Does Sprituality Mean Inner Peace?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
If you have visited a Christian book store recently or browsed through a catalog from a religious publisher you will know that self-help and self-improvement books abound. Some seem to be little more than thinly disguised religious versions of books available on the secular market, but most claim to offer distinctly biblical advice.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=482&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Pottering About Potter: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
The fourth novel in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, which hit bookstores in July, represents the largest first printing (3.8 million copies) of any book in U.S. history... It is not only the popularity of the Harry Potter books, however, which has generated attention. Numerous Christians have issued warnings about the series, such as this email I received recently...
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=483&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Should We Pray? Or Protest?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
The fact that we live in a religiously pluralistic culture means that we can expect to be exposed to beliefs, values, and practices that are contrary to our Christian faith. This might arise in a conversation over lunch at work, in a lecture at a university, in a film, or during any number of other instances when we naturally rub shoulders with non-Christians. In most of these instances, however, our exposure is somewhat at arm’s length. It involves a theme in a movie, or a comment by a colleague—which might become a topic for conversation, but the thing with which we disagree remains out there, at a distance.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=484&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
The Value of Ritual: Discernment Exercise
By: Preston Jones
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
...One reaction to this among Christians has been to abandon ritual for the sake of faith from “the heart.” Thus some Catholics and Episcopalians trade high, formal liturgies for guitars and praise songs; written prayers are abandoned in favor of prayers prompted only by the spirit within the heart of the individual; and rote memorization of creeds is frowned on. I wonder if one reason for the explosion in the number of Bible translations available to Americans is the belief (at least among marketers) that every person should have the Bible presented to him just as he or she likes it.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=485&B=Preston%20Jones&TID=8
Questions for Dr. Laura: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
Though biblical illiteracy tends to be rather widespread—even among believers—many unbelievers know enough about the Bible to raise questions about how believers understand and interpret the Scriptures. These questions deserve a thoughtful answer, which means it would be wise for Christians to reflect together on how to explain their hermeneutic (how they go about interpreting the Scriptures) to non-Christians in a pluralistic culture.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=486&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Responding to Questions about Dr. Laura
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
In a previous article we raised an exercise in discernment involving questions about Old Testament law. It revolved around a letter posted on the Internet addressed to radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger in response to statements she (apparently) made on her program to the effect that homosexuality was contrary to the law of God.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=487&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Answering Questions About Doubt: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
Just about everything about doubt is unsettling. It’s unsettling to doubt, especially if the stakes are high and if we find ourselves doubting when everyone else seems content. It’s unsettling to discover that sometimes our very best reasoning isn’t sufficient to resolve our doubts, or that the search for answers simply increases our uncertainty.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=488&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Responding to Questions About Old Testament Law
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
Here’s the situation: A non-Christian friend asks how I can possibly take Old Testament laws against homosexuality seriously when other laws make provisions I obviously reject—such as buying slaves or stoning someone who works on the Sabbath.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=489&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
More Discernment Exercises Posted to RF Website
Should We Attend This Party?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
Your small group includes a woman—let’s call her Mary—in her early 60s who came to Christ a couple of years ago. Her enthusiasm for Bible study, sharing Christ, and faithfulness in all of life is both refreshing and infectious. Unlike the Christians in the group, however, most of her closest friends are non-Christians, many of whom she has known for decades.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=477&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Love it or Leave it: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
Since 9/11, a terrorist attack by a group of men all of whom were from countries in the Middle East, renewed debate about immigration has arisen. Should immigration be restricted, and if so, how? How open and free should our borders be? And how should we respond to those who are already here but who don’t seem to “fit in” the way many think they should?
