Reformed. Christianity. Evangelism. Modern Culture.
Have you ever wondered what to pray for when it comes to praying for your elder or pastor? I hope this article makes it easier to understand what he needs most. To begin with Stephen Altrogge asks if have you heard of the word “unction”?
It’s a term that sounds vaguely medical, as in, “I went to the doctor today and he told me that I have a bad case of unction in my lower GI tract.” Or it sounds like a term my mechanic would throw at me: “Yeah man, your unction piston is cracked right down the middle and we’re going to need to replace the entire engine block.”
But the word “unction” actually has a rich history behind it, even if we don’t use it too much any more. And let me tell you, I desperately need unction.
Unction is what separates a mighty sermon from a boring lecture. Unction is what causes a sermon to pierce the heart of a listener. Unction is what transforms a sermon from a boring load of facts to a mighty, God-filled, life-changing sermon. …Read More!
The next guest is a satirist. He is also a Christian. But one other interesting thing is that the concept behind these anonymous interviews was originally from him (chuckle) ;). These interviews are anonymous so that there is no celebrity. They are evangelistic and have been simplified so that they are easy to follow and to the point. Today my guest too will be masked as we ask him different questions about what he believes. In case you missed the previous anonymized interviews please go here.
ATCT [A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®] : Sorry you are masked from your audience today. What is a typical week in your life like?
CHRISTIAN: On Sunday, we go to church. Period. We have children and they know from example that it is important to give God glory because He is God and we are not. The rest of the week, I juggle work, Bible study, current event study, blog maintenance, creative writing (including humor & satire) for my blog and for others, research & writing for a missions database, Taking the kids back and forth to school, and generally trying to have quality time with family.ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
CHRISTIAN: No, God saved me as a young adult. We did the lip service thing when I was a kid and it had no effect. Many church youth groups bussed us to pizza blasts and hot dog dinners but i was dry bones at that time. Praise God that he saved me and most of my family later however!
ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read More!
The Ball Brothers are such a breath of fresh air with the profound lyrics in “It’s about the cross”:
The Ball Brothers are four real-life brothers that travel full-time singing Christian music with a unique blend of harmony. This song is their passion. …Read More!
Well this is not a complete list but these are some of the conferences I have come across within Europe (so far) and I hope to update the list when I come across others:
1) Reformation week (GERMANY and SWITZERLAND)
Are you interested in discovering the history of the Reformation in Germany and Switzerland during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries? Then why not join us for our Reformation Week, 3rd – 10th May 2012. I ATTENDED THIS CONFEENCE. READ AND SEE SUMMARY OF EVENTS HERE! …Read More!
This post is a humanitarian appeal and an awareness campaign on behalf of the thousands of child soldiers and orphans whose lives have been ravaged by Joseph Kony and the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). It’s also my prayer to God that justice may come and peace may be ushered into Northern Uganda.
KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.
A timely message from Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones:
In Acts 2, what did the Christians come together for? Here were these people who had come out of the world to join the group of people called disciples, and they formed the first church, but what is the Christian church for? What does she do? What does she provide? Do Christian people come together for socials, dances, raffles, dramatic performances, lectures on politics, literature, and sociology? There was nothing like that in the early church. It is not my objective to denounce these things. But I do want to show how far removed they are from the Christian church. You can get all that in the world, and you can get it very much better there. The Christian church makes a fool of herself when she attempts these things–she does them so badly. If you want activities like that, then go and get them organized professionally. But that is not the Christian church. It is a travesty. …Read More!
You would think as Easter approaches people would spend more time reading their bibles and focusing on Christ’s death for sinners. No, some pastors are into more hip and trendy (actually goofy) ideas…
In a hip, artsy, area of Houston, a hip, artsy pastor is taking an unorthodox approach to Lent.
Standing in front of his congregation at Ecclesia Church, a congregation he admits is different – more diverse, more urban – than many evangelical churches – Chris Seay encouraged them to do so something he said combines the ideas of sacrifice and devotion that mark the Lenten season, the 40-day lead up to Easter.
He asked them to get tattoos. Specifically, he asked congregants to get a tattoo corresponding with one of the Stations of the Cross, the collection of images that depict scenes in Jesus’ journey to his crucifixion.
“The tendency we have as Christians is to skip past Jesus’ suffering,” Seay said in an interview. “Not only do tattoos come with a bit of suffering, they are also an art form that has not fully been embraced.” …Read More!
If the 12 Apostles preached prosperity gospel would they would not have been persecuted. Did they go out preaching ‘come to Jesus and you will have your best life now’?
Related articles
I am grateful to God for the previous interviews and how they have been a primer for people to know more about Christians and what they believe. Today’s anonymized guest is a young man who has just been ordained as a pastor recently. He is a Christian of course, married to one beautiful woman and we will mask him first and then ask him a couple of questions to see what he believes. If you missed the previous anonymized interviews please go here.
ATCT [A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®] : Sorry you are masked from your audience today. What is a typical week in your life like?
CHRISTIAN: Sunday, preaching and pastoring. Monday, chilling and chores. Tuesday, study and administration. Wednesday, pastoral visiting, study, and church meeting. Thursday, household shopping and study, Friday, very unpredictable. Saturday – family day. Throw in three or four trips to the gym and some tropical fish maintenance along with far too much net surfing, some reading, and a little television, and that is about it. Oh, apart from prayer, eating and sleeping.
ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, both my parents love the Lord, and so do all my uncles and aunts, and of course, the wider church family.
ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read More!
Well some people believe if you can re-write and re -word the Ten Commandments you can make people feel a little more positive about their spiritual and moral state. You see…
The religious rules, which Christians believe were etched onto tablets by God and given to Moses, have been modified to use up-to-date language and principles. Inspired by last year’s riots, the new vows include “manage your anger”, “know God” and “catch your breath” and are understood to be used in more than 600 churches in Britain.
The original “thou shalt not steal” has become “prosper with a clear conscience”, and the lengthy “thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” becomes “take God seriously”.
The commandments, designed by popular evangelical preacher J John, have been praised by religious leaders for bringing practical advice to modern congregations.
Using short, simple language interspersed with slang, the new rules have now been released on a DVD called “just10 for churches”, aimed at providing guidance.
The tenth commandment, for example, has altered the Biblical “thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” to just “find contentment.” …Read More!
I believe I was so spiritually corrupt and prideful and rebellious that I would never have come to faith in Jesus without God’s merciful, sovereign victory over the last vestiges of my rebellion. (1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1–4; Romans 8:7). …Read More!
Charles Spurgeon was right…
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ speak of it? ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’ That is clear enough. So it would have been if He has added, ‘and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel’ No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to Him. Then again, ‘He gave some apostles, some prophets, some pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry.’ Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll. …Read More!
If you have missed any of the previous anonymized interviews with Christians from different backgrounds please go here. Continuing with the same format today’s guest too has been anonymized (so that the glory of the testimony) goes to God. Today’s guest has spent over 18 years working in disaster zones. He has come very close to death countless times while preaching the gospel. He is one unsung hero in many respects but today he will tell us what drives him on even when he is far from family, friends and safety.
ATCT [A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®] : Sorry you are masked from your audience today. Could you tell us what a typical week in your life is like?
CHRISTIAN: I don’t usually have a typical week. Travelling, ministering and lot’s of calls from folks around the world that the Lord has allowed me to encourage and minister to. Study, reading, Praying, meditating, talking to my bride, sharing with my kids.
ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
CHRISTIAN:I had basically no Christian influence in my life as a Child. I did attend a very tiny church roughly three times in grade two. I was never one who disbelieved that God existed, I did not however have a relationship with Him.
ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read More!
Clint Archer looks at the communion table and questions surrounding it in his latest article:
After my post on children taking communion I received some great questions. I wanted to address them more fully than in a crammed comment cage.
Have you ever thought of these provocative variables in the form and substance of the Lord’s Supper:
- Should we not emulate the NT church’s practice of sharing an entire, sit-down meal?
- Must the bread be unleavened?
- Must the wine be alcoholic?
- Must the wine be red or can we use Champagne instead?
- Where does one draw the line? For example, can pizza and Coke count as communion? I.e. can the bread be sweetened, or have a topping? What about milk and cookies?
Makes the blood boil a bit, doesn’t it? You may have got stuck on the milk & cookies on, and you would probably say: “Obviously not, don’t be dumb.” …Read More!
So imagine the theological police round you up in a dark street corner and as they breathe down your neck and one asks you,“so, little helpless brat are you a Calvinist?” With the microphone firmly planted to your upper lip say, “You decide. Here is what I believe . . .”
I believe I am so spiritually corrupt and prideful and rebellious that I would never have come to faith in Jesus without God’s merciful, sovereign victory over the last vestiges of my rebellion. (1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1–4; Romans 8:7).
I believe that God chose me to be his child before the foundation of the world, on the basis of nothing in me, foreknown or otherwise. (Ephesians 1:4–6; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29–30; 11:5–7)
I believe Christ died as a substitute for sinners to provide a bona fide offer of salvation to all people, and that he had an invincible design in his death to obtain his chosen bride, namely, the assembly of all believers, whose names were eternally written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. (John 3:16; John 10:15; Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 13:8)
When I was dead in my trespasses, and blind to the beauty of Christ, God made me alive, opened the eyes of my heart, granted me to believe, and united me to Jesus, with all the benefits of forgiveness and justification and eternal life. …Read More!
Oh Tim Hawkins! He just keeps coming up with these ideas! Here is a set of hand raising tips that you can use in church.
Today the preacher in church told us an interesting story. Well it was during the sermon talk to the children but we all loved it. It was about a little Welsh girl called Mary Jones. You see…
In the year 1800 Mary Jones, the 15-year-old daughter of a weaver from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant at the foot of Cader Idris, walked 25 miles, barefoot and across rugged mountain country, simply to buy a Bible from the Reverend Thomas Charles of Bala. There is a lot more to the story than that, however, and Mary’s epic trip was to have lasting effects throughout the world.
There had been no Welsh version of the Bible until Bishop William Morgan completed his famous translation in 1588.
Before that worshippers in Welsh churches and chapels had to use Latin or, occasionally, English texts. Most of them understood little of either language. Once Morgan’s Bible became available things began to change.
However, Bishop Morgan’s Bible was both expensive and heavy and, therefore, was restricted to church and chapel use. A smaller and cheaper version was published in 1630 and by the end of the century there were several new editions freely available to all those who could afford them.
When Griffith Jones began his Circulating Schools the Bible was an essential teaching tool and many families, now able to read, bought their own copies so that they could read and digest in the comfort and security of their own homes.
In north Wales the Calvinistic Methodist preacher Thomas Charles, operating from his chapel in Bala, was active in making sure Sunday Schools and, wherever possible, individuals were plentifully supplied with Bibles. Enter Mary Jones.
Mary came from a devoutly pious family. …Read More!
If you haven’t read the read any of the previous anonymized interviews click here. The guests are from different backgrounds, from all over the world and the only unifying factor is that they have been changed by the gospel message. Today’s guest is a single Christian lady, works full time and yes she will tell us what the gospel is in one sentence too.
ATCT [A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®] : Sorry you are masked from your audience today. What is a typical week in your life like?
ANS: Well, I work full time, exercise, and leave gospel tracts everywhere. 🙂
- ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
ANS: Yes. My mother and I weren’t saved back then, but there were a few instances where I went to church. The kinds of churches I went to is something I don’t remember. *lol*
- ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read more!
If I am master of my fate, architect of my destiny and my words contain power as the WOF (word of faith) and prosperity preachers tell me then I am pretty much invincible. I do not need to pray to God, afterall what can He do that I cannot speak into existence. I am sovereign. So, do these WOF and health, wealth and prosperity preachers ever fall sick, fill in job application forms, go to the bank for a loan, get drenched by rain or even die? Well check this out…
Here’s a rhyme, how much wood could a wood chuck chop, if a wood chuck could chop wood? Here’s another. How much deception can be seen and heard, when there is no word, and nobody is really listening?
How long will we look the other way while people are ravaged by false teaching’s promoted by men who spread their own miracle rumors?
It was E.W. Kenyon in his book the Hidden man on pg.99 wrote, “I know that I am healed because he said that I am healed and it makes no difference what the symptoms may be in my body.” An example would be if they are coughing and you say you have a cough they respond by “no I don’t, I haven’t had a cough in years.” That’s called denial of reality at best, and lying at worst. …REad More!
After perfecting his visually stunning gimmick, Pastor Antics only had to desperately look for a bible verse to tag along to the message…
Apparently Sam Gipp has recorded a KJV only video (by the way it’s a nicely done video!) that is simply filled with errors–errors historical, errors logical, errors factual, errors biblical. Let’s begin the process of setting the record straight. James White does an excellent job in this 4 part series:
Part 1: …There’s More!!!
HT Mike Stockwell via Facebook
We have seen this happen day in and day out. A church is set up in the corner and before you can even say “Smith Wigglesworth” it has become the local centre of entertainment and creative arts. Along the way you find we have lost the gospel and no longer even mention the name of Jesus lest we offend some first time visitors. So, methodology (and contemporary methods at that) are they neutral? Here is something you can learn from Arturo Azurdia as we go back to scripture….
As a man devoted to the gospel first and foremost, how am I to respond to the steady barrage of novel methods for ministry being advocated today by various expressions of evangelicalism? Is it ethically responsible to disengage my evaluative faculties in the name of contemporaneity? Is it true that methods for ministry are of no real consequence to God insofar as our motivation is the salvation of human beings—that, in fact, our methods should be altogether determined by the unique mores of each cultural context? Is methodology neutral? Or are we dangerously close to sacrificing Sola Scriptura on the altar of Sola Cultura? …Read More!
