“The episode shows McGinn visiting the operator of the LA Pony and Critter Club, where people can find “safe space” to role play as animals. McGinn wears a mask and a tail, walks around on all fours, barks, and plays with a ball.”
(Heather Clark – Christian News) A video recently published to YouTube features a California man and his wife who consider themselves “human pup” and “handler,” as the woman, who identifies as a man, likes to role-play as a dog. Continue reading
If we compare much of what is preached or presented as the gospel these days to what the Bible says is the Gospel, and if we are scripturally honest, we will have to say that there is a vast difference between the two. The gospel that most hear today has been neutered by the removal of the Law of God as well as His wrath against all unatoned for sin. As a result, the Church is populated by huge numbers of converts, but sadly few regenerate believers.
Not only is the concept that the Gospel is a description of God’s bridge to people not well known or understood, it is also not seen as necessary. Why? The social or seeker sensitive gospel does not talk about sin, repentance, God’s wrath, or Christ’s Lordship. Instead, the emphasis is on getting as many as possible to “decide for Christ.” Is salvation a decision that includes the reward of eternal life for making it?
The open-mindedness and optimism of the ‘60s have given way to a progressive establishment equally as authoritarian, perhaps even more so, than the system the decade attempted to overthrow.
(Greg Jones – The Federalist) “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” states Sir Isaac Newton’s third law. While Newton intended the law to describe physical processes, it can apply to culture as well.
Just as hyper-conservative post-war America produced the rebelliousness that defined the 1960s (and much of American society since), today’s breed of authoritarian liberalism is laying the groundwork for a cultural coup d’etat. … Continue reading
“When we start making concessions on the music, or using apathy to avoid facing hard truths, we’re cowering from the Great Commission. Be different. Don’t sing the music. Don’t muddy the waters. Reach these people.”
(Costi Hinn – For The Gospel) One of the top questions I receive is about Jesus Culture and Bethel Music. Inquiring minds ask, “What do you think about listening to the music, or using only the songs that are sound?” Continue reading
The administration announced a similar policy in May that required the Bureau of Prisons to use “biological sex” as the basis for assigning facilities and bathrooms.
(Brett Samuels – The Hill) The Trump administration is weighing a change that would require individuals to identify as male or female based on their genitalia at birth, tightening gender definitions that had offered more leeway to transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, The New York Times reported Sunday. Continue reading
Viganó expressed shock at the lack of concern from Church officials toward abuse victims, writing, “it is shocking that, in the midst of so many scandals and outrage, there is so little consideration for those who have been victims of sexual predators by those who had been ordained minister[s] of the Gospel.”
(Emily Ward – CNSNews) Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó, the cardinal who has written two letters accusing Pope Francis of complicity in the cover-up of sexual abuse by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, released a third letter on Thursday, Oct. 19, repeating his original claims and calling the pope “gravely responsible” for corruption in the Catholic Church. Continue reading
1 What was from the beginning which we have heard–which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and touched with our hands—with respect to the Word of Life—2 indeed the life was manifested and we have seen it and we give testimony and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—1 John 1-4 (translated from the NA28 Greek text) (Read verses 3-4 on the site)
Eusebius was a contemporary of Constantine of Hippo. In his book The Church History, he covers the time of the Apostles and spread of Christianity over the Roman world during and after their time. He brings up an interesting point about a third of the way through the book in that while the Apostles were still alive as well as those who were eye witnesses to their lives and ministries and that included those who had actually seen our Lord Jesus before his crucifixion and after his resurrection, our enemy could only successfully attack with limited success from within the Church….
Dean Cain stars in the film
“The filmmakers have received varying reports of theaters actively preventing customers from buying a ticket by not advertising the film or declaring it “sold out” before capacity is reached. While some of those situations may be the result of human error, Sullivan says the apparent blackballing is too consistent to go ignored.”
(Paul Bios – Daily Wire) “Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer” surpassed box office expectations upon its release last week by entering into the Top 10 grossing films with a revenue of $1,235,000 on just 668 screens. Continue reading
“The conference wound down to less than a one third occupied room at the Dallas facility. Perhaps ticket sales were lower than expected or some attendees did not stay to hear a gay, unmarried, celibate Priest – who created no small controversy over ten demands in his “Living Out Church Audit” – discuss his ideas or those of Russell Moore on the new inclusive church as family.”
(Thomas Littleton – Thirty Pieces Of Silver) ERLC just completed its 2018 “Cross Shaped Family Conference” in Dallas, which was the second of an annual event. This year’s conference was a platform for ERLC President, Russell Moore, to feature his new book “The Storm-Tossed Family,” which was also title of his opening key note address. Shameless and opportunistic perhaps but, nonetheless, not the real theme of the SBC entity conference. … Continue reading
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:16-18
What Paul is saying is that he has no sense of pride and achievement because he faithfully preached the gospel without charge. On the contrary, he really has no choice about preaching the gospel. I am compelled to preach.
In other words, If I do not preach I am miserable. I have really no choice in this matter. I would much rather preach than experience what I know I am going to experience if I do not: the lash of my conscience, the sense of failure in what God has called me to do. I cannot live with that. Woe to me if I preach not the gospel.
He says, If I do it willingly I gain a reward. If I accept this commission from God, and joyfully do what he tells me to do, it is to my great advantage. I enjoy it; but whether I like it or not, I have to do it.
“If late night hosts and SNL skits were regularly savaging this PC lunacy, rather than delivering tearful soliloquies about Trump’s latest infraction, there would be hardly any Leftists remaining in this country.”
(Matt Walsh – Daily Wire) The week began with news that a large majority of Americans despise political correctness. Succeeding events demonstrated why they hate it so much. Continue reading
This article by CRN managing editor Marsha West was first published August 28, 2015
A recent report indicates that 70% of Americans are Christians. If this is true, what it says to this writer is that a whole host of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ neglect to read the instruction manual that reveals everything we need to know about the object of our faith. I’m referring to the Bible. Anyone who takes the time to read it knows what Jesus taught and how those who claim to believe in Him must live their lives. Clearly Christians are not reading the Book.
So, isn’t it a bit odd that people who say they believe Christ died for their sins aren’t the least bit curious about who He is and what He taught while He was here? Jesus spent the better part of three years teaching his disciples all sorts of things such as what His mission was (John 1:14-18) and how they were to conduct themselves.
The Lord gave commands, not suggestions. He never said: “It’s not a good idea to murder someone…lie…cheat…steal…sleep around…commit adultery…practice homosexual sex…get drunk…use drugs…have a slew of idols, or anything like that.” Nor did He say: “It would be nice if you’d consider forgiving those who do you wrong.” He never tossed them the “Good job!” compliment when they exercised discernment. Neither was Jesus into high-fiving and “atta boys.” Whenever these sorts of things came up in conversation, He said unequivocally, “Do not”…”You must!” Moreover, He was clear that in order to be saved people must repent of their sins and turn away from the sinful life. “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).
And trust me when I say that there’s no way He would have said to one of His followers: “God smiles when you be you.”
Keeping Jesus’ commands begins with knowing what they are and then, of course, obeying them. The Lord said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
If you love me…
Basic Training
So, could a person become a member of the armed forces without ever having gone through some form of basic training? No! The expressed purpose for a soldier to go through boot camp is to learn to become a lean mean fighting machine. Soldiers leave boot camp with the general knowledge they need to go into combat and fight a brutal enemy, with their goal being to win! Men and women who don’t understand the rules of engagement, what weapons to use in battle and how to use them effectively, will end up on the losing end.
During the 1960s when the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans first began, what if professing evangelicals had understood that we were in the beginning stages of the “culture war”? What if evangelicals had gone all out to stop the small number of progressives from taking control of public schools…higher education…entertainment industry…media… politics…courts…the scientific community and so on?
What if…???
Hind sight is 20/20 so we now see the fruit of a minuscule amount of determined activists. In a few decades “progressives” along with a small number of gay people have taken control of the 3 areas that most impact people’s lives — education, entertainment and the media. This matters, brethren, because liberals use these 3 areas to manipulate the public into making decisions based on their feelings rather than rational thought. Not surprisingly, the visible Church is steeped in emotionalism, so much so that when it comes to making important life decisions, instead of looking to the Bible as we should, we allow our feelings to guide us.
But I’m drifting from my point…
Currently somewhere around 3% of Americans identify as homosexuals and a small percentage say they’re Christians. Why do I bring this up? For the reason that if Bible believing Christians weren’t so worried about being marginalized by liberals, if they weren’t so concerned about being perceived as intolerant, hateful and bigoted for believing what the Bible teaches about sodomy–that it’s a sexual perversion—America wouldn’t have same-sex “marriage” and special rights for gay people as the law of the land.
