“Christian aid groups working among refugees in Iraq and other places are reporting how God is using unimaginable pain to bring people to Christ,” writes Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis.
From a human perspective, it’s very easy to feel discouraged in this day and age. It seems that no matter where we look around the world, there’s pain, suffering, and war. Our world longs for peace, but from a human viewpoint it seems hard (impossible, really) to find.
It’s important to remember that death and suffering was never originally part of God’s design. Everything was originally created “very good” (Genesis 1:31). It was Adam and Eve’s sin that brought death and suffering into God’s creation. The pain and suffering we see around us is a direct result of the rebellion of Adam and the continuing rebellion of his descendants.
We also need to remember that, even in the midst of pain, God is sovereign over circumstances. I’m reminded of a verse from Genesis, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20). Right now in the Middle East, the radical Muslim group ISIS is terrorizing Christians, putting many of them to death. The horrors ISIS is inflicting on men, women, and children seems unfathomable to us in the West, yet this is a daily reality for many people. Well, out of these horrors God is working.
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “ Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:14-18 NASB)
The passage I placed at the beginning of this article is one the most abused and misunderstood passages that I know of. If it is read casually, it can be easily misunderstood. If it is exposited by someone possessing a faulty hermeneutic, it can be twisted to say what no other part of the Bible teaches, that faith plus works is required for salvation. View article →
Mormon political talk show host and author Glenn Beck is scheduled to appear with Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz at two campaign rallies in Iowa on Saturday, including one event held at a Baptist Bible college.
According to reports, as presidential candidates make a last-minute push before the Iowa Caucus in under ten days, Beck is scheduled to appear with Cruz at a rally at the Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny and the Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, where Beck will formally endorse Cruz.
JD Hall of Pulpit & Pen reminds us that Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, “is the alpha-dog of the Reformed theological world, one of the architects of the SBC’s Conservative Resurgence, and is generally speaking the smartest person in the room (literally). Mohler’s theology is impeccably sound, but decisions in recent years have left many shaking their heads.” JD chides Mohler for what he believes are his troubling personal relationships and political denominational promotions.
And then there’s ERLC Research Fellow and Liberty University professor Karen Swallow-Prior. According to JD, Swallow-Prior, a self-described feminist, “has repeatedly shown a disregard for biblical holiness in her associations.” This includes “attending a ‘gay Christian’ film festival, partnering with unbelievers to advise animal rights groups [and] joining with feminists that bash complementarianism.”
An American pastor who was imprisoned in Iran for over three years and was among four U.S. citizens released on Saturday in a prisoner swap has now landed on American soil.
Saeed Abedini flew into North Carolina on Thursday afternoon, where he met his parents at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville. His mother immediately burst into tears upon seeing her son walk off the plane.
Franklin Graham also was present for the reunion, and was embraced by Abedini, who was all smiles.
“We’re so glad your back,” Graham told Abedini.
Berean Research warns women that there are some serious problems with hi-profile speaker and teacher Jen Hatmaker’s theology. BR writes:
It’s no surprise to me that last week’s book review post, “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess” by Jen Hatmaker, received a mixed response. Along with the many women who thanked me for posting the review, a number were also upset that I would dare to question anything about this popular speaker and teacher. Let me clear up one thing: the review was a warning not against the woman, but about how she is handling God’s Word to an international audience.
In addition to her numerous books (often used as “Bible” studies in women’s ministries), Jen Hatmaker is known for her presentations at a women’s gathering called “IF”, which I’ve warned about in the past.
According to Baptist News Global, Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, was a contributor to an online symposium on why conservatives should not support Donald Trump. Other symposium contributors included Glenn Beck, Brent Bozell, Mona Charen, Erick Erickson, William Kristol, Michael Medved, Edwin Meese and Cal Thomas.
The Republican National Committee disinvited the National Review from moderating an upcoming pre-Super Tuesday debate after the conservative magazine carried an online symposium with messages denouncing Donald Trump, including one by a Southern Baptist Convention official.
Publisher Jack Fowler reported Jan. 21 that after asking the National Review to help moderate a debate to be held Feb. 26 in Houston, the RNC withdrew the invitation because of the magazine’s “Against Trump“ editorial and symposium that appeared online Jan. 21.
“We expected this was coming,” said Fowler, publisher since 1983 of the magazine founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. “Small price to pay for speaking the truth about The Donald.”
21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath;And a fire was kindled against JacobAnd anger also mounted against Israel,22 Because they did not believe in GodAnd did not trust in His salvation. (Psalms 78:21-22 NASB)
Dealing with Emergents and others who insist that they are Christians while what they say and do is marked as distinctly the fruit of unbelief, can be a very trying experience. I suppose that is why our enemy will never stop his attacks on those who are called by the name of Christ to discourage and confuse them. Earlier this week I became involved in a discussion in a Reformed site about a post there on The Atonement. The problem was that it was written by Greg Boyd who is an Open Theist. The site from where the poster got the article is notorious amongst those at CRN as one that is all about casting doubt on every aspect of Orthodox Christianity. All was well until two fellows showed up with whom I had had issues before. What was the problem? Both of these fellows would be right at home at Solomon’s Porch with Doug Pagitt even though they both claim to be Reformed in their theology. However, if you are like me and see God’s Word as absolute truth and any attempt to water that truth down is an attempt to introduce error then when you have discussions with two fellows who want to have “many steams of outlook on the atonement” that are all valid regardless of the fact that their source is from an Open Theist or not, then you understand why I said some things in that discussion that many who lean toward Political Correctness would frown upon, calling me the divisive one. I left the discussion with this parting shot:
It appears to me that you have little or no discernment. If you did have any it has been plowed under by too much seminary.
Why did I get so upset? Why did their attack get me to that point? It got there because they both saw no issue with fellowshipping with known heretics, such as an Open Theist and they both believed there were many ways to interpret God’s Word that were all equally valid. By-the-way, this is the exact same message we used to get from Doug Pagitt years ago when he talked about the many “steams of faith.” View article →
On January 18, Jerry Falwell, Jr., president of Liberty University (LU), rolled out what was called a “hero’s welcome” for GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump when he spoke at a mandatory convocation service. LU’s motto is “Training Champions for Christ.” Falwell received flak for giving what many felt was a personal endorsement of Trump. He told the crowd that he admired Trump’s willingness to be politically incorrect and compared him to his father and founder of LU the late Jerry Falwell, Sr. Regrettably, LU’s president wanted the students to believe that Donald Trump is a Christian, even though there is scant evidence that he’s truly born again. (Visit this post to learn more on Trump’s faith claim.) Two days later controversial “pastor” Rich Wilkerson, Jr. spoke at the university. LU is no stranger to controversy. Browse the 2016 speakers and you will see the names of other problematic high profile pastors, authors and entertainers. For example: Erwin McManus, Jentezen Franklin,Francis Chan, James MacDonald,Ann Voskamp, Jesus Culture and more.
Before I get to Kim Olsen’s blog post, those who are unfamiliar with Sozo prayer need to know more about it. First of all, Sozo prayer is the brain child of husband and wife team Bill (self-proclaimed modern-day apostle) and Beni (New Age guru) Johnson, both of whom are pastors of the infamous Bethel Church in Redding CA. The word comes from the Greek “save” or “deliver.” Allegedly Sozo is “a unique inner healing and deliverance ministry in which the main aim is to get to the root of those things hindering your personal connection with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
The Berean Call describes Sozo thusly:
Although claiming to be biblical, Sozo is a problem-solving approach based upon discovering root issues that are blocking spiritual growth. The issues supposedly reside in the subconscious memories of the individual and are identified as a person is regressed by the use of guided imagery and suggestion by the Sozo therapist. Of course, the Sozo therapist is trained to believe that the guided visualization is superintended by the Holy Spirit. This again is spiritualized psychotherapy, using techniques drawn from occult methodologies. (Source)
Sozo is decidedly unbiblical. And it is dangerous!
Now to Kim’s piece over at DiscernIt.
Sozo – The Seeking of the False Jesus
Learning about SOZO occurred when I was working with a woman who was dealing with oppression and darkness. Many are deceived when they enter into a spiritual realm that they have no business delving into.
Today we easily find mysticism, false teaching, divination, abuse of spiritual gifts, and love of experience trumping the Word of God. When you fall into this area the problem is that the spirit world will deliver. Those seeking to be in the “presence of Jesus” will indeed find themselves in the company of a entity but it will not be Jesus of the Bible. Remember that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14.
Satan is the prince of darkness and well-meaning Christians will fall into the trap and deceitful workmen will also masquerade as “apostles of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:13
There are so many who love the Lord and want to serve Him with all their hearts but the way we do this is laid out in the Epistles to the church in the New Testament. We also find many warnings of false teachers in the scriptures.
When we read about Jesus as our shepherd and recognize ourselves as the flock, it must be remembered that sheep are not very smart. They need to be led. They often cannot discern the enemy among who are clothed in sheepskin but inwardly are wolves. These wolves will be found IN the church, they are among God’s people.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
The false self-claimed apostles, Bill Johnson, Mike Bickle, Todd Bentley, John Arnott, Todd White, just to name a few, are promising that people can walk among the streets and in the power of the Holy Spirit, heal people of their diseases. Of course this speaks of the pride of man, to be just like the apostles in the book of Acts. These early men were hand selected by Jesus and therefore Apostles. Paul was the last Apostle. God does still does heal today but not like what we are seeing in these false ministries. Continue reading
According to Christian Examiner Russell Moore is under fire for, among other things, likening Donald Trump to the “golden calf.”
When the head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Russell Moore just a few weeks ago opined that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz represented the “Jerry Falwell” wing of evangelical voters, he couldn’t have known Donald Trump would be the keynote speaker at Falwell’s Southern-Baptist affiliated Liberty University Monday, January 18.
Moore didn’t acknowledge his characterizations, however, in a blistering string of one-line tweets aimed at both GOP presidential frontrunner Trump and Liberty University’s president Jerry Falwell Jr., who introduced Trump as similar to his late father, long considered a leader of America’s moral majority.
“Absolutely unbelievable,” Moore responded to a comment he re-tweeted in which Falwell said in his introduction of Trump, “By their fruits ye shall know them. Donald Trump’s life has born fruit.”
1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus said to them, “ Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 NASB)
On social media it is always surprising to me how often I encounter discussions supposedly between Christians that reveal that one or more of those involved are clueless about the relationship of the Christian faith and repentance. For instance, on more than one occasion I have been involved in discussions in which the initiators were proclaiming that it is perfectly fine for Christians to use profanity and those who call them on it are being hypocritical and self-righteous. I have been teaching for quite a while that the genuine believer is regenerate, a new creation, whom God is in the process of sanctifying. Our humility must come to predominate our pride. The prideful person is self-focused while the humble person is not. So how do you think I responded? View article →
CBC News reports new government guidelines for Canadian schools which goes to show the power the LGBT movement has.
Schools should erase old divides that force students into male and female roles, according to new guidelines released Wednesday by the Alberta government that advise teachers to let kids choose which washroom they want to use and what name appears on their report cards.
A 21-page document, introduced by Education Minister David Eggen, advised educators that students have the right to self-identify when it comes to their gender identity and gender expression.
Some Wheaton College alumni say they’re reconsidering future donations to their alma mater in a show of support for a professor who faces termination after declaring she would wear a hijab because Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
Alumni submitted a petition to college administrators and board members Friday requesting the school reconcile with tenured political science professor Larycia Hawkins, 43, who last month announced she would wear a head scarf as part of her Advent devotion to show solidarity with Muslims.
