I am finally done! I will be posting all of the links on the blog, starting tonight, so all of the prayer partners and ministry supporters can see what I have been working on for well over a week now, every single day. I have been working on this all day today, sitting in the same chair, compiling links for false belief systems and religions that oppose the grace of God through Jesus.
I will explain on the interior home page about God's grace and welcome people to find out how to experience God's grace through Jesus Christ alone. I plan to start working on writing the text for all of that as soon as possible. I am here in TN now to focus on getting the new table outreach off the ground to the Univeristy of TN students this weekend. I have a lot of preparation to do for the new table outreach this weekend.
The links I will be posting will be for a page on the new web site--tailored for a non-Christian-- to answer the question, "Tired of Trying to Earn It?" Christianity is the only belief system based on God's grace with no merit of our own for salvation.
http://www.bygodsgrace.org/
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Voodoo
Before reading these facts on Voodoo, please read "What Does the Bible Say About Voodoo?" HERE.
From Bob Corbett:
Voodoo is Haiti's religion...Please do recognize that it is every bit as real a religion as the major religions of the world.
The most basic concepts of Voodoo
There is one God, Bondye. This God is very similar to the God of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. There is only one God.
There are three important categories of other spiritual beings:
lwa. These are the various spirits of family members; the spirits of the major forces of the universe--good, evil, reproduction, health, all aspects of daily life. lwa interact with the people of earth. They "mount" people now and again during religious ceremonies and they give messages, and even cause various good and bad things to happen to people.
The twins. A curious and rather mysterious set of forces of contradictories: good and evil, happy and sad etc. If honored now and again in religious services they will tend to help you have the better side of life.
The dead. Mainly the souls of one's own family members who have died but have not yet been "reclaimed" by the family. Ignored family dead are dangerous. Honored and cared for family dead are helpful.
The central and key aspect of Voodoo is healing people from illness. Such healing activities probably constitute 60% of all Voodoo activity. Healers heal with herbs, faith healing (with the help of lwa and other spirits) and, today, even with western medicine!
The priesthood of Voodoo contains both men (houngan) and women (mambo)
Their functions are:
healing
perform religious ceremonies to call or pacify the spirits
to hold initiations for new priests(tesses) (kanzo service and taking the ason)
Telling the future and reading dreams
casting spells and creating protections
creating potions for various purposes (from love spells to death spells)
For any of these they may receive fees. But, they may not too. This differs from one houngan and mambo to another. (Note his is similar to fees paid to rabbis, mullahs, priests and ministers.)
Another central feature of Voodoo is the "service," the religious rites of the religion.
These are usually held outside, under a rough roof and around the "poto mitan," the center pole. A houngan or mambo almost always directs these.
Drums are used extensively to provide music and dancing is absolutely essential to the whole service.
Services are fully participatory. Not only the houngan and mambo participate but nearly everyone present.
A master of ceremonies (La Place) is often present.
A hounganikon directs the music and motion.
Hounsi (women only) are serving ladies, usually dressed in white.
Those in attendance are nearly all participants and most can be "mounted" by lwa.
In most services the lwa "mount" people. That is, they come and take over a person's body for a time. When the lwa come the person is gone. (It's not clear where the person goes.) The body is the body of the person, but it is really the lwa. If a male lwa mounts a female person, he is referred to as "he," not she, during the mounting.
Nearly every Voodoo service has animal sacrifice. By killing the animal one releases life. The lwa are exhausted by the taxing task of running the universe. Thus they can receive this life sacrificed to them and are re-juvenated. They are usually quite happy about this.
There are two primary sorts of Voodoo.
Rada. This is a family spirit Voodoo and the Voodoo of the relatively peaceful and happy lwa.
Petro. (In some areas called Congo.) This is a black magic Voodoo and the Voodoo of angry, mean and nasty lwa. Dangerous things happen in Petro including death curses, the making of zombi and wild sexual orgies SPECIAL NOTE By virtually all scholarly estimates one can find, Rada accounts for about 95% of Voodoo, if not more. Thus the spectacular tales of black magic, while very real, are extremely limited. Petro is not the typical Voodoo, but it does exist.
The analysis of humans
Humans have two spirits and a body.
ti-bon-ange (little good angel)-- this is similar to the conscience in the Western understanding of people.
gros-bon-ange (big good angel)--this is similar to the soul in Western theories of person, except the soul is much more separate from the person than is a western soul. For example, when the person goes before God for judgment it is the gros-bon-ange which presents "the person" to God and makes the person's case.
Key terms in Voodoo
hounfo--the parish or region of a houngan or mambo's influence
govi--a small earthen bottle into which the gros-bon-ange of dead ancestors can "rescued"
After a person dies the gros-bon-ange goes to the underwater place. A year and a day after he or she goes their the relatives can recall the gros-bon-ange. Unfortunately this is a very expensive service, requiring a significant animal sacrifice, often an ox. Thus it is often considerable time before the service can be done. If too much time passes the ancestor may get a bit restless and cause trouble-- illness etc.
serviteurs--serious practitioners of Voodoo.
ason--the magic rattle of the houngan or mambo.
lave tet--(washing of the head) an initiation ceremony held for serviteurs after they have been mounted for the first time.
kanzo--the initiation ceremonies for those moving into a very serious level of Voodoo practice.
taking of the ason--the final initiation into being a houngan or mambo. NOTE: Both kanzo and the taking of the ason are very secret services. However, in Alfred Metraux's book (VOODOO IN HAITI), through observation and talking with people who were not too careful about the secrecy of kanzo, he has pieced together a detailed account of the ceremony.
verve--ceremonial drawings done in flour, of the various lwa.
peristyle--the Voodoo temple. A tiny tiny place.
poto mitan--the center pole in a Voodoo peristyle. It represents the center of the universe and all dancing revolves around the poto mitan.
Les Invisibles--all spirits.
Les Mysteries-- the lwa themselves
Sacred knowledge. Also called "konesans."
The crossroads--A central image in Voodoo. This is the place where the two worlds (earth and spirit world) meet. Virtually all Voodoo acts, even healing, begin with the acknowledgment of the crossroads.
Some of the central lwa in the Voodoo pantheon
Legba. An old man who is the gatekeeper between the two worlds, world of earth and the world of the Invisibles. He is the origin of life. The sun is one of his symbols, but he is also the source of regeneration and uses the symbol of the phallus.
Kalfu (crossroads) is the Petro counterpart to Legba. He is the spirit of the night, the origins of darkness. The moon is his symbol. He can be placated, but is a dangerous lwa.
Papa Ghede. lwa of death and resurrection. A total clown. Very erotic and comic. He is the lord of eroticism.
Dumballah--The father figure. He is the good snake. The source of peace and tranquillity. The egg is offered to him when he comes to mount a person. He is much loved and sought after. His wife Aida-wedo attends him.
Agwe--The sovereign of the seas. Especially honored, as one might well expect, by people who live near the sea.
Ogoun--The warrior. Today, too, the force of politics. Violent.
Erzulie. The earth mother. Spirit of the goddess of love. The muse of beauty. (Strongly identified with the Virgin Mary.) Her appearance (when she mounts someone) is one of cleansing, dressing, delicate foods daintily eaten. She can read the future in dreams. A much loved lwa.
The FATALISM of Voodoo
Voodoo is much criticized by foreigners in Haiti. Sometimes it is simply because they profess a competing religion and don't want the people to stay with Voodoo. At other times they charge that it is devil worship. This claim is sheer nonsense when speaking of Rada Voodoo, the numerically primary form. It is less clear how to describe Petro. There are no "devils" in Voodoo, but Petro cultivates the evil or at least angry spirits.
However, many of the non-religious aspects of Voodoo which people often criticize really seem to me to be more the result of Voodoo's overwhelming fatalism. The view is that to an astonishing degree the lwa determine out lives. The Haitian serviteur has little use for anything like the Western idea of free will and personal responsibility. Rather, whatever has happened it is the lwa who have caused it.
If one would like to change anything in one's life, from a current illness to the fundaments of the social system, one must ask the lwa. One does not ACT on one's own. This would be counter-productive since it is the lwa who decide these things anyway.
Further, the lwa are not very changeable. Things are the way they are because the lwa have decided it. This fatalism contributes significantly to the peasants' unwillingness to struggle for liberation.
However, one can must the hard question: Is it Voodoo that has caused Haitian fatalism, or is it the history of the African/Haitian experience that has created Voodoo's fatalism?
Voodoo's relationship to Christianity
The Catholic experience:
Under the French slaves were forbidden from practicing Voodoo. Nonetheless Voodoo survived. The colonists did allow occasional dances on the weekends. These dances were actually Voodoo services!
After the liberation of 1804 all white people were kicked out of Haiti and many were killed. This included Roman Catholic priests. Thus in 1804 the Vatican broke with Haiti and did not establish relations with her again until 1860.
During this 56 year period houngans and mambos built up the public religion of Haiti, Voodoo, in a weird amalgamation of African spirit religion and Catholicism. Virtually all lwa became associated with Catholic saints (Dumballah the snake lwa is St. Patrick; Erzulie, the earth mother is the Virgin Mary). The most important consequence of this is that Haitians see nothing odd at all with practicing Voodoo and Catholicism side by side and are often very devout about each of them. I can't explain this, I only describe it.
From time to time from 1860 until the late 1940s the Catholic Church waged campaigns against Voodoo. They never came to anything.
In 1941-42 some elements of the Catholic Church waged an all out physical, holy war against Voodoo. They burned peristyle, Voodoo shrines, beat (some say even killed) houngans and mambo, demanded their ostracism from society and shot things up. But, they lost. Voodoo went under-ground to some extent, but it grew in popularity, in large measure because of the oppression.
By the early 1950s the Catholic hierarchy halted this war, got rid of these priest warriors and made their peace with Voodoo. Voodoo drums and melodies were incorporated into Catholic church services. The Catholics took the position, if you can't defeat them, co-opt them. Relative peace has held between the Catholics and serviteurs ever since.
The Protestants:
Until the 1970s Haiti was nearly 100% Catholic.
In the 1970s evangelical Protestantism came to Haiti. After Reagan came to power evangelization mushroomed.
Evangelical Protestants are bitter enemies of Voodoo and denounce it all the time as devil worship. Many of these people claim that Haiti's misery is because she is being punished by God for the sins of her Voodoo serviteurs.
Protestantism has come to Haiti as a serious business. Evangelical Protestants groups own 7 of Haiti's 11 radio stations and have made significant gains in conversions.
Today most observers believe that at least 15% of the Christians in Haiti are Protestant evangelicals.
---------------
Read "What Does the Bible Say About Voodoo?" HERE.
From Bob Corbett:
Voodoo is Haiti's religion...Please do recognize that it is every bit as real a religion as the major religions of the world.
The most basic concepts of Voodoo
There is one God, Bondye. This God is very similar to the God of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. There is only one God.
There are three important categories of other spiritual beings:
lwa. These are the various spirits of family members; the spirits of the major forces of the universe--good, evil, reproduction, health, all aspects of daily life. lwa interact with the people of earth. They "mount" people now and again during religious ceremonies and they give messages, and even cause various good and bad things to happen to people.
The twins. A curious and rather mysterious set of forces of contradictories: good and evil, happy and sad etc. If honored now and again in religious services they will tend to help you have the better side of life.
The dead. Mainly the souls of one's own family members who have died but have not yet been "reclaimed" by the family. Ignored family dead are dangerous. Honored and cared for family dead are helpful.
The central and key aspect of Voodoo is healing people from illness. Such healing activities probably constitute 60% of all Voodoo activity. Healers heal with herbs, faith healing (with the help of lwa and other spirits) and, today, even with western medicine!
The priesthood of Voodoo contains both men (houngan) and women (mambo)
Their functions are:
healing
perform religious ceremonies to call or pacify the spirits
to hold initiations for new priests(tesses) (kanzo service and taking the ason)
Telling the future and reading dreams
casting spells and creating protections
creating potions for various purposes (from love spells to death spells)
For any of these they may receive fees. But, they may not too. This differs from one houngan and mambo to another. (Note his is similar to fees paid to rabbis, mullahs, priests and ministers.)
Another central feature of Voodoo is the "service," the religious rites of the religion.
These are usually held outside, under a rough roof and around the "poto mitan," the center pole. A houngan or mambo almost always directs these.
Drums are used extensively to provide music and dancing is absolutely essential to the whole service.
Services are fully participatory. Not only the houngan and mambo participate but nearly everyone present.
A master of ceremonies (La Place) is often present.
A hounganikon directs the music and motion.
Hounsi (women only) are serving ladies, usually dressed in white.
Those in attendance are nearly all participants and most can be "mounted" by lwa.
In most services the lwa "mount" people. That is, they come and take over a person's body for a time. When the lwa come the person is gone. (It's not clear where the person goes.) The body is the body of the person, but it is really the lwa. If a male lwa mounts a female person, he is referred to as "he," not she, during the mounting.
Nearly every Voodoo service has animal sacrifice. By killing the animal one releases life. The lwa are exhausted by the taxing task of running the universe. Thus they can receive this life sacrificed to them and are re-juvenated. They are usually quite happy about this.
There are two primary sorts of Voodoo.
Rada. This is a family spirit Voodoo and the Voodoo of the relatively peaceful and happy lwa.
Petro. (In some areas called Congo.) This is a black magic Voodoo and the Voodoo of angry, mean and nasty lwa. Dangerous things happen in Petro including death curses, the making of zombi and wild sexual orgies SPECIAL NOTE By virtually all scholarly estimates one can find, Rada accounts for about 95% of Voodoo, if not more. Thus the spectacular tales of black magic, while very real, are extremely limited. Petro is not the typical Voodoo, but it does exist.
The analysis of humans
Humans have two spirits and a body.
ti-bon-ange (little good angel)-- this is similar to the conscience in the Western understanding of people.
gros-bon-ange (big good angel)--this is similar to the soul in Western theories of person, except the soul is much more separate from the person than is a western soul. For example, when the person goes before God for judgment it is the gros-bon-ange which presents "the person" to God and makes the person's case.
Key terms in Voodoo
hounfo--the parish or region of a houngan or mambo's influence
govi--a small earthen bottle into which the gros-bon-ange of dead ancestors can "rescued"
After a person dies the gros-bon-ange goes to the underwater place. A year and a day after he or she goes their the relatives can recall the gros-bon-ange. Unfortunately this is a very expensive service, requiring a significant animal sacrifice, often an ox. Thus it is often considerable time before the service can be done. If too much time passes the ancestor may get a bit restless and cause trouble-- illness etc.
serviteurs--serious practitioners of Voodoo.
ason--the magic rattle of the houngan or mambo.
lave tet--(washing of the head) an initiation ceremony held for serviteurs after they have been mounted for the first time.
kanzo--the initiation ceremonies for those moving into a very serious level of Voodoo practice.
taking of the ason--the final initiation into being a houngan or mambo. NOTE: Both kanzo and the taking of the ason are very secret services. However, in Alfred Metraux's book (VOODOO IN HAITI), through observation and talking with people who were not too careful about the secrecy of kanzo, he has pieced together a detailed account of the ceremony.
verve--ceremonial drawings done in flour, of the various lwa.
peristyle--the Voodoo temple. A tiny tiny place.
poto mitan--the center pole in a Voodoo peristyle. It represents the center of the universe and all dancing revolves around the poto mitan.
Les Invisibles--all spirits.
Les Mysteries-- the lwa themselves
Sacred knowledge. Also called "konesans."
The crossroads--A central image in Voodoo. This is the place where the two worlds (earth and spirit world) meet. Virtually all Voodoo acts, even healing, begin with the acknowledgment of the crossroads.
Some of the central lwa in the Voodoo pantheon
Legba. An old man who is the gatekeeper between the two worlds, world of earth and the world of the Invisibles. He is the origin of life. The sun is one of his symbols, but he is also the source of regeneration and uses the symbol of the phallus.
Kalfu (crossroads) is the Petro counterpart to Legba. He is the spirit of the night, the origins of darkness. The moon is his symbol. He can be placated, but is a dangerous lwa.
Papa Ghede. lwa of death and resurrection. A total clown. Very erotic and comic. He is the lord of eroticism.
Dumballah--The father figure. He is the good snake. The source of peace and tranquillity. The egg is offered to him when he comes to mount a person. He is much loved and sought after. His wife Aida-wedo attends him.
Agwe--The sovereign of the seas. Especially honored, as one might well expect, by people who live near the sea.
Ogoun--The warrior. Today, too, the force of politics. Violent.
Erzulie. The earth mother. Spirit of the goddess of love. The muse of beauty. (Strongly identified with the Virgin Mary.) Her appearance (when she mounts someone) is one of cleansing, dressing, delicate foods daintily eaten. She can read the future in dreams. A much loved lwa.
The FATALISM of Voodoo
Voodoo is much criticized by foreigners in Haiti. Sometimes it is simply because they profess a competing religion and don't want the people to stay with Voodoo. At other times they charge that it is devil worship. This claim is sheer nonsense when speaking of Rada Voodoo, the numerically primary form. It is less clear how to describe Petro. There are no "devils" in Voodoo, but Petro cultivates the evil or at least angry spirits.
However, many of the non-religious aspects of Voodoo which people often criticize really seem to me to be more the result of Voodoo's overwhelming fatalism. The view is that to an astonishing degree the lwa determine out lives. The Haitian serviteur has little use for anything like the Western idea of free will and personal responsibility. Rather, whatever has happened it is the lwa who have caused it.
If one would like to change anything in one's life, from a current illness to the fundaments of the social system, one must ask the lwa. One does not ACT on one's own. This would be counter-productive since it is the lwa who decide these things anyway.
Further, the lwa are not very changeable. Things are the way they are because the lwa have decided it. This fatalism contributes significantly to the peasants' unwillingness to struggle for liberation.
However, one can must the hard question: Is it Voodoo that has caused Haitian fatalism, or is it the history of the African/Haitian experience that has created Voodoo's fatalism?
Voodoo's relationship to Christianity
The Catholic experience:
Under the French slaves were forbidden from practicing Voodoo. Nonetheless Voodoo survived. The colonists did allow occasional dances on the weekends. These dances were actually Voodoo services!
After the liberation of 1804 all white people were kicked out of Haiti and many were killed. This included Roman Catholic priests. Thus in 1804 the Vatican broke with Haiti and did not establish relations with her again until 1860.
During this 56 year period houngans and mambos built up the public religion of Haiti, Voodoo, in a weird amalgamation of African spirit religion and Catholicism. Virtually all lwa became associated with Catholic saints (Dumballah the snake lwa is St. Patrick; Erzulie, the earth mother is the Virgin Mary). The most important consequence of this is that Haitians see nothing odd at all with practicing Voodoo and Catholicism side by side and are often very devout about each of them. I can't explain this, I only describe it.
From time to time from 1860 until the late 1940s the Catholic Church waged campaigns against Voodoo. They never came to anything.
In 1941-42 some elements of the Catholic Church waged an all out physical, holy war against Voodoo. They burned peristyle, Voodoo shrines, beat (some say even killed) houngans and mambo, demanded their ostracism from society and shot things up. But, they lost. Voodoo went under-ground to some extent, but it grew in popularity, in large measure because of the oppression.
By the early 1950s the Catholic hierarchy halted this war, got rid of these priest warriors and made their peace with Voodoo. Voodoo drums and melodies were incorporated into Catholic church services. The Catholics took the position, if you can't defeat them, co-opt them. Relative peace has held between the Catholics and serviteurs ever since.
The Protestants:
Until the 1970s Haiti was nearly 100% Catholic.
In the 1970s evangelical Protestantism came to Haiti. After Reagan came to power evangelization mushroomed.
Evangelical Protestants are bitter enemies of Voodoo and denounce it all the time as devil worship. Many of these people claim that Haiti's misery is because she is being punished by God for the sins of her Voodoo serviteurs.
Protestantism has come to Haiti as a serious business. Evangelical Protestants groups own 7 of Haiti's 11 radio stations and have made significant gains in conversions.
Today most observers believe that at least 15% of the Christians in Haiti are Protestant evangelicals.
---------------
Read "What Does the Bible Say About Voodoo?" HERE.
Answering Accusations Against Bonhoeffer's Christianity
This is from Berit Kjos, as she has taken the time to continue to address accusations about Bonhoeffer's faith. She admits that there is nothing she feels she can say to people who have already made up their minds and are not willing to realize they have been wrong about Bonhoeffer due to misinformation on the Internet. Here is her last rebuttal. (More can be found on her web site here.)
The next three accusations are followed my answers and quotes from Bonhoeffer's books, which show the true context. But first, prayerfully read this section from The Cost of Discipleship. It actually answers the last point, and it reveals Bonhoeffer's heart: his love for God's Word, his emphasis on the true gospel, his understanding of the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, his concern for the Church with its tendency to trade Biblical grace for shallow counterfeit that he calls "cheap grace."
"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church.... Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.[45, 47]
"Costly grace... calls us to follow... It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."[48]
"The Son of God becomes man. The Word is made flesh. He who had existed from all eternity in the glory of the Father, he who in the beginning was the agent of creation (which means that the created world can be known only through him and in him), he who was very God (I Cor. 8.6; II Cor 8.9; Phil. 2.6 ff; Eph. 1.4; Col. 1.16; John 1.1 ff; Heb. 1.1 ff) accepts humanity by taking upon himself our human nature, 'sinful flesh' as the Bible calls it, and human form (Rom.8.3; Gal. 4.4; Phil. 2.6 if).
"God takes humanity to himself... in the Body of Jesus. Of his mercy God sends his Son in the flesh, that therein he may bear the whole human race and bring it to himself. The Son of God takes to himself the whole human race bodily, that race which in its hatred of God, and in the pride of its flesh had rejected the incorporeal, invisible Word of God. Now this humanity, in all its weakness, is, by the mercy of God, taken up in the Body of Jesus in true bodily form."[264]
"God sends his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8.2 f). God sends his Son—here lies the only remedy. It is not enough to give man a new philosophy or a better religion. A Man comes to men.... The Incarnation, the words and acts of Jesus, his death on the cross, are all indispensable parts of that image.... Here is God made man." [340]
The next three accusations are followed my answers and quotes from Bonhoeffer's books, which show the true context. But first, prayerfully read this section from The Cost of Discipleship. It actually answers the last point, and it reveals Bonhoeffer's heart: his love for God's Word, his emphasis on the true gospel, his understanding of the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, his concern for the Church with its tendency to trade Biblical grace for shallow counterfeit that he calls "cheap grace."
"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church.... Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.[45, 47]
"Costly grace... calls us to follow... It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."[48]
"The Son of God becomes man. The Word is made flesh. He who had existed from all eternity in the glory of the Father, he who in the beginning was the agent of creation (which means that the created world can be known only through him and in him), he who was very God (I Cor. 8.6; II Cor 8.9; Phil. 2.6 ff; Eph. 1.4; Col. 1.16; John 1.1 ff; Heb. 1.1 ff) accepts humanity by taking upon himself our human nature, 'sinful flesh' as the Bible calls it, and human form (Rom.8.3; Gal. 4.4; Phil. 2.6 if).
"God takes humanity to himself... in the Body of Jesus. Of his mercy God sends his Son in the flesh, that therein he may bear the whole human race and bring it to himself. The Son of God takes to himself the whole human race bodily, that race which in its hatred of God, and in the pride of its flesh had rejected the incorporeal, invisible Word of God. Now this humanity, in all its weakness, is, by the mercy of God, taken up in the Body of Jesus in true bodily form."[264]
"God sends his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8.2 f). God sends his Son—here lies the only remedy. It is not enough to give man a new philosophy or a better religion. A Man comes to men.... The Incarnation, the words and acts of Jesus, his death on the cross, are all indispensable parts of that image.... Here is God made man." [340]
Monday, August 30, 2010
David Barton's WEAK Response for His Support of Glenn Beck
David Barton shows how little he knows about the Bible in his response below. As I have stated before, Barton is not known for being a Bible teacher, and this is a prime example. To presume that the "doctrines" of Glenn Beck's life have anything to do with politics or our American government is embarassingly unbiblical for Barton to suggest. The Bible commands us to NOT judge based on outward appearance but according to the Spirit, and the verses Barton cites should convict Beck, not encourage him, because the doctrines of Mormonism are as evil as hell itself according to the Bible. David Barton should not partner with Beck spiritually, because there is no partnership between the spirit of the devil and the Spirit of Jesus. As we have seen previously on this blog, the doctrines of Mormonism are as devilish as any doctrines could be. Buddhists and Hindus have good fruits, too, based on works. Atheists often have some good fruits, judging from works. Mormons have good fruits of works, but they are not saved. To take these verses out of context is no compliment to David Barton as a Christian. He quotes the Bible, but his meaning is opposed to what the verses teach. He is judging Beck based on politics---political "fruits"-- and not the Holy Spirit. A man can say all the right things, but if his doctrine of Jesus is not correct, the man has the wrong Jesus. If Glenn Beck was truly saved, he would renounce the satanic teachings of Mormonism, like becoming a God when one dies or God once being a man like we. If Glenn does not renounce the Book of Mormon for these satanic teachings, he is not saved. No thanks to the testimony of David Barton, God knows His own based on the "fruits of the SPIRIT", not the flesh. 1 Corinthians 10 plainly teaches we cannot worship Christ and Satan at the same time! "MANY" are going to stand before God and call Him, "Lord," and not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 23 ,24). What does the Bible say about being double minded, David? (Psalm 119:113; James 1:8; James 4:8)
---------------------
From David Barton:
As a result of these appearances, I have received numerous letters and calls from concerned Christians, some of whom respectfully inquire as to why I would appear with a Mormon, while others directly attack me for doing so. As far as I can tell, most of these concerns stem from judging Glenn based by the label of "Mormon" rather than by the fruits he produces. Here is that the Bible and God has to say about it:
Matthew 15:9
And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
John 7:17
If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
Acts 2:42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Romans 6:17
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
Romans 16:17
[ Avoid Divisive Persons ] Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
Ephesians 4:14
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
1 Timothy 1:3
[ No Other Doctrine ] As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
1 Timothy 4:1
[ The Great Apostasy ] Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4:6
[ A Good Servant of Jesus Christ ] If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
1 Timothy 4:13
Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
Titus 1:9
holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
2 Peter 2:1
[ Destructive Doctrines ] But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 John 1:9
Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:10
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
1. 2 Corinthians 10:16
to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.
