“Hell” and “Gospel” never even appear in textual proximity in bible. You don’t suppose we’re tacking on a little something extra here or there?”

I imagine the souls in Hell right now are SO RELIEVED to know that “Hell” and “Gospel” never appear in textual proximity in the Bible.

Doesn’t it seem to any of us iMonkies that the gospel Kirk and John are talking about almost entirely centers on getting “rescued from hell?”

Somehow St Paul managed to preach all that gospel (and expound its meaning–he uses the word 65 out of 95 times in the NT) without ever so much as mentioning hell.

“Hell” and “Gospel” never even appear in textual proximity in bible. You don’t suppose we’re tacking on a little something extra here or there?

I figure what Jesus and the apostles DID say about hell is sufficient. We don’t need to spin meta-doctrines out of “therefore, therefore, therefore’s”

Here is a final thought. I’m Pentecostal. I love God. I want to live a Holy life. I love people. That’s why I surrendered to the call of ministry. But now I must admit I am disillusioned. I just want to be around people who are real. I hate it, but I wonder about every minister I see. It’s almost as if I live in an atmosphere of ministerial distrust.

I hear ya. Not that I recommend this necessarily, but similar disillusionment led me to take about a year off from ministry (and church, for that matter). In fact, I’m just starting up again and it’s really scary. Fortunately, the folks I’m working with are “real.” And not coincidentally, they were similarly disillusioned.

Well, Kirk Cameron has show before dat he is not da sharpest tool in da shed…

I take it, that when you say ‘within two generations … will be a house deserted of half its current occupants’ you mean cultural generations and not familial generations otherwise your use of the word ‘current’ has some humor attached to it. So, in summary, you are reflecting the change from baby boomers to Gen X, and then Gen Y – and the associated attributes of these cultural generations. If that’s the case, then totally agree – with your suggested outcomes.

In general, your language (semantics) is very different to mine, as I’m not ‘educated’ in USA ’speak’, for example, I could not understand your discussions in your essay on ‘When I am Weak … ‘, mainly because, we use the word ‘good’ in different ways. Likewise, your piece on, ‘Our problem with Grace’, and your post on ‘The face of the Gracious God’, let me, puzzled – mainly due to your treatment of Christina – she raised an extremely important point albeit, in a short-hand way, but you dealt with it – in a really, strange way. My only thought at the time was – only, if you understand Matthew 5:3-9, can you understand grace, and those who can – talk/blog/respond to others, will show, by the humility of their speech – that they can.

In conclusion, the changes that are coming to the evangelical movement in USA (I use the terminology as outlined in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelicalism) – are for the better, just as one generation died out in crossing a desert, so too – there are promises of a better, more faithful remanent.

PS In Australia (where I live), the situation is not exactly the same as USA, for example, in the local government run elementary school (5-12 year olds), the majority of kids go to a scripture lesson once a week – the lessons are soundly Bible based. Perhaps, in my local area, 90% plus of the total number of final year students accepted a Bible (+ a DVD, full of testimonies given by young people), at the final Scripture lesson, before they left for senior school. There is also Scripture teaching available in senior government schools. (Obviously, in those areas with a high Muslim population this is not the case, in terms of percentages.)

Now to my question. With all that goes on there, why are they not ever exposed? Why isn’t the senate investigating them? Why don’t evangelical leaders in the Spirit Filled corridors of Christianity stand up and say something?

Well, I might have the answer to the last question. A ministry acquaintance of mine who pastors a mega church recently turned down a ministry date that Rod Parsley asked for with his church. His reason; Rod is on TBN.

Rod quickly got in his personal jet, flew to Tennessee and explained himself. This was his excuse. “When I am on TBN, I get tens of thousands of clicks on my website.” Which in turn leads to tens of thousands of ministry revenue.

Here is a final thought. I’m Pentecostal. I love God. I want to live a Holy life. I love people. That’s why I surrendered to the call of ministry. But now I must admit I am disillusioned. I just want to be around people who are real. I hate it, but I wonder about every minister I see. It’s almost as if I live in an atmosphere of ministerial distrust.

I guess it’s either live like this, or get a hair piece. LOL

I love the White Horse Inn, I’m going through Horton’s new book Christless Christianity. But at some point I’m sort of tired of the blogosphere, speakers, preachers, and everyone else showing me how well they know that Osteen is wrong in all the different clever illustrations.

Of course, if very few spoke up then it would be a problem.

Video 1: John Macarthur?!?!?

Video 2: John Macarthur.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi