tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post8824811783944863403..comments2023-09-22T04:04:19.419-05:00Comments on Stream of Consciousness: Should we turn to culture?Xanthorpehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12607212106936329296noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-34792732890754898372009-12-23T17:54:00.405-06:002009-12-23T17:54:00.405-06:00Tree-Lady, your last point highlights something I ...Tree-Lady, your last point highlights something I could have really gone on about. The danger, as it were, of 'culturizing' church is that you will attract more visitors/members at the risk of diluting the gospel. <br /><br />People ask me from time to time what or who the Holy Spirit is. One of the keys to living out your faith and being obedient to God is being able to examine your words and actions and ask, "Do people see Jesus in me?"<br /><br />The answer will be 'no' if all we do is turn church into a country club.Xanthorpehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12607212106936329296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-42797101729990407302009-12-23T10:32:28.556-06:002009-12-23T10:32:28.556-06:00At Newark UMC, I taught 5th grade Sunday School--w...At Newark UMC, I taught 5th grade Sunday School--which should give you an idea right there of how big that church and its Sunday School was. We had specific books, lesson plans, youth aides, and Bible verse learning contests which required that the children understand the meaning of the verse they recited.<br /><br />I thank God for my own experience in Sunday Scool when I was a child and a youth. While I abandoned a lot of the teachings for years, that bedrock was still under there somewhere when God later saw an opportunity to "haul me back in." :-)<br /><br />Watering down and distorting Christianity is another point entirely. Many, many churches and individuals distort Christianity to the point where non-Christians really have no idea what Christianity is or what the Bible says, because they can't base their acquired knowledge of it on what comes out of the mouths of many self-avowed Christians.<br /><br />But this response is long enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-16972032554767483122009-12-23T10:29:39.727-06:002009-12-23T10:29:39.727-06:00Thanks for the thoughtful post. I have to agree wi...Thanks for the thoughtful post. I have to agree with your point about today's children and youth and church, based on my own experiences. <br /><br />MUMC has virtually no children attending Sunday School but that's largely because their parents aren't attending the church. Some do send their children to the MUMC-run school for K-2nd grade however. So far as I remember, there were about a half dozen youth in the youth group at MUMC, but I never got the impression that they were seriously engaged in learning about their faith. Still, I had little contact with them and could be wrong.<br /><br />At my new church, they have no Sunday School for a full hour. The children attend regular worship service, are sent away for a mini, a micro, Sunday School lesson during the sermon, and then are brought back into the sanctuary when the sermon is over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-68095660127383822212009-12-23T07:40:29.305-06:002009-12-23T07:40:29.305-06:00Tough to reconcile climate change when it's th...Tough to reconcile climate change when it's that cold, I'm thinking :-) You guys be safe!Xanthorpehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12607212106936329296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-23213447959868144242009-12-22T22:54:34.396-06:002009-12-22T22:54:34.396-06:00The roads were pretty good today. We are still wai...The roads were pretty good today. We are still waiting until midday to venture out because what melts during the day freezes again at night. 17 degrees tonight. Brrrr.The Written Remains Writers Guildhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08391713042474203818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-4615473044925109072009-12-22T21:00:06.655-06:002009-12-22T21:00:06.655-06:00It does go against popular wisdom, doesn't it?...It does go against popular wisdom, doesn't it? There are a lot of reasons but one of the ones I think is big is that the teens are never making the transition from living under their parents faith to having their own. That's where the discipleship comes in.<br /><br />And unlike a lot of critics opine, discipleship is not indoctrination, it's a clear communication of the Bible - and then letting God lead them to their own faith. You can't force anyone to believe in anything - they've got to take that step themselves.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by - are the roads passable yet?Xanthorpehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12607212106936329296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3910905215572756976.post-62289103922123097922009-12-22T18:51:37.241-06:002009-12-22T18:51:37.241-06:00Wow. I wouldn't have guessed. I was under the ...Wow. I wouldn't have guessed. I was under the impression that youth membership in churches, especially the big evangelical churches, was already quite large and continuing to increase. **Surprised**JM Reinboldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04193395612381968924noreply@blogger.com