Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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"Why don't we just use what Jesus taught?" That should not be profound yet, sadly, it is.

I can never hear CG's name and not grimace.

10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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We just had Christmas at the Movies last weekend at our church. And I loved it. Sorry. Once again proof I am not in the elect.
And we baptized about 500 folks this year. God is good.

I can only use a holiday movie gif to react.



Obviously baptisms are great

December 25 probably isn't Jesus's birthday.

10andBOUNCE said:

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I can only use a holiday movie gif to react.



Obviously baptisms are great

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We had several people who accepted Christ after Christmas at the Movies. Guess we need to do better.

And that is one of my favorite movies.

You serious Clark?

dermdoc said:

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And that is one of my favorite movies.

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There is hope for you yet!

Rex Racer said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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Thankfully, Protestants' eternity does not depend on what Catholics or Orthodox people think of them.

I don't consider this a Protestant thing. It's more of a squishy social church thing (i.e. churches who bend and sway with the masses - no pun intended - instead of following the Bible).

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My church follows the Bible.

dermdoc said:

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Rex Racer said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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Thankfully, Protestants' eternity does not depend on what Catholics or Orthodox people think of them.

I don't consider this a Protestant thing. It's more of a squishy social church thing (i.e. churches who bend and sway with the masses - no pun intended - instead of following the Bible).

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My church follows the Bible.

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No offense intended, Derm. I have a lot of respect for you.

The literary elements found in the Old Testament and New Testament are foundational to Western culture. So much so that most of Western culture is just the repackaging of ideas from the Bible into more modern contexts.

This is actually very important.

I do think that there is some interesting study to be had watching modern films and discussing how the film does or doesn't align with the values that are present in all of the biblical stories.

For example, just take, just for fun and to be simple, Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility. That is just dripping with biblical teaching, from the parable of the 10 talents to a study of the OT books of Kings and Chronicles.

But, where is the line between handling those responsibilities and living your life? Can't Peter Parker just grow up?

Well, there are teachings here that are not conflicting, but give both sides of the coin. On the one hand, you are supposed to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Things are not going to be easy. Unless God is the most important thing to you, you are not doing it as well as you could be.

But, on the other hand, rest is important. If you don't rest, you will die. If you don't use that time of rest to fellowship and contemplate the more important things in life besides work, you will be empty. The OT emphasizes this to the extreme, and is on of the foundational teachings around the Shabbot.

All of these conflicts are packed into your average Spiderman flick. It's just that they are maximized to fantastical levels, and given much higher immediate consequences (as opposed to consequences that build over a lifetime) to make the film more fun.

That said, when Western Culture reflects Christian values, its not that the movies are instructive, its just interesting that the movies are an imperfect reflection of what we know to be true. There is nothing wrong with pointing that out and celebrating it when it happens.

That said, I'm not sure that worship service is the best place to be taking in a secular movie.

For those among us that get significant edification from the rituals and tradition of worship, that could be a really big hang-up, as it appears to lack reverence. But, I'm not sure that is the case. Not everyone finds rituals and traditions as helpful as others.

We shouldn't look at Spiderman and say "we should study Spiderman as instructive on how to live". Unless maybe we get bit by a radioactive spider. We should instead say "isn't it interesting that this part of our supposedly secular culture reflects the values that Jesus teaches", and focus on the how and where about that.

Good post, Buster.

The Christ Motif is one of the most recognized and repeated tropes in secular cinema. Superman, Matrix, Braveheart, etc. Its a powerful story that resonates wonderfully with the human psyche. Ultimate self sacrifice.

Personally, I think only serves to amplifiy the gospel.

dermdoc said:

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Rex Racer said:

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dermdoc said:

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Rex Racer said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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Thankfully, Protestants' eternity does not depend on what Catholics or Orthodox people think of them.

I don't consider this a Protestant thing. It's more of a squishy social church thing (i.e. churches who bend and sway with the masses - no pun intended - instead of following the Bible).

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My church follows the Bible.

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No offense intended, Derm. I have a lot of respect for you.

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Absolutely no offense taken. To be honest, theology wears me out. In my opinion, you either know the Lord and love Him or you don't.

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I was being judgmental. Just because it's not my cup of tea, doesn't mean it can't plant a seed that brings someone to Jesus.

And you're so right.

Silent For Too Long said:

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Good post, Buster.

The Christ Motif is one of the most recognized and repeated tropes in secular cinema. Superman, Matrix, Braveheart, etc. Its a powerful story that resonates wonderfully with the human psyche. Ultimate self sacrifice.

Personally, I think only serves to amplifiy the gospel.

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I think that if one starts to look closely at other cultures of the world besides Western culture, you will see that some of the ideas of Christianity that are pervasive in the West are not as pervasive elsewhere.

