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June 1, 2012

Azerbaijani President Ilham H. Aliyev will seek his third-consecutive re-election in October 2013. Seen by many as a dictator, the president of this Shi’a-majority nation began to lay the groundwork for the next election by restricting civil and political rights soon after he was re-elected in 2008. And now as the election is closer, he can be expected to further tighten the noose on freedoms.

Growing criticism by human rights groups notwithstanding, the former Soviet nation of 9.2 million people has increasingly shown signs of authoritarianism – from widespread corruption perpetuated by a lack of accountability and transparency to harassment of journalists, bloggers and opposition members with total impunity. And among the targets of the regime are non-traditional Protestant Christian groups.

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A Christian is someone who is animated by the Spirit of Christ, a person in whom the Spirit of Christ can work. That doesn’t have to mean that you consciously know what you are doing, or that you even have to know. As Paul said to the Athenians, “You have been worshiping ‘the Unknown God’ without even knowing it” (Acts 17:23).

Then again in Matthew 25, the dead say, “When have we seen you hungry? When have we seen you thirsty?” and the Eternal Christ says, “Because you did it for these little ones, you did it for me.” They did not know, consciously; they just did what they were inspired to do.

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Minima moralia si etica neuitarii: Liiceanu, Plesu si pariul etic al intelectualului democrat | Contributors.

Va incurajez sa citit avest text si, daca aceti vreme (se merita) sa urmariti si inregistrarea discutie intre Plesu si Liiceanu.

Iata si un citat semnificativ:

Intrebarea cheie ramane: Cine are dreptul sa ierte in numele celor ucisi? Sigur, cei morti nu mai pot depune marturie, ei au murit in zori (spre a relua versul marelui poet polonez Zbigniew Herbert, adeseori citat de Adam Michnik), dar cei vii au obligatia de a vorbi un numele celor fara de voce. Este posibila reconcilierea dintre victima si calau cata vreme acesta din urma nu numai ca nu se caieste, dar chiar ranjeste cinic? Este ea dezirabila in atari conditii? In Africa de Sud, Comisia pentru Adevar si Reconcilere a acordat faimoasele iertari doar dupa ce criminalii se spovedeau si se caiau public. Altminteri se interzice ispasirea, iar exorcizarea Raului este un penibil simulacru. Scria Nadejda Mandelstam: “La ceasul totalitarismului, tacerea este crima impotriva umanitatii”.

 

Reblogged from Musings on Science and Theology:

BioLogos has begun a series of posts, Southern Baptist Voices, exploring various objections to evolutionary creation as God’s method of creation. The series features posts by several Southern Baptist scholars and responses by scholars and scientists affiliated with BioLogos who favor the view of evolutionary creation. The comments are closed until all posts in a series are live, and then are closely monitored, censored for tone but not for position.

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Finally some vigorous dialogue between so-called' creationists and theistic evolutionists.

Reblogged from Marius Cruceru:

Am citit mai întîi articolul lui Teofil Stanciu, apoi articolul lui Dorin Mureşan. Nu intru cu dînşii în polemică (în general sînt de acord cu multe dintre observaţiile deja expuse), doar vreau pe scurt, fugitiv, şi fără prea multă scobire în groapa cu teologie, să aduc în discuţie şi  alte chestiuni.

Pentru început mă preocupă mai ales o nelinişte ciudoasă de genul “păi vedeţi, bă, sîntem oricum nişte proşti”, nelinişte blocantă, paralizantă şi care … se înţelege … nu e bună .

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Unul dintre comentatorii acestei postari a lui Marius Cruvceru, in siajul celei a lui Teofil Stanciu si a lui Dorin Muresan, este, in sfirsit, inaltatoare. Imi permit sa nu fiu de acord. Asa cum spuneam intr-un comentariu la aceasta postare, 'sincer sa fiu, mie mi se pare ca interventia lui Marius este numai aparent mai optimista. In realitate, chiar daca ea largeste - in plan teologic, spatiul de discutie, tocmai aici este, cred eu radacina problemei. Fiind, fara sa-si dea seama, captiv paradigmei iluministe, evanghelicul este, tocmai din pricina acestei captivitati dogmatice incapabil de detenta, fie aceasta culturala, teologica sau general umana.'

