Civil Religious Discussions : all things Christianity II

[HoughMade]

Indeed. There is good in it. However, stating that it is a major factor in attraction is BS pure and simple.

Also, the church has pushed the "servant-leader" narrative so hard and far for so long, that they overextended it to make it a "sacrifice everything for the women." They turned women into vases and demanded that men be bubble wrap.

I don't disagree. Being a Southern Baptist, I frequently hear the old saying: "If momma ain't happy, nobody's happy"....ha, ha, ha....heresy.

 

[2A_Tom]

I believe in "servant-leadership"...but I think there is a misunderstanding of what it is.

Way back when, I had senior enlisted leaders and some officers I greatly respected. The served the men (well, we were infantry) by leading them well and with strength. Being a "servant-leader" in my mind isn't about doing what you are told for someone. It's about doing what is best for them. This requires strength.

Another analogy- I serve my clients as an attorney. Frequently this means I am giving them instructions they don't want to hear. Yet, I am serving them.

I am a servant-leader to my kids when I demand hard work...and often work along side them to complete a task.

I think sacrificing oneself for one's wife (Eph. 5:25-29) is a picture of servant-leadership, but not subservient or servile. There is no such thing as "servile-leadership".

This is good I will add a command,

Ephesians 5:21 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

and an example...

Numbers 12:3 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Years ago my pastor (who was a MAN, and our church was families led by Men, still is BTW) taught that meekness is best explained as an Iron Fist in a velvet glove.

 

[JettaKnight]

Every time a family splits in the church, the assumption is that the man is to blame. Every. Single. Time. Either: 1) he did commit an egregious sin and did the leaving (in which he is to blame) or 2) he didn't run his household the way he should have and is to blame. It is never the wife's fault, even if she is completely at fault. They will hang him on the smallest of sins ("He should have prayed every day with his family") before they blame the wife. It tells every man there that they have to be perfect and that they can't be perfect. Schrodinger's church.

I guess our church is a bit different - I certainly can point to a couple of women that have been cut out because of their sins in a marriage. No one was blaming the man for the divorce...

 

[tbhausen]

My 2020 Election Day Prayer:

[FONT=&amp]Heavenly Father, we are about to make decisions which will profoundly affect the remainder of our lives and our strength and prosperity as a nation. We need you more than ever, Lord, in the days to come. Please grant us the moral clarity, strength, and wisdom to make good and informed decisions.
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[FONT=&amp]I'm fearful, Lord, that we are on the verge of a grave error, that we are about to go down a path that further rejects You and the sanctity of all life. I'm fearful that the coming contest will not be decided fairly, that dark forces have aligned to influence us, and that evil and corruption are poised to be unleashed upon us. We've witnessed social and news media's efforts to influence our choice of leaders--they must not succeed.
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[FONT=&amp]You were here at our nation's beginning, where I believe You guided our Founders and strengthened and defended our Colonists in battle. Their cause of religious liberty and preservation of their way of life was just, as our cause is just today. Please guide and strengthen us. Defend us against renewed tyranny, against destruction of all the we hold so dear as enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Heal the sick in this pandemic. Keep our medical professionals safe and grant our researchers the steadfastness and ingenuity to bring a safe and effective vaccine quickly, or simply strike down the virus; render it harmless. We want and desperately need our way of life back; enough suffering, enough living in fear and anxiety, enough loss of livelihood, enough depression, addiction, suicide... Enough.
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[FONT=&amp]Above all, even if the darkest of times should come to pass, help us to know You and remember that You are "Above All", that your divine and loving plan for us is one of Faith in you, Hope in the resurrection of your Son, and Charity to our fellow man. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
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[JettaKnight]

This thread was sinking too far down the list.

I found a new resource for religious news: https://juicyecumenism.com/

 

[breakingcontact]

Hey y'all going to try to join back into this running thread. I'll listen in for a bit before speaking up! Looks like good conversation going on.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Pre-millennial, Post-millennial, A-millennial.

Thoughts?

 

[2A_Tom]

Do millennials really care?

