It Would Be Funny, If It Were Not So Sad

HT imablogger

Seminary Is Keeping Me Busy

I am bogged down with much work here in seminary. It is ok, it is work well worth doing as I am being prepared for ministry. I think I will try and post a few new videos exposing more of those who drag the name of Christ through the mud. Let's here it for the heretics, what would I do without them?

So I Have Not Called Anyone A Heretic In Awhile

I went to a church last weekend for a specific reason. It was not my church, but a church I had attended before and I know some who attend there as well. The sermon was on Mark 4:1-20. This man read the entire passage, you know about the seed and thorns and rocky soil and all, and then looked the congregation in the eye and told them that they need to stop being in the first three categories and stay in the fourth. Well if you have not gone to look up the passage yet let me help you out. This parable is about different people, not different categories we are in at different times. The first three groups that this pastor put believers in is made up of unbelievers. The last group are the believers. Do you know what it is called when one take the God-breathed scriptures and make them say something God did not intend for them to say? Do you know what it is called when one takes the gospel and makes it law? Do you know what it is called when one takes the good-news and turns it into good advice? Do you know what it is called when one takes indicatives and makes them imperatives?

IT'S CALLED HERESY!!!!!

We had one couple come up to us and the wife said "Wow, that sermon was really good for you to hear wasn't it?" I had no self-control at the time and told her in no uncertain terms, "It was horrible, he made the text say something it did not say." I then got ahold of myself and kept quiet the rest of the conversation. By the way, this was at a church that has "reformed" in their name. How utterly sad.

As an aside, we were at this church last year and they had a pulpit supply pastor preach the same text and do the same damnable job handling it.

More Apostatizing

Rick Warren is at it again. He has signed a document that is bringing together Muslims and Christians. What is the problem you ask? Notice who they are asking for forgiveness from.

"Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world."

You can read the entire document here and see for yourself who all is involved. It is not just Warren but Bill Hybels, Robert Schuller, and a host of other heretics as well. I just do not understand how these men continue to garner such fame, oh wait, yes I do they run after it like fame has some sort of salvific power. Please pray for every man who signed this document.

Todd Friel on Way of the Master radio did a broadcast covering this as well that you can listen to here.

HT: Reformed Gadfly

Rick Warren, Heretic!

If you do not believe me when I call Rick Warren a heretic, maybe you will believe him. Here he is in his own words, using his own voice, denying Biblical truth. Rick Warren is preaching all Law and no Gospel, this is heresy of the first order because he is leading so many astray.



HT: A Little Leaven

Faith Healer Exposes Himself

I urge you to watch this video closely. This man was raised by his mother to be a Pentacostal preacher and faith healer. This is a movie he made about his fraudulent practices back in the early 1970's watch closely and you can see some eerily similar things to what is going on in today's TBN culture.



Thanks to Independent Conservative for this video

Calling a Spade a Spade

I just have to say, on the heels of my wife pointing out that she used to think everything labeled "Christian" was (but has thankfully learned some discernment in the last few months), that this is outright heresy. This is another gospel, another Jesus, and another way of salvation which is no salvation at all. As Paul said in Galatians 1:6-9:

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version., Ga 1:6-9 (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001).

False Prophets

I am begging anyone who supports TBN and their false prophets to please stop. This kind of thing is deceiving millions and it breaks my heart.

Wolves In Sheeps Clothing

I do not understand why more people are not outraged at what goes on over at TBN. I have had discussions with many who seem indifferent to the circus act that comes under the guise of Christianity. If you are one of those, I am not attacking you, but I do hope this video will make you think.

Osteen said what?

Thanks to Chris over at 'A Little Leaven' for this one.

The Praise of the Prosperity Preachers

I do not know who makes these videos (the same people that made the "self worship" one). But while they are hilarious, at the same time, they should make one realize how ridiculous the gospel these heretics are preaching is.

The Latest Blasphemy

This is incredible! I can't believe that any truly regenerated Christian would buy into this. Moreover, I can't believe any truly regenerated Christian would put this scam on. I am not calling anyone's salvation into question, however, James makes it clear:

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”— and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001). Jas 2:18-26.

Scripture makes it clear that the day of Atonement was done away with when Christ atoned for us on the cross:

¹¹ And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001). Heb 10:11-14.

I am outraged that not only do people so blatantly flaunt their heresy, but that so many BUY into it as well. Again, this goes back to the whole reason I started this blog—the level of discernment in the church today is at an all time low. I am angry and sad. God forgive them, for they know not what they do.

In Christ
Alan

Moral Relativism and the Decline of Doctrine

During the riots following the OJ Simpson verdict in 1992, Rodney King made an appearance before news cameras and uttered “Can we all just get along.” And a new day dawned for moral relativism in America, ushering in an era where truth depends on your point of view. This relativistic thinking has now infiltrated the Christian arena and people are now saying things like “Can’t we just talk about Jesus?” The answer is an emphatic no!

Disregarding proper doctrine is not only foolish, it can be fatal. If you do not have a right understanding of the person and work of Christ, you will end up on the same road with the JW and LDS, who talk about Jesus also, but their Jesus is impotent, he cannot save anyone, and that road leads to hell.