2 Corinthians 10:15-17 (in Context) 2 Corinthians 10 (Whole Chapter)
2. 2 Corinthians 11:4
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
3. Galatians 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:7-9 (in Context) Galatians 1 (Whole Chapter)
4. Galatians 1:9
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed
---------------------
From David Barton:
As a result of these appearances, I have received numerous letters and calls from concerned Christians, some of whom respectfully inquire as to why I would appear with a Mormon, while others directly attack me for doing so. As far as I can tell, most of these concerns stem from judging Glenn based by the label of "Mormon" rather than by the fruits he produces. Here is that the Bible and God has to say about it:
Matthew 15:9
And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
John 7:17
If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
Acts 2:42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Romans 6:17
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
Romans 16:17
[ Avoid Divisive Persons ] Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
Ephesians 4:14
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
1 Timothy 1:3
[ No Other Doctrine ] As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
1 Timothy 4:1
[ The Great Apostasy ] Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4:6
[ A Good Servant of Jesus Christ ] If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
1 Timothy 4:13
Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
Titus 1:9
holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
2 Peter 2:1
[ Destructive Doctrines ] But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 John 1:9
Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:10
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
1. 2 Corinthians 10:16
to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.
2 Corinthians 10:15-17 (in Context) 2 Corinthians 10 (Whole Chapter)
2. 2 Corinthians 11:4
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
3. Galatians 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:7-9 (in Context) Galatians 1 (Whole Chapter)
4. Galatians 1:9
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Relationship with God or Spiritual Addiction
I know of a woman who married a man who would no longer "let" her watch T.V. He said television was not holy. Well, I am certainly no TV addict, but do such rules convey a relationship with God or a spiritual addiction? The same man had a whole list of rules for her to keep on the Sabbath. Those rules were enough to have worn any person out on a given day of rest!
We also see piety in people who want to have a special relationship with God by leaving this world and joining a commune or living in a monastery or convent. Is that how we develop a close walk with God?
According to the Bible, these examples fall into the category of a "works righteousness," which God does not honor, because He sees the heart. His ways are so vastly different, as He does not judge based on such burdensome rules. The Bible says His yoke is light. Here are some verses about how God wants us to take what we learn in Bible study and mix with the culture of the day.
1 Thess. 5:21: "Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good." If we are going to "examine everything" it is fine with God for us to read newspapers, watch TV news and stay abreast of current events!
Acts 17: Paul went to reason with the pagans of his day in Athens on Mars Hill. (He did not stay in a commune or live and walk only among Christians.)
2 Corinthians 1:12 teaches that we are free to have our own conscience be our guide. If God lives inside us through the Holy Spirit, He will be faithful to let us know boundaries and His direction in a way no one else can.
Matthew 5:14-16 teaches us that we are the "light of the world" and to not hide the light but to let the whole world see it.
Matthew 28:18-20 is the Great Commission where Jesus teaches us to "go into the world" to tell others about Him, as opposed to staying tucked away in a shell.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 teaches we are going to judge angels, and we can judge the matters of this world.
2 Corinthians 13:8--we can do nothing against the truth.
Galatians 5:1--It was for freedom that Christ set us free. We want to guard our lives to not take that freedom for granted, but we are free...
We also see piety in people who want to have a special relationship with God by leaving this world and joining a commune or living in a monastery or convent. Is that how we develop a close walk with God?
According to the Bible, these examples fall into the category of a "works righteousness," which God does not honor, because He sees the heart. His ways are so vastly different, as He does not judge based on such burdensome rules. The Bible says His yoke is light. Here are some verses about how God wants us to take what we learn in Bible study and mix with the culture of the day.
1 Thess. 5:21: "Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good." If we are going to "examine everything" it is fine with God for us to read newspapers, watch TV news and stay abreast of current events!
Acts 17: Paul went to reason with the pagans of his day in Athens on Mars Hill. (He did not stay in a commune or live and walk only among Christians.)
2 Corinthians 1:12 teaches that we are free to have our own conscience be our guide. If God lives inside us through the Holy Spirit, He will be faithful to let us know boundaries and His direction in a way no one else can.
Matthew 5:14-16 teaches us that we are the "light of the world" and to not hide the light but to let the whole world see it.
Matthew 28:18-20 is the Great Commission where Jesus teaches us to "go into the world" to tell others about Him, as opposed to staying tucked away in a shell.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 teaches we are going to judge angels, and we can judge the matters of this world.
2 Corinthians 13:8--we can do nothing against the truth.
Galatians 5:1--It was for freedom that Christ set us free. We want to guard our lives to not take that freedom for granted, but we are free...
Join me Sept. 24-25th in CA at Discernment Conference
It is going to be a great time of learning and spending time together. I will be singing throughout the conference and sharing about evangelism. I look forward to learning from all of the speakers. It is a women's conference, but men are invited, too. The church is in the Burbank area of Los Angeles. Go HERE for details.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
LTW to the Smokies Update
As you can see in two of the pictures from today’s outreach, the butterflies were used by God to bring people to the LTW area. I wish I could have taken pictures of all of them, but by the time I could get my camera, or finish a conversation, they had flown away from the table. People would gather at the table to take pictures of them and in turn look at all the materials on display. When one of the families had a picture made with me, a butterfly can be seen in the boy’s hand. Needless to say, it was a day that the Lord made, and I rejoiced and was glad in it!As in times past, the morning was cooler than usual, and the rain held off until 1:00. I had been so busy talking with the tourists who came to the table that I had not noticed the clouds gathering. When I felt a drop of rain, I looked up and realized I had to hurry to get the materials that were left on the table into the car. By the time I was ready to leave the parking lot, I heard thunder and the rain followed.
One prayer request today was from a mother for her son, Cory. As I prayed aloud for him at the table, all of her family members joined in praying aloud at the same time I was praying. God’s spirit was felt, and it was a sweet time. The passers-by probably thought it was a strange sight, but it was not strange in God’s eyes.
Another lady and I prayed for her son-in-law who is not a Christian. She took the booklet, Which Way to God? , a New Testament, “Steps to Peace With God”, and two sermon CDs to give to him. Her husband had been by earlier and taken Ray Comfort’s tract, “An Atheist’s Test” and “Science Confirms the Bible” for him. As they left the visitors’ center, they both came back to thank me and said God answered their prayers because of the materials He had supplied from the table. They are traveling with their son-in-law and are praying for the right time to give him these gifts.
In appreciation for the work LTW is doing at the Sugarlands’ Visitor Center, a family gave me a DVD entitled, God of Wonders (exploring the wonders of creation, conscience, and the glory of God). I am looking forward to watching it, as it focuses on the greatest wonder of all—His redeeming love! It may be an excellent resource to order for this ministry.
A literature teacher from Canada took Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven and Knowing Aslan. She is looking forward to using Knowing Aslan in class, explaining to her students how Aslan is like God as he offers the Narnians—real concern, tender care, unconditional love, and deep joy. These books were very popular today with both the older children and teenagers.
Each week I take a picture of the table before any materials are given away so that you can see the kinds of tracts, Bibles, books, sermon CDs, and music CDs that are available for God to use in bringing people into His kingdom. Please join with me in prayer for God to take each item that was given away today and use it for His glory in the lives of people who need Him.
“Sharing Jesus, serving Him, and strengthening Christians with excellence for the glory of God” (Mission Statement of 1st Baptist Church Sevierville, TN)
Claudette Litz
NYC Team Witnesses at Ground Zero Mosque Protest
Greetings from the Good News Friends,
We had the opportunity to share the gospel at the Ground Zero rally with many and passed out about 50 CDs with the full testimony of Mosab Hassan Yousef. Most people assume Islam is a peaceful religion, but as he shares from the Koran and from his own experience, the goal of Islam is to destroy all infidels (those who are not Muslim) until the world is conquered by force for Allah. Surah 9:5,29
We met a family that were passing out fact sheets about Sharia law which includes beating, stoning, cutting off of feet and hands, compulsory acceptance of polygamy, forced child marriages, and female genital mutilation. People need to examine the facts and quit believing lies. True peace and salvation come only through knowing Jesus Christ.
I was interviewed by one man who asked me what I thought about the mosque being erected, and I told him that I likened it to his home being attacked, his wife being raped, and him erecting a memorial in the name of tolerance. That is how insensitive and ludicrous the whole idea is!
There were many who were there who have lost loved ones. One sign posted, This is not about tolerance, it is about common decency and respect.
God bless,
Suzi
We had the opportunity to share the gospel at the Ground Zero rally with many and passed out about 50 CDs with the full testimony of Mosab Hassan Yousef. Most people assume Islam is a peaceful religion, but as he shares from the Koran and from his own experience, the goal of Islam is to destroy all infidels (those who are not Muslim) until the world is conquered by force for Allah. Surah 9:5,29
We met a family that were passing out fact sheets about Sharia law which includes beating, stoning, cutting off of feet and hands, compulsory acceptance of polygamy, forced child marriages, and female genital mutilation. People need to examine the facts and quit believing lies. True peace and salvation come only through knowing Jesus Christ.
I was interviewed by one man who asked me what I thought about the mosque being erected, and I told him that I likened it to his home being attacked, his wife being raped, and him erecting a memorial in the name of tolerance. That is how insensitive and ludicrous the whole idea is!
There were many who were there who have lost loved ones. One sign posted, This is not about tolerance, it is about common decency and respect.
God bless,
Suzi
Update from Guadalajara, Mexico
Here is an update from Josef and Lina in Guadalajara, Mexico. We partner with them for a table outreach on the city streets of Guadalajara. Lately they have been busy doing some church planting but will be setting up the table again soon for an evangelistic outreach.
Friday, August 27, 2010
My Work This Week on New Web Site for Lost People
I am so driven to get this done and excited about seeing this new web site "live" for people all over the world who don't know Jesus. I am challenged to think of one link per belief system that goes against God's grace through Jesus. This site, unlike our current ministry site, will be for lost people, not for Christians. We will start a new Facebook page to interact with people who have questions after visiting the site. We will have business cards printed with a logo for the site where anyone from anywhere in the world can visit to get answers and also put stickers with the logo for the site on our materials at all of our outreach locations. We will have it translated into various languages, too. It is very, very exciting. I have a few more links yet to go. (These links are in ADDITION to the links I posted last week.) Here are the links I have compiled over the last few nights of work.
Feminism (Theological)
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/Dwayna/feminist.htm
Marxism
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/marx.htm
Meister Eckhart
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/tolle.htm
Nazi Religion/Aryanism
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/010/1-bonhoeffer.htm
Aspen Institute
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/management/aspen.htm
Sociological Scripture Twisting
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/04/scandal-cross.htm
Pop Kabbalah
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/Dwayna/kabbalah.htm
Twelve Tribes
http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_ProgramDetail.aspx?id=56720
Holocaust
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/category/anti-semitism/
Polish Catholicism
http://www.bereanbeacon.org/audio/Polish_Catholicism_to_Trusting_Christ_Alone.mp3
Mother Theresa
http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/sorted/01_On_Catholicism/Mother_Teresa_a_lost_soul.pdf
Stigmata
http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/italys-padre-pio-faked-his-stigmata-with-acid
Mysticism vs. the Bible
http://www.discerningtheworld.com/category/richard-bennett-bereanbeacon-org/
“Red-Letter Christians” Neo-Marxists
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/red-letter-christians-neo-marxists-in-the-church/#more-2637
Mayan Calendar
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/is-time-running-out/#more-2080
“Blood Money” Abortion
http://www.bloodmoneyfilm.com/trailer.php
Fascism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/are-we-on-a-slippery-slope-to-fascism/#more-842
Global Warming
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/global-warming-or-global-governance/#more-838
Skepticism
http://www.truthsayer.org.za/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=11&Itemid=64
False Prophecy
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2027-harold-camping-family-radio
Soaking Prayer
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/soakingprayer.htm
Quantum Spirituality/Leonard Sweet
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/leonardsweet.htm
Labyrinths
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/teichrib/labyrinth.htm
Kundalini
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/kundalini.htm
Enneagram
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/Enneagram.htm
Alice Bailey
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/alicebailey.htm
Alpha
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~emcd/index32.pdf
Barbarian Way
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/erwinmcmanus.htm
Laughing Revival/John Wimber
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/wimber.html
Russian Roulette
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/russian-roulette/#more-816
Dual Covenant Heresy (Do Jews need Jesus?)
