For some time now, I have been tracking something called the “Emergent Church Movement” (also known as the “Emerging Church”). I don’t want to assume that everybody here is up to speed on what I’m talking about, so first a few words of definition. At some point in the mid-1990’s the moniker “Emerging Church” surfaced out of the Young Leadership Network. It came from the notion that, because the culture has changed, a new church should emerge in response. Declaring themselves to be the answer to reach the so-called postmodern generation, Emergents claim to have explored all of the avenues of what the Church has historically been, only to find that little or none of it satisfied them. The common bond of the Emergents was and still is a general dissatisfaction for Bible-believing Christianity, though nearly all of them claim to be “Evangelicals”!

Like many in the various “isms” before them, Emergents set forth to tackle a seemingly noble cause. They appeared to want desperately to reach a lost generation. However, it soon became clear that no matter how zealous Emergents were, the message they offered to their target postmoderns was not the authentic biblical model. Almost before even taking flight, the Emergents veered sideways into the ditch of heretical thinking, doctrine and practice. Their unorthodox view of the Christian faith, including doctrine and solo scriptura, aided in drawing many who were seeking a self-styled Christianity rather than the biblical version. Those who came early to this perilous party also brought volunteers and funding to the soon-to-be-famous heretic leaders and, in the eyes of some, their very presence added credibility just because the seats were being filled on Sundays. After quickly jettisoning the constraints of biblical hermeneutics and (God forbid) sound doctrine, Emergents picked up steam (and press) as being “hip,” “different” and “refreshing.” In reality, though, “hip” transposes into “we’ll accept almost anything,” “different” means “far out…really far out,” and “refreshing” symbolizes “any Wiccan or Buddhist will feel right at home with us.”

I know many Emergent sympathizers would object and say that I am generalizing. However, that simply is not the case. Even without much space to elaborate in this article, and even as difficult as “Emergent Speak” can be to decipher, once one boils it down, just a partial outline of Emergent philosophies indicates glaring flaws.

To Emergents, Christianity is:

* Experience over Reason

* Images over Words

* Spirituality over Doctrine

* Subjective Feelings over Absolute Truth

* Earthly Justice over Salvation

* Social Action over Eternity

An examination of only a few quotes from Emergent leaders illustrates not only some of these wacky ideas but also the sobering reality that Emergent leaders and the tens of thousands following them are indeed in very dangerous territory.

“The church has been preoccupied with the question, ‘What happens to your soul after you die?’ As if the reason for Jesus coming can be summed up in, ‘Jesus is trying to help get more souls into heaven, as opposed to hell, after they die.’ I just think a fair reading of the Gospels blows that out of the water. I don’t think that the entire message and life of Jesus can be boiled down to that bottom line.” - Brian McLaren, from a July 2005 PBS special on the Emerging Church.

“Repentance is not turning from sin. It is a ‘celebration’ of life in Christ. Anyone who tells you that you need to repent is not talking about Christianity.” - Rob Bell, “The ‘gods’ Aren’t Angry Tour,” Nov. 16, 2007, Dallas, TX

Doug Pagitt, Emerging Leader, author and pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, was asked “Is homosexuality incompatible with Christian faith?” Pagitt simply replied:  “NO. Being Gay and Christian is not a contradiction in any way.” – Quoted by Mark Driscoll in “Why I Left the Emerging Church” at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fall 2007

“Missional Christian faith asserts that Jesus did not come to make some people saved and others condemned. Jesus did not come to help some people be right while leaving everyone else to be wrong. Jesus did not come to create another exclusive religion (based on beliefs).”
- Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy, p.120

“Emergent doesn’t have a position on absolute truth, or on anything for that matter.” - Tony Jones, at the 2005 National Youth Workers Convention

“(This is) part of the problem with continually insisting that one of the absolutes of the Christian faith must be a belief that “Scripture alone” is our guide. It sounds nice, but it is not true…When people say that all we need is the Bible, it is simply not true.” - Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, p.68

It is serious enough that some Emergents like Rob Bell (whose “Nooma” DVD series has sold over a million units) don’t believe the Bible contains the whole truth. But many teachers, such as Emergent author and activist Brian McLaren, simply twist the Scriptures to say what they wish the Scriptures said, regardless of context, history or any understanding of the original languages.

Christianity Redefined

In February of this year (2008) I attended McLaren’s “Everything Must Change” conference tour stop in Nampa (Boise), Idaho. Attending the three-day event with me was my friend, Pastor Chris Bayer, who also wanted to hear what the godfather of the Emergent movement believed.

Though tough to take emotionally and spiritually, we stuck it out for the entire conference. It was at times grueling and at times frightening.

Space here permits me only a few comments, so I want to focus on the Friday evening session. Pastor Chris has written a stellar account of the entire McLaren conference that is posted at www.ericbarger.com.

The session began with original songs that, frankly, any Wiccan priest could sing. They were dark and gloomy and focused on how mankind has raped and destroyed the planet. The glory or greatness of God was non-existent during the “worship.”

Next, we were subjected to a film produced by The Sierra Club, which focused on how mankind was raping Mother Earth through coal mining.

When McLaren took the platform, he began to unfold the real core of what he means by the book (and tour) title, “Everything Must Change.” That is, “EVERYTHING…MUST…CHANGE” – including what Jesus meant by the very term “Kingdom of God” in the Gospel accounts.

According to McLaren, “The Kingdom of God” is all about our saving the planet. I thought, “of all the things this guy is, he’s a Kingdom Now preterist, too!”

McLaren also informed us that “salvation” is actually us saving the planet and, when Jesus used the phrase “the world,” He was referring to the Earth and not the lost souls living on it! I was more stunned with each passing moment.

The “service” ended with McLaren’s invitation for attendees to come to the front and, among other exercises, take some water from a vat and re-baptize ourselves into the new enlightenment we’d received. He recommended that while we were there we also stick our hands into the tub of dirt that had been provided to fully sense “what needed to be saved”! No joke, folks. I was there. All this from one of Time Magazine’s twenty-five most influential “Evangelicals.”

A most disturbing aspect to Pastor Chris and me was that McLaren’s event was held at and partially sponsored by Northwest Nazarene University – a fact that has made at least one former State Elder in the Nazarene Church weep in my presence! Thank God for the many Nazarenes who still hold to the Bible. But from what I saw in the panel discussions, which included several of the professors at NNU, there needs to be a radical housecleaning if Nazarenes expect the next generation of pastors and leaders to present true, biblical Christianity. (McLaren even declared during the conference that John Wesley was an Emergent! It was all I could do to contain myself.)

Truly Nothing New

If the Emergent line of reasoning sounds familiar to you, it should. Nearly 100 years ago, maverick-turned-heretic Rudolf Bultmann set out to “demythologize” the Bible, starting with the abandonment of such central and essential doctrines as the Virgin Birth and the bodily Resurrection. Liberal Baptist leader, Harry Emerson Fosdick, preached his now famous sermon, “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” and declared, “Of course I do not believe in the virgin birth or in that old-fashioned substitutionary doctrine of the atonement, and I know of no intelligent person who does.”

Of course, for Satan it wasn’t enough that decades ago heretical teaching on par with Bultmann and Fosdick slowly infected the once-sound seminaries, pulpits and, finally, entire denominations. We shouldn’t be at all shocked that the devil’s 21^st century target would again be some in leadership who are known as “evangelicals.” Consider the rise of the feel-good gospels and scriptural compromising of Bill Hybels, Rick Warren and Joel Osteen that I and others have documented. The predicted apostasy is indeed in full swing – right under our noses.

Now, with kudos from Warren and others, Emergents have gone a step further than their questionable and more famous “Evangelical” brethren. Emergents are now openly adopting cultic, “New Age” and Universalistic ideas in place of or along side of the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament. In fact, Warren sure sounds more and more like an Emergent himself!

On January 27, 2008, Rick Warren stated, “I think we need a second Reformation in the church about how we behave. The first Reformation was about creeds. I think the second Reformation needs to be about deeds…” That day he even told Dean Samuel Lloyd of Washington’s National Cathedral that “the future of the world is not secularism, it’s religious pluralism.”(http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/centennial/SF080127.shtml) It is statements such as these that have garnered Warren such warm acceptance among Emergents.

My question is, since Warren is easily one of the most influential persons on Planet Earth today claiming to be a Christian, why didn’t he declare that the future of this world is 100% dependant on Jesus and Jesus alone?!!

Further illustrating this dissatisfaction with biblical Christianity, as well as a fascination with mysticism, is a statement from the wildly popular Emergent pastor from Michigan, Rob Bell, who stated, “This is not just the same old message with new methods. We’re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life.”(Christianity Today, November, 2004, pp.36-41)

Emerging – the New Liberalism

The debate over modern liberalism, be it called “Emerging,” “Emergent” or whatever, boils down to the absolute authority of Scripture. As a former Emergent pastor who has now shunned the movement points out, the foremost error of the Emerging Movement is that it has reduced Christianity to a CONVERSATION. This is EXACTLY what Lucifer pulled off with Eve in the Garden – i.e., “Hath God said…?” (Genesis 3).

I have contended for years that if the followers of Joseph Smith had been astutely reading their Bibles in 1830, there wouldn’t be 13 million Mormons in the world today and millions more would never have perished because of Smith’s false teachings. The same is true of those who sat in the pews in the early 20^th century as doctrines of devils infiltrated the seminaries and pulpits of previously-sound Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and Lutheran churches, to name a few.

It is tragic that millions had to be deceived by the Watchtower’s conniving,  Smith’s tango with Satan and Bultmann’s dive from orthodoxy. We need to learn from so many instances of regretful, timid wait-and-see hesitancy that church leaders have engaged in when it comes to swiftly quashing cultic doctrine. Why is it that retrospect seems to be the sad teacher when identifying cultists in our midst? In trying to be civil, gentle and loving with those espousing error, what really happens is that less-aware souls are trapped, deceived and convinced to go along for what amounts to a demonic joyride down the path to eternal destruction. I say, “Enough!” Where are the pastors and leaders who are not afraid to deal with error and false teaching in our midst? Paul would have opposed heretics, and instead of viewing it as somehow unkind, we must see it as the MOST loving thing to do.

Emergent liberals need to be confronted. These folks are heretics, yet they view their ideas as theologically deep and intellectually superior. In reality, no amount of condescending or attempting to spin true Bible believers into archaic Neanderthals can lessen or justify the depth of their error. For their own sakes and for that of their followers, we must recognize it as our task to identify Emergents as cultists, no matter who thinks we are radical, judgmental, or rude. After all, caring enough to warn the lost is the loving and biblical thing to do.

By Eric Barger
 
All of us have probably had the distasteful experience of overhearing someone cursing and using foul language. Sometimes, graffiti “artists” ply their illegal slogans and we’re the victims as we try to hurry our children or grandchildren past some freshly spray-painted wall, park bench, or boxcar. If you venture out very often to a mall or shopping area, then you have likely been subjected to foul language and unseemly activity at some point. If you lived much of your life without Christ in the world (as I did) then chances are that you remember the days when all of those off-color words were a part of your personal vocabulary. Praise the Lord that when He saved me He also cleansed me and, by the convicting power of the Spirit of God, He strengthens me to resist letting fly with a string of expletives in the manner that I once did. I’m not applauding myself here but just crediting the Lord for changing me and for continuing to refine His work in me day in and day out.
 
The fact is that our speech surely reflects what is going on in our soul. Jesus illustrates this in Matthew 12 as He makes the point that good men speak good things and evil men speak the opposite. He then states, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). He visits the same line of thinking in Matthew 15 and again in Mark 7. It should go without saying that this is surely no trivial teaching. After all, the Bible succinctly proclaims that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34b).
 
I’ve said all of that to say that, as repulsed as I am by the crude and filthy things that so effortlessly stream out of the mouths of so many around us these days, I am not shocked by them. Still, I was completely blindsided by such a display when I walked into a Starbucks coffee shop in the Seattle area recently. I wasn’t at all prepared for the blatant, in-your-face, vulgar proclamation spelled out in big block letters inside.
 
There in line in front of me – in the midst of a busy Saturday afternoon crowd – was an older teen with a brightly colored T-shirt which, on the back, displayed one of the most foul statements that one can make. In fact, I’m not even going to give you an idea of exactly what the shirt said so that your mind doesn’t participate in the guessing game as to what the words were. I lived in the perverted, anything goes world of professional rock music for two decades and I thought I had been around when it comes to what the world offers but, frankly, I stood there nearly dumbfounded, wondering, “Does that offend anyone else here?” As I looked around the busy shop, I took stock of the twenty or so patrons and the four baristas busy serving them. With the exception of one couple at a table in the corner, I may have been the oldest person present and, though I noticed others staring at the fellow whose shirt displayed the message, no one shook their head or seemed to act as though something was uncomfortably out of place. There was no outrage. No offense seemed to be taken. The fact is, I surmise that those present weren’t offended or shocked much at all. After all, it’s only words. Right? No, in reality, the people present, like the majority in our society (especially those under 40), have likely become accustomed to the particular phrase so boldly displayed on the shirt. They had become desensitized and hardened to the culture around them and probably had little if any problem with one of their peers displaying words that not long ago would have outraged the secular culture in a similar circumstance, let alone sorely offended us Christians.
 
As I stood waiting for my drink and watching the young man, a number of things crossed my mind. Should I ask for the manager? Should I make a scene and publicly call him out, exposing his uncouthness? (This was the response my flesh wanted to take.) Should I follow him outside and try to speak to him? Or should I just shrug my shoulders and be glad that my granddaughters hadn’t been with me to be subjected to the spectacle?
 
Once he exited the shop, I saw that the Lord had probably saved me a real, possibly dangerous, hassle, as he was obviously just one of several guys sitting around the tables outside. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but, by the looks of them, I can imagine that the text on his T-shirt might have been lightweight in comparison. Frankly, they had every appearance of thugs, young punks just waiting for a turn on “Cops” or a posting on “America’s Most Wanted.” I realize that today it is “cool” to repeatedly tattoo and pierce and display how tough you think you are, but this kid had decided to tell the whole world off in the foulest of words and his friends fit the sentiment displayed on his shirt!
 
Still angered in a way that simply does not come upon me often, I walked to my car, got in, and observed. Knowing it was fruitless, I decided to call the local sheriff precinct anyway, if only to vent my feelings. When I explained what the situation was to the officer who answered my call, he said, “Sir, I completely agree with you. It is gross and bad for the businesses, but the words on his shirt are constitutionally protected free speech and there is nothing we can do about it.” The officer again sympathized in agreement with me and we hung up.
 
THE “LOT” SYNDROME
 
Understand that I am obviously a huge fan of constitutionally protected free speech. However, the base level of which the courts have now ruled in favor does beg for an answer as to what might be protected next. Thanks to the efforts of the ACLU, Hustler’s Larry Flint, and liberal politicians, the courts have neutered nearly every existing obscenity law. It would appear that almost every vile ideal is now hunky-dory in America. We are surely calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20-21) and, sadly, biblically-literate folk know where it is all heading. As I sat observing the scene in front of the coffee shop, I thought to myself, “This is what the breakdown of truth, the loss of decency, and our new “liberal” interpretation of the words ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ have gotten us.” Now our kids take their lead from the pitiful role models and false heroes being turned out by Hollywood, MTV, and Comedy Central. Even the Christians – the real, authentic ones – have been conditioned and have lost much of their ability to blush.
 
I might add that Christians need to think twice before we condemn this kind of behavior and then shell out money at the box office or for DVD rentals to be fed the same by the growing number of misfits and social degenerates whose perceived talents have made billions while they advocate and validate the foul-mouthed, crude activities we are commonly subjected to.
 
It may be constitutionally protected free speech, but, until we Christians bring this stuff up and point out how prevalent and repulsive it is, we can expect only an escalation of the same. This is exactly the plight of Abraham’s nephew, Lot.
 
The Bible identifies him as a “righteous man” who was “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” (see II Peter 2:5-8). Yet, he had lived around such evil for so long that, when the two angels came to warn him of the pending destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:1-11), he attempted dialoguing with demon-possessed men and even offered his virgin daughters to them in compromise! He had become used to living around the most evil attitudes and activities imaginable and, though disturbed by the foul “conversation of the wicked,” his sensibilities had been severely dulled and his judgment was skewed.
 
Though I wish somehow that I would have publicly confronted the young man, in retrospect, I should have asked for the manager of the coffee shop and complained that they had even served him. However, judging from what I saw, it would probably have done little good. I have learned since the incident that the corporate policy of Starbucks is to never refuse service to a customer due to offensive language or behavior. Frankly, though, I encourage store owners and even corporations such as Starbucks to institute a discrimination policy similar to “no shirt, no shoes, no service” when it comes to obscenity. Yes, this is America, and I thank God that our free speech – even that which offends – is protected. However, we also have the right to ostracize clientele who are in effect running customers off and whose presence works against the intended shopping experience that businesses count on giving customers, particularly in a social/leisure setting like a Starbucks store. As I was writing this, a friend told me of an instance when a teenager was actually thrown out of a Sam’s Club outlet because he was wearing a T-shirt similar to the one I’ve described here. Right on and Amen!
 
This is all a result of the culture’s creeping acceptability of offensive and down-right evil language, behavior, and attitudes. Moreover, the real core reason for this is often because of “freethinking” parenting that an 18- or 19-year-old could act out in this casual, laissez faire way. By the way, the young man walked away with a fellow easily in his 40’s. I wondered to myself, “Could that been his father???!!!” This is just a small reflection of what my generation has brought upon us with the hippies, free love, LSD, and the counterculture movement. Forty-five years ago we proclaimed, “If it feels good do it,” and “Do your own thing, man,” and the fruit of that thinking is now apparent in the teen culture of 2010.
 
SYMPTOMS OF THE END
 
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
- Matthew 24:37-39
 
In 1 Samuel 15 we find that in God’s economy rebellion is equal to witchcraft. This is surely the spirit of our age today. Jesus, of course, had it pegged in the above passage from Matthew 24. Just as in the days of Noah, the world today is oblivious to its precarious spiritual plight and the judgment that is fast approaching – but wise followers of God’s Word do understand. The majority of those in the world around us seem to think nothing of what I’ve described above. The culture is careening headlong toward destruction and seems to be completely unaware of it. Here we are, condemning “free speech” and protected expression that would have horrified the world, let alone the Church, a short time ago. I feel certain that, instead of agreement, over time I’ll receive some anonymous mail telling me how prude-like and backward I am. Somebody – claiming to be “Christian” – is bound to repeat the tired old line continually voiced so often by the world: “Don’t shove your old-fashioned, outdated morality down my throat, Eric Barger!” Well, I’m not. If you are a defender of using dirty words and want to argue about it, take it up with God. After all, our now-extinct obscenity laws, which those hapless folks at the ACLU have managed to have stricken, were each reflections of biblical morality. Of course, though, who wants that now? Since we’re so “educated” and so enlightened and so very much ahead of every previous generation, then we surely don’t need to be concerned with the archaic rules that so restricted and repressed our thirst for immorality in times past, right?
 
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
- Ephesians 4:29
 
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
- Colossians 3:8
 
Let’s also remember that, in the midst of all of this, we have a genre of people manning Emergent Church pulpits who claim it’s kosher and oh so freeing to let fly with any and every profanity (including the one on the T-shirt that provoked this missive) and that these counterfeit Christians do so from behind the “sacred desk,” the pulpit! I cringe to think of what many claiming to be followers of Christ have accepted – all because they don’t bother to read or believe the Bible. There, my friends, is the root of the problem.
 
HOPE
 
I imagine a few reading this might have a clue as to the type of talk and activity secular (and some Christian) teens engage in today. Frankly, however, most of you would be shocked to know the things texted by teens to one another. Each week we hear increasingly troubling accounts of children as young as 8 and 9 engaging in sexual activity and, as prevalent as this stuff might be, this grandfather of four isn’t taking it lightly. I surely don’t want to stand idly by while some foolish kid, flaunting his lack of morality and couth on a mission to acquaint my kiddos with the crudest of words in the English language, does so without any interference.
 
So, is it a lost cause? Have we so lost our way that we should just expect our teens to be drawn into the gutter that produced the T-shirt I saw this week? Many popular bumper stickers display the same sorts of messages and with atheist groups now proclaiming on billboards around the world, “There is no God,” it makes me wonder if the same gross phrases will soon be visible for all to see along our nation’s highways, too.
 
The most pressing question for the majority of those who will read this is, “What hope do our Christian teens and children have?” The psalmist asked the same question in Psalm 119. Verse nine asks, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” and then continues with the only answer – “By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” It is only a lost cause if we clam up and do nothing when we are faced with evil. It is only a lost cause when we fail to point the next generation to the truth Psalm 119 expresses in this passage.
 
The only hope for our children and grandchildren is a foundation rooted firmly in the Word of God and a solid and reverent relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ. It may go without saying to some and may not fit the psychologically-bound mold that so many think can fix their problems, but resolving to follow God’s precious Word is simply the only antidote for what ails us and the only remedy that will stave off the judgment of God upon us.
 
I encourage you to be aware, yet not distraught, that we are watching as the end-times activities prophesied in the Bible are coming to pass all around us. Matthew 24 is a veritable checklist that alerts Bible-believers as to where we are on God’s sovereign, prophetic time table at present. It was just the kind of repugnant filth that I saw adorning the young man’s T-shirt inside the coffee shop that surely typified Noah’s day before the flood and the time of Lot just before fire fell from heaven. The orgies of ancient Rome were surely on par with the public acceptance of foul speech and perverse activities that we are watching become normal in this hour. We can be absolutely assured that, unless there is a dramatic acceptance of Jesus Christ accompanied by true repentance across our land, it will end the same way for America as it did for Egypt, Sodom and Rome. The question for us remains: will we stand and be counted, or will we just try to blend in with the perishing and act like evil is actually normal?

Source

Many Christian and Jewish yogis are incorporating prayer and religious teachings into the practice. ‘It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual,’ one leader says.

Christian pop music played quietly in the background as instructor Bryan Brock led a recent yoga class at the nondenominational Church at Rocky Peak in Chatsworth.

Incorporating prayer and readings from the Bible, Brock urged his class of about 20 students to find strength in their connection to their creator through yoga’s deep, controlled breathing. “The goal of Christian yoga is to open ourselves up to God,” he said. “It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual.”

The instructor then recited the Lord’s Prayer while his students moved slowly through a series of postures known as the sun salutation.

Such hybrid classes, which combine yoga practice with elements of Christianity or Judaism, appear to be growing in popularity across Southern California and elsewhere.

Some Christians call their versions of the discipline holy yoga or Yahweh yoga and some teachers urge participants to “breathe down Jesus.” Jewish yogis, in turn, have developed — and in some cases, even trademarked — Torah yoga, Kabbalah yoga and aleph bet yoga, applying Eastern meditative movements to Jewish prayer and study.

Meanwhile, Californian Muslims who practice yoga have yet to merge it with the teachings of the Koran or worship of Allah, a local leader says. And there are skeptics within all three Abrahamic religions who question whether it is proper to integrate the Hindu-based spiritual practice into Western monotheistic traditions.

Rayna Mike said she was skeptical of yoga before she started going to Brock’s class at the Church at Rocky Peak, an evangelical congregation. “I never did it before because I considered it Eastern philosophy and I didn’t want any part of it,” said Mike, a Bel-Air businesswoman.

Mike changed her mind when her trainer at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys recommended the yoga class, and she said the practice has improved her health while feeding her soul.

“You can go and sweat anywhere, but that’s not the point,” she said. “This is a beautiful thing. It’s an answer to my prayers.”

Brock completed a 200-hour accredited course in Phoenix designed by Brooke Boon, author of the book “Holy Yoga.” Boon has trained nearly 200 Christian yogis, about a dozen of whom are teaching in Southern California.

“Christ is my guru. Yoga is a spiritual discipline much like prayer, meditation and fasting,” Boon said in a telephone interview. “No one religion can claim ownership.”

Some fundamentalist Christians distance themselves from yoga, saying it is inseparable from Hinduism or Buddhism and therefore dangerous, even blasphemous. Some Orthodox Jewish authorities warn that if practiced with all its Eastern components, including Sanskrit chanting and small statues of deities, it amounts to avodah zarah, or the worship of false gods.

For many religious Jews, Christians and Muslims, viewing yoga as a physical rather than spiritual practice solves the dilemma.

But Rabbi Avivah Winocur Erlick, a chaplain at Providence Tarzana Medical Center, says it is impossible to separate yoga from her Jewish spiritualism. About six years ago, Erlick began having intense spiritual experiences while doing yoga. She sought advice from a rabbi.

“He said, ‘God has been trying to reach you all these years and he is reaching you through yoga,” Erlick recalled. The rabbi challenged her to reconcile yoga with Judaism, which led to five years of study to become a rabbi. “For me, yoga is prayer,” Erlick said.

Erlick, who is writing a book on the subject, says Jews have vigorously debated the issue for two decades. She counts 83 active teachers, mainly in the U.S. and Israel, who combine yoga and Judaism.

One is Californian Ida Unger, who draws on Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, to interpret yoga postures as Hebrew letters. Unger recently demonstrated her aleph bet yoga to seniors at Los Angeles’ Milken Community High School.

“I was in a triangle pose and I had an epiphany. I was an aleph,” Unger told the class, posing in the shape of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

“In Kabbalah, letters are the building blocks with which the holy creator is channeled to Earth.”

Unger chants shalom (peace) instead of om, and recites the daily Jewish prayer for awakening when she does the sun salutation.

Milken students Jamie Mayer and Sharon Winter, both 17, said they found the hybrid yoga class more spiritually fulfilling than conventional synagogue services.

“I want my yoga practice to be my daily prayer. It’s not instead of, but in addition to, my other Jewish practices,” Jamie said.

Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman, who teaches the teens’ Jewish Thought class at Milken, said there are “places of alignment and integration” between yoga and Judaism — particularly in Kabbalah — but he cautioned that important elements may be watered down or lost when religions borrow from one another.

Still, Hoffman has no problem with Judaism embracing yoga as it has embraced aspects of other cultures throughout history. “Judaism has always borrowed from other religions to re-energize itself,” he said.

For local Muslims, the debate is just beginning.

Although Islam’s mystical strain of Sufism was influenced by Indian yogic practices, some strict Muslims view it as out of bounds. In 2008, Malaysia’s top Islamic authority issued a fatwa, a nonbinding prohibition, against yoga. That angered Muslim yoga teachers across Asia, and many continue their yoga practice.

Muslim daily prayers already offer a “personal and direct connection with the creator,” says Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. He also believes that as long as there is no Hindu or Buddhist religious content, yoga is “no different than jogging around the track.”

Syed fully expects that some Muslims in California will eventually develop a hybrid spiritual practice.

“I’m sure one day somebody will try to combine yoga with Islam and they will get a following,” Sayed said.

