The sinners of a nation are really the weakness of it. . . . Wicked men are they that betray nations and kingdoms, expose them to God’s wrath, and subject them to His judgments. Did Noah bring the flood upon the old world? Or did the wicked do it by their wickedness? Did Lot bring down fire from Heaven upon Sodom? Or did the Sodomites do it by their own lewdness? Did Jeremiah by his preaching, . . . and those few other godly in Jerusalem by their praying and weeping and mourning, bring on the captivity of that people? Or did not the people themselves, by their idolatry, their profaneness, their swearing, their Sabbath-breaking, their polluting God’s ordinances, their shedding innocent blood, etc.?
There used to be a time when we dismissed the threat of the spread of Islam as something that happens “over there” in other countries. Not anymore.
I urge you to take the time to watch the following five videos. Freedom of speech is apparently a one way street in the Muslim capital of the United States–Dearborn, Michigan.
This is an unbelievable encounter as the situation heats up because someone dares to ask a question.
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
This is the question that started the confrontation.
Here’s a great question from Jessica over at I Love Mormons:
I have a hypothetical scenario I want to run by you. What would happen if a 14-yr-old LDS kid from Mississippi suddenly showed up on the scene claiming he had received personal revelation from God that the LDS church became apostate after the death of Joseph Smith? This young boy (we’ll call him Joe) claims God revealed to him that the King Follett Discourse never happened the way the history books have it. Rather, after the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and others changed many historical documents to try to make it appear like Joseph Smith taught polygamy and polytheism. Joe says Joseph Smith never believed in a plurality of gods; rather, he believed in and taught the Trinity as evidenced by the Book of Mormon. Joe claims Brigham Young edited the D&C and PofGP to add the teachings on polygamy and plurality of gods. Joe starts admonishing LDS that God views the current teachings of the modern-day LDS church as an abomination.
Question: How would you decide whether the 14-yr-old was trustworthy and believable?
“Tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49 “He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father.” Acts 1:4
These waiting days were necessary to enable the disciples to realize their need, their nothingness, their failure and their dependence upon the Master. They had to get emptied first, before they could get filled. Oh, how often they must have thought, as those days went by, of the positions they were now to occupy, the responsibility that was resting upon them, the charge that the Master had committed to them, and their utter inability for it all! How they must have recalled their folly, their unbelief, their strife, their selfishness, their fears, their defeats, and shrunk back into nothingness, and even stood aghast at the prospect before them, until in the very dust they cried to Him for help and strength needed. And so God wants us to go apart and quietly wait upon Him, until He searches into the depths of our being, and shows us our folly, our failures, our need. There is no wiser nor better thing to do on the eve of a season of blessing than to make an inventory, not of our riches, but of our poverty; to count up all the voids and vacuums and places of insufficiency; to make the valley full of ditches, and then to bring to God the depths of our need for Him to fill. And it takes time to make this work thorough. It takes time to burn it into our consciousness. It takes time to make us feel it. It is one thing to know in a general way our need and failure; it is quite another thing to realize it, to mourn over it, to be distressed about it, and to be filled with sorrow and shame and that holy zeal and revenge upon ourselves which the apostle tells us is part of true repentance.
In the golden stairway of the Beatitudes, the first promise is to those that are poor in spirit; but there is another step still deeper down on the way to God, and that is “Blessed are they that mourn.” It is needful that we shall mourn over our poverty, that we shall realize our need, that we shall be deeply troubled over our spiritual wretchedness, and that we shall come with such hunger that nothing less than all the fullness of Christ can ever satisfy us again. There are some spiritual conditions that cannot be accomplished in a moment. The breaking up of the fallow ground takes time; the frosts of winter are as necessary as the rains of spring to prepare the soil for fertility. God has to break our hearts to pieces by the slow process of His discipline, and grind every particle to powder, and then to mellow us and saturate us with His blessed Spirit, until we are open for the blessing He has to give us. Oh, let us wait upon the Lord with brokenness of heart, with openness of soul, with willingness of spirit, to hear what God the Lord will say! These days of waiting are important also that we may listen to God’s voice. We are so busy that we cannot hear. We talk so much that we give Him no chance to talk to us. He wants us to hearken to what He has to say to us. He wants us on our faces before Him, that He may give us His thought, His prayer, His longing, and then lead us into His better will.
Compare yourselves with the Word. See how the Scriptures and your hearts agree, how your dial responds to the sun. Are your hearts, as it were, a transcript of Scripture? Is the Word copied out in your hearts? The Word calls for humility; are you not only humbled, but humble? The Word calls for regeneration; have you the signature and engraving of the Holy Ghost upon you? Have you a change of heart? Not only a partial and moral change, but a spiritual? Is there such a change wrought in you as if another soul did live in the same body?
Paige Richardson shares her story of how she came out of the Mormon church, and safely into the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, from the Manti Evangelism seminar (hat tip: Mormon Coffee)
28. If marriage is essential to achieve exaltation, why did Paul say that it is good for a man not to marry? (1st Corinthians 7:1)
————————-
FAIR Answer:
Paul does not say it is good not to marry, but quotes the Corinthian Saints’ comments in a previous letter to him. Paul is responding to this claim, and he critiques it.
Methinks FAIR is misunderstanding Tower’s intentions in asking this question. It’s almost the same misunderstanding Catholics have with us Protestants when we deny the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity. They seem to be under the impression that we think sex (or, in this case, marriage) is a shameful thing and that we think it is “icky.”
On the contrary. We are not saying that marriage is a “bad” thing. Neither is Paul. And above all–knowing that the Scriptures were God-breathed–neither is God! And if FAIR knew their Bible, they would have gone immediately to Hebrews 13:4–Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled. Or even 1st Timothy 4:1-3–Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry… (Not to say anything about Catholics forbidding their priests from marrying, mind you…[/sarcasm]) But, the Mormon cannot get around the fact that Paul said he would have men to be as he was (i.e., unmarried). But, let’s dive into the text, shall we? Continue Reading »
Your sermon of the week is Four Marks of the Man of God by John MacArthur. MacArthur explains that a man of God is identified by the following four attributes:
Dear gentle DefCon readers, commenters, regulars, passers-by, and contributors…
I hereby resolve to resign.
I resign from wasting copious hours blogging and generally being “on-line” that are more profitably spent in God’s Word.
I resign from being more interested in what comments or traffic have been generated by random blog posts than I’m interested in knowing and discovering more about The Triune One True and Living God.
I resign from checking my e-mail more often than I check my concordance.
I resign from reading pithy on-line doctrinal treatises instead of studying infallible scripture.
I resign from spending more time thinking about my next post than I spend thinking about the Risen Christ.
I resign from ”speaking” to people I don’t even know on-line instead of speaking the truth in love to my neighbors, co-workers, family and friends.
I resign from the prideful narcissism I feel whenever, in my own mind at least, I’ve made a really, really good theological point, and received positive feedback from commenters.
I resign from the wrathful flash of anger I feel whenever, in my own mind at least, I’ve made a really, really good theological point, and received negative feedback from commenters.
I resign from taking time away from my precious family and sacrificing it at the altar of my electronic idol for my own personal pleasure and gratification.
I resign from considering a fine theological point more deeply than I consider my own prayer life.
I resign from being a poor steward of my time.