You have seen gaudy and blasphemous caricatures of Jesus Christ and satirical depictions of Christians by major new outlets. Anybody can take a pot shot at Jesus and walk away with a wink and smug look. Is there a bias and how about other religions? How come we do not see satirical depictions of other religions? BBC has come out with an honest explanation…
The head of the BBC, Mark Thompson, has admitted that the broadcaster would never mock Mohammed like it mocks Jesus.
He justified the astonishing admission of religious bias by suggesting that mocking Mohammed might have the “emotional force” of “grotesque child pornography”.
But Jesus is fair game because, he said, Christianity has broad shoulders and fewer ties to ethnicity.
Bias
Mr Thompson says the BBC would never have broadcast Jerry Springer The Opera – a controversial musical that mocked Jesus – if its target had been Mohammed. …Read More!
A while ago a YouTube video featuring a well-known Nigerian preacher, David Oyedepo, slapping a congregant and calling her a witch may have been dismissed as a one off incident. However un beknownst to many it actually seemed to highlight a silently growing trend plus the power of some church leaders. In the clip below a teenage girl kneels before the pastor, and after saying she is a “witch for Jesus” he calls her a “foul devil”, slapping her violently across the face while the congregation cheers. In a later video (see video at end of article) , he can be seen boasting “I slapped a witch here last year.”
Recently in the UK a very disturbing trial came to an end. “Child witches” and exorcism was shown not to be a problem out there but rather under reported and very present even in the UK. In particular this trial shed light on the events surrounding the life of a young boy called Kristy….
When 15-year-old Kristy Bamu left his parents in Paris on 16 December 2010, he was looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays with his siblings, visiting their sister and her boyfriend in London.
On Christmas Day he was found by paramedics in the bathroom of an east London high-rise flat. His body had been mutilated, some teeth were missing and he was covered in deep cuts and bruising. In the last four days of his life he had suffered acts of unspeakable savagery, doled out by a man he called “uncle” and one of his own sisters.
Why? Because Eric Bikubi and Magalie Bamu, then both 28, were convinced the boy was a witch, possessed by spirits who wanted to bring evil into their home, the Old Bailey heard. On Thursday they were convicted of murder. They had earlier admitted actual bodily harm against Kristy’s sister Kelly and a younger sister, who cannot be named.
The judge, Mr Justice Paget, exempted the jury from jury service for the rest of their lives because of the “strain” of the trial, adding it was a case “every one of us will remember”. He said: “It has been a most remarkable case and at times a very harrowing case.” …Read More!
What would we do with out fashion? What would we do without celebrity and vanity? Why not bring it all to church? The world we live in is visually driven and so is the culture. We are excited, enticed and ensnared by what we see. The billboards scream at us, the television adverts constantly beckon us to feed our base urge to desire and covet what we do not have. Yes, we love it don’t we?
If only we could get for ourselves a man and celebrity to feed this primitive urge of depravity. A man to point us to vanity. A man to scratch our itchy ears and teach us things that we yearn to listen to. A man to boost ourself esteem. We will be ready to pay him double and even triple if he can call himself our “man of God”. He could carry the title of “pastor” for all we care.
Some say the office of pastor is a sacred one. One with which comes an immense amount of responsibility. But in our endless search for self aggrandisement we want a hireling that we can call pastor who can desecrate this office. We are many so we will be able to set up a mega church if need be. We will build our man in a mansion and a private jet if he wants one. He could even publish some books and stuff that we deem relevant like seven day sex challenges.
All this is will be his only on one condition. He should not tell us about sin, righteousness and judgement. You see we don’t do bible. …Read More!
Even before the ink has dried on her tombstone there is already a pastor claiming there’s a gospel sermon series self motivational (me, myself and I) pep talk series based on Whitney Houston. What can I say? …Read More!
Ever used words together that will not (and should never) fit? Try humane, dignity and euthanasia. Well…
An engineer has come up with macabre rollercoaster concept where passengers are thrilled and then ‘killed’.
The chilling Euthanasia Coaster is a theoretical machine engineered to ‘humanely, with elegance and euphoria, take the life of a human being’.
It is designed to subject the rider to a series of unique experiences from euphoria to thrill and from tunnel vision to loss of consciousness…
‘Celebrating the limits of the human body but also the liberation from the horizontal life, this ‘kinetic sculpture’ is in fact the ultimate roller coaster.’
Julijonas’ design is inspired by the words of John Allen, the former president of the famous ride maker, Philadelphia Toboggan Company.
Allen once said: ‘The ultimate roller coaster is built when you send out twenty-four people and they all come back dead.’ …Read More!
I would love to do a lot more exercise than I get to do. This week we get to meet another Christian. He loves to blog. He loves to read. He loves to blog – did I say that already? He is a husband, a father and a pastor. Well today he dreamily seems to be doing some gym work. And as he brushes past making a bee line for the weights and stuff, we get to stop him in mid action. Hey mystery Christian guest, care for a two minute anonymised interview? [More anonymised interviews here] Listen in to the actual interview:
ATCT [Atwisted Crown of Thorns]: Sorry you are masked from your audience today. What is a typical week in your life like?
CHRISTIAN: That’s hard to say. They’re all a bit different but generally speaking they’re filled with writing, phone calls, hospital visits (when necessary), dropping in on Church folk, posting an occasional bit on the blog, and reading, reading, reading. And then there’s going to the gym and trying to combat the woes of aging. But that’s another subject altogether.
ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
CHRISTIAN: Not at home. My parents thought of God as a big joke and when I told them I was called to ministry my mother told me I’d be happier being a garbage collector. My childhood pastors were good and decent Christians though and I was close to them.
ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read More!
Many times the victims of false teachings (like prosperity gospel and word of faith) are never seen. Some perish in their new found teachings with wads of green money stuck between their teeth. Others wither out in oblivion far from these churches, empty handed with promises of riches and endless frustrations. Why are popular teachers hastily given the rubber stamp of approval without due consideration of the human cost of their destructive teaching?. Thabithi Anyabwile has an interesting article in which he highlights and puts a human face to this discussion. Meet Sean, here is his story…
I am, to be really honest here, very upset by the passé attitudes [towards Jakes] of these brothers (and pastors, I might add). I’m upset for a few reasons, but If I’m being honest, the main reason why I’m so disturbed by this is because the prosperity gospel nearly killed me. Literally. I was so sick I was on the verge of death. I was lying in a hot bath with a temperature of 96 degrees, way beyond dehydrated, and literally dying with mercury poisoning. My mother was crying over my naked body, begging me to go to the hospital for treatment. “NO!” I insisted. How could I put faith in a doctor? “God is my ultimate healer! In him alone will I place my faith!” …Read More!
