THE group called the “Clapham Sect” is best known now for its contribution, under William Wilberforce’s leadership, to the campaigns for the abolition of the British slave trade and, ultimately, of slavery itself. It [...]]]> Another Article in the latest The Economist – Aug 2010 – The Clapham Sect: How Wilberforce’s Circle Transformed Britain. By Stephen Tomkins

THE group called the “Clapham Sect” is best known now for its contribution, under William Wilberforce’s leadership, to the campaigns for the abolition of the British slave trade and, ultimately, of slavery itself. It was a collection of evangelical, philanthropic families, spread across three generations, many of whom settled during the 1790s in Clapham, then a prosperous village just outside London. The name itself, given later, was a mild dig at their religious clannishness. A contemporary, the Rev Sydney Smith, had been sharper, calling them the “Clapham Church”.

As this suggests, it was their religious brand as much as their cause that marked them out at the time. They were a holy lot, with the emphasis on hellfire and damnation. They frowned on pleasure: the theatre, novels, secular music. One of them enjoyed his first cigar so much he never smoked again. Like all evangelicals, they saw themselves as the nation’s conscience, firebrands breaking the doze of the established church. READ MORE…

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INFIDELITY is rampant in nature. Birds, mammals, amphibians and even fish all cheat if the conditions are right, forcing mates to remain perpetually vigilant. People are no different. Although cheats are publicly condemned, or in some cases impeached, infidelity is common and public disapproval does little [...]]]> An Article in the latest The Economist – Aug 2010

INFIDELITY is rampant in nature. Birds, mammals, amphibians and even fish all cheat if the conditions are right, forcing mates to remain perpetually vigilant. People are no different. Although cheats are publicly condemned, or in some cases impeached, infidelity is common and public disapproval does little to dissuade the sinner. The disapproval of God, however, is a different matter, and a new study suggests that prayer can indeed guide people away from adulterous behavior.

Frank Fincham at Florida State University and his colleagues knew from looking at past studies that couples who attend religious services are more likely to be satisfied with their marriages and less likely to be unfaithful than those who do not, but they did not understand why. Speculating that the act of praying might itself cause romantic relationships to become more resilient, the team set up an experiment to explore prayer and fidelity. Great article, read more….

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Update: Charges dropped but there is another case pending

It’s starting. We may see more and more of this before the end. A Chicago man says he’s fighting charges of disorderly conduct for simply standing on a public sidewalk and praying.

Joseph Holland, a 25-year-old graduate student at Northwestern University, says he was standing still praying the [...]]]>

Update: Charges dropped but there is another case pending

It’s starting. We may see more and more of this before the end. A Chicago man says he’s fighting charges of disorderly conduct for simply standing on a public sidewalk and praying.

Joseph Holland, a 25-year-old graduate student at Northwestern University, says he was standing still praying the rosary outside a Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Chicago July 3 when police arrested him for violating the city’s new “Bubble Zone” ordinance. Read more….

“…praying was a type of approaching people and violated the bubble zone ordinance.”

The law, passed in October, states that a person cannot approach within 8 feet of another person without consent “for the purpose of passing a leaflet or handbill to, displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education or counseling” within 50 feet from any health care facility.

It also says a person cannot “by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction” intentionally interfere with any person entering or leaving any health care facility. But Holland says he didn’t approach or interfere with anyone. Full article, click here

In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:16

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Pastor Brian Zahnd, of Word of Life Church, has a great message on forgiveness and justice – The Call To Radical [...]]]> “I demand justice. I expect justice to be done!” “Dude, get real, you’re guilty.” “Oh, yeah – Lord, please give me mercy.” What is God’s true priority, revenge or reconciliation? I bet you can guess.

Pastor Brian Zahnd, of Word of Life Church, has a great message on forgiveness and justice – The Call To Radical Forgiveness – Part 2: Forgiveness and Justice.

His message speaks much to this issue of justice, and how it relates to forgiveness and grace. True justice is a far more elusive concept than you would think. Is God’s grace unjust? No, Jesus paid the price for every injustice known to man (and God). What is unjust is demanding a limited selective justice. It is either all or nothing, and it is all to be obtained by faith, which works by love.

Through Jesus Christ, the doorway to true reconciliation remains eternally open. Open it for others and it will stay open for you. See also, Mercy – Bending the Rules of God

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Either we exhibit the Glory [...]]]> We are all front men for the real power players who remain hidden behind the scenes. Watch politics and this becomes painfully obvious. Someone speaks publicly, but they’re speaking for someone else, the one with real power. Depending on who it is, that power is either for good or for evil.

Either we exhibit the Glory and Goodness of the God of Heaven, or we exhibit the selfish greed and evil of the god of this world. There is nothing in between. In the past, it only seemed like there was a middle ground. People appeared to be less extreme, but that was only an appearance. The new polemic is more honest. As Jesus said, “You are either with me or you are against me.” The entire world is aligning on one side or the other. The curtains are being pulled back and we are seeing more and more each day. Before this age is over, we may even get a glimpse of the real players.

God has the power to save and set free. The devil has the power to deceive and control. Faith accesses God’s power and breeds freedom. It trusts God to accomplish things in His way and on His timetable. Evil is manipulative. It forces its way in through intimidation, violence, and deceit.

The Bible says that ‘whatever is in your heart will come out.’ The only way to keep from being deceived is to honestly, earnestly, and continuously read and mediation on the word of God. It is the only Way, and it is our only Hope, but it is a sure Hope.

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The Bible says that faith is of the heart (Mark 11:23), but what does that really mean? How can someone [...]]]> I am beginning a study on the heart of man. What a fascinating topic! It involves the scriptural understanding of how the spirit, soul, flesh, will, mind, emotions, inner man, etc., all work together.

The Bible says that faith is of the heart (Mark 11:23), but what does that really mean? How can someone without God in their heart be able to believe, i.e., the Centurion (Matt 8:8, 9, 10 and Luke 7:6, 7, 8, 9)? This has always puzzled me, and even goes against some of my current understandings of faith. This just goes to show us that Nobody Has This All Figured Out yet.

In the meantime, read this wonderful article – The Heart – by Pastor Bob Yandian, of Grace Church in Tulsa Oklahoma. Like Pastor Yandian, I was not comfortable with the prevalent view that the spirit (of man) and the heart (of man) represent the same thing. Looking at all the scriptural references to ‘heart,’ you can plainly see that this cannot be the case. Reading his article is what prompted me to start the study.

If you have any thoughts or comments, please send them.

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Imagine you had a kingdom all to [...]]]> First, Inception was a great movie; go see it! The Matrix had promise but soon ran out of gas. My fear with Inception is that they will do a sequel and ruin it also. You can only go so far with these concepts without bringing God into the mix.

Imagine you had a kingdom all to yourself, where no one else could intrude. A private place where you could be alone and do whatever you wanted, a place where you could do and have and be whatever you imagined. How would you act? Would you be holy, or would you let the imagination of your lusts be your co-ruler?

Actually, you have this kingdom already. It is in your imagination; in your internal thought life. In this realm, you are the ultimate ruler. This is your personal kingdom, your world. You alone choose what happens in this kingdom. You are the master of all you survey. Is God in there with you? Someday, when you stand before Him, the thoughts of your heart will be exposed.

Rule the internal kingdom of your heart responsibly now so that you will be judged faithful later. Jesus said, “Don’t look here and there and all around, the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21 NIV – my paraphrase) Act like that is true. Jesus is in there with you. He is walking around in your kingdom, watching, judging, and waiting.

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