 

[ChristianPatriot]

I’m a millennial and I care. Does that count?

 

[2A_Tom]

Each and every individual since Adam counts.

 

[T.Lex]

GenX practicing Catholic.

Because it takes alot of practice to be any good at it.

 

[JettaKnight]

Pre-millennial, Post-millennial, A-millennial.

Thoughts?

I'm post-millennial, but mostly due to influence, if I'm honest, since that's how I've been taught.


Amillennial has a lot of strong points going for it, IMHO.


Post-millennial was pretty popular at the beginning of the 20th century - everything seemed bright and cheery, but then wars kept a comin', so that pretty much has been proven wrong.



Really, it shouldn't matter that much in terms of how I live my life. I've seen a lot of millennial watchers who act more like numerologist and astrologers - they live their lives looking for signs, and the result is they focus on that, and not on the Gospel. Those are probably the same folks that will break Christian fellowship with you if your amillennial - which is really sad, and a bit Pharisaical.

 

[JettaKnight]

Do millennials really care?

Probably as much as any other generation. I'd guess it was more popular in the 80's and 90's when it started to hit Christian pop culture media (e.g. Left Behind).

Take a poll in gospel centered churches and I think you'll find that the number of people that can describe those three eschatological positions to be in the low teens.




And, for the most part, I guess I'm fine with that. But they sure better be able to explain the hypostatic union.

 

[T.Lex]

If we accept that we don't really know the time of His coming, then the attempts to look for signs are... understandable, but not necessarily important.

 

[breakingcontact]

This thread was sinking too far down the list.

I found a new resource for religious news: https://juicyecumenism.com/

Yeah, when I last visited, y'all were way more active here. What happened?

Pre-millennial, Post-millennial, A-millennial.

Thoughts?

Huge topic. Which is your preferred eschatology?

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Huge topic. Which is your preferred eschatology?

No idea. My denomination (Independent Baptist) is traditionally Pre-Millennial so that’s all I’ve ever been taught. Pre-tribulation rapture of the church, literal thousand year reign, etc.

I haven’t studied it thoroughly enough on my own to have a truly personal conviction.

 

[JettaKnight]

Yeah, when I last visited, y'all were way more active here. What happened?

Ebbs and flows.


Our resident Orthodox and others are busy arguing over election results and COVID.



My preferred eschatology would be pre-trib (i.e. I get the heck off Earth before SHTF), but I don't necessarily believe that.



I'll argue that when and how isn't as important as if. I.e. if you're a "Christian" that doubts a second coming, then you and I need to sit down and talk. Or, if you think Christ already came back in South America, then we really need to talk.

 

[breakingcontact]

No idea. My denomination (Independent Baptist) is traditionally Pre-Millennial so that’s all I’ve ever been taught. Pre-tribulation rapture of the church, literal thousand year reign, etc.

I haven’t studied it thoroughly enough on my own to have a truly personal conviction.

That's OK to admit you don't have a firm position.

The historical reality of Baptists may surprise you too. Historically, most Baptists were Calvinists not Arminian. Historically, views have changed on eschatology as well.

 

[JettaKnight]

That's OK to admit you don't have a firm position.

The historical reality of Baptists may surprise you too. Historically, most Baptists were Calvinists not Arminian. Historically, views have changed on eschatology as well.

Some of us still are.




Time for a Baptist joke!



A journalist goes to Alaska to meet a man that has lived alone for twenty years. When he arrives in the remote location, he's amazed at the miniature town.
"Did you do all this yourself?!"
"Oh yeah - here's my house, over there is the general store where I keep my food, then there's the tailor where I have a sewing machine, a library for my books, and this here is my church."
"Wow! What's that building there?"
"That? Oh, that's the church I used to go to."

 

[T.Lex]

I heard a variation of that about Orthodox (from an Orthodox priest on a flight from Chicago).

Deserted island, Orthodox guy marooned there, when they found him there were 2 churches made from palm leaves. When they asked him why he built 2 Orthodox churches, he said, "That's the one I go to and that's the one I don't go to."