Glenn Beck, conservative pundit, endorses Hillary Clinton for president

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , ,

AOL News reports:

Glenn BeckNoted conservative pundit Glenn Beck thinks Donald Trump has gone too far and has officially decided to endorse Hillary Clinton for president, to the shock of many.

“It is not acceptable to ask a moral, dignified man to cast his vote to help elect an immoral man who is absent decency or dignity,” Beck wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. “If the consequence of standing against Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it. At least it is a moral, ethical choice.”

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Godlessness and false doctrine

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. 17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. Jude 1:16-19 (NASB) 

Only regenerate believers have a transformed mindset while everyone else has the “natural man mindset.” The transformed mindset should be growing more and more apparent to the believer as they become spirit-filled and walk in obedience to his or her Lord. Now we will take a look at end result of those with the natural man mindset as God gives them up. View article →

Bethel Church: Pimping Heresy

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

The culture of Bethel Church in Redding CA “is one that is defiantly non-orthodox and non-biblical,” warns Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen.  “So experience-driven and Word-avoiding are the faithful at Bethel that it is reported that Johnson’s wife, Beni, engages in ‘grave sucking,’ a maneuver that presumably allows one to absorb ‘the spiritual anointing of deceased Christians by lying atop their graves.'”

Ahlheim begins with a quote from Charles Spurgeon: “That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”  Now see why he believes God abhors self-professed “apostle” and lead pastor Bill Johnson’s “church.”

 

bill-johnsonBethel Church of Redding, California was founded in 1952 and was affiliated with the Assemblies of God until 2006, when current pastor Bill Johnson led the church to dissociate itself from the denomination. The current attendance at Bethel’s Redding location is just under 8,700 each Sunday. The now denominationally independent church operates on a $9 million annual budget.

But Bethel’s impact in terms of numbers of souls it touches is far beyond the confines of its Redding headcounts. Bethel is, like Hillsong, an international influence, gaining traction for the prosperity/dominion theology that undergirds it through the primary mechanism of music.

In March 2016, Billboard Magazine noted that, since its first top ten hit on the Top Christian Albums ranking, Bethel Music has had a total of nine Top Ten appearances since that initial 2012 entrance. The album Have It All: Live At Bethel Church sold 25,000 copies in the first week of its release, placing it at number two on the Top Christian Albums chart and taking the twelfth spot on the overall Billboard 200.

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Lysa TerKeurst’s book Unglued is Un-biblical

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Reviews ∙ , , ,

From Berean Research:

unglued-bookRebekah Womble of Wise In His Eyes reviews Lysa TerKeurst’s book Unglued.  Womble says she wants to like the book but finds much of what it contains decidedly unbiblical, thus her advice is unhelpful to women who are searching for biblical answers to life’s pressing problems. “Never once does Terkeurst (sp) emphasize the fact that when we sin, we refuse to give God glory and instead, please ourselves,” says Womble. “She completely neglects the fact that the absolute, most significant goal of our lives should be to glorify God—because that is what He is most considered about. “

Sadly, sin and repentance were omitted and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ wasn’t emphasized either.   According to Womble, TerKeurst’s attempt to share the gospel with her readers was “weak, it was man-centered, it was without Christ’s atoning death, and therefore, it wasn’t the gospel at all.”

Now listen to Rebekah Womble’s review of the book…

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American Pastor Formerly Imprisoned in Iran Announces Divorce From Wife

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

Christian News Network reports:

divorceAn American pastor who had been imprisoned in Iran for three years until he was freed in January in a prisoner swap with the U.S. has announced that he is divorcing his wife out of his belief that they are “different people” and that the “only path toward healing is apart.”

“My heart is deeply saddened to be sharing the news that Naghmeh and I will be divorcing,” Saeed Abedini publicly posted to social media on Wednesday.

“There are no words to describe the ongoing effect of the trauma I experienced and my family has experienced both during and in the aftermath of my imprisonment. We are different people, and we are hurting people. It pains me to say, but I have decided the only path toward healing is apart, and not together,” he said.

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The light of the world

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 (NASB) 

While Joel and Victoria Osteen believe that our Lord’s command to let your light shine before others is to prosper and show everyone how God is blessing you, this is not what He was talking about in the passage above at all. We are not to be conformed to this world, we are to be unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ while not being yoked to professing Christians who are not genuine, and we are to lay up our treasure in heaven not here on earth. Living like this makes one stand out because it is a way of life that is conformed to God and His ways, which are not the ways of the world. It will get the attention of the unregenerate. View article →

Jesus Always, the Sequel to Jesus Calling

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Reviews ∙ , , ,

Tim Challies has written many excellent book reviews.  This time he sets his sights on best-selling author Sarah Young’s just released daily devotional.  As in Jesus Calling, the Jesus in Young’s new book is clearly not the Jesus of Scripture but an impostor, as Challies makes plain in his review:

jesus-alwaysThis book is going to be big. Huge, even. Its predecessor has sold well over 10 million copies and more than a decade after publication has no less than 6 editions on the list of Christian bestsellers. Today, at last, comes the long-awaited sequel, releasing to great fanfare—a million-copy first printing backed by a huge $300,000 marketing spend. One way or another you will come across this book and so will most of your friends and neighbors. You will see it on Amazon, in Costco, in airport bookshops, and perhaps even at your church’s book table. It’sJesus Always, Sarah Young’s sequel to Jesus Calling.

Like Jesus Calling, Jesus Always is a little book—just 4.4 by 6.3 inches—and like Jesus Calling contains 365 short daily devotions. What makes Young’s little books distinct is her big claim: Her name is on the cover, but the words come from Jesus.

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NWHL’s Harrison Browne is first transgender athlete in pro team sports

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Yahoo News reports:

transgender9Harrison Browne, a forward for the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League, has publicly announced he is transgender, becoming the first athlete in professional team sports to do so as an active player.

Browne, who formerly identified as Hailey Browne, is now listed as Harrison Browne on the NWHL website. According to an NWHL official, he has informed the League that he won’t undergo gender reassignment surgery until after retiring as a pro hockey player. He will also not take any testosterone supplements while playing because it violates performance-enhancing drug policies for the League.

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Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) 

It is very common in the visible church in our time to hear preachers and teachers and people within local bodies of believers to boast about all sorts of things pertaining to their salvation or walk. They boast about their confirmation, baptism, church membership, Holy Communion, keeping the Ten Commandments, living the Sermon on the Mount, giving to charity, and living a moral life. It is not uncommon to hear some even boast about their faith, but all boasting is rooted in good works, not grace. View article →

Faults to Avoid In Public Prayer

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

Prayer - Charles Spurgeon

This piece by Nick Batzig of The Christward Collective is based on Samuel Miller’s thoughts on prayer.  Batzig reveals that “Miller set out 18 common mistakes that ministers, elders and deacons should labor to avoid when leading the congregation in public prayer.” The Old Life blog, where we came across this, quipped: “Not quite Rick Warren like, so not enough for forty days of driving your way to a life of purpose. But if Christians ever had to consider that praying in public does not come naturally to some believers, this post might get them started. And it really would throw a wrench into the praying patters of the seemingly intimate small group.”

Following are the first three mistakes:

1. Avoid vain repetition. The one leading in prayer should be careful not to say, “O Father,” “Holy Father” or “Lord” over and over and over again.

2. Avoid hesitation and stumbling. The one leading in prayer should spend time on the prayer prior to the service so that he does not come across unprepared.

3. Avoid ungrammatical expressions. For example, the one leading in prayer should avoid such phrases as “Grant to give us…” “Grant to impart to us…” Grant and give are verbs expressing the same thing. This is a redundant and inaccurate use of language.

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Can We Enjoy Heaven Knowing Loved Ones Are in Hell?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Blogger, author and pastor Tim Challies answers the burning question:

heaven-3Heaven is far too perfect, far too sinless, far too other for us to imagine in our fallen minds. Our attempts to put brush to canvas have led to depictions of cherubs on clouds, idyllic colors of dawn, Christ as a blinding light, a faceless adoring throng. Some of these attempts to capture heaven’s splendors are beautiful and even captivating, yet we know they are also incomplete. They are, at best, the barest reflection of what awaits. Our imaginations must always fall short of heaven’s glorious perfections.

Revelation 21:4 assures us that in heaven God himself will wipe away our tears, that there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no pain. There is a deeply comforting certainty in our future—a certainty of joy, bliss, comfort, peace, love, and perfection. However, those of us with non-believing family members and friends can find this certainty an area of intense struggle. Why? Because we know that not everyone will be there with us. Many we love today will have an eternal experience of pain, torment, and separation. How could we ever enjoy heaven if our loved ones are in hell? R.C. Sproul tackled this question at a Ligonier Ministries conference years ago and I appreciate his answer.

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What?? NBC’s Ron Allen Thinks Climate Deal Is “Designed to Stop” Storms Like Hurricane Matthew

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

According to NewsBusters:

hurricainePresident Barack Obama spoke to reporters on Wednesday afternoon on the Paris climate change agreement and, almost on cue, NBC’s Ron Allen connected global warming to Hurricane Matthew set to bear down on the Bahamas, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.

