prisonchaplain

There is no official Evangelical view on this, though the end times movies I've seen tend to show ancient biblical prophets resurrected to fulfill this role. One of the more interesting takes on the 144,000 was that they were Jews with special power to call out an individual's sins and ask them to repent. The sins were accurate--revealed by the Holy Spirit--but most just got angry and stormed away. Seemed pretty accurate to me.

Actually, based upon the teachings of both of our churches, this is proof that God is. 😉

It's so sad to me that so many adults--especially men--and too often ministers--fall prey to sexual temptation. My own fellowship had a terrible season in the late 1980s with the two Jimmies. More recently, Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias had terrible revelations about him immediately following his death. It's terrible when adults abuse adults--even worse when they abuse children. I really have nothing to add. It's all so sad. I believe redemption is possible--even from these crimes. It's why I do what I do. Nevertheless, this stuff is so heart wrenching. 😢

The facts seem to favor Israel in the current conflict. "The other side started it," would usually work when explaining to the yard duty at the elementary school playground why fighting took place--if it could be proven. In this case, the Palestinians admit to starting the conflict. Those taking their side claim that the hostilities were decades in coming but admit that their side threw the first punch in the current conflict. Evangelicals favor Israel for another reason. Many of us see Israel and modern Jews as pivotal to end-times prophesy. We believe God will bring a revival at the end of time and that many/most Jews will come to accept Jesus as their Messiah. We continue to believe that the Jews are God's special people. We reject "replacement theology," which suggests that the Christian church has inherited God's promises to Abraham and the Jewish people. So, while some criticism of the Israeli government may come from our corner, for the most part we are inclined to favor Israel in these conflicts. Further, every time hostilities break out, we renew our passion for the Lord's return. Are their similar feelings among the saints or are beliefs about the end times quite different?

Some of us chose the former president because we hoped he'd pick SCOTUS judges to make correct yet stunning, courageous decisions. So, I'd argue that Republicans--some anyway--had a hand in bringing this decision about.

This would have been a wild-eyed "never could happen here" example, what a month ago? Now? 🤷‍♂️

I'm torn on this one. It's true that many Democrats--and yes, many independents--are pro-abortion. However, many social conservatives engage in politics primarily to slow down or stop abortion. They generally think politics are dirty, but are willing to fight to save the lives of the unborn. Many other Republicans see this issue as a loser and just want it to go away. I enjoy the Wall Street Journal, but this newspaper is an example. It's not exactly prochoice, but it sees the issue as a loser for conservatives. I partially agree that it's a tough issue to sell. On the other hand, if I have to die on a hill saving baby's lives is worth fighting and even losing for.

Angels on Assignment was popular in the late 1970s. In the 2010s there was a locally published book called Heaven is So Real. A local Korean American lady, who had married an American soldier, had angelic visitations that she wrote about. My sense is that her experiences were authentic, though I agree that I would not have formed new doctrinal beliefs by reading the book. There was a book written over 120 years ago that forever caused me to be cautious about such writings. In it the person described seeing heaven. What she wrote seemed so right and so faith-affirming. Towards the end she said that God had the races living separately in heaven because He knew we would be more comfortable. That ruined it for me. I realized that what she wrote was her opinion baptized in the language of one who had angelic visitations. Can accounts of people having visions of heaven (or encounters with angels) be real? Of course. BUT, we read them to affirm scripture truths. We do not bestow on such writers/speakers a prophetic mantle. At least not without God clearly affirming such. Usually, those who write these accounts do not claim to be prophets, or even teachers. The authentic ones usually just had a great experience with God that they want to share.

The headline is half right. Republicans tend to overrate themselves. Further, the former U.S. president grossly overrates himself. On the other hand, conservatism is underrated. Perhaps the former president's greatest intellectual flaw is just how much he underrates conservatism.

To be clear, I was suggesting that the devil is behind the shift, not Angel Studios. Further, I would argue that standard time is God's answer to the devil's innovation--daylight time. 😁

If I am not mistaken, at least according to the trailer, Satan is behind it.

If I am not mistaken, Angel Studios is the producer. So, while it may not be an LDS film, it should be neutral to positive for church members. I'm more interested in seeing the upcoming movie, The Shift.

Gen Z to Boomer: I have some concerns about the church. Boomer to Gen Z: Really? Let me tell you some French/Spanish jokes. That's all you have to say? I think this thread has

I tried to understand. I read and reread, but I'm so lost. Can someone help me understand? Perhaps if you do as the following suggests:

I was told that a used Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is $44K. I paid $13K for my non-hybrid and felt like I was being an earth-friendly super hero.

I thought I was saving the earth by switching from my Chevy Impala to a 2013 Rav4 (16 -> 25 MPG). 😉

Funny...different story, but funny. Of course, that miracle wine was literally glorified grape juice. Unfertilized wine had about a 4% alcohol content after typical dilution--about 1/3rd of today's variety. 😉

Still...the context of the story is that the 12 baskets of leftovers was a miracle not a commentary on the over-simplicity of the meal. 😉

I was responding to the text she quoted--the Original Post. @zil2 is correct.

