tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.comments2012-04-11T10:41:45.930+10:00Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02369197954620493177noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-66245390302429075512012-04-11T10:41:45.930+10:002012-04-11T10:41:45.930+10:00psst... god is fake.thriftstorereligionhttp://thriftstorereligion.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-50557631188390960422010-12-15T23:37:22.501+11:002010-12-15T23:37:22.501+11:00WOW! Great points Chris. Another good post.James Castlehttp://yourchristiantoolbox.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-4174704732954228222010-11-23T21:15:19.750+11:002010-11-23T21:15:19.750+11:00Great job, love the hermeneutics.<br /><br />Actually, it makes sense because obviously that was the underlying tension there... and it relates well to our situation. Isn&#39;t our biggest fear in telling people of the world that we serve the Only God, that when it comes time for proof, it will seem to have disappeared?<br /><br />As Oswald Chambers said, &quot;Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us.&quot;<br /><br />Great stuff, dude!Justin J Fowlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08208405136079267853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-63896146410294086112010-11-23T21:02:00.332+11:002010-11-23T21:02:00.332+11:00This is great.<br /><br />I was discussing this with some friends awhile back and we came up with a couple other scenarios (didn&#39;t even think of this one!)<br /><br />One was David&#39;s acting crazy in front of the Philistine king... then I mentioned how God led Pharaoh to believe that his people were only going out to the desert to worship. Of course, he never said they wouldn&#39;t be coming back... ;)Justin J Fowlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08208405136079267853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-68242019727285843572010-05-28T07:18:35.469+10:002010-05-28T07:18:35.469+10:00you are invited to follow my blogSteve Finnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15041851737677873347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-32904961435329321482010-04-05T14:05:30.960+10:002010-04-05T14:05:30.960+10:00Thanks Nathan,<br /><br />I agree that #2 is the strongest for why it had to happen. The others are obviously important but I think #2 is the strongest argument I could give someone, of course I&#39;d probably do all three.<br /><br />Thamks for the kind words.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02369197954620493177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-90971267684012194242010-04-05T13:24:49.402+10:002010-04-05T13:24:49.402+10:00Great read Chris, a very good answer to a common question. I think that no 2. is the strongest point; it is the final, visible proof that He breaks the power of sin (death) and leaves it utterly defeated. It is also, as you say, evidence of his own divine nature, and of God&#39;s will for it to happen.nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-79717684557415068332009-12-07T23:09:31.117+11:002009-12-07T23:09:31.117+11:00Agreeing with you that people are obsessed with the temporal (here and now), I have found that people like to be spiritual.<br />When i say &#39;spiritual&#39;, I mean that they are trying to find a kind of spiritual significance in this temporal world.<br /><br />You&#39;re right to say that people don&#39;t easily seek to understand or even think about the possibility of a world beyond this one. <br /><br />&quot;If it ain&#39;t broken, don&#39;t fix it&quot; - is applied by a people who are ignorant about just how ruined this world is and us as a race are. They&#39;d rather old onto this one.James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-626907874835815112009-12-02T00:29:26.904+11:002009-12-02T00:29:26.904+11:00Freedom in western nations seems to be thought of as freedom from accountability and responsibility. As you said, Jesus smashes that. Well written.James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-39623599058431213902009-11-30T13:19:04.909+11:002009-11-30T13:19:04.909+11:00A friend of mine thinks that Sunday School groups provide(ed) kids with a literacy based focus to learning about God. This was said to increase both their time spent learning and general literacy. I am convinced that as a blanket statement this one fails, but there is some truth to it.<br /><br />I&#39;ve noticed that Anglican churches tend to be more white middle class folk with desk jobs and/or in tertiary industries. While the more pentecostal churches have a higher rate of blue collar workers. Different denominations could appeal to different learning styles (i.e. kinesthetic, auditory, visual) in their worship and church structure. <br /><br />In my year twelve youth group there were 3x more women. Other youth groups have had the reverse. Overall it seems that you are right to say that fewer men are in churches than ladies.<br /><br />In the book &#39;Why Men Hate Going to Church&#39; the author reckons that the reason why there are so few men (and women are unhappy with church as well) is because that churches are: &quot;girls clubs ruled by men&quot;. Men hate that it is geared towards women and women hate that they are ruled over by men.James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-23639715437600470822009-11-28T00:54:12.770+11:002009-11-28T00:54:12.770+11:00With so many churches around, with cars allowing us to travel easily and quickly, and with many of us having very thin skin, it really does take a trooper to receive and appropriately respond to a rebuke or discipline.<br /><br />It isn&#39;t like the new church would call up the old one and run a background check, and the more the merrier...The REAL troopers will stay.<br /><br />The question for the rebuker is: How do you effectively rebuke someone?James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-24401926142884487382009-11-26T15:00:39.127+11:002009-11-26T15:00:39.127+11:00Trusting something else: superannuation. That&#39;s a big one for folk today. <br />Tyler Durden in Fight Club made me really happy when he blew up all the credit card company buildings (especially since no one was hurt)James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-82655115952333622622009-11-23T12:28:53.057+11:002009-11-23T12:28:53.057+11:00Joy: and appropriate response to the presence of GodJames Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-41835597632691400342009-11-23T12:26:11.734+11:002009-11-23T12:26:11.734+11:00I have trouble forgiving people. <br /><br />God doesn&#39;t forgive people and is not reconciled to them unless they repent and ask for forgiveness.<br /><br />What is more, he begun the process of reconciliation with us while we were still in open rebellion against him!<br /><br />Should we forgive someone if they don&#39;t want it? Should we forgive someone if they consistently display a disregard for human life and there is no evidence of their desire to cease the practice which offended/hurt in the first place?<br /><br />Difficult situation.<br /><br />Can someone be truely forgiven if they don&#39;t want it? Is forgiveness something that needs to be accepted by the offender for it to be valid?<br /><br />In the very least, when someone has wronged you, strive to be at peace with them. <br /><br />You make a good point about not being a doormat.James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-66393785951681137892009-11-20T15:46:54.055+11:002009-11-20T15:46:54.055+11:00I recall being in the same room. You are spot on about the tensions that we will be dealing with when seeking to restore someone to godliness and faith. <br /><br />Jesus&#39; line about the sinless person casting the first stone has often been used as a defense by those who don&#39;t want to put a sin to death.<br /><br />Those types of people need to consider that Jesus gave the Apostles authority, and throughout the epistles we see church leadership having to discipline unrepentant sinners. <br /><br />I know of people at this very moment who are running towards sin - while their friends either don&#39;t know that those people are, or they are instead ignoring the issue all together. <br /><br />Such a delicate issue...James Castlehttp://jamesacastle.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-79575135949094154052009-03-06T00:04:00.000+11:002009-03-06T00:04:00.000+11:00what the!<BR/>this was not the news I expected to see coming in from home group.<BR/>I'm so glad I didn't take 94 minutes waiting for the goal(s) that never came!stirrup_familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17257385512200923362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-34928715591127816502009-03-02T00:07:00.000+11:002009-03-02T00:07:00.000+11:00Don't we all?Elysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12618158608687332190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-36222270735513658702009-02-27T16:53:00.000+11:002009-02-27T16:53:00.000+11:00You Know I love George Orwell!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02369197954620493177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2139819749336544065.post-91061720475249482202009-02-27T00:14:00.000+11:002009-02-27T00:14:00.000+11:00collegespeak?<BR/><BR/>Well, someone has been reading lots of George Orwell in recent times. <BR/><BR/>Big words are fun! <BR/>Have I told you about my plans for a pretentious bookshelf?Elysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12618158608687332190noreply@blogger.com