Dude With a Limp

Michael Jr. tells you that he is a stand-up comedian. His jokes and stories have people rolling in the aisles. Then, he pulls out the Sword of the Lord and thrusts. This is a man of God. This is an evangelist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX1_5DzWNxw

Still Singing At Age 103

George Beverly “Bev” Shea was born in Canada in 1909 and began singing with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in the 1940’s.  He turned 103 on Wednesday 1 February 2012 and he still has not stopped singing about his Lord.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/04/george-beverly-shea-singing-gods-praise-at-103/

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Robert Patrick Ellison: (b. 1942, Ireland) Roman Catholic Bishop of Banjul, The Gambia

Mvemba a Nzinga: (b. ca 1582, Kongo – d. 1663, aka: Afonso I; Nzinga Mbemeba Affonso) A Kongo chieftain who became the Manikongo in 1506, reigning as Afonso I.

Solomon Tilewa Johnson: (b. 1954, The Gambia) Anglican Bishop of The Gambia.

George Beverly Shea: (b. 1909, Canada) Vocalist, evangelist.  Associated with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association since the 1940’s.

Luciano Pavarotti: (b. 1935, Italy – d. 2007) Operatic tenor, humanitarian.  Roman Catholic.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Ozzy Osbourne: (b. 1948, England, aka: John Michael Osbourne; The Prince of Darkness) Heavy metal vocalist and songwriter.  Best known for his song, “Crazy Train.” Anglican.

Dion: (b. 1939, New York, USA, aka: Dion Francis DiMucci) Singer, songwriter best known for his songs “Run Around Sue,” and “The Wanderer.” Evangelical.

Bob Dylan: (b. 1941, Minnesota, USA; aka: Robert Allen Zimmerman) Singer, songwriter, painter, sketcher.  Best known for his songs “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin,’” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”  2012 United States Presidential Medal of Freedom winner. He was a convert from Judaism.

Uyaraq: This man was the first Inupiak convert in Alaska (late Nineteenth Century) and spent the last twenty years of his life as an evangelist in Alaska (USA).  He was known to break long-standing social taboos, ridicule the local animist shamans, and hold the Bible up in the air to demonstrate its power.  

Bob Marley: (b. 1945, Jamaica- d. 1981; aka: Robert Nesta Marley)  Singer, songwriter, guitarist. Marley is considered to have been the face of the Reggae music movement.  He was a Rastafarian who, in 1981, was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  His final words were, “Jesus take me.” 

Is Francis Chan a Sell-Out?

Wow! This blog post pulled in a swirling storm of 188 comments.  It must have hit a nerve!  The basic thrust of the post was to question whether Francis Chan , a Chinese-American man born in Hong Kong, was a sell-out because he is willing to speak at evangelical conferences which sometimes are 98% white.

Many people (not just Americans!) cannot get over RACE.  All they have to do is read their Bibles!  The question was settled almost 2000 years ago.

"Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all." Colossians 3:11

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

David Wilkerson is Dead

Assemblies of God evangelist-pastor David Wilkerson died Wednesday in a head-on crash with a tractor trailer truck on a highway in Texas.  Wilkerson was the subject of the film, The Cross and the Switchblade, about his encounter with the street gang thug, Nicky Cruz, who is now a Christian evangelist.

Here is his seemingly prophetic final blog post: 

"To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights, and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, `I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident." 

Book Comment: Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ...

Bradley Wright is a sociologist who does research on American Christianity.  He is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut.  In his book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ... and Other Lies You've Been Told (Bethany House, 2010), he examines several sociological databases for information by and about those in America who profess religious beliefs and those who don't.

To quote Dr. Wright, "The thesis of this book is that Christians are exposed to many inaccurate statistics about our faith."  Some of the factors which can result in misleading statistics are research questions which are not concise, a failure to accurately define exactly what is being measured, self-interest and philosophical bias, lack of formal training by researchers, lack of peer-review,  or an attempt to lead change rather than merely to accurately describe.

One example of misleading data which Dr. Wright cites is the fact that Baptists are apparently held in higher regard by other groups, including the religiously unaffiliated, than are Evangelicals.  This is odd since most Baptists would be classified as Evangelicals.

People not understanding the questions asked or the terms used is an obvious problem.  Dr. Wright asked some of his students to define "Evangelical."  The responses included "television evangelists" (several of whom are now discredited due to sexual or financial scandals),  and door to door missionaries, whose visits are much dreaded by many people.  Much of the validity of sociological research depends on how the researcher defines and asks the questions.

This is, at times, very detailed reading, but throughout, Dr. Wright tries to lighten it up by injecting humor into the text.   In Chapter One, he writes,"You should read this book because "there is a deeply disturbing trend of bad statistics that is sabotaging American Christianity and destroying the American way of life, and if you ignore it your entire body will soon be covered with boils.  The good news, however, is that if you buy this book and read it carefully, you will avoid this calamity; plus you'll live longer, have fresh breath, and your kitchen knives will always stay sharp."

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Saint Demetrius: (d. 231 or 232) Coptic Bishop of Alexandria

Helen Key Hudson: (b. 1909, Alabama) aka: “Aunt Sis,” “Mimi.” 100 years old in 2009. Her secrets to a long life: “no drinking, no smoking, no cussing, and live a Christian life.”

Pablo Christiani: (fl. 13th Century) aka: Saul, Paul Christian. Rabbinical student, Christian convert, and Dominican friar. Took his children from his Jewish wife and made them Christian converts. Numerous disputations and missionary speeches among the Jews of Spain. Denounced the Talmud, edited copies of the Talmud to remove what he thought were passages derogatory to Christianity. In 1269 he convinced King Louis IX of France to require Jews to wear badges identifying them as Jews.

John N. Mauter: (b. Alabama - d. 2009, Alabama, aged 88) WWII Army Sergeant, County Health Inspector.

Phillip Craig Garrido: (1951, California) Printer, evangelist. In 2009, it was discovered that Garrido and his wife had kidnapped Jaycee Dugard in 1991 and had held her captive until 2009. During the eighteen year abduction Garrido fathered two daughters by the captive Dugard.