Some people use the church as a FIRE ESCAPE ­ no special joy in it, just
afraid of going to hell.

Some use the church as a SPARE TIRE ­ they do not want to use it, but
are afraid to be without it.

Many use the church like a SUNDAY SKIRT or SUNDAY SHIRT ­ wear it only
on Sunday or on special occasions; its only for show.

Only a few use the church as a VINE- YARD ­ working diligently in it to
make ready for the coming of the Master, and the rest from our labors which
He will provide.

How do you use the church?
-Copied

POSTMODERN WORSHIP:
COMING SOON TO A CONGREGATION NEAR YOU?
Dennis Gulledge

Postmodernism is the poison of our age. It is the spirit of the modern
era. It is the new name for one of the oldest weapons in Satan¹s
soul-destroying arsenal. Edward C. Wharton described postmodernism this
way, "Sthe Western world is moving away from objective truth into a
postmodern age that is characterized by subjective feelings and personal
experiences as criteria for determining truth" (Gospel Advocate, October
2000, p. 13). This is not new. Solomon wrote, "There is a way that seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 16:25).
In the days of the judges "Sthere was no king in Israel, but every man did
that which was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6; 21:25). Apply these
passages to the current religious scene and you under- stand postmodern
thinking.
If you think that postmoderns just want to bring about some innocent
changes in our worship services in order to get us away from the scripted
formality of a "two songs and a prayer" format, think again! In a
postmodern magazine, a postmodern "minister" of a postmodern church
describes for us a postmodern worship service designed to appeal to
postmoderns in this postmodern age. In New Wineskins (Jan/Feb. 2002, p.
37), Randy Gill, worship minister for the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in
Nashville, Tennessee, looks at postmodern worship in an article entitled,
"What Language Shall I Borrow?" According to Gill¹s analysis the postmodern
worship of today includes getting away from conventional church buildings
and moving into more secular structures as "nightclubs or warehouses." Then
they bring in the mood enhancing "intimate lighting, subtle background music
and scented candles or incense to create a unique atmosphere." What takes
place from here on is "informal and unscripted," with "no obvious leaders or
authority figures." If authority figures are less than obvious in
postmodern worship, then, by comparison, you can see that New Testament
authority for these and other practices (a very non-postmodern idea) is
glaringly absent (Cf., Col. 3:17).
Participants in the postmodern worship services are invited to
"encounter God" through "storytelling, scripture reading, liturgy and
testimony" [shades of mysticism, Roman Catholicism and Protestant
denominationalism]. Then, you are treated to "Multi- media presentations,
sculpture and other works of art" in order to "stimulate the eyes" in a
"holistic" worship experience [shades of Hollywood, Roman Catholicism and
Eastern Orthodoxy]. Finally, postmodern churchgoers break up into small
groups to "celebrate the Eucharist" in a meeting that "could last for
hours."
Postmoderns are harking back to the very false practices and
nomenclature that the early reformers and later restorers abandoned as they
went back to the Bible. Postmodern worship is an attempt to go back, but
not to the Bible.

OUR RECORD JUNE 9, 2002

A.M. WORSHIP 234
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY 165
P.M. WORSHIP 161
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY 139

CONTRIBUTION 5770
BUDGET 5570
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MEN TO SERVE
June 16, 2002

Richard Lowe Devin Long
James Kinsey Waymon Minor
Dale Morris Mike Moore
David Moore Nathan Moore

Evening Jim Mauldin
Tim King
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WEDNESDAY SONG DIRECTOR

June 19 John Griffin
***********************************
USHERS FOR JUNE

Morning Ray Bryan
Evening Greg King
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GREETERS FOR JUNE

Doyce & Lana Tarkington
Audrey Oliver
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ELDER CHAIRMAN

June Harold Pigue
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VOLUME 39 NUMBER 23
June 10, 2002

OUR SICK

Eleanor White is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.
C.Y. Blakeney is back at Regional Nursing Center.
Larry May, father of Kellie Golden, went home on Thursday. He will be taking
radiation and chemotherapy.
Ken Sullivan had surgery on Wednesday, he went home on Thursday .
*********************************
PLACING MEMBERSHIP

Jim & Martha Franklin
9601 Lanehart Road
Little Rock, AR 72204
565-1959
*********************************
THANK YOU

Thank you for the prayers, visits, cards, and calls before, during and after
my surgery. Thanks to the families that prepared and brought food to the
house after I returned from the hospital. It is a blessing to be a part of
God¹s family. Ken Sullivan.
Thank you for the ice cream supper for the graduates. Everything was good. I
especially want to thank you for the Halley¹s Bible Handbook. It will be
useful while I am at school. Thanks again. Jessica Franklin.
*********************************

SERMONS FOR JUNE 16

Morning
Love Is Not Easily Provoked (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Evening
Postmodernism In The Church
*********************************
SYMPATHY

We extend our sympathy to Lana Tarkington on the loss of her father, Wayne
Cruse. The funeral will be today (Monday) here at the building.
*********************************
SEARCH
Week of June 16
"AND YOU FATHERSS"
Modern women¹s movements know the futility of trying to make babies without
a man. However, they like to think they have enjoyed a measure of success in
developing a kind of family lifestyle without the father. It is a revolution
against men as an authority figure. This program doesn¹t scold fathers, but
it is a study of what fathers can do to make good families.
EVENTS OF INTEREST

June 16-22.....Sardis Lake Christian Camp in Mississippi
June 23-26.....Vacation Bible School
June 30..........Fifth Sunday Potluck

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