I have not ceased to put this information out not only to highlight the importance of freedom of worship of this young man but also that the gospel may advance in countries like Iran. Today I will highlight another aspect of the story of profound theological importance. You see…
Youcef Nadarkhani has been reported in both the secular and Christian media and periodicals to be under a death sentence for his conversion from Islam to evangelical Christianity. He was arrested on 12th October 2009, in the city of Rasht in the northern part of Iran, where he had been the pastor of the underground church there. He is reported to be the evangelical pastor of “the Church of Iran”. However, what might come as a shock to many evangelical believers is that “Pastor” Nadarkhani is actually one of the leaders in a growing cult in Iran, which is linked with the Oneness Pentecostalism (Jesus Only) cult, which is non-Trinitarian, believes in baptismal regeneration, and is very closely linked and supported by the United Pentecostal Churches outside of Iran. They greatly admire and follow the teachings of an American preacher, William M. Branham, who claimed to be the last of God’s prophets on earth, that the doctrine of the Trinity is from the devil, and only those who are baptised in Jesus’ name are saved.
But what is the wider implication of this? …Read More!
In this clip Voddie Baucham goes through the genealogies and traces the crimson line from Adam to Jesus. Shweet!
And I am wondering how they got it autographed… 😉
Well it’s that time of the year again. Lent, and one interesting gentle man has been chronicling photographs of people during Lent…
Greg Miller is not confused by the smudged foreheads he sees on the streets this time of year. In fact, he waits all year to see them.
The photographer works at a snail’s pace in general. This project, for example, has been 15 years in the making — though it has amounted to more like 15 cumulative days. He waits all year for Ash Wednesday. And even after a whole day’s work, he walks away with only a few frames, because he is lugging around a large-format film camera. This clearly is not about instant gratification…
For Christians, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and the tradition of putting ash crosses on the forehead is meant to symbolize the beginning of a penitential season, a reminder of mortality. …Read More!
Rebecca was at the receiving end of a prank. She got left behind…almost!
Just wondering what would Harold Camping do? …Read More!
Speaking of hilarious adverts, this one got my rolling on the floor in hiccups…
I hope some one can tell him that he can attend the next Code Orange revival….just to cheer him up. 😉
Jovan Mackenzy the conservative Christian Hip Hop musician who once featured in the hit song What am I to do? (that sent prosperity preachers scampering) has placed not only one song but a whole album THREE MORE ALBUMS out free to every body and anybody. Yup, the Narrow Road: Famine , Strangers and Pilgrims and The Isaiah 6 Complex (plus the very first album The Narrow Road) can all be downloaded here. [This post was first published in Feb 2012 and updated June 2013]
Funny. We always have this caricature of rappers as geezers walking with dirty jeans balancing over their knees and featuring in lewd music videos. Right? Wrong. This article on CNN’s website is rather interesting in a way. Who surely would have thought Rap artists would be calling pastors to righteousness? Read on….
Two Christian Rap Artists, “IV His Son” and Jovan Mackenzy, in partnership with online production company CrownRightsMedia.com have made a video that is going all over the Christian community and causing quite a stir. In the video IV His Son and Jovan Mackenzy are seen standing in front of the popular mega churches of two controversial Atlanta pastors, Eddie Long and Creflo Dollar.
IV asks the listener if they are supposed to follow these men, despite all the problems with their “prosperity Gospel” and sexual accusations or are they supposed to follow the Bible.
The first time I heard of Pastor Nadakhani I was struck by his courage in the face of aversity. The Iranian authorities have barely been under any international pressure, so they have decided to enjoy their mind games by stepping things up a notch…
[Pastor Nadarkhani] who refuses to renounce his Christian faith could be hanged as soon as Wednesday, after a trial court ruling this week upheld his death sentence for “apostasy.”
Religious freedom advocates are calling urgently for governments to take up the case of Youcef Nadarkhani, a 32-year-old evangelical first sentenced to death late last year. If the sentence is carried out he will be the first Iranian Christian known to have been executed for his faith in 21 years. …Read More!
This is usually the last sentence that an addict will usually say before they are willing to get help. Those of you who have family members struggling with alcohol, drugs or other forms of addiction (and yup, sin too) know what I mean. This week (again) I have had to see some one I love go through denial after denial that they are struggling. Watching these 3 clips of Jeff Allen’s story and his struggles with alcohol and later coming to repentance and faith in Christ have been quite refreshing in a way.
Part 1:
Why do people do uncouth gestures even when in their greatest moment of artistic achievement? Well ask 23 year old Grammy and Brit award winner Adele …
She was right in the middle of giving an emotional acceptance speech about how she was proud to be flying the flag for Britain.
So when she was interrupted so Brit Awards host James Corden could introduce Blur, Adele didn’t take too kindly.
The singer, who had won the top award of the night, Album of the Year, flipped the middle finger to show just how annoyed she was.
It is understandable if you are annoyed but should you be so rude and vulgar in front of your parents, your country men and the whole world? Do you know what Christians some times do when some one cuts them short? Watch this clip.
But better still the good book says: …Read More!
Matt Papa has an interesting article on Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). It begins with a a person, a golden target audience prototype…
Meet Becky: She’s a 38 year old soccer-mom with 3 kids. She drives a mini-van, because if she didn’t, well where would she put all the crayons and goldfish? She is a loving wife and mother and is actively involved at her church. She lives in the suburbs but volunteers at the local food pantry. Becky is pretty awesome. And one more important detail about Becky…..she listens to christian radio exclusively. Yep, that’s right. And you actually already know her.
Becky isn’t one person of course…she is the prototype target audience created by the christian music industry for christian radio. True story. She’s been around about 6 or 7 years now. Christian radio demographic research discovered that “Becky” is the one who is listening, so “Becky” is the audience they relentlessly target. So here’s what happens: …Read More!
Trevin Wax asks a pertinent question and offers a few lessons that we can learn:
Here we go again. Another superstar, one graced with undeniable talent, has spiraled out of control and met a tragic end. Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48.
Do you notice a pattern? Whether it’s the bluesy voice of Elvis Presley (dead at 42), silky smooth alto of Karen Carpenter (dead at 32), tortured genius of Kurt Cobain or soulful voice of Amy Winehouse (both dead at 27), the pattern is the same. Amazing talent brings fame and fortune which then swallows up these artists in a whirlpool of sin, addiction, and death.
Whenever we watch these stories unfold, we are inclined to view them all as cautionary tales. Fame and fortune do not bring happiness. …Read More!
You have gotta like this young man who seems to have Mondays free. Here he debunks seven homeschooling myths (with a tongue in cheek smile):
One of my favorite theologians, the ever witty Dr Jim West has just been going through his King James Bible (KJV) and realises that:
I John 2:2 declares ‘And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world’ (KJV). There’s just one problem with this translation: ἱλασμός doesn’t mean ‘propitiation’, it means ‘expiation’.
When you ‘propitiate’ a deity you do the same thing as the natives do when they trundle up a volcano and toss a virgin in it to stop the angry god from destroying you and your fellow islanders.
When ‘expiation’ occurs you do the same thing as the Israelites did when they put their hands on the scapegoat and sent it off into the wilderness. That goat ‘bears your sins away’ where they can’t harm you anymore and their effects are ameliorated.
