Good, Bad, and Ugly

It’s a good thing I am retired; otherwise I don’t know when I’d find time to go to work!  I think we spend more time away from home than we actually spend at home — except for perhaps sleeping!  And when I am home, the yard work is keeping me really busy.

I decided that I have too many links to articles to sit on any longer, especially since in my reading file I have a couple dozen more to look at!  As usual, let’s start with some good articles giving information, education, or edification, or all three!

The Good:

A very interesting commentary about eternal security and Saul.

Why Johnny Can’t Confess What He Believes.

A very interesting article about Seventh-day Adventism, demonstrating the cultic nature of that belief system, and how “progressives” wrangle with it.

What did Jesus mean when he said those who believe in him would do greater works?

One of the many problems of the theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Predators in pulpits.

Now for the Bad and/or Ugly: Fasten your seat-belts!

I wasn’t going to bring up the Willow Creek imbroglio again (I noted it in May), but I again want to point out how horrid things have gotten there; the ROOT to it all is the philosophy which was the foundation of Bill Hybels’ theology, a liberal feel-good theology which always leads to the destruction of affected assemblies.

Louie Giglio is a WOLF.  Warn people away from him.

Proof that Bill Johnson, of Beth Redding, is NOT a Christian and his “ministry” is not of Christ. This is demonic.

More on the “Revoice” conference.  Albert Mohler also chimes in with his observations.

Dennis Prager exposes the ideology behind the Pope’s recent denial of God’s law in regards to capital punishment: it isn’t Catholic or Christian.

Evangelical Hollywood Pastors Wolves

Bible Study Fellowship is going downhill.  Use discernment!

If this is what a “church” has to do to get people to attend and take part in the assembly, then they are NOT “healthy spiritually” to begin with. Just remember that what you win them with is what you win them too.

What more evidence do you need to know Rick Warren is a false teacher who has demonstrated his need to be popular.  Saddleback, being a water-down feel-good church is baptizing how many false believers who really have no clue about their faith? (I also wonder why they keep track of how many baptisms; are they looking to be praised?)ne/

Andy Stanley’s teachings keep going from bad to worse.  MARK AND AVOID HIM!

More information on the Pennsylvania pedophile priests.

More proof that Jen Hatmaker is NOT a Christian: mark and avoid her!

Jonathan Cahn and Michael Brown — two false teachers in a pod.  Cahn really, really demonstrates what a false prophet he is, and how nutty he can really get: he finds the Bible prophecies Donald Trump as President!  And Brown accepts all his false teaching and promotes it. Where is the discernment in the people who listen to this nonsense?!?!?

The humorous

Church’s statement of faith comprised entirely of U2 lyrics.  Sounds like a church I visited once.

“Outreach” Services

I have previously written an article about what the assembled church is for. One thing I pointed out is that the assembled church is NOT for inviting in unbelievers, such as with “outreach” services. The assembly is for corporate worship, edification, etc, for believers. And it is where the individual Christians learn to take the Gospel into the world!

IF the church wants to have an “outreach” service, it should not be the normal gathering of the saints, rather it should be a separate gathering specifically for preaching to the unsaved.  And then it should not have gimmicks, shows, or any sort of entertainment, because what you win them with is what you win them to.

What’s worse is that churches who have the “outreach” services almost always pay for someone to come in so they can have a “creative way” to “reach the lost.” (For example, Christian “magicians” come to put on magic shows.)  When a church spends money for this purpose, I stop giving offerings there.  My offerings are not to be used to entertain “seekers.” I can’t see Paul looking for “creative” ways to reach the lost!  Again, don’t win them with anything other than the WORD of God; no entertainment, no appealing to emotions, etc.

The assembly at which we currently worship has had previous “outreach” services in the evening rather than in the morning where we Christians gather together.  However, they also like to use the normal worship service for this — which is wrong — and I will never attend this type of service. That is what will be happening at the end of this month.

The person this assembly has contracted with is Eric Samuel Timm, and the video we were shown this week as a “teaser” demonstrates that this “outreach” service will be an appeal to emotions. This speaker’s website says he is an “orator, author, artist, visionary” — and I am afraid to see just what a “visionary” has to do with the Church. The site claims that “Eric is one of America’s premier Bible teachers,” which I consider a bit of hubris; if he is a “premier” Bible teacher, then why haven’t I previously heard of him?

I looked over his site some more and found an endorsement claiming that he is “anointed.”  Yeah, well so are Benny Hinn, the IHOP gang, the NAR, and all the Hillsong and Bethel teachers.  Don’t you just love the way people claim to be “anointed”? I see more and more use of the world on his site as his way to reach the lost, as well as all sorts of claims about Eric’s philosophy, which is all about assertions:

Our eyes are the windows to our soul. Where words fall short, Eric Samuel Timm uses powerful live art and visuals to help his audience see what they cannot hear.

Each piece created by Eric carries a powerful, deep, life-giving message to bring hope to those who need it most.

Well, from what I saw on the “teaser” video and on his site, I don’t consider what Eric does to be art.  Reading all the statements about who Eric is and what he does for society/culture sure makes it sound as if we really can’t do without his expertise in so many areas. 

By the way, he also gets an endorsement from Youth Specialties, a group no Christian should seek endorsement from, since they promote mysticism and interspirituality.  The forward to his new book, Static Jedi: The Art of Hearing God Through the Noise, is by Mark Batterson — the guy who wrote the unbiblical “Be A Circle Maker, as well as other unbiblical teachings.

The “teaser” we saw had Timm talking about knowing what it’s like to write your own suicide note, and how we can learn to write our own story.  

Well, I don’t need to listen to a motivational speaker trying to reach “seekers” who may be in the “audience” during a morning worship service.  I want to hear the WORD expounded.

Shepherds, I have no idea why you feel the need to be like the mega-churches, the seeker-sensitive/market-driven goat pens.  It isn’t needed and you do your flock a disservice by bringing in such speakers/entertainers for “outreach” during time supposedly set aside for BELIEVERS!

Jesus Lover of My Soul

Jesus, lover of my soul, 

let me to thy bosom fly, 

while the nearer waters roll, 

while the tempest still is high; 

hide me, O my Savior, hide, 

till the storm of life is past; 

safe into the haven guide, 

O receive my soul at last! 

Other refuge have I none; 

hangs my helpless soul on thee; 

leave, ah! leave me not alone, 

still support and comfort me. 

All my trust on thee is stayed, 

all my help from thee I bring; 

cover my defenseless head 

with the shadow of thy wing. 

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;

more than all in Thee I find;

raise the fallen, cheer the faint,

heal the sick, and lead the blind;

just and holy is Thy name,

I am all unrighteousness;

false and full of sin I am,

Thou are full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with thee is found, 

grace to cover all my sin; 

let the healing streams abound; 

make and keep me pure within. 

Thou of life the fountain art; 

freely let me take of thee; 

spring thou up within my heart, 

rise to all eternity. 

By Charles Wesley

Good, Bad, and Ugly

It’s been quite a busy time for me, giving me little time for blog work. I’ve had a few piping jobs - and today I will be playing for a funeral an hour away - as well as taking an overnight with my sweetie to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of our wedding.  And the yard work never stops calling my name!  So here are things I’ve been reading since my last “GBU” post.

The Good:

“Unconditional Love” is from the psyche field, not from the Bible.

Is Mark’s Gospel an early memoir of the Apostle Peter?  YES!

6 Things to Remember for a Successful Marriage.

Is my church a cult (or cultish)?

How did Judas die?  Biblical contradiction?  NO.

Why there is no such thing as the Gift of Tongues.

The Bad and/or Ugly

Matt Chandler continues to demonstrate his total lack of discernment as he and Francis Chan, another poorly-discerning teacher, join with the false teaching Hillsong and heretical Jesus Culture in a conference — a conference which has nothing to do with the REAL Christian faith.  Stay away from the teachings which come from these people.

It is really sad when a Jewish “biblical scholar” decides that Leviticus has been messed with and that it originally approved of homosexual behavior. Of course he has also decided that nothing in the Pentateuch is original.

This says a LOT about this so-called “Christian” conference (“Revoice”).

Robert Gagnon gives his comments on that “Christian” conference (“Revoice”).

An example of the sort of nonsense found at “Revoice.”

Oh boy, another “conference” of false prophets, false apostles, and every other sort of false teacher.  Any name you see in these advertisements are people to avoid like the plague.

Steven Furtick seems demonic to me.

