Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Over at More Books and Things Carla asks:
Are Christians supposed to be involved in Halloween? For most Christians it’s a no brainer, but I’m always surprised at how many actually participate in this day, so today I’m posting a few things to consider about Halloween…
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Changes for Emergent Village; links to more detail over at Apprising Ministries.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
“For Immediate Release” says a press release dated November 1, 2008 at the Emergent Village website which begins:
Emergent Village today announced a major change in structure that will position it less like a traditional non-profit organization and more like a social networking organization. The group, which describes itself as “a growing, generative friendship,” has significantly influenced the church in North America over the past decade. Known primarily for its grass roots, relational networks, friendships, and conversations, Emergent Village has also been known by many for its website (www.emergentvillage.com), its publishing partnerships, and its annual events. The organization became a 501©(3) non-profit corporation in 2001 and hired its first national coordinator, Tony Jones, in 2005… (Online source)
You can read the release here. The more detailed ”A Letter from the Board to Friends of Emergent Village” is available in PDF form here.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Apprising Ministries with a short post which compares the “Protestant” message of Rick Warren with that of Martin Luther.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Tomorrow at 9 am a couple of friends of Slice and Crosstalk come together. Dr. Gary Gilley joins Bob DeWaay at Twin City Fellowship, St. Louis Park, MN, the church where DeWaay is pastor, for the Faith at Risk IV Conference on “Sola Scripture – The All Surpassing Authority of Scripture.” With this key issue in mind we give you the link to a recent article by DeWaay on this critical subject which begins:
The February 2008 edition of Christianity Today ran a cover story about evangelicals looking to the ancient Roman Catholic Church in order to find beliefs and practices. What was shocking about the article was that both the author of the article and the senior managing editor of CT claim that this trip back to Rome is a good thing. Says Mark Galli the editor, “While the ancient church has captivated the evangelical imagination for some time, it hasn’t been until recently that it’s become an accepted fixture of the evangelical landscape. And this is for the good.” Chris Armstrong, the author of the article who promotes the trip back to the ancient church, claims that because the movement is led by such persons as “Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and living and practicing monks and nuns,” that therefore, “they are receiving good guidance on this road from wise teachers.” This he claims shows that, “Christ is guiding the process.”
Apparently, contemporary evangelicals have forgotten that sola scriptura (scripture alone) was the formal principle of the Reformation. Teachings and practices that could not be justified from Scripture were rejected on that principle. To endorse a trip back to these practices of ancient Roman Catholicism is to reject the principle of sola scriptura being the normative authority for the beliefs and practices of the church. In this article I will explore how modern evangelicalism has compromised the principle of sola scriptura and thus paved smoothly the road back to Rome…
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Apprising Ministries with a short post which compares the “Protestant” message of Rick Warren of the Slowly Becoming Catholic with that of Martin Luther.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
I’ve been away for Slice for a while and appreciate so much the ongoing teamwork here with Lane Chaplin, Ken Silva and others who contribute valuable links, articles and videos for readers while I am away. I wanted to write a few thoughts about Halloween. John MacArthur’s ministry has a good article on Christians and Halloween that was really balanced in its approach. It may shock some, but our family does give out candy to neighborhood children who stop by. Most of them come with their parents, and it’s one of the rare chances to get to actually see neighbors face to face these days. Halloween has become a children’s candy holiday to most Americans, and while I in no way support gore or the celebration of death and witchcraft, giving out candy to the little neighbor children dressed as ladybugs and Sponge Bob is hardly a celebration of the Prince of Darkness. Tonight we’ll hand out some little orange tracts with the candy, but will enjoy seeing the excited children ringing the bell. Last year, I opened the door to find a beautiful Cinderella and a Snow White, ages 2 and 3, on my doorstep. It’s not every day you can say that. 
Contact with neighbors today is so rare. Many mothers are gone during the day to work, and are overscheduled after work with children’s activities. I wish there were more times when neighbors could stop and chat a moment and get to know each other. We have two sets of new neighbors across the street who have young children, and I hope to meet them tonight. How can we be witnesses for Christ in our neighborhoods if we don’t even know the names of those living just a few yards away?
To those who feel that any participation is compromise, I would suggest that this is one of those issues that each family needs to settle for themselves according to their own consciences. The same with Easter celebrations. I have heard some Christians inveigh against the American tradition of giving out chocolate bunnies and having colored egg hunts. Some will point out, with great heat, that the origins of the holiday date back to ancient times and Ishtar worship. I like to meet that claim with the observation that the days of our week are named after pagan gods or the planets. Monday meant “Day of the Moon, Tuesday was named after the Norse God “Tyr”, Wednesday after the Germanic god, “Woden”, Thursday was “Thor’s Day” after the norse god of thunder, Friday after Frige, the Germanic goddess of beauty, Saturday was named after the Roman god Saturn, and Sunday, after “Day of the Sun”. If we are going to purge our lives of anything with remotely pagan roots, the days of the week will have to be renamed by conscientious Christians. Ishtar was yet another pagan idol that represented a failed and now forgotten religion. Just think, a day intended to celebrate a pagan goddess turned into a day to celebrate the ultimate triumph of Christ on the cross and His empty tomb. That’s why we ring the church bells, cue the trumpets and break out the chocolate on Resurrection morning. Christ has risen and He has triumphed over sin, death and the devil. Ishtar worship is left on the ash heap of history in the blinding light of the resurrected Christ!
Halloween may be a pretext for black masses and wiccan festivals held by the light of the moon by a fringe few. The majority will see it as an excuse for excessive candy consumption and playing dress-up. I see nothing wrong with showing Christian neighborliness and using the opportunity to pass along a gospel tract with the candy.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Martin Luther, arguably the father of the Protestant Reformation:
The negotiation about doctrinal agreement displeases me altogether, for this is utterly impossible unless the pope has his papacy abolished. Therefore avoid and flee those who seek the middle of the road. Think of me after I am dead and such middle-of-the-road men arise, for nothing good will come of it. There can be no compromise.
(What Luther Says, II: 1019, as cited at Online source)My dear pope, I will kiss your feet and acknowledge you as supreme bishop if you will worship my Christ and grant that through His death and resurrection, not through keeping your traditions, we have forgiveness of sins and life eternal. If you will yield on this point, I shall not take away your crown and power; if not, I shall constantly cry out that you are the Antichrist, and I shall testify that your whole cult and religion are only a denial of God, but also the height of blasphemy against God and idolatry. (ibid.)
Rick Warren, working for a second reformation of “deeds not creeds”:
“I see absolutely zero reason in separating my fellowship from anybody” (Online source).
“Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said. “I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God’s family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church,….”
(Online source, emphasis mine)“The Church, in all its expressions—Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Protestant and many others—has 2.3 billion followers.” (Online source, emphasis mine)
See also:
POPE BENEDICT XVI TELLS RICK WARREN THAT WARREN DOES NOT PASTOR AN ACTUAL CHURCH
RICK WARREN IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM OF THE CHURCH
DR. ROD ROSENBLADT CALLS RICK WARREN’S MAN-CENTERED THEOLOGY “ROMAN CATHOLIC”
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: ANOTHER GOSPEL OF BAPTISM AND SACRAMENTS
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Those listening to the Voice of the Spirit know that the Church of Jesus Christ is beset with false brethren (see-Acts 20:30) and genuine Christians are hearing the Call to arms. Apprising Ministries with some encouraging words from Charles Spurgeon.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Those listening to the Voice of the Spirit know that the Church of Jesus Christ is beset with false brethren (see-Acts 20:30) and genuine Christians are hearing the Call to arms. Apprising Ministries with some encouraging words from Charles Spurgeon.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Main stream bastions of conservatism are straying from orthodoxy to heresy. We are in desperate need of another reformation.
…Over 200 years of religious freedom has brought popularity to the Church. It’s fashionable to be part of a church. Thousands have flooded the American Church, having made false confessions of faith, bring with them all manner of pagan rituals and rank idolatry. They brought their money, making the business of the church just that…a business.
…How many church goers depend on the words of their pastor alone, but never seek and study the Scriptures themselves? They never check what he is saying against the testimony of Scripture.
…The church in America would do well to study the Five Solas of the Reformation.
Listen to the rest of this clarion call by Pastor Jamey Day of Grace Fellowship at Watcher’s Lamp.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
To be a Christian is to be a warrior. The good soldier of Jesus Christ must not expect to find ease in this world: it is a battle-field. Neither must he reckon upon the friendship of the world; for that would be enmity against God. His occupation is war. As he puts on piece by piece of the panoply provided for him, he may wisely say to himself, “This warns me of danger; this prepares me for warfare; this prophesies opposition.”
Difficulties meet us even in standing our ground; for the apostle, two or three times, bids us — “Stand.” In the rush of the fight, men are apt to be carried off their legs. If they can keep their footing, they will be victorious; but if they are borne down by the rush of their adversaries everything is lost. You are to put on the heavenly armor in order that you may stand; and you will need it to maintain that position in which your Captain has placed you. If even to stand requires all this care, judge ye what the warfare must be!
Charles Spurgeon (The Unknown God, 155)
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Over at Fundamentally Reformed Bob Hayton has put together some links from around the blogosphere for us concerning the Reformation. He begins his post:
This is the 491st anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg Church. Because of the printing press, this step by Luther was soon the spark that kindled the Reformation fires across much of Europe…
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
LDS leader: Ethics key in globalization by Donald W. Meyers The Salt Lake Tribune
…Using the LDS Church’s worldwide growth as an example, Uchtdorf said tolerance is another guiding principle in an interconnected world. Not only does the church respect others’ religious beliefs, but also political diversity found in all communities. He said the church operates under various governments around the world, offering the gospel as a guiding star rather than a particular political belief.
- Dieter Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
The High School Musical 3 ‘Bible Study’ is an Epic Fail! Turns out that this ‘Bible Study’ in typical Saddleback Church fashion mangles God’s Word, rips verses from context, engages in group-therapy and is all about me me me me me me me.
Chris Rosebrough, of Fighting for the Faith spent time working through and reviewing the High School Musical 3 “Bible Study” and comparing its content to the Word of God in context.
Definitely worth the listen.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Here’s the link to a thought-provoking piece on “evangelical” icon C.S. Lewis which features a discussion on Lewis’ view of Holy Scripture.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
Here’s the link to a thought-provoking piece on “evangelical” icon C.S. Lewis which features a discussion on Lewis’ view of Holy Scripture.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
As part of the antidote for the contemplative drift in the visible church today Apprising Ministries shares a piece from Michael Horton on the critical importance of God’s Word.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
As part of the antidote for the contemplative drift in the visible church today Apprising Ministries shares a piece from Michael Horton on the critical importance of God’s Word.
Click the post title to be taken to the source.
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. (Psalm 118:17)
A fair assurance this! It was no doubt based upon a promise, inwardly whispered in the psalmist’s heart, which he seized upon and enjoyed. Is my case like that of David? Am I depressed because the enemy affronts me? Are there multitudes against me and few on my side? Does unbelief bid me lie down and die in despair-a defeated, dishonored man? Do my enemies begin to dig my grave?
What then? Shall I yield to the whisper of fear, and give up the battle, and with it give up all hope? Far from it. There is life in me yet: “I shall not die.” Vigor will return and remove my weakness: “I shall live.” The Lord lives, and I shall live also. My mouth shall again be opened: “I shall declare the works of Jehovah.”
Yes, and I shall speak of the present trouble as another instance of the wonder-working faithfulness and love of the Lord my God. Those who would gladly measure me for my coffin had better wait a bit, for “the Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death.” Glory be to His name forever! I am immortal till my work is done. Till the Lord wills it, no vault can close upon me.
Charles Spurgeon