This is why accurate translation matters. The difference between rendering ἱλασμός propitiation and expiation is the difference between pagan ritual and revelation. …Read More!
I am not surprised any more (honestly) at what some of these celebrity pastors come up with. Especially from the guy with endless gimmicks who calls his flock “ferraris“, tells them that they should get a swagger and at the end of it all demands them to give him their bank direct debit details and routing numbers so that he can “joyfully” strip them of their tithes. But that is not all….
Sexperiment author and Fellowship Church pastor Ed Young, who is challenging married couples at his church to have sex for seven straight days, believes that sexual deprivation and not satisfying a spouse within the lovemaking department are sinful.
“I think one day we will be held accountable regarding how we satisfied our spouse’s sexually,” Young told The Christian Post in an interview Friday.
“I would, in fact, off of Romans 12:1 say that sex is even an act of worship because Romans 12 said we can present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is a reasonable act of worship.”
Young teaches in his new bestselling book, Sexperiment: 7 Days to Lasting Intimacy with Your Spouse, that depriving a spouse of sexual intimacy is a sin. …Read More!
Nah! Matt Chandler has probably been ear marked already as a barn burner after “that” other sermon. Yup, I mean the one that made Steven Furtick cringe during the failed Code Orange Revival. Well you see Ed Young is back from his folly of broadcasting himself in bed on the church roof…
Megachurch pastor Ed Young will be hosting the fast-approaching C3 Conference on Feb. 15 at his Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas. The conference will feature prominent Christian leaders speaking on the importance of creative inspiration in church culture.
The term “C3” stands for Creative Church Culture, and seeks to inspire those in attendance on how they can better connect the Scriptures to the modern world. …Read More!
Qn: What did the Calvinist buy his dog?
Ans: A dog collar with “Sola Grrr-atia” written on it. 🙂
HT Nate via Facebook.
“A man’s free will cannot cure him even of the toothache, or a sore finger; and yet he madly thinks it is in its power to cure his soul.” ~ (Augustus Toplady)
This is a very wonderfully passionate sermon clip where Voddie Baucham preaches on the cultures wars, the relevance of preserving the sanctity of marriage and the lace that binds everything together…the centrality of the gospel in our lives.
Now you know why I got carried away and kept screaming for him to preach on. 🙂 …Read More!
Love him or hate him, Mark Driscoll is a very polarizing personality. Though of late he has drawn alot of concern among many conservative Christians (following his hasty endorsement of heretics, his controversial book and esoteric visions). Now there is Andrew-gate :
Until last fall, a 25-year-old Seattle man named Andrew was happily committed to Mars Hill Church, one of America’s fastest-growing megachurches with more than 5,000 members. He volunteered weekly for security duty at his branch of the church, joined a Bible study group, and had recently become engaged to the daughter of a church elder. Then he made a mistake that found him cast out: He cheated on his fiancee with a community college classmate. The fury over Andrew’s experience—and his decision to publicize the church’s internal disciplinary procedures—has led to accusationsby otherChristians that one of the most powerful evangelical voices in the country, Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll, employs a cultlike leadership style… …Read More!
Watching events across the pond recently made me roll over backwards when an unusual moment occurred:
If the organizers of the national prayer breakfast ever want a sitting president to attend their event again, they need to expect that any leader in his right mind is going to ask — no, demand — that he be allowed to see a copy of the keynote address that is traditionally given immediately before the president’s.
That’s how devastating was the speech given by a little known historical biographer named Eric Metaxas, whose clever wit and punchy humor barely disguised a series of heat-seeking missiles that were sent, intentionally or not, in the commander-in-chief’s direction.
Although Obama began his address directly after Metaxas by saying, “I’m not going to be as funny as Eric but I’m grateful that he shared his message with us,” both his tone and speech itself were flat, and he looked as though he wished he could either crawl into a hole or have a different speech in front of him. …Read More!
There is never a quiet day in Evangelicalism. What? With the hordes of mega church pastors there is always one running a web cam of himself in bed on a church roof, another pleading with television executives to show him and his family on reality television or another promoting a dubious sermon series for church celebrities. Just when you thought we have had enough of these endless antics, another was crowned as king and paraded wrapped in a gawdy scroll. I kid you not. These servants of God pompous stooges will have you entertained at the expense of faithfully preaching the gospel. To the average pagan down the street this is enough fodder to impugn the name of Jesus Christ afterall aren’t pastors already dragging it in the mud? Well…
This week, Bishop Eddie Long, the pastor of suburban Atlanta’s megachurch New Birth Baptist Missionary Church, apologized to the Anti-Defamation League for partaking in a religious ceremony where he was wrapped in the Torah scroll, and paraded around his congregation as a newly appointed king. The Torah scroll in which the Bishop was wrapped was recovered from a concentration camp during the Holocaust.
Bishop Long, however, is no stranger to controversy. Two years ago, he settled out of court for sexual impropriety with four young male accusers, and just recently his wife filed for divorced.
Taken by itself, the degradation of the biblical doctrine where only Jesus Christ is king is nothing less than blasphemous. And, if you are Jewish, the envelopment of a man in such a sacred text could be nothing short of offensive.
But the larger issue here is that men anointed by the church to these positions of power must realize that their public missteps have deeper implications that further impact the relevance of the [church]. Upon reflection, how does this recent incident also suggest that the chains of a one’s ego have a much stronger will over the freeing power of humility? …Read More!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13) Each time I hear some body quote this verse it always seems out of context. It’s like saying this leopard too (see picture) was believing that verse when it saw (er) … food.
Every verse in the bible should always be read in context. Yup even:
I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. (Jer 29:11)
I hope that prosperity televangelist gets to read this. Context. Context. Context. 😉 …Read More!
The early church called people to come to Christ that they may have their sins forgiven. Two thousand years later has the message changed? Well, a local church is calling people to come and receive bling. What? Really?
A church giving away gold jewelry? Really? “The jewelry was a donation,” said Mike Walker, associate pastor at Christian Victory Church. “And we thought it would be nice to share this blessing with the community. The jewelry has great value, but it has more value if we can bless someone with it.”
So the church, located near Fleming College, is holding a Valentine’s jewelry giveaway Sunday at the church. It’s called Romance and the Rings.
“It’s open to everyone,” said Walker, who handles operations and business for the church.
Mark Murack is lead pastor. The Brealey Dr. church was founded in Peterborough in the 1990s, moving to its current site after several years on Simons Ave.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m., with the event, which includes fellowship and more, beginning at 10 a.m. Ballots have to be in the bin by 10:15; a draw will happen at 11:30 a.m., with three ballots drawn for the jewelry, which has a total value of $5,500.
“Valentine’s is always about giving love — and we love to give,” Walker said. …Read More!
