Commentary, analysis and opinion.

The problem with Bethel Redding’s Firestarters ‘prophetic activation’ class

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Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error alerts us to Bethel Church’s latest attempt at drawing people into the world of the occult through their Firestarters course where participants are taught how to “burn with passion for God.” CRN has many articles on Bethel Church’s lead pastor-sorcerer Bill Johnson here.  And you’ll find articles on the sorcerer’s apprentices here.

Now to Holly’s piece:

I recently returned from a trip to Redding, California, where I visited Bethel Church, led by popular NARapostle Bill Johnson. Many things were taught during my visit there that troubled me. Especially troubling was the adult Sunday School class called Firestarters.

Firestarters is a 12-week course described as “the fast-track to revival culture.” It was created by Kevin Dedmon, who teaches at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM), and is a crash course for people who don’t have the time or money to attend BSSM’s full-time program. According to the Bethel website, students learn how to “burn with passion for God,” “experience His passion” for them, “walk in their God-given identity and purpose,” and “experience the power to heal the sick, prophesy, and live a victorious life.”

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Poverty, Dropouts, Pregnancy, Suicide: What The Numbers Say About Fatherless Kids

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Claudio Sanchez of National Public Radio has a report on the negative effects on children who grow up without fathers.  According to Sanchez, 24.7 million children in the United States do not live with their biological father. Sanchez documents the problems that arise from fatherless homes.  For example, “Children are four-times more likely to be poor if the father is not around. And we know that poverty is heavily associated with academic success.” Liberals would have us believe that it matters not if children have a father in the home. Christians dispute this, as we know that it does matter to God. We know that it is His plan for children to have a mother and a father — a biological father.

Now to Sanchez’s report:

The growing number of fatherless children in this country poses one of the the most serious problems in education today, according to best-selling author Alan Blankstein.

He has spent most of his life advocating for kids who struggle in school. He wrote Failure is Not an Option, a guide to creating high-performing schools for all students.

So, just how many kids are fatherless? NPR Ed put that question to Blankstein, who told us that 24.7 million kids in the U.S. don’t live with a biological father.

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Gender-Confused Kids Need Protection, Not Exploitation

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In a piece over at LifeZette, Dr. Meg Meeker warns us that the moment we stop seeing children’s problems as problems, we stop helping them. “And when we cross boundaries,” says Meeker, “and force others to see their problems as normal, we solidify craziness as the norm.”  She writes:

Once more, the media have gone over the edge and made a mockery of little children. They ran a story about a child who alerted his parents to struggles over gender dysphoria — at the tender age of three.

And shame on his parents for letting them do so. MSN recently reported on the child — named Colt at birth — who rejected his gender and insisted on being called Emma because he said he was really a girl.

OK, I get it. The child has psychic turmoil and needs help. Or he’s playing a game. It’s hard to tell — because when he declared his gender confusion, he was three. Yes, three years old.

But that’s not really the problem. The real beef I have is with adults, particularly those in the media who push their agenda with a finger in our faces, saying, “See, we told you so,” by exploiting small children like Colt/Emma.

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Analyzing Annihilationism: Will Those in Hell Cease to Exist?

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Eric Davis of The Cripplegage examines the eternality of hell. “The misery of it all is simply unfathomable,” says Davis. “It is one that must move us to the deepest reverence before God and compassion towards sinners

In yesterday’s post, the miseries of hell were briefly described. When the unredeemed enter, there will be a shock as the magnitude of hell sets in. One of the greatest miseries of hell will be the eternality of it: there will be no end to the conscious torment.

However, there have been questions as to the eternality of hell. The biblical teaching of unending punishment in hell has often been under attack. Do those in hell suffer forever? Or will they experience annihilation at some point and cease to exist? Annihilationism teaches that those in hell will eventually cease to exist. They will not be punished forever, but for a length of time, culminating in their annihilation.

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The Seven Fatal Flaws of Moral Relativism

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Is there a right way and a wrong way for people to behave? The moral relativists would say, “whatever floats your boat.”  “Wintery Knight” tackles moral relativism.

Moral relativism is the view that moral values and moral duties do not exist in reality, but only exist as opinions in people’s minds. When you ask a moral relativist where the belief that stealing is wrong comes from, he may tell you that it is his opinion, or that it is the opinion of most people in his society. But he cannot tell you that stealing is wrong independent of what people think, because morality (on moral relativism) is just personal preference.

So what’s wrong with it?

I found this list of the seven flaws of moral relativism at the Salvo magazine web site.

Here’s the summary:

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Dr. Tim Ball Crushes Climate Change: The Biggest Deception In History

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“With a 50-year academic career focusing on Historical Climatology, Dr. Tim Ball is uniquely qualified to address man-made climate change, and he demonstrates that it is a flat-out hoax. Thinking people everywhere should get multiple copies of this book and hand them out to everyone they know.” 