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/the-dual-covenant-heresy-more-end-time-deception/#more-804
“Chicago Bible Students”
http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2010/08/scriptures-on-hell-and-trinity-for.html
Confucianism
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/confucius.html
Universalism
http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2010/08/does-god-want-all-men-to-be-saved.html
Visualization
http://www.wayoflife.org/database/visualization.html
Taize
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/taize.htm
Monism /“All is One”
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/an-open-letter-to-pastor-rick-warren/#more-834
Green Bible
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/what-commandment-tells-us-to-recycle/#more-818
Sabbath
http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue102b.htm
Spiritual Disciplines and Donald Whitney
http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue111.htm
Emergent Eschatology
http://cicministry.org/audio/emergent_eschatology_CIC.mp3
P.E.A.C.E. Plan/ Rick Warren
http://www.perfectpeaceplan.com/
Homosexual Agenda
http://www.missionamerica.com/
Gothic “Christianity”
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/006/dwayna/cornerstone.htm
Lost Tomb of Jesus
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/488-the-lost-tomb-of-jesus
Sojourners and the Religious Left
http://www.missionamerica.com/audio/SpecialSeries5/Part1_SorosWallis071910.mp3
Liberal Theology
http://www.biblebelievers.com/machen/index.html
Emergent Church leaders
http://apprising.org/category/radio-appearances/
L. Ron Hubbard
http://www.lermanet.com/lies/
Gaia/Mother Earth
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/UnderSpell/1-Earth.htm
Paganism
http://www.truthxchange.com/article/pagan-spirituality/
Paganism and the Jesus Seminar
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/Jones-paganization.htm
Paganism and Gender
http://hardwords.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/truth-and-lies-dr-peter-jones-sexuality-in-a-one-ist-world/
Pantheism
http://au.christiantoday.com/article/pantheism-and-biblical-christianity/7458.htm
Contemplative Mystics
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/researchtopics.htm#cprituals
Reiki
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/reiki.htm
Terrorism and Anti-Semitism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/did-jesus-live-in-occupied-territory/#more-774
New Evangelicalism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/the-new-evangelicalism-revised/#more-764
“Bible Answer Man” Bashes Israel and Biblical Prophecy
http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=6135
Quantum Alchemy
http://www.apostasyalert.org/REFLECTIONS/quantum.htm
Socialism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/socialism-in-america-a-revolution-in-the-making/#more-802
Hegelian Dialectic and Socialism
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2002/proctor/hegelian_dialectic.htm
Latter Rain
http://www.erwm.com/Latter%20Rain.htm
Hebrew Roots
http://ltwinternational.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=29&Itemid=2
Communism
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/communist-senate-hearing-wurmbrand.htm
Symbols for Power
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/symbols1.html
“The Secret”
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/secret.htm
Alchemy
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/jung.htm
Rosicrucianism
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/occult/rosicrucian.htm
Rockefeller and Global Mind Control
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/brainwashing/rockefeller-mind-control.htm
Norman Vincent Peale
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/peale.htm
New Kabbalah and Isaac Luria
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/occult/kabbalah.htm
Eugenics
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/009/cuddy/eugenics.htm
Feminism (Theological)
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/Dwayna/feminist.htm
Marxism
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/marx.htm
Meister Eckhart
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/tolle.htm
Nazi Religion/Aryanism
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/010/1-bonhoeffer.htm
Aspen Institute
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/management/aspen.htm
Sociological Scripture Twisting
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/04/scandal-cross.htm
Pop Kabbalah
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/Dwayna/kabbalah.htm
Twelve Tribes
http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_ProgramDetail.aspx?id=56720
Holocaust
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/category/anti-semitism/
Polish Catholicism
http://www.bereanbeacon.org/audio/Polish_Catholicism_to_Trusting_Christ_Alone.mp3
Mother Theresa
http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/sorted/01_On_Catholicism/Mother_Teresa_a_lost_soul.pdf
Stigmata
http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/italys-padre-pio-faked-his-stigmata-with-acid
Mysticism vs. the Bible
http://www.discerningtheworld.com/category/richard-bennett-bereanbeacon-org/
“Red-Letter Christians” Neo-Marxists
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/red-letter-christians-neo-marxists-in-the-church/#more-2637
Mayan Calendar
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/is-time-running-out/#more-2080
“Blood Money” Abortion
http://www.bloodmoneyfilm.com/trailer.php
Fascism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/are-we-on-a-slippery-slope-to-fascism/#more-842
Global Warming
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/global-warming-or-global-governance/#more-838
Skepticism
http://www.truthsayer.org.za/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=11&Itemid=64
False Prophecy
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2027-harold-camping-family-radio
Soaking Prayer
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/soakingprayer.htm
Quantum Spirituality/Leonard Sweet
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/leonardsweet.htm
Labyrinths
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/teichrib/labyrinth.htm
Kundalini
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/kundalini.htm
Enneagram
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/Enneagram.htm
Alice Bailey
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/alicebailey.htm
Alpha
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~emcd/index32.pdf
Barbarian Way
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/erwinmcmanus.htm
Laughing Revival/John Wimber
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/wimber.html
Russian Roulette
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/russian-roulette/#more-816
Dual Covenant Heresy (Do Jews need Jesus?)
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/the-dual-covenant-heresy-more-end-time-deception/#more-804
“Chicago Bible Students”
http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2010/08/scriptures-on-hell-and-trinity-for.html
Confucianism
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/confucius.html
Universalism
http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2010/08/does-god-want-all-men-to-be-saved.html
Visualization
http://www.wayoflife.org/database/visualization.html
Taize
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/taize.htm
Monism /“All is One”
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/an-open-letter-to-pastor-rick-warren/#more-834
Green Bible
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/what-commandment-tells-us-to-recycle/#more-818
Sabbath
http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue102b.htm
Spiritual Disciplines and Donald Whitney
http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue111.htm
Emergent Eschatology
http://cicministry.org/audio/emergent_eschatology_CIC.mp3
P.E.A.C.E. Plan/ Rick Warren
http://www.perfectpeaceplan.com/
Homosexual Agenda
http://www.missionamerica.com/
Gothic “Christianity”
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/006/dwayna/cornerstone.htm
Lost Tomb of Jesus
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/488-the-lost-tomb-of-jesus
Sojourners and the Religious Left
http://www.missionamerica.com/audio/SpecialSeries5/Part1_SorosWallis071910.mp3
Liberal Theology
http://www.biblebelievers.com/machen/index.html
Emergent Church leaders
http://apprising.org/category/radio-appearances/
L. Ron Hubbard
http://www.lermanet.com/lies/
Gaia/Mother Earth
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/UnderSpell/1-Earth.htm
Paganism
http://www.truthxchange.com/article/pagan-spirituality/
Paganism and the Jesus Seminar
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/Jones-paganization.htm
Paganism and Gender
http://hardwords.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/truth-and-lies-dr-peter-jones-sexuality-in-a-one-ist-world/
Pantheism
http://au.christiantoday.com/article/pantheism-and-biblical-christianity/7458.htm
Contemplative Mystics
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/researchtopics.htm#cprituals
Reiki
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/reiki.htm
Terrorism and Anti-Semitism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/did-jesus-live-in-occupied-territory/#more-774
New Evangelicalism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/the-new-evangelicalism-revised/#more-764
“Bible Answer Man” Bashes Israel and Biblical Prophecy
http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=6135
Quantum Alchemy
http://www.apostasyalert.org/REFLECTIONS/quantum.htm
Socialism
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/jan%e2%80%99s-articles/socialism-in-america-a-revolution-in-the-making/#more-802
Hegelian Dialectic and Socialism
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2002/proctor/hegelian_dialectic.htm
Latter Rain
http://www.erwm.com/Latter%20Rain.htm
Hebrew Roots
http://ltwinternational.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=29&Itemid=2
Communism
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/communist-senate-hearing-wurmbrand.htm
Symbols for Power
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/symbols1.html
“The Secret”
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/secret.htm
Alchemy
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/jung.htm
Rosicrucianism
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/occult/rosicrucian.htm
Rockefeller and Global Mind Control
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/brainwashing/rockefeller-mind-control.htm
Norman Vincent Peale
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/peale.htm
New Kabbalah and Isaac Luria
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/occult/kabbalah.htm
Eugenics
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/009/cuddy/eugenics.htm
Tim Keller Endorses New Age Book
Tim Keller has endorsed a new age book called Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun.
In his endorsement, he said:
“I have long profited from Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s gifts in the field of spiritual development, and I am delighted that she has compiled her experience with spiritual disciplines into book form. I highly recommend it and I look forward to using it as a resource at our church.”
—Dr. Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC
More information on the book is posted at the Apprising website here .
We are told in Calhoun’s SDH we will learn the ways we can “relinquish the false self” through mantric meditation ala Roman Catholic mystic John Main (1926-1982), which actually originated in pagan Eastern religions:
Go into silence, placing yourself in the presence of God with the words “Here I am.” As distractions come to mind, let them go by imagining they are boats floating down a river. Let the current take the distractions away. Don’t follow the distractions. Gently return to God repeating “Here I am.” Let the current of God’s Spirit carry you...
In his endorsement, he said:
“I have long profited from Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s gifts in the field of spiritual development, and I am delighted that she has compiled her experience with spiritual disciplines into book form. I highly recommend it and I look forward to using it as a resource at our church.”
—Dr. Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC
More information on the book is posted at the Apprising website here .
We are told in Calhoun’s SDH we will learn the ways we can “relinquish the false self” through mantric meditation ala Roman Catholic mystic John Main (1926-1982), which actually originated in pagan Eastern religions:
Go into silence, placing yourself in the presence of God with the words “Here I am.” As distractions come to mind, let them go by imagining they are boats floating down a river. Let the current take the distractions away. Don’t follow the distractions. Gently return to God repeating “Here I am.” Let the current of God’s Spirit carry you...
Busy Day
I have had another busy day. I went to the doctor today and called Anthony, a man who usually works with me in outreach at Little Five Points, from the doctor's office. I was wondering whether or not I should set up the outreach tomorrow with a slight cold. Anthony offered to lead it for me. I met him at the storage unit after my appointment and gave him a key to the unit. He is going to lead the outreach tomorrow, and I am going to stay home and rest and work from home.
I ended up working for quite a while in the storage unit to clear out some things and organize everything, realizing Anthony would now be leading the outreach when I cannot be there. This is such an answer to prayer to have Anthony lead when I am not available.
The storage unit was very hot, so it was draining. It needed to be more organized, though. I also gathered everything we will need for the new outreach to the University of TN campus next week in Knoxville and left with my car packed.
I am sending out a letter tonight by email to everyone who works the Atlanta outreach with me to let them know they can contact Anthony and set up the outreach with him tomorrow. Then, I plan to work more on the compilation of research links for the new web site, byGodsgrace.org, to be given out in all of our outreach locations.
I will post the links on the blog when I am done to let everyone know the progress we are making on the new site. This is the bulk of the site, so when this is done most of the work will be done; however, I have to write the text for most of the other pages, so I am not sure when it will all be completed. I am working on this daily. It is very, very exciting to me!
Tomorrow I will be posting another update from "LTW to the Smokies," our table outreach to tourists of the Smoky Mountain National Park. I also got in an update from Guadalajara, which I need to post, so there is much more to come!
I ended up working for quite a while in the storage unit to clear out some things and organize everything, realizing Anthony would now be leading the outreach when I cannot be there. This is such an answer to prayer to have Anthony lead when I am not available.
The storage unit was very hot, so it was draining. It needed to be more organized, though. I also gathered everything we will need for the new outreach to the University of TN campus next week in Knoxville and left with my car packed.
I am sending out a letter tonight by email to everyone who works the Atlanta outreach with me to let them know they can contact Anthony and set up the outreach with him tomorrow. Then, I plan to work more on the compilation of research links for the new web site, byGodsgrace.org, to be given out in all of our outreach locations.
I will post the links on the blog when I am done to let everyone know the progress we are making on the new site. This is the bulk of the site, so when this is done most of the work will be done; however, I have to write the text for most of the other pages, so I am not sure when it will all be completed. I am working on this daily. It is very, very exciting to me!
Tomorrow I will be posting another update from "LTW to the Smokies," our table outreach to tourists of the Smoky Mountain National Park. I also got in an update from Guadalajara, which I need to post, so there is much more to come!
