JOEL OSTEEN Don’t Lose Your joy #371 is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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We are made to believe that we are seeing something big and wonderful happening in the church until some scandals and internal feuds began to rock their foundations. As Christians, we must remember that Satan is hard at work trying to destroy every church foundation. We have to continuously support the church where God has directed us to go or serve, whether big or small, old or new, rich or poor.

What Is A Church?

The most popular description of the church is that of the body of Christ, of which our Lord is the Head. That Jesus Christ is the Head of the body suggests that it is our Lord who directs and guides the body, and that its unity comes from the Head of the body, who coordinates and directs each individual part.

And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.Colossians 1:18 NIV

Which Church Should We Go To?

Attending the right church could mean our salvation or our destruction. However, there is no perfect church as there is no perfect pastor and church members. Nothing on earth is perfect. Only God is. Like any other place, we can find some wonderful people and some who are not. Jesus taught us that it was common for weeds to be found growing together with the crops. So how can we decide which church we should go to?

1. Seek God's Direction.

Pray and seek God's direction. As in Proverbs 3:6, In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

2. Place of God

- Does it teach from the Bible?

- Does it teach the right doctrine?

- Does it proclaim Jesus as God and Savior?

3. Place With Good Characteristics

- Does it help to build up your spiritual life?

- Does it devote itself to biblical principles?

- Does it have good fellowship amongst its members?

4. Place Where We Can Commit and Contribute.

We should be able to commit, contribute and hold ourselves accountable to the church where God has directed us to go. A church can never rise above what it's individual members are.

Which Church Should We Go To? is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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It is hard to describe all of the feelings that I had when I saw his first piece.  I really liked that he used the scripture Psalm 139:14 and made it gently legible within the layers of fresco colors.  I thought that this was an excellent choice for my gallery.  Buying religious paintings is very rewarding.

When my painting arrived, it was on gallery wrap ¾ inch stretcher frames and was ready to hang.  My patrons came to a private preview of the piece and were so happy with my success at buying religious paintings.  The piece was actually five original canvases, each 15" X 30" with black painted gallery wrap edges so that no frames were needed.

The title of the piece was long, but appropriate.  The title was "I will praise thee for I am fearfully made marvelous are Thy works and that my soul knoweth right well".  One of my patrons wanted to buy it and hang it in his home.  I had to convince him to let me show it for four months before he did that.  It is hard work finding and buying suitable religious paintings.

In all the time that I've spent looking at and buying religious paintings, I am starting to feel like an expert.  I try to find paintings in a variety of mediums to keep the gallery feeling fresh and vibrant.  My favorite religious paintings use fresh earth minerals, pigments, oil glazes and acrylic varnish.

I actually have no preference if an artist signs his canvas or not.  Most of my patrons, however, want their religious paintings signed.  So, when I am buying religious paintings, I try to find ones that the artist signed.

The artist that I decided was my personal favorite uses the lost language of symbolism in his original paintings.  He told me that his religious paintings are inspired by the ancient storytelling frescoes of Pompeii, Italy.  He has a trademark style that he calls Religious Graffiti.  

I get a lot of requests for certain subjects in the religious paintings that I buy.  I have been looking for religious paintings of Mary and Jesus and also painting of Mary and Angel Gabriel.  I have several families that have wanted these classic images in their homes.  I have another family that wants me to find an oil Madonna with Child to hang in her church.

There was one religious painting that I bought that was very sweet.  The image of Our Lady, Jesus and St. Giovannino was very provocative and it hung prominently in the gallery for six months before I let it go.  I get attached to the religious paintings that I buy and then get to view every day.  I have a policy that no painting will leave the walls of the gallery for four months.

My new favorite piece is an abstract triptych that I found while I was in Atlanta buying religious paintings.  The piece was called Guardian Angel and I love it.  My patrons fell in love with it as well.  They have asked me to track down the artist and see if he has anymore religious paintings available.

The only religious paintings that I actually do not buy are ones that reflect the image of Jesus on the cross.  I don't have a problem with them, some of them are extremely well done and would more than likely sell well, but my investors made it very clear when they financed the gallery that I would not put that image into it.

Religious Paintings For My Gallery is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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• Fish White Religious Theme Cap

Product Description
Spread the Christianity to the world with this Religious Theme Cap. Made from 100% cotton, this cap features soft brushed 6 paneled structured crown measuring 3-1/2 inches deep with ventilation holes on each panel. Also this cap has 2-3/4 inches long, flat bill with embroidery of a silver Christian fish symbol at corner of the bill. Designed to fit almost any head, this hat also has an adjustable strap in the back, just in case you need a little extra room, and pe... More >>

Religious Theme Cap-Fish White W31S64F

Religious Theme Cap-Fish White W31S64F is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Cease Fire Columbus Kicks Off This Weekend is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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• This item says "Faith makes all things possible, love makes all things easy, hope makes all things work"
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FAITH MAKES ALL THINGS POSSIBLE, LOVE MAKES ALL THINGS EASY, HOPE MAKES ALL THINGS WORK Vinyl wall quotes religious sayings scriptures home art decor decal is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Sai Naath Tere Hazaaron Haath (Tuhi Faqir) is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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This visa is applicable to alien religious workers who work for religious groups or communities having bona fide nonprofit, religious organizations in USA. This includes ministers, liturgical workers, religious instructors or cantors, catechists, missionaries, religious translators, or religious broadcasters who come to work for these religious groups in the United States temporarily. The term ‘alien’ includes the spouse or child of the alien religious worker who travel alongside with him/her.