Gregory Reid

There are some Christians who are obsessed with the devil. Their lives are wrapped up in what he’s doing – not in what Jesus did. But frankly, they are in the minority. Most Christians I know don’t give satan a second thought. In fact, according to a Barna poll, the majority of people in the US who call themselves Christians do not believe in the devil or the Holy Spirit. It is to that I must speak.
I came to know Jesus by direct revelation. I was delivered from the world of the occult and demons because Jesus Himself appeared to me – or rather, He took me to Himself in heaven. I do not say that lightly – it is the absolute truth before God.
My battle to be free of demons was real. The confrontation to demand my full release was not a fantasy. And since that time nearly 32 years ago, that battle has continued in the lives God has brought to me to help deliver from their evil grip. They have made it clear, both in invisible action and visible confrontation, that if they could destroy me utterly, they would. They have tried, and only by God’s mercy, they have failed. But the battle has never ceased.
The Holy Spirit is a real Person. He has comforted and instructed me from the beginning. I dare not engage satanic forces without Jesus’ authority or the power of the Holy Spirit. After all, Jesus cast out demons – and commanded us to do the same.
We stand on the cusp of one of the greatest outpourings of demonic forces in history. And where does the church stand in this country? If the statistics are our indicator, then it appears we are powerless, denying that demons and the devil are even real – or if they are, so what? Just accentuate the positive.
Why should we be concerned? Because the occult is permeating everything around us: TV, movies, music, games, and education. Now, if you don’t believe in the Bible, or just the portions you like, you can stop reading now. But if you do believe in the whole Bible as God’s Word, then you understand that not only is all occult practice (little or big) forbidden, but also that the occult world is owned by demonic spirits, and that practicing the occult results in oppression and often demonization. That means that an increasing number of kids and adults who come to church have this influence. And we aren’t prepared to deal with it. Frankly, we don’t know how.
I have been fishing around the Internet lately in Christian “apologetic” groups. They seem to be made up of the same “like-minded” people who deny ritual abuse and the dangers of the occult, the same ones who have labored so diligently to silence the voices of those who sound the warning cry. Many of these people are the same ones who have, in effect, wiped out the playing field. With the exception of perhaps Neil Anderson, author of the Bondage Breakers, and a handful of tiny ministries, the standard that opposed occultism and its influence has been taken down and shredded. Call it a preemptive strike to ensure the church is powerless and helpless against what is coming.
I am not suggesting we should obsess over the devil. I certainly don’t. But ignore his plan at your own peril. (1 Peter 5:8)
It was common for the New Testament church and leaders to be confronted with demons and the occult. (Acts 8:18-24, Acts 14; 11-14, acts 16:16-18, etc.) Jesus said this would be part of our work. (Mark 16:17-18). If you truly live a Spirit-filled life, you will confront this. And if you minister to broken, addicted people, this may also be part of it.
Instead of equipping and preparing believers to do so, the new wave of Christian intellectuals and apologetic elitists are not only downplaying – sometimes even denying – the existence of the demonic kingdom, they are determined to minimize, criticize and dismiss anyone or anything that promotes the need for “spiritual warfare.”
If our battle, as Paul said, is not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places, (Eph. 6:12) then the war is not against philosophies, principles, and secular worldviews in high places. We are fighting an intelligent, invisible army. Even the Archangel Michael contended with their warlords. (Daniel 10:13) These real demons and princes of hell did not go away in the New Testament. They are firmly entrenched against us NOW.
And the tragedy is, their strategy has been to get believers to ignore them, deny their existence, dismiss their weapons and compromise our congregations with occultic cancers. And they have succeeded with barely a protest from the Christian world at large. Once the doors of compromise were opened through the media, music and literature and Christians stopped being concerned about Harry Potter, Halloween, Buffy, psychic hotlines and a host of other occult influences, we surrendered more territory than you can imagine. That’s why Wicca is the fastest growing religion among youth: We denied the seriousness of both occult powers and the need for God’s power in our lives, and the inherent recognition of the supernatural as real and needed by youth and in youth was dismissed – and a whole generation of kids began following the only options left to them – the occult, witchcraft and satanic practices.
In denying the reality of the devil and ignoring him, we’ve played into his hands perfectly. Because the devil, if you ignore him, will be as quiet as a church mouse. He won’t disturb your peace as long as you don’t disturb him. But if you once shine the light of truth on our compromises, you will see him as plain as day – and you will have his full attention. And you had better be armored to fight when you do.
Demonic armies are like spiritual “sleeper cells”- they are among us – hidden in our compromises, our false security and our powerless Christian walks. They avoid obvious “September 11” type strikes. All their poison is coated in honey. And they ridicule, along with those Christian intellectual elitists, anyone who says they are real, or try to expose them. We’re our own Tokyo Rose.
So what do we do? We must wake up adults and equip our youth and children. The greatest preparation we can give our kids is the Power of God and His Anointing to storm hell’s gates. We must teach them “not to be ignorant of satan’s devices”; we must give them basic bootcamp on the enemy’s ways. Then we must make them recognize the war for the lost and bound – that we are not called to be comfortable and happy, but each is called to the fight to redeem the lost.
We must make them know their purpose, and the Power of God to fulfill it. We must make them proactive, reactive, and scrappy little soldiers ready and willing to take the world on for Jesus and to defeat the “sleeper cells” of spiritual compromise in our midst and in the world.
We have a long way to go. To fail to try is to insure our defeat by default, and we will remain  an emasculated and irrelevant social club rather than the mighty army God has called us to be.
Gregory Reid

By Lillian Kwon|Christian Post Reporter

Most professing Christians in America are infected with at least some measure of the health and wealth gospel, said one theologian.

John Piper – Why I abominate the prosperity gospel

That is, believers have no concept of a love and a joy that does not eliminate hardship and heartache, Sam Storms of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City said at a pastors conference this week.

“For most professing believers if God is love He must promise to minimize my struggles and maximize my pleasure,” he lamented. Many believe it’s their spiritual birthright to experience comfort and prosperity and that it’s God divine obligation to provide it.

It’s a disease that’s rampant in the culture and in the church. People are inundated with messages from powerbrokers, media, entertainment, TV evangelists and bestselling authors that say joy is inextricably bound up in material prosperity, physical health, relational success and all the comforts and conveniences Western society provides.

For most people, joy and suffering are incompatible, Storms noted.

Thus preachers have a difficult task at hand in communicating to such a culture a genuine joy found in Christ.

The so-called prosperity gospel that teaches wealth and good health is a sign of God’s favor and blessing is prevalent in the church, Storm lamented. Underlining the seriousness of the problematic theology many preachers have picked up, the Oklahoma City pastor called it a “corrosive and disintegrative pox” on the church and “a disease far more infectious and ultimately fatal to the soul than the worst bubonic plague and the affects it might have on the human body.”

“We have to fight this infection in the body of Christ,” he emphatically told pastors at the Desiring God conference in Minneapolis.

But the blame for the rampant “disease” shouldn’t fall on the TV evangelists, Storms noted.

“I want to lay it (the blame) at our feet,” he said.

“It’s the pastors and leaders of the church today who fail to explain from the biblical text how hardship and tribulation are actually used by God to expose the superficiality of all the human material props on which we rely,” he explained. “We failed … to show … how hardship and persecution and slander compel us to rely on the all-sufficiency of everything God is for us in Jesus.”

That failure has left most professing Christians unable to grasp “the simple truth” that “infinitely more important and of immeasurably greater value than our physical comfort in this world is our spiritual conformity to Christ,” Storms noted.

And conformity to the image of Christ is orchestrated through trials and hardship.

“If I suffer it is because God values something in me greater than my physical comfort and health that He in His infinite wisdom and kindness knows can only be attained by means of physical affliction and the lessons of submission and dependency and trust in Him that I learn from it,” he said.

“That’s how suffering serves joy.”

Everyday people are hearing about a joy less durable and far inferior than the one offered by God. Yet, Storms asked pastors, when was the last time you expounded on the nature of the fullness of joy, … the superior beauty of God?

Citing the work of 18th century theologian Jonathan Edwards, Storms advised pastors on how a “Christian hedonist” should preach on the pursuit of joy.

  DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 3, 2010, 10:12 PM (GMT+02:00)

Israel missile carrier

Arab voices were fanning Middle East war fever Wednesday night, Feb. 3. debkafile’s military sources report that not only are Syrian leaders beating war drums – Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem said in Damascus: “Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities” – but Egyptian military sources have put out information purporting to outline Israel’s preparations to strike Iran.
They report that the Israeli Navy together with the US Fifth Fleet have for some weeks been charting Persian Gulf waters and Iranian shorelines in preparation for attacks by Israeli naval and special operations forces.

IDF intelligence and special forces officers, they also say, have been marking out routes for their air and ground forces to drive into Iran and hit its nuclear installations.
According to these Egyptian sources, Saudi Arabia has demanded clarifications from Washington about reported US-assisted Israeli preparations to strike Iran and asks why they were not brought to the notice of Riyadh and the Gulf Arab governments.
The Saudis added that several Gulf intelligence and naval units had tracked Israeli movements and gathered documentary evidence.
Some of this information was leaked in Cairo Wednesday night to Shorouk, a publication which Egyptian intelligence often uses as an outlet for information held to be credible.
Shorouk was first out with the story of the Israeli Air Force attack on Iranian arms convoys in Sudan in January 2009.

By DYLAN LOVAN (AP) – Feb 10, 2010

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Presbyterian Church USA’s statement of faith says God through Jesus Christ delivers followers “from death to life eternal.”

But one in three members of the nation’s largest Presbyterian denomination seem to believe there’s some wiggle room for non-Christians to get into heaven, according to a recent poll.

The Presbyterian Panel’s “Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians” found that 36 percent of members disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: “Only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” Another 39 percent, or about two-fifths, agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

“There seems to be some universalist streak in Presbyterianism, where some Presbyterians are open to the idea of other paths that folks in other faiths might be taking,” said Perry Chang, administrator of the Presbyterian Panel, which convenes every three years.

The Presbyterian Church USA, with about 2.1 million members, is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country. A total of 3,450 Presbyterians responded to the study, which was mailed in October 2008. The panel issued the religious and demographic report last month.

Polls asking similar questions about views on salvation have provided a wide range of results.

A 2005 national survey funded by Baylor University found that 53 percent of the 1,721 adults who were polled agreed with the statement, “Many religions lead to salvation,” and another 19 percent said “My religion is the one true faith that leads to salvation.”

A 2007 poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation believe many religions can lead to eternal life.

Another study found that evangelical Christians may adhere to a much stricter interpretation of salvation. The 2008 report by Lifeway, the publishing and research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, found that 75 percent of Protestants who hold “evangelical beliefs” strongly disagreed with the statement, “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he or she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.”

The Rev. Dirk Ficca, a Presbyterian minister in Chicago, said a majority of Presbyterians feel that “the God they know in Jesus” can bring salvation to non-Christians.

“I’m a Christian. And so I can’t think about God or about the nature of salvation apart from Jesus of Nazareth,” said Ficca, executive director of the Chicago-based Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. But “that God I know in Jesus, I find at work in people who aren’t Christians.”

” … Some other traditions would say, ‘No, God is only at work in us,’” said Ficca, who was not a part of the Presbyterian Panel’s study. “And that is a big divide in the Christian community.”

Chang said the panel has been asked the salvation question in the exact same way since 1996. He said in that time, there’s been virtually no change in the way Presbyterians have responded.

The study broke down responses in four categories: members, elders, pastors and specialized clergy. The panel found that 45 percent of elders agree or strongly agree that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved,” while 31 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed. More pastors disagreed (45 percent) than agreed (35 percent) and a majority of specialized clergy (60 percent) disagree.

Evangelicals and Pentecostals are more likely to claim they have had a “personal experience with a divine kind of healing” than Presbyterians, which may help explain the Presbyterian church’s divide on beliefs about salvation, said Candy Gunther Brown, a religious studies professor at Indiana University in Bloomington.

“They don’t generally tend to expect in Presbyterian churches that there’s going to be a miraculous response to that prayer,” Brown said. “And I think that does get related to theological questions about salvation.”

Questionnaires were mailed in the Presbyterian study and recipients could choose not to respond. The report says 59 percent of members and 79 percent of elders responded. Response figures for pastors and specialized clergy were not available.

It also asked a key question about the ordination of openly gay ministers. Last year, the denomination’s presbyteries rejected an effort to undo a 1996 policy requiring gay clergy to be chaste.

When asked if the church should allow sexually active homosexuals to be ordained as ministers, 53 percent of members and 60 percent of elders responded, “no, probably not,” or “no, definitely not.” More pastors opposed the ordination of gays as ministers than supported it, 48 percent to 44 percent, while 64 percent of specialized clergy supported it.

“I need to talk to you about your book,” a mother of one of the young people at the youth center I was involved with told me one night when I was busy losing to one of the kids on a videogame. My book, Nobody’s Angel, chronicled my involvement in the occult world before being delivered by Jesus.
            We got into a back part of the building where it was quiet. “Fire away,” I said, not knowing what to expect. “Talk to me about Edgar Cayce,” she asked. Now, there was someone I could discuss. Along with Bishop Albert Pike, Edgar Cayce was a man whom I followed, read all of his teachings and his writings had convinced me that being a Christian and a medium were not incompatible. Only after I became a Christian, learned the scriptures, and was delivered from the demonic forces that had deceived me, did I come to know Cayce was a false prophet. Nice, yes. Sincere, yes, but nevertheless a false prophet. False prophets rarely know that is what they are.
            “Edgar Cayce was an occultist,” I told my friend’s mom. “But he taught the Bible!” she exclaimed. I paused. “But, he was an OCCULTIST.” I restated. “But he HEALED people!” she said, with a look of desperation in her eyes. I paused again. “BUT HE WAS AN OCCULTIST,” I said very deliberately. “Oh dear God,” she said as her face turned ashen white. “I’m in big trouble.”
            She proceeded to tell me about attending a ladies’ Bible study at a good, solid church whose pastor I had known for years. The study was held by the wife of one of the oldest and most solid elders in that church.
            After a number of months, the elder’s wife invited my friend and a handpicked few other ladies to a more private, “deeper life” kind of group study. They went eagerly. But within a short while, she realized something wasn’t right.
The teacher began to introduce Edgar Cayce’s teachings to them. She taught them that the Bible contained the words of God, but wasn’t perfect. Soon she was teaching reincarnation. In fact, she told them that she had been married to the High Priest Melchizidek over a million years ago on Jupiter.
            When I spoke truth to my friend, the terrifying reality of how deceived she had been hit her with full force. She immediately made plans to cut all ties with this woman and her “Bible Study” group.
            How did she end up in that place? One, her knowledge of the Bible’s clear teachings about reincarnation and the occult practices God forbids was nearly non-existent. It wasn’t really her fault; it isn’t taught in most churches, and hasn’t been for quite some time.
            But more importantly, she was ensnared because she trusted her teacher. The lady was well-respected, in her sixties, and she and her husband had a sterling reputation. And she was so sincere. And nice. Who was SHE to question someone with credentials and history, someone who had taught the Bible for decades? Maybe, she reasoned, it was just her problem, not her teacher’s. Maybe, she thought, she just wasn’t deep or mature enough to get these “greater truths.”
            This is how error and spiritual deception grows in the church unchecked.
I have a rule with the youth I teach. If I am wrong, if I misquote, or if I am teaching a half- truth or a lie, I make it clear that they are responsible to CALL ME ON IT. It is their duty to do so, not just for them, but to protect others. I will not be like some who say, “Who are you to question me? The Bible says to ‘touch not Mine Anointed.’” Truth supersedes my position, my power and my pride.
I am glad my friend woke up and left her “teacher.” But what disturbed me most was that her teacher was a woman who was well-known in church circles throughout the entire city. She was deeply involved in the intercessory prayer movement. And she had laid hands on and prayed for nearly every pastor in our city! And yet, she had not been discerned, nor discovered, nor confronted, nor stopped.
Where is our discernment? If we cannot discern and deal with such a blatant matter, how can we ever hope to deal with the little foxes, the little tampering with truth that are seeking even now to unravel the whole tapestry of truth within the church? And how then can we expose the bigger lies that even now are beginning to wrap their tendrils around the Body of Christ?
Gregory R Reid  

by Eric Barger

 

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? - I Kings 3:9

I like Paul Young. Having heard him speak about his life and book three times recently in Portland, Oregon I found him to be passionate, witty and funny. While at Young’s alma mater (Warner Pacific College), I was able to spend a few moments with him privately during which time I asked him to personally respond to several criticisms and concerns that I and other Christians are raising about the theological contents of his book. I wish I could report that he allayed my apprehensions but instead, I went away convinced that The Shack is more than just a little offbeat but is, as Dr. Albert Mohler pegged it on his radio program, “blatant heresy.”

Yes, The Shack is indeed a novel. And many will wonder what could be wrong since it is identified as a Christian book and authored by a man who claims to be a Christian? After all, The Shack is heralded by many seasoned Christian leaders. Pastors are preaching from it. Sunday School classes and small groups are reading and discussing it. Many Christians are buying it by the case to give as gifts. Some Christian Schools are even sanctioning and encouraging the reading of the book. But this is not just a benign story of man overcoming life’s challenges. Make no mistake, the book presents doctrine throughout its clever and gripping story – something the author clearly intended to do. Therein lays the problem.

Trading the Kingdom for a Shack

For those unaware of the book’s storyline, here is the description of The Shack from Amazon.com.

“Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.

Four years later in the midst of what he refers to as ‘The Great Sadness,’ Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant ‘The Shack’ wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?”

The Shack is a publishing phenomenon but you may ask “is it really any big deal?” This self-published book has sold 4+ million copies since its May 2007 release. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List and has remained there for the past 25 weeks as of this writing. It has also held the #1 position on many other bestseller lists including Amazon.com, USA Today’s Top 150 Books, Barnes and Noble, Borders Books and is the #1 book of 2008 at ChristianBook.com. According to the author, the book is currently selling 87,000 copies a week in the secular book stores alone. All of this has allowed Young and his two publishing partners the luxury of holding out for just the right major motion picture deal as well. But there is a reason why several dozen publishers turned this book down. Here are a few of my observations – and objections.

The Shack’s Trinity

Several chapters into the book, a most unorthodox version of the Holy Trinity is revealed. Young’s tale diminishes Almighty God from His rightful position as a supernatural being. Instead of speaking by His Word and His Spirit, He is morphed into a feminine figure reduced to passing notes to those whom she wants to communicate with.

God is portrayed in The Shack as a large African-American woman named “Papa” also called “Elousia.” (Talk about gender confusion!) Jesus is a Jewish carpenter complete with a tool belt and the Holy Spirit is depicted as an Asian woman named after “Sarayu,” a mystical river in ancient India related to the Hindu deity Kali. Clearly, there is a trinity in The Shack but it is absolutely not the Trinity.

From my first glance at The Shack, it struck me that the idea of God in human form – even in the pages of a novel is more than just theologically questionable. It is forbidden by several passages from both the Old and New Testaments not the least of which is the Second Commandment (Exodus 20: 4-5). The Apostle Paul proclaims, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…” (Romans 1:21-23a)

Of The Shack, Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint contributing editor Travis McSherley wrote, “This is the root of the book’s problems. In the course of the biblical narrative, God the Father never reveals Himself in the form of a human. In fact, Christ rebukes His disciples for even suggesting it. (See John 14:5-10)

The Shack would not dispute these limits of understanding – it dedicates many pages to chastising believers who cling too tightly to traditional views of God’s nature. Yet, instead of expanding our thinking and our appreciation for divine mysteries, the book shrinks them quite dramatically by creating a deity so clearly influenced by human expectations of what God should be.”

Sin, Hell, Judgment, Salvation, the Incarnation,
Hierarchy and Authority in the Godhead, a Polynesian
Goddess and other assorted problems

Here are just a few of the many issues raised by The Shack:

- Young’s Papa character insists that sin is its own punishment. This distorts the reality of Hell and discounts eternal retribution for sin.

- Readers of The Shack are told that Jesus is only the best way to know God – not the only way.

- The Shack teaches that when Jesus went to the cross, God Almighty died there too. This is a heresy known as patripassianism. (In our private conversation I challenged Young about this but to no avail.)

- The Shack states that there is no structure or hierarchy within the Trinity and that the three personages of God are all equally subject to one another and to humans as well. I challenge fans of The Shack to open a Bible and try to make that square with the Scriptures!

- Young’s “Papa” character is suspiciously akin to a Polynesian/Hawaiian goddess who also happens to be known as “Papa.” When I quizzed Young on this he denied any knowledge of such a deity. However, the similarities with The Shack’s God character are stunning.

Now lets move on to perhaps the biggest concern.

Is Paul Young still a “Reconciling Universalist?”

I have noticed that in nearly every electronic or print media interview Paul Young volunteers that he is “not a universalist” and does so without ever being asked about it. But is he merely parsing words? Young is obviously nervous about the Christian world becoming convinced of any such thing. That said, it strikes me as odd that on a web page intended to answer critics of the book one of his editors, Wayne Jacobson, acknowledges that Young had previously embraced a form of universalism known as “universal reconciliation” and that this belief indeed appeared throughout the original manuscript. (Jacobson refers to it as “ultimate reconciliation” to avoid using the dreaded “U” word, universalism.)

Jacobson’s website states:

Does The Shack promote Ultimate Reconciliation (UR)?

“It does not. While some of that was in earlier versions because of the author’s partiality at the time to some aspects of what people call UR, I made it clear at the outset that I didn’t embrace UR as sound teaching and didn’t want to be involved in a project that promoted it. In my view UR is an extrapolation of Scripture to humanistic conclusions about our Father’s love that has to be forced on the biblical text.

Since I don’t believe in UR and wholeheartedly embrace the finished product, I think those who see UR here, either positively or negatively are reading into the text. To me that was the beauty of the collaboration.”  (See: http://www.windblownmedia.com/shackresponse.html)

It is obvious that Young, Jacobson, and partner Brad Cummings all have a great deal to lose by not doing their best to debunk the book’s critics. They are very aware of where Young was theologically when he wrote the book. And that is the point isn’t it? It is the contents of the book (and presumably that of the forthcoming motion picture) that is being criticized here.

In the very beginning, I began to smell universalism in The Shack by simply reading it. These thoughts were more than confirmed through a very scholarly paper critiquing The Shack written by Dr. James De Young. Other leaders who have been critical of the book including Dr. Michael Youssef, Janet Parshall, Jan Markell and Dr. Larry DeBruyn have quoted Dr. De Young’s research – and for good reason.

Dr. De Young is a conservative professor at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is fluent in Greek and Hebrew and also teaches an elective on the early Church Fathers. He is well equipped to expose universalism from both biblical and historical perspectives. Perhaps equally important to our discussion here, is the fact that for several years both Dr. De Young and Paul Young were members of a theological discussion group or “think tank” known as the M3 Forum. In response to the bountiful amount of universalistic ideas found in The Shack, Dr. De Young has published a well-documented 39 page paper which can be accessed at: http://theshackreview.com. Once on the website you will also find several shorter documents and a discussion forum with remarks from readers, many of which defend The Shack. These comments serve to illustrate the tremendous confusion and lack of biblically thinking we see abounding inside the Christian community today.

After having Young tell me face to face that he was not a universalist, I asked him about Dr. De Young’s paper. He bristled at me and made several accusations about De Young which I now understand to be unfounded. Since the meeting with Paul Young, I had the opportunity to meet personally with Dr. De Young for several hours. In our meeting he shared another yet-to-be-released paper with me which he has written exposing Paul Young’s very bold defense of universal reconciliation. I can best describe the information in it as shocking. In fact, in the Spring of 2004, Paul gave one of the most complete defenses of universal reconciliation imaginable and reiterated this position on at least two occasions – the latest being in May-June 2007 – after writing The Shack.

Having had no previous indication that a staunch believer was in their midst, Paul Young’s revelations heralding universal reconciliation came as a complete blind-side to the M3 Forum members. After the group contested Young’s ideas, Dr. De Young gave a lengthy rebuttal to all of Paul’s points, branding Young’s position as heretical, citing a church council decision from the 6th century. After this event in 2004, Paul Young ceased participating in the M3 Forum.

In reflecting on my personal conversation with Young at Warner Pacific in October 2008, I wish I had asked specifically “Are you now or have you ever been an advocate of universal reconciliation?” (Note that classical universalists believe that all religions lead to the same place where as those who hold to universal reconciliation believe that all men <read that “ALL”> are already saved because of Jesus’ work on the cross.) This position purports that there is no penalty for sin, no literal hell and no need to accept Christ and repent of one’s sins. It dramatically undermines the work of the Church, evangelism and the core teachings of the New Testament. It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. Again, it is not how skillfully Young may craft his words in denial of being a universalist or even what he may actually believe today that is the real question. It is the theological contents of The Shack that orthodox Christian critics are concerned with. Besides, universalism is but one of the many glaring unbiblical aspects of the book.

The REAL Problem

The bottom line concerning books, movies, television shows and other input like The Shack is that if our emotions rule and we fail to use scriptural discernment we can be taken captive by “evil imaginations”

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit… - Colossians 2:8

Knowing that the author actually portrayed himself as both Shack characters Missy (the violated-then-murdered six year-old) and her father, Mack (the one searching for God in a painful world) one’s heart surely breaks for what Paul Young has evidently endured in his lifetime. However, if readers fail to think biblically and allow only The Shack’s emotional storyline to grip them, they chance becoming prey to the very thing that I believe has duped many Christians into accepting and even endorsing the book. Empathy towards the author or his characters or becoming enamored by what many testify to as the positive real-world outcome of reading the book cannot trump one’s biblical analysis of the work. Young plays upon emotions constantly in the book and also as he lectures publically equating that because hearts are allegedly being touched that God must be giving approval to The Shack. When speaking to me personally, he emphasized the concept that results are all that matters. I responded that just because people testify that the book is somehow helping them, this does not necessarily mean that it is actually ordained by God. After all, God can use many means to reach people. God regularly uses disasters, accidents and tragedy of all sorts – even unorthodox or cultic books for His glory. This however doesn’t mean that God somehow deems heresy or terrible events as somehow good or positive in and of themselves.

The Nicest Heretic

Paul Young is perhaps the nicest heretic I have ever dealt with personally. That may sound flip but it’s true. He is a very nice guy who is presenting and defending some very dangerous even seductive heresies. As one who wears his emotions on his sleeve and who found himself being swayed by the heartbreaking storyline of The Shack, I must again caution. To allow a gripping story to cloud our ability to detect even the subtle theological errors strewn throughout its pages is exactly what Dr. Michael Youssef meant when he described The Shack as “a deep ditch that’s covered by beautiful landscape.”

The disturbing truth is that books like The Shack would never become a bestseller in the Christian world if Christians were on guard, thinking biblically and were willing to follow the Scriptures! In these dangerous days it is paramount that we actively develop “eyes of understanding” which constantly check everything by the Word of God – especially the stuff that claims to be of God. The Scripture implores us to prove or test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21-22) and this test can only be accomplished one way – by knowing the Bible and then utilizing what we know from it. Every Believer needs to be alert to the reality that in these last days deception is going to come at a rate never fathomed before. Mark my words, as time passes Satan is preparing to use unheralded and brazen trickery that will look and sound very spiritual, even Christian. The only hope we have to successfully avoid the traps is by prayerful, dedicated and aggressive study of God’s unchangeable Word. Otherwise, sooner or later we’ll find ourselves amongst a growing number from previously trustworthy evangelical circles that are heading straight for apostasy.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 that if the end days were not shortened by His return even the very elect would be deceived. Can we not assume that many who currently hang around the Church – and even some who preach or write books now popularly accepted in Christian circles – may in reality never endure to the end and are thus actually wolves in sheep’s clothing?

by Eric Barger

It is no secret that over the past decade there has been an explosion of tattoos and body piercings in our culture. While the information here is intended to help Christians make sound decisions from a biblical worldview, hopefully these words might also help lead others away from tattoo parlors and toward the Lord. Also, I have written and re-written to edit this down to fit printable page size for one 8.5×11 sheet, so be aware that there is much more to be said on this subject than space here allows.

In times past, tattoos were reserved for a very small number of people. The word tattoo represents the Samoan word meaning “open wound.” The ancient origins of this practice could go back before the seventh century b.c. and are related to religious ceremonies and traditional rites of passage. Through the centuries, tattooing has been the most common way of marking prisoners. The British tattooed deserters and Hitler’s thugs so marked those interned in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Always accompanied with negative connotations, tattoos were seen primarily on sailors, homosexuals, Hell’s Angel biker-types, gangs, and assorted criminals.

But now, that has all changed. The stigma has faded and what was once clearly disdained by many cultures has become fashionable. Tattoo artists have sprung up in communities large and small to keep up with the demand. Tattoo and body piercing parlors are indeed everywhere and, according to a 2006 survey taken by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology an estimated 36% of Americans aged 18-29 now sport tattoos.¹ A Harris Interactive poll conducted in January 2008 concluded that 14% of all adults in the United States have a tattoo, with the highest incidence (25%) found among gays, lesbians and bisexuals.²

Tattooing is a craze, to say the least, and the demographics of those currently craving tattoos seem to have no bounds. Though most states have age limit laws concerning tattoos, now pre-teen girls across America are either begging to be tattooed or just going behind their parents’ backs to attempt acquiring “body art.” Aiding the craze is the fact that a majority of sports, music, and movie stars have them. It is unquestionably the trendy mark of being “cool” and is accepted in many circles today. Often accompanied by body piercings, tattoos have become status symbols, and even the identifiers of a new generation.

So Christians think . . . ?

Don’t suppose that everybody in the church is on the same page concerning tattoos and piercings. The Internet is replete with sites defending tattooing as not only acceptable but preferable for Christians. Some justify tattooing for believers by discounting Old Testament passages such as Leviticus 19:28 (“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord“). These people would claim that simply because the passage is Old Testament “law” it has no application or bearing whatsoever in the life of the Christian today! While we do not live under the Mosaic law, biblically-minded Christians indeed should glean information and godly insight on how to live life as we examine the Old Covenant. There are also some Christians who are making stands completely against the growing tattoo/piercings culture, but are doing so in such a way as to never come close to effectively communicating with tattoo advocates. As well-intentioned (and even right) as some in opposition may be, heavy-handed legalism such as “a tattoo is a ticket to Hell” is likely to do little in making substantial progress in communicating truth on this highly charged issue. Regardless, make no mistake that there is a sizeable faction of folks claiming to be Christians who are lobbying in favor of tattoos today, including some who may even claim that tattoos are witnessing tools. Though I haven’t personally seen it yet, it is not outside the realm of possibility that some church somewhere may at some time elect to offer discount coupons for “Christian” tattoos in their Sunday bulletins!

So, with such a shift in the supposed public perception and accessibility of tattoos and with such completely differing opinions in the church, what position should the Christian take? While I am not intimating that merely having a tattoo is a sure sign of eternal destruction, please carefully consider the following points.

Everybody’s Doin’ It . . .

Though I do not want my words here to be divisive in themselves, I know that this topic is itself polarizing – especially if you have a tattoo. It’s either love ‘em or hate ‘em, and I don’t want to fail to point out that what is said here is in no way intended to inflict guilt on someone who has already marked his or her body in this way. Once you’ve done it – it’s done and cannot be undone without considerable doing! We all make bad decisions, and though many may want to justify something like this, one common statement kept coming up while I was researching this. Over and over, again and again, people said, “I wish I hadn’t done it.” Though tattoo removal is possible, it is expensive, painful, and sometimes not completely successful. What I am trying to get across here is that before anyone allows a tattoo to be inscribed on his or her body, they need to weigh the decision carefully and possibly go against the culture and peer pressure that factor into this issue.

Studies and surveys also show that a person who tattoos himself is immediately handicapped for employment. While an NBA star or #1 NFL draft pick can probably tattoo themselves all he likes, the person looking for an accounting career may find that his or her position at the office may be hamstrung by tattoos – if indeed they are even able to land the job they are seeking.

A 2007 survey by Vault, a company that publishes career information, states that 85% of employees say tattoos and body piercings impede a person’s chances of finding a job, let alone a career.

The Vault survey discovered that workers with tattoos can expect over 42% of co-workers to have lowered opinions of them. Additionally, while only 18% of those with tattoos believe that body art has hindered their careers (with .06% saying it helped), the Vault survey indicated that 66.9% of persons with tattoos conceal them while at work.³

A Real “Stand-Out . . .”

Many argue that a tattoo is a way of making a statement or being an “individual.” No, not really. Those of us in the original 1960s hippie movement (such as myself) made those same rebellious and lame statements about long hair, bell bottoms, and marijuana. The fact is that marking and piercing one’s body surely doesn’t separate anybody from the crowd. But it goes a long way toward identifying a person in some negative ways. Regardless of how popular sporting a tattoo may be in some circles, just having them can include some very detrimental consequences.

Being tattooed or piercing a body part doesn’t mark you as a leader, either. Instead, it merely identifies you as yet another follower. The cold fact is that the majority of those who make the decision to be tattooed before maturing and giving long and calculated thought to doing so will sooner or later likely regret it. But again, please hear my heart. If you have a tattoo – and what I have said already rings true to you – these words aren’t intended to rub salt in the wound (no pun intended) or to somehow pronounce eternal judgment on you.

If you don’t already have one, I suggest that before you follow others in this fad you stop and carefully examine this craze in context of the prophetic end-days in which we live. A tattoo from a tattoo parlor will not send you to Hell, but one in the future just might. More on that later.

Consider the following, as even the pro-tattoo website SacredInk.net sounds this warning:

Tattoo is a significant life-choice and should be only entered into with a great deal of forethought. Some questions to ask if you are young and considering a tattoo are:

* Am I legally of an age to get a tattoo?

* If I live with my parents, would my parents support my decision?

* Would I be defying the authority God gave my parents over me at my current age?

* Would I still want this particular image when I get older?

* What if my future mate wouldn’t like having to see this image for a lifetime?

* Would this tattoo be in an area of my body that would be plainly visible? – Many people do unfairly judge people with tattoos as being “second-class.”

* Would this image bring God glory?

* Do I feel fully convinced that tattoos are allowable for Christians?”⁴

The underlying issues raised here need to be considered:

·         - Are we not the Temple of the Holy Spirit? (I Cor. 3:16, 6:19)

·         - Is there something wrong with the way God created us without tattoos/piercings?

·         – Would tattooing affect or influence your future spouse or even your children?

·         - Is getting a tattoo actually more about defying authority (spirit of rebellion) than about having the actual tattoo itself?

·        - Are Christians who defend and promote tattooing coming from a truly biblical viewpoint, or are some defending tattoos because they have marked their own bodies and want others to join them in their often rebellion-laced decision?

God did not originate tattoos. When one thinks of things being done “on earth as they are in heaven” (Matt 6:10), it is hard to imagine a tattoo parlor behind the pearly gates! I feel confidant that there will be no tattoos in Heaven.

Christians who advocate for tattooing need to look around at not only who they are identifying with, but also at the associated health risks. In 2001, research done by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center indicated that those who received a tattoo in a commercial tattoo parlor were nine times more likely to contact hepatitis C than people who did not mark their bodies.⁵

Many in our culture live only for the pleasure of the moment, and just as I once thought nothing about the future, having one’s body inscribed with permanent ink is a decision that will, in many cases, last a lifetime. Without even discussing what a particular tattoo may represent (i.e. occult symbols, naked bodies, etc.), just having one may sooner or later turn from exhilaration to despair. It did so for All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.

Hamilton’s story is one of mountaintops and valleys. From the number-one pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball draft with a four million dollar signing bonus, to hopeless drug addict, estranged from his wife and family, Hamilton marks the beginning of his downward spiral by “hanging out with the wrong people in tattoo parlors” where he was first introduced to cocaine. During a recent interview, Hamilton repeatedly reiterated the price of the fateful decision he made to have himself tattooed.⁶ He related that associating with the wrong people and being in the wrong place was completely influential in his fall into drugs and then out of baseball for three years in 2003. Finally, at his lowest point, Hamilton showed up on his grandmother’s porch asking for a place to stay. Though at first glance she didn’t even recognize that it was Josh, she took him in, helped him clean up, and began presenting the gospel to him. Accepting Christ as Savior, Hamilton successfully battled through the demonic dreams and night sweats brought on from drug withdrawal, and fought his way back to baseball – and his wife. Victoriously, in 2007 he was elected to the American League All-Star team and amazed fans during the All-Star Home Run Derby.

Josh Hamilton has become a walking testimony of God’s great delivering power. He is also a billboard for what can happen to even the most talented and gifted who innocently start “hanging out” in tattoo parlors. One lingering reminder of just how low he had gone are the 26 tattoos that cover Hamilton’s arms, torso, and neck, including one of Satan on his left elbow. Regardless of the Texas heat, when Josh takes the field he now goes out of his way to cover as much of his skin as possible to hide the hideous nature of the tattoos he acquired while heading toward the bottom. He now regrets getting every one of them.⁷

Why Now? – Preparing for “The Mark”

Why has there been such an increase in both the acceptance of and the acquiring of tattoos during our day? When considered in the light of Bible prophecy, the explosion of tattooing and the exponential increase of thirst for demonic supernaturalism are, I believe, no accident. This is a calculated, demonic, end-time phenomena, the purpose of which is to desensitize as many as possible concerning markings on their bodies.

Just hours before finalizing this piece, I decided to have dinner and then give this article one last read-through. While out of the office, I received a question emailed from a gentleman named Mike whom I’ve known for several years. He has never before communicated anything to me on the subject of tattoos – until tonight. If circumstances had been slightly different, this article would have been finished before receiving Mike’s email. However, as I answered Mike’s note (which shared his concern about a kid’s tattoo machine his granddaughter had received as a gift) I realized that I was writing the finishing lines of the article as well. I wrote:

“Your timing is uncanny, Brother Mike. Tonight I am finishing the final edit of a article I’m writing for Southwest Radio Ministries. They want to format and print the first run of it this week. In three weeks they are airing a program that Brother Noah Hutchings and I pre-recorded some time ago on tattoos.

“Though there is very little in Scripture dealing directly with tattoos, there is one somewhat controversial passage in Leviticus 19, the context about which both liberals and conservatives completely disagree. (Most of the arguments revolve around accepting an admonition not to mark oneself that comes from the law, in particular, Leviticus.) However, though the New Testament seems to be mute on directly addressing tattoos and piercings, you are exactly right in mentioning the rebellion factor involved. We also have the strong admonition to abstain from any appearances of evil (1 Thess. 5:21-22). (Think about some of the demonic, gang related, and just plain sick stuff that has been called ‘body art.’)

“But as important as issues like overt rebellion and demonic art may be, I believe an even bigger concern is the fact that the entire tattoo craze is methodically conditioning and preparing the mindset of many in our world concerning the acceptance of a future mandated mark on their body. Now that a growing percentage of people have undertaken having themselves tattooed, would it be any stretch to imagine how much more readily these people might accept a similar mark which would provide them the ability to buy, sell and sustain life?

“Mike, for twenty years I have been saying that Satan’s predicted Mark of the Beast could be a tattoo. Whether it’s an implanted i.c. (integrated circuit) chip, a tattoo, or something we don’t even know of at this point, it WILL be some sort of mark on the hand or forehead, and accepting it will doom untold millions to an eternity in Hell at the hands and direction of Antichrist.

For anyone who studies the end-times and biblical prophecy, I think it is a near certainty that tattooing is not some harmless, meaningless fad. To me, there is little doubt that the skyrocketing acceptance and popularity of tattoos and body piercing in these end-days is leading to a climax found in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation.”
 

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

– Revelation 13:15-18

1.?http://www.aad.org/

2. ?http://www.harrisinteractive.com/

3. ?http://www.vault.com/surveys/tattoo/tattoo.jsp

4. ?http://www.sacredink.net/tattoo_and_the_bible/

5. ?http://www.pentecostalevangel.ag.org/News2002/4514_tattoos.cfm

6. ?Interview on Hannity’s America, Fox News Channel, Jan. 2, 2009

7. ?http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/albert_chen/05/27/hamilton0602/ 

By David J. Phillip, AP
Annise Parker, the newly-elected happens-to-be-lesbian mayor of Houston was sworn in Monday and the opening prayer was given by … Rev. Joel Osteen.
Is your head spinning? Osteen heads the nation’s most mega of evangelical non-denominational megachurches, Lakewood Church in Houston where about 45,000 people cycle through a revamped sports stadium for services every weekend.
Osteen has been all over telling folks (Larry King, Whoopi Goldberg) for years that homosexuality is not “God’s best.” I presume he means “God’s best choice” because otherwise I’m lost in the dropped or implied rest of the sentence. But “God’s best” is phrase Osteen never finishes so I’m just guessing.
Yet, Osteen hasn’t joined the more strident wing of the religious right in damning gays. Indeed, Osteen takes heat from other evangelicals who condemn him for not laying down a line of fire about sin of any kind. That’s not his style, says the preacher known for his broad smile and sermons that God wants you to be happy. Osteen’s best seller was titled, Your Best Life Now.
Now (hat tip to Mark Silk for pointing me to the Box Turtle Bulletin) writer Timothy Kincaid suggests to his gay readership that they look at Osteen more fully and fairly. Kincaid’s post (which carries a disclaimer that others on the staff of the webzine don’t necessarily agreed) says:
I think it would be useful for our community to adopt a more nuanced view of religious leaders. By doing so, we might find ourselves with unexpected allies.
Joel Osteen does not agree with my understanding of Scripture; but his disagreement does not make him a hater or a bigot. And I recognize the value in having a lesbian politician — elected despite her opponent’s religion-based homophobic campaign — being given blessing by the pastor of the largest congregation in the nation.

If you have your Bible, if you have your Bible I’d like you to turn with me to Acts chpt. 20. I’d like to read a few verses from this passage which I believe are very apropos today.

Talking to the elders in the church of Ephesus as he is preparing to go to Jerusalem where he will be bound by the Jews, and later to die. The apostle writes these words or speaks these words and Luke records them. I take you to record this day v.26, Acts 20:26. That is a direct quote from Ezek. 34 where the scripture says if you do not warn the wicked man of his wicked and he dies in his sin, I will hold you accountable for it. So we are suppose to warn the wicked of the wickedness they perform and also of the judgment of God upon them. If we don’t we become accessories after the fact of their sins. |

So, Ezek. 34 is what Paul is definitely referring to. I want you to know I am free from the blood of all mankind because I am giving you the whole counsel take heed there unto yourselves and all the flock unto which the Holy Spirit has made you rulers. The Greek word episcopos- a ruler to fend or tend therefore the church of God which he has purchased with his own blood. “For I know this after I leave you savage wolves shall enter in among you and will not spare the flock.” No mercy and notice this from your own selves men shall arise speaking contrary things to draw away disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember for a period of three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day to the point of tears.” Now there is a twofold warning to the Christian Church.

Now we are speaking this morning on the warnings of God, the warnings of God. This passage tells you that after the apostles would leave the Church there would be savage wolves, they are characterized as wolves. Ravenous wolves who will enter in, and they will not spare the flock. Which means they will attack the flock from without, they will penetrate the sheepfold and they will chew up the sheep. Now that’s as clear as crystal right here. I know this after I leave, this is going to happen.
We have those savage wolves today. We have theologians in theological Seminaries and departments of religions of schools who literally chew up the flock. They chew up the people who are studying for the ministry and then they spit them out into our pulpits where they can chew us up. These are the savage wolves who come in not sparing the flock. Apostate’s in positions of authority in the Christian Church. Apostate’s who advocate the ordination of homosexuals, forbidden and cursed of God. Apostate’s who deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Apostate’s who will ordain you if you deny the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection, and the 2nd coming. Apostate’s who dominate our denominational structures and our educational institutions. Apostate’s who have come in and are chewing up the church. That is very clearly stated here that we are to lookout for these people. Paul said I warned you day and night for three years to the point of tears. Very important.

Now there is a 2nd part of this that is seldom preached on because when you preach on it people get upset in my ministry what else is new. It’s an occupational hazard because you have to tell them the whole counsel of God. Notice Paul’s emphasis here, “I have not avoided declaring unto you verse 27 “all or the whole counsel of God.” The whole counsel of God is to warn against the savage wolves, cultists occultists, non Christian religionists, atheistic and skeptical philosophers, psychologists whatever they may be, who have attacked the church from without and some have penetrated and chewed up the church.

Now there’s a 2nd warning from God, this warning is one the Church has paid very little attention to and because we have paid so little attention to it, it has thrived and become lethal. Why? Because what’s close to you that you don’t see, it does you far more harm than something you can get in perspective and easily identify. So let’s take a good look at what he saying here. From your own selves v.30 you ought to mark church itself, men will arise. It does not say possibly, could, he said will arise. They will speak contrary the meaning of the word in the Greek, King James says perversion, the word in the Greek is contrary. They will speak contrary things for the purpose of drawing disciples after them selves.

So the warning of God is against people in the church in positions of leadership and respect. Who will draw disciples surrounding themselves, whose allegiance is not to Christ, but to that person. And they will draw the disciples after themselves from within the church so that there is no accountability for what they say. Now this isn’t my message this is the Pauline counsel to the Church at Ephesus. Warnings from the Holy Spirit. Look out for the wolves and lookout for the divisive schismatic leaders who will split and fragment and divide the church by attracting disciples to follow them.

Now the Scripture has many statements about false teachings and false prophets. Mat.7 gives one of the most frightening passages in all divine revelation it says and this is the lord Jesus speaking on the subject ( — dressed as sheep but inwardly or spiritually you are dealing with savage wolves, you will know them by what they produce). Now Jesus has said something else that the Church has forgotten today. Jesus said in my name or if you want the actual meaning of the Greek text, by my authority- name means authority.

When you say “stop in the name of the Law” to criminal fleeing, you are saying stop by the authority of what? The law. The law says you can’t do that. Stop! When a King pronounces judgment in Old Testament times and recent times until kings went out of fashion. In the world a ruler person would say open the door in the name of the king….

Alright once you get that concept in you mind Jesus said there will come men who will speak claiming their authority is from me. Now get that in your head carefully. There will come men who will speak in my name. That is, I am supposedly saying this to you, that is a very important phrase. There going to come and say I’m speaking to you in Jesus in my name they will work miracles in my name they will cast out devils… they will prophesy and preach. But when I meet them I will say leave me I never knew you workers of iniquity.

Why? Because they use his authority and his name, because the power was in Jesus name, or Jesus’ authority not in them. And God honored the name of his Son. And they took that as a means of teaching there own false doctrines and false prophecies and because of that they corrupted the faith of the church. But inwardly, spiritually, they really roooaaar! And if you don’t know fleece from fur your dinner, dumb dum. And the only way you can know fleece from fur is to know how to test them. You don’t test them by Walter Martin, or by Norman Geisler, as good as the apologist and defenders of Christianity might be and as much as you trust them. You don’t test them by other people, you test them by Scripture.

Then if your fidelity is the Scripture, and your allegiance is the Scripture, you reject them! But says Paul in the last days, men are going to be drawn away by false teachers and prophets in the church speaking in the name of Jesus. And you’re not going to test them you’re going to go along with them. And there gonna fragment and divide the Church because you wont’ test them.

Well its about time that we test them.

Kenneth Copeland delivered the following prophecy during a three day victory campaign held in Dallas Texas. It is reproduced in the Voice of Victory 20th anniversary of his ministry. Found on page 9 his prophecy came from Jesus Christ, Copeland says, He quotes Jesus as saying:

“You remember in my word I said to my disciples this kind comes not out by prayer and fasting.” He’s talking now about the power of prayer. He goes on “Don’t be disturbed (this is Jesus) when people accuse you of being God. The more you get to be like me God. But I didn’t claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in Me. Hallelujah.”

That is a lying spirit. Look at me read my lips. That is a lying spirit. That is not the Holy Spirit. Now for ten years I have warned and I’m on tape and in print on this. That we were heading into the kingdom of the cults with the faith teachers. You are no longer heading there baby, you are there!

Just so you are not mistaken let me give it to you again. Jesus speaking:

“The more you get to be like me (Jesus) the more there going to think that way of you. They crucified me for claiming that I was God. But I didn’t claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in Me. Hallelujah.” That’s what your doing.”

Now this was on TBN this on Christian Television and radio stations. This is tolerated by the Christian Church, particularly the charismatic wing because they will not obey the Lord Jesus Christ and they will not obey; what the Scripture says. They are taken by people and ministries. And by large crowds and jet airplanes and by affluence as supposedly the seal of success. If you’re big and you’re powerful and you’re rich and people come to hear you, automatically it must be from God. No! Automatically it isn’t from God. You’re supposed to test what the person says by Scripture. And if you don’t test it by Scripture you can be taking in spiritual arsenic or cyanide and it can ruin your Christian life and take your eyes off Christ. The Scripture says it will overturn the faith in the Church.

This is far beyond doctrinal disputes. He speaks it in the name of Jesus. He’s a liar, and the truth is not in him. Isa. 8:20 “If they do not speak according to this word they have, what? NO light in them,” in fact the Hebrew says there is no dawn.
What deceives people about these false prophets is that out one side of their mouth they preach the gospel and out of the other side of their mouth they deny him who is the core of the gospel. And if you don’t put the two sides together you think you’re hearing Christianity. But you’re not!. The false prophets know that to get crowds they have to preach Christianity. The false prophets know that in order to have financial support they have got to get the church to contribute to them. So they will sound like the Church and they will prophesy in Jesus name, they will heal in Jesus name they will work miracles in Jesus name and then at the proper they will deny him.

How do you know he’s a false prophet? It’s easy he said so. I wonder if people who read this THOUGHT! THOUGHT!
“They crucified me for claiming I was God, but I didn’t claim I was God.” He didn’t? That’s strange language, John chapter 8, “your father Abraham rejoiced to se my day coming he saw it and he was glad. But they said your not even 50 years old yet. You saw Abraham?” Jesus said, “before Abraham came into existence I AM.” And they reach for stones to kill him. Who’d they think he was? Obviously God. John Chpt.10 “for thy Good works we stone thee not but for blasphemy. That you being a man make yourself out to be”, Who? GOD!

Now we are dealing here with the doctrine of antichrist. And its not coming from an apostate professor of a theological seminary its not coming from a Jehovah’s Witness that knocks on your door. It’s not coming from the Mormon missionary that peddles up. Its coming from Kenneth Copeland on your television set on your radio and in print and if you resist the false doctrines of antichrist elsewhere, why will you not resist here?

The answer is very simple because people hear the gospel being preached and they automatically assume that the person preaching is a true prophet of God. No Jesus said, the false prophets can do it. They only way you can find out is test them. I’ve not avoided declaring to you the whole counsel of God for the space of ten years. I have told you day and night to the point of rage.

Now it’s come full circle. There it is. Quote on TBN “Dogs beget dogs cats beget cats, and God beget Gods, you are little Gods.” Close quote. That’s Kenneth Copeland on your television set. You are Gods!

No you’re not, your sinners saved by grace. And he’s not a God, he’s a sinner professing to be a Christian, and denying in prophesy in the name of Jesus what Jesus said. That’s a false prophet, I don’t care how you spell it, if you say but look at the healings, look at the meetings, look at the miracles. READ Matthew Chapter 7, use your brains. Jesus said that’s exactly what’s going to happen, there going to preach and prophesy in my name. They do! In my name there gonna work miracles, they do. In my name they cast out devils, they do! And then they deny Him. Jesus said look out for them, because they’re here! And they are here now. They are on our television sets our radios and print.

Now the question is, will you tolerate it? We should be bombarding TBN and every Christian channel that produces and distributes this stuff. And we should be telling them we will not support the doctrine of the Anti-Christ. You may not do this with my money, and furthermore I’m not going to send any money. And then in addition to that I’m going to actively discourage everybody I know from sending you any money. And when you hold financial support they listen, but not until.

So I’m suggesting over the Bible Answer Man program that we start holding support to people and ministries that do this. And I’m going to get a lot of flak, you’re going to hear a lot of people coming after me, and I want you to know, I could care less. This is the TRUTH, what I’m telling you is the truth and if it is a voice crying in the wilderness it’s the truth. And the Holy Spirit will see to it that they will listen. Because I am a prophetic voice in this and have been for decades, of course I don’t for a moment believe I am a prophet, anymore than I believe I am an apostle. I’m a teacher, but you can speak with a prophetic voice, you can exercise apostolic office in given situations.

Believe me we’re in trouble, and if we don’t something about really quickly your going to be in more trouble than you know what to do with. Because people keep accepting these as Christian representatives. What we’re getting is the doctrine of anti-Christ. If you deny that you don’t know your Bible.

Jesus says through Copeland “I never claimed to be God.” That is not the Jesus of the Bible, you want me to tell you who it is, turn in your Bible to 2 Cor.11, I will tell you who it is. V.3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, … a different spirit … a different gospel” ….Then he goes on to say that there are false apostles, deceitful workman who transform themselves on the outside to look like the ministers of Christ but inwardly you are dealing with the imitation of Satan.

I don’t bring judgment or play God, that is not my role or yours. But if Jesus Christ said it and the New Testament teaches it and it is Biblical theology and we reiterate what the text says we are not playing God, we are being faithful to what God said.

Is Kenneth Copeland a Christian? If he is a Christian let him repent! Let him apologize to the church, let him forsake these false doctrines. He is not a God, he lies when he says anyone in the Church is a God. He lies when he says Jesus Christ gave him this prophesy, this did not come from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul calls Jesus our great God and savior Titus 2:13. Acts chapter 20 which I just read says, God purchased the Church with his own blood. Well who died on the cross? God in human flesh and purchased the Church with his own blood. The whole new testament declares the deity of Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the word and the word with God and the word was God.” And Kenneth Copeland knows it as well as I do! But he’s denying it, when you take your eyes off Scripture as the criterion for authority and you place it on experience and on people, and on revelations, and on messages that allegedly come from God, you are a set up for deception, you’re made for it. Because you don’t have any way to check it. But you must check it.

The title of his article is “Take time to pray.” That’s the title “Take time to pray.” No take time to obey, take time to obey Christ and to obey him is to proclaim him Lord of all. I am the alpha and omega the beginning and the end the first and the last the Almighty Rev. 1:7-8. Who is He? “He is coming with Clouds and every eye shall see him and he is the almighty.” Well that’s what Christ said about himself. Thomas said my Lord and my Jehovah. And worships him and Jesus said because you have seen me you believe Blessed is they that have not seen and believe.
Kenneth Copeland quoted every one of these verses and then in a prophecy originating with Jesus Christ he can deny the identity of Jesus Christ. You are now dealing with false prophets. I don’t presume to judge the eternal destiny of men that is not our task but I will tell you one thing Biblically speaking If you say you are Christ’s property then you have Christ’s spirit. Romans 8:9. And whoever does not have Christ’s spirit is not Christ’s property. Christ’s spirit does not deny Jesus Christ. Christ’s spirit exalts him. This is a denial of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is Jesus speaking “I never said I was God, never claimed to be God.” No that’s a lie, “let God be true and every man a liar.”

I want a repudiation of this and a removal of these men from the Trinity Broadcasting Network station until they apologize to the Christian Church and repent of this evil. And if they won’t, then it must be the task of the Christian Church to oppose them vigorously, publicly. And tell it to the whole Church. And read this until people can’t stand to hear it anymore. Until they will act on it. Don’t you dare talk about fidelity to Jesus Christ, and love to Jesus Christ and allegiance to Jesus Christ and sit by while men deny him! You’re gonna be consistent then be consistent in obedience.

You may sit here and say “You sound very angry!” I am. I may be one of God’s last angry men, but I’m angry for the right reason. I’m in the presence of the doctrines of the anti-Christ and I plan to be angry that way the rest of my life. And if you don’t hear me angry about those kinds of doctrines please come and tell me as quickly as possible, because I have defected from the ministry.

So I’m going to ask you to covenant with me in prayer that God will bring Kenneth Copeland to repentance for this blasphemy and there may be a open apology and repudiation of it in the Christian Church. And then until this is done we will remain constant in prayer and we will not support what we know to be evil doctrine. If we do that God will bless us and honor us, if we don’t do it were gonna reap an awful harvest.

This morning was a very difficult message to preach, the warnings of God. Because whenever you talk this way you bound to be misinterpreted and people are bound to think somehow or another you’ve got some ax to grind and your after somebody’s neck. I’m not but if I sit still in the presence of the doctrine of antichrist I’m an accessory to those doctrines and I fall under the condemnation of Acts chpt.20.

If you go further into revelation chpt.2 later on, you will find that the Holy Spirit commends the Church in Ephesus, above all the seven Churches because they tested these people, just as Paul told them to and they found out they were liars. And the Spirit says, good job, you did what you were suppose to do and he commends the Ephesians for it.

May God make us faithful in the tradition of the Ephesians. The lord Jesus Christ paid the price for all sin on the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ rose victoriously from the dead for our redemption we are saved by his life. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us spirit so we can walk with him, he has also given us his spirit so we might discern evil, as well as good.”

Truth Vs. Technique

by

John MacArthur

All Rights Reserved

 

Toward the end of the nineteenth century. . . the Age of Exposition began to pass, and the early signs of its replacement could be discerned. Its replacement was to be the Age of Show Business.

Neil Postman1

In this Age of Show Business, truth is irrelevant; what really matters is whether we are entertained. Substance counts for little; style is everything. In the words of Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking rules the church as surely as it does the world.

A. W. Tozer wrote these words in 1955:

For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was—a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate “producers” peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it. 2

By today’s standards, the issues that so inflamed Tozer’s passions seem trifling. For example, churches were attracting people to Sunday evening services by showing Christian films. Young people’s rallies featured up-tempo music and speakers whose specialty was humor. High-energy games and activities were beginning to play a key role in church youth work. Looking back, it may seem difficult to understand Tozer’s distress. Hardly anyone these days would be shocked or concerned about any of the methods that seemed radically innovative in the fifties. Most of them are generally regarded as conventional today.

Tozer, however, was not condemning games, music styles, or movies per se. He was concerned with the philosophy underlying what was happening in the church. He was sounding an alarm about a deadly change of focus. He saw evangelicals using entertainment as a tool for church growth, and he believed that was subverting the church’s priorities. He feared that frivolous diversions and carnal amusements in the church would eventually destroy people’s appetites for real worship and the preaching of God’s Word.

He was right about that. In fact, Tozer’s rebuke is more fitting than ever as the church approaches the end of the century. The incipient trend he identified has come into full bloom in our generation. What the church was flirting with thirty-five years ago has now become an obsession.

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal described one well-known church’s bid “to perk up attendance at Sunday evening services.” The church “staged a wrestling match, featuring church employees. To train for the event, 10 game employees got lessons from Tugboat Taylor, a former professional wrestler, in pulling hair, kicking shins and tossing bodies around without doing real harm.”3 No harm to the staff members, perhaps, but what is the effect of such an exhibition on the church’s message? Is not the gospel itself clouded and badly caricatured by such tomfoolery? Can you imagine what Tozer would have thought?

That wrestling match is not an obscure example from some eccentric church on the fringe. It took place in the Sunday evening service of one of America’s five largest churches. Similar examples could be drawn from many of the leading churches supposedly in the mainstream of evangelical orthodoxy.

Some will maintain that if biblical principles are presented, the medium doesn’t matter. That is nonsense. If an entertaining medium is the key to winning people, why not go all out? Why not have a real carnival? A tattooed acrobat on a high wire could juggle chain saws and shout Bible verses while a trained dog balanced on his head. That would draw a crowd. And the content of the message would be thoroughly biblical. It’s a bizarre scenario, but one that illustrates how the medium can cheapen and corrupt the message.

And sadly, it’s not terribly different from what is actually being done in some churches. There seems no limit to what modern church leaders will do to entice people who aren’t interested in worship and preaching.

One noted pastor of a very large church, for example, boasts about the time his staff staged a pie fight during a Sunday morning church service.

Just how far will the church go to compete with Hollywood? A large church in the southwestern United States has installed a half-million-dollar special-effects system that can produce smoke, fire, sparks, and laser lights in the auditorium. The church sent staff members to study live special effects at Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas. The pastor ended one service by ascending to “heaven” via invisible wires that drew him up out of sight while the choir and orchestra added a musical accompaniment to the smoke, fire, and light show.4 It was just a typical Sunday show for that pastor: “He packs his church with such special effects as. . . cranking up a chain saw and toppling a tree to make a point. . . the biggest Fourth of July fireworks display in town and a Christmas service with a rented elephant, kangaroo and zebra. The Christmas show features 100 clowns with gifts for the congregation’s children.”5

Shenanigans like that would have been the stuff of A. W. Tozer’s worst nightmares. Surely even he could not have foreseen the extreme to which evangelicals would go in paying homage to the great god Entertainment.

Driven by Pragmatism

There’s no denying that these antics seem to work—that is, they draw a crowd. Many churches that have experimented with such methods report growing attendance figures. And a handful of megachurches—those that can afford first-class productions, effects, and facilities—have been able to stimulate enormous numerical growth. Some of them fill huge auditoriums with thousands of people several times every week.

A few of these megachurches resemble elegant country clubs or resort hotels. They feature impressive facilities with bowling lanes, movie theaters, health spas, restaurants, ballrooms, roller-skating rinks, and state-of-the-art multi-court gymnasiums. Recreation and entertainment are inevitably the most visible aspects of these enterprises. Such churches have become meccas for students of church growth.

Now evangelicals everywhere are frantically seeking new techniques and new forms of entertainment to attract people. Whether a method is biblical or not scarcely matters to the average church leader today. Does it work? That is the new test of legitimacy. And so raw pragmatism has become the driving philosophy in much of the professing church.

Pragmatism is the notion that ideas may be judged by their practical consequences. A pragmatist concludes that a course of action or concept is right if it brings good results, wrong if it doesn’t seem to work.

What’s wrong with pragmatism? After all, common sense involves a measure of legitimate pragmatism, doesn’t it? If a dripping faucet works fine after you replace the washers, for example, it is reasonable to assume that bad washers were the problem. If the medicine your doctor prescribes produces harmful side effects or has no effect at all, you need to ask if there’s a remedy that works. Such simple pragmatic realities are generally self-evident.

But when pragmatism becomes a guiding philosophy of life or ministry, it inevitably clashes with Scripture. Spiritual and biblical truth cannot be determined by what works and what doesn’t. We know from Scripture, for example, that the gospel does not usually produce a positive response (1 Cor. 1:22-23; 2:14). On the other hand, Satanic lies and deception often are quite effective (Matt. 24:23-24; 2 Cor. 4:3-4). Majority reaction is no test of validity (cf. Matt. 7:13-14), and prosperity is no measure of truthfulness (cf. Job 12:6). Pragmatism as a guiding philosophy of ministry is inherently flawed.6

Nevertheless, an overpowering surge of ardent pragmatism is sweeping through evangelicalism. Methodology has replaced theology as the main issue many church leaders are concerned with. Pastors are turning to books on marketing methods in search of new techniques to help churches grow. Many seminaries have shifted their pastoral training emphasis from Bible curriculum and theology to matters of style and technique.

Perhaps most telling is the growing number of churches that now feature drama and entertainment instead of traditional services where God’s Word is proclaimed. The new pragmatism sees preaching as passé. Plainly declaring truth is deemed too offensive and utterly ineffective. We’re now told we can get better results by first amusing people and thus wooing them into the fold. Once they feel comfortable, they’ll be ready to receive biblical truth in small, diluted doses.

Gimme That Showtime Religion

And so church buildings are being constructed like theaters; instead of a pulpit, the focus is a stage. Churches are hiring full-time media specialists, programming consultants, stage directors, drama coaches, special-effects experts, and choreographers.

Most of the new pragmatists believe the four priorities of the early church—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42)—make a lame agenda for the church in this day and age. They view our Lord’s Great Commission as a marketing manifesto. They believe the church is in business to promote a product, and church leaders, they say, had better pay attention to the methods of Madison Avenue. The church, after all, competes with secular amusements and a host of worldly goods and services. We’ll never win people, the pragmatists believe, until we develop effective marketing campaigns to capture their attention and loyalty away from the world’s offerings.

One best-selling author has written, “I believe that developing a marketing orientation is precisely what the Church needs to do if we are to make a difference in the spiritual health of this nation for the remainder of this century.”7 He adds, “My contention, based on careful study of data and the activities of American churches, is that the major problem plaguing the Church is its failure to embrace a marketing orientation in what has become a marketing-driven environment.”8

What’s wrong with that? For one thing, the church has no business marketing its ministry as an alternative to secular amusements (2 Thess. 3:3-4). That corrupts and cheapens the church’s real mission. We are not carnival barkers, used car salesmen, or K-Tel pitchmen. We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). Knowing the terror of the Lord (v. 11), motivated by the love of Christ (v. 14), utterly made new by Him (v. 17), we implore sinners to be reconciled to God (v. 20).

Moreover, instead of confronting the world with the truth of Christ, the market-driven megachurches are enthusiastically promoting the worst trends of secular culture. Feeding people’s appetite for entertainment only exacerbates the problems of mindless emotion, apathy, and materialism. Quite frankly, it is difficult to conceive of a ministry philosophy more contradictory to the pattern our Lord gave us.

Proclaiming the gospel message of redemption for sinners, and expositing the Word for saints should be the heart of every church’s ministry. If the world looks at the church and sees an entertainment center, we’re sending the wrong message. If Christians view the church as an amusement parlor, the church will die.

Nothing in Scripture indicates the church should lure people to Christ by presenting Christianity as an attractive option. Nothing about the gospel is optional: “There is salvation in no one else. . . there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Nor is the gospel meant to be attractive in the sense of modern marketing. To most, the message of the gospel is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:8). There’s no way to “market” that. The church must realize that its mission has never been public relations or sales; we are called to live holy lives and declare God’s truth—lovingly but uncompromisingly—to an unbelieving world.

Is Numerical Growth a Legitimate Goal?

Lest anyone misunderstand, perhaps I should say that I am no opponent of large churches or of church growth. Grace Community Church was founded more than thirty-five years ago and has experienced tremendous growth through most of its history. On a typical Sunday about ten thousand people attend our services. We have experienced cycles of growth followed by plateaus. We’re currently in another phase of strong growth.

What I oppose is the pragmatism often advocated by church growth specialists who believe they can induce numerical growth by following whatever techniques seem to be working at the moment. The faddism bred by that philosophy is becoming more and more unruly. It is diverting many churches from biblical priorities, while producing a handful of megachurches whose growth is dependent on their ability to anticipate and respond to the next cultural trend. The church has been drawn away from true revival and is being seduced by those who advocate the popularization of Christianity. Tragically, most Christians seem oblivious to the problem, satisfied with a Christianity that is fashionable and highly visible.

Is numerical growth a legitimate goal in church ministry? Certainly no worthy church leader would seriously argue that numerical growth is inherently undesirable. And no one believes that stagnation or numerical decline are to be sought. But is numerical growth always the best gauge of a church’s health?

I agree with George Peters, who wrote,

Quantitative growth. . . can be deceptive. It may be no more than the mushrooming of a mechanically induced, psychological or social movement, a numerical count, an agglomeration of individuals or groups, an increase of a body without the development of muscle and vital organs. It may be Christendom in the making but not Christianity breaking through. Many mass movements of the past and community and tribal movements have been just that. An example is found in the mass accessions in Europe, particularly in France and Russia, when many were driven to baptism and drawn into the church, resulting in a mass of people professing Christendom but not in a dynamic, vibrant, growing, and responsible church of Jesus Christ. . . . It must be admitted. . . that to a great extent this expansion of the form, profession, and name of Christendom has little resemblance to the Christianity defined in the New Testament and the church portrayed in the book of Acts.

In many ways the expansion of Christendom has come at the expense of the purity of the gospel and true Christian order and life. The church has become infested with pagan beliefs and practices, and is syncretistic in theology. . . Large segments have become Christo-pagan. 9

Nothing in Scripture indicates that church leaders should set numerical goals for church growth.10 Here’s how the apostle Paul described the growth process: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6-7, emphasis added).

If we concern ourselves with the depth of our ministry, God will see to the breadth of it.

What good, after all, is numerical expansion that is not rooted in commitment to the lordship of Christ? If people come to church primarily because they find it entertaining, they will surely leave as soon as something comes along to amuse them more. And so the church is forced into a hopeless cycle where it must constantly try to eclipse each spectacle with something bigger and better.

The Pragmatic Roots of the Church Growth Movement

Pragmatism as a philosophy of ministry has gained impetus from the church growth movement that has flourished over the past fifty years or so. Donald McGavran, the father of the modern church growth movement, was an unabashed pragmatist:

We devise mission methods and policies in the light of what God has blessed—and what He has obviously not blessed. Industry calls this “modifying operation in light of feedback.” Nothing hurts missions overseas so much as continuing methods, institutions, and policies which ought to bring men to Christ—but don’t; which ought to multiply churches—but don’t. We teach men to be ruthless in regard to method. If it does not work to the glory of God and the extension of Christ’s church, throw it away and get something which does. As to methods, we are fiercely pragmatic—doctrine is something else.11

As a young missionary in India and son of missionary parents, McGavran had noticed that it was not unusual for missions organizations to labor in India for years and have little or no fruit to show for it. McGavran’s own agency had planted only twenty or thirty small churches in several decades of missionary work.12 McGavran determined to devise a strategy of missions that took note of which methods seemed to work and which ones didn’t. “As he declared in the preface to a book he coauthored in the 1930s, he had dedicated himself to ‘discarding theories of church growth which do not work, and learning and practicing productive patterns. . . ’”13

McGavran’s pragmatism seems to have been initially prompted by a legitimate concern for stewardship. He “became alarmed when he saw all too many of God’s resources—personnel and finances—being used without asking whether the kingdom of God was being advanced by the programs they were supporting.”14 But pragmatism became the philosophical basis for nearly all that McGavran taught, and that in turn set the agenda for the whole church growth movement.

McGavran founded the Institute of Church Growth, which in 1965 united with the Fuller School of World Mission. From there the pragmatic precepts of the church growth movement have reached into virtually every mission field worldwide.

C. Peter Wagner, professor of church growth at the Fuller School of World Mission, is Donald McGavran’s best-known student. Wagner is the most prolific if not the most influential spokesman in the church growth movement today. He writes of the movement’s inherent pragmatism:

The Church Growth Movement has always stressed pragmatism, and still does even though many have criticized it. It is not the kind of pragmatism that compromises doctrine or ethics or the kind that dehumanizes people by using them as means toward an end. It is, however, the kind of consecrated pragmatism which ruthlessly examines traditional methodologies and programs asking the tough questions. If some sort of ministry in the church is not reaching intended goals, consecrated pragmatism says there is something wrong which needs to be corrected.15

Wagner, like most in the church growth movement, claims that the “consecrated pragmatism” he advocates does not allow compromise of doctrine or ethics. “The Bible does not allow us to sin that grace may abound or to use whatever means that God has prohibited in order to accomplish those ends He has recommended,” he notes correctly.16

“But with this proviso,” Wagner continues, “we ought to see clearly that the end does justify the means. What else possibly could justify the means? If the method I am using accomplishes the goal I am aiming at, it is for that reason a good method. If, on the other hand, my method is not accomplishing the goal, how can I be justified in continuing to use it?”17

Is that true? Certainly not. Especially if “the goal I am aiming at” is a numerical goal with no biblical warrant, or if “my method. . . not accomplishing the goal” is the clear preaching of God’s Word. That is precisely the kind of thinking that is moving biblical exposition out of Christian ministry and replacing it with vaudeville.

One recent best-seller goes even further:

It is. . . critical that we keep in mind a fundamental principle of Christian communication: the audience, not the message, is sovereign. If our advertising is going to stop people in the midst of hectic schedules and cause them to think about what we’re saying, our message has to be adapted to the needs of the audience. When we produce advertising that is based on the take-it-or-leave-it proposition, rather than on a sensitivity and response to people’s needs, people will invariably reject our message. 18

What if the Old Testament prophets had subscribed to such a philosophy? Jeremiah, for example, preached forty years without seeing any significant positive response. On the contrary, his countrymen threatened to kill him if he did not stop prophesying (Jer. 11:19-23); his own family and friends plotted against him (12:6); he was not permitted to marry and so had to suffer agonizing loneliness (16:2); plots were devised to kill him secretly (18:20-23); he was beaten and put in stocks (20:1-2); he was spied on by friends who sought revenge (v. 10); he was consumed with sorrow and shame—even cursing the day he was born (vv. 14-18); and finally, falsely accused of being a traitor to the nation (37:13-14), Jeremiah was beaten, thrown into a dungeon, and starved many days (vv. 15-21). If an Ethiopian Gentile had not interceded on his behalf, Jeremiah would have died there. In the end, tradition says he was exiled to Egypt, where he was stoned to death by the Jews. He had virtually no converts to show for a lifetime of ministry.

Suppose Jeremiah had attended a church growth seminar and learned a pragmatic philosophy of ministry. Do you think he would have changed his style of confrontational ministry? Can you imagine him staging a variety show or using comedy to try to win people’s affections? He may have learned to gather an appreciative crowd, but he certainly would not have had the ministry God called him to.

The apostle Paul didn’t use a system based on merchandising skill, either, though some self-appointed experts have tried to make him a model of the new pragmatism. Reading into the Bible’s white space, one advocate of marketing technique asserts, “Paul was one of the all time great tacticians. He perpetually studied strategies and tactics to identify those that would enable him to attract the most ‘prospects’ and realize the greatest number of conversions.”19 Of course, the Bible says nothing like that. On the contrary, the apostle Paul shunned clever methods and gimmicks that might proselyte people to false conversions through fleshly persuasion. Paul himself wrote,

When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God (1 Cor. 2:1-5).

He reminded the church at Thessalonica,

For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority (1 Thess. 2:3-6).

Biblical truth is the only framework by which we can evaluate the rightness or wrongness of ministry methods.

Any end-justifies-the-means philosophy of ministry inevitably will compromise doctrine, despite any proviso to the contrary. If we make effectiveness the gauge of right and wrong, how can that fail to color our doctrine? Ultimately the pragmatist’s notion of truth is shaped by what seems effective, not by the objective revelation of Scripture.

A look at the methodology of the church growth movement shows how this occurs. The movement studies all growing churches—even those with false doctrine at the core of their teaching. Sometimes Mormon assemblies, Roman Catholic churches, even Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls are held up to the specialist’s scrutiny. The church growth expert looks for characteristics common to all growing churches and advocates whatever methods seem to work.

Are we to believe that growth in non-Christian congregations is proof that God is at work? Why would we want to duplicate the methodology of religious groups that deny the gospel? Isn’t it fair to question whether any growth resulting from such methods is illegitimate, engineered by fleshly means? After all, if a method works as well for a cult as it does for the people of God, there’s no reason to assume positive results signify God’s blessing.

Utterly missing from most of the church growth literature is any critical analysis of the faulty doctrinal platform on which much contemporary church growth is built. One author has said of Peter Wagner:

Wagner makes negative assessments about nobody. He has made a career out of finding what is good in growing churches, and affirming it—without asking many critical questions. This enables him to hold up as models of church life not only Wimber’s Vineyard, but Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral, the entire Southern Baptist denomination, and just about any other church that is growing. 20

The fact that a church is growing is often mistaken for divine sanction. After all, people reason, why be critical of any teaching that God is blessing with numerical growth? Is it not better to tolerate doctrinal flaws and lapses of orthodoxy for the sake of growth and unity? Thus pragmatism molds and shapes one’s doctrinal outlook.

Wagner himself, for example, has embraced the signs and wonders of the Third Wave movement for reasons that are largely pragmatic. He is candid about this:

I am proud to be among those who are advocating power evangelism as an important tool for fulfilling the great commission in our day. One of the reasons I am so enthusiastic is that it is working. Across the board, the most effective evangelism in today’s world is accompanied by manifestations of supernatural power. 21

Obviously, then, Wagner’s pragmatic perspective has shaped his doctrine, not vice versa.

Wagner virtually concedes this point. He says the methodology of the church growth movement is “phenomenological,” not theological. That approach “may appear altogether too subjective to many traditional theologians,” he admits.22 He continues, “As a starting point, church growth often looks to the ‘is’ previous to the ‘ought’. . . . What Christians experience about God’s work in the world and in their lives is not always preceded by careful theological rationalizations. Many times the sequence is just the opposite: theology is shaped by Christian experience.”23

That being the case, isn’t Wagner’s assertion that his pragmatism “is not the kind. . . that compromises doctrine”24 rendered meaningless? After all, if experience suggests signs and wonders are effective tools for church growth, and if it is legitimate to allow our experience to shape our theology, it is quite logical to amend one’s doctrine—as Wagner himself did—to accommodate some pragmatic, heuristic observation.

It is folly to think one can be both pragmatic and biblical. The pragmatist wants to know what works now. The biblical thinker cares only about what the Bible says. The two philosophies inevitably oppose each other at the most basic level.

The Age of Pragmatism

Nevertheless, philosophical pragmatism has never been more popular in evangelical churches. The church growth movement, which for years was a major factor in world missionary activity, is now having enormous influence in the backyard of Western evangelicalism. North American churches by the hundreds are experimenting with pragmatic methodologies, and the result has been an explosion of interest in innovative church growth techniques. The church growth movement has formed an unofficial alliance with those who believe evangelism is primarily a marketing venture.

Pragmatism in the church reflects the spirit of our age. Books with titles like Marketing Your Ministry, Marketing the Church, and The Development of Effective Marketing and Communication Strategies for Churches are all the rage. The Christian publishing industry is now producing more advice for church leaders drawn from secular fields of study—psychology, marketing, management, politics, entertainment, and business—than all the commentaries, Bible study helps, and books on biblical issues put together.

The role model for contemporary pastors is not the prophet or the shepherd—it is the corporate executive or the politician. The contemporary church is preoccupied with corporate image, statistical growth, financial profit, opinion polls, demographic charts, census figures, and other pragmatic issues. Gone is the church’s passion for purity and truth. No one seems to care, as long as the response is enthusiastic.

Tozer noticed that pragmatism had crept into the church of his day, too. He wrote, “I say without hesitation that a part, a very large part, of the activities carried on today in evangelical circles are not only influenced by pragmatism but almost completely controlled by it.”25 Tozer described the danger posed to the church by even so-called “consecrated” pragmatism:

The pragmatic philosophy. . . asks no embarrassing questions about the wisdom of what we are doing or even about the morality of it. It accepts our chosen ends as right and good and casts about for efficient means and ways to get them accomplished. When it discovers something that works it soon finds a text to justify it, “consecrates” it to the Lord and plunges ahead. Next a magazine article is written about it, then a book, and finally the inventor is granted an honorary degree. After that any question about the scripturalness of things or even the moral validity of them is completely swept away. You cannot argue with success. The method works; ergo, it must be good. 26

User-Friendly Churches?

Now the experts are touting the concept of the “user-friendly church.”27 Borrowing a term from the high-tech industries, church growth specialists are advocating a new approach to church ministry. Church growth can be accelerated, they say, if pastors and church leaders will concentrate their energies on making the church as non-threatening as possible for the unchurched. Provide non-Christians with an agreeable, inoffensive environment. Give them freedom, tolerance, and anonymity. Always be positive and benevolent. If you must have a sermon, keep it brief and amusing. Don’t be preachy or authoritative. Above all, keep everyone entertained. Churches following this pattern will see numerical growth, we’re assured; those that ignore it are doomed to decline.

Do you see how that philosophy necessarily undermines sound doctrine? It discards Jesus’ own methods—preaching and teaching—as the primary means of ministry. It replaces them with methodologies utterly devoid of substance. It exists independently of any creed or canon. In fact, it eschews dogma or strong convictions as divisive, unbecoming, or inappropriate. It dismisses doctrine as academic, abstract, sterile, threatening, or simply impractical. Rather than teaching error or denying truth, it does something far more subtle, but just as effective from the enemy’s point of view. It jettisons content altogether. Instead of attacking orthodoxy head on, it gives lip service to the truth while quietly undermining the foundations of doctrine. Instead of exalting God, it denigrates the things that are precious to Him. In that regard, pragmatism poses dangers more subtle than the liberalism that threatened the church in the first half of the century.

A major Christian magazine recently published an article by a well-known charismatic speaker. He mused for a full page about the futility of both preaching and listening to sermons that go beyond mere entertainment. His conclusion? People don’t remember what you say anyway, so most preaching is a waste of time. “I’m going to try to do better next year,” he writes; “that means wasting less time listening to long sermons and spending much more time preparing short ones. People, I’ve discovered, will forgive even poor theology as long as they get out before noon.”28

That perfectly sums up the attitude that dominates much of modern ministry. It is sheer accommodation to a society addicted to entertainment. It follows what is fashionable but reveals little concern for what is true.

A recent best-selling Christian book warns readers to be on guard against preachers whose emphasis is on interpreting Scripture rather than applying it.

Wait a minute. Is that wise counsel? No it is not. There is no danger of irrelevant doctrine; the real threat is an undoctrinal attempt at relevance. The nucleus of all that is truly practical is found in the teaching of Scripture. We don’t make the Bible relevant; it is inherently so, simply because it is God’s Word. And after all, how can anything God says be irrelevant (2 Tim. 3:16-17)?

The radical pragmatism of the “user-friendly” school of thought robs the church of its prophetic role. It makes the church a populist organization, recruiting members by providing them a warm and friendly atmosphere in which to eat, drink, and be entertained. The church becomes more like a saloon than a house of worship.

That is no overstatement. One recent best-selling book advocating pragmatic church-growth ideas included this suggestion:

Remember how the corner tavern used to be the place where the men of the neighborhood would congregate to watch major sports events, like the World Series or championship boxing matches? While times have changed, that same concept can still be used to great impact by the Church. Most churches have a large hall or auditorium which could be used for special gatherings built around major media events—sports, political debates, entertainment specials and the like.29

That entire scenario is built on a set of presuppositions that are patently unbiblical. The church is not a lodge recruiting members. It is not a pub for the neighborhood. It is not a frat house enlisting pledges. It is not a community center where parties are held. It is not a country club for the masses. It is not a city precinct meeting where the community’s problems are addressed. It is not a court to rectify society’s injustices. It is not an open forum, or a political convention, or even an evangelistic rally.

The church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), and church meetings are for corporate worship and instruction. The church’s only legitimate goal is “the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12)—not mere numerical expansion. The notion that church meetings should be used to tantalize or convert non-Christians is a relatively recent development. Nothing like it is found in Scripture; in fact, the apostle Paul spoke of unbelievers’ entering the assembly as an exceptional event (1 Cor. 14:23). Hebrews 10:24-25 indicates that church services are for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers: “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together.”

Acts 2:42 shows us the pattern the early church followed when they met: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Note that the early church’s priorities clearly were to worship God and uplift the brethren. The church came together for worship and edification; it scattered to evangelize the world.

Our Lord commissioned His disciples for evangelism in this way: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). Christ makes it clear that the church is not to wait for or invite the world to come to its meetings, but to go to the world. That is every believer’s responsibility. I fear that an approach emphasizing a palatable gospel presentation within the walls of the church absolves the individual believer from his personal obligation to be a light in the world (Matt. 5:16).

The preaching of God’s Word is to be central in the church (1 Cor. 1:23; 9:16; 2 Cor. 4:5; 1 Tim. 6:2; 2 Tim. 4:2). “In season and out of season,” it is the task of God’s ministers to “reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). The pastor who sets entertainment above forceful preaching abdicates the primary responsibility of an elder: “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

I’ve often been curious about how advocates of user-friendly methodology deal with the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. They lied, so God struck them both dead in front of the entire Jerusalem church. Acts 5:11 says, “Great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.” It’s hard to reconcile that with the concept of a user-friendly church. Yet the early church continued to grow exponentially. Verse 14 goes on to say, “All the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number.”

The church’s strategy has never been to appeal to the world on the world’s terms. Churches aren’t supposed to compete for the consumer on the same level as Miller Lite or MTV. We can’t stimulate genuine growth by clever persuasion or inventive techniques. It is the Lord who adds to the church (Acts 2:47). Human methodologies cannot accelerate or supersede the divine process. Any additional growth they produce is a barren imitation.

Artificial or unnatural growth in the biological realm can cause disfigurement—or worse, cancer. Synthetic growth in the spiritual realm is every bit as unhealthy.

Good Technique? No, Bad Theology.

The philosophy that marries marketing technique with church growth theory is the result of bad theology. It assumes that if you package the gospel right, people will get saved. It is rooted in Arminianism, which views conversion as nothing more than an act of the human will. Its goal is an instantaneous human decision, rather than a radical transformation of the heart wrought by almighty God through the Holy Spirit’s convicting work and the truth of His Word. An honest belief in the sovereignty of God in salvation would bring an end to a lot of the nonsense that is going on in the church.

Moreover, this whole ad-agency approach to the church corrupts Christianity and caters to the fleshly lusts that are woven into the very fabric of this world’s system (1 Jn. 2:14). We have a society filled with people who want what they want when they want it. They are into their own lifestyle, recreation, and entertainment. When churches appeal to those selfish desires, they only fuel fires that hinder true godliness.

The church has accommodated our culture by devising a brand of Christianity where taking up one’s cross is optional—or even unseemly. Indeed, many members of the church in the Western world suppose they can best serve God by being as non-confrontive to their world as possible.

Having absorbed the world’s values, Christianity in our society is now dying. Subtly but surely, worldliness and self-indulgence are eating away the heart of the church. The gospel usually proclaimed today is so convoluted that it offers believing in Christ as nothing more than a means to contentment and prosperity. The offense of the cross (cf. Gal. 5:11) has been systematically removed so that the message might be made more acceptable to unbelievers. The church somehow got the idea it could declare peace with the enemies of God.

When on top of that punk-rockers, ventriloquists’ dummies, clowns, knife-throwers, professional wrestlers, weight-lifters, body-builders, comedians, dancers, jugglers, rapmasters, and show-business celebrities take the place of the preacher, the gospel message is dealt a catastrophic blow. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14).

I do believe we can be innovative and creative in how we present the gospel, but we have to be careful to harmonize our methods with the profound spiritual truth we are trying to convey. It is too easy to trivialize the sacred message.

