A new ABC show satirizes rich, Christian women. GCB debuted last night full of scripture-spouting, church-going, over-the-top characters. But is the show helpful to start an important conversation or irrevocably harmful to the image of Christianity?
Today we celebrate our one month mile marker at Seedbed. In celebration, we want to extend an invitation for guest posts. Please read on to get the full invitation with specifications and guidelines.
Preparing for a class on Christian doctrine, I’ve been perusing the great artists, to see what they have to say about the Christian faith. Painters, for better or worse, do theology and even biblical interpretation when they set brush to canvas. One painting in the “better” category I keep coming back to is “The Garden of Eden” (1828), by Thomas Cole.
The painting’s a helpful theological corrective for many of us, focusing our eyes not on the first sin, but on the gift of creation itself. Cole lets us breathe some of Eden’s air without rushing to the temptation and fall. As befits a painter, Cole accomplishes this visually. Typical of a Hudson River School artist, his landscape is enormous, and may not even feature the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at all. When visually represented, the garden story often hinges around the prohibition, and paintings of Adam […]
A Congressional vote that was scheduled for today for PIPA was cancelled following last week’s online protests. The technology sector has been abuzz with passionate discussion explaining the many problems with SOPA and PIPA, but how will this affect the church, parachurch, and non-profit organizations?
This question was raised in the comments after Seedbed wrote the article Websites “Blackout” to Protest SOPA and PIPA. The ramifications to this legislation are far reaching, and will affect churches in a variety of ways. These bills are lengthy and I highly encourage our readers before continuing to read over our summary found within the aforementioned article.
Already an Established Precedent for Action Against Churches
The idea that churches should be able to circumvent copyright laws was challenged in 2007 when the National Football League cracked down on Fall Creek Baptist Church for hosting a Super Bowl Party. Though the NFL has rescinded from their aggressive stance, […]
Every Sunday, Seedbed will feature stories how of God is working through the people that make up the Church. Today’s post comes from David Baldwin, a student and Project Coordinator at Asbury Theological Seminary.
A life of a saint is surely like a song of praise lifted up to God. After 93 wonderfully full years of life, my grandmother recently passed away. At her memorial service, the minister described her life as being like a song with many verses that each spoke of the different aspects of her life. This was particularly appropriate for her since she was at one time a professional singer as well as an organist, pianist and choir director for several churches throughout her life. After hearing this eulogy, along with all of the memories shared by many of her family and friends, I found that I was barely aware of only one of the verses of […]
Jesus first sermon, his inaugural address clocked in at appx. 8 seconds. It was every bit of 17 words.
The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel.
So what is the Gospel? I think I’ve finally seen the obvious, which is to say I’ve had an epiphany. The Gospel is simply this, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The call to action is “repent.” So if the in-breaking Kingdom of God is the Gospel, what does repent mean?
I have many thoughts about this. I wonder what yours are.
From the Seedbed vault circa 2008. Author and speaker Shane Claiborne sits down with JD Walt and discusses why understanding the bible accurately makes a big difference in our lives. In part two of a three part series, Claiborne discusses how damaging bad theology has been throughout history and why it’s important to have good theology.
There are few worship songwriters that bring more artistry and creativity to their craft than the musical collective Gungor. Since their multiple Grammy-nominated album “Beautiful Things”, I have been more and more taken aback by the complexity and nuance of Gungor’s music, and their latest album, “Ghosts Upon the Earth,” still knocks me back when I listen to it. I believe this album is a game-changer in the worship scene, and for the sake of brevity, I will only give you four reasons why:
Your average worship team can’t replicate it, though they will want to try. In my first listening to this album, I was first struck by how profoundly musical this album is, especially in comparison to many of the songs that the church sings today. The chordal structures are complex and colorful. The metric feels change, and have a lot of odd breaks, intersections, and juxtapositions. The musicians […]
It was an unlikely meeting. I am a 32 year-old wife, mother of two, living in a well-established neighborhood. She is a 52 year-old single, recovering drug and alcohol addict. Her name is Barb.
I was in downtown Lexington, visiting with Rosario Picardo at Embrace Church. He introduced me to her outside the building. We said hello, shook hands and both went our separate ways. I was headed inside to interview Rosario about his new book and she was headed to work at Embrace’s clothing bank. Little did I know that within the hour, she would share a story with me that would teach me a lesson I will never forget.
This is why we love Embrace Church. It is a church filled with stories like this one. We would love it if you download the digital version of the Embrace story. Every Sunday we’ll feature stories of what God is doing through the Church.
Craig Keener’s new book, “Miracles: The Credibility of The New Testament Accounts,” has been called one of the finest books ever written on the topic by many renowned scholars. We interviewed him to get an inside look at this expansive two-volume work. In this video series nothing is off limits. From Keener’s personal reflections to a family member being raised from the dead, these intriguing stories will surprise and inspire you.
1. Put a notice like the one listed beneath in your weekly bulletin or newsletter or send out an email to your community. Share it with your small group. Let people know about this.
Sarah,
I want to let you know about a new website that I think you would really appreciate. It’s called Seedbed and it is full of material that will encourage and inspire you in your walk with Christ. Honestly, I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time. Take a look and see what you think. www.asburyseedbed.com.
(your name here)
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Motion Prayers
“God’s command to ‘pray without ceasing’ is founded on the necessity we have of his grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air.”
~From A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, as believed and taught by the Reverend Mr. John Wesley, from the year 1725, to the year 1777.
Prayer is at the very heart of building our relationship with God. It has taken many forms throughout the centuries. Silent, group, responsive, and intercessory prayers are all varying types that Christians have practiced. Today, it is a pleasure to share with you a new type of prayer, motion prayers. These are videos set to music that allow the viewer to experience a prayer in a very unique way. Viewers can read along as the camera sweeps from phrase to phrase, expressing the journey that one’s […]