The Department of State has made an amendment in the visa requirements of these immigrant religious workers according to which those who apply for an R-1 religious worker visa should first obtain an approved petition Form I-129 of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from the Department of Homeland Security. (The Form I-129 is a petition filed by the employer for the alien religious worker who has come to perform labor or services in the United States temporarily in order to obtain a nonimmigrant religious worker status for him.)

USCIS has changed the petition requirement so that the bona fides of the petitioning religious organization can be determined. It also helps determine that a religious worker will be admitted to the U.S. to work for a specific religious organization at the request of that religious organization. The consular officers are given the responsibility of ensuring that the applicant for the R-1 religious worker visa has obtained the approved petition Form I-129 from US Citizenship and Immigration Services before issuing the visa.

DOS publishes final rule on amended requirements for religious workers is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Description
Heavenly bells are ringing, jubilant choirs are singing and Christmas joy is blanketing the world like freshly fallen snow. But the Yuletide spirit has yet to warm Bishop Henry Brougham's Victorian home. Struggling to raise funds for a new cathedral, the preoccupied young clergyman has neglected his loving wife Julia, and now only divine intervention can save their marriage! But the powerful and handsome angel sent from above has a mind of his own and teaching mortal Henry ... More >>

The Bishop's Wife

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Religious exemption criticized is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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NOFX – The Decline #2 High Quality Full Version is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Though the beauty of a lacquered hardwood chair is undeniable, modern times require that church congregations be flexible and economical as they outfit their spaces. Nowadays, a church space is constantly evolving. It houses musicals, theater performances, and meetings as well as worship. Because of this, a quality church chair should be lightweight, store easily, and hold up to consistent use.

Movable church chairs come in one of two main categories: stacking or folding. Wooden stacking chairs are more attractive, but are generally quite a bit more expensive. They usually cost $100 or more. Metal, upholstered stacking chairs are more affordable, commonly selling for $25-$50.

Price

The most affordable option for churches is the metal folding chair, which typically costs $15-20. Metal chairs are less costly than wood, and they're also much lighter. A quality metal chair is built with 16-gauge steel and finished with plating or epoxy to keep rust at bay. It's important to consider the strength of a chair's frame. Stacking chairs puts them under a lot of pressure, and a weak chair will start to break or bend out of shape.

Comfort

But cost and durability aren't the only important concerns. What about comfort? We all have stories about the agony induced by hours spent in terribly uncomfortable church pews or chairs. Advances in chair design have made it possible worship in comfort. Wider chairs, for instance, tend to be much more comfortable. Generally, 20- or 21-inch wide chairs are far more accommodating than 18-inch chairs. The pitch of a chair back is another important consideration. Different pitches help people in locations throughout the sanctuary feel comfortable. Special chairs built for choir or orchestra members are also available.

Style

Church chairs are available in a wide array of colors and fabrics. Manufacturers take custom orders, and will even match upholstery to the color of your church. Chair upholstery comes in varying levels of quality depending on the price. It's important to be thrifty when choosing your chairs, but remember that cheap fabric will wear out much faster than higher-end fabric.

Options

Today's best church chairs come with several possible add-ons. Ganging devices, book racks, and armrests are all available. Ganging chairs have special brackets on either side that allow them to hook together and form rows, which can be very convenient when you are setting up for weddings or other events.

Truth is, buying church chairs is no longer a straight-forward process. There are simply too many choices! It might seem daunting or confusing at first, but remember to stick to your budget and your principles, and you'll be able to get the perfect chair to meet your church's needs.

More Than Pews: Your Church Chair Options is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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But if there is one category of jewelry that makes the loudest statement about a person’s believes, then it is only designer religious sterling silver jewellery. Almost every religion in the world requires its devotees to wear a piece of jewelry that symbolizes his devotion towards his God. The symbols and reasons to wear sterling silver religious jewelry are vary from religion to religion, but thought behind them stays the same. Religious jewelry is worn to spread the word of God among people.

In earlier days, religious silver jewelry was worn only by highly religious or older people. But these days, many young and fashionable men and women like to wear them. The main reason behind this is the availability of aesthetically pleasing and stylish sterling silver religious jewelry in the market. Today, they have their own enviable position in the jewelry market. People love the combination of divinity and elegance.

Silver sterling religious jewelry made of perfectly chosen stones and metals is a great way to flaunt one’s sense of spirituality. Designer religious men silver jewelry can also be a great gift item. It can be given to anyone regardless of their sex or age. These beautiful pieces make a great present for grandparents and parents, especially during religious holidays.

Religious symbols of almost every community are readily available. From Jesus Christ’s Crucifix to David’s star, from Hindu God Ganesha to Muslim star and moon, every religious symbol can be found in a variety of styles and designs. You can buy women silver jewelry like bracelets, earrings, pendants, and necklaces etc. in silver metals.

Religious designer jewelry can be found in various price ranges. Their cost depends on the quality of the material used to create them. You can get a religious symbol in a wide range of metal like Stainless Steel, Gold and Silver sterling, Titanium etc. You can also get them encrusted with precious and semi-precious stones. Hollywood stars have made the jewel encrusted Crucifix and other religious symbols extremely popular and they are the primary reason of religious silver jewelry coming into vogue.