Witch hunts are always destructive. Buzz words can be just as damaging. For example, when I taught 7th graders history last year we touched on the poor treatment of enslaved Africans. We also covered the forced treaties Native Americans had to sign--which were then broken by U.S. and state governments. Was I guilty of teaching CRT. Of course not, but THAT is how witch hunts sometimes go. Being aware of actual injustice is labeled as woke. Citing a legitimate case of racial bias or injustice is labeled CRT. Citing anything left of Glen Beck makes one a bleeding heart Democrat (or Communist). :::Sigh::: Cancel culture is terrible--unless we're doing it--in the name of our faith, of course.

Thank you. Contention is worse than worthless. However, young people do want authenticity. Sometimes the arguments are about preserving what is true. The difficulty is discerning what is central and what is dross. I believe Jesus struggled leaders who had the same difficulties.

I still remember when the Reagan administration (which I still love) claimed that ketchup was a vegetable. At the time I fancied myself a strong conservative and tried to defend providing minimal school lunches. As I've aged I've moderated. Sadly, for some kids their best meals are the ones schools provide. They should be filling and yummy. I suspect that a strong school lunch program would do more to prevent crime and violence than a boatload of gun restrictions. Oh...and I suspect Jesus would favor generous school lunches. 😉

I live in the anti-Bible belt (Pacific Northwest) --an area where 67% have no religious preference. It's been like this at least since my childhood (1960s-80s). Nationwide 70% still claim to be Christian. Of course, that's not true--but it's a lot higher than what we feel. There's is much to frustrate us. However, when the Spirit of God moves it's amazing how many respond. I believe Christianity's best days are yet to come. I'm expecting revival prior to Christ's return. If I'm wrong, come Lord Jesus, come. The harvest really is ripe. I suspect we are much like the prophet's servant. He could only see the approaching enemies. He could not see that angels surrounded and protected him. Likewise, the prophet who told God he was the only faithful one left. God said, no there were still thousands of faithful. We can't give up. We can't give in. We must dig in.

Churches sometimes have problems--aspects that outsiders criticize and aspects that older teenagers and young adults find more difficult to accept than past generations did. Examples: 1. Politics are too conservative: Both of our churches lean right. The last U.S. president was particularly difficult for some to stomach. My short answer is that how members vote, despite their insistence to the contrary, is more a mark of their politics than it is a religious distinctive. The #1 reason many in my fellowship vote conservative is that they are prolife. Members will sometimes say, "I don't know how a true Christian could vote for a proabortion politician." They can say that, but there is no political litmus test in church. 2. Church doesn't do enough for the environment. My church might be especially guilty on this because we believe Jesus will return at any time. So, some members disregard environmentalism. Nevertheless, "creation care," is something Christians of many stripes embrace. We may not be the most earth friendly, but taking care of what God made is scriptural. 3. Sexual holiness codes are hypocritical and especially hurtful to LGBT. First, they are not hypocritical. Adultery, fornication, and porn viewing are all sinful. We don't talk as much about this because very few Christians are advocating porn viewing, fornication or adultery. They know it is sinful even if it happens a lot. We love LGBT folks, just as we love those who fornicate, commit adultery, or view porn. Nevertheless, if there is sin the call is to repentance--not affirmation. 4. History: The two biggest TV evangelist scandals of the 1980s were of Assemblies of God ministers--Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. What most don't know is that both men were defrocked. We don't speak ill of them. What they do is now between them and God. As a result, some believe that they faced no accountability. They did. Rather than submit to our restoration process they gave up their ministers' credentials. 5. Overemphasis on doctrinal distinctives. Usually this has to do with our belief that speaking in tongues is the initial, physical evidence that one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is our teaching, and the belief can be explained biblically. However, we're quick to add that when people convert to Christianity they immediately walk with the Holy Spirit, and many will enter the kingdom who have not and will not speak in tongues. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faces many of these broad issues. Some can be answered fairly quickly. Nevertheless, there seems to be lingering struggles. What we grapple with is different, but there are some similarities. Call this a commiseration string.

My suggestion was that sometimes it's not our age that makes us liberal/moderate/conservative so much as the age of the person who labels us. I've problably gone from conservative/fundamentalists to moderate/conservative over the decades. However, the younger a person is the more likely they are to pigeon-hole me as a rabid, right-wing extremist. Most religious leaders care more about people than politics or ideological purity. However, even trying to keep people in the pews can be a futile effort. We had those who insisted on masking and those who opposed masks during COVID. Our approach was to obey the law but to treat people like adults. Some of the mask-insisters left and more of the mask opponents left. Some said we didn't care about the health of our community and others said that we compromised with the Antichrist. All we can do is keep focused on the Good News and trust the Holy Spirit to do the convicting and bringing in.