Chris·ti·an·i·ty: The religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent by God. They believe that Jesus, by dying and rising from the dead, made up for the sin of Adam and thus redeemed the world, allowing all who believe in him to enter heaven. Christians rely on the Bible as the inspired word of God. Posts in this category pertain to social, political, philosophical, and moral issues regarding Christianity.
Glad to see another conservative elected as the next Pope. And a fairly speedy election, as well:
With unusual speed and little surprise, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, a 78-year-old transitional leader who promises to enforce strictly conservative policies for the world’s Roman Catholics.
I’m sure there’s a lot of commentary out there, but I’ve been too busy researching for my upcoming mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, to scout it out…
(Hat tip:Drudge)
The 65th Christian Carnival is up today at AnotherThink. Interestingly, the carnival was posted from Oaxaca:
I am posting this week’s Christian Carnival from Oaxaca, Mexico, a land of many languages and cultures. I’m using Paul’s nine evidences of the transformed life as a way of forcing some structure on your entries.
You’ll find a section for each “fruit of the Spirit” rendered in English, in Greek, and in one of the indigenous languages of Mexico—this last accompanied by a semi-literal translation.
I hope this serves as a reminder that we will stand before Jesus with men and women from every nation and tribe and people and language. (Rev. 7:9) Pray that the Word of Life may very soon reach into every dark corner of the earth.
Interesting for two reasons: 1) since Oaxaca is where I’ll be going this summer on a mission trip, and 2) because it gives me hope that I’ll be able to mission-blog live while I’m there.
On the cusp of my church’s launch of Revolution School, my Wednesday-night Life Group (The Listening Lifestyle) was given an assignment to pray about and listen to God’s direction concerning this nascent school of worship. I found myself unable to get past one specific passage:
Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Romans 12:1,2 (NIV)
Interestingly, today I came across a recent Mark D. Roberts sermon on the same topic.
Wish I would have found this 64 weeks ago:
Proverbs Daily is a blog that ventures to, amongst many other things, take a biblical proverb every day and apply its wisdom to today’s world. In keeping with that theme, this week’s Christian Carnival is grouped by topic using the proverbs as subjects. I hope you enjoy the posts as much as I did.
I think this is going to increase my blog-monitoring time significantly…
Vatican Says Pope John Paul II Dies at 84:
Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history’s most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.
I’m a Christian, but not Catholic. I don’t understand or agree with everything regarding the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, but I mourn the loss of a courageous and Godly man.
To my brothers in sisters in Christ who are of the Catholic faith, I pray that the Holy Spirit will minister to and guide you with His grace and peace from God the Father, in this time of great loss. Pope John Paul II was truly a man who ran the race God set out for him, and now God has called him heavenward, to claim the prize for which He has called him.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace…
Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 20:24, 32 (NIV)
Newsweek’s Religion Editor Jon Meacham spews more liberal heresy questioning Jesus as the Christ:
How did a Jewish prophet come to be seen as the Christian savior? The epic story of the empty tomb, the early battles and the making of a great faith.
Coincidentally, Jesus of Nazareth never claimed to be a prophet. He claimed to be the Son of God – the Messiah sent to redeem mankind from the curse of death due to sin. He was, knew He was, acted as, and claimed to be God in human flesh. Of course, then there’s that whole issue of his death and resurrection. The empty tomb is still a stumbling block today to heretics like Jon Meacham as it was to first century Jews. The resurrection sets Christianity apart from every other world religion. The resurrection confirmed that Jesus is indeed the Christ, and completed God’s plan to rescue humanity from sin and bring us back into a full and right relationship with Him – something the Twelve Apostles all believed, and that the authors of the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament wrote about. In fact, something they all believed so deeply and passionately that they gave their lives defending that belief. Somehow I don’t think Peter would have allowed himself to be crucified upside down because of his profession of his belief in Jesus as the Christ, if he did not in fact believe with every part of his being that Jesus is the Christ – ditto the rest of the Apostles martyred for their beliefs.
American Thinker does a fantastic job dissecting this garbage.