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	<title>Comments for Ben Birdsong</title>
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	<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com</link>
	<description>An Awestruck Ministry</description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:06:35 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Comment on Importance of Accountability: A Picture of Biblical Accountability by Luke</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/407/comment-page-1#comment-67</link>
		<dc:creator>Luke</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:31:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/?p=407#comment-67</guid>
		<description>X3watch has helped lots of people for sure. There's also Covenant Eyes which offers much more airtight accountability.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>X3watch has helped lots of people for sure. There&#8217;s also Covenant Eyes which offers much more airtight accountability.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Comment on Expelled: Movie Review by Pauli Ojala</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/259/comment-page-1#comment-42</link>
		<dc:creator>Pauli Ojala</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 20:08:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/?p=259#comment-42</guid>
		<description>Ben(jamin) Stein with his 'Expelled' is under heavy artillery for 'exaggerating' or 'going easy' on the influence of evolutionism behind Nazism and Stalinism (super evolution of Lysenkoism in the Soviet Russia). But the monstrous Haeckelian type of vulgar evolutionism drove not only the 'Politics-is-applied-biology' Nazi takeover in the continental Europe, but even the nationalistic collision at the World War I. It was Charles Darwin himself, who praised and raised the monstrous German Ernst Haeckel with his still recycled embryo drawing frauds etc. in the spotlight as the greatest authority in the field of human evolution, even in the preface to his Descent of man in 1871. If Thomas Henry Huxley with his concept of 'agnostism' was Darwins bulldog in England, Haeckel was his Rotweiler in Germany. Haeckel was also the first one to propose a systematic answer to the Judenfrage: To EXPEL all the Jews from their chairs at the universities.

Here's my 50-page analysis of the evolutionary genocide and infanticide, plus inserts from the final chapter scanned from an evolutionist scholar D. Gasman from his The Scientific Origins of National Socialism: Social Darwinism in Ernst Haeckel and the German Monist League (chapter 7, Gasman 1971, new edition in 2004):
http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Gasman.htm

pauli.ojala@gmail.com
Biochemist, drop-out (M.Sci. Master of Sciing)
http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Expelled-ID.htm</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ben(jamin) Stein with his &#8216;Expelled&#8217; is under heavy artillery for &#8216;exaggerating&#8217; or &#8216;going easy&#8217; on the influence of evolutionism behind Nazism and Stalinism (super evolution of Lysenkoism in the Soviet Russia). But the monstrous Haeckelian type of vulgar evolutionism drove not only the &#8216;Politics-is-applied-biology&#8217; Nazi takeover in the continental Europe, but even the nationalistic collision at the World War I. It was Charles Darwin himself, who praised and raised the monstrous German Ernst Haeckel with his still recycled embryo drawing frauds etc. in the spotlight as the greatest authority in the field of human evolution, even in the preface to his Descent of man in 1871. If Thomas Henry Huxley with his concept of &#8216;agnostism&#8217; was Darwins bulldog in England, Haeckel was his Rotweiler in Germany. Haeckel was also the first one to propose a systematic answer to the Judenfrage: To EXPEL all the Jews from their chairs at the universities.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s my 50-page analysis of the evolutionary genocide and infanticide, plus inserts from the final chapter scanned from an evolutionist scholar D. Gasman from his The Scientific Origins of National Socialism: Social Darwinism in Ernst Haeckel and the German Monist League (chapter 7, Gasman 1971, new edition in 2004):<br />
<a href="http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Gasman.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Gasman.htm</a></p>
<p><a href="mailto:pauli.ojala@gmail.com">pauli.ojala@gmail.com</a><br />
Biochemist, drop-out (M.Sci. Master of Sciing)<br />
<a href="http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Expelled-ID.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Expelled-ID.htm</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Red Letter Christians by ReV.Dr.B.JOHN EMMANUEL RAJU.DD</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/193/comment-page-1#comment-41</link>
		<dc:creator>ReV.Dr.B.JOHN EMMANUEL RAJU.DD</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:11:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/193#comment-41</guid>
		<description>GOSPEL and SOCIAL SERVICES

	ACCORDING TO BIBLE: StMatthew: 25:34-40	




	KANURU – 534329, WEST GODAVARI 
DISTRICT, ANDRA PRADESH, SOUTH 
INDIA                                        
E-MAIL:bjiraju@yahoo.com
               bjiraju@rediffamail.com
Phone numbers: 00918819225799
          Cell phone: 009989608711
                              
