Dokimazo

Unholy Trinity

2009-12-12T10:57:00.002-06:00

John MacArthur

I don't watch much television, and when I do I generally avoid the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). For many years TBN has been dominated by faith-healers, full-time fund-raisers, and self-proclaimed prophets spewing heresy. I wrote about the false gospel they proclaim and the phony miracles they pretend to do almost two decades ago in Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992. See especially chapter 12). I had my fill of charismatic televangelism while researching that book, and I can hardly bear to watch it any more.

Recently, however, while recovering from knee-replacement surgery, I decided to sample some of the current fare on TBN. From a therapeutic point of view it seemed a good choice: something more excruciating than the pain in my leg might distract me from the physical suffering of post-surgical trauma. And I suppose on that basis the strategy was effective.

But it left me outraged and frustrated—and eager to challenge the misperceptions in the minds of millions of unbelievers who see these false teachers masquerading as ministers of Christ on TBN.

I'm outraged at the brazen way so many false teachers twist the message of Scripture in Jesus' name. And I'm frustrated because I'm certain that if these charlatans were not receiving a large proportion of their financial support from sincere believers (and silent acquiescence from Christian leaders who surely know better), they would have no platform for their shenanigans. They would soon lose their core constituency and fade from the scene.

Instead, religious quacks are actually multiplying at a frightening pace. One thing I discovered to my immense displeasure is that TBN is by no means the only religious network broadcasting poisonous false doctrine around the clock. The channel lineup I receive includes at least seven other channels whose schedules are filled with false teachers and charlatans. There's The Church Channel, Daystar, GodTV, World Harvest Television (LeSEA), Total Christian Television, and several others. Some of them feature blocs of family television programing and a few fairly sound teachers who provide moments of escape from the prosperity preachers. But all of them give prominence to enormous amounts of heresy and religious claptrap—enough to make them positively dangerous. And TBN is singularly responsible for kicking that door open so wide.

The continued growth and influence of TBN is baffling for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the thick aura of lust, greed, and other kinds of moral impropriety that surrounds the whole enterprise. A long string of scandals involving notable charismatic televangelists between 1988 and 1992 should have been sufficient reason for even the most credulous viewers to scrutinize the entire industry with skepticism. First came the international spectacle of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's moral, marital, and financial collapse. That was followed closely by the revelation of Jimmy Swaggart's repeated dalliances with prostitutes. Shortly afterward, an episode of ABC's Primetime Live exposed clear examples of deliberate fraud on the part of three more leading charismatic televangelists. Those incidents were punctuated by a score of lesser scandals over several years' time. It is clear (or should be)—based on empirical evidence alone—that preachers promising miracles in exchange for money are not to be trusted. And for anyone who simply bothers to compare Jesus' teaching with the health-and-wealth message, it is clear that the message that currently dominates religious television is "a different gospel; which is really not another" (Galatians 1:6-7), but a damnable lie.

TBN is by far the leading perpetrator of that lie worldwide. Virtually all the network's main celebrities tell listeners that God will give them healing, wealth, and other material blessings in return for their money. On program after program people are urged to "plant a seed" by sending "the largest bill you have or the biggest check you can write" with the promise that God will miraculously make them rich in return. That same message dominates all of TBN's major fundraising drives. It's known as the "seed faith" plan, so-called by Oral Roberts, who set the pattern for most of the charismatic televangelists who have followed the trail he blazed. Paul Crouch, founder, chairman, and commander-in-chief of TBN, is one of the doctrine's staunchest defenders.

The only people who actually get rich by this scheme, of course, are the televangelists. Their people who send money get little in return but phony promises—and as a result, many of them turn away from the truth completely.

If the scheme seems reminiscent of Tetzel, that's because it is precisely the same doctrine. (Tetzel was a medieval monk whose high-pressure selling of indulgences—phony promises of forgiveness—outraged Martin Luther and touched off the Protestant Reformation.)

Like Tetzel, TBN preys on the poor and plies them with false promises. Yet what is happening daily on TBN is many times worse than the abuses that Luther decried because it is more widespread and more flagrant. The medium is more high-tech and the amounts bilked out of viewers' pockets are astronomically higher. (By most estimates, TBN is worth more than a billion dollars and rakes in $200 million annually. Those are direct contributions to the network, not counting millions more in donations sent directly to TBN broadcasters.) Like Tetzel on steroids, the Crouches and virtually all the key broadcasters on TBN live in garish opulence, while constantly begging their needy viewers for more money. Elderly, poor, and working-class viewers constitute TBN's primary demographic. And TBN's fundraisers all know that. The most desperate people—"unemployed," "even though I'm in between jobs," "trying to make it; trying to survive," "broke"—are baited with false promises to give what they do not even have. Jan Crouch addresses viewers as "you little people," and suggests that they send their grocery money to TBN "to assure God's blessing."

Thus TBN devours the poor while making the charlatans rich. God cursed false prophets in the Old Testament for that very thing (Jeremiah 6:13-15). It's also one of the main reasons the Pharisees incurred Jesus' condemnation (Luke 20:46-47). It's hard to think of any sin more evil. It not only hurts people materially; it deludes them with groundless hope, deceives them with a false gospel, and thereby places their souls in eternal peril. And yet those who do it pretend they are doing the work of God.

That's not all. Almost no false prophecy, erroneous doctrine, rank superstition, or silly claim is too outlandish to receive airtime on TBN. Jan Crouch tearfully gives a fanciful account of how her pet chicken was miraculously raised from the dead. Benny Hinn trumps that claim with a bizarre prophecy that if TBN viewers will put their dead loved ones' caskets in front of television set and touch the dead person's hand to the screen, people will "be raised from the dead . . . by the thousands."

Ironically, one doesn't even need to be an orthodox Trinitarian in order to broadcast on the Trinity network. Bishop T. D. Jakes, well known for his rejection of the Nicene creed in favor of oneness Pentecostalism, is a staple on TBN. Benny Hinn has repeatedly attempted to revise the doctrine of the Trinity in novel ways, notoriously teaching at one point that there are nine persons in the godhead.

And yet evangelical church leaders typically show a kind of benign tolerance toward the whole enterprise. Most would never endorse it, of course. They may joke about the gaudiness of the big hair and tawdry set decorations on TBN. Ask them, and they will most likely acknowledge that the prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. Press the issue, and you will probably get them to admit that it is a dangerous form of false doctrine, totally unbiblical, and essentially anti-Christian.

Why, then, is there no large-scale effort among Bible-believing evangelicals to expose, denounce, refute, and silence these false teachers? After all, that is what Scripture commands church leaders to do when we encounter purveyors of soul-destroying substitutes for the true gospel:

The overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 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. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain (Titus 1:7-11).

Paul Crouch, Jr.Those who remain silent in the face of such grotesque lies may in fact be partly responsible for turning people away from the truth. Consider the testimony of William Lobdell, religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times, who once considered himself a devout evangelical Christian, but after doing a series of investigative reports on the moral and doctrinal cesspool at TBN; then "finding that his investigative stories about faith healer Benny Hinn and televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch appear to make no difference on the reach of these ministries or the lives of their followers, he [gave] up on the beat and on religion generally."

All those who truly love Christ and care about the truth have a solemn duty to defend the truth by exposing and opposing these lies that masquerade as truth. If we fail in that duty because of indifference, apathy, or a craving for the approval of men, we are no less guilty than those who actively spread the lies.

Link to original source: unholy

Prophets Who Twist Scripture

2009-12-12T10:48:00.002-06:00

It seems that everyone has a prophecy today...one says there's going to be great prosperity and another at the same time says that there's coming great famine and need. Who's right? How do you test these prophecies to see who to trust? Of course, we could use the time old and scriptural method that's found in the Word of God:

Deuteronomy 18:20-21- But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart. How shall we know the word which the LORD hath spoken?

Isn't this directly answering the question? How do you know someone is speaking for God as a prophet according to God's Word? Look at verse 22:

Deuteronomy 18:22- When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."

That's pretty clear...if you claim to speak for God then what you say better come to pass. Also, does it make sense if a prophecy does not match, or twists, God's Word? God is not the author of confusion and He will not give a prophecy to someone that does not agree with His revealed Word.

Now...back to the present. If you go to this link you will see that some people are making some very wild and interesting prophecies!

http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/prophetic-insight/25403-a-new-season-of-restoration

Let's test this and see what he's saying. Matt Sorger is a supposed prophet. He quotes John 10:10 and says that there's a time of "great restoration and harvest" coming. To simplify his argument... Satan is the thief of John 10:10 and he is stealing things from us...then he quotes Proverbs 6:31 and says that Satan needs to give back to you everything he's stolen...7-fold!

Oh my goodness folks...is that what all these passages are about!? Let's take a look:

John 10:10- "The thief cometh nto, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am ocme that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." So in this verse he says that the "thief" is Satan. Now it's true that Satan is a thief...I'll give him that. Here's the question...what does John apply this word to? Who is the thief of John 10:10?

(John 10:1)- He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other say, the same is a thief and a robber." There is a clear distinction in this passage about sheep...and thieves. You are either one of His sheep or you are a thief/robber. If you look at John 9 you'll see that the Lord Jesus is talking to the legalistic Pharisees who thought by their good works and obedience to the Law they earned their salvation. Look at verse 6- clearly He was speaking to the Pharisees "this parable spake Jesus unto them [the Pharisees] but they understood not"
(John 10:8)- All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them." Those that came before Christ offering a different way of salvation other than faith alone were thieves and robbers. Were not the Jewish leaders thieves and robbers?

So how does he apply this to Satan? Got me! If we read the passage in its context it is clear this is NOT about Satan, it's about the spiritual leadership of Israel at the time.

Now...Mr. Sorger's prophecy gets even more interesting. Now he jumps to Proverbs 6:31...

Prov 6:31- But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house."

He's misapplies John 10:10 to Satan...then because Prov 6:30 speaks of a thief and v. 31 says the theif must restore what he stole sevenfold, it clearly follows that Satan has to give back to you what he stole 7-fold, or does it? John 10:10 is not about Satan...and Proverbs 6:31 is speaking about a literal thief in Israel...again, not Satan. Nowhere does the OT or NT say that Satan is going to pay you back materially, emotionally for what he owes you! This is a HUGE twisting of Scripture that feeds the modern "prosperity gospel" nonsense.

But that's not the worst part of this article.

He says that Satan can steal from us by doing the following:

1. Putting depression and heaviness on you

2. Sickness

3. Debt and lack

4. Fear and anxiety

5. Bondage and addiction

Here is my question. How do you know Satan put these on you. First of all he is not omniscient and omnipresent. How do you know Satan put these on you. To Mr. Sorger's credit at least he said in the article that sometimes we reap a bad harvest because we make "bad choices." I think it would be better to say that we reap a bad harvest sometimes because we sin and rebel against God. THere's a big difference between sin and a "bad choice." That's dumbing down sin.

But how do you know if it's Satan, your bad "choice" or even God Himself? Doesn't God use trials and tribulations to conform us into the image of Christ? Didn't God use Satan himself to conform Job into the image of Christ? Didn't God use a demon and a physical affliction to keep Paul from becoming haughty? Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-9:

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

I'm sorry...affliction is NOT always Satan, it's not always due to a bad choice, not always due to sin, it could be that God is using it to conform you into the image of Christ. If everything goes well for you all the time you (and I) would fall hopelessly in love with this world that's full of sin. God uses affliction for His glory and honour sometimes.

Are we to believe that addiction is not due to our sin? Isn't that what addiction is? It is a form of idolatry where we give ourselves over to something. If I sin and start to drink alcohol and become a drunk I'm supposed to repent, confess and be held accountable! Nowhere does Scripture say that I'm supposed to claim back 7-fold from Satan when it's MY FAULT THROUGH MY OWN SIN that I'm in a situation. Even if Satan does attack you, Scripture does not teach that throught he atonement you are to get back 7-fold what he took.

If you have heaviness and depression then turn to Christ through His Word, and in the company of fellow believers for healing and encouragement. Your heaviness could also be due to sin...then we must repent and trust Christ.

If I'm sick I can ask God for healing but there's NO guarantee for that in the gospel. Paul besought the Lord but God said it was for a reason to keep Paul from becoming arrogant...and that God's grace was sufficient to get Paul through it. God did NOT take away the thorn and it's NOT because Paul didn't have the faith to believe He could. Maybe our sickness is due to sin such as taking the Lord's Supper in sin (2 Cor 11:29-30).

Maybe I'm in debt because I feel that I must have more material things than I can afford (that's covetousnes!). Should that person blame Satan as the thief and not themselves as being covetousness? No! What does Mr Sorger mean by "lack"? Doesn't scripture say we should be content with food, clothing, shelter? Is he saying that if I don't have a materially prosperous life that I am guaranteed that as a believer? Why then were the Apostles all living on the edge of poverty, why were they beaten, why were the many mentioned in Hebrews 11 who were commended for their faith living as destitute?

I have a great idea. Let's let Scripture speak for itself and not make wild claims that can never be proven and make applications that are unsriptural.

Nostradamus VS The Charismatics

2009-12-12T08:14:00.004-06:00

Nostradamus Predicted World War III for 2010
The following was taken from, World around us

According to astrologists and prophets, the next year of the Yellow Metal Tiger will not be easy. Researchers of Nostradamus’s predictions talk about some mysterious Virgin whose death is wanted and about the appearance of some “heartless, blood-thirsty” leader who will rule with “sword and fire.” Pavel Globa, a famous Russian astrologist, thinks that the year will be easier for Russians, but Europe and the USA can expect another economic downturn.

Researchers of Nostradamus believe that his predictions for the year 2010 can be found in X quatrain of X century.

The passage speaks about some mysterious Virgin, whose death is wanted, problems with trade, and appearance of some “heartless, blood-thirsty” leader who will rile with “sword and fire.” There is also a mentioning of “Satan’s arch of fury.” Interpreters think that it might be a ballistic missile.
Famous Nostradamus specialists think that his quatrains contain the following information for 2010:

- Possibly, World War III will start in November, and bacteriological and chemical weapons will be used.

- There will be conflict between Western Europe and the USA.

- There will be conflict between Great Britain and France.

- There is a possibility of armed military conflict on the Crimean peninsula.

- Europe will suffer an economic downturn.

- There will be a catastrophe in the Black Sea involving sulphuretted hydrogen.

Will the financial crisis end?

One of the famous astrologists predicted that economic problems in 2010 will grow. Many large companies will declare bankruptcy. This will cause hunger, religious and ethnical conflicts, and ecological problems. Global warming will greatly damage agriculture. An armed conflict is possible in Central Asia.

Russian “prophet” Pavel Globa believes that the year will be easier for Russians, while Europe and the USA can expect another economic downturn. This will happen because Russian officials will change their financial policy.

In September, predictions of a psychic named Ekaterina were spread on Russian websites. The predictions were as follows:

- Russia will suffer from a wave of earthquakes. One of them will destroy a huge building.

- Many cataclysms will take place in the US.

- On November 11, 2010, a war will be waged between two large countries. Only those who will be able to hide in the East or Caucuses will survive. 50 million Russians will die. There will be a short period of peace after the war.

- Four kings will clash in a battle, and another World War will commence.

- A large bird will fly over the USA, Satan himself will lay a bomb, and people will cry bloody tears.

What do futurologists think about it? In the end of the 20th century, a group of specialists formulated the following scientifically-based predictions for 2010:

- Solar activity will drop.

- There will be a large flood in South-East Asia

- Birth-rate in Europe will decrease.

- Russia and Belarus will experience economic upturn.

- An era of matriarchate will commence to last for 23 years.

- A new union will be formed involving the US, Europe, and countries of the Pacific basin

- New political and economic theories will start to form, and they will drastically change the future.

- New robots-androids will appear and will be introduced to day-to-day life

- Scientific evidence of the existence of soul will be discovered.

- Hadron collider will crash and form a black hole of artificial origin.

Predictions of Lev Melnikov, Russian futurologist.

- A possibility of development of virtual human nature will be researched.

- Cloning will be banned.

- A cluster computer of the world scale will be introduced.

- Households will use robots to help with chores.

- The UFO mystery will be solved, and our planet will be visited by guests from other planets.

The majority of predictors are inclined to believe that although years of the Tiger can be tough, they bring about many changes that are necessary to move forward. Let’s hope this happens again.

Link to original source: Predictions

Now compare that with the prophecies of some Charismatics:

You can read them at this link: Prophecies

As we approach the end of a New Year people everywhere have their predictions of what is going to happen in 2010. Some claim to have secret knowledge or divine revelations. The world loves to look to the writings of Nostradamus. In the Christian world we have the charismatic movement who claim to receive direct revelations from God. Here the prophecies of both!

Tiger Woods and Pelagius

2009-12-12T07:44:00.008-06:00

Tiger Woods:
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he was the highest-paid professional athlete in 2008, having earned an estimated $110 million from winnings and endorsements.

Pelagius (ca. AD 354 – ca. AD 420/440) was an ascetic who denied the doctrine of original sin, later developed by Augustine of Hippo, and was declared a heretic by the Council of Carthage. His interpretation of a doctrine of free will became known as Pelagianism.

What is the connection between these two men?

Listen to the most recent News In Focus Program to find out:

"More Than a Revolution"

2009-12-10T07:39:00.002-06:00

I thought this article was too good to not pass along. It is about homosexuality and the Christian's response.

It is the most up to date picture of the situation, addressing the modern notion of sexual orientation. It's quite an accurate assessment.

Also read the bottom portion in blue about the deterioration of male friendship.

More Than a Revolution

Todd Bentley

2009-11-24T16:55:00.002-06:00

Todd Bentley, an atypical evangelist who drew thousands to a series of summer revivals in Lakeland, plans to divorce his wife amid revelations that he is romantically involved with the nanny of his children, according to his ministry.

Link to the story: Bentley

Faith healer Todd Bentley separates from wife, draws criticism from charismatics

Posted on Aug 19, 2008 | by David Roach

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--With controversial faith healer Todd Bentley announcing that he is separating from his wife, charismatic leaders J. Lee Grady and Stephen Strang have reacted by saying someone should have raised questions about Bentley earlier.

Grady, editor of the popular charismatic magazine Charisma, said the way thousands celebrated Bentley despite his moral and theological shortcomings demonstrated a lack of discernment that pervades the charismatic movement.

Link to the story: Bentley

Todd Bentley Remarries
Todd Bentley, who became well-known for leading the Lakeland Outpouring until he stepped down after announcing he was divorcing his wife, Shonnah, has remarried.

Link to the story: Bentley

Todd Bentley's Florida Outpouring "Healings"... Were They Real or Fake?

Here is the link to the article: Healings

Todd Bentley marries woman whom he had extramarital affair with

2009-11-24T16:52:00.000-06:00

Those who have been following the misadventures of Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley may be interested to know that he remarried a few days ago.

Mr. Bentley has married the former Jessa Hasbrook, a former intern for his ministry. Last summer, his internationally famous revival campaign in Lakeland, Florida collapsed when it was revelead that he and Jessa had begun an "emotional affair". Charismatic leaders C. Peter Wagner and Robert Ricciardelli, however, have reported that the affair was apparently sexual. Mr. Ricciardelli, furthermore, has indicated that this affair, whatever type it was, began in January of last year, which would place it well before Mr. Bentley announced that he was separating from his wife Shonnah. This is also well before Mr. Bentley brought Shonnah Bentley and his kids to Lakeland to show them to an international T.V. audience. Shonnah Bentley even preached in a local church to promote her husband's revival.

(Even non-contested divorces in British Columbia take at least two to five months to process. If we work backwards, it appears that Todd and Jessa Bentley could have wound up marrying as quickly as the day after Todd Bentley's divorce paperwork arrived in the mail from Canada. A five month delay until now would place the start of everything back around last November, which, interestingly, was around the same time that Shonnah Bentley and her mom Val Andres, in control of the remnant of the Fresh Fire board, issued the statement on behalf of the board that Todd was committing "adultery", and castigated the evangelist at some length.)

Readers may recall that I reported on The Shotgun last fall that Shonnah Bentley has a lifelong disability after suffering cancer as a teen:

I wrote:

Mr. Bentley must realize that if, he divorces his current wife in favor of a trophy wife, there will be speculation in the minds of some of his Internet and Christian media critics that one of the reasons that he is getting rid of Shonnah is because her disability embarrasses him—and moreover, that his theology does not work with a wife hobbling along at his side.

There are several pictures and videos of Jessa on the Internet now. With all due respect to Shonnah Bentley (as I do not like to make such comparisons in print), the new Jessa Bentley is certainly a "trophy wife" for the evangelist. She is significantly younger than Todd Bentley, pretty, and by all indications, completely able bodied. I do not think that Mr. Bentley was thinking of Jessa's spiritual gifts, skills, training or knowledge, when he asked for her hand. To my knowledge, Jessa has never preached, ministered in faith-healing as Mr. Bentley has, or done anything to indicate that she can significantly help her new husband in his work. (Shonnah Bentley has. Not that it matters to Mr. Bentley now, though.)

Watch for the Christian press, if they are on the ball, to point this out. Hopefully, with side-by-side photos of both Mrs. Bentleys.

This is a fait accompli presented to Rick Joyner, the U.S. Christian evangelist who has yet to begin "restoring" Mr. Bentley to ministry. Mr. Bentley is saying to Mr. Joyner. "Look, buddy, I'm marrying this woman, and whatever advice you may have to the contrary based on the Bible or your educated wisdom, is beside the point." Very conservative Christians (which include some charismatics) believe that remarriage while one's first spouse in alive is proscribed by the Bible, so it will be interesting to see what kind of arguments that Joyner and Mr. Bentley can advance here. I don't think that arguing something like "I no longer love my first wife, but I love this prettier, able-bodied and younger woman who doesn't have the maturity (spiritually or emotionally) to hold me accountable to God's standards (as a husband and evangelist) in the same way that Shonnah can. So, that's why I married Jessa." will work well for Mr. Bentley. Nevertheless he will try.

Readers of Mr. Bentley's autobiography, Journey Into the Miraculous, will also recall a vision that Mr. Bentley had before his marriage that I've discussed in the Shotgun before. You may recall that he claims in his autobiography that he received a special message from the Lord that he was to marry Shonnah Andres...which he did. He wrote:

“…the Lord had actually shown me an open vision of Shonnah. It was my first open-eyed vision. I was in my living room and my fireplace opened up, kind of like a TV screen, and I saw us embracing in a wheat field that was ready for harvest. We were both weeping and I was wearing a tux and she was wearing a wedding dress. As the vision unfolded, her friend Roswetta (who was now my friend) was talking with me in the living room about Shonnah. I described the open vision to her as it happened. The presence of the Lord fell and we both wept. Roswetta said, ‘I can’t see it but I can feel goose bumps.’ During this vision, I also received an anointing of creativity, poetry and writing. In fact, I even received a three-page prophetic poem that I read at our wedding. I still write prophetic poems for my wife to this day.”

Todd Bentley lied. He lied to get Shonnah Bentley to marry him. Otherwise, if he believed that heard from God, in the same way that he "hears from God" on behalf of people wanting a healing touch or a message from the Lord, he would have moved heaven and earth to stay with his first wife. Sadly, that is the point of view on this that makes the most sense now.

Jessa Bentley--if Todd told you anything about a vision that he had where Jesus told him to marry you, please save yourself some heartbreak and take it with the biggest grain of salt that you can find.

This poses an interesting question for Mr. Bentley's U.S. publisher Destiny Image Publishers. Are there any whoppers in Mr. Bentley's three books? What will happen to Todd's account of his vision about marrying Shonnah in future editions of his autobiography? Will it disappear in the same way that officials who displeased Stalin started disappearing from pictures and photos as they were taken to the Gulag?

Sad, very sad. I wonder what Mr. Bentley can say when he fields inquiries from the press again.

Link to the original article: Bentley

'A Voice for Sanity'

2009-11-24T16:47:00.002-06:00

J. Lee Grady doesn't want your gold. The journalist wants a 'Holy Ghost housecleaning' of the charismatic movement.

Lee Grady didn't wait for an economic recession to battle the prosperity gospel. He has been fighting it for years.

Grady is the editor of Charisma, the magazine that serves as a gathering tent for Pentecostal and charismatic Christians. Its columns and advertisements feature some of the most prominent names in the movement—and some of the most frequent targets of Grady's criticism.

Other evangelicals have long criticized the teaching that God promises his followers wealth and happiness. But few within the movement have made their calls for repentance so public.

"Martin Luther had to say something, or they were going to keep selling indulgences. Now we have that going on in our midst," Grady told Christianity Today in his Orlando office. "If someone says, 'Send your $100 to be saved,' that is selling indulgences, and there are people doing that on Trinity Broadcasting Network." The TV corporation's fundraising appeals have been among Grady's most frequent targets.

"I don't want to lump all of those people and everything they teach under the umbrella of indulgences," Grady says. "But if they're doing manipulative things to get people to open their wallets, and twisting Scripture just like it was done during medieval times, we ought to challenge that. All we know to do is to get on the housetops and shout for reform."

Many within the charismatic movement are hearing Grady's shouts and applauding.

"Lee gives a corrective word to some of the excesses that none of us want to be identified with," says George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. "We've always valued the prophetic word, and part of a prophetic word is correction."

In recent years, Grady has attempted to correct some of the movement's most high-profile names amid both their financial successes and public troubles, including divorces, foreclosures, and investigations.

"Many unbelievers now associate ministers with wife-swapping, wife-beating, no-fault divorce, gay affairs, and $10,000-a-night hotel rooms," he wrote in a 2008 column. "We need a Holy Ghost housecleaning."
A Troubled Movement

The author of a weekly column titled "Fire in My Bones," Grady doesn't look particularly fiery behind his computer. Dressed in khaki pants and a green button-down shirt, he speaks softly and slowly with a thick Atlantan accent as he explains his love and concern for the movement.

"I've read enough history to know that even in the Pentecostal movement, there's always been a tendency for people who embrace the life of the Holy Spirit to go off on tangents," he says.

But the past few years have been particularly tumultuous for some of the most recognizable names in the movement. Grady has deemed such tumult indicative of "a charismatic meltdown":

* Bishop Thomas Weeks III married Christina Glenn in October 2009, just two years after being charged with assaulting then-wife Juanita Bynum in an Atlanta hotel parking lot.

* The Cathedral at Chapel Hill in Atlanta, one of the most celebrated Pentecostal churches in the United States, sold its property in August 2009. The church's founder, the late Earl Paulk Jr., faced accusations throughout his career of coercing women into having sex and molesting children. In 2007, dna testing revealed that Paulk had fathered a child with his brother's wife.

* Florida megachurch pastor Paula White returned to lead Without Walls International Church in July 2009 after she and husband Randy divorced in October 2007. The church faced foreclosure in November 2008 but renegotiated its loan.

All of us should be trembling," Grady wrote that November. "God requires holiness in his house and truth in the mouths of his servants.

"Let's examine our hearts and our ministries. Let's throw out the wood, hay, and stubble and build on a sure and tested foundation. It is the only way to survive the meltdown."

Grady goes deeper in his calls for reform in his new book, Fire in My Bones: Recovering the Genuine Power of the Holy Spirit in an Age of Compromise, set to release in April 2010.

"We have this genuine, authentic power that God wants to give his church, but we don't want it mixed with other stuff: sexual impurity, theological fuzziness, or racism," Grady says. "The charismatic movement needs to be purged so it can claim the Holy Spirit in our generation."

You can read the rest of the article at this link:

Sanity

Christ the King

2009-11-22T13:28:00.001-06:00

Today is Christ The King Sunday

Here are the scripture readings for today:

First Reading: Daniel 7:13-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5
Second Reading: Revelation 1:5-8
Gospel: John 18:33-37

Theology Podcast- Supplement Your Diet

2009-11-19T22:06:00.003-06:00

What you listen to will affect you...if you don't eat good spiritual food with solid doctrine you are going to be weak and sickly. If you only feed yourself a couple times a week how can you expect to grow spiritually? I think you get my point.

A steady diet of the Word of God, both at church and at home, is extremely important. If you expect most pastors today to feed you I think you might be disappointed. Are you getting fed at church with good solid doctrine and theology? If not then you're wasting your time.

I like podcasts to help supplement my diet. I can listen to them on the way to work, on a trip, in the car, as you go to bed, whenever. You can even listen to a podcast while on a jog. There are several I listen to regulary. Here is one that you might try that I'm just starting to listen to. If you're lazy and don't want to think then don't bother.

The podcast is called "Theology Unplugged" and here is its description: "Theology Unplugged is an internet radio show. The uniqueness of TUP is that we speak on theological issues of the day with clarity, honesty and openness. TUP allows the listener to make informed judgments on the most important theological issues today."

Sound interesting? Go to this link and subscribe to the podcast...give it a try and supplement that diet with some good theological discussions.

http://www.ttpstudents.com/tup/home

Let us know what you think.

Satanic Devotional

2009-11-14T21:42:00.005-06:00

I did a devotional study using the Satanic Bible. Listen to the study right here:

Trinitarian Challenge to Non-Trinitarians

2009-11-14T21:29:00.002-06:00

Hey- any non-Trinitarians out there (those who deny the doctrine of the Trinity)? If so...why don't you take a look at this link and take Rob Bowman up on his challenge? He is basically challenging any non-Trinitarian to a formal internet debate. All the rules and the proposed format are on the link at the Parchment and Pen Theology Blog. This website gets a lot of traffic so it's a perfect forum to get some air time.

Don't believe in the Trinity? Well if so...let us all know why you don't and see if you can hold your metal against a Trinitarian. After all...if the Trinity is just not there it should be an easy win right?

Arabic script appears mysteriously on boy’s skin

2009-10-27T14:42:00.001-05:00

Degestan, October 19 -- Despite the advances medicine has made, there are still plenty of unusual conditions that appear mysterious, perplexing medical experts and defying all logic.

Ali Yakubov, a nine-month-old baby boy from Russia left doctors stupefied after the word Allah allegedly showed up on his chin when he was only a few weeks old.

Since then, verses from the Koran have emerged consistently on the infant’s back, arms, legs and stomach, before apparently fading away and being replaced with new ones.

Link to picture and original story: Skin

The Beltway Park Heresy Continues.....

2009-10-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

The Preaching Today Blog will be covering this event, so check back often for updates.

Christless Christianity

2009-10-25T08:39:00.003-05:00

Hello, just got back from a vacation...as I travelled around from airport to airport I started reading a new book by Dr Michael Horton (of Whitehorse Inn fame) called "Christless Christianity." Let me tell you, this is a good one to get and read!

Here is a quote to get your tastebuds moving...I may post more as I read it.

"The challenge before us a Christian witnesses is whether we will offer Jesus Christ as the key to fulfilling our narcissistic preoccupation or as the Redeemer who liberates us from its guilt and power. Does Christ come to boost our ego or to crucify our ego and raise us up as new creatures with our identity in him? (p. 33).

'Missing Link' Primate Fossil Debunked

2009-10-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

Remember Ida, the fossil discovery announced last May with its own book and TV documentary? A publicity blitz called it "the link" that would reveal the earliest evolutionary roots of monkeys, apes and humans.

Experts protested that Ida wasn't even a close relative. And now a new analysis supports their reaction.

In fact, Ida is as far removed from the monkey-ape-human ancestry as a primate could be, says Erik Seiffert of Stony Brook University in New York.

He and his colleagues compared 360 specific anatomical features of 117 living and extinct primate species to draw up a family tree. They report the results in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Link to the rest of the story: Ida

Tenn. Church Burns After Members Throw Punches

2009-10-10T15:39:00.002-05:00

There was a fist fight at a Claiborne County church and now the building has burned to the ground. Detective Capt. David Honeycutt with the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office said the fire was being investigated and a look at the fight is a strong element of it. The cause of the fire late Friday or early Saturday hasn't been determined. Honeycutt said there was no indication of an electrical malfunction.

Edwards Community Missionary Baptist Church was in rural part of the county, near the Union County line.

"That's God's house. It's no place to throw fists, or shoot people, or talk about shooting people, it's for blessing the Lord," the church's pastor, Rev. Clayborn Gibbons, told WBIR-TV in Knoxville.

The station reported the building had stood for nearly 70 years, but a recent division over who should lead the congregation erupted into fisticuffs on Sept. 30.

Church member David Lovin told the station "it just all broke loose."

Honeycutt said Thursday morning there had been no arrests in the fire. He said investigators were still taking statements from church members.

Honeycutt said the church has 30-50 members and "there has been a division of the church."

"When I heard that the church burned, it just broke my heart, cause you know that's where my heart was," Lovin said.

On Wednesday night, the congregation met in a church member's garage.

Link to original source: Church

My commentary on this story:

UFO tracks Iranian missiles

2009-10-09T23:10:00.001-05:00

Link to the original news story:

UFO

Here is my commentary on the video:

Challenge Your Traditions!

2009-10-08T22:37:00.002-05:00

Hey, it's been a while! I've been too busy with other thing and have neglected this blog. I've just started reading "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ" by John Owen and had to share something that I saw in the introductory essay by J. I. Packer that I thought was pretty good. Here it is:

"There are signs today of a new upsurge of interest in the theology of the Bible: a new readiness to test traditions, to search the Scriptures and to think through the faith. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen's treatise is offered, in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing Evangelical Christendom today-- the recovery of the gospel."

Great thought...are you ready to let the Scriptures challenge your assumptions and your coveted traditions. If you think you don't have one you're wrong. Jesus Christ sure challenged people's traditions...ought we not to do the same?

Chew on that...think about a tradition of your's that's been challenged. Have you really studied it out to make sure you're on solid ground?

An Evening of Eschatology

2009-10-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

Cruel Logic

2009-10-01T20:19:00.001-05:00

How to Bring Your Children To Christ

2009-09-20T16:37:00.004-05:00

"How to Bring Your Children To Christ...and Keep Them There."

This is a book by Ray Comfort that my wife and I recently finished reading.

Overall, I think it's a good book and recommend it.

To sum up the entire book in one sentence, the answer to the question in the title is, "Give them the Ten Commandments."

The Law? Not the Gospel?

No, you give them both. Ray Comfort makes a good case for and explains the necessity of first teaching your children the ten commandments, God's moral standard, so they can learn just how guilty they are before a holy God. Then when they learn of Christ's mercy and Grace demonstrated through the cross, they will fly to him!

To his credit, the author uses numerous illustrations for doctrines, verses, and in applications for teaching to your children. He also uses numerous quotes from Charles Spurgeon, among others.

It's a simple and short read, but fairly packed with concise teaching on the subject.

Another clear and very much appreciated subject in the book is Ray Comfort's addressing the reality and avoidance of False Conversion.

Through this book, Ray showed an understanding and demonstration for the whole council of God, not just the fluffy parts that modern evangelists use to teach people how to feel good in life.

Having read this, I am now challenged, inspired, and motivated to better know the ten commandments to teach them to my kids and use them in witnessing to others.

One thing I realized years ago, thanks be to God, is that the gospel, the good news, cannot be so good unless it is first preceded by the bad news, that all are (borrowing from Johnathan Edwards' sermon title) sinners in the hands of an angry God.

One of Ray's pointed notes is that quoting to someone Romans 3:23, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, isn't enough. People need to see the ten commandments to know specifically and personally how they themselves have broken God's law and thus to feel guilty and convicted of sin. The law is the schoolmaster that leads to Christ! Look in Psalm 19 alone to see how good the law of the Lord is!

Finally, this book is really helpful in specifically leading your children to Christ. The author gives examples of how he and others have utilized what he talks about in training up their own kids. He also promotes the advantages of home schooling.

You are Copyrighted

2009-09-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

God made all of creation (Gen 1:1). He created everything, including you. You are his work of art.

God owns the copyright to you!

In fact, God owns you (especially if you're a Christian for you were bought with a price! 1 Cor 6:20)

And you owe God. Simply because you were created by God, you owe him your life. He gave you life. You owe him gratitude for it. Don't take your life for granted with ingratitude. At any moment God could snatch you right out of this life through death. He owns you. He made you. He can "unmake" you. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be his name (Job 1:21).

Should humans be cloned? No. Why not? Because that would be a violation of God's copyright. He alone has the right to create life. Each person is unique.

We should not make illegal copies of people.

But suppose we can clone physical bodies. Who can clone a soul? Can a soul be cloned? I think not. God alone has the power to create new lives, new persons, new souls.

Zeal before God or Kneel before Zod.

2009-09-18T14:26:00.002-05:00

Do you remember Superman 2 from 1980? There’s a scene where the president is told to, “…kneel before Zod,” who is the “Anti-Superman.”

In keeping with the scripture where Jesus taught the principle that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), we have our options:

Zeal before God
Kneel before Zod

A Christian is for God, but zealous? Why must we have zeal for God? Because also in keeping with the scriptures which teach total commitment to and love for Christ and the radical teaching of hating family and leaving your life behind for the sake of Christ, and for following a man who's life lead to brutal crucifixion on a cross and an "untimely" death, we can have no less than zeal for God.

Zeal for God is the standard for the Christian. Again, why? Moreover, zeal for God is in keeping with the teaching in Revelation 3:16. We must be “sold out” for Christ. There is no such thing as ho-hum Christianity. If we are lukewarm, God warns that he will spew us from his mouth. Not a pretty picture. Lukewarm, ho-hum Christianity is marked by apathy, complacency, flippancy, and superficiality, even contempt.

We must strive to seek God diligently, consistently, and constantly. Why? Because we as fallen fleshly creatures are prone to wander from our Lord. We have a propensity for mediocrity and laziness.

To fight the flesh requires much discipline and sacrifice. And we must be willing to fight to the death! Yes, we will die, but Christ has defeated death.

Look at Jesus. He struggled and resisted sinners to the point of shedding his own blood (Hebrews 12:3-4). And he suffered and waited on God until his eyes grew dim (Psalm 69:1-3). He did all this to the point of death, but God delivered him in resurrection. God proved faithful even in death! So take your passions and your zeal and direct them towards God alone.

We must have zeal for God (according to knowledge, Romans 10:2). Otherwise we will fall prey to Satan’s devices, and we will “kneel before Zod.”

Entertainment's the Word.

2009-09-17T16:28:00.004-05:00

Psalm 19:10 - Do we really believe that God’s word is more desirable than much fine gold? Really? Come on, we don’t really believe that, do we?

We believe what America says, not what God says. America says you can attain the American dream if you work hard for it, and these days it even says you are entitled to it. The credit card offers claim you deserve another loan to go buy more stuff. Have fun going into debt. Debt is fun? What an oxymoron, we must be morons!

America says that Entertainment and Home Theaters are more desirable than God’s word. And we Christian Americans believe that too.

We always go after what we desire most. We do what we want. Like America, we want entertainment. Thus giant screens in stadium style worship centers (they used to be called sanctuaries). Worship does take place in them - worship of entertainment, not God.

“God, entertain me!” Entertainment is our god.

Is this really true, or is this a gross caricature?

Well, God’s word is more desirable than much fine gold. Now, if you actually had much fine gold, you could buy a whole lot of home theater and entertainment with it. But we only have a little cold hard cash. And what do we spend it on the most? That which we desire the most – cold hard entertainment my friends! Movies, music, games, etc. My iPod is an idol.

And what do we spend most of our dispensable time doing? Diligently studying God’s word? Nah, we get entertained.

So, we don’t really believe God’s word is more desirable than much fine gold, because if we did, we would seek it more often, more diligently, more consistently, instead of seeking more entertainment.

You seek that which you desire most.