Tim Challies challenges the Christian who chooses not to stray from his or her comfort zone. He points to himself as an example. “So much of what I do in life,” he says, “so many of the decisions I make, are driven primarily by considerations of my own comfort. I do what I do because it is more comfortable than the alternative; I choose to go this way instead of that way because the opposite looks like it may just bring too much discomfort. I’m kind of a coward, I guess, and kind of consumed with keeping life safe and easy.”
Author Archives: Marsha West
Culture Warts or Faithful Servants, Part 2
Peter Jones, Director of truthXchange, continues his series. In the first installment, Dr. Jones examined the reasons young people reject being called “Christian.” In this latest article, he addresses the massive change Western culture is experiencing as a result of what he labels “orgiastic sexuality and occult spirituality.” The two thinkers he holds responsible for the cultural chaos are Carl Jung, the psychologist, and Mircea Eliade the scholar.
One-Third Of Adults Under 30 Have No Religious Affiliation
U.S. Congressman: Evolution, Big Bang Are ‘Lies Straight From the Pit of Hell’
Christian News Network reports:
Republican Representative Paul Broun from Georgia was speaking to a group of Christians at a sportsmen’s banquet at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell when he made the statement. In addition to talking to the gathering about his experiences in hunting, he referenced his belief in the Creator.
Scalia Says Abortion, Gay Rights Are Easy Cases
Justice Antonin Scalia is on a book tour. Recently he told hundreds of people who came to buy his book and hear him speak that he is a “textualist” which means he applies the words in the Constitution as they were understood by the framers. For him, the hotly disputed cases that come before the court are some of the easiest to resolve:
The death penalty? Give me a break. It’s easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state.
Catholic Leaders Gather to Counter Decline of Faith
Mormons Lower the Age Requirement for Missionary Service
Planned Parenthood Challenged for Dismantling Families
Christian Newswire reports:
The Virginia Coalition for Life, in partnership with The Radiance Foundation, has launched a bold ad campaign to challenge the abortion industry and the culture of fatherlessness that it has fostered. Throughout October in the Hampton Roads area, 21 billboards and over 100 bus and light rail posters will declare the message: “Fatherhood Begins in the Womb”
Mormon Mitt Romney: ‘We’re All Children of the Same God’
How Church Discipline Can Be Like Doctor Shopping
Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, challenges ministers of the gospel who are more than willing to empower congregants who don’t want accountability, but affirmation. In Moore’s view, “If you have a church member who has been warned or disciplined by another pastor or church, you have a responsibility to investigate what’s going on.”
Study: Number of Gay Characters on TV at All-time High
A new study shows that Hollywood has included a significant number of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters into its programming in what many people see as an effort to normalize sexual perversion. The study, “Where We Are on TV,” reported that “4.4 percent of actors appearing regularly on prime-time network drama and comedy series during the 2012-13 season will portray lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters. This is up from 2.9 percent in 2011, which saw a dip in what had been a growing annual trend.”
Is It Okay for a Christian to Vote for a Mormon?
With the American presidential election still over a month away, many Christians find themselves conflicted as to how they can or ought to vote. The question on many believers’ minds is: Is it okay for a Christian to vote for a Mormon? Seeking to present differing opinions on this topic, CRN already has shared articles that may answer this question in the negative. Here, Dr. John MacArthur offers a contrasting view and his input on the issue.
Notorious Abortionist’s Secret Late-Term Child-Killing Operation Shut Down
The Campaign for Immorality
Pastor and Bible expositor John MacArthur recently lamented the fact that the Democrat party has adopted the sins of Romans 1 as their platform. Though MacArthur typically refrains from preaching politics, in this election season it seems that “politicians have stepped—overstepped—into spiritual and moral areas, promoting horrific wickedness and blasphemous immorality.” God’s Word is neither silent nor ambiguous about these things.
Ex-Papal Butler’s Jail Cell Adequate?
Paolo Gabriele claims he was “divinely inspired to bring the church back on the right track” by leaking copies of sensitive papers to an Italian journalist. UPI now reports that Gabriele “testified in a Vatican courtroom Tuesday his jail cell was so cramped that he couldn’t extend his arms and that the light was never turned off during his first 20 days of detention before he was transferred to a larger cell.”
France to Cover 100 Percent of Abortion Costs
Group Sues California Over Bill Banning Reparative Therapy for Gay Teens
Group of African Americans Forming “New Independent Christian Party”
A coalition of African American clergy announced that they cannot support either political parties so they have formed the New Independent Christian Party. According to their website they intend to “promote Christian values and address the issues and concerns in the forefront of American lives” and “advocate for the Christian agenda and rights.” In a press release they state:
There does not exist a reliable political party that purely represents the overall Christian agenda in America. We can neither ignore the overwhelming contrast to our Godly principles of the marriage equality and abortion rights agendas, which the Democrats strongly support, nor can we be oblivious to the arrogant, greedy, unsympathetic Pharisaic practices of the Republicans.
Pastor Robert Jeffress Warns Romney of Losing Evangelical Base on Social Issues
Election 2012: Obama & Romney on Abortion
Baptist Press reports:
President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney differ on a wide range of significant issues, with abortion being among the most substantial.
They are so far apart, in fact, that Obama’s campaign made abortion an issue in campaign TV ads and at the Democratic National Convention, where at least 25 speakers referenced Obama’s pro-choice and Romney’s pro-life views.
The Great Need for Pastors to Address Gay Marriage
Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, points out that 39 percent of Protestants support same-sex marriage, and this puts them on the wrong side of the debate. “For a Christian,” says Backholm, “the inability to get this question right brings into serious question the ability to get anything right, biblically speaking. You can’t do calculus if you don’t know how to add or subtract.” He believes the job of church leadership is to train the church to think biblically about everything.
Christian Apologist Says ‘2016’ Producer ‘Cracked the Code’ on Obama
At the Truth for a New Generation apologetics conference that begins Friday, politics will take center stage when Dinesh D’Souza, president of The King’s College and co-producer of the film, 2016: Obama’s America, will participate in a Q & A with leading apologist Alex McFarland following a screening of the movie. According to McFarland, “People who haven’t seen the movie may ask, ‘What does this have to do with Christian apologetics?’ It has a lot to do with biblical worldview and the freedom that we have in America.”
Profane Preachers Contribute to Killing the Conscience
Marsha West addresses the use of profanity and crude examples some pastors employ to drive home a theological point. She begins:
There seems to be a growing trend in the Church for the clergy to feed the sensual appetite through their sermons. What we are dealing with are pastors who have dirty minds and potty mouths. The word that best describes them is profane.
Pastor Rick Warren Hospitalized, Awaiting Diagnosis
The Christian Post reports:
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church was hospitalized Tuesday after experiencing pain in his arms.
The renowned Southern California pastor will be undergoing a series of tests to determine what the cause is though the doctor’s “diagnostic guess” is that he has an inner ear virus that may have spread to the nerves in his neck and down his arms.
A Lesson From the Lakeland Revival
Tim Challies reports on Lakeland: The Movie, a documentary about Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Revival. During the so-called revival it was alleged that great manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit were occuring. Bentley and his crew claimed that the sick were getting healed and around 30 people were raised from the dead, but not a single miracle could be verified.
This documentary,” said Challies, “made me both angry and sad. I was outraged to see Bentley’s complete disregard for Scripture, his disregard for what the Bible tells us about the miraculous gifts, about maintaining good order in services, about so much else. What made me sad were the many looks at the people who had followed Bentley. There were many people, well-intentioned, I am sure, who gave up everything they had to follow him.”