			

                       Rev. B.J.EMMANUEL RAJU,         B.Th., M.Div, DD		
Preparing Soldiers for Christ
	Praise God for the Wonderful testimony of my dream mission for the preparation of soldiers for Christ.  I have gotten an opportunity by the Grace of God to strive to know, follow, initiate and belong to Jesus Christ in a very deep and special way made available to a lay person.  It has been raised up by Holy Spirit to answer the needs of our times and to evangelize our secular society to reach out to hundreds of uncharted people and fallen away faithful and to teach faithful how to live out and deepen their lives in Christianity in the remote tribal villages. They find their strength and energy in a life of prayer centered on the faith.
 Please let me introduce myself.  I am Rev.Dr.B.JOHN Emmanuel Raju, D.D.  I am 44 years old. I am doing the Jesus Christ Service for the past 20 years. We have visited 15 surrounding villages regularly to lead the people towards Jesus Christ by my Gospel. On this occasion, I am distributing Gospel Tracks, new Testaments and other material of biblical subject to the people of these villages.  In order to achieve these objectives, I used to visit door to door and praying for their illness and help the poor widows, orphans by providing food, shelter, clothing, medicines and financial support for their essential needs like medical treatment, education etc.
		On my personnel prayers, I always remember “O my Jesus, you have said, “Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7)
		We are using our profession, education, talents and skills in the mission to serve the poor and needy.   By the grace of god, I have been in this mission for over 21 years and I am very grateful to god for allowing me to be little part of his great work.  Without rendering such a service people might otherwise be condemn to their state of poverty.   The poor around us desperately need our service to educate, care for and lift them up from their state and teach them how to improve their quality of life and standard of living.  We educate people how to make good use of resources and foods available them. We are also providing first aid in the field of health care.  So many people are sick and fear going to hospitals for a variety of reasons.  People are just suffering the disease and dying unnecessarily.  People are afraid to open about their ailments, but when they know we are a missionary to release them and they easily open up bout their problems which are most of the time easily solvable.   When remote tribal people go to hospital, the doctors are typically rough and uncompassionate with the patients.  It seems they are only concerned about the money.  Many times, if don’t pay upfront, no matter how bad of shape you are in, they won’t treat you.
			I know people who have died because they didn’t have the funds to pay the Doctor for a life threatening surgery; we make an arrangement to provide a doctor who is a member of my mission.  He takes his time and is patient with them.  He also helped many people get through and recover from simple as well as serious illness.  
	Dear brothers and sisters, Praise the Lord. This is my service and Gospel, Social work to my surrounding village people.
	In the Service of the poor and remote tribal area’s children, we are conducting regular weekly Sunday schools and medical camps, food, clothing, education etc.  We are making them as good citizens of this country. Around 50 children are getting our services in orphanage home.
As on today, we have an enormous response from the village people who were massively converted to Christianity and they stand for Jesus Christ.  They were participating our regular weekly masses with dedication and full faith. Here presently around 100 or above member in each church are running in 15 different remote villages with 24 churches. Each church is running with one poor Pastor who is also dedicatedly working beyond their capacity. Some of the churches does not have permanent buildings also.  But still our pastors are actively conducting their regular weekly masses.
		Church Members gathered under the Tree for conducting Weekly Sunday Mass
Now we have started an innovative programmed to service the old age people and widow in our churches and their neighboring areas.  In these programs we are supplying food, cloths, and medicines regularly and also preparing them for gospel by door to door campaign for conducting prayers and lead the new souls toward Jesus.  Pray for us as we are going to construct a shelter for them to improve their services and make this program success.
Please help for construction of bible collage or children home. These are the details GIVEN below Para.
       We are also conducting bible classes &#38; collages for the youth to make them confident to become a preacher. The total members of youth in my service and in ministry are 250 above for the youth to make them confident to become a preacher.   Kindly pray for this effort as we are struggling hard for procuring books, bible material and various Gospel books and other stationary.   We also are planning to provide a shelter for them. So that this programmed may take in large scale and also planning to expand our mission beyond our present remote villages.   We have also delegate a responsibility to the youth who are well trained with us, to the remote villages still nobody knows about Jesus and spreading this gospel even remote corers of the tribal villages in West Godavari.  In order to achieve this programmed, we are hiring a rented vehicle, with rented sound systems, electrical, visual media equipment for every week.  Because of limited resources, we could not make up this programmed so successful. Kindly pray for us to procure vehicle and own electrical, visual media equipment so that we can extend our support to Gospel with these bright and young &#38; dynamic youth achieve wonderful and fruitful result.
Distribution of Books, Slates, Plates &#38; Glasses to the Children of Poor in Remote Tribal Area
We have distributed food items, mats, buckets and other essential commodities for the victims of the fire accident
We are distributing the ration and essential commodities like rice, mats, buckets etc to the victims of Fire accident
We are also conducting medical camp to the poor remote tribal women
Medical Camp: Doctor giving instruction to the poor patients
Distributing Cloths to the Old age Widows in the remote village by Rev. Dr.B.J.EMMANUEL RAJU, Gospel &#38; social work missionary
At last I wish to convey that while conducting such a wonder programs, we are facing financial crisis, and social crisis etc.  Despite of all these hurdles we have determined to putforth our service.  So far I am conducting these programmed with the mobilization of local
Funds through my colleagues. I am a middle class person and with the help of such likeminded employee’s participation we are going in such a progressive gospel program me.  We don’t have any external funds apart from my salary and some small contributions from my employees.  So I am requesting all of you that any type of help such as medicines, books, visual media equipment, vehicle provision, etc may definitely helpful in Gospel and I beg you that kindly became an associate in my service by extending your support and your prayers.
                                        For all these programmers’ are conducting  under my guidance while facing so many difficulties and also I am engaging on this task round the clock for the Lord Jesus and the reason for such an effort is by the holy bible verse “I PRESS TOWARD THE MARK FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HIGHCALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS” Phil: 3:14.”   
FOR US SPECIFIED CHURCH IS NOT THERE THAT’S WHY WE ARE PRAYING IN THE TENTS.PLEASE PRAY AND HELP FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CHURND TELL TO THEM TO PRAY AND HELP USCH IN 2008 IS OUR AIM. WE ARE TRYING A LOT.PLEASE PRAY AND SHARE OUR PROBLEM WITH NEIGBOURS .A. 
                       
