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How Can a Christian Be a Pagan

Posted by Chuck Briggs, 4Christ Child Missions on Friday, May 15, 2009 1:01:11 AM
 

Christian Paganism

 

“… How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.(1`King.18:21)

 After writing the article on the “extraordinary Situation?” “the Extraordinary God”, Extraordinary Elijah” and Extraordinary Miracle, the Lord confronted me with “Christian Paganism”, the same night. The Holy Spirit took me to the following passages and taught me with words I have never known before. It was awesome to know the mind of the Living God. On the 25th Sunday January 2009, I will be preaching this sermon in Rev.Stephan Paul’s Church in Kaveripattinam. I am sure that this message will be a blessing and feel free to elaborate it and preach it so that the body of the Lord may be edified.

 Elijah was a Powerful man and a fire full man! The generation who made a great escape from Egypt died in wilderness due to continuous rebellion and disobedience to His laws. The generation who crossed the red sea, the generation who saw Yahweh on mount Sinai, the generation who ate the food of the angels, the generation who worshipped the Lord in the tabernacle, sinned by worshipping idols. They mix married the heathen and thus kindled the anger of the Lord. The Lord had to slaughter them in the wilderness and extend a 3 days journey in to 40 years.

 it was a new  generations when Ahab was  king over Israel.  The nation of Israel was living in total disobedience to the laws of the Lord. Jezebel, the wife of Ahab was a wicked women. He killed the prophets of the Living God and built innumerable temples and forced the worship of Ba-al.

 (1.Kings.16:30-33) The Lord punished the land by stopping the rain and dew for over three and half a year.

 What is paganism? (or) heathenism?

 My Webster’s dictionary gives meaning that a pagan is the one who worships idols other than the living God. And a pagan is the one who is either a Christian, a Jew or a believer in the living God!

 St.Paul’s Explanation of Paganism: ( Ro.1: 21-23)Because that, they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful……And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God in to an image…..

Not glorifying the Living God is paganism.

  1. Failing to Thank God is Paganism
  2. Changing the Glory of the Living God in to the hand works of human hands. (lifeless idols.) It can be the writings, paintings, songs, music, ideologies and philosophies.

The enemy, the old serpent is so clever that he knows that Christians would not worship idols that easily and so he twists the Word and the Faith delivered to the saints and makes them stumble in relating their Christian life in the world and community we live in.

How can a Christian be a pagan?

1.    Christians too worship idols. In some  church buildings, they still have idols of Jesus, and other saints. And they are being worshipped. Paul, writing to the Corinthian Church, questions, “And what agreement   hath the temple of God with idols?...(II.Cor.6:16). “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee idolatry. (I.cor.10:14-15)

The city of Corinth was full of temples with life less idols; like we have it here in India. There will be several of them in one village. The Christians were new and hand counted. There was the temptation of eating the meat and banquet offered to the idols! Paul tells them, No do not eat, because the animals were sacrificed to devils. (I.cor.10:20) And if you do eat, then You have fellowship with the devils. …Ye can not be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of the devils.

In, Num. 25:2 We have an incident. Israel had to cross the land of Moabites. Balak was terrified. He hired the “Balaam” and tried to curse the people of Israel and instead of cursing; the prophet went on blessing the people of Israel.  The king’s plan failed. And so they worked out a plan to seduce the people of Israel. They invited the people of Israel to the sacrifices offered to their gods, and the people did eat, and bowed to their gods.

And the Lord killed that day 24,000 people.

There is another scheme of the devil.  Many Christians try to walk on sight and falsehood than trusting, believing and exercising their faith on the living Gods and His living word.

Galatians had this problem. In Gal. 4:9-10 “But now that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, where unto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Ye observe days, and months, and times and years.”

Idolatry is practiced in  a new form! Millions of Christians secretly practice these things. From kings to the leaders of super power nations fear the signs of sun, moon and stars. Christian weddings are fixed in “good times”. Warming up a newly built house, a journey, laying of foundation stones, giving names to the newborn babies etc ets are done in the light of these things.

 Are these things not professing practically that the JESUS we profess is so mean and obsolete? Let us flee all forms of Idolatry.