Letter for the Tim Keller and the Elders at Redeemer Presbyterian NYC
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” -Job 38:4
On Darwin and Darwinism: A Letter to Professor Giberson
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
An open letter to Professor Karl Giberson, in answer to his posting, “How Darwin Sustains My Baptist Search for Truth.”
Dear Professor Giberson:
I read with interest your posting at The Huffington Post, brought to my attention by friends. I will respond by means of this open letter, though your tone and chosen forum are not indicative of any serious desire for an honest exchange. Your choice of a secular website, well known for its more liberal leanings, is quite a statement in itself. Did you write this in order to gain the favorable attention of the readers at The Huffington Post? If so, presumably you have your reward. But your tone — hardly the tone of a serious scholar or scientist — is even more disappointing.
You make quite a shocking list of accusations. You suggest that I do not “seem to care about the truth” and that I seem “quite content to make stuff up when it serves [my] purpose.” Those are not insignificant charges. You say that I “made false statements about [Charles] Darwin.” I would not want to do that, so I have once again looked carefully at the evidence.
I have read your posting several times, and it seems that your central complaint comes down to one or possibly two sentences in my address to the 2010 Ligonier Ministries National Conference. Indeed, you provide a link to the transcript of my address that was posted at the BioLogos site. You point to this section of my address: “Darwin did not embark upon the Beagle having no preconceptions of what exactly he was looking for or having no theory of how life emerged in all of its diversity, fecundity, and specialization. Darwin left on his expedition to prove the theory of evolution.”
You complain that this was a misrepresentation of Darwin, and you answer that with considerable bombast. In your words: “Of course, Mohler may simply have made a mistake. He is, after all, a theologian and not a historian. He could have gotten this wrong idea from any number of his fellow anti-Darwinians. However, I don’t think so. In his address he read from my book Saving Darwin, in which I took some pains to correct the all-too-common misrepresentation of Darwin he presented. So, unless he was just cherry-picking ideas from my book that he wanted to assault, he should have known better. But let us bend over backwards here and give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps his only real encounter with Saving Darwin was an instruction to an assistant to ‘find something in Giberson’s book that I can ridicule in my speech.’”
No, I can assure you that my encounter with Saving Darwin comes through reading the book quite thoroughly and more than once. You are at great pains to present an understanding of Darwin that will appeal to conservative Christians who are committed to biblical Christianity. You have a great challenge in this respect, and I seriously doubt you will make much headway. You are determined to convince biblical Christians to accept evolution. I seriously doubt you will make much progress through your book.
In making my argument, I did not need to “cherry-pick” ideas from your book. Nor do I need to misrepresent Darwin and his views. I would be most interested and concerned to find that I have in any way misquoted or misrepresented you. I am confident that your larger problem with the Christian public is in being understood, rather than in being misunderstood. You are straightforward in your celebration of evolution, and you utterly fail to demonstrate how an embrace of evolution can be reconciled with biblical Christianity. Your rejection of an historical Adam and Eve is one precise point at which the Gospel of Christ is undermined, and your proposed “new and better way to understand the origins of sin” is incompatible with the Bible’s clear teaching.
The theory of evolution is incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ even as it is in direct conflict with any faithful reading of the Scriptures. Darwin’s historic role in the development of evolutionary theory is central and significant, but the theological objections to evolution are not centered in the person of Darwin, but in the structure and implications of his theory of natural selection.
But, given the specific nature of your complaint, I now cite the larger context of the statement from the provided transcript of my Ligonier address:
The second great challenge was the emergence of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Coming at the midpoint of the 19th century, we need to be reminded that Darwin was not the first evolutionist. We need to be reminded that Darwin did not embark upon the Beagle having no preconceptions of what exactly he was looking for or having no theory of how life emerged in all of its diversity, fecundity, and specialization. Darwin left on his expedition to prove the theory of evolution. A theory that was based upon the fossil record and other inferences had already been able to take the hold of some in Western civilization. The dawn of the theory of evolution presents a direct challenge to the traditional interpretation of Genesis and, as we shall see, to much more.
You cannot possibly disagree with any sentence of this paragraph, save one. Darwin was certainly not the first evolutionist. His grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a well-known evolutionist long before Charles Darwin set foot aboard the Beagle. One difficulty here, of course, is the word “evolution,” which was not even Charles Darwin’s preferred word. In any event, evolutionary ideas were already present within Victorian society in Britain, even if it would be left to Charles Darwin to develop the theory of natural selection. I do not deny the intellectual impact of Darwin’s own theory. Evolution is not often known as “Darwinism” by accident.
The one sentence central to your complaint is this: “Darwin left on his expedition to prove the theory of evolution.” Upon further reflection, I would accept that this statement appears to misrepresent to some degree Darwin’s intellectual shifts before and during his experience on the Beagle. At the same time, the intellectual context of Darwin’s times (and of his own family, in particular) leave no room to deny that some form of developmentalism had to be in the background of his own thinking, presumably consistent with his own acceptance of a natural theology and an argument from design. Long before Charles Darwin reached adulthood, his own grandfather had affirmed the “natural ascent” of all life. I am happy to correct any misrepresentation of Charles Darwin’s intellectual ambitions, but that sentence has no consequential bearing upon my larger argument or on my rejection of Darwinism.
And if a misrepresentation of Charles Darwin is the central issue, I must insist that it is you who offers the truly dangerous misrepresentation. In Saving Darwin, you attempt at great lengths to present Charles Darwin as a rather conventional and orthodox Christian, prior to his later loss of faith. You state that he was “born to a well-to-do British family who, despite having some unorthodox characters listed in the family Bible, raised him in the Anglican Church, educated him in an Anglican school, and put him on the train to Edinburgh to study medicine.”
This hardly seems adequate or straightforward. The “some unorthodox characters listed in the family Bible” included both his father and his paternal grandfather. His mother’s family was Unitarian in belief, rejecting the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. Even as Charles Darwin was nominally involved in the Anglican Church, largely through the influence of his sister and brother-in-law after the death of his mother, his involvement and exposure appears to me largely incidental to his life. He later married a woman of Unitarian convictions as well.
It is certainly true that Charles Darwin was directed to become an Anglican clergyman by his unbelieving father, but this was a social tradition for second sons of the developing British middle class. As Randal Keynes, Darwin’s own great-great-grandson explains, “His idea was to become a country parson, caring for his parishioners but living for natural history.” And, as the authoritative biographers Adrian Desmond and James Moore recount, “Dr. Darwin, a confirmed freethinker, was sensible and shrewd. He had only to look around him, recall the vicarages he had visited, [and] ponder the country parsons he entertained at home. One did not have to be a believer to see that an aimless son with a penchant for field sports would fit in nicely. Was the church not a haven for dullards and dawdlers, the last resort of spendthrifts? What calling but the highest for those whose sense of calling was nil?”
Of far greater concern is your tendency to appear to agree with some of Darwin’s complaints against biblical Christianity. You claim that he “boarded the Beagle with his childhood Christian faith intact,” but then add, “although he had begun to wonder about the historicity of the more fanciful Old Testament stories, like the Tower of Babel.” This is insignificant? Are we to understand that you, too, see that biblical account as “fanciful”? You explain that Darwin, “like most thoughtful believers,” began to distance himself from the doctrine of hell — a doctrine you describe as “a secondary doctrine that even many conservatives reject.”
If your intention in Saving Darwin is to show “how to be a Christian and believe in evolution,” what you have actually succeeded in doing is to show how much doctrine Christianity has to surrender in order to accommodate itself to evolution. In doing this, you and your colleagues at BioLogos are actually doing us all a great service. You are showing us what the acceptance of evolution actually costs, in terms of theological concessions.
I stand by my address in full, and only wish I had been able to address these issues at even greater length in that context. I plan to do that over the next few months. I greatly regret that you have committed yourself to a cause that I can see as incompatible with the Scripture and destructive to the Christian faith.
Sincerely,
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
On Darwin and Darwinism: A Letter to Professor Giberson
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
An open letter to Professor Karl Giberson, in answer to his posting, “How Darwin Sustains My Baptist Search for Truth.”
Dear Professor Giberson:
I read with interest your posting at The Huffington Post, brought to my attention by friends. I will respond by means of this open letter, though your tone and chosen forum are not indicative of any serious desire for an honest exchange. Your choice of a secular website, well known for its more liberal leanings, is quite a statement in itself. Did you write this in order to gain the favorable attention of the readers at The Huffington Post? If so, presumably you have your reward. But your tone — hardly the tone of a serious scholar or scientist — is even more disappointing.
You make quite a shocking list of accusations. You suggest that I do not “seem to care about the truth” and that I seem “quite content to make stuff up when it serves [my] purpose.” Those are not insignificant charges. You say that I “made false statements about [Charles] Darwin.” I would not want to do that, so I have once again looked carefully at the evidence.
I have read your posting several times, and it seems that your central complaint comes down to one or possibly two sentences in my address to the 2010 Ligonier Ministries National Conference. Indeed, you provide a link to the transcript of my address that was posted at the BioLogos site. You point to this section of my address: “Darwin did not embark upon the Beagle having no preconceptions of what exactly he was looking for or having no theory of how life emerged in all of its diversity, fecundity, and specialization. Darwin left on his expedition to prove the theory of evolution.”
You complain that this was a misrepresentation of Darwin, and you answer that with considerable bombast. In your words: “Of course, Mohler may simply have made a mistake. He is, after all, a theologian and not a historian. He could have gotten this wrong idea from any number of his fellow anti-Darwinians. However, I don’t think so. In his address he read from my book Saving Darwin, in which I took some pains to correct the all-too-common misrepresentation of Darwin he presented. So, unless he was just cherry-picking ideas from my book that he wanted to assault, he should have known better. But let us bend over backwards here and give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps his only real encounter with Saving Darwin was an instruction to an assistant to ‘find something in Giberson’s book that I can ridicule in my speech.’”
No, I can assure you that my encounter with Saving Darwin comes through reading the book quite thoroughly and more than once. You are at great pains to present an understanding of Darwin that will appeal to conservative Christians who are committed to biblical Christianity. You have a great challenge in this respect, and I seriously doubt you will make much headway. You are determined to convince biblical Christians to accept evolution. I seriously doubt you will make much progress through your book.
In making my argument, I did not need to “cherry-pick” ideas from your book. Nor do I need to misrepresent Darwin and his views. I would be most interested and concerned to find that I have in any way misquoted or misrepresented you. I am confident that your larger problem with the Christian public is in being understood, rather than in being misunderstood. You are straightforward in your celebration of evolution, and you utterly fail to demonstrate how an embrace of evolution can be reconciled with biblical Christianity. Your rejection of an historical Adam and Eve is one precise point at which the Gospel of Christ is undermined, and your proposed “new and better way to understand the origins of sin” is incompatible with the Bible’s clear teaching.
The theory of evolution is incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ even as it is in direct conflict with any faithful reading of the Scriptures. Darwin’s historic role in the development of evolutionary theory is central and significant, but the theological objections to evolution are not centered in the person of Darwin, but in the structure and implications of his theory of natural selection.
But, given the specific nature of your complaint, I now cite the larger context of the statement from the provided transcript of my Ligonier address:
The second great challenge was the emergence of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Coming at the midpoint of the 19th century, we need to be reminded that Darwin was not the first evolutionist. We need to be reminded that Darwin did not embark upon the Beagle having no preconceptions of what exactly he was looking for or having no theory of how life emerged in all of its diversity, fecundity, and specialization. Darwin left on his expedition to prove the theory of evolution. A theory that was based upon the fossil record and other inferences had already been able to take the hold of some in Western civilization. The dawn of the theory of evolution presents a direct challenge to the traditional interpretation of Genesis and, as we shall see, to much more.
You cannot possibly disagree with any sentence of this paragraph, save one. Darwin was certainly not the first evolutionist. His grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a well-known evolutionist long before Charles Darwin set foot aboard the Beagle. One difficulty here, of course, is the word “evolution,” which was not even Charles Darwin’s preferred word. In any event, evolutionary ideas were already present within Victorian society in Britain, even if it would be left to Charles Darwin to develop the theory of natural selection. I do not deny the intellectual impact of Darwin’s own theory. Evolution is not often known as “Darwinism” by accident.
The one sentence central to your complaint is this: “Darwin left on his expedition to prove the theory of evolution.” Upon further reflection, I would accept that this statement appears to misrepresent to some degree Darwin’s intellectual shifts before and during his experience on the Beagle. At the same time, the intellectual context of Darwin’s times (and of his own family, in particular) leave no room to deny that some form of developmentalism had to be in the background of his own thinking, presumably consistent with his own acceptance of a natural theology and an argument from design. Long before Charles Darwin reached adulthood, his own grandfather had affirmed the “natural ascent” of all life. I am happy to correct any misrepresentation of Charles Darwin’s intellectual ambitions, but that sentence has no consequential bearing upon my larger argument or on my rejection of Darwinism.
