81
Healthy Lifestyles / Diet Day 1
« Last post by David on October 06, 2019, 11:16:32 AM »
Recent Posts
82
Evangelism / Everyone Belongs to God
« Last post by David on September 20, 2018, 10:46:57 AM »
“This provocative book, based on a recently uncovered collection of 100-year-old letters from a famous pastor to his son-in-law, a missionary in China, will upend pretty much everyone’s assumptions about what it means to give witness to Christ. Blumhardt challenges us to find something of God in every person, to befriend people and lead them to faith without expecting them to become like us, and to discover where Christ is already at work in the world. This is truly good news: No one on the planet is outside the love of God.” Description Excerpt
Dave
83
Daily Bread / H y P o C r I s Y
« Last post by David on September 13, 2018, 01:26:26 PM »H y P o C r I s Y by Mo Thomas
Perhaps, the height of hypocrisy is to believe that everything in our life must be
"perfectly together" in order for the Gospel we share to carry any weight.
Perfect kids, vibrant marriages, tidy homes,
healthy communities and financial peace.
The Christian Good Life. Join now!!!
I think this belief arises from the insecure ego's need to be recognized and affirmed.
Secretly, we want to be seen as stable, mature, spiritual disciples.
We want to be flawless actors in the story, so that we lend credibility to the Message.
Until we fail.
Until we fall so hard, we're not sure we will ever be able to recover our dignity.
Until we find ourselves lost and helpless in the vast expanse of the universe.
Here, ego may finally cross over into death.
Then, we can awaken to the Reality that we are loved, without condition,
EXACTLY where we are in this moment. The Beautiful One is
crafting a Magnificent Story, and we are ALL included.
The Treasure of God is contained most effectively in broken vessels,
where Infinite Love can escape freely.
This... is Radical Grace.
This... is Abba's Love.
This... is my Only Hope.
Dave
"perfectly together" in order for the Gospel we share to carry any weight.
Perfect kids, vibrant marriages, tidy homes,
healthy communities and financial peace.
The Christian Good Life. Join now!!!
I think this belief arises from the insecure ego's need to be recognized and affirmed.
Secretly, we want to be seen as stable, mature, spiritual disciples.
We want to be flawless actors in the story, so that we lend credibility to the Message.
Until we fail.
Until we fall so hard, we're not sure we will ever be able to recover our dignity.
Until we find ourselves lost and helpless in the vast expanse of the universe.
Here, ego may finally cross over into death.
Then, we can awaken to the Reality that we are loved, without condition,
EXACTLY where we are in this moment. The Beautiful One is
crafting a Magnificent Story, and we are ALL included.
The Treasure of God is contained most effectively in broken vessels,
where Infinite Love can escape freely.
This... is Radical Grace.
This... is Abba's Love.
This... is my Only Hope.
Dave
84
Daily Bread / Billy Graham 1918-2018
« Last post by David on February 21, 2018, 06:15:49 PM »Billy Graham 1918-2018
By Boyd C. Purcell, Ph.D.
By Boyd C. Purcell, Ph.D.
Today [2-21-2018] marks the passing of an American religious icon, the Reverend Billy Graham at the age of 99. Rev. Graham was known nationwide and around the world for his Christian evangelistic crusades. Graham was a graduate of Wheaton College, a Christian college in Wheaton, Illinois, with a degree in anthropology. Though he did not go on to graduate school and thus had no seminary degree, and his doctorate was an honorary degree, he became the best-known Christian Evangelical Evangelists of the 20th Century. He also became a prolific writer, being the author of more than 30 books. His first book, “Peace with God,” a best-seller, was published in 1953, the year I was ten years old. Unfortunately, I did not hear about this book, get, and read it until more than ten years later. If I had gotten it the year it was published, it would have mitigated a lot of spiritual abuse I was experiencing and saved me from spiritual terrorism, the most extreme form of spiritual abuse. I have also called spiritual terrorism “spiritual insanity!”
I was brutalized, traumatized, and terrorized in Fundamental Churches, due to a strong emphasis on eternal conscious torment [ECT] in literal hell fire. As a result, Billy Graham became my favorite TV evangelist in that, while he preached about hell, he did not emphasize it. And he strongly preached the truth of salvation by grace without equivocation. In the churches in which I grew up they gave lip service to salvation by grace, but quickly added, “But you must live the life!” So what did living the Christian life mean? It meant faithfully adhering to a long list of legalisms: NOT dancing, going to movies, smoking, drinking, having pre-marital sex [not even thinking about it or it was “lusting in your heart” that would get you condemned to hell forever], etc. The “thou shalt nots” included females not wearing makeup, or cutting their hair, or wearing jeans [“men’s apparel”], and not wearing dresses with necklines too low and/or hemlines too high. Anything that looked, tasted, smelled, or felt good was a sin, which carried the penalty of ECT.
