Robinson Cavalcanti buried

Eduardo Cavalcanti to be charged with homocide

Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti and his wife, Miriam, were laid to rest last week at the House of Peace Cemetery in Paulista in Northeastern Brazil, following an emotional funeral service at Emmanuel Anglican Church in Orlinda.

Recife’s two suffragan bishops and 50 members of the clergy participated in the service. Several hundred mourners overflowed the parish church, participants at the 29 Feb 2012 service tell Anglican Ink.

The sole suspect in the slaying of the bishop and his wife, the couple’s 29 year old son remains under police guard in hospital. The police completed their investigation on 1 March and will formerly charge Eduardo Cavalanti with murder once he is released from the hospital. Keep reading

Mark Mittelberg: Is Hell Real and Does God Really Send People There?

Christian apologist Mark Mittelberg knows well that believers are often faced with tough questions about their faith. He is the author of the book, The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask.

However, no question may be as challenging as the one that asks, "Is hell real – and does God really send people there?"

Mittelberg was one of four leading apologists speaking at a conference at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and simulcast to more than 75 churches throughout the U.S., Canada, and Australia, last Saturday. Of the six questions presented at the conference (same name as Mittleberg's book title), the topic of hell may also have been the most sobering. Keep reading

What Happens to Children Who Die?

What happens to infants who die? This is an issue almost every Christian faces at some point during his pilgrimage and it is one for which there is no easy answer. What’s more, surveying the writings of the great Christians of the past or present produces no clear consensus. Here are the predominant views found amongst believers:

All children who die in infancy are saved. If one view holds an edge on the others in terms of the quantity of adherents, this would likely be it. While all admit the Bible is not explicit here, they believe it can be deduced from a study of relevant passages in Scripture.

The children of believers are saved. This view, held by a minority of believers, depends on a belief in covenant theology and holds that the children of believers are ushered into heaven; it takes no clear stand on what happens to the children of unbelievers.

We can have no assurance. This view simply states that there is not sufficient evidence in Scripture to make a firm determination. Eventually we must simply state that we do not know and leave it to God to work out.

Unbaptized infants are not saved while baptized infants are (or may be). This is the view of the Roman Catholic church and Protestant denominations which teach some form of baptismal regeneration. Because this view clashes with the beliefs of the vast majority of Protestants I will not address it at this time. Keep reading

Call for investigation into attack on Cuban pastor

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called upon the Cuban authorities to investigate an attack that reportedly left a pastor with brain damage.

Pastor Reutilio Columbie was found unconscious in the street several hours after leaving his house in Moa on 6 February.

The pastor had planned to travel to Holguin city to file a complaint against the authorities for confiscating a church vehicle.

The vehicle, bought by Pastor Columbie to transport church members, was seized by the authorities last December without warning or explanation.

It has reportedly been returned to the original owner, who has family ties with an individual in the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.

The Central Committee's Office of Religious Affairs oversees the registration of church property and vehicles.

The attack was preceded by anonymous phone calls telling the pastor and his family to stop their challenge against the confiscation of the vehicle, or else face the consequences.

CSW fears that the attack is linked to Pastor Columbie's decision to take action against the authorities. Keep reading

The Archbishop of Canterbury - Whose Side Is He On?

Today the Archbishop of Canterbury is reported as saying: “The cross has become a religious decoration.” It is something which religious people hang on to as a substitute for faith. He goes on: “I believe that during Lent one of the things we all have to face is to look at ourselves and ask how far we are involved in the religion factory.” He sees the cross as part of that “religion factory”. It is an infelicitous phrase, for a factory is where objects are merely churned out, as from a production line. Is that what the cross, the supreme Christian symbol, has become?

Dr William’s words are particularly unhelpful just now when our Government has refused to support Nadia Eweida’s submission to the European Court that she be allowed to wear a cross in her workplace. The British Government has said to the EC that Mrs Eweida has no right to wear her cross, but that her employer has the right to ban her from wearing it. Keep reading

Related articles:
Government’s cross stance ‘extraordinary’
Britain fights Christians' right to wear cross, infuriating activists
Outrage at move towards banning Christian crosses from workplace

Church planters stretch resources to reach people

Bill McTague lived an ordinary kind of life. Nothing too special. Mostly he focused on himself.

I felt like something was actually missing in my life," he said. "Whenever the holidays would come around and I'd hear about people going out and helping people, I'd always want to help. But I never did."

McTague was lost.

Though McTague and his wife Carol knew they needed to get plugged into a church, few vibrant places of worship remained in their neighborhood. Churches in West Cleveland were closing -- not starting. Keep reading

Related article: See a new church's launch in Cleveland

What is your church, judicatory, and denomination doing to promote church planting and evangelism?

Should churches be tax-exempt? (Yes, and here's why)

Why is your church tax exempt? Why should it continue to be tax exempt? If I were to sit down and ask you these questions, would you have a clear and coherent answer? I suspect this is something we seldom think about. After all, tax exemption for churches has always been given and we assume, because of its historical longevity, it always will be given.

The fact that many Americans cannot explain why churches are tax exempt indicates a forgotten history and is emblematic of a society that has systematically devalued the church as a beneficial societal institution.

