Author: Isaiah

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The Fall of Man Part One: Introduction

Word and Verse is working through the Bible as part of the blog’s new direction to do more exposition studies in this new year. This week, I begin a multi-part series looking at the fall of man (Genesis 3), which in itself is a fascinating study giving us a glimpse into the nature of man, the wiles of the devil, and the promise of the Savior.

Part One: Introduction

From all angles, the account of the fall of man is fascinating, simply because it presents, in a nutshell, the origin of man’s sin and its consequences, the wiles of the devil and his modus operandi, God’s promise of a savior fulfilled in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and finally, God’s benevolent provision for His creation which, in my opinion, can even be seen as a foreshadow of how the atonement for our sins will be made.

Read more at WordnVerse.com.

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It’s Official: Islamic Law Has Been Adopted In Britain

Rowan Williams might actually be a prophet!

Seven months after Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was pilloried for suggesting that the establishment of sharia in the future “seems unavoidable” in Britain, it’s now official that Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.

Sharia courts have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network’s headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Two more courts are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Source: Times Online.

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We Aren’t Monkeying Around, Darwin; The Apology Is Sincere

Rowan WilliamsThe Church of England has made an official apology to Charles Darwin for “misunderstanding his theory of evolution”, 126 years after the latter’s passing.

Elaborating, officials said that senior bishops of the Church wanted to “atone for the vilification” heaped on Darwin by their predecessors when he first proposed in his theory that man descended from apes.

You see, those fundamentalists (or what I’d call Bible-believing Christians), according to the Church of England led by Rowan Williams, are just a bunch of ignorant country bumpkins, believing in a six-day Creation story. The Church of England is modern, and love science — that’s why we think that our teachings shouldn’t be incompatible with science.

The Rev. Dr. Malcolm Brown, director of mission and public affairs of the Archbishops’ Council, the governing body in the Church of England, writes:

People, and institutions, make mistakes and Christian people and Churches are no exception. When a big new idea emerges that changes the way people look at the world, it’s easy to feel that every old idea, every certainty, is under attack and then to do battle against the new insights.The Church made that mistake with Galileo’s astronomy and has since realised its error. Some Church people did it again in the 1860s with Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

So it is important to think again about Darwin’s impact on religious thinking, then and now.

Dr. Brown further argues that “…there is nothing incompatible between the scientific theories adopted by Darwin and Christian teaching.”

Duh, of course not, evolution and Creation are perfectly compatible, because the God we believe in isn’t necessarily the one mentioned in the Bible. Ours is a product of our own imagination, oh, very much like the golden calf in Exodus, i.e. an idol.

It also does not matter that we pick and choose what to believe in the Bible, fully teaching what we like and placing caveats on what we don’t. So, in this case, while we think that God did indeed make the basic forms of life, evolution was necessary to turn apes into men. We weren’t made in the image of God, apes and monkeys were.

Source: MailOnline.

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Saying It Like It Is?

Here’s a church sign put up by a congregation in Blacklick, Ohio in response to the hit single I Kissed A Girl (And Liked It) by Katy Perry (WARNING: site opens in a new window and plays songs from her album automatically).

ABC reports:

KATY PERRY’S SONG USED AS CHURCH WARNING TO TEENS

BLACKLICK, Ohio (AP) — A church near Columbus, Ohio, is using Katy Perry as a bad example. A sign outside Havens Corners Church in Blacklick has the lyrics from her song, “I kissed a girl and I liked it” — but it adds, “Then I went to hell.” Church pastor Reverend Dave Allison says the Bible is clear that homosexuality is a sin, so the sign is intended as a loving warning to teens. He says it’s confused some people who either don’t know the song or don’t understand the message. Lynne Bowman of the gay rights group Equality Ohio says the sign indicates the church isn’t very accepting. Perry has not responded to calls for comment.

Obviously, those who come across the sign would have to have some inkling of the song and what its lyrics glorify to understand why kissing a girl would send someone to hell. It’s no wonder, too, that the world, and I presume, (perhaps) a section of Christians who are liberal in their outlook, is up in arms over this “offensive” message. 

