The Washington Post reports:
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has a lot on his mind these days, from cutting the defense budget to managing the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But his biggest worry is the growing possibility that Israel will attack Iran over the next few months. Read more
Apprising Ministries has been covering the growing apostasy as spiritual spreads across Christendom. It can be quite discouraging and sometimes this leads to letting one’s guard down, and even sin.
So, here’s an encouraging devotional teaching; get back into the fight dear one.
I just finished listening the today’s (February 2, 2012) The Dividing Line in which Dr. James White interviewd Dr. Voddie Baucham. The interview centered mostly about the fallout pertaining ER2, especially the discussions afterwards in which certain Black Pastors and James MacDonald insinuated that charges of heresy against T.D. Jakes were actually racist and that Black Reformed Pastors and Theologians who also raised into question the theological soundness of T.D. Jakes were doing that to ingratiate themselves in with the White Middle Class Reformed leaders in order to be accepted into their circles, et cetera. Dr. White mentioned in the interview that some had even charged that he had no right to question the theology of T.D. Jakes because he no ability to understand his “Black” experience. Dr. Baucham is a Black Southern Baptist Pastor from the Houston, TX area and is Reformed in his Theology. He has lectured in Seminaries and has pastored several churches. During the discussion it was made clear that Dr. Baucham considered what went on in ER2 and the discussions that followed to be a trap and many fell into that trap. Those who set the trap are assured that they will succeed in capturing the hearts of most professing Christians through the emotional response based in what he called “Ethnic Gnosticism.” This form of Gnosticism states that those of a certain ethnicity can claim to have an experience within it that those of another ethnicity cannot understand or have. However, the human group “experience” we can all have, but no one can share across ethnic boundaries. That is the lie from the enemy and when it is applied to Religion, and man-centered Christianity is not immune, it can be deadly. I suggest you listen to that episode of The Dividing Line if you can. Dr. Baucham is our brother in Christ and he made it clear and Dr. White agreed that the Gospel cannot be divided up into ethnicity nor is there room for Ethnic Gnosticism in the Church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Apprising Ministries brings you a devotional teaching in this piece concerning how lack of this is a real root problem for growing apostasy today.
The Christian Post reports:
The Washington State Senate voted to approve a same-sex marriage bill late Wednesday night, effectively clearing the final obstacle to becoming the seventh state to redefine traditional marriage. Read more
Michelle Malkin warns that the Obama administration’s ultimate goal is to shut down health care providers. She begins her piece:
President Obama and his radical feminist enforcers have had it in for Catholic medical providers from the get-go. It’s about time all people of faith fought back against this unprecedented encroachment on religious liberty. First, they came for the Catholics. Who’s next? Read more
ABC News reports:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is losing a record number of its membership. A new report quotes an LDS general authority who said more members are falling away today than any time in the past 175 years. Read more
Apprising Ministries says you have to see the video clip in this piece to believe it. A Christian anointed king by Jewish Rabbi.
In light of the controversy created by the ER2 debacle, it is necessary for Christians to get the right perspective. We are not the world or of the world, therefore, we should not behave the way the world behaves and that means the way we are being baited into reacting to what is going on. In the late 19th Century C.H. Spurgeon dealt with a Downgrade Controversy that caused him to lose many friends and separated him from many Pastors and Theologians who formerly walked with him. What was the controversy? It was an invasion of Christian Liberalism into the Church. My friend Ken Silva has dubbed this controversy with its many facets and connections the New Downgrade that creates No Controversy. Just as Charles Spurgeon fought that necessary battle right to the end of his ministry and Athanasius spent years fighting the heresy of Arianism (the same heresy as Modalism or Sabellianism) despite it costing him exile and nearly his life many times, we must also contend earnestly for the faith and stand up to the likes of Mark Driscoll and James MacDoanld as they attempt to make the Doctrine of the Trinity just a side issue or just a matter of opinion. No my brethren, it matters.
Apprising Ministries brings you a short devotional teaching here, which I hope will edify you in the wake of the division that’s going to be caused by ER2.
In this piece Phil Johnson of Pyromaniacs addresses a video of a discussion James MacDonald had with 3 African American pastors after ER2 ended:
This is probably the most blatantly racist presentation I have ever witnessed from an ostensibly “mainstream” evangelical source.
The take-away message is this: If you’re an old white guy with any hint of Reformed theology in your confessional statement and you don’t think T. D. Jakes’s equivocations at Elephant Room 2 were sufficient to erase decades of concern about his Oneness leanings and his relentless proclamation of a false Prosperity Gospel—then you must be a racist. And even if you don’t think you’re a racist, you should shut up anyway. Because in the black community relationships are more important than any doctrine, including the gospel and the Trinity. We all should strive to subjugate doctrine to relationships anyway.
Apprising Ministries with another word you’ll need to know as spiritual blindness grows and Humpty Dumpty language increases.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB)
As Dr. Voddie Baucham said today here, “What are the boundaries of our associations? What role does “race” play in modern evangelicalism (btw, I always put quotation marks around race because it is an unbiblical concept in itself… there are but two “races”: the race of the first Adam and that of the Last)?” As a Christian, we must look at our theology as one. There is not a version for different “groups” of people based upon “values” or “race” or any other cultural set. No, genuine Christianity overrides all man-made boundaries. As Dr. Baucham said, there is the race of the unredeemed and that of the redeemed and that is all.
The explosion of ER2 continues spreading shockwaves and Apprising Ministries brings you this exclusive here in this piece.
