Posted on 06/05/2013 12:08:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The mistakes in this attitude are
1) belief that there is a lack of a standard to make an objective evaluation of cultures
2) acceptance of cultural relativism
How man succeeds in relation to the physical world provides an objective standard by which to judge the value of cultures.Man's survival, well being,and happiness, and life proper to a rational being depend on man's being able to gain and keep values such as knowledge and wealth.America is a culture where one is able to gain these real goods better than other cultures, and so deserves to be blessed by God.
A Methodist minister doesn’t believe in God?
Or he thinks that we don’t have the right to express OUR belief in God?
He has a problem.
“I wish God would Bless America, we need it now more than ever.”
When America starts to BLESS GOD by seeking HIS face and changing our wicked ways, GOD will forgive us and heal our land. 2 Chronciles 7:14 is a promise, but we have to do our part.
Basically what same thing happened to me. We had not been going to church for while because of moving and my wife had some folks at the Methodist invite us. For 2 years it was good, the pastor was conservative, the people were engaged and great small town folks, and the church vibrant and Book following. The pastor was not an outgoing man but well spoken and educated and preached from the Book every Sunday. Knowing nothing about Methodists (I am a Southern Baptist) I started researching church structure and financial stuff. How the national convention spent money was disturbing. I would discuss these disappointing discoveries with my pastor and he agreed and kept referring to an upcoming battle in the church for power. It was about that time he left to go to an area where his bishops wanted him to revive a church in crisis (pastor had an affair in church family) and he felt it was his calling. The new pastor came and immediately we saw a difference. The hymns we sang, the message content became bland, even the youth group changed. I would bring up topics I had discussed with the previous pastor and was basically told that I was behind the times and the church needed to change. Same stuff, we needed fancy electronics to draw in young people and needed to not be so “in your face” with pushing Jesus. I argued and said, no we need the Word, and he said nobody really wanted to hear fire and brimstone anymore.
Needless to say over the next year the church went from having an average of 80-100 seats filled a Sunday to about 15-20. Youth group went to about 4-5 kids a meeting. After a few months of hearing this guys milk water sermons and discussing with some very dear elderly members who say the hand writing on the wall we left and went back to a baptist church 20 minutes further drive in the next town. Last I heard average age on a Sunday was 65+, mainly elderly that have been and loved that church that won’t leave it. Amazing how fast it can happen.
You forgot the “douche-bag” alert.
Or maybe “The Internationale”
National pride swells to the music that pays tribute to our great country. Honor the United States by learning some of these patriotic songs. Just click on the title for a copy of the lyrics to these patriotic songs.
America, My Country 'Tis of Thee Lyrics
Battle Hymn of the Republic Lyrics
The Stars and Stripes Forever Lyrics
The Star-Spangled Banner Lyrics
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It sounds as though Jesus Christ would have been unwelcome in his charge.
I’m not sure I understand Mr. Marsh here.
His Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination before God. It further says that marriage is between a man and a woman (Jesus said that, actually).
Yet, saying a public prayer all together at a ball game - that’s over the line.
What isn’t over the line, of course, is unprotected anal sex between two men. Smoking in the same ball park, that won’t work, however. Smoking is bad for you. Smoking a pole that’s been in some dude’s hole, well that’s just another version of normal.
I’m going to pay more for insurance if I smoke. My friend Biff, however, he’s a non-smoker, but he pulls the train down at The Lavender Fist every Friday night. He’s a vegan, you see, and he pays a lower rate.
Mr. Marsh is about the same speed as a lot of ELCA pastors I’ve run into. I don’t know a lot of Methodists.
Bible study is fun in the ELCA, if you know which aisles of the store to avoid. In my church, a Lot is what you are supposed to give to the collection plate, not the name of a guy who was willing to offer his daughters up to be gang raped in order to protect the angels in his home from a bunch of buggerers.
Because Im a minister, it might seem odd for me not to stand for God Bless America, too.
No, not odd. Not for his reasons (his verbiage is that of the theological liberal), but I find it entirely appropriate, especially for a servant of the word, to avoid mass displays of civil religion. Invoking God is serious business, and not to be done in a trifling way.
"I imagine that the God I believe in isnt interested in dispensing special nationalistic blessings. "
Not now. The era of the Mosaic covenant and the ancient Israelite theocracy is definitively over. Contra the dispensationalists, it was typological and is now obsolete, and won't be coming back.
bunch of nonsense.
The guy is a psychologist who hasn’t worked as a minister for over ten years.
And my “progressive” friends are using this to demonize the Christian right, in the same way some Anti American Brits wrote similar tirades against the song after 911
What makes all of this ironic is that the song was written by Irving Berlin in 1917...he was a Jewish refugee from the anti Semetic pogroms of the czar....
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