RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS
The Sights, Sounds, and Spectacles of Spurious SpiritualityPart 1 By Pastor Larry DeBruyn “We reject all shameful and underhanded methods.We do not try to trick anyone,and we do not distort the word of God.We tell the truth before God,and all who are honest know that.” (The Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:2, NLT) Along with other […]
OUR QUANTUM REALITY:
THE MATHEMATICS OF THE MECHANICS By Ben Laake[1] A Useful Tool Traditionally, mathematics has been called the language of science. Scientists and engineers use the language of mathematics to describe the world and to understand and predict the behavior of physical systems. For several centuries, mankind has been learning to use ever more complicated systems […]
“The Spiritualization of Science,
Technology, and Education in a One-World Society” This emerging trans-modern worldview,involves a shift in the locus of authorityfrom external to ‘inner knowing.’ It hasbasically turned away from the older scientificview that ultimate reality is “fundamentalparticles,“ and trusts perceptionsof the wholeness and spiritual aspectof organisms, ecosystems, Gaia andCosmos. This implies a spiritual reality,and ultimate trust in […]
Avoid Sleep!
“And take heed to yourselves,lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,and drunkenness, and cares of this life,and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all themthat dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always,that ye may be accounted […]
Spiritual Songs
By Pastor Larry DeBruyn* “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”(Colossians 3:16, KJV) Admittedly, the issue to be addressed is as “touchy” as it is “feely.” Music is “feely” because people […]
Early Experiential Emergents
“Not only did AA, almost by default, begin to supplant the pastoral authority of the professional clergy and open the door to spirituality in the experiencing of a nondoctrinally specific Higher Power, but it also revived the small group dynamic that would come to characterize later twentieth-century Protestantism….” – Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence (Baker […]
The Emerging Church – Circa 1970
The tasks ahead for Emergent Christianity include: Wresting questions of eternity away from its Greek “timeless” bias. Wresting evolution—the story of life—away from both Literal Creationism and Materialistic Darwinism. Wresting Orthodoxy back from Enlightenment modernity. Wresting Imminence (God in Creation) away from Pantheism (God is creation), as well as Deism (God is separate from creation) […]
The Naked Slippery Slope
It doesn’t take much time on the official Miss USA website to see how much the competition is shaped by prurient interests. Unlike the rival Miss America competition, Miss USA doesn’t feature a talent category, where contestants play the piano, sing, or orate. No, the Donald Trump–owned Miss USA pageant only features evening gown, interview, […]
DEAD BREAD
The Scandal and Malnutrition of Sermons for Sale By Pastor Jeffrey L. Whittaker I remember sitting in a popular restaurant chain with some friends several years ago, when the waitress came to take our order. One of my friends, when asked what kind of dressing he wanted on his salad, abruptly stated to the startled […]
PyroMarketing Hagiography
“The pastor’s partners at Reader’s Digest aren’t worried about readers being turned off by a Rick Warren overload. On the contrary, they’re counting on his global appeal. “He’s a powerhouse,” says Alston in explaining the publisher’s decision to take on the new title.” — TIME, 3/11/09 hagiography: (noun) A biography that idealizes or idolizes the […]