Commentary, analysis and opinion.

The Christian and essential oils: a few thoughts

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For those Christians who haven’t heard, essential oils are big business. Big, big business. Make no mistake: essential oils are the hottest thing going since yoga invaded the church a decade ago. One of the largest and most well known of these essential oils companies is Young Living. Young Living sells its products through Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), a pyramid form of selling that works through networking. (Other MLM companies that might be familiar to some readers are Amway, Juice Plus, Pampered Chef, Herbalife and Mary Kay.)

If you happen to be one of the few that hasn’t yet heard about essential oils, just wait. One day soon your Facebook inbox will blow up with invitations to this or that essential oils home party. If you choose to attend one of these parties, you might learn some useful tips for making nice-smelling homemade cleaning products or cosmetics with essential oils, but you might also be exposed to some very unbiblical concepts about sin, sanctification and illness.

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Rethinking the Bible: a reassessment among some evangelicals

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Jim Hinch, contributing writer for the Orange County Register, writes that a growing number of evangelicals are asking if their historic view of Scripture is too dogmatic. In his piece, Hinch includes the opinions of several professing Christians – including Rob Bell (who has been exposed as an apostate) – as he endeavors to examine what is going on in the increasingly liberal church in America. According to Hinch, “A study this year by the American Bible Society found that nearly 40 percent of Americans under age 30 never read the Bible, while 16 percent of young adults consider the Bible ‘the actual word of God.’”

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Bethel’s Bill Johnson: “Jesus was so empty of divine capacity…”

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John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire writes concerning the latest heresy coming out of Bethel Church in Redding, CA:

Bill Johnson is an effective purveyor of kenosis, the heretical teaching that Christ operated on earth solely as a man, with no “Divine capacity” whatsoever. Every miracle, every healing that Christ performed, according to Johnson, came about through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Johnson teaches, we can all perform healings and miracles, since we also have access to the Holy Spirit.

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Ian Thorpe and mindless political correctness

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After years of denial, Australian five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe admitted during an interview that he’s “gay.” And of course the media, celebs and activists applauded the swimmer for his so-called bravery. Author and Christian apologist Bill Muehlenberg takes to task those who deliberately cover up the truth about what he calls the “high-risk deathstyle” of men who have sex with men. “The only ones who are brave today,” Muehlenberg points out, “are those who dare to resist the homosexual juggernaut. They are the new pariahs and scorned outcasts in the West, and they will be treated savagely and with ugly fury by the militants and their fawning supporters in the media.”

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As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will Ephesians 1:3–5, ESV

For what reason did the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ chose (elect) all in Christ before the foundation of world? It was that they would be holy (ἁγίους) and blameless (ἀμώμους) before him. The Puritans have always been accused of being legalistic and way too concerned about Christians living holy and blameless lives.

I heard a Jeopardy clue not long ago that actually defined this aspect of them as being “harsh” and “stern.” Is it an unreasonable thing to command that believers conform their lives unto holy living and be separate from the world and its ways?

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The Pope’s different version of salvation

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My Word Like Fire writes:

On June 23rd, Kenneth Copeland, James Robison, John Arnott [Toronto Blessing] and their wives met with the Pope. On June 30th Copeland declared at the Southwest Believers Convention, “The protest is over,” meaning Protestants no longer have differences with Catholics in understanding how people gain eternal salvation.

In a video message played at the convention the Pope said, “And this is a miracle; the miracle of unity has begun.”

Yet, June 25th, two days after the Pope met with Copeland, Robison, and Arnott, the Pope declared a very Catholic understanding of salvation.

According to Catholic News Service, “Pope Francis described as ‘dangerous’ the temptation to believe that one can have ‘a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christ without communion with and the mediation of the church.’”

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Homosexual “equality” is just repackaged tyranny

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Christian political writer Gina Miller challenges Christians to speak out against the radical homosexual movement. What lies in store for Christians if “church leaders don’t push back strongly against the militant sodomite activist”? To see what our future holds, Miller advises us to look at what has happened in Denmark.

According to a report in the U.K. Telegraph:

The country’s parliament voted through the new law on same-sex marriage by a large majority, making it mandatory for all churches to conduct gay marriages.

Denmark’s church minister, Manu Sareen, called the vote “historic”.

“I think it’s very important to give all members of the church the possibility to get married. Today, it’s only heterosexual couples.”

Under the law, individual priests can refuse to carry out the ceremony, but the local bishop must arrange a replacement for their church.

The far-Right Danish People’s Party mounted a strong campaign against the new law, which nonetheless passed with the support of 85 of the country’s 111 MPs.

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Oprah Winfrey now playing god?

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Apprising Ministries brings you the latest on the upcoming movie The Shack and shows you why Oprah, who’s as “Christian” as DeePak Chopra, playing god in the movie is actually consistent with her religious belief system.

Do yourself a favor, stay away from the spiritual shanty shack.

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Truth-telling and homosexuality

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“If ever there was a subject which is almost universally surrounded in falsehoods, deception and misinformation,” says apologist and ethicist Bill Muehlenberg, “it is the topic of homosexuality.”

According to Muehlenberg. the liberal media will not challenge the dangerous homosexual lifestyle for fear of reprisals from the powerful and well-financed homosexual lobby. But there’s hope! Muehlenberg believes that the truth will eventually come out due largely to a few “brave voices being raised” who refuse to cave in to gay activist’s threats and intimidation. We learn the names of four of them in this piece.

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The wisdom of Rick Warren: Purpose Driven Catholics

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For years now Warren has been actively working to assist Roman Catholic parishes in luring people away from the historic orthodox Christian faith and into apostate Roman Catholicism.

Apprising Ministries documents for you some of this ongoing apostasy of a man whom the Southern Baptist Convention has just rewarded with a prime position from which to teach its pastors at the upcoming SBC pastors convention.

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Glenn Beck goes off on “religious people”

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Marsha West, correspondent for the Christian Research Network, informs us of controversial conservative Glenn Beck’s convocation speech at evangelical Liberty University (LU) where he took to the podium and gave a sermon laced with Mormon theology.

When Beck learned that a large number of Christians, including some LU donors, came out in protest, he became outraged and used his position as a popular TV/radio host and his news outlet, The Blaze, as a bully pulpit to go after his critics.

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There’s no third way

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Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Baptist Theological Seminary, expresses his concern that, when it comes to the sin of homosexuality, more and more churches are bending to political correctness by declaring that the Church must accept practicing homosexuals.

Dr. Mohler reminds us that:

A church will either believe and teach that same-sex behaviors and relationships are sinful, or it will affirm them. Eventually, every congregation in America will make a public declaration of its position on this issue. It is just a matter of time (and for most churches, not much time) before every congregation in the nation faces this test.

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