Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Reformation resources for you!

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Elizabeth Prata of The End Time has put together some really good Reformation Day resources for us:

The 500th anniversary of the Reformation is coming up on October 31st. This is the date when, 500 years ago, Roman Catholic monk and professor Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the University of Wittenberg’s chapel door. Nailing a tract on the door was not in itself an act of rebellion, but rather the usual and customary method of starting a discussion among scholars of religious points of the day. It was the 16th century’s version of the internet.

However, Luther’s theses were not just questions and discussion points, but a devastating critique of Roman Catholic practices. Luther had found in his studies that Roman Catholic faith and practice varied greatly from the word of God. Luther was especially upset over the practice of Indulgences, or payment to the Church for reduction or absolution of certain sins. Paying for sins to be forgiven seemed incredibly wrong to Luther. He wrote up his questions, intending to spark a discussion.

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Why #MeToo Still Likes Bill Clinton

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“After looking into her career just a tad,” writes a Fire Breathing Christian blogger, “one can easily confirm that [Alyssa] Milano has regularly contributed to and profited greatly (materially, at least) from helping escort the culture into the very hell that she’s now protesting.” FBC reminds us that the Bill Clintons of the world were “enabled, adored, funded, and voted for by much of the #MeToo crowd.” Likewise the “virtue signaling feminist/progressive #MeToo types … are not taking the same approach to Bill Clinton because he (and his machine) is still able to give them what they want.”

Like a once nimble, happy gazelle suddenly finding itself trapped and suffocating under the gut of a giant toppled zombie elephant, Hollyweird is desperately clinging to life as it lies crushed under the weight of Harvey Weinstein.

And that’s a good thing.

Painful, tragic, and ugly, to be sure, but good nonetheless.

In these early stages of what will no doubt be a long, trainwreck-in-slow-motion kind of production, one of the most prevalent attributes on display is hypocrisy.

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The New Apostolic Reformation and the making of cult leader Brian Tamaki and the Destiny cult

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From Churchwatch Central:

In this article, we take a look at cult leader ‘Apostle’ Brian Tamaki (aka ‘Lord of the Rings’ because he has men in his church swear their allegiance to him by wearing rings inscribed with his name), and his Destiny ‘cult’. We examine both his connection to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and his ‘apostolic’ creation by the NAR.

And we ask the question – why doesn’t Brian Houston, Phil Pringle, Paul De Jong, Peter Mortlock and others not rebuke Brian Tamaki and warn those attending this ‘church’?

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Study: Early Sexual Activity Has Negative Impact On Relationship Quality And Stability

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Wintery Knight posts the findings of several recent studies that make it clear that young people rushing into sex “to have fun, feel accepted, be like their friends, conform to the culture,” has a negative impact on a person’s life:

I’ve posted before about how premarital sex affects the stability of marriages by making divorce more likely. But there has been more research published since. Let’s take a look.

Here a good study on relationship tempo and relationship quality.

Abstract:

Rapid sexual involvement may have adverse long-term implications for relationship quality. This study examined the tempo of sexual intimacy and subsequent relationship quality in a sample of married and cohabiting men and women. Data come from the Marital and Relationship Survey, which provides information on nearly 600 low- to moderate-income couples living with minor children. Over one third of respondents became sexually involved within the first month of the relationship. Bivariate results suggested that delaying sexual involvement was associated with higher relationship quality across several dimensions. The multivariate results indicated that the speed of entry into sexual relationships was negatively associated with marital quality, but only among women. The association between relationship tempo and relationship quality was largely driven by cohabitation. Cohabiting may result in poorer quality relationship because rapid sexual involvement early in the romantic relationship is associated with entrance into shared living.

The authors are from Cornell University and University of Wisconsin – Madison. Prestigious schools, and very far to the left.

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Revealing Quotes by Influential Contemplatives

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From Berean Research:

Lighthouse Trails has put together quotes by influential contemplatives. Some on the list may surprise you. For example, Rick Warren  advocates  contemplative prayer in his best-selling book Purpose Driven Life. Many of you will be surprised to learn who made this comment:

[I]f we are not still before Him [God], we will never truly know to the depths of the marrow of our bones that He is God. There’s got to be a stillness.

