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Monday, June 23rd 2008

7:09 AM

James Spurgeon is blogging again

For my readers who don't know who James Spurgeon is, you should click here and check out his blog. James used to be one of the Fantastic Four over on the Pyromaniacs website. His blogging attracted a great deal of fans. He was also a poster on the old version of the Fundamentalist Forums. Spurgeon was highly active on the internet for many years. He blogged incessantly about his "Tales from the Temple" about life in Bob Gray's church. His blog was so successful, that he took his stories and turned them into a book. Then suddenly, James Spurgeon disappeared from the internet. He wasn't blogging, wasn't posting, and wasn't doing much of anything.

And then last year, two IFB pastors on the FFF decided it would be fun to spread rumors about what they had heard about James Spurgeon and why he wasn't blogging anymore. They posted with great glee about how(according to their sources) James had fallen from the ministry. Several of us demanded proof, and the proof we received was that of second-hand and third-hand sources. You can read some of these threads here.
Link1
Link2
Link3

All we received was second and third hand information about an alleged affair. Spurgeon was alleged to have run off with a missionary's wife. However, Spurgeon is now back on the net, and has refuted that nonsense himself. He did confess to carrying on an online affair, but has denied a physical affair and running off with his paramour. The facts have come in, and Marty and Guy have been shown to have lied about at least a few facts in their stories about what Spurgeon was up to last year.

But the question does still remain, what is Spurgeon up to now? He states that he now rarely attends church, and (understandably)wants nothing to do with Fundamentalism. So where is he spiritually? Is he an evangelical? Living on the border of Christianity and loss of faith? It should definitely be interesting to see where Spurgeon's blog takes us.

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Sunday, June 22nd 2008

6:26 PM

Churches and Politics

Phil Johnson recently posted a blog entry on the Pyromaniacs blog. If you aren't a fan of Team Pyro, you really should check them out. Visit their blog, and do a read through. Of course, if you aren't a fan of reading that's a little heavy, you may not like the blog. Team Pyro consists of four bloggers, who visit topics concerning Christianity, particularly from a Reformed perspective. I'm a bit of a fan of these guys. But right now, we're talking about the church and politics, so let's get back on topic. Phil made a post that you can read here. Allow me to pull a quote out, from the beginning paragraph.

"If you are known for your political agenda more than for your commitment to Christ, your values are upside down. If you make the gospel subservient to a political strategy or a partisan agenda, you're probably doing more harm than good."

Think about that for a minute. How often do you hear a preacher, particularly a tv preacher, speak more about politics than about the Gospel? Pat Robertson and John Hagee(both heretics by the way) immediately come to mind. While they both may engage in some good things, they do have some major problems. These men seem to be more in line with Dominionists.

I do think that Phil missed something though, in his series. Of course, it probably isn't his fault, because I've not heard of this much myself. Around two years ago, I visited a church here in the Memphis area. This was right around the time that Israel and Syria were trading rockets back and forth. Naturally, this was immediately picked up by the prophecy nuts. When the pastor of this church got up to preach, he made a statement that concerned me so much that I didn't walk away from that church after the sermon, I ran. I've never dropped back in, and I won't. He stated "I spent eight hours watching the news about Israel and Syria in preparation for this sermon. And over the coming weeks, we'll be doing the same thing as we discuss this event and the prophecy of Revelation." Could you imagine such a thing being done in your church? Could you imagine your pastor standing up and stating that he had spent eight hours preparing for his sermon by watching TV? How does a pastor admit to such nonsense?

Sermons in our churches should be based on Scripture, not on the news. This is one of the dangers of preaching primarily in a topical manner. Now I'm not saying that topical preaching is bad. I think it can be very good. I think covering issues such as the Lord's Supper, Baptism, and Church Discipline for a few examples in a topical manner is tremendous, and can probably be covered better topically than when preaching in an expository manner only.

But I think this is indicative of a deeper problem, mainly that some Christians get so involved in current events and political events, that they read into Scripture what isn't there. They get so excited about prophecy, that every event in the Middle East is major news to them.

