Tuesday, May 22, 2012

THE CHRISTIAN POST: Tuesday May 22 2012 Sivan 1, 5772

Campbell the Band on stage at Cornerstone Festival, 2011
(Photo: Rudy Harris)

After 29 Years, Cornerstone Festival Comes to a Close

By Napp Nazworth

A summer festival that has helped launched the careers of many Christian artists, including Sixpence None the Richer, Jars of Clay, Newsboys and One Bad Pig, is calling it quits after 29 years due to the poor economy and financial difficulties. This year will be its last.

MTV Cans 'Losing It' Reality Show About Virgins Pursuing First-Time Sex

By Nicola Menzie

MTV has dropped an apparently ill-conceived idea for a reality show about people as young as 18 willing to have the network document their journey to losing their virginity -- a "fame-for-sex" concept that many found troubling.

US

Chen Guangcheng

Chen Guangcheng Lauded as a 'Hero' for Fighting for Women, Unborn Children

By Luiza Oleszczuk

The case of Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident who captured the world's attention with his escape from house arrest, is seen as a victory for human rights and many have praised the self-taught lawyer who challenged China's one-child policy, calling him a hero who worked for a noble cause.

Forty-three Catholic agencies filed suit in 12 separate federal courts Monday over the Department of Health and Human Services mandate requiring employers to cover contraception, sterilization and some abortifacient drugs in their health insurance policies.

Recent fundraising totals for both major political parties and their presumed candidates show the money race is closer than most expected. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in combination with the Republican National Committee, raked in a total of $40.1 million in April. The Democratic National Committee and President Obama pulled in a slightly larger amount of $43.6 million.

Anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin says serial bullies often have inordinate self-esteem and do not view themselves negatively as many presume. This evil, he stresses, must not be under-reacted to.

Church & Ministries

John Piper

Successor to John Piper Overwhelmingly Approved by Bethlehem Baptist Church

By Alex Murashko

Influential pastor John Piper made his joyful reaction clear via the Web shortly after getting word that his congregation had overwhelmingly agreed with church elders on their choice of Jason Meyer as his successor.

A Massachusetts clergyman has been elected the successor to the controversial New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, who is retiring at the end of the year.

A megachurch in Baltimore, Md., had an emotional service Sunday as Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, hugged each parent whose children had been victims of "senseless violence."

A year after a devastating tornado killed at least 161 people in Joplin, Mo., a church that was destroyed plans to show who God is by helping victims of recent tornadoes in Indiana.

Pastor at Obama's Former Church Defends President on Gay Marriage

As President Barack Obama finds himself under ...

'Tebowing' Will Be Featured in Madden 2013

Madden 2013 just got that much more true to life ...

'MY Jesus' Shirts Catch the Ire of NFL, Tim Tebow

The manufacturer of a new T-shirt design using ...

Mass. Church Draws Protest Over Anti-Gay Marriage Sign

A Massachusetts church drew protest this past ...

Santorum, Gingrich Quit Race With Millions in Debt

Federal filings for April show that when Rick ...

NAACP Endorses Same-Sex Marriage Amid Opposition by Black Pastors

The National Association for the Advancement of ...

More Blogs

How To Prepare A Topical Bible Study

As a pastor, coming up with Bible study topics ...

Missions in Your Church: Is it a Program or a Passion?

One of the reasons churches are not doing more to ...

A New Life: Delivered From Lesbianism (BOOK EXCERPT, PT 1)

The Book Stop Blog is featuring excerpts from A ...

A Biography of Jesus (BOOK EXCERPT, PT 5)

The Book Stop Blog is featuring excerpts from A ...

Entertainment

Michael

Michael 'Mayday' McDonald Begins Godly Mission; Tells Christians to 'Wake Up'

By Christine Thomasos

Michael "Mayday" McDonald, the 21-year-old undefeated bantamweight fighter who defeated 31-year-old WEC champion Miguel Torres in a first-round knockout during UFC 145 last month, recently took to his Tumblr account to speak about his mission to follow Jesus Christ.

Don Moen has expressed a "huge" thank you to all his fans and friends after reaching 1 million likes on his Facebook. Moen has expressed his gratitude for all the support received through social networks.

Christians in the Philippines are speaking out against upcoming concerts by Lady Gaga, arguing that the singer has a negative influence on young Filipinos because her attitude promotes "godlessness."

World

Richard Dawkins

Atheist Richard Dawkins Supports Bibles in Schools

By Jeff Schapiro

World-renowned atheist Richard Dawkins says he supports the mission of England's Department for Education to make sure every public school in the nation has a copy of the 1611 translation of the King James Bible.

