Following Hannity's interview with the Illustrious Mr. Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, which Mr. Hannity proudly pointed out is the most-sold book, only to the Bible. In page 91 of his Purpose Driven life, Warren suggests for people to use "breath prayers," which are also know as "centering prayer," "contemplative prayer," or in Hinduism "transcendental meditation." Yoga is Sanskrit for "being yoked to the divine." As one Hindu yogi said, "There is no such thing as Chrisitan yoga." I digress.
Hannity's interview was "smoothly" followed by an interview with new age guru Deepak Chopra, promoting his new book, detailing the before unknown rebellious teen life of Jesus, and the resulting spiritual development (out of His rebellion), to be such a great spiritual leader, pionting people to find the divine within.
Sunday our pastor mentioned John 10 was one of his favorite chapters in the entire bible, and encouraged us to read it. Yesterday morning I did. Watching Hannity's show last night, Chopra referenced this very chapter (thank God for providence), citing the words of Jesus: "My Father and I are one (v. 30)," not mentioning the preceding verses which would void his argument.
31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him.
32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. Which of these works are you stoning Me for?”
33 “We aren’t stoning You for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because You—being a man—make Yourself God.”
John 10:31-33 (HCSB)
From here, Chopra goes on to say how Jesus explained from that point, Jesus explains how we are all god. He goes on later in the interview to explain that we all have that spark of divinity within us, "all" referring to all people, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostic, Baptists, Sikhs, Jews, etc. But is that really what Jesus was saying. Let's look at the text:
34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods? 35 If He called those whom the word of God came to ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the One the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God?
John 10:34-36 (HCSB)
The passage cited by Jesus is Ps. 82:6:
6 I said, “You are gods;
you are all sons of the Most High.
Psalms 82:6 (HCSB)
This is one of the most often misquoted verses used by cults like the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and New Agers, to point out that we all either can become gods, or we have the "spark of divinity" within us. What is this verse, which Jesus referred to, actually mean? A VERY IMPORTANT principle in Bible study, is to read the verse in the context of its surrounding text. What does the next verse say?
7 However, you will die like men
and fall like any other ruler.”
Psalms 82:7 (HCSB)
So the following verse tells us that these so called 'gods' will die like other men, or like any other ruler. A look at the preceeding verses will show that the 'rulers' are ruling in injustice, showing partiality to the wicked (v.2), being admonished to provide justice for the needy and fatherless; to uphold the rights of the oppressed and destitute (is wealth a right?). These rulers, gods, are referring to the judges of Israel, who stood in the place of God to render His decisions and judgments for the Israeli people, as Moses was God to his brother Aaron (Ex. 4:16).
This is not a passage where Jesus is saying that we all have god within us, or that we can attain a 'God' conciousness. Let's look at what he said in the preceeding verses of John 10:
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (HCSB)
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15 (HCSB)
27 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
John 10:27-30 (HCSB)
Jesus and the Father are one. This was His teaching. And He lays down His life for the sheep, and gives them eternal life. He also teaches later in the good news of John, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me." Not even Deepak Chopra!
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Shack - a Novel Truth?
Maybe you've heard of it. It's been out a while now. It's a FICTIONAL work of a guy who in the wake of his 6 yr. old daughter's death, meets with God in the Shack where she is killed. First of all, let me say, this fictional work is another new age assault on Christianity and Christian doctrine. You have such themes as the Trinity manifesting themselves as black women, except Jesus, who is presumbably a Jewish Carpenter. And once again, as in all new age teachings, God is with and in all people, regardless of religion or belief. It contains, though subtely woven in the novel, panentheism, that God is in all things.
"Jesus even tells Mack that “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things—ultimately emerging as the real” (p. 112). This is pure New Age spirituality."
For an excellent review of this book, see: http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/BookReviews/book_reviews.asp?ID=387
"Jesus even tells Mack that “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things—ultimately emerging as the real” (p. 112). This is pure New Age spirituality."
For an excellent review of this book, see: http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/BookReviews/book_reviews.asp?ID=387
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Fortune-tellers actually speak to spirit-guides?
Okay, so let me tell you how I came to these sites. It started this morning listening to an interview done on christianworldviewnetwork.com w/ a guy who used to be a psychich/medium, who consulted with 15 spirit guides! FIFTEEN!!! Yes, that's what I said... though he said he regularly just spoke with two, Phil and Miriam. Anyway, he's now born-again, and amazed the same thing (of connecting with spirit-guides, a.k.a. demons) is being taught in the church, only under the name "contemplative-prayer," or "breaeth prayers," or "centering prayer."
So I went to check out his website, www.onetruthministries.com, and looked at his links section. 3 that I thought were just great, and deserving of most of you knowing about are:
1. www.sacredsandwich.com - satirical parodies w/ an edge of Biblical truth
2. www.refugeminstries.cc - resource help for those formerly involved in the occult or Satanism
3. www.webtruth.org - speaks of current trends and dangers in the UK church (and thus
abroad).
So I went to check out his website, www.onetruthministries.com, and looked at his links section. 3 that I thought were just great, and deserving of most of you knowing about are:
1. www.sacredsandwich.com - satirical parodies w/ an edge of Biblical truth
2. www.refugeminstries.cc - resource help for those formerly involved in the occult or Satanism
3. www.webtruth.org - speaks of current trends and dangers in the UK church (and thus
abroad).
Monday, August 25, 2008
False Teachers and Eternity
The last time I preached on 2 Peter was a Sunday night, so most people didn’t get to hear it. So I want to recap real quick. We looked at the 2nd half of ch. 1. Paul said that he made EVERY EFFORT so that they could REMEMBER the truths that he was writing to them. He went on to describe the certainty they had in the word of God, having personally witnessed with their own eyes and heard with their own ears what God Himself uttered from heaven when they were on the sacred mountain top. So he said that you will do well to pay attention to what the scriptures say… until the morning star rises in your hearts. That morning star is one of the names for Jesus (Rev. 22:16). So Peter tells us there to pay attention (listen, believe, obey) so that Jesus is the absolute focus of our lives. He tells us that they did not originate by the will of man, (which many people today try to write them off as being just another religious book written by man), but men who were moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God (v. 21).
But then Peter goes on to tell of false prophets in the days of the OT, just as he warns US, there will be false teachers among you! In this passage Peter shows us four things. First, he shows us the False Prophets Activity, then he tells us of the Unbelievers Punishment. Thirdly, he tells us that the Righteous Are Protected, and finally, that the LORD Knows how to keep the righteous and the ungodly in their respective states of reward or punishment until the Day of Judgment.
Maybe you know of some False Prophets that existed in the past, started their own religions, or maybe you know of some today! You know of people like David Koresh who led a group of people to commit suicide. You know of people like Muhammed, who took principles of Judaisism and Christianity’s and developed a huge following out of it. You know of Joseph Smith, who later took the form of a protestant religion and has deceived millions with what you know is Mormonism. But they aren’t all. It still goes on. I have preached on Ezek. 38, and how we are in the last days, and the Bible tells us in 2 Thess. That the Day of the Lord will not come until the great apostasy, or ‘falling away’ happens.
You know of Oprah Winfrey, who claims to be a Christian, she has her own religion, her own spirituality now that she is promoting, telling people that God is within them. She is leading MILLIONS in a class called a ‘Course in Miracles.’ These teachings come for a lady named Marianne Willaimson, who in the 1960s, took dictation from a spirit who claimed to be ‘Jesus.’ The first online service Oprah Winfrey led had 2 million attendees. It was dubbed as the World’s largest mass! Her second online service, had 5 million people taking part!!! Her religion teaches that there is no sin, it tells us “Not to cling to the old rugged cross.” It says that Jesus was a good example of man who connected with the divine within, while it totally ignores the scripture’s teaching about what Jesus said or did. It rejects the reliability of the New Testament, and adopts erroneous religious teachings like the Davinci Code!
And there are other false prophets, closer to home. Many well-known evangelical pastors are beginning to compromise the exclusive truth of the gospel, and beginning to merge with other world religions, saying that we can find salvation through all of them, saying that if we think Christianity holds the only way to God, that we are “narrow-minded,” or even “bigoted.” Such statements are coming from people such as Rick Warren. You know him for writing the '40 days of purpose.’!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is real! If you go home today and check your copy of 40 days of Purpose, you’ll notice on p. 91 that Warren suggest saying “breath prayers.” Breath prayers are defined and also called by New Age gurus as “sentence prayers” or “centering prayers.” In these prayers you are told to choose one word or a short sentence from scripture, and repeat it over and over, slowly, with your breath, till that is your only thought, and after doing this for 20 minutes, you come to “find god within you.” Do you see what is happening? Do you realize what these people are doing? They are slowly introducing words or concepts to you from other religions so that they will be accepted and you won’t realize what is happening. Let me give you an example: ~ Do you know how to catch a wild pig?
'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat
the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used
to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides
of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used
to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate
on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and
around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to
eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how
to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
This “breath prayer” is very similar to Transcendental Meditation as practiced by the Buddhists. Some of you may recognize the process I described, what the people are doing, is that they are hypnotizing themselves, so that their mind is open to suggestion, or control from an outside source. What this does is it opens our minds to demonic control and deception. Prayer is not something that is for personal experience, nor does it take a Christian 20 minutes to enter the presence of God! When I utter a prayer, THE VERY MOMENT, I am in the presence of God. The Bible says that as a believer in the LORD Jesus Christ, I am seated at the right hand of the very God all these people are trying to reach!!! So in this you can see the start of the movement to bring the world-religions together. Can anyone say ONE-WORLD RELIGION?
Many of you know of Tony Blair, but what you don’t know, is of his spiritual pilgrimage to Africa, Kenya, I believe, to ‘find himself,’ before he became PM of the Britain. Now that he is out of that position, he has formed an organization within the European Union, that aims at bringing together all religions, so that they can survive peacefully, side by side. And one of the main characteristics that they will not tolerate is religions that view themselves as being “exclusive to having access to God”. That would include religious groups like the Southern Baptists! Now, do we say that other groups don’t have access to God because we are mean, arrogant people? NO! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the Father, except through me.” It is not because we are cold, arrogant, bigoted people. If anything, we should be the most opposite to that description you can get! No, it is because we believe God’s word, and those of us who have laid our lives before Him have had our lives transformed!
Rick Warren sits on the advisory board of Blair’s organization. And not only this, but Rick Warren, and Bill Hybels, pastor at Willow Creek, support and are linked to many of the leaders in the Emergent Church. This form of church has been very controversial, and very popular among the younger generation. These churchs deny much of the traditional hymns, that give so much theological substance to our praise. They also minimize or ignore the work of Christ done on the cross for our salvation. These are the ones who are promoting a Kingdom Now theology. The Kingdom Now theology says that God’s will is for there to be an ideal society on earth, but they disregard the teachings on the return of Christ, and teach instead that it is God’s will to eradicate poverty, fight AIDS and work toward peace. While these things in and of themselves are good, they do not teach on MAN’S MOST ESSENTIAL NEED, a relationship with the living, soon returning God! And they accept the practice of homosexuality as good and normal, along with many of the once devout protestant religions, which now ordain gay clergy, in direct contradiction of Scripture’s teachings!
My brothers and sisters, how much further do I need to go in telling you WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT APOSTASY!!! The Church, which once burned with flames of righteousness, has now given in to the ways of the world, Divorce, sexual promiscuity, Homosexuality, Witchcraft! And they have fallen into the condemnation of what Paul said to the Romans of such ‘religious’ people: Romans 1:25 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for 1a alie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, bwho is blessed 2forever. Amen.
These people also exploit you. The other night I saw Rick Warren interviewed by Sean Hannity, and Mr. Hannity repeatedly congratulated him on the 25 million books he’s sold of ‘Purpose Driven Life.’ Oprah Winfrey and her colleagues have made millions through their books and internet classes. The leaders of the emergent church have also produced and made thousands through books that they are putting out and conferences they hold. So through all of this, they exploit you. And you only need ONE book, TRUTH BE TOLD! But we would rather go out and read books about the Bible instead of sitting down and looking at the Bible itself, and plumbing into its riches. In chapter one of 2 Peter. we are told that grace and peace will be multiplied to us THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And this comes through reading God’s word! Hosea 4:6 tells us that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Secondly, Peter tell us of the Unbeliever’s Punishment. He gives us three examples of this: First he tells us that God did not spare the angels when they sinned. This is a reference to Genesis 6 where it says ‘the sons of God’ married the daughters of men, and gave birth to mutant humans called the Nephilim, which were a race of gigantic men. Peter tells us that because these angels left their proper abode, they were sent to prisons in Tarturus, a dark region of the underworld supposedly located below hell.
Peter also tells us how God didn’t spare the ancient world when he sent the flood on the ungodly people of that time. Genesis 6:5 every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And Peter reminds us that God did not spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were burnt by fire from heaven. These he tells us, were shown to be an example of what is going to happen to those who live ungodly lives.
But God is faithful and he Protects the Righteous, those who have the sinless blood of Jesus applied to their lives through faith. The next thing we notice in the text is Thirdly, Peter tells us of the righteous ones whom God spared in his judgments upon a wicked culture. (*story - who preached for 120 yrs. and never saw a convert)!
We see that God delivered his servant Noah, and his family safe, through earth’s Catastrophe above all catastrophes!!! (*At the creation Museum, they had clay models of scenarios from the flood, where people had scrambled to the top of rocky crags, crying out, and you could see people struggling to swim in the turbulent waters – the flood was not a pretty, peaceful event. It was the worst devastation upon the planet that has happened up till this point. You think a tsunami of 2004 is bad, multiply that by x 1000!)
We see earlier in Genesis, when God was going to pour out his wrath on the inhabitants of two wicked cities, God knew of only one righteous person in Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s nephew Lot. And God brought Lot and his family out safely, delivering them from the judgment that utterly destroyed both wicked cities.
Fourthly, Peter tells us, the LORD knows how to rescue the righteous from trials, and to hold the unrighteous under punishment awaiting the great judgment. There is no alternative. There is no limbo-like state after death that is taught in the Bible. When we die, we are either taken to be immediately with the LORD, or immediately we go to a dark prison to await eternal judgment. There are no second chances.
It’s interesting that when Jesus gives his description of the end times, he says that it will be just like it was in the days of Noah. And it’s also interesting how Peter closes out in verse 10, referring to those who will be punished. He says, “especially those who follow the corrupting desires of the flesh, and despise authority.” What were the people like both in Noah’s day, and in Lot’s time? They followed the corrupt, sinful desires of the flesh, and through their wicked sexual immorality, they despised God’s authority over their lives by silencing the conviction of conscience that God had placed in them to guide them between right and wrong.
So in all three examples, of fallen angels, of humanity before the flood, and of the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, ALL THREE are examples where beings followed the sinful desires of the flesh instead of God’s righteous plan for humanity. Sound familiar? What characterizes our culture today? You see it in every aspect of our society! Just the other day, we were informed that a homosexual group of students at Cambridge High tried to put up a Rainbow flag for their group under the American flag. Folks, It’s reaching even to here! I dare say it’s in this church.
Who are you following in your life today? Are you following the LORD, and His righteous plan for your life? Or are you selling yourself short for the temporary, fleeting desires of this life, only to gain an eternal future of agony and torment? Don’t sell yourself short! You can come to God today. Today is the day of God’s favor, today is the day of God’s grace.
Friday afternoon, I came home a little early because Tara had a severe crick in her neck, and as I came in the house, the news was reporting a bus in NJ that ran off a bridge and crashed onto an embankment below. I don’t know where they were going or where they were coming from, but I bet they didn’t expect that the day the boarded the passenger bus, they would go flying off a bridge and seal their eternal destiny. Where are you going today? When you leave this site, what is your eternal destiny?
But then Peter goes on to tell of false prophets in the days of the OT, just as he warns US, there will be false teachers among you! In this passage Peter shows us four things. First, he shows us the False Prophets Activity, then he tells us of the Unbelievers Punishment. Thirdly, he tells us that the Righteous Are Protected, and finally, that the LORD Knows how to keep the righteous and the ungodly in their respective states of reward or punishment until the Day of Judgment.