Apprising Ministries with the shocking shocking story that now if we reject T.D. Jakes as a Christian brother, we’re racist.
See the video produced by James MacDonald in this piece along with a partial transcript of the video clip within.
James White addresses the Elephant Room 2 event:
I need to be brief, as I have many pressing duties.
Reading the commentary on the Elephant Room 2 events, and in particular, the alleged rehabilitation (repentance?) of TD Jakes has truly been brought me sadness. Sure, I know that very few Evangelicals, even scholars, have much experience with modalists and Oneness advocates, but still, the general ease with which many have been taken in by such a shallow and brief discussion does not speak well of the depth of understanding of many today. It also speaks loudly to the fact that many in Evangelicalism disconnect the honor and glory of God from the truth He has revealed about Himself. That is, they do not see that to worship and honor God demands from us our utmost effort to accurately hear and to follow what He has revealed about Himself, primarily in Jesus Christ, and the holy Scriptures. To take lightly God’s self-revelation is an affront to the divine majesty, and would not be the action of a heart that is consumed with passion for its Lord. The true source of a passion for sound doctrine comes first and foremost from a heart that has singular attention to the glory and honor of the object of its passion. Those who “argue doctrine” simply for the sake of ego or self-gratification do so to their own destruction. Sound doctrine isn’t about personalities or men, it is about truth that transcends our brief time on earth.
It looks as if ER2 fallout is only beginning to create division. Apprising Ministries recovers the post by church which is leaving Acts 29 in this post.
by Mike Ratliff
12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14 then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword. (Deuteronomy 13:12-15 NASB)
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. 7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, 8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, 9 WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. 10 “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; 11 AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'” 12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:1-13 NASB)
It must have been about four or five years ago that I was in a discussion on this blog after I had written a piece about some of the confusing things coming from the ministry of Dr. John Piper and others. I made the comment to one of my friends that I thought that Dr. Piper needed to show the fruits of repentance for some of the things he had said and done or he would eventually be considered an apostate. Someone not in that conversation (a bottom feeder or troll??) jumped all over that statement and condemned me for calling Dr. Piper an apostate which he refused to consider because (according to him) an apostate is one who drops all pretense of Christianity and walks away from his faith. Using that reasoning those who continue to claim to be Christians even though they preach heresies such as Modalism (T.D. Jakes for instance) or deny the necessity of the Atonement and Justification by Faith alone and the reality of Hell (Rob Bell for instance) or those who insist on Christianity that is forever changing according to whatever society demands or wants (pragmatism) and insist that doctrine is not needed, but works is what God wants (Rick Warren for instance) are Christians along with the Roman Catholics, Mormans, and anyone else who claims that they are. Of course then there are those fellas (Steven Furtick, and James MacDonald for instance) who are all about erecting “cool” idolatrous worship which is really all about themselves and they sell this product to other wannabe preacherboys who want to be rich and famous like them. Do you see the common denominator in all this? Is any of what these people do about God and his glory? Is it about the edification of the Body of Christ through the genuine worship of God for his glory alone? No, it is about making money and becoming famous while fleecing the sheep who have been duped into thinking its all about the gospel. Have you noticed that these people never talk about the gospel without talking about money?
Apprising Ministries walks you through Baucham’s detailed post today in this piece concerning ER2 and the men’s conference at the church of James MacDonald, where Baucham was replaced and “escorted to a waiting car and taken back to the airport.”
I admit, Apprising Ministries is more known for doing controversial discernment work. However, I really do bring you more of this kind of solid teaching than I’m given credit for.
The Christian Post reports:
The Archbishop of York, the second highest figure in the Church of England, has spoken out in opposition to gay marriage weeks ahead of a government consultation on the issue, saying it is not the role of the state to redefine marriage.
Dr John Sentamu has told The Daily Telegraph that marriage is a union between one man and one woman, and suggested that the government would be acting like “dictators” if they tried to change it.
“Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman,” says Sentamu. “I don’t think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is. It is set in tradition and history and you can’t just [change it] overnight, no matter how powerful you are. Read more
Apprising Ministries brings you another angle concerning CRN contributor Daniel Neades’ question as to whether this happens today.
In this new piece I offer evidence that, yes, it does. Now, it’s as close as the Elephant Room 2.
Apprising Ministries shows you more reason for concern with Driscoll’s drifting in this piece.
CRN does not endorse Religious Dispatches or leftwing blogger Sarah Posner. The Left likes to keep an eye on the Christian Right and who they’re uniting with. In this case Sarah reported that Newt Gingrich visited the church of the man responsible for the “laughing revival,” controversial prosperity preacher Rodney Howard Browne. She begins her piece:
Today Newt Gingrich made an appearance at River Church in Tampa, Florida, pastored by Rodney Howard Browne. Slate’s Dave Weigel tweeted that in introducing Gingrich, Browne prayed that America “will not allow the killing of unborn babies, and the takeover of Islam” and “the Constitution that we have, and your word, and Jesus is the only way we can be delivered from this plight.”
Browne is no inconsequential—or uncontroversial—figure in the world of charismatic Christianity. He’s been described by Christianity Today as the “often flamboyant Pentecostal preacher.” He’s associated with the “holy laughter” manifestation of charismatic gifts, which the same CT piece characterized as “rang[ing] from uncontrollable laughter to the noises of animals.” Read more
Apprising Ministries believes Elephant Room 2 was weak on the Trinity; possibly purposefully. So here’s a great quote from the recommened book The Forgotten Trinity by Dr. James White.