All Saint's Day...An Armchair Theologians Perspective

All Saints Day, the day on which Catholics celebrate all the saints, known and unknown, is a surprisingly old feast. It arose out of the Christian tradition of celebrating the martyrdom of saints on the anniversary of their martyrdom. When martyrdoms increased during the persecutions of the late Roman Empire, local dioceses instituted a common feast day in order to ensure that all martyrs, known and unknown, were properly honored.

Most Protestants churches other than some of the "mainline" churches focus more of their attention on days such as Mother's Day, Father's Day. Now there's even a Grandparent's Day and a Children's Day.. I'm not criticizing this practice, but would would personally like to see more of the day's on the Christian Calendar observed and explained to congregations also.

Retailers tell us that the pagan holiday of Halloween is second only to Christmas in total consumer spending! It is not uncommon to see as many houses decorated in ghosts and goblins as with Christmas lights a couple of months later. Most conservative churches replace Halloween Parties with Hallelujah Parties asking that participants dress like Bible characters and such.

This a a good alternative so the children of church members don't feel like they are totally left-out as in the good 'ol days when everything was illegal, immoral, and it seemed a sin just to smile. Maybe there is another possibility to consider? Maybe we as the Church could focus more on church holidays like All Saint's Day in rememberence of those who died that Christianity, especially Protestant Christianity might live. Included in this is our many translations of the Bible into everyday language so that everyone can read it.

And while we are at it, maybe we can throw Maundy Thursday, Pentecost, and Trinity Sunday in there also! That's my opinion anyway...keith 1 Cor 13

Keith Kiper is the Media Pastor at Boonville Wesleyan Church. He resides in Tennyson Indiana with his wife Vicky, daugher Kristy, with 2 cats and a very spoiled Mailtipoo. He is a licensed minister pursuing pre-ordination studies in The Wesleyan Church and will be ordained in June 2012. Keith is also the Webmaster and manages several facebook pages , has written aritcles for God's Revivalist,blogs, and manages the official Indiana South District facebook page.

The Lord's Baseball Game

Freddy and the Lord stood by to
observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team.

The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it wa s the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up
to the plate named 'Love.'

Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because 'Love never fails.'

The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love.

The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch.



Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one.
Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan t hrows.


The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His
star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, 'He sure doesn't look like much!'

Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by.


He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground;

The roaring crowds went wild as the ball




Continued over the fence . . For a home run!


The Lord's team
won!

The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love , Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game. Freddy answered that he didn't know why.

The Lord explained, 'If your love, faith and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom will get you on
base but only My Grace can get you Home:


'For by Grace are you saved, it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.' Ephesians 2:8-9

Psalm 84:11, 'For the Lord God is a sun and
shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good
thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.'

Submitted by Pastor Steve Caniff

Reflections on Camp Meeting 2009

Reflections on Camp Meeting 2009

God met with us again in Camp meeting last light. I observed a General Baptist, a Nazarene, and a Wesleyan pastor praying with an individual at the alter. I thought to myself, this is what camp meeting is all about! This is a time we we as Christians can join together and take down the denominational barriers. Those of you who are church history buffs like myself remember reading about the great camp meetings of our past. The Camp Meeting at Cane Ridge Kentucky, known as the great revival, is noted in almost every history book about early America.(except maybe in our new government school textbooks) Beginning on Friday August 6, 1801, this meeting went on for a week. Twenty to thirty thousand people traveled by foot and horseback to attend. Lives were changed and people were divinely healed of their maladies. Francis Asbury said"The work of God is running like fire in Kentucky." This Saturday night service of Camp Meeting has been set aside as a special time of seeking God for healing. Those Christians like us who believe the Bible is still true believe that God still chooses to heal people at His will and choosing. Yes, I know He can work through doctors and circumstances, and sometimes does. Sadly the "dispensationalists" among us in the church world have relegated these acts to the past or the time of the apostles. Maybe that is why the hospitals are full and so many churches sit empty on Sunday Morning! I know God still heals because he healed me and others I know personally. Hope to see you at camp meeting this week...keith 1 Cor 13

The Truth is Still the Truth...

Nice thought by Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. I would say that his thinking and mine are a little like Paul and James sometimes: we agree but are emphasizing different pieces of the puzzle. For example, he says, "I have maintained for years that those who say that an objective defense of truth is obsolete are dead wrong. To abandon apologetics and, thereby, embrace the relational at the expense of the rational is simply a false dichotomy." I agree. This is a false dichotomy. The relational is not anti-rational and any abandonment of there being better and worse answers to questions is foolhearty. There is such a thing as right and wrong, just and unjust, and as Christians who love our neighbors it is our responsibility to work for them in effective and fully Christian ways. Again, "They don’t need nor will they accept some watered down 'generous orthodoxy' that really is nothing but a lie born of Man’s oxymoronic canonization of the relative." I agree. Any watered down sense of generous orthodoxy that leaves us with nothing in our hands because it has all washed away is worthless. The phrase I use is "identity within diversity." We know who we are and what we believe with full awareness and love toward the myriad of other identities and beliefs, at the same time humble at the realization of the limitations of our own knowledge.

This post is from Rev'd Dr Ken Schenck's (pictured above)blog Quadrilateral Thoughts.You can also find a rss feed in my blogs's section in the left-hand column. Ken is a professor of New Testament & Philosophy at Indiana Wesleyan University. I met him and heard him preach in the 80's at his sister's pastorate, First Wesleyan Church of Fort Lauderdale while he was still in Seminary.

Are We a Christian Nation?-You Decide!

Birthday Celebration!

Birthday Celebration!

Just a quick note to say, "Happy 306th Birthday" to John Wesley! - Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 to the Rev'd. Samuel & Susanna Wesley. He was either the 13th or 14th of their children; no one is quite sure. In any case, he was only the seventh to survive the first year of life. Oddly, he was the third Wesley child to be named "John" (the previous two had died). (cf. The Elusive Mr. Wesley, Vol. 1, Heitzenrater).

(From Rev'd Dr. Todd Stepp's blog http://wesleyananglican.blogspot.com)

Pentecost Sunday
Rev'd Dr. Todd A. Stepp
Grace Church of the Nazarene
Evansville,Indiana
http://wesleyananglican.blogspot.com


This past Sunday the Church celebrated the culmination of the great fifty days, the conclusion of the Easter season, the outpouring of the promise of the Father, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church. - John the Baptizer had declared concerning Jesus, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, NRSV). Jesus assured the disciples that it would be to their advantage that He would ascend to the Father, because, in doing so, He would send the Holy Spirit (the Advocate/Comforter/Counselor/Helper - parakletos ) to them (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit would teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus had said to them (14:26), and the Holy Spirit would "prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement (16:8). Further, Jesus told the apostles, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NRSV). On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples saw the fulfillment of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit as told by John the Baptizer and the Lord Jesus, as well as the prophet Joel. It is that same outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we enter into by faith and through our baptism, for St. Paul declares, "For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . ." (1 Cor. 12:13, NRSV).* Pentecost is one of the major feast days of the Church, and it should be a great day of celebration for those of us in the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition. - I recall a conversation a number of years back with a Presbyterian (USA) pastor. He confessed, he really didn't know what to do with Pentecost. Now, I do not mean to imply that such is the case for all, or even a majority of Presbyterians. I don't know. However, Nazarenes, whether espousing a 19th century or a classical Wesleyan view (cf. footnote, below) ought to have no problem knowing how to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. You see, one of the main benefits of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the possibility of having our hearts cleansed of sin. - As the prophet Ezekiel foretold, there was coming a day when God would ". . . sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statures and be careful to observe my ordinances" (Ezek. 36:25-27, NRSV). And St. Peter, referring to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the gentiles, argued, "And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us" (Acts 15:8-9). It is this heart cleansing that has been at the heart (no pun intended!) of the Wesleyan & Methodist movement, and especially so for the Holiness branches of Methodism. It has been referred to by Wesley in connection with the Biblical doctrines of Entire Sanctification and Christian Perfection. In fact, the spread of scriptural holiness throughout the land was the stated purpose of Methodism, first by John Wesley in London in 1733, and then in America, at the famous Christmas Conference in Baltimore in 1784 at the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was the commitment to this purpose that gave rise to the 19th century Holiness Movement within Methodism. And Phineas Bresee said of the Church of the Nazarene, that it is ". . . a part of that body of believers raised up to spread sanctified holiness over these lands, and thus that we are a part of that company who are the real successors of John Wesley and the early Methodists" (Nazarene Messenger, July 15, 1909). And so, we Wesleyan Christians have special reasons for joining with our sisters and brother in Christ around the world to rejoice and give thanks to God on Pentecost Sunday for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we seek to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. _____________________________ *At this point, those within the Holiness movement will recognize that I take my stand with John Wesley, the Church of history, and those in the classical Wesleyan theological tradition, rather than those who are more consistent with 19th century interpretations. Those debates within the Holiness Movement can be seen in The Wesleyan Theological Journal between 1973 and 1982. Mark Quanstrom discusses it in A Century of Holiness Theology: The Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Church of the Nazarene, 1905-2004, though his bias toward the 19th century view is apparent in his, not always completely accurate portrayal of members of "The Trevecca Connection."

Sign of the Times

Sign of the Times

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Monday it no longer includes a Bible quote on the cover page of daily intelligence briefings it sends to the White House as was practice during the Bush administration.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he did not know how long the Worldwide Intelligence Update cover sheets quoted from the Bible. Air Force Maj. Gen. Glen Shaffer, who was responsible for including them, retired in August 2003, according to his biography.