 2. Idolatry always accompanies sensual and sexual misbehaviors. Coming back to Romans. 1: 24-28, we read how God gave such people to sexual misbehaviors. Idolatry always accompanied polygamy, prostitution and misappropriation of genders.

It is in the light of this that men marrying men and women marrying women are blessed by priests and pastors and priests in church buildings. Oh! What a debauchery. Even animals and pets we grown in our homes keep up the natural laws of God. It does not take God for the animals to keep this law. Thus human nature is lower than the instincts of beasts.

 Coming back to numbers 25.

 The Moabites knew how to seduce and reduce Israel to nothing and bring them down. They sent attractive young women in to the festival of Baal. The people of Israel committed adultery. The Holy God of the Bible was jealous upon His Holiness that He killed and removed 24,000 Israelites in one day.

 Corinthian Christians had more severe Problem in this area.  Remember this Church was a “Super Spiritual Church”. The Holy Spirit was in full operation with various gifts, fruits and Offices. But in ( I Cor.5:1-5), we read: “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such is not so much as named among the gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. …..To deliver such an one un to Satan for the destruction of the flesh…..”

How many families, lives, individuals, nations, kings and kingdoms fell because of sexual failures? Cinemas, pornography magazines, Internet, pubs, dances and other cultural practices have devastated the strength, future, happiness and the prosperity of human race! REMEMBER! NO ONE IS ABOVE THIS TEMPTATION.

Flee, idolatry for it will destroy the moral fabric of a society, nation and families, by seducing us in to sexual and sensual sins.

Jesus said,” But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Mt.6:28)

2. Christians can be pagans by exercising Lordship and authority.

In Luke 22.24-26 “And there was a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And He said unto them, The kings of the gentiles exercise lordship over them: and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger: and he that is chief, as he that doeth serve.”

 The greatest problem of the CHURCH to day is Power and position. Every one wants to be on the top seat. This is because of ruling and authority. Positions always bring possessions, comforts and lordship. And this strife ends in court cases, closing down of church services, divisions and separation of the body of Christ. Greed and jealousy are the root cause of these evils. The Holy Spirit Can not rule the body of Christ if a man or a man is lifted to the throne of authority.

In I Sam.8: 5-7, we read how the people of Israel wanted to …”make a king to judge us like all THE NATIONS” …….And the Lord said unto Samuel, …..for they not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I SHOULD NOT REIGN OVER THEM.”

The Lord always want to be on the throne, ruling over His church. Rev.4: 1- 11 gives us the account of Jesus seated on the throne and there were 24 other thrones round about….The Lord wants to live amongst His people, ruling and judging. And there are many who acknowledge this and experience this. And the leaders of the church are servants and not Lords. How de we relate our position and authority with the fellow Christians? How do we relate our Christian power with our un saved non Christians? How do we relate our power and lordship with the members of our family?

 There are leaders in the church who treat Christians of poor nations as “mean” and as third class citizens! In Jn.13 the Lord showed the meekness of Leadership by washing the foot of His disciples.

 An aggressive leadership with man made laws and rules are Paganism.

 The king is coming on the clouds! The ruler of the nations is nearer than we think to meet His people. AND EVERY ONE WHO ARE RULED BY HIM WILL MEET HIM IN THE NID HEAVEN AND BE GONE WITH HIM!

 Jesus is Lord! He alone is our King! Worship! Praise! And Serve Him Joyfully!

 Amen!
 
Rev.Dass.T

Director

www.bethelerc.org

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News from the Field - Kenya/East Africa (prayer needed)

Posted by Chuck Briggs, 4Christ Child Missions on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 11:39:21 PM
   About a month and a half ago a distraught mother came up to our team leader’s compound asking for help. Her 9 - 10 year-old son had been sleeping and accidentally rolled into the fire. David and one of our nurses took the medical kit and followed the woman home. They found his injuries to be severe and advised the mother to take him to the Chakadum hospital. They made a hammock-like stretcher, attached it to poles, and two men and the boy’s mom carried him the 8 hours down to the valley. 
 
   We thought the matter resolved until three weeks ago. The boy’s mother came again to the compound. She explained that they had stayed in Chukadum three weeks and had received no medicine, barely any help at all and had returned. She complained that her son had a fever and pleaded again for help -- could we come? This is when I was introduced to little Lino and became involved in his recovery.

