How Heretics Shaped Alcoholics Anonymous

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“People assume, logically enough, that if the co-founders were mentioning the Word of God, this must mean they were Christians. But the unsaved Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith viewed the Bible along the lines of Fox’s esoteric spiritual wisdom, rather than believing it to be the literal Word of God. One cannot, after all, promote anti-Biblical heresy and simultaneously believe and obey the Word of God.”

(John Lanagan – The Word Like Fire)  When it comes to A.A’.s alleged “Christian” roots, God’s people have been—to use a technical term—snookered. Continue reading →

If you like the pandemic lockdown, you’re going to love the ‘Green New Deal’

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“The socialist greens acknowledge that the meltdown and shutdown we’re enduring (with gritted teeth) is what their climate agenda entails. They’re right.”

(Washington Examiner)  When socialist darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez first floated her “Green New Deal,” it was an intangible vision for society rather than a concrete policy proposal. Even after the New York Democrat and her acolytes added details (including a ban on airplanes and flatulent cows) in a voluminous range of policies costing an astounding $93 trillion, the idea of running the economy without fossil fuels seemed unthinkable. Continue reading →

Warning Against Apostasy

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:11-14 (NASB) 

Apostasy: [Middle English apostasie, from Old French, from Late Latin apostasia, defection, from Late Greek apostasi, from Greek apostasis, revolt, from aphistanai, aposta-, to revolt : apo-, apo- + histanai, to stand, place; see st- in Indo-European roots.] Continue reading →

A Wizard of Oz virus: The COVID-19 hoax

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It would be nice to think that the malicious Machiavellians in media and politics will be held accountable for visiting one of American history’s greatest blunders upon us. But that appears just a dream. It’s lamentable, surely, and can make one understand why G.K. Chesterton once remarked, “It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged.”

(Selwyn Duke – Renew America)  When I speak of a hoax and The Virus, I don’t mean there isn’t in our population a pathogen identified as SARS-CoV-2 or, as the “unwoke” might say, the Wuhan Flu…. Continue reading →

The Worldwide Lockdown May Be the Greatest Mistake in History

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“But the American left cares as much about the millions of non-Americans reduced to hunger and starvation because of the lockdown as it does about the people of upstate New York who have no incomes, despite the minuscule number of coronavirus deaths there. Or about the citizens of Oregon, whose governor has just announced the state will remain locked down until July 6. As of this writing, a total of 109 people have died of the coronavirus in Oregon.”  

(Dennis Prager – PJ Media)   The idea that the worldwide lockdown of virtually every country other than Sweden may have been an enormous mistake strikes many — including world leaders; most scientists, especially health officials, doctors and epidemiologists; those who work in major news media; opinion writers in those media; and the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people who put their faith in these people — as so preposterous as to be immoral…. Continue reading →

Sharp Eyes, Soft Hearts, And Sanctified Minds: Evaluating Christian Books

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“A good Christian book should guide the reader to the Celestial City. It should lead them in a Godward direction and inspire them to live hopeful lives and holy lives.”

(David Steele)  I review books – a lot of books. Some people have expressed an interest in how I evaluate them. A few specific criteria govern the way I evaluate the overall effectiveness of Christian books, in particular.

First and most important, is the book biblical? That is, does the content reflect the teaching of the infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God? The label “Christian” does not automatically mean that a given book is a faithful representation of orthodoxy…. Continue reading →

Max Lucado Endorses Anti-Trinitarian Word of Faith Heretic Steven Furtick

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Now, it’s safe to say that Lucado himself should be avoided at all costs since he does not have the discernment, wisdom, and heart to separate himself from false teachers who are harming the Kingdom of God.

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  After endorsing the pro-gay Jen Hatmaker earlier this year, Max Lucado’s new-found role of propping up heretics and false teachers seems to have hit overdrive…. Continue reading →

Is Christianity a Life or Is it a Doctrine?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. 1 Timothy 4:6 (NASB) 

From January 1986 until the late fall of 2005 I probably would have, if asked, responded to the question in the title that Christianity is a life or at least a relationship while doctrine, though unnecessary, helps us understand that…. Continue reading →

US, Canadian Conferences of Catholic Bishops ‘Consecrate’ Nations to Mary, Ask Her to Intercede Amid Pandemic

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“Evangelicals note that the Bible states in 1 Timothy 2:5 that there is “one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” and that Jesus taught that men are to pray in His name (John 14:13-14), mentioning nothing of asking the deceased to intercede.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops have joined together to “consecrate” their nations to the care of Mary on May 1 and to ask that she intercede to Jesus during the COVID pandemic…. Continue reading →

The Coronavirus Death Rate Is MUCH Lower Than the Estimates Justifying the Lockdowns…

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“None of these studies were perfect. Some are large, some are small. As you’ll see, they came up with a range of fatality rates, but considering our country was shut down over the belief that the coronavirus had a CFR of 2% to 3.4% and all of these studies suggest the actual CFR is under 1 percent, it makes you wonder why the country was shut down.”

