Pietism- What Is It?

What is pietism and how does it affect me today?

Pietism is a strong sense of a personal God experience affecting every aspect of living. This is in contrast with a formal stern remote God. Pietism leads to frugality, humility, restraint, sense of duty, and order that has influenced modern cultural and religion.

Pietism started as a reaction to the formalism of Catholicism and the formal Lutheranism. Phillip Spener (1635-1705) eventually established six tenents:
In Pia desideria, Spener made six proposals as the best means of restoring the life of the church:
1.  The earnest and thorough study of the Bible in private meetings, ecclesiolae in ecclesia ("little churches within the church")
2.  The Christian priesthood being universal, the laity should share in the spiritual government of the church
3.  A knowledge of Christianity must be attended by the practice of it as its indispensable sign and supplement
4.  Instead of merely didactic, and often bitter, attacks on the heterodox and unbelievers, a sympathetic and kindly treatment of them
5.  A reorganization of the theological training of the universities, giving more prominence to the devotional life
6.  A different style of preaching, namely, in the place of pleasing rhetoric, the implanting of Christianity in the inner or new man, the soul of which is faith, and its effects the fruits of life
Source: Wikipedia- Pietism

This movement directly influenced the Evangelical Lutherans but also Methodism in Europe. Pietistic denominations in the United States included (Evangelical Lutherans) Northern MethodistsNorthern Baptists, Lutherans, Congregationalists
PresbyteriansDisciples of Christ, and some smaller groups.

In a large sense it has affected most protestant denominations in attitudes and worship style demanding relevance in personal and congregational worship seen today. Tune-in to STR’s Associate Speaker Jay Gallimore and Christian History Magazine spokes person Michael Austin with host Tom Mejeur as they review this movement Sunday at 5 p.m., Monday at 10 a.m., and Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. over-the-air and streaming on StrongTowerRadio.org. 

Photo Credit: The Broad and Narrow-Weg-2008 Wikpedia

Christmas Hour

The above 'Christmas Hour' billboard will be posted this Friday at 1 p.m. on the Grand Rapids Strong Tower Radio digital billboard on northbound US-131 between 54th and 44th Street. It will share the space with the 'STR Christmas Hour during the day and other advertisers' graphics.

The 'Christmas Hour' will air through December 23rd when the 'STR 48-Hours of Christmas' starts. The above 'Storytime' graphic is posted on the Strong Tower Radio (STR) billboard underwritten by Grand Rapids listeners who want to promote STR. The board is reserved through January 30th.

If you would like STR to reserve this billboard space year round for this network's promotion or add more billboards in Grand Rapids and across the state, please contact [email protected].

You will find this digital board on northbound US-131 between 44th and 54th streets.

Photo Credit: Grand Rapids Outdoors

Did You Miss
Giving Tuesday?

Don't despair if you missed 'Giving Tuesday' this week!

Strong Tower Radio will extend 'Giving Tuesday' through December 31st for this tax year and there is a $300 donation deduction available for this 2020 COVID year that you can get even if you don't qualify for itemized tax deductions.

In light of 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Tuesday' this is the most noble thing you can do! 

Photo Credit: Source unknown.
Fresh Manna for the Week


Hear these Fresh Manna sermons and speakers through next Thursday that will be streamed on StrongTowerRadio.org and on our local stations Monday-Friday 2 a.m. and 11 a.m.