If Jesus had told his disciples to go and win the culture wars I guess the world would have been evangelised before Jesus even ascended. There would be no need for the day of Pentecost. There would be no need for the conviction of sin by the unseen work of the Holy spirit. There would be no need for preaching the gospel. However it seems some pastors have discovered its more interesting to begin the culture wars. They have set for themselves taken the challenge of winning the culture wars with an ink challenge. It’s not a challenge for the faint hearted…
Pastor Bentley shows off his bridge tattoo
A Michigan church has a very unusual ministry outreach – a tattoo parlor housed in its church building. The Bridge, a non-denominational church in Flint Twp., Mich., opened a tattoo parlor within its building last month. Titled Serenity Tattoo, church members say it’s showing people living an alternative lifestyles an avenue toward the Gospel. It’s just one of many unusual ministry efforts that The Bridge‘s eclectic congregation believes is helping to evolve evangelism in the area…
Bentley said he began The Bridge in 2009 to reach the estimated 300,000 people in his church’s Genesee County that have never attended a worship service. Opening a tattoo parlor, he said, is just the latest shape that the original mission of appealing to the unchurched has taken. Other non-traditional outreach efforts The Bridge is involved in include poetry slams, pro wrestling events, mixed martial arts classes and even a motorcycle group. …Read More!
The Word of Faith (WF) movement emerged within Charismatic/Pentecostal Christianity in the latter 20th century. The Word of Faith movement as a whole has no formal organization or authoritarian hierarchy, though the movement does have a number of high-profile teachers like Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland who heavily influence Word of Faith theology. It’s basic theology is a peculiar mix of orthodox Christianity, metaphysicism and mysticism .
When ‘Positive Confession’ merged with Christianity, it apparently seemed to transform some dead and struggling churches into thriving vibrant mega churches. With vast influences spreading from America to the third world struggling churches in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the rest of the world.
Unbeknown to many unsuspecting converts the errors that produced New Thought and Christian Science had also produced Word-of-Faith as a Christianised version. Here are 10 reasons why you should reject Word of Faith:
REASON ONE:
It requires ‘revelation knowledge’.REASON TWO:
It makes the Almighty God and Creator a weak ‘faith-being’ who is at the mercy of His own universal laws.REASON THREE:
It makes the Divine Son of God into a born-again man who had to die in Hell to pay the price for our treason.REASON FOUR:
It elevates man to equality with Jesus.REASON FIVE:
It makes man a god. …Read More!
I know this is a very common question. In fact Matt Slick does agree that….
This is a difficult question to answer. How do we reconcile the idea that our prayers influence God as James 5:16 implies, yet God knows all things as 1 John 3:20 says?
James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
How is it possible for us to influence God who has always known all things from eternity? Does God interact with us in some sense of knowing what we will do and decides to do things in response? Or, does God decree whatsoever shall come to pass including our prayers, so that all our prayers are ultimately within his will? The debate within Christianity is deep. However, Scripture is clear. We know that God works “all things after the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). This means that he includes our prayers in the counsel of his will – from all eternity. But, does God look into the future to see what we are going to pray and then decide what to do based on that? This can’t be, because it would violate the sovereignty of God who does not react to man’s desires and offer “a backup plan” when he “changes his mind.” Furthermore, looking into the future to see what would happen would imply that God was learning — which contradicts 1 John 3:20 that says God knows all things. Furthermore, our prayers come from our hearts and the Bible tells us that God “moves the heart of the king where He wishes to go,” (Proverbs 21:1). …Read More!
Rabbi Ralph Messer who crowned Bishop Eddie Long as king in a bizarre ceremony (where he wrapped him in a gawdy scroll in his church) apparently has been doing his antics for a while.
A video showing minister Paula White being wrapped in a Torah scroll by controversial rabbi and television personality Ralph Messer has emerged only days after White’s attorney denied the pastor’s endorsement of Messer following a “coronation” ceremony involving Bishop Eddie Long.
The ceremonial wrapping seen in the 2009 video (shown above) of Messer on White’s program, “Paula Today,” is almost identical to Messer’s wrapping of Long during a recent sermon at the minister’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. …Read More!
"holy ghost party"
When I was a Word of Faith enthusiast I loved God because I was born again and the only church I knew taught what I eventually picked up. I did not understand much of what was taught in church and knew some of the doctrines made no theological or scriptural sense. I easily embraced prosperity theology and any fad that slithered to the pulpit. It is true that when people are always shifting their doctrinal principles, they are not likely to bring forth much fruit to the glory of God. It is good for young believers to begin with a firm hold upon those great fundamental doctrines which the Lord has taught in His Word. But scriptural exegesis and theological exertions are not encouraged by many churches-most especially in the liberal non-cessationist camps. They call this being “pharisaical” or “too conservative” or limiting the move of Holy Spirit who would otherwise want every one to be open minded and receptive to every and anything.
Its against that background that I understand why this young man drew a line in the sand and dared the bravest of Calvinists to smell the coffee on the liberal side:
Recently I made a very hard important decision concerning Facebook. I felt like a few people on my friends list were posting and promoting things, that I feel are a threat to my personal faith walk, and a threat to the effectiveness of the Body of Christ period. If you do not know by now, I am not a Calvinist, and I do not agree with the doctrines of Calvinism and reformed theology (mainly the TULIP). There’s More
Why do few pastors do expository preaching these days? Some pastors will weasel their way around the bible and use passages to promote a health drink, an exercise plan, secret recipe and even a dieting plan but never the joys and liberty of the gospel of Christ. One particular pastor seems to have read in his bible that there was a secret diet. You see…
Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling The Purpose Driven Life and head of Saddleback Church in Southern California, has always seemed larger than life.
But now he’s a smaller, healthier size. And he’s spreading the word about how he trimmed down on a program he initiated called The Daniel Plan (danielplan.com). It’s a lifestyle program that incorporates healthy eating, regular exercise, stress reduction, prayer and group support from other church members in small home groups. …Read More!
It is often said that the nature of the atonement defines its extent. The atonement is simply coextensive, as far as its saving effects are concerned, with the number of true believers. This should have been the last word, and indeed would have been, were it not for men who, being driven less by religious convictions than by speculative tendencies, deemed it necessary to extend the atonement to all men alike. Today we shall look at the four basic universalist theories:
A. The thorough-going theory of universal salvation; that is, the belief that in virtue of Christ’s work, all men will ultimately be saved. The only good thing that can be said about this theory is that it carries its presuppositions through to their logical consequences. It affirms that the actual restoration attained by Christ is coextensive with the actual ruin of the race. It overlooks justice simply falls back on a fuzzy idea of Divine benevolence. Though it is completely and utterly unscriptural, it is at least self-consistent.
B. Arminianism is the second universalist theory. …Read More!
Transgender is the state of one’s “gender identity” (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) not matching one’s “assigned sex”. Though a precise definition for transgender remains in flux. Transgender issues are usually very sensitive and rightly so. Legal procedures exist in some jurisdictions allowing individuals to change their legal gender, or their name, to reflect their gender identity. The world’s religions display great diversity and their interpretations of and reactions to transgender people demonstrate equal diversity. This week it was an Evangelical community in India that began it’s conundrum:
CHENNAI: Shunned and traumatized as a youngster, 25-year-old Bharathi now preaches to a congregation of 45 respectful parishioners, including 14 families, as India’s first transgender pastor.