The number of children receiving hormone treatment for gender identity disorder has increased greatly at one Australian clinic over the past decade, with the number of patient referrals growing eight times since 2003.

Around 100 people gathered last week at the Eritrean Embassy in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the government's crackdown on Christians and other religious minorities in the African country often compared to North Korea for its repressive regime.

Friday concluded five days of prayer and discussion for more than 9,000 evangelical church leaders from over 60 countries who assembled in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, for the World Prayer Assembly (WPA), a grand Evangelical event that kicked off Monday after four years of preparations.

Mark Hall of Casting Crowns to Auction Avengers Desk to Support Charity

An Avengers movie-themed desk has been created by ...

Goodie Mob Releases 'Is That You God,' Referencing Bible in New Song

The Goodie Mob, Atlanta hip-hop group that ...

Whitney Houston's Last Song 'Celebrate' Released (VIDEO)

Whitney Houston's last recorded song "Celebrate" ...

Sarah Macintosh Allows Fans to Vote Song Selection for Next Acoustic CD

Sarah Macintosh recently invited fans to select ...

Robin Gibb Dies, Bee Gees' Long Battle With Cancer Ends

Bee Gees co-founder Robin Gibb has died at age 62 ...

'33 Miles' Successfully Raises $30,000 for New 'Worship' Project

Contemporary Christian band 33 Miles has ...

Transgender Miss Universe Contestant Jenna Talackova Fails to Win Crown

Jenna Talackova, who made headlines as the first ...

Third Day Joins Free2Rock Campaign to End Slavery

Grammy and Dove award-winning rock band Third Day ...

Life Sentences for 'Blasphemy' in Pakistan Overturned

A court acquitted a Christian couple of ...

Islamic Terrorist Bases Raided in Nigerian Cities of Jos, Kano

The Nigerian military's discovery here of a ...

Vegetarian Shark Thought to Be World's First

A shark at a zoo in England has developed a new ...

Aishwarya Rai Weight Criticism Sparks Outrage

Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ...

'Imagine No Religion' Canadian Atheist Convention Sells Out

A Canadian atheist conference with speakers from ...

Tech & Biz

Tebow

'Tebowing' Will Be Featured in Madden 2013

By Vincent Funaro

Madden 2013 just got that much more true to life as the new game is set to include "Tebowing," the famous prayer stance of New York Jet, Tim Tebow.

Three major publications have all weighed in on the display for the next-generation iPhone, including the Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Bloomberg.

Samsung is reportedly blocking owners of other smartphones that are not the Galaxy S3 from using the S-Voice feature, according to 9to5 Google.

Motorola has finally revealed a more specific timeframe for when it will begin rolling out its Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade for its wildly popular Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx smartphones.

Egypt Election: Persecution Against Christians May Worsen, Says Watchdog

By Alex Murashko

Whether or not Christians will have a voice in the political landscape of Egypt is at stake during the presidential election taking place in the country Wednesday and Thursday. In addition, persecution against Christians may worsen depending on the outcome, said Open Doors USA president Carl Moeller.

THEOLOGY

Does Being Totally Depraved Mean We're Always Sinning No Matter What?

By John Piper

John Piper

When you become a Christian the depravity and the disinclination to do what is right, and to delight in what is holy and pure and good, and to be satisfied in God is not conquered perfectly.

U.S.

Christian Mother's Video About Special Needs Son Nears 10M Hits

By Lillian Kwon

lacey buchanan

A young mother's video testimony of her special needs son and her decision not to abort him has garnered over 8 million views on GodVine and 1.4 million hits on YouTube.

OPINION

As a Chaplain, Must I Always Publicly Pray in Jesus' Name?

By Russell D. Moore

Gordon Klingenschmitt

If you are asked to pray, you can only pray as a Christian. In so doing, you are actually, ironically enough, protecting the rights of other religions and their chaplains. I frankly don't want a Muslim chaplain forced by the government to pray like a Episcopalian.

ENTERTAINMENT

Mindless Entertainment at the Movies

By Eric Metaxas

avengers

Is there anything wrong with a little mindless entertainment? Well, maybe not, but too many of us are engaging in a lot more than just a little of it.

COLUMN

Gay Marriage and Martin Luther King's Dream

By Dan Delzell

Supporters of gay marriage hold placards before hearing the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage in front of the court building in Trenton, N.J., Oct. 25, 2006.

