'The Church Today Needs an Apologetic Culture'

THE CHRISTIAN POST - By Anugrah Kumar - June 7, 2011
Pastors should develop an apologetic culture in their churches as the need for Christians to defend their faith has increased significantly, Canadian author and apologist Stephen J. Bedard said.

In an interview featured on the Apologetics 315 website Monday, the author of Unmasking a Pagan Christ: An Evangelical Response to the Cosmic Christ Idea, talked about issues ranging from the need for articulation of the Gospel to the Jehovah’s Witness booklet and the evidence of Jesus’ existence.

Asked what his advice to pastors was, Bedard said they should make their congregations aware that there are answers available; “it’s not a blind faith.” “We don’t have to prove that Christianity is absolutely true, but we have to demonstrate that it is something rational,” said Bedard, pastor of Woodford Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in Meaford in Ontario.

Bedard, who got interested in apologetics after reading Christian authors and thinkers C.S. Lewis and Norman L. Geisler, said churches also needed to articulate what the Gospel is. Only when they know what the real thing is will they be able to respond to the counterfeit, he said.

Talking about Hope’s Reason: A Journal of Apologetics he edits, Bedard said the need for apologetics had “increased significantly.” People today are exposed to all kinds of doctrines, from Gnostic gospels to theories like “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” thanks to the media, he explained.

Gnostic gospels are based on texts that are not part of the standard biblical canon. “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” is a documentary made by a Canadian filmmaker on the Talpiot Tomb near the Old City in East Jerusalem and it seeks to misinterpret the events regarding Jesus as recorded in the New Testament, Christians believe.

Those who want to get involved in apologetics - the discipline of defending a Christian position by the systematic use of reason - must spend time with atheists, non-Christians, and those who are skeptical of the Christian faith, Bedard advised. “Just listen to what they believe” and do not hesitate to acknowledge the good points they raise, but also go to the Scriptures to see where the Bible says they are wrong.

A father of five, Bedard said he learned a lot from his children. “They ask everything and do not take anything for granted. They challenge me all the time,” he said, adding that children and others should always be encouraged to ask questions.

Bedard also announced that his upcoming book, a response to the Jehovah’s Witness booklet “What Does the Bible Really Teach,” was expected to hit the market “in the next couple of months.” He said he was impressed with the honesty of Jehovah’s Witnesses about what they believe. “We can also learn from the way they equip their people.”

Mainstream Christians accuse the Jehovah’s Witness denomination of doctrinal inconsistencies and biblical mistranslations.

Titled Jehovah’s Witness and What the Bible Really Teaches, to be published by Clements Publishing, the book is “a guide to having productive conversations with Jehovah’s Witness.”

Talking about his first book Unmasking a Pagan Christ, Bedard said it was to counter a theory by a Canadian author claiming Jesus never existed.

He said people ask if there is evidence of Jesus outside of the Bible and why there is little Jewish and Roman evidence, but “when I took a look at the actual evidence, I found that we actually have quite a bit, in fact, more than we’d expect.”

Those who ask for Jewish evidence totally ignore the fact that the Jewish society at the time was quite illiterate, he said. “So it was really unlikely that most of the people who heard Jesus preach would actually be writing it down. Even if it did get written down, it was unlikely that it would survive to this day.”

About Roman writings, he said there was little record of what was going on in the first century in terms of trials in the provinces such as Judea. So records of Jesus cannot be expected either, he reasoned.

But there is evidence in the writings of the first century Jewish historian, Josephus, he said. “It’s pretty firm evidence that Jesus existed. Outside of that we have the Bible and we have Paul.”

Josephus wrote of a Jewish sect led by James the Just, identifying him as the brother of Jesus. His writings also included sections on John the Baptist, the High Priest Annas, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus called the Messiah.

If critics were to use the same standards they use to verify writings on Jesus on other historical figures, “we would have to burn our history books,” Bedard said.

However, apologists must remember that 1 Peter 3:15 asks us to respond in gentleness and respect, he said, and cautioned that the purpose of apologetics is not to win argument, but to win people to Christ.

Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-church-today-needs-an-apologetic-culture-50922/


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TBN and Jack Van Impe in a Rift

APOSTASY ALERT [www.apostasyalert.org] - By Jackie Alnor - June 14, 2011
Bible Prophecy pundit, Jack Van Impe, has just announced that he will be canceling his TV program, “Jack Van Impe Presents’’ from the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) after a recent episode was replaced with a program promoting unity between Christianity and Islam.

