Left Behind Christianity

A recent survey of Left Behind readers uncovered a surprising demographic: Almost a quarter of people who’ve read or are reading Left Behind are not Christians – they hold other beliefs including Islam and Buddhism.

As surprising as this may or may not be to you, there is another side effect to the widely popular series: A growing number of non-Christians are now making the assumption that Christianity and the theology of Left Behind are one and the same.

Pop culture fiction is now synonymous with Christianity.

Ouch.

The Chicken or the Egg?

The saved sinner is prostrate in adoration, lost in wonder and praise. He knows repentance is not what we do in order to earn forgiveness; it is what we do because we have been forgiven. It serves as an expression of gratitude rather than an effort to earn forgiveness. Thus the sequence of forgiveness and then repentance, rather than repentance and then forgiveness, is crucial for understanding the gospel of grace.
Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Visual Edition.

Wow. I’ve been bought up since my acceptance of Christ to believe that we have to repent to be forgiven. It’s never sat comfortably with me as I got older and wiser (or is that more cynical?) but it’s the only way I’ve heard it preached.

I’ve argued with some of my Cool-Aid swimming Pentecostal friends that you don’t have to wait for someone to ask for forgiveness, to forgive them, and like wise, God will also forgive us, even if we’re a bit slow on the repentance thing.

But this is the first time I’ve read someone else’s view on the subject that resonates with me.

I’ve only read Manning’s book in bit and pieces (it’s a book I keep in the toilet for those times when you need a little longer to, well you know) but most times I pick it up, I seem to find a gem.

If this were Frank’s blog I’d have a link to amazon right about here. But its not, so I’ll give you something better; if you know me personally (basically, if you’re a Cessionite) I’ll get you a real good deal on a copy of the book if you’re interested.

(apologies to Frank, his blog is cool, even with the corporate sell out ;o)

Movenpick Chocolate Icecream

Melt in your mouth chocolate shavings, embellish this rich and delicious chocolate ice cream. You really do get what you pay for, it is sooo yummie. Oh, and soo much better when you only pay $5 for 10 litres.

All the Fridays in the year...

ab·sti·nence n.

1. The act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite, as for food.
2. Abstention from alcoholic beverages.

[Middle English, from Old French abstenance, from Latin abstinentia, from abstinns, abstinent- present participle of abstinre, to hold back. See abstain.]

fast intr.v. fast·ed, fast·ing, fasts
1. To abstain from food.
2. To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.

n.

1. The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food.
2. A period of such abstention or self-denial.

A little while back, when I was last in Whakatane, I found a copy of the Book of Common Prayer in the local second-hand store, so decided on a whim to splash out (10c) and buy it. It’s been sitting on my desk, unloved since then.

But today I decided to look at it. A confusing wee book it is, intended no doubt or those scholarly Pastor types, and not designed to be easily digested by a DVD junkie.

I did find something though that seemed straight forward on page 31: Days of Fasting or Abstinence.

It appears that ‘All the Fridays in the year, except Christmas Day’ (who would want to fast on that day!) are supposed to be a day of fasting.

Gulp.

That’s every Friday. Once a week? That must be a mistake right? Or does this just apply to the Church of England? (though I can’t remember any Sunday School stories back in the day about fasting on a Friday).

I think I’ll just have to ignore page 31 unless some scholarly person can shed some light on the history or significance of Friday fasting.

Time for a new look…

I figured I’d be a copycat and redesign my blog. This was mainly so that I could add a couple of blog hacks, and my old template couldn’t cope too well. Mind you, I’m having a few problems with this one. The main problem being the size of the text in the left column. Can anyone help me with this?

Update:
Ok, figured out my little problem all by my self, with a little trial and error. Quite like the new layout, but might have to do something about the title banner I made - it was a bit rushed. Still need to add a few things, but for now I'm happy.

Update #2
Changed the banner - a lot happier with the new look. Also put in a link for the image hosting. Will put more links in here when I get round to it (most of my 'links' are in my blogroll on the left anyway!). If I've missed anybodies (ie Cessionites) blog off my blogroll, let me know and I'll add you!

Now, I must go and do some 'work'.

I'm Still a Cultural Creative, but...

I decided to re-take the test - not because I wanted to pervert my results, but because on reflection I don't think I did the quiz correctly - on some of the statements I had to go middle of the road because I didn't understand them. So this time I had some expert help to decifer what some of the statements were actually saying.

I'm still the same Fundy (as Frank would put it) person, but instead of having to take a tie-breaker, my Cultural Creative marks have sky rocketed. Interestingly my romanticism took a hit...

Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative 94% Fundamentalist 63% Postmodernist 56% Romanticist 56% Existentialist 50% Modernist 31% Idealist 31% Materialist 0% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

For Dione

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine, I walk the line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I walk the line

You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line

Cultural Creative.

Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative 69% Romanticist 69% Fundamentalist 63% Existentialist 38% Postmodernist 38% Idealist 25% Modernist 19% Materialist 0% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Thanks to Frank

Alimento for Men!

So my lovely wife thinks she can corner the market in food blogging. Well someone’s gotta stand up and show that woman what real food is like. Manly food. Blokes grub. Hhhhmmmmm, the pleasures of a simple mean with all three food groups represented…. It doesn’t get any better than this: