So I’ve successfully transferred the blog over to Wordpress. The design is one of the custom templates from wordpress gallery, but no less effective. Hopefully this will give me greater motivation to get to grips with php and make my own customisations.

This is also a special post because it’s number 100! I’m still writing for DYL, however you can read the whole backlog for DSotL here. Also, why not join and write for the Dark Side?

I’m not going to be as active on this blog from now on, but it has long been my desire to attract people of like minds to join the Dark Side (ie write for this blog).

I know out of the small cult following this blog has that there are some who ‘get’ what the Dark Side is all about. You may already have a blog of your own or perhaps you haven’t started yet- this is a perfect opportunity.

Email me: alex (at) abandonallfear.co.uk with your details, a little background info and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!

As of today I have become a member of the Dead Yet Living community, and for the foreseeable future I am going to be writing for DYL, which means this blog is going to be entering into a part-hiatus.

I may occasionally post something here which which is more dark than dead but if you want to keep up with my satire and exhortations to the church then you can find me on DYL.

In the meantime feel free to browse categories of Dark Side past:

Analogies
Apologetics
Cult-ure
Dumb Christian
I’m A Christian… Get Me Out Of Here
Is The Pope Catholic?
Light Humour
Musings
Name Dropping
Of The World, But Not In It
Pharisees
Philistines
Reflections
Religious Nuts
Smitings
The Purpose Missing Church
Theological Observations
Ulterior Verse of the Day
Video

If you feel my exit from the dark side leaves a hole that desperately needs to be filled, then why write for Dark Side of the Light? More details coming…

Just going over my saved rss feeds and almost missed this item posted by OkieLawyer on his blog Satellite Sky. It pretty much says what this blog is trying to represent.

I have done everything that wealthy and successful people say you are supposed to do to increase your chances of financial success. I have never done any illegal drugs. I have never been drunk on alcohol. I delayed gratification and got my education. I applied the work ethic and when I couldn’t get a job working for someone else, I started my own law business. But what can you do when those who have power literally and figuratively break your legs and pull the rug from underneath you? Isn’t it interesting that they tell you to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” but then they take steps to knock you off your feet when you try to do just that. - OkieLawyer: Seven Years of Bad Luck

Yes we are called to be overcomers but we are also put here to help and assist others. Why would Jesus place so much emphasis on love for our neighbours, servanthood, helping those in need, if God did not understand that there are some circumstances when we actually depend on someone in power to make the right decisions?!

Some problems are not cured by a smile, a “God bless you” and an “I’ll pray for you”.

HT: Independent Christian Voice

Does your church or ministry have a MySpace page?

Did you know that MySpace has an association with this website:

How? Because MySpace is owned by this man:

Rupert Murdoch. An Australian self-proclaimed born-again Christian who owns, amongst others, these media and entertainment companies:

Murderoch has admitted he tried to use his media outlets to turn public opinion for the Iraq war in this interview below:

Bill Moyer has offered a short analysis of Murderoch’s predatory nature when it comes to forging his media empire here:

Perhaps the only redeeming quality to Murderoch is he allows himself and Fixed News to be lampooned in one of Fox’s primetime comedy shows, The Simpsons:

Perhaps this wouldn’t be the case if The Simpsons wasn’t such a profitable commodity.

I’m not asking you to change your ways, I’m just asking you to look beyond the first layer of public image and recognise who you associate with, enable and ultimately allow yourself to be bought by.

Technorati Tags: murdoch, murderoch, media, iraq, fox news, fixed news, simpsons, bill moyer, myspace, the times, the sun, church, ministry

Reports that the bible had been rated over 18 adults only due to its content were eventually proved false, however it has provoked some thought and debate.

I remember several years ago hearing a pastors wife remark to a youth group that she would not watch an 18 rated movie and would forbid her children from watching one. I remember the time because I had watched many 18+ movies before I reached my 18th birthday, and saw nothing wrong with this.