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Remember the days when you could drive your car without even thinking about talking  on the cell phone or feeling like you “should” text at a stoplight even though it might be illegal? Those where simpler times. In today’s world many think multitasking is an unavoidable process, but how has attempting to perform all of these tasks simultaneously affected performance? What’s the impact to our stress levels?  The American Psychological Association published an article examining this very topic. They found that ultimately it takes longer and costs brain power to switch from topic to topic rather than focusing on one thing at a time. In addition to becoming less effective, multitasking greatly adds to stress – is it worth it?

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The First Split: Self from Others

The First Split is the split between my self and your self. “I’m here, and you’re over there.” We would call that dualistic consciousness. We learn to see this way as children, and most of us live with it for the rest of our days. In the first half of life (and for many, into the chronological second half of life), we spend most of our time just accentuating and accessorizing that separate self. “This is me. That’s you. I’m better than you; you’re smarter than me. I’m better looking than you; you’re wealthier than me.” It’s all about separation, and using the self as the central reference point. The modern word we use for this Split is the ego. This is the first Split to form, and usually the last to die.

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Meaning and Myth | BioLogos.

Today’s entry is part of our Video Blog series. For similar resources, visit our audio/video section, or our full “Conversations” collection. Please note the views expressed in the video are those of the author, not necessarily of The BioLogos Foundation. You can read more about what we believe here.

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Miniblog #115: Tim Keller Gives Me Hope for Christian Apologetics | Musings of a Hardlining Moderate.

Carson, I am as skeptic as you are, if not more, about the usefulness of apologetics in postmodernity. But I have to confess that Keller impressed me too. I do not know if I will have time to watch this, but I will put a link to it on my blog, so that those interested in this discipline could do it

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The day of Pentecost frees the apostles to believe in a God who is actively involved in their lives and no longer a mere intellectual belief. The Holy Spirit has become wind, fire, joy, excitement, universal shareability, and not just another boring Sabbath obligation or more commandments to obey. Notice how all the metaphors of Spirit presence are dynamic, alive, moving, and universal.

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How the Copts Pick a Pope.

Interesting to know. But even more interesting to try responding to Scot’s question:

‘As against simply enjoying the exotic peculiarities of other cultures, I think the Coptics raise two questions for how we live as Christians here in the West. The first is how does the Coptic selection process affect our theological understanding of leadership? The second is what kind of practices would local churches have to foster to be able to trust such momentous decisions to a blindfolded 7 year old?’

Reblogged from Larry Hurtado's Blog:

The following press release just arrived:

The (American-based) Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) has been awarded a $140,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support a three-year consultation that will explore the formation of an independent network of Quranic scholars. This international consultation will meet to evaluate and frame a vision and mission for a professional organization, namely, a Society for Quranic Studies.

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Quranic textual criticism? Interesting

Reblogged from irisologie:

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Am citit cu foarte mult interes articolul scris de Teofil Stanciu referitor la literatura de calitate, inexistentă în rândul evanghelicilor. Autorul are dreptate în demersul său. Îl găsiți aici http://drezina.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/de-ce-nu-pot-scrie-evanghelicii-literatura-de-calitate-posibila-explicatie/. Personal, aș vrea să preiau subiectul și să îl așez pe trei piloni problematici, și care, din punctul meu de vedere, reprezintă tot atâtea grave probleme care se răsfrâng asupra lumii evanghelice.

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Iata si un raspuns, oarecum din 'afara', la textul lui Teofil Stanciu despre incapacitatea evanghelicilor de a produce literatura, in adevaratul sens al cuvintului. Dupa autor, 1. teama; 2. lipsa competititie; 3. lipsa orizontului sunt pticinile principale ale acestei triste stari de fapt. Chiar daca aceste trei motive nu explica in intregime fenomenul, este sunt, cred eu, parte a explicatiei. Sper ca discutia va continua. In mod cinstit si cu eleganta, caci si eu m-am satuyrat de lasitatea pseudonimelor si de mitocania pocaitilor.

Reblogged from Cu drezina:

yellowbay.co.uk

Că titlul e destul de pretențios (și oleacă pompos), recunosc fără ezitări. Însă o să vă rog să-mi demonstrați contrariul. S-o luăm foarte simplu: enumerați 3 autori evanghelici de literatură – în sens tare, nu ne referim aici la literatura de consum gen Francine Rivers sau Lynn Austin. Sau 3 autori de scrieri evanghelice de referință.

