The Manhattan Declaration--and it has nothing to do with an Atomic Bomb:

A number of leaders from the various branches of Christendom gathered in Manhattan to issue a clear statement about a number of cultural/social/ethical issues that threaten the ethical fabric of our world today.
The Manhattan Declaration begins with a summary of the impact of Christianity on nations where the shadow of the cross has fallen. From the rescue of abandoned children in Rome, to the preservation of learning in the middle ages, to the opposition to slavery, to the civil rights movement of the last century, the church has, in spite of its "imperfections and shortcomings," been a blessing in this world.
Continuing this tradition of standing for righteousness, the declaration speaks to issues related to

• Life: The declaration speaks against a "culture of death [that] inevitably cheapens life in all its stages and conditions by promoting the belief that lives that are imperfect, immature or inconvenient are discardable."
• Marriage: The signatories endorse the view that marriage is a unique institution. "Marriage then, is the first institution of human society - indeed it is the institution on which all other human institutions have their foundation. In the Christian tradition we refer to marriage as "holy matrimony" to signal the fact that it is an institution ordained by God, and blessed by Christ."
  With compassionate firmness Christians must resist the various attempts to redefine, or diminish the respect for marriage.
• Religious Liberty: "religious liberty is grounded in the character of God Himself . . . the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the example of Christ Himself and in the very dignity of the human person created in the image of God. . . . No one should be compelled to embrace any religion against his will, nor should persons of faith be forbidden to worship God according to the dictates of conscience. . . .

Perhaps most significant is the commitment to resist the erosion of ethical standards in our culture. Commenting on the dual-citizen-status of God's people the declaration says, ". . . we take seriously the Biblical admonition to respect and obey those in authority. . . . The biblical purpose of law is to preserve order and serve justice and the common good; yet laws that are unjust - and especially laws that purport to compel citizens to do what is unjust - undermine the common good, rather than serve it. . . ." The declaration goes on to promise noncompliance to government edicts that compel actions that violate these Biblical standards.

"We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."

You can read the Manhattan Declaration in its entirety at http://www.demossnews.com/manhattandeclaration/press_kit/manhattan_declaration_signers

The leaders who put the Manhattan Declaration together didn't ask me to sign it, but I do agree with it, at least enough so that I would. I'll have more to say in days to come. The guys who signed the MD, as well as the rest of you, are welcome to comment.

Helping People Do Right, or Helping Them to Feel Better About Doing Wrong?

In doing some research for Sunday's message I ran across an excellent article related to idolatry and psychological health, http://jamiehart.typepad.com/files/idols-of-the-heart-powlison.pdf

Here is a sample:

The solution, without exception, is to offer different and
presumably more workable idols, rather than repentance unto
the Bible’s Christ! Secularistic therapies teach people
eufunctional idols, idols which do “work” for people and
“bless” them with temporarily happy lives (Psalm 73).
So, for example, self-esteem is nurtured as the replacement
for trying to please unpleasable others, rather than esteem for
the Lamb who was slain for me, a sinner. Acceptance and love
from new significant others, starting with the therapist, create
successful versions of the fear of man and trust in man rather
than teaching essential trust in God. Self-trust and self-confidence
are boosted as I am taught to set expectations for myself
to which I can attain. The fruit looks good but is fundamentally
counterfeit. Believers in false gospels are sometimes allowed
to flourish temporarily.
Therapy systems without repentance at their core leave the
idol system intact. They simply rehabilitate and rebuild fundamental
godlessness to function more successfully.
The Bible’s idolatry motif diagnoses the ultimately selfdestructive
basis on which happy, healthy, and confident
people build their lives (eufunctional idols), just as perceptively
as it diagnoses unhappy people, who are more obviously
and immediately self-destructive (dysfunctional idols).

I have observed, in my time as a pastor, a shift in the counselling community--a trend that is present in Christian as well as secular counseling--from helping people to do what is right to helping them to feel good about the way they are.

Read the article.