What do you think? Good or bad call on the part of the pastor? Is this a case of “tell it like it is” or can the message about homosexuality as a sin be better put forward?

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Sister, You’re Beautiful!

A priest is organizing an online beauty pageant for Catholic nuns, like these in New York City.

Picture by CNN.

A Roman Catholic priest has decided to actualize the suggestion of some nuns whom he regularly prays and works with.

Rev. Antonio Rungi, an Italian priest and theologian, has announced that he’ll be organizing an online beauty contest for nuns to “… give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.”

Nuns who wish to participate in “Miss Sister 2008” will have to fill out a “pageant profile” that will include information about their life, vocation and a photograph. They can also choose to pose with the traditional veil or with their heads uncovered for the contest.

In case you were wondering, there will be no bathing suit segment, so thank God for that!

Rungi added, “… being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn’t hide it.” Hmm…

Gee, I thought donning the habit was a sign that these women are separate from the world and devoted to serving God. Besides, I wonder what prizes the winner will receive, and if the wish for “world peace” will actually carry more weight coming from a nun.

Next up, a “Beauties of the Nunnery” calendar, anyone?

Source: CNN.

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Quotes (363)

Every true revival is always, and without exception, based on the Word of God; the Bible is the only revealed Truth in the world and, in fact, ever has been; there is not a spiritual problem that is not addressed in the Word; there is not a difficulty for which it does not have a solution; there is not a question that it cannot answer; there is not a life that the God of its pages cannot change; there is not a broken heart that its Words cannot mend; there is not a darkness that its Light cannot dispel; not a sin that the Blood of its pages cannot wash away.

— The Expositor’s Study Bible, Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34

HT: Herescope.

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Don’t Try This, Please!

These folks sicken me to the core. It’s no wonder that the world doesn’t take Christ and His true church seriously anymore, because you now have more of such clowns running about town! Besides, who can hear the Gospel when they are too busy laughing themselves silly?

If you aren’t convinced, here’s a secular TV show in the United Kingdom having a whale of a time poking fun at some of our “favorite” Word-of-Faith preachers.

I can’t wait for our Lord’s return when He will clean this all up just as He chased those merchants out of the temple!

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Ecumenism Ultimately Points Toward A Common Eucharist, Pope Tells Christians

Pope in meeting with Christian Leaders in crypt of St. Marys Cathedral

Pope in meeting with Christian Leaders in crypt of St. Mary's Cathedral

Source: Catholic News Agency.

Words in italics are my comments.

Sydney, Jul 18, 2008 / 01:34 am (CNA).- Fifteen leaders of the Australian Christian church met the Pope in an Ecumenical event held in the St. Mary’s Cathedral Crypt on Friday morning. In his address to the church leaders, Benedict XVI called on them to not view doctrine as divisive since that view can prevent Christians from working to improve the world.

That’s right, lay aside your differences even though you know that much of Roman Catholic doctrine is heretical and just be one big, happy family singing along to the tune played by the Roman pied piper pontiff while observing a works-based gospel to improve the world!

Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell represented the Catholic Church, while Rev. Robert Forsythe was present for the Anglican Church. Leaders representing the Syrian Orthodox, Maronite Catholics, Indian Orthodox, Chinese Methodist, the Lutheran and Uniting churches were also present.

Youth representatives were also present at the event, where approximately fifty guests were present because of their involvement in the Ecumenical Council of New South Wales.

The pope delivered a short address to the leaders, praising their commitment to the ecumenical movement, citing the Covenant signed in 2004 by the members of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

“This document recognizes a common commitment, sets out goals, and acknowledges points of convergence without glossing over differences,” said the Pope.

While Baptism is the starting point for ecumenical dialogue, the Pope said that, “The road of ecumenism ultimately points towards a common celebration of the Eucharist… we can be sure that a common Eucharist one day would only strengthen our resolve to love and serve one another in imitation of our Lord.”

There we go, in case some have not caught on yet, ecumenism does not mean that Christians come together to work out their differences, but discard their beliefs to follow that of the Roman Church’s.

“For this reason, a candid dialogue concerning the place of the Eucharist – stimulated by a renewed and attentive study of scripture, patristic writings, and documents from across the two millennia of Christian history – will undoubtedly help to advance the ecumenical movement and unify our witness to the world,” the Pontiff said.

The ecumenical movement has, the Pope observed, “reached a critical juncture. To move forward, we must continually ask God to renew our minds with the Holy Spirit, Who speaks to us through the scriptures and guides us into all truth. We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live.”

This emphasis will lead to our works of charity speaking more eloquently of God’s bountiful goodness and love towards all, Pope Benedict said.

Finally the Pope concluded his address by calling on the Christian world to work together.

“As ‘fellow citizens’ of the ‘household of God,’ Christians must work together to ensure that the edifice stands strong so that others will be attracted to enter and discover the treasures of grace within.”

Following the meeting Pope met with religious leaders of other major faiths, at nearby St. Mary’s Cathedral Chapter House.

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Archbishop of Canterbury: ‘Christian doctrine is offensive to Muslims’

Mail Online

Source: Mail Online

In a highly conciliatory letter to Islamic leaders calling for an alliance between the two faiths for ‘the common good’, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, pronounced that not only is Christian doctrine offensive to Muslims, but that the Christian belief in the Trinity – that God is Father, Son and Holy Ghost at the same time – ‘is difficult, sometimes offensive, to Muslims’.

The Archbishop went on to push an ecumenical social ‘gospel’, saying:

‘We can together speak for those who have no voice or leverage in society – for the poorest, the most despised, the least powerful, for women and children, for migrants and minorities; and even to speak together for the great encompassing reality that has no voice of its own, our injured and abused material environment.’

Where’s that heckler who ranted against Gene Robinson when we need him, again?

Source: Mail Online.

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Does Anyone Else Find This Weird?

At WorldNetDaily’s Weekend Commentary, Jonathan Falwell wrote about the increasing revulsion of the Bible and how the United States has, as a nation, discounted and ignored God’s Word. He concluded by exhorting Christians to continue reaching out despite the fact that the world will hate us and revile God’s Truth.

Well said, Pastor, though I found this a little disturbing yet slightly amusing as I finished reading your article:

REMINDER: On Aug. 11-13, the historic Thomas Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., will host the Innovate Church conference, with “The Purpose-Driven Life” author Rick Warren serving as our headline speaker. Other special guests include: Chuck Colson, Tom Mullins, Jim Cymbala and Ed Stetzer.

It makes me wonder what your stance is, really. On one hand you decry the revulsion of God’s Truth and exhort many to boldly go forth with it, yet on the other hand you have invited one man — Rick Warren who not only waters down the Gospel but preaches another — to your church to “… empower and energize the ministries of pastors, pastors’ wives, church staff members and lay leaders across our nation”?

Is it me or is there a sharp contrast between what he writes and what he seems to subscribe to?

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Warning: You Might Soon Be A Criminal If You’re Christian!

From WorldNetDaily:

U.N. scheme to make Christians criminals

Sharia-following Islamic nations demanding anti-‘defamation’ law

Dozens of nations dominated by Islam are pressing the United Nations to adopt an anti-“defamation” plan that would make Christians criminals under international law, according to a United States organization that has launched a campaign to defend freedom of religion worldwide…

The discrimination is “wrapped in the guise of a U.N. resolution called ‘Combating Defamation of Religions,'” the announcement said. “We must put an immediate end to this most recent, dangerous attack on faith that attempts to criminalize Christianity.”

The “anti-defamation” plan has been submitted to the U.N. repeatedly since about 1999, starting out as a plan to ban “defamation” of Islam and later changed to refer to “religions,” officials said. It is being pushed by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference nations, which has adopted the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, “which states that all rights are subject to sharia law, and makes sharia law the only source of reference for human rights.”