Lăsați-l afară pe C.S.

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O postare excelenta pe o tema delicata si prea putin discutata. Teoria mea este ca evanghelicii nu pot produce arta adevarata din pricina obsesiei lor (inradacinata intr-o viziune iluminista asupra realitatii) cu privire la corectitudinea dfoctrinala. La aceasta putem adauga obsesia, la fel de iluminista, a certitudinii, care il impiedica pe evanghelic sa-si puna intrebari existentiale riscante si sa aiba indoieli autentice. Arta este prin definitie un exercitiu riscant, al carui rezultat nu poate fi anticipat cu certitudine. Ori tocmai acesta este riscul pe care evanghelicul conservator nu-si poate permite luxul de a-l asuma. E complicat, cu alte cuvinte. Sunt curios ce cred altii despre asta.

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Saïd Oujibou, le pasteur qui veut rendre visibles les musulmans convertis au christianisme.

Un artice tres interessant.

‘

C’est un peu le combat d’une vie. Saïd Oujibou, 44 ans, se démène depuis des années pour donner de la visibilité et de l’assurance aux musulmans convertis au christianisme. La Conférence européenne des chrétiens de culture nord-africaine et du Moyen-Orient qu’il organise à Paris du 26 au 28 mai, la deuxième du genre, participe de ce militantisme assumé.

Ce pasteur évangélique, franco-marocain musulman, passé par l’islam radical et converti au protestantisme il y a vingt ans, entend sortir “de leur isolement les néochrétiens venus de l’islam”. “Ils sont de plus en plus nombreux, assure-t-il, sans donner de chiffres, mais sont souvent rejetés, voire menacés, par leur milieu ou leur famille lors de leur conversion.” En France, seule l’Eglise catholique tient un compte précis du nombre de baptêmes de musulmans, évalués à quelque 150 par an. Le protestantisme évangélique, dont de nombreuses Eglises côtoient l’islam sur le terrain, propose un processus de conversion moins long et moins contraignant; sont régulièrement évoquées “plusieurs centaines de convertis” par an.’

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We are always waiting for the Holy Spirit—somehow forgetting that the Spirit was given to us from the very beginning. In fact, She was “hovering over the chaos” in the very first lines of Genesis (1:2), turning the “formless void” into a Garden of Eden.

We are threatened by anything that we cannot control, that part of God “which blows where It will” (John 3:8) and which our theologies and churches can neither predict nor inhibit.

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Père céleste, créateur du ciel et de la terre.  Toi qui es vie, vérité, justice et miséricorde, toi qui t’es fait homme afin de réconcilier l’humanité avec toi, nous te prions pour la Roumanie, ce pays qui a vécu pendant des décennies le traumatisme d’un régime totalitaire, et l’influence  dévastatrice du communisme.  Eveille à ta Vérité, qui est seule Vérité,  la conscience des hommes et des femmes qui l’habitent.

Ces hommes et ces femmes qui pendant le régime communiste ont  tant rêvé et combattu pour la liberté de conscience et qui sous l’influence néfaste du communisme et, après sa chute, sous l’influence du relativisme et du consumérisme  semblent avoir subi l’anéantissement de leur conscience. Redonne-leur l’espérance et la dignité de savoir qu’ils et elles sont porteurs et porteuses de ton image.

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The Desert and the Dark Night @ www.anamchara.com.

‘What do you think Ken Leech means when he speaks of a “radical purification”? I don’t think he’s calling for some sort of interiorized piety, where I selfishly engage in some sort of internal self-restraint in order to present myself without blemish to God. That’s how it seems so many people understand “purity” and “purification” which have all but become code words for sexual abstinence. I think Leech is after something more holistic in its fidelity to the fullness of Christ’s teachings: loving God and loving neighbor. I think such a purification is not just about our relationship with our bodies, but also our relationship with our neighbors (all our neighbors, not just the ones we like!), with money, with material goods, and with privilege.’

28 May – 3 June 2012

“Pray, educate, and advocate for justice in Palestine”

An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches invites member churches, faith-based communities, and civil society organizations to join together in 2012 for a week of advocacy and action in support of an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine and a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel. Congregations and individuals around the globe who share the hope of justice shall unite during the week to take peaceful actions, together, to create a common international public witness.