                                           PLEASE PRAY AND HELP FOR THE POOR PASTOR, ORPHANS  CHILDERNS, FOR CONSTRUCTIONS OF CHURCHS IN AND  BIBLE COLLEGE IN MY VILLAGE  SORROUNDING AREAS  .OUR YOUTH MEMBERS ARE VERY INTRESTED TOWARDS JESUS.IAM AND MY PASTORS TOGETHER GATHERED AND DESCOUSED ABOUT THE MATTER BIBLE COLLEGE IN OUR VILLAGE .TO MAKE THE YOUTH , IN FUTHER PASTOR AND TO DO JESUS WORKS IN THEIR DAILY LIFE AND TO PREACH THE BIBLE WORDS TO THEPEOPLES IN  DIFFERET PLACESES .AND WE ALSO  DIDN’T HAVE CHURCHS IN MY VILLAGE  SORROUNDING AREAS  .WE ARE COLLECTING SOME FUNDS .THAT FUNDS ARE TOTALLY SPENDING FOR ORPHANS CHILDERNS ,AND FOR THEIR MAINTAINS..THE PEOPLE ARE INTRESTED IN CONSTRUCTING THE A NEW CHURCHS. WE TRYING VERY HARD FOR CONSTRUCTION OF BIBLE COLEGE FOR YOUTH AND CHURCHS FOR POOR PEOPLE IN SURROUNDING AREAS. THE FUNDS COMING FROM THE PEOPLE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT FOR CONSTRUCTING THE CHRUCHS AND BIBLE COLLEGE FOR YOUTH.PLEASE PRAY AND HELP IN TELLING THIS MATTER TO YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE YOUR REAIATIVES TO HELP US IN ANY WAY.ABOVE MENTIONED OUR PROBLEMS ARE IN VERY NEED TO US.WE ALSO NEED A VAN OR CAR TO CANVERS AND IN MANY WAYS FOR CHRUCHS PURPOSE .ONCE AGAIN PLEASE PRAY PRAY AND HELP FOR MY PROBLEMS.
                   Therefore, it is requested to my entire brother and sisters in the name of Jesus may kindly pray AND HELP for me and my services for the poor and remote village people.
						Thanking you
								Yours sincerely in the name of Jesus
							 	     (.Dr.B.J.EMMANUEL Raju)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>GOSPEL and SOCIAL SERVICES</p>
<p>	ACCORDING TO BIBLE: StMatthew: 25:34-40	</p>
<p>	KANURU – 534329, WEST GODAVARI<br />
DISTRICT, ANDRA PRADESH, SOUTH<br />
INDIA<br />
E-MAIL:bjiraju@yahoo.com<br />
               <a href="mailto:bjiraju@rediffamail.com">bjiraju@rediffamail.com</a><br />
Phone numbers: 00918819225799<br />
          Cell phone: 009989608711</p>
<p>                       Rev. B.J.EMMANUEL RAJU,         B.Th., M.Div, DD<br />
Preparing Soldiers for Christ<br />
	Praise God for the Wonderful testimony of my dream mission for the preparation of soldiers for Christ.  I have gotten an opportunity by the Grace of God to strive to know, follow, initiate and belong to Jesus Christ in a very deep and special way made available to a lay person.  It has been raised up by Holy Spirit to answer the needs of our times and to evangelize our secular society to reach out to hundreds of uncharted people and fallen away faithful and to teach faithful how to live out and deepen their lives in Christianity in the remote tribal villages. They find their strength and energy in a life of prayer centered on the faith.<br />
 Please let me introduce myself.  I am Rev.Dr.B.JOHN Emmanuel Raju, D.D.  I am 44 years old. I am doing the Jesus Christ Service for the past 20 years. We have visited 15 surrounding villages regularly to lead the people towards Jesus Christ by my Gospel. On this occasion, I am distributing Gospel Tracks, new Testaments and other material of biblical subject to the people of these villages.  In order to achieve these objectives, I used to visit door to door and praying for their illness and help the poor widows, orphans by providing food, shelter, clothing, medicines and financial support for their essential needs like medical treatment, education etc.<br />
		On my personnel prayers, I always remember “O my Jesus, you have said, “Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7)<br />
		We are using our profession, education, talents and skills in the mission to serve the poor and needy.   By the grace of god, I have been in this mission for over 21 years and I am very grateful to god for allowing me to be little part of his great work.  Without rendering such a service people might otherwise be condemn to their state of poverty.   The poor around us desperately need our service to educate, care for and lift them up from their state and teach them how to improve their quality of life and standard of living.  We educate people how to make good use of resources and foods available them. We are also providing first aid in the field of health care.  So many people are sick and fear going to hospitals for a variety of reasons.  People are just suffering the disease and dying unnecessarily.  People are afraid to open about their ailments, but when they know we are a missionary to release them and they easily open up bout their problems which are most of the time easily solvable.   When remote tribal people go to hospital, the doctors are typically rough and uncompassionate with the patients.  It seems they are only concerned about the money.  Many times, if don’t pay upfront, no matter how bad of shape you are in, they won’t treat you.<br />
			I know people who have died because they didn’t have the funds to pay the Doctor for a life threatening surgery; we make an arrangement to provide a doctor who is a member of my mission.  He takes his time and is patient with them.  He also helped many people get through and recover from simple as well as serious illness.<br />
	Dear brothers and sisters, Praise the Lord. This is my service and Gospel, Social work to my surrounding village people.<br />
	In the Service of the poor and remote tribal area’s children, we are conducting regular weekly Sunday schools and medical camps, food, clothing, education etc.  We are making them as good citizens of this country. Around 50 children are getting our services in orphanage home.<br />
As on today, we have an enormous response from the village people who were massively converted to Christianity and they stand for Jesus Christ.  They were participating our regular weekly masses with dedication and full faith. Here presently around 100 or above member in each church are running in 15 different remote villages with 24 churches. Each church is running with one poor Pastor who is also dedicatedly working beyond their capacity. Some of the churches does not have permanent buildings also.  But still our pastors are actively conducting their regular weekly masses.<br />
		Church Members gathered under the Tree for conducting Weekly Sunday Mass<br />
Now we have started an innovative programmed to service the old age people and widow in our churches and their neighboring areas.  In these programs we are supplying food, cloths, and medicines regularly and also preparing them for gospel by door to door campaign for conducting prayers and lead the new souls toward Jesus.  Pray for us as we are going to construct a shelter for them to improve their services and make this program success.<br />
Please help for construction of bible collage or children home. These are the details GIVEN below Para.<br />
       We are also conducting bible classes &amp; collages for the youth to make them confident to become a preacher. The total members of youth in my service and in ministry are 250 above for the youth to make them confident to become a preacher.   Kindly pray for this effort as we are struggling hard for procuring books, bible material and various Gospel books and other stationary.   We also are planning to provide a shelter for them. So that this programmed may take in large scale and also planning to expand our mission beyond our present remote villages.   We have also delegate a responsibility to the youth who are well trained with us, to the remote villages still nobody knows about Jesus and spreading this gospel even remote corers of the tribal villages in West Godavari.  In order to achieve this programmed, we are hiring a rented vehicle, with rented sound systems, electrical, visual media equipment for every week.  Because of limited resources, we could not make up this programmed so successful. Kindly pray for us to procure vehicle and own electrical, visual media equipment so that we can extend our support to Gospel with these bright and young &amp; dynamic youth achieve wonderful and fruitful result.<br />
Distribution of Books, Slates, Plates &amp; Glasses to the Children of Poor in Remote Tribal Area<br />
