For more by William De Arteaga, see his author page.

Another controversial posting by Dr. William De Arteaga. Here he comments on the wildly celebrated article in the Atlantic Monthly which describes psychopathic children. Dr. De Arteaga suggests that some cases may be due to early demonic infestation.

Visit his blog: http://anglicalpentecostal.blogspot.com/2017/05/is-childhood-psychopathology-rooted-in_25.html

Pastor-scholar Tony Richie says there is no Jewish-Christian-Muslim God. Nor is there a simple answer to the “Same God” question.

When people realize I participate in interreligious dialogue and cooperative efforts they often ask me some version of the question in the main title of this post.[1] If I manage to mention that I have written a couple of books on Christian theology of religions from a Pentecostal perspective, I can almost certainly count on that question coming up. Actually, it usually centers more on two of the three “Abrahamic religions” (world religions tracing their origins to the biblical patriarch Abraham). They ask whether the Christian Trinity and the Muslim Allah is the same God. Almost always they want a simple, straightforward yes or no response. There is complexity implied in saying there is no Jewish-Christian-Muslim God, and it is not what they want to hear. To an extent, they are correct. There’s no such thing as a Jewish-Christian-Muslim God! Before unpacking what I mean by that bold statement I’ll briefly provide some important background.

Abraham’s well at Beersheba

Identifying or distinguishing a common deity is also important for Christian theologies of the other Abrahamic religion: Islam.[3] Islamist scholar Ataullah Siddiqui explains that “The divide between Islam and Christianity that most needs bridging derives from their different understandings of God and relationship with him”.[4] Christians may reasonably ask if it could be that just as Christians share with Judaism the worship of the same God, although through vastly differing faiths with different names for God and differing views of God’s nature, this same possibility exists for Islam. In other words, is it at least possible that Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God? If so, then one thing is certain: they certainly have greatly different conceptions of God and how God ought to be served and worshiped.

Need: Indian widows live on less than $1.00 per day and usually have one meal per day and their children cannot attend school. Their meal consist of rice and split peas every day. They sweep streets, work at odd jobs leaning people home’s and make only enough to pay rent. They are often illiterate and destitute. Kicked out from their in-laws homes after the death of their husband or divorced and any jewelry they were given by their in-laws at their wedding are taken back. They often feel hopeless, the government is too poor to provide any social service. One church I know has over 800 widows. In most part of the country widows are not allowed to re-marry because of tradition. The local church is poor and cannot help with the physical needs of the people. They do all they can to help. With no social programs in India, the plight of widows with small children is pitiful and beyond description.

Results: We work through established churches in India such as Chennai AG church pastored by Pastor D. Mohan, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of India, and they have rented a room to train widows, and the project is working very well. We provide the machines and church provide the training and when the widows complete the training they are given a sewing machine.

One of the recipients of a sewing machine told us that after she received training and a sewing machine she was able to make 1000 rupees ($20.00) per month, and with it she was able to purchase food for the family and books for the children to attend school. They were very thankful for our help.

Here are some suggestions on what we can do to help:

• You can pray for this ministry.
• We can give a sewing machine for $100.
• The women’s ministry in your church can take on the sewing machines as a project. One church in Canada that did this raised monies for 18 sewing machines at their Christmas banquet.
• You can go to your mission’s board of your church and ask them to consider giving a few sewing machines.
• A few friends can get together and give $20.00 each to make $100.00 to purchase a sewing machine.

Contact:

Agape Teaching Ministry
98 Aldgate Rd, Winnipeg, MB R2N 2Z5 Canada
Phone. 204-253-6826. Aldwin@mts.net www.atmc.ca

Tax receipt for Canadians and Americans: Agape Teaching Ministry

Video link for this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iSs25byECI

We live in a world saturated by media of all kinds, from social media and television to video games and movies. Most of us could not have imagined a few years ago that anyone with a phone can today produce content that might be seen by millions. How can I help my children navigate through this ocean filled with toxic pollutants and the occasional pearl?

That’s a lot to look at. How do you manage the flood of information and media coming at you?

In a few months there will be three teenagers in my home. One of them is about to be given their first cell phone, and this caused my wife and I to decide we wanted to lay out our expectations about screen time for all of our kids. There are a number of things we want to address so that they will have no doubt about our emphasis on them. This includes the importance of face-to-face communication, carving out quiet time for personal devotions, and the warning that there is dangerous material they need to have an action plan for when they encounter it.

I would like your input about this agreement I am writing that lays out how I want my teenagers to navigate our multimedia world. Am I missing something? I would especially like to hear from youth leaders as well as high school and college students. Please leave your advice, stories, and suggestions below this article.

Here is the agreement, followed by some of my notes at the end.

Mock Family Phone & Multimedia Privilege Agreement

This agreement summarizes the privileges and responsibilities of using phones, computers, and other media as a member of the Mock household.

1. Privilege not a Right. I understand that using phones, computers, and other technology is a privilege and not a right. If I am irresponsible, I expect to lose access to any or all of these media.

2. Striving for Balance. I understand that having a well-balanced life means I need to be careful with how much screen time I have. I will listen to others when they are advising I take a break or pursue constructive activities.

• I understand that the content of what I watch, read, and listen to impacts how I think and what I value. This is why my parents want me to make time for personal quiet times and to spend time with family and other people that have chosen to follow Jesus and his ways.

3. Courteous. Because how I communicate has consequence, whether I am answering the phone, sending an email, leaving a post, or speaking with others, I will conduct myself in a courteous manner. This means I will treat others with respect, give others the benefit of the doubt, not react in unjustifiable anger, and never bully anyone.

• I will remember that anything that is sent in an email or posted on the internet may never be taken back.
• I will not tell a joke or make fun of an individual or group about something they did not choose or have no control over (this includes ethnicity, disabilities, and what others have done to them). I know it is better not to share what I think is humorous than to damage a friendship or ruin an opportunity to be kind.
• When I make a mistake (accidental or on purpose) while communicating and hurt someone, I will ask for their forgiveness and seek to learn from it what I could have done better.
• Because learning to let go of hurts and trusting Jesus to make things right is part of growing into the person God wants me to be, I will keep myself from being overly sensitive or defensive.

4. Avoid Inappropriate Media. I understand that watching, listening, or interacting with some media is beneficial, much of it is not helpful, and some of it is destructive. I pledge to flee from all media that is destructive to me.

• I have discussed with my parents why they hate pornography and how it destroys lives.
• I will never take a lewd picture and I will never post or send something immodest from my phone or any other device.
• For my own protection, I will report receiving or encountering something lewd or inappropriate to my parents immediately. If I fail to do this, I will expect to permanently lose phone and media privileges when it is discovered.

5. Driving. The privilege of driving a vehicle has special responsibilities in regards to media that I will take seriously.

• I will not answer a phone or make a call while driving until I have been driving on my own for at least 12 months.
• I will not text while driving, not even while waiting at a traffic light.

6. Privacy. I know that there are people who would do me harm and take advantage of me while pretending to be a friend. To protect me and my family, I will not share addresses, phone numbers, identification numbers, or other contact information with anyone without permission from my parents.

• I will not share passwords or login information with anyone but my parents.