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I have just discovered today Geoff Surratt’s blo,g called Inner Revolution. Lots of good stuff, I would suggest.

Because I think you could benefit from reading it, here is a teaser, on the topic in the title. According to Geoff, God’s ten commandments for every day are:

1. Love each other as brothers and sisters
2. Show hospitality to strangers
3. Remember those in prison

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A superb short film.

Thanks to Violeta Moisa for this link.

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Damascus, Syria (ENInews). Hani Sarhan is a Christian who says none of his relatives works with Bashar Assad’s regime or has anything to do with it.

“But what we heard from (the protesters) at the beginning of this revolution saying, ‘Christians to Beirut, Alawites to the coffin,’ started us thinking about the real aim of this revolution,” he said. “So from this point of view, fearing for my life, I declared my support for President Assad.”

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Cu ocazia vizitei lui la Iasi, legata de primirea titlului de Doctor Honoris Causa al Universitatii din Iasi, Cardinalul Schonborn al Vienei a acordat un scurt interviu Pr. Cornel Cadar, de la Episcopia romano-catolica din Iasi.

Iata-l mai jos:

- Eminenţă, vă mulţumesc pentru disponibilitatea de a răspunde la câteva întrebări. Este un privilegiu pentru ascultătorii de la radio să audă cuvintele Dvs, iar pentru cititorii noştri e o bucurie să vă parcurgă cuvintele. Prima întrebare se referă la ecumenism. Ce părere aveţi despre relaţiile dintre Biserici? Este mişcarea ecumenică în criză?

- Ecumenismul este un drum care nu poate fi abandonat; este însăşi mişcarea Duhului Sfânt şi rugăciunea lui Isus pentru unitatea tuturor credincioşilor săi. Aşadar, este un drum ireversibil. Sunt însă perioade mai uşoare şi perioade mai dificile. Consider că în lumea actuală există o tendinţă de a vedea numai dificultăţile şi de a nu vedea tot ceea ce deja s-a dobândit.

Reblogged from Musings on Science and Theology:

Tuesday morning Scot linked an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education Screening Out Introverts by William Pannapacker. The article is a comment on a new book by Susan Cain Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. From the publisher’s description:

Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects.

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Is Protestant religion, especially in its American expression, made mostly for extroverts? I believe it is and that is why I am utterly suspicious of it and I have opted out. So help me God!

1. Esența problemei:

Reblogged from Chibzuieli:

Cred că poziția ortodoxă despre taine, exprimată în viața și teologia Bisericii, s-a cristalizat în sec. iv-v în urma unui proces de creștere a doctrinei în paralel cu tranziția creștinismului de la religia practicată de credincioși mai mult sau mai puțin legal, prin casele lor sau în locuri ascunse ca grupuri de părtășie restrânse, la religia imperială dominantă, într-o anumită măsură opresivă, de vreme ce din persecutați creștinii au ajuns să persecute și să închidă templele altor religii.

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Textele lui Eugen despre ortodoxie, spre deosebire de cele mai multe dintre cele scrise pe aceasta tema de evanghelicii romani, sunt sincere si fara parti pris-uri sectare/confesionale, chiar daca sunt elaborate (nici nu se putea aftfel pentru un teolog adevarat) dintr-o perspectiva teologica asumata deschis. De citit.

Reblogged from Cu drezina:

cartoonstock.com

Ideea asta mi-a dat recent prin minte. Nu cred că fac nicio dezvăluire senzațională spunând că pe la colțuri și prin unghere se vorbește în șoaptă și printre dinți despre averea pastorului. Cum că, vezi tu, el n-a stat degeaba în parohia noastră, ci „s-a ajuns”. Cei mai binevoitori zic, mai degrabă, că a fost binecuvântat de Dumnezeu pe motiv de cucernicie.

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Absolut de acord.

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Nistor Buliga suggested this video clip as a comment on the recent blog post with the interview with Cornel West.

So, here it is, in case you did not see it in the comments.

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Bishop Wright sang three songs the Rabbit Room (RabbitRoom.com) on May 7, 2012. You’ve already seen his performance of Bob Dylan’s “When the Ship Comes In.” Here’s a look at an “original” song he wrote with Francis Collins for BioLogos: Genesis.