In a piece over at Technocracy News, Dr. Tim Ballx informs us that:

President Trump was correct to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. He could have explained that the science was premeditated and deliberately orchestrated to demonize CO2 for a political agenda. Wisely, he simply explained that it was a bad deal for the United States because it gave a competitive economic edge to other nations, especially China. A majority of Americans think he was wrong, but more would disagree if he got lost in the complexities of the science. I speak from experience having taught a Science credit course for 25 years for the student population that mirrors society with 80 percent of them being Arts students. Promoters of what is called anthropogenic global warming (AGW) knew most people do not understand the science and exploited it.

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No, We Don’t Want Barbie to Date a Ken with a Man Bun

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Mattel has introduced a new “dolled-up toy collection with feminized figurines.” Just imagine what the toy maker has planned for kids next.  LifeZette has the story:

After introducing a new batch of Barbie dolls last year, Mattel is rebooting the Ken doll. And the most surprising version of the new male counterparts to Barbie is the one with a man bun.

Other new versions of Ken dolls include the “slim” and the “broad” variety. New hairstyles include the previously mentioned man bun — as well as cornrows. There are also six skin tones available for these dolls.

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Mattis under pressure to reverse Obama administration’s approval of transgender troops

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Should the U.S. Department of Defense [taxpayers] undertake the cost of hormone treatments, surgery, and post-operative care to facilitate “gender transitioning.”?  No, say social conservatives.  According to Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times, conservatives have mounted a campaign to persuade General Mattis to suspend the Obama administration’s “transgender directive with the ultimate goal of recalling it and all of the associated manuals.” Scarborough writes:

Photo courtesy US Defense Watch (usdefensewatch.com)

Defense Secretary James Mattis is facing his first significant decision in the military’s sexual revolution legacy left by the last commander in chief, Barack Obama.

Mr. Obama’s defense secretary, Ashton Carter, issued a directive last year permitting transgender troops to remain in the military and undergo sex reassignment procedures instead of facing automatic discharge.

The next step in the transgender agenda is due July 1, according to Mr. Carter’s timeline. Mr. Mattis is to decide whether the armed forces will allow transgender people to join the military.

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Anti-Trump Resistance Rhetoric Fueling ‘Raging Fever’ in Unbalanced People

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Democratic strategist and public opinion pollster Pat Caddell talked with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow.  According to Marlow:

Unhinged

Caddell said, “I think they are united in a narrative. And that narrative is, somebody did something wrong. It was Donald Trump and therefore, at the end of the day, he must not be president.”

“They’re still fighting the campaign that they lost,” he added, meaning the media.

“They will not put out things that disagree with their narrative,” said Caddell. “That’s when they stop being a press. They’ve become propagandists and this is really dangerous stuff. It is really scary because for many voters, they don’t know where to turn, necessarily, to get a view that gives them both sides.”

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Why Refusing to Resolve Conflict Hinders Prayer

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According to Paul Tautges of Counseling One Another, resisting or neglecting the “resolution of conflict, especially between yourself and another Christian, is a small but real rejection of the gospel itself and hinders our prayers.” He offers his advice as to what we should do about it. He writes:

Some sins are more passive than active. We may call these sins of omission rather than sins of commission because they are all about what we don’t do. These sins involve neglecting (and sometimes refusing) to do what is right rather than willfully doing what is plainly forbidden. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave pointed warnings against areas of neglect that are especially pertinent to this matter of unanswered prayer. Mishandling these warnings severely damages not only our horizontal relationships with others, but also our familial relationship with the Father and consequently the effectiveness of our prayers. One such area is the delay of conflict resolution.

As long as we live this side of heaven, we will continue to experience conflicts with others, and we will continue to hear God’s call to repentance and greater growth in the midst of conflict. Relational conflict, like everything else God puts in our path, is used by him for our good. When responded to with humility, long-suffering, grace, and forgiveness, such conflict leads to stronger, more Christ-honoring relationships. The transformative grace of God converts that which would weaken human relationships into something that substantially strengthens them—evil is turned into good, and cursing into blessing. This makes us more like Jesus and equips us to be better testimonies to the redemptive power of God in a world that is desperate for grace and peace.

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Army’s Transgender Training Addresses MALE Pregnancies

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Todd Starnes, host of Fox News & Commentary, reports that the taxpayer funded U.S. Army is forcing LGBTQ sensitivity training on our soldiers:

The Army has begun mandatory transgender sensitivity training for soldiers. The training covers everything from “transfemale” soldiers to transgender shower etiquette to dealing with a male soldier who becomes pregnant.

Yes, good readers. Within the ranks of the greatest fighting force known to mankind – the baby’s daddy could also be the baby’s momma.

“That pregnancy scenario is beyond words,” Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty executive director Ron Crews told me. “This is an example of how this social policy can be used simply to promote personal agendas at the expense of taxpayers with no regard for being what the military is all about.”

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Pitiable Capitulating Pro-Family Leaders – Part 1 (Reprise)

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In their zeal to defeat liberalism and to bring a modicum of sanity back to America, Christian Right leaders joined forces with those who profess to know and serve God but who are in fact wolves in sheep’s clothing. As a result, the Christian Right is teaming with wolves.

By Marsha West (First published 3/24/15)

Religious Right, Christian Right, religious conservatives, “values voters” and evangelicals are a few of the titles given to the social and or political groups that wish to hang on to the “traditional family values” (TFV) that are passed on from one generation to the next.  These values are defined as “the moral and ethical principles traditionally upheld and transmitted within a family, [such as] honesty, loyalty, industry, and faith.”  How they go about this maintenance effort varies drastically.  The most radical of these believe they have a mandate from God to occupy all secular institutions and dominate the political process until Christ returns.  Unfortunately many evangelicals are participating in this seemingly godly effort, unaware of what’s going on behind the scenes.  They’re blindly following Christian Right (CR) leaders down some very dangerous paths.

All In The Family

TFV has its roots in the Bible and is derived from the Ten Commandments.  So for Christians there’s nothing wrong with having a desire to hang on to family values, especially when it comes to adopting ethical principles taught in Scripture.  In our post-modern culture, however, a growing number of liberal Americans are moral relativists.  For these folks there are no moral absolutes and culture, not the Bible, determines right from wrong.

The moral free fall America’s now in stems from the culture war of the 1960s.  Expressions such as “anything goes” “if it feels good do it” “sex, drugs and rock and roll” describe the mind-set of the hippie generation.  The counter culture movement grew legs in the 1960’s, sprinted into the 21st Century, and continues to gain momentum to this day.  The 60’s revolution was actually America’s rebellion against the God of the Bible.  Unfortunately much of what was generated then lives on today.  I’ll touch on that in a moment.

The problem isn’t with the folks who care about TFV; it lies with some—not all–of the organizations that are fighting on the front lines of the culture war battlefield.  In their zeal to defeat liberalism and to bring a modicum of sanity back to America, the CR joined forces with outright heretics, blurring the line that separates orthodoxy from heresy.  At one time evangelical was used to differentiate Protestantism from Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity.

In today’s culture evangelicals are identified with far right Republicans.  It is true, this might be an accurate comparison for some, but by definition an evangelical is a believer who holds that Scripture is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God and the authority by which they live their lives; likewise evangelicals believe in the Trinity, the deity of Christ, what the Bible says about sin, and of course salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. (Ephesians 2:8) In other words, evangelicals held to the fundamentals of the faith. They shared the Gospel of Christ with the lost as they were commanded to do. (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8, 1 Peter 3:15)  They believed that people are dead in their sins and in need of a Savior.  As I implied, for some self-professed evangelicals, these actions are no longer part of their mandate.  I say self-professed, mainly because the name evangelical has been hijacked by liberals who say they’re Christians even though they reject many of the fundamentals of the faith.  Liberals would never “push their religious views” on someone else.  You might ask why they choose not to share the gospel.  From their point of view, Christians don’t have a personal responsibility to share their faith because they believe it’s possible for the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, etc., to remain in his/her religion and still be saved.  My point is, when someone says they’re an evangelical in today’s world, it doesn’t really tell you anything.

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What is the Prophetic-Apostolic Movement?

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Churchwatch Central has put together a summary of New Apostolic Reformation pioneers Bob Jones, Mike Bickle, C. Peter Wagner and John Wimber.

NAR false teachers “Apostle” Bill Johnson & “Prophet” Mike Bickle

We’ve already provided a simplistic overview of the Shepherding/Discipleship Movement (SDM) in the 1970s. This time we would like to turn your attention to the Prophetic-Apostolic Movement (PAM). 

Mike Bickle has done the body of Christ a massive favor by advertising the historical foundations of his iHOP movement through these sessions and resources. In the attached resources you will hear:

  1. Their experiences with the ‘Dominus’ Jesus and the ‘Don’ Jesus,
  2. How they helped pioneer the APM, with leaders such as John Wimber,
  3. How the Apostles of the Vineyard Movement worked with the Prophets of the Kansas City Prophetic Movement to further establish their governance over the visible church,
  4. Countless bizarre prophecies and experiences from Mike Bickle, Bob Jones and other false prophets and leaders.

Although Wimber and Wagner played a significant role in developing the Apostolic Movement through the Vineyard Movement (US) and New Wine Movement (UK) in the 1980s, our focus will be more on the Prophetic Movement in Kansas City, led by Bickle and Jones.

This article exists so people can hear. for themselves, Bob Jones and Mike Bickle talk about iHOP’s creepy beginnings. Back in the early 1980s, it was known as the Kansas City Fellowship (KCF). It later became the Kansas City Prophets (KCP) prophetic movement which helped bring into fruition other movements, mainly the iHOP movement. We will also include an important work of a man who helped exposed the dangers of this dangerous part of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).

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Parents: If your church is ‘Turning Orange…’

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From Berean Research:

Has your church “turned Orange?” If your children’s ministry leaders have suddenly put your children’s discipleship in the hands of Andy Stanley’s “Orange Strategy,” you’re going to want to investigate what this program is – and more importantly what it is NOT.

After publishing my article on Naomi’s Table this week, I received this letter, which is why I am sharing the Orange warning here:

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Ten transgender truths for legislators and concerned citizens

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The LGBTQ community and its supporters will surely get their knickers in a knot over this piece by Selwyn Duke that’s posted over at RenewAmerica. Why? Because they become incensed when people learn what’s true and what’s not true about LGBTQ people. Radical homosexuals have mastered the art of hiding the truth from the public.

Find out more about the homosexual agenda here. 

Now listen to Selwyn Duke present the hard facts on transgenderism. He writes:

Whether you’re a lawmaker considering a “bathroom bill” or some other “transgender”-oriented legislation, or a citizen pondering a vote influencing the matter, you need the facts. The following are 10 “transgender” truths:

  • There is no sound science behind the transgender agenda. No “expert” can point to any physiological markers, in any given case, proving that at issue is a biological phenomenon and not a purely psychological one.

  • The “transgender” diagnosis is based purely on feelings relating to what’s called strong “cross-gender identification.” It’s no different from a cardiologist performing bypass surgery on a patient – without conducting any medical tests confirming heart disease’s presence – based solely on the person claiming he feels as if he has clogged arteries. Yet on this basis alone a psychiatrist may recommend that a child live as a member of the opposite sex and even, at some point, have body-rending “gender-reassignment surgery” (read: mutilation).

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“The Gospel according to Glennon”: What gospel?

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This is the title of a piece published in Elle magazine. Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, added “what gospel” to the title because the author, Ruth S. Barrett, wasn’t talking about the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, as Burk makes clear in his blog post. But before we get to that, you need to know that in November 2016 we reported that “Christian” blogger Glennon Doyle Melton came out as a lesbian.  At that time Doyle Melton was thought of as a “truth teller, someone who had helped countless people through her online community, Momastery, and in her work with Together Rising.”   She was known for her honesty about alcohol addiction, anxiety, depression, an eating disorder and, not surprisingly, her dysfunctional marriage to Craig.  Due in part to his serial infidelity, Glennon filed for divorce.  Shortly thereafter she began dating soccer star Abby Wambach. The couple tied the knot in May. Many people, including professing Christians, celebrated her “coming out.” And when she “married” her lesbian lover, a lot of folks, including those same Christians, celebrated their union.

Denny Burk wonders if people would be celebrating the divorce in the same way if she had left her husband for another man. “Probably not,” he says. Why? “Because ‘coming-out’ and embracing gay identity is seen as sacrosanct in our culture–even more holy than the covenant of marriage. Even more important than maintaining one’s wedding vows.”

So with the stage set, here’s Denny Burk’s take on Confused mommy-blogger Glennon Doyle Melton.  View article →

Related:

Would the Son of God Contradict the Father? by Marsha West

Berean Research’s White Paper on the Homosexual Agenda

Hey Bill Johnson and Bethel Church, God Put Himself in a Box Called ‘Bible’

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Conservative evangelicals are often accused by charismatics of having a tendency to box God up.  One charismatic whose mission it is to un-box God is New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) “Super Apostle” Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA. Anthony Wood of Mission Bible Church in Tustin, CA quotes Johnson as saying that “to follow Him we must be willing to follow off the map – to go beyond what we know.” Those who listen to him are encouraged to believe that “God colors outside the lines.” As you’re about to see, Wood vehemently disagrees with Johnson’s portrayal of the Creator of the universe as loosey-goosey.  He also takes issue with Bethel Church’s “special blessings” that include “falling feathers, walking with angels, gold dust, animal growling, raising the dead, and miraculous healings.” Wood writes:

I receive emails from people around the world who are deeply confused and frightened by the teaching and supposed “miracle” ministry of Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, and Jesus Culture in Redding California. Many of these emails are from well meaning friends and family who have a loved one “immersed” in Bethel culture who won’t respond to their basic appeals for biblical clarity. Interestingly, time and again these lost sheep influenced by Bethel provide the same response to inquisitors.

“We don’t put God in a box.”

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North Carolina County Approves Resolution Recognizing ‘Month of Ramadan’

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Religious favoritism? One commissioner who voted against the resolution thinks so. Jim Pickett complained in an email: “To the best of my knowledge we have never (and I don’t think it would be proper) adopted a resolution in support of Lent … Easter, Christmas, Hanukkah, Passover, Yom Kippur, Pioneer Day for Mormons, or Diwali.” Christian News has the story:

Commissioners over one county in North Carolina have approved a resolution recognizing June as the “Month of Ramadan.”

The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners adopted the resolution on Tuesday, with six in favor and three against.

“Ramadan is a sacred time that commemorates the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Mohammad, and encourages fasting, prayer, reflection, God consciousness and gratitude,” the resolution reads. “[E]ach day of fasting teaches the soul to struggle with the self, persevere, be patient and to forgive and love.”

It asserts that Islam is a part of America’s history and that Muslims should be recognized for their contributions.

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Insight into the lunacy of Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry.

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From Churchwatch Central:

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians 5:11

Phil Johnson of Grace To You made this observation about Bethel Church back in April 2016 – “Bethel constitutes a whole different message from biblical Christianity,” one that is “totally devoid of any true and consistent proclamation of the gospel.” (Source)

From Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry:

10 Ways to Be Activated in the Supernatural

You are a light to the world! You are “a city that is set on a hill [that] cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Indeed, you are not called to hide the love, power, and freedom that is inside you. Instead, you are destined to shine brightly so the world can see your good works and bring glory to your Father in heaven.

Today, we want to share ten activations that will help your students grow in their relationships with the Holy Spirit and reveal the light of the kingdom. These activations will challenge them to develop spiritual gifts and usher them into powerful encounters with God.

As your students step out in risk, remind them that nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26). May they be led to shine brightly in your city!

View article!

Womb with a view: Fetuses can recognize faces while still inside mom

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Doyle Rice of USA Today informs us that this new research is the first to show that it is possible to explore sight and cognition in babies inside their mother’s womb. According to a new peer reviewed study, a “collection of cells” a “potential person” a “fetus” has cognitive and visual ability at 34 weeks. It’s going to be interesting to see how pro-aborts, especially those who call themselves Progressive Christians, will handle this very credible scientific research. We hope and pray that this unbiased study will help those who are all for a women’s right to choose to abort what they deem a “potential person” will come to their senses.

Now to Doyle Rice’s story:

We know babies love looking at the faces of their mom or dad. Now, for the first time, researchers have discovered that this preference develops in the womb several weeks before birth, according to a study published Thursday.

By projecting light through the uterine wall of pregnant mothers, British scientists found that 34-week-old fetuses will turn their heads to look at face-like images.

“We have shown the fetus can distinguish between different shapes, preferring to track face-like over non-face-like shapes,” said psychologist Vincent Reid of Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, a co-author of the study. “This preference has been recognized in babies for many decades, but until now exploring fetal vision has not been attempted.”

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Leading liberals develop blueprint to expand ‘deep state’ and undercut Trump

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Ryan Lovelace of Washington Examiner reports that a meeting of the far-left American Constitution Society was held to discuss how to encourage the “deep state” to undermine President Donald Trump. He writes:

Forlorn liberals took refuge at the American Constitution Society’s national convention in Washington this week, discussing whether to encourage the growth of the “deep state” resistance inside the government or fight President Trump from outside.

“The election of Donald Trump was an assault on the federal bureaucracy,” William Yeomans said to a room full of students and civil servants, including those recently displaced by Trump’s administration. “His values are simply not consistent with the values of people who are committed to public service and who believe deeply in the importance of public service.”

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We Need Discernment Ministries? Yes Absolutely!

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I stumbled upon this gem over at Apprising Ministries that was penned in 2005 by G. Richard Fisher of Personal Freedom Outreach. Ken Silva ran across Fisher’s piece and posted it on AM in 2011. In it Fisher presents his view of why discernment ministries are necessary. For example, discernment ministries like AM and PFO hammer home the fact that the Word of Faith movement is not biblical Christianity — it is a theological cult.  WoF “may superficially speak of Christ,” says Fisher, “but their Christology of a born-again Jesus who suffered in hell, denies the Christ of the Bible and is rank heresy. Using Christian words and defining them in non-Christian ways is the essence of deception and cultism.”

With this background in mind, listen as Richard Fisher argues why online apologetics and discernment ministries are important. He writes:

In a day of pluralism and tolerance, apologetic and discernment ministries are viewed by some as anti­quated, unneeded, and in the way of getting together and getting along.

In a day when unity is put far above truth, counter-cult ministries are seen as passé and even obstructionist.

Televangelists and Word Faith teachers can draw tens of thousands to their meetings while discernment confer­ences struggle to get a hundred. Truth, dear thinking, and biblical precision are definitely not in, and heresies are gaining popularity. Orthodoxy is out and false doctrine is in vogue.

Of course, there are many reasons for this: Men love darkness rather than light. We have an unseen enemy who goes about like a roaring lion. And liberalism has so eroded confidence in Scripture that many are turning to mysticism and experience. Subjectivism is the drug of choice. Many of the religious are addicted to their own adrenaline.

Truth be known, the deception is getting deeper and more subtle. This only underscores the need for organi­zations such as Personal Freedom Outreach. Someone needs to sound the alarm. Without discernment minis­tries, who will do it?

The evangelical Church has tried so hard to be relevant to the world that it is becoming irrelevant. Rather than compromise with the dominant culture, we need to stand more strongly for our distinctives and distinctiveness.

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 Berean Research has an excellent White Paper on Discernment.

Purpose Driven Dismantling of Christianity

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By Marsha West

Posted below is part 3 of a column I wrote for RenewAmerica in 2011 in which I revealed that religious syncretism (a blending of many different belief systems) has virtually reshaped the visible Church.  I wasn’t alone in pointing out this fact. There were many others in the online apologetics and discernment ministries who were sounding the alarm. In light of what is going on in many churches, it is clear that the warning cry of “discerners” has been largely ignored and now the visible church is in considerable disarray. Not only were we not listened to, we’ve been marginalized, and in some cases hated, for exposing the apostasy that has changed the face of evangelicalism.

The dismantling of historic, orthodox, biblical Christianity has continued at break-neck speed to the point where the visible Church has become a haven for hirelings and goats who’ve set about butting the sheep out the church’s back door.

My primary focus for part 3 of the series is to show how Gnosticism and Man-Centered Psychology has gotten a firm grip on Christendom.  How did this happen?  In large part it happened because undiscerning Church leaders thought it was a good idea to adopt the Rick Warren “Purpose Driven” marketing strategy to grow their churches.

This short intro sets the stage for part 3 of “Purpose Driven Dismantling of Christianity.”

This overview of what I have termed Syncretism Stew shows a diabolically inspired supermarket of truth and error in the postmodern Church.  What we’re witnessing is a shopping cart overflowing with false teaching.  Aisle 1-Mysticism Madness; aisle 2-Charismatic Confusion; aisle 3-Pentecostal Pandemonium; aisle 4- Enlightened Emergents; aisle 5- Purpose-driven Pragmatism; aisle 6-Secular Strategies…to suck in seekers; aisle 7-Twelve-steps…to “group think”; aisle 8-Preposterous Pop Psychology; aisle 9- Discernment Disintegration; aisle 10-Predatory Pastors.  On and on it goes.

The Body of Christ trusts its Shepherds to feed them healthy nutritious foods, yet many of them are literally starving their sheep to death!  A diet of “Bible Light” does not nourish the soul – it causes spiritual malnutrition!  A shepherd’s job is to lead the flock in Christian life and faith.

ANCIENT GNOSTICISM RESURRECTED

What Paul came up against in the early church was Gnosticism (from the Greek word knowledge) which was a heretical philosophy of religion. The Gnostics were harmful because outwardly they were so similar but what they taught was a complete distortion of the truth.  For one thing, they insisted that important secret knowledge was hidden from most believers. They, of course, were the enlightened ones. The Apostles taught just the opposite: Christ is the only knowledge—the only truth–a believer needs.

In his book The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, Peter Jones offers this insight into Gnosticism:

In ancient Athens, instead of bookstores and “centers” the discriminating “very religious” shopper was offered altars, all with their own “mysteries,” spiritual techniques, promises of better life from priest or priestess gurus in the “knosis.”… While the early church fathers found proof of the Gnostics’ fraudulent theology in their manifold contradictory systems and opposing doctrines, the Gnostics congratulated themselves on the great richness of their diversity and their tolerance of many approaches to truth. [1]

Jones goes on to say that Gnosticism was a “kaleidoscopic mixture of many varied traditions.”  In a word, syncretism.

Sincere followers of Jesus Christ should have a clear understanding of what has taken place in the Church because the Syncretism Stew they’re ingesting is not the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  Christians are being fed a different Gospel – a counterfeit Christianity.  Sniff the air.  Do you smell the sulfur?  Yes, you do!  A New Kind of Christianity emerged from the pit of hell!

MAN-CENTERED PSYCHOLOGY

Many Christians feel that the church has abandoned them, so they turn to psychology and psychotherapy for help.  “The term psychotherapy — informally known as “the talking cure” — encompasses a variety of approaches to helping people identify, understand, and cope with the dynamics of their mental and emotional states, individually and in social interaction. ” [2]

Most Christians are unfamiliar with infamous psychiatrist Carl G. Jung.  Moreover, they are unaware that Jungian psychotherapy is taught in Christian seminaries.  Even Christians who have heard of him are unaware that Jung was immersed in the occult and did his doctoral thesis on parapsychology and conducted seminars on the teachings of Catholic mystic Ignatius Loyola.  In his article “Confronting Neopaganism in the Culture and the Church,” Peter Jones further enlightens us on Jung:

One writer on Jung says without overstatement that Carl Jung is the Father of Neo-Gnosticism and the New Age Movement. [A contemporary philosopher, Richard Wolin, Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, believes that “…since the 1970s Jung’s influence on spiritual currents of the New Age movement has been enormous. It may only be a slight exaggeration to say scratch a witch and underneath you will find a Jungian.

Later in the article Jones says this:

Jung calls Christian orthodoxy “systematic blindness” in insisting that God is outside of man, unaware of “this inner deity revealing itself from the depths of the soul.

Some churches are so enamored with psychology that members are given the Meyers-Briggs personality quiz (based on Jung’s theories) to identify their spiritual gifts and recruited into unbiblical Twelve-step programs.  Believers are seeking help from biblical counseling, “Christian psychologists,” Christian self-help books, and nonChristians such as Oprah, Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil!  The authors are getting rich off Christians who purchase their books!

Don Matzat puts forth the threat that modern psychology poses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and suggests that:

Christian denominations who are concerned by the intrusion of modern psychology into their ranks should appoint a standing-committee made up of apologetic researchers, experts in the occult, and orthodox pastors and lay-people who are academically trained in psychology. It would be the task of this committee to do the research that most busy pastors are unable to do and to offer to the church their conclusions and opinions concerning some of the deceptive offerings of modern psychology.  [3]

MAN-CENTERED SELF-ESTEEM

Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we’re all doing God’s work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we’re laboring hand in hand to repair the breach.

I believe in positive thinking. It is almost as important as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  — Robert Schuller

Robert Schuller, host of the “Hour of Power” weekly television show, is known for possibility thinking. “For Schuller — faith’ is a power of the mind and ‘God’ is merely a placebo that helps one ‘believe’ and thereby activate mind power. For example, on an Amway tape, Schuller exults, ‘You don’t know the power you have within you! … You make the world into anything you choose.’ It is Babel again, only in a more sophisticated form. The power of thinking becomes the magic stairway that leads to the paradise where all one’s wishes can be fulfilled — nothing but an ‘evangelical’ form of Christian Science or Science of Mind! (6/93, The Berean Call).”

In the early days of his ministry Dr. Schuller used mass communication such as radio, television, and creative marketing techniques to find out what people wanted in a church. What he discovered was that nonbelievers did not want to hear about sin and salvation; they wanted their emotional needs met. This was right up Schuller’s alley, as he believes sin is a lack of self-esteem. To accommodate the emotionally needy crowd he reinterprets God’s Word to conform to his self-esteem philosophy.

Schuller’s marketing methods laid the foundation for the Church Growth movement. He claims to have launched the megachurch movement through his Institute for Successful Church Leading.  Schuller chirped:

Here ministers are inspired to believe in their dreams and to present the good news of the gospel in positive terms. And some of those students are well-known. Bill Hybels now pastors the largest church, I think, in the United States, the Willow Creek Community Church. Bill has often said that there probably would not be a Willow Creek Church if he hadn’t been able to come to our pastor’s institute here. I’m so proud of him.” Rick Warren was also a frequent visitor of the Institute.  “And there’s Rick Warren, a pastor who today is phenomenal. He came to our institute time after time.”[4]

Robert Schuller is a popular preacher and influences many people. Nevertheless, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Why? Because he bases his theology on what people want to hear rather than on God’s Word.

“Schuller’s false teaching,” warned David Cloud, “is an extremely serious matter in light of his wide influence. His was the most popular religion television broadcast in America for many years. His books sell by the millions. He appears with presidents. His self-esteem Christianity has been adopted by multitudes. These believe they are Christians; they attend churches; but in reality they worship a false christ and follow a false gospel. Robert Schuller and his mentor, the late Norman Vincent Peale, are two of the key culprits in promoting this error.”

HOW TO GROW A CHURCH MAN’S WAY

Photo credit Radically Christian

Rick Warren, mentioned in part 2, is the author of the best-selling books, “The Purpose Driven Church” and “The Purpose Driven Life,” was inspired by Robert Schuller’s success. According to PurposeDrivenLife.com, Warren’s books “are known for explaining theology in understandable ways and have been translated into more than 50 languages. Dr. Warren says he teaches theology without using theological terms and telling people it is theology.”

On Saddleback.com we learn that more than 200,000 church leaders from around the world have been trained in Saddleback’s purpose-driven philosophy.

It was Robert Schuller’s success that led Rick Warren to the founder of modern management, the late Peter Drucker.  Warren went to Drucker for advice.  “Under Drucker’s tutelage, Warren’s own success as a spiritual entrepreneur has been considerable. Saddleback has grown to 15,000 members and has helped start another 60 churches throughout the world. Warren’s 2001 book, The Purpose-Driven Life, is this decade’s best seller with 19.5 million copies sold so far and compiling at the rate of 500,000 per month. [5] (Update: PDL has sold 25 million copies and is the best-selling hardback book in American history.)

Drucker believed that business and nonprofit partnerships cannot work “unless they are seen as investments focusing on results – primarily social rather than financial results – achieving clear, and preferably measurable results.”

Rick Warren said of Peter Drucker: “[H]e’s my mentor. I’ve spent 20 years under his tutelage learning about leadership from him.”  He also learned how to go about building a megachurch from Drucker. Was building megachurches really necessary, though?  Do we really need 25,000 people attending one church?  Is a small church less effective than a large church?  Our Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that He would build (grow) a church:

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Mat 16:18). (Emphasis added)

Largely due to the popularity of Rick Warren’s purpose-driven books, the Church Growth movement has swept through Christendom like a Kansas tornado, ushering in a ‘new paradigm’ of transformational leadership to meet the challenge of the new Century.  Not everyone is on board including conservative Christians who caution that, “Purpose-driven is a ‘one size fits all’ plan and program.  It is the ultimate ecumenical tool.”

Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today informs us that, “Warren is part of the ultra-conservative Southern Baptist Convention, and all his senior staff sign on to the SBC’s doctrines, such as the literal and infallible Bible and exclusion of women as senior pastors.”  [6]

Rick Warren an ultra-conservative?  I laid that myth to rest in Part 2.

Ultra conservative Christians are sometimes referred to as “fundamentalist.”  Speaking at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, May 23, 2005, Warren made the following statement regarding Christian fundamentalism:

Now the word ‘fundamentalist’ actually comes from a document in the 1920s called the Five Fundamentals of the Faith. And it is a very legalistic, narrow view of Christianity, and when I say there are very few fundamentalists, I mean in the sense that they are all actually called fundamentalist churches, and those would be quite small. There are no large ones.  I am an evangelical. I’m not a member of the [ultra-conservative] religious right and I’m not a fundamentalist …Today there really aren’t that many Fundamentalists left; I don’t know if you know that or not, but they are such a minority; there aren’t that many Fundamentalists left in America.

