We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. A.W. Tozer
Therefore let God-inspired Scripture decide between us; and on whichever side be found doctrines in harmony with the word of God, in favor of that side will be cast the vote of truth. --Basil of Caesarea
Once you learn to discern, there's no going back. You will begin to spot the lie everywhere it appears.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service. 1 Timothy 1:12

Monday, June 8, 2015

Random Aberrations, Apostasies, and Heresies

I’ve been way too busy this past week or so, but I have been collecting links as I’ve gotten the chance to read — So you are in for a long one!  I like looking at some other blogs which have similar “roundups,” and while they usually have items I’ve already seen, they also have items which I hadn’t seen.  I want to give a general “hat tip” to these sites, and recommend them:
Asleep No More
Guarding the Deposit
Eternity Matters (although Neil doesn’t have his “Round Up” as often as before)
Do Not Be Surprised…

There are many more blogs I follow, but they don’t have routine “roundups.”

Let me start this week’s “RAAH” by telling you of a personal experience I had yesterday.  A local “Christian” book store, “Lemstone,” is part of the “Parable” book store chain.  The owner is retiring, so they are having a close-out sale to clean out their inventory (25% off yesterday).  So yesterday after church we decided to see if there were some books or other items we could use.  I did get a copy of one of my favorite books, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist,” so we have one available for giving away.  My wife got about 200 “Pass it On” cards, which we usually leave with tips at restaurants.  But I found walking around that store to be very distressing.  Except for the Bible shelf (which also included garbage like “The Message” and “The Story”), I would say probably 80% of the publications they sold were by false teachers and heretics.  The aberrant and heretical teachings in these books are what makes these “Christian” bookstores so spiritually dangerous.  Of course they also had a huge Catholic section, which, like Family Christian Stores, was added over a decade ago so as to make more money.  After all, isn’t making money more important than protecting people from false teachings?  (Yes, that is a rhetorical question.)  There were so many pictures of “Jesus,” with so many variations, that I saw that as proof that these are just idols of people’s own making.  The “religious” junk filling the store, besides the books, was mostly useless and also promoting false teachings.  So, in my opinion, this city will be better off spiritually with the demise of this store.  Now if only the Family Christian Store would also go under…

The big news this past week or so (besides Bruce Jenner having himself mutilated so he can pretend to be a woman) was about one of the Duggar men having a sinful past.  Well, I never watched the show, but I knew they were Gothardites, and part of the patriarchy and “quiverfull” movements, so nothing which came out surprised me.  What is good about this situation is that lots of exposure is being given to the false teachings the Duggar family follows.  What is bad is that the media makes it look as if this is normal Christianity.  Some examples of informative articles are this one about Gothard’s teaching about sex and this one about Gothard’s Advanced Training Institute’s home-schooling material.  Then there is this article about the entire worldview of the Duggar family; be sure to examine the numerous articles the author links to.  These, and many articles like them, demonstrate just how bizarre these types of cultic movements can be.  We must remember, however, that, contrary to what the media says, this is not a “fundamentalism” problem — it is a legalism problem.

Speaking about Bill Gothard, he has a new web site - or does he?

If you want to see what happens when you mix feminist theology with false prophets, just take a look at this article, and watch the video.  Female Benny Hinns, and about as unbiblical as it gets.

Matt Chandler demonstrates why he is not qualified to be a pastor.

Homosexual Heretics

Interesting video about “Modern Worship?”  If you let it continue, you will find the next couple videos to also be of interest.

A couple months ago I wrote an article explaining why Jesus would not want us to serve a same-sex fake wedding.  The arguments I used to demonstrate why He would not have us do so can also be used for why Christians should not even attend a same-sex fake wedding.  By attending, we are giving approval to the lie being passed of as a wedding to marriage, and approving what God has condemned is rebellion against God.  Yet a Calvary Chapel pastor thinks that attending such a blasphemous event can be okay if the couple aren't Christian!  So it is okay to sanction sin by non-Christians?

