Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Post-Christian America: Gullible, Intolerant, and Superstitious

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David French, columnist for National Review, reveals that many of the best-educated and least-religious people he knows aren’t all that reasonable. Why does he say that? Because a large number of so-called intelligent people hold to some pretty irrational views about reality. For example, a former Harvard Law School classmate of his laughed at the Bible but believed in reincarnation. French also remembers Harvard students who wouldn’t step foot in a church frequenting a local witchcraft store. So how is it that really smart people think the Bible is dumb, yet they have a fascination with charms, potions and spells? In other words, the world of the occult.

David French offers his view of what has caused many Americas to choose darkness over light:

In some secular progressive circles, a certain myth persists. If you defeat the forces of traditional Christianity — you know, the rubes and fools who believe the Bible is the Word of God — then you’ll make way for a more enlightened, rational, and humane nation and world. In other words, the alternative to religion is reason, and reason is mankind’s great liberating force.

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Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Richard Foster – Are We Wrong in Calling Them Emergent/Contemplative?

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CRN agrees with Lighthouse Trails (LHT) that there is no question that these men are Emergent/Contemplatives who are known for engaging in a set of disciplines known as Spiritual Formation. Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries spent a great deal of his time blogging on the late Dallas Willard and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, whom he dubbed “spiritual twins.” In this piece over at LHT, the editors reveal their reasons for voicing their opinion that Willard, Foster and Ortberg are Emergent/Contemplative:

Recently, we were asked to give an account as to why Dallas Willard (d. 2013), Richard Foster, and John Ortberg were listed in Roger Oakland’s booklet How to Know When the Emerging Church Shows Signs of Emerging Into Your Church as part of the emerging church. 

  1. We would first like to say that it is understandable how someone could take offense to these men being named in a booklet on the emerging church. All three have stated that they love Jesus and have often used Scriptures in their writings and lectures. So why say they are part of the emerging church?

THE REAL CRUX OF THE MATTER

The real crux of this matter comes down to the contemplative prayer movement, which because it has its roots in panentheism (God in all) and interspirituality (all paths lead to God)  as we have been able to document in our writings these past many years, it is basically a synonym for the emerging church. In fact, without contemplative prayer, the emerging church would not have had the success (if you will) that it has had because contemplative prayer is the force that drives it. And given the fact that there are so many variables equal between the two, if someone is a proponent of contemplative prayer, we classify him as part of the emerging church. Many people mistakenly think that the emerging church would just be those of the caliber of Brian McLaren or Rob Bell. But we cannot agree with this at all. We believe the documentation we have gathered these past 15 years clearly shows that the two movements are one in the same.

That being said, one of the problems is that many Christians do not  understand what contemplative spirituality is. They believe that contemplative prayer is just prayer that contemplates (ponders) the things of God. Or that it is likened to a time of solitude (e.g., a quiet time with the Lord, perhaps sitting by a creek or turning off the radio). But contemplative prayer, as Richard Foster has very often made clear in his writings, is a practice that requires one to remove all distractions of the mind by practicing some type of mantric-like meditation (breath prayers, centering prayer, lectio divina, etc) and allowing the mind to enter a neutral state where all thought is gone. If contemplative prayer were just normal, but perhaps more focused, prayer, then why has there been so much differentiation in the church regarding it, whereas now through Spiritual Formation programs, countless Christian colleges and seminaries have brought contemplative spirituality into their schools? View article →

 

Should President Trump’s Evangelical Advisors Resign?

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CRN has reported that some of President Trump’s spiritual advisers are anything but authentic Christians; they are Word of Faith health and wealth prosperity preachers, which qualifies them as false teachers…wolves in sheep’s clothing. One such adviser to the president is his close confident and “pastor” Paula White. White is also the “spiritual daughter” to anti-triniterian prosperity preacher T.D. Jakes’, as you will see here. During a recent interview with Pastrix Paula, another word-faith wolf, Jim Bakker, proclaimed that this woman has “full access to the White House anytime she wants,” as she sat there nodding and grinning. So if some members of Trump’s “evangelical” advisory council feel they must resign, let’s cross our fingers that Paula White will be one of them.

Now to the story over at (questionably) Christian Headlines:

President Donald Trump & Paula White. 

People are certainly divided over their support for President Trump. This division is not only seen in the country in general, but even within the Republican party, and also within the Christian community.

Trump created his Evangelical Advisory Board–a group of evangelical pastors and Christian leaders who are there to give him advice–during his presidential campaign. The Evangelical Advisory Board includes such prominent Christian figures as Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, Pastor Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, and Christian author and speaker Johnnie Moore.

Recently, some members of this advisory council have been considering stepping down, due to what they see as a disconnect in values between themselves and the President. Pastor A. R. Bernard, one of Trump’s advisors, actually did step down, and explained his reasoning here.

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God’s indeed a good Father–how NAR leaders have twisted a biblical truth

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Does the Bible teach that God sometimes allows people to suffer from sickness and disease for specific purposes? Or is NAR “apostle” Bill Johnson right when he says that Christians who believe that God allows sickness in order to build character won’t have confidence praying in most situations where healing is needed. Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error responds to what Bill Johnson has to say about miracles and healing in his new book. She writes:

Christians would agree: God is good. But not every Christian would agree with what that means exactly. For instance, could God, as a good father, ever use a sickness, disease, or other type of suffering to teach his children a lesson?

Most Christians would say yes, that God does sometimes work in the hearts of individuals through human suffering, painful though that truth may be. But many leaders in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) insist that a good human father would never do such a thing and, therefore, neither would God. This teaching is promoted by the influential NAR apostle Bill Johnson, the senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, who has written a new book titled God is Good: He’s Better Than You Think. In his popular book When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles, Johnson writes this:

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Is ‘Holy Fire’ really something we want?

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From Berean Research:

♫ “Set Your church on fire Win this nation back Change the atmosphere Build Your kingdom here We pray…”

Rend Collective lyrics, “Build Your Kingdom Here”

♫ “This is a church on fire, this is the Holy Spirit flame We have a burning desire to lift up Jesus’ name Let the fire burn in every heart to light the way, defeat the dark Let the flame of love burn higher This is a church, this is a church on fire”

Hillsong lyrics, “Church On Fire”

We often hear people praying for holy fire to rain down, or a fire to ignite their spirits. But does Scripture really instruct us to desire fire?  That’s a question I’ve been pondering as I study the Bible. after all, doesn’t God use fire as an instrument of His wrath?  Fortunately, there are some solid word studies on “fire” that we can use to help us further explore God’s Word.

If you want to know WHY we may not want to pray for the Holy Spirit’s fire in our lives, you need to check out the following by Lyndon Unger, who originally published this excellent article over at Cripplegate a few years ago. He has given me permission to repost it here.

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10 Common but Illegitimate Reasons to Divorce

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Does God say Christians can get a divorce for the sake of the kids? Is it okay to get a divorce because you’ve fallen out of love with your spouse? Does God sanction divorce because the marriage is just not working out and He wants His children to be happy? Blogger, author and book reviewer Tim Challies lists 10 illegitimate reasons professing Christians offer for severing a marriage that he came across in a book by Jim Newheiser:

It is clear in the Bible that God’s intention for marriage is that it remain in effect until the death of one spouse. I believe it is also quite clear that God has provided a limited set of circumstances in which a marriage can legitimately be severed. However, many people—even Christians—offer reasons to divorce that are not sanctioned by God. Jim Newheiser helpfully outlines a number of these in his book Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage: Critical Questions and Answers. Here are 10 common but illegitimate reasons to divorce.

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Brannon Howse ‘continues to lie against, slander, and defame’ Justin Peter’s character?

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According to Justin Peters Ministries (JPM) Board of Directors, the answer is yes. But before we get to the board’s post, a Cliff Notes version of what brought on the above accusations against Brannon Howse is in order so that our readers will have an understanding of what prompted them to say these things. (See related links.)

Many in the Christian community have heard about the controversy between Brannon Howse, host of Worldview Weekend (WVW), and Christian apologist James R. White regarding the interfaith dialogue Dr. White had with Islamic Yasir Qhadi, Dean of Academic Affairs at the Al-Maghrib Institute. The dialogue drew the ire of many evangelicals as their view was that “it was not proper to give an unconverted Muslim any type of platform during a special event hosted at a church.” Moreover, some evangelicals felt that Qhadi’s statements shouldn’t have gone unchallenged. Brannon Howse and other evangelical leaders immediately renounced Dr. White. In a piece over at Christian News Network [here], Heather Clark wrote:

Howse pointed to 2 John 1:9-11, which he said would admonish White not to “give [Qadhi] a greeting of spiritual solidarity, [or] say you’re kindred spirits, [or] say you’re seeking common ground.” He said that White should apologize and express regret for holding the event at a church.  “We’re calling you to repent. Humble yourself,” Howse declared. “I believe [there is] damage you’re doing to Muslims, to non-believers, to Christians, to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Brannon Howse denounced those who disagreed with his view, including  Phil Johnson, Justin Peters and Mike Abendroth even though, to the best of our knowledge, none of these men have endorsed or defended the interfaith dialogue between White and Qhadi. However, they chose not to publicly denounce James White for reasons we won’t go into. Because Justin Peters is the focus of this post, what we will say is that Brannon became upset with him for refusing to make a public statement on the White-Quati dialogue–Justin wouldn’t say publicly that it was inappropriate and demand that Dr. White repent–so Brannon went after him on social media. And this prompted JPM’s Board of Director’s statement.

At the time all this occurred, Justin Peters and Mike Abendroth were heavily involved with WVW. In fact, until recently they often spoke at WVW events and were frequent guests on Brannon’s radio broadcast. As well, both men hosted their own WVW radio and TV shows, but not anymore.  At this writing Peters and Abendroth are no longer involved with WVW.

So with this background in mind, on August 18th the Board of Directors of Justin Peter’s Ministries felt it was necessary to release the following statement:

Justin’s Board Makes Statement

The Board of Directors for Justin Peters Ministries consists of Michael Miller and Jim Osman. Both of us are elders in our respective churches and work to oversee the ministry of Justin Peters.

We have watched as Brannon Howse has publicly and repeatedly misrepresented and lied about Justin’s position regarding the White-Quadi Dialogue. Justin has intentionally remained silent concerning his own view of the dialogue and has not mentioned Brannon on social media since Justin has no desire to speak ill of Brannon Howse or his ministry. The concerns that Justin has raised to Brannon regard the tone with which those on both sides of this issue have criticized the other. It seems that any critique of Brannon’s tone is regarded by him as a full-throated defense of ALL interfaith dialogues (IFD), a complete compromise of the gospel, and a demonically inspired capitulation to Islam. Brannon will countenance no dissent regarding what he has said or even how he has said it.

Both Mike Miller and Jim Osman read the letters that Justin sent to Brannon Howse and offered critiques and input – which was humbly received by Justin – before those letters were sent. There is much correspondence, texts and emails, which have been exchanged in recent months that is not public. The nature and content of those letters from Justin have been grossly misrepresented. We have seen all of the correspondence between Brannon and Justin. If Brannon continues to lie against, slander, and defame Justin’s character, we can release all of the correspondence to the public so that the record may be set straight and the truth fully known.

Many who have emailed this ministry to express their disappointment in Justin’s position regarding the White-Quadi Dialogue do not know how Justin feels about this issue. He has made no public statement regarding support or opposition until this last weekend during a session at the Judge Not Conference. Those who have expressed anger at Justin’s “compromise” and “cowardice” have done so based only on what they have heard from Brannon Howse.

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A Softer Prosperity Gospel: More Common Than You Think

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There is a prosperity gospel that is easily missed, says David Schrock. In this piece over at 9 Marks, Schrock outlines five trademarks of soft prosperity and what to look for in sermons and books. He writes:

While evangelicals have traditionally decried the prosperity gospel in its “hard” form, there is a softer form of this teaching that is all too common among us.[1] Often undetected by Bible-believing Christians, it assumes the gospel and leads its adherents to focus on things like financial planning, diet and exercise, and strategies for self-improvement. In contrast to the hard prosperity gospel, which offers miraculous and immediate health and wealth, this softer, subtler variety challenges believers to break through to the blessed life by means of the latest pastor-prescribed technique.

Of course, matters of personal stewardship such as money, health, and leadership skills should be woven into a whole-Bible theology of Christian discipleship. The trouble comes when Christians, and especially pastors, place greater emphasis on these secondary matters. What we choose to preach or listen to says much about what we value. And what I see among some evangelicals is a willingness to prioritize the lesser matters of the law over the weightier mercies of the gospel.

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Three ways the secular left is trying to make Christianity illegal in America, and having some real success

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Is there a threat to the ability of Christians to practice our faith legally? According to Dan Calabrese the secular left has undertaken three legal strategies. In a piece over at Canada Free Press, Calabrese reveals what those strategies are:

The secular left cannot get a law through Congress that makes it illegal to practice Christianity. It would if it could. It can’t because it’s not politically plausible – at least not yet – and it would immediately be struck down by the Supreme Court if it could ever pass. At least as the Supreme Court is populated today and hopefully will be for a very long time.

But that does not mean there is no threat to the ability of Christians to practice our faith legally. There is, and it’s not distant or merely theoretical. It’s clear and present. In fact, to some degree the legal prohibitions against the practice of Christianity are already in place.

To understand this, you need to recognize three legal strategies the secular left is undertaking – right now, right under our noses – that making it difficult to practice Christianity without running afoul of the law. It is not an outright ban on the faith, but it could end up having the same effect by putting everything that’s central to Christianity in conflict with laws created ostensibly for other reasons.

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Mythbusters: ‘Slain in the Spirit’

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Costi Hinn begins his piece with an account of someone who has allegedly been slain in the spirit. At the end of the virtual tour. the person declares: I have heard some Christians say this sort of experience was demonic, while others say it’s just hypnosis. To be honest, I haven’t seen it in the Bible and don’t really know what it is…but I really feel like it’s the Holy Spirit…

In a piece over at Equip the Saint, Hinn follows up by examining what the Bible says about a practice that has become normative in charismatic churches all over the globe. Professing believers must ask themselves the obvious question: Is getting slain in the spirit biblical….or not.  Costi Hinn, nephew of Word of Faith prosperity preacher Benny Hinn who’s well known for fake healings, false prophecies and slaying people in the spirit, provides the answer to the question.  He writes:

The virtual tour you’ve just read through is taking place all over the world every single week in tens of thousands of charismatic churches, healing crusades, youth groups, kid’s camps, Third Wave revivals, and N.A.R. conferences. Many conservative Christians are scared to death of their children ever going to one of these services but when asked what the issue really is, most cannot explain it but to say, “It’s unbiblical” or “not God.”

We need a better answer than that.

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Joyce Meyer Teaching the ‘Relationship over Religion’ Heresy

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Anthony Wade believes Joyce Meyer is a very dangerous false teacher — one of the worst in the visible church. In this piece over at 8:28 Ministries, Wade delves into Meyer’s teaching and shows why online discernment ministries such as CRN warn the sheep that this popular Bible teacher, speaker and author is in fact a ravenous wolf who must be avoided at all costs. Wade writes:

She is one of the most popular “preachers” for women today. She is one of the most sought after conference speakers for the entire Purpose Driven Industrial Complex. She is Joyce Meyer and she is one of the most dangerous false teachers alive. She blends a folksy mix of prosperity gospel, word faith heresy and NAR theologies to create a hodgepodge mess that could lead most people far astray from the biblical God and Christ. She has openly taught and believed that Jesus Christ was born again, which would mean that He sinned. She openly teaches that Jesus stopped being the Son of God on the cross. She openly teaches that Jesus went to hell to pay for our sins where He was tormented and if you do not believe that then you are going to hell yourself. Meyer has taught that we are “little gods” a common word faith heresy practiced by the likes of Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland. Not only is she a little god but she claims that she is not a sinner. A great deal of the teachings she provides she claims direct revelation from God to explain their extra-biblical nature. Her wealth is estimated in excess of 15 million dollars as she preaches about God wanting you rich beyond your dreams of greed. She owns a 10 million dollar private airplane. This can literally go on and on beloved. She is a wolf plain and simple and has been devouring the sheep of the Lord and those seeking God for many many years. It is always fascinating when someone so popular and false takes pen to paper to write so that we might gain a direct insight to how flawed her hermeneutics and understanding of Scripture is. The above link is to a recent article she published on Charisma Magazine’s website where she shares what she did when she realized that the devil had robbed her. Let us reason together beloved:

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Game of Dethroning Sexual Sin

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Nick Batzig of Reformation 21 addresses the hullabaloo that ensued following a blog post Kevin DeYoung wrote on “Game of Thrones.”  In his post DeYoung challenged Christians to stop filling their minds with garbage.  How dare he say that watching actors simulate sex is sinful, some said.  So, my question is, when it comes to a professing Christian’s viewing habits, what should his/her main concern be?  How about this: I am here to glorify God…how am I doing right now?

