California’s Proposed Resolution Tells Pastors How They Should Talk About Homosexuality. That’s Not Okay

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“Under its guidelines, California pastors who believe homosexuality falls short of our Creator’s intentions would be forbidden from saying so. Forbidden from encouraging congregants who are same-sex attracted to abstain from homosexual behavior (even if they are heterosexually married). Forbidden from encouraging congregants to abandon homosexuality as a primary means of self-identification.”

(Joe Dallas – The Stream)  The California Assembly will soon vote on a resolution laying the framework for what many of us have feared and predicted for years: the power of the State to dictate moral positions to the Church. Continue reading →

Pastor Jailed During ‘Drag Queen Story Hour,’ SWAT Team Snipers Positioned Atop Library Roof

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One photo posted to social media shows a man in camouflage standing atop the South Hill Library. The Charles Carroll Society also posted photos on its website of men on the roof holding binoculars.

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  A Baptist pastor was arrested and jailed on Saturday after refusing to move across the street from the Spokane, Washington Public Library while exercising his free speech against a “Drag Queen Story Hour.” The event had a significant militaristic police presence, including camouflaged snipers positioned atop the roof to oversee the large crowd that stood both for and against the men dressed like women reading stories to children. Continue reading →

Correct doctrine conforms to godliness and is a means of great contentment, but false doctrines do neither

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB) 

Life is a continual hunt or search for circumstances that will result in contentment. That is the focus for the natural man. When societal norms become relaxed from the “bonds” that restrict certain forms of self-expression” we witness rising levels of aberrant behavior that are simply attempts by seekers of this “contentment” to find, experience, and practice them hoping to finally reach some level of passion or peace or whatever that will last and leave them in that “contented” state. Continue reading →

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other…

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Luke 16:13 (NASB) 

When the Protestant Reformation took off in the early 16th Century one of the motivating factors for the cruel retaliation by the Roman church was the teaching by the reformers from God’s Word to the common people that wealth and power were not indicators of God’s blessing on the prelates, priests, monks, bishops, and the Popes…. Continue reading →

Trafficking’s invisible victims: Boys trapped in the sex trade

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“I noticed when I went to the Super Bowl in Phoenix a few years ago, that there were … boys being trafficked there,” Malone, who is also a former general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, tells Fox News. “What we found, even there, were little boys dressed up as girls and being sold.”

(Perry Chiaramonte, Andrew Keiper – Fox News)  If there’s a public face to human trafficking it’s usually that of a young teenage girl, but across the country a new type of victim is increasingly coming to the fore.

More and more, young boys are being preyed upon and exploited in the sex trade, and advocates are beginning to take notice. Continue reading →

Mother Goddess of The Shack and AA’s higher power’

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In the Fall of the Evangelical Nation, secular author Christine Wicker credits Alcoholics Anonymous with “hastening the fall of the evangelical church.”

(John Lanagan – The Word Like Fire)  Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. (Jeremiah 2:11)

Why have so many rejected the Christ of the Bible? Why have so many created a “Christ” of their own understanding? What happened? Continue reading →

God’s Tests

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.  Genesis 18:1

In this event God tests Abraham’s heart to determine whether he is really a circumcised believer. God appears in such a commonplace way that Abraham is not aware of His identity. I’ve long wished for some kind of a test that could be used in Bible schools and seminaries to determine the degree of spiritual maturity the students have attained. All the tests that are commonly used reveal only the amount of information that a student has amassed. There is little that reveals the real spiritual achievement of a life. Continue reading →

Russiagate Is No Watergate

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , ,

“If the impeachment hearings come, they will be seen for what they are: An attempted coup to overthrow a president by the losers of 2016 who are fearful they could lose again in 2020 and be out of power for four more years.”

(Patrick J. Buchanan – CNSNews)  “History is repeating itself, and with a vengeance,” John Dean told the Judiciary Committee, drawing a parallel between Watergate, which brought down Richard Nixon, and “Russiagate” which has bedeviled Donald Trump.

But what strikes this veteran of Nixon’s White House is not the similarities but the stark differences. Continue reading →

The Woke Tools of the SBC: A Review of Resolution 9 on Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality

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

“Intersectionality has convinced many within evangelicalism to: Replace theology with victimology. Swap pastors with sociologists. Trade theologians for political activists. We will never achieve “reconciliation” and “unity” and “equality” through social justice. The SBC has made a serious mistake and one that without stern correction will be the tipping point for an already vulnerable and numerically decreasing Convention of churches.” 

(Josh Buice – Delivered By Grace)  The Southern Baptist Convention fought a 30-year long battle for the Bible known as the Conservative Resurgence, but what happened in Birmingham, Alabama might just prove to validate the woke movement for the largest protestant denomination in America…. Continue reading →

Truth twisting

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Acts 20:29-30 (NASB) 

Several years ago when I was doing almost daily battle with Rob Bell’s apologists I was asked by one of them what Bell had done that has so upset me that I would post some articles about him on this blog. His stance was that even though he disagreed with much of what Rob Bell taught, he read him and listened to him anyway because he liked to “be stretched.”… Continue reading →

Progressive’s Bigotry: Tyranny Masquerading as Tolerance

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A headline on the left-wing internet site Salon.com describes the conflict in these distorted and inflammatory terms: “Progressives fight back on the Christian right’s grotesque ‘religious freedom’ power play.” Salon describes the new HHS rule as “a sweeping assault on civil rights” and an effort to advance the religious right’s “discriminatory agenda.”

(David Horowitz – PJ Media)  To anyone focused on real-world events and relationships, America is obviously the most tolerant and inclusive society that has ever existed. If you are looking for irrefutable evidence, watch an hour of TV commercials created by major U.S. companies…. Continue reading →

Is Yoga Religious? Yes!

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“…yoga means union instead of separation. It has an intrinsic and inseparable relationship to Hinduism. Again, there is no Hinduism without yoga and no yoga without Hinduism. This becomes more understandable when you think of yoga as the way of salvation in Hinduism.”

(Clete Hux – The Aquila Report)  Last year the Governor of Alabama and its State School Board members received a communication from Rajan Zed, President of the Universal Society of Hinduism. Pointing out that most public universities of Alabama were already offering some form of yoga, Mr. Zed requested  the State of Alabama to end the prohibition of teaching or practicing yoga in its K – 12 public schools.1 The prohibition is Alabama Administrative Code (AAC), Rule 290-040-040-.2, which was has been in place since 1993. Continue reading →

‘Slide Into Apostasy’: Top Southern Baptist Leaders Sing Lynyrd Skynyrd Before Thousands of Pastors at ‘Send Luncheon’

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“It’s shameful to see Christian leaders act this way. They’ve replaced God’s way with the world’s way when it comes to growing a church or a denomination. Not trusting in Bible preaching and prayer, they turn to rock music and comedy. Then they turn around and ask for God’s blessing.”

Top leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention took to the stage on Monday during the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) “Send Luncheon,” and donning wigs, hats and electric guitars, sang karaoke to the Lynyrd Skynyrd hit “Sweet Home Alabama” for the thousands of pastors who had gathered for the event. Video footage of the performance, which is a part of the 2019 annual Southern Baptist Convention, has generated concern that the SBC is “sliding into apostasy.” Continue reading →

Rooted and grounded in love

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

14 For this cause I bend my knees to the Father 15 from whom every family in Heaven and on Earth is named,16 that He may grant you according to the wealth of His glory to become mightily empowered in your inner being through His Spirit 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, having been rooted and grounded in love,18 that you might have strength to grasp together with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of His love, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 (NA28 Greek text)

I would not pass the test for post modernism in any context. I am not politically correct nor do I care whether I am or am not. If that becomes a requirement for employment or something else that we view as temporally vital in this age, I will still refuse…. Continue reading →

It Takes A Village To Deceive A Family

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“Making the Bragg family wait like that to get the attention of the pastoral staff — especially the senior pastor — is unconscionable. If you’re too busy to meet for months with a family whose daughter says she was molested by a member of your staff, then brother, you are too…busy building your megachurch empire, and you need to think about why you went into the ministry in the first place.”

(Rod Dreher – The American Conservative)  I mentioned earlier that the Southern Baptist Convention is going to take up the problem of sexual abuse in the denomination at its meeting this week…. Continue reading →

Bethel Redding sister church that worshiped Mother Goddess to feature speakers aligned with ‘The Shack’

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From the time Paul Young first published his book, The Shack, with the goddess character in the place of the Father, the visible church has been suffering from this heresy. And please, don’t tell me it’s just a book.