This Week-
12/10 Jermaine Gayle- 'A Pattern'
12/11 Jacob Gibbs- 'Revelation's Elders'

Next Week-    
12/14 Daniel Ferraz- 'The Fullness of Time'
12/15 Mac Mills- 'Ready for Immanuel'
12/16 Ray Holmes- 'What Christmas is all About'
12/17 Victor Vaughn- 'A Christmas Parable'
12/18 Ron Kelly- 'Why America? Why Thanksgiving?
12/21 Bella Kobor- 'The Fullness of Time'
12/22 Pat Milligan- 'Lets Give Jesus a Gift'
12/23 Daryl Bentley- 'Godly Provisions'
12/24 Cory Herthel- 'Giving a Gift'
12/25 Sean Reed- 'The Joy of Giving'
12/28 Bella Kobor- 'The Way to God's Heart'
12/29 Phil Mills- 'A New Year - Living with the End in View'
12/30 Jacob Gibbs- 'Kingdom Wise'
12/31 Ray Holmes- 'No Better Prize'
01/01 Pat Milligan- 'Let's Start New'



Best of Cadillac Sermon

12/12 Ariel Roldan-

Photo Credit: Pastor Sean Reed, Holland SDA Church
STR Events Calendar
You can be a part of Strong Tower Radio by meeting and attending any of the following sermons given by Strong Tower Radio staff:

December-
12/12  11:00 a.m. David at Marion SDA Church
12/19  09:00 a.m. Kam at Clare SDA Church
12/19  11:00 a.m. Kam at Edenville SDA Church

1/09 11 a.m. Kam at Petoskey SDA Church
1/23 09 a.m. Kam at Fremont SDA Church
2/06 09 a.m. Kam at Carp Lake SDA Church
2/06 11 a.m. Kam at Cheboygan SDA Church
2/27 09 a.m. Kam at Fremont SDA Church

David is David Bolduc- Founder and President
George is George Dronen- Associate Development Director
Jilane is Jilane Fenner- Public Relations and board member
Kam is Kam Ferguson- Development Director
Tom is Tom Mejeur- Production & Marketing Director

Photo Credit: STR Kam Ferguson
nativity_scene.jpg
Photo from source unknown.

God Came Down

Pondering all the religions of the world, you’ll find a similar theme:  a list of what you must achieve to come back to that religion’s deity.  This list will have one significant absence: Biblical Christianity.

Instead of God telling us what we must do to return to Him, He promised us “I’m coming down to you!” Amazing condescension!  He came down and formed us from dust.   When we sinned, He came down seeking for us as lost sheep, calling out ‘where are you’ not because He didn’t know where we were hiding, but to communicate with us.  Communicate what, you ask?  Jesus’ subtext implication says “That guilt and fear you feel isn’t something I’ve put upon you, it’s the natural result of your sinful choice to distrust Me.”
  
God then makes the amazing promise to become one of us, the Seed, that would conquer Satan the deceiving serpent, while sustaining great suffering.   Four thousand years later, it happened right on time.  God came down, incarnated as a helpless child, with full risk of failure.   We stagger to think of what failure would look like, yet not long, as we praise God that Jesus was faithful in ALL aspects of life in His 33.5 short years.    That time was all the world could handle of divine love!

Holy angels joyfully heralded His birth, yet sadly found few who were interested.   Will we face the same climate?   Three angels herald three messages regarding Jesus as a loving and glorious Lord, Judge, Creator; with warnings of Babylon’s falls and to avoid Babylon’s mark.     Are many responding to this message that God ordains us to share, to give the trumpet a certain sound?

Yes, they are, and NOW is the best time to reach humanity!   Modern life becomes more advanced by the day, yet humanity without God keeps declining.   Secular humanism’s empty heart grows more obvious each passing day, and people are looking for the real answer to our needs.    That’s right, our needs, not only theirs, and therefore God still comes down to us.

God has placed in our hands the answer to human needs? The everlasting gospel and the means to share it.  Friends, how are you responding?   Thank you for sharing the three angels’ message, not only in your personal witness, but also by praying for and financially supporting Strong Tower Radio (STR).  Your monthly gift enables STR’s continued broadcast to reach souls seeking Jesus, the answer to every need.

In this season when so many consider that God came down, let’s invite them to look up to our heavenly Father Who gives all that we might live again with purpose and value.

Kam Ferguson
Development Director



Strong Tower Radio 'Where God's Character IS Proclaimed!'


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STR's December Schedule