Moral relativism makes claims along the lines of “True for you, but not for me.” “That’s just your interpretation.” And “There are no absolutes.” Moral relativists believe they are being tolerant, but nothing could be further from the truth. They say there are no absolutes while holding this statement as an absolute. So right from the start the system is contradictory. There are seven fatal flaws in relativism, they are:

1. Relativists can’t accuse others of wrongdoing-If you believe morality is a matter of personal definition, then you surrender the possibility of making moral judgments about others’ actions.
   
2. Relativists can’t complain about the problem of evil-Evil can’t be real if morals are relative to the subject.
   
3. Relativists can’t place blame or accept praise-No external standard of measurement defines what should be applauded or condemned.
   
4. Relativists can’t make charges of unfairness or injustice-Both concepts dictate that people receive equal treatment based on an external standard.
   
5. Relativists can’t improve their morality-Moral reform implies an objective rule of conduct as the standard to which we ought to aspire.
   
6. Relativists can’t hold meaningful moral discussions-A meaningful ethical dialogue can be held only when moral principles are seen as universal action guides.
   
7. Relativists can’t promote the obligation of tolerance-If there are no moral rules there can be no rule that requires tolerance as a moral principle that applies equally to all.

Francis Beckwith and Greg Koukl summed it up in their book Relativism-Feet Firmly Planted in Mid Air by saying:

What kind of world would it be if relativism were true? It would be a world in which nothing is wrong—nothing is considered evil or good, nothing worthy of praise or blame. It would be a world in which justice and fairness are meaningless concepts, in which there would be no accountability, no possibility of moral improvement, no moral discourse. And it would be a world in which there is no tolerance.

Truth is that which corresponds to reality. And reality is objective. If someone says to you that reality is created by each person, he has already contradicted himself, for he assumes that his statement, at least, is universal and applies to everyone universally; therefore his statement is self refuting and cannot be true.

So moral relativism is self defeating and unlivable. This has not stopped it from being embraced by the Christian community however.

Modern church leaders seem obsessed with methodology, psychology, pragmatics, attendance figures, felt needs, popularity polls, and the like—all to the detriment of biblical doctrine. And when doctrinal understanding declines, real discernment becomes impossible.

Today it seems that anyone concerned with doctrine is looked upon as pharisaical. The biblical condemnation of pharisaical legalism is misread as a denunciation of doctrinal clarity.

Today Christians are content to gloss over the surface of biblical truth and not go any deeper. They justify their indifference as a refusal to be legalistic. They dismiss as pharisaical narrow-mindedness any attempt to declare truth authoritatively. Doctrine divides therefore any concern for doctrinal matters is seen as unchristian.

As doctrine has been deemphasized, the church has moved from preaching the Word to other activities: drama, music, entertainment—things designed to evoke an emotional response rather than enlighten the mind. Some movements have supplanted doctrine with experience. Psychology has elevated “felt” needs over real needs and behavioral theory over revealed truth. All this has accelerated the move away from doctrine and focused the pulpit message on everything but the objective truth of Scripture. Preachers have become comedians, storytellers, therapists, showmen, and entertainers rather than powerful envoys of divine truth.

The secular culture has pulled the Christian community into a mindset where feelings and senses have become our determiners of truth. But this too is a dangerous road. Who amongst us has not fallen in love only to have the relationship end and find out our feelings have been wrong? So we see our feelings can mislead us. Look at a piece of paper with a circle drawn on it, what do you see? A circle. Now hold the paper horizontally, what do you see? An oval, so our senses can deceive us as well. Where does that leave us? With reason. Our thinking is what we can rely on as long as we think critically. As long as we follow the rules of logic and critical thinking, we will discover the truth.

The Bible gives many examples of Christian reasoning; here are a couple:
Acts 17:2 says:

And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

And Acts 18:9 says:

They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

So now we understand faulty thinking and how to arrive at the truth, what do we do now?

Scripture teaches us this as well. 1st Thes 5:21 says:

but test everything; hold fast what is good.

And Titus 1:9 says:

holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

Understanding doctrine will also lead to the truth, but not just doctrine, right doctrine. Scripture warns us that we will be lead astray, grabbing on to what sounds good to us. We cannot let this happen. No matter how good something sounds to you, you must test it in light of scripture and be sure it is true. 2 Tim 4:3 tells us what will happen:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires

So we have seen the flaws of the modern relativist thinking, how it has infiltrated the church, and how to refute it. Now I call you all to make sure you have the truth, and be prepared to dismantle error. Our job as Christians is to be so familiar with the truth, when error looms on the horizon we see it coming miles away.

1 Peter 3:15 says:

but  sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Mr. Spock Theology

Ok, all humor aside, there is truth in this video. When your theology so closely resembles the philosophy of a fictional science fiction character, I think it's time to reevaluate your doctrine. When you think about it soberly it is heartbreaking.

Bonus video.

Benny.............Hill?

Ok, this was just too funny to pass up. I guess I will have to start a humor label.

Since when do we get to plan God's miracles?

This is blasphemous. Where in scripture does it say to plan Holy Spirit miracle crusades? The pride and arrogance running rampant in the word-faith community is disturbing. I have to say that the leaders, at least, show much proof of their unbelief. From their utter inability to exegete scripture to their constant false prophesies, these men and, unfortunately, women show themselves to be wolves in sheep's clothing— although they usually dress in finer linen than wool.