Whenever I litigate a case about church tax exemption or speak about the Alliance Defense Fund's Pulpit Freedom Sunday, the inevitable media comments go something like this: "Churches should pay taxes just like everyone else! They have tons of money, so why can't they pay their fair share? Why should churches get a free ride? Make them pay!" Comments like these are more prevalent today than any other time I can remember. Keep reading

An American Prayer Book (2009): Sentences

SENTENCES

INTRODUCTORY SENTENCES

These sentences may be used at Morning or Evening Prayer, in the Alternative Forms of Morning and Evening Worship, or at The Holy Communion, on any day during the seasons or on the occasions indicated. Other sentences will be found on pages 18-20 and 32-34.

General

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55: 6

Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124: 8

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! Psalm 113: 3

I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the LORD! Psalm 122: 1

In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4: 6

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145: 18

Through Christ let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Jude 25

Keep reading

E-petition defends collective worship in Welsh schools

In one week, an e-petition to protect collective worship in Welsh schools has collected three times as many signatures as a rival one to abolish it by the British Humanist Association has in six months.

The pro-collective worship initiative, launched by Jim Stewart from Evangelical Alliance Wales, came about through feeling a need to redress an imbalance.

He said he was moved to find out more about the British Humanist Association and the National Secular Society after the recent legal challenge against prayers being said at the meetings of Bideford Town Council, in Devon. Keep reading

On Responding to False Accusations

About a week ago a reporter published an article in the Orange County Register about Saddleback Church that contained many errors and false assumptions:

It erroneously stated that we have a partnership with a local Muslim mosque.

That is false.

It erroneously reported that we had agreed to not evangelize with Muslims.

That is false.

It erroneously reported that we believe Saddleback and Muslims worship the same God.

That is false Keep reading

Why Impostors Love the Church

Recently I read a book that kept me awake a couple of nights. It was about “Clark Rockefeller,” and the scare quotes are important. The man was neither “Clark” nor “Rockefeller.” He was a German immigrant who crafted an identity as an heir of one of America’s wealthiest dynasties. He married, fathered a child, and was involved in fraud, theft, and maybe even murder. And no one ever knew, until the very end.

What made me squirm was that fact that the fake Rockefeller’s inroad to all his deception were churches and relationships, particularly with women. He would make the connections he needed in local congregations, and he would charm the women there. At the same time, he would parasitically imitate the men, watching and mirroring back to them their convictions and opinions, even the inflections of their voices. But, behind all of that, there was nothing real but a predatory appetite.

The New Testament warns us, of course, about spiritual impostors. Sometimes these “wolves” are there to introduce subtly false doctrine. But, just as often, it seems, these spiritual carnivores hold to true doctrine, at least on the surface. But they use this doctrine and service for predatory ends. The sons of Eli, for instance, use their priestly calling to co-opt the fat of the offering and to lay with the women at the altar (1 Sam. 2).Virtually every New Testament letter warns us about the same phenomenon (e.g., 2 Pet. 2; Jude).

But why, when there is so much opportunity for debauchery out there in the world around us, do such people choose the church? Keep reading

Lee Strobel: Why Does God Allow Pain, Suffering?

If you could ask God any question and you knew He would give you an answer, what would you ask Him?

A few years ago, Christian apologist and author Lee Strobel said that in doing research for his book, The Case for Faith, he asked the Barna Group research organization to conduct a national survey among people across a spectrum of beliefs that asked that hypothetical question.

Strobel spoke about the results of that survey at an apologetics conference Saturday from Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and simulcast to more than 75 churches throughout the U.S., Canada, and Australia. He was one of four speakers at the event called, "The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask." Keep reading

Is the Church Important?

It is a very common teaching today that Christ should be magnified but that the church is relatively unimportant. You can belong to the church of your choice, or you do not need to belong to any church. We shall answer this argument from the Bible.

We shall assume the truth of the following two propositions. The Bible, as it is, is sufficient for man as he is. The best commentary to the Bible is the Bible itself (II Timothy 3:16-17).

I held a meeting one time, and after the meeting a man came up to me and said, "Do you know what Moody said on baptism?" I said, "No, but I know what Paul said." Let me show you how the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible.

Jesus said that the church would be built on a rock. Certain commentaries would say that the rock was Peter. What saith the scriptures? I Corinthians 3:22 says that there is only one foundation and that foundation was Christ. I Corinthians 10:4 says that the rock was Christ. All the man-made commentaries in the world cannot change these basic truths (Hebrews 13:8). Keep reading

Church Bombing Kills 10 in Nigeria, Reprisal Attacks See Bloodshed Continue

Terrorists have attacked a church in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing at least 10 people, local officials have confirmed.

It has been reported that suicide car bombers targeted a Catholic church in the city. The car was stopped before it could enter the immediate compound around the church, however, the car was exploded killing those nearby.

The attack marks just the latest in a series of bombings and shootings to target Christians in the country since the end of last year. At time of press no group has claimed responsibility for the latest terror attacks. Keep reading

The Briefing: The mistakes of Phillip Jensen

Tony Payne: Phillip, you’ve been in ministry for quite a long time…

Phillip Jensen: Well, ever since I became a Christian; that’s when you start ministering, and that was back in ’59.

TP: You’ve often said that you learn from your mistakes in life, and in ministry.

PJ: Which is why I know so much. I’ve made so many.

