Sovereign Election!
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Seen at The Bororean
Hannah’s Prayer
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(1) “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. (2) There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. (3) Talk no more so very [...]
The Old Gospel and the New
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The old gospel of Owen, first of all, contains no less full and free an offer of salvation than its modern counterpart. It presents ample grounds of faith (the sufficiency of Christ, and the promise of God), and cogent motives to faith (the sinner’s need, and the Creator’s command, which is also the Redeemer’s invitation). The new gospel gains nothing here by asserting universal redemption. The old gospel, certainly, has no room for the cheap sentimentalising which turns God’s free mercy to sinners into a constitutional softheartedness on His part which we can take for granted; nor will it countenance the degrading presentation of Christ as the baffled Saviour, balked in what he hoped to do by human unbelief; nor will it indulge in maudlin appeals to the unconverted to let Christ save them out of pity for His disappointment. The pitiable Saviour and the pathetic God of modern pulpits are unknown to the old gospel. The old gospel tells men that they need God, but not that God needs them (a modern falsehood); it does not exhort them to pity Christ, but announces that Christ has pitied them, though pity was the last thing they deserved. It never loses sight of the Divine majesty and sovereign power of the Christ whom it proclaims, but rejects flatly all representations of Him which would obscure His free omnipotence.
(click here to read this post)
Election vs. Foresight
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As it is impossible to deny the reality of divine election upon even a cursory reading of the scriptures, it appears that the method common in many Baptist and other Protestant circles, in an effort to unite election with the human perspective of fairness and free will, is to redefine election, to strip it of any real power. You may hear reasoning such as “God looked down the corridors of time to see who would believe” and so elected them. I expect that many through the ages, and perhaps even some on this site (as the archives may attest), have aptly used scripture to show the problems with such a notion (logical inconsistencies aside), but as I have recently been reading Calvin on this, several relevant excerpts of his are given below. It is copied from the John Allen translation, as I’ve become somewhat accustomed to that one. The emboldened fonts are added here.
It is a notion commonly entertained, that God, foreseeing what would be the respective merits of every individual, makes a correspondent distinction between different persons; that he adopts as children such as will be deserving of his grace, and devotes to the damnation of death others, whose dispositions he sees will be inclined to wickedness and impiety. Thus they not only obscure election by covering it with the veil of foreknowledge, but pretend that it originates in another cause [other than God's good pleasure]. Nor is this commonly received notion the opinion of the vulgar only, for it has had great advocates in all ages….
God’s sovereign election of some, and preterition [passing by] of others, they make the subject of formal accusation against him….
Now, it is of importance to attend to what the Scripture declares respecting every individual. Paul’s assertion, that we were “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), certainly precludes any consideration of merit in us; for it is as though he had said, our heavenly Father, finding nothing worthy of his choice in all the posterity of Adam, turned his views towards his Christ, to choose members from his body whom he would admit to the fellowship of life. Let believers, then, be satisfied with this reason, that we were adopted in Christ to the heavenly inheritance, because in ourselves we were incapable of such high dignity. He has a similar remark in another place, where he exhorts the Colossians to “give thanks unto the Father, who had made them meet [fit] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints.” (Col. 1:12) If election precedes this grace of God, which makes us meet to obtain the glory of the life to come, what will God find in us to induce him to elect us? Another passage from this apostle will still more clearly express my meaning. “He hath chosen us,” he says, “before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of his will, that we should be holy, and without blame before him” (Eph. 1:4-5); where he opposes the good pleasure of God to all our merits whatsoever.
Calvin summarizes his main theme in this, showing that the scripture,
stating them to have been “chosen that they might be holy,” fully refutes the error which derives election from foreknowledge; since Paul, on the contrary, declares that all the virtue in men is the effect of election… This overturns any means of election which men imagine in themselves… For say, ‘Because he foresaw they would be holy, therefore he chose them,’ and you will invert the order of Paul. We may safely infer, then, If he chose us that we should be holy, his foresight of our future holiness was not the cause of his choice…
And what consistency would there be in asserting, that things derived from election were the causes of election? A subsequent clause seems further to confirm what he had said – “according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself.” (Eph. 1:9) For the assertion, that God purposed in himself , is equivalent to saying, that he considered nothing out of himself, with any view to influence his determination.
