The Portal

Read all about the new Love Ethics class sponsored by Columbus, Xenos, featuring ... guess who? Cleveland people can go without any class costs, of course...

The poster says it all…

Do You Know the Old Testament? On October 1st we launch an Old Testament survey course for the first time in nearly a decade...Students will be guided through the entire Old Testament by Darlene McCallum and Mark Michalek...

Do You Know the Old Testament?

On October 1st we launch an Old Testament survey course for the first time in nearly a decade, and it promises to deepen an understanding of God’s character, your relationship with God, your ability to defend your faith, and most important to understand

“It’s a big chunk of the Bible,” Mark Michalek said. “But what’s it doing there? Your understanding of the Bible is incomplete without the Old Testament.”

The class is a vital part of the Leadership Training Class series, so those enrolled in LTC should plan on attending the class.

Raised in a Post-Christian era, many Christians — especially those under 40 — are so unfamiliar with the Old Testament they become uncomfortable speaking about it and the concepts it teaches, Mark said.

Students will be guided through the entire Old Testament by Darlene McCallum and Mark Michalek. The Scarlet Thread will serve as a background textbook. The course will answer questions such as:

How does the Old Testament apply today? Should we digging through the laws and applying them? What’s the role of the Old Testament in your daily life?

Is God different in the Old and New Testaments? Critics such as Dawkins would say so. How would you defend accusations like this:

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character of all fiction; jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, blood-thirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously-malevolent bully. Richard Dawkins, God Delusion, p.31 [Haughton-Mifflin, 2006]

Old Testament Survey will meet every other week for five sessions, with a test. It will cost $35, but $10 for students and $50 for couples.

On September 26-28 about thirty NeoXenos leaders will gather for a retreat near scenic Marblehead Light House, a favorite attraction for campers at East Harbor State Park.

This is an intense year of new ministries and growth, increasing the need for more Deacon Ministry Teams (DMTs). Experienced leaders are stepping into new ministries and new leaders are needed to replace them.

The recent “Multi-Site” conference in Chicago raised several topics for this year’s DMT Retreat, such as changes in teaching format, “apprenticeships”, online education, and new ideas for home group multiplication.

Ever heard this guy before? Mark Driscoll is his name. Take a look at his crazy YouTube video to see what’s coming to the Summer Institute:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSrZVF3FEUQ]

If you haven’t yet signed up for XSI, you need to!

Attention Home Church Leaders: they want us to get registered before the usual NeoXenos schedule! Talk about it, do it, go register at http://neoxenos.org/xsi …

For students it only costs $5. For the rest of us it’s $15, but that ain’t bad at all!

• “Macho Man”, Take 2