Unbelievable! As my friend John Schroeder says, "Never been more tempted to turn over a few tables." Read here and here.
Benny Hinn is to Christianity what Michael Richards is to race relations.
A sinner saved by the grace of God given to those with faith in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Period.
ca. 930 B.C.: The Israelite nation divides into two weaker kingdoms, Israel and Judah. Israel [Samaria] is conquered by the Assyrians about 720 B.C, and Judah is destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.(Jeremiah, or more probably a later writer in the tradition established by the prophet, wrote our lesson, an oracle about the punishment God had meted against His people because of their faithfulness and about God's intent to restore the people and a king.)
ca. 538 B.C.: Persia conquers Babylon and permits exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem.)
...is an act of hubris that perfectly exemplifies multiculturalist activism -- my culture trumps America's culture. What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book.Both as a Christian and an American, I think that Prager is completely wrong. Why?
...when I spoke with [Frist]...he seemed like an extremely intelligent, impressive and well-informed guy...that has not been my typical experience when conference-calling with Republican machers. I also recall my chance meeting with a Republican Senator on the golf course a couple of years ago. His praise for Frist was obviously sincere and heartfelt.Some say that John Kerry, who hasn't stopped running for President since the 2004 race, would do well to withdraw from his bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination and so, like Frist, enhance his credibility for the future.
Frist has obviously made the right move in not running. The entire Congress the last few years has been an epic disappointment, and as the leader of the Senate there was no conceivable way he could skate away from that record. But in considering Frist’s future, it’s worth noting that this Senator from a mid-sized state and with short-term service was recognized by his colleagues as the man who should lead them. Furthermore, First was never plagued with the kind of grumblings that went on behind Coach Hastert’s and President Bush’s backs, even as the 2006 election season began to resemble a political Hindenburg.
Frist has much more to offer. Retiring from the field at this point in time is the best way for him to maintain his ability to do so.
For God so loved Mary that he gave his only Son, so that when Mary believes in him she may not perish but may have eternal life.The point is clear: Every individual has infinite value in the eyes of the God of the universe. Some people may deride us because we don't conform to their arbitrary norms for us. But God was willing to die and rise for us and values us for all eternity.
When is the fashion establishment going to take responsibility for what is happening to women in our culture? When are we going to stop rewarding our young celebrities - like Nicole Ritchie - for not eating by following them doggedly and featuring them on the covers of our magazines?Medavoy also links to a Daily Mail article based on an interview with actress Kate Winslet. A sampling of Winslet's thinking:
"This skinny thing, it angers me so much. It disturbs me.Winslet has always impressed me as being a self-assured person, able to take risks as an artist and a human being. (She even used her success in Titanic, a movie I doubt that she cared for, to take on more substantive and interesting film roles.) In her self-confident push for personal excellence, she's a terrific role model for young women around the world.
"In our house, we don't talk about weight, we don't talk about body image...
"I'm happy with my shape and size; I work out when I get the time. I accepted a long time ago that I wasn't going to be able to wear skinny jeans. I'm fine with that.
"In the past, people have been a little unkind when it comes to discussing my weight, but I realise its' them, not me.
"I'm totally fine with how I look and the weight I am."
In 2004, the U.S. Government estimated that of the 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. The data also demonstrated that the majority of transnational victims were trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO)—the United Nations (UN) agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues—estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time. If the estimate is correct it means that there are more people living in slavery than there are people who live in New York City and Los Angeles combined.It's a sickening phenomenon that feeds off of the population explosion in the Third World. Joe continues:
With millions of economically and socially vulnerable people around the world, the "supply" of potential slaves today makes them cheaper than they’ve ever been in the history of the world. An average slave in the American South in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today's money; today a slave costs an average of $90. Because they can be had so cheaply, they are of little value to the traffickers. If slaves get sick or injured or merely outlive their usefulness they are often dumped or killed.According to Ken Bales, a sociologist who is an expert on this modern slavery phenomenon, there are three things that can be done to end the slave trade:
1. Public awareness has to grow, and there has to be public agreement that it is time to end slavery once and for all. This public commitment must be communicated to politicians.Bales also notes that, "While the 27 million people enslaved today are the largest number of slaves alive at any time in human history, they are also the smallest proportion of the world population to ever be held in slavery." That fact provides some hope that with fewer stakeholders in modern slavery, it can be eradicated.
2. Money needs to be spent to eradicate slavery, but not nearly as much as you might think. For the price of a bomber or a battleship, the amount of slavery in the world could be dramatically reduced.
3. Governments must enforce their own anti-slavery laws. To make this happen every country has to understand that they must take action or face serious pressure. We all know about the United Nations weapons inspectors, who enforce the Conventions against Weapons of Mass Destruction, but where are the United Nations Slavery Inspectors? When the same effort is put behind searching out and ending slavery, there will be rapid change.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, British and American evangelicals were the leaders of the abolition movement. It’s time that modern-day evangelicals once again take our place in the struggle against slavery. In order to do that, however, we must become better informed, we must lobby our government to act, and we must raise up leaders who will become the Harriet Tubmans and William Wilberforces of the twenty-first century. We must take up the task of leading the next great abolition movement.I suggest that Christians:
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”Here, the prophet expressed hope for the restoration of Judah (or Judea, the land in which Jesus would live centuries later) and Israel.
Friendship Church is a welcoming and caring people who seek to share the kindness of God so that all metropolitan Cincinnati may grow in the faith, hope, and love of the living Jesus Christ!People made confident and hopeful by the love of God given to us through Christ serve others as Jesus has served us. That’s why I’m so excited about all that the Outreach/Servanthood team is doing and has planned for us. I’m proud of all the service I see you doing in Jesus’ Name. One of the great developments in the life of Friendship in 2006 is that servanthood has been wired into the DNA of our life together. Keep it up!
“God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful...” (First Corinthians 12:4-7, The Message)Like the man in that story though, most Christians never make the effort to open their spiritual gifts, often because they’re ignorant of them.