I resign from the self-deception that in the past has variously assured me; “You’re doing it for the Lord!” “It’s your ministry!“ “The Internet is your mission field!“ “Look at how many people you can reach with the truth!“
In short, I quit.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Team DefCon for your steadfast love for, faithfulness toward, and service unto King Jesus. May I also dispel any misunderstanding and clarify at this juncture that my thoughts above are about no one other than myself, and they are not a reflection of my opinion of other God-bloggers. I am in no way projecting my own personal situation upon anyone else. In fact I’m fully persuaded that there are many, many godly men and women who are truly called by the Lord to use the Internet in general, and blogging in particular, as a medium to serve Him - including those who comprise Team DefCon – but after much soul searching I’ve come to the sobering realization that I’m simply not one of them, and I’m no longer willing to play the hypocrite.
May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.
‘Til He returns or calls me home,
CD
P.S. – I will no longer be interacting with comments left on this, or any other thread.
By Mariam Zecharyahu Jerusalem (JP)–A new George Barna poll has found that the popularity of a certain Nazarene prophet, which had been growing geometrically over the first two years of his ministry, is beginning to show signs of slowing, and, in some cases, the number of people opposed to his teachings is actually greater than those who still favor his doctrines.
Yehoshua Ha’Mashiachah bar-Yusef, whose claims about being the Christ of YHVH have divided people everywhere he has gone, continues to enjoy support from the outcasts of society. But among those in power–especially among the very influential Pharisaical community–his claims to being the only begotten of YHVH Himself have brought about only scorn. As one Pharisee (who spoke to us under condition of anonymity) has said, “He is a blasphemer! I was there when he said that he and YHVH were one. What an outrage to mock the Shema like that! Only YHVH is One!” A scribe, who also wished to remain nameless, said, “The man has a lot of gall! To say what he did, that ‘I AM.’ Does he not know, that is a title reserved for YHVH?” Continue Reading »
If the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church in Galatia had been published in Christianity Today how would it be received by those who read that magazine? Well, what follows are the letters from readers in response to Paul’s inspired Epistle.
The following is a parody from Sacred Sandwich . . . but is it really just a parody?
In response to Paul D. Apostle’s article about the Galatian church in your January issue, I have to say how appalled I am by the unchristian tone of this hit piece. Why the negativity? Has he been to the Galatian church recently? I happen to know some of the people at that church, and they are the most loving, caring people I’ve ever met.
Phyllis Snodgrass; Ann Arbor, MI
————————————————————————
Dear Editor:
How arrogant of Mr. Apostle to think he has the right to judge these people and label them accursed. Isn’t that God’s job? Regardless of this circumcision issue, these Galatians believe in Jesus just as much as he does, and it is very Pharisaical to condemn them just because they differ on such a secondary issue. Personally, I don’t want a sharp instrument anywhere near my zipper, but that doesn’t give me the right to judge how someone else follows Christ. Can’t we just focus on our common commitment to Christ and furthering His kingdom, instead of tearing down fellow believers over petty doctrinal matters?
Ed Bilgeway; Tonganoxie, KS
————————————————————————–
Dear CT:
I’ve seen other dubious articles by Paul Apostle in the past, and frankly I’m surprised you felt that his recurrent criticisms of the Church deserved to be printed in your magazine. Mr. Apostle for many years now has had a penchant for thinking he has a right to “mark” certain Christian teachers who don’t agree with his biblical position. Certainly I commend him for desiring to stay faithful to God’s word, but I think he errs in being so dogmatic about his views to the point where he feels free to openly attack his brethren. His attitude makes it difficult to fully unify the Church, and gives credence to the opposition’s view that Christians are judgmental, arrogant people who never show God’s love.
Ken Groener; San Diego, CA
—————————————————————————-
To the Editors:
Paul Apostle says that he hopes the Galatian teachers will cut off their own privates? What kind of Christian attitude is that? Shame on him!
Martha Bobbitt; Boulder, CO
—————————————————————————-
Dear Christianity Today:
The fact that Paul Apostle brags about his public run-in with Peter Cephas, a well-respected leader and brother in Christ, exposes Mr. Apostle for the divisive figure that he has become in the Church today. His diatribe against the Galatian church is just more of the same misguided focus on an antiquated reliance on doctrine instead of love and tolerance. Just look how his hypercritical attitude has cast aspersions on homosexual believers and women elders! The real problem within the Church today is not the lack of doctrinal devotion, as Apostle seems to believe, but in our inability to be transformed by our individual journeys in the Spirit. Evidently, Apostle has failed to detach himself from his legalistic background as a Pharisee, and is unable to let go and experience the genuine love for Christ that is coming from the Galatians who strive to worship God in their own special way.
William Zenby; Richmond, VA
——————————————————————————
Kind Editors:
I happen to be a member of First Christian Church of Galatia, and I take issue with Mr. Apostle’s article. How can he criticize a ministry that has been so blessed by God? Our church has baptized many new members and has made huge in-roads in the Jewish community with our pragmatic view on circumcision. Such a “seeker-sensitive” approach has given the Jews the respect they deserve for being God’s chosen people for thousands of years. In addition, every Gentile in our midst has felt honored to engage in the many edifying rituals of the Hebrew heritage, including circumcision, without losing their passion for Jesus. My advice to Mr. Apostle is to stick to spreading the gospel message of Christ’s unconditional love, and quit criticizing what God is clearly blessing in other churches.
Miriam “Betty” Ben-Hur; Galatia, Turkey
——————————————————————————-
EDITOR’S NOTE: Christianity Today apologizes for our rash decision in publishing Paul Apostle’s exposé of the Galatian church. Had we known the extent in which our readership and advertisers would withdraw their financial support, we never would have printed such unpopular biblical truth. We regret any damage we may have caused in propagating the doctrines of Christ.
If you are in a church that has resisted the temptation to professionalize worship, you are blessed. If not, my heart goes out to you. In any event, family worship will deepen your appreciation for biblical worship and make the corporate experience that much richer. However, I must caution you—family worship also has a tendency to open your eyes to the shallow, mundane, worldly aspects of the modern “worship” scene.
Psalm 101:3a – I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. Psalm 26:4-5 – I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
Some of God’s dear people may suppose that it would be presumptuous to set themselves up as judges of what they hear or read—but that is a serious mistake, being both a false humility, and a shirking of duty. The Apostle rebuked the Hebrews because their senses (spiritual faculties) were not developed so as to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:13).
It is often a long time before God’s children are able to account for this. They blame themselves; they are exceedingly loath to say, “This message is not of God.” They are afraid to act in the spiritual, as they do in the natural, and condemn and discard that which is worthless.
“Take heed what you hear” and read! More than forty years ago the saintly Adolph Saphir wrote, “I think the fewer books we read—the better. It is like times of cholera, when we should only drink filtered water.” What would he say if he were on earth today and glanced over the deadly poison sent forth by the heterodox, and the lifeless rubbish put out by the orthodox? Christian reader, if you value the health of your soul, cease hearing and quit reading all that is lifeless, unctionless, powerless, no matter what prominent or popular name be attached thereto. Life is too short to waste valuable time on that which does not profit. Ninety-nine out of every hundred of the religious books, booklets, and magazines now being published, are not worth the paper on which they are printed!
