“The reason these groups — including Lauren Daigle — topped the “Christian” music charts in 2019 isn’t that this music is actually Christian, it’s that it is pleasing to the world. When you fill music with sound doctrine and God-honoring reverent lyrics, it simply isn’t going to get the votes.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) When the world is what you act like, then the world is what you will get…. Continue reading
The operative pattern for the Christian is to understand that corruption still exists but that we are now united to Christ. We have died with Christ and risen again in new life. The flesh still operates and entices us but we need to be on-guard and hate it. We need to be killing it. It is ever with us. The world, the flesh, and the devil. These are the enemies of God.
(PCA Ruling Elder – The Aquila Report) I forgot to share this a couple of weeks ago but the Nate Collins tweet reminded me of this podcast episode. https://www.premierchristianradio.com/…/Unbelievable-God-Ga…
IT’s a “Side A” vs “Side B” debate. What is consistent between them both is their status as “gay people”. Continue reading
“And today, we haven’t had a new case for the last two weeks until the word that reached the public in the last 24 hours,” Pence added. “We’ve had 15 cases in this country. People are being treated and — and doing well.”
(Victor Garcia – Fox News) Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an exclusive interview Thursday that “the risk of the spread of coronavirus in the United States of America remains low” and credited what he called “decisive action” by President Trump earlier this year. Continue reading
“The reason Chan, White, and Bentley — and anyone else who claims to be able to heal people — won’t go to China to heal people of the COVID-19 coronavirus is simple: they can’t. They have no power to heal people. These men are liars and deceivers.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) Todd White, Todd Bentley, and now, interestingly but unsurprisingly, Francis Chan have told countless stories about how they’ve healed sick people, cured chronic and mortal diseases, and even raised people from the dead. Interestingly, however, there has never once been any unassailable proof of their claims. Continue reading
“To the extent that we are principled people and not wishy-washy in our convictions on these matters, we will be ineffective and divisive. Our churches will turn into two-headed monsters that bite and devour one another with arguments and shaming tactics. We will constantly be hurting and offending one another until we can acknowledge that regardless of who is right or wrong, we are not of the same mind.”
(Aaron Vriesman – The Banner) By now you have heard many arguments on LGBTQ matters. You have likely been present in some discussions and heated debates surrounding civil same-sex marriages as well as LGBTQ inclusion in church life. Society has made up its mind. The church is still responding. Continue reading
14. Give up approaching church attendance as punching the time clock for God. The Christian’s entire life, our very beings, belong to Christ, not just a couple of hours on Sunday.
(Michelle Lesley) Although, as a Louisiana girl, I’ve had a decades long love affair with king cake, and I totally support the increased availability of fish entrées at local restaurants and getting a few days off school or work, I’m not a big fan of Mardi Gras and Lent.
The intrinsic philosophy behind Mardi Gras – a day of revelry, indulgence, and debauchery to get it all out of your system before you have to start “being good” for Lent – is patently unbiblical. Continue reading
“Sanders’ remarks are so astoundingly naive and ignorant that even those pledged to vote for him if he is the nominee, like anti-Trump radical Tom Nichols, openly identify Bernie as a “useful idiot” for the Soviet Union – not only foolishly believing their propaganda, but willfully and reprehensibly spreading it for them here in the United States.”
(Peter Heck – Disrn) There’s no way they can actually do this, right?
That’s the question I keep asking myself as I consider the growing probability that the Democrat Party is preparing to make their nominee for President of the United States an outed commie…. Continue reading
In Matthew 18:7–9, we are informed that we must be willing to deal with those occasions to sin as though we were excising the offending member, be it our hands, our eyes, or our feet. The options before us are clear: Get rid of the offending member or be damned. Conquer the sin at any cost. It is not a matter of gaining or losing rewards. It is a matter of life and death.
(Albert N. Martin – Tabletalk) It soon becomes clear to every true child of God that if he is to be serious about personal holiness, sanctification, and growth in grace, he must become serious about guarding his eyes…. Continue reading
“This is simply false, unbiblical, and even outright heresy. The cause of misery is not poverty — poverty is a product of sin. The main cause of misery is sin and the only way to eradicate misery is the gospel. Social justice is not the gospel, it’s heresy, and those, like Grenholm, who continue to perpetuate it are far more in danger of losing their souls to Hades than a rich man.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) Evangelicals are lining up at the door trying to make the case that Jesus is all about a socialistic government that makes everyone equal…. Continue reading
“In 2020, a Trump/Sanders contest will make the most honest, direct, and open debate our political body has observed in many decades of what ideas actually mean. … Should people get to keep what they earn? Or should they be forced to give $7 out of every $10 they earn to a centralized “Kremlin” that will then dole out “free benefits” to the people (usually on the basis and preference of the whim of those in power)?”
(Kevin McCullough – Townhall) If Bernie Sanders continues his undefeated win streak in 2020 he deserves to be the Democratic nominee for president.
So why all the agita? Continue reading
“Cummings isn’t going to allow militant homosexuals to rebrand their march and overtake it for their homosexual purposes. They already have the annual gay pride march, the Thanksgiving Day parade, the women’s rights march, and the Martin Luther King parade for that. Leave this one alone.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) An LGBTQ “pride” group in NYC, Pride Center, is calling on local businesses in the Staten Island area to boycott the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade because the parade organizers — a local Catholic group — won’t allow them to turn the parade into a gay pride march. Continue reading
“Learn this lesson: You don’t have to abuse a substance to become addicted to it. Remember that the next time you take an addictive substance. You don’t have to be using some substances “to excess” to develop a dependency.”
(JD Hall – Pulpit & Pen) For more than half a decade I’ve struggled with my sleep. Being a pastor, 24-7 news-hound, and regularly working a 12 to 18 hour day means that I usually work until it’s bedtime (with a few breaks here and there for family). I teach 4-5 Bible studies during evenings in the week, often more than an hour from home in outlying communities…. Continue reading
“Right now, too many churches, Christian colleges, even businesses are dangerously close to making the same mistake. They’re so desperate or fearful — or both — that they’re willing to water down who they are to protect the small space they’re standing on. There’s just one problem: the gospel’s truth isn’t up for negotiation. And in their rush to soften the blow of its confrontation, some believers are selling out their identity as followers of Jesus.”
(Tony Perkins) It’s one of the saddest, most predictable “I-told-you-so” moments of our generation. The Boy Scouts, where future moon walkers and presidents learned the virtues and value of leadership, has finally collapsed.
“Despite [Jerry] Jenkins’ assurance to MacArthur that he would “follow through” on a “promise to not reveal to (MacDonald) the specifics of your communique to me,” Jenkins forwards the subsequent email from MacArthur and previous thread to MacDonald.”
(Julie Roys) Eight years ago, prominent author and pastor, John MacArthur, strongly warned the Moody Bible Institute about its association with now-disgraced celebrity pastor, James MacDonald. This is according to email correspondence I recently obtained between MacArthur and Jerry Jenkins, author of the best-selling Left Behind series of books, and then-chairman of Moody’s board of trustees. Continue reading
“Let’s be clear — Jen Hodge is not a Christian. She is no more “Christian” than a mambo out of Haiti who practices voodoo.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) Michael Brown is the world’s premier apologist for the ancient heresy of Montanism. Montanism is the heresy that teaches that certain spiritual gifts, such as prophecy, continue today and that it is possible to receive direct, divine revelation from God apart from Scripture…. Continue reading
“False teachers are not our brethren who have sinned against us, as referenced in Matthew 18. Heck, I do not even expect Joel Osteen to answer any charges I might bring to him. He doesn’t even know me. But the charges have been brought over the years and unfortunately most often through secular interviews. His response is that he feels people already know all they have done wrong and he just wants to encourage them. Well gosh that sounds nice but it is not the Gospel.”
(Anthony Wade – 828Ministries) This subject has come up before when Christians want to defend the wolves who devour the sheep of the Lord. I get it. I really do. The unnamed sheep seem to mean nothing to us because the church does such a poor job of explaining who our new family is once we are saved.
Even Jesus said when His mother was waiting to see Him that who is His mother and brother except he who does the will of the Father. In churchianity, the purpose driven growth schemes have created carnally successful silos of each individual church that pays lip service to being part of the kingdom but the reality is once you leave such a church, you will find out how close your family really was all along.
The cult of personality preachers that are created through this same paradigm are worshiped in churchianity. Just try saying something critical of Joseph Prince or Joel Osteen and get ready for the onslaught from the unsaved goats that follow them. So it is of no surprise that great swaths of what is called the church today would rather defend the most voracious wolves on the planet than care for the sheep they are slaughtering. When dealing with the lost who fall for false doctrine, we hear the same refrain that they should somehow know better or that they should have read their bibles. No mercy. Yet out of the other side of their mouths are the same defenses for the wolves — you don’t know them! They just love Jesus so much! Judge not!
So it always seems to go like this whenever discussing false teaching. In making a generic post the other day regarding the purpose of discernment, I casually referenced the truth — which is that we should not be praying for wolves. While many agreed there was the same choir responding that the bible says we should just be loving and praying for everyone. Once again, I get that. It sounds noble and pious. I do not actually care what it sounds like however. I just want to know if it is sound biblically and guess what? It is not. Before examining this, let us clear up some background issues that are always conflated with this discussion only to muddy the conversation. First of all we are dealing with false teachers, not people who are making an error in their teaching. Anyone can make a mistake or say something in error. It is unfair and not discerning at all to condemn someone for a simple error. For example, a few years back, Victoria Osteen said that we worship God for ourselves, not for Him. Part of the discernment world flipped out. I waited. I wanted to see what she would say in response to the criticism. After all, she could have just said it in error. That would not change the fact the she and her heretic husband are huge false teachers but at least regarding this issue it would not be. A week later she came out with Joel holding her hand and doubled down. Done deal. Look, the people we are talking about do not have mere holes in their theology. They have been confronted multiple times over years of ministry and have refused to repent of the false teaching. In the conversation this week someone actually asked for links regarding whether Bill Johnson has ever been confronted regarding his teaching. C’mon. A simple Google search reveals the truth.
Research
“This giant mess of a problem caused by Uth’s speaker’s lineup was 100% avoidable and 100% predictable if only SBC leaders had listened to discernment ministries like Pulpit & Pen and Justin Peters (who wrote a detailed series on the problems with David Uth). Instead, they chose to “kick against the pricks” (Acts 26:14), insisting on doing things with no regard for the opinion of people gifted with the ability to discern truth from error.”
(Pulpit & Pen) David Uth was elected as SBC Pastor’s Conference to the sound of thunderous applause. Nominated by leftward-drifting former SBC president, James Merritt, and father of prominent homosexual journalist, Jonathan Merritt, Uth had already been on the radar of Pulpit & Pen for several years. Continue reading
Some religious conservatives may see the world in moral terms — right and wrong; black and white. But there’s a long moral tradition, as far back as Augustine, that sees our world in shades of gray. The City of God lives as earthly inhabitants of the City of Man; thus, our world is imperfect. We are to be “in the world, but not of it.” History does not progress only toward human perfection. In this calculus, religious conservatives might see moral contrasts in black and white, but see voting for a morally compromised figure whose administration pushes back against progressivism as an uncomfortable shade of gray.
(Andrew T. Walker – National Review) In January 2021, someone will take the presidential oath of office, and religious conservatives will undoubtedly play a crucial role in whom it will be…. Continue reading
In some regions of society, parents are being urged to stay away from the titles of “mother” and “father.” They insist we use, instead, “parent A” and “parent B.” (This is particularly big in my wife’s field: doula services. Every vestige of “mother” in the literature is being scrubbed and replaced with “pregnant person.”) I would venture to guess that most conservative Christians who are fine with adopting alternative gender pronouns for the sake of being “hospitable” will say, “Ok, that’s crazy. I’d never shy away from addressing fathers and mothers as such. We draw the line here.”