What was so refreshing about the preaching of Billy Graham was that he did not preach on any of these legalisms, and he preached much more on the love of God than the wrath of God. And, unlike the Fundamental Churches in which I was reared, Graham preached the security of the believer, which means that once you accept Christ as your Savior you cannot lose your salvation. The legalistic churches preached that you could lose your salvation for violating even one of the legalisms listed above. This created anxiety, worry, and terror of being slow-roasted alive in literal hell fire forever! Graham, in his preaching and writings, referred more to hell as “eternal separation from God” rather than hell being literal fire. This sounded much better than what I had always heard preached, but I did not find out until many years later that it is impossible to be eternally separated from God. Why? Because God is omnipresent even in Sheol/hell (Ps. 139:7-8).
It was many years later that I heard Graham being interviewed by David Frost on TV. Frost said to Billy that some people say that hell is forever, but others say that it is not. He then asked Graham what he believed, and Billy responded, “I just leave that up to God.” I thought, “Wow! Billy, I wish you had preached that when I was a youngster; it would have saved me so much spiritual pain and suffering due to daily living in terrible fear of ECT!
Billy Graham, as he aged, seems to have done what the Apostle Peter admonished Christians to do, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). He apparently grew so much that he became what has been called an “inclusivist.” This term means that all people, who lived up to the spiritual light they had, even if they never heard of salvation in Christ before dying, will be saved, because God will impute Christ’s righteousness to them. Consequently, many Fundamentalists have called him a heretic, due to believing in Universalism, the belief that all people will be saved. No, Graham, was not a Universalist, just, as an inclusivist, almost one. I can relate to Rev. Graham’s spiritual journey in that I too became an inclusivist before becoming a Christian Universalist, believing that Jesus is the Savior of the whole world, not just a small part of it. And, I also have been called a heretic for believing in too much of God’s unconditional love, amazing grace, infinite mercy, and perfect justice!
Boyd C. Purcell, Ph.D. Author of books:
Spiritual Terrorism: Spiritual Abuse from the Womb to the Tomb and
Christianity Without Insanity: For Mental/Emotional/Physical Health
Website: www.ChristianityWithoutInsanity.com
Email: dr.boydpurcell@gmail.com
Dave
85
Your Story / ~ Be Kind To One Another ~
« Last post by David on February 17, 2018, 10:14:40 PM »
Along the path of UR research I witnessed some of the destruction from believers in UR giving the beat down to unenlightened fundamentalist who would NOT “repent” and see it their way. It gave me pause.
Paraphrasing Richard Rohr, “If your pain is not transformed and healed it will be transmitted with vengeance.”
Hurting people hurt people, In other words, most people are wounded people who unwittingly continue to hurt people. The belief in UR, while it can bring a measure of healing from the pain of belief in the pagan evangelical torture chamber, is only a beginning of the healing transformation. People who are hurting from the beat down if not careful, albeit from the other side of the prison, can remain a people hurting people with the beat down.
19 So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace
and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth].
Romans 14:19 Amplified Bible
Dave
86
Bible Basics / Bible Study Tools
« Last post by David on February 17, 2018, 09:52:23 PM »
The 3 Charts help show how the Eons or Ages fit together in Scripture. You don’t have to agree with the charts eschatology to appreciate their CU research value.
Bible Study Tools
1. Study Bible – (For Further Study)
http://studybible.info/
2. Bible Hub – (For Further Study)
http://biblehub.com/
3. Tentmaker Research – (For Further Study)
http://www.tentmaker.org/
4. Judgments and Fire Eonian, Chart – (For Further Study)
http://www.saviourofall.org/charts/ChartOfJudgments.html
5. The Eons or Ages Small Chart – (For Further Study)
http://www.saviourofall.org/charts/KirkEonChart.html
6. The Eons or Ages Large Chart – (For Further Study)
http://www.saviourofall.org/charts/ChartofEons.html
7. Christian Universalism (CU) – (For Further Study) (A)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Universalism
8. The Apostles' Creed – (For Further Study) (B)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed
9. The Nicene Creed – (For Further Study) (C)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed
10. The Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation – (For Further Study) (D)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solae
A. Christian Universalism (CU)
“Christian Universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation- the view that all human beings will ultimately be restored to a right relationship with God.” Wikipedia
B. The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic *[universal] church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*[added for clarity] The phrase "catholic church"—this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The word "catholic" means “universal.” (All those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation).
C. The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic *[universal] and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."
*[added for clarity] The phrase "catholic and apostolic church"—this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The word "catholic" means “universal.” (All those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation). Also, "apostolic" means "built on the teaching of the apostles".
