Here’s something fun to end the week with. This video is not ‘mean’ church humor - it’s a series of “oops - it wasn’t meant to happen that way!” video clips. I hope you enjoy it!

Church humor video

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Okay. I’m going to throw out a few words. Pop open Notepad and write down your personal definition for as many as you can from the list. Don’t worry. Nobody’s trying to set anybody up or psychoanalyze them, so don’t think too hard on this. Go with your gut.

One of the most basic fallacies when people disagree is using different definitions for the term in question. I’ve done it many times, and not just because I was hung over every day in my logic classes. Some of the following words even have many definitions in academic texts so it’s inevitable for people of different cultures, personalities and life experience to associate words with different definitions. A great example is in Ancient Greek. Love has 5 different words whereas we just use one in English.

Anyway, thought it might be interesting
Here are the rules: Read the rest of this entry »

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What would it be like to be an atheist at a Christian college? If you want to know, read the blog Leaving Eden. The author of it is at Wheaton College and is an atheist.

Last week it felt very lonely:

I walked across campus today after a conversation that signaled the end of another friendship. Thinking, this is what it feels like to be alone. It sucks.

If Jesus was the friend of non-religious people, shouldn’t Christians be too? Why does admitting to being an atheist end this person’s friendships with Christians?

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God’s Gal posted an excellent question in the comments yesterday:

I have a question for any non-believer on this site, and I really do want to know this…I’m not being flip here… Do any of you, or any athiest believe in sin? I mean crossing the boundaries on moral issues? I’m not sure where to look up definitions of words for you anymore, I guess the dictionary doesn’t count according to former posts…but I’m just curious. And, how do you know the difference between good and bad…in your opinion?

So far one atheist, ash, has responded:

@GG1, i believe in right + wrong, but not sin as that tends to be a religious thing, and often about absolutism. last time i answered this question it took about a month, so i’ll direct you to that convo…any more questions, feel free :d

Can we have government without faith?

ps, i join in at July 11 - the thread may sound political, but we mostly talk about ethics.

I’d love to hear what other atheists have to say. Christians, feel free to join in the discussion. Everyone please be respectful of others even if their moral boundaries doesn’t make sense to you.

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When Bill asked me to do this…there was some nervous laughter as I wrote back and told him I’d give it a shot….A friend mentioned OCD on her blog awhile back….and the more I thought about it (once she told me what it was) the more I realized that’s what I have. I get up, pray, have a problem, pray, need advice, pray….believing that they’ll be answered….without hesitation. Am I nuts? Well, before you begin answering that question, here’s what I’ve learned so far from this site, comparitively speaking…Christians claim to know what happens after they die, even though they haven’t been dead yet. Atheists claim to know nothing happens even though they haven’t been dead yet. Christians can spend hours explaining why they just know there’s a God, Atheists can spend hours explaining why they know there isn’t. Christians stray from their group throughout life, when they lose their faith…Atheists stray from their group when they need faith, Christians feel a desperate need to instill their beliefs in others and Atheists feel a desperate need to instill their lack of belief in others.

I don’t let a day of my life go by without the Bible, worship and prayer. When it comes to God, I am obsessive, and compulsive, is it really a disorder????

There isn’t alot of room for compromise here. Either we’re alone in the world or we’re not. Either we came about by chance or we were created for a reason. Either death is the end or it’s the beginning. In the case of of faith, it’s easy to overlook the most fundamental point of all, namely, that God is not an argument; he is not even a concept. God is a living being. He has the ability to know things, desire things, create things and to love things. He is fully aware and involved, He is alive. Why is that so important? Because living things don’t have to be proved, they can be shown. Can it really be that simple….I’m sure it won’t be…LOL

Ok, feel free to discuss anything, but be nice…we want to make Bill proud!! LOL

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By the time you guys read this I’ll prob be in a plane on my way to [tag]Costa Rica[/tag]!! I’m going on a mission trip with my church, [tag]Seacoast Church[/tag]. This is my first [tag]mission trip[/tag]. I’m pretty excited!!

We’ll be doing medical and construction work. I know nothing about either! Fortunately there will be plenty of native children there that I’ll be able to entertain. For those who don’t know, I have an extreme soft spot for little kids. They give me a chance to act like a 5 year old…which is always a good time for me!!

Next week you’ll be treated to a variety of guest authors. I’d encourage you to give them the same response that you give me! Hook them up with conversation. Blow their minds! Most of all, make them feel welcome. All are blogging vets, but hey, let’s admit that blogging on FC.com can be a bit intimidating at times, right? I’d ask that you guys give them the same respect that you give me.