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=478&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Can We Make Our Faith Attractive?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
In the opening scenes of the movie Chocolat, Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche, moves into a new town and rents a dingy, dirty storefront. As the villagers watch from behind half-drawn shades, she cleans it up, paints it, places intriguing objects on shelves and in the window, and puts a new sign out front announcing it as a chocolaterie. The colors of the new store stand in stark contrast to the dark, unimaginative drabness of the rest of the town, and the Mayan objects that decorate the store contrast with the traditionally familiar lives of the townspeople.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=479&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
A Great Spirit Blessing: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
Living in a pluralistic culture, as we do, does not mean that we live among unbelievers; it means we live among people who believe in things other than Christianity. And since secularism has been found wanting, many are adopting a variety of spiritualities and religions. This means, in turn, that we must expect to find ourselves intersecting with our neighbor’s religious convictions and practices—not just in the realm of ideas but in practice.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=480&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
On Being Offensive: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
All things considered, there’s plenty a Christian can do, say, or believe which some other Christian will find offensive—perhaps even deeply offensive.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=481&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
Your small group includes a woman—let’s call her Mary—in her early 60s who came to Christ a couple of years ago. Her enthusiasm for Bible study, sharing Christ, and faithfulness in all of life is both refreshing and infectious. Unlike the Christians in the group, however, most of her closest friends are non-Christians, many of whom she has known for decades.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=477&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Love it or Leave it: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
Since 9/11, a terrorist attack by a group of men all of whom were from countries in the Middle East, renewed debate about immigration has arisen. Should immigration be restricted, and if so, how? How open and free should our borders be? And how should we respond to those who are already here but who don’t seem to “fit in” the way many think they should?
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=478&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Can We Make Our Faith Attractive?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
In the opening scenes of the movie Chocolat, Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche, moves into a new town and rents a dingy, dirty storefront. As the villagers watch from behind half-drawn shades, she cleans it up, paints it, places intriguing objects on shelves and in the window, and puts a new sign out front announcing it as a chocolaterie. The colors of the new store stand in stark contrast to the dark, unimaginative drabness of the rest of the town, and the Mayan objects that decorate the store contrast with the traditionally familiar lives of the townspeople.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=479&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
A Great Spirit Blessing: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
Living in a pluralistic culture, as we do, does not mean that we live among unbelievers; it means we live among people who believe in things other than Christianity. And since secularism has been found wanting, many are adopting a variety of spiritualities and religions. This means, in turn, that we must expect to find ourselves intersecting with our neighbor’s religious convictions and practices—not just in the realm of ideas but in practice.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=480&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
On Being Offensive: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/13/2008
Topic: Discernment
All things considered, there’s plenty a Christian can do, say, or believe which some other Christian will find offensive—perhaps even deeply offensive.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=481&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Discernment Exercises Posted on RansomFellowship.org
Your God Does Intolerable Things: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
Often the questions we face in a pluralistic culture require Christians to develop an apologetic for their faith. A reasonable, winsome defense of what we believe to be true. And sometimes the questions that are raised go to very heart of things.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=474&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Questioning American Foreign Policy: Discernment Exercise
By: Kevin Hilman
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
Christians believe that though citizenship is part of the calling of every believer, our commitment to the truth and kingdom of God must take precedence over our patriotism. “My country, right or wrong” is not a slogan the believer can adopt.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=475&B=Kevin%20Hilman&TID=8
Why I Kissed Christian Concerts Good-bye: Discernment Exercise
By: Matt Redmond
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
For years I have gone to concerts done by Christians. I have seen most of the popular bands and soloists in the Contemporary Christian Music market over the past fifteen years. Some were entertaining, some were not and few were what I consider high-caliber talent. But regardless of how talented they were there was one thing that almost all of them did during their time on stage: talk.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=476&B=Matt%20Redmond&TID=8
Beatitudes on the Dark Side: Discernment ExerciseBy: Denis HaackDate: 11/05/2008 Topic: Discernment
One of the great classics of 20th century Christian writing is The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. It’s one of those rare books that appeals so effortlessly to our hearts and imaginations and minds that learning becomes an intense pleasure.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=473&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
Often the questions we face in a pluralistic culture require Christians to develop an apologetic for their faith. A reasonable, winsome defense of what we believe to be true. And sometimes the questions that are raised go to very heart of things.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=474&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Questioning American Foreign Policy: Discernment Exercise
By: Kevin Hilman
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
Christians believe that though citizenship is part of the calling of every believer, our commitment to the truth and kingdom of God must take precedence over our patriotism. “My country, right or wrong” is not a slogan the believer can adopt.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=475&B=Kevin%20Hilman&TID=8
Why I Kissed Christian Concerts Good-bye: Discernment Exercise
By: Matt Redmond
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
For years I have gone to concerts done by Christians. I have seen most of the popular bands and soloists in the Contemporary Christian Music market over the past fifteen years. Some were entertaining, some were not and few were what I consider high-caliber talent. But regardless of how talented they were there was one thing that almost all of them did during their time on stage: talk.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=476&B=Matt%20Redmond&TID=8
Beatitudes on the Dark Side: Discernment ExerciseBy: Denis HaackDate: 11/05/2008 Topic: Discernment
One of the great classics of 20th century Christian writing is The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. It’s one of those rare books that appeals so effortlessly to our hearts and imaginations and minds that learning becomes an intense pleasure.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=473&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Friday, November 7, 2008
NEW Articles on RansomFellowship.org
NEW to RansomFellowship.org
Banned in Christian Schools: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
A Christian school recently decided to develop a series of guidelines to help teachers in their selection of literature to be used in the classroom. The idea for the proposal arose when several parents objected to books their children had been assigned as homework.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=471&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
A Place of Safety: a review of the documentary Nanking
Denis Haack
Nanking is not an entertaining film, though well made and utterly enthralling. It reminds us that the brokenness that plagues God’s world is an evil that resides deep in the human heart.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=466&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=2
A Very Lovely, Sad Longing
Denis Haack
In the liner notes of her latest album, All I Intended to Be, Emmylou Harris writes that all she ever intended was to be “a singer of songs, a writer of songs, and a strummer of a few chords, in search of the truth.” I’d say she’s been faithful to that calling, and our lives are richer as a result.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=468&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=4
Christian horror films?: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
"...as a Christian, I defend horror films. No other genre offers audiences a more spiritual view of the world, and no other genre communicates a more clearly defined moral perspective.”
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=469&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Adam and Eve Rested, But Were They Ever Bored?: Discerment Exercise
Denis Haack
Boredom is so common now-a-days that most of us tend to assume it has always plagued the human race. At least since the Fall. Not necessarily, says author James Gleick.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=470&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Sound bites for Jesus: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
Bumper stickers and rear-window decals seem to be an enduring form of communication in our sound-bite world. Even friends who say they don’t like them and won’t put one on their own car readily admit to reading the ones they see on other cars.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=472&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Banned in Christian Schools: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
A Christian school recently decided to develop a series of guidelines to help teachers in their selection of literature to be used in the classroom. The idea for the proposal arose when several parents objected to books their children had been assigned as homework.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=471&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
A Place of Safety: a review of the documentary Nanking
Denis Haack
Nanking is not an entertaining film, though well made and utterly enthralling. It reminds us that the brokenness that plagues God’s world is an evil that resides deep in the human heart.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=466&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=2
A Very Lovely, Sad Longing
Denis Haack
In the liner notes of her latest album, All I Intended to Be, Emmylou Harris writes that all she ever intended was to be “a singer of songs, a writer of songs, and a strummer of a few chords, in search of the truth.” I’d say she’s been faithful to that calling, and our lives are richer as a result.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=468&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=4
Christian horror films?: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
"...as a Christian, I defend horror films. No other genre offers audiences a more spiritual view of the world, and no other genre communicates a more clearly defined moral perspective.”
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=469&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Adam and Eve Rested, But Were They Ever Bored?: Discerment Exercise
Denis Haack
Boredom is so common now-a-days that most of us tend to assume it has always plagued the human race. At least since the Fall. Not necessarily, says author James Gleick.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=470&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
Sound bites for Jesus: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
Bumper stickers and rear-window decals seem to be an enduring form of communication in our sound-bite world. Even friends who say they don’t like them and won’t put one on their own car readily admit to reading the ones they see on other cars.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=472&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8
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