Following are a few of the quotes LHT has compiled over the years:

These revealing quotes are from well-known figures who have significantly influenced the religious landscape in today’s culture. Sadly, they have helped to mislead millions with their promotion of contemplative prayer (a mystical, panentheistic-rooted practice).

Shalem Prayer Institute “This mystical stream [contemplative prayer and other monastic traditions] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality.”—Tilden Edwards, Spiritual Friend, p. 18.

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Visions, dreams, and revelations: Demon possession or genuine prophetic fits?

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From Berean Research:

Elizabeth Prata delves into the latest trend in the visible Church that has God speaking to His people through visions, dreams, visits, i.e. extra-biblical revelation. Those who claim to hear directly from God say they’re Christians but the truth of the matter is that many of these people have fallen for the lies and half truths of NAR wolves; thus, they’re false converts. Those who are caught up in the NAR cult seemingly care more about experiencing “signs & wonders” than learning what the Bible actually teaches. With that out of the way, in this piece over at The End Time, Elizabeth shares some of what well known cult leaders such as Joseph Smith and Ellen G. White experienced and compares their experiences with the bizarre behavior charismatics go through during a worship service or so-called revival, to include “physical manifestations akin to epileptic seizures.” Scripture is applied to tie the manifestations to demon possession.  This is fascinating reading!

Have you noticed the similarity among some of the founders of the major false religions of what I call “prophetic fits”? Most cults in the world began from some kind of vision or direct revelation or visitation from celestial beings claiming to be Mary, Jesus, angels, and so on. I listed some below and more down further below.

Accompanying these visions and revelations and visits, are physical manifestations akin to epileptic seizures and fits that the recipients later report. The recipient of the revelation undergoes a physical trauma of, for example, flailing around, rapid heart beat, or no heartbeat, sweating, groaning, foaming at the mouth, high fevers, and the like. As I listened to one such physical fit that Muhammad had, founder of Islam, I was struck by its similarity to the incidents of demonic possession recorded in the Bible. I wondered if such fits were manifested by other cult founders during their visions or trances, and I learned that they did. Here are a few examples.

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Why Doesn’t God Just Talk To Me?

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From Berean Research:

“Will you at least whisper, Father. Or give me a sign…something, anything personal so I’ll know it’s you.”

In the following piece over at TheoLatte, Dan DeWitt appeals to professing believers to consider the ramifications of God actually speaking to His people in any way except through the Holy Spirit inspired scriptures. For example, “what happens if God says something contradictory to someone else? Who is the judge? Are you? Are they? Who decides?” The answer is that we’d need an “external reference point by which to help judge each other’s claims.” Ever considered that, brethren? Dan has. Which is why he tackles the ongoing debate over whether God’s sheep receive special revelation. He writes:

Why doesn’t God just talk to me? Have you asked that before? Why should it require hundreds of years, a bunch of dead old guys from who knows where, and something called a “manuscript tradition,” for you to hear from God?

So, here’s a few reasons why it’s better for you that God has chosen to speak to you through his Word rather than waking you up in the middle of the night with an audible, “Hey you! Get out of bed and listen up!”:

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Collective consciousness to replace God

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The statement was made by Dan Brown, author of “The Da Vinci Code,” a book of pure fiction that was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. In the book Brown attacks the reliability of Scripture, the deity of Christ and pretty much everything else about Christianity. He wrote: “Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false” (p. 235). So with the stage now set, Reuters’ columnist Douglas Busvine’s has a written a piece on Brown’s latest book: 

Humanity no longer needs God but may with the help of artificial intelligence develop a new form of collective consciousness that fulfils the role of religion, U.S. author Dan Brown said on Thursday.

Brown made the provocative remark at the Frankfurt Book Fair where he was promoting his new novel, “Origin”, the fifth outing for Harvard “symbology” professor Robert Langdon, the protagonist of “The Da Vinci Code”, a book that questioned the history of Christianity.

“Origin” was inspired by the question “Will God survive science?”, said Brown, adding that this had never happened in the history of humanity.

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Do you have the ‘spirit of Jezebel’?

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Many of us in discernment have been accused by charismatics of having the “spirit of Jezebel” because we attack their error and stand for God and His truth. Glenn Chatfield of The Watchman’s Bagpipes tells the story of the wicked Jezebel and discloses the truth of who really possesses the Jezebel spirit. He writes:

Many false teachers and their followers, especially of the Word of Faith cult, rail at those who expose their false teachers by claiming the nay-sayers have “the spirit of Jezebel.”  This supposedly identifies the nay-sayers as false teachers opposing God.  But let’s look at who Jezebel was, what her evil was, and how that applies to today’s claims of having her “spirit.”

Pastor Bob Liichow, of Discernment Ministries International, wrote an article about this issue in his August “Truth Matters” apologetics letter.  The information he provided needs to be spread among believers so as to be able to address the false teachings about “the spirit of Jezebel.”

The End Of The Road For American Truckers Is Coming Into View

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One-third of America’s $700 billion trucking industry goes to compensate drivers, providing a rich target for Technocrats. UPS, for instance, has increasingly moved from being a trucking company that uses technology, to being a technology company that has some trucks. About 3.5 million people are employed in the U.S. trucking industry. — Technocracy News Editor

According to The Guardian:

Jeff Baxter’s sunflower-yellow Kenworth truck shines as bright and almost as big as the sun. Four men clean the glistening cab in the hangar-like truck wash at Iowa 80, the world’s largest truck stop.

Baxter has made a pitstop at Iowa 80 before picking up a 116ft-long wind turbine blade that he’s driving down to Texas, 900 miles away.

Baxter, 48, is one of the 1.8 million Americans, mainly men, who drive heavy trucks for a living, the single most common job in many US states. Driving is one of the biggest occupations in the world. Another 1.7 million people drive taxis, buses and delivery vehicles in the US alone. But for how long? Having “disrupted” industries including manufacturing, music, journalism and retail, Silicon Valley has its eyes on trucking.

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Why the Brownsville Revival was a demonic revival, run by Satan’s servants

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By Churchwatcher

This article’s title may seem extreme, but Christians MUST scrutinize the spiritual nature of the so-called Brownsville Revival, (also known as the Pensacola Outpouring or Father’s Day Outpouring). This event was heralded as a crowning achievement by many Apostles and Prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) cult. They claim this revival came from God Himself.

Furthermore, NAR Apostles like Michael Brown used this event as if it had a greater authority than scripture itself to justify his NAR-centered theology, arrogantly calling that which was demonic, of God.

The proof is in what they say and teach. Firstly, Apostles of the NAR attribute the origins of this revival not to God but to David Yonggi Cho, a dangerous false teacher (and a good friend of Apostle Michael Brown). Cho listened to a demon who gave him ‘pagan’ revelation (Japanese Buddhism) under the guise of Christian doctrine – this demonic entity speaking to Cho audibly. It was through this spirit’s revelations that Cho boasts of his extra-biblical revelations which he calls the teachings of the Fourth Dimension, on which he built his church (not Jesus).

And it is through this demonic spirit that he prophesied the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola Outpouring.

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Francis Chan and Todd White Headline Upcoming IHOP Festival of False Teaching

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From Berean Research:

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. – Psalm 19:1

Museum of Idolatry (MoI) includes a video trailer that promotes International House of Prayer’s (IHOP) annual convention, Onething 2017.  In the video we see IHOP- KC founder Mike Bickle shouting to the crowd: “God is raising up a church that is going to be prepared to be the vessels of His glory, to release His glory into the earth this very hour of intense darkness…” So, those who attend Onething will come away prepared to “release God’s glory into the earth”? Is there a verse to back this up? asks museum curator, Steven Kozar.  Why should we be concerned about a gathering of young people who want to get together to celebrate God? For one thing, IHOP’s teaching is built on a contemplative foundation and because of this, much deception has occurred. (Source)

In this piece over at MoI, Kozar deals with Francis Chan‘s return to Onething and his association with Mike Bickle, Todd White and other NAR wolves:

Francis Chan has been a very respected Evangelical pastor and author for over a decade now, but he has taken a very deliberate turn towards the “Signs and Wonders” New Apostolic Reformation-version of Christianity in recent years. Chan does not teach the extreme Word of Faith doctrine at all, in fact, he’s been really clear about wanting to stay away from man-centered false teaching altogether. He is to be commended for much of his Bible-based teaching, but that makes it even harder to understand his willingness to partner with IHOP and Todd White.

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Pastor as Overseer of Worship Music

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According to Joshua Jenkins, the pastor’s role is to be an overseer.  One of the areas he’s responsible to oversee is the worship music of the church, says Jenkins. Why? Because the songs we sing during worship “are of utmost theological importance, second only to the ministry of the Word from the pulpit.” Therefore, “It is unbiblical and ecclesiastically illegal for a congregation, committee, or other party to strip the pastor of this responsibility, since it is God who gave it to him.”

In a piece over at For the Church, Joshua Jenkins lays out what the pastor’s responsibility is when it comes to overseeing worship music. He writes:

Most people would typically understand and agree that one of the pastor’s main responsibilities is the weekly preaching and teaching from the pulpit. Further, most would agree that the pastor is the overseer of the doctrine that is taught in the church, although it is most likely within the bounds of the confession or doctrinal statements already laid out by the church.

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Is Christianity on a ‘great spiritual migration’ to a new religion?

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From Berean Research:

In a piece entitled The Great Migration, Dr. Peter Jones warns us that Progressive Christians see Christianity as “malfunctioning” and are hell bent on “saving” that “old time religion.” And Emergent Church guru Brian McLaren (who we thought had slithered into obscurity) thinks he’s the guy who’s destined to save us from the “Supreme Being of violent and dominating power.”

In his piece over at truthXchange, Dr. Jones presents McLaren’s grand scheme to oust the Trinity and “embrace a grander, inclusive God who demonstrates solidarity with all.” Sadly, we must take Brian McLaren’s attempt to revise Christianity seriously. Dr. Jones explains why:

Berlin is a very different city today than the Berlin my daughter Eowyn and her husband David met when they moved there as church planters. They now find themselves preoccupied daily with a large immigrant population. Eowyn writes of her contact with a woman who said: “’I want to change religions. Mine leads to death and destruction. The God you describe is so lovely!”

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Oprah Magazine: God’s ‘in’ Abortions?

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From Berean Research:

Here’s a cold hard fact. Close to sixty million innocent babies have been butchered in the one place they should be safest — their mother’s womb. In this piece over at Herescope,Pastor Larry DeBruyn and Sarah Leslie shred the new counternarrative to the abortion debate embraced by the Oprah Winfrey establishment as well as “Christian” celebrities like The Shack author William P. Young: abortion is a sacred and divine right. Yes, you heard me correctly. Professing Christians, with Oprah’s help, are putting forth the narrative that abortion is a sacred and divine right. Let that sink in, brethren.

“Sacred Oneness”—a Deadly Counternarrative! 

Humane theology was the foundation of Dr. George Tiller’s practice. It dictates that alleviating suffering is a Christian’s sacred responsibility. If God is in everything, and in everyone, then God is as much in the woman making a decision to terminate a pregnancy as in her Bible. —Dr. Willie Parker, MD, Life’s Work: A Moral Argument for Choice[1]

Because of his “oneness” worldview that God is “in” everyone and everything is “in” God, Dr. Willie Parker believes that God sanctions aborting-killing of babies. The Oprah Magazine quotes him as having written in his book,

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The New Taboo: More People Regret Sex Change and Want to ‘Detransition’, Surgeon Says

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The National Post reports that following surgery some transgenders. particularly women, experience crippling levels of depression and in some contemplate suicide.  Joe Shute has the story:

Five years ago, Professor Miroslav Djordjevic, the world-leading genital reconstructive surgeon, received a patient at his Belgrade clinic. It was a transgender patient who had surgery at a different clinic to remove male genitalia—and had since changed their mind.