When President Obama spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedication last year, he urged the nation to continue to press for the goals and hopes of the "black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams" and helped make the nation "more perfect." By announcing his support for same-sex marriage last week, President Obama is sincerely convinced that now he is helping to make the nation even more perfect.

COUNSELING CORNER

Love and Dating: How Most Singles Have Love Backwards

By June Hunt

June Hunt

Last year, one of the world's largest online dating sites released results of a survey they took of 5,200 singles. Said to be the most comprehensive poll of its type ever taken, the survey of 21- to 65-year-olds (and older) reported that 72 percent of singles would live with someone in the future without marrying.

COLUMN

Relentlessly Relational

By Greg Stier

Greg Stier

We should long to see everyone in our circle of influence (and outside of it for that matter) receive the forgiveness, life and hope of Jesus.

OPINIONS

Would Jesus Approve of Same-Sex Marriage?

By Jerry Newcombe

jesus painting by da vinci

It was one thing for President Obama to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage. But it was quite another to say that it's Jesus who causes him to embrace this position. Today people sometimes say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality.

LIVING

8 Things to Keep in Mind in Regards to Conflict at Work/Church

By Perry Noble

Perry Noble

Email DOES NOT WORK! It often drags out the conflict way longer that it should be. It can easily be misinterpreted, thus causing new conflicts.

U.S.

Should Tithing Count as 'Charitable Giving?'

By Nicola Menzie

tithe

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was recently criticized for counting money given to his Mormon church and affiliated charities as charitable giving. The issue has sparked the question is it "charitable giving" when the faithful donate or tithe to their churches if it is not directly aiding the poor or doing similar work?

MISSIONS

North American Mission from Judsons to Global Christianity

By Todd M. Johnson

Burmese refugee

It might be tempting, on this 200th commissioning anniversary of the first ordained American foreign missionaries, to directly attribute the current status of global Christianity to their courageous obedience to the Great Commission. Even limiting the scope of their influence to Burma, the commendable work of these missionaries would produce a very incomplete explanation for the growth of Christianity around the world from 1812 to 2012.

Why Every Christian Is a Disciple

By Dan Delzell

Indonesian Christians and international guests pray at the 80,000-seat Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, during the 2012 World Prayer Assembly, one of the largest evangelical events, on May 17,2012.

There is plenty of talk these days about which term or terms to use when defining those who belong to Christ. I know it can be tempting to want to define "disciple" differently than you define "Christian."

THEOLOGY

Can People Who Have Never Heard of Jesus Be Saved?

By Lillian Kwon

cross

Pastors confronted with questions and some dissent over the idea that no one can be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ are reaffirming what they assert is a hard yet clear truth.

OPINION

Ghoulish 'Art:' The Body Worlds Exhibit

By Eric Metaxas

body worlds

Why should we care about how human corpses are treated? Your answer depends on your worldview.

THEOLOGY

What the Bible Really Still Says About Homosexuality

By Kevin DeYoung

bible

It is simply not true that Paul, or Jesus for that matter, never considered homosexuality an ethical matter. Paul thought the prohibition against homosexuality in the Old Testament was still relevant and the sin was still serious.

COLUMN

The Christian's Ultimate Graduation

By Lane Palmer

Students attend a 2009 graduation ceremony at Notre Dame.

I remember watching each of my friends as they crossed the stage to receive their diploma and being smacked with the reality that I had blown chance after chance after chance to share the love of Christ and the gospel of salvation with them.

OPINION

Playing the Stooge: Georgetown and Kathleen Sebelius

By Eric Metaxas

Georgetown University

How has the nation's oldest Catholic University responded to the HHS mandate? I almost don't want to tell you.

DANGEROUS CALLING

Ministry: Kingdom of Self or Kingdom of God?

By Paul Tripp

Paul tripp

It took God employing pastoral hardship for me to embrace the inescapable reality that everything I did in ministry was done in allegiance to, and in pursuit of, either the kingdom of self or the kingdom of God. This truth is best exegeted for us in Matthew 6:19-34. I'm convinced that this passage is an elaborate unpacking of the thoughts, desires, and actions of the kingdom of self.

EVENTS

Chuck Colson Honored as 'Champion' of Christian Faith at Memorial Service

By Katherine T. Phan

Patty Colson, Chuck Colson Memorial

The impact that evangelical leader and Prison Fellowship Ministries founder Charles W. "Chuck" Colson left on the lives of his family, friends and the Christian world was celebrated during a public memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday.

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