We have distributed food items, mats, buckets and other essential commodities for the victims of the fire accident<br />
We are distributing the ration and essential commodities like rice, mats, buckets etc to the victims of Fire accident<br />
We are also conducting medical camp to the poor remote tribal women<br />
Medical Camp: Doctor giving instruction to the poor patients<br />
Distributing Cloths to the Old age Widows in the remote village by Rev. Dr.B.J.EMMANUEL RAJU, Gospel &amp; social work missionary<br />
At last I wish to convey that while conducting such a wonder programs, we are facing financial crisis, and social crisis etc.  Despite of all these hurdles we have determined to putforth our service.  So far I am conducting these programmed with the mobilization of local<br />
Funds through my colleagues. I am a middle class person and with the help of such likeminded employee’s participation we are going in such a progressive gospel program me.  We don’t have any external funds apart from my salary and some small contributions from my employees.  So I am requesting all of you that any type of help such as medicines, books, visual media equipment, vehicle provision, etc may definitely helpful in Gospel and I beg you that kindly became an associate in my service by extending your support and your prayers.<br />
                                        For all these programmers’ are conducting  under my guidance while facing so many difficulties and also I am engaging on this task round the clock for the Lord Jesus and the reason for such an effort is by the holy bible verse “I PRESS TOWARD THE MARK FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HIGHCALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS” Phil: 3:14.”<br />
FOR US SPECIFIED CHURCH IS NOT THERE THAT’S WHY WE ARE PRAYING IN THE TENTS.PLEASE PRAY AND HELP FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CHURND TELL TO THEM TO PRAY AND HELP USCH IN 2008 IS OUR AIM. WE ARE TRYING A LOT.PLEASE PRAY AND SHARE OUR PROBLEM WITH NEIGBOURS .A. </p>
<p>                                           PLEASE PRAY AND HELP FOR THE POOR PASTOR, ORPHANS  CHILDERNS, FOR CONSTRUCTIONS OF CHURCHS IN AND  BIBLE COLLEGE IN MY VILLAGE  SORROUNDING AREAS  .OUR YOUTH MEMBERS ARE VERY INTRESTED TOWARDS JESUS.IAM AND MY PASTORS TOGETHER GATHERED AND DESCOUSED ABOUT THE MATTER BIBLE COLLEGE IN OUR VILLAGE .TO MAKE THE YOUTH , IN FUTHER PASTOR AND TO DO JESUS WORKS IN THEIR DAILY LIFE AND TO PREACH THE BIBLE WORDS TO THEPEOPLES IN  DIFFERET PLACESES .AND WE ALSO  DIDN’T HAVE CHURCHS IN MY VILLAGE  SORROUNDING AREAS  .WE ARE COLLECTING SOME FUNDS .THAT FUNDS ARE TOTALLY SPENDING FOR ORPHANS CHILDERNS ,AND FOR THEIR MAINTAINS..THE PEOPLE ARE INTRESTED IN CONSTRUCTING THE A NEW CHURCHS. WE TRYING VERY HARD FOR CONSTRUCTION OF BIBLE COLEGE FOR YOUTH AND CHURCHS FOR POOR PEOPLE IN SURROUNDING AREAS. THE FUNDS COMING FROM THE PEOPLE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT FOR CONSTRUCTING THE CHRUCHS AND BIBLE COLLEGE FOR YOUTH.PLEASE PRAY AND HELP IN TELLING THIS MATTER TO YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE YOUR REAIATIVES TO HELP US IN ANY WAY.ABOVE MENTIONED OUR PROBLEMS ARE IN VERY NEED TO US.WE ALSO NEED A VAN OR CAR TO CANVERS AND IN MANY WAYS FOR CHRUCHS PURPOSE .ONCE AGAIN PLEASE PRAY PRAY AND HELP FOR MY PROBLEMS.<br />
                   Therefore, it is requested to my entire brother and sisters in the name of Jesus may kindly pray AND HELP for me and my services for the poor and remote village people.<br />
						Thanking you<br />
								Yours sincerely in the name of Jesus<br />
							 	     (.Dr.B.J.EMMANUEL Raju)</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: House Church Network by DZ Anderson</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/195/comment-page-1#comment-26</link>
		<dc:creator>DZ Anderson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:34:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/195#comment-26</guid>
		<description>Hey brother, So much to say. Wish you were here to hear you in person. My laptop battery is about dead... sigh A few random thoughts:

There are a number of fine house church networks out there - more on the way, I hope.

Church and things like getting the format right are not ends in themselves but means to know and express the riches of Jesus.

All have creeds - spoken, written, or believed. The point is that we must move beyond analysis and mere words.

One faith, one church, one baptism, bro. God spare us of more sectarianism.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey brother, So much to say. Wish you were here to hear you in person. My laptop battery is about dead&#8230; sigh A few random thoughts:</p>
<p>There are a number of fine house church networks out there - more on the way, I hope.</p>
<p>Church and things like getting the format right are not ends in themselves but means to know and express the riches of Jesus.</p>
<p>All have creeds - spoken, written, or believed. The point is that we must move beyond analysis and mere words.</p>
<p>One faith, one church, one baptism, bro. God spare us of more sectarianism.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Acts 29 Church Planting Network by brad brisco</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/194/comment-page-1#comment-23</link>
		<dc:creator>brad brisco</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:36:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/194#comment-23</guid>
		<description>Great summary of a great network for guys to be connected to.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Great summary of a great network for guys to be connected to.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Red Letter Christians by Thomas Rasmussen</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/193/comment-page-1#comment-22</link>
		<dc:creator>Thomas Rasmussen</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:35:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/193#comment-22</guid>
		<description>&lt;i&gt;Without the gospel, we are all headed to a Christ-less eternity and when we miss that does it really matter if we lived a good life and cared for those who are hurting? Hurting people without Jesus may be temporarily alleviated from their hurting by our help, but our temporary help will eventually come to a close and they will be hurting once again.&lt;/i&gt;

I think it matters a great deal. People notice motives. When we only help people so that we can convert them, they see that and realize that our “love” for them is conditional.

I used to be a part of a ministry that was extremely gong-ho about evangelism and we really pushed ourselves to get out there and share the gospel. We knew it was important to help the hurting, and we told ourselves it was important, but in reality we just didn’t have the time to help them, we where too busy pushing ourselves to get out there and share the gospel. Oh we did occasional things… once a year we’d do some event to help the needy. We grew in numbers and we had doctrine stuff down pat, but we were shallow spiritually because we only paid lip service to loving others.

It doesn’t appear to me that the Red Letter guys are minimizing the gospel here, rather they are motivated by the gospel to take action, and not just lip service and/or conditional love for others. Helping the hurting needs to be an integrated part of our Christianity, even when we don’t get to share the gospel, because we love others even when they don’t want the gospel, even when they actively oppose it.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>Without the gospel, we are all headed to a Christ-less eternity and when we miss that does it really matter if we lived a good life and cared for those who are hurting? Hurting people without Jesus may be temporarily alleviated from their hurting by our help, but our temporary help will eventually come to a close and they will be hurting once again.</i></p>
<p>I think it matters a great deal. People notice motives. When we only help people so that we can convert them, they see that and realize that our “love” for them is conditional.</p>
<p>I used to be a part of a ministry that was extremely gong-ho about evangelism and we really pushed ourselves to get out there and share the gospel. We knew it was important to help the hurting, and we told ourselves it was important, but in reality we just didn’t have the time to help them, we where too busy pushing ourselves to get out there and share the gospel. Oh we did occasional things… once a year we’d do some event to help the needy. We grew in numbers and we had doctrine stuff down pat, but we were shallow spiritually because we only paid lip service to loving others.</p>
<p>It doesn’t appear to me that the Red Letter guys are minimizing the gospel here, rather they are motivated by the gospel to take action, and not just lip service and/or conditional love for others. Helping the hurting needs to be an integrated part of our Christianity, even when we don’t get to share the gospel, because we love others even when they don’t want the gospel, even when they actively oppose it.</p>
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		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Red Letter Christians by Mike Harmon</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/193/comment-page-1#comment-21</link>
		<dc:creator>Mike Harmon</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:13:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/193#comment-21</guid>
		<description>I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts.  Keep up the good work.  I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader.  Looking forward to reading more from you.