Lino
   Lino is one of the bravest and sweetest boys I have ever had the privilege to serve. God made it clear to me as I walked down the path to see him that first time, that this was not just going to be a one time social visit, that I had a role in this boy’s life if I was up to the challenge. Although difficult and time consuming, I am so glad that I decided to join God in his invitation. Lino has wiggled his way into my heart. 

   Lino needs daily care and our team has taken him up as part of our ministry. I invite you to join this ministry also through your prayers. They are very much needed. In many ways this is out of our league. I am not a nurse, nor have I ever been tempted by that profession, and yet I am treating a boy with large 3rd degree burns on both his legs. The burn located on one side of his right leg, takes up the majority of his upper thigh. On his left leg the burn includes under his knee, which is extremely painful when stretched. We did find him with fever because his wounds were infected. 

   Shawn and Carly live the closest to him, and have taken the major duty of cleaning and bandaging his wounds daily. Tianne and I live a mile away and have been sharing the responsibility of delivering antibiotics every morning and evening, as well as doing leg stretches. 

   The majority of time we find him alone in the dark hut. His mom needs to be working in the field and sometimes is not back by in the evening because of the drinking parties the Didinga are known for. His grandmother and younger brother are usually in the compound, but they are as neglected as he is. His grandmother is the skinniest Didinga I have seen here. You can see all of her ribs. I have never met his father. This is his third wife and she has little importance. We have been bringing him a hardboiled egg each time we give medicine because he isn’t fed much and the antibiotics are strong on an empty stomach. It is a sad situation, but also what an opportunity. If any family needs the love of God shown to them, it’s this family.
Equally sad is the following incident:
 
   At the beginning we, through a translator, prayed for Lino and explained to Lino that he could call on God any time the pain was bad or he was scared. At this point the fever was bad and we didn’t know how it would go. We told the mother about our God who heals and she responded nearly under her breath, “ I don’t know if your God will help him.”

   We further explained to his mom all the help that we were going to provide, including the physical therapy. We told her that his legs are tucked in and stiff because he hasn’t been using them. We explained that if he had any chance of walking again we would have to start stretching his legs. We would do this little by little and it would take many months to straighten them out and many more before he could stand on them. Unfortunately, the first week we began this treatment, the grandmother took it upon herself to straighten his legs, and while the mom was in the fields, tied the boy down and stretched them all the way out. I can’t even imagine the pain Lino endured. We came that evening and found him with braces forcing his legs to be straight and the burn under his knee was ripped open and bleeding so hard we had trouble stopping it. 

   I came home that evening crying. It was too much for my heart to bear. We have been attending to him now for four weeks. They are beginning to trust us more with the treatment and have not been consulting the witchdoctor as much as in the beginning. Lino enjoys our visits and tries to be brave. He is an amazing boy. Please pray for us, and Lino.

Other prayer requests

   We have started up the clinic ministries – more info on that in the next newsletter. The clinic is even more of a need than we first realized. We recently found out that the Chukadum hospital is in the process of closing down due to lack of funding. This is why they were unable to help Lino. This leaves us in the difficult and sad position of having no option of sending the major cases elsewhere for further help. We are limited in what treatment we can provide. We cannot refrigerate meds, we have limited surgical capabilities and can provide no long term care. It is a devastating blow to have no hospital option for the people that come our way. Pray that we will be able to help those we can and that God is gracious in comforting us, and those we have to turn away.

   The other prayer request concerns our team. We are greatly saddened to report that two of our team members have left us and returned to Canada due to medical reasons. Dustin began to experience back problems into the second month we were here. The pain continued to get worse and while we were in Machakos for ABO he got it checked out. In Nairobi he received several injections in hoping to shrink his bulged disc. However, after they returned they found this NOT to be the case and he and his wife have left in hopes that he will have surgery, recover and then return to us in September. This is not a certainty and so we ask for your prayers. They are very much loved by us; we are not a complete team without them. Pray also as Anne, his wife was one of our nurses. We, at the clinic, will be short staffed for a while.

