Pop quiz: Atheists and agnostics score better then those who consider themselves religious

Pop quiz: Atheists and agnostics score better then those who consider themselves religious

In recent articles on ABC and Fox there have been articles discussing the fact that Christians may be less aware of their religious views that athiests, mormons, and Jews. The questions that it begs of all of us is do I really believe what I say that I beleive? So often as I have conversations with believers I am amazed at how strongly people "defend" their beliefs and yet can rarely discuss the "why" behind what they beleive. We have seen this trend going on for a while as Americans and Christians suffer from a growing and dangerous level of Biblical illiteracy. Today, more than ever, we as Christians need to be grounded in the basic foundational principles of the Christian faith. Just as important is that we must be able to live these principles out. As a sermon I heard today put it "rarely does someone reject Christ but most often they are rejecting the Christians who claim Christ but their lives don't match up with what Christ has said." May we today live out what we believe and allow people to see Christ in the way we live our lives.

The Kanakuk Institute

After a bunch of months of work and effort we finally launched the new Kanakuk Institute website.  If you get a moment check it out and let us know what you think.

http://www.kanakukinstitute.com/

New Orleans-5 Years Later

It's hard to beleive that it's been 5 years since Hurricane Katrina devistated the Gulf Coast and saw lives changed forever; my life included. Now, after 5 years and 6 trips to the coast to help clean up efforts I am reminded of the desparate need of those communities for physical and spiritual healing. We, the body of Christ, have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of God. Problems like New Orleans and the Gulf Coast can try to be solved by the governement and there relief agencies but the reality is that if you have been to New Orleans you will quickly see that it is the church that is living out the gospel every day and rebuilding that city one brick and one prayer, one helping hand at a time. When I first arrived in NO for the first time the city was devestated as we were one of the first groups in. I came upon a pile of stuff outside of a house as most people were unloading every earthly possession they had to be thrown out. On a refrigerator outside of a destroyed house the home owner penned this powerful statement "This pile of stuff is not my life; my life is hidden with Christ." I ask myself that very question today and I challenge you to do the same. If your life "this pile of stuff" or is your life hidden with Christ. May we go be the hands and feet of Christ today!!!!

Can Man Live Without God?

A favorite book of mine and one that I read early on as I began to really dig deep into what it is I believed about the claims of Christ, who God is, and what does He want with me was titled "Can Man Live Without God" by Ravi Zacharias.  In this book he details the very foundations of our existence founded in truth and that truth is verifiable.  It's an interesting question.  So often our conversations are driven towards does God exist, how do we know, etc. but maybe the real question is can man live without God?  As we look around the world and we see natural disasters that are devestating, leaders who are corrupt, sin being lived out in front of us I am reminded of the fact that I cannot live without God; nor can any man.  We need God.  We need forgivenees.  We need the hope that the cross has covered our sin.  Aren't you glad that we can test and see that God is there and that in Him is found ALL truth.

This is an interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef done of Fox News that was a part of a 6-part series walking through his story of capture, torture, his work for Israeli intelligence, and finally his conversion to christianity as he began to understand the fullness of Jesus Christ' forgiveness and the implications that has for us in every day life. Enjoy!

Must Reads

With the political and religious turmoil in America surrounding the elections and specifically the building of a Mosque at ground zero in New York City, it is more important than ever that we, the body of Christ, have a full understaning of the gospel and forgiveness as well as the implications of these monumental decisions. Two books that I have just completed that I highly recommend to you are "Son of Hamas" by Mosab Hassan Yousef and "Walking from East to West" by Ravi Zacharias. Both books are stark reminders of the power of forgivenss in this human experience and how we, as vessels of the gospel, can make a radical difference not just in America but all over the world by living in the humility that forgiveness has offered us.

What feels good

This photo was taken of a new sign that is being put on buses all over England. It is a new initiative by the athiest community responding to advertisements by local churches. This thought at first glance appears to be freeing to the naked eye. However, when taking the time to truly think about it, I wonder if there is no God can we truly ever enjoy life. When we get to the point of rejecting the existence of God, ultimately we will be ruled either by our pleasures or by whoever has the greatest muscle. The thought of simply pleasing whatever desires you have sounds good and can appear freeing, however, these are the same self-made prisons that we spend hours trying to help people forgive themselves of. Ultimately, the existence of God, as Romans 1 states, is verifiable through the creation. And through the creation we are offered hope. And hope is what truly allows us to enjoy this life. Hope in the fact that Jesus loves us and took our place.