Lack of Ministry, Prayer, & Authentic Worship
According to The Barna Group Founder George Barna, most local churches (80 percent) essentially ignore ministry to children and families, both of which are critical to church growth.
According to The Barna Group Founder George Barna, most local churches (80 percent) essentially ignore ministry to children and families, both of which are critical to church growth.
These two ministries care important because "families are meant to be the faith-center of each individual’s life," stated Barna in his recent report, and "children are the most important and impressionable individuals we could possibly reach."
Prayer and worship are also both seriously lacking in a typical church, the researcher further noted in the report.
Less than four percent of churches label prayer a top priority, and less than 20 percent rated worship to be a top ministry priority, though churches call the weekly event a worship service, he added.
Lack of Biblical Knowledge
And while most American Christians believe the Bible contains truth and is worth knowing and argue that they know all the relevant truths, the lack of Biblical knowledge has reached "crisis proportions," said Barna. Churches have de-emphasized Bible teaching, and families have de-prioritized Bible learning.
"By and large, people parrot what their parents taught them," he stated. "Sadly, with fewer and fewer parents teaching their kids much of anything related to matters of faith, young people’s belief system is the product of the mass media."
Demise of African Church
The demise of the African-American church community is another cause for concern, said Barna, who addressed this subject with Bishop Harry Jackson in their co-authored book High Impact African-American Churches.
Barna found the decline is related to the growing wealth of Black people.
"There is an intriguing – and unfortunate – correlation between the economic rise of the African-American population and the deterioration of its faith in Christ," he said.
Rise of Revolutionaries
There is, however, an overall rise of individuals who want more of God. Not finding it in churches, these individuals – usually young adult generations in their 20s through 40s – have crafted new worship environments, said Barna. He has written a new book on this subject. Revolution released in October and has been Barna’s fastest selling book.
There are over 20 million adults who are pursuing a "Revolutionary faith" that is reminiscent of the early Church, said Barna. They are meeting in homes, at work, in public places – wherever they can connect.
"The energy and passion exhibited by these people is quite refreshing," he said.
Growing Use of Technology
Congregations, meanwhile, are rapidly incorporating new technologies into their activities, including big-screen projectors (66 percent of all Protestant churches), websites (57 percent), and e-mail blasts to congregants (56 percent).
Barna said technology "help[s] churches communicate more effectively" and is useful to the many seekers looking for information via the Internet.
Emerging Leadership
The representatives of Christianity in the last two decades included Billy Graham, Adrian Rogers, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson, but as those churchmen have aged or passed away, a new generation emerged, which include Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes, whose message and media skills reflect the new cultural environment.
Rise of Evangelicals
Barna also noted that although only seven percent of adults are evangelicals, their voices get an unusually large share of media attention.
The researcher offered three possibilities for this increased attention: the evangelical contribution to the win of the 2004 election, the dismay at the current state of society, and the exercise of religious freedom by Evangelicals before it is taken away.
"It’s kind of an example of the ‘use it or lose it’ philosophy," he said.
For the full report, visit barna.org.
Posted by Walt as General at 12:37 AM EST
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They will speak, amid roars of laughter, of evolution; and the day will come, when there will not be a child but will look upon it as being the most foolish notion that ever crossed the human mind. - C. H. Spurgeon
Posted by Walt as C.H. Spurgeon Gems at 7:10 AM EST
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Merry CHRISTmas!
Christmas is here to stay. Ted Byfield’s commentary, Christmas – A Testament To Christianity’s Resilience, he observes the hope of the resilience of Christmas and Christians and shown through the survival of Christianity through history.
Christians will probably have a merry Christmas in Canada this year, though we are being enjoined by our rulers not to call it that. In our New Canada, there isn’t to be any Christmas. There will just be "Happy Holidays" or "The Season," as in "Compliments of …"
One might inconveniently point out that if "The Season" can have nothing to do with the birth of Christ, then what’s left? The term must refer to the oncoming three months of blowing snow, freezing rain, numb fingers, soaring heating bills and hideous driving conditions. If for this we’re being "complimented," it’s hard to be merry about it.
But then "The Season" is not what we’re being merry about and never has been. For it was we Christians, about 1,500 years ago, who converted the old pagan rites of the Winter Solstice into the Feast of the Nativity. We made merry simply because there was much to be merry about. After all, God Himself had become one of us. The Word had been "made flesh and dwelt among us." Somehow this seemed more worth celebrating than 13 weeks of bad weather.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Posted by Walt as Church at 12:59 PM EST
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Luke 1:26-38:
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 2:1-21:
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
AMEN!