Mike Harmon</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts.  Keep up the good work.  I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader.  Looking forward to reading more from you.</p>
<p>Mike Harmon</p>
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		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Emergent Church by Thomas Rasmussen</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/192/comment-page-1#comment-20</link>
		<dc:creator>Thomas Rasmussen</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:43:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/192#comment-20</guid>
		<description>I don’t think Emergent is advocating an “anything goes” kind of open interpretation of the Bible (I know I’m certainly not). What they’re advocating is more reading in community, the community being the church catholic as a whole being the guide to orthodox interpretation. I don’t know of anyone off hand in Emergent who is really denying the gospel as per Philippians 2:6-11, they’re just recognizing that that gospel manifests itself in some very different ways in different places, and with different people.

For example, in Africa today there are some pretty funky manifestations of Christianity developing down there, and they’re growing fast. Some of them have “apostles”, miraculous healings, casting out demons, and resurrections from the dead. I read a couple of articles by Andrew Walls, and I think he’s right, if you look at it, it sounds like they in Africa are living in the Acts of the Apostles. But we North America Christians generally think this stuff is wacky. We “interpret” the book of Acts, we don’t live in it, those kinds of miraculous gifts are generally interpreted by us as not being around today. Are they wrong for believing that the Spirit is working today, just as he did in the early church, or does our Enlightenment trump their miracles? If they send missionaries here to America (as they already have begun to do) and they teach that “apostles”, “prophets”, miraculous healings, demons, and resurrections are here and now things, would you accept them as brothers or would you say they’re a cult group? These are matters of interpretation, and neither they nor we are wrong, we just see things a bit differently. 

Emergent believes there is such a thing as heresy. In the stuff you quote above they mention that they affirm “the historic Christian faith”, that includes more than just Augustine, that includes Irenaeus and Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, even Ephrem the Syrian, and those who criticized Augustine (such as Vincent of Lerins, best known for, “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all”), the church councils, the Nicene Creed, and the various disputes and controversies with heresies over Gnosticism, Christ, the incarnation, the Spirit, even the role of icons, etc. The church’s interpreters of the Bible have never had a single homogenous interpretation of the Bible and the gospel it contains, but yet the community as a whole was able to hammer out issues despite different POVs. 

Ultimately, I don’t think the “open interpretation of the Bible” that Emergent is promoting is really about tolerance, it’s about humility, the recognition that our own interpretations of the Bible are questionable, more man-made than we would like them to be. Our views of the gospel are not necessarily the truth itself, but at best interpretations of the truth. Our interpretation of the gospel is often tentative, subject to change, and often does change. 