Don’t be quick to embrace the trends of the high-tech megachurches. And don’t sneer at conventional worship and preaching. We don’t need clever approaches to get people saved (1 Cor. 1:21). We simply need to get back to preaching the truth and planting the seed. If we’re faithful in that, the soil God has prepared will bear fruit.

But if the church in America does not get back to biblical Christianity, we will soon see the end of our influence for Christ. Everyone is astonished to see how rapidly the face of the modern world is changing. What few Christians seem to realize is how frighteningly fast the church is declining at the same time. We may be witnessing the last days of biblical evangelicalism in our nation. It is not really far fetched to imagine that ten years hence, missionaries from Romania might be evangelizing America.

The reality of that possibility greatly alarms me. We who know and love the truth must be the prophetic voice of our God and affirm the holiness of His Name. We must demand that any effort in the name of our Lord manifest the integrity of His nature. He is holy, holy, holy (Isa. 6:3) and must be so represented. Anything less is not worthy of our Lord’s majesty, awesomeness, and holiness.

The challenge for Christ’s church is this: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). It isn’t the cleverness of our methods, the techniques of our ministry, or the wit of our sermons that puts power in our testimony. It is obedience to a holy God and faithfulness to His holiness in our daily lives.

We must wake up. The cold war may be over, but the spiritual battle rages on. We cannot afford to be indifferent. We cannot continue our mad pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. We are called to fight a spiritual battle, and we cannot win by appeasing the enemy. A needy world must be confronted with the message of salvation, and there may be little time left. As Paul wrote to the church at Rome,

“It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light (Rom. 13:11-12).

Once a reporter asked me if I was driven by a desire to build a great church. I responded that I am driven by a great desire to preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2). Christ said He would build the church (Matt. 16:18), and I certainly don’t want to compete with Him.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board’s “MacArthur Collection” by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986

 

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Notes1. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (New York: Penguin, 1985), 63.

2. A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955), 32-33.

3. R. Gustav Niebuhr, “Mighty Fortresses: Megachurches Strive To Be All Things to All Parishioners,” The Wall Street Journal (13 May 1991), A:6.

4. Robert Johnson, “Heavenly Gifts: Preaching a Gospel of Acquisitiveness, a Showy Sect Prospers,” The Wall Street Journal (11 Dec. 1990), A:1-8.

5. Ibid., A:8.

6. For a further discussion of the dangers of pragmatism, see John F. MacArthur, Our Sufficiency in Christ (Dallas: Word, 1991), 113-165.

7. George Barna, Marketing the Church (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1988), 13.

8. Ibid., 23.

9. George W. Peters, A Theology of Church Growth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 23-24.

10. cf. C. Peter Wagner, ed., Donald A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, Third ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 265-281. Here Wagner and McGavran argue that numerical goal setting is an essential part of a biblical approach to church growth: “Setting membership goals is in accordance with God’s eternal purpose. Goal setting in the service of the Great Commission is pleasing to God…. Scripture is solidly on the side of careful planning for church growth” (p. 270). Yet the only passage of Scripture they cite in support of that statement is Acts 18:4-5, 9, which says nothing about the setting of goals, numerical or otherwise.

11. Donald McGavran, “For Such a Time as This,” (unpublished address, 1970), cited in C. Peter Wagner, “Pragmatic Strategy for Tomorrow’s Mission,” in A. R. Tippet, ed., God, Man and Church Growth (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), 147.

12. Wagner, ed., Understanding Church Growth, viii-ix.

13. Ibid., ix.

14. Ibid., ix.

15. C. Peter Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1984), 201

16. C. Peter Wagner, Your Church Can Grow (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1976), 160-61.

17. Ibid., 161 (emphasis in original).

18. Barna, Marketing the Church, 145 (emphasis added).

19. Ibid., 31-32.

20. Tim Stafford, “Testing the Wine from John Wimber’s Vineyard,” Christianity Today (8 Aug. 1986), 18.

21. C. Peter Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit (Ann Arbor: Vine, 1988), 87.

22. C. Peter Wagner, ed., Church Growth: State of the Art (Wheaton: Tyndale, 1986), 33.

23. Ibid.

24. Leading Your Church to Growth, 201.

25. A. W. Tozer, God Tells the Man Who Cares (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1970), 71.

26. Ibid., 70.

27. George Barna, User Friendly Churches (Ventura: Regal, 1991).

28. Buckingham, “Wasted Time,” Charisma (Dec. 88), 98

29. George Barna, The Frog in the Kettle (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1990), 94-95.

 

Carnal Christian?

By Albert N. Martin 

            There is in our day a teaching that has become very popular, and this teaching nullifies in the minds of many the clear and unmistakable truth of 1 John 3 which is nothing but a systematic statement of what we find from Genesis to Revelation, namely, that a man saved by the grace of God will be a holy man. A man saved from the penalty of his sin will be a man who seeks day by day to walk from the defilement of sin. And yet there is a teaching in our day, which has negated the clear implications of 1 John 3.

I have found again and again when I would set forth the Biblical doctrine of holiness, biblical holiness, not an experience, but a walk in conformity to the will and law of God. Whenever I would set forth the Biblical doctrine, and lay out the truth that no man has a right to claim he is a Christian unless he is a holy man, immediately people would bring up this red flag and wave it in front of me. Do you know what that red flag has written on it? What about a Carnal Christian? I’ve had that question asked me I don’t know how many times. The moment the Spirit of God began to stab the consciences of men who were professing to know Jesus Christ but who were not pressing on in the path of holiness, immediately they sought to hide behind this popular doctrine, that for sake of a better term and one which will identify it in our minds, I will call the Carnal Christian Doctrine. I would rather use a stronger word, and call it the Carnal Christian Heresy for this is indeed what it is.

Now it is going to be my purpose to seek to examine this doctrine in the light of the word of God because I feel in my own heart that you and I have been brought up in a generation when this doctrine has been popularized and made very wide spread in our fundamental circles. Now this is my purpose, I feel that for the sake of your souls I must do this. And I am asking you as we come to the word of God to come with a teachable childlike spirit, come like the Bereans who will search the scriptures to see whether these things are so. And so shall we search these things in an attitude of prayer and ask God to help us as we embark upon this study which is not pleasant but which is absolutely necessary for our soul’s well being.

Let us pray: Our Father, we thank thee that thy word is truth. We praise thee that by comparing scripture with scripture, and that having an open heart and a teachable spirit, the Holy Spirit will lead us into truth. We pray as we seek to deal with this problem and this confusion that has wrought havoc in the church that the Holy Spirit himself shall be present to be our teacher and to cause us to see thy truth, and by thy grace to bow beneath it’s implication. We ask in Jesus’ name; Amen.

Now in order to think our way through this I want to, first of all, answer the question what is this doctrine called the Carnal Christian Doctrine? Some of you may say what am I talking about? You may not know it under that title but when I describe it you will recognize it. Then I want us to consider an exposure of this doctrine in the light of the scriptures. Now as we do this I don’t want us to do it academically, I don’t want us to do this from the standpoint of just gaining more information. I want you to do it from this standpoint. Supposed it was suddenly announced over all the radios in your area that a number of people in your area were afflicted with a dread disease, which was of such a nature that it would kill people within a month after contracting it. But the symptoms were so indiscernible to the average person that many people could be walking about, afflicted with this dread disease and not know it. What would your attitude be if suddenly they announced that in every school and every public building there will be lectures by competent medical men to explain the subtle symptoms of this disease that you might discover whether you may have it and take the proper remedy? If you went to such a meeting, how would you listen? You would not listen merely academically to learn something more about this disease. You would listen as a matter of life and death. You would listen with this attitude, I must see if these symptoms, which the doctor talks about are in any way, in any shape or form, present in my life. I must not give the disease the benefit of the doubt! I must at any cost discover if I’m inflicted with this disease and seek the proper remedy. You would not listen to this as a mere lecture on medical terms. You would listen to it as a matter of life and death. This is the kind of hearing that I beg of you in this study.

As we seek to expose this doctrine I’m not doing it from an academic standpoint. I do not want you to read this from the mere standpoint of gaining information. I am convinced that there are men and women, boys and girls, whose souls are in jeopardy because they have believed this heresy. And unless you allow the Holy Ghost to open your eyes some of you may perish and wake up in hell that thought you were going to wake up in heaven when you die. I am convinced of this! It is the only reason I am seeking by the enablement of God to deal with this subject. It is not enough that I pray for you and to cry out to God that the Holy Spirit would open the eyes of any who may be deceived about their soul salvation, it is my responsibility to preach the truth that will aid you to see your sin and to expose the error that would keep you from seeing your sin. Our Lord Jesus who preached positive truth and said I am the way also said beware of the doctrine of the Scribes and the Pharisees. He called it leaven. He warned people and he named it and he sought to keep his disciples from falling prey to it. This is the motive in which I speak to you, and I trust it will be kept before you constantly.

Now what is the doctrine? The doctrine is basically this, that there are three kinds of people in the world, and they generally take it from 1 Corinthians 2 and 3 where you find these three words occurring, natural man, carnal man and spiritual man. This is usually the way in which the doctrine is presented. People who have never received Jesus Christ are natural men. They are sinners by nature and by practice, they are dead in their sins and have no knowledge of God. This is true; this is the Bible doctrine of human depravity.

Then they say the next class of people is the carnal man. This is the man or woman who has received Jesus as his savior, he believes that Christ died on the cross for him, and believing that he has been made a child of God, but, (listen carefully), you never know he is a child of God because although he is saved by the blood of Jesus he lives just like natural man. He lives addicted to the flesh, to the world and to self. You cannot discern the fruit of the Spirit or any pursuit of holiness, but you must not ever call him an unregenerate unsaved man because he has accepted Jesus. He is a man who is saved from hell but who is not yet saved from himself. And so this is the carnal man, the man who is saved but still living like he was not saved.

Then there is the third man. He is the spiritual man, the one who has not only been saved, but the one who has received Christ as his Lord after he has received him as his Savior. He has learned how to walk in the Spirit and you can see real evidence of Jesus Christ living out his life in him. This is the spiritual man.

But when you ask them, well how about this carnal man? Suppose he should die? Oh well, he will be saved so as by fire, he will lose some rewards, but because he has accepted Jesus he’ll go to heaven. And then when they try to deal with this carnal man, here is the way that they deal with it, they say listen, it is not right for you to be carnal. Don’t you know you will be ashamed when Jesus comes? You ought to be a spiritual man. And they present holiness as a very nice thing, and as necessary if he is going to be a good testimony, and if he is going to have rewards. But holiness is not essential to his salvation. Holiness is not an essential proof that he is saved. And so this man called the carnal man is told he ought to be holy, but he really need not be holy. If he is not holy he might lose some rewards and lose some blessings here and now, but he will still sneak into the gate, and he will make it to glory. Now this is basically the Carnal Christian Doctrine. This, I believe, is an accurate portrayal of this doctrine, a man who is saved but still walks in the flesh.

Now what are the results from the wide spread teaching of this doctrine? Will you listen to me carefully? What have been the results of the preaching of this doctrine for a period of probably at least eight decades, about three generations of Christians in out fundamental circles?

Firstly, there are many who name the name of Christ in our fundamental churches who are convinced in their own thinking that they are the children of God but they are people who seem to be at home in the realm of sin. They will confess that there is sin and failure in their lives, but they do this without any grief. They glibly claim 1 John 1:9 in the promise of forgiveness to those who confess. But all of this is a cut and dried heartless sort of ritual that has very little meaning, perhaps not even as much as the sincere Romanist who confesses his sins to the priest. Now this first result is that of producing a people who make no bones and have no reservation in naming the name of Christ but who seem to be perfectly at home in the realm of sin, who claim to be saved from hell, but who give no evidence of being saved from the love and the practice of their sins.

The second result in the thinking of people, that has been a terrible thing, is that it has raised a generation of people who are convinced that holiness of character, life, thought and motive, though it is good and commendable, is something that is optional. They do not view holiness as an absolute essential to genuine Christian profession, but is something that may or may not be present according to the spiritual desire and whims of the individual.

Now I firmly hold the Biblical truth that was brought into clear focus in the Reformation, having been lying buried for a number of years because of the teaching of Rome; that a man is not saved by his works. If we could somehow live a perfect life for a billion years this would not add one ounce of merit to the infinite merit to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the absolute sufficiency of his death on our behalf. We are absolutely saved by grace. But the same Bible that teaches that we are saved by grace also teaches that when a man receives the gift of grace he is transformed by the Holy Spirit from a lover of sin to a lover of righteousness. So that the same scripture that says by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast. Also states, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

We must never hold the doctrine that we are justified by grace through faith at the expense, or hold it in such a way, that we will not face the clear implications of the biblical doctrine of holiness. For the Bible says that except a man be born again he can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven also states very clearly without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

What have been the results of separating these doctrines? First of all there have been some drastic results in the pew. There are many in the pews convinced that they are saved but they have never been transformed. They have managed to somehow deceive themselves into believing that you can receive Jesus without undergoing a moral reformation. That it is possible to have the Eternal Son of God dwell in your bosom by faith and still not experience what the Bible calls a new creation. Multitudes in their thinking have come to believe this.

It has had drastic results in the pulpit. I know of men who preach on Bible Conference platforms across our nation who are afraid to preach on 1 John 3. The results of this doctrine of the Carnal Christian being believed have shut the mouths of preachers because they are afraid to set out the fruits and the marks of a true Christian, and to tell men if they do not produce the fruits of repentance they have never been born again. They are afraid to do it! And this doctrine preached, believed and embraced is an easy one because it’s the natural heart that loves it and has produced these results in our fundamental churches. Dear ones, I would rather die crying out against this doctrine and be called a fool and die a failure in the eyes of my generation than to ever preach that a man can enter into heaven who loves his sin. I don’t care if I ever see a convert. It is truth! And oh dear ones my heart yearns for some of you reading this, because you have heard this doctrine, and you believe it and cling to it. And you are never going to get saved until you are ready to relinquish it, and God will meet you.

Now secondly, we want to examine this doctrine in the light of scripture. We have presented what this doctrine is, the three classes of people, the natural man, the carnal man and the spiritual man. We have seen some of the results of this doctrine in the thinking of people and in the actual experience in the pew and in the pulpit. Now we want to seek to expose this doctrine in the light of the scriptures. And as we do, let’s keep before us constantly two principles, they ought to act as guide rails for us.

Whenever you come to deal with a problem in the scriptures keep these two principles before you. Number one; there is no contradiction within the scriptures. In other words Paul can’t say something that will contradict James because the same Holy Ghost who spoke through Paul speaks through James. Right? The same Holy Ghost who spoke through John spoke through Paul; so that we can never receive one portion of the scripture in such a way that it makes us shut our eyes to another portion of scripture. The truth of God is a unit, now we may not be able to reconcile everything this side of glory, in fact there are a lot of questions that I have, and I’ve tried to reconcile them and wrestled with them until my brain was about to break. And I just had to say, Lord I see through a glass darkly, I thank you I’ve seen, but I sure see darkly. But though we can’t reconcile everything we should never hold one truth so that it makes us embarrassed when we face another truth. If you are embarrassed by reading any portion of scripture then you are not rightly understanding another portion of scripture. Let’s keep that principle before us. In other words, whatever Paul says about those people at Corinth being carnal, he certainly can’t contradict what John said in 1 John 3 that he that is born of God does not practice sin. Whatever he is saying, he can’t contradict this clear statement!

The second principle flows right out of this. You always interpret an obscure passage in the light of a clear passage. If you have a problem about a thing that is taught in 1 John check your cross references and you look over and you say here is another verse that deals with this, this is as clear as the nose on my face! John says he that is born of God does not practice sin, his seed remaineth in him. Now that is kind of obscure, what is that seed? So we turn to James and Peter, which says that the seed is the Word of God. So we brought the clear passages to the obscure passage and we got some light! Now we are going to do the same with this matter of the Carnal Christian.

The passage in 1 Corinthians 3 is not a doctrinal passage. It’s a passage dealing with a particular problem at Corinth. Now if we are to understand what Paul is teaching in 1 Corinthians 3 let’s first of all find out what Paul taught when he dealt with the great doctrines of holiness, sanctification and justification. Let’s find where he is giving a doctrinal lecture. And whatever he says there let’s interpret this other passage in the light of these.

Now, will you turn to Romans 8, and I want you to follow closely when you read verses 1 through 14. And I want you to notice two or three words that occur constantly. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. To be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life and peace: the carnal mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, (ye shall lose some rewards?) ye shall die; but if through the Spirit ye do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are (Spiritual Christians? No, they are what?) sons of God.”

Now in this doctrinal passage in the book of Romans, in which Paul is setting forth the great doctrines of the grace of God and the work of the Spirit; I want you to notice in Romans 8. He contrasts two things constantly, the realm of the flesh and the realm of the Spirit. The carnal mind and the spiritual mind, and notice what he says. These two are mutually exclusive. Lets look now at verse 5. They that are after the flesh, they mind the things of the flesh, fleshly desire, fleshly longings. Those that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Carnally minded, death, a man who is given over to his baser appetites and to the flesh, the end of that is death. The end of the Spiritually minded man, life and peace. The carnal mind is at warfare with God, it is not subject to God, it cannot be. They that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you say, ‘Pastor? That’s referring to the man who is saved but who is still living in the flesh, and he can’t please God in that state.’ Is it? Look at verse 9, “But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Do you know what Paul is saying? Get this now! He says a man who is living in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. If his basic desires and interests are this life and this flesh he can’t please God. But Paul says this isn’t true of you IF the Holy Ghost dwells in you, and when you got saved he came to dwell in you. And if he hasn’t come to dwell in you, you are none of his. But he has come, you have been basically taken out of the realm of flesh and you have been put in the realm of Spirit, See? I don’t know if you do, but this thrills me. Two spheres, two, not three, carnally minded – death, spiritually minded -life. And then he moves on in verse 13, if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. ‘Oh, that means the sin unto death!’ Does it? The most spiritual people I know die, this is not speaking about physical death. It is talking about spiritual death! If you live after the flesh ye shall die. But if by the Spirit ye do mortify, or put to death the deeds of the flesh ye shall live. (For) as many as are led by the Spirit of God they (and only they) are the sons of God.

Ah, but you say, ‘pastor, you mean a Christian never stumbles?’ Wait a minute now we are going to deal with that problem. But let’s get this first. Don’t jump ahead of me. Do you see what he is saying? We have two spheres of existence, flesh – Spirit. We have two destinies, life – death, not three, two, degrees within them, yes, but only two spheres. Study this chapter, read it over till the Spirit of God opens your eyes on this.

Go to Galatians 5 for a moment. Paul is dealing again with the two spheres of activity and interest. Now here is a doctrinal passage. We are going to interpret the obscure in the light of the clear. We are going to interpret in the light of the fact that there is no contradiction of what God says. Now beginning with verse 16. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, (So far we can all breathe easy, but notice the next ones.) hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:” Anything that comes under the category of disobedience to the revealed will of God, that’s the works of the flesh, Paul says. Now what is he saying? Notice carefully. Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall (lose some rewards? No, what is it saying?) They shall not inherit the kingdom of God! Now Paul says, I made this clear to you. I told you this when I was with you before, and I will tell it to you again. Those who are given over to the flesh shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now, he is going to draw a contrast. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Now you’ll be stopped there, and the preacher tenderly says, ‘now dear Carnal Christian, you are saved, you are born again, but you have given over to nothing but the flesh and you would be so much better if the fruit of the Spirit were in your life. Now yield to Jesus as your Lord and begin to manifest the fruit of the Spirit in your life, and you will get some rewards.’ That isn’t what Paul says. Notice the next verse. After giving us two spheres, the works of the flesh and what they are like, then the fruit of the Spirit and what it’s like, now notice verse 24. “And they that are Christ’s have (past tense) crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” He does not say only those that are spiritual. All who belong to Jesus have basically severed themselves from the realm of the flesh. Not perfectly, not completely. That is why he says in the next verse: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” But basically he says those that belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts thereof.

Now beloved, either these verses mean what they seem to teach, and the doctrine of the Carnal Christian is a damning heresy, or I have to rip out page after page from my Bible and twist the obvious meaning of Holy Scripture. This I will not do, and this you dare not do. Are you Christ’s? Do you belong to him? Then demonstrate that the flesh and the affections have been basically crucified, and that the fruit of the Spirit is manifest.

But oh, sometimes in my life I know it is hard, nubby fruit. At times there is even some rotten apples hanging on the tree. Beloved, if there is nothing but rotten apples on the tree of your life then you need to hear what Jesus said. Make the tree good and it’s fruit good, or the tree corrupt and the fruit corrupt for a tree is known by it’s what? By it’s fruit.

I am taking this time because this thing is so deeply ingrained I feel there is nothing but the sheer authority of the Word of God, reading it, looking at it, that will expunge it from our minds. Turn please to Romans 6 where again Paul is dealing in this doctrinal book with the basic issues of our allegiance, where it lies. Notice now what he says in verse 15. “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Notice now, two spheres, sin unto death – obedience unto righteousness. But then he says, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” That is just another way of saying you’ve committed yourself to Christ as he was offered in the Gospel, and what happened? “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness,” from the mastery and dominion of sin as your lord that you loved and obeyed and served. You are basically severed from it, and you became the servants of righteousness. “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, (that’s conversion) ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

Get that verse and get it now. Conversion is a change of masters. I exchange the master, sin, for the new master Christ who will work out in me the path of righteousness. What is the fruit? The fruit is unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. No man gets everlasting life but in the pathway of holiness, and no man can be holy until he is converted and has a change of masters by the grace of God. Isn’t that what the book says? But we’ve read it this way. ‘But I accepted Jesus, even though I am serving the flesh, and I have my fruit unto Carnal Christianity, and in the end the loss of a few rewards.’ I am not going to butcher my Bible beloved! I am going to let God say what he says and preach it the way it is written. And preach it by his grace.

You ask, pastor, what does 1 Corinthians 3 teach? We will take that up in the next lesson. So I am going to close with this exhortation. Regardless of what it teaches, It can not contradict 1 john 3 where John says he that is born of God does not make a practice of sin, he is never at home in the realm of sin. Why? Because the Divine Seed is at work within him, and if he is in sin as a child of God, if he stumbles he feels unclean and disturbed until he is back in the way of holiness. He has an advocate with the Father if he stumbles, yes, John said. If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous, but that is for the man whose basic desire is to walk in the Light, walk in obedience and in all these other birthmarks that John gave us. Whatever Paul teaches us in 1 Cor. 3 he can’t contradict 1 John 3. He said he wouldn’t even contradict himself in Romans 8 where he said there are only two spheres, flesh and Spirit, two destinies, life and death. The child of God is one indwelt by the Spirit, and that indwelling severs him from the flesh. He can’t contradict Galatians 5 where he says the works of the flesh will have no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

Those possessing the fruit of the Spirit, those who belong to Jesus, are basically committed to this. By whatever he says in 1 Cor. 3, I’m not going to contradict what he says anywhere else. Will you dare to do it? I could number many passages, which sets this truth forward.

I plead with you, young man and young woman, father and mother, if you are not pressing on in the path of holiness, if you are content with your present measure of grace, you’ve better beware. Listen to me parents, your children made a decision back when they were little children. Yet you don’t see any evidence of the new birth, yet you have been breathing kind of easy and say, ‘oh well, they aren’t going on as they ought but they have accepted Jesus.’ Is this true of you? Some of you parents listen to me. If your children die today and they wake up in hell, and you’re not concerned about them, and you are not pleading to God for them because you believe this damnable heresy that they are saved but they are just carnal, why? Why?

I want my son to grow up knowing that until he is in the way of holiness he is not a Christian. I want him to know he cannot get in that way until he is born again, I want him to know that it is by grace, I want him to know that. But I don’t want to raise a child who thinks he is saved because he has nodded his head to what his daddy believes and preaches. I want a boy who knows by the revelation of the Holy Ghost and faithful preaching of the Word, that until the Holy Ghost has sanctified his heart and has given him a heart that is holy he has no ground to claim he is saved. Oh, may God have mercy on some of you parents.

Some of you believe this ignorantly, I’m not scolding you. It is what you have been taught. But now you have no further reason to believe it. Some of you have believed it willingly because you’ve deceived yourself, and if you know that if your children don’t have the real thing, then you are going to have to confess you don’t have it because you don’t have any more than they’ve got. That’s why some of you parents believe this. You dare not say your children aren’t saved because they bear as much fruit as you do. Does this strike fear to your heart? It does mine.

I have to give an account for you dear ones to whom God has sent me. Will you go on believing and confessing you are a Christian while you are at home in the realm of sin? Will you? Will you go on professing to know Jesus Christ as your savior, though you have never bowed to him as your Lord? Then my friend, unless God awakens you and turns you from that course you will go right on believing those things and go right on to judgment and out into eternity a lost soul. God grant that today, recognizing the error of your way, you might cry out unto God for mercy. It’s a terrible thing for a man or woman to die having never heard the message of Christ and to go out into eternity. It is a terrible thing for a person to hear the message and never believe and go out into eternity. It’s thrice terrible for a person to hear the message and believe a false truth about that message, or believe in a false doctrine that lets them be at home in their sins while they profess to belong to Jesus, and then go out into eternity. I think hell will be more tolerable for the demons than for such people who turn the grace of God into a license for their sins, and turn the blood of Jesus into an excuse to carry out their rebellion against God without any fear of punishment. Oh, may God awaken you, and God disturb you. Beloved this is a sobering thing; I am not talking about something that is out in right field in China somewhere. This is right here.

Let us bow in prayer, soberly reflect upon our own hearts and ask ourselves this question. Am I at home in the realm of sin? Am I at ease in my present state? Having made a trip to an alter five or ten years ago, have I breathed easy ever since I’ve done the ritual? Have I made my almighty decision, therefore God must take me to heaven? Oh dear one what a lie

 

Source Site

If the students ever bring 1,000 friends to a service, he wants to let one of them zap him with a Taser.Pastor Turner concedes that the first night of the “Fearless” program was mostly about creating a buzz. But all three ministers talk about the challenge of fighting for teenagers’ attention in a world where they’re swamped by video games, music videos, new media like Twitter and Facebook, and the temptations of drugs, sex and alcohol. Wyatt explains that the youth ministers have to be willing to be extreme to even register on kids’ radars. “We have to plan to get them in the door, and then trust that God is going to do what God is going to do once they’re here,” he says.

 

Certainly, Celebration is not the only church using these tactics. A Google search for “youth groups + fear factor” turned up multiple discussions of ways to make Christian kids vomit with games like eating chili out of a diaper, and recipes for gross concoctions. It’s a trend that doesn’t please Karen McKinney, director of the youth ministry program and an associate professor of Biblical and theological studies at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. McKinney finds programs copying “Fear Factor” and other puke-inducing events to be a contradiction to the church’s message of stewardship. “What did we just teach?” she wonders rhetorically when told about the youth program. “What value is it when we know there are kids starving?… There are ways to teaching young people to be bold without wasting food.”

As an example, McKinney remembers how she was invited to speak about sexual boundaries to a teen group at a church in downtown St. Paul. After brief introductions, she broke the 12 students into two groups and told them they were going to play strip Pictionary. For every round lost, the losing group would have to take off an item of clothing. Before they even started, she says she could hear a 13- year-old girl say under her breath, “This is wrong.” But she said the group went through three rounds before the 13-year-old stood up and said, “I thought the topic was boundaries. We should not be playing this game.” McKinney then asked the other students if they also thought the game was wrong and why they didn’t voice those concerns. “They got the message loud and clear what it means to stand up when it comes to crossing these kinds of boundaries,” she says. Licking peanut butter off somebody’s armpit, she observes, crosses those boundaries without drawing valuable lessons for the Celebration students. “It’s just totally inappropriate,” she says.

Pastor Wyatt doesn’t agree. “Whatever we’re doing, it’s working. We saved 35 young people that night. That’s 35 teenagers saved from drugs, saved from abortion, saved from premarital sex. There are life transformations happening here, and it’s incredible. Thirty-five people’s lives were changed forever. They were saved from an eternity of burning in hell. “I’m sorry the peanut butter was offensive.”