And the dangerous and scary part is that the people in the congregations sit and listen to such nonsense, and do nothing about it, because they see no wrong. They either don't care, or don't know enough about the Bible to realize that this is wrong.

If you're a pastor, a leader, a Sunday School teacher, or anyone teaching others in churches, it would probably be wise to heed Phil Johnson's advice in the blog message. Allow me to take some of his advice, and paraphrase it to match what I've said here. If what happens in the news alters your preaching, then you've got your heart and head in the wrong place. Preach the Gospel, and not the News. Christians don't need sermons relevant to current events. They need sermons that are spiritual, and Biblically sound.
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Saturday, June 21st 2008

6:06 PM

Soul Liberty

What is Soul Liberty?

Soul Liberty is the concept that Christians have the ability to decide for themselves in matters of faith and life, so long as their sincerely held belief does not violate Scripture, and does not violate another individual's soul liberty. Allow me to demonstrate Soul Liberty from Scripture.

Rom 14:1-23  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  (2)  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.  (3)  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.  (4)  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.  (5)  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  (6)  He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.  (7)  For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.  (   For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.  (9)  For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.  (10)  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  (11)  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  (12)  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.  (13)  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.  (14)  I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  (15)  But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  (16)  Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  (17)  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  (1   For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.  (19)  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.  (20)  For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense.  (21)  It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.  (22)  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.  (23)  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

As can be seen in the above verses, we as believers have the right to choose where we stand on certain issues. For example, let us point to the issue of KJV-Onlyism. This is a doctrine not found in Scripture. One can, if he looks for it, find verses to support this doctrine. And if one wants to hold to the KJV-Only, that is certainly his right. However, he has no right to do so while attempting to force his view on others. We also have issues such as whether or not pants are okay for women to wear. This is a doubtful disputation(read verse 2 above), and those new to the faith should not be dragged into such discussions which are matters of preference as opposed to matters of Scripture.

Where should we take a stand, and where should we not? We should clearly take a stand on this issues that the Bible makes of importance. Such as having church meetings, the sufficiency of Scripture, the death, burial, and ressurrection of Christ, virgin birth, the sins of fornication, gluttony, and drunkeness. Issues such as those cannot be compromised on, and we cannot treat these issues lightly. However, issues such as what kind of music to use in worship, whether or not a man can wear a necklace, or voting for a conservative democrat over a liberal republican should not be issues that divide us, and should not be forced on one another. If somebody wants to use only hymns in their worship service, good for them. Let them do so. On the flip side, if somebody wants to use Contemporary Music over hymns, let them do so. He does not sin in doing so.

Fundamentalists have become quite adept at making non-issues into serious issues worth dividing over. And in doing so, they have committed the greater sin. They needlessly divide the body of Christ with their doubtful disputations. As at times, less conservative fundamentalists do, or conservative evangelicals, and neo-evangelicals. Non-issues are not worth dividing over, and should not be major issues within our churches. We have soul liberty. Liberty to choose what is right for us and for our families. Time will tell if we have chosen wisely. Let God be the judge in such areas.
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Tuesday, June 17th 2008

5:41 PM

The Law of God and the Kings of Israel

Deu 17:18-19  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:  (19)  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

The Kings of Israel were required to read the book of the Law daily, so that they could execute the judgment of God, and so that they would know the law intimately. God required the kings to know the law. This is why David spoke so much of reading the Law of God, of reading and memorizing the Scriptures. The Scriptures were a part of his life consistently. He read, memorized, and to him the Scriptures were an intimate part of his life. He knew the Bible no doubt as well as any priest in the kingdom. What would our churches be like if every Christian took reading the Bible just as seriously?

Just a random thought today. My pastor I had when growing up preached a lengthy series through the book of Deuteronomy, and expounded on this particular passage several times. I've thought of it often as I've thought of him.