But fashion and style is not the only reason to wear religious designer jewelry. Most people wear religious symbol because it makes them feel near to God. It gives them the strength that God is with them wherever they go. Even though, some people even misuse these symbols and display their religion as a tool to propagate their faith. But that’s not what religious designer jewelry stands for and should never even be used in that way.

Sterling silver religious jewelry is to wear and gift a token of faith and God. It should be worn with a clean heart and good intentions. Plus, a little style never hurts anyone. Does it?

Religious Designer Jewellery: Divinity with Aesthetics is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Latest Religious Auctions is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Latest Religious Auctions is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Religious violence may be defined as violence committed in the name of religion. It is both intra-religious violence and inter-religious violence; i.e. violence within the group and violence against other groups. It must be differentiated from communal violence, apartheid, and religio-political violence, i.e. political violence in a religious garb. While communal violence and the like are more a matter of cultural differences, communal feelings, and dehumanizing theories; religious violence is exclusively related to a clash between religious beliefs, religious sentiments, and religious practices. A religious community may suddenly get infuriated at some other religious community and commit violence; however, this kind of violence should not be termed as religious unless it is committed in the name of religion alone – i.e. in recognition (true or false) of some authoritative religious basis for doing it. In this essay, we will analyze some theories that authorize religious violence and then show their unspiritual nature and irrational procedure in the assertion of faith.

EPISTEMIC BASES OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE

By "epistemic bases" is meant the grounds for believing that religious violence is right. Analytically, all sanction for religious violence is based on authority. I used the word "analytically" because the word "sanction" itself implies sanction by some authority. There is no rational principle for religious violence. There may be one for justice and retribution but not for religious violence. On the other hand, one may look to instinct or emotion as the psychological basis for violence. However, such psychological sources of violence cannot be the sources of theories sanctioning religious violence; therefore, though instinct or emotion may be reactionary sources of violence they cannot be considered to be the epistemic basis for religiously justifiable violence. In fact, no religious authority ever sanctions the unreflective obedience to the passion of emotion. The epistemic basis is, therefore, neither reason nor experience, but it is religious authority in the form of religious tradition, leader, or scripture.

Political Allegiance through Religious Allegiance

In the Roman persecution of Christians in early Church history, the authority was chiefly political. The persecution of Christians was mainly because they were suspected of working against the State. Their allegiance to the State was examined by asking them to deny Christ and sacrifice to the gods for the well-being of the king, failing which they were punished. This reveals the epistemic bias of judgment; that an individual's allegiance to any God should not be above the state or against any decree of the king.

Later, however, when Emperor Decius assumed control in 249 Christians began to be persecuted and punished for failing to show their respect and allegiance to the Roman gods through offerings to them. The assumption was that anyone who had no respect for the Roman gods could also have no respect for the government that honored these gods. Therefore, Christians who did not offer to the gods were singled out as traitors of the Empire. In modern secular politics, however, with the separation of religion from state such criteria of allegiance no longer exist. However, there is always the danger of fundamentalist tendencies gaining root to the extent that the political guarantee of religious freedom is lost.

Dharma and Violence

The concept of religion in popular Hinduism is captured in the word dharma. Dharma means duty or righteousness (or being true to what one ought to be). Dharma includes among many things the practice of truth, justice, caste-duty, and spiritual discipline. In modern times, however, dharma is often used for "religion". But many Hindus still don't see an infrastructural difference between world religions and consider the essence of religion to be dharma (observance of what is one's right). That is why, Hinduism is considered to be a pluralistic religion. Its pluralism is expressed by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita in the following words:

By whatever way men worship Me, even so do I accept them; for, in all ways, O Partha, men walk in My path (IV. 11).

Whatever form a particular devotee wishes to worship with faith – concerning that alone I make his faith unflinching. (VII. 21).

However, this liberalism is not without its restrictions; for it is soon qualified by Krishna's claims to his own exclusivity.

Even those devotees of other gods who worship (them) endowed with faith, worship Me alone, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), though in an unauthorized way (IX. 23).

Notice that Krishna calls the other ways of worship as "unauthorized" or, as one version says, "not according to ordinance." Still, those ways are acceptable to him. However, though the ways of worship may be different, such differences and relativity is not allowed in matters of dharma or personal duty; for all personal duty (primarily of caste) is by divine ordinance. Thus, when Arjuna, the archer, is saddened by the thought of having to kill his cousins in the war, Krishna shows the irrationality of all such grief by teaching him the gist of what he claims to be true dharma.  One quickly notices in the early part of the Gita the common-sense teleological ethics of Arjuna in contradiction to Krishna's view of true morality or dharma. Krishna explains to him that his grief over having to kill someone is unfounded since death is never a final event. The phenomena of slayer, slaying, and slain is not real in the ultimate sense; since the self is neither born nor does it ever die; it only changes bodies at death and rebirth as people change clothes (II. 19-23), phenomenally speaking but in its true sense it is unmanifest, birthless, and immutable. Arjuna must do his own duty (swadharma) which evidently in this case is punishing the wicked. The caste-duty (varnashrama dharma) of a kshatriya was to vanquish the foes of righteousness. The Gita never promotes religious violence in the sense of persecuting other religions; however, it does sanction violence against downright wickedness as a religious duty with a justification based on pantheism and the immortality of the soul.