(Matt Margolis – PJ Media)  Appearing on Justice with Judge Jeanine on Saturday night, Dr. Debora Birx admitted something that anyone paying attention to the coronavirus pandemic has known for some time now…. Continue reading →

SBC’s National Day of Prayer Goes All-In on NAR’s ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’

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The SBC needs to stop borrowing from the NAR and stop repackaging “the seven spheres of influence” as “the seven centers of influence.” 

(PNP)  The SBC Executive committee released a guide designed to support members during the upcoming National Day of Prayer. Captioned ‘How to pray the 2020 theme, Pray God’s Glory Across the Earth, into the Seven Centers of Influence in America for the National Day of Prayer, May 7, 2020.‘… Continue reading →

Nancy Pelosi Blocking Investigation into Chinese Coronavirus Origins, Tax Money to Wuhan Lab

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“What is perhaps most interesting about all this is how little the Democrats on Capitol Hill seem to care about the origins of the virus in Wuhan, China, or about U.S. taxpayer dollars flowing to this lab in China. Many Democrats have brushed off holding China accountable for the virus and, instead, intend to focus their efforts on attacking President Trump over the Chinese coronavirus.”

(Matthew Boyle – Breitbart)  Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) told Breitbart News this weekend that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would rather investigate President Donald Trump again than focus on the actual origins of the Chinese coronavirus and U.S. tax dollars that went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology from which intelligence officials increasingly believe the virus leaked. Continue reading →

Bond

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Therefore, I encourage you, I the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthy of the calling by which you were called, 2 with all humility of mind and meekness, with long-suffering, forebearing one another in love, 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In yesterday’s post “Unity,” we looked the importance of genuine Christian Unity in the Church. Another New Testament word that emphasizes this importance is bond (συνδέσμῳ (sundesmos)), which we see in the passage above where we are to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. Continue reading →

Unity

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Therefore, I encourage you, I the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthy of the calling by which you were called, 2 with all humility of mind and meekness, with long-suffering, forebearing one another in love, 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Like never before in history, we hear much about unity today. However, much of what we hear is not based on a proper understanding of what true unity is. Unity, for example, is not compromise, or tolerance, when we throw out all doctrine so that everyone can “get along.”… Continue reading →

DAMNING ‘Five-Eyes’ Intel Report: China Suppressed, Destroyed Coronavirus Evidence, Endangered Other Countries

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The Five-Eyes report condemns “the suppression and destruction of evidence” carried out under the Chinese Communist Party and points to “virus samples ordered destroyed at genomics labs, wildlife market stalls bleached, the genome sequence not shared publicly, the Shanghai lab closure for ‘rectification’, academic articles subjected to prior review by the Ministry of Science and Technology and data on asymptomatic ‘silent carriers’ kept secret.”

(Tyler O’Neil – PJ Media)  Five Western intelligence agencies have compiled a damning report cataloging the Chinese Communist Party’s deliberate suppression and destruction of evidence regarding the coronavirus outbreak…. Continue reading →

No, Science Alone Can’t Tell Us How to Respond to the Coronavirus

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“The invocation of science as the ultimate authority capable of settling questions of how we should govern ourselves is a persistent feature of modern Western life going back several centuries, and has always been a mistake. It is especially so in this crisis, when so much is still unknown about the coronavirus and immensely complicated and consequential public-policy questions are in play.”

(Rich Lowry – National Review)  If you thought the coronavirus presented difficult policy questions, don’t worry — we have science.

Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted the other day, “The West Coast is — and will continue to be — guided by SCIENCE.” Continue reading →

Advice for the church: Better call Saul

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“This country was born in a revolution over global taxes imposed by the King of England, as well as rejection of an official state-imposed national religion. Freedom of religion and of the press was supposed to be guaranteed in our First Amendment. Yet, as a result of the coronavirus, freedom of the press has been guaranteed and freedom of religion has not. Most pastors, preachers, and priests acquiesce to their government masters and their demands for empty pews.”