According to a news release on Van Impe’s web site, “On Wednesday afternoon we received a call from Matt Crouch of TBN informing us that they would not run that program, despite having aired it Monday evening. The reason he gave was that we specifically mentioned Rick Warren and Robert Schuller and that it is TBN’s policy that broadcasters are not allowed to rebuke other ministries. This is a rather hypocritical statement in light of the fact that they have never said anything in the past when we have rebuked others such as Bishop Spong, Bishop Pike, and in the past few months Harold Camping and Rob Bell.”

Van Impe has recently veered from his own policy of not criticizing other ministries. He is infamous for ragging on anyone who dares to refute the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. He is receiving a taste of his own medicine.

It comes at no surprise that it was Matt Crouch, the younger son of TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch, that flexed his muscles in Van Impe’s direction. Several years ago while was hosting the Praise the Lord program, Matt expressed his fury at Van Impe by name in response to Van Impe’s promotional tape on Y2K. Matt accused Van Impe of trying to raise money by planting fear in people’s minds, something TBN does on a regular basis during every Praise-a-Thon fund raiser.

To read the news release go to link: http://www.jvim.com/update/display.php?ITEM=11137

Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/church-issues/aberrational-theology/tbn-and-jack-van-impe-in-a-rift


FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Another Southern Baptist Christian Leader Falls prey to the Doctrines of Demons

SAINTS ALIVE IN JESUS - By Ed Decker - May 10, 2011
Pastor Steven G. Tiner, Senior Pastor of Levy Baptist Church http://www.levybaptist.com/  in North Little Rock, AR  now boasts his calling as Most Excellent Grand High Priest Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons Of Arkansas.
In his acceptance remarks following his Masonic ordination, Pastor Tiner proclaimed I want to thank the Grand Chapter of Arkansas for the incredible privilege of serving as your Grand High Priest. I love Royal Arch Masonry with all of my heart. Therefore, to be honored to serve as your Grand High Priest is a joy beyond what I can ever express with words. I pray that the Great Architect of the Universe will bless this year as we work together for the advancement of the Craft. http://www.yorkrite.org/ar/ARRAinsert.pdf

Levy Baptist Church is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, The Arkansas Baptist State Convention and The North Pulaski Baptist Association, where  Pastor Tiner is sits as Moderator, heading up its associational leadership.  http://www.northpulaskibaptist.com/
Pastor Tiner has also bowed his knee at the altar of a false god and has given himself over to the doctrines of demons. These are the doctrines he pledges to advance for the cause of the craft.  

Let me tell you about a few things he brags about above.
First, there is only one high priest. That is Jesus Christ. Pastor Tiner and his Masonic friends have usurped the holy priesthood of  our Lord.
Second,  He speaks of Prayers to and for The Grand Architect of the Universe.  In this Royal Arch Degree, the true nature of this Grand architect is revealed, so this demonic deity of theirs can be fully worshipped. As their Most Excellent High Priest, Pastor Tiner presides over such worship.

Masonic ritual is concerned with the recovery of the “Lost Word,” presumed to be the name of God- supposedly lost through the murder of the architect,
Hiram Abiff, during the building of Solomon’s Temple.This quest is attained during the ritual of the ROYALARCH DEGREE. ...

Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://saintsalive.com/eds-blog/another-sb-leader-falls-prey-to-doctrines-of-demons


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Christians, Jews, Muslims plan shared worship - Churches Agree to Hold Koran Readings!!

Pulpit pals: Christians, Jews, Muslims plan shared worship

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE [Advance/Newhouse] - By Adelle M. Banks - May 17, 2011
Religious and human rights activists are asking U.S. churches to invite Jewish and Muslim clergy to their sanctuaries to read from sacred texts next month in an initiative designed to counter anti-Muslim bigotry.
The June 26 initiative, called “Faith Shared: Uniting in Prayer and Understanding,” is co-sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First. Leaders of the two Washington-based groups said the event hopes to demonstrate respect for Islam in the wake of Quran burnings in recent months.
“As a Christian minister who is a pastor in a local congregation, it is important to me for our nation and our world to know that not all Christians promote hate, attack religions different from their own and seek to desecrate the scripture of others,” the Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, said Tuesday.
More than 50 churches in 26 states already have committed to the initiative, including the Washington National Cathedral.
Tad Stahnke, director of policy and programs for Human Rights First, said he hopes the initiative will draw attention to religious freedom and counter negative stereotypes of Christian leaders making anti-Muslim statements.
“We want to send a message to the world,” he said, “that Americans do respect religious differences and reject religious bigotry and the demonization of Islam or any other religion.”

Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/51832311-80/initiative-religious-christians-human.html.csp

More Than 50 U.S. Churches Agree to Hold Koran Readings!!

