Phostenix

I'd heard that, too, but the article says this: "Then there was director Tom Shadyac, who, though known in Hollywood circles as something of a Christian, did himself no favors with interviews he gave wherein he seemed to offer up questionable religious doctrine, telling one interviewer that his own beliefs were in line with a poem he had read that suggested that since truth came from many faiths, he could no longer call himself a believer in any particular one."

Neither.

Here's a post I did last year on a Christian musicians site: Well, here's my 2 cents. When my wife & I became Christians in January of 1999, we were in our mid-30's. God took us to a church that was known for their worship (unknown to us at the time). We were introduced to a genre of music that I didn't even know existed. The first CD I bought was Darrell Evans' Freedom and it went from there. We took to this new music instantly and never really looked back. For the last 7 years, we have listened almost exclusively to "Christian" music. I was an on-again, off-again guitar player (mostly off - :-)). I still own probably 200 CD's & maybe 75 vinyl LP's of what we now jokingly call "the Devil's music". I grew up listening to all kinds of music, but mostly what we call classic rock today. Much of my worldview was probably shaped by the lyrics of Neil Peart of Rush & Ann Wilson of Heart! My wife's favorite band was Aerosmith. It was probably more gradual than I think, but eventually we just stopped listening to our old music. We've gotten to the point where we just aren't interested in the world's music (or television or movies, etc.). So, I understand what you are saying. It's not an "us vs. them" thing for me, I've just gotten to where I have a hard time listening to it. I've gotten back into guitar effects & circuit design, so I occasionally listen to something just to hear the guitar sounds. The other day I pulled out the old Heart CD's to see if Roger Fisher was using flangers or phasers to get the sound I remember. Keeping in mind that this was the first band I saw live when I was probably about 12 and I would come home from school every day (not an exaggeration) and listen to Dreamboat Annie all the way through, I had a hard time sitting through these songs now. See, now I "get" it. I understand that these people are pouring their thoughts & feelings into these words and I hear the hopelessness and the searching and the longing for something better and something real. It saddens me. It wears me out. It USED to express what I was feeling & thinking, but now it just represents what I left BEHIND. God took that heart away and gave me a new one that sees thing VERY differently now - and I thank Him & praise Him for that! I read some John Mayer lyrics the other day & saw the same thing there. I think John is so popular because people really ARE connecting and relating to what he is saying. "At the end of this verdictless life...", as I recall was one of the lines. As I walk with God, I'm beginning to understand better every day what Paul was trying to say to us with these verses: ...but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. Roman 16:19b Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil 4:8 I spend all day in the world at my job trying to be an ambassador & a light. (I have good days & bad days at that :-)) I'm involved in other forums where I see myself as a missionary, so I don't live a "be ye separated" kind of life. Music has become a place for me where I can hear the people of God expressing THEIR worldview. It's a place of refreshing for me. I don't need more of the world, I need more of God. I get enough of the world to stay "relevant", I don't need to roll around in it. When I pick up the guitar, I want to use the gifts God has given me to worship Him. I was immediately struck by this line in 3rd Day's Offering when I first heard it: The only thing that I can give You is the life You gave to me. This is my offering... I think this comes down to what a lot of things come down to for us as Followers of Jesus: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I can't get hung up on what other people are listening to or watching, I have to focus on my relationship and my family and do what I believe God is speaking to my heart. Grace and peace, Steve

Excerpt: Modesty Movement While skimpy clothes still dominate the fashion scene, today there's a flip side to girls gone wild. Call it "girls gone mild"

