Today’s Buzz: Excommunicated; Gun Giveaway; Charismatic Civil War; I Love Big Crosses & I
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, July 14, 2008
- Viewed 98
- (21) comments so far
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The Threads Virtual Coffee Break is a week-long conversation between Threads authors/team members and you (and up to four other people.) If you have some specific questions for a Threads author or just like the idea of getting to have a virtual coffee break with him or her, then all you need to do are these four things:
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Maker of Shirtless Calendar Excommunicated by Mormon Church
Chad Hardy, the creator of a calendar that featured shirtless Mormon missionaries called “Men on a Mission,” was excommunicated Sunday after a disciplinary meeting with local Mormon church leaders in Las Vegas. He told the Associated Press: “I felt like I spoke my truth. Bottom-line, they still felt the calendar is inappropriate and not the image that the church wants to have. I have no ill feelings toward any of those people. They did what they believed was right and I really do feel it was the best decision for both of us.” HT: SNAFU-ed.
Church Decides NOT to Giveaway Semi-automatic Weapon to Teenagers.
An Oklahoma church canceled a controversial gun giveaway for teenagers at a weekend youth conference. Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event’s organizers was unable to attend. The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. Friday evening, Ross said the gun giveaway had been canceled. Pastor emeritus Jim Vineyard, who ran the event, injured his foot and wouldn’t be able to attend. The gun giveaway was also removed from the church Web site. Ross said the church would give the gun away next year instead. He said the church spent $800 buying the gun for the promotion. HT: KOKO
The ‘Charismatic Civil War’?
Will there be a split in Charismatic circles over the Lakeland Revival? This article thinks there could be… What do you think?
I Like Big Crosses...
Grace Community Church is raising money to build two enormous crosses that its pastor says will mark the entrances to Houston on Interstate 45. The crosses will likely rank among the largest in the world. Counting their bases, the crosses would reach up to 200 feet. Each would dwarf I-45’s current symbol of Texas largeness. “Big Sam” Houston, the colossal statue in Huntsville, stands 77 feet tall with its base. The symbols of Christianity would tower over Grace’s freeway-hugging campuses: the south campus at Dixie Farm Road, and the new north campus just south of The Woodlands. Combined, they serve 12,000 members. Part building, part sculpture, each cross would include a “prayer center” about 40 feet off the ground — a “Space Needle-type place,” Pastor Steve Riggle said — where Christians from all over Houston could come to pray for the city’s well-being. More here...
Group Sues Church Over Rented Bus
Four adults and 22 children are suing Evangel World Prayer Center, one of Louisville’s largest churches, alleging they were sickened by carbon monoxide two years ago while riding a bus rented from the congregation. Passengers on the bus, which included members of The Village of Louisville youth track club and adult chaperones, were evacuated from the bus at an Indiana rest stop about 80 miles north of Louisville. Six children were taken to Indiana hospitals and others were treated at the scene. The group, which is not affiliated with Evangel, was returning from a track meet in Northern Indiana. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Garry Adams, said he has been negotiating with church lawyers and still hopes to reach a settlement. But with the two-year statute of limitations on vehicle-related lawsuits approaching, “we had to make sure we got something on file,” he said. The incident “could have been a lot worse,” Adams said. “I think that everybody has been pretty fortunate up to this point, just in general.” HT
That’s it for today! Have a great one!
It's been a big week for some... and here are their stories...
Like the mormon guy who decided to publish a shirtless calendar of mormon missionary hunks. Uh-huh... he got excommunicated.
Or the Oklahoma church who has reluctantly decided NOT to give away a semi-automatic weapon at their youth conference. (I guess someone shot down that idea).
Or the church in Houston that wants to spend a gizillion dollars to build a couple of really big crosses and a prayer room forty feet off the ground so people can pray for the city. (My mind wonders... why 40 feet? Why not 50 or 38?)
All this an more in Today's Buzz...
Comments
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jud on Mon, July 14, 2008
I live in the Texas panhandle and we currently have the largest cross in the western hemisphere just to the south of I-40… it’s something like 150 ft high.
Guess what got installed at the foot of the cross not long after it was completed?