Side note: you’ll notice a new list on the FC main page. It will be titled “Top Commentators.” Hehe…tators. Anyhow, it shows which of you guys were the most involved commentators over the past 30 days. I’d like to offer a few people an opportunity to write on FC each month. I’ll take some names off that list and make the offers accordingly. Should be fun!

[tag]Christian[/tag] or not, keep me and my teammates in your thoughts and prayers next week. We’ll be up against a bit of adversity and many of us are rookies. I look forward to coming back and telling you guys about my amazing experience.

Till Monday, October 1!

¡Salga un comentario! (I think that means “leave a comment.” Can anybody confirm that?)

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About seven years ago I had a realization that changed my life: my [tag]Christian [/tag]beliefs had given me the excuse to be mean. I never intended that to happen. I didn’t notice the day I crossed the line and signed up as a member of the [tag]doctrine [/tag]police force.

I want to encourage everyone to check out Helen’s article published on http://www.the-next-wave.org/. Just so we’re not confused, Helen is a self-proclaimed “almost [tag]Atheist[/tag].” Read more about her here.

Click here to read Helen’s article.

Also check out her daily site at [tag]Conversation At The Edge[/tag]. AWESOME site!

Later!!

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This is my favorite car (click it for a larger view). Ladies and gentlemen, this masterpiece is a [tag]1970 Chevelle[/tag] 454 LS6. It is cherry red with black skunk stripes. If I could have any car in the world, this would be it. One day I will own one. One day I will own YOU on the road. Pull up next to me at a stoplight…I dare you. The cam sound will be deep. The revs will be low. It will be my dream come true. I will own the one car that I’ve wanted my entire life.

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Let me paint a picture for you…

A group of young people meet every Monday evening for a bible study. The challenge each other. They encourage each other. They learn together, they laugh together, the cry together. They take their group out the the city. The volunteer. They give back. They leave a lasting impression. They seek the Lord with everything they have in them. The group leader is passionate about delivering an excellent product to the group. He invests his time, money, and effort into this group. As a result, the rest of the group feeds off his investments and soon follows in suit.

Over next year the group has grown from 5 people to 18. There is a real buzz in the air. The group continues to seek God in everything they do. They seek the Lord with everything they have in them. God continues to bless the group.

A year later the group leader makes an announcement to his group members: He is feeling lead to start a church. After many meetings and discussions, the group members are on board. They support their leader.

Some time goes by. The church opens up with an attendance of 50 people, made up of mostly friends and family. The staff continues to do what they’ve always done: learn, laugh, cry, volunteer, give back, and seek God. They seek the Lord with everything they have in them. God continues to bless their ministry.

Over the next two years the church grows to an amazing 1,500 members. The staff continues to do what they’ve always done: learn, laugh, cry, volunteer, give back, and seek God. They seek the Lord with everything they have in them. God continues to bless their ministry.

The church soon buys a church building. They invest in better audio and video equimpment. They are passionate about delivering an excellent product just as they’ve always been. The staff continues to do what they’ve always done: learn, laugh, cry, volunteer, give back, and seek God. They seek the Lord with everything they have in them. God continues to bless their ministry.

Eventually the church membership reaches the 2,000 member mark. What originally started off as a 5 member group that met on Monday nights is now considered to be……….

A MEGACHURCH

OOoohhhhhhh…….a big, scary megachurch. You know, those churches that are only worried about money, attendance, popularity, etc. They don’t focus on developing Christians. They are watered down. They are too trendy. They don’t use scripture. Megachurch pastors don’t love Jesus…they don’t fear God. They have big houses and expensive cars. The churches waste money on things that “don’t matter.” Sigh…

Do me a favor. Spend a few minutes looking through these Google searches on megachurch pastors Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, and Rob Bell. It’s amazing to see how much CRAP…how many blogs are out there with the sole purpose of tearing their ministries down.

Remember just a few short years ago when 5 people met in a house on Mondays? Why am I now included in the “eh, just another freakin’ megachurch” generalization? Can we please lose the stereotypes?

Read the story of one megachurch pastor.

Comments on megachurches?

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The last thing I want to do is defend myself for every little thing I say. I have neither the time nor the energy to do that. The things that I say are controversial and many of you might not even agree with what I say. From the beginning I announced that I wouldn’t be reading [tag]FriendlyChristian.com[/tag] reviews/critiques. With that said…

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