I thought this was an interesting article: Excerpt: In its aftermath, once again the chatter from Hollywood is how, despite another earnest and sincere attempt to make a movie for "those people," the elusive faith-based audience that came out to see the Passion of The Christ has once again failed to turn out en masse for a movie thought to be tailor-made for them. The problem with such an analysis is that it's not unlike making a movie featuring blackface and wondering why the African-American audience isn't interested. The notion that millions of conservative Christians (a large majority of whom are also politically conservative) were going to flock to a movie that depicted obviously conservative political leaders as corrupt politicians going against the will of both a modern day Noah and God himself by trying to ruin the environment by opening up government-owned land for development, is nothing short of madness. It's one of the worst cinematic miscalculations this side of Ishtar. But there's more. Between one of the characters noting with confidence that God is "in everything" (an idea that many religions hold to, but not the Christian one) and the notion that the Judeo-Christian God is primarily concerned not with sin, salvation and redemption but with encouraging "acts of random kindness," it was clear that if reaching a faith-based audience was the goal, this one was off by a mile. Then there was the show-stopper: when, as the credits rolled, "Noah" held up a replica of the Ten Commandments, then turned it around to reveal an 11th Commandment, "Thou Shalt Do The Dance." For at least some Americans that may have been the last straw that cemented the film's descent from screwball religious comedy to sacrilege. Full Story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C287253%2C00.html

Yup. There's only 1 true church - those who are abiding in Christ. They go to lots of different churches with lots of different names on the buildings, but God knows His children.

$2.71 here in my area.

I've been involved with several "secular" sites over the last couple of years related to guitar effects, but have stopped visting them. I still frequent a Christian musician site that has a small group that has been together for years. It's not as active as big boards like this, but the discussion is all "in the family", if you know what I mean. It's a nice refuge from the world & the constant debate with skeptics that goes on at most Christian sites. I'm involved with a local community site that is cool because it's (almost) all people who live in my area, so it's got a very different feel than most internet boards. People tend to know each other IRL, which changes the dynamic considerably. If fact, we just got back from the site owner's house - they picked up some honey for us in return for us picking up some fresh corn for them last week. There a few Christians on the board, but I'm one of only 2 really "conservative" Christians, so I get a lot of abuse there. I get burned out debating the skeptics over & over.... I visit carm.org from time to time when I'm in the mood for intense discussion, but lately I've been looking for something "lighter" that's more Christian fellowship than argument. Christianforums.com was overwhelming to me - just WAY too much going on! I gave up after a few minutes. Too much like a mega church for me. There's more here than I can keep up with, but I enjoy popping in a couple of times a days & participating a little here & there. And remember, don't feed the trolls!

I think that the best thing about the movie The Passion of the Christ was that it gave us a visual of Jesus' love for us. The 2nd time I watched it, there was a point where I found myself saying, "Stop hitting Him. Why do they keep hitting Him?" That was when I realized that those people represented me every time I sin....

Tru dat.

The way media companies make money is pretty much ALL about the ratings. OTOH, the internet has enabled alternative voices to be heard like never before. This site is an example.

From that story about members of the "church" in Florida that are getting 666 tattoos to delcare their allegiance to their leader (who is now calling himself the antichrist): Martita Roca, 25, a South Florida singer and actress from Guatemala, said she sometimes gives 40 percent of her salary to Growing in Grace. Giving a piece of her flesh by getting a tattoo was another way to prove her commitment, she said. "For all of those people who pray for us to come out of this movement, this shows that this is it, there's no going back," Roca said of her tattoos. "This is to make sure that everyone relates me to that vision." That should give you a little insight into how this starts to look & sound. Sad.

I'd say the true church is a small minority of the world's population. God has always worked with a "remnant". My .02.

Well, it's Biblical.

When the LORD your God enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say,

When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. - Deuteronomy 12:20

While the other posters seemed to get this, I'm scratching my thick skull. Can you flesh this out a little for me? What exactly is the teaching? What does one have to do to "understand" evil or doubt? I certainly understood both before I came to know Jesus.

Tru dat.

"I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burning' for you..." There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. - Romans 8:1 My SPAM filter catches e-mails from Satan & puts them in the trash where they belong. The Holy Spirit provides the voice of correction to me.

Computer indulgences, anyone?

God invented the BBQ. You tell Him He's wrong!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't both the Greek & Roman societies replete with examples of homosexual behavior, long before Luther's time? We "now know better" on lots of things these days, it seems. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10 What part of "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" do we struggle with? Werd. Werd.

I think Jesus' death on the cross is doing a great job of paying the penalty of my sins so that I don't have to experience the judgement of God myself. Not only that, but now I can know Him & be in relationship with Him and experience the joy & peace that only come from being "in Christ". I have a question, too. Why would Jesus do such a thing for us?

I can't decifer that. ???

Those sites don't have Human Tetris, do they?