Hmm… sorry for being long winded, but your post got me thinking.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don’t think Emergent is advocating an “anything goes” kind of open interpretation of the Bible (I know I’m certainly not). What they’re advocating is more reading in community, the community being the church catholic as a whole being the guide to orthodox interpretation. I don’t know of anyone off hand in Emergent who is really denying the gospel as per <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?go=Go&amp;q=Philippians+2%3A6-11" class="bibleref" title="ESV Philippians 2:6-11">Philippians 2:6-11</a><a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?go=Go&amp;q=Philippians+2%3A6-11" class="scripturizer_newwindow" title="Open this passage in a new browser window" target="_new"><img src="http://www.benbirdsong.com/wp-content/plugins/the-holy-scripturizer/new-window.gif" alt="Open Link in New Window" /></a>, they’re just recognizing that that gospel manifests itself in some very different ways in different places, and with different people.</p>
<p>For example, in Africa today there are some pretty funky manifestations of Christianity developing down there, and they’re growing fast. Some of them have “apostles”, miraculous healings, casting out demons, and resurrections from the dead. I read a couple of articles by Andrew Walls, and I think he’s right, if you look at it, it sounds like they in Africa are living in the Acts of the Apostles. But we North America Christians generally think this stuff is wacky. We “interpret” the book of Acts, we don’t live in it, those kinds of miraculous gifts are generally interpreted by us as not being around today. Are they wrong for believing that the Spirit is working today, just as he did in the early church, or does our Enlightenment trump their miracles? If they send missionaries here to America (as they already have begun to do) and they teach that “apostles”, “prophets”, miraculous healings, demons, and resurrections are here and now things, would you accept them as brothers or would you say they’re a cult group? These are matters of interpretation, and neither they nor we are wrong, we just see things a bit differently. </p>
<p>Emergent believes there is such a thing as heresy. In the stuff you quote above they mention that they affirm “the historic Christian faith”, that includes more than just Augustine, that includes Irenaeus and Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, even Ephrem the Syrian, and those who criticized Augustine (such as Vincent of Lerins, best known for, “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all”), the church councils, the Nicene Creed, and the various disputes and controversies with heresies over Gnosticism, Christ, the incarnation, the Spirit, even the role of icons, etc. The church’s interpreters of the Bible have never had a single homogenous interpretation of the Bible and the gospel it contains, but yet the community as a whole was able to hammer out issues despite different POVs. </p>
<p>Ultimately, I don’t think the “open interpretation of the Bible” that Emergent is promoting is really about tolerance, it’s about humility, the recognition that our own interpretations of the Bible are questionable, more man-made than we would like them to be. Our views of the gospel are not necessarily the truth itself, but at best interpretations of the truth. Our interpretation of the gospel is often tentative, subject to change, and often does change. </p>
<p>Hmm… sorry for being long winded, but your post got me thinking.</p>
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		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Emergent Church by admin</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/192/comment-page-1#comment-19</link>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:36:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/192#comment-19</guid>
		<description>I think that in losing a focus on scripture and opening the door to open interpretation of the Bible is part of the tolerance that Emergent is trying to push.  When you lose a focus on scripture, you lose a focus on the gospel.  Their is a gospel that is specifically given in scripture (see Phillipians 2: 6-11).  Jesus is God who died on the cross and rose again to pay the penalty for our sins.  It is by grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone that we are saved.  A loss of focus on the Word as the standard of truth can lead to a distorted gospel and a Jesus who is made in our own image instead of the nature of God.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think that in losing a focus on scripture and opening the door to open interpretation of the Bible is part of the tolerance that Emergent is trying to push.  When you lose a focus on scripture, you lose a focus on the gospel.  Their is a gospel that is specifically given in scripture (see Phillipians 2: 6-11).  Jesus is God who died on the cross and rose again to pay the penalty for our sins.  It is by grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone that we are saved.  A loss of focus on the Word as the standard of truth can lead to a distorted gospel and a Jesus who is made in our own image instead of the nature of God.</p>
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		<title>Comment on Culture and the Church: New Ideologies: Emergent Church by Thomas Rasmussen</title>
		<link>http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/192/comment-page-1#comment-18</link>
		<dc:creator>Thomas Rasmussen</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:45:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.benbirdsong.com/archives/192#comment-18</guid>
		<description>You mention, &lt;i&gt;In any discussion of theology, faith, and mission, there must be a standard that is defined as truth.&lt;/i&gt;

I don’t see Emergent dropping the Bible as a standard of truth. What they’re dropping is any one particular man-made interpretation of the Bible as a standard of truth. We need to learn that other Christians will often interpret the Bible very differently than we ourselves do, and that their interpretation doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t true Christians, even when that interpretation may be a bit hard to swallow.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You mention, <i>In any discussion of theology, faith, and mission, there must be a standard that is defined as truth.</i></p>
<p>I don’t see Emergent dropping the Bible as a standard of truth. What they’re dropping is any one particular man-made interpretation of the Bible as a standard of truth. We need to learn that other Christians will often interpret the Bible very differently than we ourselves do, and that their interpretation doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t true Christians, even when that interpretation may be a bit hard to swallow.</p>
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