Speaking on MSNBC Live to host Kate Snow, Allen first gushed about how the President “believes so deeply in protecting the environment” that the deal marks “one of the most significant aspects of his legacy” before bringing in Hurricane Matthew as a intriguing “practical matter.” It was “what the president was talking about as the threat that the planet faces and this is what this whole climate agreement signed by 190 nations and now ratified by 60 or so is designed to stop.” [emphasis in original]

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Band-Aids vs. Chemotherapy: Why Suffering Women are Drawn to False Doctrine and 7 Things We Can do to Help

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

sadnessAuthor, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley reminds us that when women are suffering the spiritual forces of wickedness are never far away. They often exploit a woman’s pain “and can make things worse by molesting them spiritually,” says Lesley. Angels of darkness will send “false teachers to whisper sweetly in their ears, ‘It hurts, doesn’t it? But I can make all that pain go away, now.’”  But does God always make the pain go away, as false teachers that line their pockets exploiting vulnerable women promise, if you’ll just do this…or that?

In this excellent piece, Michelle Lesley offers 7 biblical things we can do to help women who are suffering.

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Planned Parenthood President Says She “Doesn’t Know” When Unborn Have Constitutional Rights

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

Christian News Network reports:

psal-139-fearfully-and-wonderfully-madeThe president of the abortion and birth control giant Planned Parenthood told an Iowa radio station this week that she doesn’t know when a baby has constitutional rights, and that it’s “not the problem we are facing in America.”

Cecile Richards, daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, has been campaigning this week in Iowa for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and on Tuesday was interviewed by WHO Newsradio.

During the conversation, host Doug Wagner noted that Hillary Clinton has stated that the unborn don’t have constitutional rights under the law, and asked if Richards believes it should stay that way.

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Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:1-4 (NASB) 

The Church of the New Covenant, since its inception in the 1st Century AD, has been plagued by quarrels, disagreements, feuds, splits, et cetera. According to God, the problem is not with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or His doctrines, but with the fact that people in the Church are not submitted properly to Him or to each other. Pride is behind most disagreements just as it is behind those who break away from the truth to lead their followers with false doctrines and a focus that is on self rather than on God and His glory. Instead, those who cause these problems are in love with self and, therefore, in love with the world, its ways, and the things of the world. View article →

Studying the Unstudiable

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Jonathan V. Last of The Weekly Standard asserts that, according to a lengthy report by two esteemed psychiatrists, the scientific literature available on gender and sexuality “demonstrate that much of what has been foisted on the culture in recent years in the name of science has little solid basis in scientific research.” As previously reported, the doctor’s concluded that “a combination of biological, environmental, and experiential factors likely shape how individuals experience and express themselves when it comes to sex and gender.” The doctor’s dispute the media’s penchant for proclaiming homosexuality and transgenderism normal and natural.  In the September 12 issue of The Magazine, Last examines the report.  He writes:

Sexual confusionThere are two ways to challenge politically correct orthodoxies. One is to toss off outrageous remarks designed to épater les bourgeois. This requires little and accomplishes less. The other is to take the commanding orthodoxy, put it under a microscope, and dismantle it piece by piece. This is what Lawrence Mayer, an epidemiologist trained in psychiatry, and psychiatrist Paul McHugh have just done to the regime of gender and sexuality politics.

In a lengthy report for the journal the New Atlantis, Mayer and McHugh survey a broad expanse of the scientific literature on gender and sexuality and demonstrate that much of what has been foisted on the culture in recent years in the name of science has little solid basis in scientific research. Their conclusions: (1) “The understanding of sexual orientation as an innate, biologically fixed property of human beings—the idea that people are ‘born that way’—is not supported by scientific evidence.” And (2) “The hypothesis that gender identity is an innate, fixed property of human beings that is independent of biological sex—that a person might be ‘a man trapped in a woman’s body’ or ‘a woman trapped in a man’s body’—is not supported by scientific evidence.”

It may sound modest, but this is earth-rumbling stuff.

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Bisexual identity overtaking gay and lesbian in Britain, official stats show

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

According to The Telegraph:

bisexualThe number of British people defining themselves as “bisexual” has jumped by 45 per cent in just three years, according new official estimates.

For the first time, more young people in the UK describe themselves as bisexual than gay or lesbian combined, the figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

It is the latest evidence pointing to a shift in attitudes towards sexuality, with increasing numbers viewing their own position as somewhere on a spectrum rather than it being a black-or-white question. [emphasis added]

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Lack of Public Outcry Is Disturbing as Rights of Conscience Are Crushed in Canada

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

CNSNews reports:

euthanasia-2The silence is stunning.  The lack of public outcry, the absence of outrage about the recent mandate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (Canada) is deeply disturbing.