TP: Well that should make for a decent length interview, because I’m going to ask you about your mistakes. I want you to look back and think about your blunders. Let’s start, Frank Sinatra style, with regrets (“I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention”). Looking back on your ministry, do you have any major regrets?

PJ: No, none. I don’t think regret is really a Christian characteristic; it’s an atheistic characteristic; it’s a Sinatra characteristic, because he lived for himself. But if you live for God, and God is the sovereign God who cares for us, loves us, forgives us, pardons us, then we move on, forgetting what is in the past. I press on to the goal of the future, so I don’t live in regret, and I don’t think we should.

TP: Perhaps it’s going to be a short interview after all…

PJ: Ah, no, because you started out talking about mistakes, and that will make a very substantial interview, because I’ve made lots of mistakes. But I don’t regret mistakes. I say sorry, I ask for forgiveness, I fix what can be fixed, and I move on. I try to learn from mistakes, but I don’t live in regret about them. Keep reading

Another solar storm should hit Earth Sunday

Trouble with your GPS? Your computer is mysteriously rebooting? Your cell phone isn't working? It could be due to the effects of a solar storm. Two coronal mass ejections from the sun just hit Earth and another one is on the way. Keep reading

Update: Solar storm shakes Earth magnetic field

Related article: Strong solar flares still shooting out from active spot on sun

Should Churches Go 'All Out' Marketing Easter Services?

With Easter now a month away, many churches are preparing for their upcoming services. And to help, the website ChurchMarketingSucks.com is providing tips, branding designs, billboard ideas, card and flyers for churches to market themselves for Easter.

The website states, "More people are willing to come to church on Easter than any other day of the year, so why not go all out, right?"

But some, who have their finger on the pulse of church culture are not so sure.

Matthew Anderson, author and church culture blogger, told The Christian Post that he understands the church's desire to spread the news of Easter, but there is a danger that lies in advertising and marketing as it can often "render [the church's] services as an event rather than the most unique thing in the world."

Marketing in the church is not a new phenomenon but because of it the church has become attraction-focused and event-driven, he observed. The church, he said, needs to start looking again at its missional focus.

"Billboards, gimmicks, and church marketing strategies remove the individual cost from proclaiming the message. We have painless ways of bringing people into the church. Inviting your friends and neighbors – there should be a cost there," Anderson said. Keep reading

Christians rounded up across Iran

A 78-year-old woman is among the Christians in Iran who have been arrested by the authorities in recent weeks.

According to Barnabas Fund, the Iranian authorities have initiated a wave of arrests across the country, targeting ordinary church members and leaders.

Security agencies have swept house churches in Ahwaz, Shiraz, Esfahan, Tehran and Kermanshah since Christmas. Keep reading

Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith?

Crossway has just published a major new collection of essays from an international team of top-flight scholars on the historicity of Scripture and why it matters to faith: Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture, edited by James K. Hoffmeier and Dennis R. Magary.

You can read the table of contents and the commendations below.... Keep reading

One reason I believe the Scriptures are inerrant

Years ago while I was a master of divinity student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., I took a New Testament Survey class taught by a man who was a notorious "moderate" among Southern Baptists.

This professor had been fired from Southern Seminary in 1958 because of his views on the nature of Scripture, and he was teaching adjunctively at Southeastern that year (1987-1988) as a substitute for one of the regular faculty members who was on sabbatical. Many believe that the teaching invitation extended to him by the then-current administration of Southeastern was an act of protest, as it were, against the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. What better way to thumb one's nose at the conservatives than to hire someone who had been fired by Southern Seminary for doctrinal reasons nearly three decades earlier?

Knowing nothing about the history of this professor, I enrolled in my first semester of classes, including New Testament Survey taught by the professor. It did not take long for me to realize that he had a particular agenda. Given the circumstances in the Southern Baptist Convention at the time it was not unusual for the question of the truthfulness of Scripture to be raised in class. However, this particular professor took every opportunity to disparage those who believed that the Scriptures were inerrant. One particular occasion was especially memorable. While discussing the birth of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, he paused for a moment, slammed his hand loudly on the lectern, and declared:

"For those of you who believe that the Bible contains no errors, look at this -- Luke says that Jesus was born in a stable while Matthew says that He was born in a house!"

This outburst shocked the class, not only because of its abruptness but also because of its absurdity. Keep reading

Some Thoughts on “Go and Make Disciples of All Nations”

At one time or another, all Christian leaders are confronted with the command of Jesus found in the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) that says, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Being involved in missions for all my life, I have often thought through this verse. I find it interesting that these are among the last recorded words of Jesus and therefore seem to carry a little more weight. My father, whom I love dearly, is still alive, Lord willing for quite a long time to come. But, I can imagine that if he was near death and he had something important to say to me that I would listen even more carefully. I would do so because I know how much he loves me and that whatever he had to say in his limited time left would be very important to him; I’d listen!

With that in mind, I carefully digest this command. As a Christian leader and one who is involved in training others worldwide, this verse has become central to my understanding of Christian work and purpose. I have come to understand that there are three questions presented in this verse whose answers provide the framework for the task to which Jesus has called us as pastors and leaders. The questions are.... Keep reading

What Happens In One Day on the Internet?