LOGAN'S WARNING - By Admin - May 17, 2011
In the past I have stated I am not religious, but my goal is to help educate and unite Atheists and members of non-Islamic religions against a common enemy. That enemy is Islam. The good news is that our voice against Islam is clearly getting louder, the bad news is that far too many Americans who identify themselves as “Christians” are taking the easy way out and bowing down to Islam, in an effort to avoid a conflict that has been raging for 1400 years.

Muslim Hadith Book 019, Number 4366:

It has been narrated by ‘Umar b. al-Khattib that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.

A conflict in which Christians are clearly losing! ...

Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://loganswarning.com/2011/05/17/more-than-50-u-s-churches-agree-to-hold-koran-readings/


FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Rick Warren hosts 'cult' celebrity docs

Features promoters of Eastern mysticism, universalism
WORLDNETDAILY -  January 15, 2011
When megachurch pastor Rick Warren decided he needed to take his health seriously, he responded in typically ambitious fashion, launching a year-long health program for his church, "The Daniel Plan," written with the help of three celebrity doctors who will appear at a kickoff seminar today. 

But critics point out the physicians who crafted the program apparently don't share the church's professed evangelical beliefs, espousing instead various forms of Eastern mysticism and the tenets of a Christian cult, Swedenborgism. 

Vowing to lose 90 pounds, Warren said he placed himself under the care of Drs. Mehmet Oz, Daniel Amen and Mark Hyman last fall and worked with each to develop "The Daniel Plan." 

Oz, host of the Emmy-winning "Dr. Oz Show" and professor of surgery at Columbia University, says he is inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th century cult founder who taught that all religions lead to God and denied orthodox Christian beliefs such at the atonement of Christ for sin, the trinity and the deity of the Holy Spirit.

Best-selling author Amen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at Irvine, teaches Eastern religious meditation and the New Age energy-based practice of Reiki.

Hyman, a four-time New York Times best-selling author, promotes mystical meditation based on Buddhist principles.

Steve McConkey, who directs a website called Christian Investigator, called it "troubling for a top pastor in the United States to promote false teachers." 

"We are living at an all-time low spiritually in the United States with weak leaders," he said. 

Saddleback's staff did not respond to a WND request for comment. 

McConkey pointed out the followers of what is called Swedenborgianism believe all religions lead to God and that Christianity must go through a rebirth. The group also denies the existence of a personal devil and believes the Bible is not inspired. When people die, the followers believe, they become an angel or an evil spirit. 

Emanuel Swedenborg said he had a vision in 1745 in which he saw creatures crawling on walls. He asserted God then appeared to him as a man and told him to promote the new teachings to the world. 

Warren plans to have one-on-one discussions with Amen and Hymen at the summit today, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Oz will appear via a video message. 

The summit also will be live-streamed on Saddleback's website. 

The church says all of its more than 5,000 small groups will go through "The Daniel Plan," which is part of Saddleback's "Decade of Destiny," a 10-year plan launching this month "to help individuals succeed and be who God designed them to be in every aspect in life." 

Warren, author of the best-selling "The Purpose Driven Life," said he is "honored to be partnering with these internationally distinguished health experts." 

"God says that health is important, and that is what we want to explore," Warren said. 

He said that the many Americans who resolve each year to lose weight and get fit need to have the right motivation if they want to succeed. 

"We hope to provide encouragement, based on biblical principles, to help people make a real lifestyle change toward better health," Warren said. 

The 52-week "Daniel Plan," according to Saddleback, is based upon the biblical account of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused to take part in the Babylonian king's rich foods and wine and challenged the king's chief-of-staff to a test of meal plans. 

Daniel and his three colleagues ate a 10-day diet of vegetables and water that made them healthier and better nourished than the others. 

"I grew up in a home where the dinner table was the centerpiece of our existence," Warren said. "I have never paid much attention to my health, as it was just never important to me. But earlier this year I had a moment of clarity and realized we all need to make a change, and that I can't help anyone if I don't first start with me."

Warren cited statistics indicating 7 out of 10 Americans are overweight and that diabetes and heart disease is on the rise. 

"America is getting fatter and fatter, and we must do something about it," he said. 

Following the health seminar, medical professionals and volunteers will be available on the Saddleback campus to record health numbers so individuals can begin "The Daniel Plan," Saddleback said. Participants will be able to set up their own interactive online profile via the church's website to guide them through the plan and keep a record of health improvements and accomplishments. 

Warren founded Saddleback in 1980 with his wife, Kay. The church has a total average weekly attendance of 22,000 at its main Lake Forest campus and nine other locations in the cities of Anaheim, Corona, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Orange, San Clemente and Rancho Capistrano. ...

Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=251133

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Self-Realization Fellowship elects Sri Mrinalini Mata as new leader

LOS ANGELES TIMES [Tribune Company] - By Mitchell Landsberg - January 12, 2011
The Self-Realization Fellowship, a Los Angeles-based organization that follows a spiritual path rooted in both Hinduism and Christianity, has elected a new leader, the fourth since it was established in 1920.
The fellowship announced Tuesday that Sri Mrinalini Mata, who became a Self-Realization nun at the age of 15, was elected president last week by its eight-member board of directors. She succeeds Sri Daya Mata, the group's longtime leader, who died in November.
The selection of Mrinalini Mata, 79, means that the fellowship will continue to be led by a woman, and by a direct disciple of its founder, Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian yogi who is credited with helping to popularize yoga and meditation in the West. Mrinalini Mata has been vice president of the organization since 1966.

"It shows that they're very traditional - that they're holding on to a tradition," said Lola Williamson, a professor of religion at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., and the author of "Transcendent in America: Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion," which examines the Self-Realization Fellowship and two other movements.
The fellowship is perhaps best known in Los Angeles for the tranquility of its temple gardens at sites that include Hollywood and Pacific Palisades. They are among more than 600 temples, meditation centers and retreat sites operated by the organization around the world.
Born Merna Brown in Wichita, Kan., Mrinalini Mata moved to Southern California as a child. In 1945, when she was a teenager, her mother took her to see Yogananda. The girl, who was clutching a Bible, according to Williamson, was initially reluctant to meet the religious leader but found herself electrified by his presence and almost immediately dedicated her life to his cause. ...
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-self-realization-20110112,0,5416573.story

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Greater Abominations: Critics Slam ABC Pilot 'Good Christian B**ches' for 'Inappropriate,' 'Damaging' Title

Prince of the Power of the Air [Waves]

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:1-7

“The strongest appeal you can make is emotionally. If you can get their emotions going, make them forget their logic, you’ve got ‘em”.
- Bob Pitman, founder and former president of MTV.

“At MTV we don’t shoot for the 14-year-olds. We own them.”
- Bob Pitman, founder and former president of MTV.

“They digest it on a lot of levels. Some people will see it and be disgusted by it, but maybe they’ll be unconsciously aroused by it. If people keep seeing it, and seeing it, and seeing it, eventually it’s not going to be such a strange thing.”
- Entertainer, Madonna, to a Homosexual Magazine concerning Homosexual “acts” during her performances. (She also mentioned to the LA Times that she is “Very tormented” and “possessed by many demons”)

"ABC's core viewership is Christian, so the goal of the show won't be to attack Christianity. Just like the book, this is a show by Christians, for (mostly) Christians, to enjoy a little prime-time self-deprecation," 
- Los Angeles-based entertainment expert, Jenn Hoffman regarding ABC Network pilot called "Good Christian B**ches."

FOX NEWS [News Corporation/Murdoch] - By Hollie McKay - March 4, 2011
An ABC pilot called "Good Christian B**ches" has religious and women's groups up in arms over what they describe as an extremely offensive and distasteful show title.
The dramedy, based on Kim Gatlin's novel of the same name, will be brought to life by famed "Sex and the City" and "90210" executive producer Darren Star. The plot centers on the life of reformed "mean girl" Amanda, played by "Talladega Nights" actress Leslie Bibb, who returns to her hometown of Dallas to find herself fodder for malicious gossip from the women in the Christian community.
Still in the early stages, the pilot has not been guaranteed a spot on ABC's lineup. And though the show's title may change before it goes to broadcast, "Good Christian B**ches" is already causing uproar.


Christian publisher Tessie DeVore told FOX411's Pop Tarts column that the show, which features the tagline "For Heaven's sake, don't let God get in the way of a good story!" could put Christians in an unfairly bad light.
"I find the title offensive. I don't think those two words should be combined," she said. "A show like this can damage perceptions [of Christians in this country]."
It also could be a slippery slope for future shows, said Melissa Henson, director of communications and public education for the Parents' Television Council tells Tarts.
"In the past, we've raised concerns about changing language standards for television," Henson said. "Once a particular profanity or obscenity has been embraced by a particular show, it quickly becomes mainstream."
And Yana Walton from the Women's Media Center said Christians aren't the only ones who should be upset.
"It is not an appropriate term to use to describe any woman, regardless of their faith," Walton said. "Entertainment media, especially music and films, have been normalizing misogynistic language for years."

But despite the seemingly outrageous title, Dan Gainor, head of the Culture and Media Institute, is not surprised that the pilot has gone this far already.
"ABC is doubling down on the offensive by also approving 'Don't Trust the B***ch in Apartment 23,' following up on the CBS show '$#*! My Dad Says.' And this continued decline is unsurprising," he said.
"The media keeps trying to redefine words and morality to mean what they say, not what they really do mean," Gainor added. "One wonders which network will be the first to drop the F-bomb in a TV title and whether the FCC will even intervene."

Even if the title holds up, some are looking forward to the show.
"ABC's core viewership is Christian, so the goal of the show won't be to attack Christianity. Just like the book, this is a show by Christians, for (mostly) Christians, to enjoy a little prime-time self-deprecation," Los Angeles-based entertainment expert, Jenn Hoffman said.
A representative for ABC declined to comment on the story.

Deidre Behar contributed to this report

Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/03/04/critics-slam-abc-pilot-good-christian-bitches-inappropriate-damaging-title/print#


FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Greater Abominations: Pole-dancers for Jesus

WORLD MAGAZINE - By Tony Woodlief - March 25, 2011
This is the kind of story you have to double-check to be sure it isn't parody: pole-dancers for Jesus. The owner of a dance studio outside Houston has started classes for women based on increasingly popular pole-dancing classes, only these classes use modern Christian music, and incorporate presumably less provocative moves.

The logic, as I understand it, runs like this: The body is a temple, you're supposed to keep your temple in shape, poles are good for keeping said temples in tippy-top fitness, it's not sin if you add some Christian music and don't look too strippery, and anyone who wants to judge isn't being very Christian about the whole thing. ...

And perhaps that's a good rule for all of us to follow, to cultivate the habit of asking what is motivating our desire to do this, that, or the other. When it comes to pole-dancing, it seems the whole thing is motivated more by a desire to emulate a particularly unsavory part of popular culture than the desire to stay fit. Which is all well and good, this being a free society and all.

But how about we not call it "Pole Fitness for Jesus"? Because it's not really for Jesus, I don't think.

Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://online.worldmag.com/2011/03/25/pole-dancers-for-jesus/


Hallelujah! Christians Pole Dance for Jesus in Texas
Student Says Pole Dancing Class Brings Her Closer to God
ABC NEWS [American Broadcasting Companies, Inc./The Walt Disney Company] - BY Sherisse Pham - March 22, 2011
A new exercise class, Pole Fitness for Jesus, is inviting Christian women in a small Texas town to spin without sin for the Lord.
"God gives us these bodies, and they are supposed to be our temples and we are supposed to take care of them," instructor Crystal Dean told ABC affiliate KTRK-TV. "And that's what we are doing."
For one Sunday each month, Dean teaches free classes to Christian women who bring in their church programs.
There is biblical approval of mixing religion with song and dance, namely, Psalm 149:3: "Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre."

For critics and skeptics who find it difficult to merge churchgoing Christians with limber pole dancers, religious scholars point out that Christians have been adjusting their moral obligations to the modern world for the last half century. There are Christian tattoo parlors, books about Christian dieting (Thin for Him, Fit for My King), and even Christian sex manuals. On the scale of shocking modern activities for Christians, Thomas Tweed, a professor with the University of Texas, rates the pole dancing classes as "mildly surprising."
"This is just another attempt to think through how to live a full Christian life," said Tweed. ...
Student Says Pole Dancing Class Brings Her Closer to God ...

Churches throughout the United States already host contemporary, even sexy workout classes. You can take jazzercise classes at the First Church of Lombard in Indianapolis, Zumba at Amazing Grace Church in Memphis, or belly dancing lessons at Trinity Presbyterian in Richmond, Va.
Pole dancing, however, maintains a stronger relationship to vices frowned upon by the Christian community.
"It does have a history of being used for unhealthy practices, for things that are not good for portrayal of women," said Rev. Ron Krueger, pastor of the Immanuel United Church of Christ, located less than 400 feet from Dean's class. ...
If the class reaches people who would otherwise be turned away from Christianity, Krueger said, that would be a positive outcome.
But as to Dean's claim that it helps Christian women maintain healthy bodies, the pastor had a list of alternative exercises with less salacious histories: yoga, aerobics, running and walking.

Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=13194891


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Hindu Group Stirs a Debate Over Yoga’s Soul

Who Owns Yoga? It surely is not just a physical exercise although many Americans and Christians would like to believe that.