The Command to Defend

The Koran declares Allah as the All Sovereign and Merciful one (Sura V. 39, 40). Therefore, he forgives those he chooses to forgive and punishes those he chooses to punish as it says: "Unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful" (Sura III. 129). In other words, since God is Sovereign Lord, He may forgive whom He will and punish whom He will. The condition for forgiveness is, however, belief. Unbelief is intolerable by God with such severity that believers (Muslims) are commanded to fight and destroy the unbelievers till they are all destroyed or converted, although they are also to be judged in the Day of Resurrection. In fact, violence in Islam originally began as a means of self-defense and as a response to the unabated religious persecution by the people of Mecca. Seeing that such persecution is only detrimental to Islam, the Koran declares: "fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah" (Sura VIII. 39). The fight against unbelievers, however, is merciless against those who do not convert. Accordingly it says,

The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom (Sura V. 33).

Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (Sura IX. 5).

The injunctions are clear: those who war against Allah are to be destroyed and those who repent are to be accepted as brethren. One knows of the many atrocities committed by kings like Aurangazeb who wanted to establish the Islamic religion. But there are also examples of those like Akbar and the Sufi saints who looked for peace and tolerance rather than snatch away from others their religious freedom. It is evident that all methods of conversion by force are only, at the most, externally efficient. They can't affect the internal soul. But while self-defence is justifiable seeing that one has also the obligation to care for his own body, yet it is wrong to inflict pain on anyone just because of his faith. Truth is never in need of violence unless it is in danger of being violently destroyed. However, truth cannot be violently destroyed because it is founded in the nature of God Himself and no one can destroy God. At the end, all things will be brought to judgment and consummation. Therefore, the Bible tells us not to take vengeance, for vengeance belongs to the Lord.

The Command to Love

The New Testament is straightly against violence, except when it is justly executed by a civil government, in accordance to the Law of God (Rom. 13: 1-5). However, religious violence is never endorsed by Christ for political purposes. It was biblically untrue for the Church in the past to unite with political leadership and punish those who it considered to be heretics. The Crusades are a dark spot on the history of Christianity. However, they lack an epistemological foundation in God's revelation through His Word. It was during the Reformation that the evil of the Church's uniting with political leadership to persecute the true Christians was observed. Luther differentiated between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God and made room for just rebellion against evil government when they violated God's Laws.

The Beatitude says: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God" (Matt. 5: 10). The contrast between Krishna and Christ is stark here. While Krishna calls those blessed that persecute others for righteousness' sake; Christ said that it is not the inflictors but the sufferers of persecution for righteousness's sake who will be rewarded. For the strength of the belief is not measured by the ability to hunt people down but by the commitment to live for it and die for it. Thus, though permitting violence in accordance to the justification of moral governments for establishing justice in society, the ultimate end of all relationships according to Christ is the Love of God. He Himself is our example who chose to suffer rather take revenge on His enemies. He doesn't take the law into His own hands until the Father permits it. For, though Christ is our Savior, He will also return as Judge of both the living and the dead.

Thus, we have seen two kinds of epistemic bases: politico-religious relationship and scriptural authority.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSION

Modern psychological research has shown that authoritative devaluation of any human through dehumanization and deindividuation can lead to severe crime in society. Contrary to the anarchists who say that man rules and is ruled best when left to himself alone with nature; psychological research has shown that by demeaning someone, treating people as anonymous or by treating them as less than humans, violent emotions and actions against them can be evoked. Propaganda through literature, billboards, advertisements, secret meetings, etc are ways in which indoctrination regarding falsehood occurs. The brute extent of it was witnessed during World War II in the Nazi concentration camps. Obviously, the Nazi tortures were not confessedly religious; however, they at least tell how dehumanization can bring a change in the character of man. Professor Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University, who has done intensive research on the psychology of evil, writes:

At the core of evil is the process of dehumanization by which certain other people or collectives of them, are depicted as less than human, as non comparable in humanity or personal dignity to those who do the labeling. Prejudice employs negative stereotypes in images or verbally abusive terms to demean and degrade the objects of its narrow view of superiority over these allegedly inferior persons. Discrimination involves the actions taken against those others based on the beliefs and emotions generated by prejudiced perspectives. ["The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo" (www.lucifereffect.com)]

Dehumanization is only possible where love for one's neighbor doesn't exist. However, while earthly philosophies are not opposed to hatred for the enemy – even torture of him, Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for them; because it is hatred that dehumanizes any individual or community and discriminates against them. Love accepts the fact of being in opposition (it doesn't suppress it) but it refuses to let such opposition transform its perspective into prejudice and hateful discrimination.

One another psychological influence is mass suggestion where deindividuation gathers high tones. Riots and majority ruling influence people to join gang of persecutors in their evil acts; in such mob-feeling, conscience is set aside. Further, propaganda and false testimonies lead to enrage people in such direction.

CHRISTIANITY AND RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE

Evidently, the Old Testament cannot always be seen as supportive of religious tolerance. For instance, the Law of Moses stipulated death penalty for idolatry and witchcraft, for breaking the Ten Commandments, and for dishonoring God (Lev. 24: 16). But this was only binding on those who were considered to be the members of the Covenant. Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament allows any persecution of other religions in the name of religion.

The Bible indicates in 1 Timothy 2: 1, 2 that if people are not able to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, then a great part of it is due to the failure of civil governments to comply with the moral government of God. The word for honesty is semnotes in the Greek and also means "dignity" and "honor". Obviously, in a state where religious violence is rampant the dignity and honor of the citizens is lost through dehumanization. Therefore, Christians are called for to pray for the government so that there may be peace and order in the state.

We also learn from the life of Jesus and the apostles that religious persecution must be avoided as far as possible. For instance, Jesus tells His disciple to leave any city which as a whole refuses Christ's message and starts persecuting the messengers (Lk. 9: 5; cp. Acts 13: 51). Jesus Himself avoided unnecessary falling into the enemy's traps (Matt. 4: 12; Lk. 4: 30). Similarly, Paul escaped once through a basket when people were in wait for him, was prevented by the disciples from getting beaten by a crazy mob, and took measures to inform the authority of a group of Jewish fanatics who had vowed to not eat till they killed him (Acts 9: 25; 19: 30; 23: 17-21). He also used his Roman citizenship as a privilege to prevent unnecessary torture, to appeal to the highest court of justice, i.e. to Caesar, and to get people understand that they cannot just by-pass laws to persecute the minority (Ac. 16: 35-40; 22: 25; 25: 11). Thus, it is obvious that the Bible desires Christians to be rational in their conduct of life, seeing that the Bible does allow the avoidance of persecution if it is possible.

But in any case the Scripture forbids vengeance (Rom. 12: 19). Trials do show the strength of the truth of one's faith in the Gospel and in the love and justice of God. The Scripture exhorts us to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5: 44). Jesus came not to punish the wicked but to save the sinners. However, man is accountable for his every word and deed at the final Day of Judgment. The believer, truly, is not frightened by anything for he walks not in agitation but in faith, hope, and love.

References

Bhagavad Gita, trans. Swami Vireswarananda (Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1974).

Booty, John E. The Church in History, New York: Seabury Press, 1979.

Frost, Jr. S.E. (ed.) The Sacred Writings of the World's Great Religions, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1972.

The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, trans. M. M. Pickthall, New Delhi: Islamic Book Service, 1992.

© Domenic Marbaniang, Published in BASILEIA, Oct. 2008

Anatomy Of Religious Violence is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Our eighth lesson in "13 Tips For Church Letter Writing
Success" will build off the letter "E" in our Church Letters
acrostic.

So far, we have looked at the following:
C - Be Clear
H - Be Hopeful
U - Be Understanding
R - Be Responsive
C - Be Consistent
H - Be Helpful

L - Be "Letter-Ready"

Today, we will take a look at:

E - Be Evangelistic
  In communicating to people, always be looking for ways to
provide the message of the Gospel of Christ in a relevant
and meaningful way. 

Jesus often told stories to illustrate a truth, so don't
hesitate to do the same within the context of a letter to further
share the greatness of God's love available to them. 

Perhaps you will want to include a tract that deals specifically
with the situation they are involved in at the moment.  Allow the
Holy Spirit to direct you to open doors, then be sure and step
through when those doors swing wide.

Of course, the greatest evangelistic tool we can use is the Word
of God, and with the ease of using Bible software to find the
most appropriate scripture, there really should be no excuse for
not placing a scripture passage of encouragement in a letter.  His
Word accomplishes MUCH more than our words!

Evangelism should be at the heart of all of our communication, and
writing letters should be no different. 

  Below is your eighth complimentary letter which you may
modify and use in your own church communications.

Death of a Loved One (Non-Churched)

(Note: Some churches send out Sympathy notes to families after
reading of the death of loved ones in the obituaries.  Letters such
as this may be used thoughtfully and prayerfully).

I wanted to take a moment to send you this note on behalf of the
congregation of First Christian Church to express our sympathy upon
hearing of the loss your loved one ____________ ____________.

Our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family during what
must be the most trying of times.

In our times of loss, we can sometimes find ourselves overwhelmed
with feelings of confusion and sorrow.  Hopelessness and despair
may well up in our hearts, and it can seem as though comfort is
beyond our reach, but as Jesus Christ tells us, “Blessed are they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)  Your
family here at Christian Life Church wants you to know that we will
continue to be here for you to provide that comfort and assistance.

Your grief is ours, and we want you to know that you are not alone.

While your grief may seem insurmountable, I am compelled to remind
you that there is no weight of the soul that our savior Jesus
Christ cannot help you bear.  He is with you and wants you to trust
in him as you cope with your sorrow.   Never forget to allow him
into your heart so that he may heal your wounds and relieve your
pain.  As Jesus says to all of us, “Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

If you already have a church family, I want to encourage you to
draw strength from those friends around you.  If you do not attend
church anywhere at this time, then feel free to give me a call at
anytime.

With the utmost sincerity,

Pastor John Doe
First Christian Church

Church Letter Writing Success Mini Course – Tip 8 of 13 is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Our twelfth lesson in "13 Tips For Church Letter Writing
Success" will build off the letter "R" in our Church Letters
acrostic.

So far, we have looked at the following:
C - Be Clear
H - Be Hopeful
U - Be Understanding
R - Be Responsive
C - Be Consistent
H - Be Helpful

L - Be "Letter-Ready"
E - Be Evangelistic
T - Be Tactful
T - Be Timely
E - Be Energetic

Today, we will take a look at:

R - Be Right
  People do not want to be viewed as  just "people", they
want to be seen and known as "individuals" and certainly do
not want to feel like a number when they are part of a church
body. 

