Florida State QB Claims He is God
Earlier this week, Florida State quarterback Wyatt Sexton was escorted to a hospital in Tallahassee after proclaiming he was God. Wyatt stretched out in the middle of the street, hopped on a car and otherwise drew attention to himself before yelling to police that he was the Almighty One. He then came to his senses, correcting his identity. He wasn't God...He was the Son of God!
Obviously the youth has some issues, but why is it that people in these situations always say they're God or Jesus Christ? Why not Michael Jackson or Mike Tyson?
Team Jesus Christ At the Air Force Academy
According to the Washington Post, a task force appointed by the Pentagon to examine the religious climate on the campus of the Air Force Academy reported last week to acting Air Force Secretary Michael L. Dominguez about its findings, and a public report is due soon. Are Christians being persecuted yet again? No, actually. This time, Christians are being accused of being the persecutors.
Among recent claims being made against the Air Force Academy are:
- A chaplain instructs cadets to try to convert classmates by warning that they "will burn in the fires of hell" if they do not accept Christ.
- During basic training, freshman cadets who decline to attend after-dinner chapel are marched back to their dormitories in "heathen flights" organized by upperclassmen.
- A Jewish student is taunted as a Christ killer and told that the Holocaust was the just punishment for that offense.
- The academy's head football coach posts a banner in the locker room that proclaims, "I am a Christian first and last. . . . I am a member of Team Jesus Christ."
The Post reports that although the specifics of these cases are being disputed, officials at the academy do admit there is a problem on campus with religious tolerance.
Wow, talk about firepower and marching orders for those who are waging war against Christianity...
Darwin Losing Traction, Popularity Says Historian
In a column currently running on the Forbes web site, eminent British historian and author, Paul Johnson, argues that the Darwinian brand of evolution is "becoming increasingly vulnerable as the progress of science reveals its weaknesses. One day, perhaps soon, it will collapse in ruins."
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/free_forbes/2005/0620/039.html
He goes on to explain that with each passing day it becomes more clear that physics and science can't fully explain how the universe was created and that whether you believe God is a person, power, aura, what have you, it's getting increasingly difficult to believe he doesn't exist in some form.
Is the theory of natural selection being evolved out of popular opinion? What do most Americans think of it now? What's coming next in this debate? What does this mean for evangelism?
"Special Baby" - Face of Jesus in Ultrasound
European tabloids are now reporting on a special baby born less than a month ago in the United States. Erica Brazier was struggling with a difficult pregnancy and was being evaluated for high-blood pressure when officials at Toledo Hospital in Ohio discovered something abnormal in an ultrasound they had taken. They saw the face of Jesus.
The image can be viewed at the following links. The first has better pictures and comes courtesy of The Sun, a UK publication. Also below is a link to a story from one of the first U.S. outlets to report on the ultrasound.
Baby Aaliyah was born a few months early but is healthy. Her mother feels that the ultrasound is proof that she's very special as well.
Take a look and let me know what you think.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005250380,00.html
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/news/050305_NW_r2_ultrasound_image_likeness.html#
Urban Gospel Music to Save Our Youth?
What’s The Word (WTW) Magazine, an online urban Gospel music magazine is sponsoring a nationwide campaign promoting urban Gospel music. According to the magazine, 95 percent of people in America who become Christians do so before the age of 25. The publication is alarmed by declining numbers of professing Christians, even as the U.S. population grows. Believing that urban Gospel music can be an effective tool to reach more young people, the magazine is embarking on a nationwide campaign promoting the art form.
The magazine's press release regarding the campaign is a bit dramatic, claiming that "if the church doesn’t reach them, someone or something else will."
First, is Christianity deteriorating as they suggest? If so, is urban Gospel music really a major part of the solution? I find that hard to believe. I'm also unsure of what impact a promotional campaign for this music genre will do for reaching the youth of our country. That being said, what are the most effective ways to reach today's youth, especially when using a form of art or entertainment? And if Christianity is on the decline, how do we reverse the trend?
How to Smell Jesus - Gyms and Candles
In Oakland, the gym once known as the Iron Pit now serves as a way to deliver a message of unity through personal weight training. After a run of hard times, owner Gary Shields dedicated his life to Christ and turned over his gym as well. God's Gym now provides the community with a place for flexing muscles and lifting spiritual questions. Although Shields doesn't hit people over the head with the Gospel, he does provide times when those interested can sit down and talk with him about the Bible, Christianity or Salvation.
Meanwhile, a mom and daughter team in Portland has managed to put the fragrance of Jesus Christ into candles, they claim. Burning Desire Candles captures the smells of the Bible, including scents called A Walk with Jesus, The Last Supper, The Anointing and The Tomb of Jesus.
From gym socks and sweaty benches to the relaxing aroma of candles, smells like Jesus is in the air...
Jesus Christ Superstore
I recently came across one of many online retailers poking fun at all things Holy. The site is jesuschristsuperstore.net, and I hesitate to even promote its URL in fear that I will further the cause in some unintended way. What surprised me about the site was not its irreverence but more so it's popularity. Evidently demand for its assorted, satirical toys, t-shirts and games has been so high the site operators had to post the following comment regarding complaints about delayed responses to orders or information requests. "Have faith sisters and brothers. Unfortunately we have been totally overwhelmed by the response to date and out system simply hasn't been able to cope."
When I see this sort of material thriving, it tells me that people may be getting overloaded and overwhelmed by the prominence of religion in everyday life. When Jesus becomes a way of marketing products and services and yes, even churches, this sort of counter campaign will rise and prosper. Some might argue that it reflects resentment from seekers and non believers who feel like they are being Bible thumped. Is that the case? If so, what do we do to address it, if anything? I think at the least we need to keep the pulse of such uprisings, because there's a lot of real emotion behind the jokes these items deliver.