When I consider the bible, if they ever made a true to the letter film version it would probably get an unclassified rating and be banned. After all the Holy Book is full of detailed accounts of murder, rape, incest, war, cannibalism, bestiality, explicit sexual references, animal sacrifice, human sacrifice, horror, genocide, slavery, death and execution.

So I usually find it ironic when Christians talk about censorship. I found it ironic when people complained about the amount of blood and violence in The Passion.

So why do we try to protect children from the truth? Why do we make up lies like Santa Claus, insulate them with mindless childrens programs and modify true stories by excluding the bad parts?

I think the Victorians had it right with Grimm Fairytales and Nursery Ryhmes. They seemed to strike the balance between having fun, playing safe but also revealing the darker side of an exciting and enchanting world: If you play out in the forest, watchout for the big bad wolf.

Christians need to rethink censorship and what truths and fairytales they choose to spin to their children, if they really want their children to be able to interact with and be a light to a fallen world. By gently exposing them to the truth and the fallen nature of man, they will not be shocked, surprised or seduced later in life by some of the evils they are bound to encounter.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Braaaaaaiiiiiinss…” Matthew 70AD

…Sorry.

5 Issues the church is too concerned about

CULTURE VULTURE: The Environment. Sure we should be smart and not drop litter, we should do what we can to reduce our individual waste… but this is one of the latest examples of the church jumping on a cultural bandwagon rather than seeking to make a difference in peoples lives. Plus, if more people did their research, they might discover that there’s not much we can do about global warming, it may even be part of God’s design for the planet. Have you noticed how nature is always moving and shifting through various seasons? It’s is only human beings who want to stay in place, prevent change and establish foundations. Not that, that is bad, but we should realise nature does not ask our permission before it changes.

BIBLE BASHING: Gay Rights. Of course, as a Christian if I was to have sex with man, I would be committing a sin. However this would also be the case if I had sex with a prostitute. And being a married Christian, if I was to have sex with another woman other than my wife, I would also be committing a sin. Why does the church focus on one sexual sin when protesting moral decline? How many Christians are divorced and remarried? Aah but there’s extenuating circumstances… violent spouses etc… we should be sensitive and understanding. Then likewise, we should be sensitive and understanding to homosexuals. It should also be noted that where God is concerned, it is only the church that should be subject to this kind of moral law. But the predominant question is this: Why shouldn’t homosexuals be free from prejudice?

BIBLE BASHING: Abortion. Another morally unacceptable choice, but again what right do we as Christians have to impose our view on the world. Why simply tell someone something is wrong without explaining why, and offering a better way? Explaining the importance of the sanctity of life to someone who doesn’t even believe in accountability to God is going to be futile unless you find humanistic arguments to back-up your case.

CULTURE VULTURE: Mass Marketing and Media. It tends to be mostly in charismatic circles but the church seems to be lately obsessed with multimedia and releasing the next worship CD. Worship CD’s are cool, they give you something to sing along to in the car if you feel like it. Multimedia is a useful tool, but it should not form the whole basis of your evangelistic strategy! I know a friend who had decided to host a fun, musical and entertaining evening as part of an outreach to the local community. He was considering what would be a good venue that would most likely attract the crowds. I suggested a local popular pub or hall. He eventually went with the church building. Why? Because the equipment was better. But how many unchurched people are going to feel like spending their Saturday night in a church? Sure the building is modern and warm but they don’t know that. Most peoples idea of a church is bingo-night with the over 70s not Saturday night live with Jools Holland. Also, why can’t an outreach involve alcohol? Most people can be trusted to behave themselves and pubs are already adept at handling the odd drunk.

CULTURE VULTURE: Customer Service. As evidenced by the growing mega-churches in not only the US, but Australia. It’s not just about worship anymore, it’s about entertainment value. Of course there’s nothing wrong with offering a tea and coffee time after the service. Offering services to the local community such as a mums & tots, counseling or coffee shop is brilliant. Equally churches that hire and provide buses to the community for poorer people who do not have cars to bring them to church on Sunday is a great. When the bus idea devolves into a golf-cart for people walking from the car park on a Sunday morning (as I have witnessed in one church), it goes from being a service to the community to a service to middle class church goers. A sort of ‘customer service’ rather than meeting a need. Is there such a thing as going too far? Customer service coupled with mass marketing above are both products of consumerism and western business models (which are more concerned with turnover than lives), which I have touched on before.