Christianity is a very individualistic theology. We are a collection of individuals that all have individual value thanks to our reflection of the divine, but we are all alike in that we each have a special connection to God.

Eastern religions do not really conform to this foundational belief of Christianity. Collectivism is a very different way of thinking. and it reverberates throughout their theologies.

To each his own Derm!

God bless you and your family.

I'll give you a thought as I review yet another Lewis apologetic tonight we are covering in our book study.

Do you really think Protestants care about what Catholic/Orthodox think about them?

BusterAg said:

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To each his own Derm!

God bless you and your family.

I'll give you a thought as I review yet another Lewis apologetic tonight we are covering in our book study.

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Same to you and your family!

God bless us each and every one!

10andBOUNCE said:

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UTExan said:

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Do you really think Protestants care about what Catholic/Orthodox think about them?

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It was meant to be more of a playful salute to those resident orthodox folk on here that call anything related to Protestantism some form of progressive nonsense. And this instance I would agree with.

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Fair enough. I am okay with any Christians who do not embrace double predestination. Or enjoy watching people go to ECT hell.

10andBOUNCE said:

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UTExan said:

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Do you really think Protestants care about what Catholic/Orthodox think about them?

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It was meant to be more of a playful salute to those resident orthodox folk on here that call anything related to Protestantism some form of progressive nonsense. And this instance I would agree with.

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I wonder how many were former Protestants?

I am convinced I would be thrown out of your church in about one day. And I was Deacon Chair twice, taught Sunday School, youth groups, and served on every church committee ever created.

Oy vey!

Howdy, it is me! said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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"Why don't we just use what Jesus taught?" That should not be profound yet, sadly, it is.

I can never hear CG's name and not grimace.

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Feel the same way about Paul Washer, John Piper, and Steve Lawson.

And have the audacity to believe God loves every single person He created in His image. And desires to save them all. Like God, I do not want to see anyone suffer in hell.

Guess we are different. But all brothers/sisters in the Lord! Merry Christmas to all! Not just the elect. Because it is not really the right message if you are not of the elect, is it? Pre ordained to hell? Not very merry in my opinion.

And for all those worried about bringing up their kids in the church, my two daughters turned out wonderful. One is special needs and never drove due to blindness in one eye. Walked to class and got her masters. Other one graduated with honors. No tattoos. Only piercings are ears. No addictions. No arrests or trouble of any kind. Take my grandkids to church and pray and read Scripture often.

Weird.

dermdoc said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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"Why don't we just use what Jesus taught?" That should not be profound yet, sadly, it is.

I can never hear CG's name and not grimace.

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Feel the same way about Paul Washer, John Piper, and Steve Lawson.

And have the audacity to believe God loves every single person He created in His image. And desires to save them all. Like God, I do not want to see anyone suffer in hell.

Guess we are different. But all brothers/sisters in the Lord! Merry Christmas to all! Not just the elect. Because it is not really the right message if you are not of the elect, is it? Pre ordained to hell? Not very merry in my opinion.

And for all those worried about bringing up their kids in the church, my two daughters turned out wonderful. One is special needs and never drove due to blindness in one eye. Walked to class and got her masters. Other one graduated with honors. No tattoos. Only piercings are ears. No addictions. No arrests or trouble of any kind. Take my grandkids to church and pray and read Scripture often.

Weird.

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Admittedly, I've got a slight personal bone to pick with Life Church…my comment was more from a disgruntled place - forgiven by not forgotten? Perhaps I need to pray over it more.

Howdy, it is me! said:

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dermdoc said:

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Howdy, it is me! said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Another reason why many of our Catholic and Orthodox friends don't take Protestants seriously.
Do better.

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"Why don't we just use what Jesus taught?" That should not be profound yet, sadly, it is.

I can never hear CG's name and not grimace.

---

Feel the same way about Paul Washer, John Piper, and Steve Lawson.

And have the audacity to believe God loves every single person He created in His image. And desires to save them all. Like God, I do not want to see anyone suffer in hell.

Guess we are different. But all brothers/sisters in the Lord! Merry Christmas to all! Not just the elect. Because it is not really the right message if you are not of the elect, is it? Pre ordained to hell? Not very merry in my opinion.

And for all those worried about bringing up their kids in the church, my two daughters turned out wonderful. One is special needs and never drove due to blindness in one eye. Walked to class and got her masters. Other one graduated with honors. No tattoos. Only piercings are ears. No addictions. No arrests or trouble of any kind. Take my grandkids to church and pray and read Scripture often.

Weird.

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Admittedly, I've got a slight personal bone to pick with Life Church…my comment was more from a disgruntled place - forgiven by not forgotten? Perhaps I need to pray over it more.

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I need to do the same. I need to realize the people I listed are sincere in their beliefs and theology, it is just different than mine.