The people at MBAonline.com have put together a detailed infographic representing what happens in a 24 hour life cycle on the internet. It’s fascinating, but even more, it’s important for church leaders to “know the times” and understand how churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike tend to think, interact, communication, and consume information. So study it well… Keep reading

Credo — Make Disciples of All Nations

“The March issue of Credo Magazine seeks to ignite a passion for missions. And what better timing as this year marks the 200th anniversary of Adoniram and Ann Judson setting sail aboard the Caravan to take the gospel to Burma.”

– The latest issue of Credo Magazine is available to be viewed online or as a 38MB PDF file.

Originally posted on the Anglican Church League website.

Secularism: Staging-Post on the Road Back to Paganism

Secularism promises a neutral public space in which people of all religions and those with none can live together in peace. This is a compelling vision, which raises the hope that conflicts between all religions and ideologies will be overcome and that a new more advanced civilization will emerge. Who would not be in favor of that?

Over the last hundred years or so, however, that hopeful vision has not materialized. Rather than seeing greater harmony in secular societies, we have witnessed more community breakdown. We also notice that the greatest losses of life in the twentieth century (Mao Tse-tung: 70 million deaths; Stalin: 20-40 million deaths; Hitler: 11-12 million deaths; Pol Pot: 1-2 million deaths...) have been inspired by secular ideologies, not religious ones. The atrocities that human beings commit against each other continue apace, and secularism is at a loss to know what to say about them. "It is the work of a few rogues" sounds less plausible every time we hear it. The incoherence of secularism also means that it cannot withstand determined pressure groups or totalitarian ideologies.

I believe secularism in the West is really a combination of Christianity and paganism, with the proportions shifting over the years from the former to the latter. Secularism does not supply values of its own but borrows them from Christianity (human rights, care for minorities, freedom of speech, toleration of differences, etc.) or paganism (fascination with astrology and ever more extreme forms of entertainment, lower views of marriage, higher views of other relationships, openness to abortion/infanticide, euthanasia, etc.). Credit is rarely given to these sources, and it is only as the proportion of paganism has increased that the true nature of secularism is becoming more apparent.

The strongly Christian content of early forms of secularism gave it a veneer of plausibility. It also made it very hard for Christians to contest it. When we have tried to do so, it seemed we were arguing against many of our own values, which to some extent we were. It has also made us slow to see how secularism has become increasingly antagonistic to Christianity. In the end, the secular claim of neutrality cannot be valid since, "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God..." (Rom 8:7).

At this stage in its development, however, the pagan content is much more obvious. The new secular morality looks increasingly like the old pagan morality. Many of the ethical developments that have been presented as progress look ever more like regress. And whilst first century pagan ethics often included an expectation of judgment beyond the grave, many neo-pagans have no such expectation, leaving them with only a "don't get caught" morality. Keep reading

Christian Apologists to Tackle Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask

Leading Christian apologists Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg will kick off their series of live national and global simulcasts by discussing "The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask," which will be seen at more than 75 churches across the United States, Canada, and Australia, this Saturday.

Strobel and Mittelberg will be joined by university professors Craig Hazen and Douglas Groothuis at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo., to present "powerful responses" to six of the top questions that plague Christians today.

Organizers of the event say the speakers' answers will be biblical and backed up with logic and evidence. Keep reading

Boko Haram Reveals Plan to 'Islamize Nigeria'

New details of Boko Haram's grand plans to "Islamize Nigeria" have been exposed through interrogations with the State Security Service. Two coordinators within the terrorist organization are finally speaking out, though it remains to be seen whether their information proves helpful to the Nigerian government.

"We had a grand plan to Islamize Nigeria, rightly starting with the North," revealed Abu Qaqa and Kabiru Sokoto. African news source ThisDay reported the exact comments from the interviews.

"We felt that a lot of Muslims were not practicing the religion faithfully as they should. Part of the plan was to reduce the powers of the Sultan to traditional ruler functions, only while all religious authority would be vested with our leader based in Yobe," said the coordinators.

Qaqa is the former spokesperson for Boko Haram, while Sokoto is believed to have coordinated the 2011 Christmas Day bombing.

"We believed there were so many things wrong with the present arrangement of combining tradition with religion," they told authorities.

Yet if Boko Haram has its way, Islamic law will become the law of Nigeria. No longer will there be government officials, there will only be religious leaders who hold all the power. This leads to the fear of Shariah law becoming realized in the land, which could lead to persecution and unjust treatment of non-followers. Keep reading

People Migration to Larger Churches

One of the most significant trends in American churches the past 25 years has been the migration of people from smaller churches to larger churches. We will be providing more information in the future about this movement. The implications are significant and should not be ignored.

In my own denomination of some 46,000 churches and 16 million members, the concentration of people to larger churches is a clear and present reality. Look at some of these statistics that give evidence to this phenomenon.

•Less than one-half of one percent of these churches report an average worship attendance of 2,000 or more, but 12.6% of the total attendance of the denomination is now concentrated in these relatively few churches.

•Only 1.5% of all these churches have an attendance of 1,000 or more, but 22.2% of the total denominational attendance is in these congregations.

•Only 4.4% of the churches have an attendance of 500 or more, but 35.3% of the attendance of 46,000 churches is concentrated in just those few churches.

We expect to see continued migration of people from smaller to larger churches, and that the concentration of these members in larger churches will be even more pronounced with each progressive year.