Yeah, want to read more on pragmatism and “ends justifying the means”? (as always I don’t agree with every single letter, but there’s a lot of good stuff in these two articles)

Don’t Judge Us: The Ends Justify the Means by Jim Bublitz of Old Truth
But, does it work? Truth vs. Technique by John Macarthur of Grace to You

soli deo gloria,
Logan Paschke

November 9, 2009 by The Pilgrim

 

What you are about to read is disturbing and shocking, especially if you have children who attend a church youth group. Please be aware that what is detailed below is happening in many churches in America, and may be coming to yours very soon. Prepare to be outraged.

Those churches who rely on their slick marketing schemes to “draw a crowd” have sunk to new lows as of late. This is especially evident in the area of the foreign-to-Scripture concept of the church youth group led by the ever-so-popular (and equally absent from Scripture) youth pastors.

For those who have no idea what kind of shenanigans have been going on in the name of “youth ministry,” here are a few samplings that DefCon’s addressed in the past:

- Whos’ pastoring the youth pastors?

- The problem with youth ministry today.

- A story of injured clowns and evil chickens.

- Another church sanctuary turned into a stage for a worldly dance exhibition.

But these past examples are mild compared to what’s taking place now. Countless churches are going out of their way to pander to the youth culture by means of the basest of juvenile humor (the very humor formed, cultivated, and driven by the world).

Because these so-called churches are constantly chasing after the hem of the garment of their elusive mistress of cultural relevance, they must constantly come up with something new, something more radical, something more shocking, something more like the world in order to attract and keep their “customers.”

But as with all fads, what was hip, cool, and relevant yesterday loses it’s impact tomorrow, so something even more vile, shocking, and wicked (yes, wicked) must take the place of yesterday’s flavor of the month.

To see this spiral into depravity I submit two articles for your consideration. One was written by a Christian journalist for a Christian news source from August 2002, the other was written by a secular journalist for a secular news source in September 2009.

The following is the 2002 article from World Magazine’s Gene Edward Veith:

Stupid Church Tricks

by Gene Edward Veith

Four sets of parents are suing a church in Indiana for what happened at a New Year’s Eve lock-in. A youth leader chewed up a mixture of dog food, sardines, potted meat, sauerkraut, cottage cheese, and salsa, topped off with holiday eggnog. As if this spectacle were not disgusting enough (let the reader beware), he then spit out the mixture into a glass and encouraged the members of the youth group to drink it!

Some of those who did, of course, became sick, whereupon their parents sued the church. According to the Associated Press account, the youth pastor said that the “gross-out” game, called the Human Vegematic, was just for fun and that the church forced no one to participate. The lawsuit accused the adults in charge of pressuring the 13- and 14-year-olds into activities that caused them physical and mental harm.

Such “gross-out” games have become a fad in youth ministry. Since adolescents are amused by bodily functions, crude behavior, and tastelessness ­following the church-growth principle of giving people what they like as a way to entice them into the kingdom ­many evangelical youth leaders think this is a way to reach young people.

The Source for Youth Ministry, a popular and widely used resource center, posts scores of games on its website, many of which were contributed by youth group leaders in the field. There is Sanctuary Softball, which involves whacking a Nerf ball in church, with home plate being the area of the altar, and running through the pews, as the fielders then try to hit the batter with the ball to make an out. Another fun activity is Seafood Catch, which involves putting minnows in the baptistery, then catching them by hand. (“Extra points for eating them after it is done.”)

Then there are games designed to appeal to adolescents’ hormones. These include kissing games like “Kiss the Wench.” “Leg Line Up” has girls feel boys’ legs to identify who is who. Some of them have odd homosexual subtexts, like “Pull Apart,” in which guys cling to each other, while girls try to pull them apart. Another has girls putting make-up on guys, leading to a drag beauty show. Then there is the embarrassingly Freudian “Baby Bottle Burp,” in which girls put a diaper (a towel) on a boy, then feed him a bottle of soda, and cradle him until he burps!

These are presented as just ordinary games, good ways to break the ice at youth group. But there is another category of “Sick and Twisted Games.” Many of these involve eating and drinking gross things, like at the Indiana church. (“Toothbrush Buffet” has youth group leaders brushing their teeth and spitting into a cup. Each then passes it along to the next in line, who uses what is in the cup to brush his teeth. The last one drinks down everyone’s spit.) Others are scatological, and are too repellent to describe.

What do teenagers learn from these youth group activities? Nothing of the Bible. Nothing of theology. Nothing of the cost of discipleship. But they do learn some lessons that they can carry with them the rest of their lives.

*Lose your inhibitions. Young people usually have inhibitions against doing anything too embarrassing or shameful. These exercises are designed to free people from such hang-ups. For some reason, post-Freudian psychologists­ whose “sensitivity groups” are the model for these kinds of exercises­ maintain that such inhibitions are bad. Christians, though, have always insisted that we need to feel inhibited about indulging in things for which we should feel ashamed. This is part of what we mean by developing a conscience.

Though being “gross” may not be sinful in itself, overcoming natural revulsions can only train a child to become uninhibited about more important things.

*Give in to peer pressure. Defenders of these kinds of activities maintain that they help create group unity. The way they work, though, is to overcome a teenager’s inhibitions with the greater desire to go along with the group. In other words, these exercises teach the teenager to give in to peer pressure. Instead, youth groups need to teach Christian teenagers not to go along with the crowd and to stand up against what their friends want them to do.

*Christianity is stupid. Status-conscious teenagers know that those who are so desperate to be liked that they will do anything to curry favor are impossible to respect. Young people may come to off-the-wall youth group meetings, but when they grow up, they will likely associate the church with other immature, juvenile phases of their lives, and Christianity will be something they will grow out of.

Teenagers get enough entertainment, psychology, and hedonism from their culture. They don’t need it from their church. What they need­ and often yearn for ­is God’s Word, catechesis, and spiritual formation.

Reprinted from FCF World Ministries.

And since 2002, the pied pipers of pragmatism have taken yet one more steep step down the rung in their worldly, Christ-less social gatherings.
The Berean Wife alerted me to an article from Folio Weekly (in PDF format) detailing the atrocious behaviors of a “church” youth group. This unbelievable article is entitled Peanut Butter Salvation: Why a Southside MegaChurch Thinks That Goldfish Swallowing and Toe-Licking Will Lead the Next Generation to God.

Here are some quotes from this article along with my commentary interjected in red.

As the youth leader held his arms aloft, the teenagers gaped at the hair, furred into a strip matted by sweat and deodorant. They watched as Pastor Turner dug into a jar of peanut butter and smeared gobs of it onto the exposed underarms, then turned to the audience. Did anyone, he asked, have the guts to lick it clean and swallow it down without puking? He got two volunteers. As the audience roared with excitement and disgust, the two male teenagers approached the youth leader and began to lick his armpits, burrowing their faces in the peanut butter and eating it. Neither puked. Their only prize was bragging rights. [This one needs no comment.]

It may seem hard to believe, but the genesis of the “Fearless” program was a marketing impulse. [No, it's not really that hard to believe. It's what we've come to expect from those who think they can "do church" better than God.] Pastor Turner and his creative team say they wanted to do something that would shock and astound their teenage audience. [If you really want to "shock and astound" the teens, try preaching the Word!] They hoped to get students talking about Celebration Church and about the Wednesday night service. [Because talking about Jesus and His finished work on the cross just isn't as cool.] They wanted a buzz that would go viral, that teens would text and Twitter about. They wanted the kids to share their cell phone pictures and videos. Ultimately, they wanted hordes of kids to show up the following Wednesday to see what crazy things the youth ministry would think up next. [Makes the church leadership feel good seeing all those kids show up to see what crazy world-mimicking things the youth ministry would think up next. What about the novel idea that kids should be showing up to church to learn more about God and to fellowship with the brethren? Oh, and don't forget, what you attract them with is ultimately what you have to keep them with. And here's the paradox: Take away the contrived entertainment and you lose the kids, "They're not doing what attracted me, dude, so I'm outta here." Keep the same level and you lose the kids, "They're not cutting edge, they're like so 5 minutes ago, I'm outta here." So the only solution is to push the envelope more and more.]

The program isn’t confined to the church’s Deerfield Boulevard campus. [Why not just say church? What is so offensive to all these megachurches that they hide behind the name "campus?"] Across town, at the Orange Park campus, another youth minister was hosting his own “Fearless” event. . . . Instead of an armpit, [22 year-old Pastor Shawn] Kelley smeared peanut butter on a youth leader’s feet and challenged two teens to lick it off. It was pretty gross, the pastor assures. “This leader’s feet are pretty bad.” . . . Still, Kelley says he did not, as Folio Weekly heard from a concerned parent, spread the peanut butter on his own feet, or between the youth leader’s toes. “We didn’t want to put it in between his toes,” he says. “That would be pushing it.” [Oh, so now we're taking a lesson on morality and what is and is not "pushing it" from Mr. Kelley. We'd love to know by what standard you rely on to define what's "pushing it" and what's not.]

Pastor Turner wants to send kids home from church thinking, “I don’t believe what just happened here tonight.” [Not thinking about their utter sinfulness before a holy God and the only propitiation for their transgressions being the spotless Lamb of God nailed to a cross because without the shedding of blood their is no remission of sins.] That’s a fair approximation of what one area mother felt when her son came home from the Orange Park service with video footage of the toe-licking. . . . She was so upset that the next morning she contacted Pastor John Wyatt, the head youth pastor for all six Celebration locations. She was stunned when he didn’t agree that having a child lick anything off an adult’s feet was inappropriate. . . . [She may have been stunned, but we're not. In fact, just wait till you see the comments start pouring in on this post defending this foolishness.] The mother suggests that the act between a minor and an adult in a private home would seem not only inappropriate, but perverse — and possibly illegal. [Wow, she hit the nail on the head!] But she says Pastor Wyatt, 37, and other church leaders didn’t concede there was anything wrong with what they’d done. [And they never will.] The woman decided not to allow her son to attend the church again. . . . [Although I question why she let him attend in the first place, this decision is wise.] “When you send a kid to church, you aren’t expecting they are going to be exposed to something like that. It just does not really make sense how Bible study turns into fish eating and eating peanut butter off a grown man’s toes.” [We've been trying to make sense of this foolishness too, but in the end, it's just silly men who have never grown up, getting paid to play silly games with kids who will eventually be inoculated against true Biblical Christianity.]

“The idea is to get students here to meet our Savior. They are getting all this crazy stuff out there in the world all the time. We are trying to show them that God is cooler.” [1. No, no, no. The "church" was never meant to be the place for people to "meet our Savior." The church is for the Believers, not the unbelievers. If an unbeliever attends a church service and he "meets our Savior" then great, but this was not the purpose of the assembly of the brethren. Actually reading your Bible would clarify the confusion.

2. So you're essentially using the old "bait and switch" tactic to sucker teens into your church? I guess if you're offering a fuzzy, non-offensive, feel-good Jesus then you can get away with it.

3. You're "crazy stuff" is somehow better than the "crazy stuff" in the world, how? Because you've "Christianized" it?

4. God is not "cool." For crying out loud, if you can't comprehend or even remotely understand the nature of God you have no business being a pastor. Have you forgotten that "cool" is defined by the world? Your god is an idol formed in the imaginations of your "creative team." You can keep your god. I'll stick to the true God revealed in Scripture who is not hip, cool, or what's happening now, but who is holy, holy, holy.]

Asked whether there was a religious lesson behind the grotesquerie, Wyatt offers, “It’s all about what it means to be fearless and know God is with you.” Pastor Kelley describes the “Fearless” stunts as metaphors for the courage it takes to be young and openly Christian. “It’s about being fearless, by allowing them to do something that took boldness, that they might possibly get made fun of for doing,” he says. “Standing up for Christ in the world requires you to be fearless.” [So let me get this straight. Standing up for Jesus requires boldness and fearlessness, but instead of instilling that in the youth by having them actually stand up for Jesus, or even showing them by example, instead you have them perform sick, twisted, and erotic games and this will somehow help them stand up for Jesus? And if they need to perform these juvenile games to stand up for Jesus then does that not mean that you're suggesting to them that their source of strength comes not from God but from them and their willingness to act like fools? Here's a novel idea: Try having them become "fearless" by actually proclaiming Jesus Christ, and start with you by boldly preaching Jesus Christ. Then encourage the one's that are really sincere to take missions trips to countries where standing up for Jesus will get you imprisoned, tortured and/or killed. Somehow I don't think the countless martyrs throughout church history and today needed to lick peanut butter off someone's toes in order to stand up for Jesus.]

Wyatt also points out that it’s much easier for a kid to talk about church with other teens when the conversation is about chugging a Happy Meal or bobbing for chicken feet. “They experience God here on Wednesday nights,” says Pastor Wyatt, “and they can’t always articulate that to their friends. This gives them something to say. ‘Wow, you’ve got to come to church, you’ve got to check this out. This is amazing! ’” [Of course it's easier to talk about Happy Meal chugging or bobbing for chicken feet if you're unregenerated. Preach the pure, unadulterated, hard truth of the gospel then sit back an watch the kids talk to other kids. A word of caution though, if any of them do get truly converted, they'll probably be telling other kids about Jesus Christ and his sacrifice instead of your church, and they probably won't remain in your church for very long either.]

“Unfortunately, somebody was offended, and we apologized right away,” says Pastor Wyatt. “But the other side of that is, there was a whole bunch of kids who gave their life to Christ that night. Ultimately, our goal is to get people into church and into a relationship with Jesus.” [Ah, the old "someone gave their life to Christ" card. Always employed when someone questions the worldly, Chirst-less, and wholly unbiblical marketing tactics of today's cool, hip, and relevant social clubs. Somehow, we're told not to judge them, but they are quick to judge others, claiming to know the hearts of these kids and pronounce that they're saved. Here's an experiment I suggest trying. Take these kids who you claim to have "given their life to Jesus," separate them from the toe-licking and armpit licking shenanigans, and teach them the hard things. Teach them the whole counsel of God. Teach them doctrine. Teach them that they are expected to lay down their life daily, that they're to die to self, that they're to take up their crosses daily and follow Christ. Teach them that those who choose to live holy lives will be persecuted. Teach them that friendship with the world is enmity to God and that those who love the things of this world are enemies of God. Then we'll check back in with you in six months and see where those kids who "gave their life to Christ" are. If they were truly converted they will be right there desiring more of the meat of the Word. If they were false converts they'll have left for the other megachurch down the street who has bowling/pizza nights, whip cream fights, rock concerts, gross-out games, and the weekly "rededicate your life to Christ" alter call.]

This article also interviews Karen McKinney, a director of youth ministries and associate professor at Bethel University who opposes the foolishness of what you’ve just read above. But just when you think there’s a voice of reason, we read this:

McKinney finds programs copying “Fear Factor” and other puke-inducing events to be a contradiction to the church’s message of stewardship. “What did we just teach?” she wonders rhetorically when told about the youth program. “What value is it when we know there are kids starving? … There are ways to teaching young people to be bold without wasting food.” [McKinney is about to offer an example of how she taught teens valuable lessons by means of a much better technique . Brace yourselves.] As an example, McKinney remembers how she was invited to speak about sexual boundaries to a teen group at a church in downtown St. Paul. After brief introductions, she broke the 12 students into two groups and told them they were going to play strip Pictionary. For every round lost, the losing group would have to take off an item of clothing. Before they even started, she says she could hear a 13-year-old girl say under her breath, “This is wrong.” But she said the group went through three rounds before the 13-year-old stood up and said, “I thought the topic was boundaries. We should not be playing this game.”McKinney then asked the other students if they also thought the game was wrong and why they didn’t voice those concerns. “They got the message loud and clear what it means to stand up when it comes to crossing these kinds of boundaries,” she says. Licking peanut butter off somebody’s armpit, she observes, crosses those boundaries without drawing valuable lessons for the Celebration students. “It’s just totally inappropriate,” she says. [So it's all right to "cross boundaries" as long as a lesson is learned? And encouraging 13-year-olds to play strip Pictionary is an acceptable ends-justifies-the-means lesson? Good grief, the inmates are running the asylum!]

Welcome to the American Christianity where worldly wisdom reigns from the pulpit and rules the day. Those who lower Christianity to such base levels are showing that they do not believe that the Gospel is enough to save as the Apostle Paul believed it was when under inspiration of the Holy Spirit he penned Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes . . .”

Faith comes by hearing the Gospel, not by quaint little stories about how to be bold like Daniel while having kids perform gross and even erotic acts before their peers.

The defense commonly used by proponents of this worldly behavior in church is usually that they’re trying to reach a certain group, and in order to do that, they say, “you must first relate to that group and become like that group.” But I have to ask: If you have to reach people where they’re at, tell me, how do you reach the abortionist? How do you reach the homosexual? How do you reach the intravenous drug user? How do you reach the pedophile? I’ll stop there as I do not want to give these youth leaders any new ideas for their next big thing.

In seven years we went from teen girls feeling teen boys’ legs in youth group, to teens licking peanut butter off an adult’s feet and playing strip Pictionary. I can only imagine what the next seven years will bring.

I conclude with a quote from Gene Edward Veith who summed up the whole problem in his article posted above:

Status-conscious teenagers know that those who are so desperate to be liked that they will do anything to curry favor are impossible to respect. Young people may come to off-the-wall youth group meetings, but when they grow up, they will likely associate the church with other immature, juvenile phases of their lives, and Christianity will be something they will grow out of.

By Nick Perry The Seattle Times

Published: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 27, 2009 at 4:43 p.m.

SEATTLE | The sight of a woman being tattooed live on the altar accompanied by the sound of a buzzing ink gun provided a startling backdrop to Sunday’s evangelical sermon.

Your parents’ church service this was not. In the drive to stay relevant, the Gold Creek Community Church has been hosting a series called ‘Permanent Ink’ that featured Sunday’s live-tattoo finale.

The Mill Creek, Wash., church is not exactly staid — booming 20-minute rock sets launch regular sermons — yet the pastors acknowledge this series was pushing societal norms.

‘We’ve said from the start that we are not advocating tattoos — nor discouraging them,’ said pastor Larry Ehoff.

‘We think of it as amoral. It’s neither immoral nor moral, it’s just the choice of a person.’

Ehoff said the church is telling the same story of Jesus as always, it’s just finding different ways to tell it.

Sharon Snell was one of several congregants who volunteered to be tattooed Sunday. At the noon service, she got on stage and faced away from about 150 parishioners while tattoo artist Matt Sawdon worked on the image of a police shield on her lower back.

It was Snell’s third tattoo and represents her husband’s work as an Everett, Wash., police officer. Snell said last month’s shooting death of Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton forced her to confront the fragility of life and the dangers inherent in her husband’s job.

‘Anything can happen at any time,’ Snell said. ‘Him being an officer is a big part of my life and of who I am.’

As Snell’s tattoo took shape, pastor Dan Kellogg told the congregation that permanent markings, both good and evil, are mentioned in the Bible. The most famous symbol, he said, is ‘666,’ the sign of the devil.

But there’s also mention in the Bible of markings on Jesus, saying he is the king of kings and lord of lords, Kellogg said.

Another congregant who volunteered, Erica Armendariz, was getting work done on an arm tattoo she calls her ‘faith sleeve.’

‘Surprisingly, I was not nervous to get up on stage,’ she said, adding that the tattoo process, which in her case stretched through two sermons, was getting painful toward the end.

Tattoo artist Matt Sawdon said he’d never tattooed anyone at church before. Aside from the limited time he had during each sermon, he said, it wasn’t much different from a normal day’s work.

Last week, as part of the Permanent Ink series, a member of the church had a tattoo of Texas removed.

Because the equipment was too cumbersome to transport, parishioners watched a video of the process.

The man now lives in Washington, and he doesn’t see much need for the Lone Star State anymore.

Source:  Los Angeles Times

The spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion issued an unusually sharp and swift rebuke Sunday to church leaders in the U.S. over the election of a lesbian bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

In a terse statement, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams delivered a warning to Episcopal bishops, clergy and lay representatives about the confirmation of the Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool, a lesbian who has been in a partnered relationship for two decades.

“The election of Mary Glasspool by the Diocese of Los Angeles as suffragan bishop-elect raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole,” Williams wrote.

The archbishop pointed out that Glasspool’s selection must be confirmed by leaders of the U.S. church before she can be consecrated as a suffragan, or assistant, bishop. “That decision will have very important implications,” he said.

Glasspool must gain a majority of votes from bishops and from standing committees of clergy and lay leaders across the Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the worldwide communion. That process will unfold over the next several months as church leaders consider Glasspool and another priest, the Rev. Canon Diane M. Jardine Bruce, who was picked for another suffragan opening in the Los Angeles diocese.

They would be the first women bishops in the diocese’s 114-year history.

Williams’ message, which came as Episcopalians in L.A. reflected on Glasspool’s election at church services Sunday, was his strongest to date on an issue that has reverberated across the communion since 2003, when the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, was consecrated as bishop of New Hampshire.

Amid pressure from overseas Anglicans, Episcopal leaders agreed in 2006 to refrain from electing more homosexual bishops. They reversed that moratorium at their national convention in Anaheim in July despite concerns expressed there by Williams about decisions “that could push us further apart.”

The Los Angeles diocese is the first to test the more lenient policy.

Glasspool, 55, who now serves as a canon, or senior assistant, to the Diocese of Maryland bishops, was elected to the suffragan position Saturday during the Los Angeles diocese’s annual convention in Riverside. Her selection followed that of Bruce, 53, rector of St. Clement’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in San Clemente, on Friday.

Williams’ message appeared to target U.S. bishops, the group over which he may have the greatest sway as the confirmation process begins. He maintained that bishops within the wider communion had “collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint” was necessary “if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold.”

Conservative Episcopalians said they were surprised by the unusually blunt language from a religious leader known for carefully parsing his words and layering his arguments, particularly around the explosive issue of homosexual bishops and same-sex marriage blessings, another subject that has set off theological fireworks in the church.

“For a man who prides himself on nuance and understatement, it’s a remarkably swift and vigorous response,” said the Rev. Kendall Harmon, canon theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. “I didn’t expect him to respond this strongly or this quickly. I think Los Angeles underestimated the significance of what they were doing in the international context.”

The bishop of the Los Angeles diocese, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, argued that the U.S. church has the autonomy and authority to confirm Glasspool regardless of Williams’ displeasure.

“I don’t foresee how an autonomous Episcopal Church should be influenced by other people’s fear of sexuality or homosexuality,” Bruno said. “I’m moving forward completely dedicated to Diane Jardine Bruce and to Mary Glasspool, a woman who happens to be a lesbian. I have an obligation as the bishop of Los Angeles to do what my people call me to do . . . to support Mary Glasspool and help her become confirmed.”

Glasspool was traveling Sunday and could not be reached for comment. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, declined comment on the election, a spokeswoman said.

As Anglican tensions simmered on two continents, Episcopalians in Los Angeles mulled Glasspool’s and Bruce’s elections.

Several worshipers at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral near USC concluded that Glasspool’s sexual orientation was less important to her role as bishop than her experience as a church rector and longtime diocesan official in Maryland. Those interviewed said they believed that both women were chosen on the basis of merit.

“We have to be thankful that we have two extremely qualified people, whether they are men, women, gay or straight,” said Clyde Beswick, 59, who was attending morning services in the ornate cathedral.

At St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, some members said they had yet to make up their minds about Glasspool, while others said her sexual orientation should not be an issue. Still, the decision to elevate the two women priests will be painful for some, acknowledged Bruce Merritt, a member of St. Mark’s for about 20 years.

“A lot of people have deep-seated and traditional values and are going to be upset,” said Merritt, the parish historian. “I was brought up in the church when homosexuality was bad and women were not accepted. But I think the trajectory is changing.”

At St. James’ in the City, an Episcopal church in Los Angeles’ mid-Wilshire district that welcomes gay and lesbian parishioners, the Rev. Paul J. Kowalewski said the turmoil caused by Glasspool’s selection — and Robinson’s in 2003 — is worth the trouble.

“Any time the church is on the process of change or growth we’re going to have to take risks,” he said. “If anybody is on the fringes, excluded, we’re not doing our job.”

Recently the Lord has impressed the story of Gideon on my heart
in a profound way and I have been teaching from the lessons in
Gideon’s life that I have been storing in my heart. I was particularly
impacted by noticing that when the Lord took the initiative to
deliver His people, Gideon was hiding in the winepress threshing
wheat, “ignoring” the Midianite enemy who was oppressing God’s
people. This is very similar to today in which the evil powers are
stealing, killing and destroying those around us largely undetected
or resisted as we are directed to do in James 4: 7. Resist the devil
and he will flee from you. The enemy is largely underestimated today.

Possibly his biggest battle was in tearing down his fathers’ and
townsmens’ Baal altar which was a very costly step of faith.
Interestingly, the Midianites were actually defeated (spiritually) at
the very point of his courageous move to eradicate this false
religion, even before ever engaging the enemy. Often the “idol
removal” is the act of faith that opens a door in the heavenlies for
power to deal with outside forces and the powers of darkness that
are gripping many of those that we love and minister to. I have
been pondering about how I can recognize idols in my life. Here is
one warning sign of idolatry that I’ve noticed: it is when anyone
attacks, threatens to remove, or shows disrespect for something
that has become an idol, it provokes anger and stirs us up on the
inside. In Gideons case, his neighbors were more than aroused,
but wanted to kill him. In my observation of a modern-day Gideon
or two, the murder is usually done with the tongue through slander
and gossip.

Probably Gideon could have preached against Baal worship a long
time with only slight opposition, but it was when he decided to
TAKE DECISIIVE ACTION and demolish false religion that his
opposition arose becoming violent. The same will be true for the
Gideon’s of today when directed by God to take a stand against
man-made traditions, unbiblical religious practices or any other
idolatrous form of religion that substitutes for a personal
communion with God. People who are involved in false religion
will usually tolerate us holding a private position (conviction) of
not bowing to man-made tradition and empty Baal-like rituals.

Even some will allow a few of us to teach against religiosity without
a major backlash. However, woe to the one who decides to
ACTUALLY APPLY the clear teaching of the Bible found in
Gideon’s story and begin to dismantle and remove the idols that
have flooded the church. THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BREAKS
LOOSE! We desperately need some Gideons who will understand
that we don’t have a choice in whether or not to pull down idolatry
in the church. True Gideon’s recognize that they either destroy
idols or the idols will come upon them. It’s that simple. It’s not optional.

May God raise up a Gideon band of spiritual warriors annointed
with boldness to live out the charge given to people like Gideon as
well as Jeremiah who was appointed by God to “uproot and tear
down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jer 1:10).

Many today are attempting to build a proper kind of altar to the Lord
without removing the old Baal altar first, which doesn’t work. The
BUILDING AND PLANTING comes after the tearing down.

(Note: Some of these warnings were first written in an article I wrote called “The Trojan Horse.”) This article is an updated understanding based on the current conditions (2007) within the evangelical church in the Western world – G.R.)

Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. The church is those who gather together in His Name to do His Will and spread His Gospel. And truly, that church will not fail. But then, that must mean that most of what we see in Evangelical, post-modern, emerging religious circles is not “the church” but rather a form of religion that has the word trappings of the church but has not the power, nor the mandate, nor the authority that comes only from the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is just a physical shell made up of lost people who for some reason have been drawn to a religious place and religious ideas but have not been drawn into total abandonment to Jesus and surrendered to His absolute Lordship. They are those Paul speaks of who have “a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.” (2 Timothy 3:5) This is why Paul told us to “examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith”(2 Cor.13:5), because obviously, even then you could be in the CHURCH without being in the FAITH. He then gave the criteria: Jesus Christ is IN you, unless you are reprobate. In other words, if Jesus does not live IN you, you are not His. Your life must  belong to Jesus,  lock stock and barrel.

“Accepting” Jesus is a modern invention. As Keith Green used to point out, Jesus doesn’t have a self-image problem where He needs our “acceptance”. We need Him to accept US, and He will only do that when we come to the cross and surrender our old lives. I fear that most of the modern church is a group of nice people who are attracted to the nice ideas of Jesus and family and church but have never been to the altar and cried out for His mercy and forgiveness for their sins and surrendered their lives over to His Lordship. And that, friends, is what being a “Christian” is.

