nu, nu nenea ‘cela care dupa 1000 de incercari a facut lumina in ograda…

e un “nene” care vrea sa faca lumina dar nu stie in ce ograda. El zice ca cea a evanghelicilor; cum? zice ceva intr-un interviu publicat de  The Boston Globe . Deci care Bell?  Rob Bell. Seria sa cu Nooma este creativa dar…parca Evanghelia este ceea ce a facut Dumnezeu pentru mine si nu ceea ce fac eu pentru El, nu?

iata si un material – din primavara 2009 -  al celor de la Christianity Today, pentru o informare mai ampla.

Ei bine Isus joaca si fotbal; american bineinteles.

Ce gand iti vine in minte cand vezi o imagine ca asta? Ce stare iti confera?

aici si alte statuete de vanzare cu un Isus sportiv…

John Wooden, un antrenor de basketball renumit in SUA. Atitudinea si intelepciunea sa este de folos celor ce vor sa-l asculte (dincolo de componentii echipei de la UCLA, care au beneficiat din plin de ele)

“…Am fost crescut intr-un mediu crestin episcopalian si in copilarie am fost foarte religios. In clasa a opt-a sau a noua-a am inceput sa studiez astronomie, cosmologie si originea universului. Imi amintesc ca intr-o zi i-am spus preotului: Nu mai inteleg nimic; am citit o carte care spune ca a Universul a aparut in urma unei explozii- Big Bang – iar in biserica aud ca Dumnezeu ar fi creeat Cerurile, pamantul si animalele in sapte zile. Unde este Adevarul? Din nefericire raspunsul a fost: Dragutule, nu pune astfel de intrebari. Atunci am fost strafulgerat de o un gand: Biblia nu face sens. Stiinta are mult mai mult inteles pentru mine. Si am inceput sa ma indepartez de religie…”

asta declara Dan Brown in interviul prezentat de publicatia Parade, cu ocazia lansarii noii sale carti.

NB

Daca Dan Brown e contrariat ca Dumnezeu a creeat Universul in 7 zile ii impartasesc aceiasi nelamurire; nici eu nu cred asta! La mine la Biblie scrie ca Dumnezeu a creeat totul in 6 zile. de citit si un material de la Yale University despre inceputul Universului;

iar publicatia britanica Telegraph ii evidentiaza vre-o 20 de “propozitii nefaste” in noua sa carte, The lost Symbol.

Cand incepi sa vorbesti despre sexe, fie ca mergi pe panda deosebirilor, fie ca intri in vagauna egalitarismului sau adopti pozitia complementaritatii – esti usor de acuzat fie de misoginism, fie de misandrinism. Da’ “ma risc”, vorba ‘ceia…

Ca biserica locala vom relansa intalnirea femeilor bisericii(si nu doar din biserica); gandind(in echipa) despre continuitate ca forma/fond/substanta ne-am dat inca o data seama ca ceea ce omul are nevoie la baza lui este o cunoastere aprofundata a Cuvantului lui Dumnezeu.

Cum vreau sa-mi fac tema de casa cat mai complet (chiar daca nu sunt implicat decat consultativ) m-am lasat intersectat cu Read the rest of this entry »

“If the devil cannot ruin people by making them worse, he will ruin them by making them better.” – Martin Luther

Privita de-alungul istoriei sale, rugaciunea a inclus intotdeauna o tensiune intre individual si colectiv, intre forma si esenta, intre rit si spontaneitate, intre “ceva” ce dezvolti singur sau “ceva” in care ai nevoie de mentoring. Liturghiile traditionale ofera zile, luni, perioade de sarbatoare in care rugaciunea se poate practica intens sau sporadic. Una din deosebirile de esenta o reprezinta, in opinia mea, scopul pentru care oamenii se roaga.

Zev Chafets unul din redactorii New York Times a publicat un recent material despre varietatea formelor si functiilor rugaciunii in cateva religii.

Lista celor de la Outreach mi-a adus aminte de un material Barna Research Group publicat in August. Raportul reprezenta concluziile unui sondaj care a curpins 3000 de adulti care au fost chestionati despre marimea bisericii la care merg, ce tip de credinta urmeaza, ce obiceiuri au si detalii ale profilului demografic. Astfel am vazut ca cei mai mutli americani(64%) merg in biserici mici:

“In pofida atentiei acordate bisercilor mari acestea sunt vizitate constant doar de 9% din adulti. 41% din adultii intervievati merg in biserici mici (sub 100 de membri). 23% in biserici care au intre 101-200 membri si 9% in biserici care au pana in 1000 de membri” – apare in comunicatul Barna Group.

Intreg materialul poate fi accesat aici.

“mai ciripoi…” ar fi zis Toma Caragiu

initiat cu ceva vreme in urma ca un alt exercitiu de creativitate, concursul despre prezentarea Evangheliei in mediul twitter a continuat in fel si chip, dar nu pe acest blog; in mediul vorbitorilor de limba engleza, intersectiile au fost multiple si deseori hazoase; ca si exemplul de mai jos…

THE BOOK OF FIRST TWITTER

Tweetverbs for Today

Do not send boastful tweets about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.  Let another man praise you, and not your own tweets; a stranger, and not your own mobile device.  (Adapted from Proverbs 27:1-2)

Every tweet of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts. (Adapted from Proverbs 21:2)

Twitter on the Mount

Take heed that you do not tweet your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not tweet to all of your followers as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to tweet their prayers to all of their followers that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, send a private text message to your friend as you pray to your Father who is in the secret  place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  (Adapted from Matthew 6:1-6)

The Pastor and the Backslider

Two men picked up their mobile devices to tweet, one a pastor and the other a backslidden Baptist.  The pastor composed a message and wrote thus with himself: “Praise God that I am not like other men — boring, inarticulate, and not well-traveled or even as this backslider.  I post twitpics twice a day; I give blessings to all those who follow me.”  And the backslider, hardly able to type, would not so much as post a pic, but trembled as he held his Blackberry, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a boring person.”  I tell you, this man went down to his office justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Adapted from Luke 18:10-14)

Rewards

But he is a Christian who is one inwardly; with messages that remain of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the Twitter world; whose praise is not from men but from God. (Adapted from Romans 2:29)

For we are God’s fellow social networkers; you are God’s followers (and ours), you are God’s network.  According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise social networker I have birthed the idea, and another comments on it.  But let each one take heed how he comments.  For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone responds to my tweets, it may be gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw – each one’s tweets will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s content, of what sort it is.  If anyone’s tweets endure, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s tweets are burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (Adapted from 1 Corinthians 3:9-15)

Do Not Judge

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any social network.  In fact, I do not even judge myself.  For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.  Therefore judge no tweets before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.  (Adapted from 1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

Comparing and Commending

Do we begin again to commend ourselves on Twitter? Or do we need, as some others, RT’s of commendation to you or RT’s of commendation from you?  You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered to by us, created not by tweets but by the Spirit of the living God, not on screens of mobile devices but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (Adapted from 2 Corinthians 3:1-3)

For we dare not count our Twitter followers or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves.  But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.  (Adapted from 2 Corinthians 10:12 & 18)

Copyright © 2009 Daniel Henderson.