To turn away from the lifeless preachers and publishers of the day—may involve a real cross. Your motives will be misconstrued, your words perverted, and your actions misinterpreted. The sharp arrows of false report will be directed against you. You will be called proud and self-righteous, because you refuse to fellowship empty professors. You will be termed censorious and bitter—if you condemn in plain speech—the subtle delusions of Satan. You will be dubbed narrow-minded and uncharitable, because you refuse to join in singing the praises of the “great” and “popular” men of the day. More and more, you will be made to painfully realize—that the path which leads unto eternal life is “narrow” and that FEW there are who find it. May the Lord be pleased to grant unto each of us—the hearing ear and obedient heart! “Take heed what you hear” and read!
Galatians 4:8-11 (NASB)–8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
How easy it is for us, once we have been saved, to think that if we ever slip up ever again, even once, we will be in danger of Hellfire all over again. And so we cling hard to the commands that we find. Should we obey God’s commands? ABSOLUTELY! But it is not by spotless perfection to the law that we continue to be saved–for that is impossible! But, when we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, and that sin has already been paid for on the cross!
Here is the twelfth installment of this series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link, or you can download it by right-clicking and choosing “Save Target As” in Internet Explorer (”Save Link As” in Mozilla Firefox).
What can I say about this book other than I absolutely loved it. This was the very first book published in the Lamplighter series and was the Lamplighter series “book of the year” in 1996. This continues to be my favorite Lamplighter book (see all Lamplighter books here) and is easily one of my favorite books of all time. I couldn’t put it down and now I can’t stop raving about it.
I was skeptical at first–reading a book with the title The Basket of Flowers tends to lead one to believe it’s chick-lit (for lack of a better term). However, was I very, very surprised.
This is Christian literature at its finest. Each chapter imparts lifelong lessons and leaves you feeling like you just received a doctrinally sound sermon. The gripping story drives home the lesson to remain faithful and thankful to God even in the midst of great trials and especially when standing in the face of false accusation and persecution for crimes you didn’t commit. I cannot recommend this book enough for the Christian reader and even Dr. Tedd Tripp (who wrote Shepherding a Child’s Heart) wrote an endorsement for the book on page 4.
This book needs to be on the bookshelf in every Christian home and read by young and old, boy and girl, mother and father. You and your family will not be disappointed.
The publisher says:
This first book of the Lamplighter Rare Collector Series continues to be a best-seller. James, the king’s gardener, teaches his 15-year-old daughter Mary all the principles of godliness through his flowers. She is falsely accused of stealing, and the penalty is death. Mary remembers what her father had taught her: that it is better to die for the truth than to live for a lie, and that the worst pillow to sleep on is the pillow of a guilty conscience! This story will change your life forever!
Vision Forum says:
Within this simple, unassuming book is an inspirational story for young ladies not to be rivaled by any of the novels currently circulating in Christian bookstores. Set in Germany 100 years ago, The Basket of Flowers is the tale of a godly young woman and her father who wrongly suffer great persecution, but who learn to trust the sovereign hand of God through every difficult circumstance. My wife was so transfixed by this story that she read it in one sitting.
Other reviews:
“I am giving The Basket of Flowers to my grandchildren. I have no doubt they will devour it.” -Elisabeth Elliot
“I would like to express my thanks for printing The Basket of Flowers. It is a wonderful book with many virtues we need today in this world. The The Basket of Flowers has given me a new perspective of the Bible and at the same time making a better Christian out of me and my family. Thank you so much!” -Carissa
This is the touching story of a young girl and her father. Originally written by a french author, and later translated into english, this is a book that is sure to be passed down from generation to generation. I am 12 years old and my mother just recently purchased this book for me. I wish every girl could have a copy of this book!Also recommended: The Elsie Dinsmore Series, any books by Martha Finley, any books by Oliver Optic, C.H. Pearson, or Horatio Alger Jr. Please, if you want your daughter to read wholesome, enjoyable, thought-provoking, and character building books I suggest you purchase A Basket of Flowers immediately! (Reviewer unknown)
When I fist read this book I was only 9. Having been taught to read by my great grandfather, who embodied education. This was one of his favourite books. I found it very sad and at times depressing however, it teaches one that goodness always prevails even in the shadows of death. One learns courage and the depths of love that one can have for their family. This is a book that I will forever share with my great grandfather even though he has left this earth 13 years ago. I could still smell the old hard cover text with the neat engraving on a small basket of flowers. ( I had a very old version). It’s a book that I will always cherish. – Andrea Paul McPherson
I found this book on the library shelf. It caught my eye because it was small and old looking. (I like vintage things) The first chapter into this book I instantly knew it was going to be one of my few favorites!
This tale is about a father teaching his daughter about her Heavenly Father. I am seventeen and found this book as intriguing as my favorite classic Pride and Prejudice.
What this book has to offer is character building, and a learning passion for the Lord our Father in Heaven, who always hears our prayers and cares for us far beyond our understanding! – Alli
You can purchase this book at Family Faith Booksby clicking here.
Neither Paul nor any other legitimate church leader in 2000 years has ever found it necessary (or even helpful) to use streetwise sex education—not as an evangelistic strategy, and certainly not as a means to sanctification for people already overwhelmed with sex-talk from a corrupt culture. Adopting the world’s obsession with sex and filthy talk cannot possibly have a sanctifying effect, because the strategy itself is unholy.
The notion that degenerate subcultures and sexually-addicted people cannot be reached without “learning to speak their language” is an absolute fallacy. Grace Church is seven miles from Hollywood, in the heart of Southern California, in a carnal, pleasure-mad culture well-known worldwide for everything but healthy spiritual values. No city in America is more “unchurched” than our valley, which houses more than three million people. The people of Grace church are reaching friends and neighbors in every imaginable subculture—from ex-cons to ex-Catholics to people in the entertainment industry. We baptize new believers virtually every Sunday night. It is neither necessary nor helpful to inject explicit sexual references into the conversation in order to reach people from such a culture. God draws them to Christ through the gospel.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m not personally endorsing nor advocating any theories with respect to this subject, I’m merely posting a report from a reputable online news source.
Ark hunters and Bible enthusiasts are buzzing about a report that the Ark of the Covenant, the ancient container that holds the Ten Commandments, is expected to be unveiled in Rome today.
As WND reported, the patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia says he will announce to the world the unveiling of the Ark, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos.
Rick Warren’s sycretistic ecumenical madness truly knows no boundaries.
Not content to merely remain heretical within the bounds of what passes for professing Christianity these days, the would-be Protestant Pope is now shilling his Purpose Driven paradigm to Muslims as Ingrid Schlueter reports at Slice:
Rick Warren is a keynoter at the Islamic Society of North America’s Fourth of July weekend annual convention. He’ll be talking about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What would you tell a convention of Muslims about the pursuit of happiness? Would you feel impelled as a follower of the one true God to let the Muslims know that true happiness is only found through the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son? Or would you talk about finding a “higher purpose”, “living for others”, and all the ways we can feel better by finding something “bigger than ourselves” to live for? We’ll be watching and waiting for Rick Warren’s contributions to the discussion at the convention. I can say, authoritatively, that “God” will be talked about a great deal. That Muslims worship a false God and are lost for all eternity unless they repent and believe the Gospel, will not be said to these lost souls. You can take that one to the bank.
Rick Warren’s new online magazine, Purpose-Driven Connection, is also promoting the heretical book, The Shack. It would not bother Rick that author William Paul Young denies the penal substitutionary atonement. Doctrine does not matter. What matters is if you feel “moved”, if you laugh, if you cry, if you feel “transformed” by whatever popular book is on the best seller list. Who cares that the substitutionary atonement is at the heart of the true Gospel? Who cares if William Paul Young is denying this basic biblical doctrine? He wrote a book that emotionally moves us, and that, today, is all that matters.
1st Timothy 5:19-20–Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.
For all those Driscollites who will come here from various search engines and come across posts like this or like this or like this, and who will be tempted to spew out the tired old, “Well, has anyone gone to Mark personally about this?”–DON’T. That subject has been addressed ad nauseum here. Phil Johnson (an elder at Grace Community Church, under the direction of John MacArthur) has indeed communicated with Driscoll personally and got nowhere. As have several others.
But here’s the problem with the tired old, “Well, has anyone gone to Mark personally about this?” argument. Because Driscoll is an elder at his goat ranch church, we can see from the above-referenced Scripture, an elder who continues to sin is to be rebuked OPENLY–that is, in the sight of the whole church. And don’t try to say that his language isn’t sinful. If it causes a brother or sister to stumble, then it is an offense. If not, then why are there so many admonitions and warnings about what comes out of our mouths? That said, many have addressed Driscoll’s language, and he has still not changed. Therefore, we are called to rebuke him publicly, in the sight of the whole church.
I hope this lays to rest the debate about whether we should be openly rebuking a man whose language would need a step ladder to reach up to the gutter.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m not personally endorsing nor advocating any theories with respect to this subject, I’m merely posting a report from a reputable online news source.
Ethiopian patriarch tells pope he will show artifact to world
The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia says he will announce to the world Friday the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps the world’s most prized archaeological and spiritual artifact, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos.
Abuna Pauolos, in Italy for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this week, told the news agency, “Soon the world will be able to admire the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible as the container of the tablets of the law that God delivered to Moses and the center of searches and studies for centuries.”
The announcement is expected to be made at 2 p.m. Italian time from the Hotel Aldrovandi in Rome. Pauolos will reportedly be accompanied by Prince Aklile Berhan Makonnen Haile Sellassie and Duke Amedeo D’Acosta.
Abuna Pauolos, patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia “The Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia for many centuries,” said Pauolos. “As a patriarch I have seen it with my own eyes and only few highly qualified persons could do the same, until now.”
According to Pauolos, the actual Ark has been kept in one church, but to defend the treasure, a copy was placed in every single church in Ethiopia.
He said a museum is being built in Axum, Ethiopia, where the Ark will be displayed. A foundation of D’Acosta will the project.
The Ark of the Covenant is the sacred container of the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron’s rod and a sample of manna, the mysterious food that kept the Israelites alive while wandering in the wilderness during their journey to the promised land.
The Bible says the Ark was built to the specifications of God as He spoke to Moses. It was carried in advance of the people and their army by priests. It was also carried in a seven-day procession around the walled city of Jericho.
The idea that the Ark is presently in Ethiopia is a well-documented, albeit disputed, tradition dating back to at least 642 B.C. The tradition says it was moved to Elephantine in Egypt, then to Tana Kirkos Island in Ethiopia and finally to its present site at St. Mary’s of Zion Church in Axum.
Ethiopians believe it is destined to be delivered to the Messiah when He reigns on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 3:16 points to a time when the Ark will vanish not only physically, but from the minds of the people: “And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.”
The Book of Revelation says the Ark is in the temple of God in heaven (Rev. 11:19). Muslim scholars say it will be found near the end of times by the Mahdi – a messianic figure in Islam.
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. - Luke 6:45
In the past DefCon has taken Mark Driscoll to task on several issues including his gutter mouth, lack of reverence for God, and even his mocking of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of the time I’ve played a less-than-active role in these matters as other contributors have mainly been on the front lines. Well today I’m getting in the trenches because I’m furious at Mark Driscoll and Pilgrim Radio for what transpired yesterday. Here’s the story:
My wife told me about a sermon Pilgrim Radio was playing on the radio as she was returning home from the grocery store with our young children in the car. She said that the man preaching (she had no clue who he was) was talking about “prostitutes,” “whores,” and “lesbians” and that he kept using these expressions as if trying to be shocking.
Bingo! My wife who knows very little—if anything—about Mark Driscoll hit the nail on the head in her evaluation of him.
She then told me that this same man began talking about wives in submission to their husbands and how oftentimes men abuse this. Instead of using an innocuous example to make his point, what did Mark “The Cussing Pastor” Driscoll do? Why, he did what apparently comes so natural for him: Driscoll expounded on such abuse by illustrating an example in which men misuse their wives’ submission by making them watch porn!
Are you kidding me? That’s the best example he could come up with? For crying out loud, my kids were in the car and heard this trash before their mother turned it off. Does this guy’s mind ever come up out of the gutter for air?
Consider, if you will, all the images that were conjured in the minds of those who heard this man go on about porn yet again (he was talking about porn in another “sermon” just a few weeks ago on Pilgrim Radio). Does he not care about all those who are struggling with pornography who listened to this “pastor” expecting to hear the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ preached in reverence, only to be hit with the last thing they would expect to hear from a “church”? How many men and women at that moment had impure thoughts rush into the battlefields of their minds because of Mark Driscoll’s seemingly insatiable appetite for discussing all things sexual in a public forum?
How dare he call himself a pastor and stand in a pulpit spewing such juvenile, perverse, and debase ideas under the guise of “preaching?” And how dare Pilgrim Radio air such filth from the ever-flowing open sewer known as the mouth of Mark Driscoll?
When my wife described this to me I immediately knew who she was referring to because during the same hour of the morning that this “sermon” was oozing across the airwaves, I also had turned on Pilgrim Radio and heard Mark Driscoll (in his usual flippancy to gain a laugh from the goats) talking about men liking noisy power tools because it drowns out the constant yapping of the wives they hate. What an obnoxious thing to say!
Needless to say I immediately turned off the radio. Little did I know fifty miles away my wife and innocent little children were about to have their minds polluted with such concepts as “prostitutes,” “whores,” “lesbians,” and “porn” . . . wicked sins my children should not have to be exposed to, especially by one who claims to be a minister of the Gospel on a radio station that claims to be Christian.
My wife had no idea who this profane man on the radio was but she had enough sense and discernment (which seems to be lacking in so many others) to reject him and change the radio station.
At this time I am in the process of doing the following three things:
1). I’ve removed Pilgrim Radio from this blog as they will no longer be endorsed by DefCon.
2). I am writing the once trusted Pilgrim Radio a lengthy letter detailing my rebuke of them for allowing this poison to enter the minds of dear Christians and their children who fell victim to this assault.
3). All the Driscollite defenders who patrol the internet and swarm blogs such as this to offer excuses for their Golden Calf will have to find another soundboard for their approval of and winking at sin as their comments will no longer be welcome here. I refuse to provide a platform for their calling evil good and good evil.
Our family strives to be holy in spite of being surrounded by the world, the culture–and now even the professing church which is indistinguishable from the world and culture–where holiness is a strange and foreign concept, and oftentimes openly mocked by those who should know better . . . those who claim to be Christians (while still practicing lawlessness). So when the wickedness of the world sneaks in via a Christian radio station you can imagine my surprise, anger, and disgust. My kids should have never been subjected to this filth and as their father it’s my responsibility to protect them and keep them pure.
Shame on Mark Driscoll for using the pulpit to advance his insatiable lust of the flesh for all things sexual. And shame on Pilgrim Radio for giving this purveyor of perversity a platform to poison my precious children with his toxic, man-centered, sin-pleasing oratory.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate. -Proverbs 8:13
Finally, it seriously overstates the involvement of John Piper and C. J. Mahaney to say they are “discipling” Mark Driscoll. In the first place, the idea that a grown man already in public ministry and constantly in the national spotlight needs space to be “mentored” before it’s fair to subject his public actions to biblical scrutiny seems to put the whole process backward. These problems have been talked about in both public and private contexts for at least three or four years. At some point the plea that this is a maturity issue and Mark Driscoll just needs time to mature wears thin. In the meantime, the media is having a field day writing stories that suggest trashy talk is one of the hallmarks of the “New Calvinism;” and countless students whom I love and am personally acquainted with are being led into similar carnal behavior by imitating Mark Driscoll’s speech and lifestyle. Enough is enough.
Yet another fantastic sermon by Don Green. This week DefCon presents both parts of his two-part message on the narrow path spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14. This is one of those texts that I never tire of hearing because it is such an essential truth of the Bible so often overlooked and ignored by much of professing Christendom today, but yet so very serious to a man’s soul.
The following video features Sandra Tanner who, with her late husband Jerald, founded Utah Lighthouse Ministries (www.utlm.org) and has helped to bring many people out of the darkness of the LDS system.
For anybody who still wonders why we do what we do at DefCon, and are still not convinced that we do any good by exposing the wolves for what they are, I bear you this testimony (via Mormon Coffee) from our dear sister in Christ, at a conference for Christians who will be sharing the truth with Mormons at the 2009 Manti Festival in Utah:
Beware of manufacturing a god of your own: a god who is all mercy but not just, a god who is all love but not holy, a god who has a heaven for everybody but a hell for none, a god who can allow good and bad to be side by side in time, but will make no distinction between good and broad in eternity. Such a god is an idol of your own, as truly an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian temple. The hands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. He is not the God of the Bible, and beside the God of the Bible, there is no God at all.
Beware of making selections from your Bible to suit your taste. Dare not to say, ‘I believe this verse, for I like it. I refuse that, for I cannot reconcile it with my views’. Nay! But O man, who art thou that repliest against God? By what right do you talk in this way? Surely it were better to say over EVERY chapter in the word, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth”. Ah! If men would do this, they would never deny the unquenchable fire.
SOUTH JORDAN — There were some 6,000 to 8,000 lightning strikes in the Salt Lake Valley Saturday, and it appears one of them struck the new Oquirrh Mountain temple.
Witnesses say the lightning blackened the arm, trumpet and face of the Moroni statue that sits on top of the temple’s steeple.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not confirmed the lightning strike.
And if the LDS organization never confirms the lightning strike, then it never really happened.
In the realm of subjective confirmations, a lightning strike trumps a “burning in the bosom” any day.
The company is not doing well this quarter. Sales are down. Potential customers are not buying. The sales team manager needs to get things moving. Someone has to make a sale and quickly. What is the sales team leader to do? Well one thing he could do is to send his team down to the morgue and have his sales team get some sales amongst the dead, selling their nasal sprays, their foot massager machines and their electronic toothbrushes. But sadly, things don’t go too well. The dead seem to have no interest in anything the sales team has to say, in spite of the positive smiles and highly developed and well rehearsed sales pitch. Even at the morgue, no sales are made; for one simple reason, the dead are, how shall we say it? … errr.. dead!
A silly scenario? Yes, of course! But lets think about this as it relates to man’s condition outside of Christ. He is not vibrant and healthy; nor merely under the weather a little, and not just extremely sick about to breathe his last breath. God says that man is actually dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). The Greek word for dead here is necros, meaning dead like a corpse. There are no signs of spiritual life. It is a hopeless case.
DEAD MAN WALKING – Born D.O.A. (dead on arrival) unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Outside of Christ, he has a zombie like existence. He is dead but walks around. He goes to tennis games or movie theaters or even to church – just never to Christ. Its not in him to do so because he is dead spiritually. He cannot come to Christ not because of some physical handicap but because of a morally depraved heart that seeks only independence from Christ. He may at times wish for the benefits of belonging to the kingdom of God – but never does he want the King of the kingdom.
Galatians 4:1-7 (NASB)–1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
We who were once enslaved to our sinful flesh, who did nothing more (and nothing less) than to carry out the wicked desires of our despicable flesh. We who were once outside the family of God, and were indeed His enemies. Now, God sending His Son to redeem us from the curse of the law, to adopt us as sons, that we might call Him “Abba, Father!”
Here is the eleventh installment of this series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link, or you can download it by right-clicking and choosing “Save Target As” in Internet Explorer (”Save Link As” in Mozilla Firefox).
Would that we could see the wall of separation between the church and the world made broader and stronger. It makes one sad to hear Christians saying, “Well, there is no harm in this; there is no harm in that”, thus getting as near to the world as possible. Grace is at a low ebb in that soul which can even raise the question of how far it may go in worldly conformity.
One expects to see Osteen, Warren, Jakes, Meyers, Bell, Driscoll, and Schuller on the shelves of their local Christian bookstore because they will sell whatever people will buy (regardless if it’s damaging to the soul, detrimental to the Christian’s walk or out right heretical. But I was shocked to discover what my local “Christian” bookstore was now selling).
I walked into the bookstore and (once I passed all the Jesus trinkets) lo and behold staring at me from the bookshelf was none other than The Shack. This tome of doctrines of demons was prominently displayed eye-level in the number one spot on the best seller’s bookshelf.
This, if you recall, is the same bookstore I previously posted about in regards to the owner’s reasons for selling books steeped in rank heresy. In that post (you can read it here) I asked the question if Christian bookstore owners are responsible for what they sell? In a post prior to that on the same topic I inquired of whether or not the readers of DefCon support their local Christian bookstore? You can read it here.
There is absolutely no excuse (other than the desire to make money) for any supposedly Christian bookstore to sell The Shack. And claiming ignorance will not suffice.
For those wondering what the stink about The Shack is all about, allow me to quote a description of the book from the January 2009 Writer’s Digest magazine (a secular periodical) who wrote a favorable piece on William Young’s book:
In Young’s story, Jesus is a dark-skinned Middle Eastern Jewish man who thwarts Mack’s expectation of a hunky blonde Jesus. God isn’t a white-haired wizard figure, but rather a matronly black woman who calls herself “Papa” in an attempt to challenge Mack’s preconceived notions. The Holy Spirit is a transparent creature named Sarayu who can’t be seen directly.
What business does a “Christian” bookstore have selling this rank heresy?
Many people who visit DefCon come here seeking truth. They have heard lies and stories told by those who claim to be shepherds and pastors, only to find they have been lied to and misled. Others are new Christians who are looking for help to understand what is truth, where to find it, who can be trusted, and who to should be avoided at all costs.
