July 2, 2010

Melburnians on the Afterlife

A Melburnian is someone from Melbourne.

Last week ministry candidates and some faculty from the Presbyterian Theological College (PTC) spent a week door-knocking and a speaking with people in the community about Jesus Christ. Jared Hood, a lecturer from the PTC, blogged what he found were the most common beliefs held.

  1. they are going to heaven – even the athiests;
  2. they get to heaven by being good;
  3. they have done bad, but the good outweighs the bad;
  4. that God agrees with their view of things.

These erroneous beliefs are nothing knew and won’t be surprising to many of you. However, it’s important that we’re reminded so we don’t neglect to clearly explain “the doctrines of the atonement, justification and assurance” as they “are still as vital and relevant as ever!”

Update: For those interested, Jared Hood has posted two other updates on the Mission Week he was involved in (here & here).

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June 25, 2010

Video Log – Social Media, Preaching, Language and Speech

Today is a cold and rainy day in Melbourne. It’s also my oldest daughters birthday. As we prepare for her birthday party I managed 15 minutes to record a video log entry. If you’re reading via RSS you may need to click here to watch it.

Below are some of the resources mentioned in the video log:

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May 28, 2010

Video: Social Media Revolution 2

After watching the statistics in Social Media Revolution 2 I’m left with one dominant thought; the market place has changed!

I’m not convinced this need affect how we do church, but it must change how we are salt and light in the world.

Presently, I interact predominately with Christians online. I’m therefore challenged to think how can I better speak of Christ and call those “around” me online to repentance and faith in Him.

How are you being salt and light in today’s market place?

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May 25, 2010

May 25 is Geek Pride Day

…according to Wikipedia and Andy Tan.

If you’d like to celebrate you could (please) buy me this t-shirt. Seriously. :P

If anyone is actually willing to buy it for me I’ll supply size and shipping details AND I’ll post a photo of me wearing said t-shirt on the blog. What a reward!

If you’re like most geek and don’t have the funds then maybe tweet something geeky instead. Oh, Wikipedia has a full list of the geek’s basic rights and responsibilities.

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May 7, 2010

The Church Commission for the Management of Language Use

The New York Times notes that “for the last two years, the Shanghai Commission for the Management of Language Use has been trying to clean up English-language signs and menus to rid them of their malapropisms…” Adrian Age pointed me to  an amusing slide-show put together by the NYT featuring what they call examples of “Chinglish”.

Looking through the slide-show I couldn’t help but wonder whether the church (or individual Christians) need their own Commission to manage language use. I’m not suggesting we need to steer away from big words like “justification”, “propitiation” or even “repentance” (if you use them be sure to explain them) but much of the language some Christians use on a daily basis can be just about as effective in communicating with the world around them as a “Chinglish” sign.

Something to think about.

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Does God Delight In Non-Christian Art?

…Tony Reinke thinks He does and below is part of his conclusion:

It seems to me that until we are open to this idea that God delights in the display of beautiful art by the non-Christian, we will find it difficult to glorify God through the art we see. This is specially true in the artisans who are not Christians, who bear the marks of their Creator while remaining under the guilt of their sin, and who are in desperate need of a Savior.

So here’s a brief summary of what I have learned over the months in reading on this topic:

  1. The artistic gift in man is intrinsic.
  2. The artistic creativity of God is on display in his creation.
  3. The human artistic impulse is, at least in part, a reflection of God’s image.
  4. God delights in Himself and therefore delights in the reflection of his own character, artistic beauty being one reflection of Him in our culture.
  5. Non-Christian artists, while remaining in a state of enmity with God, will never achieve their fullest artistic potential.

You can read his entire piece here.

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April 29, 2010

I Just Read “Why Johnny Can’t Preach” by T. David Gordon

It’s a short read but one you should undertake if you’re a minister or seminarian. If time permits I’ll post some thoughts / excerpts in the future.

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April 12, 2010

Dawkins & Hitchens Want Pope Benedict XVI Arrested

…reports the Times Online.

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April 7, 2010

8-bit Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon

Remember the 8-bit NES from 1985? Well, if you’ve ever wondered what Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon would have sounded like had it been produced for the NES and not a for a rock band, your wondering is now over.

You can download the entire “retro” 8-bit album or listen to each track on YouTube.

HT: Bryan Lilly

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U.S. Teen Birth Rate On The Decline

…as reported by The Washington Post.

Is this a good report or not? Maybe I’m reading between the lines, but it doesn’t say teen pregnancy rates have declined, just the number of births.

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