The Bible isn’t the only book that refers to sodomy as a sexual perversion. Dictionary.com (DC) defines sodomy as: Any of various forms of sexual intercourse held to be unnatural or abnormal, especially anal intercourse or bestiality.
DC on perversion: A practice or act, especially one that is sexual in nature, considered abnormal or deviant.
DC on unnatural: Contrary to the laws or course of nature.
What is natural? According to DC: Natural is in conformity with the ordinary course of nature; not unusual or exceptional. (emphasis added)
As you can see, DC is in agreement with what the Bible says about sodomy, that it’s unnatural.
The Lord Says…
One man, one woman…for life.
The Designer of the human body told us His view of same-sex sex in His written Word – He’s against it. He has never been for it. For clarification read Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:18-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9 Bible believing Christians have no choice but to accept the very words of God on this contentious issue. “Homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible,” says apologist Matt Slick. “It undermines God’s created order when He made Adam and Eve, a man and a woman, to carry out His command to fill and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). Homosexuality cannot carry out that mandate. In addition, homosexuality undermines the basic family unit of husband and wife which is the God-ordained means of procreation. Again, homosexuality cannot do that. And, believe it or not, it is also dangerous to society.” (Source)
Make no mistake. Sexual relations outside the marriage bed—no matter how much you “love” the person–is an egregious sin. Keep in mind that any professing Christian who lives in habitual sin could very well be a false convert. Again, Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Anyone who rejects Jesus’ words will not inherit the Kingdom of God. When people like Oprah Winfrey and apostate Rob Bell proclaim that there is no hell and that there’s many ways to heaven it’s best to tune them out. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Prov 14:12).
As an aside, it’s not just people of faith who believe same-sex sex is bad for society. Even some secularists oppose this behavior because they believe sodomy goes against nature, therefore they deem it unnatural, unhealthy and destructive to the human body. For them going against nature is no minor matter. When we’re dealing with a person’s settled beliefs it becomes a matter of right and wrong.
Speaking of right and wrong, those who don’t care what others do “behind closed doors” should peruse the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website. There you will learn that people who practice sodomy—gay, bi or straight—have a far greater risk of contracting life threatening diseases. According to the CDC:
The incidence of HIV in gay and bisexual men is 44 times that of heterosexual men.
What’s hard to believe is that anyone who opposes this destructive behavior gets severely castigated. These days those who oppose the homosexual agenda live in fear of being labeled a bigot. Sadly, many Christians fear the wrath of the homosexual lobby more than they fear God’s wrath. They seem to forget:
In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:11)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7).
The 3%
Now to the point of this piece. In a blog post on Fire Breathing Christian, Scott Alan Buss asks: What if America had as many Christians as it does gay activists? As I stated above, 70% of Americans say they’re Christians. Even with that huge number, we lost the culture war. We lost because our Christian leaders are inept. Even so, Buss believes we can stop the mass insanity — if…
3%.
That’s what it took to move America to where it is now.
3%.
That’s all that was required to transition us from a people who at least loosely based their morality on some vaguely understood and appreciated Christian foundation into one that is openly and proudly based on self-centered, self-referential, and self-serving lust.
3%.
That’s how much commitment on the ground was needed to shift us from cheering Wheaties-box Bruce Jenner as an example of All-American masculinity into a people that applauds Vanity Fair cover “Caitlyn” Jenner as the embodiment of “bravery” and “courage”.
3%….3%…3%…
Of all the many great and terrible lessons being taught to us now through the committed, believing, active 3% who have successfully stormed and pillaged the culture, one of the greatest and most important is this: 3% is enough.
With persistence, 3% is enough to move the culture from one extreme to another.
With belief in practice, the dedicated actions of 3% can accomplish what seemed impossible only 10 or 20 years earlier.
With faith in action, 3% can fundamentally change the world.
Let that soak in.
Let it sink in.
As much as it hurts, let it take root.
As much as it stings, let it linger.
As much as it exposes about our laughably non-Christian professing Christian culture in America over (at least) the past 100 years, let it take hold.
Let it speak.
Then ask the question: What if just 3% of Americans were as committed to Christ in action as the 3% who are at this moment dancing on the grave of our dead culture?
What if only 3% of Americans took seriously the comprehensive life- and culture-defining reality of the Gospel-fueled Great Commission?