This is a great challenge for every leader, and that is to

communicate on a personal level with those in your congregation. 

A most unpleasant scenario would be to write a letter to "John"
when the man's name is actually "Steve", or most likely you have
received letters such as: Dear (First Name). 

While most churches now utilize Mail Merge operations today and
most people know it, there is still something about receiving a
letter like this that makes it highly offensive especially within
the church body. 

Personally, I've made this mistake in writing these e-mails, and
while I recognize that most of the hundreds of people receiving
e-mails realize these are not written one by one, it still is
something that shouldn't happen!  So if it has happened to you,
thanks for your forgiveness...

One thing that I need to point out here is when you are using the
resources of churchletters.net or churchcards.net to be sure to
change some of the information that appears in each letter.  For
instance, your church name may, or may not be, "First Christian
Church" as you see in all the letters.  This is our "generic"
church name, so be SURE to edit that when sending letters.  Also,
not many of you are named Pastor John Doe, so again, be SURE to
edit the letters you send for accuracy instead of just copying and
pasting.

  Below is your twelfth complimentary letter which you may
modify and use in your own church communications.

We Miss You Letter

I write briefly to let you know that you have been missed at church
the past few weeks.

I trust all is well with you and your family, however, I wanted you
to know that when you are not able to be with us, you are missed
very much.

While life can be busy for all of us to the point it seems we have
no time to just relax for awhile, I encourage you to place your
relationship with the Lord and His family near the top of the list
of priorities.  I believe with all my heart that as we allow God to
take His rightful place, many of the other areas of life find a way
of working out as we are dependent upon His wisdom.  James 1:5
says: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to
him.

Wisdom means more than just knowledge.  It means using the
knowledge that God gives to us in a right way, at the right time,
and in the right place.  This is the kind of wisdom God grants to
us without finding fault!

My letter to you is not about finding fault, but it is simply meant
to encourage you to guard well your relationship with the Lord and
His family.

Blessings in Christ,
Rev. John Doe

Church Letter Writing Success Mini Course – Tip 12 of 13 is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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The first reason: A good portion of churches still has senior pastors over 50 years of age. As we all know technology doubles about every six months thus most of these guys just don't know what is out there. Since they did not grow up with computers and the Internet as a part of their daily life they are at a loss and a bit intimidated. How does the saying go? "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". Don't get the wrong impression; I am not trying to sound mean. I am just trying to figure out myself why so many churches have not embraced the Internet as a means to communicate with and unify their congregation. My desire with this article is to encourage pastors to make good use of what is out there. I was talking with my pastor the other day about a new website I am building the church and it's features. I started telling him about the blog section and the ability to subscribe to the RSS reader. He was clueless as to how he could use this to his advantage. I told him he could do a bible study via the blog. This blog section is great. It allows people to subscribe and receive the blogs in their email as well as make comments. Whoever subscribes to receive his bible study can now do the work and ask questions right from their home and he (my pastor) can answer and teach right out of his home. In addition I told him how RSS could help. Let me ask a question: do you have a home page you go to when you get online (yahoo, igoogle, myway, etc...) if so do you notice how you get your information via little modules that you select. Well most of these sites also let you add your RSS subscriptions. I subscribed to my churches blog RSS and added it to my igoogle page. Now when I go online to my home page, along with my news modules I see my churches blogs. See how that works. It awesome!

The second reason is cost. A new church is struggling just to keep the electricity on. Even If they wanted a website they could not afford one. They would have to wait for someone in their congregation to offer to build one for free. Church Website Design can be extremely expensive; especially because of all the features most churches need or want. They need lots of server space for audio and video so they have to buy more expensive hosting plans, they want to send out newsletters thus they need a way to allow their congregation to subscribe and the a way to send out HTML emails, they need to let everyone know when events are coming up so they need a calendar of events, etc... I wont go into all the different features but you get the idea. To communicate with their congregation they need more advanced tools then a simple HTML page.

So there are a lot of churches that could use a website and it all comes down to age; too old or too young. Older ones need someone to hold them by the hand and help them through the door while younger ones need guidance to spend what little money they have wisely. If your church does not have a website encourage them to get one.

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Step 2 - Know Your Target Audience

Perhaps this (and the points that follow) should be listed first, as they are critical to the crafting of your church ministry marketing (evangelism) plan, but it is important to impress upon you the necessity of having a well-thought-out, balanced, and written plan in the first place.

This point and those that follow are however all key points in the creation and execution of your evangelism and marketing plan.

When asked about their target audience, churches, ministries and pastors will usually say that they want to reach EVERYBODY (after all, the Great Commission does say "to make disciples of all the nations ...", does it not?).

And while it is certainly true that the gospel message is for everybody, as a church or ministry, and as a church or ministry with decidedly limited staff, time, and resources, you must start somewhere.

You must strive to focus your efforts in those areas that will do the most good, or which are most supportive of your overall central vision and stated organizational mission.

Not every prospective member or worshipper will read, listen, or watch the same thing, or even respond to the same message in the same way. Therefore church advertisements and marketing efforts must be tailored and customized to their intended audience or recipient.

For example, a young person or youth will have different interests, perspectives, and problems than will a more senior or elderly person. What will the tone and content of your ad be? Serious? Humorous? Fun? Scholarly? Reflective?