   I thought I’d end with a praise. Lino chunny (tall Lino) the reformed thief I wrote about has shown great interest in Christianity as of late. We have made major efforts to befriend him after his apology to the Millers. He has become a friend to us all and we have purposely included him in our ministries – as translator. He has heard us pray for the sick and is witness to true Christian community as we work together. He has begun asking spiritual questions and was able to come with us to the Nagishot church for Easter. The pastor is from Uganda and his wife is Didinga. They invited him back for a week-long Bible study. He is there now.

Despite everything, we continue to see exciting progress. We remain in the thick of here, "In these hills."

Love in Christ,
Elly Admiral & the Rest of the Team
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Disappearing Christian Youth and a New Approach in Youth Ministry

Posted by Chuck Briggs, 4Christ Child Missions on Monday, April 20, 2009 1:46:37 AM
 

INTRODUCTION

     Is there evidence that today's youth are turning away from the "faith of their fathers" and leaving the church? And if so – how

 
important are youth and campus ministries in addressing this issue? And is it really possible to develop a student ministry that

keeps the interest of today's youth and yet remain true to God's word? This paper will address these questions and will explore

one component of an overall solution. Since there is no doubt that the youth of today will be the leaders of tomorrow, the trends

of youth today will impact greatly the future of Christianity in United States.

 

DISAPPEARING CHRISTIAN YOUTH


           There is an old adage that "facts don't lie;" with that in mind – Yes, there is a disturbing and undeniable trend occurring in

society today: the youth are opting out of the church and turning their backs on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

"According to Campus Crusade for Christ, 97% of all born-again believers accept Jesus Christ before the age of 21 while 85%

accept Christ before the age of 18! Basically, we see that if one is going to enter the Kingdom it will be done in the early years of

one's life. Sadly, according to Youth for Christ... only 4 in 100 teenagers in this nation even claim to have a faith based

relationship with Jesus Christ."[1]

 

The Facts


          Studies demonstrate that just as rapidly as young people turn away from working for the Kingdom they seem to be turning

toward a life of hedonistic self-indulgence.

 

Sex:

            Eighty-four percent of parents of high school teenagers think their children aren't sexually active figures from a Society for Adolescent Medicine survey show - but statistics don't bear out the parents beliefs. In fact, teenagers seem to be engaging in sexual behaviors earlier than ever before.

            Dr. Slyvia Rimm has interviewed hundreds of children around the country for a book on the habits of middle schoolers. She says she has discovered that second, third, and fourth-graders are talking about sex. "The oral sex, even a generation ago, wasn't common in high school, and now is common as early as 8th grade and even…taken lightly, " Rimm said. Rimm added that former President Bill Clinton's statement, "I did not have sex with that woman ... Miss Lewinsky," -- has had an impact. She said teens do not think oral sex counts as sex."[2] As evidence that Dr. Rimm's professional hunch is on the mark, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy did a research study on teen sexual habits using data from 2002. They found that not only had "more than half of the teens interviewed had oral sex, but nearly one in four virgins had also."[3] Perhaps surprisingly to some, the rate of participation for oral sex was almost identical for girls and boys at 54 and 55% respectively; and for intercourse – the rate of participation for girls was actually greater than boys at 53 and 49% respectively.

 

Pornography:

            While many parents may be unsure whether they prefer their child learning about sex at home or at school, studies show that a large percentage of them are finding out about sex through another source – the internet. In fact, studies have revealed that most teens have visited a pornographic website at least once and many do so regularly. "According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 70 percent of 15- to 17-year-old boys have visited a pornographic Web site."[4]

 

Violent Video Games:

            Video games are another past-time of teens that have parents, educators, and experts concerned. An entertainment medium that started out with simple games like Pong, then grew into games like Donkey Kong – is now dominated with lusty and extremely violent video games. And the average time spent on computers and game controllers playing these has risen steadily during the same period.

 

Drugs and Alcohol:

            Drug Abuse is yet another problem area of concern. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "decreases or stability in abuse patterns were noted for most drugs from 2005 to 2006,"[5] the latest year for which statistics are available. Nevertheless, drugs are still very prevalent amongst the student population today. Some drugs that have become prevalent in recent years are anabolic steroids, club drugs like MDMA (ecstasy), and prescription medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin.            

