Fourth Abrahamic Faith?

Apparently the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is going through some contortions when it comes to support for Mitt Romney who is a Republican Presidential candidate who also happens to be a Mormon. According to this article, SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land "regards Romney's church as neither a Christian religion nor a cult."

Based on what I read of the LDS view of whom and what Jesus is, I agree that they shouldn't be considered a Christian religion. I am not exactly sure what the definition of a cult is. Is it a religious group that believes different than you or does it also have to be formed after a certain date? I have always considered the LDS church to be a cult, but I am not sure why. Then there is this little nugget:

"I consider it the fourth Abrahamic religion--Judaism being the first, Christianity being the second, Islam being the third and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being the fourth"

I suppose that assertion is based on the LDS claim that "ancient writings on golden plates that record God's dealings with indigenous Americans, who, according to the book, are actually former Jews from the Lost Tribes of Israel."

It seems that the SBC is doing a soft sell of Romney. For those who might be reading this, is it important for you to vote for a candidate who has the same religious affiliation that you do? The SBC/religious right has actively supported candidates that have "Christian Values," and if you look at the surface, the SBC and the Mormons share many of the same values. Are those shared values enough for you to overlook the fact that the Mormons are not Christians? Or do you vote for the person whose view on the issues most closely lines up with yours, regardless of religious affiliation? For right or wrong, I tend to do the latter.

I Will Lift My Eyes

Awesome song!

Bebo Norman

Rejoice

Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Adrian Rogers

I listen to podcasts in my car while I drive to work. Several of the people I listen to regularly are Bob George, Charles Stanley and Adrian Rogers. I don't always agree with what they have to say and the way they say it, but I enjoy hearing each ones perspective.

I have heard several messages from Adrian Rogers in the last few months that I thought were excellent. I don't know when they were preached, because he has went to be with the Lord. The first two messages were from a series on the fruits of the Spirit. Enjoy!

Goodness
Self Control
War between the Spirit and the flesh

Miracle of a Lifetime

Bob George's journey to discovering new life in Christ Jesus.

Quote of the Week

To be a Christian is to have Christ the life of our minds, our hearts, our wills, so that it is Christ thinking through us, loving through us, willing through us. It is increasingly to have no life but the life of Christ within us filling us with ever increasing measure.

Ruth Paxson

A Year of Living Biblically

So there is this magazine editor, A. J. Jacobs, who decides to spend a year trying to follow the Bible as literally as possible. He wrote a book about his experience. Here is link to an excerpt from his book, it's an interesting read. Why did he do this you ask? Here are his reasons:

First, since the Bible requires me to tell the truth (Proverbs 26:28), I must confess that part of the reason is to write this book. A couple of years ago, I came out with a book about reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica, all of it, from A to Z — or more specifically, from a-ak (East Asian music) to Zywiec (a town in southern Poland known for its beer). What could I do next? The only intellectual adventure that seemed a worthy follow-up was to explore the most influential book in the world, the all-time best-seller, the Bible.

(I don't have a problem with book writing, I would like to write a book.)

Second, this project would be my visa to a spiritual world. I wouldn't just be studying religion. I'd be living it. If I had what they call a God-shaped hole in my heart, this quest would allow me to fill it. If I had a hidden mystical side, this year would bring it out of the closet. If I wanted to understand my forefathers, this year would let me live like they did, but with less leprosy.

(John 14:6 comes to mind.)

And third, this project would be a way to explore the huge and fascinating topic of biblical literalism. Millions of Americans say they take the Bible literally. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, the number hovers near 33 percent; a 2004 Newsweek poll put it at 55 percent. A literal interpretation of the Bible — both Jewish and Christian — shapes American policies on the Middle East, homosexuality, stem cell research, education, abortion — right on down to rules about buying beer on Sunday.

(I don't think he has a good handle on the topic yet)

Let The Church Help

Quote of the Week

The Christian life can only be explained in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you ­ your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarship, your dedication, your sacrifice, or your anything ­then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it!

Major Ian Thomas

You Are Accepted

Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life. It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a great voice were saying: "You are accepted. You are accepted, by that which is greater than you..."

Paul Tillich