Then there are some who come here from a mindset, a philosophy, a religion, that is opposed to the truth of God. They are Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness or Emegerent or postmodern or they come from the prospoerity gospel, and so on and so forth. Or they may come from The Church of the Fluffybunny–those churches where they would not DARE speak biblical truth, lest somebody’s feelings get hurt. They would not DARE talk about sin, lest somebody’s self-esteem be injured. They are from an all-inclusive, seeker-sensitive, porpoise-drivel, Osteen/Warren/Schuller/Ed Young type church where truth is simply whatever you want it to be.
So, this person comes to DefCon, sees that we are not afraid of offending anyone, knowing that the cross is “to the Jews a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness” (1st Corinthians 1:23). And they see us tear down the foolishness of these “little boy preachers,” and compare/contrast what they say against the Scripture. And the accusations come flying. We are “Pharisees.” We are “judgmental.” We are “putting God in a box.” We are “the only ones who know the truth.” We have never “talked to God.” etc. etc. etc
At this point, the question becomes: “Why do we do what we do.” That’s what you’re about to find out. Let me tell you in a parable.
Suppose I served a master who was married to a young bride. This bride is not always wise when it came to the ways of the world (Matthew 10:16). Now, my master is going on a long trip, and will not be back for a long time (John 16:16). While my master is gone, he has entrusted me with the care of his bride (1st Timothy 3:15). I promise that I will look after her, watch over her, and let nothing happen to her. I promise to let no one do violence to her or despoil her (Acts 20:28). After all, my master has gone to great lengths to keep her pure (Ephesians 5:27).
Shortly thereafter, a young man comes knocking at the door. He is a finely-dressed, good-looking, well-spoken young man. But I also know he is not as he seems. Yet, when He asks to come in, I let him in. After all, I don’t want to offend him or make him feel bad or unwelcome. Then I step out to go to the store, leaving the young man alone with my master’s young bride. When I return, the young man is gone. I go upstairs to find my master’s young bride in the bedroom. Her face is bruised, her clothes are torn. She is crying and inconsolable. I know what has happened. I also know that it is my fault that it happened, because I left her alone with someone whose intentions were evil–and I knew it. I have done evil by allowing this evil to be done–all the while thinking my master will never know (Psalm 10:11).
But, my master does know. He has cameras all over the house. He can see everything that happens (Hebrews 4:13). And He has seen that I left His bride with a man who was good-looking outside, but evil resided within him (Matthew 7:15). When He finally returns, will He be angry? I dare say He would be extremely angry for allowing such evil to be done to his bride (Jeremiah 23:1). He would be furious with me for allowing His bride to fall prey to someone that I knew good and well was evil throughout (James 4:17). And He would beat me severely for my disobedience (Luke 12:47).
On the other hand, suppose when that young man came to the door, I knew his intentions (Hebrews 4:12). And instead of letting him in, I proclaimed to the entire neighborhood that he was evil (Philippians 3:17-19). I let it be known to all who could hear that this man who looked so dashing and charming was a snake on the inside (Romans 16:17-18). Thus warned, men kept their brides hidden from him, and would not so much as open the door to him (2nd John 1:9-11). And when my master returned, He would reward me for my obedience (2nd Samuel 22:21; Revelation 22:12).
That, friend, is why we do what we do. Because there are many good-looking, fine-sounding religions that are just waiting to find their way into the true church and wreak havoc upon her. We, with every breath in us, will fight to never let that happen! And will warn everyone we can so they do not fall prey.
Because of the repetitive nature of the next three questions, I have decided to lump them into one post.
Tower To Truth Question:
25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?
FAIR Answer:
It would be more correct to say that the Book of Mormon teaches that plain and precious things have been removed from the Bible 1_Ne. 13:28. The vast majority of that which has remained in the Bible is both true and valuable.
Latter-day Saints take two years of every four in Sunday School studying the Bible. They cherish it. They merely refuse to believe that the Bible is all that God has said, or can say. God can speak whenever He wishes.
26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?
FAIR Answer:
The italics do indeed identify words added by the translators. They were “added” because they were necessary words for making sense of the translation: in Hebrew and Greek the words are sometimes implied, but necessary for English to make sense. (Italics can mislead us, however, in suggesting that there is such a thing as a word-for-word translation without interpretation, save for the italics.)
Thus, in some cases the italic words are necessary, and Joseph or another translator would have had to put them in. In other cases, Joseph removed the italic words. (It’s not clear that Joseph even owned a Bible during the Book of Mormon translation era, much less that he knew what the italics meant.)
This is really a question about why the Book of Mormon text is often very close (or, in some cases, identical to) the King James Version. If Joseph was trying to forge a book (as the critics claim) then why did he quote from the Bible, the one book his readers would be sure to know?
27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?
FAIR Answer:
Because Joseph translated it as King James English.
Why do modern translations of the Greek and Hebrew Bible sound like modern English, even though the texts are hundreds or thousands of years old? Because that’s how the translators translated them. It doesn’t say anything about what the language is like on the original. (French translators make totally different translations than English translators, but the manuscripts remain the same!)
Do Christians condemn the Bible as an inauthentic record because their translations sound like 21st century English? This question is a good example of how insincere these “questions” from an anti-Mormon ministry are.
=====================================
My Response:
OK, we’ll take the first one (Answer 25), since it is the simplest. It is simply another example of Mormon double-speak. They are basically saying, “We don’t believe the Bible has been corrupted. We just believe some things have been removed.”
Doesn’t the “fact” (quote-unquote) that things have “been removed” (quote-unquote), by default, render something “corrupt?” The word “corrupt” comes from the Latin (through Middle English) “to break.” In fact, according to Merriam-Webster, to “corrupt” means “to alter from the original or correct form or version” (See full entry here). So….if something was “removed,” doesn’t that, automatically, mean that it has been “altered from its original form?” But, this is, yet again, another example of a Mormon defining things differently than what they really mean. Oh, and, as usual, not a word about which of the “truths, plain and most precious” were removed. Yeah, good luck getting an answer on THAT.
Then there is the link that says, “For extensive evidence that the Bible both underwent change and deletions in the very early years.” Of course, that link takes you to another FAIR page where they quote Blake Ostler. Oh, yeah, real unbiased work, there. **rolls eyes** Oh, and as far as trying ot use Vagany against the reliability of Scripture, let’s look at the quote from FAIR:
“In AD 178 the secular writer Celsus stated in polemic against the Christians: some of the believers . . . have changed the original text of the Gospels three or four times or even more, with the intention of thus being able to destroy the arguments of their critics.’ (quoted in Origen, Contra Celsum, SC 132, 2, 27).
Now, one thing you need to know about Celsus: he was a heretic. He vehemently opposed the Christians and went out of his way to disparage them. Which means he is exactly the kind of person FAIR will quote in order to defend their beliefs–a known heretic! Way to go, guys! I suppose that next, in order to “prove” the Bible was wrong about the creation account, they will probably be quoting Charles Darwin.