            The Consequences

     In addition to the obvious "eternal" consequences to an individual of a life without a relationship with Jesus Christ, studies
 
suggest that these trends are impacting society in a number of negative ways.
 

Sex:

            The consequences of sexual activity among youth can be severe and includes consequences for the youth, their parents, society, and a potential child. Approximately 25% of all pregnancies in the U.S. today end in abortion. The consequences to all involved are immense. While teen pregnancies make up a large percentage of those, the number of unwanted pregnancies among adolescents has actually gone down a bit in recent years but the numbers are still staggering.

            For those who carried their children to term, the literal cost to society monetarily is also staggering – estimated to be in the hundreds of billions in U.S. dollars. "Single-adult households have now displaced two-parent families with children as the most typical type of U.S. household. The change demonstrates "the growing complexity" of American households according to a new report, "Examining American Household Composition: 1990 and 2000." "It's breathtaking how many people still think that the 'mom, pop, and two kids' is the majority of households," said Peter Francese, the founder of American Demographics magazine.
            Nuclear-family households -- two married parents and a child -- were the most common as recently as 1990, when there were 25 million such households. But by 2000, nuclear-family households fell to second place, both because there were almost a half-million fewer of these type of homes and because the number of single-adult households surged past 27 million."[6]
            Sexually transmitted disease is an epidemic in the United States and is on the rise among the youth in particular. While pornography, racy chat, virtual and literal sex has never been more available to this group, ironically they seem to be no more informed of the dangers of this behavior than their predecessors. And according to findings published in the January 2006 edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health, adolescent girls, in particular – are increasingly suffering the consequences of their lack of knowledge. "On average, with the exception of HIV/AIDS, the teens did not know many basic facts about STDs," said Julie Downs, lead author of the study. "Our schools have decided to focus on AIDS, and that has come at a cost," she said. "Teens just aren't being taught about these other diseases, and so they may come away with a false sense of confidence." The study's findings are troubling because teenagers who know little about STDs are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior and to delay the treatment of STDs, the researchers said. And the consequences can be severe. Genital herpes, for example, cannot be cured. Genital warts can render a woman more susceptible to cervical cancer, and chlamydia can lead to infertility. The group said 54 percent knew nothing about hepatitis B, a disease that can be 100 times more contagious than HIV." [7]
Pornography:
            "The National Institute of Health is studying the long-term effects of porn on young adults. "It has the potential for teenagers to really mess up what their attitudes are about sexuality and really mess up relationships," said clinical psychologist Paul Schenck. Counselors say during the impressionable years, teens may learn to view women as sex objects, extreme sex seems normal, and later, porn becomes part of their sexuality. "So that then in their adult life, if they're wanting to get turned on, they know right where to go," said Schenck. "The brain knows exactly what kind of images to pull up, and it can be very, very hard to change that, to alter that." Experts say... the quantity, accessibility and graphic nature of the porn makes it much more likely (that) it can become an addiction for a teen."[8]
 

Violent Video:

            Cognitive studies have begun demonstrating links between exposure to violent media and violent or overtly aggressive behavior. One recent study studied youth from 13 to 17 years old. Those allowed to play violent games showed far "more activation in the amygdala, which is involved in emotional arousal, and less activation in the prefrontal portions of the brain associated with control, focus and concentration than teens who played nonviolent games."[9] The study demonstrated that playing violent video games may have different effects on brain function than those of a non-violent nature according to Dr. Vincent Mathews, a professor of radiology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and the study's author.
 

Drugs and Alcohol:

     The effects of abusing drugs and alcolhol can be devastating and teenagers are perhaps the most vulnerable segment of society. Addiction, vehicle accidents, affects on family, crime, risky behavior, depression, health problems, and suicide, to name a few. A recent study by NIDA showed that the cost to society at large was also substantial – several hundred billion U.S. dollars. "These costs included lost productivity of victims and incarcerated perpetrators of drug- related crime (20.4 percent); lost legitimate production due to drug-related crime careers (19.7 percent); and other costs of drug-related crime, including Federal drug traffic control, property damage, and police, legal, and corrections services (18.4 percent). Most of the remaining costs resulted from premature deaths (14.9 percent), lost productivity due to drug-related illness (14.5 percent), and healthcare expenditures (10.2 percent)."[10]
 