According to Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, “Donald Trump doesn’t have to be a Christian in order to run for president or to speak at Liberty University. But Liberty University—as a Christian institution of higher learning—has a responsibility not to confuse people about what Christianity is. And today they fell short of that in a big way.” Burk writes:
Perhaps the best way to explain what went wrong with Donald Trump’s appearance at Liberty University earlier today is to clarify what wasn’t wrong with it.
There’s nothing wrong per se with a Christian university hosting a presidential candidate for a speech on their campus. In a university setting—even in a Christian one—a speech need not equal an endorsement. If other candidates are given equal access and if it is clear how such a visit might contribute to robust Christian thinking and conviction, there is no necessary offense in this. In fact, it could be a win.
There’s nothing wrong per se with a Christian university hosting a non-Christian for a speech or a lecture on campus. We should encourage a robust exchange of ideas—even with voices we might otherwise disagree with. And there is no necessary violation of principle to have, for example, an atheist participate in a symposium on the plausibility of belief. In fact, in that setting it would be profoundly beneficial to have an actual atheist come and make his case alongside that of Christians and to hear each side hash the issues out in reasoned debate. We can imagine any number of scenarios in which it might be helpful to hear from a non-Christian on a Christian campus. And I can even imagine a setting in which hearing from a non-Christian politician might actually be helpful and in keeping with a school’s mission.
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. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7 NASB)
The “push” to replace Christianity or change it along the lines of emergent gurus Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, et cetera as well as those of the Seeker-sensitive paradigm such as Rick Warren and all of those who follow him seems to make giant strides each day. Those of us who do see very clearly the deception in what is going on can become quite discouraged even to the point of despair at times, as it appears the Church is circling the drain into the vortex of apostasy. However, we must not allow Giant Despair to drag us into the dungeon of Doubting Castle. View article →
A Madison man has taken issue with some of Morris County’s historic preservation grants going to the preservation of churches and other houses of worship — and is pursuing that issue in court.
The county is the subject of a lawsuit filed by David Steketee, of Ferndale Road, Madison, and the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation on Dec. 1 in state Superior Court in Morristown, asking the courts to bar Morris County from presenting historic preservation grants to churches and other houses of worship. The group’s stated purpose is to “promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church.”
Iran has prepared almost 200,000 young men in countries across the Middle East to help with the arrival of the Mahdi, a Muslim leader who will usher in justice prior to the Day of Judgment, a Revolutionary Guard commander said earlier this week. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said recent violence across the region, including the rise of the Islamic State group, was a sign the arrival of the messianic Muslim leader was imminent, the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported.
The blog post below addresses the astonishing lack of discernment among self-professed Christians when it comes to contemporary Christian music (CCM). The truth of the matter is that most CCM really isn’t Christian at all — not even close! How do I know that? By listening to the lyrics. More often than not CCM is unbiblical, even blasphemous! But many Christians don’t have the spiritual discernment to pick up on it. Sadly, some people who profess Christ really don’t care about the words that go from their lips to God’s ears. Why? Mainly because worship is all about me, not about God, so little or no attention is paid to the words we sing to Him.
But words matter, and what we say to God should matter a lot. Instead, Christians are focusing on themselves — their feelings and experiences….have I hit a nerve?
So now to Learning the Path’s post. Some of the videos are disturbing to watch. I urge you to watch them anyway.
Purity In Worship
Think of this scenario. A pastor is reading Alistair Begg’s book, “Preaching for God’s Glory”. He sees a point that he would really like to make the next Sunday. When he’s done reading, he picks up Brian Houston’s “You Need More Money” from the heresy shelf, in which the same point is made (This is a hypothetical). He gets up in the pulpit, and instead of using quotes from “Preaching for God’s Glory”, he uses the quotes from “You Need More Money”. What is wrong with this?
I can think of two major things:
1. This gives credence to Brian Houston. It will likely cause his undiscerning congregation to listen to Brian Houston, quote Brian Houston, read Brian Houston, and even recommend Brian Houston to others.
2. Brian Houston’s writings reflect his theology. What he said will be said leaning towards the point he wanted to make, using the same hermeneutic (Way of reading the Bible) he usually uses, and showing the same errors common in his theology.