Maybe you know of some False Prophets that existed in the past, started their own religions, or maybe you know of some today! You know of people like David Koresh who led a group of people to commit suicide. You know of people like Muhammed, who took principles of Judaisism and Christianity’s and developed a huge following out of it. You know of Joseph Smith, who later took the form of a protestant religion and has deceived millions with what you know is Mormonism. But they aren’t all. It still goes on. I have preached on Ezek. 38, and how we are in the last days, and the Bible tells us in 2 Thess. That the Day of the Lord will not come until the great apostasy, or ‘falling away’ happens.
You know of Oprah Winfrey, who claims to be a Christian, she has her own religion, her own spirituality now that she is promoting, telling people that God is within them. She is leading MILLIONS in a class called a ‘Course in Miracles.’ These teachings come for a lady named Marianne Willaimson, who in the 1960s, took dictation from a spirit who claimed to be ‘Jesus.’ The first online service Oprah Winfrey led had 2 million attendees. It was dubbed as the World’s largest mass! Her second online service, had 5 million people taking part!!! Her religion teaches that there is no sin, it tells us “Not to cling to the old rugged cross.” It says that Jesus was a good example of man who connected with the divine within, while it totally ignores the scripture’s teaching about what Jesus said or did. It rejects the reliability of the New Testament, and adopts erroneous religious teachings like the Davinci Code!
And there are other false prophets, closer to home. Many well-known evangelical pastors are beginning to compromise the exclusive truth of the gospel, and beginning to merge with other world religions, saying that we can find salvation through all of them, saying that if we think Christianity holds the only way to God, that we are “narrow-minded,” or even “bigoted.” Such statements are coming from people such as Rick Warren. You know him for writing the '40 days of purpose.’!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is real! If you go home today and check your copy of 40 days of Purpose, you’ll notice on p. 91 that Warren suggest saying “breath prayers.” Breath prayers are defined and also called by New Age gurus as “sentence prayers” or “centering prayers.” In these prayers you are told to choose one word or a short sentence from scripture, and repeat it over and over, slowly, with your breath, till that is your only thought, and after doing this for 20 minutes, you come to “find god within you.” Do you see what is happening? Do you realize what these people are doing? They are slowly introducing words or concepts to you from other religions so that they will be accepted and you won’t realize what is happening. Let me give you an example: ~ Do you know how to catch a wild pig?
'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat
the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used
to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides
of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used
to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate
on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and
around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to
eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how
to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
This “breath prayer” is very similar to Transcendental Meditation as practiced by the Buddhists. Some of you may recognize the process I described, what the people are doing, is that they are hypnotizing themselves, so that their mind is open to suggestion, or control from an outside source. What this does is it opens our minds to demonic control and deception. Prayer is not something that is for personal experience, nor does it take a Christian 20 minutes to enter the presence of God! When I utter a prayer, THE VERY MOMENT, I am in the presence of God. The Bible says that as a believer in the LORD Jesus Christ, I am seated at the right hand of the very God all these people are trying to reach!!! So in this you can see the start of the movement to bring the world-religions together. Can anyone say ONE-WORLD RELIGION?
Many of you know of Tony Blair, but what you don’t know, is of his spiritual pilgrimage to Africa, Kenya, I believe, to ‘find himself,’ before he became PM of the Britain. Now that he is out of that position, he has formed an organization within the European Union, that aims at bringing together all religions, so that they can survive peacefully, side by side. And one of the main characteristics that they will not tolerate is religions that view themselves as being “exclusive to having access to God”. That would include religious groups like the Southern Baptists! Now, do we say that other groups don’t have access to God because we are mean, arrogant people? NO! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the Father, except through me.” It is not because we are cold, arrogant, bigoted people. If anything, we should be the most opposite to that description you can get! No, it is because we believe God’s word, and those of us who have laid our lives before Him have had our lives transformed!
Rick Warren sits on the advisory board of Blair’s organization. And not only this, but Rick Warren, and Bill Hybels, pastor at Willow Creek, support and are linked to many of the leaders in the Emergent Church. This form of church has been very controversial, and very popular among the younger generation. These churchs deny much of the traditional hymns, that give so much theological substance to our praise. They also minimize or ignore the work of Christ done on the cross for our salvation. These are the ones who are promoting a Kingdom Now theology. The Kingdom Now theology says that God’s will is for there to be an ideal society on earth, but they disregard the teachings on the return of Christ, and teach instead that it is God’s will to eradicate poverty, fight AIDS and work toward peace. While these things in and of themselves are good, they do not teach on MAN’S MOST ESSENTIAL NEED, a relationship with the living, soon returning God! And they accept the practice of homosexuality as good and normal, along with many of the once devout protestant religions, which now ordain gay clergy, in direct contradiction of Scripture’s teachings!
My brothers and sisters, how much further do I need to go in telling you WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT APOSTASY!!! The Church, which once burned with flames of righteousness, has now given in to the ways of the world, Divorce, sexual promiscuity, Homosexuality, Witchcraft! And they have fallen into the condemnation of what Paul said to the Romans of such ‘religious’ people: Romans 1:25 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for 1a alie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, bwho is blessed 2forever. Amen.
These people also exploit you. The other night I saw Rick Warren interviewed by Sean Hannity, and Mr. Hannity repeatedly congratulated him on the 25 million books he’s sold of ‘Purpose Driven Life.’ Oprah Winfrey and her colleagues have made millions through their books and internet classes. The leaders of the emergent church have also produced and made thousands through books that they are putting out and conferences they hold. So through all of this, they exploit you. And you only need ONE book, TRUTH BE TOLD! But we would rather go out and read books about the Bible instead of sitting down and looking at the Bible itself, and plumbing into its riches. In chapter one of 2 Peter. we are told that grace and peace will be multiplied to us THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And this comes through reading God’s word! Hosea 4:6 tells us that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Secondly, Peter tell us of the Unbeliever’s Punishment. He gives us three examples of this: First he tells us that God did not spare the angels when they sinned. This is a reference to Genesis 6 where it says ‘the sons of God’ married the daughters of men, and gave birth to mutant humans called the Nephilim, which were a race of gigantic men. Peter tells us that because these angels left their proper abode, they were sent to prisons in Tarturus, a dark region of the underworld supposedly located below hell.
Peter also tells us how God didn’t spare the ancient world when he sent the flood on the ungodly people of that time. Genesis 6:5 every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And Peter reminds us that God did not spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were burnt by fire from heaven. These he tells us, were shown to be an example of what is going to happen to those who live ungodly lives.
But God is faithful and he Protects the Righteous, those who have the sinless blood of Jesus applied to their lives through faith. The next thing we notice in the text is Thirdly, Peter tells us of the righteous ones whom God spared in his judgments upon a wicked culture. (*story - who preached for 120 yrs. and never saw a convert)!
We see that God delivered his servant Noah, and his family safe, through earth’s Catastrophe above all catastrophes!!! (*At the creation Museum, they had clay models of scenarios from the flood, where people had scrambled to the top of rocky crags, crying out, and you could see people struggling to swim in the turbulent waters – the flood was not a pretty, peaceful event. It was the worst devastation upon the planet that has happened up till this point. You think a tsunami of 2004 is bad, multiply that by x 1000!)
We see earlier in Genesis, when God was going to pour out his wrath on the inhabitants of two wicked cities, God knew of only one righteous person in Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s nephew Lot. And God brought Lot and his family out safely, delivering them from the judgment that utterly destroyed both wicked cities.
Fourthly, Peter tells us, the LORD knows how to rescue the righteous from trials, and to hold the unrighteous under punishment awaiting the great judgment. There is no alternative. There is no limbo-like state after death that is taught in the Bible. When we die, we are either taken to be immediately with the LORD, or immediately we go to a dark prison to await eternal judgment. There are no second chances.
It’s interesting that when Jesus gives his description of the end times, he says that it will be just like it was in the days of Noah. And it’s also interesting how Peter closes out in verse 10, referring to those who will be punished. He says, “especially those who follow the corrupting desires of the flesh, and despise authority.” What were the people like both in Noah’s day, and in Lot’s time? They followed the corrupt, sinful desires of the flesh, and through their wicked sexual immorality, they despised God’s authority over their lives by silencing the conviction of conscience that God had placed in them to guide them between right and wrong.
So in all three examples, of fallen angels, of humanity before the flood, and of the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, ALL THREE are examples where beings followed the sinful desires of the flesh instead of God’s righteous plan for humanity. Sound familiar? What characterizes our culture today? You see it in every aspect of our society! Just the other day, we were informed that a homosexual group of students at Cambridge High tried to put up a Rainbow flag for their group under the American flag. Folks, It’s reaching even to here! I dare say it’s in this church.
Who are you following in your life today? Are you following the LORD, and His righteous plan for your life? Or are you selling yourself short for the temporary, fleeting desires of this life, only to gain an eternal future of agony and torment? Don’t sell yourself short! You can come to God today. Today is the day of God’s favor, today is the day of God’s grace.
Friday afternoon, I came home a little early because Tara had a severe crick in her neck, and as I came in the house, the news was reporting a bus in NJ that ran off a bridge and crashed onto an embankment below. I don’t know where they were going or where they were coming from, but I bet they didn’t expect that the day the boarded the passenger bus, they would go flying off a bridge and seal their eternal destiny. Where are you going today? When you leave this site, what is your eternal destiny?
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Mission in Baltimore
This past week at Baltimore was both frustrating and good. It was frustrating dealing with the spiritual opposition and resistance in the lives of our young people. But overall, it turned out good for the youth (and leaders) who went. They are now excited and understand the need for church planting and are ready to get involved in serving the community. I’m really excited, and excited for them!
I had a revelation this past week being involved in the community service projects. I have often spken and taught on how love is action. I also taught on how Christ instructs is to live a life of love, and how he said, “obedience to God is to walk in love.” “He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” “We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God predestined before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 2:8-10).
That passage right there says it all. God wants us to live lives of service, both to the believing and unbelieving world. But of the unbelievers, Paul says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time” Col 4:5 (HCSB). So with the unbelieving communities in which we inhabit, we must live lives of service, opening them to the gospel and engaging them in love.
With the LORD's SOON return, we've all got to be busy engaging and serving our communities. I think that's where many of us as churches have dropped the ball. We focus on doing programs and courses and looking inward at the church and the health of the body, while losing focus on the community right around us. Being part of this church plant for the Gallery church in Baltimore (www.gallerychurchbaltimore.com) was refreshing and opened my eyes to this.
Another thing that was really cool, and that the youth thought was really cool, was that we got interviewed and had an article wrote up about us in yesterday's Baltimore Sun paper. If you'd like to check it out, see http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.ci.youth04jul04,0,5831783.story. They even quoted moua!
I had a revelation this past week being involved in the community service projects. I have often spken and taught on how love is action. I also taught on how Christ instructs is to live a life of love, and how he said, “obedience to God is to walk in love.” “He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” “We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God predestined before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 2:8-10).
That passage right there says it all. God wants us to live lives of service, both to the believing and unbelieving world. But of the unbelievers, Paul says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time” Col 4:5 (HCSB). So with the unbelieving communities in which we inhabit, we must live lives of service, opening them to the gospel and engaging them in love.
With the LORD's SOON return, we've all got to be busy engaging and serving our communities. I think that's where many of us as churches have dropped the ball. We focus on doing programs and courses and looking inward at the church and the health of the body, while losing focus on the community right around us. Being part of this church plant for the Gallery church in Baltimore (www.gallerychurchbaltimore.com) was refreshing and opened my eyes to this.
Another thing that was really cool, and that the youth thought was really cool, was that we got interviewed and had an article wrote up about us in yesterday's Baltimore Sun paper. If you'd like to check it out, see http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.ci.youth04jul04,0,5831783.story. They even quoted moua!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Contemplative Spirituality/Emergent Church
Hey everyone, sorry I've been gone so long. I had to fill in for the senior pastor one week, and then I seemed to become absorbed into what is happening to the the North American church. And really, this has been going on for some time, and I've even posted on some of it. It seems there is a huge move of mysticism infiltrating the church in the name of "contemplative prayer." This practice was carried out by the 'Desert Fathers' in the early middle ages, but derives its source and main practice from Eastern Religions. This contemplative prayer is Christian terminology for what the Hindus call Transcendental Meditation or TM. It has also been toyed with in the Church in the name of "Christian Yoga," which I hear is on the website for Barrack Obama's former Church under church ministries!
Lighthouse Trails publishing company includes this definition of Contmplative Prayer or Spirituality on their site:
Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.
To see instructions on how to go about it, see the website for the International House of Prayer: http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?id=1000000385
Now I don't know about you, but I don't have to meditate for 20 minutes to find the presence of God, I just bow my head in prayer, and I'm in His presence by the substitutionary work my Savior did for me on the cross, which covers my sin and gives ME His righteousness through faith!
What is shocking is the rate at which all this is occurring and being accepted! When looking at the list of Chrisitans now promoting this New Age/Mystical movement in the Church, my wife started crying! "It seems like everyone is falling!" she said. Indeed, it's quite disturbing. And maybe you know of this movement, or have picked up on it. I was shocked how many books I had from people who are now part of this movement. Chances are, if you've read Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, you've been touched by it.
Let's see who some of these people are: John Ortberg, Erwin McManus, J. P. Moreland, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning , Henri Nouwen , Philip Yancey, John Eldredge, Gary Thomas, Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline and Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home); Bill Hybels, Brother Lawrence, Larry Crabb, Lance Witt, Max Lucado, H.B. London , Erik Reese, Donald Miller , Eugene Peterson, Michael Casey .
If you're anything like me, you're in a bit of shock right at the moment! I own books by several of these people, books I really liked! Wow. This list of names is from the Saddleback church's library of works that contain "strong contemplative propensities." All of these people are aligning themsevles with the contemplative prayer movement that is taking our churches by storm. I got this list of names at Lighthouse Trail's newest newsletter, http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletter061608.htm#LETTER.BLOCK11
As if this isn't enough, the emerging church, the 30s something church, is focusing more on a social/marxist/Kingdom Now theology, and not emphasizing the substitutionary death of Christ for the payment of our sins. It's as if they think Jesus was a good example to follow for a better life here and now. Nevermind the fact that you've sinned and grieved a holy, infinite, omnipotent and just God, of whom scriptures say, "It's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" (Heb. 10:31).
You know how a few months back Tony Blair got religion, his wifes religion, Roman Catholicism? Well, in his zeal (and lack of knowledge, Hos. 4:6) he formed an institution aimed at bringing all the religions arm in arm in peace. One stated purpose of this organization of what they will not tolerate is religous groups who are exclusive to other religons (my paraphrase). HELLO??? Southern Baptist? Any Bible Believers out there? Jesus said "I AM the way the truth and the Life, and NO MAN comes to the Father but through ME" (Jn 14:6). For there is salvation in no one else, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). And guess who sits on the advisory board for this great, ecumenical organization? Rick Warren. Yep. So Warren, and the emergent church leaders (Brian Mclaren, Robb Bell, Shane Clairborne...) are all working to unite world religions (nevermind the exclusivity of the gospel, that's an archaic issue) for the betterment of all mankind. Can anyone say ONE WORLD RELIGION? HELLO!!?
One man went to a conference held by emergent leader Brian Mclaren, and reflecting back on it, had this to say:
I found that the essence of these statements are still proving to be axiomatic after my experience at the “Everything Must Change” conference held at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana with emergent church leader Brian McLaren. I sat through session after session listening to the emergent “gospel;” complete with medieval chants and choruses of despair, apologies to the Native American Indians of the St. Joseph River Valley, as well as to “Mother Earth” for scarring her through our mining and oil drilling operations. The sarcasm with which traditional Scriptural positions were discussed, coupled with repeated swipes at Christians who were (in McLaren’s opinion) waiting to be “snatched away,” “evacuated,” or “beamed up,” brought one particular Scripture passage constantly to my heart and mind. 2 Peter 3:3-13 captures the essence of the conference:
...
The music was all original and was performed by a very gifted young woman. The tonality was “modal” and a-rhythmic; reminiscent of the “coffee house” styles of the 1960s; a sort of “Hillsong meets Joan Baez” blend. Very prosaic in nature, with quickly spoken recitations over guitar and violin, seven or eight words to every two or three beats; all crying out about our rape of “Mother Earth” and other human rights violations. The thing that stuck out to me was that there was no worship poetry extolling the Glory of God or the beauty of Christ in creation. Everything was directed towards an inward, subjective, and very mystical experience, coupled with a worldview which represented more of the Gospel of “Marx” than of “Mark.” Reflecting back to the opening “worship chorus” inspired by Francis of Assisi; Mr. McLaren stated that in one particular city a man rose from his seat and walked out because the song sounded “New Age.” He then scoffed, “Not New Age, but Middle Age”… a comment that drew delighted laughter from his admiring congregation.
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-everything-must-change.html
His article goes on and is very interesting as it gives us a glimpse into the practice and belief of much of the emergent church. My wife kept telling me, "No, no, I don't want to see this. I want the LORD to return and take us, I don't want to see this happen." I didn't feel very sympathetic as I said "I know, but it was written about in the Bible thousands of years ago that it would happen this way." And in an effort to encourage her, I said, "This should cause us to be encouraged, to look up, because our Lord is soon in returning!" So, for all I could muster, I wasn't very encouraging. And I think it will continue to get worse. All I can say is "lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near!" (Lk 21:28).
Amen.
Lighthouse Trails publishing company includes this definition of Contmplative Prayer or Spirituality on their site:
Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.
To see instructions on how to go about it, see the website for the International House of Prayer: http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?id=1000000385
Now I don't know about you, but I don't have to meditate for 20 minutes to find the presence of God, I just bow my head in prayer, and I'm in His presence by the substitutionary work my Savior did for me on the cross, which covers my sin and gives ME His righteousness through faith!
What is shocking is the rate at which all this is occurring and being accepted! When looking at the list of Chrisitans now promoting this New Age/Mystical movement in the Church, my wife started crying! "It seems like everyone is falling!" she said. Indeed, it's quite disturbing. And maybe you know of this movement, or have picked up on it. I was shocked how many books I had from people who are now part of this movement. Chances are, if you've read Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, you've been touched by it.
Let's see who some of these people are: John Ortberg, Erwin McManus, J. P. Moreland, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning , Henri Nouwen , Philip Yancey, John Eldredge, Gary Thomas, Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline and Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home); Bill Hybels, Brother Lawrence, Larry Crabb, Lance Witt, Max Lucado, H.B. London , Erik Reese, Donald Miller , Eugene Peterson, Michael Casey .
If you're anything like me, you're in a bit of shock right at the moment! I own books by several of these people, books I really liked! Wow. This list of names is from the Saddleback church's library of works that contain "strong contemplative propensities." All of these people are aligning themsevles with the contemplative prayer movement that is taking our churches by storm. I got this list of names at Lighthouse Trail's newest newsletter, http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletter061608.htm#LETTER.BLOCK11
As if this isn't enough, the emerging church, the 30s something church, is focusing more on a social/marxist/Kingdom Now theology, and not emphasizing the substitutionary death of Christ for the payment of our sins. It's as if they think Jesus was a good example to follow for a better life here and now. Nevermind the fact that you've sinned and grieved a holy, infinite, omnipotent and just God, of whom scriptures say, "It's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" (Heb. 10:31).
You know how a few months back Tony Blair got religion, his wifes religion, Roman Catholicism? Well, in his zeal (and lack of knowledge, Hos. 4:6) he formed an institution aimed at bringing all the religions arm in arm in peace. One stated purpose of this organization of what they will not tolerate is religous groups who are exclusive to other religons (my paraphrase). HELLO??? Southern Baptist? Any Bible Believers out there? Jesus said "I AM the way the truth and the Life, and NO MAN comes to the Father but through ME" (Jn 14:6). For there is salvation in no one else, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). And guess who sits on the advisory board for this great, ecumenical organization? Rick Warren. Yep. So Warren, and the emergent church leaders (Brian Mclaren, Robb Bell, Shane Clairborne...) are all working to unite world religions (nevermind the exclusivity of the gospel, that's an archaic issue) for the betterment of all mankind. Can anyone say ONE WORLD RELIGION? HELLO!!?
One man went to a conference held by emergent leader Brian Mclaren, and reflecting back on it, had this to say:
I found that the essence of these statements are still proving to be axiomatic after my experience at the “Everything Must Change” conference held at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana with emergent church leader Brian McLaren. I sat through session after session listening to the emergent “gospel;” complete with medieval chants and choruses of despair, apologies to the Native American Indians of the St. Joseph River Valley, as well as to “Mother Earth” for scarring her through our mining and oil drilling operations. The sarcasm with which traditional Scriptural positions were discussed, coupled with repeated swipes at Christians who were (in McLaren’s opinion) waiting to be “snatched away,” “evacuated,” or “beamed up,” brought one particular Scripture passage constantly to my heart and mind. 2 Peter 3:3-13 captures the essence of the conference:
...
The music was all original and was performed by a very gifted young woman. The tonality was “modal” and a-rhythmic; reminiscent of the “coffee house” styles of the 1960s; a sort of “Hillsong meets Joan Baez” blend. Very prosaic in nature, with quickly spoken recitations over guitar and violin, seven or eight words to every two or three beats; all crying out about our rape of “Mother Earth” and other human rights violations. The thing that stuck out to me was that there was no worship poetry extolling the Glory of God or the beauty of Christ in creation. Everything was directed towards an inward, subjective, and very mystical experience, coupled with a worldview which represented more of the Gospel of “Marx” than of “Mark.” Reflecting back to the opening “worship chorus” inspired by Francis of Assisi; Mr. McLaren stated that in one particular city a man rose from his seat and walked out because the song sounded “New Age.” He then scoffed, “Not New Age, but Middle Age”… a comment that drew delighted laughter from his admiring congregation.
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-everything-must-change.html
His article goes on and is very interesting as it gives us a glimpse into the practice and belief of much of the emergent church. My wife kept telling me, "No, no, I don't want to see this. I want the LORD to return and take us, I don't want to see this happen." I didn't feel very sympathetic as I said "I know, but it was written about in the Bible thousands of years ago that it would happen this way." And in an effort to encourage her, I said, "This should cause us to be encouraged, to look up, because our Lord is soon in returning!" So, for all I could muster, I wasn't very encouraging. And I think it will continue to get worse. All I can say is "lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near!" (Lk 21:28).
Amen.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Great Earthqaukes & Disasters foretold in the Bible?
This morning I was reading the Bible in part of my devotion time, and I was reminded again of you. I thought I might share some of my notes with you.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives. 31 If the righteous will be repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and sinful.
Prov 11:30-31 (HCSB)
· I just read this in light of the Islamic teaching of Jihad. The wicked (those who deny the testimony of the Lord Jesus - 1 John 5:10-11) are being repaid for their idolatry, and their rejoicing in the power and rage they feel when the commit these acts. The are having their earthly lives cut short, but sadly they are being taught that this is the way to paradise. And this is a sinister lie of the serpent, that sends them straight to hell.
Have you seen the news reports about the wildfires, the cyclones, the earthquakes? All of these are terrible human tradgedies. But you know, all of this was predicted by Jesus, and recorded in three different books of the Gospels (Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).
Matthew 24:5-13 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be bfamines and earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
The bible teaches us that God is a God who punishes unrihgteousness both now and for eternity. I think we agree on that.
Romans 1:18 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Romans 1:21-22 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
See, this is a part of Yahweh's plan, which He has told us about it from the beginning. He took his covenant people, the Jews, descended from Isaac and Jacob, and God, who always keeps His promises, promised through the prophets thousands of years ago to take away the sin of His 'chosen' people, through whom He wanted to bless the earth.
Zechariah 12:9 - 11; 13:1 9 "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem... Zechariah 13:1 "In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.
We see that the words of the prophets is coming true, namely because not only did the prophecies of the Messiah come true in Jesus (www.100prophecies.org), but Israel was restored in line with God's promises to Israel (Ezekiel 36, 37). And politically things are moving into position to fulfill Ezekiel 38 & 39, when Russia and her Muslim allies come against Israel. Then Yahweh Himself will fight for Israel to defend her.
Zechariah 12:8-9 8 "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. 9 "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
I hope my friend, that you will hear God's Word.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 John 5:9-12 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives. 31 If the righteous will be repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and sinful.
Prov 11:30-31 (HCSB)
· I just read this in light of the Islamic teaching of Jihad. The wicked (those who deny the testimony of the Lord Jesus - 1 John 5:10-11) are being repaid for their idolatry, and their rejoicing in the power and rage they feel when the commit these acts. The are having their earthly lives cut short, but sadly they are being taught that this is the way to paradise. And this is a sinister lie of the serpent, that sends them straight to hell.
Have you seen the news reports about the wildfires, the cyclones, the earthquakes? All of these are terrible human tradgedies. But you know, all of this was predicted by Jesus, and recorded in three different books of the Gospels (Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).
Matthew 24:5-13 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be bfamines and earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
The bible teaches us that God is a God who punishes unrihgteousness both now and for eternity. I think we agree on that.
Romans 1:18 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Romans 1:21-22 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
See, this is a part of Yahweh's plan, which He has told us about it from the beginning. He took his covenant people, the Jews, descended from Isaac and Jacob, and God, who always keeps His promises, promised through the prophets thousands of years ago to take away the sin of His 'chosen' people, through whom He wanted to bless the earth.
Zechariah 12:9 - 11; 13:1 9 "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem... Zechariah 13:1 "In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.
We see that the words of the prophets is coming true, namely because not only did the prophecies of the Messiah come true in Jesus (www.100prophecies.org), but Israel was restored in line with God's promises to Israel (Ezekiel 36, 37). And politically things are moving into position to fulfill Ezekiel 38 & 39, when Russia and her Muslim allies come against Israel. Then Yahweh Himself will fight for Israel to defend her.
Zechariah 12:8-9 8 "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. 9 "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
I hope my friend, that you will hear God's Word.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 John 5:9-12 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Joel Osteen and Mitt Romney - Further Distinctives on Mormons
I came across this end section of an article, and thought it spoke further with to the email I posted the other day about Mormons and Christians. I thought I would post it since it makes use of the Mormon texts of authority (and of their 'prophets').
QUESTION: [From an interview of Joel Osteen by Chris Wallace on Fox News, 12/23/07]:
C.W.: And what about Mitt Romney..? Is a Mormon a true Christian?
J.O.: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said he believes in Christ as his savior, and that's what I believe..I am not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are..Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me. I don't think anything would stop me from voting for him.
RESPONSE: Osteen is either astonishingly ignorant about Mormonism or about biblical Christianity, or both. Here are just a few of the facts about Mormonism that he apparently considers to be "little details" of no importance--raising the solemn question whether he is a true Christian himself.
The "god" Romney believes in is only one of an infinite number of such "gods" whom, in distinction to the others, Mormons identify as "the god of this world," one of Satan's titles (2 Cor 4:4). He is a glorified once-sinful man who was "redeemed" by another "Jesus" who died on another cross on another planet (one of an infinite number of each in Mormon theology). Over eons of time, this Mormon man, having gone through the temple ceremonies on that "earth," died. His spirit ascended through further temple-like initiations and finally became the "god" who created this earth on which we live.
Mormonism teaches, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." Joseph Smith holds each Mormon's destiny in his hands. His successor, Brigham Young, warned, "No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter the Celestial Kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith..He holds the keys.." (Journal of Discourses, 7:289). Another Mormon President, Joseph Fielding Smith, declared, "[There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith.." (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, pp. 189-90).
Romney is going through the essential secret temple ceremonies. As a "temple Mormon," he wears the magic "temple garment underwear" day and night for protection from evil. He has the ambition to become another god who will create its own earth with another Adam and Eve and fall. Sex with his many wives will produce a multitude of spirit children (including another spirit "Jesus" and "Lucifer"), another "Mary" for him to have sex with to provide a body for the "spirit Jesus" to inhabit in order to become a god after dying on another "cross," etc. Mormons such as Romney must believe this fiction in order to get to Mormon heaven.
The "Christ" Romney believes in, (making him the "Christian" Osteen says all Mormons are), was the half-brother of Lucifer in the pre-existent state. They were each born to the same polygamous "father god" but probably to a different one of his many, many wives.
Brigham Young said, "The devil told the truth [about becoming gods]. I do not blame Mother Eve..for..eating the forbidden fruit." Like Joseph Smith, he taught that only polygamists can become gods (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 132).
The salvation and "eternal life" Romney looks forward to is exaltation to polygamous godhood, which could take eons of time after death. Woodruff, fourth LDS president, declared, "If we were to do away with polygamy..then we must..give up our religion altogether.." (Journal of Discourses, Vol 13, p. 166).
Among the many bizarre Mormon beliefs: when the gods with their physical bodies have sex with their many "goddess" wives who also have physical bodies, the babies they produce to populate the earth (that this "heavenly father god" created) do not have physical bodies but are spirits. Yet, oddly enough, babies born to people on earth have physical bodies.
Thus, each spirit baby produced by the gods in heaven must come to earth to inhabit a newborn baby in order to get a physical body--as did "Jesus." Mormons have large families because so many spirit children, youth, or grown-ups wait anxiously in heaven for bodies to live in on earth.
Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt explained why we don't remember our pre-existent spirit state in heaven: our spirit bodies had grown so large that when they were squeezed into a baby's body on earth it caused a loss of memory.
Romney's Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin but to the "Mormon Mary" after the "god of this world," in his man's body of flesh and blood, had sex with her. For documentation of the above (and much more), see The God Makers book and or DVD.
I don't think that a man who bases his hope for eternity upon such delusion could possibly be fit for the White House.
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/6535
QUESTION: [From an interview of Joel Osteen by Chris Wallace on Fox News, 12/23/07]:
C.W.: And what about Mitt Romney..? Is a Mormon a true Christian?
J.O.: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said he believes in Christ as his savior, and that's what I believe..I am not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are..Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me. I don't think anything would stop me from voting for him.
RESPONSE: Osteen is either astonishingly ignorant about Mormonism or about biblical Christianity, or both. Here are just a few of the facts about Mormonism that he apparently considers to be "little details" of no importance--raising the solemn question whether he is a true Christian himself.
The "god" Romney believes in is only one of an infinite number of such "gods" whom, in distinction to the others, Mormons identify as "the god of this world," one of Satan's titles (2 Cor 4:4). He is a glorified once-sinful man who was "redeemed" by another "Jesus" who died on another cross on another planet (one of an infinite number of each in Mormon theology). Over eons of time, this Mormon man, having gone through the temple ceremonies on that "earth," died. His spirit ascended through further temple-like initiations and finally became the "god" who created this earth on which we live.
Mormonism teaches, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." Joseph Smith holds each Mormon's destiny in his hands. His successor, Brigham Young, warned, "No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter the Celestial Kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith..He holds the keys.." (Journal of Discourses, 7:289). Another Mormon President, Joseph Fielding Smith, declared, "[There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith.." (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, pp. 189-90).
Romney is going through the essential secret temple ceremonies. As a "temple Mormon," he wears the magic "temple garment underwear" day and night for protection from evil. He has the ambition to become another god who will create its own earth with another Adam and Eve and fall. Sex with his many wives will produce a multitude of spirit children (including another spirit "Jesus" and "Lucifer"), another "Mary" for him to have sex with to provide a body for the "spirit Jesus" to inhabit in order to become a god after dying on another "cross," etc. Mormons such as Romney must believe this fiction in order to get to Mormon heaven.
The "Christ" Romney believes in, (making him the "Christian" Osteen says all Mormons are), was the half-brother of Lucifer in the pre-existent state. They were each born to the same polygamous "father god" but probably to a different one of his many, many wives.
Brigham Young said, "The devil told the truth [about becoming gods]. I do not blame Mother Eve..for..eating the forbidden fruit." Like Joseph Smith, he taught that only polygamists can become gods (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 132).
The salvation and "eternal life" Romney looks forward to is exaltation to polygamous godhood, which could take eons of time after death. Woodruff, fourth LDS president, declared, "If we were to do away with polygamy..then we must..give up our religion altogether.." (Journal of Discourses, Vol 13, p. 166).
Among the many bizarre Mormon beliefs: when the gods with their physical bodies have sex with their many "goddess" wives who also have physical bodies, the babies they produce to populate the earth (that this "heavenly father god" created) do not have physical bodies but are spirits. Yet, oddly enough, babies born to people on earth have physical bodies.
Thus, each spirit baby produced by the gods in heaven must come to earth to inhabit a newborn baby in order to get a physical body--as did "Jesus." Mormons have large families because so many spirit children, youth, or grown-ups wait anxiously in heaven for bodies to live in on earth.
Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt explained why we don't remember our pre-existent spirit state in heaven: our spirit bodies had grown so large that when they were squeezed into a baby's body on earth it caused a loss of memory.
Romney's Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin but to the "Mormon Mary" after the "god of this world," in his man's body of flesh and blood, had sex with her. For documentation of the above (and much more), see The God Makers book and or DVD.
I don't think that a man who bases his hope for eternity upon such delusion could possibly be fit for the White House.
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/6535
Monday, April 21, 2008
Interesting (unknown) facts of Islam
There are many hadiths in Islam which Muslims must follow and believe, but some take a great faith... others are just funny!
One speak of Adam being created 90 ft. tall! Bukhari vol. IV, no. 543. Another speaks of Satan sleeping in your nose! And because of this, each night you must flush your nose with water to keep Satan out of your nose.(Bukhari vol. IV, no. 516; Muslim vol. I, no. 462.)
Oh yeah, believe it or not, non-muslims have seven intestines! (Muslim vol. III, no. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXII). Don't ask me what happens when they convert! I know the Bible doesn't require one position for prayer, but a hadith tells us that if we pray with our eyes looking to heaven, they'll be caught out of our head! (Muslim vol. I, no. 863 Chapter CLXXIII).
Here's another one, Satan pees in the ears of those who fall asleep in prayers! Haha, maybe we should talk to him about doing that in church santctuaries during the sermons! (Bukhari vol. II, no. 245).
I put this in here not to anger any Muslims. I think many of them do not realize what their religion teaches. Father Zakarias in Egypt has a ministry where he takes on issues with the Quran. He has some videos on youtube as well. In fact, he's so infuriated the guys on top, that there is a huge bounty for his head. Makes you wonder why Christians "corrupted" the Bible and made it say "love you neighbor"... and "pray for your enemy".
To go to the site, www.islamcomicbook.com. It's great, oh yeah, women are the primary inhabitants of hell! Just thought you might want to know ladies.
One speak of Adam being created 90 ft. tall! Bukhari vol. IV, no. 543. Another speaks of Satan sleeping in your nose! And because of this, each night you must flush your nose with water to keep Satan out of your nose.(Bukhari vol. IV, no. 516; Muslim vol. I, no. 462.)
Oh yeah, believe it or not, non-muslims have seven intestines! (Muslim vol. III, no. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXII). Don't ask me what happens when they convert! I know the Bible doesn't require one position for prayer, but a hadith tells us that if we pray with our eyes looking to heaven, they'll be caught out of our head! (Muslim vol. I, no. 863 Chapter CLXXIII).
Here's another one, Satan pees in the ears of those who fall asleep in prayers! Haha, maybe we should talk to him about doing that in church santctuaries during the sermons! (Bukhari vol. II, no. 245).
I put this in here not to anger any Muslims. I think many of them do not realize what their religion teaches. Father Zakarias in Egypt has a ministry where he takes on issues with the Quran. He has some videos on youtube as well. In fact, he's so infuriated the guys on top, that there is a huge bounty for his head. Makes you wonder why Christians "corrupted" the Bible and made it say "love you neighbor"... and "pray for your enemy".
To go to the site, www.islamcomicbook.com. It's great, oh yeah, women are the primary inhabitants of hell! Just thought you might want to know ladies.
Friday, February 22, 2008
A day in the life of Isrel... what it's really like.
These daily insights were just to good to pass up, and we don't hear much about this (or the fate of the Gazan/Palestinian Christians) in the media. Who in their right mind would want to live under the conditions the Israelis have to put up with daily?
Israeli Minister: Jerusalem Arabs Oppose Division of Capital - Nadav Shragai
Minister of Pensioners' Affairs Rafi Eitan on Thursday said that Jerusalem must not be divided as part of the peace process with the Palestinians, saying, "we took a poll and found the [Arab] residents themselves don't want to leave. They like it with us." Eitan said that he did not believe that the Palestinian government was able to fight terror, "and therefore we must keep the capital whole, and fight to have it all under Israeli control." (Ha'aretz)
10,000 Israeli Shoppers Head to Sderot
More than 10,000 people from northern and central Israel traveled to Sderot on Friday to carry out their weekend shopping and show their solidarity for the residents of the beleaguered town. Numerous groups participated in the solidarity mission including student organizations, secular and religious communities, and sports clubs. Several municipalities even provided buses. (Jerusalem Post)
Red Alert in Sderot: Living in the Most Heavily Bombarded Place in the World - Philip Jacobson
My guide in Sderot takes me through the local ground rules: 1. I am not to fasten my seat belt. Buckling up prevents drivers and their passengers getting out of a vehicle quickly. 2. I am not to play my car radio. It may drown out the warnings. 3. I am not to have a shower if there is nobody else in the house to hear the alarms. 4. Be extra vigilant when it's foggy. It can confuse the laser-activated warning systems.
And suddenly it comes, a noise like the slamming of a heavy door as a six-foot-long Kassam rocket bursts into the cloudless blue sky, its trajectory marked by a trail of white smoke as it curves towards the town. Almost simultaneously, sirens begin to wail. A woman's urgent voice repeats the words "Red Alert" over public address loudspeakers. For the next 72 hours "Red Alerts" will sound almost continuously as Islamic militant groups in Gaza rained more than 100 rockets on the town during a terrifying three-day attack. (Daily Mail-UK)
for more breaking news, see www.dailyalert.org
Israeli Minister: Jerusalem Arabs Oppose Division of Capital - Nadav Shragai
Minister of Pensioners' Affairs Rafi Eitan on Thursday said that Jerusalem must not be divided as part of the peace process with the Palestinians, saying, "we took a poll and found the [Arab] residents themselves don't want to leave. They like it with us." Eitan said that he did not believe that the Palestinian government was able to fight terror, "and therefore we must keep the capital whole, and fight to have it all under Israeli control." (Ha'aretz)
10,000 Israeli Shoppers Head to Sderot
More than 10,000 people from northern and central Israel traveled to Sderot on Friday to carry out their weekend shopping and show their solidarity for the residents of the beleaguered town. Numerous groups participated in the solidarity mission including student organizations, secular and religious communities, and sports clubs. Several municipalities even provided buses. (Jerusalem Post)
Red Alert in Sderot: Living in the Most Heavily Bombarded Place in the World - Philip Jacobson
My guide in Sderot takes me through the local ground rules: 1. I am not to fasten my seat belt. Buckling up prevents drivers and their passengers getting out of a vehicle quickly. 2. I am not to play my car radio. It may drown out the warnings. 3. I am not to have a shower if there is nobody else in the house to hear the alarms. 4. Be extra vigilant when it's foggy. It can confuse the laser-activated warning systems.
And suddenly it comes, a noise like the slamming of a heavy door as a six-foot-long Kassam rocket bursts into the cloudless blue sky, its trajectory marked by a trail of white smoke as it curves towards the town. Almost simultaneously, sirens begin to wail. A woman's urgent voice repeats the words "Red Alert" over public address loudspeakers. For the next 72 hours "Red Alerts" will sound almost continuously as Islamic militant groups in Gaza rained more than 100 rockets on the town during a terrifying three-day attack. (Daily Mail-UK)
for more breaking news, see www.dailyalert.org
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Darwinians losing Intelligence?
I saw this article posted by the Family Research Council, and found it quite interesting, so I thought I'd share it.
Design Found, Intelligence Lacking in Latest Attack by Darwinians
The National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine have mounted yet another attack on the scientific theory of intelligent design, publishing an 89-page book titled Science, Evolution, and Creationism. The new publication falsely equates "intelligent design" (a scientific theory which infers the necessity for intelligent design from scientific evidence) with "creationism" (a term usually used for a theory of origins that begins with the Bible or some other religious text). It also lumps together concepts of microevolution within species (such as the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria), which are not controversial, with the more contested theory of macroevolution, which seeks to trace all existing forms of life to a common ancestor. It appears to dodge altogether the crucial question of how living things could have arisen from non-living things in the first place. It also slanders intelligent design as "unscientific" despite peer-reviewed articles on the concept and the credentials of 700 doctoral-level scientists who have publicly questioned Darwinism. Perhaps the biggest problem with the defenders of Darwinian evolution is that, ironically, they have reversed the roles in the supposed historical "war between science and religion," by declaring Darwinism to be inerrant dogma, and punishing its doubters by burning them at the academic stake.
