Sex Sells, Even in Christian Bookstores

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion

The Christian Post reports:

There’s been no shortage of Christian books on the topic of sex in recent months, and Christians across the United States are buying them up in order to spice up their marriages.

DeeperCalling Media (DCM), an online Christian bookstore supplier and Christian product retailer, reports “sizzling sex book sales” among Christian bookstores, indicating that Christians are not as “prude” as they are sometimes thought to be.

“We have been astounded by the marked increase in the sales of Christian Books on the topics of Sex. It’s clear that in tough economic times people are seeking ways to improve their lives through better relationships with those closest to them,” said Joe Kerr, marketing manager for DCM, in a statement.

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Elephant Room 2's T.D. Jakes Says TBN's Paul Crouch Led By God To Launch Jakes' Ministry

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

James MacDonald, curator of the Elephant Room, would have us believe T.D. Jakes has moved away from Word Faith prosperity preaching.

Apprising Ministries offers that the evidence just does’t back this up. In this new piece you’ll see exclusive video of Jakes on TBN’s Praise-A-Thon of 8 March 2012.

This is their vehicle for raising money and yet there’s Jakes paying homage to head TBN huckster Paul Crouch and helping this heretical outfit fleece their flock. View article →

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 6

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙ ,

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NASB

One marker missing from “Liberal Christianity” that is one of the major elements that disqualifies it from being genuine Christianity is its abandonment of Sola Scriptura. Because of that, all of those characteristics that makes Christianity Christian are gone such as believer’s living lives of repentance such as that “living sacrifice” analogy given to us in Romans 12:1 along with how from that flows genuine Spiritual growth into Christian maturity in Romans 12:2. With little to no emphasis on genuine Biblical repentance, “Liberal Christianity” simply tries to emphasize unity, political correctness, feelings, with a spiritual hit by using spiritual formation into all sorts of mysticism, but mostly these “churches” do everything they can to appeal to the world so the leaders in those “organizations” would never preach a sermon like our Lord preached in Matthew 5, 6, & 7. Why? Because it brings people face-to-face with their sinfulness. This is offensive and since these men refuse to proclaim the real gospel message of the good news of what God has done on their behalf that they could never do for themselves, they will never preach anything to offend anyone so the descent into darkness of Liberalism just speeds up with each compromise. View article →

Five Reasons Christians Should Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion

Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church and Council Member of The Gospel Coalition, urges Christians not to go silent on the same-sex marriage issue. He writes:

Yesterday, to no one’s surprise, President Obama revealed in an interview that after some “evolution” he has “concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

The temptation, then, is for Christians go silent and give up the marriage fight: “It’s no use staying in this battle,” we think to ourselves. “We don’t have to change our personal position. We’ll keep speaking the truth and upholding the Bible in our churches, but getting worked up over gay marriage in the public square is counter productive. It’s a waste of time. It makes us look bad. It ruins our witness. And we’ve already lost. Time to throw in the towel.” I understand that temptation. It is an easier way. But I do not think it is the right way, the God glorifying way, or the way of love.

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Jennifer Knapp, "Gay Christian Icon"?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

The Religion News Service has released a story about musician Jennifer Knapp, calling her “an unlikely gay Christian icon.” Knapp was a popular contemporary Christian singer until she came out as a lesbian several years ago. Now Jennifer refers to herself as a “gay Christian artist” and urges Christians to affirm homosexuals. The singer performs regularly for Christian congregations and youth groups and revealed that, “Those listeners who used to treat her like ‘a big rock star’ now approach her after a concert for counsel about their sexual orientation.”

According to the article:

Her new album and her performances have found an audience with some of her old fans as well as Christians who — gay or straight — are hungry for churches to address LGBT issues and the challenges gay Christians face when they come out.

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Culture Doesn't Annul The Word Of God

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

Apprising Ministries attempts to help you identify trends within the visible church and to teach you to avoid them.

One disturbing trend right now is the idea that the Christian gospel has to be made “relevant” to our capricious culture. It’s the same ill-fated idea tried before by the original cult of liberalism. View article →

When Paul Sent the Celebrity Pastor

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion

Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church and a Council Member of The Gospel Coalition, wrestles with what it means to be a “celebrity pastor.” Could Christians be misguided in their allegiance to specific teachers and leaders? He writes:

Here is a verse that caught my attention yesterday: “With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel” (2 Cor. 8:18).

There are many things we’d like to know, but don’t know about this verse.

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The Sermon on the Mount, Part 5

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14“You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14, NASB

I am firmly in line with J. Gresham Machen’s assessment that “Liberal Christianity” is a different religion from Christianity. We see this in what it has abandoned in what it abhors in “Orthodoxy” that is exactly what makes Christianity “Christian.” Genuine Christianity is Christian because it is based upon the facts about our Lord Jesus and the message from him. True Christians love and respect and hold dear the same things he loved, respected and held dear, that is, God’s truth, which is called doctrine. In our day, as it was in Machen’s day, the liberals attempt to do away with what they call “dead orthodoxy” and get back to the primitive form of Christianity that the Church missed and has messed up with all its “Orthodoxy” for these last several millennia. In fact, they insist on totally “reforming” the church top to bottom without all this emphasis on the Bible as the infallible Word of God, which we call Sola Scriptura. The move towards that are seen in the teachings and sermons of men who keep moving their churches closer and closer to things such as tolerance for the “gay agenda” or “unmarried couples” or even looking the other way while their members and leaders have adulterous affair after adulterous affair. View article →

Christianity and Liberalism

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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 2:1-10, NASB

I spent the last several days away from email, the Internet, work, et cetera, and simply rested and spent time with family with the intent of taking up right where I left off on our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount when I returned. However, before we get back to that, I would like to share some insights from some time I spent in the solitude of study and quiet I had during my “downtime.” Part of that time was spent in reading J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism, which was published in 1923. I have not quite finished it yet, but I made good progress. Some of you I know have read it because you recommended the book to me. For those who don’t know, Machen’s thesis in the book was to address the encroachment of Liberal theology in his day, which was taking over the Northern Presbyterian Church in the United States to the point that the Seminary at Princeton was preparing to “liberalize.” His thesis for this magnificent book is that “Liberal Christianity” and Christianity are two different religions. View article →

Oprah Still Insists She is a Christian

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Oprah Winfrey once again has declared herself to be a Christian, and many of her fans believe her. Examining Oprah’s own words, Marsha West exposes how Oprah’s profession contradicts the truths of Scripture.

Oprah has consistently, and unapologetically, rejected an essential tenet of the Christian faith: There is only one path to God, through the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus stated unequivocally, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Yet Oprah rejects Christ’s own words while at the same time declaring: “I’m Christian!”

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Stay Awake, Keep Watch

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

When things go smoothly in one’s life it can be easy to drift and to let down your guard. With this in mind Apprising Ministries shares an exhortation to beware of becoming soft from the prince of preachers Charles Spurgeon. View article →

Dr. Walter Martin Explains What Mormonism Teaches

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

Unfortunately, because of misinformed people like Joel Osteen and the prominence of Mormon Glenn Beck, there’s much confusion concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons).

Apprising Ministries brings you this rare and important video sermon on this growing non-Christian cult by the late Dr. Martin who was the foremost expert in religious cults having their origins in the United States. View article →