Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Saturday, 02 January 2010

  • In Malaysia, Christians Can Say “Allah,” but What Now?

    A few weeks ago, I wrote about a court case being heard by the Malaysian high court in which the government was attempting to uphold a ban it put in place against Christians using the term “Allah.” The Catholic newspaper The Herald, which brought on the lawsuit, was restricted from publishing in the native Malay language because of this ban on account of there being no other term in Malay for God except “Allah.”

    The court decision was announced last Thursday, and, according to the Associated Press, high court judge Lau Bee Lan “found that a government ban was illegal.” While this is seen as a victory for Christians in Malaysia, the ruling has also created quite an uproar. Many, including former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, are calling on the government of Malaysia to continue strictly governing the use of the term.

    The government of Malaysia has not ruled out the possibility of appealing the decision.

    Do you think the court made the right decision? Should the government be allowed to strictly govern the use of certain words?

  • James Dobson Still Focusing on Families

    Dr. James Dobson's name has been practically synonymous with Focus on the Family for over thirty years. So when he announced he would be leaving the radio show, which he's hosted since 1977, the news was met with great sadness for his show's listeners but also with very little surprise. After all, he had already pulled back his involvement with the organization a great deal in the months and years prior.

    But if you were one of those who were disappointed in the news, have no fear; Dr. Dobson – accompanied by his son – will be hosting a new radio show, aptly titled James Dobson on the Family. Topics up for discussion will include, according to the Associated Press, “marriage, child-rearing and national issues.”


    On his Facebook fan page, Dobson explained that he left Focus on the Family because he felt the need “to begin passing along the leadership of the ministry to a younger generation.” He went on to say, though, that despite this, he couldn't sit by and watch the world and its morals collapse:

    From one perspective, it would be pleasurable for Shirley and me to get up in the morning and go to breakfast, read the newspaper, travel and be with friends. That prospect of an easy life is attractive to us. On the other hand, the institution of the family continues to be in deplorable condition, and children are growing up in a culture that often twists and warps their young minds. Furthermore, our nation is facing a crisis that threatens its very existence. We are in a moral decline of shocking dimensions. I have asked myself how I can I sit and watch the world go by without trying to help if I can. That is what motivates me at this time.

    Dr. Dobson's new show will begin airing in March.

    Are you encouraged to hear that Dr. Dobson will continue airing radio shows? What sort of changes would you like to see in his upcoming show? If you don't think you'll listen to it, why not?

Monday, 28 December 2009

  • Remembering 00's: The Decade in Christian Music

    A lot of sites have, over the last few days and weeks, compiled their lists of the best albums of the decade. As I've read through them, I have myself reminisced about the last ten years of music, especially Christian music. The Christian music of this decade has influenced my life considerably, but it's really crazy to think what albums did – and didn't! – come out in the last ten years.

    Lifehouse released their first album, No Name Face, in the year 2000. Other bands who got their start in the first year of the decade include Ace Troubleshooter, FFH, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Pillar. Relient K's first album on Gotee Records, the self-titled Relient K album, was also released in the year 2000, kick-starting their professional careers that would span the entire decade.

    Many of the bands and artists popular today got their start during the last ten years. Matt Redman, Avalon, The David Crowder*Band, Anberlin, Chris Tomlin, Sanctus Real, John Reuben, and Superchick, though they may seem to have been around forever, all got their starts in the 2000's.

    This wasn't just the year of big starts; plenty of major, influential Christian bands said farewell this decade. Bleach, Five Iron Frenzy, The Supertones, Audio Adrenaline and recently Delirious decided to break up after very successful careers. Some bands never called it quits per se, like Dc Talk, who has been on hiatus for nine of the last ten years.

    Despite the trend, many Christian bands and musicians have somehow managed to stick it out through the last ten years, reunite, or reconfigure. The Newsboys faced a potential break up when frontman Peter Furler decided to leave the band, but Michael Tait, formerly of Dc Talk, stepped up to the microphone – pun intended. Other artists that survived the decade include Switchfoot, Michael W. Smith, Skillet, and Third Day.

    It's hard for me to pinpoint the Christian bands and musicians that have shaped my decade. My first Christian concert was Bleach in 1999, and I got saved shortly thereafter at a Third Day altar call. Those two bands clearly influenced my decade, and then some! I was a huge fan of Relient K and all the Gotee bands early in the decade, thanks in part to my closest friends who introduced me to the bands.

    When I started college in 2002, I started listening to bands like Further Seems Forever, Emery, The Juliana Theory and even a little early Underoath. More recently, I've been heavily influenced by Showbread, Chasing Victory, As Cities Burn, Twothirtyeight, Sufjan Stevens, Denison Whitmer, and Danielson.

    But who knows what the new year – and new decade – will bring? It's an exciting place to be, on the cusp between the 00's and the 10's. There is a world of possibility in the Christian music scene, and I'm excited to see what develops.

    What Christian bands or musicians shaped your decade? What bands did you love, and which ones will you miss? What albums and songs were your favorites or least favorites?

  • One Pastor Declares 2010 a Year of Prosperity

    We all know this year has been a rough one for a lot of people, especially when it comes to finances. Ask any manager of any retail establishment, and he or she will certainly tell you what evidence there is of the financial hardship that has hit all of us: sales are down, even during this holiday season, and only slowly increasing, if at all.

    As the year draws to a close, many are looking to the new year with hope for better times. While few are making predictions as to how much better things will get in the new year, one pastor is claiming a year of “double portion” in 2010. According to the Christian Post, T.D. Jakes, pastor of the Dallas megachurch Potter's House, is declaring the next year a year of prosperity.

    “When you look at 2010,” Jakes said during his video message, “I believe it is time for us ... to look at the fact that we have been through enough things, been through enough turmoil that now we're ready to move to the next level.”

    The Christian Post article goes on to say:

    Alluding to a biblical passage in the Old Testament book of Joel, Jakes called 2009 a year when cankerworms, palmerworms and locusts ate into people's resources, retirements and homes. But just as Joel prophesied in the Bible, Jakes believes God will restore in the new year what was taken away.

    Prosperity is something not easily attained even in good financial times. It is something that alludes many who try and fail to achieve it. On the other hand, some work very little but amass fortunes. Who is to say what prosperity is – wealth, love, influence? – or if God will dole it out to His children?

    Do you believe that the new year will be a prosperous one? Do you think it is wise to declare a year of prosperity? Do you think the pastor has had a prophetic word, or is he just getting our hopes up?

modernmelody

  • Visit modernmelody's Revelife Site
    • Name: Rebecca
    • Birthday: 7/5/1984
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 9/13/2009
    • True Premium

Archives

Don't worry - your calendar is here… to see it in action just click "Save" above and refresh the page.

Blogrings

[no blogrings]