A gift Shop !!! Argggghhh
Leonard Lee on Mon, July 14, 2008
Jud, do they sell Fish shaped skate boards? Man that would really reach people if they did, we wouldn’t even have to share the Gospel anymore.
I have some family caught up in the Bentley junk and it is becoming divisive and ugly. The common cry is, “why do you have to be so theological; can’t you just go with the Spirit?”
These guys are sooooo seductive to people and poisonous. Better of handling snakes. At least when they bite you don’t end up blaming God.
I would love to win a gun, but that is not politically correct anymore.
I would get excommunicated (rightly so) if we did a calendar of me without a shirt.
CS on Mon, July 14, 2008
“Or the church in Houston that wants to spend a gizillion dollars to build a couple of really big crosses and a prayer room forty feet off the ground so people can pray for the city. (My mind wonders… why 40 feet? Why not 50 or 38?)”
Haven’t you heard? The number “40” is the “in” number these days. How many days of purpose? How many days of community? If it isn’t 40, it isn’t meaningful!
Joking aside, the numerology aspects of the Bible are being run over and smooshed by people left and right. Like the pastor who says that the highway going through Texas is significant of a road mentioned in Isaiah because the highway number matches up with the chapter number. It wouldn’t surprise me if the 40 feet here is trying to be linked to various “40s” in the Bible once more.
—
CS
Peter Hamm on Mon, July 14, 2008
“Will there be a split in Charismatic circles over the Lakeland Revival?”
I certainly hope there will be, in one sense, and in the other, I hope people will come to their senses, but I doubt it. (I have to admit that certain brothers and sisters in Christ that we know and love that are committing a lot of web-space to pointing out the problems here are right on the money on this one…)
jud on Mon, July 14, 2008
Leonard… you need to see the thing Nightline did on the Bentley thing last week. They asked him to provide documentation on 3 just THREE !!! miracles from Lakeland and he did not get back with them other than giving them a folder with more stories and incomplete contact info on the people in those stories.
Unreal !
Pat on Mon, July 14, 2008
This is the most asinine thing I’ve heard of—giving away a gun to teenagers! What good could come out of this??!! I don’t know what the church leaders are thinking. We live in an age of gratuitous violence on t.v. and in video games, rising violent crime rates, school shootings and accidental shootings, yet somehow they think a gun giveaway is a good idea.
As for the revivalist, the only good thing I read in that article was the last quote: “Miraculous manifestations are never the test of a true revival - fidelity to God’s Word is the test,” wrote AOG Superintendent George O. Wood. “
jud on Mon, July 14, 2008
Pat,
Some of us like to hunt. I’m pretty sure this is the context of the gun giveaway.
I’d much rather my kid have a gun than a groove in the couch playing VIOLENT games or thinking he has to see the GARBAGE Hollywood makes.
Always remember the words of philosopher Dale Gribble…
“Guns don’t kill people, the Government does.”
Nora Beerline on Mon, July 14, 2008
I think the gun giveaway is ridiculous too. Is a semiautomatic really necessary, even in the context of hunting? Wouldn’t a good old-fashioned rifle suffice?
And why target such a small interest group? Not all boys are interested in hunting, and I’ve got to believe that most teenage girls are not dreaming about hanging that 12 point buck over their bed.
Quite frankly, all stupidity aside, Christians—even those who are not pacificists—should not be giving away or promoting weapons of death. It’s not congruent with the Gospel and it makes us all look like a bunch of rednecks.
Derek on Mon, July 14, 2008
A charismatic civil war?
The Pentecostal/charismatic movement has historically been full of splinters, fights, separation, disagreement…and this latest “revival” will be no different.
Why can’t we just ignore it? That has been my position. Why don’t we just live “vived” and forget these “re-vivals”? Sure these type of meetings will help some people, but there is never really lasting fruit from these high-energy, amped up, emotionally-charged Pentecostal meetings. And I am saying that from an insiders view.
Leonard, I am sorry to hear you have family caught up in that mess. Bummer. These kinds of movements can really be decisive. Again, I ask where is the lasting fruit?
There are more problems here than I can respond to, but here are a couple pitfalls in what I see happening.