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Friday, May 23rd 2008

12:30 PM

Fate of FLDS Kids Uncertain

Link

    For several weeks now, the CPS in the state of Texas has been under scrutiny for their decision to take over four hundred children from their parents after a phone call from an alleged abuse victim on an FLDS ranch. The CPS decided to take all the children, based on the supposition that the FLDS are abusing the children on the ranch. A court in Texas recently ruled that the CPS had acted without warrant in seizing all the children from the ranch. Among the criticisms leveled at CPS by the court, was that authorities had failed to prove that all the children were being abused(there is evidence that only five of these children had been sexually abused as of yet), or that the abuse was imminent.
    This case has raised concern among many across the United States, who fear that this case could provide a basis to seize children in other instances based on little or no evidence of wrong-doing. The recent court ruling is seen as a boon to proponents of religious freedom by many evangelical Christians.
    The court ruling stated that the CPS was wrong to consider the danger of grooming boys to be sexual abusers and girls to be victims of sexual abuse as being "imminent or urgent." It also stated that CPS was wrong to consider the ranch to be a single household, and to seize all the children as though they were all somehow related. This case however, is far more tangled than many believe. Survivors of abuse from the FLDS have cited many concerns about FLDS culture that make this case infinitely more difficult than that of a single evangelical church where there are many households.
    Polygyny is the practice of having more than one wife. The FLDS doctrine of polygyny comes directly from the early LDS practice of polygyny, which was abandoned when Utah realized that in order to become a state in the Union they needed to ban the practice. Polygyny in FLDS culture is the same as it was in early LDS culture. It is a practice of older men taking a household of younger wives(see Inside Today's Mormonism by Richard Abanes, chapter 9). In a polygynous culture, the age for women to get married tends to get younger, and men get married at an older age. It also is biased towards wealthier, more powerful men. Men who are wealthy and have a power status within the community are able to gather more wives to themselves, whereas men without as much wealth and power are relegated to having less wives, or being excommunicated from the community(PoliGazette). In early LDS culture, uncles and nieces were frequently married. Men who had more status in the church were regarded as being better candidates for marriage. It was a practice for church missionaries to go into the field, and bring back a selection of young women for wives as the communities would frequently run out of marriable women(Inside Today's Mormonism, Richard Abanes, pp 232-233).
    Within these polygynous communities, if a man falls out of favor with the church leaders, he can be excommunicated and have his family taken from him and given to another man. This is why many of the FLDS children have a difficult time telling who exactly their parents are. But not only are FLDS children and wives assigned to different fathers and husbands, children may be assigned to different mothers.(PoliGazette)
    A major problem that many evangelical Christians have had with the CPS raid on the FLDS compound is that CPS workers have stated that they were concerned with the homeschooling on the program. But what evangelicals have failed to realize is that the homeschooling education within the FLDS community is extremely poor. "Survival skills like violence and control seem to take the place of formal education.  Most FLDs children are church- or homeschooled.

“No state is monitoring the non-education of these children,” says Moore-Emmett.  She describes a weak curriculum of basic math and spelling.  Literature other than holy scripture is forbidden.  History is restricted to the genealogy of the Mormon prophets.  Science is regarded as heresy, and other cultures are not  worth knowing about.  Teaching health would only encourage immodest discussions of the human body."(PoliGazette) What we are looking at is not merely persecution against homeschoolers, but a concern about a severe problem of failing to educate children at all.

   Many Evangelical Christians have taken up the cause of the FLDS, mistakenly believing that the FLDS are being persecuted because of a few isolated cases of abuse. But those who have studied the FLDS culture have arrived at a vastly different conclusion. There is evidence of systematic abuse occurring within the FLDS. They groom boys to be sexual predators, and girls to be victims of sexual abuse by being forced into marriages with much older women. They force women and children to separate from their husband and father to live with another man, and make children go to another mother to break up any bonding process. The FLDS are not some happy, little church on the prairie, but an abusive and predatorial community that should be broken up.