With this in mind, here are a couple of quotes from Batzig’s piece that jumped out at me:

I have never had a friend tell me, “I just saw this intense sex scene on such and such a show and I’ve never been so close to the Lord.” That has never happened in all of human history, and, honestly, it never will. When we lay sophistry aside, we all know that we should be guarding our hearts and minds a whole lot more, not a whole lot less, in a day when wickedness pours through the television like floodwaters.

And

We must not forget that Hollywood is also targeting every sort of person with demographically driven sexual sin. Housewives are the main intended audience of movies like Magic Mike and 50 Shades of Grey. In all of this, there is a systemic unravelling of the foundations of morality that should leave Christians deeply disturbed. It can and will only get worse; and, we better wake up to the dangers of it for our own souls and the souls of our children!

Nick Batzig makes many excellent points in his piece. But for him the bottom line is this. Why do so many professing believers, who claim to love the Savior, choose to watch movies, television shows, and read books that in no way glorify God?

Yesterday, Kevin DeYoung kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest when he wrote a post titled, “I Don’t Understand Christians Watching Game of Thrones.” That post was swiftly met with a tirade of social media attacks, such as, “The Bible has many, many more violent and lewd scenes than Game of Thrones…know your Bible, Kevin,” “[you] shouldn’t expect consciences to be the same” and “Bad idea denouncing what you have no experience with…” Honestly, it was painful to read through the emotionally charged, biblically weak and grammatically poor responses to DeYoung’s encouragement for professing believers to pursue holiness in regard to what we set before our eyes on television.

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‘Breakthrough’ penny-sized nanochip pad is able to regrow organs and heal injuries

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According to Henry Bodin of The Telegraph, this new technology can convert skin cells into elements of any organ with just one touch. “Dubbed tissue nanotransfection (TNT), the technique works by placing a small pad of nanochips over a damaged area.” Bodkin reports that “In one experiment, blood flow in the severely injured leg of a mouse was restored in less than a week after the pad reprogrammed skin cells to create vascular cells.” So, could the technology be used as a weapon against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, even overcome aging and death as researchers who created the technology claim?

Scientists have hailed a “breakthrough” technology capable of regrowing damaged organs and healing serious wounds with the single touch of a penny-sized pad.

The new device uses nanochips to reprogramme skin cells which then generate any type of cell necessary for medical treatment.

The non-invasive procedure takes less than a second and in laboratory trials was found to restore the function of badly damaged blood vessels within days.

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Were many journalists right when they blamed ‘white Christians’ for Charlottesville riots?

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Following the riots in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists clashed with counter protesters, Julia Duin, journalist and former religion editor for Washington Times, reports that there has been a lot of lecturing at evangelical Protestants “who are reminded nonstop that 81 percent of them polled as voting for Trump last year – that they are responsible for what happened this past weekend. Much of this came in the form of opinion pieces ranging from an essay on Fox News’ site by a white Southern Baptist seminary professor to an essay in the Washington Post’s Acts of Faith section – written by a black clergyman – urging white pastors to speak up.”

The key question for Julia Duin is “Did the opinion pieces and all the fire on Twitter bleed over into the mainstream news coverage?” Here’s what she observed:

Alt-right flag

On the face of it, the riots in Charlottesville didn’t have a strong religious component. I mean, other than the fact that Neo-Nazis are not fond of Roman Catholics, historic black churches, Jews, Pentecostal Christians (the most racially mixed churches in America), Southern Baptists and others.

Yes, there were pastors marching in protest against the white nationalists, but so were lots of other people.

Then, everything went very wrong very fast. What I saw next, mainly on Twitter, were people demanding that white clergy nationwide condemn the white nationalist protest in their Sunday sermons. I was fascinated by how some media – who wouldn’t be caught dead implicating certain other groups when one of them does an act of violence – decided that all white Christian clergy have to answer for the violence in Charlottesville.

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Bible Prophecy and the Great American Eclipse

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Should we worry about the total eclipse that will occur on August 21st as a sign of God’s impending judgment, as Anne Graham Lotz suggests? “Jewish rabbis have historically viewed solar eclipses as warnings from God to Gentile nations,” wrote Lotz. “Therefore, my perspective on the upcoming phenomenon is not celebratory. While no one can know for sure if judgment is coming on America, it does seem that God is signaling us about something. Time will tell what that something is.” In a piece over at Reading Acts, Phillip J. Long examines what some “prophecy-obsessed Christians” are saying about America’s Eclipse and offers a biblical perspective on what is about to take place. He writes:

One of my favorite movies when I was a kid was Day of the Triffids. In this 1963 British film, the earth experiences an unusual meteor shower. Everyone who watched the meteors were struck blind, and for reasons not sufficiently explained in the film a rare type of plant (a “triffid”) mutated into a shambling stalk of killer asparagus. The star of the film, Howard Keel, was recovering from eye surgery at the time, so he was left to survive in post-apocalyptic England, dodging escaped prisoners and killer vegetables. Not one of the great plot lines in film history, but it made me wary of watching meteor showers when I was eight years old. In fact, a meteor shower cannot really strike you blind.

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Are we ‘Little Gods’? The New Breed?

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From Churchwatch Central:

Due to the rise of cults across the Western world, Christianity has not really done the job of contending for the faith and been infected by a lot of unhealthy teaching. One such teaching is the idea that we, as believers, are ‘Little Gods’. This teaching was also popularized by Mormonism.

The rise of the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) cult attempted to mainstream this teaching in Christianity and did so with the construction of the Charismatic movement at the beginning of the 1960s. Back then it was known as ‘Manifest Sons of God’ or ‘Manchild Company’ heresy. It was only a matter of a few decades that Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland and other popular heretics started promoting this repackaged heresy that became known as the ‘Little Gods’ heresy. They are the result of the church refusing to contend for the faith against the Latter Rain heretics.

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With Blessing From TD Jakes, Chris Hill Says He’s Ready for Ministry 3 Months After Affair Scandal

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According to Scripture, if someone commits adultery and other grave sins, he or she is permanently disqualified as a spiritual overseer — a person who functions in leadership. Evidently TD Jakes hasn’t read 1 Tim 3:1-5 that clearly states the qualifications of a church leader:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

Despite what the scriptures teach, Bishop Jakes announced that he feels that disgraced pastor Chris Hill is ready for ministry after just 3 months of “professional counseling.” It is astonishing that Jakes would completely disregarded the Apostle Paul’s instruction that anyone who does not have his household in order (Blair doesn’t) and who has shown a lack of self-control (adultery) is not to be serving in church leadership, especially if it’s in a position that’s connected to the ministry of the gospel.

Pastor Todd Pruitt, co-host of Mortification of Spin, says “there are certain virtues that must characterize the lives of overseers (1 Tim 3; Titus 1) precisely because there are certain moral demands placed upon those who exercise oversight in the household of God.” When a pastor commits adultery his sin opens the door for the mockery of the gospel says Pruitt. “The adulterous pastor does untold damage to the public witness of the church and invoking God’s sovereignty and grace cannot soften or in any way excuse that fact.” (source) Leonardo Blair fails to mention the biblical role of the overseer in his piece over at Christian Post, a site CRN does not endorse. Following is his report:

Three months after resigning as senior pastor of The Potter’s House Church of Denver over an alleged affair with a married parishioner, Pastor Chris Hill says he is ready to come back following counseling and a public show of repentance Sunday. His mentor, Bishop T. D. Jakes of Potter’s House of Dallas, laid hands on him and declared restoration.

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UK Christian festival features Islamic ‘worship’ chants

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Syncretism is a “diabolically inspired supermarket of truth and error in the postmodern Church.” Berean Research fills us in on a “Christian” festival coming to the UK:

Imagine learning Quranic chants from an anti-Christ religion, to worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?  That’s exactly what’s going on at a so-called “Christian” festival this month.  Christian worshipers at the annual Greenbelt Christian festival near London can now learn Islamic worship chants to Allah.

It’s a Chrislamic syncretism that will be taught to kids, teens and adults August 25 – 28. The social justice/environmental festival is called Greenbelt 2017: The Common Good. Which explains a lot.  The chanting lessons are taught at the festival by the Ansari Qadiri Rifai Tariqa,  an international non-profit group, which invites Christians to learn how to use basic universal  Sufi chants. Greenbelt Christian leaders say the chants are rhythmic, and have healing properties.  Festival-goers are invited to “come, enter in, learn and participate”.

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IN RETURN FOR $1,144, TRUMP’S PRIMARY RELIGIOUS ADVISER WILL PROVIDE ‘DELIVERANCE’

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Anyone who thinks Paula White is a Christian does not understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor do they grasp what the Christian faith is all about. We say this because Pastrix Paula holds to the heretical Word of Faith prosperity gospel which saves no one. What President Trump seems not to realize is that his spiritual adviser, close friend and confidant is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as this piece over at The Intellectualist makes clear:

Tump’s primary spiritual adviser, Paula White, claims that in return for $1,144 she will use her best efforts to ensure spiritual deliverance.

According to the Christian Post [a site CRN does not endorse]:

Ms. White is in many ways, an example of the “prosperity gospel“, a movement that claims God, through Jesus Christ, shows divine favor on some by blessing them with wealth.

It is unclear how Mr. Trump and Ms. White initially met one another, but the President relies on her to organize his meetings with other evangelical leaders according to fellow evangelical Jim Bakker.

In an essay titled, “How Paula White, Donald Trump’s Spiritual Adviser, Harms Christians of Color,” Writer Nicola A. Menzie, a critic of Ms. White’s practices says the following:

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The Changing of the Apostolic Guard: 13 Names to Watch

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Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error penned this piece in 2013. She lists 13 self-professed apostles, prophets and teachers that we should keep an eye on; likewise, she reveals the reasons these people are influential in the NAR cult. Pivec mentions the Grand Poobah of the NAR, C. Peter Wagner who passed away in October 2016. Number 1 on the list is “Super Apostle” Bill Johnson, senior co-pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA.

I think we are witnessing a time of leadership transition in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. The first-generation NAR leaders–those who formulated the major teachings of the NAR movement–have begun stepping aside and a new generation of apostles and prophets have risen to take their places.

The first-generation leaders–and particularly apostle C. Peter Wagner and prophet Bill Hamon –developed much of the theological framework for the NAR movement, including teachings about the restored church offices of apostles and prophet and dominionism. But these first-generation leaders are aging–both Wagner and Hamon are in their 80s.  Thus, the torch is being passed to the next generation of NAR leaders.

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The felt-needs gospel is no Gospel at all

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From Berean Research:

Have you ever fallen for a feel-good gospel that ministers to your ache for feeling special, or longing for admiration from a god who dances over you and thinks you’re the apple of his eye? What about sermon messages or books that help you look deeply into your past pains, or prayers that ask God for visions of His dream for your future?

Unfortunately, many churches, conferences and Christian program materials are designed to meet the felt needs of the sheep, ultimately focusing on themselves rather than a risen Savior, or using Him as a means to an end. Today we feature our guest blogger Grace Scott, who has researched the dangers of a so-called Felt-Needs Gospel, which is really no gospel at all:

The “Felt Needs” Gospel                                                        Guest post by Grace Scott

We must be aware of men (and women) who are influencing the next generation to have a low view of sin. We as moms, dads, pastors, grandparents, and youth leaders, need to protect them from the subtle but false teaching that pervades much of American Christianity in the form of a “felt needs” Gospel. The premise is that ministering to “felt needs” will predispose seekers to the gospel message. However, having “felt” needs met promotes a low view of God, an erroneous view of sin, and can actually hinder understanding of the Gospel message.

Bill Johnson, Mike Bickle, Brian Houston, Joyce Meyer, and Christine Caine are very well-known and written about as examples of false teachers with a global platform.

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How Trump’s Transgender Military Ban May Help America Preserve Natural Law

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Alex McFarland tackles what great thinkers throughout history have called self evident truth or “natural law.” He points out that, “The framers of the Constitution understood that if we recognize God’s weaving of natural law and objective morality into the fabric of life, we could experience a blessed ‘manifest destiny.'” However, if these things are not recovered, McFarlad warns that “we will continue to head toward inevitable tragedy.” He believes there’s hope for the reason that in decreeing that the US armed services “not capitulate to the transgender lobby, the president actually scored a point for the defense of natural law.”

Here’s Alex McFarland’s piece over at LifeZette:

After centuries of its banning by Rome, the edict of Milan made Christianity legal in A.D. 323. Emperor Constantine not only deemed that Christianity was not a threat to the nation and culture, but two years later, he made it the official state religion.

Countless writers have speculated whether Constantine embraced Christianity out of sincere conversion, or of mere political opportunism.

