• Hello, please take a minute to check out our awesome content, contributed by the wonderful members of our community. We hope you'll add your own thoughts and opinions by making a free account!

Misc All Things Religious

If no one here has read Gaines R. Johnson’s The Bible, Genesis and Geology I highly recommend it. I don’t even know why I hadn’t seen this before. In short he uses nothing but biblical scripture to describe the world of old, (A time before Adam and Eve), and goes a little into the future 1,000 years of Jesus’s rein. (Revelations) For me, at least, it’s very interesting.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
It's truly amazing how much pain and destruction our culture has caused by it's ongoing portrayal of sex and sexuality. Obviously sex can be an amazing experience and is necessary for procreation, but just like anything, it can be twisted and abused. When it is, the consequences are often disastrous for both individuals and societies. Not trying to get preachy here, but I believe sex was ordained by God to truly bind together a husband and wife emotionally, mentally, relationally, spiritually, and of course, physically. The crazy thing about our culture is we try to reduce it to just being physical (leaving out all the other dimensions), completely devaluing sex, yet can't control ourselves with it at all. It really creates quite a paradox; if it's not that big of a deal and it's just a casual physical act, why can't we control ourselves and be responsible? If it's such a big deal that we can't do without then why do we cheapen it by removing the emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual dimensions? I guess it all boils down to our fallen nature and wanting to do what we want to regardless of how much we take away from it or how much it hurts us or those around us. And societies (since the beginning) have found ways to completely pervert and profit from it, and American culture has been no better than the rest. Heck, much of what we argue about in our culture today center around sex and sexuality.

It is so sad what we have done to the gift of sex, and given it's appeal and importance to our whole selves, nearly impossible to navigate the confusing and destructive waters of our culture. Unfortunately culture is not going to change, our sin nature will not be fully healed in this life, and sexual temptation will not go away. As a Christian man, I admit that lust and impure thoughts towards women has been my biggest struggle and many times I lament our culture and technology for constantly stoking that fire. It certainly makes it more difficult but deep down I know it is a heart issue with me and I am called to fight the battle faithfully when I must, though too often I fail. I pray that God will give me, and all Christian men strength to honor Him and our wives, girlfriends, fellow human females, and sisters in Christ!
Husband and wife.... husband and husband... wife and wife....
 
That man is a charlatan and a thespian.
LOL okay. I like my preachers who have an education and are willing to stand up for the prinicples that christ spoke of in the bible.

The funny thing is, despite me disagreeing on a fundamental basis with people mentioned earlier in this thread, I didnt criticize anyone else. You, however, you couldnt keep your trap shut. I mean, I get it. I attend church at Duke Chapel and am a member of that congregation. You can keep your preachers with an education from upstairs theological seminary. I think i'll stick to listening to people like Dr. Barber, Dr. Luke Powery,

I would highly encourage you, whenver you get a chance, to watch one of our services. We do pray for brown folk though and there's usually hymns sung from all over the world. If you're looking for potato chip christianity, this aint the place to find it though:

 
Last edited:
LOL okay. I like my preachers who have an education and are willing to stand up for the prinicples that christ spoke of in the bible.

The funny thing is, despite me disagreeing on a fundamental basis with people mentioned earlier in this thread, I didnt criticize anyone else. You, however, you couldnt keep your trap shut. I mean, I get it. I attend church at Duke Chapel and am a member of that congregation. You can keep your preachers with an education from upstairs theological seminary. I think i'll stick to listening to people like Dr. Barber, Dr. Luke Powery,

I would highly encourage you, whenver you get a chance, to watch one of our services. We do pray for brown folk though and there's usually hymns sung from all over the world. If you're looking for potato chip christianity, this aint the place to find it though:


That's such a good Christian attitude to have.. must be a great church..
 
LOL okay. I like my preachers who have an education and are willing to stand up for the prinicples that christ spoke of in the bible.

The funny thing is, despite me disagreeing on a fundamental basis with people mentioned earlier in this thread, I didnt criticize anyone else. You, however, you couldnt keep your trap shut. I mean, I get it. I attend church at Duke Chapel and am a member of that congregation. You can keep your preachers with an education from upstairs theological seminar.

Then proceeds to insult people.

I would highly encourage you, whenver you get a chance, to watch one of our services. We do pray for brown folk though.
....
. If you're looking for potato chip christianity, this aint the place to find it though

Matthew 7:15.

'15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.'
 
That's such a good Christian attitude to have.. must be a great church..
But calling someone a "charlatan" is a Christian attitude? If we're totally honest, we need more jesus flipping the table moments in the American church. Christianity and nationalism has become way too entwined in this country, which is absolute blasphemy.