(Cliff Kincaid – Renew America)  A local pastor is walking dozens of miles to raise funds for the poor and hungry, many of whom have been created by the government’s COVID-19 economic lockdown…. Continue reading →

Dirty FBI agent Strzok prevented the end of Flynn probe

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Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley: “I have been a criminal defense attorney for decades. I have seen abusive tactics. However this is one of the most thuggish records I have seen. Most concerning is that they were trying to create a crime, not investigating a crime.”

(PoliZette Staff)  Disgraced FBI playboy agent Peter Strzok intervened to keep it open when other FBI agents wanted to end the case against General Michael Flynn. Strzok was using Flynn to get to the president. Continue reading →

Rightly Handling God’s Word

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  – 2 Timothy 2:15

Martin Luther is often identified as one who argued for the right of individual Christians to interpret the Bible for themselves. In large measure, this is correct. After all, Luther himself stood firm on the doctrine of justification by faith alone because he was convinced by his reading of Scripture that the doctrine was true even when much of the medieval church disagreed…. Continue reading →

We cannot let this continue…

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , , , , ,

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announce introduction of public housing legislation as part of the Green New Deal. Reuters/Erin Scott-RC29BD93D4KZ

“Here are just a few of the messages the radical promoters of the Green New Deal were issuing on how to use the Coronavirus tactics to promote their green agenda.”

(Tom DeWeese – Renew America)  I am outraged by what the Progressive Democrats are attempting to do while the nation has been experiencing a crisis.

As you know, Nancy Pelosi and her ilk used the pandemic emergency to try to sneak their own radical agenda into the emergency recovery bill. Specifically, they pushed their attack on private business, private health care and private property as an attempt to enforce the radical Green New Deal. But that is just the beginning! Continue reading →

Collateral damage from lockdowns ‘is extraordinary’

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“I think there’s reason to believe that this disease turned out, outside of certain populations, not to be nearly as severe and dangerous as we thought and certainly the death rates I think will end up reflecting that,”

(WND)  The case for continuing the lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic is getting “weaker and weaker,” contends Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume.

The “collateral damage from it is extraordinary,” he said in an interview Tuesday night with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum. Continue reading →

Pandemic Is But One of America’s Security Concerns

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“China, however, will not meekly accept its new reduced post-viral status. Instead, it will act even more provocatively and desperately than ever. … Rumors have spread that China may be conducting nuclear tests in violation of zero-yield global agreements. If true, it reminds us that our adversaries are most dangerous when cornered and wounded.”

(Victor Davis Hanson – National Review)  The world was a dangerous place before — and will be after — the coronavirus pandemic.

While Americans debate the proper ongoing response to the virus and argue over the infection’s origins, nature and trajectory, they may have tuned out other, often just as scary, news. Continue reading →

America open for business: States including Texas, Ohio and Illinois begin relaxing coronavirus lockdown rules

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“While the likes of Georgia and Tennessee began relaxing rules earlier this week, these states are following suit as of today.”

(Chris Irvine – Fox News)  America is slowly but surely reopening for business.

The start of May sees more than half a dozen states relax lockdown measures that were imposed as the coronavirus pandemic began spiralling out of control on U.S. soil. As of Friday morning, the U.S. has seen more than a million coronavirus cases and more than 63,000 deaths. Continue reading →

Strange Fire

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Leviticus 10:1-2 (NASB) 

9 But you are A chosen race, A royal priesthood, A holy nation, A people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NASB) 

Until 2004 I could not stand to read some Old Testament books such as Leviticus and Job. I would read them only to find my mind wandering off in all directions. It was frustrating…. Continue reading →

False Prophets Exposed: Why Modern-Day prophets Never Saw This Pandemic Coming

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“I could go on with so many more face-plants by charismatics. So again, why didn’t their “prophets” know this was about to happen? The biblical answer is much simpler and more excoriating than Dr. [Michael] Brown’s answer. The reason modern-day apostles and prophets didn’t see this coming is because there are no modern-day apostles and prophets. No faith-healer is miraculously clearing out the COVID-19 wards or even daring to set foot in one because there is no such thing as a faith-healer.”

(Gabriel Hughes – The Midwestern Baptist)  Self-proclaimed apostle Chuck Pierce claimed that there would be a “shift” in the pandemic by the end of the Passover season. Self-proclaimed prophet Tracy Cooke also said that by April 16, “the blood of Jesus” would cause the “plague to pass over.”… Continue reading →