Answers in Genesis provides reviews for episode eight and episode nine of “A.D., The Bible Continues,” demonstrating the unbiblical nature and anti-historical nature of much of the series.

Commentator Matt Walsh has a good article about Christians denying the existence of Satan, and the new “Charlie Charlie” game.

Some people can be great Bible scholars, but still can’t be trusted.  Craig Blomberg has a very low view of Scripture.  In the weekly email (6/4/15) from Midwest Christian Outreach apologetics ministry, L.L. (Don) Veinot said, “I suppose I am not overly surprised. When we reviewed his book, How Wide the Divide in our article, "Why the Divide?" where we learn from Craig Blomberg that Evangelicals and Mormons agree ‘The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one eternal God.’ A line from a Simon and Garfunkel song is echoing in my mind as I think about Blomberg's grasp on the Bible, ‘Slip slidin' away.’”  I read that book by Blomberg, and learned he really has no clue about Mormonism.

Another false prophecy by Benny Hinn as he seeks to enrich himself even more.

Finally, maybe you’ll be happy to know that heretic Creflo Dollar is going to get his jet anyway.  I’m sure the money will come from his “church” coffers anyway.


24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,

Unfortunately my husband and I can relate to your and Jill's recent trip to a Parable bookstore. We recently entered one ourselves, to find a graduation gift for a friend's son. Most of what we saw there: Je$u$ Junk, heretical books (we even saw something by Normal Vincent Peale!!!!!), compromised "bibles" like the MESSage, tons of tripe-filled CCM music CDs, and unfortunately a RCism section. They had a "bestseller" section, too, and the authors/titles found on that shelf were real doozies. Not a single one was Biblically sound. Fortunately, they still carried legitimate Bibles and a limited amount of decent resources by MacArthur, JVM, and a few other respectable authors. But what a minefield! Certainly need a lot of discernment to go in there. We settled on a simple gift with solid scripture on it. We grieved... they sold out Christ for profits, apparently. Our local Parable, however, is not going out of business, as is yours.

The Duggar scandal is very sad. Yes, it highlights the problem with legalism, Gothardite teaching, Quiverfull, Dominionism, etc, as well as the serious negative impact of those claiming Christ's name who do not obey the laws of the land as per Romans 13. Unfortunately, the world does not distinguish their legalism, doctrinal issues, and disobedience to God's word from genuine Christianity, and the true church's witness took a hit. Scariest comment I saw the Duggars make: they want to be advocates for child offenders. Because they did such a bang up job with their son's situation...

Chandler and TVC and the issue with Karen Hinkley and J Root. OH MY THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW POORLY THAT PASTOR AND CHURCH HANDLED THAT SITUATION. Not to mention the horror of a professing believer (Root) with a massive, vile sin in his life, who also happens to have demonstrated characteristics of an inveterate liar. Be not quick to believe his repentance, folks. Ms. Hinkley, you are a righteous (Matthew 1:19, it is righteous to want to divorce from an adulterer), brave woman.

-Carolyn

Anonymous said...

That video of the Bethel people. That fake laughter from the blonde girl gave me the willies. I couldn't watch it. HOW can people think Bethel is a real church? I have some cousins that are big time into Bethel. I have tried to warm family members who are closer with the cousins, and ask them to warn them. No one listens to me. If only they would watch a video like this one...
Jennifer

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Hi Jennifer,

My take on the young lady laughing was that she was "drunk in the spirit" with "holy laughter." That is something they are taught. Very sad that these young people are enticed into that false teaching.

Anonymous said...

Frankly, I think she seems demonically possessed. I've seen videos of Heidi Baker at Bethel and she was doing holy laughter and I had the same impression. Scary.
Jennifer

hymns that preach said...

Here's a new one for you, Glenn. But you have probably already seen it.

http://tonycampolo.org/for-the-record-tony-campolo-releases-a-new-statement/#.VXYhP9tE1LA.gmail

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Ralph,

I just saw that this afternoon. It's my first topic for my next RAAH!