The modern church mix is made up of many people of the first order, who are drawn to the ideas and trappings of church but who are not the surrendered property of Jesus, and those of the second, those who HAVE surrendered to Jesus at some point, but who have grown weary in well-doing and have laid down their mantles as watchmen and simply allowed all the new changes in “church” to come in without examining it, and without contesting the wrong in it, and without taking a stand against the increasing infiltration of occult new age lies, because they are…worn out. And the third group is a small group who know what is coming and who are being marginalized because they raise the warning cry.

In order for the one world order/ one world religion to succeed and make the way for the antichrist to come to power, the first group has to be recognized as the “church”, the second group of real believers need to be neutralized, put to sleep or worn out to be too weak to fight, and the third must be marginalized, criticized, mocked and dismissed so they will no longer be part of the emerging “Church” but will be considered outcasts, extremists and freaks.

This is how it will be accomplished:

1. They will change the vocabulary of the church.

Much like a spiritual Orwellian nightmare, the “antiquated and alienating” language of the church will be replaced with a whole new dictionary of catch-phrase, cute and pithy rhyming bromides, tips and spiritual soundbites, as well as new-age friendly and interchangeable words and phrases. Not acceptable will be the words sin, repentance, the coming of Jesus, tribulation, heaven, eternal life, judgment, the cross, the blood of Jesus, suffering, chastisement, Lord Jesus. Instead, the new dictionary is going to be a mass of herd-thinking, Lemming-following modern words and phrases designed to brainwash and get us all “on the same page” (to use one newspeak phrase), and includes these weak and powerless substitutions for “that old time religion” talk: Paradigm shift, emergent, enlightenment, transformation, seeker-friendly, dialoguing, sacred tribes, (instead of cults and witches and pagans and Satanists) Jesus as Leader and Director (not Lord), Kingdom Now, Kingdom Come, As Above So Below, world changers, dream seekers, vision casting, changing direction or changing our way of thinking (instead of repenting), centering, contemplative prayer, dream catchers, reformation, etc.

Once all the words that have always defined and established the Gospel as not just words but power are eliminated, then this new vocabulary will become like an exclusive language that will make the “old talkers” look like outdated, “unenlightened” and non-progressive spiritual has-beens and relics from a less “transformed” time.

Since the New Age dictionary is the template for all the new emergent “churchspeak”, all the new “emergents” will indeed be on “the same page” – right out of satan’s playbook for absorbing and neutralizing the “church”. It will make that church as powerless as a toothless poodle.

2. They will gut the power of the Word of God. 

This is being done through several very deliberate means. First, they are glutting the Christian marketplace with new translations, most of them based on a spurious text that was disregarded as flawed for centuries, then reworked by two British occultists (Westcott & Hort – check your translation and you may see their names in there) and has been the text that has been pushed as the text on which almost ALL new Bible versions are based, from NIV to New Century. Then they throw in a glut of Bible “transliterations”, which are not translations but just a person’s idea of what they think it means, such as The Message. As the one reliable (KJV) translation becomes a relic that is unwelcome in the Emergent Church, Satan delights on seeing the look of confusion on people’s faces as one verse goes up on Power Point and ten different people have ten different translations that aren’t even close to what is on the screen – and they quietly conclude, “This is confusing. I’ll just stop reading it for myself. “ This is why so few kids ever show up in church with a Bible and just trust that whatever goes up on the screen is okay.

Being that hundreds of references to Jesus’ Lordship, the Cross, sin and the Blood of Jesus are routinely (and often randomly, based on the transliterator’s bias) removed, soon the power and authority of God’s Word will be taken out of the church and left with the few who dare to actually believe it IS God’s perfect Word. This new “church” and new “youth paradigm” will be one that uses scripture only as a “helpful guide”. Kids will no longer be encouraged to “study to show  yourself approved unto God”, but instead will be fed “experience” as more important than the Bible. The power – and the importance – of preaching and teaching will be downplayed and even mocked. This quest for “experience” will be a gateway to massive deception, as one experience opens up to another. Those who challenge the experiences if they do not line up with scripture will be called Bible thumpers, extremists, Pharisees, and those who are limiting the Holy Spirit.

As parents and church leaders stop putting a premium on the Word of God, then kids will simply not take it seriously anymore. An encouragement to “quiet time” will become little more than a scripture bite with “contemplative” activities, “breath prayers”, and other Hindu-drawn devices. The scriptures will become meaningless, or, at most, a nice guide to better living.

How far this is from the sacred Word of God that has cost MILLIONS of believers their LIVES just to possess even a PORTION of it over the centuries.

After enough new Bible versions have filled the church so that while we’re all “on the same page” NO ONE will on the same page, because the pages and words are so different, and when enough “inclusive” language is put in the new Bibles to replace the old, there will come a “new age” version that even Hindus, Buddhists Wiccans and Pagans can accept. And I believe it is already being worked on as I write. By the time it is brought out and hailed as the inclusive, definitive Bible for all ages, those who contend for the purity and authority of the Word of God will be so mocked and dismissed that they will be, to these “new age believers”, nothing more than a joke and an annoyance.

3. They must bring the church into paganization through syncretism.

This is a program-in-progress even now, where, degree by degree, we “lower the bar” of truth in order to let unchurched people gain entrance – not to the Kingdom of God – but to this new church.

In this church, there will be no speaking of the occult or occult practices as “bad”, no talk of other religions as bad, no speaking of Jesus as the only way. It will be the church that only accentuates the positive and eliminates the negative (positive and negative are also big newspeak words in this church), and it will grow exponentially as witches, occultists, homosexuals, radical feminists, socialists, adulterers and pedophiles realize this is a church that asks no questions, raises no standard and requires no repentance. “Come as you are” the new banner, will never add, “Go and sin no more.” There will be no uncomfortability, no challenge, no conviction. This church will be big on works and become the perfect “model” for the one world order who will compel people to “heal the world” rather than prepare for His return. It will be a socialist club that will kiss the face of the Buddhist priest as they fall into eternal hell, join hands with the gay pastor in the pulpit who will go and engage those same hands in detestable and forbidden perversions and they will call him “godly” and thus fill up the blasphemy of the Whore of Babylon and re-establish the Baal prophets and homosexual prostitutes in the very house of God.

As the church is being moved away from expecting a “pie in the sky by and by”, and moved toward a socialistic works oriented religion that will take the place of social programs, it will be moving exactly into the place it was designed to by those who control the Luciferian agenda and do not want to eliminate the evangelical church, but neutralize, co-opt and absorb it. For this Luciferian order does not wish to destroy the world, but to make it a PERFECT world – disease free, poverty free, war-free – only with Lucifer as god and not Jesus as Lord of all. The move for the emergent church to be pushed toward “repairing the world” and be overwhelmingly involved in social and political causes is all part of the plan.

4. Lying Signs and Wonders Are Coming.

As the wall of truth is torn down and a “new wall of understanding and interpreting truth” is put up with untempered mortar, I see a huge crack or gap in the back wall of the church. In the midst of this church will be souls hurting and hungry for the supernatural power of God. (As we should be hungry.) But there will be a multitude who are NOT exercised in the Word of God to discern truth from  lie. They have not been taught, nor do they practice, how to “try the spirits, to see whether they be of God”. They will seek an EXPERIENCE with God (as we should!) but the boundary of truth cannot protect them, and has not been established IN them through years of commitment to the engrafted and written Word.

This will provide a spiritual crack that is going to allow a trickle, then a stream, then a flood of supernatural events to fill this new church. I am grieved and hesitant to say, that I believe much of this is going to come through the new “prophetic” movement.

Now, hear me – I was spiritually raised Pentecostal, I believe in all the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and I believe we need them now more than any time in history. I am both an intercessor and a watchman. I believe, I believe I BELIEVE! – in ALL of God’s Holy Spirit miracle power! And I LONG for it But I am also a former occultist, and I have fought those powers all of my life. And I tell you before God, that Satan can imitate it ALL. I have heard tongues and prophecy and heard Gospel hymns and choruses in a spiritualist church. I have seen demonic healings and lying signs and wonders that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. And I tell you, as much as I see the need for the prophetic and believe much of it is from God, I am seeing that a great deal of it is NOT. It is guessing, speculation, elaborate wordworking, and UNTESTED. The scriptures could not be more plain to “believe not every spirit.” I am concerned because a generation raised and conditioned and bathed in the occult through media and books, CAN NOT NATURALLY DISCERN an occult working from the Holy Spirit! And the door has opened to “satisfy” the “seekers of the supernatural” who do not, because they have not been trained how to, “test the spirits.” They are not being told to test the spirits, lest they be “doubting God” and “limiting the Spirit.” This breach in truth will give way to “lying signs and wonders”, “sanctified” necromancy (that is already happening), meaningless miracles (what purpose does gold dust serve?) and direct “prophecy” from lying spirits. A church “open to anything” is going to fall prey to EVERYTHING.

This particular phase is crucial to those who are “preparing the way” for “the one” as they call him whose coming is with all lying signs and wonders. The “new church” will only see the power he shows and count it as being from God.

Folks, I believe in the real power and miracle supernatural of God more now than I ever have. For that reason I raise this warning. ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOD! Test it ALL!

The final step: Eliminate the Apocalyptic.

NONE of the new age agenda or one world – one religion can succeed unless the biggest obstacle is removed from the evangelical church as it stands: The preaching of the return of Jesus Christ in the clouds, the coming tribulation and the end of all things.

Tribulation, persecution, revelation, the second coming, the rapture, ALL that must be eliminated from vocabulary and preaching and teaching in the “emerging church” if they are to succeed in co-opting the evangelical church. And we’re almost there NOW. Just this morning, I read these frightening words from a “prophetic” conference: “We must stop erroneous thinking to escape with the rapture. Let’s repent of this! Church mentality is RENTING. But God is into owning the whole thing!” (Earth.) Here we see the crux of this new thinking: “Kingdom Now.” “The Kingdom is WITHIN and AMONG you!” “Thy Will be done on earth…NOW.”

Many scriptures are being twisted and de-contextualized to condition the church, not to expect Jesus’ return (at least not from heaven and in the clouds), not to prepare their lamps with oil, but to TAKE OVER. It’s called “dominion theology.” And it is going to send a whole multitude of naïve and non-discerning believers into a trap of thinking they are going to rule on earth but will instead face a prison and persecution of believers such as the world has never seen. I didn’t say it; Jesus did. Read Matthew 24.

A thorough and honest reading of the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that Jesus will return in the clouds, and that the church is to EXPECT Him – to literally “love His appearing.” The words of prophecy concerning the last days are abundant and numerous. So why is it that this generation is completely unfamiliar with all of this? When it the last time you heard a message on Jesus’ return, or last days events, or preparation I fear, for whatever good the “Left Behind” book series did, the damage may be greater, because now, well, it’s all…fiction. Fiction stories.

In order for the coming antichrist agenda to succeed, he must have a church that says, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Peter 3:4) Are we not almost there now? Have not those who preach Jesus’ soon return, who warn of coming tribulation and judgment, been categorized and dismissed as “doomsday preachers”, people to be laughed at and mocked, or at least, have people roll their eyes at them in mild amusement and pity?

Watch for the “emerging church” to rapidly redefine and explain away and change the meaning of all the scriptures that deal with prophecy and the last days. And since most new “church” folks don’t read the Bible for themselves, the issue will rarely even come up.

Rather than pilgrims and strangers whose home is in heaven, who believe to “be with Christ, which is far better”, who know the kingdom is invisible and who know we are not here to” heal the world” but to “call every man to repentance”, this new church will become little more than the relief social agency for this coming world system of antichrist, and whose inclusion in that system will give them a false religious sense of “purpose” and “destiny” and “doing good works”, as they lose the true mandate: to preach the fiery gospel of Jesus because they know that “the end of all things is at hand.”

It is difficult to believe, but the day will come when who Jesus was and is will be so redefined and changed, and what He said about His coming will be so twisted, that the “man of peace” may come, and many of these new “emergent” church believers will say, “We got it wrong! He HAS come back, just not as we thought! He’s come back as a human, and he’s got the love, and the miracles, and the power to prove it!” And thus the deception – and the way – for the end of things – will be complete and ready to begin the final countdown.

I cannot bring myself to end this on a positive note, lest I detract from the gravity of what I have written and been shown. I will only say, to those who have ears to hear, hold your ground; be strong; behave like men and women of the living God; put on all your armor, watch, and earnestly contend for the faith that was delivered to you; keep your bags packed and hold everything lightly in your hands; preach the uncompromised word that makes people sweat, get angry, and walk away or repent and weep and get saved; do not compromise; prepare for hard times; and look up and REJOICE, because your redemption is drawing nigh!

Man the outposts! Hold the line. Be the warrior. Do not back down. Stand firm in the truth, and the gates of hell WILL NOT PREVAIL against those who stand and fight to the last!<

Gregory R Reid

 AP

JERUSALEM – Israel hardened its insistence that it would do anything it felt necessary to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb — an implied warning that it would consider a pre-emptive strike– just the ultimatum the United States hoped not to hear as it tried to nudge Iran to the bargaining table.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reassured Israel Monday that the new Obama administration was not naive about Iran’s intentions, and that Washington would press for new, tougher sanctions against the Iranians if they balk. He didn’t say what those might include.

But Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak used a brief news conference with Gates to insist three times that Israel would not rule out any response.

“We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table,” Barak said. “This is our policy. We mean it. We recommend to others to take the same position, but we cannot dictate it to anyone.”

The question of how to deal with Iran’s rapid nuclear advancement has become a notable public difference between the new administrations in Jerusalem and Washington, despite overall close relations. Israel considers itself the prime target of any eventual Iranian bomb.

Iran says it is merely trying to develop nuclear reactors for domestic power generation. Israeli leaders fear the U.S. prizes its outreach to Iran over its historic ties to Israel and appears resigned to the idea that Iran will soon be able to build a nuclear weapon.

Obama says he has accepted no such thing. Still, the United States argues that an Israeli attack against Iran would upset the fragile security balance in the Middle East, perhaps triggering a new nuclear arms race and leaving everyone, including Israel and Iran, worse off.

Gates emphasized areas of agreement with Israel, including that the offer of talks with Iran must not be open-ended.

Later, in neighboring Jordan, Gates was blunt in describing what Iran might expect if it refuses the offer of international arms control talks this year, or walks away from Obama’s wider offer of better relations with Washington.

“If the engagement process is not successful, the United States is prepared to press for significant additional sanctions,” Gates said. He added that the U.S. would try to abandon the current policy of gradual international pressure, where layers of generally mild sanctions have been added each time Iran has flouted international demands.

“We would try to get international support for a much tougher position,” Gates said.

“Our hope remains that Iran would respond to the president’s outstretched hand in a positive and constructive way, but we’ll see.”

Gates’ brief stop in Israel was part of a parade of top Washington officials visiting Israel this week, with Iran and the expansion of Jewish settlements on Arab land the main topics. In each case, the Obama administration is taking a harder line with Israel than the positions taken by President George W. Bush.

Obama’s special Mideast envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, was the first U.S. official to arrive, largely to discuss U.S.-Israeli differences over the settlements. Gates will be followed Wednesday by National Security Adviser James Jones and his deputy, Mideast and Iran specialist Dennis Ross, both expected to press for Israeli cooperation on Iran. Gates met with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman after leaving Israel on Monday.

Mitchell urged Israel to start “dealing with difficult issues like settlements.” At the same time, he urged Arab nations to take “genuine steps” toward normalizing ties with Israel.

The differences over Iran come on top of U.S.-Israeli disagreements over the Mideast peace process — particularly Washington’s calls for a halt to Israeli settlement building. The Obama administration is having to press Israel on multiple fronts at once, complicating its diplomacy as it makes a major push to revive Arab-Israeli negotiations.

All this comes at a time when Washington’s policy of dialogue with Iran itself has hit an impasse because of that country’s election turmoil.

A more cooperative Iran is important for the Mideast peace drive. With its links to Hamas and Hezbollah militants, Iran is capable of heightening tensions in Israel and the Palestinian territories. At the same time, an Israeli strike on Iran would probably push Arab nations away from any peace gestures toward Israel, despite their own rivalries with Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “reiterated the seriousness (with) which Israel views Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the need to utilize all available means to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability,” Netanyahu’s office said following his meeting with Gates.

While the United States also reserves the right to use force if need be, the Obama administration is playing down that possibility while it tries to draw Iran into talks. Gates said Washington still hopes to have an initial answer in the fall about negotiations.

“The timetable the president laid out still seems to be viable and does not significantly raise the risks to anybody,” Gates said in Israel.

Both Barak and Gates said time is short. Other officials have said Iran is perhaps one to three years away from being able to build a nuclear weapon.

Copyright Associated Press

First Published: Jul 28, 2009 12:55 AM EDT

By Riley Reade

Take Back What The World Has Stolen!

What did he say? Take back what the world has stolen? If you have never had someone use that line as an excuse to keep the world in the same room as the church then count yourself blessed. We are experiencing an entire new form of Christianity today and a new method of Christian thinking and philosophy, I call it “Christianization”. It is the idea that Christians can take things that were once considered sinful and change them into a new “cool” Christian expression or thing.

1 Peter 1:14-16

¹⁴As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

¹⁵But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

¹⁶Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy\

My favorite is the new fad of “Christian tattooing” that has been on the rise in the youth of today and in recent “Revivalists”.  People who undergo this process first often look to find other Christians who believe the same as they. Then after having a five-minute conversation about “why it’s ok to have a tattoo” they cover their ears and get their own. Later, if asked how they know its ok, they usually exclaim something like “God confirmed it to me”. Yea Right. I’ve learned that people that want to get a tattoo never are interested in researching the history of them. I tell them they can see from history it was never of God. They say, “That’s interesting” and then the next day they have a new picture of Jesus on their chest. Sounds like they had already made their decision long ago, it’s called “Pet sins”. When everything else is a sin, your one chosen favorite hand-picked sin can now become OK. That seems to be a popular fad in this “Christianization”.

“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

 Leviticus 19:28

This verse not being so “clear-cut” to some, tells me the LORD glorifies in no marks upon us. When looked at from the “pet-sinners” point of view, they tell how the verse is specifically saying that unless you get a tattoo for the dead, it is perfectly fine. What? They expect the bible to list every form of sin in the whole world. Another new fad of this movement is “If it’s not specially dealt with in the bible, it’s ok”.  A quote from a “Christian” tattooing website explains their reasoning like this:

“As no one with a Christian tattoo is trying to pacify a pagan deity, it is safe to say this verse is not relevant to us (1)”.

First, they make the wrong generalization that no one has this intention. Second, they ignore the fact that changing the name of it doesn’t change the intentions that the tattoo was created for.  These are the same kind of “Christians” that will try to defend participating in Halloween. But sadly, just because you change it in your mind, doesn’t change the fact that you are participating in something that means the opposite.

I like to tell people that the term “Christian tattoo” is an oxymoron. I ask them what they would think if I told them I was going to go smoke some “Christian drugs’. They reply, “That’s not the same thing!” when really it is. Salt water can’t exist with fresh water, just as sin can’t exist with holiness.  A Christian tattoo isn’t any more Christian than “Christian” metal music. What a joke!

If it looks the like world, talks like the world, and acts like the world, it is the world. Instead of letting the Holy Spirit do what He wants to, we just take our old lusts and passion and “convert” them to make it easier for us and to attract pagans. We love our prideful man schemes don’t we? We love to get all the glory. That’s what we say when we use things as coffee bars, and concert worship to deceive the lost into thinking that Jesus is not that weird. It’s a game. A sick religious game in which a member counts how many hands go up in a service and then boasts about it to other members playing the same game. While the Holy Spirit is bored and grieved, we stay comfortable and lukewarm: A horrible tradeoff.

You can’t have the best of both worlds. Either ditch your sin, or ditch Christ!

1. bible support for tatoos. religioustatoos.net. [Online] [Cited: 5 7, 2009.] http://www.religioustattoos.net/Bible_Support/index.php#leviticus.

 

UFOs are real, they’re just not from=2 0outer space.  So says Chuck Missler in his informative book, Alien Encounters: The Secret Behind the UFO Phenomenon.  Missler is convinced that the alleged aliens publicized these days are demonic forces, and equates them convincingly with the angels that co-habited with women in Genesis 6.

Stay with me for these few paragraphs and see if your curiosity isn’t piqued just a bit.  Granted, there are many details we don’t know about the pre-flood days, but in my opinion, Missler’s hypothesis fills in a lot of gaps (Matt. 24:37).

Think about it.  The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psal m 19:1).  But talk of UFOs and aliens from outer space doesn’t glorify God.  To the contrary; you’d be very surprised at what they DO glorify.

For instance, these alleged extraterrestrials are big proponents of a new world order.  According to Missler, “Throughout the history of alleged extraterrestrial contact there is one theme that dominates ETs’ messages to mankind.  In order to survive, we must unify our resources into a global society, with a world governing body and global religion.”  Sound familiar?

He then cites Brad Steiger, author of the book, The Fellowship:  “Contactees have been told that the Space Beings hope to guide Earth to a period of great unification . . . The Space Beings also seek to bring about a single, solidified government, which will conduct itself on spiritual principles . . .”

Missler’s conviction that these beings are demons is further strengthened by the fact that these alleged aliens are “coincidentally” concerned with the exact same philosophies espoused by the New Age movement!  He says a vast majority of abductees “have shown an interest in paranormal activities, Eastern religions, and New Age world-view.  A large percentage of abductees have also reported a history of involvement with Ouija boa rds, astrology, witchcraft, astral projection, telepathic communication, channeling, past life regressions, and the like.”

In fact, apparently “one of the more common sources of information from extraterrestrials comes through channelers.  Channeling [a practice prolific among followers of the New Age movement] is a process whereby an individual (the channel) allows him or herself to be entered or spoken through by a spiritual entity [read: demon].”

Missler also cites Jacques Vallee, world-renowned UFO researcher, who says, “The structure of abduction stories [is] identical to that of occult initiation rituals.”  These issues may seem far out, but they are germane to the subject of the end-times, which an increasing number of Christians believe we’re living in right now!

And speaking of the end-times, I just have to share this with you.  Apparently these ETs have a plan to “evacuate the millions of people who are ‘out of vibration’ with Earth Mother!”  I kid you not!  According to Missler, ET officionados explain that, “extraterrestrials will ‘beam up’ or levitate these individuals into hundreds of cloaked alien ships that are currently surrounding the Earth.  When the global situation reaches a crisis point on Earth, they will evacuate these people in a ‘twinkling of an eye.’”  Apparently Satan feels an intense need to expla in where millions of us have gone after the fact.

Admittedly, this is a subject that generates a lot of discussion!  Some may say this is strange Star Wars or Twilight Zone talk, but it is actually thought-provoking apologetics to contemplate.  But our central focus right now must continue to be to warn our loved ones of the danger looming over our world and to reach those who are lost with the good news of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ – while we still have time!

The Bible says there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven in the last days (Luke 21:11).  I find it intriguing that the escalation of UFO activity began in 1948.  Even back then the demonic world sensed that the rebirth of Israel was a sign that the time was short.

Take heart, friend!  A good and perfect20world government is coming — the reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.  If you know Jesus Christ personally you – as I – will be reigning with Him (Rev. 20:6)!  At that time Satan and his minions will be bound for a thousand years, summarily squashed in one last attempt to overthrow the King of kings, and then banished to the lake of fire for eternity.

Look up (Luke 21:28).  Our redemption is coming!!

To better understand these kinds of issues, check out our Newswatch category on Spiritual Deception.

Be sure to check our “Radio Archives” for two of the most cutting-edge hours of radio aired live this past weekend. Brannon Howse and Jerry Robinson spoke the truth about where America is at right now, and where we are headed.

Journalist and pastor debate restoration for disgraced revivalist Todd Bentley. 

Collin Hansen

March 23, 2009

After ducking scrutiny that followed the Lakeland Revival’s abrupt end in August 2008, Todd Bentley resurfaced this month. The Canadian Pentecostal disappeared from the public eye in August after filing for separation from his wife. Issuing a statement through the pastor overseeing his restoration process, Bentley said he was “sorry for the hurt and confusion that my decisions have caused the body of Christ.” He indicated that he was pursuing a return to ministry in order to “fulfill God’s call on my life.”

Bentley fell even faster than he had climbed to prominence in 2008. He became a viral sensation during a healing revival that ran 100 consecutive nights and attracted 30,000 visitors per week. His renown spread with reports of his unusual healing tactics and claims that he had raised 25 people from the dead, all over the phone. But the Florida-based event could not survive Bentley’s divorce and mounting criticism. One critic, Charisma editor J. Lee Grady, faulted Bentley for sending the charismatic movement into a “tailspin.” He quoted an anonymous Pentecostal evangelist who said, “I’m now convinced that a large segment of the charismatic church will follow the Antichrist when he shows up because they have no discernment.”

Grady said he groaned when he learned from the March 9 statement what Bentley had done since August. After divorcing his wife, Shonnah, he married Jessa Hasbrook, a former intern. The statement provided no update on Bentley’s ex-wife. Grady also found fault with how Bentley’s ministry was characterized by Rick Joyner, who once counseled Jim Bakker and has taken Bentley under his wing.

From Grady’s perspective, gifts trumped his character in Joyner’s decision to aid Bentley’s return to ministry. The ends seemed to justify the means. “From the time I first met him nearly ten years ago,” Joyner said of Bentley, “I knew that he had an extraordinary purpose and a gift of faith for the miraculous that would be desperately needed in these times.” He closed the statement with an appeal for funds to launch Fresh Fire USA, Bentley’s new ministry, now headquartered at Joyner’s church in South Carolina.

“As we have been constantly reminded, the Lord had great patience with sinners, but He had none for the self-righteous,” Joyner said, anticipating the inevitable criticism for his work with Bentley. “We’re all here because He had mercy on us, and we know we still need it. However, we also know that true repentance and restoration can only come if we refuse to compromise the clear biblical standards for morality and integrity.”

Joyner’s argument hardly placated Grady. “What is most deplorable about this latest installment in the Bentley scandal is the lack of true remorse,” Grady responded. He wondered how Bentley could accept responsibility for his share of the divorce and not repent of his decision to pursue the relationship with Hasbrook and marry her soon thereafter. And he asked why Bentley had not sought reconciliation with his first wife. Then Grady’s argument escalated.

“Many Christians today have rejected biblical discipline and adopted a sweet, spineless love that cannot correct,” Grady said. “Our grace is greasy. No matter what an offending brother does, we stroke him and pet him and nurse his wounds while we ignore the people he wounded. No matter how heinous his sin, we offer comforting platitudes because, after all, who are we to judge?”

Joyner and Grady’s exchange raises a host of questions about the nature of forgiveness and qualifications for ministry. Their public debate was intensely personal. Admitting he had no time for tact, Joyner took issue with Grady’s qualifications for judging. In so doing, he seemed to confirm Grady’s cause for concern about ends justifying means. “If you are such [a] judge of this what gives you the credentials?” Joyner asked Grady on March 12. “What moves of God have you led? What have you built?” He went so far as to allege that Grady’s judgment matched Bentley’s infidelity in the economy of sin.

Joyner’s indignation reflects a common misconception about judgment. Elsewhere he faults Grady for violating Matthew 18 and airing his concern publicly before going to Bentley personally. But this pattern for church discipline, taught by Jesus himself, presupposes that local church leaders will need to hold one another accountable to God’s standards. Similarly, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:12, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” Christians must judge one another in this way to preserve the church’s moral witness and warn one another against sin.

But if church leaders will judge the body of Christ in order to protect it, they must be marked by godly character. And that’s exactly the standard for leadership that Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. As they represent God in positions of authority, overseers must demonstrate God’s communicable attributes, including love, patience, and fidelity. In a Christian of godly character, gifting such as knowledge, prophecy, or teaching brings glory to God alone. It does not exalt the gifted but the Gift Giver.

As Joyner suggests, King David’s example shows us that God can still do mighty things with great sinners. But does God want us to learn from David’s story that infidelity should be no impediment to ministry? God deposed other leaders, including Saul, when they had sinned against him. He spared David this fate because of the covenant he initiated to preserve the David kingdom forever (2 Sam. 7:14-16), culminating in Jesus. The outcome of David’s life warns us against learning the wrong lessons. David’s sin undermined his leadership permanently. His son Absalom rebelled and chased the king from the city of David (2 Sam. 15).

To be sure, God’s Word commands Christians to forgive, because God has forgiven them (Col. 3:13). But this forgiveness does not trump judgment as properly exercised in church discipline. And it cannot erase the temporal consequences of sin. Character, not gifting, is a leader’s most important asset. This is the means God has ordained to accomplish his ends.