Posted by Walt as The Bible at 2:20 PM EST
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Matthew 2:1-15:
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
AMEN!
Posted by Walt as The Bible at 10:50 AM EST
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For more information on the War Against Christmas see Political Incorrect Blog
Legal Action Taken Against Mansfield ISD
“Here they go again censoring the ‘Christ’ out of Christmas,” said Hiram Sasser director of litigation for Liberty Legal Institute. “It is a shame that schools districts have not learned by now that these types of actions are unconstitutional and will not be tolerated.”
The demand letter includes information about the First Amendment’s protection of religious speech and asks Mansfield ISD to stop censoring religious expression and comply with the law.
“These are children. They should not be subject to religious discrimination from the government,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute. “Our public schools are not ‘zones of religious censorship’ and neither students nor teachers lose their religious freedoms at the schoolhouse gate.”
The fourth grade student was set to give his friends candy canes attached to the “Candy Cane Story,” explaining that the candy cane symbolized Jesus, at the class party tomorrow. The principal told the father that it is school policy that students are not allowed to give a gift containing a religious theme.
“What will it take for the districts to stop discriminating against religious speech? Last year, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against such actions. What do we have to do to make them follow the law,” said Sasser.
For a copy of the demand letter, CLICK HERE.
The Liberty Legal Institute is a legal organization committed to the defense of religious freedoms and First Amendment rights. For more information or to speak with the attorney for the case, contact Heather Price, phone: 972-423-3131 ext. 102 or email: media@libertylegal.org.
Press Release by Liberty Legal Institute
Posted by Walt as Social Issues at 9:12 PM EST
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Jefferson’s reply from the Danbury Baptists’ letter.
The following letter from the Library of Congress, is President Thomas Jefferson in reply to a letter sent to him by the committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut. The emphasis is mine.
This letter is the source of the ’separation of church and state’ that is often misinterpreted today. To view the original draft and Jefferson’s intent, go to FBI Helps Restore Jefferson’s Obliterated Draft
To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.
Gentlemen
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.
Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802.
Posted by Walt as Constitutional Issues at 10:16 AM EST
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The ACLU’s favorite legal ploy, their repeated reference ‘to the separation of church and state’ has finally lost them a case over the display of the Ten Commandments.
A U.S. Appeals Court upheld a lower courts decision to allow the Ten Commandments displayed in the Mercer County, Kentucky Court House. Attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice successfully argued the case over the display of several historical documents. The display included the Ten Commandments, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the Star Spangled Banner, the national motto, the preamble to the Kentucky Constitution, the Bill of Rights to the U. S. Constitution and a picture of Lady Justice. which included the Ten Commandments.
Writing for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Richard Suhrheinrich said the ACLU’s "repeated reference ‘to the separation of church and state’ … has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."
"This is a big victory for the people of Mercer County and Kentucky generally," Manion said. "For too long they have been lectured like children by those in the ACLU and elsewhere who claim to know what the people’s Constitution really means. What the 6th Circuit has said is that the people have a better grasp on the real meaning of the Constitution; the court recognizes that the Constitution does not require that we strip the public square of all vestiges of our religious heritage and traditions."
Source: WND.com
Let’s hope and pray that the other cases the ACLU is pursuing under the banner of ‘the separation of church and state’ falls to deaf ears in the courts. - AMEN!
Posted by Walt as Constitutional Issues at 9:13 PM EST
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The evolutionists are again on the attack.
Last January, the schools in Cobb County in suburban Atlanta were forced to peel off the disclaimers when a federal judge said they were an endorsement of religion.
This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.
According to the AP Press report:
"If it’s unconstitutional to tell students to study evolution with an open mind, then what’s not unconstitutional?" said John West, a senior fellow with the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that supports intelligent design, the belief that the universe is so complex it must have been created by a higher power. "The judge is basically trying to make it unconstitutional for anyone to have a divergent view, and we think that has a chilling effect on free speech."
The disclaimers were placed in the books in 2002 by school officials in Cobb County, a suburb of about 650,000 people after more than 2,000 parents complained that science texts presented evolution as a fact, with no mention of other theories.
But how do these disclaimer stickers violate the so-called separation of church and state? No one is saying that creation must be taught, but that other alternatives to evolution are possible.
The outcome of this case and the Kitzmiller v. Dover, the intelligent design case in Pennsylvania will determine where the teaching of intelligent design stands with evolution.
Posted by Walt as Creation at 12:33 PM EST
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Santa lives at the North Pole …
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh …
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year …
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies …
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited …
JESUS stands at your door and knocks,
and then enters your heart when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa …
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap …
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Walt as General at 10:01 AM EST
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