That was the first time Djordjevic had ever been contacted to perform a so-called “reversal” surgery. Over the next six months, another six people also approached him, similarly wanting to reverse their procedures. They came from countries all over the Western world, Britain included, united by an acute sense of regret. At present, Djordjevic has a further six prospective people in discussions with his clinic about reversals and two currently undergoing the process itself; reattaching the male genitalia is a complex procedure and takes several operations over the course of a year to fully complete, at a cost of some euros 18,000 (pounds 16,000).

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Anal Cancer: The New Gay Epidemic the Media Won’t Talk About

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So, if the liberal media has chosen to keep a deadly cancer epidemic from the public, what else are they hiding from us? If we can’t trust the press to report the CDC’s latest findings, then many young people will be kept in the dark about all the ugly diseases, including cancer, associated with having multiple sex partners. The CDC reports that there’s an epidemic of STD’s among teens. Is the public aware of this? Don’t take our word for it. According to Meg Meeker, MD:

Social and media maneuvers encouraging teens to have sex whenever they want with whomever they want may seem reasonable to many parents, but we have one serious issue that no one — including the press, media outlets, Planned Parenthood, and school sex ed teachers — will face the ugly truth: There is an epidemic of STDs among teens in the U.S. And according to the CDC, the numbers are rising fast. (Source)

As if this isn’t bad enough, we now learn from reporter Megan Fox that anal cancer is epidemic among gay men — and no one’s talking about it. Why?  Here’s another question. If sodomy causes cancer (there’s plenty of evidence that it does) why is Teen Vogue writing “how to” guides about anal sex for teenage girls? (More on this here)

PJ Media has the graphic details: 

On the Center for Disease Control’s website it says, “Receptive anal intercourse also increases the risk of anal cancer in both men and women, particularly in those younger than 30. Because of this, men who have sex with men have a high risk of this cancer.” (Source)

The Los Angeles Times calls anal cancer “the next big crisis” for the gay community. According to the American Cancer Society, the future looks grim.

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Church of England Head Denies Sodomy is Sin

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According to Pulpit & Pen News:

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Church of England’s equivalent to the Bishop of Rome. This archbishop is the head of the Church of England and the Anglican Church, worldwide. Augustine was the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and since then, 104 bishops have followed in that role and been given that title. In the 1600s, the Archbishop of Canterbury affiliated with the newly Protestant Church of England rather than the Roman Catholic Church. With the role of Archbishop comes the presidency of the ecumenical groups, Churches Together in England. Moves to ecumenism have grown rapidly in recent years, with the Archbishop of Canterbury beginning to meet with the Roman Popes and attend significant events like funerals and inaugurations of Popes since at least 1997.

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Awaken the Dawn! What’s Behind the ‘Holy Spirit Woodstock’ Coming to DC

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The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) cult is behind the October 6 gathering on the National Mall where thousands upon thousands will go to pray for revival in America. So, will there actually be a “Holy Spirit Woodstock” those who attend Awaken the Dawn are going to pray for? Without getting too far afield, for a revival to take place the true Gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached. That won’t happen. It never happens at NAR assemblies.

See True Revival and False Revival

As a side note, when NAR false prophet Lou Engle is  even remotely associated with any so-called Christian event, we can assure you that what’s going on is not biblical. And those who attend these events should not be referred to as evangelicals. Why? Because NAR/Latter Rain/Dominionism, which Engle is a part of, is not authentic evangelical Christianity. NAR is a well-organized, well-funded counterfeit. Those who are a part of this movement lack spiritual discernment; sadly, many of the folks are deceived. Even worse, they’re false converts.

Now back to the subject at hand, revival. CBN reporter Paul Strand informs us that, “Only God Himself can bring about such a revival and answer such a prayer.” Here’s the kicker: “But those behind Awaken the Dawn feel they know how to partner with Him.” Partnering with God to bring about revival is taught in the Bible…..where, exactly?

Strand’s piece can be found over at CBN News, a site we do not endorse.  Be sure to watch the video.

This vast expanse of public land stretching from Capitol Hill to the Lincoln Memorial has seen many mass gatherings across the decades. But never one aimed simply at worshipping the Savior of mankind around-the-clock for days in a row. Yet that’s what’s coming October 6th-9th.

Tens of thousands of Christians praising and praying will fill some 57 tents, taking up much of that vast space running through the heart of the nation’s capital.

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See also TOGETHER 2016: Unbiblical Unity on the National Mall

 

The exclusivity of Jesus

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Does the Bible really teach that there is only one way to God, one road to heaven, and that’s through believing in Jesus Christ? Or are there many roads we can take to get to heaven when we die? Elizabeth Prata of The End Time reveals the biblical teaching on this contentions issue. She writes:

One of the most hated, if not THE most hated doctrine of Christianity, is the exclusivity of Jesus. This doctrine is the one that states Jesus is the only way to heaven. You cannot get to heaven by your own works, family relations, church attendance, other god, other religion, or any other method except to repent of your sins and believe in the resurrected Jesus by faith alone through grace alone.

I receive some arched eyebrows, heated responses, and hate mail for saying so, some from my own family. “Away with dogma!” my aunt grandly proclaimed, right before she blocked me. Same with other family members. But these responses are no worse than anybody else’s experiences and a great deal less hurtful than what others have endured, I’m sure.

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Women and False Teachers: Why Men Don’t Get It, and Why It’s Imperative That They Do

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According to Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley, women respond differently to false teachers than men do. Take for example the Genesis account of the Garden of Eden. It was Eve who succumbed to the wiles of the crafty serpent, not Adam. Michelle has some interesting thoughts on why the serpent chose to approach the woman instead of the man. She points out that God made men and women with very different mental and emotional makeups — women are more trusting, loving and willing to give the benefit of the doubt to others. Thus, women are more likely than men to be drawn in by wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Food for thought, ladies.

Now to Michelle’s article:

Confession time: Sometimes – OK, often – I think my brain works more like a man’s than a woman’s. You’ve got a problem? Suck it up- here’s the solution. The mall? A perfectly horrifying way to ruin a Saturday. And why do we have to hug people hello and goodbye when we see each other multiple times a week?

I’ve always been more comfortable around men, and when I was single, I had mostly male friends. They’re generally¹ less mysterious and easier to figure out than women, and they don’t usually play those manipulative emotional games some women can be notorious for. If a man says he wants a cheese sandwich, there’s no hidden “you don’t bring me flowers often enough” meaning there. He just wants a cheese sandwich. I like that. It’s pretty much how I operate.

Which makes me the perfect person for God to plunk down smack dab in the middle of women’s ministry, right?

Harrumph.

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We urge you to take a look at Berean Research’s White paper on DISCERNMENT

There Goes the Neighborhood: What I Think About Mark Driscoll’s Move to Patheos

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On his Facebook page, Mark Driscoll has a video thanking Patheos for inviting him to move his blog to their platform. So now the disgraced “pastor” will be blogging with a group of Progressive Christians. Patheos blogger Jonathan Aigner is not happy that Driscoll has joined the group. So he wrote a piece to remind us of days gone by, when Mark Driscoll pastored Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and what led up to his public disgrace and the disintegration of the megachurch he founded. In his piece, Aigner presents some of the graphic details of what got Mark Driscoll in trouble. Even though he lays out the facts, some readers will find this piece offensive.

Apparently Mark Driscoll’s blog now has a home in this neighborhood.

Yes, that Mark Driscoll.

Don’t recall? Let me refresh your memory.

This is the Mark Driscoll who built a Seattle megachurch in his own image. “I am the brand,” he was reported to say.

This is the guy who claimed men hated the church because it made Jesus into a “Richard Simmons, hippie queer Christ.” “I cannot worship a guy I can beat up,” he said.

It’s the one who screamed at men in his congregation for mistreating the women in their lives. Then he published a book in which he heartbreakingly and blatantly shamed his own wife because of her own abuse history. What kind of monster would whine about how his spouse’s trauma negatively impacted their sex life? Mark Driscoll, apparently.