Bharathi, who completed her bachelor’s degree in theology last April, has been a pastor at the Evangelical Church of India (ECI) branch in Chengalpattu, on the outskirts of Chennai, for the past eight months.
The pathbreaking move by the ECI, which has more than 100,000 followers across India, coincides with evangelical denominations in other countries, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, deciding to allow transgenders as pastors. …Read More!
Recently one little bird got himself in a spot of a bother with a couple of elders. 😉
Looking at the auditions some one seems to have made it through with a unanimous approval.
Er, what a mess of the reformation but well who cares? We want higher ratings and more excitement. 😉
“We have nowadays around us a class of men who preach Christ, and even preach the gospel; but then they preach a great deal else which is not true, and thus they destroy the good of all that they deliver, and lure men to error. They would be styled “evangelical” and yet be of the school which is really anti-evangelical.”- Charles Spurgeon
When pastor Mark’s booklet on real marriage did not arrive in time even the grooms despaired of life itself. 😉
Interesting things are happening in some Charismatic circles. Churches are getting sued and yes even the “holy ghost” too. Let me explain, you see:
A parishioner at the Disciple Fellowship Christian Church in East St. Louis, Ill., claims the spirit moved another worshiper so much during service that she caused others to tumble over backwards into her, causing injuries. Now she’s suing the church for damages.
Cheryl Jones alleges in a complaint filed in December that she was visiting the church when member of the congregation received the “spirit” during praise and worship and with no ushers or members to assist, the parishioner fell backwards knocking several members into the plaintiff, who was injured falling to the floor. …Read More!
Bishop Jakes, who was spiritually nurtured in the Oneness Pentecostal tradition, had never given a clear affirmation of Trinitarian orthodoxy, even though he had been pressed on this from Christian apologists (most notably 12 years ago in the year 2000). Elephant Room 2 was to take him to task about his slippery antics but he seemed to have wiggled out again. Some conservative (especially Reformed) Christians thought Jakes had an easy ride and was’t even quizzed on his other aberrant beliefs like Word of faith and prosperity theology. Kaboom! Out came the race card!!
Argh! Surely aren’t Christians supposed to “be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” How come some of us are just too thin skinned to take correction, rebuke and can’t even stomach careful instruction? Now this is absurd! Or rather am I (as a young black reformed Christian) supposed to be learning an easy trick? If I get rebuked or run out of bible verses to back my aberrant beliefs in ANY debate or discussion there seems to always be a “get out of jail” sympathy card for some. Phil Johnson makes an interesting observation :
If you’re an old white guy with any hint of Reformed theology in your confessional statement and you don’t think T. D. Jakes’s equivocations at Elephant Room 2 were sufficient to erase decades of concern about his Oneness leanings and his relentless proclamation of a false Prosperity Gospel—then you must be a racist. And even if you don’t think you’re a racist, you should shut up anyway. Because in the black community relationships are more important than any doctrine, including the gospel and the Trinity. We all should strive to subjugate doctrine to relationships anyway.
If on the other hand you are a young black man with Reformed convictions—or any black person who just has a keen interest in doctrinal and biblical accuracy—you are a sellout and a reproach to your own community. The only possible explanation is that you are guilty of “White Idolatry.” You secretly wish to earn favor with Whitey. You should not only shut up, you should be ashamed. As far as the importance of relationships is concerned, we don’t really care to have one with you. …Read More!
I would like to call The Crossing a church but I choke on the word. I think the pastor himself will agree with me it’s more of a social pass time group that meets on Sundays. Nothing on it’s website points to Christ. Not even it’s latest sermon series. (click photo to enlarge)
The Rockstar sermon series is being touted as:
For the legit Rockstar, livin’ the high life means fame, a personal chef & lots of bling. Kinda seems like the rest of us are doomed to livin’ the low life, doesn’t it?
We don’t think so.
We believe God wrote the phrase, “Livin’ the high life” as the anthem to our existence, and He wants us to actually enjoy living!
Check out this series to learn how to start living as a Rockstar.
Wasn’t Paul right when he wrote to young Timothy, saying:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. …Read More!
If I woke you up and told you that controversial Bishop of New Birth church, Eddie Long was crowned king I bet you would ask if I have had a fever. Well, not only was he crowned king but he also got dressed in some despicable out fit and was paraded in front of adulating worshipers. The “humble man” of God was only too pleased to oblige as Ralph Messer (who claims to be a Rabbi bringing Torah truth to Christians) with a couple of supposed Jews masqueraded with garb and old bits of scrolls declared how worthy and anointed Bishop and “king” Long is to read sacred scriptures inscribed there in. I kid you not. Though I have a head ache now.
Mix Word of Faith into your theology with a good dose of belief in an open canon and sure enough you are bound to get a “fresh revelation”. Paul was right:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1
I still can’t resist laughing at the ring of his new found title “king bishop” Eddie Long. …Read More!
Mega church Pastor and televangelist Rod Parsley is teaming up with another Prosperity and Word of Faith teacher and multi millionaire Kenneth Copeland and (wait for it) yup, NFL Quarter back, Tim Tebow! In a conference said to let you “experience the power of the Holy Spirit, and learn how the anointing of God to can resonate in your life”.
I hope (sob) Tebow is getting good and sound theological advice. Sob! …Read More!
This video looks at the life of a child preacher called Marjoe Gortner. As a child preacher he earned millions of dollars for his parents. But there was something else…
When Gortner was three his father, Vernon, a third generation minister, noticed his son’s talent for mimicry and overall fearlessness of strangers and public settings. His parents claimed he had received a vision from God during a bath, but this was later conceded by Marjoe to be a lie his parents forced him to repeat. He claimed they enforced this by mock-drowning him because they could not beat him which would leave bruises which might be noticed during his many public appearances. They began training him to deliver sermons, complete with dramatic gestures and emphatic lunges. By the time he was four his parents arranged for him to …Read More!
It’s usually said if you want two see to lads play endless theological ping-pong, start a Calvinism vs Arminianism debate and title it “Does man have free will?” You will literally have to drag one of them apart…kicking and screaming. But I must say these theological debates do achieve their own edification in various unseen ways. They are strenuous and it always seems as though the other guy is just playing dumb like Balaam’s donkey. But when you come to finally hear your proverbial nemesis drop his daisies and grab hold of a bunch of graceful Tulips, doesn’t it just warm your heart? (sorry couldn’t resist the pun ;)) This is an excerpt from an article written by Mark Ketchum– on discovering God’s Sovereignty in election, salvation and transformation of a sinner dead in sin:
…We are not able to seek Him or turn to Him unless He first intervenes to soften our hearts. Are we capable? …. Are we able? No, our hearts are seeped in sin and our depravity makes God undesirable…
Romans 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
I have struggled with this concept for a long time. Ever since the concept of election was brought to my attention, I have fought against the idea of the inability to seek God on my own. During the sermon today at Faith Bible Church, it was as if a light bulb went on for the first time… God does choose us… we do not and cannot choose Him.