Oh, and by the way, here is the full quote from Origen (emphasis mine):
After this he says, that certain of the Christian believers, like persons who in a fit of drunkenness lay violent hands upon themselves, have corrupted the Gospel from its original integrity, to a threefold, and fourfold, and many-fold degree, and have remodelled it, so that they might be able to answer objections. Now I know of no others who have altered the Gospel, save the followers of Marcion, and those of Valentinus, and, I think, also those of Lucian. But such an allegation is no charge against the Christian system, but against those who dared so to trifle with the Gospels. And as it is no ground of accusation against philosophy, that there exist Sophists, or Epicureans, or Peripatetics, or any others, whoever they may be, who hold false opinions; so neither is it against genuine Christianity that there are some who corrupt the Gospel histories, and who introduce heresies opposed to the meaning of the doctrine of Jesus.
I suppose that is enough evidence to shatter FAIR’s misuse of someone’s quote. And, yeah, there are going to be differences in the various Hebrew manuscripts. It would be interesting if FAIR would live up to their acronym and share with us some of these differences from Tov’s book. Oh wait……are those crickets I hear chirping in Utah? Yeah, I thought so.
—————–
So, for the second (Answer 26), let’s boil it down. Let’s look at the main thrust of their response:
The italics do indeed identify words added by the translators. They were “added” because they were necessary words for making sense of the translation: in Hebrew and Greek the words are sometimes implied, but necessary for English to make sense.
RED FLAG ALERT!
RED FLAG ALERT!
The Book of Mormon was not written in Hebrew, or Greek! IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN IN REFORMED EGYPTIAN! (A language which, by the way, has NEVER existed at ANY TIME IN HISTORY). So the argument that the italics were added to the Hebrew for insertion into the BOM is silly, because Isaiah was written in Hebrew while the BOM was written in a totally different language! BUSTED!! That would be like saying “The parts of the Bagavad Gita that were plagiarized from Das Kapital kept the italics to get the sense of what the Japanese meant.” We’re talking about completely different languages, so their answer on this point is moot.
——————————–
Finally, Answer #27. I would have to say this isn’t much of an issue. Of course the gold-digger was going to translate it into the language of his day, so I really don’t think that’s any ground we need to cover.
Your sermon of the week is part one and part two of Paul Washer’s message entitled Biblical Manhood. This concludes our four-week series on manhood leading up to Father’s Day.
If you only listen to one message on fatherhood this year, make it this one. I think I’ve certainly saved the best two sermons on fatherhood for last, and I trust that you’ll agree.
Sadly, Bill and Gloria Gaither–names almost synonymous with Southern Gospel music–have joined the apostasy that is “The Outhouse” “The Shack.” A couple weeks ago, they held a “Family Fest” (hat tip: Apprising Ministries) in Gatlinburg, TN (pop: 3800. pop during tourist season: 2,500,000), right near my back yard. And who were two of their guest speakers? None other than Paul Young, author of the blasphemy that is “The Outhouse” “The Shack” and Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries (why should you avoid Steve Brown answered here).
Gloria Gaither gave a copy to Mark Lowry, who then gave a personal endorsement of “The Outhouse” “The Shack” (via Slaughtering the Sheep):
I am only on page 149 but, already, I want there to be a sequel. Part 2, please!
Gloria Gaither handed this book, The Shack, to me while I was staying in their home. I read up to the murder of the little girl and couldn’t read any more. I put the book down, lost it and, a few weeks later, felt compelled to go to Lifeway in Nashville and buy another copy.
Now, I can’t put it down. (Source: Scroll down and read the post from May 1, 2008.)
[...]
Well, I finally finished The Shack by William P. Young. The first five chapters are very hard to read. Very painful. But somewhere around chapter 6, Dorothy lands in Oz and everything becomes technicolor. I really love this book. It confirmed for me a lot of things I’ve been learning about God. (emphasis mine)Source.
So, unfortunately, if asked, I can no longer endorse The Gaithers’ music in any way, having embraced the heresy that is “The Outhouse” “The Shack.”
What do all these words have in common? They are all descriptions of how men and fathers are depicted in today’s Western culture.
Television is a great example of the problem. Whether it’s Archie Bunker from All in the Family, Al Bundy from Married With Children, George Castanza from Seinfeld, Peter Griffin from Family Guy, or Homer Simpson from The Simpsons, men are often portrayed as fools and inferior to not only their wives, but their own children as well. And this isn’t even considering the latest onslaught of one-parent homes (homes absent of any father), and those normalizing homosexuality. These trends have been increasing every year and it seems to show no sign of stopping.
The problem is especially pervasive in shows geared toward children as Hollywood and the current culture is hell-bent on turning the hearts of the children away from their parents–especially their fathers.
If you still need convincing, turn on Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel and watch how men are depicted. It won’t take long for you to see what I mean. Even the commercials feed into this distortion of manhood. In many cases all authority figures are incompetent including teachers and policemen, but none are so marginalized as fathers.
Mothers are depicted as much more capable than their incompetent spouses, but even they take a back seat when it comes to the kids themselves. Watch these same channels and observe how the kids are depicted. They’re the ones in control, who are running the show, making all of life’s decisions, saving the world, and doing it all with zero or minimal input from their parents–especially that detached lump on the couch they call dad.
A recent academic study confirmed that men – particularly fathers – are under-represented in almost all children’s books. And when they do appear, like the fathers in Gorilla and Zoo, they are often withdrawn, or obsessed with themselves, or just utterly ineffectual.
Leith continues:
Why had this never bothered me? Because it’s all around us, everywhere we look. For years, men in our stories – not just for children, but adults, too – have been losing their authority. Not just years – decades. It’s crept up on us and now it’s everywhere. Remember when movie stars were strong and decisive? That was a long time ago now: John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn. Then came a new, softer type – Cary Grant and James Stewart were strong, yes, but against a background of self-doubt. And then came Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, Woody Allen, Bill Murray, Kevin Spacey – neurotic, bumbling, deeply flawed anti-heroes.
Now I’ll readily admit that there are many, many men today who refuse to grow up (they’re known as Rejuveniles), but the situation begs the question: Is our culture’s entertainment merely reflecting the problem of the modern American male, or are these men actually the product of their culture’s entertainment?
Take notice, that it stands as a blot in the reputation of the Corinthians, that they were altogether for a gospel that should cost them nothing. Corinth was the most convenient, and so the most frequented, port of trade in all Greece. The inhabitants are said to have been very wealthy, proud, and voluptuous. They had abundance to spend upon themselves, but could find nothing for Paul, while he resided among them, and preached the gospel to them. . . . It is a sad word, but too frequently experienced, that a faithful minister of Christ may labor, and yet live in want, in a wealthy city.
Ingrid covers the arrested development plaguing many Westerners in this CrossTalk episode: Death of the Grown-up.
This edition of Crosstalk begins with Ingrid’s review of Diana West’s book, The Death of the Grown-Up: How America’s Arrested Development is Bringing Down Western Civilization.
Do you remember a time when kids wanted to grow up to be like their father or mother? Unless you are a certain age or older, you may not even notice the shift that has taken place whereby American adult men and women, many in the church as well, often look and act like “teenagers.”
The highlight of this program is caller discussion that focuses on this idolatry of adolescent immaturity, and how we can get beyond that and raise children properly toward Christian adulthood.
