CHURCH OF SCOTLAND INVESTS IN EMERGING CHURCH

The Church of Scotland is planning substantial financial investment in new forms of church life. At its upcoming General Assembly, the Kirk’s Ministries Council will outline plans to devote £1.5 million over five years to ‘emerging ministries’.

 

read more here!

Vatican says It’s OK to believe in aliens

Man, I feel so much better. WAIT!!! A MINUTE!!!!

“The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones. “How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?” Funes said. “Just as we consider earthly creatures as ‘a brother,’ and ’sister,’ why should we not talk about an ‘extraterrestrial brother’? It would still be part of creation.”

To read the whole article…click here.

This explains all those alien abductions, they aren’t to be feared, they aren’t hear to conquer, they are here as missionaries. Spreading the gospel. WELCOME BROTHERS!!

This however does make Wycliffe a little uncomfortable, they thought they were getting close to translating the Bible into all the worlds languages, but now they have to add all the intergalactic ones as well.

‘Darth Vader’ spared jail in Jedi attacks

‘Darth Vader’ spared jail in Jedi attacks
The attack involved a church founded on the Jedi faith of ‘Star Wars’ films
The Associated Press
updated 6:32 p.m. PT, Tues., May. 13, 2008

HOLYHEAD, Wales – A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday.

Arwel Wynne Hughes, 27, attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones — aka Master Jonba Hehol — with a metal crutch, hitting him on the head, prosecutors told Holyhead Magistrates’ Court.

He also whacked Jones’ 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones — known as Master Mormi Hehol — bruising his thigh in the March 25 incident, prosecutors said.

The two cousins and Barney Jones’ brother, Daniel, set up the Church of Jediism, Anglesey order, last year. Jedi is the faith followed by some of the central characters in the “Star Wars” films.

The group, which claims about 30 members, says on its Web site that it uses “insight and knowledge” from the films as “a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life.”

“We all love the films and what they stand for. Obviously some people are going to laugh about it,” the Wales on Sunday newspaper quoted Barney Jones as saying last month. “But a lot of people do take it seriously.”

Unfortunately for Hughes, his March attack was recorded on a video camera that the cousins had set up to film themselves in a light saber battle.

“Darth Vader! Jedis!” Hughes shouted as he approached.

Hughes claimed he couldn’t remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand.

“He knows his behavior was wrong and didn’t want it to happen but he has no recollection of it,” said Hughes’ lawyer, Frances Jones.

District Judge Andrew Shaw sentenced Hughes to two months in jail but suspended the sentence for one year. He also ordered Hughes to pay $195 to each of his victims and $117 in court costs.

In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24604338/?GT1=43001

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MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2008 MSNBC.com

Church transforms into coffee chain

 

DENVER — Connection Metro Church, which used its foyer coffee bars to attract visitors to its eight satellite churches in the Denver area, has decided to abandon ministry altogether to focus on coffee.
    “People liked the coffee a lot better than the ministry, according to congregational surveys, so we’re practicing what we preached and focusing on our strengths,” says former teaching pastor and now chief marketing officer, Peter Brown.
    Many in the congregation seem downright relieved.
    “The sermons were okay, but the vanilla frappes were dynamite,” says one woman who regularly attended the church for two years so she could enjoy the special brews. “I even brought my Jewish neighbors and they loved them.”
    The staff of Connection Metro Church began noticing last year that more money was coming in through the coffee bar than in the offering.
    “People complimented us about the pastries and mochas but didn’t really mention the teaching,” says Brown. “After feeling disappointed, we got pragmatic about it and realized God was telling us where to put our efforts.”
    The church renovated each of its locations into Connection Coffee Houses and removed most traces of its spiritual past. Now crowds are up and many former members are flourishing.
    “Who knew I was so gifted at making foam?” says the former head usher, now the head barista, as he makes a heart-shaped design on a cappuccino.
    The church’s small groups have been turned into neighborhood reading clubs, with some reading Christian titles and others following Oprah’s recommendations. The only visible remnants of the coffee house’s past are the offering bucket which serves as a tip jar, and the greeters stationed at the door to give a more welcoming feel than the nearby Starbucks.
    Some former members were stunned to arrive at church Sunday morning to find the sanctuary transformed into a seating area with newspaper racks and coffee-themed gift items.
    “I guess we’ll go back to the Methodist place,” said one father who had brought his family. “But only after we try those delicious looking chocolate cream-filled croissants.”
    People in the surrounding neighborhoods say they are far more likely to stop by now. One man who came occasionally says he feels less guilty standing around the coffee counter now that there is no service taking place.
    “Before, we had to sit through the service and pay our dues,” he says. “Now we go right to the good stuff — the double espressos.”
    The staff also feels liberated now that the pressure of ministry is off.
    “The best way to be relevant is to give people what they want,” says Brown. “In our case, that’s coffee drinks.” •

from Larknews.com

NT WRIGHT AND BART EHRMAN SMACK DOWN!

Is our pain God’s problem? If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow so much suffering? These kinds of questions—sometimes called the problem of theodicy—have long bothered believers and nonbelievers alike. These questions are especially pressing now as we face the AIDS pandemic, widespread hunger, and environmental degradation—not to mention the grief that humans can cause one another. Our two guests for this new Beliefnet Blogalogue have devoted part of their lives to addressing these issues. Bart Ehrman is James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the author of God’s Problem and Misquoting Jesus, among many other titles. N.T. Wright is the Bishop of Durham for the Church of England and has taught at McGill, Oxford, and Cambridge. His books include Surprised By Hope, Evil and the Justice of God, and several other titles.

These two heavyweights go head to head in debate and discussion!!! Check it out by clicking here

Jeremiah Wright, Evangelicals’ Brother in Christ

Reporter: “How often does Obama go to church?”

Wright: “About as often as you do.”

There was truth in Wright’s outing of Obama as a less-than-regular churchgoer. This is no surprise: Ask the other two candidates for proof of their Sunday attendance and you’ll see what I mean. Celebrities in general and politicians in particular might have a better (if still theologically poor) excuse than many of us for not worshiping corporately.

When I visited Trinity to cover the then-young controversy over Africentric theology in early 2007, I was craning my neck, looking for Obama, who I’d read was in town. The man beside me asked what I was doing. “I kind of thought he’d be here,” I said. He answered, “To tell you the truth, he isn’t here much.” I was probably part of the reason celebrityism and church attendance don’t go well together: we were looking around for the famous guy when we should have been in church looking for Jesus.

Jeremiah Wright goes to church looking for Jesus. And that’s why evangelicals should pay attention to him. This is not to say they should agree with him. But Jeremiah Wright is a serious Christian. He didn’t have to be — many gifted black intellectuals have gotten off the bus with the church for having been, as it inarguably has, a slave religion. (Wright has argued with Muslim friends that its track record is no better on slavery.) Even within the young tradition of Africentric theology, birthed by James Cone at Union Seminary in the late 1960s, former theologians have left Jesus behind in their effort to embrace the wider black diaspora worldwide. Cone himself worries that exclusive attention to Jesus yields something he calls “Christofascism,” by which he seems to mean exclusivity. His brilliant student Dwight Hopkins, a leader at Trinity, also seems to think the Christian church too narrow an allegiance, and wants black folks generally to ally over race rather than religion. (Wright has repeatedly endorsed Cone and Hopkins, yet he doesn’t use language like “Christofascism”–this is one of the things you should ask him about). In conversation with his teacher Cone, and the most distinguished theologian at his church in Dwight Hopkins, Wright is staking his claim solely on Jesus — respectfully, of course, in dialogue with Islam and black nationalist thought — but he’s standing on the promises of this God. (It’s worth noting that the rest of the black church is not so enamored with Cone’s theology.)

Therefore charity requires that evangelicals do business with Wright. He, like them, is part of the body of Christ. Not less than John Hagee or Rod Parsley — extremist ministers aligned with John McCain —Wright’s churchmanship means he is more brother than enemy. One of the rhetorical missteps Wright has made is to say an attack on him is an attack on the black church, and to imply that a rejection of his theology makes one ipso facto a racist. This is simply untrue. If you disagree, go ahead — part of the reason we’re so bad at talking about race in this country is we’re all afraid to offend, so we leave it to the screamers on cable. Let Wright know what you think.

But expect him to give as good as he gets. He’s been at this a while. He has scratched and clawed for stronger schools, better support from the city, and above all, church growth on the far South Side of Chicago. He has taught that blacks should be proud of their heritage and never ashamed — and that they should do theology as subjects rather than objects. He’s summoned altar calls and prayed for healing (there is a subterranean charismatic ministry at Trinity) and led the people’s praise of Jesus for more then three decades. He has things to teach us. And, as ever in the church, he has points that could stand rebutting. But let’s keep those points in perspective. Wright’s break with America is no unforgivable sin — only blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is that.

Wright’s recent media tour was so unfortunate. It would have caused him no harm to wait to travel and speak until January 21, 2009. But of course, on that day, the audience would not have been near as large or as attentive. He got the cameras and front pages because of his parishioner running for President. He knew full well that appearing in public would hurt Obama — he’d been warned, begged, pleaded with not to do it. (The week before, a friend in the campaign told me, “They’re freaking out up at HQ — Wright’s going on tour, and they can’t do a thing to stop it.”) Wright was throwing Obama, a parishioner and former friend, under the bus — and he knew it.

But coming from a community that’s been told for so long what they’re allowed to say and not say has an impact on you. Precisely when you’re told to shut up, you preach. At the top of your lungs. For you’ve got a fire locked up in your bones.

