In keeping with the journalistic tradition of looking back at the recent past, we present the top 50 stories of the year that were read on The Aquila Report site based on the number of hits. We will present the 50 stories in groups of 10 to run on five lists on consecutive days. Here are numbers 21-30.
In 2016 The Aquila Report (TAR) posted over 3,000 stories. At the end of each year we feature the top 50 stories that were read. The top story this year had over 26,900 hits.
TAR posts about 8 new stories each day, on a variety of subjects – all of which we trust are of interest to our readers. As a web magazine TAR is an aggregator of news and information that we believe will provide articles that will inform the church of current trends and movements within the church and culture.
In keeping with the journalistic tradition of looking back at the recent past, we present the top 50 stories of the year that were read on The Aquila Report site based on the number of hits. We will present the 50 stories in groups of 10 to run on five lists on consecutive days. Here are numbers 21-30.
Douville isn’t the only Calvary Chapel pastor who has weighed the cost of staying in an organization that has shifted from its original mission into unbiblical waters. Many CC pastors have come the same conclusion, saying they feel they can no longer in good conscience be under the same doctrinal and fellowship umbrella as the current leadership of Calvary Chapels.
The way the Reformed Christian community talks about, responds to, and values women needs much work. I hope that the newly formed study committee on the role of women in the PCA will conduct a more thorough investigation into what these many unanswered questions affecting women actually are before they start attempting to answer them. I hope they will put aside the distracting issue of ordination, which the women themselves on the sub-committee apparently did not themselves put forward. Cultural relevance does not protect women. Ordination will not protect women.
I enjoy being a woman according to the example outlined in Scripture, in part, just so that I can see my husband being a man as defined by Scripture. I am fulfilled as a woman with my beautiful submissive, nurturing role that provides opportunities to bring out the leadership role of my husband….Nevertheless, my culture tells me otherwise. It tells me I ought to grasp for rights that will make me indistinguishable from men. But I like being a woman and I want to stay that way.
The irony which seems lost on Andy is that the charge of selfishness may easily be leveled against those who attend Northpoint. After all it is easy to attend a mega-church. The seats are generally more comfortable. They have a coffee shop. Attendees don’t have to be bothered by annoying kids. The lights and videos are mezmerizing. You can be anonymous which means you can avoid any responsibility. You can consume all the various goods and services without needing to contribute anything by way of service. See how that works?
In these two practices we see that Spurgeon was very human – a man of his times. Moreover, he was not alone in the indulgence. For instance, though John Wesley totally opposed the drinking of tea, hence the term’ tee-totaler,’ he was something of an authority on the taste of ale. Charles Wesley also indulged, and the picture seems rather incongruous when we see the grand old Methodist warrior during the last years of his life listing his expenditures for drinks for the guests attending his son’s musical concerts. Whitefield’s practice was similar; we find him writing, ‘Give my thanks to that friendly brewer for the keg of rum he sent us.’
Now that we live in a post-Christian age, we are alarmed at what democracy is giving us. Maybe the problem is not Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Maybe the problem is us! We have fed the people milk from the pulpits. We withheld meat. We failed to preach repentance along with faith. We failed to preach the whole counsel of God. We separated religion from law. We substituted entertainment for worship. We lived at ease in Zion.
“I have been suppressing these attractions and feelings since adolescence,” he said. “Trying not to be gay has only led to a desire for intimacy in friendships which pushed friends away, and it has resulted in a marriage where I couldn’t love or satisfy my wife in a way that she needed.”
So as we look at the inception of marriage under the Old Testament, we discover that it involves, as all blood covenants do, the shedding of blood. And we discover that virginity was a very special and treasured thing in the law of God. And it is special and treasured because it is part of the shedding of the blood in this blood covenant of marriage
“While Coral Ridge leadership has not had contact with Tchividjian since his resignation last summer, when we learned of his confession, our leadership immediately sought to verify the facts. The active elder did confirm his knowledge of the affair in 2014 and admitted he acted on outside counsel and failed to report the events to Tchividjian’s family, church leadership, and the other elders. Coral Ridge immediately called a meeting for the elder to share this new information with the entire session, after which the layperson submitted his full resignation….”
Rather than adopting some new theological position at a local church or Presbytery level, let us appeal to the broader church to study the issue and report back to the church. Is sexual desire for other men or women of the same gender acceptable, as long as it does not become lust, or is it lust itself? Is being born as a homosexual as normal as being born as a heterosexual? If the “gay Christian” movement prevails, will leadership positions be open to homosexual Christians?
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