- excerpts from “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, Book III, Chapter XXII
While here Calvin may appear to be dealing with outward works, he shows in other places that this divine catalyst of election certainly applies to our will also. Perhaps in a future post more on this would be warranted. For now suffice it to say that immediately following Paul’s exhortation to believers to “work out” their salvation, he plainly states, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13) Now, if even we as those regenerated have need for God to grant us wills to please Him, how much more those still in need of conversion?
Sola gratia,
Darrin
End of post.
Time for Faithful Pastors to Go on the Attack!
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They say the best defense is a good offense. Julia Duin’s latest book called Quitting Church discusses how how people are quitting church in droves because it’s been dumbed down (thank you very much Purpose-Driven Movement and Seeker-Sensitive Movement).
Chris Rosebrough, host of the Fighting for the Faith radio program on Pirate Christian Radio thinks that this is the perfect time for faithful Bible preachers to reach out to those who are quitting church and offer them something they haven’t been able to get in a long time… A good Biblical Meal. Here is a simple post card marketing idea that Rosebrough thinks will help get the message out.
“GOSPEL TODAY” MAGAZINE FEATURING WOMEN PASTORS ON COVER PULLED FROM SHELVES OF LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES (SBC)
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The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:5-9)
Trying To Be About “Saving Souls” On Our Own Terms
By now most people wish to know are aware of the story concerning which Christianity Today has reported:
Gospel Today was snatched from more than 100 Lifeway Christian Bookstore racks because the women on the cover are church pastors, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Chris Turner, a spokesman for Lifeway Resources, which runs the stores for the Southern Baptist Convention, told reporter Christopher Quinn, “It is contrary to what we believe.” (Online source)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) story cited by CT had revealed:
Gospel Today, the Fayetteville-published magazine, was pulled off the racks by the bookstores’ owner, the Southern Baptist Convention. The problem? The five smiling women on the cover are women of the cloth — church pastors. Southern Baptist polity says that’s a role reserved for men. Teresa Hairston, owner of Gospel Today, whose glossy pages feature upbeat articles about health, living, music and ministry, said she discovered by e-mail that the September/October issue of the magazine had been demoted to the realm of the risque.
“It’s really kind of sad when you have people like [Gov.] Sarah Palin and [Sen.] Hillary Clinton providing encouragement and being role models for women around the world that we have such a divergent opinion about women who are able to be leaders in the church,” Hairston said. “I was pretty shocked.” Chris Turner, a spokesman for Lifeway Resources, which runs the stores for the Southern Baptist Convention, said, “It is contrary to what we believe.” It bases those beliefs on their interpretation of New Testament Scriptures. (Online source)
I’m already on record here at Apprising Ministries concerning what really should be a non-issue in Thoughts On Women Pastors. It’s not an issue, that is, if one actually does adhere to Sola Scriptura because it’s quite clear that the solution—as you’ll see in my article—to this current controversy rests in a proper understanding of God’s intention in His created order. But what we are witnessing as more and more denominations cave into pressure to please men is the grave danger in the centered on the self, highly subjective, and existential, neo-orthodox i.e. “feelings-oriented” approach to the Bible, which is beyond question the common hermeneutic in the Emerging Church rebellion against the authority of God’s Word today in postevangelicalism.
So rather than going by what the Scripture says we instead appeal to “community” and/or surveys of public opinion. Basically what we have here is a very wrong view currently being repainted e.g. by men like Rob Bell of what is meant by Sola Scriptura, which I discuss further in When Rob Bell Tells You What The Bible Means, It Is Not True. In his book Velvet Elvis Bell has said, “the problem is that we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is.” But pastor Bob DeWaay is dead on target when he points out that Bell’s statement is his won personal bias against Sola Scriptura and:
thereby [Bell] takes the same position that the Roman Catholic Church took against the Reformers: That since the Church (guided by the Holy Spirit) gave us the Bible, the Church (guided by the Holy Spirit) is authoritative over the Bible. Bell’s version simply expands that idea beyond Rome to any Christian group anywhere struggling with the meaning of the Bible. Rather than to rely on a grammatical/historical approach to determine the author’s meaning, he trusts that in some manner the Holy Spirit is “enlightening us.” (Online source)
And then in his excellent article Why Evangelicals are Returning to Rome: The Abandonment of Sola Scriptura as a Formal Principle DeWaay uncovers how postevangelicalism, by making this same mistake as did/does apostate Roman Catholicism, then ends up with no valid reason not to accept once again the very same kinds on unblical practices that led to the Protestant Reformation in the first place:
So the Protestant (if the term even means anything today) world is characterized by reformations that have either rejected or compromised sola scriptura as the formal principle for their theology. No wonder few voices of concern are raised at Christianity Today’s proposed trip back to Rome to find beliefs and practices. Once sola scriptura has been rejected, there remain few reasons not to go back to Rome. If religious traditions can be considered normative, then why not embrace those with the longest history?