The first obvious question is "Why?" Why are people in increasing numbers stating a clear preference for larger churches? At this point most of our evidence is anecdotal, but we believe we can offer some reasons that will likely supported by more objective future research. Keep reading

Hot and bothered

The rise of evangelicalism is shaking up the established church

Ever since the 18th century, England’s established church has harboured a suspicion of religious enthusiasm. Anglicanism’s cosy ubiquity as a reassuring, if vestigial, presence in every English suburb and village is regarded as a defence against the sort of fanaticism that leads to social or ethnic conflict. But every so often in English church history, compromise and emollience have triggered a countervailing reaction: an upsurge in faith of a more passionate kind. Such a change may be under way now.

As the number of people who are actively committed to the Church of England falls, the proportion of churchgoers who are serious about their faith—and its implications for private and public life—is growing. Peter Brierley, a collector of statistics on faith in Britain, reckons that 40% of Anglicans attend evangelical parishes these days, up from 26% in 1989. That is against a background of overall decline; he thinks the number of regular worshippers in the Church of England will have fallen to 680,000 by 2020, down from about 800,000 now and just under 1m a decade ago. The lukewarm are falling away, leaving the pews to the more fervent.

A handful of big evangelically-minded parishes now exercise huge influence, far beyond their immediate patch. Saint Helen’s in Bishopsgate reaches out to workers in London’s financial district; it has “planted” a dozen new communities in other places, using an American model of religious expansion. Holy Trinity, Brompton has exported a charismatic brand of Christianity via the Alpha course. Meanwhile All Souls in Langham Place, which shares a neighbourhood with department stores, broadcasters and arty bohemians, radiates forth a more sober brand of evangelism. What all these churches have in common is a reluctance to do the Church of England’s traditional job of marrying, baptising or burying people who have no real religious commitment. That is a break with Anglicanism’s familiar role as the undemanding “default mode” of faith for a secular country. Keep reading

Southern Cone Synod postpones Uruguay petition again

At the extraordinary Synod of the Southern Cone held in Asunción, Paraguay, in November, permission to ordain woman as presbyters in Uruguay was rejected in all orders after Uruguay shared their urgent need. (Ordination of women to the diaconate is the provincial norm.) This fully representative meeting was called to determine how to pastorally accompany the diocese of Uruguay who appealed to the Province because of the failure of the regular Synod to so approve. A second motion was entertained to allow Uruguay to seek other oversight and surprisingly, the extraordinary Synod also voted against that action.

However, upon further discussion that stretched into a second day, it was proposed to multiply the Province into two provinces. This combined a previous desire for growth with a way forward to meet the need in Uruguay. (The diocese of Chile had previously been granted permission to establish other dioceses as their situation allows.) An action plan was designed with additional regional meetings to that purpose. This structural change would be developed and presented at regional, provincial, Synodical and Communion levels during the next two years. A calendar was developed and the next meeting of the Provincial Executive will take place in Montevideo, Uruguay in May 2012.

In response to these votes, the diocese of Uruguay still has the option to seek other jurisdiction. But the probable future of the Southern Cone briefly envisioned was of two provinces: one consisting of Peru, Bolivia and two dioceses in Chile (one to be formed) and another consisting of Argentina, Northern Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Spanish Version

Solar storm hits our planet ... but so far, no problem

Geomagnetic impact weaker than feared; experts caution that it's not over yet

This year's most closely watched solar storm is sweeping over our planet right now, and so far the impact on satellites, power grids and communication networks is not as severe as some had feared, space weather experts say.

However, they cautioned that the storm could intensify as the day goes on.

Two strong solar flares erupted from the surface of the sun late Tuesday, blasting a wave of plasma and charged particles toward Earth. This eruption of material — called a coronal mass ejection, or CME — sped through space at 4 million mph (6.4 million kilometers per hour). Keep reading

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Your Church Is Too Safe

Why following Christ turns the world upside-down.

Historian Daniel Boorstin documents a momentous shift that occurred in North America in the nineteenth century: we stopped calling people who went on trips travelers and started calling them tourists.

Traveler literally means "one who travails." He labors, suffers, endures. A traveler—a travailer—gets impregnated with a new and strange reality, grows huge and awkward trying to carry it, and finally, in agony, births something new and beautiful. To get there, he immerses himself in a culture, learns the language and customs, lives with the locals, imitates the dress, eats what's set before him. He takes risks, some enormous, and makes sacrifices, some extravagant. He has tight scrapes and narrow escapes. He is gone a long time. If ever he returns, he returns forever altered ….

A tourist, not so. Tourist means, literally, "one who goes in circles." He's just taking an exotic detour home. He's only passing through, sampling wares, acquiring souvenirs. He tastes more than eats what's put before him. He retreats each night to what's safe and familiar. He picks up a word here, a phrase there, but the language, and the world it's embedded in, remains opaque and cryptic, and vaguely menacing. He spectates and consumes. He returns to where he's come from with an album of photos, a few mementos, a cheap hat. He's happy to be back. He declares there's no place like home. Keep reading

Ur Video: David Kinnaman on Growing Indifference Toward Faith

In this segment of an interview of David Kinnaman by Kevin Palau, Kinnaman discusses new research by the Barna Group revealing Americans are becoming increasingly indifferent toward religion. The implications for outreach and evangelism are profound, and it may result in churches requiring an entirely new approach. This is a must watch.

