Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Bishop of Lincoln: No Communion For Divorced/Remarried Catholics

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According to Michael W. Chapman of CNSNews, “The Pope’s letter, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) is ambiguous in several areas and apparently leaves open the possibility for divorced/remarried Catholics to receive Communion, which is contrary to millennia-old Church teaching.” Pope Francis, who is supposedly Christ’s representative on earth, has yet to clear up the ambiguity.  Chapman writes:

Although not a few Catholic bishops and lay theologians have asked Pope Francis to clearly state whether his letter on the family, Amoris Laetitia, permits divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion at Mass, Bishop James Conley, who heads the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., has made it crystal clear to all his priests that couples in such situations — objectively in a state of adultery — are not to receive the sacrament.

“The Lord calls those who are divorced and civilly remarried, or who are cohabiting, to continence,” said Bishop Conley in a Dec. 5 letter to the priests in his diocese. “Like every person conscious of grave sin, divorced and civilly remarried Catholics who engage in ongoing sexual relationships may not approach Holy Communion.”

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See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Hillsong & Worship: The Gospel According to Hillsong

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Cameron Buettel & Jeremiah Johnson of Grace to You offer examples of “the doctrinal maladies that plague most of the Hillsong catalogue—malpractice, man-centeredness, and missing information.”  According to Buettel and Johnson a man-centered worldview permeates almost all of Hillsong’s music and they illustrate just how bad it is.  The duo admits that “Hillsong has probably done a better job than anyone else in filling the musical void that many modern churches have experienced. Their songs are catchy, their musicians are excellent, and their songwriters know how to ‘sound Christian’ enough to salve the consciences of all in attendance.”  However, they stated in a postscript that there’s “an unhealthy emphasis on the experience of their performances over the substance of what they’re proclaiming through their songs.”

In this piece they begin with the lyrics to “Only Wanna Sing” to show Hillsong’s “confused doctrinal perspective”:

This is no performance Lord, I pray it’s worship Empty words I can’t afford I’m not chasing feelings That’s not why I’m singing You’re the reason for my song

And I only wanna sing If I sing with everything If I sing for you, my King

I can’t imagine why I would do this all for hype Cause it’s all to lift You high

At this point in the song—titled “Only Wanna Sing”—the music soars, the strobe lights fire up, and everyone on stage and in the crowd begins to dance with reckless abandon.

The irony is hard to miss.

That song—by the band Hillsong Young and Free—epitomizes many of the issues with much of Hillsong’s worship music: vague lyrical content, confused doctrinal perspectives, and an emphasis on style over substance.

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GRACE board releases statement saying they stand with victims of Tullian Tchividjian

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From Berean Research:

The Board of Directors of Godly Response to Abuse in Church Environments (GRACE) released a statement addressing the Tullian Tchividjian sexual misconduct scandal. According to their Facebook page: The Mission of GRACE is to empower the Christian community through to recognize, confront, and respond to the sin of child sexual abuse.

We’re including GRACE’s statement as well as a list of its board members that includes Tullian’s brother, Boz, his uncle, Emmanuel and Michael Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan:

Statement from the GRACE Board of Directors The GRACE board is deeply disturbed about the revelations of sexual misconduct by Tullian Tchividjian. As an organization that deals with the abuse of God’s lambs and the damage silence causes we feel compelled to speak. We believe that no material institution is more sacred to God than His lambs – be it church or mission or family. Institutions ordained by God were destroyed at His hand when they became corrupt. Given that we must be what He calls His people to be or we too will have chosen silence and darkness over truth and light.

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Eastern Europe Is a Powder Keg Ready to Explode

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The Daily Signal’s Nolan Peterson reports that tensions between Russia and Ukraine have neared a boiling point:

KYIV, Ukraine—A planned missile test over the Black Sea spurs a Kremlin threat to shoot down the missiles and possibly target the launch sites.

An eleventh-hour compromise is reached, defusing an act of brinkmanship, which could have sparked an all-out war.

An episode between NATO and Moscow during the Cold War? Or, perhaps, the latest chapter in the contemporary conflict between NATO and Russia, which some have dubbed a “new” Cold War?

Rather, the aforementioned sequence of events was the most recent episode in a nearly 3-year-old conflict, in which Russia and Ukraine—the two countries with the largest land armies in Europe—have repeatedly tiptoed to the edge of all-out war.

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False Teacher of the Year 2016

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Doug Evans of Asleep No More has chosen the person he believes to be the Big Bad Wolf of 2016. And the winner is….

It’s that time of year, the time of caring and giving. As the nights grow longer and the days grow colder we retreat indoors to the warmth I pray you all are taking the opportunity to fend off the wrath of Satan by studying the word of God. I am in two studies this year, John and Hebrews, and what a delight! I’ve always loved John, but this is my first study of Hebrews and I wish I had studied this a long time ago.

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See Berean Research’s White Paper on the New Apostolic Reformation

NARcissist Todd White: Jesus Saved Us Because We Are ‘So Valuable’

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Does God love us because we are valuable to Him?  According to NAR life coach Todd White, the answer is yes. “Todd wants you to think that God loves us because we are valuable to him,” writes Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen.  “In a secular, self-loving man-centered society, this is a much more palatable version of God. ‘God loves me for me.’ This makes people less inclined to seek conformity to Christ since they believe they are already ‘valuable’ to God.”  Maples addresses the ways in which Todd White is leading his followers down a very slippery slope.  He writes:

One of the greatest dangers in our churches today is the narcissism that runs rampant among the vast majority of the seeker-friendly, emergent, and Word of Faith circles. This “the Bible is all about me” theology is prevalent among false teachers like Steven Furtick, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen, just to name a few. But the influence has crept in even in many sound churches. The temptation to take a passage of Scripture that is descriptive of a historical biblical event that points to Jesus and apply it to ourselves has become commonplace. For example, we see descriptive texts  in Scripture that give a historical account of the sign gifts, which were given to the Apostles and the early church for the purpose of establishing the authority to speak new revelations from God, being twisted and improperly applied to the church today to create a chaotic charismatic anarchy that distracts from the kerygma, the proclamation of Jesus Christ.

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The Lessons Today’s Leaders Should Take From Pearl Harbor

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Brian Slattery of The Daily Signal reminds us of what happened on “the date which will live in infamy.” In his view, “America today may not face the same imminent danger it faced in 1941, but our leaders should still take lessons from the events that preceded Pearl Harbor. Many of those developments are what made the U.S. vulnerable to attack in the first place.”  Slattery writes:

At sunrise on this day in 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, having sailed across the Pacific Ocean unnoticed. In addition to the 19 ships destroyed, 2,403 American soldiers were killed and 1,178 wounded in the attack.

While this attack was 75 years ago, there are pertinent lessons for today’s leaders to learn from how America handled it.

The Japanese were motivated by many factors in striking the U.S., among them deterring America from intervening in their imperial conquests in the Pacific. Though the Japanese succeeded in temporarily crippling the U.S. Navy, their gamble backfired and inadvertently facilitated America’s rise as a global military power and the defeat of the axis powers.

America responded to the attack quickly and decisively. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed Congress on December 8, calling the attack “a date which will live infamy.” In that speech, he also declared that “all measures be taken for our defense.” The next day, the U.S. Senate voted 82-0 to declare war on Japan, while the House of Representatives approved the resolution 388-1, officially entering the United States into World War II.

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Orthorexia and Christmas Liberty

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As Christians,” says Clint Archer, “what we do this month and on December 25th should not look and feel identical to what unbelievers do.”  Archer, who blogs for The Cripplegate, brings up some excellent points.  He writes:

christmas-2’Tis the season to be controversial. Regrettably, Christians can be vulnerable to a form of orthorexia when it comes to celebrating or conscientiously objecting to the celebration of Christmastime.

Let’s first take a step back.

Orthorexia is when people try to eat so perfectly that they end up obsessing about their health to the detriment of their health.

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Tullian Tchividjian: A Call to Repentance

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From Pirate Christian:

Photo credit: Twitter

Photo credit: Twitter

Dear Friends:

We join with others in expressing our shared grief regarding these latest allegations, as well as our thankfulness for the courageous women who came forward to tell their stories. We join our prayers together that they will receive the care and support that they need to heal and move forward in their lives.

In the wake of the initial revelation in June of 2015 that Tullian Tchividjian had engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship, a group of pastors and friends reached out to him in accordance with scripture’s clear admonition in Galatians 6:1–2:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

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The Golden Age of Mass Delusion

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Kevin D. Williamson of National Review reports that there is anger over Texas requiring fetal remains be treated as human remains.  He writes:

baby-in-the-womb-1Texas has passed a regulation requiring that human corpses be disposed of in accordance with the state’s regulation for the disposal of human corpses. That this exercise in tautology was necessary — and that it is controversial — is a reminder that we live in the golden age of mass delusion.

The underlying question here, which properly understood isn’t a question at all, has to do with abortion, and what it is that an abortion does. The biological answer to that question is straightforward: An abortion is a procedure in which a physician or another party kills a living human organism, either prior to birth or in the course of inducing a birth. About the three relevant criteria — 1) living, 2) human, 3) organism — there is no serious question: The tissue is living tissue, not dead tissue; it is human tissue, not rutabaga or koala bear tissue; it is arranged into an individual organism rather than an organ or a tumor or an extension of the maternal body.

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The Pope May Not Be Infallible After All

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Proclaiming the Gospel has the story:

Pope FrancisFour cardinals have made a request to Pope Francis to clarify grave errors in his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Some of the errors they cited Pope Francis as making include the following: • No one is condemned to hell • The divorced and civilly remarried are not in a state of serious sin, and they can receive sanctifying grace and grow in charity. • A Catholic can have full knowledge of the law and voluntarily choose to break it in a serious matter, but not be in a state of mortal sin. • A person with full knowledge of a divine law can sin by choosing to obey that law. • One’s conscience can judge that sexual sins can sometimes be morally right or requested or commanded by God. • Jesus wills that the Church abandon her discipline of refusing the Eucharist to the divorced and remarried and of refusing absolution to the divorced and remarried who do not express contrition.

Cardinal Burke says if Pope Francis won’t clarify these “serious errors,” the Cardinals must make a “formal act of correction.” It appears there is a plan for a formal statement against Francis for heresy or at least deviation from the Faith. The Cardinals are following the proper canonical process. As one writer noted, “The step of making a ‘formal act of correction’ would be the preliminary step, according to classical theology and Church discipline, of declaring someone – anyone – a formal heretic.” According to the  Code of Canon Law, “the Catholic faithful have the right and at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence, and position, to make known their views on matters which concern the good of the Church.”

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See our Research paper on Roman Catholicism

Chapel speaker terms Calvinism ‘Trojan Horse’

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According to Bob Allen of Baptist News Global:

southern-baptist-logo-2Southern Baptist seminary president said Nov. 29 that Baptists who adopt Calvinistic theology and practice ought to consider joining another denomination.

“I know there are a fair number of you who think you are a Calvinist, but understand there is a denomination which represents that view,” Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said at the close of Tuesday’s chapel service. “It’s called Presbyterian.”

“I have great respect for them,” Patterson said. “Many of them, the vast majority of them, are brothers in Christ, and I honor their position, but if I held that position I would become a Presbyterian. I would not remain a Baptist, because the Baptist position from the time of the Anabaptists, really from the time of the New Testament, is very different.”

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Rick Warren: Forget Sola Scriptura, But There is ‘Plus Scriptura’

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen examines the teaching of Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback megachurch which is one of the largest churches in the U.S.  He quotes Tim Challies as saying the following about the man who has been dubbed the “Purpose Driven Pope”:

One need only read Warren’s books or listen to a few of his messages to realize how often he explains and applies passages incorrectly. I assume this is because he has not taken the time to first humble himself before the Scripture and determine what the passages really mean. So do not be confused and presume that Warren is an expository preacher.

Ahlheim also includes something highly influential pastor Charles Spurgeon once said:

Whatever is to be revealed by the Spirit to any of us is in the Word of God already. He adds nothing to the Bible and never will.

Now listen as Bud Ahlheim shreads Warren’s post “The Four Ways God Speaks To You.”  He writes:

Photo courtesy Apprising Ministries

When the apostle Paul was writing his final letter to Timothy, he failed to include a number of things that are so frequently hurled about the Christian church today as utterly important, especially when it comes to hearing from God.

For example, the apostle did not instruct his young protégé on the importance of listening for God’s “still small voice” for personal and ministerial guidance. He didn’t remind Timothy about the importance of astutely discerning between God-sent, spiritual “impressions” for direction as opposed to those which might be of a distinctly more carnal nature.  The apostle of our Lord also forgot to advise the young minister about the importance of circumstances God may orchestrate in order to provide spiritual guardrails to guide him down the correct, providential path.

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‘The Shack’ to be the next blasphemous blockbuster film

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Berean Research warns: “If you’re looking for the God of the Bible in this book, or thinking that this is a great film to give your kids a ‘whole new perspective on God’ (we hear that one a lot), then I’m going to speak up and say that there are some things you ought to know about how and where this story veers off track into dangerous waters.”  She writes:

The Shack, Wm Paul YoungLet’s cut right to the chase:  Are there heresies in The Shack?  Yes. Scroll down. There are more than a dozen of them. Movies about God always make big bucks at the box office, and the film adaptation of The Shack will more than likely be a top ticket seller when it hits the big screen. Now the official trailer is out, and the emotional impact in just this two minute clip already seals the deal that this film will be a blockbuster.

The film hits Theaters March 3, 2017.

I can already imagine The Shack Bible studies, sermon series and of course the social media hype, not to mention busloads of small groups fellowshipping and praising “Papa” for another opportunity to share Jesus. But which Jesus? We know that the Jesus of the Bible is very different than the one author William P. Young wrote about in his mega-bestseller.

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Hillsong & Worship: The Gospel According to Hillsong

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Grace to You bloggers Cameron Buettel and Jeremiah Johnson tackle the music of Hillsong.  What they say is not a “fundamentalist rant.”  And it’s not “a screed against modern music infiltrating the church.”  They’re simply urging the brethren to be “wary when our ancient and exclusive faith is overrun with modern songs featuring a fluid and indistinct message.  In many instances, Hillsong lyrics are so vague they could be embraced by most religions.”

Buettel and Johnson begin with lyrics from “Only Wanna Sing”:

hillsong-churchThis is no performance Lord, I pray it’s worship Empty words I can’t afford I’m not chasing feelings That’s not why I’m singing You’re the reason for my song

And I only wanna sing If I sing with everything If I sing for you, my King

I can’t imagine why I would do this all for hype Cause it’s all to lift You high

At this point in the song—titled “Only Wanna Sing”—the music soars, the strobe lights fire up, and everyone on stage and in the crowd begins to dance with reckless abandon.

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Fixer Upper Stars Under Fire for Attending Evangelical Church

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From Berean Research:

According to a report by Todd Starnes, host of Fox News and Commentary, the “LGBTQ mob” has their sites set on HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gains.  If if turns out that they share their pastor’s beliefs on homosexuality, powerful LGBTQ activists will go to great lengths to destroy the couple.  Their pastor, Jimmy Seibert, holds to the biblical view of marriage — one man one woman for life.  He doesn’t happen to share the PC view that homosexuals are born that way; his opinion, which he’s entitled to, is that homosexuality is a “lifestyle.”  Moreover, he believes homosexuality is a sin against God.  Pastor Seibert’s beliefs come from the clear teaching of Scripture:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 Cor 6:9-11

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Perry Noble Says Churches are Businesses, Offers to Help Them Grow

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Now that Perry Noble is fresh out of alcohol rehab, the Lord has something new and exciting in store for him.  It won’t be pastoring a church because, according to 1 Tim 3:1-7, he is no longer qualified.  So, what has God supposedly “shown him” regarding his future? Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen has the details:

perry-noble-2Disgraced former pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC, says God is calling him back to the ministry–except this time, he’s in it for the business. After losing his job last year as senior pastor of the seeker-friendly megachurch for years of alcohol-related transgressions, he vowed to return to ministry after a 30-day rehab program and turning himself over to a therapist. He has kept his promise and is now offering what he calls a “consultation ministry,” dubbed The Growth Co., in which he will be offering to come alongside businesses and churches to help them grow.

“I am ready to take the next step in life and ministry…” the repeat alcoholic offender says,

After much thought, prayer and seeking godly and wise counsel I believe The Lord has clearly shown me I am supposed to step into church and business consulting.

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Former SBC leader says ERLC out of touch with mainstream

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According to William “Bill” Harrell, “Every institution or group was founded to meet a certain need and, for the useful life of that institution or organization, it focused on its purpose.  If and when that purpose was no longer a valid reason for its existence, it would cease to exist.” Harrell believes that “We have just such a situation in the Southern Baptist Convention today.”  Baptist News Global has the story:

russell-moore-2A former Southern Baptist Convention leader who made the motion to sever ties with the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty at the SBC annual meeting in 1990 now says it might be time for Southern Baptists to “call it a day” for the convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

William “Bill” Harrell, chairman of the SBC Executive Committee subcommittee that recommended separating from the pan-Baptist religious liberty coalition and expanding work of the renamed Christian Life Commission by opening an office in Washington, said recent election results point to an ERLC out of touch with its constituency.

Harrell, retired pastor of Abilene Baptist Church in Martinez, Ga., said in a Nov. 17 blog linked by the Louisiana Baptist Message website that leaders of the agency entrusted with lobbying on behalf of issues important to Southern Baptists “must have egg all over their faces” after months of speaking out against President-elect Donald Trump.

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Progressive Christians to ‘Take Back Their Faith’ After Election

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Derryck Green of Juicy Ecumenicism makes it clear that, when determining what is right and wrong, good and evil from a biblical perspective, those who call themselves “progressive Christians” (liberals) are in no position to take the moral high ground.  Green lays into those who pose as evangelicals but whose main goal is the redefinition of traditional Christianity, people such as popular author, blogger and speaker Rachel Held Evans and Jim Wallis of Sojourners, a far-left organization.   Green closes his piece with this challenge for wolves in sheep’s clothing: “If progressive Christians are really concerned about the future of their faith, they may want to consider what faith is really of concern – Leftism or Christianity.”

Now listen to what Derryck Green has to say about the snare of liberal “Christianity”:

Wolf - Little Red Riding HoodA week after the election, the Huffington Post published a blog entry in which Progressive Christians suggested what like-minded Christians should do in order to “take back their faith.”

Still reeling from the election in which Donald Trump was elected president, several progressive Christians pondered the necessary steps to draw a stronger contrast between their brand of kindhearted progressive Christianity, and the kind of conservative, evangelical Christianity that helped elect Donald Trump.

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Fidel Castro May Be Dead, but Tyranny Remains in Cuba

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Ana Quintana is a policy analyst for Latin America and the Western Hemisphere in The Heritage Foundation.  Ana is a first-generation Cuban American who knows this story “all too well.” Her piece is posted over at The Daily Signal.  She writes:

CommunismLate Friday evening, Cuban state media reported the death of their former leader, Fidel Castro, at age 90. Some will mourn his passing or even glorify his life. But for many others, not even his death will fill the void caused by his life.

For over five decades, Cubans suffered under the tyranny of Fidel and then his brother Raul, now 85. They watched the regime destroy a country and export the same perverted model of social justice throughout the developing world.

My grandfather would often tell us of how he would hide indoors while Fidel’s firing squads would slaughter innocent people nearby.

Religion was criminalized, dissent was violently punished, and Cuban citizens became property of their communist state. Fidel’s rule brought the world to its closest point of nuclear war during those fateful 13 days in 1962. He indoctrinated hate and pushed millions out of their country.

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Robot revolution: rise of ‘thinking’ machines could exacerbate inequality

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The Guardian has the story:

robot-2A “robot revolution” will transform the global economy over the next 20 years, cutting the costs of doing business but exacerbating social inequality, as machines take over everything from caring for the elderly to flipping burgers, according to a new study.

As well as robots performing manual jobs, such as hoovering the living room or assembling machine parts, the development of artificial intelligence means computers are increasingly able to “think”, performing analytical tasks once seen as requiring human judgment.