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,
I think that is C. Peter himself who is crediting Jacobs with being first to (falsely) call him an apostle. He quotes her.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

The point is, Jacobs claimed it.

Lindsay said...

I think the whole Christian and homosexual worlds will be rocked by TC's crash into apostasy. My own opinion is here:

https://itaintthesame.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/campolo-crashes/

Thanks for your continued vigilance Glenn - you have more intestinal fortitude in exposing these crooks than many pastors have.

Anonymous said...

Sat in a Baptist mega church this past Sunday.

1) Service opened with a contemporary song, nice calm tune, words were primarily about "me, me and more of me."

2) Associate pastor (whatever title that is.....haven't found what an 'associate' pastor is according to my Bible) addressed all of us speaking words of great pride, stating "I am so proud of this group...... I am so proud of what we have coming up in our church....... I am so proud we had a great turn out for our block party." This pastor was so incredibly proud that I have to wonder what they taught him at his Moody Bible Institute program....hmmmm.

3) Offering plate was passed and we prayed for the money.

4) Sang another contemporary song about, guess what...."me" again.

5) Passed the offering plate around again for another new building to be built to be more of a Baptist cultural center and once again, prayed over the money and the new center.

6) Sang another song about "me" again.

7) Had communion with absolutely no Bible verses to prepare out hearts and minds as to what we were receiving.

8) Heard a sermon on the first book of the Bible preparing the pew sitters for the great debate on evolution. Caused some doubt in the pew sitters minds as to the creation account, cherry picking a few Hebrew words and using them to prepare the way for a guest speaker the following Sunday.....a phd'd scientist who claims to be a very strong man of god.

9) Closed with a short prayer for the congregation.

Left the mega church hungry, tired, and poor. This is what happens when you worship yourself, when you are exhausted hearing the Bible preached out of context, and your pockets are empty because the church wants all of your money to build new buildings equipped with the state of the art everything.

We left there with Jesus still knocking on that door......................

It is time to bring the missionaries back to America for the 501c. 3 is crumbling.

Anonymous said...

The Duggar scandal......


Jeopardy question of the day;

"What happens when you worship Christian idols?"

Answer: Judgement.

"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Our Father speaking.....

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,

Did you notice that Erin at DNBS had a good link to the Duggar disaster:
http://www.mortificationofspin.org/mos/1517/the-duggar-disaster?utm_content=bufferb1b4d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#.VXbaICjipl2

I think MoS did a very good job highlighting the key points on the issue.

-Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Final thought - judgment begins in the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17. We need to start cleaning up house.

-Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Right. It is just that the way you have it written, it states she claims to be the first to do this. But Jacobs never claimed to be first. According to the original article, it was C. Peter Wagner who claimed she was first.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Hi Lindsay,

I like your article.

You know, the real problem is that Christians in general have not paid attention to Campolo's teachings, otherwise they would have seen this coming. He has been apostate for a long time. I first wrote about him back in June 2008:
http://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2008/06/tony-campolo-dangerous-and-false.html

Five months later I wrote of his homosexual advocacy
http://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2008/11/tony-campolo-homosexual-advocate.html

I think Campolo really believed what he just now stated, but kept it "in the closet" for fear of what real Christians would say. Now that so much of the "church" has gone "to the dark side," he feels comfortable announcing his true beliefs.



Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Anonymous (6/9/15),

WOW, what a "worship" service you attended! But, sadly, it is a perfect example of what the "Church" in America is coming to. We need some good persecution!

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Carolyn,

No, I had not seen that. Good article.

My problem with the Duggar issue has never been about the sexual abuse. I understood he had repented and had been forgiven.

My problem with the Duggars is that they elected to be Hollywood pawns, and that helped them spread their false beliefs to everyone who virtually idolized them. I'm glad they are off TV just as I am glad that Lemstone "Christian" book store is closing.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Anonymous, regarding C.Peter Wagner and Cindy Jacobs.

Okay, I understand now. The article has Wagner quoting Cindy Jacobs as prophesying he will be an apostle, and HE says she was the first to do so. I fixed it to just say she prophesied he'd be an apostle.

Sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake.

Anonymous said...

I understand why a believer should not attend a ceremony celebrating sodomy. Question... should a believer attend a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever? That, too, is forbidden in the Bible. I could not, in good conscience, give witness to such a union.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Even if the marriage is between a believer and an unbeliever, it is still a legitimate marriage in the eyes of God. Therefore, what God recognizes as legitimate, we should recognize it as such.

While Paul teaches us to not marry unbelievers, he never says it is a sin to do so. The problem is that it may bring the Christian down, turn him from his faith. However, there have been examples where the believer was able to bring the unbeliever to saving faith. One never knows how God will work it out.

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,

I understand, yes, the Duggar theology is a serious problem, and should not have been glamorized on television nor idolized by foolish Christians. But the sexual abuse that occurred in that house is also a serious problem, a more serious problem because it was improperly handled by the parents. We are still, as believers, subject to the laws of our land, and that family did not do what was right. Child s*xual abuse is a criminal activity in all 50 states.

A person committing a sin can certainly repent, yes. Is there room at Calvary? Yes. Can they be forgiven, yes. However if the sin is also a crime, as s*exual abuse of a child is, there is still a debt to society.

That's why I appreciated the MoS article. Item #3, failure to obey Romans 13 is a sin against God and against the victims. I also appreciated thought #7, the last sentence.

-Carolyn

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

The only problem with the law is that I don't think it was necessary in cases like this. If they had gone to the law he would have spent the rest of his life a a convicted "sex offender" with all the restrictions that involves. To do that to someone who made poor choices at 14 is a travesty.

Yes, to obey Rom. 13 they should have reported it, but, again, this is a side issue to me when it comes to the Duggars and their open advertisement for heretical, legalistic, and otherwise false teachings.

My ministry, and the blog, is about apologetics, not the law or politics. So I am primarily concerned with the teaching aspect. After all, I believe the teachings they follow is what led to the incident in the first place.

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,

Respectfully and resolutely, I submit that what he did wasn't a "poor choice". That is a euphemism that minimizes the gravity of the sin he committed at the age of 14, which is an age where the understanding of right and wrong is certainly well established. In Biblical times, 14 was adulthood. For the sake of the victims of s*xual abuse everywhere, let us call it in plain terms what it is, and not excuse offenders, even if they are "juvenile". I will NEVER refer to s*xual abuse of children as a "poor choice". It is a vile, wicked sin, and deserves no mollycoddling or soft pedaling. Ecc 8:11 I see no reason why the son shouldn't have been dealt with by the law, consequences notwithstanding.

I do not believe the aberrant Patriarchy/Gothardite teachings caused the incident, but I do believe they definitely could have been a contributing factor, as legalism has zero power to control sin. Nonetheless, even without those kinds of legalisms in a home, those sins occur in families. The vile sin was in his heart first, he acted on those impulses, and harmed the souls of five little girls. The sin was further compounded by two full grown adults who disobeyed God's requirement in Romans, and then the whole lot of them publicly held themselves up as bastions of morality.

I do respect that you do not address political/legal issues here, and will comment no further unless you have a specific question for me.

-Carolyn

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Carolyn,

In my belief, EVERY SIN is a "Poor Choice." I did not use the term to mitigate anything, rather I was pointing out that it was a choice he had - to either sin or not to sin. "He chose poorly."

I agree he was not a juvenile, which is another made up word to allow children to remain children when in reality anyone who has reached puberty is a young adult.

I have thoroughly studied Gothardism and the whole patriarchy movement. Gothard makes light of sexual sin, and Patriarchy treats women as chattel. Raised in that environment, I'm surprised that more males from those teachings aren't sexual predators. No, they didn't cause the incident, but the belief systems can certainly lead there.

In this sort of situation, though (the evidence says fondling outside of clothing), the law would be extremely unjust to give him a lifetime label. They did follow biblical principles to deal with the sin; repentance and forgiveness.