View Video

Is there a better way?

Why does so much ministry feel like re-inventing the wheel? Could we co-operate better to avoid needless duplication?

This thought occurred to me this week as I tried to figure out how to create an email newsletter. We've needed one for some time. But where to begin? Are these things web based or do you buy software? Do you need to design them from scratch or are there customizable templates? How much would it cost? Who would administer it? How could it integrate with our existing database and social media? Who was there in the congregation with the skill set to let me know what the best option was? Keep reading

Pattern Head: 100+ Free HTML Email Newsletter Templates

Gay marriage is now the issue through which the elite advertises its superiority over the redneck masses

Not in fact a pro-gay-marriage protest

A question rarely asked about gay marriage is how it became such a massive flashpoint issue. In America and Britain, gay marriage has become one of the key issues of our time, with everyone from bishops to hacks feeling the need to tell the world where they stand on it. And yet the remarkable thing is that gay marriage has achieved this hot-potato status without the benefit of a mass movement demanding it, far less any public streetfighting or serious civil unrest by homosexuals determined to get hitched.

For all the self-flattering comparisons made by gay activists between their demand for gay marriage and black Americans’ demand for civil rights in the 1950s and 60s, it is the differences between these two things that are most striking. Gay-marriage activists have not had to march for years on end, carry out mass boycotts, face water cannons, get attacked by dogs or run the risk of being thrown in jail for their campaign to achieve almost saintly status, winning the backing of leading politicians and commentators. The speed and ease with which gay marriage has gone from being a tiny minority concern to become the No 1 battle in the modern culture wars has been truly remarkable – and revealing.

What it suggests is that gay marriage is more a tool of the elite than it is a demand of the demos. The thing motoring the gay-marriage campaign, its political engine, is not any longstanding desire among homosexuals to get married or an active, passionate demand from below for the right of men to marry men and women to marry women. No, its driving force, the reason it has been so speedily and heartily embraced by the political and media classes, is because it is so very useful as a litmus test of liberal, cosmopolitan values. Supporting gay marriage has become a kind of shorthand way of indicating one’s superiority over the hordes, particularly those of a religious or redneck persuasion. Keep reading

Manila's squatter communities receive hope

Come on," a young man calls as he and a group of teenagers trek to a squatter village to teach the Bible.

As they pass an open field where several children are kicking a partially deflated soccer ball, he again calls, "Come on."

The children stop and smile when they see who is calling them. Abandoning the ball, they follow, bare feet splashing mud. As the group crosses a concrete bridge over a drainage ditch filled with gray water and trash, the children chatter with their teachers. Filipino pastor Romy Albinius and IMB worker Dwight Fern follow.

As the group reaches the village, some young mothers carrying infants and other women drag benches under a tree and settle down on the creaky seats. The young people unfurl their song sheets, Christian lyrics carefully printed on the back of old alcohol advertising posters. Keep reading

More Puddles in My Path

By Robin G. Jordan

One of my favorite sayings was collected by the seventeenth century Anglican priest and poet, George Herbert. It is “every path has its puddle.” My life has its share of puddles. Sometimes I pick my way around them. Other times I splash right through them. One grows philosophical about the puddles in one’s path. They are a part of life.

One puddle that appears now and then in my path is the questioning of my Anglican credentials and with them whether I am entitled to comment on things Anglican. It is sometimes inferred that I am not presently affiliated with any existing Anglican body in or outside of North America, and therefore I have no right to draw attention to the problems of the Anglican Church in North America or any other Anglican body. By the same logic, however, no one should draw attention to the problems of any group or organization of which they are not a part. For example, Americans and Europeans should not draw attention to the human rights violations of the Chinese government. They are not Chinese nationals.

It is also inferred that I am not truly Anglican. But I must ask, “When did compromising one’s beliefs and affiliating with a body that is not committed to the teaching of the Bible, the doctrine of the classic Anglican formularies, and the maintenance of the Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character of historic Anglicanism become the mark of a genuine Anglican?”

When I recently shared my views on the rites that the ACNA Prayer Book and Common Liturgy Taskforce is preparing, on Soundings, the official blog of the Diocese of San Joaquin , I was accused of being biased, causing distractions, and making judgments beforehand. It was further alleged that the admission in the bio on my website that I am presently not affiliated with any existing Anglican body in or outside of North America is “telling.” No explanation of how it is telling was offered. When I submitted my response for moderation, it was not published. I was offered no explanation.

The response was not derogatory or offensive. I asked why not being presently affiliated with any existing Anglican body in or outside of North America is “telling.” I noted that such comments usually carry with them the inference that I have no right to draw attention to the problems of the ACNA or any other Anglican body. I pointed out where such logic led. I offered an explanation of why I am not presently affiliated with an existing Anglican body in North America similar to following explanation. I further pointed out if not being affiliated with any existing Anglican body in North America reveals anything, it is my own unwavering commitment to what I believe. (I would add that it also reveals the abysmal state of the North American Anglican Church.)

