounds of anything else. Let us make no mistake here. Religion does not come of itself; it is always a matter of instruction. The emotions of the... ... morePosted at 11:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Schleiermacher: the experience of Christ is the key
Iain Murray has written a useful book titled Evangelicalism Divided. Within the first chapter is traces many of the modern theological trends back to German philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834). Schleiermacher was born in the age of unbelief which, in Germany,... ... morePosted at 11:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Faith contrary to rationality
Mysticism is nothing more than a faith contrary to rationality, deprived of content and incapable of communication. You can bear witness to it but you cannot discuss it. - Francsis Schaeffer, The God who is There... ... morePosted at 05:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Defining Mysticism
Chambers' Dictionary defines 'mysticism' as 'the habit or tendency of religious thought and feeling of those who seek direct [with the accent on this word 'direct'] communion with God or the divine', while a mystic is defined as 'one who... ... morePosted at 05:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