And if a misrepresentation of Charles Darwin is the central issue, I must insist that it is you who offers the truly dangerous misrepresentation. In Saving Darwin, you attempt at great lengths to present Charles Darwin as a rather conventional and orthodox Christian, prior to his later loss of faith. You state that he was “born to a well-to-do British family who, despite having some unorthodox characters listed in the family Bible, raised him in the Anglican Church, educated him in an Anglican school, and put him on the train to Edinburgh to study medicine.”
This hardly seems adequate or straightforward. The “some unorthodox characters listed in the family Bible” included both his father and his paternal grandfather. His mother’s family was Unitarian in belief, rejecting the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. Even as Charles Darwin was nominally involved in the Anglican Church, largely through the influence of his sister and brother-in-law after the death of his mother, his involvement and exposure appears to me largely incidental to his life. He later married a woman of Unitarian convictions as well.
It is certainly true that Charles Darwin was directed to become an Anglican clergyman by his unbelieving father, but this was a social tradition for second sons of the developing British middle class. As Randal Keynes, Darwin’s own great-great-grandson explains, “His idea was to become a country parson, caring for his parishioners but living for natural history.” And, as the authoritative biographers Adrian Desmond and James Moore recount, “Dr. Darwin, a confirmed freethinker, was sensible and shrewd. He had only to look around him, recall the vicarages he had visited, [and] ponder the country parsons he entertained at home. One did not have to be a believer to see that an aimless son with a penchant for field sports would fit in nicely. Was the church not a haven for dullards and dawdlers, the last resort of spendthrifts? What calling but the highest for those whose sense of calling was nil?”
Of far greater concern is your tendency to appear to agree with some of Darwin’s complaints against biblical Christianity. You claim that he “boarded the Beagle with his childhood Christian faith intact,” but then add, “although he had begun to wonder about the historicity of the more fanciful Old Testament stories, like the Tower of Babel.” This is insignificant? Are we to understand that you, too, see that biblical account as “fanciful”? You explain that Darwin, “like most thoughtful believers,” began to distance himself from the doctrine of hell — a doctrine you describe as “a secondary doctrine that even many conservatives reject.”
If your intention in Saving Darwin is to show “how to be a Christian and believe in evolution,” what you have actually succeeded in doing is to show how much doctrine Christianity has to surrender in order to accommodate itself to evolution. In doing this, you and your colleagues at BioLogos are actually doing us all a great service. You are showing us what the acceptance of evolution actually costs, in terms of theological concessions.
I stand by my address in full, and only wish I had been able to address these issues at even greater length in that context. I plan to do that over the next few months. I greatly regret that you have committed yourself to a cause that I can see as incompatible with the Scripture and destructive to the Christian faith.
Sincerely,
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Chicago Bible Students
Here is the web site for the Chicago Bible Students. Notice, they are promoting a book by Charles Taze Russell, founder of Jehovah's Witnesses, on their site. There is even a booklet they offer based on his book! They deny the Trinity and don't believe in hell. They evidently don't believe in 1 Corinthians 13, because they don't appear to be the least bit loving. (See previous post.)
I will be posting more on hell soon for the "Bible students."
For more on the beliefs of Charles Taze Russell and the Jehovah's Witnesses, I recommend one of my favorite books, Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin.
I pray for these young people who are a new breed of JWs from Chicago.
I will be posting more on hell soon for the "Bible students."
For more on the beliefs of Charles Taze Russell and the Jehovah's Witnesses, I recommend one of my favorite books, Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin.
I pray for these young people who are a new breed of JWs from Chicago.
Ah, the loving "Bible Students"
I laughed hysterically when I got this email, because I know it came from a "Chicago Bible Student." Why must this cultist hate me so? The answer lies in why his spirit hates the Deity of Christ.
This response came as a result from Bible verses I posted here for these "Chicago Bible students" who don't believe in the diety of Jesus, the deity of the Holy Spirit or hell.
"And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness, correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:24-26
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience." Ephesians 2:1-2
--------------------------------------------
Hello,
For a website that claims to bring 'light' ....you sure are steeped in darkness!
I was sent an article from your website today...by the way...a very self-serving, self- aggrandising website...( the only person who is being glorified on your website
is the red-head.) Take a tip from John the baptist.....the red-head must decrease and HE must increase...John3:30
The article was about 'hell' and revealed that it's author didn't have a clue what they were talking about. To help the author from writing and distributing further embarrassing and sophomoric disinformation.....I offer the following............
You need to remember that the Bible wasn't written in English. You need to understand the words Hades, Tartaroo, Sheol and each of their definitions. You are confusing the lake of fire with the Dante inspired, catholic myth and protestant perpetuated lie, of an ever burning hell. Everywhere in the bible....EVERYWHERE....except for one verse ( 2 Peter 2:4) ...'hell' means the grave! A few hours actually studying the origin or etymology of the word "hell", with a Diaglott, Strong's Concordance, Bullinger's Companion Bible (Appendix #131, pages 162 & 163) and also, perhaps ( if you are really serious about finding out the truth) Rotherham's Emphasized Bible , should clear the issue up for you and you will come to understand that the God of the Bible is Holy and Loving and is not Hitler.
By teaching that the wages of sin is eternal torture rather than death you slander, my Father, the God of the Bible.
Your article is in gross error and you are as WRONG as your are careless and thoughtless!
" The heathen god's are all vengeful. The God of the Bible alone lays claim to being a God of love "whose mercy endureth forever" as one of the psalms repeats again and again. Alas, how terribly our God of wisdom,justice, love and power has been misrepresented to the world and to the church, as a god delighting in the eternal torture of the vast majority of his creatures;for if such were his provision for them, and he knew the end from the beginning, it would surely prove that he delighted in and intended their torture. But when our eyes are open to a proper interpretation of God's Word,.....( and actually STUDY the Hebrew and Greek)....His character becomes glorious before our eyes and commands our love and devotion....."..." a God who would use his power to create human beings whom he foreknew and predestined should be eternally tormented, could neither be wise, just nor loving; his standard would be lower than that of men..." and not worthy of worship. -Charles Taze Russell
Get it Together( 2 Timothy 2:15)
RS Innes
-------
My response:
My goodness. You must be a “Chicago Bible Student.” Maybe you should read 1 Corinthians 13, because you show no love for me.
Love in Jesus,
Dwayna
----------------------
To which he responded:
Dwayna
...........And you show no respect or love for the Father when you misrepresent Him and slander Him!
Dwayna...it's not about you
Get over yourself
RS Innes
------------
As we "test the spirit" (1 John 4:1), this man does not believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit! His spirit has no authority over him, or so he thinks. Passages such as Acts 5 prove the deity of the Holy Spirit, and thank God for such a HOLY Spirit within me at war with the spirit of this "Bible student." Jesus spoke more about hell than He did heaven. But, Jesus is not God to this "Bible student." This just goes to show that demonic spirits know the Bible, too. By the way, since this "Bible student" has read the verses on hell and the Trinity in the previous post, I don't plan on responding to this infuriated person anymore.
This response came as a result from Bible verses I posted here for these "Chicago Bible students" who don't believe in the diety of Jesus, the deity of the Holy Spirit or hell.
"And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness, correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:24-26
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience." Ephesians 2:1-2
--------------------------------------------
Hello,
For a website that claims to bring 'light' ....you sure are steeped in darkness!
I was sent an article from your website today...by the way...a very self-serving, self- aggrandising website...( the only person who is being glorified on your website
is the red-head.) Take a tip from John the baptist.....the red-head must decrease and HE must increase...John3:30
The article was about 'hell' and revealed that it's author didn't have a clue what they were talking about. To help the author from writing and distributing further embarrassing and sophomoric disinformation.....I offer the following............
You need to remember that the Bible wasn't written in English. You need to understand the words Hades, Tartaroo, Sheol and each of their definitions. You are confusing the lake of fire with the Dante inspired, catholic myth and protestant perpetuated lie, of an ever burning hell. Everywhere in the bible....EVERYWHERE....except for one verse ( 2 Peter 2:4) ...'hell' means the grave! A few hours actually studying the origin or etymology of the word "hell", with a Diaglott, Strong's Concordance, Bullinger's Companion Bible (Appendix #131, pages 162 & 163) and also, perhaps ( if you are really serious about finding out the truth) Rotherham's Emphasized Bible , should clear the issue up for you and you will come to understand that the God of the Bible is Holy and Loving and is not Hitler.
By teaching that the wages of sin is eternal torture rather than death you slander, my Father, the God of the Bible.
Your article is in gross error and you are as WRONG as your are careless and thoughtless!
" The heathen god's are all vengeful. The God of the Bible alone lays claim to being a God of love "whose mercy endureth forever" as one of the psalms repeats again and again. Alas, how terribly our God of wisdom,justice, love and power has been misrepresented to the world and to the church, as a god delighting in the eternal torture of the vast majority of his creatures;for if such were his provision for them, and he knew the end from the beginning, it would surely prove that he delighted in and intended their torture. But when our eyes are open to a proper interpretation of God's Word,.....( and actually STUDY the Hebrew and Greek)....His character becomes glorious before our eyes and commands our love and devotion....."..." a God who would use his power to create human beings whom he foreknew and predestined should be eternally tormented, could neither be wise, just nor loving; his standard would be lower than that of men..." and not worthy of worship. -Charles Taze Russell
Get it Together( 2 Timothy 2:15)
RS Innes
-------
My response:
My goodness. You must be a “Chicago Bible Student.” Maybe you should read 1 Corinthians 13, because you show no love for me.
Love in Jesus,
Dwayna
----------------------
To which he responded:
Dwayna
...........And you show no respect or love for the Father when you misrepresent Him and slander Him!
Dwayna...it's not about you
Get over yourself
RS Innes
------------
As we "test the spirit" (1 John 4:1), this man does not believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit! His spirit has no authority over him, or so he thinks. Passages such as Acts 5 prove the deity of the Holy Spirit, and thank God for such a HOLY Spirit within me at war with the spirit of this "Bible student." Jesus spoke more about hell than He did heaven. But, Jesus is not God to this "Bible student." This just goes to show that demonic spirits know the Bible, too. By the way, since this "Bible student" has read the verses on hell and the Trinity in the previous post, I don't plan on responding to this infuriated person anymore.
Outreach at Little Five Points (Atlanta) This Saturday
It is supposed to be a beautiful day this Saturday, so we will be in outreach here in Atlanta at the ministry table in Little Five Points.
I will then be heading to TN to prepare for the new table outreach of apologetics to the students at University of TN.
I am singing and sharing my testimony and showing a video on Lighting the Way at Valley Grove Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN, Sunday, Sept. 5th.
I will then be heading to TN to prepare for the new table outreach of apologetics to the students at University of TN.
I am singing and sharing my testimony and showing a video on Lighting the Way at Valley Grove Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN, Sunday, Sept. 5th.
More Bad News from Redeemer Pres. NYC
Surprise, surprise. We are discussing how BAD this is on Facebook. You can't get any worse biblically than such an attack from Tim Keller and the elders at Redeemer on Genesis. If you don't have faith in the Genesis account, may as well forget the rest of the Bible. But, Satan likes to confuse and call such lies "Christian", so I am sure the arrogant spirit behind all of this "interpretation" is not going to let up. I feel sorry for Tim Keller and the elders at Redeemer Presbyterian Church for their audacious lengths at compromise with the world and their obvious paucity of fear of God.
Read story here.
Read story here.
Islam Rising
Now, the Muslims have their tracts for proselytizing. I just received this email after I sent out some documentation about the true beliefs of Islam.
Dwayna,
A friend just informed me that the Muslims are handing out tracts explaining their beliefs at the Minnesota State Fair. I have printed out your stuff, and Lord willing, I pray that I can plant some gospel seeds. Thanks again for sending this to me.
Dwayna,
A friend just informed me that the Muslims are handing out tracts explaining their beliefs at the Minnesota State Fair. I have printed out your stuff, and Lord willing, I pray that I can plant some gospel seeds. Thanks again for sending this to me.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Scriptures on hell and the Trinity for "Chicago Bible Students"
“Chicago Bible Students” don’t believe in hell and only believe “Jehovah” is God, not Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Here are some verses to consider which warn of hell and teach that the God of the Bible is a God in three Persons-- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It should be no surprise they recommend God's Great Design for the Ages, a book by Charles Taze Russell, founder of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Here are some Bible verses for the "Chicago Bible Students" to consider.
VERSES TO PROVE JESUS IS GOD
Exodus 3:14 – John 8:58 – John 10:30
Isaiah 44:6 – Rev. 1:8, 17-18
Isaiah 43:10b – Rev. 22:13-16
Hebrews 1:5,6,8 – Luke 4:8
Also see Acts 5:3-4, which teaches that the Holy Spirit is God.