FAITH MATTERS

     Studies have shown that in addition to the most important affect from a Christian standpoint – the individual's 'spiritual alienation from God,' there are a host of broader societal problems that the evidence indicates it may cause or worsen. To name just a sampling, these include: marital instability (couples that attended church frequently were 2.6 times as likely to have intact marriages than couples not attending or seldom attending)[11] (In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse, up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000); [12] unhappiness and emotional adjustment problems; [13] alcohol use, delinquency, drug use, trouble in school, poor grades; [14] poorer health and higher mortality rates (Compared with individuals who did not attend church regularly, people who did had a significantly lower incidence of various diseases. Persons who attended church at least weekly had the lowest rates of tuberculosis. Regular church attendees also faced much lower risks of dying from various conditions. Compared to weekly attendees, infrequent attendees were 2.1 times more likely to die from arteriosclerotic heart disease, 2.3 times more likely to die from pulmonary emphysema, 3.9 times more likely to die from cirrhosis of the liver. Infrequent attendees were also 2.1 times more likely to commit suicide. Finally – people who attended church regularly were better able to quit unhealthy habits such as smoking and excessive drinking.); [15]decreased educational attainment; [16] decreased charitable giving and volunteer work on behalf of poor and elderly. [17]  From these studies it is obvious that the trend of Christian youth leaving the church has a significant and decidedly negative impact on almost all of society.
 

CAMPUS MINISTRY – NEW DIRECTIONS

     "The youngest generations want to make a difference, and church has failed to challenge them or give them an avenue to express and practice their faith according to Jose Zayas, Director of Teen Evangelism of Focus on the Family. Mark Kellly, on staff with Purpose Driven Ministries, would agree. According to Kelly, the new generation of missionaries wants to go to the "hardest, most dangerous place, a place where nobody's ever been." [18]
New Philosophy
          "Today's works on youth ministry have a shelf life of approximately live 5 years. This relevance factor demands that we
examine, research, and share new methods and philosophy for reaching today's young people with the message of hope that is found in Christ (and hopefully will stay in their lives longer than five years)."[19] The philosophy here is simply to fervently pursue the command of Matthew 28:19 by carrying the Good News of Jesus Christ into the educational arena in dynamic ways with a focus on keeping faith relevant to a new generation while remaining steadfast to the never changing principles found in God's word.

 

Changing of the Guard
 
         If things are going to change fast enough to prevent the United States from going the way of England and much of Western

Europe, Christian leaders must urgently pursue an agenda in which young people are regarded and acted upon to a greater extent

than in the past. "According to research, despite the popularity of church youth programs, older people tend to receive

considerably more emotional support from the church than do youth." [20] 

         Evidence has already been submitted in this paper suggesting that successful youth programs seem to be those that actually

expect more from students and leaving the limits of their potential between them and God. With that in mind, our new focus

should make it inevitable that we weed out programs that are not strongly pushing students toward active missions. Of course all

batteries need recharging and successful programs involving praise and worship, prayer, Bible study, and holiness should be kept

or incorporated. The five fundamentals of the faith should be stressed forward, backward, and sideways. Again – it must be

emphasized to the students repeatedly that this is not a game for entertainment but rather they are Respected leaders in the church
that is involved in a worldwide struggle for the souls of mankind.

        The youth should have a fundamental understanding of the workings of their church including the administration, finances,

decision making, etc. They should be welcomed and actually encouraged to play a part in these areas. A Marine once said, "If you
want someone to act like a man then start treating him like one." And as far as Youth Ministry goes, they should be involved in

every part of the process from budgeting to planning to...
 

4CHRIST CHILD MISSIONS - Who We Are


        4Christ Child Missions is an organization dedicated to helping children around the world by helping fund those who

provide quality Christian care to children in need.
 
         This article was posted as parted of a series leading up to the launch of a new Christian fraternal organization, Chi Rho Nike,
 
for youth in middle school, high school, and college age adults.
 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1]Richard S. Brown Jr., "Principles of Student Ministry: An Overview of a Biblically Base Approach to Student Ministries."

[2]WKMG Channel 6 News, "Younger Teens Gain More Sex Experience," December 3, 2004, WKMG, http://www.local6.com/family/3968622/detail.html (accessed July 2, 2007).

[3]WKMG Channel 6 News, "Half of Teens Having Oral Sex," September 20, 2005, WKMG, http://www.local6.com/family/4997772/detail.html (accessed July 2, 2007).

[5]"NIDA InfoFacts: High School and Youth Trends," December, 2006, http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/HSYouthtrends.html (accessed July 2, 2007).

[6]Cheryl Wetzstein, "More Homes in U.S. go Solo," August 17, 2005, The Washington Times, http://www.washtimes.com (accessed July 2, 2007).

[7]Julie S. Downs, Wandi Bruine de Bruin, and Pamela J. Murray, "Specific STI Knowledge May be Acquired too Late," 38, no. 1 (January 2006).

[8]News, Experts: Porn Sites Distort Teens' Views on Sexuality," http://www.local6.com/family/3510523/detail.html.

[9]Ibid.

[10]"NIDA InfoFacts: Costs to Society," December, 2006, http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/HSYouthtrends.html (accessed July 2, 2007).

[11]Wesley Shrum, "Religion and Marital Instability: Change in the 1970s?," Review of Religious Research 21, no. 2 (1980).

[12]Sam Roberts, "51% of Women are now Living Without a Spouse," The New York Times, 16 January 2007.

[13]Melinda Wenner, "Religous Kids are Better Adjuster say Researchers," April 24, 2007, http://livescience.com (accessed May 12, 2007).

[14]"Religion and Vulnerability Among Low-Risk Adolescents"Regnerus, Mark D.; Elder, Glenn H., "Religion and Vulnerability Among Low-Risk Adolescents," Social Science Research 32 (2003).

[15]William J. Strawbridge et al., "Frequent Attendance at Religious Services and Mortality over 28 Years," American Journal of Public Health 87, no. 6 (June 1997).

[16]Jonathan Gruber, "Religious Market Structure, Religious Participation, and Outcomes: Is Religion Good for You," National Bureau of Economic Research 11377 (2005).

[17]Brooks, Arthur C., Who Really Cares: New York, New York: Basic Book, 2006), 31-52.

[18]Rhonda Tse, "Student Conferences Thrive Amid Fears of Youth Leaving Church," December 4, 2005, http://www.Christianpost.com (accessed May 12, 2007).

[19]Lee Vukich, and Steve Vandegriff, "Introduction," in Timeless Youth Ministry: a handbook for successfully reaching today's youth (Chicago, w:st="on" Illinois: Moody Press, 2002), 16. < P>

[20]Neal; Ellison Krause, Christopher G.; Marcum, and P. Jack, "The Effects of Church-Based Emotional Support on Health: Do They Vary by Gender?," Sociology of Religion 63, no. 1 (2002).


[3]WKMG Channel 6 News, "Half of Teens Having Oral Sex," September 20, 2005, WKMG, http://www.local6.com/family/4997772/detail.html (accessed July 2, 2007).

[3]< Experts: Porn Sites Distort Teens? Views on Sexuality,? 9, 2004, WKMG, http: www.local6.com family 3510523 detail.html (accessed July 2, 2007). FONT>

[5][6]Cheryl Wetzstein, "More Homes in U.S. go Solo," August 17, 2005, The Washington Times, http://www.washtimes.com (accessed July 2, 2007).

[6][7]Julie S. Downs, Wandi Bruine de Bruin, and Pamela J. Murray, "Specific STI Knowledge May be Acquired too Late," 38, no. 1 (January 2006).

[7][8]News, Experts: Porn Sites Distort Teens' Views on Sexuality," http://www.local6.com/family/3510523/detail.html.

[8][9]Ibid.

[9][10]"NIDA InfoFacts: Costs to Society," December, 2006, http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/HSYouthtrends.html (accessed July 2, 2007).

[10][11]Wesley Shrum, "Religion and Marital Instability: Change in the 1970s?," Review of Religious Research 21, no. 2 (1980).