For a period in 2003, at least, the daily reports prepared for President George W. Bush carried quotes from the books of Psalms and Ephesians and the epistles of Peter.

I have often expressed my sentiments, that every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.

George Washington, letter to the General Committee of the United Baptist Churches in Virginia, May, 1789

New Wesley Movie Trailer

Movie Trailer

INTERNET EXPLORER USERS: Internet Explorer 7 has an issue that prevents the Flash 9 player from working in some situations. We are testing a different player solution below which so far has tested fine in current versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera. If you cannot view the trailer, please CLICK HERE and report the problem.

You can also download the WMV version at the bottom of the page. Apologies for any inconvenience!

Thanks for your patience while the trailer loads...

Score for Trailer composed by Joel Steudler

On The Lighter Side...

Did you know that John Wesley preached a sermon about animals? He also said, as the Bible supports, that they would be in heaven.He said the following,"The whole brute creation will then,undoubtedly, be restored, not only to the vigour, strength, and swiftness which they had at their creation, but to a far higher degree of each than they ever enjoyed." Please email me your favorite pet photos at kipfoto73@sbcglobal.net Here are a couple of ours:

Quotes From Our Founding Fathers

Quotes From Our Founding Fathers

Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, (I conjure you to believe me fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government.

George Washington, Farewell Address, Sept. 1799

April 23, 2009

Spurgeon's Daily Reading

Romans 8:37

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes us, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Take your sins to Christ's cross, for the old man can only be crucified there: we are crucified with Him. The only weapon to fight sin with is the spear which pierced the side of Jesus. To give an illustration--you want to overcome an angry temper, how do you go to work? It is very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get salvation? I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted Him to save me. I must kill my angry temper in the same way? It is the only way in which I can ever kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, "Lord, I trust Thee to deliver me from it." This is the only way to give it a death-blow. Are you covetous? Do you feel the world entangle you? You may struggle against this evil so long as you please, but if it be your besetting sin, you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to Christ. Tell Him, "Lord, I have trusted Thee, and Thy name is Jesus, for Thou dost save Thy people from their sins; Lord, this is one of my sins; save me from it!" Ordinances are nothing without Christ as a means of mortification. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears--the whole of them put together--are worth nothing apart from Him. "None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good;" or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through Him who hath loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels must grow among His olives in Gethsemane.

Quotes From Our Founding Fathers

A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.

Samuel Adams, letter to James Warren, February 12, 1779

This Month in Church History-Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer (July 2, 1489 – March 21, 1556) was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI.^[1] He was an influential theologian who, with Richard Hooker and Matthew Parker, was a co-founder of Anglican theological thought.

He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon and guided the English Reformation, which denied papal authority over the English Church, during its earliest days. Following Henry's death, Cranmer became a key figure in Edward's regency government.^[1]

Scholars credit Cranmer with writing and compiling the first two Books of Common Prayer, which established the basic structure of Anglican liturgy for more than four centuries. Many phrases from its services passed into the English language, either as deliberate quotations or as unconscious borrowings.^[3]

Cranmer was executed in 1556 for heresy after Queen Mary I reunited the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church. Anglican culture, particularly the literature of John Foxe, later celebrated Cranmer as a martyr. His impact on religion in the United Kingdom was profound and lasting.<sup>[1]

John Wesley was part of the Church of England, which was Anglican in nature.Our church, The Wesleyan Church, has in roots in Methodism was was founded by John Wesley...keith 1 Cor 13</sup>

Visiting Church History-A Hymn of Charles Wesley

I would like to post a segment each week on events in Church History, especially the Wesleyan/Methodist Movement. Someone once said that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Charles Wesley, the brother and ministry companion of John Wesley, our founder, wrote over 6000 hymns. Among them "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "And Can it Be." Although some of these hymns are harder to sing than today's ditties, they are rich in meaning and speak to the soul.This one was written in response to the Calvinist (eternal security) movement. You can read more about this hymn from my friend Dr. Todd Stepp's blog by clicking his name.

Father, whose everlasting loveThy only Son for sinners gave,Whose grace to all did freely move,And sent him down the world to save:
Help us thy mercy to extol,Immense, unfathomed, unconfined;To praise the Lamb who died for all,The general Saviour of mankind.
Thy undistinguishing regardWas cast on Adam's fallen race;For all thou hast in Christ preparedSufficient, sovereign, saving grace.
The world he suffered to redeem;For all he has the atonement made;For those that will not come to himThe ransom of his live was paid.
Arise, O God, maintain thy cause!The fullness of the nations call;Lift up the standard of thy cross,And all shall own thou diedst for all.

God bless...keith 1COR 13