5 issues the church should be concerned about

INJUSTICE: Predatory and Exploitative Systems. There seems to be an unwritten law in the western hemisphere of the church that anyone who runs a company or business is successful and THEREFORE God has blessed that person and THEREFORE that person is a righteous person who is beyond sin and wrongdoing. Which is why anyone who dares to challenge companies or authorities for moral and legal reasons is treated with contempt. How much more would the church be respected in the world if it used its influence to challenge systems that are anti-human. People do not exist for the law, the law exists for people.

INJUSTICE: Anti-immigration. Christians have an implicit moral duty to stand up for the immigrant, legal or illegal. In Britain today immigrants are blamed for much of the problems in society and vilified by the media. In respect to immigration, Christians should not feel obliged to comply with the law if it means immigrants being treated unfairly.

CULTURE SHIFT: Technology and Publicity. How will the multi-million dollar Christian music industry fare against the culture shift to in P2P and Creative Commons? Will they be taking legal action against their neighbour, or is it time for a rethink on those ‘rights’? Same goes for videos, books and Christian retail. Isn’t it time the church went back to basics when spreading the word? Do we really need Celebrians?

INEQUALITY: Institutionalised Greed. Many Christians make the mistake of associating capitalism with Christianity. Where that idea came from it’s hard to tell, since the gospel has its roots in sharing (P2P anyone?). Capitalism makes individuals rich, but has many ill side-effects for the majority: Accommodation seekers, blue-collar workers and small businesses, for example. Prof. Prabhu Guptara has published a couple of thoughtful articles on the subject of sustainability and institutionalised greed which are worth a read if you have the time.

INJUSTICE: Ubuntu. There is much injustice in the world today due to corrupt governments. Governments that desire authoritarian control over their people. As Christians we should pray for our leaders, but we should also hold them to account and make a stand against any policy that seeks to register human beings and make it illegal to exist without being registered.

5 innovative thing that the church should try

• Open Source and Creative Commons - Actually try sharing the gospel instead of marketing it.
• Stop spending money on expensive media projects and make a difference to ordinary people.
• Look for a need that is not being met in the community, rather than jumping on the latest trends.
• Protest against corporate irresponsibility and greed, rather than Jerry Springer: The Opera
• Open up a high street shop and simply offer free help… anything, anyone.

DISCUSS THIS POST

Words fail me

http://view.break.com/290880 - Watch more free videos

I actually found the lyrics so you can sing along:

O-maaaa-zing Graaaa, How sweee da sound
Hnnuuuaaa yuuunnuuu yuiike meeeeeee
Aaauuu-iiiing graaauuuu yuuooo naaaay, yuuoooaar
O-thaaaa yeuuuuiiiii niiii eeeeee

HT: What a Weenie!

Technorati Tags: amazing grace, video, worship, church, christian, humour

“And they admitted that illegal aliens and strangers didn’t belong in their country. People who say such things show that they are happy with the country God has given them to protect. If they had been thinking of leaving their country, they would have been wrong. Instead, they were happy in the country they were born in. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared borders for them to defend.” - Epistle to the Hebrews Ch. 11

Apparently the Devil is seeking to undermine God’s country. And when I say God’s country, I’m obviously talking about America of course.

America is the place God has prepared for us Christians to go when we die, except we better have our passports and visas ready, or we’re all going to Hell with Europe instead.

That was all according to Utah Republican County District Chairman Don Larsen a couple of months ago. Unfortunately the original article has been removed from The Salt Lake Tribune but the comments are still there.

How many people on Earth walk around like they are carrying Passports that will get them into Heaven, while not realising their own ’visa’ has ‘expired’?