Follow-up on Sunday's message:

Last Sunday, 10/25, we looked at the defeat of the Egyptian goddesses and gods, in the ten plagues God used to bring about the relaease of his people. Here is a video that does a good job creating the mood of the Exodus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl8dazS0FeQ

Covington Bible Church, once again, presents the Live nativity:

If you live in our area we hope that you will join us one of the evenings, September 18-20.

The LIVE NATIVITY is a presentation of the birth of Christ, and what it means to us. Be our guest in the Village of Bethlehem and view scenes including:

• The Annunciation to Mary,
• The Stable where Christ was born,
• The Visit of the Magi, and more.

Visiting the Life Nativity will take about hour, but many people choose to stay and visit in Bethlehem or find out more about what these events mean to each of us.
It is a great family outing--help your children understand the real meaning of Christmas.

To find out more, write.

With apologies to Handel:

This is a hoot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU&feature=related

Enjoy!

Here we go again: Why would a Baptist pastor want to burn Bibles?

You have probably heard it by now, but if you haven't gotten the news about the church in North Carolina that is planning to burn Bibles on Halloween, go to the following link and watch the video: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/10/13/VI2009101301831.html

Or you can read the story here: http://www.mercurynews.com/weird-news/ci_13567852

Nearly four decades ago when I began ministry, I knew about the King James Only movement. My hope was that when that generation died we would be done with them. We aren't. They have multiplied like rabbits--yeah, verily they hath been exceeding prolific in the spread of their view of scripture.

A couple of folk from the church where I pastor ran into some of these King James zealots recently. Thankfully, these devotees of what they call the "Authorized Version" aren't planning a Bible-burning, though I figure they wouldn't do much to talk the North Carolina pastor out of his event. One accusation, among others, is that modern translations like the NIV or NASB somehow downplay the Deity of Christ. Jesus Christ and Who He is are at the core of my faith, so I don't take those accusations lightly.
Here are a couple of good articles, if you want to read further:

• This article does a good job refuting the accusation that translations other than the KJV are substandard in regard to Christology:
  http://contenderministries.org/biblestudy/kjodeityofchrist.php
• Here is an article understandable to the layman that discusses the Greek manuscripts:
  http://www.onenesspentecostal.com/kjvevaluation.htm
• Here is an article that begins with a brief statement about why we need an English translation other than the King James and then goes on to do a good job of presenting, in essentially bullet-point format, a brief description of the popular modern translations and paraphrases.
  http://www.firstpresb.org/translations.htm
• While this article needs to be updated, it is still useful in making a decision as to which Bible translations are dependable and useful:
  http://covingtonbiblechurch.org/DevotionalAidsResources/HelpinChoosingaBibleTranslation/tabid/235/Default.aspx

A Video About God's Plan, & a Couple of Other Web Resources:

I recently, presented a message about the mess our world in. It was the first message in a three-part series on the Good News. The cause of the mess, both out there in the world, and in here--our hearts--is the same, sin. The remedy is likewise the same. Romans 8 shows all creation waiting for the redemption of God's people to be completed. As we are transformed so is the world.

I also had the privilege to share a through the Bible session with Coffee Break, The ladies ministry that my wife helps to lead.

Since I have been thinking of the global impact of sin, and the broad stroke view of God's work, the video below hit a responsive chord with me. Anytime you can get from Genesis to Revelation in less than 7 minutes it is worth the trip. Thanks to Shawn Thornton for posting the video on his blog: http://pastorshawn.com/

Here is another resource. At first I thought this one was pretty off the wall. I mean, who uses a $20,000 prize to encourage folk to learn the Bible? But after I looked at it I found it to be a pretty good presentation of the Ten Commandments. It is a cyber opportunity to take the hand of the Law and be led to Christ.

http://www.tenandwin.com/index.html

Finally, Evantell has provided some online training in evangelism. There is a mix of video, exercises and text. There are some specialized programs for youngsters, parents, etc. You will likely find one that meets your needs. If you like, you can print workbooks, as well. They do ask you to register. I did, and they haven't bugged with emails, etc.

ACT 111, one gospel. one person. one day.