VERSES TO PROVE TRINITY
Jesus Raised Jesus–John 2:19
The Father Raised Jesus–ACTS 3:26
The Holy Spirit Raised Jesus– ROMANS 8:11
God Raised Jesus–ACTS 17:30-31
(Read more about the doctrine of the Trinity found in the Bible and beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses at Walter Martin Ministries here.)
VERSES ON HELL
Jesus warned of the lost, the “whole body will be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29,30
“And fear not them who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” Matthew 10:28
“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15
“The Lord destroyed them who believed not.” Jude 5
“Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 7
“But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burneth with fire and brimstone.” Revelation 21:8
[See response from a "Chicago Bible student" here . ]
Here are some Bible verses for the "Chicago Bible Students" to consider.
VERSES TO PROVE JESUS IS GOD
Exodus 3:14 – John 8:58 – John 10:30
Isaiah 44:6 – Rev. 1:8, 17-18
Isaiah 43:10b – Rev. 22:13-16
Hebrews 1:5,6,8 – Luke 4:8
Also see Acts 5:3-4, which teaches that the Holy Spirit is God.
VERSES TO PROVE TRINITY
Jesus Raised Jesus–John 2:19
The Father Raised Jesus–ACTS 3:26
The Holy Spirit Raised Jesus– ROMANS 8:11
God Raised Jesus–ACTS 17:30-31
(Read more about the doctrine of the Trinity found in the Bible and beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses at Walter Martin Ministries here.)
VERSES ON HELL
Jesus warned of the lost, the “whole body will be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29,30
“And fear not them who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” Matthew 10:28
“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15
“The Lord destroyed them who believed not.” Jude 5
“Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 7
“But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burneth with fire and brimstone.” Revelation 21:8
[See response from a "Chicago Bible student" here . ]
Monday, August 23, 2010
LTW Campus Outreaches (Philippines and University of TN)
I shipped over $200.00 worth of books, Bibles and tracts to the Philippines today for their next table outreach to students on campus in Batangas. I put it all in a large flat rate box from the post office, and it was 55.00 for shipping alone.
Our new outreach to the University of TN has cost over a thousand dollars so far, as we have ordered all of the supplies, ordered more Bibles, more tracts, and more books. We have had 500.00 extra dollars donated for this outreach, but we are praying for more.
It is very expensive to keep Lighting the Way going with the financial needs. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FOR YOUR PRAYERS.
Another big expense is a new web site being built for the lost all over the world. It is going to be beautiful and worth every penny as visitors come to find out about God's grace with a defense for the Gospel against every other religion and belief system opposing such grace and salvation through Jesus. It is a lot of work to build, but I am working on it daily.
Our new outreach to the University of TN has cost over a thousand dollars so far, as we have ordered all of the supplies, ordered more Bibles, more tracts, and more books. We have had 500.00 extra dollars donated for this outreach, but we are praying for more.
It is very expensive to keep Lighting the Way going with the financial needs. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FOR YOUR PRAYERS.
Another big expense is a new web site being built for the lost all over the world. It is going to be beautiful and worth every penny as visitors come to find out about God's grace with a defense for the Gospel against every other religion and belief system opposing such grace and salvation through Jesus. It is a lot of work to build, but I am working on it daily.
LTW Update: Pakistan
Pastor Babar is so thankful for the outreach. He says he is running out of materials, and I told him that God had burdened someone to give 25.00 a month for this outreach, and I will wire him money when we get enough to make sense with the high wiring fee. We cannot wire him money monthly due to the high wiring fee. Since it is not safe to ship Bibles into the country, we will keep praying for more funds. Before God gave us 800.00 just for this ministry, this pastor had only the idea and enough Bibles and resources for one table outreach. Lord willing, we will have the money to sustain this evangelistic effort in Pakistan; I told the pastor to be very wise and frugal when ordering resources with these funds, because we don't know when we can send more. This ministry of evangelism to the people of Pakistan would not exist without your help. Pastor Babar writes to let us know that he is not giving out any materials unless the people promise to read them. The people are very thankful for the Bibles. God is at work. As Pastor Babar writes, "This is LIFE."
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Does God Want "ALL" Men to be Saved?
"...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3
"fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
ALL?
Recently, when talking to an Arminian pastor he smugly announced that “ALL means all that’s all.” It’s a slick statement, but is it true? Let’s then consider this word ‘all’!
1 Tim 2:1-6: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.
In these verses we are exhorted to pray for all men and are told that God wills that all men would be saved. Case closed says the Arminian!
However, not so fast! Concerning praying for all men, we know from John 17:9 that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself deliberately refrained from doing this very thing. He said, "I pray for them (the elect): I pray not for the world but for them You have given Me." So is Paul contradicting Jesus and telling us to pray for all men indiscriminately?
To answer that question, let’s consider what we are being asked to do. The Apostle says we are to pray for ALL men. Does all mean ‘all, that’s all’ in this verse? If it does, that means we are to pray for every individual in the world today? The problem with that is, I don’t know all the people alive on earth today. I neither know their names nor their problems. I can’t, therefore, possibly obey this command if all means ‘all, that’s all’. Also, even if I knew everyone’s names and where they lived I wouldn’t have time to pray for all of them. It’s hard enough to find time to pray for everyone I actually am concerned about never mind every inhabitant of planet earth. If I set out to pray for everyone, in reality, I would end up praying for nobody.
However, the problem is solved when we look at the phrase “all men” in the context and see that it means "for all sorts of men." I am to pray for Kings and people in authority. Without doubt I should also pray for those whom God has brought across my path. In fact, I should not rule anyone out of my prayers because of social standing or ethnic background. I should pray for all men.
The word ‘all’ (‘pas’ in the Greek) is often translated, "all kinds of," or "all manner of." Consider the following passages where ‘All’ means every or all kinds of or all manner of.
Lk 11:42: All manner of herbs
Matt 4:32: All manner of disease
Matt 5:11 All manner of evil
Consider also, Mark 11:32 tells us that all men counted that John was a prophet. But think about it, the people in Ireland didn’t count him a prophet for they were unaware of him. So ‘ALL’ in this passage means all who knew about John. It does not mean every individual in the world.
In John 8:2 it says of Jesus, that "all people came to Him" but we know the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the High Priest refused to come to Him. Therefore, the word ALL in these passages cannot possibly mean every individual in Israel and certainly not every person in the world.
In Romans 5:18, Paul wrote: "Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."
Notice how in this one verse, “all” has two different meanings! All, because of Adam are condemned---this is a case of “All means all, that’s all!” But then notice that because of the free gift ‘all’ are justified! Does all mean all that’s all in this thought? Does anybody in their right mind think this means that everybody will be justified? Will every man, without exception be justified? The Bible knows nothing of such things! If it is so that all means all that’s all then Hell, in that case, will be boarded up to everyone.
Does this scripture then mean that all who were lost will be saved? We know better than that for the Bible tells a different story. We know that all people, all individuals, are lost in Adam, but not all will be saved. The truth is, all in Adam are condemned and all in Christ----everyone who is in Christ--- will be saved. So the ‘All’ in Christ cannot possibly mean every individual in the World.
Romans 14:2 tells us how one man "believes that he may eat all things" whereas another eats only herbs. Does the first gentleman eat all and every thing that exist? In that case he would be like Mr. Creosote, the character in Monty Python’s Flying Circus who ate so much that he exploded. ‘All’ in this case means, rather, that he ate all kinds of things. It is quite obvious Paul means that some men allow themselves meat as well as herbs whereas others avoid meat.
In writing to Titus (2:11) Paul declares that "the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." Since all individuals are not brought to salvation this then means that grace has appeared to "to all sorts of men." This means that no class of person is excluded from the Gospel. It must be preached to the down and out and to the high and mighty. It must be preached to all of every nation race and tribe.
And in John 12:32, unless we assume that everyone is going to go to Heaven, the text, “If I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me" means that He will draw all manner of men unto Him. If it means all individuals without exception will be drawn to Him then, according to the word of the Lord, no one will be lost.
When we read, therefore, that He wills that all men will be saved it means He will have men of all sorts to be saved and come unto a knowledge of the truth." If He actually wills the salvation of all men, all individuals, then we must conclude His will is impotent and easily defeated.
Miles McKee Ministries
Box 541, Kingston Springs,
TN, 37082
http://www.milesmckee.com/
milesmckee@comcast.net
"fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
ALL?
Recently, when talking to an Arminian pastor he smugly announced that “ALL means all that’s all.” It’s a slick statement, but is it true? Let’s then consider this word ‘all’!
1 Tim 2:1-6: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.
In these verses we are exhorted to pray for all men and are told that God wills that all men would be saved. Case closed says the Arminian!
However, not so fast! Concerning praying for all men, we know from John 17:9 that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself deliberately refrained from doing this very thing. He said, "I pray for them (the elect): I pray not for the world but for them You have given Me." So is Paul contradicting Jesus and telling us to pray for all men indiscriminately?
To answer that question, let’s consider what we are being asked to do. The Apostle says we are to pray for ALL men. Does all mean ‘all, that’s all’ in this verse? If it does, that means we are to pray for every individual in the world today? The problem with that is, I don’t know all the people alive on earth today. I neither know their names nor their problems. I can’t, therefore, possibly obey this command if all means ‘all, that’s all’. Also, even if I knew everyone’s names and where they lived I wouldn’t have time to pray for all of them. It’s hard enough to find time to pray for everyone I actually am concerned about never mind every inhabitant of planet earth. If I set out to pray for everyone, in reality, I would end up praying for nobody.
However, the problem is solved when we look at the phrase “all men” in the context and see that it means "for all sorts of men." I am to pray for Kings and people in authority. Without doubt I should also pray for those whom God has brought across my path. In fact, I should not rule anyone out of my prayers because of social standing or ethnic background. I should pray for all men.
The word ‘all’ (‘pas’ in the Greek) is often translated, "all kinds of," or "all manner of." Consider the following passages where ‘All’ means every or all kinds of or all manner of.
Lk 11:42: All manner of herbs
Matt 4:32: All manner of disease
Matt 5:11 All manner of evil
Consider also, Mark 11:32 tells us that all men counted that John was a prophet. But think about it, the people in Ireland didn’t count him a prophet for they were unaware of him. So ‘ALL’ in this passage means all who knew about John. It does not mean every individual in the world.
In John 8:2 it says of Jesus, that "all people came to Him" but we know the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the High Priest refused to come to Him. Therefore, the word ALL in these passages cannot possibly mean every individual in Israel and certainly not every person in the world.
In Romans 5:18, Paul wrote: "Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."
Notice how in this one verse, “all” has two different meanings! All, because of Adam are condemned---this is a case of “All means all, that’s all!” But then notice that because of the free gift ‘all’ are justified! Does all mean all that’s all in this thought? Does anybody in their right mind think this means that everybody will be justified? Will every man, without exception be justified? The Bible knows nothing of such things! If it is so that all means all that’s all then Hell, in that case, will be boarded up to everyone.
Does this scripture then mean that all who were lost will be saved? We know better than that for the Bible tells a different story. We know that all people, all individuals, are lost in Adam, but not all will be saved. The truth is, all in Adam are condemned and all in Christ----everyone who is in Christ--- will be saved. So the ‘All’ in Christ cannot possibly mean every individual in the World.
Romans 14:2 tells us how one man "believes that he may eat all things" whereas another eats only herbs. Does the first gentleman eat all and every thing that exist? In that case he would be like Mr. Creosote, the character in Monty Python’s Flying Circus who ate so much that he exploded. ‘All’ in this case means, rather, that he ate all kinds of things. It is quite obvious Paul means that some men allow themselves meat as well as herbs whereas others avoid meat.
In writing to Titus (2:11) Paul declares that "the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." Since all individuals are not brought to salvation this then means that grace has appeared to "to all sorts of men." This means that no class of person is excluded from the Gospel. It must be preached to the down and out and to the high and mighty. It must be preached to all of every nation race and tribe.
And in John 12:32, unless we assume that everyone is going to go to Heaven, the text, “If I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me" means that He will draw all manner of men unto Him. If it means all individuals without exception will be drawn to Him then, according to the word of the Lord, no one will be lost.
When we read, therefore, that He wills that all men will be saved it means He will have men of all sorts to be saved and come unto a knowledge of the truth." If He actually wills the salvation of all men, all individuals, then we must conclude His will is impotent and easily defeated.
Miles McKee Ministries
Box 541, Kingston Springs,
TN, 37082
http://www.milesmckee.com/
milesmckee@comcast.net
LTW Update: West Hollywood last night
I was not even set up fully when people began stopping by on the gay bar strip of Santa Monica Blvd. A man from Texas with a young Asian guy took a book. The man from Texas was on his way home and said he wanted to read it tonight. The Asian man was on his way to the gay club just up from our table. (We will soon need to order more materials, because we have really been busy on the streets of West Hollywood giving away books, Bibles and CDs and DVDs of testimonies of people who have struggled with homosexuality to be walking in newness of life now through Jesus at the "Heart for Him" table alongside the gay bars.)The man pictured left the table as my friend. He spent 2 hours at the table speaking with me and took the book, When Lost Men Come Home, and a couple of tracts. He had a lot of questions about Christ and had New Age beliefs but was very receptive as I shared God's Word.
While we were engaged with him, a man named Brian approached the table. I discussed the true nature of Christ with him, and he claimed to be a Christian who went to a Gay Foursquare Church in the San Fernando Valley. I warned him about the deceptive nature of many "Christian churches" that do not teach the full Word of God, teaching instead false doctrine. I read Romans, chapter 1, to him. He stayed about a half hour or so and thanked us and left.
Taking the Gospel to the streets,
Dan (and the West Hollywood team)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
More Research Links for New Web Site (By God's Grace.org)
Oprah Winfrey’s New Age “Christ”
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/smith-oprah.htm
Karate and Christianity
http://www.logosword.com/karate
Moralism
http://www.truthsayer.org.za/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=1&Itemid=64
Mormonism Facts
http://www.waltermartin.com/pdfs/Top_10_Amazing_Facts_of_Mormonism.pdf
New Testament Myths?
http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ch14/default.htm
Was Jesus Christ a Myth?
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/copycat.html
Mystery Cults
http://www.rim.org/muslim/pagannt.htm
Mithraism
http://christopherbutler.wordpress.com/2006/10/07/jesus-is-not-a-mithras-redux/
Mithra Religion and Biblical Prophecies
http://www.carm.org/christianity/bible/doesnt-religion-mithra-prove-christianity-false
Mystery Religions, Resurrection and Christianity
http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/_PDFArchives/theological-dictionary/TD4W0304.pdf
Pagan Connections
http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4217655/
Historicity of Jesus
http://www.christiancadre.org/topics/historicaljesus.html
Peter Jennings, Jesus and Paul
http://irr.org/abc-jesus-and-paul.html
Did Jesus Really Die?
http://brainshavings.com/on-the-physical-death-of-jesus-christ.html
Shattering the Christ Myth
http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexisthub.html
Elaine Pagels and Gnosticism
http://www.answeringinfidels.com/answering-skeptics/answering-elaine-pagels/
Dionysus
http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/dionysus.html
Miracles
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/mqx.html
Miracles and History
http://www.christianorigins.com/miracles.html
Horus
http://www.kingdavid8.com/Copycat/JesusHorus.html
Zeitgeist
http://www.alwaysbeready.com/index.php?id=124&option=com_content&task=view
Apostolic Jesus
http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2010/08/apostolic-jesus.html
Dominionism
http://www.discernment-ministries.org/ChristianImperialism.htm
New Apostolic Reformation
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/06/great-confluence.html
Emergent Church and Apostolic Reformation
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/06/other-side-of-emergent.html
Culture Mandate and Dominionism
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/04/may-day-prayers.html
Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan
http://www.inthenameofpurpose.org
/
Rick Warren’s Secret Global Plan
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/10/rick-warren-is-he-scary.html
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/smith-oprah.htm
Karate and Christianity
http://www.logosword.com/karate
Moralism
http://www.truthsayer.org.za/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=1&Itemid=64
Mormonism Facts
http://www.waltermartin.com/pdfs/Top_10_Amazing_Facts_of_Mormonism.pdf
New Testament Myths?
http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ch14/default.htm
Was Jesus Christ a Myth?
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/copycat.html
Mystery Cults
http://www.rim.org/muslim/pagannt.htm
Mithraism
http://christopherbutler.wordpress.com/2006/10/07/jesus-is-not-a-mithras-redux/
Mithra Religion and Biblical Prophecies
http://www.carm.org/christianity/bible/doesnt-religion-mithra-prove-christianity-false
Mystery Religions, Resurrection and Christianity
http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/_PDFArchives/theological-dictionary/TD4W0304.pdf
Pagan Connections
http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4217655/
Historicity of Jesus
http://www.christiancadre.org/topics/historicaljesus.html
Peter Jennings, Jesus and Paul
http://irr.org/abc-jesus-and-paul.html
Did Jesus Really Die?
http://brainshavings.com/on-the-physical-death-of-jesus-christ.html
Shattering the Christ Myth
http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexisthub.html
Elaine Pagels and Gnosticism
http://www.answeringinfidels.com/answering-skeptics/answering-elaine-pagels/
Dionysus
http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/dionysus.html
Miracles
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/mqx.html
Miracles and History
http://www.christianorigins.com/miracles.html
Horus
http://www.kingdavid8.com/Copycat/JesusHorus.html
Zeitgeist
http://www.alwaysbeready.com/index.php?id=124&option=com_content&task=view
Apostolic Jesus
http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2010/08/apostolic-jesus.html
Dominionism
http://www.discernment-ministries.org/ChristianImperialism.htm
New Apostolic Reformation
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/06/great-confluence.html
Emergent Church and Apostolic Reformation
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/06/other-side-of-emergent.html
Culture Mandate and Dominionism
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/04/may-day-prayers.html
Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan
http://www.inthenameofpurpose.org
/
Rick Warren’s Secret Global Plan
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/10/rick-warren-is-he-scary.html
Apostolic Jesus
This movement is being proliferated by pseudo-Christians, calling themselves "apostolic". It is very scary, with the "Body of Christ" on earth as divine in mandate and dominion. Welcome to the Apostolic Jesus of Christian Imperialism. (source here)
Whose kingdom come?
There has been a significant rise of cross-pollination between evangelical dominionists and New Age Theosophists. Since the late 1970s there has been a closeted fraternization between dominionists and Theosophists for the purpose of finding common ground for the future. Both groups seek to bring in a “Christ” figure to solve the world’s problems. Both groups have grand utopian plans to create “peace” on earth. During the past decade, the two groups began borrowing doctrinal terminologies from one another and working on common theologies.
The events of 9/11 gave a new impetus to this effort. Jay Gary, who has been a leader within all three sects of dominionism has had close ties with the Theosophists and is adopting new theologies, including a hybrid of preterism called “transmillenialism.”
Bob Buford of Leadership Network has been working since the mid-1990s to create a youth culture based on “emergent” theologies called the Emergent Church – a mixture of New Age paganism, eastern mysticism and evangelical dominionism. And Patriotic Dominionist leaders have long-standing, close ties with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who has his own messianic kingdom ambitions.
“Christ’s” Law
The crime of separation, of division, of lawlessness must go from the world. All that hinders the manifestation of man’s divinity must be driven from our planet. My Law will take the place of separation. --Maitreya the “Christ”
Whose kingdom come?
There has been a significant rise of cross-pollination between evangelical dominionists and New Age Theosophists. Since the late 1970s there has been a closeted fraternization between dominionists and Theosophists for the purpose of finding common ground for the future. Both groups seek to bring in a “Christ” figure to solve the world’s problems. Both groups have grand utopian plans to create “peace” on earth. During the past decade, the two groups began borrowing doctrinal terminologies from one another and working on common theologies.
The events of 9/11 gave a new impetus to this effort. Jay Gary, who has been a leader within all three sects of dominionism has had close ties with the Theosophists and is adopting new theologies, including a hybrid of preterism called “transmillenialism.”
Bob Buford of Leadership Network has been working since the mid-1990s to create a youth culture based on “emergent” theologies called the Emergent Church – a mixture of New Age paganism, eastern mysticism and evangelical dominionism. And Patriotic Dominionist leaders have long-standing, close ties with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who has his own messianic kingdom ambitions.
“Christ’s” Law
The crime of separation, of division, of lawlessness must go from the world. All that hinders the manifestation of man’s divinity must be driven from our planet. My Law will take the place of separation. --Maitreya the “Christ”
Because He First Loved Me...
Questionnaire on Grace
© Miles McKee Ministries
1) Did the Lord Jesus in His high priestly prayer pray for ---
a) Everyone in the world?
b) Only for His people?
Answer: John 17:9
__________________________________________
2) Which is true?
a) Faith in Christ Jesus makes you one of His sheep.
b) Because you are one of His sheep you eventually come to faith in Christ.
Answer: John 10:26-27
________________________________________
3) Why did you come to Christ Jesus? Was it…
a) Because you decided to come?
b) Because the Father gave you to Jesus Christ?
Answer: John 6:37
____________________________________________
4) Why do some people refuse to believe? Is it…
a) Because they have not had the Gospel well enough explained to them?
b) Because they are not the Lord’s sheep?
Answer: John 10:26
___________________________________________
5) Does Jesus actually…
a) Save His people?
b) Make it possible for them to be saved?
Answer: Matthew 1:21
_________________________________________
Isaiah 53:11
___________________________________________
6) In this matter of free choice,
a) Did you choose the Lord Jesus?
b) Did He choose you?
Answer: John 15:16
__________________________________________
7) Did you become a child of God by…
a) Your free will?
b) The free will of God?
Answer: John 1:12-13
________________________________________
Romans 9:16
________________________________________
8) Did you repent because…
a) You made a decision to do so?
b) The goodness of God led you to do so?
Answer: Romans 2:4
_________________________________________
9) Did you get saving faith because…
a) God gave it to you as a gift?
b) You had to ability to exercise faith according to your own free will?
Answer: Ephesians 2:8
_______________________________________
Philippians 1:29
_____________________________________
10) Who opened your heart to the Gospel?
a) God.
b) You opened your own heart.
Answer: Acts 16:14
__________________________________________
Revelation 3:7
_______________________________________
11) Are you appointed unto eternal life because…
a) God saw you would believe the Gospel?
b) You believed the Gospel because you were already appointed unto eternal life?
Answer: Acts 13:48
__________________________________________
12) Sin left man…
a) Spiritually Healthy.
b) Spiritually Unhealthy.
c) Spiritually Dead.
Answer: Ephesians 2:1
________________________________________
13) God saved you because…
a) He saw something worthwhile in you.
b) It was His un-explainable sovereign will to do so.
Answer: Ephesians 1:5
________________________________________
14) Did you have any part to play in your salvation?
a) Yes
b) No
Answer: Ephesians 2:8-9
_______________________________________
Romans 9:16
_________________________________________
© Miles McKee Ministries
1) Did the Lord Jesus in His high priestly prayer pray for ---
a) Everyone in the world?
b) Only for His people?
Answer: John 17:9
__________________________________________
2) Which is true?
a) Faith in Christ Jesus makes you one of His sheep.
b) Because you are one of His sheep you eventually come to faith in Christ.
Answer: John 10:26-27
________________________________________
3) Why did you come to Christ Jesus? Was it…
a) Because you decided to come?
b) Because the Father gave you to Jesus Christ?
Answer: John 6:37
____________________________________________
4) Why do some people refuse to believe? Is it…
a) Because they have not had the Gospel well enough explained to them?
b) Because they are not the Lord’s sheep?
Answer: John 10:26
___________________________________________
5) Does Jesus actually…
a) Save His people?
b) Make it possible for them to be saved?
Answer: Matthew 1:21
_________________________________________
Isaiah 53:11
___________________________________________
6) In this matter of free choice,
a) Did you choose the Lord Jesus?
b) Did He choose you?
Answer: John 15:16
__________________________________________
7) Did you become a child of God by…
a) Your free will?
b) The free will of God?
Answer: John 1:12-13
________________________________________
Romans 9:16
________________________________________
8) Did you repent because…
a) You made a decision to do so?
b) The goodness of God led you to do so?
Answer: Romans 2:4
_________________________________________
9) Did you get saving faith because…
a) God gave it to you as a gift?
b) You had to ability to exercise faith according to your own free will?
Answer: Ephesians 2:8
_______________________________________
Philippians 1:29
_____________________________________
10) Who opened your heart to the Gospel?
a) God.
b) You opened your own heart.
Answer: Acts 16:14
__________________________________________
Revelation 3:7
_______________________________________
11) Are you appointed unto eternal life because…
a) God saw you would believe the Gospel?
b) You believed the Gospel because you were already appointed unto eternal life?
Answer: Acts 13:48
__________________________________________
12) Sin left man…
a) Spiritually Healthy.
b) Spiritually Unhealthy.
c) Spiritually Dead.
Answer: Ephesians 2:1
________________________________________
13) God saved you because…
a) He saw something worthwhile in you.
b) It was His un-explainable sovereign will to do so.
Answer: Ephesians 1:5
________________________________________
14) Did you have any part to play in your salvation?
a) Yes
b) No
Answer: Ephesians 2:8-9
_______________________________________
Romans 9:16
_________________________________________
Testing the Spirits...
"Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6,7).
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [demons]." 1 Timothy 4:1
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [demons]." 1 Timothy 4:1
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