(Online source)
The Idol Of Automy Is The SBC Escape Hatch From Standing Firmly For Anything
Of course I will state categorically that I am against women being ordained as elders, which one must be to even be a pastor, because I adhere to Sola Scriptura. However, with its Idol of Autonomy to hide behind it’s a complete joke to say anything that may be “contrary to” what the Southern Baptist Convention believes would actually be dealt with. One need only look as far as recent articles at AM like Baptist State Convention Of North Carolina (SBC) Encouraging Southern Baptists To Use Lectio Divina or Georgia Baptist Convention (SBC) Now Promoting The Cult Of Richard Foster where you’ll see this state convention of the Slowly Becoming Catholic endorses the teachings of Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster.
This farce of the SBC standing firmly against anything is exposed in the AJC article itself:
Southern Baptist representatives at national meetings have adopted statements saying women should not be pastors, but each church is independent. A few churches have selected women, such as Decatur First Baptist, where the Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell preaches each Sunday from the pulpit. (Online source)
A while back I brought to the attention of supposed SBC leaders that Oneness Pentecostal heretic and Word Faith mogul T.D. Jakes was preaching again in a Southern Baptist church and the SBC president assured me he was “making calls.” Apparently he was ordering pizza because Jakes, who denies the truine nature of the God he says he serves, was allowed to preach alongside ostensibly orthodox SBC Christian ministers as if Jakes himself was orthodox.
Which brings us back to the heart of the matter in the rapidly apostatizing evangelical community in the throes of its ecumenical lust for acceptance by the various factions within this world. And this would be that today most people are reading the Bible by how they “feel” God should be like so they are busy recreating Him into their own image. Do the words ”golden calf” ring a bell? I close now with a perfect illustration of the sad state of self-centered evangelicalism in love with itself. AJC provides us with a very telling quote from ”pastor” Tamara Bennett:
one of the featured pastors on the magazine cover and [who] talks in the article about the challenges of breaking through the stained-glass ceiling. “God’s assignment is that no souls are lost and all are saved,” Bennett said. “Gender is not how God sees it. We are about winning souls, period.” (Online source)
Really; you’re about “winning souls”? Well, let me ask you there “pastor” Bennett, and anyone else in the evangelical community joining these renegade “pastors” in their open rebellion against what God has said in His Word: Can you really have any kind of saving message with the power to save dead people without the regenerating power of God the Holy Spirit? You’d better pray so because those people you “win” must be born again to see the Kingdom of God, and while the LORD God Almighty of the Bible will always honor His Word, He also takes an extremely very dim view of those who simply will not do what as Creator He has told us to do.
And even if they have do have their bright and shiny l’il idol of autonomy to hide behind.
Islam: The Religion of Pieces
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Anyone who would like a running body count from the Religion of Peace (Pieces) should make a point of visiting one of the finest reporting sites on the web regarding Islam. Propaganda from Muslim apologists in the West is literally, well, blown to smithereens when you look at the daily carnage wrought by the followers of Mohammed. Ideas have consequences, and the idea that Jews are the descendants of Apes and Pigs, and the idea that the “sword of Islam” will conquer the world has consequences that will affect every one of us. Radical Secularism in the West that is accompanied, predictably, by moral decay, has left us singularly vulnerable to the onslaught of our modern day Saracens. Moral discipline will be restored in the West, and ironically, it may be Islam that does it.
DR. ROD ROSENBLADT CALLS RICK WARREN’S MAN-CENTERED THEOLOGY “ROMAN CATHOLIC”
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In the Apprising Ministries article Man-Centered Gospel vs. God-Centered Gospel I pointed out that sola fide and sola gratia as used in the Protestant Reformation mean that while the sinner is dead in his trespasses and sins God Himself sovereignly regenerates those whom He will, which is the soli Deo gloria of monergism. And I also showed that the contemporary American Christian Church largely believes in synergism (man cooperates with God), while in stark opposition to the synergism of apostate Roman Catholicism, the Reformers (even before John Calvin) taught monergism.
Give this some thought and it should become obvious that by and large the man-centered gospel of postevangelicals like Rick Warren and Emerging Church icons ala Rob Bell is virtually Roman Catholicism minus their sacramental system; well, at least for now. It should now become more obvious why we’d then see ecumenicists e.g. “Bible Scholar” Rick Warren Reversing the Reformation and saying in contradistinction to the Protestant Reformers things like, ““The Church, in all its expressions—Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Protestant and many others—has 2.3 billion followers.”
With this as pertinent background we draw your attention to the following from AM’s sister outreach Christian Research Net:
In this segment of the Issues, Etc. radio program Dr. Rod Rosenbladt of the White Horse Inn is discussing Sola Fide. In the course of the program he is given the opportunity to respond to Rick Warren’s theology. During his response Rosenbladt blasts Warren’s false doctrine and calls Rick Warren a “Southern-Baptist Roman Catholic”.
Reformed Rappers: My Thoughts
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Sam Guzman writes:
I have heard quite a bit about Reformed Rap recently, and I have been somewhat confused as many good men have endorsed it. After giving it some thought, I have written down some of my conclusions on the issue, which can be read here at Always Ready.
“Gospel Today” Magazine Featuring Women Pastors on Cover Pulled from Shelves of Lifeway Christian Bookstores (SBC)
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Apprising Ministries is already on record concerning what really should be a non-issue in Thoughts On Women Pastors. However, in this the Emerging Church rebellion against the authority of God’s Word today in postevangelicalism we are witnessing as more and more denominations cave into pressure to please men. You’ll see that it’s basically of a very wrong view currently being repainted e.g. by men like Rob Bell of what is meant by Sola Scriptura, which I discuss further in When Rob Bell Tells You What The Bible Means, It Is Not True.
In this piece we look at the root reason why we are seeing women ordained as pastors in violation of God’s Word and why because the SBC bows before its Idol of Autonomy it’s really absurd to think it can actually make a firm stand against anything. One need only look as far as recent articles at AM like Baptist State Convention Of North Carolina (SBC) Encouraging Southern Baptists To Use Lectio Divina or Georgia Baptist Convention (SBC) Now Promoting The Cult Of Richard Foster where you’ll see this state convention of the Slowly Becoming Catholic endorses teachings rooted in apostate Roman Catholicism as pressed forth by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster.
Dining with the Devil
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Can you imagine having dinner with someone like Adolf Hitler? The wine is flowing, a string quartet is in the corner, playing some piece by an approved Arian composer. The silver gleams, the white linen tablecloth is resplendant, and across from you is Adolf Hitler—the embodiment of Satan himself. You watch him breaking bread with those murderous hands that signed orders to kill millions of men, women and children in the most barbarous fashion imaginable, just because they were Jews. Hitler’s mouth slowly chews his luxurious dainties, his teeth grinding, grinding away across from you. Bon appétite.
Such a dinner arrangement would never have bothered the leadership of the World Council of Churches who will be hosting the Jew-hating president of Iran who has promised that Zionism and Israel will disappear off the face of the earth. Jews, according to Ahmadinejad’s Koran, are “apes and pigs.” They are sub-human. He also denies the holocaust ever took place. Mr. A keeps himself busy working out deals with China, Russia and North Korea in his attempts to build nuclear weapons that will allow him to make good on his promise of obliterating the tiny nation of Israel. The terrorist sycophants of the World Council of Churches will be supping tomorrow with, and I quote, “His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”
So what kind of dinner conversation do you have with a man like this?
WCC representative: “So how’s the weapon building coming, Your Excellency?”
Mr. A: “Veddy, veddy gud. We look forwud to no more Iss-ry-el veddy veddy soon.”
WCC: “Nice job. Let me congratulate you on your fine work on behalf of all Christians everywhere.”
I think this dinner is an outrage, and I think that the WCC leadership should be exposed for the racist, genocide-supporting hypocrites that they are. They need to repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus Christ was a Jew and the Jews are God’s chosen people. The World Council of Churches has chosen to dine with the Devil on Thursday, but the Devil’s tools must also share in his destruction. They would do well to remember that. Here’s a protest press release I just received.
UCC Renewal Leader Calls for World Council of Churches to Cancel Dinner for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 24 /Christian Newswire/ — Today, United Church of Christ renewal leader David Runnion-Bareford, Exec. Dir. of the confessing movement in the UCC and President of the Association for Church Renewal, called for the World Council of Churches and The Episcopal Church to cancel their plans to host Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a celebrative dinner in New York City on Thursday.
“It is an outrage that Christian leaders would so abjectly sacrifice justice for peace by feting a known murderer, anti-Semite, and international criminal. There is documented evidence that Ahmadinejad is a holocaust denier who has supported the killing of innocent civilians in Israel, killed and tortured political opponents personally, executed children and sponsored legislation about to be finalized this week which will criminalize conversion to Christianity in Iran,” Runnion-Bareford said. “Some of our mainline denominations such as the United Church of Christ, The United Methodists and the Presbyterian Church USA are already under indictment for entertaining anti- Semitic resolutions and ideologies promoted by opponents of Israel, this dinner only compromises our interfaith relationships even further,” he added.
The dinner for “His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, is the fourth in a series of “high-level bridge-building and reconciliation efforts that have helped to build mutual understanding between our peoples, nations and religious traditions.” Last years World Council of Churches event on the 27th of September 2007 drew 140 people from across the U.S. including mainline denominational leaders.
http://www.oikoumene.org (World Council of Churches)
http://www.associationforchurchrenewal.com
For further information email: areformer@aol.com
Christian Newswire
“GOSPEL TODAY” MAGAZINE FEATURING WOMEN PASTORS ON COVER PULLED FROM SHELVES OF LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES
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The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:5-9)
Trying To Be About “Saving Souls” On Our Own Terms
By now most people wish to know are aware of the story concerning which Christianity Today has reported:
Gospel Today was snatched from more than 100 Lifeway Christian Bookstore racks because the women on the cover are church pastors, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Chris Turner, a spokesman for Lifeway Resources, which runs the stores for the Southern Baptist Convention, told reporter Christopher Quinn, “It is contrary to what we believe.” (Online source)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) story cited by CT had revealed:
Gospel Today, the Fayetteville-published magazine, was pulled off the racks by the bookstores’ owner, the Southern Baptist Convention. The problem? The five smiling women on the cover are women of the cloth — church pastors. Southern Baptist polity says that’s a role reserved for men. Teresa Hairston, owner of Gospel Today, whose glossy pages feature upbeat articles about health, living, music and ministry, said she discovered by e-mail that the September/October issue of the magazine had been demoted to the realm of the risque.
“It’s really kind of sad when you have people like [Gov.] Sarah Palin and [Sen.] Hillary Clinton providing encouragement and being role models for women around the world that we have such a divergent opinion about women who are able to be leaders in the church,” Hairston said. “I was pretty shocked.” Chris Turner, a spokesman for Lifeway Resources, which runs the stores for the Southern Baptist Convention, said, “It is contrary to what we believe.” It bases those beliefs on their interpretation of New Testament Scriptures. (Online source)
I’m already on record here at Apprising Ministries on what really should be a non-issue in Thoughts On Women Pastors. It’s not an issue, that is, if one actually does adhere to Sola Scriptura because it’s quite clear that the solution—as you’ll see in my article—to this current controversy rests in a proper understanding of God’s intention in His created order. But what we are witnessing as more and more denominations cave into pressure to please men is the grave danger in the centered on the self, highly subjective, and existential, neo-orthodox i.e. “feelings-oriented” approach to the Bible, which is beyond question the common hermeneutic in the Emerging Church rebellion against the authority of God’s Word today in postevangelicalism.
So rather than going by what the Scripture says we instead appeal to “community” and/or surveys of public opinion. Basically what we have here is a very wrong view currently being repainted e.g. by men like Rob Bell of what is meant by Sola Scriptura, which I discuss further in When Rob Bell Tells You What The Bible Means, It Is Not True. In his book Velvet Elvis Bell has said, “the problem is that we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is.” But pastor Bob DeWaay is dead on target when he points out that Bell’s statement is his won personal bias against Sola Scriptura and:
thereby [Bell] takes the same position that the Roman Catholic Church took against the Reformers: That since the Church (guided by the Holy Spirit) gave us the Bible, the Church (guided by the Holy Spirit) is authoritative over the Bible. Bell’s version simply expands that idea beyond Rome to any Christian group anywhere struggling with the meaning of the Bible. Rather than to rely on a grammatical/historical approach to determine the author’s meaning, he trusts that in some manner the Holy Spirit is “enlightening us.” (Online source)
And then in his excellent article Why Evangelicals are Returning to Rome: The Abandonment of Sola Scriptura as a Formal Principle DeWaay uncovers how postevangelicalism, by making this same mistake as did/does apostate Roman Catholicism, then ends up with no valid reason not to accept once again the very same kinds on unblical practices that led to the Protestant Reformation in the first place:
So the Protestant (if the term even means anything today) world is characterized by reformations that have either rejected or compromised sola scriptura as the formal principle for their theology. No wonder few voices of concern are raised at Christianity Today’s proposed trip back to Rome to find beliefs and practices. Once sola scriptura has been rejected, there remain few reasons not to go back to Rome. If religious traditions can be considered normative, then why not embrace those with the longest history? (Online source)
The Idol Of Automy Is The SBC Escape Hatch From Standing Firmly For Anything
Of course I will state categorically that I am against women being ordained as elders, which one must be to even be a pastor, because I adhere to Sola Scriptura. However, with its Idol of Autonomy to hide behind it’s a complete joke to say anything that may be “contrary to” what the Southern Baptist Convention believes would actually be dealt with. One need only look as far as recent articles at AM like Baptist State Convention Of North Carolina (SBC) Encouraging Southern Baptists To Use Lectio Divina or Georgia Baptist Convention (SBC) Now Promoting The Cult Of Richard Foster where you’ll see this state convention of the Slowly Becoming Catholic endorses the teachings of Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster.
This farce of the SBC standing firmly against anything is exposed in the AJC article itself:
Southern Baptist representatives at national meetings have adopted statements saying women should not be pastors, but each church is independent. A few churches have selected women, such as Decatur First Baptist, where the Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell preaches each Sunday from the pulpit. (Online source)
A while back I brought to the attention of supposed SBC leaders that Oneness Pentecostal heretic and Word Faith mogul T.D. Jakes was preaching again in a Southern Baptist church and the SBC president assured me he was “making calls.” Apparently he was ordering pizza because Jakes, who denies the truine nature of the God he says he serves, was allowed to preach alongside ostensibly orthodox SBC Christian ministers as if Jakes himself was orthodox.
Which brings us back to the heart of the matter in the rapidly apostatizing evangelical community in the throes of its ecumenical lust for acceptance by the various factions within this world. And this would be that today most people are reading the Bible by how they “feel” God should be like so they are busy recreating Him into their own image. Do the words ”golden calf” ring a bell? I close now with a perfect illustration of the sad state of self-centered evangelicalism in love with itself. AJC provides us with a very telling quote from ”pastor” Tamara Bennett:
one of the featured pastors on the magazine cover and [who] talks in the article about the challenges of breaking through the stained-glass ceiling. “God’s assignment is that no souls are lost and all are saved,” Bennett said. “Gender is not how God sees it. We are about winning souls, period.” (Online source)
Really; you’re about “winning souls”? Well, let me ask you there “pastor” Bennett, and anyone else in the evangelical community joining these renegade “pastors” in their open rebellion against what God has said in His Word: Can you really have any kind of saving message with the power to save dead people without the regenerating power of God the Holy Spirit? You’d better pray so because those people you “win” must be born again to see the Kingdom of God, and while the LORD God Almighty of the Bible will always honor His Word, He also takes an extremely very dim view of those who simply will not do what as Creator He has told us to do.
And this remains true even if they have do have their bright and shiny l’il idol of autonomy to hide behind.
Rosenbladt Calls Rick Warren’s Theology “Roman Catholic”
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In this segment of the Issues, Etc. radio program Dr. Rod Rosenbladt of the White Horse Inn is discussing Sola Fide. In the course of the program he is given the opportunity to respond to Rick Warren’s theology. During his response Rosenbladt blasts Warren’s false doctrine and calls Rick Warren a “Southern-Baptist Roman Catholic”.
Psalm 46:10: A Prescription for Going into the Silence?
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The verse “Be still and know that I am God” has been used recently to recommend Eastern-style contemplative prayer and meditation for Christians. Does this mean we should empty our minds and go into the silence to encounter God? Pastor Ken Silva takes a look at what this verse really means in this piece from Apprising Ministries.
*Crosstalk Today* Old-Earth Creationism on Trial
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The Crosstalk guest today will be Tim Chaffey, co-author of the new book, Old-Earth Creationism on Trial: The Verdict is In.
Ken Ham writes this about the book’s subject matter:
“Twenty-somethings once faithfully attended church. What made them stop? While most said they still believe that the Bible is God’s Word, they also said that the idea that the earth is millions of years old was one thing that caused them to doubt the Bible…The crumbling foundation of the church takes a devastating toll on future generations. Therefore, churches must reclaim the historical truth found in Genesis and apply the Bible’s authority to every area of life.”
Crosstalk airs live at 2pm Central. You can listen live at our website.
TRAIN TO USE THE MASTER’S SWORD
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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
What God Thinks Should Also Be What The Christian Thinks
There’s really little doubt today that many feel we are getting close to the end of this Age of Grace. I happen to believe we are at least at the end of something in this generation. There are some who would say that I am being sensationalistic to say this, but I really don’t think that I overstating this impression at all. More and more people are talking like the Messiah—Christ Jesus of Nazareth—could actually return in our lifetime. And certainly there are many fine teachers of biblical prophecy who will say that everything that needs to be fulfilled before the Second Advent of Christ has occurred, and you might even feel this way yourself.
Well here is a rare time that I’ll offer simply my personal opinion from this Internet “pulpit” of Apprising Ministries. I really don’t often give my opinion on the latest issues. And truthfully, that’s by design. The reason for this is my opinion has been—for as long as I can remember—that far too much of what passes for “preaching the Gospel,” from way too many pulpits, is little but the offering of the preacher’s opinions. Somebody just takes a verse of Scripture as an excuse to “yak” on about what they personally believe about some hot button issue. And I offer in the Lord that this is the root cause for the deplorable shape the evangelical community is in right now here in America.
I remember where Dr. John MacArthur—without a doubt one of the finest expository preachers of our generation—had someone inquire about this issue of offering personal views. He was asked: “Why don’t you give your own opinions more often? Why just preach the Bible?” I love MacArthur’s reply, which happens to forms the basis of my own theology as well, he said: “God’s opinion, is my opinion.” O, if only more pastors could understand that! And this would especially apply to those ministers who have already begun the ecumenical dance of deception with the those who are submerging themselves into Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism—a core doctrine of the Emergent Church and postevangelicalism in general.
But What If Jesus Really Is Coming Back In This Generation?
Let me relate this to the subject of the certain and literal return of our Lord Jesus Christ. As I was saying, it would definitely seem there is kind of an excitement that He might actually come back in our lifetime. You could even say that there is kind of an expectation among people that Jesus will return in a time as short as a matter of a few years; in any event, within in a relatively short period of time. Now I’m not sure that I would personally agree with this opinion, but of course as time allows I am still open to discussing with people what the Bible has to say about it.
The main point being, there is just no way that I wish to build a reputation—or a following—as some kind of an alarmist preacher, which is the quickest way to get readers. Truthfully, this is a major reason why I teach in the fashion that I do. It is my firm conviction in Christ that I pay very close attention to what the text of the Bible itself actually says. And this is what I attempt to teach you to do as well. I am fully persuaded by our Lord that this is the way I can faithfully serve Him. I also feel that this is the single best way in which I can nurture and protect this growing flock that Jesus has been influencing through my teaching at here AM. As I tell my local church: Read the Bible; pray, and then do what it says.
Which brings me back again to this idea that so many today are thinking the return of Jesus Christ will happen relatively soon. So let’s take a moment to think about what this would mean. We’ll use what is known as an “if” proposition. This by the way, is a very good tool for sharing the Gospel with someone because initially they don’t feel pressure that they necessarily have to agree with you. The reason is, all you are really asking them to do at that point is to think through with you about “what if”—as in what if the thing you are saying really is true. Try it sometime; I use this method quite a bit, and it really does work as a conversation starter because it helps relax the person to whom you are speaking.
Ok, for our purposes here, if Jesus could indeed return in our lifetime, then wouldn’t it make good sense to be following the Master’s warning in the Book of Matthew? This is, of course, Matthew’s own eyewitness account of his time living with the God-Man—Jesus of Nazareth—the Christ, Who just so happens to be the LORD God Almighty in human flesh. Here is one of the things he records Jesus as saying concerning the time prior to His return; and I quote:
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.(Matthew 24:44-46)
And wouldn’t it make just as much sense to become very sure of what the Bible actually teaches us about The Master Humself? Well, the best way you can do that is to make absolutely certain that what someone teaches you about our Lord is accurate. So you see this is why it’s so important that each of us should be careful to read the Bible thoroughly—and in context—as we attempt to teach others, and as we witness to them. I’m sure there is one thing that all true Christians will agree on: This time in which we now live, and into which God has chosen to place us, is such a critical point in history. As such then, we should strive all the more to be one of those who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Prepare Not Only To Defend, But To Also Go On The Offensive
This cynical and relativistic so-called “postmodern” age that we now find ourselves thrust into—particularly here in America—land of the free *ahem* thinkers is a time where up often looks down. Kind of like how as the children of God we are called to soar like eagles, but instead so many are choosing to remain in the barnyard with the chickens of the world. We who are believers in Christ are told in 1 Peter 3:15 that we must — Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. The Greek word for “answer” here is apologia and primarily means “to give a defense.”
The idea behind this usage of apologia is that of standing in a courtroom and presenting your defense in front of a judge. Dr. A.T. Robertson, whom many believe to be one of the greatest New Testament Greek scholars who ever lived, commenting on this passage of Scripture in his classic Word Pictures in the New Testament, pointed out that apologia means to “[be] ready with a spoken defense of the inward hope. This attitude calls for an intelligent grasp of the hope and skill in presenting it.” And the absolute truth is that every Christian needs to be ready to be an apologist—a defender—of the faith that we have been given by our Lord.
Unfortunately I don’t agree with noted Christian apologist Josh McDowell very much anymore when he speaks on Christian doctrine but he is dead on target here when he says:
the ideas we share with people don’t necessarily definitively prove the existence of God, or the truth of Christianity, but they do give the thinking person better information from which to make an informed decision as to whether or not to trust in Jesus Christ by faith.
As some of you know, in addition to my duties as pastor of Connecticut River Baptist Church, I also used to the head coach of the varsity football team at Stevens High School. One year I actually filled in at the school as an instructor in the Claremont Alternative Program (CAP) at Stevens High and had the opportunity to work closely with Holt Littlefield, who is also a fine fencing coach. A couple of times we compared notes as fellow coaches. And something that all coaches have in common is the use of what are called “drills.” These will vary somewhat for each different sport, but their function remains the same.
The reason that coaches use various drills is to teach—and to reinforce—the essential basics of the particular sport involved. These repetitive activities are designated to stress key skills players will need in their games/contests, and drills usually emphasize only one or two of these necessary skills at a time. The athletes generally do not like them at all because it forces them to go over and over and over the same basic activity time and then time again. However, good coaches know very well the value of repeating skills frequently, because these drills will eventually form a habit—an unconscious reaction—which in a game or contest will cause the athlete to correctly respond naturally without even having to think too much about it.
So Let Us Also Train To Use The Master’s Sword
Here’s how this relates to our thoughts about Holy Scripture, which is actually the Master’s Own Sword. Just as in fencing, where the athlete must drill to learn to properly handle his rapier, so the Christian must also study Holy Scripture in order to learn to properly handle his Sword of the Spirit. Charles Spurgeon once asked his church, “Do you not know that the Master has given you His Own weapon to use?” Knowing how to use the Bible as you witness will enable you to quickly provide a wealth of absolute truth to those you witness to, which the Holy Spirit will then go on to use for His Own purposes.
And what I have been doing here at AM is attempting to get people to think about what the Bible says, and what they believe, concerning areas of current non-conflicts, e.g. such as spurious Spiritual Formation, The Cult of Guru Richard Foster, and apostate Roman Catholicism. Training to use Scripture in order to properly think issues like that is the exact opposite method used by the Devil. For Satan’s strategy in this nation has been to so thoroughly confuse issues of history, science and religion, that people just finally go: “Ah, who knows whether there even is a God; so what difference would it make what someone believes anyway?” Men and women, as Christians we know that what a person believes about God makes a great deal of difference—to God.
Let’s think of it this way. Suppose you were the President of the United States. And the head of a rival party, O—we’ll call it Satania—was out spreading lies and creating unrest around the country. Wouldn’t you send out correct information through the media into the various parts of the nation, as well as sending out people who represented your actual positions on the issues on order to clear your name? Well, this is precisely what Satan has been doing to God—spreading lies and creating unrest throughout His entire Kingdom. And our King—Christ Jesus—has sent us out as His representatives concerning His interests in His Kingdom. And this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is talking about when he writes — We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Prayerfully this short humble work has at least helped you to look at the critical time you spend studying the Bible in a fresh light. Beyond question we are to be reading Holy Scripture to commune with our Lord. However, at the same time it also helps to remember that the Bible is where God had His very thoughts written down so we might be able to learn to think as He does. Now though, you have another reason to read; study and meditate upon the Word of God in the Bible. And that’s so you can let the Holy Spirit help you to better prepare to handle the Master’s Sword as you share your faith in Christ as this Age of Grace draws ever closer to an end. Today, let us all ask the Lord to give us a fresh desire to really prepare to handle His Sword, and all the more as we look forward together for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).