My salvation is not because of anything I have done, but because of what God has done to and through me.
While John is capable of going to college and graduating with a good degree, he is not able to accomplish this because of his laziness.
Scripture tells us that we cannot come to Jesus unless we are compelled or drawn by the Father (John 6:44). Jesus also spoke to us via Parable in Luke 14:16-24, explaining that the Father sent His servant Jesus to compel people to the banquet because nobody would come on their own… they were filled with excuses.
I do believe in free will, however, now I see that free will is and will always be limited by ourselves. My free will allows me to jump off a roof with my arms a flapping, but I will never be able to fly on my own accord without assistance.
My free will allows me to choose to murder, but thankfully I never will because that is not in my heart. The same goes for salvation. My free will allows me to choose God, but in my/our depraved state of sinfulness, I never will because it isn’t in my heart… unless God first softens my heart and changes me. Then and only then am I able to have the faith that offers repentance and salvation. …Read More!
Joseph M. Bianchi rightly said:
A walk through your local Christian book store will reveal a vast array of titles whose themes range from self-help to identifying which demon you are afflicted by. In this sorry state of affairs, one has to ask: “Where have all the sound, doctrinal books gone?”.
The real question, however, is, “Where have all the well taught, well discipled Christians gone?” The core of the issue is not the plethora of shallow, theologically unsound books that are flooding the market, but their huge success. It is indeed unmistakable that the church of Jesus Christ in the latter half of the twentieth century has retreated into a superficial, theological ghetto, that mirrors the culture, rather than transforms it. …Read More!
The modern trend is to shift towards short, vague, and essentially ambiguous belief statements which the modern church uses almost as tools of evangelism. To demonstrate this trend, I’ve (borrowed) Old Truth’s 2006 chart below showing a word count for the statements of faith of some of the most popular churches in America (as in September 2006). For comparison purposes, I’ve also included some old school Christians who have held to the historic belief statements of a better Christianity from times gone by. (Of course I hope this information has changed for the better over the last couple of years)
| Statement of Faith | Subscribers | Word Count | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Baptist Confession | CH Spurgeon, James White |
15,163 | 1689 |
| Augsburg Confession | Martin Luther | 14,938 | 1530 |
| Westminster Confession | RC Sproul, Michael Horton, Jonathan Edwards |
12,307 | 1646 |
| Grace Church Doctrinal Statement |
John MacArthur, Phil Johnson |
5,700 | recent |
| Willow Creek Statement of Faith |
Bill Hybels | 3,731 | recent |
| Bethlehem Baptist Church Beliefs | John Piper | 1,010 | recent |
| Cedar Ridge Community Church Beliefs | Brian McLaren | 877 | recent |
| Saddleback Beliefs | Rick Warren | 557 | recent |
| Fellowship Church Beliefs | Ed Young Jr. | 555 | recent |
| The Potters House Belief Statement |
TD Jakes | 417 | recent |
| Northpoint Community Church Beliefs | Andy Stanley | 362 | recent |
| Crystal Cathedral | Robert Schuller | 361 | recent |
| Lakewood Beliefs | Joel Osteen | Low! 206 | recent |
At the bottom of this chart are the churches with the shortest belief statements, and supposedly – the least emphasis on biblical doctrine. …Read MOre!
A very interesting flow chart I came across on Facebook.
I am still trying to figure it out. Read more of this post
This is an old sermon clip but it will be worth it just to listen to it once.
This is the third interview of a Christian. The guests have all been randomly chosen and interviewed. Their answers are authentic and original. However their identity has been anonymised. For earlier interviews click here. In this edition we sit down and listen to a Christian home schooling mum as she shares her world view and the gospel. Ready?
ATCT [A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®] : Sorry you are masked from your audience today. What is a typical week in your life like?
CHRISTIAN: A typical week in my life is anything but typical. We run a small farm and home school two boys, so most days are busy, between lessons and farm chores. Spring is busy with the arrival of baby animals, summer and fall are spent in the garden, or in the kitchen preserving the harvest and winter is a bit slower, but it is also the time we are well into schooling. I am also a youth group leader on Wednesday nights year round, and a Sunday school teacher for a teen class, both of which require preparation time in advance. I am regularly active in other church activities as well, like singing services, dinners, and fun activities for the children. We are busy, but blessed.
ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
CHRISTIAN: Not really. I grew up more a cultural Christian than an actual Christian. There were godly people in my life, but not in my everyday life. Spirituality was considered a good thing, but my family was not regular in church attendance.
ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read More!
I guess there must be a hidden theological explanation:
- Baptist explanation: There must be sin in your life. Everyone else opened it fine.
- Presbyterian explanation: It’s not God’s will for you to open this link.
- Word of Faith explanation: You lack the faith to open this link. Your negative words have prevented you from realizing this link’s fulfillment.
- Charismatic explanation: Thou art loosed! Be commanded to OPEN!
- Unitarian explanation: All links are equal, so if this link doesn’t work for you, feel free to experiment with other links that might bring you joy and fulfillment. …Read More!
As you walk through a University campus you will realise there are lots of activities taking place. Or at least it appears so. It doesn’t take long till we find a madly, deeply in love Christian. He is a Law student who has just proposed to his fiancee and everything is looking good. Before he tells me how much he loves his soul mate and how they complete each others sentences, we will place a mask over his head. He will be anonymised during this interview as we pick his brains a bit. So, enter prosecution to greet our defenceless suspect 😉
ATCT [A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®] : Sorry you are masked from your audience today. What is a typical week in your life like?
CHRISTIAN: Basically, I study, work with the clubs at my school, go to the gym, church, and spend time with my fiancee. If there’s anytime left, Disneyland works its way in.
ATCT: Did you have any Christian influence in your youth or childhood?
CHRISTIAN: I did. There was a man in my Southern Baptist Church who I looked up to greatly. To this day we keep in touch. I was friends with his daughter growing up. He shaped a lot of my thinking and values.
ATCT: What is the gospel in one sentence? …Read more!
Jennifer Borders is among the 26 million Americans with chronic kidney disease (CKD), from which more than 70,000 people die each year. Jennifer has had two previous transplants. One from her mother when she was only 16 yeas and another later on. However they have all for unexplained reasons failed. As hope seemed to fade, help came from an unexpected source:
Sunday, [ 22nd January 2012] after conducting morning worship services, Derek Staples, pastor of Jacksonville First Baptist Church, will drive to Birmingham to be with a member of his congregation who is scheduled for a kidney transplant.
Staples won’t just be at the bedside, however. He’s the one donating a kidney. The woman whose life he may be saving is Jennifer Borders, who turned 40 in December. …Read More!
A Twisted Crown of Thorns ® 
A few good tips on Bible Commentaries and how to use them
David Murray has a list of 20 tips on how to use Bible Commentaries. Here are just 5 of them: