Europe was once a Christian continent...

The decline of Christianity accompanied by the rise of twin forces, secular postmodernism and Islam, is an interesting if not alarming development. Christian churches are shuttered while mosques open. Now this interesting news item, the announcement of the building of the "largest mosque in Europe":

Chechen president to inaugurate 'largest mosque in Europe'

THE JERUSALEM POST

The Russian-backed Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov will inaugurate the "largest mosque in Europe" on October 17 in Chechnya, the Russian official news agency Novosty reported.
Over 10,000 worshipers will be able to pray inside the mosque, which will be named after the president's father, Ahmad Kadyrov, who was killed in 2004.

"The largest mosque in Europe... will by inaugurated on the first day of the International Peacemakers' Conference, titled 'Islam - Religion of Peace and Progress,'" the grand mufti of Chechnya, Sultan Mirzayev, told the press.

Mirzayev underlined that approximately 50 countries have already approved their participation in the three-day conference.

The building of the mosque began more than three years ago. Surrounding the mosque will be Chechnya's Islamic administration, a religious school, an Islamic university, a hotel and a religious library.

Kadyrov, 31, is the son of Ahmad Kadyrov, an anti-Russian rebel leader who at one point was titled "Chechnya's rebel mufti" [mufti - an Islamic, cleric who issues religious decrees].
In 1999 the Kadyrovs defected to the Russian side. On March 2, 2007 then Russian president Vladimir Putin nominated Kadyrov as Chechen president.

Notable quote

A real thought provoker came my way today- thought I'd share:

"Correct judgment comes from a place; that place is called experience."

-Author unknown

Sunday laugh (on a Monday)...

I guess this brings new meaning to the song "Come just as you are".

And free coffee too?!

Sunday AM Series: Romans

Pastor Joel Santti: Romans 9:1-33

Election, Israel, and God's Purpose

-Important to remember that God's dealings with humankind has always been by faith.

v. 1-5
Paul's burden for the Jews expressed.
-echoes Moses's desire in Exodus 32:32
Israel's many blessings can't save them; only faith in Christ will.

v. 6-13
One's lineage can't save them.
-examples Ishmael, Esau

v. 14-24
God's power as shown in His mercy and judgment.
-God blessed Pharaoh, then cut him off.

v. 25-33
-Salvation by Christ, not ethnicity.

Culture Watch: Creeping Secularism?

Interesting stuff came out today in the form of a Pew Research Center report on the role of religion in public life. Close to 3,000 adults 18 and over were surveyed about several issues regarding church and state. The broad findings? 52% of those surveyed felt that churches should "stay out" of political issues, while 45% felt that churches should express their views. The Pew Center finds the responses of "social conservatives" most striking: 50% of those who fell into that category felt that religion and politics shouldn't mix; in 2004 only 30% of the same group felt this way. Why is this? The Pew Center doesn't answer this. Other interesting facts from the survey included:

-Two-thirds of the public (66%) say that churches and other houses of
worship should not endorse one candidate over another, which is unchanged since 2004 (65%).

-Half of Americans (50%) say that it does not bother them when politicians talk about how religious they are, but the number expressing discomfort has edged upward over the past four years.

-An overwhelming majority of the public continues to say that it is important to them that a
president have strong religious beliefs. More than seven-in-ten Americans express this opinion, and attitudes on this issue have not changed in recent years.

-A slim majority (52%) says the GOP (Republican Party) is friendly toward religion, compared with 38% who say the same about the Democratic Party.

-When asked to assess their own moral values on a scale from liberal to conservative,
49% of Americans place themselves on the conservative side of the scale, while just 20% place
themselves on the liberal side (29% describe themselves as moderate.)

-A majority of Americans (54%) say abortion should be legal in most (37%) or all (17%) cases, while 41% oppose legalized abortion in most (26%) or all (15%) circumstances.

-67% of those surveyed favor faith-based initiatives.

You can see the survey in its entirety here.

All joking aside...

Willard public schools begins classes tomorrow. Please join us in praying for the students, staff, and teachers. Pray for a safe and successful year. Go get 'em, Tigers!

"Which service?"

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names with small American flags mounted on either side of it.

The seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the Pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, "Good Morning Alex." "Good morning Pastor," he replied, still focused on the plaque.

"Pastor, what is this?" he asked the pastor. The pastor said, "Well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service." Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear, asked "which service, the 9:45 or the 11:15?"