Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

The star of “The Andy Griffith Show,” who portrayed the sheriff of the fictional town of Mayberry, has sued a Wisconsin man who unsuccessfully ran for the Grant County post after legally changing his name to Andrew Jackson Griffith. Read about it here.

Too bad Barney is not still alive. He could go rough him up with his “bullet.” Or better yet, Gomer can make a “citizens arrest.”

What do you think?

Nearly half of Americans are not sure God exists, according to a poll that also found divisions among the public on whether God is male or female or whether God has a human form and has control over events. The survey conducted by Harris Poll found that 42 percent of US adults are not “absolutely certain” there is a God compared to 34 percent who felt that way when asked the same question three years ago.  Read about it here.

Christian men are yearning for a more macho alternative to traditional worship and the message in some churches of a gentle robed Jesus, say organizers of a new style of men’s spiritual event called GodMen coming to Nashville this weekend.

At the daylong GodMen event, men will be able to cuss, smoke cigars, watch videos of football pileups and car crashes, listen to specially composed Christian rock songs such as “Testosterone High” and attend workshops on how to fight pornography addiction.  Read about it here.

I think any event that helps people in their walk with Christ is great.  I just wonder about some of this event.  I don’t mean to be a prude, but why does cussing make you a man?  Just wondering?

What do you think?

Where do you stand on God?  According to the “New Atheists” it is time to declare your position. This is the challenge posed by the New Atheists.

The New Atheists will not let us off the hook simply because we are not doctrinaire believers. They condemn not just belief in God but respect for belief in God. Religion is not only wrong; it’s evil. Now that the battle has been joined, there’s no excuse for shirking.  Read about it here.

They have a point that believers should take note.  It is time believers declare their position!  Atheisim is evil!  In fact anything that goes against Christ is evil.  I’m not saying that the people who believe in Atheism and other religions are evil, they are deceived and misled.

We believers need to see what is out there.  Our battle isn’t with other believers, it is with Satan!

What do you think?

Here is the sub-title to the 4 part series the NY Times wrote about Christian ministries.

Articles in this four-part series examine how American religious organizations benefit from an increasingly accommodating government.

Don’t think for a minute that the secular world wants to hurt Christians.  The series is here.

Look at the titles for these articles:

Part 1: Favors for the Faithful

Part 2: Limiting Workers’ Rights

Part 3: Giving Exemptions

Part 4: The Personal Exemptions

After reading these articles it made me realize how “ABOVE REPROACH” that we as ministers and followers of Jesus need to be.   I always keep up with my receipts for conferences and any time I spend the church’s money.  Not all ministries require that but they should.  We as churches and ministries should be giving back to the community rather than asking for hand outs!

What do you think?