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Dallas Theological Seminary’s Women’s Conference Speaker, Christine Caine, Raises Concerns for Reader

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Lighthouse Trails recently posted a letter to the editor written by a woman who is concerned that Dallas Theological Seminary, known for, among other things, biblical inerrancy, has invited a Word of Faith heretic to speak at a women’s conference. LHT points out that the reason Christine Caine should not have been invited to speak at any evangelical seminary is because “she claims Joyce Meyer as her ‘spiritual mother’ and lists Word of Faith preacher Sheryl Brady as a dear friend calling her ‘flat out the best chick preacher of the word.’ Caine has ‘preached’ in seeker/emergent Steven Furtick’s mega church in Charlotte, North Carolina.”  More about Christine Caine here.

Thank you for the article regarding Dallas Theological Seminary’s movement  toward contemplative prayer and the New Spirituality. It was painful to read as I have relied upon their faithfulness to the Word since 1974 when I first sat under the teaching of a DTS graduate. All the teachers I listen to and know have graduated from DTS. There are many graduates here in _____, Texas and true verse-by-verse teaching has had an influence upon so many who love the truth. I have been able to discern a change even in the teachers I sit under as I hear who they quote in their teachings.

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‘An Act of Pure Evil’ — Searching for Meaning in Las Vegas

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Evil points to a necessary moral judgment made by a moral authority greater than we are — a transcendent and supernatural moral authority: God.

By Albert Mohler

Today, most Americans awoke to news from Las Vegas that is nothing less than horrific. For so many in Las Vegas, Sunday night must have seemed like the night that would never end.

In the face of such overwhelming news, we naturally seek after facts. We want to know what happened, and when. We want to know who did it. By mid-morning the facts were staggering. More than fifty people are dead and hundreds wounded after a lone gunman opened fire on a music festival from a perch in a hotel room 32 floors above. The attack was deadly, diabolical, and premeditated.

The shooting is already described as the worst in American history. The gunman, believed to be Stephen Paddock, killed himself as police prepared to storm his hotel room, from which he had aimed his deadly gunfire. The facts emerged slowly, and are still emerging. Paddock had no notable criminal record. He had worked for a defense contractor, owned two private aircraft, and was known to own guns. He was reported to like Las Vegas for its gambling and entertainment. No one seems to have considered him a threat. His brother, contacted after the massacre, said that the family was beyond shock, as if “crushed by an asteroid.”

In Las Vegas and beyond, hundreds of families are crushed by grief and concern. More than fifty human beings, very much alive just hours ago, are now dead, seemingly murdered by random order.

The facts will continue to come as investigations continue. We need facts in order to steady our minds and grapple with understanding. We must have facts, and yet we can be easily overwhelmed by them. Some “facts” will not be facts at all. National Public Radio helpfully and honestly ended its news coverage of the massacre with these words: “This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities. We will update as the situation develops.” I count that as both helpful and honest.

But the facts of who and what and where and how, still unfolding, point to the even more difficult question — why?

Why would anyone kill a fellow human being? Why launch an ambush massacre upon concertgoers listening to country music? Why premeditate a mass killing?

Was he driven by some obsession, fueled by some grievance? Was he sending a signal or political message as an act of terrorism? Is the answer psychiatric or pharmacological? Our minds crave an answer.

Why do we ask why?

We cannot help but ask why because, made in God’s image, we are moral creatures who cannot grasp or understand the world around us without moral categories. We are moral creatures inhabiting a moral universe and our moral sense of meaning is the faculty most perplexed when overwhelmed by horror and grief.

The terror group known as ISIS or the Islamic State claimed that Stephen Paddock was a “lone wolf” attacker who had recently converted to Islam. Law enforcement authorities said there is no evidence of anything related to ISIS or Islam.

Clark County (NV) Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters that he was not sure if the massacre was sending a message as a terror attack: “We have to establish what his motivation is first. And there’s motivating factors associated with terrorism other than a distraught person just intending to cause mass casualties.”

So far as we now know, Paddock left no note and communicated no clear message. The gunfire tells some story, but we do not yet know what the story is. We may never know,

That troubles us, and so it should. Knowing the story and determining the motivation would add rationality to our understanding, but we will never really understand. View article →