And it is a great church, if you're curious. I am proud of our message and I am proud of the organizations that we support on campus and off campus in Durham.
 
But calling someone a "charlatan" is a Christian attitude? If we're totally honest, we need more jesus flipping the table moments in the American church. Christianity and nationalism has become way too entwined in this country, which is absolute blasphemy.

And it is a great church, if you're curious. I am proud of our message and I am proud of the organizations that we support on campus and off campus in Durham.
What we need is less twisting of Scripture to suit the political and ethical climate of the day and less activism from the pulpit. The feel-good, prosperity gospel is the wide road that you really don't want to be on. But there's a reason it feels good and the road is wide. People think they are in great shape, spiritually, because they have a feel-good religious experience where anything is just fine and acceptable as long as it doesn't impact anyone else and where God is love and wants you to be prosperous and successful and have all the best. What it means to follow Christ is so far from any of that. We need churches that claim to follow Christ to preach the Bible as it is written, not from a standpoint of placating society or trying to get huge membership or a huge community footprint or great political influence. We need the Bible preached. That's what we need.
 
What we need is less twisting of Scripture to suit the political and ethical climate of the day and less activism from the pulpit. The feel-good, prosperity gospel is the wide road that you really don't want to be on. But there's a reason it feels good and the road is wide. People think they are in great shape, spiritually, because they have a feel-good religious experience where anything is just fine and acceptable as long as it doesn't impact anyone else and where God is love and wants you to be prosperous and successful and have all the best. What it means to follow Christ is so far from any of that. We need churches that claim to follow Christ to preach the Bible as it is written, not from a standpoint of placating society or trying to get huge membership or a huge community footprint or great political influence. We need the Bible preached. That's what we need.
I agree with you 100% ....... Folks think that they are right because society dictates it...... "Just do what the crowd does"..... "It's ok God is love and everybody will get to Heaven, if they are kind to each other and don't offend anybody" ..... "It's fine if you want to exclude the parts of the Bible that shows God's punishment for sin"
This is what we are expected to swallow in order to fit in with the majority. We need to ask ourselves, "Where is this majority going?" "Where is this path leading me"?
God loves sinners but he hates sin. If we continue to follow the "feel-good" crowd, we will be numbered with the "many" who are being referred to in this passage of scripture below. He is talking about who will go to Heaven, and who will go to Hell. People need to realize that only the ones who have trusted in Jesus as their Savior will be in the "few.... that find it". These are not my words.... it is God's words.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

This tells me that the vast majority of people will not be in Heaven..... only a few people will get to Heaven. When God uses the word "destruction", He means eternal punishment. The word "life" refers to the joys of Heaven and continual fellowship with Him. The Bible is also very clear, with the exact instructions for being one of those "few". I would suggest we spend more time reading God's word and less time trying to fit in with the world.
 
I agree with you 100% ....... Folks think that they are right because society dictates it...... "Just do what the crowd does"..... "It's ok God is love and everybody will get to Heaven, if they are kind to each other and don't offend anybody" ..... "It's fine if you want to exclude the parts of the Bible that shows God's punishment for sin"
This is what we are expected to swallow in order to fit in with the majority. We need to ask ourselves, "Where is this majority going?" "Where is this path leading me"?
God loves sinners but he hates sin. If we continue to follow the "feel-good" crowd, we will be numbered with the "many" who are being referred to in this passage of scripture below. He is talking about who will go to Heaven, and who will go to Hell. People need to realize that only the ones who have trusted in Jesus as their Savior will be in the "few.... that find it". These are not my words.... it is God's words.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

This tells me that the vast majority of people will not be in Heaven..... only a few people will get to Heaven. When God uses the word "destruction", He means eternal punishment. The word "life" refers to the joys of Heaven and continual fellowship with Him. The Bible is also very clear, with the exact instructions for being one of those "few". I would suggest we spend more time reading God's word and less time trying to fit in with the world.
Yeah, it always seems to boil down to that fundamental issue of us humans wanting to do what we want, no matter the cost. "As long as I get to do what I want, what makes me feel good or happy, or as long as I get to choose, that's all I care about." If God put's limitations or stipulations on that then we'll find a version of Him that allows us to keep our comforts, or shun Him altogether.

Reminds me of this:

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”​


― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
 
If I believe in someones message, as a christian, and you call that person a charlatan...

I mean thats pretty easy to follow along isnt it? What does he say that you dont agree with, exactly?
The reverend is a tool . A tool of an agenda driven democratic political party . Where did separation of church and state go? Or is it only separate when it’s a traditional church ?
 
Back
Top