 |
|
|
|
|
April 25th, 2011
01:10 PM ET
Stadium transformed for Easter serviceSeattle's Mars Hill Church held its Easter service at Qwest Field. KCPQ's Jeff Van Sant reports. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
|
|
|
| Part of 
I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I used to be having a look for. You've ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
I had a few typos in there, but I think it's still manageable to read. Haha. Just part of being in a fallen world; bad grammar and spelling mistakes. 😉
To Tom,
Well put, I could not have said it better myself. I am a 20 year old student at the University of Tennessee and was blessed to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus this Sunday with many of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ here in Knoxville. Another way I got to celebrate was by watching the Mars Hill Easter service streaming online after I got back from my own church's services. I was so awe-struck by what I saw that I could not turn away, especially once the baptisms started. The entire reason, I believe, that Mars Hill is called Mars Hill is because of the place in Rome with the very same name that was essentially an altar/public forum to "the unkown god". Paul would go here and declare that Jesus is the Lord of Heaven because everyone in Rome was suppose to be "open" to the idea that they could have something wrong. The were a progressive city, and Paul met them where they were. Just like Jesus. Just like Driscoll and Mars Hill are doing in Seattle. What the Holy Spirit is accomplishing up there in incredible and encouraging and inspires me to aim to share Jesus like that here in Tennessee.
To Mark,
I would challenge you (as your Brother, and in Love) to seriously re-examine what the Gospel is and means to you. I completely understand that Easter is a "holy" day, but please don't confuse "cultural" and "traditional" Christianity with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a radical of HIS day and did things that turned heads to show people the Love of Our Dad. Mars Hill is doing just that. Meeting people in Seattle where they are in what some old-school "Christians" think are radical ways. They're not a perfect church, but that's an oxymoron. We're all just sinners covered by the Righteousness of Jesus and now Perfect in GOD's Sight. 🙂
When Jesus died on the Cross, it says the Veil was torn. This was the veil to the most sacred room in the temple where on the High Priest could enter, once a year, into the Presence of GOD, to atone for the people's sins. GOD is SO HOLY that anyone else at any other time going into that room would DIE. But Jesus TORE IT DOWN!! It means that we now have FREE ACCESS to GOD without worry! GOD is NOT mad at Mars Hill, it's basic Scripture. Romans 5:1-> "Therefore, since we have been justified we have PEACE with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of Jesus, GOD views us with the Righteousness of HIS Son (2nd Corinthians 5:21)! That's why it's called the GOOD NEWS!! Jesus is being made famous in Seattle, and when GOD's Glory is spread, GOD is happy. 🙂
Don't think Christianity is a "holy religion" that is about what we do. That makes it on plain with every other world religion. It's NOT about what WE DO (Ephesians 2:4-10). t's about what Jesus DID!! We're ADOPTED as SONS and DAUGHTERS of GOD! HE wants us to treat HIM with the Fear and Love and Respect and Joy of our DADDY!
The Gospel: It's GOD come to earth to love and save us...in the incarnation, death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ! And that's reason to celebrate!!
I'm a strong Christian and also agree with 'Estevan'. There's just something about what I saw in that video that makes me uncomfortable. From the indie worship band, to the Jesus banner, the bulletins with hipster font, the baptism 'fonts' made out of plastic lined up next to each other for greater efficiency, and of course the stage and stadium. Easter is a holy and sacred day to worship God and remember what Christ did and, although their banner reads 'It's all about Jesus', the spectacle of it all seems to take away from that. It's unfortunate really. Mars Hill is trying to do something good here, I know. They might be better off trying to appeal to God and remember traditions of Church history than try to get as many 20-something year olds to attend as possible. I think the aesthetics and the people who ran the 'service' actually took attention away from Christ on Easter.
If people are loving and worshiping Jesus, what does it matter what font they use, or what instruments they play? I understand that MH is not for everyone; there are plenty of other great churches in Seattle that have a different style. If you were there, and you really think Jesus was not properly central, then constructive criticism is most welcome. But where in the Bible does it say that God would prefer a piano to a guitar, or Times New Roman to our "hipster font"? I was there, and the worship was beautiful, and to the 700 or so people who got baptized and/or accepted Jesus for the first time, it was about a lot more than cramming in as many 20-somethings as possible.
Part of the event was a massive donation that we made to Union Gospel Mission. It's great that you all think helping the poor is important; please, join us in doing so.
I am an atheist but I'm pretty sure that if Jesus had existed as the son of god he would be pretty appalled by the sheer gaudiness of the whole event.
I was going to say that Jesus would have preferred the money to go to the starving poor, but we all know that's not true.
Jesus when questioned about selling expensive oil he was being covered in said:
"I will not be with you always, you will always have the poor."
What a kind and loving person. Clearly having oil on his head > feeding starving children.
I thought Seattle was home to one of the largest Jewish populations in America?
Either way, Seahawks suck!
who cares. .the seahawks still suck
I don't think the members, or staff of Mars Hill were concerned with the performance of the Seahawks, but rather that we got to share about Jesus in an unlikely place.