Design Found, Intelligence Lacking in Latest Attack by Darwinians
The National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine have mounted yet another attack on the scientific theory of intelligent design, publishing an 89-page book titled Science, Evolution, and Creationism. The new publication falsely equates "intelligent design" (a scientific theory which infers the necessity for intelligent design from scientific evidence) with "creationism" (a term usually used for a theory of origins that begins with the Bible or some other religious text). It also lumps together concepts of microevolution within species (such as the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria), which are not controversial, with the more contested theory of macroevolution, which seeks to trace all existing forms of life to a common ancestor. It appears to dodge altogether the crucial question of how living things could have arisen from non-living things in the first place. It also slanders intelligent design as "unscientific" despite peer-reviewed articles on the concept and the credentials of 700 doctoral-level scientists who have publicly questioned Darwinism. Perhaps the biggest problem with the defenders of Darwinian evolution is that, ironically, they have reversed the roles in the supposed historical "war between science and religion," by declaring Darwinism to be inerrant dogma, and punishing its doubters by burning them at the academic stake.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Mormons fit to be in Office?
Hmmm... wow, that sets off the blog, doesn't it? No, I'm not personally against Mormons. I think they can be very nice people. I had to comment on Romney's behavior. It's been eating at me the past couple of days. Don't ya like how he defined the word 'saw'? Does that bring anyone back to the days of Clinton's redefinition of the word 'is'?
See, Romney had no problem twisting the definition of the word 'saw,' because Mormons in general twist definitions to fit their metaphysical program. They claim to be Christian, and sound very Christian, at the outset. They confess that Jesus is the Son of God (by physical procreation with Mary), and then twist the meaning of 'virgin birth.' Mormons don't tell you that God the Father is one in a long line of exalted humans who earned their way to "achieving god-hood" through perfectly observing the celestial law. Really, Mormons are polytheists.
Mormons use terms familiar to Christians like 'salvation,' but mean by it a 'general salvation' to the lowest form of heaven. Oh, and Mormons believe the only ones who go to hell are the apostate Mormons, so you have a better chance in the afterlife if you never become a Mormon. If you are a devoted Mormon, but still can't completely keep the Celestial law, you'll go to the second heaven. But if you're perfect, like Jesus, you will be exalted (exaltation) to god-hood and get your own planet and spirit children with your wife, who will remain pregnant for eternity, until the two of you are promoted to a higher level of god-hood.
I also like how when confronted with the question about Lucifer and Jesus being brothers, Romney denied it, though a simple websearch shows the LDS apostles have taught it, and by logical implication of the Mormon worldview, they are necessarily brothers of Father and Mother God, as in Mormon theology, we are all literal spirit children of the heavenly couple. And the spokesperson for the LDS church came out and flatly denied that this is a Mormon doctrine (teaching).
So if Romney can openly lie to the American public about his religion, and he can redefine words to fit his agenda (trying to run the country?), does he have the integrity to be in office? I don't think so. Maybe I should have called the blog, "Do Mormons have integrity?"
See, Romney had no problem twisting the definition of the word 'saw,' because Mormons in general twist definitions to fit their metaphysical program. They claim to be Christian, and sound very Christian, at the outset. They confess that Jesus is the Son of God (by physical procreation with Mary), and then twist the meaning of 'virgin birth.' Mormons don't tell you that God the Father is one in a long line of exalted humans who earned their way to "achieving god-hood" through perfectly observing the celestial law. Really, Mormons are polytheists.
Mormons use terms familiar to Christians like 'salvation,' but mean by it a 'general salvation' to the lowest form of heaven. Oh, and Mormons believe the only ones who go to hell are the apostate Mormons, so you have a better chance in the afterlife if you never become a Mormon. If you are a devoted Mormon, but still can't completely keep the Celestial law, you'll go to the second heaven. But if you're perfect, like Jesus, you will be exalted (exaltation) to god-hood and get your own planet and spirit children with your wife, who will remain pregnant for eternity, until the two of you are promoted to a higher level of god-hood.
I also like how when confronted with the question about Lucifer and Jesus being brothers, Romney denied it, though a simple websearch shows the LDS apostles have taught it, and by logical implication of the Mormon worldview, they are necessarily brothers of Father and Mother God, as in Mormon theology, we are all literal spirit children of the heavenly couple. And the spokesperson for the LDS church came out and flatly denied that this is a Mormon doctrine (teaching).
So if Romney can openly lie to the American public about his religion, and he can redefine words to fit his agenda (trying to run the country?), does he have the integrity to be in office? I don't think so. Maybe I should have called the blog, "Do Mormons have integrity?"
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Former Atheist changes 'Ath' for a 'D'
A couple o' weeks ago I happened upon the information that former scientific Atheist Antony Flew, and ouspoken Evolutionsist, is now a professing Deist! As a former Philosophy major, this was something to celebrate. I happened upon a blog by Dinesh D'Souza. Here's a couple of interesting excerpts.
Now, in his early eighties, Flew has rejected atheism and said he believes that God exists. He does not espouse the Christian God, but calls himself a Deist. He says he has a lifelong commitment to following the evidence where it leads, and that new advances in the sciences have shown him that materialism and Darwinism simply cannot account for the world as it is and life as it is. Examining the fine-tuning of the universe and the mind-boggling complexity of the cell (a compexity that evolution presumes but cannot explain), Flew now believes that the design of the universe requires a designer. He gives his reasons in a new book There Is a God which is co-authored with Roy Abraham Varghese.
When something like this happens, the New York TImes goes into mafia-style intellectual hit mode. They selected Mark Oppenheimer of Yale, who visited Flew in England and wrote a long piece in the November 4, 2007 New York Times Magazine suggesting that Flew converted because he is, well, senile. The basic idea is that Flew has lost his mind and can't remember anything, and when Christian apologists like Varghese were nice to him Flew basically surrendered to them and let them write his book.
Good stuff. For the full article, go to http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2007/11/15/the-atheist-who-came-in-from-the-cold/
Now, in his early eighties, Flew has rejected atheism and said he believes that God exists. He does not espouse the Christian God, but calls himself a Deist. He says he has a lifelong commitment to following the evidence where it leads, and that new advances in the sciences have shown him that materialism and Darwinism simply cannot account for the world as it is and life as it is. Examining the fine-tuning of the universe and the mind-boggling complexity of the cell (a compexity that evolution presumes but cannot explain), Flew now believes that the design of the universe requires a designer. He gives his reasons in a new book There Is a God which is co-authored with Roy Abraham Varghese.
When something like this happens, the New York TImes goes into mafia-style intellectual hit mode. They selected Mark Oppenheimer of Yale, who visited Flew in England and wrote a long piece in the November 4, 2007 New York Times Magazine suggesting that Flew converted because he is, well, senile. The basic idea is that Flew has lost his mind and can't remember anything, and when Christian apologists like Varghese were nice to him Flew basically surrendered to them and let them write his book.
Good stuff. For the full article, go to http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2007/11/15/the-atheist-who-came-in-from-the-cold/
Thursday, November 8, 2007
First Post
Hey, this is my first post. I've been on Xanga for a while, I like it, but after talking with my wife, we decided that I should get off for safety's sake. So I'm now going to be transferring my posting to here. I enjoy interaction with people, and often post stories that may be a little more controversial, certainly more provoking (I hope).
Not that I intend on offending anyone, but I have a desire to help people see the truth. And yes, there is a truth that is true and everything else, as a metaphysical paradigm, is false. As such, the Truth can be uncomfortable (because we don't accept God's rule over our lives). I believe this truth resides in the person of Jesus Christ, who is himself God's message of love and reconciliation for all of us who believe. "The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father" (Jn 1:14).
Not that I intend on offending anyone, but I have a desire to help people see the truth. And yes, there is a truth that is true and everything else, as a metaphysical paradigm, is false. As such, the Truth can be uncomfortable (because we don't accept God's rule over our lives). I believe this truth resides in the person of Jesus Christ, who is himself God's message of love and reconciliation for all of us who believe. "The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father" (Jn 1:14).
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