For those who wonder why I am presently not affiliated with an Anglican body in North America, I live in a region of Kentucky that has no Anglican church that is committed to the teaching of the Bible, the doctrine of the classic Anglican formularies, and the maintenance of the Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character of historic Anglicanism. I sized up the Anglican churches in the region when I first moved here. The Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky is liberal and the five Episcopal churches in the region—one parish and four missions—are served by liberal pastors. The region has one Anglican Church in America (ACA) parish, which uses the American Missal. At the time of my last visit to the church, its congregation and its priest were considering converting to Roman Catholicism and joining the US ordinariate. While I might endeavor to start an Anglican church committed to the teaching of the Bible, the doctrine of the classic Anglican formularies, and the maintenance of the Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character of historic Anglicanism, assuming that I was successful, it would have no North American Anglican body that shared this commitment, with which it might affiliate. Affiliation with the Anglican Church in North America would entail sacrifice of its commitment to the teaching of the Bible, the doctrine of the classic Anglican formularies, and the maintenance of the Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character of historic Anglicanism. The ACNA does not offer the kind of environment in which such a church would flourish and grow, much less multiply itself. It would at best occupy a marginal space in the ACNA and would be at high risk of losing its identity. Affiliation with the ACNA would also involve compromising my own beliefs.

I am not going to speculate on the reason that the Soundings moderator declined to show me the courtesy of publishing my response. The withholding of my response does suggest to readers that I could not answer the accusation that the admission in the bio on my website that I am presently not affiliated an existing Anglican body is “telling.” It is misleading to readers and reflects poorly upon the Diocese of San Joaquin.

On Anglicans Ablaze I do not review comments before they are published. Readers are free to express their opinions provided that they do not use derogatory language or otherwise attack the character of those with whom they disagree. I do not allow anonymous posts. I also remove duplicate posts and spam as well as posts that I judge to be offensive. Occasionally my spam filter will block the publication of a legitimate comment and I correct the problem when it comes to my attention.

Biggest solar storm in years nears Earth, may disrupt power

The largest solar flare in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights.

The sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start smacking Earth around 7 a.m. EST Thursday, according to forecasters at the federal government's Space Weather Prediction Center. They say the flare is growing as it speeds outward from the sun.

"It's hitting us right in the nose," said Joe Kunches, a scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He called it the sun's version of "Super Tuesday."

The solar storm is likely to last through Friday morning, but the region that erupted can still send more blasts our way, Kunches said. He said another set of active sunspots is ready to aim at Earth right after this.

But for now, scientists are waiting to see what happens Thursday when the charged particles hit Earth at 4 million mph.

NASA solar physicist Alex Young added, "It could give us a bit of a jolt." But he said this is far from a super solar storm. Keep reading

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What Church Planting Taught Me

Many of you know that I helped to plant a church in Baltimore called The Garden Community. Planting a church was an incredible roller coaster ride, teaching me about dependence on God, effective leadership, how to care well for people of different backgrounds, and my own spiritual condition. A friend of mine once told me that everyone should start a church at least once in their lives. While I may not fully buy into that line of thought, I do highly recommend that if you are called to do so that you pursue it with everything in your being, and don’t stop until you hear God telling you to.

Over the next few weeks I am going to share a little bit of what I learned through my experiences in Baltimore and the lessons that I learned during my time there. Here is a little bit of where I am headed. Keep reading

Related article: Church Planting: Exegeting Your Community

What to Say When Someone Says "The Bible Has Errors"

Most people question the reliability of the Bible. You’ve probably been in a conversation with a friend or met someone in a coffeeshop who said: “How can you be a Christian when the Bible has so many errors?” How should we respond? What do you say?

Instead of asking them to name one, I suggest you name one or two of the errors. Does your Bible contain errors? Yes. The Bible that most people possess is a translation of the Greek and Hebrew copies of copies of the original documents of Scripture. As you can imagine, errors have crept in over the centuries of copying. Scribes fall asleep, misspell, take their eyes off the manuscript, and so on. I recommend telling people what kind of errors have crept into the Bible. Starting with the New Testament, Dan Wallace, New Testament scholar and founder the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, lists four types of errors in Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible’s Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Keep reading

Theological Theology: Just what’s needed: clarity in the debates over men and women

I have had a feast over the past new months reading good books, old and new, on a range of topics. I don’t find it hard to get excited over a good book. But I can genuinely say this is one I have been waiting for. Claire Smith’s long and deep engagement with the Bible’s teaching on men and women is at last published for the benefit of all. It really has been worth the wait. I haven’t finished it yet, but its clarity of style ensures that the serious scholarship that has gone into it is wonderfully accessible. Keep reading

The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion

The underestimated doctrine of conversion is the focus of the March - April 2012 edition of the 9Marks Journal, available for download here.

An American Prayer Book (2009): Quicunque Vult (Commonly Known as the Athanasian Creed)

QUICUNQUE VULT

(COMMONLY KNOWN

AS THE ATHANASIAN CREED)

This confession of the Christian faith is sung or said instead of the Apostles’ Creed at Morning Prayer on the feasts of Christmas, the Epiphany, Saint Matthias, Easter, the Ascension, Pentecost (Whitsunday), Saint John Baptist, Saint James, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Matthew, Saint Simon and Saint Jude, and Saint Andrew, and on Trinity Sunday.

Whosoever wishes to be saved
before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith,
which faith, if anyone does not keep it whole and undefiled,
without doubt he will perish everlastingly.
And, the catholic faith is this,
that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity,
neither confounding the Persons:
nor dividing the Substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son:
and another of the Holy Spirit,
but the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is all one,
the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.

Keep reading

An American Prayer Book (2009): Prayer at the End of the Day

PRAYER AT THE END OF THE DAY

All standing, the leader says

The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. AMEN.

The leader may call the people to confession with these or other suitable words

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let us humbly confess our sins to almighty God.

A period of silent self-examination may follow.

The leader and the people say this Confession

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, and in what we have failed to do. Have mercy on us, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may serve you and live a new life to your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

The priest, when present, pronounces the absolution

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant to you pardon and forgiveness of your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

If no priest is present the absolution is omitted and the following prayer may be said:

Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Or this Word of Assurance may be said

If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the perfect offering for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1,2

Or a short period of silence may be kept.

Keep reading

PEARUSA Update from Bishop Terrell Glenn: March 3, 2012

On behalf of Archbishop Rwaje, I am writing to communicate to you his greetings and his continued love and support as you labor faithfully in service to our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. I am also writing to give you an update on the work of the short-term team that our Archbishop appointed at the end of the Sacred Assembly in Raleigh, NC a little over a month ago. By way of reminder, our Archbishop commissioned a Steering Team to serve the clergy and congregations in North America that desire to remain canonically resident in and under the spiritual oversight of the Anglican Province of Rwanda (PEAR) We were given two tasks: to lead a Pastoral Initiative to care for and communicate with clergy and churches and to establish a Task Force to explore and make recommendations for any future jurisdictions for North American clergy and churches seated in Rwanda. Keep reading

March 2, 2012 Update from PEARUSA website

“Apology Received, Forgiveness Granted”

Assessing the Impact of the Sacred Assembly in Raleigh, January 2012

In the midst of crisis, we turn to what we know. And what we know, as Anglicans, is order.

When the Archbishop of Rwanda, Onesiphore Rwaje, called for a Sacred Assembly to be held in Raleigh, North Carolina this past January, we had just over three weeks to organize and plan. What could possibly be more cathartic in our grieving over the relational heartache of AMIA’s recent decisions than to organize and plan?

And we did just that. We put together a working team, slotted speakers, pressed down every detail imaginable, and held up three fundamental themes. First, to honor Archbishop Rwaje who was hosting the Assembly. Second, to have significant time set aside before the Lord in confession and repentance. And third, to hope that we left Raleigh with a sense of vision, structure, and leadership. Keep reading

SmallGroups.Net: Free Downloads

Starting a Small Group Ministry and more

Maya 2012 End of Days Prediction Explored in New Exhibition (VIDEO)

Did the Maya believe the world would end in December 2012? That is the question the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (known as Penn Museum) in Philadelphia has taken to exploring in its newest exhibition opening in May.

The theory that the ancient Maya predicted a cataclysmic event at the end of their calendar has been gaining popularity over the recent years. According to the exhibition organizers, some believe that a celestial alignment will bring a series of devastating natural disasters. Others argue that this event will bring enlightenment and a new age of peace. Penn Museum scientists decided to address the issue, and attempt to answer the questions surrounding the mysterious calendar prophecy, especially having observed the public's increased curiosity about that ancient civilization and its knowledge regarding the end of time. Keep reading

Four More Barriers That Hinder Small Group Growth (Part 2)

Last week we talked about six common barriers that keep churches from growing. These are barriers you will have to address, particularly if you want your church to continue to grow after doing a campaign, such as 40 Days in the Word.

Remember that a church becomes healthy by removing the barriers and balancing the purposes. This week I want to talk about four more barriers that hinder church growth, but I also want to circle back to some of last week’s points to answers a few questions from you.

There are 10 common barriers that keep our churches from growing. They are.... Keep reading

Church Planting: Exegeting Your Community

When we were preparing to plant The Garden Community, we were pretty certain that we knew what we were doing, and who we would be serving. As we moved into Baltimore, and began to better understand our surroundings, we began to tweak our understanding of what we were up to and who we would be intentionally investing in. We came to a realization that we would most likely NOT be made up primarily of artists, but would be more intentional about bridging two neighborhoods, and cultures.

For us, being on the ground, and being able to watch, listen, and learn about the neighborhoods that we moved into was huge… and it enabled us to better serve those whom we encountered as we went about the work we were called to. This cultural exegesis is a process that every planter needs to go through, and while demographic studies are a good start, exegeting your community is a process that takes time, patience, and a great deal of listening.

Put simply, exegeting your community is how you go about understanding the needs and expectations that the people living in your community have. It is from developing this understanding that you are able to know how to best impact your neighborhoods. Last week I had the pleasure of listening to Nicholas Smith share about some of the ways that his church is meeting the needs of the surrounding communities. As he was discussing how they come up with new ways to serve their communities, he stopped… looked at those of us listening to him, and said “sometimes we need to stop praying and go outside to talk to some people.” That is the very essence of exegeting your community.

The key to doing this well is being flexible, willing to learn, and moving on what you learn. Hours spent researching your community and learning what makes it tick will ultimately be worthless if you are unwilling to make the strategic shifts necessary to act on the wisdom you have gained. How do you gain this wisdom? I believe it is slightly different for every neighborhood, but here are some basic suggestions that can help you get started.... Keep reading