Ayn Rand --Objectivism

I have a young man in my youth group who is intersted in this 20th century philosopher and her work. Anybody have any feedback regarding Ayn Rand and her way of thinking?

video of an interview with Phil Donahue

An Ayn Rand Lexicon

free will

Did Jesus have a free will? a sin nature? please use scripture to support your answers.

Is Fasting for today?

Should the new testament church be fasting?

Meet the Parises

Have you guys seen "meet the Robinson's"? We saw it last night and all I could think of the whole time was-- Scott Paris.

What do you do with this?

Just had a conversation with a friend who is trying to minister to a man in his church. As the man has expressed interest in joining the church, he asks my friend "do you know my story"? When the "story" comes out, this man who has been saved and baptized had an operation to change her anatomical construction into that of a man. What would you do as a leader of this church as you discover these details of the past?

BTW- this man has exressed sorrow and repentance over having this operation, is not pro-transgender or pro-homosexuality. He has said that his counsel to other people and his own worldview is now squarely on the basis of the Scripture.

PS -- I believe that this situation is in the same "family" of situations as ministry to a convicted sex offender in your congregation.

What Does God Want from Me?

"Could it be that for an hour, a day, a week, or even a year, God might have something more important for us to accomplish than just ticking off more steps towards the fulfillment of our goals?"

Life's Ultimate To Be List, p. 23

Worship

NSFW in a GARBC church

Do you think I need tolerance training?

Guys,

I have been posting to a conversation that went on with a postmodernist non-religious or at least non-churched person. The conversation was very flat with very little response to the arguments given in response to the rants against the church. Unfortunately, this is often the case with people who are angry at "church/religion/God"--they have stopped listening.

One posted response though was especially good. It was never responded to in its original context, but I wonder if you might field some of this guys questions or even go and post some conversation with Paul and his friend Patrick.

Patrick was railing against the fact that the church seemed to him to be exclusionistic. Here is Jeff's response:

What exactly is the definition of exclusion? Is exclusion the opposite of inclusion? Is inclusion universal because of the work of Christ? Do we sometimes try to interpret the teachings of Christ through our own definition of “righteousness?” Does God draw lines that demarcate inclusion and/or exclusion? Just how serious is God’s command to live without sin, and what defines sin? Can sin be quantified and qualified through tangible-visible manifestations? How do we respond to the answers to these questions…and what does the response look like?

I would love to be able to generate some discussion along these lines here. And maybe even send them along to Patrick. Or better yet, you could do that yourself!!