Beth Moore’s theology is getting wackier by the day.  AVOID HER!

David Barton is a dangerous false teacher.  AVOID HIM!

Bethel Redding/Bill Johnson are getting more aberrant and absurd every day.  That place is a bastion of every kind of false teaching by FALSE prophets.  WARN everyone to avoid that place and their teachings as if their very lives depend upon it.

A “pastor” from a UMC mega-church claims that supporting same-sex fake marriage isn’t incompatible with Christian orthodoxy, that it isn’t heresy.  Well, when you say there is such a thing as this fake marriage, then you are saying that God approves of it, which means you are worshipping another God and not the God of the Bible — i.e., you are indeed practicing heresy!

And the Pope again disagrees with God. His excuses for violating Gen.9:6 are just asinine.  Hey Mr. Pope — assertions from you don’t trump God’s rules!

No humor for today!

Pedophile Priests

Over the last few decades I have learned about hundreds, if not thousands, of priests who molested children (age 12 and under specifically) and yet were kept in their positions; the ungodly Papist Church just moved them around and around whenever they were caught.  This, of course, has led to many ruined lives as well as victim suicides.

This is one of the issues which is blatant proof that the Papist Roman Catholic Church has never represented God.  (Really, just take a look at the history of the sexual immorality among the popes!).

I have always said that this rampant pedophilia among priests is a result of the Papist dogma requiring priests to be celibate, which is an unnatural state for most men.  These priests then seek sexual gratification among the innocent, and then coerce them into silence.

I recently viewed the movie, “Spotlight,” which is about a 2001-2002 Boston Globe investigation exposing almost 100 pedophile priests in the Boston area, as well as the cover-up by the local Cardinal and the Papist Church while they shuffled known predators from parish to parish.

This past week we have another news item about an investigation into over 300 pedophile priests in Pennsylvania.

Then Lighthouse Trails has a report of a Cardinal stepping down due to sexual abuse.

This sex abuse takes place around the world, always protected by Rome.

Popes, Cardinals, Priests — centuries and centuries of rampant sexual immorality among Papism’s leaders is 100% proof that the Roman Catholic Church is a man-made organization, invented to control people.  They are a very cultic organization who exercises onerous control over their members as well as abusing them sexually.  (Interesting how virtually every cult has includes sexual immorality and abuse by their leaders!)

And yet Roman Catholics refuse to acknowledge the fact that their organization is not from God.

Good, Bad, and Ugly

Quite a few good articles to link to this time; some for education and some for edification.  

The Shroud of Turin is NOT genuine.  I’ve been saying that since I first heard of it years and years ago.

Romanism’s false hope of purgatory.

The moral law reflects God’s character.

The image of God.

Jesus is NOT a copy of pagan Gods.  But we knew this, didn’t we?

25 Reasons Why the World Hates Christians.  H/T: Doug

A book review of a new biography of Aimee Temple McPherson; she is the origin of the Foursquare Church.

Troubling terms of the “Social Justice Movement.”

The great Flood of the Bible or uniformitarian geology? I’ll go with the former, which makes much more sense scientifically!

Apologetics is about love.

The Bad and/or Ugly

The ELCA needs to quit pretending it is a Christian organization. In this incident they are promoting child abuse and perversion. If you are a member of the ELCA, WHY?

Former President Jimmy Carter worships a different Christ — a Christ who accepts an abomination.

Catholic defense of Marian devotion is actually no defense at all, and horribly bizarre  unbiblical nonsense.

Sarah Young has a devotional Bible out now, with all sorts of direct teachings from God and Jesus, or so she claims. Stay away from this spiritually dangerous publication.

Matt Chandler continues to implode with false teachings.

Rachel Held Evans has a new book: be forewarned that it is 100% false teaching.

The humorous

Oh, wouldn’t this be great!!

Oh how I wish this was true!

I love these jabs at Joel Osteen — they are so poignant!

History Lesson Follow-Up

Jesse, at Rational Christian Discernment, has written some articles about the history of Roman Catholicism that you might find to be an interesting addition to the series I just finished. Search around.

The Historical Development of Papal Authority.  For more on papal authority, I direct you to an article I wrote in 2010.

A good, concise history of the Roman Church (previously linked to on a “Good, Bad, and Ugly” post).