Xan

I'm going to lean in my fiance's arms as he comforts me while I watch my beloved country go down in flames as the keys to the White House are handed over to a communist! Then, my fiance' will talk me out of heading up a revolution. I might even drown my sorrows in ice cream. The day after, I will go to work, and it will be business as usual.

Hmmm... the same thing could very well happen to th U.S. Perhaps even as soon as with our next President.

usually when i see Christians supporting liberal political philosophy....i shrug. Not political philosophy. The unread blog said nothing about politics; it was talking about a book that's concerning how some churches and Christians are minimizing Christ. Liberalism and conservativism are not just political ideations, but they fall under the spectrum of other philosophies as well. Personally, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

Okay, once more. You need to back up a claim of supernatural revelation with something tangible. What evidence do you have that this is a word from God? I have no doubt that you thought you heard something but it is far too soon to claim that it is a word from God, especially with nothing more to back it than "because I say so." Credibility in spiritual matters is crucial. Do you recall the Oral Roberts controversy in the eighties, when he claimed that God had told him to raise $5 million or God was going to call him home? That was the same thing. Eliminate all rational explanations before you begin to consider the supernatural. Otherwise, if you're hearing voices, get yourself checked out by a mental health professional. Auditory hallucinations are a symptom that something is seriously wrong with the brain chemistry. The Biblical standard on hearing from God is not to remove all rational explanations first. It is to test it against the Scriptures. If it doesn't agree with God's Word, it's false. If it does line up with Scripture; it is possible he heard from God.

I wonder how many in Iran wanted Carter over Reagan in 1980?

This is why people came to this country to begin with. Government sanctioned worship. It's what they were trying to avoid, Buddy! I've heard, my Pastor has told me, that some pastors are preaching that you can have Christ as your Saviour, but not your Lord. How is that possible? It's totally new to me. Although it makes sense, of course they want salvation, but they don't want to give up their life. But I've never heard anyone preach that way! Another example of Liberal theology, not the true teachings of Scripture.

That's one way to get a true accounting of how many of those who profess Christ now will continue to live for God should that ever happen.

I'm obviously not LR, and I am not sure which Baptist churches are Liberal. However, many of the seminaries are Liberal and are turning out pastors that don't even believe in the fundamentals, including the diety of Christ, but are taught to allow their parishiners to believe in it anyway since it is good for their emotional well-being to believe Christ is Lord. I don't have supporting documentation on this, but I was told this by a graduate of a Conservative seminary and former Baptist preacher.

I know this is a largely Conservative Christian site; therefore this probably does not apply to many on here; however, there is a good reminder in this, and I am interested on your opinions and feedback on how American Christianity is shaping. http://musiccityoracle.blogspot.com/2008/1...out-christ.html

I was not loved, but God loves me, and His love helped me show love to someone who was incapable of love. It took years, but God removed me from that situation, and now I have the love I have always desired. I don't know your situation, so I can't speak directly to it. What I gave was a generality pertaining to my situation because there is wisdom in allowing God to love us so we can be full enough to have that spill over to others, even if they do not deserve it since they don't love back. There is also wisdom in waiting on the Lord and trusting that His timing is perfect. However, you could just have a chemical embalance and need to be seen by an endocrinologist.

I was in a place you just described for years. When I came back to the Lord at a point I felt like killing the person (not me, him), I faithfully followed our Lord which made it so much easier to show love without return. I did this for years until God removed me from the situation and less than a year later introduced me to love I had only dreamed of existing.

I feel uncomfortable with the use of the word "erotica" in regards to a Book from the Bible. It doesn't sit right with me. Yes, I can accept the Song of Solomon as being a guide to a marriage covenant, man/wife relationship with Christ at the heart of it and His full blessing over it but to use that word in the same context. It doesn't sound honoring to God to me. Then ignore that one word. It is still a book honoring marital relations, and there is nothing wrong with that. God designed sex to be a beautiful, spiritual act. Because it has become defiled, it is sometimes thought of as being dirty, but it isn't. It's a holy union between a man and a woman. I have other issues with the book since Solomon had so many wives. I just don't see how he was capable of loving a woman.

The "excellence" justification for spectacular facilities and always having to have "the best" is really just an excuse for materialism. The excellence with which we are to serve the Lord is in the area of our character. The world has historically NEVER been impressed with how modern and technologically advanced our facilities are. In fact, if anything unbelievers have been turned off by the way many ministries have decked themselves out in their affluence. I have never seen anyone who was ever very impressed with preachers flying themselves around in private jets and driving a Rolls. Most people are looking for something real to believe in, something that meets the need of their heart, not that which pets their flesh. They already have money and affluence. They drive the best cars, and have very well paying jobs and own more than one piece of property, but so far, none of that has brought any fulfillment, it has not filled the void in their heart that longs for something more. When you love someone, when you are truly caught up in your love for another person, does it matter what they drive? Does it matter if they make a lot of money or live in the nicest home in the best part of town? Do you care if their clothes are the best? Love has a tendency to focus on what will matter in the long run. Those who are truly in love with Jesus can worship Him under any condition. On CBN News, I was watching a segment about Christians in China. Many of them worship in packed, undisclosed facilities for 8-12 hours at a strech standing up the entire time, and without the benefit of air conditioning in the summer. A 3-hour sermon is considered "short." None of them had on a tie or a dress. They are growing and they do this under the threat of imprisonment and other forms of persecution. Think of what we could do with the money we spend on simply building bigger barns for ourselves. How much money is spent on new sound systems or other nonessentials that could be spent on medicine, food, bibles, and other resources that would actually meet real needs of real people? I was listening to a missionary talk about a special soup that they were giving to people in places like Kenya, Zimbabwe and other countries in Africa that was curing them of physical ailments that were the product of nothing but vitamin deficiencies. It was high protein, vitamin packed soup that could be bought in bulk quanities and stored indefiniately in dry form. It was actually pretty cheap to get, and was worth more in the long run than new carpet for our sanctuary. And while I am thinking about it, the Church ought to be funding and subsidising the publishing and printing of Bibles. If we were truly honest with ourselves, Bibles should not even be for sale. Over in China, many congregations only have a few chapters of the Bible, and even those have to be passed around. I was in at a Christian bookstore a while back and this one guy was up in arms because he could not get the type of leather cover he wanted for a particular version. No one should ever have to buy a Bible. We have become fat, materialistic and selfish over here in the west. We have all the best "stuff" but we lack true spiritual power. In Acts chapter two, 120 disciples saw 3,000 people saved in a day. Today, 3,000 Christians can't reach 120 people in a year. Wellsaid, Shiloh.

I have a question, Slim. What do you think when you see a person walk into church wearing designer clothes, designer shoes, and perfectly coiffed hair?

The "sounds like God" thing I am getting at is our interpretation of destiny. You go to hell as a victim while a perpetrator gets saved. The victim is also a perpetrator. "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, not even one."

I know very well the desire to have the intimacy of holding someone you love so close to you, but I hope you continue to desire the greatest intimacy we can have with another person over that of a substitute. If it isn't part of a covenant, then it is a cheap substitute. I will second what everyone else has said about FloatingAxe's advice. As far as praying together and having Bible studies; that's good for a long, healthy relationship, but with me after having a Bible study and praying, I feel that much closer to my fiance', which makes the temptation greater. So please don't delude yourself into thinking you can have prayer and Bible study alone with him.

Of those who are marraige minded, that's exactly what it is. Unfortunately, there are many, perhaps most, who are on there for reasons other than marraige. I admit, I was one that was on Match for reasons other than marraige. I was looking to just date and have fun, nothing serious but nothing sinful, either. However, a gentleman at the top of the list of the matches the site made for me is the one I'm engaged to now. It still amazes both of us how well our similarities match up and how well our differences compliment each other. Also, this is a man that I was not instantly attracted to, but looking at his wonderful qualities and how they met well with my criteria, I realized this was the one.

22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30because we are members of His body. 31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. What a beautiful picture well written by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians. Feminism is an afront to femininity and the way God made us. However, this only works the way God intended when both parties obey the will of God.

It is not William that wants to define men's and women's roles, but the Bible.

Ummmm.... So... let me get this straight... An unborn baby does not have a right to live, but he does have a right to not being used for pornographic reasons. Why would someone construe that as being child porn anyway?

Too bad you're in NY. My 35 yo sister is the same as you.

I think it's a good idea, but it would be difficult to implement because there is not a big enough community of believers that would be willing to follow the practice. Also, I like the way it is done according to what I was told by a nurse from India I used to work with. She and her husband picked out a gentleman for her daughter. The two young adults met and discussed their futures and other compatability issues. Then they could each decide if that is the one for him/her. If not, the parents found someone else. In the case of this nurse, her daughter married the first one her parents brought to her. Apparently, her parents knew the kind of man that would be good for her.

Paul says 'Adam was created first then Eve' (notice his use of proper names) then he adds that 'Adam (proper name again) was not deceived' and he says but this woman 'has fallen' into transgression indicating that he's not talking about 'Eve' becasue this shows that the woman (of v.11) is continuing in this condition yet Eve was dead, plus Paul also said that this woman is 'being deluded'. Eve though came out of her deception and the traditional interpretation is no longer an acceptable one, that all women are deluded/deceived. The deceived woman of the Timothy passage though Paul had hope for as seen in his final statement. (Besides Paul says nothing of who sinned first, only who was formed/created first, and nothing about the serpent or who was accountable.) Paul holds Adam accountable in his other writings. Look again at the scripture you quoted above as I've highlighted what Paul wrote. Firehill is right. Those who sin willfully are held in a higher accountability than those who are deceived. Also men are held accountable for their spiritual leading in the household.

Well, I did offer the caveat, "unless she's crazy"... Good luck, Blien.