What if a mere 3% of Americans were consecrated by the grace of God to the propagation of His Kingdom through loving obedience to His crystal clear command to take every thought captive and make obedient disciples of all nations (including – and starting with – our own)? (See: Matthew 28:18-20)
What would our law, politics, economics, art, and culture begin to look like then?
Put another way: What if just 3% of those living in “the Christian nation” of America were actually Christians?
We know now firsthand what a dedicated 3% of actual believers can do to a culture.
Isn’t the power of 3% amazing?
Isn’t the faith in action of 3% awe-inspiring?
Isn’t the amount and depth of profound change made possible by a believing 3% incredible?
Yes, yes, and yes.
3% can do otherwise unimaginable, unbelievable things through the persistent application of their faith in the real world. (Continue reading)
I have nothing to add to Buss’s stinging rebuke, except that reading his piece made the hair on my arms stand up. So – I’ll conclude with the wise words of The Cripplegate blogger, Mike Riccardi, as he passes on what the Church’s mission should be — with no hint that he has a fear of man:
That means that our mission, my fellow followers of Jesus, is not to retreat from this depraved culture, but to go into this depraved culture and herald the message of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To tell a world drunk on its own arrogance that God is God, and they are not. That He makes authoritative declarations and pronouncements and judgments, and they do not. It is to tell this lost world that their sovereign Creator has made a declaration, and it is this: that all people everywhere must repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. And that on that day, at the name of His Son, the Lord of all the earth, Jesus Christ, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ—not themselves—is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Source)
Recommended Resources:
What is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?
If You Love Me You Will Keep My Commandments
Copyright by Marsha West, 2015.
The most recent edition of The State of Theology survey from Ligonier shows that the majority of evangelicals believe Jesus is the first being created by God (more than 80%), that even the smallest sins don’t make a person worthy of hell (about 70%), and that God accepts the worship of all religions (more than 50%). So according to the results of this survey, most American evangelicals believe heresy. And Chandler thinks the problem with evangelicals leaving the church is we don’t address enough culturally relevant topics?*
(Gabriel Hughes – Junction City) I originally wrote this piece on September 12 but never published it. The discussion has resurfaced, and I’ve decided to share. I’ll explain more at the very end.
On Sunday, September 9, Vice News (think Dateline for millennials on HBO) interviewed Matt Chandler about the changes that are happening in evangelicalism. Nothing of the interview was informative to me, mostly because the intended audience was unchurched millennials. I already know what’s going on in the church. They don’t. Continue reading
Steve Jalsevac, co-founder and president of LifeSiteNews, said the ban was “total intolerance” in line with Silicon Valley’s “totalitarian mindset.”
(Paul Bios – Daily Wire) The pro-life religiously conservative LifeSiteNews has been locked out of its Twitter account for an article that profiled the rise in STDs among homosexual men.
The article in question, “Why HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea are rising among homosexuals,” was written in 2014 and focused on statistics provided by the CDC and The New York Times. Four years later, on October 18, the social media giant Twitter locked LifeSiteNews from its account for “hateful conduct.” Continue reading
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
A minister of Christ is to be a steward entrusted with what Paul calls the mysteries God has revealed,
that secret and hidden wisdom of God, these valuable truths which are only found in the revelation of the Word of God and nowhere else. Ministers are responsible to dispense these truths continually to the congregation so that lives are changed and lived on the basis of these remarkable truths. These are truths about life, about our families, about God, and ourselves. These truths lie beyond all secular research and opinion polls; they are undiscoverable by natural reason or observation. These mysteries, when understood, are the basis upon which all God’s purposes in our lives are worked out.
Eric Davis addresses Christians who choose not to go to church for one reason or another. “Is it inconsequential for the professing believer to remain a flockless sheep?” he asks.
So, what’s to become of flockless sheep? Does the Bible give any outlook for them? Actually, it does. And according to Davis the outlook is bad. Not surprisingly, there are some consequences for those who insist on remaining churchless Christians, which he shares in his piece over at The Cripplegate. He writes:
Sadly, it’s become a norm within American Christianity. Incredibly, it’s a regular thing amid evangelicalism. Embarrassingly, it’s widely accepted among many professing Christians. “I’m a Christian, but I don’t really go to church.”
Churchless Christians. Flockless sheep. Bodyless body-parts. Continue reading
“Don’t you think that it’s weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?”