A case can be made either way, and it’s doubtful we will know definitively in this life. Though he certainly couldn’t have known the ramifications of his decisions, Constantine’s support for Christianity would benefit the entire world and immeasurably change history.

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Kris Vallotton – Conviction is the Holy Spirit Reminding You How Awesome You Are

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Kris Vallotton is the number two man at NAR cesspool Bethel Church in Redding CA. Anthony Wade examines Vallotton’s teaching that the conviction of the Holy Spirit is simply when He reminds us how awesome we are.  But is this teaching even remotely biblical? In this piece over at 8:28 Ministries, Wade explains what the Bible actually does teach about the conviction of the Holy Spirit: He writes:

Photo credit Christian Research Service

We have long documented the absurdly heretical teachings emanating from Bethel Church in Redding California. A literal cesspool of false doctrines, Bill Johnson has built an empire on teaching wildly unbiblical doctrine. They are the heart of the NAR, false signs and lying wonders, and experiential Christianity heresies. They operate a heretical school of the supernatural where they claim to teach the gifts of the Holy Spirit even though the Bible says that is solely at the discretion of the Spirit. Besides this usurpation of God, Bethel promotes gold dust, gemstones, angel feathers and glory cloud false manifestations. As Johnson has gotten older we have seen more and more leaders emerge from Bethel fueled by his poor teaching. Jesus Culture comes from Bethel and they teach kids to run through “fire tunnels” and try to perform false healings wherever they go. False Prophet Shawn Bolz comes from Bethel. He specializes in fake words of knowledge that he seems to glean from his smart phone. Then there is the number two man at Bethel, Kris Vallotton. Co-founder of the aforementioned heresy school, Vallotton is also a shameless prosperity pimp and is far more active in his social media than Johnson, providing us with a continual glimpse into the mind of someone who abuses the Bible for a living. This week’s example can be found at the above link and reveals that Vallotton not only shares the heretical beliefs of the word-faith crowd but does so at a breathtakingly arrogant level. Let us reason together so that we can more easily spot wolves with similar tendencies.

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The ‘Prophets’ and ‘Apostles’ Leading the Quiet Revolution in American Religion

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This article is for informational and research purposes and is not intended as an endorsement of Christianity Today.

A Christian movement characterized by multi-level marketing, Pentecostal signs and wonders, and post-millennial optimism.

Bob Smietana interviewed authors Brad Christerson and Richard Flory wrote on the rise of  “Network Christianity.” As you will see, the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a term coined by the late C. Peter Wagner, has yet another name to add to the ever growing list, “INC.” According to Orrel Steincamp, “The current Latter Rain leaders have so purposefully muddied the waters that only those who are dedicated history buffs can discern the historical essentials behind the current teaching on a Second Pentecost eschatology. ACTUALLY, only insiders know the Latter Rain playbook, and they cover it up and pawn if off as a new revelation with a new name. No! the Latter Rain has been around since the early days of 20th century.” (source)

It was revealed in Smietana’s interview with Christerson and Flory that people involved in this theological cult are convinced that God is behind it all and that He’s appointing people into high level positions such as modern-day apostles and prophets–and even government cabinet members–and that these people will “know what to do when they get there.” Moreover, they’ll be listening to God (presumably His voice), and the Holy Spirit will use them to “supernaturally make America or the world into the kingdom of God.”  They claim that some of these people that are in these high-level positions are part of the Trump administration. “But they are not Pentecostals, and they have nothing to do with these groups. The movement just latches on to them and claims God is using Trump to bring in the kingdom.”

So with this in mind, on to Bob Smietana’s interview:

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Genesis: Paradise Lost Coming to Theaters November 13

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Mark November 13, 2017 on your calendars,” urges Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis. “it’s a day you won’t want to miss.” Why? It’s the day the powerful film Genesis: Paradise Lost hits theaters.  Here’s more of the exciting news from Ken Ham, plus a trailer of the movie:

Genesis: Paradise Lost (formerly known as Genesis 3D) is a visually stunning film that animates the first chapter of Genesis, as God creates the world from nothing. Narrated by my friend Voddie Baucham, Genesis comes to life before your eyes as plants spring forth from the earth, planets are formed, the earth responds to God’s command to bring forth the animals—including what we today call dinosaurs (there are lots of dinosaurs in this film!), and Adam and Eve explore the beautiful world God created.

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