A young prospect is more likely to hear your message on a radio station playing "his" or "her" kind of music, or perhaps on the Internet, or on television, or from signs or posters in places where they hang out.

They may respond to messages that offer fun, an opportunity to socialize with their friends, or that offer some source of guidance and direction to them as they attempt to find their way in the world.

An older prospect may be more likely to read the newspaper, watch the news, listen to an "oldies" radio station, or read a direct mail piece. They may also respond more to a serious or reflective, inspirational message.

Adults with families are likely to be concerned with bringing up their children in healthy ways, in family-oriented environments. They may be interested in participating in missions projects in the community or in other parts of the world, perhaps in response to some recent event or disaster in the news.

Once you have a specific target audience in mind, or have at least broken it down into identifiable categories, you need to learn as much about each group as you can.

What are they like? What do they read, listen to, or watch? What message, program, or activity will be of most interest to them? What is it about your church that they will be most interested in, and most likely to respond to? How can you make it easy for them to become involved, or to participate?

Some suggested resources for helping you in gathering this information are included at the end of Part 4 of this report.

You need to develop a sense of openness and a willingness to learn as much as you can about the people you most specifically and immediately want to reach. Making un-informed assumptions will not be productive, and may even be counter-productive to reaching the people in your community.

For example, the needs, concerns, and culture of a poor, inner-city multi-ethnic community will be markedly different than an affluent, homogenous suburb, and different from a small-town, rural, or farming community.

Demographics specialists and professional church ministry marketing consultants can help you to identify and acquire the demographic information that you need for your specific community and target audience.

You can also conduct your own surveys. Just walking around the area where the people you want to reach live, work, and play, can give you a lot of information as to what is important and relevant to them, and how best to reach them.

Step 3 - Match the Media Channel to the Target Audience

We touched on this briefly in the paragraphs above. It is vitally important that you put some time, thought and effort into properly matching your ministry communication and marketing to the needs and preferences of the people you are trying to reach.

Often, churches will produce forms of media simply because they think that they "need to" or "should", without giving much thought as to the appropriateness of the form, content, or ultimate message.

One example is the ubiquitous church brochure. It seems like a good thing to have, and generally it is a good promotional tool, something to give to visitors and prospective visitors, or even to new members, but it is of little value if the target audience really doesn't like to read.

Slick, expensive, pretty-looking brochures are a waste of money if they don't say anything or communicate any useful or motivational information, that would cause the reader to respond.

A church website is one of the latest high-tech tools for reaching people, but what if the majority of your target audience doesn't yet have Internet access, or a computer?

Newspaper, or radio ads? Which newspaper? Which section? Which day? Which radio station? What time of the day? What kind of message?

The more that you know about your target audience (or target sub-group) the easier it will be to answer these questions, and the more savvy and sophisticated a buyer you will be when talking to the advertising reps at those media companies.

What about billboards, or church signage? The possibilities are endless.

Next: Getting Started...

Part 3 of 4 – How To Create an Effective Church Ministry Marketing Plan is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Everyday, crowds of people stream in to view this beautiful church that has an extremely legendary and mysterious aura. One of the church’s highlights is the ring of its 8 bells, which is possibly the oldest church bells to be found in the country. One of the church bells still reads the inscription “We are the first ring of bells cast for the British Empire in North America, A.R. 1744.” The inside of the church is breathtaking in its old world charm that includes ornate chandeliers and box style pews.

The church also consists of a beautiful and historical garden that visitors will definitely enjoy exploring and taking pictures of. Many rare flowers and plants grow in the lovely setting of the garden, whilst there are 3 major attractions that lie within it. A chapel knows as the Chapel of St Francis originally stood on the grounds, which has now been converted to the Old North Church Museum and a gift shop. A visit to the church will not be complete without picking up a souvenir from the wide range of attractive souvenirs that are available for all ages in the gift shop.

Within the garden also lies the Third Lantern Garden and the Washington Memorial Garden where visitors can relax after walking the Freedom Trail. Along the trail, you will see many unique plants and commemorative plaques of history and times long gone.

Tourists wishing to visit this incredible historic landmark and explore the rest of the city would need to stay at one of the hotels in Boston. Amid the many Boston hotels, the Langham Hotel Boston is a modern and charming base for relaxation with easy access to the city’s popular landmarks.

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If so, are there any religions which use this tactic?

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One of the teachings of the Bible is that we are put here to serve one another. Jesus was the religious leader of his disciples but he didn’t act like he was better than them. In fact, he often surprised them by some of the lowly deeds he performed. He wanted his disciples to learn that, even for leader, no job on this Earth was beneath them.

To teach selflessness, younger kids can play an important role that will change their lives. Ask them to pick out toys to donate to a children’s charity or a Christmas toy drive. Tell them that there are kids less fortunate than they are who don’t have any toys to play with. When kids find a cause and carry out deeds to make others feel special, the will have sense of accomplishment and learn very valuable life lessons. Their faces and their hearts will light up once the complete their task.

Some community service projects involve all age groups. Serving meals in a soup kitchen at a homeless shelter qualifies in this category. Kids, who are old enough to handle a plate of food, can serve meals to people in need. Teens do the same. When serving meals, the results of a good deed are immediate.

Check within your community. There are tons of service projects kids can get involved in. Link them to Bible lessons you are teaching in Sunday school or Bible study. To get kids, especially teens, involved from the beginning, ask them to investigate and come up with their own community service projects to perform.