(John Lanagan – The Word Like Fire)  And when we burned incense to the Queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men? (Jeremiah 44:9)

If there is one church that absolutely doesn’t need  any more confusion about the biblical God, it is Bethesda NW. On Mother’s Day, the congregation worshiped the Mother Goddess. (Read) The blasphemous idea of El Shaddai as the Double Breasted One was introduced in early January of 2019. (Read) Continue reading →

The Atonement and our redemption through the blood of Christ

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” 4 Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Exodus 24:3-8 (NASB)  (Read verses 5-8 on the site)

With the demise of the Biblical/Christian Worldview those of us who belong to the Lamb of God must stop assuming that our culture, our environment, knows or grasps what we mean when we talk about sin and God being Holy, Righteous, and Just. In Romans 1 we see that the natural Man knows the truth in his or her heart of hearts, but they suppress it. In turn, God gives them over or gives them up to a debased mind…. Continue reading →

Vatican office blasts gender theory, questions intentions of transgender people

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“In this understanding of things, the view of both sexuality identity and the family become subject to the same ‘liquidity’ and ‘fluidity’ that characterize other aspects of post-modern culture, often founded on nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants, or momentary desires provoked by emotional impulses and the will of the individual”

(Joshua J. McElwee – National Catholic Reporter)  The Vatican office responsible for overseeing Catholic educational institutions around the world has blasted modern gender theory, claiming in a new document that it seeks to “annihilate the concept of ‘nature.'” Continue reading →

California Authorities Raid Christian School, Order it to Change Beliefs on Sex

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“Parents don’t send their kids to a Christian school for spiritual and sexual exploration. They want a structured environment where kids are taught from a Christian worldview.” 

(Michael Foust – Christian Headlines)  A California case that began with police raiding a private Christian boarding school could have major implications for religious education in the state, attorneys for the school are warning.

River View Christian Academy in rural Northern California was raided in January by 16-armed law enforcement officials who were accompanied by two canine units and 17 social workers…. Continue reading →

CEOs From 180 Companies, Including Twitter And H&M, Pen Letter Opposing State Abortion Laws

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“For starters, the statement made — that without abortion, businesses will find the health, independence and economic stability of their employees threatened — seems to imply that work-life balance is outdated, and that the CEOs and their respective companies don’t value the idea of employees having a family.”

(Emily Zanotti – Daily Wire)  CEOs from 180 companies signed on to a full-page ad in The New York Times released Monday, claiming recent restrictive abortion laws passed in states like Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri are “bad for business.” Continue reading →

Are Abortion & Gay Rights American Values?

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“When Hillary Clinton said half of all Trump supporters could be put into a “basket of deplorables” for being “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic,” she was conceding that many Trump’s supporters detest many progressive values.”

(Patrick J. Buchanan – Townhall)  “My religion defines who I am. And I’ve been a practicing Catholic my whole life,” said Vice President Joe Biden in 2012. “I accept my church’s position on abortion as … doctrine. Life begins at conception. … I just refuse to impose that on others.” Continue reading →

The doctrine of original sin is biblical

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NASB) 

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”  Genesis 3:1 (NASB)  (Read Genesis 3:2-6 and 3:19 on the site)

The doctrine of original sin is a vital part of genuine Christian orthodoxy. For a long time I didn’t really appreciate how important it is in our concept of the depths of our guilt before our Sovereign and thrice Holy God…. Continue reading →

Which Should Be Illegal: Sodomy or Christianity? (A Thought Experiment)

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“It’s happening in increments, in dribs and drabs. A Christian baker here, a florist there. But sometimes the chef turns up the heat, and the frogs in the pot start to notice. The Equality Act now before Congress would place homosexuals and “transgender” people on the same legal footing as ethnic minorities under the Civil Rights Act. That would declare Christian (and Jewish and Muslim) teachings on sexual morality the legal equivalent of racial hate speech.”

(John Zmirak – The Stream)  Pick one. Seriously.

This is the choice the intolerant left is forcing on us. Liberals pretended right up to the day before Obergefell v. Hodges was decided that all they wanted was tolerance. Privacy. To keep government out of people’s intimate lives…. Continue reading →