My name is Mark Jennings. Shirley and I have been married for eleven years and have two daughters, Samantha and Martina. I work for the Seattle Fire Department and am the driver of Engine 9 D-shift. I lead a learning group at Centralia Nazarene and lead a home fellowship group as well in the Rochester/Oakville area. I started this page so my views and class outlines could be publicly viewed and examined. I welcome input.
Here's a little history about where I come from... I use to be a
deacon
and teacher at an Assemblies of God church. With much pain and
uncertainty
I resigned my position and membership last year. (I was raised
Pentecostal but briefly
claimed atheism as young adult in college.) I came back to Christ
simply because it
is the best explaination for why I am here, why things hurt so bad, and
why I am moral-- atheists founder with these questions. After becoming
a Christian, I went back to what I knew. Because of the relationships I
built, I wanted Pentecostalism to be true. I read the charismatic
books,
opened my mind to the ideas but it never really made any sense, and
this
was a growing problem. I never had a Pentecostal 'experience,' so, in
theory,
I should have never been put into a position of leadership, but I was.
As tensions grew and major differences arose, I had to take those
beliefs
I had been ignoring and storing 'up in the attic' and make a decision--
true or false? Coming to what I think is a reasonable conclusion, I
must
now hold to my decision. I wish my brothers and sisters well at my last
church,
may
God bless you.
These are some of the papers I've written in the past few years for
some college courses and also to answer skeptics.
1 Peter 3:15 And
also except from letters to friends to better explain myself since I
can
be and have been controversial . This will be slowly building since I
have many other responsibilities as husband, father, firefighter,
friend, and church leader. I do love to write papers, it is how I
learn.
But at this time in my life, it is not a big priority.
A friend of mine suggested, judging by listening to some of my teaching, that I may be a four-point Calvinist. (The way I see it, logically, you have to accept all five points if you are going to accept any of them) I wrestled with the free-will issue a few years ago and landed on the arminian side of the debate. (More accurately Molonist, and certainly not 'open.'.) Man is indeed free, however, every event in history is planned by God-- He is absolutely sovereign. Contradiction? From an existential (man-centered perspective,) yes. But I think it is reasonable to believe that God is omnipotent by means of His omniscience. This gives God complete sovereignty and grants man freedom-- but this is a long story. Anyway, one of these years, I'll be writing another paper explaining why I think man can be fully free without threatening the absolute sovereignty and providence of God.
Some
good articles on the debate on human freedom and divine soveriegnty...
As the list builds I will be adding the outlines of the
classes
I teach. This is an effort to be open and honest.
What I believe...
Previous series classes
Safe People: How to Find Relationships that are Good for You and
Avoid those that Aren’t
(A 13 part lesson series based upon the book of this title by Dr.
Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. I could only find three
of
the outlines. Sorry. I'm not the most organized person in the world :-)
1. What is an Unsafe Person?
2. Personal Traits of Unsafe People.
3. How
We Lost Our Safety.
12 ‘Christian’ Beliefs that can Drive You Crazy; Relief from
False
Assumptions.
(Another 13 part lesson series based upon the book of this title by
Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
1. Introduction
2. It’s selfish to have my needs met
3. If I’m spiritual enough, I will have no
pain or sinfulness
4. If I change my behavior, I will grow
spiritually and emotionally.
5. I just need to give it to the Lord.
6. One day, I’ll be finished with recovery
7. Leave the Past Behind.
8. If I have God, I don’t need people.
9. "Shoulds" are good.
10. Guilt and shame are good for me.
11. If I make the right choices, I will
grow spiritually.
12. Just doing the right thing is more
important
than why I do it.
13. If I know the truth, I will grow.
Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life
of the Soul by J.P. Moreland.
Some outlines from in the past stand alone classes ... Sunday School Ministries Statement of Purpose
The
communicable and incommunicable attributes
of God
Biblical
Revelation – The adequacy of human
language and the objective nature of Biblical truth
The
Objective Character of Biblical Revelation
The
Development of the Christian Mind
Understanding
Scripture
Various
quotes of teachings masquerading as being
‘Christian.’
Who am I?
The
Bankruptcy of Humanism. (Just three
quotes)
Jesus
as First Rate Thinker. (from a
article
written by Douglas Groothuis, "Jesus: Philosopher and
Apologist,"
in the Christian Research Journal Vol. 25 #2)
What I think is really important-
Young age of the earth is not the issue...
Answers with Ken Ham Seminar Series (DVD) Ken Ham (12 part series)
Some notes on books I've read...
Swedenborg: Heaven and Hell.
Plato: Euthyphro
Martin
Buber: The Way of Man
Arthur
Schopenhauer: The World as Will and Representation
Ecclesiastes
Tolstoy’s
dream
My Half of some dialogs...
Some notes on
what I think good discussion
should be.