Kids all over the world have been encouraged and supported by parents and their churches to spread the love of God through service. They could raise money to build a children’s home or for after school programs. In the Bible, God says that when we help the “least” of these, we are honoring Him. And, no good deed goes unrewarded.

Teach the Bible with Open Discussions

The Bible isn't unimportant; in contrast to what many prefer to think.

It is a timeless collection of Almighty God's Word to the people of this world. Use the Bible in open and open discussions about life to educate youngsters its worth. The Word of the Lord announces that everything in the Bible is helpful for teaching, not simply the simple to understand stories. For kids, it is very important that they discover the whole truth of the Bible with you to lead them.

Youths can handle the frank nature of lots of the Bible stories. If they can handle peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, sex, and TV, they can understand the Bible. The issue is that most folks are not prepared for what their kids may say. God is our point person on the mission to coach our youngsters the Bible. He'll guide the consultation if we are prepared to take let him and follow his guidance.

One story that may be used is the one of Jephthah. This Bible personality can be discovered in the book of Judges. He used to be a judge over Israel and if there had been ever instruction in watching what you are saying, it's the story of this judge. He lost his child due to his very own clumsy words. Are you interested? Your teens will be too. Children need to feel that they can voice their viewpoints without being crucified by their folks. There is not any safer arena than the home stuffed with godly love. It's time we put our Bible where our mouth is and trust God with the rest. Let your youths debate brazenly what they feel. In return, we as folks can use the Bible to show that God cares and knows ways to help them thru troublesome times in their lives. Many fogeys desire nothing less than to keep their youngsters close to them but are mistaken into thinking lecturing is the way to do it.

Thru reading together, praying, and chatting brazenly, youngsters are supplied with the tools they have to handle what goes on in their lives. Teaching the Bible does not imply that youths will not mess up.

It means that they have got a foundation to fall back on and a God who is prepared to excuse their mistakes, just like He forgives us. Let the words of The Lord God lead you as you show your teen how those words can lead them also.

Teaching the Bible through Community Service is a post from: Religious Christian Goodies

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Congregations sometimes grant these placards because they revere their leadership or because they are conditioned to obey those in authority. But many times, leaders themselves declare that they are “untouchable.” If they say it with enough authority – and wield enough power – chances are that no one will contest them. They then have an open field to do whatever they want in the church, including:

 Pushing through policies that are unpopular with the church as a whole. Directing the church as a dictator rather than as a shepherd. Hurting others through words and actions.

When questioned, they point to the placard and state, “You can’t touch me – I’m the leader! Because I am in the position of leadership, anything I do is de facto right and godly!”

But power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. By making a leader above reproof, you grant him or her license to sin … and all too often, people take that license and run with it. Pride swells. Judgmental attitudes prevail. Stubbornness sets in. Gossip abounds. Revenge is given free rein. And Satan destroys the church.

Paul knew the only answer to this situation. In Galatians 2:11-14, he reports,

But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Peter was the head of the young church: he held serious power and authority. But he fell into hypocrisy – and because of that same power and authority, he led everyone else into the same sin right after him.

Fortunately, Paul came on the scene. Paul didn’t believe in “Do Not Touch!” placards, even around the neck of the President and CEO of the infant church. He named Peter’s sin for what it was and called him to account not only for his sin, but for leading others astray as well and for damaging the message of the gospel.

We have to use the same boldness when confronting leaders of the church who have fallen into sin. We cannot risk leaving the “Do Not Touch!” placards around their necks, whether we gave them the signs in the first place, or whether they claimed them for their own. Instead, we have to courageously – yet with love – rebuke sin wherever it is found, and call the sinner to confession and repentance.

To do this well, we must be willing to:

Think for ourselves. If we always take what our leaders say as “gospel truth” and never examine it for ourselves, we can be fed lies and never know it. We must each accept our personal responsibility to know the Bible thoroughly and apply its principles to our lives. Confront sin wherever it is found. Even if that means confronting the person in power, and even if that person decides to strike back and harm you. Courage is required to confront sin, but God will give that courage through his Word and Spirit. Love unconditionally. If we confront without love, we harm rather than help. To bring healing to a broken situation, we must go forward with love. This means seeking first and foremost the welfare and well-being of the other person through correction, confession, and repentance.

Leaders carry tremendous responsibility in the church. For that reason, they must be more accountable to others – not less – for their words, actions, and attitudes. Instead of “Do Not Touch!” placards, every person in the congregation, lay and leadership alike, needs to pick up signs that proclaim “United We Stand!” 

© 2008 Paula Marolewski

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Given the size and ambit of church's financial transactions, it is quite obvious that the institution would need a large force of skilled financial experts to manage its accounts, which could be very taxing on the church in terms of money and time both.

The answer to it is the church accounting software, which is designed by accounting experts in order to assist the church in managing its finances. Being well acquainted with the specific needs of the church, these accounting software engineers make sure that the software is tailored to fit the particular requirements of a religious institution.

The software is different from other accounting software. All the ordinary software are made to suit modern business needs. But a church accounting software focuses on the necessities of an institution that has no financial interest or ambition. Besides, church is not a tax paying entity, which makes its resources and expenditures take an altogether different curve. In addition to this, it also has multiple income and expenditure account heads. An accounting software designed for church meets al