Now, can we agree that a Church-goer’s theology is usually relatively similar to that of the pastor? So let’s look at the congregants at Hillsong Australia (Brian Houston) and Parkside Church of Cleveland (Alistair Begg). In this case, Hillsong Music and the Gettys (Who are former members of Parkside).
Let’s say someone is given an option of who to sing in Church. They can choose between Hillsong’s “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” and Keith and Krystin Getty’s “In Christ Alone”. What if that person were to go with the Hillsong song? Would it be just as wrong as quoting Brian Houston above Alistair Begg? I would say yes. The same two points still stand. Hillsong’s music still reflects their theology, and it is still endorsing a group that preaches the Word of Faith heresy and false Prosperity Gospel. It would be as if you had Brian Houston come in and write your worship music for you.
What’s sad is that some of the most popular music groups out there have some of the most terrible theologies. Hillsong promotes Word of Faith heresy. Jesus Culture happens to be under Bill Johnson, a Hyper-Charismatic who denies Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) and stated that Jesus ceased to be God on the cross. This comes out not only in their music, but at their concerts (I will discuss this further later on). Jars of Clay’s singer and songwriter, Dan Haseltine, said, “I just don’t see a negative effect to allowing gay marriage. No societal breakdown, no war on traditional marriage. ?? Anyone?”. Amy Grant isn’t much better, as she has knowingly preformed alongside Lesbians and has known about her Gay Fanbase since she was 18 without calling any of them to repentance. Matt Maher is a devout Roman Catholic who has preformed for Pope Francis. Do we really trust these people to write our worship music? To write the songs we sing when worshiping a Holy God? These people wrote these songs to idols, so why would we repeat them?
Furthermore, the music has taken a grip on people my age. Most of the teenagers who claim to be Christian would prefer to sing a Hillsong song over hearing a theologically solid sermon. It has went from a Local Church to a full denomination with 15 churches just in the city of Sydney alone. The denomination has 100,000 weekly attenders. Many celebrities are a part of this denomination. It can almost exclusively be attributed to their music program. Bethel Church in Redding, CA is another megachurch that has benefited from this. It is the Home Church of the band Jesus Culture, and the spearhead of what is called the New Apostolic Reformation, which is a cultic movement. They have promoted Benny Hinn, Todd Bentley, Kris Vallotton, and T.D. Jakes. If you don’t understand the corruption of the Music Industry here, watch this:
15 See therefore how carefully you walk not as unwise but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16 translated from the NA28 Greek text)
There is a great deal going on in the visible church, much of it having little to do with genuine Christianity, that most of us can do little about. Yes, we can pray, which is very powerful. We can also obey God and expose the evil to other believers. However, the older I get in the faith the outrage over much of what false teachers like Rob Bell or Rick Warren say or write I no longer allow to consume me. I know what my role is in the Truth War. Do you know what yours is? For most of us it is to obey what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 5:1-21. View article →
Despite a ban on federal funding for “Chimera” research – or the mixing of human genes with those of other members of the animal kingdom – several research centers and universities in the U.S. are moving forward with the process, MIT Technology Review has reported.
Scientists involved in the research claim they are looking for ways to create and harvest human organs from other animals, such as sheep and goats, by inserting human DNA (“pluripotent cells”) in animal embryos. Critics see the potential for disaster – the creation of a beast like the mythical Chimera, made up of a lion, a goat and a serpent (or dragon).
Dr. Brown is one of the most respected members of the Christian Charismatic world; he’s a brilliant debater, an actual Biblical scholar and someone who has been warning (to some extent) about false teachers in the Church. In this article he says that he, too, was appalled by the worldly and obnoxious Silent Night video that has gotten so much attention, but he refrained from making a judgment about it until he could get more information. But after he saw a Twitter comment from a pastor at Hillsong he could understand why they did the song the way they did.