Collin Hansen is a CT editor at large and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists.

Copyright © 2009 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

“There is another video of Rick Joyner speaking on the topic of Todd Bentley while in Knoxville, Tennessee.” 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLe2ojhUIr0&feature=related

A few “highlights”: At the 1:45 mark, Rick says that Todd will be back bigger and better than ever. Around the 3:10 mark, speaking of Todd’s critics, Rick says that it would be better to be a false prophet than to be an unrighteous judge. At the 4:00 mark he quotes Bob Jones who said that Lakeland was just “a preview of things to come.” Oh boy!

Article by Rick Hiebert from here, March 14th 2009:

“At last, new trophy wife in tow, Todd Bentley, the Canadian evangelist who has been having many problems over the past year (to put it lightly) has entered rehabilitation. Over seven months after the collapse of his internationally famous revival in the U.S., he has at last gotten around to going to North Carolina to come under the mentoring of charismatic leader Rick Joyner. Mr. Joyner is to help him return to ministry. Yet, already, in the annoucements and videos that are coming out with Mr. Bentley, there’s more backspin than at a convention of billiards players evident, which is not a good omen for those hoping that Mr. Bentley can return to his work with integrity and a good character.

As videos began to be released a couple of days ago, there was a flurry of commentary and a bit of news coverage. Blogger Miriam Franklin has already weighed in with several pointed critical posts on Mr. Joyner and Mr. Bentley.  I’d definitely agree with her on one point she has made, namely that people are concentrating too much on Mr. Bentley’s divorce and quickie remarriage to Jessa, whose affair with the evangelist seems to be the proxinate cause of the “Lakeland revival”. Not so. The affair was a symptom not a cause.  That is to say, Mr. Bentley had a character problem that exhibited itself in lying from the pulpit about, for example, raising people from the dead. There were some aberrant, heretical things being said and done at Lakeland. And he was canoodling with a younger, prettier intern while his wife was either watching the kids or taking the pulpit herself to promote what her husband was doing. Marrying Jessa will likely not fix what leads to these sorts of actions.

My blogging friend Bene Diction makes an excellent point in a post that notes that many prominent charismatic groups and churches are slumping in the amount of people that are logging on to their sites. This relates to several things that I have been seeing on The Elijah List, an e-list that caters to charismatics, to the effect that people with alleged prophetic insight are commenting that God will bring Christians through the current economic woes, or bless them in amazing ways financially. There are reports of layoffs at ministries, and the tone of requests for donations has been stepped up. All this backs up Bene Diction’s suspicion that there may be a lot of pressure to get Bentley out on the road prematurely so, as the “star” of the “Lakeland revival”, he can start to draw the crowds again.

Mr. Joyner’s first letter, announcing that Bentley and new wife had arrived, also noted that Mr. Bentley has a new ministry, Fresh Fire USA, which is organized under Mr. Joyner’s own ministry for now. Those wanting to help Mr. Bentley were offered Fresh Fire USA’s address. So, I had to smile when religion editor Frank Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat, on his religious news blog, titled his note on Mr. Bentley’s restoration process: process: “Sorry about the adultery. Please send $$$” .

Charisma, the magazine of record for charismatic Christians in the U.S., is covering this too. Their own story has an intestesting note. At the tail end of Bentley’s time in Florida, a team of charismatic leaders and ministers lead by C. Peter Wagner held a special commissioning service for Bentley which was broadcast worldwide via Internet, in which the “Revival Alliance” members predicted that Bentley would go from success to success. They welcomed Bentley as a member of their group and even gave him a special ring, but Charisma’s story quotes Revival Alliance member John Arnott (known for pastoring the “Toronto Blessing” in the 1990s) as saying that Bentley is no longer considered a “member in good standing” of their group. Mr. Wagner and Mr. Arnott revealed some of Bentley’s misdeeds in the aftermath of his leaving the revival, so Mr. Bentley has evidently decided to form alliances with those who are more sympathtic to him, such as Mr. Joyner.

Mr. Joyner features in another Charisma item as well. Charisma editor J. Lee Grady, in his latest column, is disgusted with the rush to bring Bentley back too quickly, calling it a “travesty”. Mr. Grady is righteously indignant, but what I find telling is Mr. Joyner’s response. He writes, in part:

Lee, I love some of the things you write, but I also feel that some are straight from the mouth of the accuser.

I’ll need to translate this for non-Christians. Mr. Joyner is referring to Revelation 12:10 which mentions that Satan is the “accuser of the brethren” (i.e. christians). So, what Mr. Joyner is saying here is that Mr. Grady, editor of a charismatic Christian magazine, is channeling Satan, basically.

It should go without saying that if you are a professing Christian, one of the worst possible insults that you could use would be to say that your opponent is being used by the devil as a ventriliquist dummy.

One would think that “fighting dirty” would be abhorrent for a Christian such as Mr. Joyner.

Mr. Joyner, as the conservative site Apologetics Index notes has a history of doing other things that would raise the eyebrows of many Christians. He has a reputation of being “prophetic” and having special insight from the Lord, but non-Christian sceptics would no doubt be amused that he occasionally sees through a glass very darkly, such as his prediction of Los Angeles being levelled by an earthquake and nuclear bombs in the 1990s.

Mr. Joyner’s occasional intemperance, as exhibited in his response to Mr. Grady, may also be shown in one of his famous prohetic words, in his book The Final Quest,  about the “Blues and the Grays”. He predicts a coming civil war in Christianity, with the winning side (of which Mr. Joyner is a part, of course) defeats the Christians who have been misled by Satan being defeated and removed from their positions of authority in the church. We must “remove the cancer from our midst” he writes in his book. (I wonder, given the violence waged between Christians in history, and in our own time, whether it is appropriate to share these sorts of visions in public. Certainly, Christians should “contend for the faith”, but so sadly, they do not need encouragment to turn to violence in the direst of circumstances.)

I note these things and note that Mr. Bentley, when not kneeing cancer victims in the stomach, has often delighted in telling his audiences about times that he has kicked old ladies in the head with his biker boot and such. (As I write, some of these stories are preserved on YouTube.) Amongst the fruits of the Holy Spirit that should be exhibited by an evangelist such as Mr. Bentley are meekness, gentleness and self-control. I have to ask whether Mr. Bentley’s mentor, Mr. Joyner, would be effective in advising him here when Mr. Joyner himself–this week–accuses his opponents of speaking on Satan’s behalf, and cherishes visions of winning a “war in the church”. Yes, often the flawed have to help the flawed, but this is not promising.

On to the videos that have been released to explain Mr. Bentley’s rehabilitation process. The first video from Mr. Joyner’s ministry has Mr. Bentley himself as a guest. I’m posting a copy of most of the first video that has been saved on YouTube in case the videos start to disappear from Mr. Joyner’s own website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCMDrAUvaPU&eurl=http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2009/03/mr-bentley-enters-his-rehab.html

Some things that jump out at me:

1. You’ll notice that Mr. Bentley is full of talk of mistakes and errors, but never mentions the word “sin”. Even Jimmy Swaggart had the grace to cry “I have sinned,” when he next appeared before the public after he sinned.

Not that people would demand a pound of flesh, of course. But talk of sin and sinning would indicate that Mr. Bentley is a lot more serious about making things right than his critics think that he is. The evangelist already has the problem that it took him over half a year to begin this supposedly important process, so he needs to be seen to be taking it seriously.

2. I don’t really believe that in an age of fax, e-mail and videoconferencing that it was impossible for Mr. Bentley to be working on his visa appeal with the U.S. custonms officials while moving to North Carolina. I’m sure that it is done all the time for compassionate reasons, for example. I sincerely doubt that it would be impossible as Mr. Bentley implies.

3. As a Canadian, I am a little dismayed to hear Mr. Bentley say this:

“….Shonnah’s doing everything she can to help with my immigration process….”

It would appear that Mr. Bentley is tring to become a landed immigrant or even a U.S. citizen. No points for guessing that his marriage to Jessa was designed to help with this.

If we grant for a moment that Mr. Bentley’s faith, giftings and burden to convert non-Christians are valid, this is sad. Yes, Canadian christians have been moving to the U.S. to pursue their calling since Aimee Semple McPherson, but the United States already has so many ministers and so much resources. If Mr. Bentley is who he says he is, the church in Canada needs people like him. Of course, his critics would say that Mr. Bentley should not let the door hit him on the behind as he leaves Canada. But the need is acute. If Mr. Bentley’s style of faith-healing evangelism is what is needed, then it is particularly sad that he never devoted much effort to the nearest major city to where he lived, Vancouver. (The last time that he himself ministered in the city was at a medium sized church over five years ago.)

Of course, Mr. Benley’s citics could question how committed Mr. Bentley was committed to “revival” in Canada’s cities and towns in the first place, based on his decision to move.

4. Mr. Bentley, 7:30 into the video, starts talking about how he dealt with problems as an unsaved teenager:

“….That old [sin] nature in you is when you hurt someone, you just want to give up and run away from the whole thing. That’s how I dealt with pain as I grew up as a child. If I was hurt or rejected or I disappointed my mother or disappointed my father, I just packed up and moved to the next town. When I burned all the bridges there, I just packed up and moved. This time we want to deal with everything square in the face….”

Let’s follow his logic. Mr. Bentley says that it is sinful, or at least immature, to deal with problems by running away from them. This is after he has divorced his wife and not only “packed up and moved to the next town” but moved to the next country. He has “burned all his bridges” with his ex-wife, turning in for a new model, instead of “dealing with everything square in the face” of Shonnah Bentley, his first wife.

How can you teach someone to stand and deal with their problems when they have just run away from most of them? What is preventing Todd Bentley from packing up and giving up on Mr. Joyner’s restoration process when by implication, spending the past few months running from everything that is painful to deal with is quite all right?

Did Mr. Joyner even try to persuade Mr. Bentley to stay with his wife and kids and stay in Canada?

5. An offhand remark of Mr. Bentley’s at the 8:55 mark will raise some eyebrows:

“There’s so much that I’ve learned on all this. There’s triumph. There’s tragedy. And, you know, there’ll be a message. Ther’ll be a whole series of messages….”

Tragedy I can understand. Triumph? The only triumph that there would be is Christ somehow cleaning up the pig’s breakfast that the evangelist has made, but the “restoration process” has only just started. Rather, are we seeing a “triumph of the will” specifically Todd Bentley’s will? He got the wife he wanted. He got the parenting situation that worked best for him. He got a very sympathetic mentor to counsel him. He has a lot that he wants, and that might not be good for him.

Watching this video may bring a sense that Mr. Bentley is not being asked to be serious about his mistakes. This is an unease that is shared, according to Cary McMullen of the Lakeland Ledger newspaper, who has done a lot of great reporting on Mr. Bentley’s revival and its aftermath. In a post on the reaction to the plans to restore Mr. Bentley in “Pentecostal circles”, McMullen notes that many seem to fear that “this is just further evidence that Bentley and his supporters are frauds”.

Mr. Bentley and Mr. Joyner have their work cut out for them. If they are truly wanting to do the right thing, there is a lot of scepticism to deal with. Well-founded scepticism, I am afraid.”

Article from here 

THOUSANDS of people have flocked to a Roman Catholic church on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion after believers said they saw the “face of Christ” in the pleats of a church cushion.

Church officials limited access to the Jesus-Misericordieux church in eastern Saint-Andre’s Cambuston district to a few minutes per visitor as traffic in the area ground to a halt.

Believers and curious onlookers pulled out cameras to take pictures of the cushion attached to the priest’s chair.

Antoinette, an 82-year-old parishioner, said the face was a “divine phenomenon” as tears welled up her eyes.

“This church is a holy site,” added Lise-May, another worshipper.

Saint-Andre authorities put up four tents outside the church on Saturday afternoon so the faithful could follow mass.

A group of about 30 parishioners who had joined a Christian ceremony ahead of the Easter holiday had been the first to notice the particular setting of the cushion.

This is not a miracle, it’s a sign of God,” said parish priest Daniel Gavard.

Reunion Bishop Gilbert Aubry has so far not commented on the occurrence which came within days of outbursts of violence over the high cost of living on the island whose economy depends on tourism and subsidies from the French state. 

By David Wilkerson
June 22, 1998
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For some time I have prophesied that America is about to be stricken with an economic holocaust. Now, lately, I’ve become convinced that one of two scenarios could take place:

1. There could be a sudden “warning blowout” – perhaps a 1,000- or more point drop in the stock market. After a brief period of alarm, the market may rebound. When it does, investors will convince themselves it has made a correction. And once again the general outlook will be, “The sky’s the limit!”

Tragically, this attitude will lead to a kind of euphoria never before seen in America. There could be wild economic speculating – and it could shoot the market into the stratosphere.

2. On the other hand, the stock market or bond markets may dive overnight with no rebound at all. If so, we would see a daily retreat among investors – because everyone will recognize America has been hit with a full-blown market crash. At that point, total panic will set in. And we’ll know our nation has entered a period of divine judgment – because we’ll take a precipitous, sudden slide into chaos.

What is the reason for this judgment? It will come as God’s wrath upon a nation that has shed rivers of innocent blood! In the Old Testament, the prophets warned the nation of Judah that judgment would come because of just such blood-shedding.

“Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon” (2 Kings 24:3-4).

Manasseh’s blood-shedding was only a tiny rivulet compared to the ocean of blood shed by abortionists in America. Add to that the blood of thousands of innocent people killed by drunk drivers, gunfire, murder. Then add the blood of children killed by other children – innocent lives cut down by those who have no sense of right or wrong.

The Bible makes it clear: God will not pardon the shedding of innocent blood. He will send judgment!

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The Lord Is Shaking the
World All Around Us!

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Right now, a divine shaking is taking place around the globe:

• Indonesia’s economy has crumbled. When that nation’s leader, Suharto, resigned under pressure, the rupiah collapsed, sending the 13,700 – island empire into a depression. In just six months, Indonesia went from unprecedented prosperity to utter ruin and chaos.
• South Korea is slipping even deeper into a depression. And Japan is sinking further into its deep financial hole. At last count, eight of that nation’s highest-ranking financial leaders had committed suicide. And now a shaking has begun in Thailand.
• Russia is about to default on its international loans. Multitudes of workers haven’t been paid in months. And now, as the depression spreads, a revolution is brewing.
• Argentina, Brazil and Mexico all are in deep financial trouble. Mexico is experiencing a severe drought, which has contributed to that nation’s raging forest fires. The clouds of smoke have covered the skies of Texas and other western states.

Please hear me – this is not all just doomsday talk from a disconsolate preacher. These are facts. You can read about them in any newspaper from the past several months. God is shaking the world all around us – and soon he’s going to shake America worse than he’s shaken these nations. Why? We have shed more innocent blood!

I’ve brought up this scenario before, but it bears repeating here: One day soon, when the crash strikes suddenly and fear spreads across the nation, the President will stand silently in the Oval Office, staring out the window. He’ll be panic-stricken – at a complete loss for words – because of the economic upheaval.

Finally, he’ll turn to his gathering of advisers – the leaders of our nation, including the chairman of the Federal Reserve – and he’ll ask: “What happened? How did it all come crashing down? And what can we do now?”

His questions will be met with stony silence. No one will be able to explain what caused the panic. Instead, everyone will wonder aloud, “The indicators were all positive. Inflation was under control. The economy was on track. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Beloved, America is facing God’s judgment – and we will never be the same! In the days to come, literally hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their homes. Why? They’ve leveraged them with equity loans, so they could play the stock market and try to strike it rich!

Right now, 43 million Americans are deeply invested in the market, with $1 ½ to 2 trillion committed by individual investors. Thousands of these investors have actually quit their jobs so they can stay at home and play the market on their computers.

I tell you, the stock market has become America’s golden calf! People see it as a financial savior, and they worship it daily – trusting in it, depending on it, giving it all their energy and attention. But it’s going to fall suddenly – and none of the small, individual investors will be spared. They’ll suffer the most, losing their homes, their cars – everything!

In the wake of the crash, we’re going to see a wave of “assisted suicides.” The masses who were driven by money and success won’t be able to endure the failure and poverty they face. Many will opt for suicide – including corporate leaders.

Yet the coming judgment won’t mean the end of American society. It will, however, mean a severe humbling of our nation, through a long, terrifying period of chaotic conditions – including rioting, looting and burning in our major cities.

I must ask you: Are you prepared for what is coming? If not, are you acting now to get ready? When I speak of being ready, where do your thoughts take you? Do you think immediately of investments, bank accounts, survival plans, safety for your family?

In the past months, our ministry’s offices have been inundated with newsletters and prophetic warnings suggesting how Christians can prepare for dark times. However, most of these messages concern personal safety and survival. They advise, “Stockpile dried foods, long-burning candles, kerosene lanterns, warm clothes, blankets, medical supplies, a battery-powered radio…”

I don’t have a problem with anyone who chooses to do these things. After all, scripture tells us the prudent person prepares for a time of crisis. I think of the patriarch Joseph, who wisely spent seven years preparing for a prophesied famine.

But there is a problem underlying such approaches to the coming chaos. Indeed, if there is one thing God despises, it is when his children face the future with fear. It angers him to see believers panicking, stockpiling, hoarding, hiding – in fear and distrust of our heavenly father’s care.

Of course, God often hides his people in times of chaos. Jesus himself warned the citizens of Jerusalem to flee when they saw the Chaldeans approaching. And God has been faithful to hide persecuted Christians throughout history. In this century, he hid many Jews during Hitler’s awful purges, often using Christians to do so. The Hiding Place is a wonderful, modern-day story of God’s keeping power in this regard.

Yet I believe it is much more important today for American Christians to focus on spiritual preparation – or, spiritual “hiding” – before the coming storm hits. Let me tell you why.

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The Coming Chaos Is Going
To Open to the Church -Ministry Opportunities -Beyond Any We’ve Ever Seen!

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If you’ve studied the history of revivals in America, you may know about the “laymen’s revival” of the 1850s. It began in a church in downtown New York City. A lay Christian started a noon prayer meeting at the church, and right away the sanctuary was filled. Moreover, the meetings were marked by fervent praying and weeping.

Why did these meetings draw great crowds in such a short time? It was because most of those in attendance were the suddenly unemployed, panic-stricken workers and businessmen who’d lost their jobs overnight because of a stock-market crash. At that time, there was no societal safety net in place – no Social Security, no unemployment checks, no insurance. These out-of-work men were afraid – so they turned to prayer.

Most churches in New York City at the time had abandoned any prayer meetings. But soon they had to open their doors again, due to the many requests from troubled people who had no one to turn to. Likewise, in the chaotic days ahead, multitudes of Americans will be driven to prayer out of sheer desperation. Here at Times Square Church, we’re preparing to hold prayer meetings every day of the week.

I believe that when the coming storm hits with full fury, and the nation is reeling with panic and fear, people will flee all false gospels and feel-good churches. Christians will forget about gospel entertainment and Christian TV, and they’ll start demanding hard truth. They’ll flock to hear godly pastors, demanding the true word of God. Their cry will be, “Who will preach to us a prophetic, life-changing word?”

I’ve been asked many times, “Do you believe we’ll see a great revival in these last days – especially during the hard times you say are coming?”

Yes, you can be sure a great revival is coming. But it won’t be what we think of as revival today. No one will be laughing or making animal noises in that fierce day of reckoning. No, the only kind of revival that will meet the needs of this society – shaken to its core with fear and terror – will be a revival of Holy Ghost-sent truth!

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God’s Answer to Every Apostasy,
Crisis, Turmoil and Chaotic Time
Is Always This: A Fresh Revelation
of the Risen Christ!

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When the Holy Ghost moves in, what will be the manifestations of his work? Jesus identified the ministry of the Holy Spirit as follows:

“The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (16:13).

Jesus says the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of truth – and he bears witness only to truth. He won’t bear witness to any erroneous gospel or fleshly manifestation. He is wedded to the cross – to the gospel of grace that teaches us to forsake iniquity. And he will bear witness to the truth that emanates from Christ’s work on the cross.

Sadly, many charismatic Christians today talk much about being Spirit-filled – but they are totally bankrupt of truth. They’re not intimate with Christ – and so they don’t know how to draw on his strength in truth. They don’t tremble at the truth of his word. They don’t know how to walk in his resurrection power or live wholly dependent on him. Instead, they twist, manipulate and misinterpret his word to accommodate their flesh.

Jesus said we are not to tremble in fear at the awful things coming upon our nation. But we are to tremble in holy reverence for God’s word: “…to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

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Samson Represents Ministries And
Ministers Who Revel in The Holy
Spirit’s Power – But Who Lightly
Esteem the Spirit of Truth!

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Samson was a man wholly unprepared for the crisis his generation suffered. He misused his gifts and squandered the power the Holy Spirit gave him. And I believe his failure and fall are a lesson meant especially for the church in these last days.

When Samson was born, Israel was poverty-stricken, in bondage and deep affliction, because “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord…” (Judges 3:7). But God raised up Samson to be a deliverer in this time of ruin and despair. Scripture tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord began to move him…” (13:25) at a young age. The Hebrew word for “move” here means “a regular stirring.” In other words, God’s Spirit stirred Samson continually.

Indeed, Samson was called from birth to be a Nazarite. The word “Nazarite” means “to separate, consecrate, abstain.” In short, Samson was appointed to lead a holy, separated life – never cutting his hair, never drinking wine or any intoxicating beverage, never going near a dead body, even if it was that of a close relative. He was being set apart for use by the Holy Spirit, and therefore he was to be a totally consecrated vessel.

We know the Holy Spirit moved on Samson long before he began his ministry to Israel. Yet how did the Spirit the manifest himself in Samson? Peter tells us, “…holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Whatever physical manifestations occurred in the Old Testament, they were always accompanied by God’s Spirit speaking in and through people.

As the Holy Ghost moved on Samson, the Spirit surely confirmed to him the word he was taught in childhood. And the Spirit’s stirrings constantly reminded Samson that the secret to his power lay in his total dependency on the Lord. Only through the Holy Ghost would he be able to remain separated and to keep his eyes on his calling.

The fact is, God would never send out a man to do a needed work of power without first teaching him the manner in which the Spirit would work upon him. So Samson knew full well he had to stay under the covering of the Spirit of truth – remaining consecrated and abstaining from wickedness – in order to minister the Spirit’s power.

Yet we know from Samson’s life he had a driving lust – an overwhelming passion for “strange” women. He first had a relationship with a forbidden Canaanite, then with a harlot in Gaza and finally with the prostitute Delilah. Simply put, Samson had a terrible sexual addiction.

Of course, the Holy Ghost was fully aware of Samson’s propensity to lust. And as the Spirit stirred Samson, he would have made known to him the truth Paul would express in the New Testament: “…if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). God’s Spirit always speaks to people troubled by sin, urging them, “Trust in me! I’ll show you the way to overcoming victory.”

Samson had access to all the power of the Holy Spirit to lead a holy life. But he ignored the Spirit’s voice. And he made this his first mission: “Samson…saw a woman in Timnath…and told his father and his mother…get her for me…” (Judges 14:1-2).

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Samson Dared to Use the Power
of the Holy Ghost Without Submission
to the Spirit of Truth – and
the Result Was Mere Theatrics!

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Like Satan, Samson “…abode not in the truth…” (John 8:44). And anyone who dares to use the Holy Ghost’s power apart from his truth will end up performing only theatrics.

When Samson visited the harlot in Gaza, the Gazites fenced him in and waited to capture him. Then something supernatural happened: “Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron” (Judges 16:3).

What a feat of strength! Samson’s act was without doubt a demonstration of supernatural power. Yet, in truth, it amounted to nothing more than theatrics. It was played out before a sleeping city of unconcerned heathen – with no victory won, no bondages broken, no deliverance wrought. As I read the passage, I wonder, “What was that all about? What was the purpose?”

Likewise today, many so-called revivals are played out before a world that remains untouched and unaffected by such demonstrations. You see, whenever the Spirit of truth does not receive preeminence, all displays of supernatural power – signs, wonders, manifestations – end up being empty theatrics.

You may ask, “But, Brother Dave – don’t you believe in manifestations by the Spirit?” I surely do. But if any manifestation is not founded on the Spirit of truth, its power is to no avail. Only the truth sets souls free!

Think of how little Samson accomplished in his ministry by all his demonstrations of power to no real purpose: He killed a lion with his bare hands. He trapped 300 foxes and tied their tails together. He burned down some fields and fruit trees. Yet no one was delivered by any of these acts.

The tragic fact of Samson’s life is clear: He totally failed in his mission. After twenty years of his ministry, Israel was in as great a bondage as when Samson started.

Saul is another example of this. He was “slain by the Spirit,” lay prostrate before God and prophesied. But in the end, it was all theatrics. Why? Saul had no change of heart. All those manifestations were wasted, because Saul wouldn’t subject himself to the Spirit of truth. To use Paul’s phrase, Saul was “destitute of the truth” (1 Timothy 6:5).

Beloved, the power of the Holy Ghost rests in God’s word – indeed, in his cross: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Many pastors and evangelists today have no interest in seeking the Spirit of truth. They think they can call on the Holy Ghost at any time to come down and sweep away all the powers of hell. But these people won’t be prepared for the dark times that are coming!

The only manifestations we’ll see when the storm hits will be men and women falling to their knees in awe and fear of God’s word. They’ll be slain by the piercing, convicting, soul-cleansing preaching that comes from the Spirit of truth!

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God Knows What is Coming-
And He knows the Exact Hour
when America Chastening will Begin! 

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The Lord already knows how people will react to the coming storm. They’ll be panic-stricken and full of fear. After all, Jesus warned that a time would come that’s so frightening, people’s hearts would fail due to the fear and stress.

Yet even in exercising his judgment, God always extends his tender mercy. He works far ahead of time, making plans for his people and stirring his true shepherds. Indeed, today – while most of America focuses on its prosperity – God is waking a holy remnant in the church. These saints are on their faces, seeking him with all their strength and crying out for a true word from the Spirit of truth. And I believe the Spirit is revealing Christ to them with a glory beyond that of any past generation!

In recent months, our ministry has received hundreds of letters from pastors and believers who are repulsed by most of what they see in the church: hype, foolishness, entertainment, shallow preaching. They’re crying out, “Enough! We’re tired of seeing our pastors go to conventions and return only to introduce some new gimmick. We’re sick of seeing the flesh accommodated. We’re hungry for truth! We want to hear preaching that convicts us and challenges us to holiness and prayer.”

Believer, you can rest assured – in the coming days of calamity, the true revival won’t come through showboating, big-time preachers or TV evangelists. It won’t come through prosperity teachings or other doctrines of false security. No – God’s revival will come through a hidden company of pastors and lay people who have been in the school of Christ, learning his ways and trusting in him. These will lead a revival of truth!

I believe we’re already seeing signs of the Spirit’s work as he breaks up the fallow ground in America in preparation for this revival. The Op-Ed (Opinion and Editorial), page of the New York Times, May 24, 1998, featured an article titled “Coming – the Most Religious Century.” The article reported the following:

• Norman Mailer, the renowned pagan and liberal writer, has declared, “Religion, to me, is now the last frontier.”
• Vaclav Havel, the famous Czech writer and leader, calls America “the most atheistic society in the history of the world.” Yet both he and Mailer agree that our nation is on the brink of the most religious period in its history.

Most amazing of all, Mailer and Havel are predicting a return not just to any religion, but specifically to Judaism and Christianity. They predict even scientists will yearn for faith.

Of course, they’re right – the age of reason and science has failed to satisfy humanity’s need for peace. Socialism has failed…communism has failed…politics has failed…the new age has failed. And now even the most successful people in our society are crying out, “There has to be more to life than this!”

Yet not everyone is going to want truth. Many will turn to unbridled lust. Indeed, our society could see Sodom replayed a hundred times over. But as our nation poises on the brink of chaos, many Americans will begin to seek truth, answers, life.

As for me, I want to face the coming times as “…a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). I believe that’s the way we’re to prepare for the days ahead – by girding our loins with truth (see Ephesians 6:14).

I urge you: Ask the Lord to prepare you – his way – for the day America’s golden calf comes down. Seek his Spirit of truth in your secret closet. Learn to recognize his voice above all the worldly clamor going on in his church. Then you’ll truly be prepared to face the coming storm!

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Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O. Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.