Stone the Preacher

A new feature starting next week will be E-vangie Video. Not only will you be able to read about evangelistic adventures, you’ll see them too! As a test I posted a video of an interview I had with a lesbian on YouTube. I posted it with the tags: Evangelism, Witnessing, Lesbian, Gay & Homosexual. This video got sent to gay subscribers who list as their preference the aforementioned categories. Here’s a comment I received the next day from an angry viewer (remember, I use the 10 commandments as my main weapon when sharing my faith. I never had to address the person’s sexuality, nor did I judge them), still, this person got very perturbed:

“Are you kidding? By your standards, YOUR STANDARDS, no one would ever get to heaven. Cuz really pastor Steve, you’ve never lied… ever? Or is the PERFECTION only required only after you’re saved? Funny what people can do with words when you’re practiced and able catch people off guard. You’re playing with words and manipulating people’s fears Stevie. See you in hell.”

Hopefully, this video will be up on Monday, right here. Stay tuned!

BELLFLOWER, CA—Ray Comfort’s ministry (Living Waters Publications) has had such phenomenal growth it is being forced to follow in the footsteps of Focus on the Family and other Christian ministries, and move out of California. (more…)

Christianity Today has an interesting article about how the Ted Haggard scandal could damage evangelism efforts. Pay particular attention to the last paragraph.

The head of the US Life Action Ministries has voiced his concerns over the impact that the Ted Haggard scandal will have on evangelism and revival. Click here to read the rest of the article.

-Thanks to Maryellen Brisson for this.

80% of Americans expect to be called before God on Judgment Day to answer for their sins. 90% believe in heaven. 77% rate their chances of going to heaven as “excellent” or “good.”

65% of Americans believe in the literal existence of Satan. 73% believe in Hell.

83% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. (11% disbelieve. 6% don’t know.)

* Statistics cited come from PEW, Gallup, and Newsweek.
-From “Letter to a Christian Nation” By Sam Harris (who is an atheist)

The House has gone the way of the Godless. So too, the Senate.

An Associated Press report: “South Dakotans rejected a law that would have banned virtually all abortions, Arizona became the first state to defeat an amendment to ban gay marriage and Missouri approved a measure backing stem cell research.” In a huge loss, California’s parental notice measure for teens seeking abortions failed.

We live in a culture of death, denial, & delusion.

How long before our freedom of religion and speech is gone too? The time is short.

The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stuborness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them.” Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, ther God of Israel says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water… (Jeremiah 9:13-15)

Though these verses were for a backslidden Israel I find some application for us. Do you agree?

Tomorrow morning I’m headed on a plane to China along with the team from Hope Chapel.

We will be teaching a house church and will stay for two weeks. Obviously I won’t be able to evangelize freely there, but I will be teaching the house church to do so. I will try to get something on the blog regularly, if I have computer access. Please pray for us.
Thanks, Steve

A Barna Group study shows that despite an intense surge in religious activity and expression in the weeks immediately following 9/11 the faith of Americans is virtually indistinguishable today compared to pre-attack conditions.
Click here to read the Barna report.

I had a great interview with Brother Lawrence Harms, one of the monks at the monastery my wife and I visited. After I get it transcribed, you will be able to read it here—it was a very encouraging interview. I will also be writing about my other experiences up there, including my rattlesnake bite, the Saints of Santa Barbara and a horrible book called “The Sins of Scripture.” Stay tuned!

One of our Associate Pastors, Mike Maffe, talked about the conflict in the Middle East last week-end, and how it relates to Biblical Prophesy. A local reporter from the Daily Breeze wrote an article about this subject. It pits Pastor Maffe’s view against the view of a Reformed Pastor. Both arguments are valid and fall under under the pale af Christian Orthodoxy. But check out the third guy’s view, a theological professor of philosophy and religious studies from Marymount College. What’s wrong with his theology? And how does this view reduce the urgency of preaching the Gospel, especially in the quote that closes the article?Click here to read the article.

I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the facts from this email that was sent to me, but the sentences that I tacked on to the end are sure true…

Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub. (more…)

This is from agape press.org:
…A federal judge in Dallas has rejected a request from a Christian ministry to have thousands of gospel tracts returned after they were confiscated by U.S. Secret Service agents. (more…)

Here’s the latest on the million dollar bill scandal from World Net Daily as of Tuesday, June 13. Click here!

By now you must be familiar with the million dollar gospel tracts seized by federal agents who wanted to make a big counterfeiting bust. If not, you can watch the 3 minute news story Click here to watch it

If you’d like the very latest update from Agape Press as of 6-8-06, then click here!

Anti-Christian Jeans Are a Trend in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Cheap Monday jeans are a hot commodity among young Swedes thanks to their trendy tight fit and low price, even if a few buyers are turned off by the logo: a skull with a cross turned upside down on its forehead. Logo designer Bjorn Atldax says he’s not just trying for an antiestablishment vibe.

“It is an active statement against Christianity,” Atldax told The Associated Press. “I’m not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion.” (more…)

I have a friend who works at a mortuary and he will be telling me interesting facts about this strange (and much needed) business. Question: Is there a “busy” season for Funeral Directors? Indeed there is. Guess when it is? (more…)