There are a couple of really interesting things to note from this article: First of all, Brown makes a pretty amazing statement about how he couldn’t talk to anyone from Hillsong, because he didn’t have an “open door to interact directly with Hillsongs leaders (despite my attempts to do so in the past).” Please take note, everyone who says something like this: “You shouldn’t say anything bad about paster so and so until you talk to him face to face! Have you met with him and heard his side of the story?? Well then stop judging him!!”
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. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB)
As many of you know, I grew up as a Southern Baptist. After God saved me in 1986 I was a Southern Baptist until 2006 when our former church was overtaken by the Purpose Driven paradigm. I was bitter about that for a while. I and many of you found common ground having had our churches ripped away from us and in many cases finding it nearly impossible to find a good Biblical local church remaining in our area after the Seeker-Sensitive tsunamis had moved through devastating what were once good churches, leaving behind man-centered, store fronts for Rick Warren’s brand of man-focused religiosity. However, God is good and through this devastation and some personal fiery trials, which actually began in 2004, He has worked in me to grow me into a more mature Christian, stronger in the Word of God than ever, more knowledgeable in Biblical Greek, and deeper in the more cerebral areas of our faith that are sorely needed in our day such as presuppositional apologetics. When I was a Deacon teaching Sunday school at our local SBC church, I was extremely mediocre in most of that and hardly knowledgeable at all in the area of apologetics. Why? I was serving and operating from within a mindset that was extremely spiritually immature compared to today. My understanding of the Gospel and theology was probably deeper than most of my peers at that time, but compared to now, it was probably surface level at best. View article →
Joel James of The Expositors Blog lays out the unintended consequences of adopting worldliness as an evangelistic technique.
Never in its history has the evangelical church been more intentional and more systematic in its efforts to imitate the world than in our day. In fact, worldliness, which used to be a sin-to-be-avoided, has not only become an obsession for the church, today it has become the evangelistic technique of choice.
In the Old Testament, God told Israel, “You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you” (Lev 18:3). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul told the church, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom 12:2). Nonetheless, today’s self-appointed evangelical relevance experts tell us that the only way to reach the world is to be like the world: we must talk like them, dress like them, be entertained like them, sport tattoos like them, address human sexuality like them, and so on.
Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own” (John 15:18). Clearly Jesus expected His followers not to be mirrors of the world. However, today in a bizarre inversion of Jesus’ intention, the goal of many evangelicals is to be as much like the world as possible in order to be loved by the world, purportedly as a precursor to evangelism.
In the words of John MacArthur, we are being told that, “If we can convince them that our message poses no threat to their way of life and that they have nothing to fear from Christ, perhaps we can then…reach them…. [We must persuade] them that church is fun, Christians are just like everyone else, and they have nothing whatsoever to fear from God” (Ashamed of the Gospel, 3rd ed., 214). of adopting worldliness as an evangelistic technique.
Pastrix Christine Caine from heretical Hillsong Church Australia is a teacher that the serious Christian should steer clear of. In spite of the fact that Caine teaches ubiblical word-faith/prosperity theology and engages in New Age practices, she has been a featured speaker for Louis Giglio’s Passion conferences and has preached with prominent Reformed pastor John Piper. (Here and Here) Piper, who holds to a complementarian view, has received a lot of heat for sharing teaching duties with a woman who claims false teacher Joyce Meyer as her mentor. Elizabeth Prata of The End Times lays out six reasons why Caine must be avoided like the plague.
From a human perspective, it’s very easy to feel discouraged in this day and age. It seems that no matter where we look around the world, there’s pain, suffering, and war. Our world longs for peace, but from a human viewpoint it seems hard (impossible, really) to find.
JD Hall of Pulpit & Pen reminds us that Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, “is the alpha-dog of the Reformed theological world, one of the architects of the SBC’s Conservative Resurgence, and is generally speaking the smartest person in the room (literally). Mohler’s theology is impeccably sound, but decisions in recent years have left many shaking their heads.” JD chides Mohler for what he believes are his troubling personal relationships and political denominational promotions.
Schools should erase old divides that force students into male and female roles, according to 
Pastrix Christine Caine from heretical