(Paul Bios – Daily Wire) Whether by coincidence or cosmic irony, this just happened to be the week where actresses flash their feminist street creds by bashing Disney princesses.
Within 24 hours of actress Keira Knightley announcing her ban on the films “Cinderella” and “The Little Mermaid” for her three-year-old daughter for sending false messages on female empowerment, “Frozen” actress Kristen Bell blasted “Snow White” for teaching girls false messages about consent and talking to strangers. Continue reading
“A third shirt, bearing the same “Activities for Children” wording, also reads “Let’s Summon Demons” and depicts a boy lying on a drawing of a pentagram with candles surrounding him. Other children encircle him, including a young girl holding a teddy bear.”
(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) A video posted to social media informing Christians that mall retailer Spencer Gifts sells t-shirts bearing messages such as “Let’s Summon Demons” and “Let’s Sacrifice Toby” has gone viral. Continue reading
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
The two most important things in our holy religion are the life of faith and the walk of faith. He who shall rightly understand these is not far from being a master in experimental theology, for they are vital points to a Christian.
You will never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life which has not for its root a living faith upon the righteousness of Christ. Woe unto those who seek after the one without the other!
“I can still remember the day it all hit me like a ton of bricks. These elders were saying they had access to insight that I could not have or had not been given. They had a special lens for seeing and I did not. And that I knew was an evil error. Unaccountable knowledge based on special intuition placed my leaders above the Scriptures not under them. They denied it in theory, but it was clearly what they practiced.”
Posted over at R. Scott Clark’s The Heidelblog:
Dr. Clark,
A few weeks ago you posted a warning against the desire for ongoing prophecy. [See also this—Ed.] In it you told a story of what happens when people look to words from God beyond Scripture. I wanted to stand as a witness to the dangers you highlighted. Continue reading
“Keller referenced the Speech Act Theory as his basis for his view that words can’t just be analyzed for what they say but also for what they do.”
David Wheaton, host of The Christian Worldview, and Cameron Buettel of Grace To You discuss Buettel’s recent column on the ramifications of the Speech Act Theory on interpreting words. From TCW:
The reason the framers of The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel wrote the document is spelled out in its Introduction: “We are deeply concerned that values borrowed from secular culture are currently undermining Scripture in the areas of race and ethnicity, manhood and womanhood, and human sexuality. The Bible’s teaching on each of these subjects is being challenged under the broad and somewhat nebulous rubric of concern for “social justice.” Continue reading
“For her article, Belz spoke with publishing industry insiders. She reported that one answer was better plagiarism detection software. My answer is to hold authors to a high standard. They should do their own work.”
(Warren Throckmorton) Judging by reaction to recent plagiarism cases, I don’t think plagiarism matters much to most Christians.
Of late, professor Aaron New has brought forward multiple clear examples of plagiarism involving Tim Clinton and the American Association of Christian Counseling. I have published most of them on this blog. The response has been interest from the Christian Post but other than that, a resounding yawn. … Continue reading
1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)
Several years ago, I wrote a post about how God is not pleased with our religiosity, but is, instead, well pleased in His people when they become living sacrifices who have left their dead works behind and are living out their faith daily walking before their Lord in repentance and obedience. Those “church builders” don’t like this topic very much. They want to have their people submissive to them and feeling guilty when they slip up on their religiosity duties they have been given. Let’s look at a passage that talks about this and has been misused by many to force church-goers to become overburdened with religiosity and churchianity.
“When listening to Johnson’s sermon, one may get the impression that, for him, the bottom line isn’t orthodoxy vs. heresy. The line is not godliness vs. immorality. The issue for Johnson appears to boil down to one word: power.”
(Holly Pivec – Spirit of Error) “Eat the meat and spit out the bones” is a common refrain in NAR. Typically, it means that if you hear a teacher give a questionable teaching — something that you don’t understand or that seems off somehow — ignore that particular teaching. But don’t stop listening to his other teachings. Continue reading
Once again Ligonier Ministries has commissioned a survey to assess Americans’ theological understanding. The survey contains charts and some must-read information. One thing we learn from the survey is that most evangelicals strongly believe in justification by faith alone; however, “they are confused about the person of Jesus Christ. On one hand, virtually all evangelicals express support for Trinitarian doctrine. Yet at the same time, most agree that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God, which was a view espoused by the ancient heretic Arius.”
Now to Ligonier’s survey: Continue reading