This summer, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario adopted and published a new ethical policy binding upon doctors in that Canadian province.  The policy mandates:

“Where a physician declines to provide medical assistance in dying for reasons of conscience or religion, the physician must not abandon the patient. An effective referral must be provided. An effective referral means a referral made in good faith, to a non-objecting, available, and accessible physician, nurse practitioner or agency. The referral must be made in a timely manner to allow the patient to access medical assistance in dying. Patients must not be exposed to adverse clinical outcomes due to delayed referrals.”

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Defense Department Issues Transgender Handbook

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According to Military.com:

Photo courtesy US Defense Watch (usdefensewatch.com)

Photo courtesy US Defense Watch (usdefensewatch.com)

A new Defense Department policy handbook gives transgender service members and their commanders a road map for gender transition in the active-duty military and Guard and Reserve.

The 71-page policy, released Sept. 30, lays out the medical process for service members who wish to change genders. A second section gives commanders a framework for working with transgender troops in their units, including a guide to gender pronouns and physical fitness standards for troops in transition.

“The handbook is designed to assist our transgender Service members in their gender transition, help commanders with their duties and responsibilities, and help all Service members understand new policies enabling the open service of transgender Service members,” it says. “The handbook includes advice, questions and answers, and scenarios.”

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Personal Holiness vs Self-Righteousness

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Matthew 23:24 (NASB) 

A huge trap that Christians can fall into is conforming to self-righteousness. It is a form of idolatry and that always causes spiritual blindness (Romans 1:24-25). Self-righteousness puts all effort towards godliness in the wrong place. It creates a form of piety that is all about outward appearances while putting little or no priority on matters of the heart. It is all about appearances and what others think rather than being totally committed to abiding in Christ from within first. The self-righteous are consciously holy. However, that is not what we are called to be. Christians must be consciously repentant and unconsciously holy. The difference is huge for these are totally opposite walks. View article →

“Let Women Make Their Own Decisions”: Tim Kaine Reiterates Abortion Support Despite Personal Beliefs

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Tim Kaine, who is supposedly a devout Roman Catholic, completely disregards the RCC’s teaching on abortion as well as its opposition to same-sex “marriage” because, in his view, “God approves of homosexuality.” According to Christian News Network:

tim-kaineDuring the first vice presidential debate for the 2016 election, Tim Kaine, the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, reiterated his support for keeping abortion legal despite his own personal identity as a Roman Catholic.

Kaine, as well as Trump running mate Mike Pence, were asked by moderator Elaine Quijano of CBS News to outline an instance when they had difficulty reconciling their faith with their politics.

“Can you discuss in detail a time when you struggled to balance your personal faith and a public policy position?” she asked.

“I try to practice my religion in a very devout way and follow the teachings of my church in my own personal life. But I don’t believe in this nation, a First Amendment nation, where we don’t raise any religion over the other, and we allow people to worship as they please, that the doctrines of any one religion should be mandated for everyone,” Kaine replied.

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Check out CRN’s Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Emergent Catalyst Conference spreads a wider web

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

The Catalyst Circus Conference starts today.  According to Berean Research here’s what those who attend will experience:

human-cannonball-2The eight-year-strong Catalyst franchise conference aimed at millennials has long pushed a leftist social justice message rather than the Gospel of the Cross. But as we see more and more leadership conferences pushing the message of UNITY, I’ve been noticing of late the premiere Catalyst Conference is spreading a wider net to include Word of Faith and Dominionism (NAR) celebrities. This year’s theme doubles down on unity, with “Uncommon Fellowship.” Here are this year’s seeker-mergent growth gurus gathering Oct. 5-7 in Atlanta:

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The 2016 State of Theology Survey

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Bud Alheim of Pulpit & Pen analyses a survey commissioned by Ligonier Ministries which is a must read — or read it and weep. The following explains what the survey is about:

discernment-2In 2016 Ligonier Ministries commissioned LifeWay Research to implement a survey tasked with, as much as surveys are capable, assessing Americans’ theological understanding. The survey quantified fundamental beliefs that have been key doctrines adhered to by two millennia of orthodox Christianity.

The results reflect what the observant believer already knows … error abounds. As false teaching gains footholds and favor, as churches forsake sound doctrine to instead scratch itching ears, the prevalence of error will continue to grow.   Ligonier’s survey highlights the most serious errors contemporary to us.

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