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

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Random Aberrations, Apostasies, and Heresies

So much to report today, for warning people against false teachings and false teachers.  It is surely getting closer to Jesus’ return when we are seeing all the evidence of people refusing to listen to sound doctrine as they chase every wind and fad of false doctrine which makes them feel good.

First up, Bill Gothard has NEVER accepted accountability for any of his actions, be it false teachings or sexual harassment/abuse of young women in his ministry.  Now his lawyers are threatening lawsuit against Recovering Grace Ministries for posting testimonies of his abuse. The man has absolutely NO shame!

First Heavy Metal Church of Christ.  WOW!  In Dayton, OH.  This is what the market-driven/seeker-sensitive/emergent “church” has come to.  Another “church” which doesn’t understand what church is for.  (I listened to one sermon, and it was ridiculous about what God supposedly put on his heart, and other charismatic claims, in addition to claiming people are “saved” at this church every week.)

Marsha West has posted part 2 of her examination of false spiritual warfare, naming names of important false teachers in this movement, most of whom are part of the New Apostolic Reformation.

An older series from Gary Gilley is about entertainment in the church.  Read part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Gilley also has an older two part review of Rick Warren’s “The Purpose-Driven Life.”  Part 1 is here and part 2 is here.

A good review on the new movie, “Risen.”

A “Christian” rapper thinks it is just fine to use foul language.  I’ve previously written about why using profanity is wrong.

Steve Chalke proves what a false teaching heretic he is.

Andy Stanley thinks a pastor should be more like a CEO; his description is very narcissistic.  This article also examines the multi-site “church” ideology in general, and some information about false teacher Steven Furtick.

Due to complaints I’ve received for saying John MacArthur is a good teacher (as long as you ignore his TULIPs), I have links about teachings which people question.
Did he teach that Jesus only became God’s son at incarnation?  Did he teach that one could take the mark of the beast and be saved?  Is his teaching about the blood of Christ the same as Christian Science?
Answer to the first question is “yes” but he has since recanted and changed his teachings.  The answer to the second is “yes” but there is a context to it which the attackers ignore.  The answer to the third question is an unequivocal “NO”!  Once again the claims against him are out of context; MacArthur’s point is that the blood in and of itself has no salvific value - Jesus’ blood could have been all over the place but if he didn’t die for our sins, then the blood would have accomplished nothing.

Interesting old video I came across, exposing what a false teaching heretic Joel Osteen is.

Richard Mouw’s beliefs about Islam are dangerous, demonstrating once again what a false teacher he is.

Greg Laurie is another once-good teacher slowing sliding down the slippery slope of compromise for popularity.

WOW!  What a horrid gathering of Christians, apostates, and heretics.

More on Francis Chan’s adoration of false teacher Mike Bickle and his support of Catholicism.

Doug Evans has a really good examination of Dominionism.

The false prophecies of the late Bob Jones. I never heard so many lies in such a short video.

If only more Christians would read their Bibles we’d have a lot fewer false teachers.

7 comments:

Joe said...

MacArthur is one of my favorite teachers, but you are quite right about his bent toward TULIP. He can also sink into the quicksand of behaviorism. He does, however, consistently present the gospel. And he has a captivating, yet dignified, style. Listen to him to learn, but be discerning.

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,

First, as usual, Gilley/SVC's articles on "entertainment" were spot on. THANK YOU for posting them here at TWB. I love reading Gilley's articles and reviews.

Other things...
Goatherd (Gothard) is EVIL. Just EVIL.

Greg Laurie, no shock, he's been buddies with Rick Warren for years.

Francis Chan, still at it, I see... sad.

Andy Stanley, again, no shock. What arrogance, trying to turn a shepherd into a CEO. But that's the fruit of the church growth/seeker sensitive/purpose driven phenomenon.

Now, go to your average assembly and name these names (and others, like Mark Driscoll or Beth Moore) as problematic, and watch some "saints", including some "pastors", start ripping your wool out by the fist full, and then giving you the left foot of fellowship!

Re: MacArthur. I wish people would just stop denigrating him. JUST STOP. As I've said before, I'm not a Calvinist, but like Joe above, I find him to be a dignified, reliable Gospel preacher. With extra emphasis on the "dignified", a trait lacking in some of today's popular teachers. I will listen to him above most other Bible teachers, and respect him greatly. Is he without error, no of course not. No man is. But I am discerning enough to test ANY teacher by the word of God.

-Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Carolyn,

One of the things I appreciate about John MacArthur is I never have to guess where he stands on an issue. It's all out there or he will just tell you.

Others, sometimes, it's like pulling teeth.

Anonymous said...

So basically if you ignore MacArthur's TULIP HERESY he is "ok"? lol Eat the meat spit out the bones eh?

Doug

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Doug,

Not everyone considers Calvinism to be heresy - in fact I would guess most non-Calvinists are closer to my opinion that it is an aberration.

What non-negotiable doctrine do you find Calvinism violating?

Anonymous said...

Haven't been on this blog for a while...Hi, Glenn! I also have great respect for John MacArthur. And I am thankful that you post a lot of good info on many 'crazies' out there! LOL But John MacArthur is definitely not one of them! =)

But I have a question! Has anyone heard of PAUL DAVID TRIPP??????
He and James MacDonald served on the board @Mars Hill, then slipped out when the Driscoll mess began. Wrote a book with Tim Lane. Tripp was also a buddy of Tullian Tchividjian until he couldn't fix the mess he was in... Paul Tripp is called a Pastor's pastor and christian counselor, etc...And written several books. Our church college group started using his material. I did some research on him and listened to several of his teachings and interviews and I just think he is OFF! I spoke with the college pastor in detail, but he basically called me judgemental and overly protective. After 3 months of praying and more research, I had to take the matter to one of our elders and his wife. They seem very concerned and they are preparing all my documents to present before the elder's board.

Does anyone out there have any more info on this guy. I've only glanced through some excerpts of His books, and on the surface, it seems to sound ok, but IDK, he knows how to mingle his word and makes it kinda confusing sometimes. But when you hear him speak, live...you can totally hear his psycho babble and he totally misuses "grace"... Well, if you have anything, besides the few blogs online...let me know! I would totally appreciated it!

TIA,

Ms. B

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Hi Ms B,

I've heard the name, but haven't looked into him. I suppose you should be able to find stuff on Google. I'd look for "David Paul Tripp false teacher" -- that's my normal way for finding things. :0D