[11][12]Sam Roberts, "51% of Women are now Living Without a Spouse," The New York Times, 16 January 2007.

[12][13]Melinda Wenner, "Religous Kids are Better Adjuster say Researchers," April 24, 2007, http://livescience.com (accessed May 12, 2007).

[13][14]"Religion and Vulnerability Among Low-Risk Adolescents"Regnerus, Mark D.; Elder, Glenn H., "Religion and Vulnerability Among Low-Risk Adolescents," Social Science Research 32 (2003).

[14][15]William J. Strawbridge et al., "Frequent Attendance at Religious Services and Mortality over 28 Years," American Journal of Public Health 87, no. 6 (June 1997).

[15][16]Jonathan Gruber, "Religious Market Structure, Religious Participation, and Outcomes: Is Religion Good for You," National Bureau of Economic Research 11377 (2005).

[15]America's Charity Divide (New York, New York: Basic Book, 2006), 31-52.

[18][19]Lee Vukich, and Steve Vandegriff, "Introduction," in Timeless Youth Ministry: a handbook for successfully reaching today's youth (Chicago, w:st="on" Illinois: Moody Press, 2002), 16. < P>

[19][20]Neal; Ellison Krause, Christopher G.; Marcum, and P. Jack, "The Effects of Church-Based Emotional Support on Health: Do They Vary by Gender?," Sociology of Religion 63, no. 1 (2002).
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My Response to an Islamic Man Requesting to Post Comment on the 4Christ Profile Page on MySpace

Posted by Chuck Briggs, 4Christ Child Missions on Thursday, April 16, 2009 1:15:47 PM
while i am honored sir by your communication, i am not approving your request to post a comment on my profile page that links 2 your site. i feel i am obligated 2 screen out posts that i don't happen 2 believe 2 b true.

i would however welcome the opportunity 2 converse with u about islam most anytime in the future since i consider myself 2 be very knowledgable about islam, the koran, the hadith, and allah - allah is actually a god that muhammad borrowed from a more ancient religion (allyat).

muhammad, who started this religion back in the sixth century insisted that his followers be restrained 2 virgin wives - yet of his many wives, he only married one virgin and she was a just a little girl - aisha. the rest of his wives were divorcees including ones he stole away from his closest followers. he began courting little aisha when she was only four years old by telling her about sexual dreams he was having of her. her father begged him not to marry her but he insisted - by claiming that allah told him it was proper and then he went further by actually promising that any man who gives his daughters hand away prior to her menstruation would be guaranteed a place in paradise.

while he wanted 2 get married and have sex with her when she was 4, he had 2 wait until she was nine because she contracted a skin disease which caused her hair 2 fall out. so he waited until she was nine years old before he began molesting her.

it seems hypocritical 2 me how that islamists seem 2 always b lecturing the west on moral issues such as sex and alcohol. yet muhammad promised that your heaven will have lakes of wine that never run dry. and there will b corners of heaven where u can have sexual relations with other men's wives.

does not islam encourage mother's 2 masturbate their infant sons?!  doesn't your religion allow men 2 have "temp" marriages" as a clever means of getting around your own prohibitions against adultery?

why in the world would practicioners of your religion believe that they have the moral standing to lecture anyone about sinful behavior when the whole religion is based upon such as this? when i picture heaven as described in your holy books - i think of a big, drunken orgy.

sorry again 4 not posting your link but if u ever do wish 2 discuss these things together - i'm definitely available either in person or "virtually" (and would be happy 2 do so publicly with your friends and mine available so that both sides could learn).

i am about 2 begin graduate school at liberty university. you should go to www.liberty.edu and look up the dean of of our seminary. his name is ergun caner. (or go to www.erguncaner.com) he is a brilliant scholar who converted from islam after God opened his eyes 2 the Truth that can only be found in Yahweh and His son Jesus Christ.

he used to have a lot of debates with islamic leaders around the world. i've noticed that lately they don't seemed 2 want 2 debate him anymore though. perhaps they have found it 2 difficult 2 argue with the truth that is Jesus Christ.

in your religion - men send off children and women to die 4 a god named allah. in my religion - God sent His own beloved son 2 die 4 us. i hope He opens your eyes 2 my friend.

luv in Christ,
chuck

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