1) Good theology and the charismatic-dimensions of the faith are not mutually exclusive. This kind of anti-intellectualism is killing the charismatic movement. Thankfully there are a number of charismatics (“Grays” as Lee Grady calls them) who are incorporating good biblical theology into their ministry.
Unfortunately the charismatic movement, by-in-large, sees “head knowledge” as the enemy of “heart knowledge.” Sad…sad…sad… It is not good to have zeal without knowledge.
2) Charismatics are drawn to the spectacular and sensational. There is such a wrong assumption among charismatics that if things draw large numbers of people and if it is amped up and exciting then God must be there. I agree that miracles of healing can be used by God as a sign of his presence. But why not take the stage show to Africa, to the Middle East, India…or anywhere in the 10/40 window, where the gospel hasn’t been heard? Oh yeah, thats right…the people there haven’t been trained to shake, rattle and roll.
3) Charismatics have a faulty view of revival. They continue to talk about the “final revival before the return of Christ.” And of course, anything that boasts of large numbers and signs and wonders must be the final revival. Charismatics need to live “vived” and not run from “revival” to “revival.” They need the anointing of the Holy Ghost to work hard on the job, love the neighbors in their neighborhood, do missions work…etc.
These things never end well. I say we try to ignore it. Deal with the underlining causes that attract charismatics to events like this, but let’s not give it any more media hype.
Derek
Peter Hamm on Mon, July 14, 2008
Nora writes [And why target such a small interest group? Not all boys are interested in hunting, and I’ve got to believe that most teenage girls are not dreaming about hanging that 12 point buck over their bed.]
I would have said that, too, until I moved to an area where most boys AND a lot of girls hunt.
Wacky, but true. But I agree that it was a bad give-a-way. The decision not to do it was a good one.
CS on Mon, July 14, 2008
“The ‘Charismatic Civil War’?”
Oh, Todd. There are so many puns to be had at this headline:
-One thing’s for certain, there’s going to be tons of people slain… in the Spirit!
-So, Todd Bentley will be teaching his troops how to properly engage in battle with his trademark WWE-style stomach kicks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUTCWLoD4-4 .
-Someone’s going to recruit Benny Hinn for this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lvU-DislkI .
—
CS
Anthony Leroy Trask on Mon, July 14, 2008
Oh man! Nicley said Derek! I am SO sick of the Bentley crap, but can’t stop looking into it or warning people against it either. Normally I don’t think it is wise to call people out who we don’t even know, but Bentley is an exception- anyone with a good gift of discerment can see the warning signs all over this one. Imagine of Joseph Smith had this kind of influence over a hundred years ago what Mormonism would look like today- scary! I am continuing to do a series on Benntley on my Blog, but am growing tired of it.
Nora Beerline on Tue, July 15, 2008
Peter, thanks for the heads-up on the female hunters trend. I live in a pretty rural area, but all the hunters I know are male. And I don’t have a problem with hunting either—but I still think it’s pretty stupid to give away semi-automatics to teenagers.
Just for the record, they haven’t cancelled the idea completely; they’ve just delayed it until next year because their pastor shot himself in the foot playing with the Big Prize. Okay, I made up that last part, but they are still planning on giving it away next year after Pastor Jim’s foot heals up. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
CindyK on Thu, July 17, 2008
Derek,
RE: Charismatics. We aren’t all that bad.
Todd,
You are such an instigator! And I read your Blog ‘religiously’. *wink*
In Love,
Cindy
Camey on Thu, July 17, 2008
Interesting to a degree about Threads. Hubby and I use it currently with a Sunday group we have. Mainly add to it or take away. Rarely just as it is… It wouldn’t suit the make-up that way - hubby’s nor mine or the over-all group…
We have deer all over where we currently live. (read: in the backyard, front yard, going across the street.. eating the roses - not smelling them.) No hunting is allowed. The deer are sacred unless said otherwise. I could see a gun give away going over real big with the teens around here. We’re in good with a judge as well - he sings in our praise band. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/wink.gif Might be worth thinking about… deer meat is tasty and is a way to provide nourishment. Could feed multitudes….
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