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Friday, May 23rd 2008

7:59 AM

McCain Rejects Hagee's Endorsement

Link

    Republican Presidential Candidate Sen. John McCain has officially rejected the endorsement of controversial pastor John Hagee. John Hagee is a pastor who supports Israel heavily, and who frequently engages in anti-Catholic rhetoric. Hagee recently stepped away from comments he had made concerning the Catholic Church, including comments such as "the Catholic church is the Great Whore."
    Hagee, who has a large following among evangelical Christians, has become a source of contention among Christianity for his various heterodox beliefs. His recent comments stating that Christ did not come as Messiah, has been a cause for alarm for many conservative Christians.
    Democrats have been searching for something controversial from the pastors who have declared support for McCain, in order to create a firestorm like that which has surrounded Obama and his "former pastor" Rev Wright. There is a difference however, Obama sat under Wright for nearly twenty years. Hagee has never been McCain's pastor, so how is McCain supposed to know any of Hagee's odd beliefs? Obama, if he is as smart as he wants us to believe, should have known of Wright's controversial beliefs. The two are not comparable in this instance.
    Nonetheless, McCain is right to distance himself from Hagee. Hagee has an assortment of odd beliefs that could possibly do damage to the McCain campaign if McCain were to retain his support. Hagee is hardly the poster boy for evangelical Christianity, or for Christianity in general.
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Thursday, May 22nd 2008

7:09 PM

Jews Again Persecuting Christians

     When the Christian faith was still in it's infancy, the orthodox Jewish religion began a systematic and organized persecution of believers through the Roman empire. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles tells us of these events that were authorized by the Jewish hierarchy.
    The Jewish Religion in Israel has begun again persecuting Christians. Just last Thursday, several Jewish students from a religious school gathered and burned hundreds of Bibles and religious materials that were distributed by Christians and Messianic Jews. Link.
    The deputy mayor of the town, Uzi Aharon drove through the town prior to the Bible burning, and called on a loudspeaker for residents in the town to turn over the Bibles and religious materials to students from the religious school. When the students gathered the Bibles and materials, they dumped them in a large pile and then set fire to them. Deputy mayor Aharon stated that he regretted the Bible burning, but that it is Jewish religious law to burn such materials. He then stated "I certainly don't denounce the burning of the booklets, I denounce those who distributed the booklets."
    But it seems that Aharon has now attempted to do an about face. Link. Aharon originally defended the actions of these students stating that the students were “purging the evil among us.” But now he has stepped back from his original position in light of the intense media scrutiny, stating “We respect all religions as we expect others to respect ours. I am very sorry that the New Testament was burned, we mean it no harm and I'm sorry that we hurt the feelings of others.”
    Aharon is clearly quite set against any witnessing being conducted by any religion other than Judaism. He is so set against Christianity, that he drove around town with a loudspeaker telling citizens to turn over the Christian materials given to them to the students. One cannot seriously entertain the notion that this man respects other religions in light of his own actions. He'd do better to hold to his original position without trying to backstep from his obvious hatred of Christianity. Anti-Christian behavior is becoming commonplace in Israel, and this is merely further proof of that fact.
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Thursday, May 22nd 2008

1:01 PM

Daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman Killed In Tragic Accident

The youngest daughter of Christian Musician Steven Curtis Chapman was killed in a tragic accident on May 21st when her older brother accidentally struck her with his SUV. Steven Curtis Chapman is known for his outstanding music, and his work for adoption. Pray for his family as they grieve during this time, and for his son as he wrestles with feelings of guilt.


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Tuesday, April 22nd 2008

11:55 AM

Mormonism

What do Mormons believe? Here's a quick list of a few things that Mormons believe, which are contrary to Scripture and true Christian doctrine.

1. They deny the orthodox definition of the Trinity. They believe that Jesus is literally and physically the son of God(as is Lucifer, and all other humans, angels, and demons), and thus is not God Himself.

2. They believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon is a second Testament of Christ.

3. They believe and practice Baptism on behalf of the dead.

4. They believe in the existence of many gods, and that God was once a man, and that men can become gods.

These are a few beliefs of Mormonism that have NOT changed over the years. Mormon doctrine/theology is very fluid, and tends to change over the years. Anything that a former prophet or apostle once said(speaking for God they believe) is open to being changed with revelation from a new prophet. Very little is set in their theology.

Obviously, Christian doctrine is vastly different from that of Mormon doctrine, and thus there is no way that one can say that a Mormon is a Christian. We are worlds apart from Mormons, even though there is a small trace of underlying similarities. Don't be fooled by the cheap counterfeit.
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