US Lawmakers Praise Church of Scientology

The Daily Caller reports:

Three U.S. congressmen and a top-level government official attended the opening of the Church of Scientology’s National Office in Washington, D.C., Thursday.

Their attendance marked a significant endorsement from members of a government that was once partially at war with the organization.

View article →

Facebook and Others Urged to Allow Free Speech

The Baptist Press reports:

Media giants such as Facebook, Google and Apple should voluntarily abide by the First Amendment’s free speech requirement and fulfill their role as “gatekeepers to new web-based communications platforms,” according to a new proposal from the National Religious Broadcasters.

View article →

5 Proven Ways Pornography Warps Your Mind

Can someone literally become addicted to porn? Yes, says Luke Gilkerson, because studies indicate that watching pornography makes a person want to watch more. A 2008 survey revealed that “over 90% of therapists believed a person could become addicted to cybersex.” View article →

Pornography ‘Setting Moral Standard’ for Young People

Christian Today reports:

William Struthers, Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, believes that pornography is reinforcing unrealistic and unhealthy views of sex among young people.

“Pornography is a violation of the childhood mind, creating expectations that anybody and everybody is willing to engage in sex on demand and that consent will always be freely given,” he said.

View article →

What Did America’s Founders Really Believe? A Conversation with Historian Gregg Frazer

In his Thinking Public program, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, asserts that “the question of the religious convictions and the theological ideas of America’s founding generation continue to reverberate in very contemporary controversy.” Dr. Mohler invited historian Gregg Frazer, author of The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders: Reason, Revelation and Revolution, to discuss why some conservative historians see the so-called “Christian America” view as dangerous. View article →

How Christians Should Engage Latter-day Saints

Russell D. Moore, the Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, suggests that in order to reach Mormons we need apologetics directed toward them. “We must not back away from the sad reality that Mormonism is not even remotely Christian,” says Moore, “But we must remember that we will not convince Mormons with rational arguments alone.” View article →

Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs

18 And do not become drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking among yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, Eph. 5:18–19, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1

In our last post, Be Filled By the Spirit, we studied exegetically what Paul meant by commanding Christians to be filled by the Holy Spirit. Joy is one of the primary evidences of the Spirit-filled life and how that is often expressed is in song as Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:19 (above). The Spirit-filled Christian is a singing Christian regardless of talent. In this post we will look at a few aspects of what is often called “church music” using the terms Paul used in this verse. I believe if you compare this study with what goes on in the name of “worship” in many churches nowadays there will be big difference. View article →

Steven Furtick Thanks WF Heretic Joel Osteen For Inspiration

Rick Warren calls this rising evangelical star his boy. Craig Groeschel is his pastor. James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll consider his a friend.

Isn’t it about time they become concerned when Furtick actually thanks a Word Faith heretic for inspiring his vision, which you’ll see him do at Lakewood Church in this exclusive Apprising Ministries video. View article →

Be Filled by the Spirit

18 And do not become drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled by the Spirit, Eph. 5:18, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1

What does it mean for a Christian to be “filled” by the Holy Spirit? In my translation above the preposition “by” renders the Greek word ἐν (en), “in, with, by, among, at, on, when, to, as, for, through, while, within, of, about, into, because, during, throughout, before, under.” Why did I render it as “by” instead of “with?” As Lewis Sperry Chafer said, “It is not a matter of acquiring more of the Spirit, but rather of the Spirit of God acquiring all of the individual.” The believer who is Spirit-filled is influenced by the Spirit and nothing else, while those who are not are more influenced by the temporal. To be filled by the Spirit is to have our thoughts, desires, values, motives, goals, priorities, and all else set on spiritual things and spiritual growth. View article →

Liberals Created the Culture of Evil and Death, Part 3

Marsha West has written a series of articles about the destructive force of liberalism in society. In the first installment she discusses the entertainment industry’s contribution to America’s moral meltdown and offers ways to combat this. The second installment draws attention to the mainstreaming of aberrant Christian movements and demonstrates how false teachers are welcomed into pro-family organizations to help bring society back to its Judeo-Christian values. In her third and final installment, West discusses what liberals refer to as “Progressive Christianity” and “Social Justice Christianity” and spotlights the Rev. Jim Wallis, one of the leaders of the social justice movement. Wallis insists that he is an evangelical Christian, though the evidence seems to indicate that he is a Marxist sympathizer. Marsha also names many Christian leaders of whom to be wary and the unorthodox movements they represent. View article →

Three Deadliest Words in the World: It’s a Girl

Life News reports:

“It’s a girl” has become a three-word death sentence to hundreds of millions of unborn babies across the globe. The United Nations estimates as many as 200 million girls are missing in the world today because of female gendercide. Killed, aborted and abandoned—these are the brutal realities of the actual “war on women.”

View article →