In a 300-page report, revealed exclusively to the Guardian, analysts from investment bank Bank of America Merrill Lynch draw on the latest research to outline the impact of what they regard as a fourth industrial revolution, after steam, mass production and electronics.

“We are facing a paradigm shift which will change the way we live and work,” the authors say. “The pace of disruptive technological innovation has gone from linear to parabolic in recent years. Penetration of robots and artificial intelligence has hit every industry sector, and has become an integral part of our daily lives.”

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What is ‘Bridal Mysticism’? And why is it so prevalent?

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In this piece, Elizabeth Prata of The End Time answers these questions. Romantic eroticism is the term she uses to describe the way in which some professing Christian women describe an encounter they supposedly had with God.  Beth Moore claims she had an experience with God where she felt as if He was enfolding her; likewise, Sarah Young had a feeling of being enveloped by a warm mist and becoming aware of a lovely Presence.  In her writing, Ann Voskamp promotes pagan nature religion or mysticism. So it should come as no surprise that she expresses romantic feelings about Jesus and is looking for satisfaction.

Now listen as Elizabeth Prata sheds light on romantic eroticism:

brideIn 2005, Beth Moore was interviewed by Today’s Christian Woman magazine. They asked Moore:

Q. What led you to Jesus?

A. Beth Moore’s [2005] answer:

My Sunday-school teacher would hold up pictures of Jesus, and he looked so nice. I needed a hero, and Jesus seemed like one. I’d lie on the grass, stare up at the sky, and wonder what Jesus was like. Even as a child, I fell in love with him. After my freshman year in college, I was a camp counselor for sixth-grade girls. Early one morning, as the girls were sleeping, I sensed God’s presence enfold me. There were no audible words, no bright lights. But suddenly I knew, without a doubt, my future was entirely his. You are now mine, he told me. (source)

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Christian leaders see influence growing under Trump

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According to left-leaning Politico:

Donald Trump PrayerSocial conservatives got Donald Trump into the White House. Now, they expect him to deliver.

In conversations on Capitol Hill, donor meetings in Texas and behind closed doors at the Ritz-Carlton in McLean, Virginia, socially conservative leaders are cheering Trump’s election and already moving to hold him accountable to the myriad campaign promises he made to Christian voters.

“Donald Trump is not the candidate pro-lifers would have chosen, and he understood that, and he did outreach,” said Tom McClusky, vice president of government affairs at the anti-abortion rights group March for Life. McClusky, who has been critical of Trump in the past, continued, “If he fulfills the promises he’s made, he could be the most pro-life president since Reagan.”

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The Dr. Michael Brown Checklist of Manipulation

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Steven Kozar of Messed Up Church has compiled a list of things that Dr. Michael Brown often says and does in order to elicit support from friends of his who are caught up in the New Apostolic Reformation cult:

Michael BrownDr. Michael Brown is an enigma.  Sometimes he says some really good things that all Bible-believing Christians can agree with (and we gladly recognize that), but other times he goes out on a limb in support of the most extreme New Apostolic Reformation teachers, pastors and leaders. For some reason, he has become a very convincing apologist and “front man” for obvious false teachers like Bill Johnson, Heidi Baker, Rick Joyner, Lance Wallnau and even Benny Hinn.

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Hillsong & Beth Moore Unite: Using Weak Women To Capture Weak Women (and others)

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen informs us that popular author, speaker and Bible teacher Beth Moore is scheduled to appear as a “Special Guest” at the Hillsong Conference 2017.  Moore and Hillsong’s Brian and Bobbie Houston are movers and shakers in the ravenous wolf camp, so discerning Christians will not be surprised by this; still, we need to be aware of what’s happening in the “Christian” community.  According to Ahlheim:

beth-moore-2-2When the imprisoned, soon-to-be-martyred Paul wrote his final letter to Timothy, effectively passing the mantle of ministry to his young protégé, he warned the young disciple about the imminent persecution that would come “in the last days.” The impetus for the coming “times of difficulty” was the increasing depravity of the pagan world.

At the end of the list (2 Timothy 3:2-5) of evidenced evil that Timothy ought to watch for, Paul included the following group in conclusion.

“… those … having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.”   2 Timothy 3:5-8

Well, guess what?

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