Gen Z want to be authentic and factual. These are mostly antithetical to the various themes and viewpoints of the forty-odd primitive authors of the primitive biblical literature. Those dudes did their thing and explained satisfactorily to themselves the traumatic and unjust and (especially) inexplicable world they lived in. Today we have explained so many things through science, and have made most human societies less traumatic and more just. When Jesus cast out demons from one sufferer, it was said to be a miracle. We don't want to be diagnosing epilepsy as demon possession. And if helping one person with their problem is a miracle, what is it when, through medicine, we are able to conveniently and reliably help millions of people with epilepsy? Gen Z wants to be authentic and factual, to live in accord with reality as we know it 2500 years after Babylon, to share life with those other beings we can see and help and love and not some invisible storm deity and an apocalyptic preacher who sadly ran afoul of the Roman Empire.
Nobody deconstructs and we discover they stayed in the religion because they have *strong, logical evidence of a god.* Instead, I think that might be why he's focused on deconstruction being around _feelings,_ and certainly feelings alone can lead someone back into religion. Now I don't want to ignore the fact that some people also leave religions during deconstruction *also due to feelings,* and that's also a terrible reason. Truth should be the focal point of deconstruction, not feelings. Well truth is only reliably known by evidence, which of course is why my first sentence focused on it since either a person has strong, logical evidence or they don't know god(s) exist. (So people who deconstruct and arrive at non-belief due to feelings alone also deserve criticism, is what I'm saying here. Those people aren't focused on truth, and truth is what matters.) To date, I've never heard strong evidence of a god. (And of the many arguments I've heard in hundreds of conversations, 100% of them have been illogical. You can easily look up the major, common arguments for god(s) and it's just as easy to see their logical errors (often called by the fancier word "fallacies"). Bad logic isn't evidence, so this failure rate leaves me without good reason to think a god exists.) So while I actually agree with this talk's criticism that seeking one's "authentic self" isn't always a great goal, and it's a bad reason to disconnect from theism, ultimately I think there aren't any _good reasons_ for theism. So that's what ultimately matters. While I'd love for people to arrive at a more truthful/rational position for good reasons, even if they get there by bad reasons at least they don't hold a bad belief. I want people to have as few bad beliefs as possible, and that's why I take so much time out of my life trying to help people detach from bad ideas (while allowing the other person plenty of opportunity to prove it's _not_ a bad idea by presenting evidence; I always try to listen carefully to what the other side considers evidence).
Excellent sermon! I’m studying John yet again and I knew you’d have a video or two to catch up. That he said yes twice to staying is so beautiful. Thank you Gary. And aloha.
Please show me scriptures that allows women to lead in Church. The scriptures I am aware of shows men to be THE leaders. Women are to ask their husbands at home. Women have their roles but not in leadership. Women are to teach younger women and children.
I love this, and can’t believe there are not more comments after so many views! Thanks Dr Imes for sharing such wise perspective that helps us to see the shallowness and futility of the world’s narrative, and the depth and value of a life of faithfully following Jesus wherever he leads. Well said!
I wonder if they’re ever gonna release session 2 in any capacity. There was some pretty good stuff talked about there. Even if the execution was controversial.
Wow! For the second time today, someone saying, Jesus' kingdom is an entirely different kind of kingdom. Jesus can never be the kind of king the majority of the Hebrews wanted and expected two thousand years ago.And he can never be the kind of kingdom the majoirity of professed Christians want and expect in the twenty-first centuruy. Much of popular ostensibly Chrstian theology today is appealing to people who can hardly waith to weild immense political power. Theyu will readily accept a false messiah while rejecting him who said, "My kingdom is not of this world."
Listening in Cairo, Egypt. Thanks CCCA-I look forward to these Advent, and later, Lenten Devotions every year! What a powerful ministry to us in far off places, seeking to be lights here!
I know you are making a point, but to be able to recognise the spirit of Gods Kingdom and live in it has some advantage. To know that you exist because Christ is in you, that you can love because Christ is in you, to connect with other human beings because we share a common divinity has to be worth something. The Good News is that Christ is in you, that is your hope of glory. That is the great secret hidden from all people for all time till it was revealed in Jesus, that God has union with us. We can believe it or reject as Adam did, but that is the only choice we get. I wonder why the Idea that Paul proposed that we exist in Christ and we exist because Christ is in us, arouses such hostility even in Christians. Maybe it is because we believe we are self made people like Adam apparently believed. Being free from self made to living in the truth of our being has to be worth something.
Ironically he never defines what is worship. American Christianity has no worship, which is an exceptional ironu. It's incredible how ignorant this speaker is after 2,000 yrs of church history.
This was a very fine presentation ... thoughtful, careful, and kind. Thank you ... but during the prayer, something occurred that seemed, at least to me, totally out of joint: as you were praying, staff moved in and removed the lectern ... and then the musicians walked behind you ... that didn't discount anything you said, but it reminded me of how programmatic and choreographed is "worship on a stage" ... couldn't they have waited a bit for your prayer to finish? Other than that jolting disregard for prayer, your prayer, your commentary, your insights, are of great value, and I'm sure many a student in the audience, and professors, too, learned a great deal - about the damning power of shame and "purity" and the healing grace of an all sufficient mercy. We are what we are ... it's not purity, but progress in our walk with God, with neighbor, and with ourselves - in humility, hope, and peace.
Grandpa Chan😊❤! So miss his sermons. In a country where people think religion is a relationship with God, we need him. Religion is nothing more than man’s rules about God that religion uses to scare people into submission. People want to be spoon fed and believe whatever religion tells them. God never intended to have so many religions. We were supposed to be one people. Being Christian isn’t about religion. Being Christian is reading the Bible, spending time with God, and living a life by the example of Jesus Christ. I found Pastor Chan by accident right before he left for Hong Kong. I love the honesty of his sermons.
leading into our being sent to Mozambique and all through our time here I have eaten so many times from John 17! It's a key to the Kingdom and one of the greatest hidden scriptures on discipleship ever