D. “The Five Solas” stemming from the “Protestant Reformation” are five Latin phrases that emphasized the differences between the early Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church. The word sola is the Latin word for “only”
1. Sola Scriptura: “Scripture Only”
2. Sola Fide: “Faith Only”
3. Sola Gratia: “Grace Only”
4. Solo Christo: “Christ Only”
5. Soli Deo Gloria: “To The Gory Of God Only”
Dave
88
Any Question / Three Questions
« Last post by David on February 17, 2018, 08:34:27 PM »A. See It, B. Know It, C. Do It
Two examples are:
1. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas - Acts 15:36-41
2. Lawsuits Between Believers – 1 Corinthians 6:1-8
What can we do? What are some practical suggestions from someone who has traveled through such a stormy time? Wayne Jacobsen has publicly gone through stormy times and has written articles that offer practical and Scriptural advice on how to navigate through them. Two of those articles are linked below.
Test all things! Take the links for a test drive (click then read) and reply in the comment section with your take away. Please answer the following ABC questions after your test drive has ended. In doing so, you may be providing the very help and encouragement that someone so desperately needs to read about. Thanks!
I was taught way back in the days of being equipped for the work of the ministry the “ABC Study Method”.
A. (See It) What did you see? Observation
B. (Know It) What did you learn? Interpretation
C. (Do IT) What will you do? Application
I. March 2012 - Betrayal, Forgiveness and Reconciliation - by Wayne J.
https://www.lifestream.org/betrayal-forgiveness-and-reconciliation/
II. November 2012 The Soft Betrayal of Disconnection - by Wayne J.
https://www.lifestream.org/the-soft-betrayal-of-disconnection/
Your mileage may vary.
*Wayne is not an advocate for ultimate reconciliation.
Dave
89
Daily Bread / Colossians 1:20
« Last post by David on February 17, 2018, 07:06:57 PM »
As a graduate of an Evangelical seminary and diligent student of the Greek New Testament, I contend that as surely as the grass is green, the sky is blue, God is in heaven, and Christ is Lord, Jesus taught universal salvation. The apostles preached it, and the early church believed it for the first 500 hundred years of church history. So when believers in eternal conscious torment (ECT) in hell contend that the TRADITIONAL doctrine of the Christian Church is ECT, I concede that has been true for the last 1,500 years. But Christian Universalism is the ORIGINAL truth taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.
By carefully studying comparative religions, I have discovered that when fire is understood to purify, rather than torment sinners forever, all major religions and various minor ones teach universal salvation. But I have also discovered that those who believe in universalism, whether Christians or adherents of other religions, disagree on almost every other doctrine.
I have stated in my book, “Christianity Without Insanity,” that universal understanding of universal salvation will eventually bring about universal peace—swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks—weapons of war recycled into implements of agriculture (Isaiah 2:4)! Thus, let us focus on the most important issue and agree to disagree agreeably on nonessential issues.
Fear-based religion has been and still is the most divisive and destructive force in the history of the world. But love-based religion will become the greatest force for good the world has never seen but eventually will see.
Anne Frank, one of six million persons exterminated by Hitler in the Jewish Holocaust during World War II, wrote in her diary, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Indeed, to the glory and honor of God, let’s be United Universalists in sharing the life-transforming world-changing truth of God’s all-inclusive, unconditional, and everlasting love!”
Boyd C. Purcell, Ph.D. Author of books:
Spiritual Terrorism: Spiritual Abuse from the Womb to the Tomb and
Christianity Without Insanity: For Mental/Emotional/Physical Health
Website: www.ChristianityWithoutInsanity.com
Email: dr.boydpurcell@gmail.com
Dave
90
Resources / Helpful Links
« Last post by David on February 17, 2018, 06:44:17 PM »
A. What happens after we die?
I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=28&v=W8N5TBwHE20
II - https://reforminghell.com/2017/05/11/hell-has-it-always-been-forever/
III - www.heavensdoors.net
B. Come Sunday | A Netflix Original Film | Premiers April 13, 2018 | Movie Trailer:
I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQJHvVoqi1A
C. Spiritual Terrorism and Christianity Without Insanity:
I - https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/
II - https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/spiritual-terrorism/
III - https://christianitywithoutinsanity.com/christianity-without-insanity/
D. Raising Hell - Christianity's most controversial doctrine put under fire:
I - https://www.raisinghellbook.com/
II - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6rxp5cbjs97x93kepk8xu/Raising-Hell-Complimentary-Full.pdf?rlkey=rx7clcmxxfyf7xa8fh32ned2d&dl=0
E. Hope Beyond Hell and Hope For All:
I - http://www.hopebeyondhell.net/
II - http://hopeforallfellowship.com/
II - http://hopeforallfellowship.com/connect/
F. Tentmaker Research:
I - https://www.tentmaker.org/
II - https://www.tentmaker.org/ScholarsCorner.html
III. - https://www.youtube.com/user/tentmaker777
G. Mercy Upon All:
I - http://www.mercyuponall.org/
II - http://www.mercyuponall.org/about-2/
III - http://www.mercyuponall.org/theology/
IV - http://www.mercyuponall.org/church-history/
Dave