Are the “five fundamentals” a legalistic, narrow view of Christianity?  No!  The term fundamentalist came from a series of books called “The Fundamentals” that was published from 1910-1915.  Actually the series did not promote “five fundamentals” but rather dozens of fundamentals. The Five Fundamentals of Faith that have been accepted by Christians throughout history are: 1) the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2) the Virgin Birth of Christ, 3) the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement, 4) the bodily resurrection of Jesus, 5) the inerrancy of Scripture.

If someone is indeed a Christian, he or she cannot deny the essential doctrines of Christianity as this is what separates Christianity from other religions.

Further, the USA Today article informs us (not on purpose) that Warren’s pastor-training programs promote ecumenism.  Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews and ordained women and anyone who can breathe are welcome.  “I’m not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials [trivials].  I won’t try to change other denominations. Why be divisive?’ he asks, citing as his model Billy Graham, ‘a statesman for Christ ministering across barriers.” [7]

Why be divisive?  Rick Warren is being divisive by teaming up with New Age occultists for his weight loss program The Daniel Plan…serving on the advisory board of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (Blair is a Fabian Socialist)…offering PDL training to apostates and cultists so that they’ll achieve phenomenal success in spreading their message.   

I’ll close this with an excerpt from Purpose-Driven “No Matter What it Costs” :

Rick Warren was interviewed by The Dallas Morning News before he spoke at the Global Day of Prayer event, held on May 15, 2005. He was asked:

“You’ve become a very popular public speaker. As you’ve traveled, have you noticed any local differences in how your message is received?”

His response was:

Not at all.… It’s cross-cultural – I get letters from Hindus, from Muslims. [The Purpose Driven Life] didn’t get niched as a religious book.

Read Part 1 & Part 2

Footnotes:

  1. The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back: The Old Heresy for the New Age, page 20—By Peter Jones, professor of New Testament at Westminster Seminary California
  2. Psychology and the Church (Part One): Laying a Foundation for Discernment–By Bob and Gretchen Passantino
  3. The Intrusion of Psychology into Christian Theology–By Don Matzat
  4. Setting Richard Abanes Straight on my Rick Warren “Attack” –By Ken Silva
  5. Peter Drucker On Leadership—By Rich Karlgaard
  6. “This evangelist has a ‘Purpose’”–By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY,
  7. Ibid.

Copyright by Marsha West, 2011.

Saddleback Youth Worker Ruben Meulenberg Charged With 5 Felony Counts – Saddleback Remaining Tight Lipped on Staff Issue

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On May 30, CRN posted a piece by Lighthouse Trails titled “Saddleback Church Statement Appears to Downplay Role of Molester Ruben Meulenberg.”  In it we stated:

Saddleback downplayed alleged child molester Ruben Meulenberg’s role at the church and it appears that he has been quite involved at Saddleback….and so are his parents, Abraham and Marieke. In fact, Abraham is a pastor in charge of interfaith outreach and was involved with Rick Warren’s efforts to form alliances with the Muslim community. So it seems there could be more here than meets the eye.”

As of this date, Rick Warren has not made a public statement.  Since the news broke, LHT has been following the story.  Here’s an update:

Ruben Meulenberg, the youth worker at Saddleback Church who was arrested for allegedly molesting two 14-year-old boys at Saddleback, has been charged with 5 felonies related to the molestation of the boys. At least one of the boys was 13 when the abuse began.

The following public information on the case has been released by the Orange County District Attorney’s office:

Case #17HF070 

  • Three felony counts of lewd acts on a child
  • Two felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14-year-old
  • the above charges are given a Sentencing Enhancement for multiple victims (source)

Circumstances of the Case * At the time of the crime, Meulenberg is accused of being a volunteer youth mentor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest in a position of trust with access to children. * Between May 2016 and May 2017, Meulenberg is accused of committing lewd acts on 13-year-old boys John Doe 1 and John Doe 2, both on and off church property. * Between May 18, 2017, and May 22, 2017, the defendant is again accused of sexually molesting the victims, who were then 14 years old. * On May 24, 2017, a Saddleback Church representative reported suspected inappropriate conduct to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), who investigated this case. * Meulenberg was arrested by OCSD on Thursday, May 25, 2017. * Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Courtney Thom, Sexual Assault Unit

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Five Key Takeaways from Comey Show on Capitol Hill

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Brendan Kirby reports that fired FBI director James Comey, who we just learned is a leaker, doubted Donald Trump’s honesty but confirmed that the president never attempted to quash the Russia probe.  In a piece over at LifeZette, Kirby lays out what he deems to be the main takeways of Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. He writes:

Former FBI Director James Comey said Thursday that he doubted President Donald Trump’s honesty and suggested that he made inappropriate requests of him regarding fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

At the same time, Comey reiterated before the Senate Intelligence Committee his written testimony, released Wednesday, that he had volunteered to Trump he was not a subject of the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election campaign. He also testified that Trump never asked him to stop the counterintelligence investigation.

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