Shallow preaching that does not grapple with the terrible fact of man’s sinfulness and guilt, calling on “all men everywhere to repent,” results in shallow conversions; and so we have a myriad of glib-tongued professors today who give no evidence of regeneration whatever. Prating of salvation by grace, they manifest no grace in their lives. Loudly declaring they are justified by faith alone, they fail to remember that “faith without works is dead”; and that justification by works before men is not to be ignored as though it were in contradiction to justification by faith before God. We need to reread James 3 and let its serious message sink deep into our hearts, that it may control our lives. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” No man can truly believe in Christ, who does not first repent. Nor will his repentance end when he has saving faith, but the more he knows God as he goes on through the years, the deeper will that repentance become. A servant of Christ said: “I repented before I knew the meaning of the word. I have repented far more since than I did then.”
Eccelsiastes 11:5–As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,
so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
Imagine if your young child was involved in a car wreck, suffered some brain damage. Her mental capacities would be diminshed, she would have to be put in special education, she would probably not go to college, and in fact she would probably live only a few more years. Now, imagine the doctor told you, “You’ll need to come in tomorrow to schedule a date when we can put her to sleep.” Like she was a dog. (Or a fetus, since in the eyes of a pro-death/pro-abortion-rights supporter, there really is no difference between a dog and a fetus. Other then the fact they give more rights to the dog and think the dog is more important than the fetus.).
How would you react if your doctor told you that they needed to put your child to sleep, simply because she wouldn’t live more than a few years, and would require more attention that you anticipated? Imagine the shock you would feel when your doctor told you that. And yet, when a doctor tells a set of parents that their child has all the markers of having Down Syndrome, the first thing out of the doctor’s mouth is “You need to come in tomorrow for your abortion.”
Now, try and imagine the shock felt by the mother (who wrote this loving tribute to her daughter) when her doctor told her that she should come in the next day to put her child down. Like a dog. (Hat Tip: Dan Phillips @ Biblical Christianity):
This month marks a strange anniversary of sorts for me. It was 2 years ago this month that I was sitting in a chair looking at my unborn baby in 4D. She was precious! We had previously found out that our baby had several “markers” for down syndrome and had enlarged kidneys which may have required surgery upon birth. Thus we were monitored more carefully and had a ton more ultrasound shots at a hospital. This was the first level 3 ultrasound with this pregnancy (I had had one with my 3rd with no problems). I got to gaze upon my baby for almost a full hour – it was wonderful! I was there alone as my husband was out of town. The specialist doctor called me in after the ultrasound to go over the findings. The first words out of his mouth to me were “Well you will have to come in tomorrow for your abortion because of how far along you are.” I was utterly shocked and devastated. All I could do was mutter “What??????” He then proceeded to tell me that my baby had more “markers” for down syndrome and it didn’t look good. I was more shocked that his automatic assumption was that I would abort my baby. I almost couldn’t comprehend what he was telling me in that office. All I wanted to do was run as far away from that man as possible.
[Emphases mine]
But, this mother, showing more sense than a “doctor”, proves that a man without the wisdom of God is a fool. If she had listened to this man’s foolish talk, she would have allowed them to butcher her baby and throw it in the trash to be dumped in a landfill somewhere. Like a dog. But, again, this is a woman who understands that God is Almighty, sovereign over all, the author and creator of life, and that man, with all of his weak, feeble, finite “wisdom,” is just a foolish creature:
Our fourth daughter was born in August with no physical problems. Her kidneys were fine and she did not have Down syndrome. What my heart went through in the months of not knowing I hope and pray will never leave me.
1st Corinthians 1:25, 27–The foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men…
God has chosen the foolish things of the world
to put to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world
to put to shame the things which are mighty.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
The apostles of Satan are not abortionists and sex traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our post-modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to “flee from the wrath to come” they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that “without shedding of blood is no remission,” they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to “follow in His steps.” Of them it must be said, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” ( Romans 10:3).
Their message may sound very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them— “for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing [not to be wondered at] if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” ( 2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
In addition to the fact that today hundreds of churches are without a leader who faithfully declares the whole counsel of God and presents His way of salvation, we also have to face the additional fact that the majority of people in these churches are very unlikely to learn the Truth themselves.
The sinners of a nation are really the weakness of it. . . . Wicked men are they that betray nations and kingdoms, expose them to God’s wrath, and subject them to His judgments. Did Noah bring the flood upon the old world? Or did the wicked do it by their wickedness? Did Lot bring down fire from Heaven upon Sodom? Or did the Sodomites do it by their own lewdness? Did Jeremiah by his preaching, . . . and those few other godly in Jerusalem by their praying and weeping and mourning, bring on the captivity of that people? Or did not the people themselves, by their idolatry, their profaneness, their swearing, their Sabbath-breaking, their polluting God’s ordinances, their shedding innocent blood, etc.?
Compare yourselves with the Word. See how the Scriptures and your hearts agree, how your dial responds to the sun. Are your hearts, as it were, a transcript of Scripture? Is the Word copied out in your hearts? The Word calls for humility; are you not only humbled, but humble? The Word calls for regeneration; have you the signature and engraving of the Holy Ghost upon you? Have you a change of heart? Not only a partial and moral change, but a spiritual? Is there such a change wrought in you as if another soul did live in the same body?
If you are in a church that has resisted the temptation to professionalize worship, you are blessed. If not, my heart goes out to you. In any event, family worship will deepen your appreciation for biblical worship and make the corporate experience that much richer. However, I must caution you—family worship also has a tendency to open your eyes to the shallow, mundane, worldly aspects of the modern “worship” scene.
What can I say about this book other than I absolutely loved it. This was the very first book published in the Lamplighter series and was the Lamplighter series “book of the year” in 1996. This continues to be my favorite Lamplighter book (see all Lamplighter books 
Yet another fantastic sermon by Don Green. This week DefCon presents both parts of his two-part message on the narrow path spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14. This is one of those texts that I never tire of hearing because it is such an essential truth of the Bible so often overlooked and ignored by much of professing Christendom today, but yet so very serious to a man’s soul.
Would that we could see the wall of separation between the church and the world made broader and stronger. It makes one sad to hear Christians saying, “Well, there is no harm in this; there is no harm in that”, thus getting as near to the world as possible. Grace is at a low ebb in that soul which can even raise the question of how far it may go in worldly conformity.
One expects to see Osteen, Warren, Jakes, Meyers, Bell, Driscoll, and Schuller on the shelves of their local Christian bookstore because they will sell whatever people will buy (regardless if it’s damaging to the soul, detrimental to the Christian’s walk or out right heretical. But I was shocked to discover what my local “Christian” bookstore was now selling).
Most people will agree that they are sinners. However, few will readily admit that they are helpless sinners. There is a big difference.
Your sermon of the week is part one and part two of Paul Washer’s message entitled Biblical Manhood. This concludes our four-week series on manhood leading up to Father’s Day. 
Stupid. Lazy. Uninvolved. Ignorant. Timid. Detached. Neurotic. Weak. Powerless. Unreliable. Ineffectual. Irresponsible. 
Take notice, that it stands as a blot in the reputation of the Corinthians, that they were altogether for a gospel that should cost them nothing. Corinth was the most convenient, and so the most frequented, port of trade in all Greece. The inhabitants are said to have been very wealthy, proud, and voluptuous. They had abundance to spend upon themselves, but could find nothing for Paul, while he resided among them, and preached the gospel to them. . . . It is a sad word, but too frequently experienced, that a faithful minister of Christ may labor, and yet live in want, in a wealthy city.