For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
-Isaiah 2:6a


Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. - Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) [Prophetic vision comes from the Word of God, i.e. the Scriptures]


My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...
- Hosea 4:6a


"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.`
-Matthew 24:10-13


NEW YORK TIMES [NYTimes Group/Sulzberger] - By Paul Vitello - November 27, 2010
Yoga is practiced by about 15 million people in the United States, for reasons almost as numerous - from the physical benefits mapped in brain scans to the less tangible rewards that New Age journals call spiritual centering. Religion, for the most part, has nothing to do with it.
But a group of Indian-Americans has ignited a surprisingly fierce debate in the gentle world of yoga by mounting a campaign to acquaint Westerners with the faith that it says underlies every single yoga style followed in gyms, ashrams and spas: Hinduism.
The campaign, labeled “Take Back Yoga,” does not ask yoga devotees to become Hindu, or instructors to teach more about Hinduism. The small but increasingly influential group behind it, the Hindu American Foundation, suggests only that people become more aware of yoga’s debt to the faith’s ancient traditions.
That suggestion, modest though it may seem, has drawn a flurry of strong reactions from figures far apart on the religious spectrum. Dr. Deepak Chopra, the New Age writer, has dismissed the campaign as a jumble of faulty history and Hindu nationalism. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has said he agrees that yoga is Hindu - and cited that as evidence that the practice imperiled the souls of Christians who engage in it.
The question at the core of the debate - who owns yoga? - has become an enduring topic of chatter in yoga Web forums, Hindu American newspapers and journals catering to the many consumers of what is now a multibillion-dollar yoga industry.
In June, it even prompted the Indian government to begin making digital copies of ancient drawings showing the provenance of more than 4,000 yoga poses, to discourage further claims by entrepreneurs like Bikram Choudhury, an Indian-born yoga instructor to the stars who is based in Los Angeles. Mr. Choudhury nettled Indian officials in 2007 when he copyrighted his personal style of 26 yoga poses as “Bikram Yoga.”
Organizers of the Take Back Yoga effort point out that the philosophy of yoga was first described in Hinduism’s seminal texts and remains at the core of Hindu teaching. Yet, because the religion has been stereotyped in the West as a polytheistic faith of “castes, cows and curry,” they say, most Americans prefer to see yoga as the legacy of a more timeless, spiritual “Indian wisdom.”
“In a way,” said Dr. Aseem Shukla, the foundation’s co-founder, “our issue is that yoga has thrived, but Hinduism has lost control of the brand.” ...
Like Dr. Chopra and some religious historians, Ms. Desmond believes that yoga originated in the Vedic culture of Indo-Europeans who settled in India in the third millennium B.C., long before the tradition now called Hinduism emerged. Other historians trace the first written description of yoga to the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred Hindu scripture believed to have been written between the fifth and second centuries B.C. ...
Loriliai Biernacki, a professor of Indian religions at the University of Colorado, said the debate had raised important issues about a spectrum of Hindu concepts permeating American culture, including meditation, belief in karma and reincarnation, and even cremation.
“All these ideas are Hindu in origin, and they are spreading,” she said. “But they are doing it in a way that leaves behind the proper name, the box that classifies them as ‘Hinduism.’ ”
The debate has also secured the standing of the Hindu American Foundation as the pre-eminent voice for the country’s two million Hindus, said Diana L. Eck, a professor of comparative religion and Indian studies at Harvard. Other groups represent Indian-Americans’ interests in business and politics, but the foundation has emerged as “the first major national advocacy group looking at Hindu identity,” she said.
Dr. Shukla said reaction to the yoga campaign had far exceeded his expectations.
“We started this, really, for our kids,” said Dr. Shukla, a urologist and a second-generation Indian-American. “When our kids go to school and say they are Hindu, nobody says, ‘Oh, yeah, Hindus gave the world yoga.’ They say, ‘What caste are you?’ Or ‘Do you pray to a monkey god?’ Because that’s all Americans know about Hinduism.” ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/nyregion/28yoga.html


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As in the Days of Lot: The growing acceptance of Homosexuality in the Church

Church of Scotland moves closer to accepting more gay clergy
ECUMENICAL NEWS INTERNATIONAL - By Martin Revis - May 24, 2011
London --  The church of Scotland, which has been threatened with schism since it confirmed the appointment of an openly homosexual minister two years ago, voted at its general assembly yesterday to move toward the acceptance of gay and lesbian candidates for ordination.
Members of the general assembly, meeting in Edinburgh, voted by 351 to 294 to "consider further the lifting of the moratorium on acceptance for training and ordination of persons in a same sex relationship."
The ban was put in place in 2009 in the wake of the controversy which followed the church's appointment of Scott Rennie, who was living with a male partner in Aberdeen. A special commission was established to explore the issue, and the recommendation for further examination of the matter was contained in the commission's report to assembly yesterday.
The assembly also voted to allow ministers and deacons in same-sex relationships ordained before 2009 to remain in the church and move parishes if they wished.
A statement issued by the church after a lengthy debate on the interpretation of scripture relating to same-sex relationships and the moral implications said: "A theological commission will be set up to bring recommendations to the 2013 general assembly, as well as considering whether ministers should have freedom of conscience to bless civil partnerships and the possible liturgy for such occasions." ...
As seen in live Web coverage of the assembly, The Moderator called for unity despite the contentious issue they faced. "We very much hope that people who disagree with what has been decided will nevertheless remain in the church and work with us as we seek a way forward."
In a spirited debate yesterday, the Rev. Andrew Coghill, said presbyteries would be forced to accept gay ministers and homosexual inductions would multiply the length and breadth of the country. The Rev. Lesley Stewart described such talk as scaremongering, saying she did not expect a rush of openly gay ministers to come forward. Such people had been gracious in maintaining their silence during the two year moratorium.
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=4918


Given Over: Anti Israel Presbyterian Church Now Officially Pro Homosexuality
Presbyterians vote to clear way for 'gay' clergy
ONE NEWS NOW [American Family News Network] - By Jody Brown - May 11, 2011
Prominent pro-homosexual groups are applauding a decision by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that opens the door for churches in that denomination to ordain individuals who identify as lesbian, "gay," bisexual, or transgender.
PC(USA) has struck down a requirement that unmarried clergy remain celibate, removing a key barrier for homosexuals who want to be ordained. Ordination standards under the new policy remove the constitutional requirement that all ministers, elders, and deacons live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness" -- and replace it with "joyful submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life."
Delegates to the PC(USA)'s general assembly endorsed the new policy last year, but the change still required ratification from the majority of its 173 regional districts, known as "presbyteries." The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area in Minneapolis provided the deciding vote Tuesday night.
Unedited :: Link to Original Posting
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1345032


Tenn. Baptist exec: Belmont abandons Christian roots
BAPTIST PRESS [Southern Baptist Convention] - By Michael Foust - January 27, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Less than two months after facing a controversy over the departure of a lesbian soccer coach, Belmont University's trustees Jan. 26 added "sexual orientation" to the school's nondiscrimination policy, a landmark move that is being criticized as a major departure from its Christian founding.
Located in Nashville, Belmont had ties to the Tennessee Baptist Convention (TBC) for more than 50 years until the university's board, in 2005, voted to move away from a TBC-elected board to a self-perpetuating board. Two years later, the two sides reached a settlement in which Belmont would pay the TBC $11 million over 40 years.
"For decades Tennessee Baptists poured themselves into making Belmont what it is," Randy Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, told Baptist Press. "We did sever ties in 2007, but many of us never dreamed that the school would walk away so rapidly from their Christian heritage and roots. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=34527


Gay man leads N.C. church association
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, Charlotte, North Carolina [McClatchy] - By Yonat Shimron - December 27, 2010
RALEIGH As the newly elected president of the N.C. Council of Churches, Stan Kimer is typical of those who served before him: a retired business executive, longtime churchgoer and member of several nonprofit organization boards.
He's also openly gay. And that sets him apart.
Only one other of the country's 33 similar church councils has elected an openly gay leader. In California, a lesbian was elected president in the late 1990s. That makes Kimer's presidency of the N.C. Council - a coalition of 17 Christian denominations and eight individual churches that work on social issues - historic in the South.
It also signals an acceptance among member denominations - Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics - that even if they have theological differences about homosexuality, they are OK with a gay man at the helm. Or at least, they don't see it as an issue worth fighting.
"A lot of our member denominations have internal battles about this," said the Rev. George Reed, the council's executive director. "But the governing board felt the fact that he is a gay man was not a disqualifying factor."
As president, Kimer leads a 35-member governing board that sets the council's direction on a host of social issues, including racial equality, health care, immigrant rights and environmental conservation. He was elected to a one-year term and could run for a second one-year term. ...
"I have a strong belief that as a Christian I'm called to make the world a better place," he said. "I like to spend my time with groups where I can see an impact."
He cited the council's efforts to educate churches about immigration, obesity and disease, as well as about the need for diversity in public schools. ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/27/1936344/gay-man-leads-nc-church-association.html


Open doors await them
HOUSTON CHRONICLE [Hearst Corporation] - By Jeannie Kever - February 19, 2011
Ebie Hussey's first reaction when her son announced that he is gay was to offer unconditional love.
Finding a new church was a close second.
"His first question was, 'Am I going to hell?'" Hussey said of that conversation with her son, Jaxn. "Mainstream Christianity and fundamental Christianity really pushes that homosexuality is a sin, and he had caught on to that."
Jaxn, now 15, knew his parents didn't think that. "But I had always heard people saying that kind of thing," he said.
In an effort to counter the message, almost two dozen Houston-area churches have designated Sunday as Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day.
"We think it's important for families to know there's a safe place to go to worship," said Jim Bankston, senior minister at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. "Families who have gay members want to make sure they feel welcome in church and aren't bashed in any way." ...
Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7435364.html


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Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey

The Apostasy is now broadcast across the planet with videos of ‘charismaniacs’ like this that make Evangelicals and Pentecostals look like idiots to the world and help to promote the demonic religions of Atheism, Humanism as well as making Islam and Roman Catholicism sane alternatives.
BE/\LERT!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaJyljYa-0U

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The Progressive Church Commercial

This video spoof sadly sums up much of the Purpose Driven, Seeker Creeker mentality that has filled the last day church.
BE/\LERT!


Progressive Church Commercial



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MDnjN3CP4E



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When the World Judges "The Church": Katy Perry's "Sesame Street" Segment Cut

When the secular world has to rebuke God's people... It has happened before


Jeremiah 40:2-3
Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, "The LORD your God promised this calamity against this place; and the LORD has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the LORD and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.

Ed. Note: BEALERT! is not stating whether Katy Hudson (a.k.a. Katy Perry) is or is not a born again, saved Christian. That is a heart issue only the Lord knows. However, based on scriptures clearly laid out in Matthew, 1 Corinthians, 1 John as well as many others, believers are to judge the actions, lifestyles and major doctrines according to the plumb line of what is written in the full context of Genesis through Revelation. This is a case of someone growing up in the evangelical church, a child of pastors, and starting her career as a “Christian music artist” and then turning to the world and re-creating herself into pop-star Katy Perry. The recent episode of the children’s TV show Sesame Street in which Perry appeared with the Muppet Elmo is yet another situation involving a person tied to Evangelical Christianity where “the world” has cried out “too far”. Others who have brought shame upon the name of Christ because of there public dealings include Televangelists, politicians and business owners such as Erik Prince, founder of private military contractor Blackwater Worldwide now known as Xe Services LLC.

Katy Perry's "Sesame Street" Segment Cut
CBS NEWS America [CBS Corporation]/ASSOCIATED PRESS - September 23, 2010
NEW YORK - Katy Perry's cleavage is fine for her music videos and live performances - but not so for Elmo and "Sesame Street."
The children's show says it won't air a taped segment featuring the "California Gurls" singer and Elmo after receiving complaints about her outfit.
The pop star wore a gold bustier top as she sang a version of her hit song "Hot & Cold." But some felt it was too revealing for the kid set.
"Sesame Street" said in a statement Thursday that in light of the "feedback we've received" after the bit was aired on YouTube, they won't include it on the show. While the show said it would still be available on YouTube, it had been removed by the official Sesame Street YouTube channel. ...


Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20017419-10391698.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Katy Perry
WIKIPEDIA
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984),[1] better known by the stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California,[1] and raised by Christian pastor parents; Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her freshman year of high school, she began to pursue a music career. She released a self-titled gospel album in 2001 as Katy Hudson which was deemed unsuccessful due to the closing of its record label that year. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004-2005, neither of which was released.
After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single, "Ur So Gay", that November, which garnered attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album, One of the Boys, followed later that year and subsequently became the thirty-third best selling album worldwide of 2008.[2] It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications. Perry was ranked the ninety-seventh Artist of the 2000-10 decade by Billboard.[3] ...
Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California.[5] She is of English, German and Portuguese descent and is second child of two pastors,[6] she has an older sister and younger brother.[7] Her Evangelical mother, Mary Hudson (née Perry), grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe."[7] Her father, Keith Hudson, was a West Coast scenester in the 1960s.[7] Perry's maternal aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry,[8] through whom she is also related to Charles M. Schwab, the founder of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.[9].
Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry;[6] she sang in their church from ages 9 to 17.[5][10] She grew up listening to gospel music[11] and was not allowed to listen to what her mother called secular music.[10][12] Perry attended Christian schools and camps.[6] ...


Edited :: See Original Report Here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Perry


FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

'Hillsong takeover' - from TV 7 in Perth, comments by Philip Powell and others

Hillsong is a $50 million a year business. Its wealth is fuelled by donations from its followers - as much as 70% of their income.
TVW 7 PERTH, Perth, Western Australia [Seven Media Group Pty Ltd] > 7 News Today Tonight - August 23, 2010

Hillsong takeover @ Yahoo!7 Video

Ed Note: Many thanks to Philip Powell for sending this to Be Alert! I encourage all to visit the Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship website for a plethora of information and resources for the last days church.
- Scott Brisk, Philippians 1:9-11

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.