Evangelicals, I think, know something about that.

Jason Byassee is assistant editor at The Christian Century.

FROM CHRISTIANITY TODAY

Aid trickles into Burma, but toll ‘could reach 1 million if disease set in’

Aid trickles into Burma, but toll ‘could reach 1 million if disease set in’

Read the story…get in the game by finding the World Vision/Myanmar link on the right side of our page! We CAN make a difference!

First Ever Momentum Conference wraps up…

by Matt Fier

Momentum Press Team

The house lights came back on, Hindurwa left the stage, and yet students had yet to leave.

Mainly because they didn’t want to.

As the first ever Momentum Conference would down to a close Saturday afternoon, hundreds of students from around the Gresham/Portland region lingered around, chatting about the different classes they took, and rushing to open computers to post questions on the online forum.

“It was really good timing for everything, since everyone is starting to get the spring apathy, with school coming to an end and stuff,” Jacob Kopra, a junior from Barlow High School said. “It was really needed for all of us.”

Around 400 students from local area churches piled into the auditorium of Good Shepherd Community Church this past Friday and Saturday. They came to ask the tough questions, to learn more about their faith, and to experience discipleship with one another.

“I saw a bunch of people I thought wouldn’t get involved in the mini-sessions, that ended up really enjoying them and asking questions and discussing with their friends,” Kopra added.

The conference consisted of three main sessions, led by Pastor Steve Keels, author and editor of the TruthQuest Bible series, world-renowned speaker and author of the best-selling book “Heaven,” Randy Alcorn, and Pastor Dan Keels.

There were also several mini-sessions including “The Ugliness of Art” led by Jake Dokter, a former Tooth and Nail Record employee, as sessions hitting topics such as: theology of Worship, Theology of Biblical Doctrine, and classes on Mormonism and Islam.

“It was everything they said it’d be. It was really inspiring and honest,” junior Taylor Canoso said. “Everything was really straight up and real.”

However the conference was not limited to the typical Christian youth. Many other students of different religions came to discover more about the Christian faith.

“It made people think more, and ask those tough questions. It helped people realize Christianity is less of a religion and more of a lifestyle,” Canoso added.

Many churches were represented from as far as Sisters and Salem, Oregon. Friday night, students were able to enjoy Outlaw BBQ catering, and catch up with one another as they ate dinner. They than shuffled together for worship, led by musicians from multiple churches.

Keels than spoke on the reliability of Biblical Doctrine, and explained the reasons why it is correct. The night concluded with more worship, and students lingered for as long as an hour before the doors finally closed around 10 PM.

Saturday morning, doors than reopened at 7:00 AM for breakfast, and even more were in attendance. The morning sessions followed the same suit as the previous night, with the exception they were separated by mini-sessions, where students were able to choose two topics that they wanted to learn more about.

Randy Alcorn spoke on Heaven, and his open Q & A was a popular mini-session with over 50 students attending between both sessions.

Dan Keels than concluded with the final session, and Hindurwa took the stage. Hindurwa is a musical group from Rwanda, and they than led students in worship to original African drum beats, as well as guitar playing.

As the Luis Palau video ended, promoting this summer’s Portland Cityfest festival, which hasn’t been in Portland since 1999.

Since than, the Momentum Conference website (momentumconference. wordpress. com) as been swarming with blog hits and questions from students who are still yearning to learn more about God.

Momentum is looking at having another major conference next fall, on the Westside of Portland, with many other events held at Division Christian Supply.

Matt Fier is an independent student writer from Good Shepherd Community Church, and Sam Barlow High School. You can reach him at hnfier@sterling.net, or myspace. com/kimjngsu

Headlines and Stuff…

Hey there readers! Before we jump in on some headlines and stuff, feel free to cruise the site as we have been doing some spring cleaning.

What Grand Theft Auto IV gets right about gangland and illegal economies.
Myanmar accused of seizing U.N. aid deliveries
Evangelical leaders urge step back from politics
THE death toll in cyclone-ravaged Burma could hit 500,000
Inquiring minds ask: Where do animals and religion meet?
How Public Is the Gospel?
Man crashes at driveway, sees home catch fire, gets ticket
Christian doctrine disguised in Dr. Seuss stories?
Finding God in your inbox? Spam goes spiritual
How to Take a Gas Holiday
Ahmadinejad Criticized for Saying Long-Ago Imam Mahdi Leads Iran

HANG OUT WITH DEMON HUNTER!!!!

Hey all you metal-heads and headbanger, come join the MOSH PIT and hang out with Demon Hunter, youre favorite metal band! They are on tour and in Portland on MAY 27th and Christian Supply is gonan have them live and in person from 6pm to 7pm that night!

 

They will be signing, hanging out and just, well….hunting demons.

10209 SE DIVISION

PORTLAND, OR 97266