“Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.” PeopleHeartRealGovernmentChristianSpiritualEffortChristianityProjectsTrainingTransformationInternationalAtheistConvincedAidsEnormousContributionSecularRebirthEvangelismSpiritual TransformationChange Is Good Author:Matthew Parris
“I do not believe in a God who would set up rules and commandments only to wait for us to fail so He could punish us. I believe in a Heavenly Father who is loving and caring and who rejoices in our every effort to stand tall and walk toward Him. Even when we stumble, He urges us not to be discouraged-never to give up or flee our allotted field of service-but to take courage, find our faith, and keep trying.” LoveGivingTryingBelieveGodCareChristianFaithFatherBeliefI BelieveWaitingReligiousWalksEffortChristianityCourageFailingFieldsFailureGiving UpI Believe InCaringPunishmentGod LoveHeavenlyUrgesTallRejoiceCommandmentsNot Giving UpNever Giving UpDiscouragedKeep TryingHeavenly FatherStumblingFleeing Author:Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Do not entertain the notion that you ought to advance in your prayer. If you do, you will only find you have put on the brake instead of the acceleration. All real progress in spiritual things comes gently, imperceptibly, and is the work of God. Our crude efforts spoil it. Know yourself for the childish, limited and dependent soul you are. Remember that the only growth which matters happens without our knowledge and that trying to stretch ourselves is both dangerous and silly. Think of the Infinite Goodness, never of your own state.” IfsThinkingKnowsTryingRealSoulMatterStatesGodHappensChristianRememberSpiritualReligionGrowthWorkPrayerEffortChristianityKnowledgeProgressDangerousOughtGoodnessInfinitePersonal GrowthNotionSillyGentleDependentKnow YourselfAdvancementSpoilOur PrayersStretchingCrudeAdvancingBrakeAccelerationChildishness Author:Evelyn Underhill
“The efforts of the majority to destroy every trace of heretical 'blasphemy' proved so successful that, until the discoveries at Nag Hammadi, nearly all our information concerning alternative forms of early Christianity came from the massive orthodox attacks upon them.” FormReligionEffortChristianitySuccessfulInformationDiscoveryMajorityAlternativesOrthodoxMassiveBlasphemy Book:The Gnostic Gospels Source: The Gnostic Gospels
“And there's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past, you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears-that's what soma is.” WorldYearsLongTwoHardPastSufferingThreeEffortHalfMoralChristianityEnemyTearsMoralityTrainingBravePatientCalmAccomplishBottlesNew WorldVirtuousReconcileTabletsSomaBrave New WorldGreat EffortLong SufferingBrave New World HappinessBrave New World FreedomBrave New World CharacterBrave New World TechnologyBrave New World LeninaBrave New World ConsumerismBrave New World John Book:Brave New World Source: Brave New World
“All this anti-Christian rhetoric that you see coming from the government, all this anti-Christian push, is not really an attack on Christianity. It's an effort to make you realize that God is your government. Your government is God.” GovernmentChristianRealizingEffortChristianityRhetoricAnti Christian Author:Rafael Cruz
“Men's moral principles are weak enough without their being made subordinate to selfishness; and their selfishness is quite active enough, without any such effort as Christianity makes to constitute it the mainspring of all their conduct.” MenMadeEnoughEffortMoralChristianityPrinciplesWeakActiveSelfishnessSubordinatesMoral Principles Book:The collected works of Lysander Spooner Source: The collected works of Lysander Spooner
“The broader problem is that a great deal of popular preaching and teaching uses the bible as a pegboard on which to hang a fair bit of Christianized pop psychology or moralizing encouragement, with very little effort to teach the faithful, from the Bible, the massive doctrines of historic confessional Christianity.” LittlesUseProblemBitsDealsEffortChristianityTeachPsychologyTeachingFairsEncouragementPopsDoctrineFaithfulMassivePreachingHistoricMoralizing Author:D. A. Carson