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RULES TO ABIDE
- The tagged victim have to come up with 8 different points about his/her perfect lover.
- Have to mention the gender of his/her perfect lover.
- Tag eight other victims to join this game and leave a comment on their blog.
- If you are tagged the second time.There is NO need to do this again.
- Lastly, most importantly, HAVE FUN DOING IT.
Gender of my perfect lover: Male
The 8 different points :-
1. A Christian - to be able to pray together.
2. Have known you for quite a while - so I really know you.
3. Being able to set some time aside for me.
4. NO bad breath. [Chew some mint gum...]
5. Give me a ride, walk me. smiLes.
6.
7.
8.
Gladys tags Kim Seng , Gloria , Kashin , Pearly , Happy , Fitrianoviani , Jasmine , Florence Technorati Profile | | |
| Dear all,
This
article appears in the latest issue of "Worship Leader" magazine. Like
it or not, the movie's coming to town starring Tom Hanks and looks
slated to be a blockbuster. For your info and reading.
DEBUGGING THE DA VINCI CODE
Getting ready for The Da Vinci Code movie without losing our heads.
by Mark D. Roberts
"¡
let's pray that God will use the release of The Da Vinci Code movie to
open a door of opportunity for telling the truth about Jesus. As this
happens, what might have caused harm, God will turn around and use
for good. "
On May 19, 2006, one of the most popular books of all time will hit the big screen. The Da Vinci Code,
having sold more than 36 million copies worldwide, will come to life
under the direction of Ron Howard. With Tom Hanks as the featured
star, Dan Brown's riveting "who-done-it" will draw millions to the
theatre. Many will be devotees of the novel; others will discover for
the first time the secrets of The Da Vinci Code.
Most of these secrets have to do
with clever codes and arcane conspiracies. But the book's central
secret concerns Jesus. According to The Da Vinci Code¡ªhere
comes the spoiler¡ªJesus was married to Mary Magdalene, by whom he
fathered a child. If these things weren't enough, it turns out that
Jesus was not divine, and that the biblical gospels are filled with
"historical discrepancies and fabrications." The truth about the
merely human Jesus is to be found only in the non-canonical gospels.
Thus, "almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false"
(p. 235).
It's easy to see why The Da Vinci Code has riled up many Christians and spawned a cottage industry of "Da Vinci Code
busting" books. I hopped on that bandwagon myself, adding an
appendix on the supposed marriage of Jesus to my book Jesus Revealed. It's also easy to see why many Christians are concerned about the release of The Da Vinci Code
film. It will popularize further the book's controversial
portrayal of Jesus and its undermining of the Bible.
But It's Just a Work of Fiction
One common response to Christian concern over The Da Vinci Code
focuses on the book's genre: "It's only a novel," many have said.
"It's fiction. Why get so worked up over something that isn't meant
to be historical?"
I think it's important for Christians to acknowledge that Dan Brown did indeed write a novel. When we treat The Da Vinci Code
as if it's a non-fiction piece meant to disparage Jesus, we end up
looking foolish. Yet there are reasons for engaging the ideas of this
novel from a historical, and not merely a literary point of view.
For one thing, millions of readers have taken the "historical" revelations of The Da Vinci Code as if they were factual. A recent survey on the beliefnet
Web site found that twenty-two percent of respondents believed Jesus
to have been married to Mary Magdalene. Because I have written on this
issue, both in my book Jesus Revealed and on my Web site (markdroberts.com),
I've received dozens of e-mails from readers who are passionately
committed to the notion that Jesus was married and angry with me for
rebutting it.
The novel itself contributes to the pretext that what is
revealed about Jesus and the Bible is true in fact. Sir Leigh Teabing,
a fictional historian in the book, lays out the supposedly true story
of Jesus and his marriage to Mary. He bolsters its apparent
historicity by saying things like, the marriage of Mary to Jesus is "a
matter of historical record" (p. 244) and the "vast majority of
educated Christians know the history of their faith" (p. 234), which,
in context, is the "history" related by Teabing. Moreover, the first
page of the novel includes this statement: "FACT: . . . All
descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals
in this novel are accurate" (p. 1). Since the "Jesus married but not
divine" theory is supposedly derived from ancient documents, it seems
as if Brown is claiming that what Sir Leigh Teabing reveals is
actually true. (In interviews, Brown himself admitted to believing
many of these things.)
So, given the impact of The Da Vinci Code on
people's actual beliefs about Jesus, and given the way in which wild
theories are presented as historical truth, I believe Christians can't
simply dismiss
The Da Vinci Code as fiction and forget
about it. Though I don't know how much of Teabing's pseudo-history
will make it into the film, I can't see how the story could be
rewritten to remove the offense to orthodox Christianity. Even if the
movie's Teabing is a little less offensive than the literary version,
Christians will still face a clear affront to genuine Christian faith.
How Should Christians Respond to The Da Vinci Code Movie?
Given what I've said so far, it's obvious that Christians can't simply stand back without some response to
The Da Vinci Code movie. Inaction will multiply misperceptions
of Jesus. Yet I am concerned about the potential for some
well-meaning Christians to overreact to the film, thus losing an
opportunity to speak clearly about Jesus in the larger world. If we
believers focus our efforts negatively, then I fear we'll see a
re-run of The Last Temptation of Christ debacle. If you don't remember
the unfortunate events of 1988, let me simply say that many Christians
were outraged about this film's portrayal of Jesus, understandably
so, but ended up looking foolish because of how they acted publicly.
Though I strongly disagree with the portrayal of Jesus in The Da Vinci Code,
I see the release of the film as an opportunity to get people talking
about the real Jesus. Sure, I'd prefer that the film did justice to
Jesus, like The Passion of the Christ, for example. But even though it
doesn't, I don't want to be so strident in my criticisms that I lose
the chance to talk about Jesus with people who aren't Christians.
Rather than public protests and impassioned denunciations, I hope
orthodox Christians will speak clearly, sanely and persuasively about
who Jesus really is.
Be Prepared
For this
to happen, we need to follow the Boy Scout motto and be prepared. It
is especially important for Christian leaders to be informed about The Da Vinci Code
and about the solid evidence for the orthodox Christian
understanding of Jesus. But I believe that we who lead must also help
our people be prepared. Let me spell out a few specific steps for
ourselves and for those whom we lead.
1. Be familiar with the controversial elements of The Da Vinci Code.
In
this article I've focused on the elements that concern Jesus and the
Bible. In fact, there are many other contentious matters, including a
defamatory presentation of the Catholic Church and an unsettling
depiction of sexualized religion. Though you can gain the required
familiarity by reading The Da Vinci Code, I'm not necessarily recommending this. The
story is engaging, but it includes depictions of sex and violence
that are unsuitable for many readers. The most efficient way to
prepare is by focusing on chapters 55-60. A short trip to the library
will save you the cost of the book.
2. Be familiar with responsible criticism of The Da Vinci Code.
Several top-notch scholars have written popular critiques of the controversial elements of The Da Vinci Code
. I would recommend The Gospel Code by Ben Witherington III and Breaking the Da Vinci Code
by Darrell L. Bock. For those who are inclined to look for free
material on the Internet, I'd point you to my own Web site. I have
already posted an article called Was Jesus Married? Plus, starting in January 2006, I'm going to put up a series that examines every statement in The Da Vinci Code that impinges upon Jesus or the Bible.
3. Look for and develop opportunities to talk with people about Jesus when The Da Vinci Code movie comes out in May.
There
will be lots of conversation about Jesus for about three weeks around
the time of the movie's release. We need to be ready both to respond
and to initiate discussion about Jesus. Plus, churches can seize this
opportunity by sponsoring public lectures or discussion groups.
Careful planning will give birth to events that are helpful to both
believers and seekers.
4. Pray.
Individually and together, let's pray that God will use the release of The Da Vinci Code
movie to open a door of opportunity for telling the truth about
Jesus. As this happens, what might have caused harm, God will turn
around and use for good.
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is Senior Pastor of Irvine
Presbyterian Church. Mark is the author of several books, including
Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better (WaterBrook,
2002). Mark's writings on various topics, including his critical
examination of The Da Vinci Code, are available at his Web site: www.markdroberts.com.
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| Again, songs from Evermore - Planet Shakers - 2005
gmaiL people ;)
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| hey aLL, i have them in my gmaiL already. can log into it and get
them... just got it on fruday, from Australia! together with the
songbook! hahah...... so happy... original and free! both the DVD, CD,
and also the song book!
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| visit aGain!
as toLd.... i always feel that people do not visit my new site. hmmpf
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