(Sam Parkison – For The Church) The apostle Paul was a divider. This is not to say he was against unity per se. In fact, in a very real way, you could say that the unity of the Church was one of Paul’s hallmarks (Eph 4:1-7)…. Continue reading
“Her teachings are emotional and easy on the soul, but if a non-believer were to study them all, would they know, in the end, what is required to have a saving faith in Christ? Are her followers being drawn into a superficial knowledge of Jesus rather than a saving knowledge of Him? That is my question and my fear, and that is why I feel compelled to speak about a ministry I so dearly loved at one time.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) Beth Moore is the Southern Baptist Convention’s most popular female preacher and has captivated many with her seeker-sensitive theological perspective and Bible studies published and sold through the denomination’s publishing branch, LifeWay…. Continue reading
[T]his week Sheffield University announced a scheme in which students will be paid £9.34 an hour to challenge other students who commit so-called ‘micro-aggressions’. Under this insidious doctrine, the most innocuous comment can be considered offensive: examples drawn up by Sheffield include asking someone why they are frying a banana (not realizing it is a plantain). This is evidence of a deeply rooted institutional intolerance.
(Peter Jones – truthxchange) For many, “getting into college” was the great personal achievement that marked the beginning of a successful adult life. I remember the pride of being the “first of my family” to achieve this honor, and I studied like I had never studied before—to avoid the real possibility of being thrown out for insufficient grades…. Continue reading
“For the moment, it’s sufficient enough to note the long-term shortcomings of these two conservative Christian organizations regarding their ability to coalesce or be “together.” They are still chugging along, though, evolved as they are, serving a purpose in the Christian culture. Yet, at the same time, there is a third, fresh, growing alliance within conservative Christianity that not only exists apart from TGC and T4G — it exists with little to no overlap with the present-day forms of TGC and T4G. It exists as its own train, that may or may not be coasting down the same track as the other locomotives (depending on how you interpret the metaphor).”
(Jeremy Howard) Let’s be open and honest, here. Evangelicalism is a complex world. It’s a sub-culture of what has been called “Christendom,” and it has diverse definitions. Furthermore, there are sub-sub-cultures that exist within Evangelicalism and, as they are studied, the more confusing everything seems to get. Continue reading
According to Mark Dever, our African American brothers and sisters “realized a long time ago [that] there are going to be a bunch of different issues that are going to affect us. I think white Christians think this is the only moral way to approach voting. I think they’re never thought of anything else.”
(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) I’m not going to shy away from it at this point, the social justice movement that has co-opted Evangelicalism is a demonic influence that turns hearts away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and sets people’s minds on temporal self-entitlement… Continue reading
Perhaps you expected something from a certain person that he or she didn’t give you. This does not necessarily mean the person has sinned against you. We all have expectations of the people in our lives, and this goes both ways. Maybe people close to you—your spouse, children, parents, friends—hoped you would treat them in a certain way, but you failed to do it.
(Lee Ann Trees – Beautiful Christian) Did your friends just ditch you when you needed them the most? Find out someone else got that job promotion you were hoping for? Did you want to help win the big game, but your coach left you sitting on the bench?… Continue reading
“We are concerned about the current road our Southern Baptist family is traveling. It is a road that is twisting what God’s Word is saying about things like human sexuality, biblical racial reconciliation, and socialistic justice.”
(Pulpit & Pen) Southern Baptist leaders most responsible for the liberal drift in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) – chiefly Albert Mohler and Danny Akin, presidents of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary respectively – claim there is no liberal drift in the denomination. Meanwhile, both seminaries have sold out to the leftist ideologies of Critical Race Theory, Cultural Marxism, and progressive Social Justice. Continue reading