Some students really struggle with the idea of the role of religion in the founding and settling of America. Among interesting misconceptions I’ve run into in the past 18 months: Spanish settlers of Texas were Baptists (since so many Texans are Baptist today); the religious fights in England leading to the English Bill of Rights was between “Christians and others.”
I’m not sure Outreach Magazine’s list of the top 100 church congregations in the U.S., by size, would do anything to disabuse students of any of their misconceptions. Do we adequately teach about the role of religion in U.S. history? Why are so many students so ill informed? Can these churches help out?
Are churches doing their part in teaching the importance of freedom of religion, and especially of the history of religious strife in the western world? It doesn’t appear so. Maybe that list is the 100 top places for educators to visit to ask for help in getting the kids straight on the history of religion.
By the way: Spanish settlers of Texas were Catholic; the religious fights in England tended to be between Catholics and Anglicans, both considered Christian sects, to the surprise of too many students. Oy.
Stumble It!
March 6, 2009 at 11:30 am
Dear Beloved Friends and Co-workers
Receive Warm greetings from africa in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
We would love to share this with you as one family in Christ. Be blessed for your prayers and love and the good works you do in your Ministries.
We are a Ministry founded and established in Bungoma, Kenya, East africa with more than 310 church branches in East and central africa with the name GOSPEL BELIEVERS FELLOWSHIP Ministries.
The Lord has enabled us to have several projects that we run under our local Ministry.
- CHURCH PLANTING
- ORPHANAGE/ NEEDY/ STREET KIDS/ WIDOWS PROGRAMMES
- PRIMARY SCHOOLS ESTABLISHMENT AND SPONSORSHIP
- LIBRARY SERVICES MAJORLY WITH CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
- SEMINARS, CONFERENCES, RALLIES, FORUMS ETC.
- EVANGELISM WITH DOOR TO DOOR AND CRUSADES
- BOREHOLE WELL DRILLING AND DIGGING
- BIBLE SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT – COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER
- BIBLE PASTORAL CORRESPONDENCE TEACHING/ TRAINING PROGRAM
- HIV/AIDS PROGRAMMES
- HEALTH PROGRAMMES/ SERVICES
- POVERTY ERADICATION PROGRAMMES – COMMUNITY SMALL SCALE PROJECTS
- DEAF SCHOOL PROJECTS
- AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS
All these activities need the Lord’s hand to sustain them and accomplish what the Lord Himself has purposed.
This is our prayers that He will give us people to provide for Bible school project that needs to be completed; many of our church workers are not trained and the project will play a bigger role in equiping the Lord’s people in this vast region.Small Orphanage project in Bungoma that has already one house and 20 kids out of the many still out in the many branches we have in EAst Africa, christian Library literatures,Sunday school material, etc.
We would like to put this before you because your prayers are very important for the Lord’s needs and lift up Jesus in one way or another.
We were lead to have you join us for the Lord’s will, plan, purpose and glory and would like also to extend our invitation for you into our Ministry as the Lord enables you to come and visit us in africa to see what the Lord is doing.
AS FOR NOW, THE URGENT NEED IS FOR 10 MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FACED WITH FAMINE, PRAY WITH US FOR GOD TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THESE PEOPLE IN A COUNTRY OF 35 MILLIONS POPULATION.
We only have one hope in Jesus Christ, the savior of the world.
May the Lord bless you all for your concern, love, prayers and sacrifice.
In His Vineyard,
Rev. Robert and Irene Bushebi
GBF Ministries
Administrator.
P.O. BOX 766
BUNGOMA – 50200
KENYA, East Africa
EMAIL: bushebi@africaonline.co.ke or gbfministry@yahoo.com.
PHONE: +254735781802
February 14, 2009 at 7:24 pm
amazing!god loves us even sinners
February 14, 2009 at 7:23 pm
wow i believe that its amazing that god created us
September 25, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Gee, Ice Man, that’s about as offensive as it’s possible to get without actually offering a profanity against somebody’s mother. Any reason I shouldn’t delete the comment?
August 15, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Readers? Can anyone help Sampson out?
August 15, 2008 at 4:59 pm
CAN YOU KINDLY HELP TO GET A PERSONAL BIBLE AND ANY OTHER STATIONARIES FOR FRIENDS. MY ADDRESS IS
SAMPSON ACQUAH
BOX 673
TESHIE-NUNGUA ESTATE
ACCRA GHANA
February 4, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Merci!
February 4, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Teddy:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tedkennedytruth&tolerance.htm
Mario:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mariocuomoreligiousbelief.htm
JFK:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkhoustonministers.html
Glad I could help.
February 4, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Which Ted Kennedy speech is that? Have you got a link?
February 4, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I think the best resources are the trio of political speeches on religion: J.F.K.’s Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, Mario Cuomo’s speech at Notre Dame and Ted Kennedy’s speech from the ’80s. Especially Cuomo’s in a history class — he clearly explains the historical role of religion in the founding of American government.
If I were serious about hitting hard the stuff relating to religion, I’d give them a good, solid background with all three speeches, and maybe throwing in a clip or two of Jesse Jackson, Pat Robertson and Mike Huckabee.
http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/
February 4, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Since the words Catholic and Pope are used so much in the materials I use for my exploration unit I I have to fully explain what a Catholic is. 98% of my students are Baptist or Methodist. They are amazed to discover all three groups are Christians.
I don’t know if the churches could be any help. Most of the Baptists I know have no clue as to how their beliefs came to be, or the history of the early Christian church for that matter. They are Baptists mainly because their parents were.