Full story.

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Boo Hoo! The Bible Hurt My Feelings And Violated My Constitutional Rights!

I’ve read of that woman suing McDonald’s about coffee that’s “too hot” and won, but this takes the cake in my books…

CASCADE TOWNSHIP — A Canton man is suing Zondervan Publishing and a Tennessee-based publisher, claiming their versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and has caused him emotional pain and mental instability.

Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan, based in Cascade Township, and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in the lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Full story.

Someone tell that man that he’s hauling the wrong folks to court, and he won’t win in the end anyhow. In fact, who he is hauling to court in reality will be his JUDGE one day.

HT: Christian Research Net.

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These Are ‘Want’ Ads For Pastors?!

Is it any surprise that we have need for such open letters for pastoral repentance and bad, bad, bad church signs when churches are actually listing mostly worldly requirements for pastors?

These actual ‘want’ ads are taken off a good sister’s blog:

Executive Pastor
MCC is looking for an Executive Pastor (i.e. acting as the Chief Operating Officer) who will manage the operations of the church and will report to the Senior Pastor. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of effective staff leadership and development and will be a person of integrity committed to the mission and vision of the church. The individual will possess exceptional organizational skills and excellent oral and written communications skills. He/she will be able to manage multiple priorities. The Executive Pastor will supervise all senior staff at MCC and will lead the development of integrated plans across ministries/staff to deliver the church vision. This candidate will have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. MCC is a 2300 member church that is mission oriented and has a passion to reach the community and the world with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Executive Pastor will embrace this mission and share this passion. This is a full time position with a full benefit package. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelors degree and a strong background in business and organization management. A minimum of 10 years experience in a leadership capacity with responsibility for delivering a vision is required. Executive Pastor Experience desirable (but not required).

Just one Biblical requirement — a close relationship with Jesus Christ?!

Worship Pastor
Emmanuel Baptist Church is seeking a man to serve as full-time Worship Pastor. Candidates must be comfortable leading a “blended” style service. EBC leans toward the contemporary side of “blended,” but we need someone who truly loves and uses both traditional and contemporary music to unite people of all age categories in worship. A little history of our church may help… EBC has more than doubled in worship attendance over the past 5 years to a weekly attendance of 600+. Last year, we saw 251 salvations, 50 baptisms, and 136 new members added to our church family. EBC has grown at an average of 100 people per year in a small town setting. In addition, Emmanuel Christian School has 450+/- students enrolled in grades PreK-12. We also opened a School of Fine Arts teaching music, voice and drama. Emmanuel Baptist Church is balanced, growing, financially sound, and known as “A Place of Grace” in our community. Emmanuel is truly experiencing a modern-day miracle! Candidates for this position should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Music, a minimum of 3 years experience, and be proficient in piano.

Wow, no mention of any spiritual status at all! One just has to know how to lead a “blended” style service. What that is can be very open to interpretation, especially if we see the word “contemporary”, no?

Senior Pastor – Life Groups
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
This purpose of this position is to create “Raving Fan” small groups where people can learn, change, grow, connect, support and experience God together.

PRIMARY STRENGTHS/GIFTS/TALENTS REQUIRED

  • Vision Caster – Able to communicate the LG vision effectively so that people buy in and embrace it.
  • Strategic & Systems Thinking – Able to develop effective systems (both administrative & leadership) to make sure the LG’s are on track and achieving their goals.
  • Up Front Teaching Gifts – Able to design and deliver effective leadership training in a way that creates Raving Fans.

Are raving fans an euphemism for raving lunatics? Oh, and by the way, no mention of Biblical requirements for shepherds either.

I rest my case.

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What’s Up, Ray Comfort?

Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort

Ken Silva at Apprising Ministries and Ingrid Schlueter at Slice of Laodicea disagree with Ray’s practice of participating in some conferences where he will be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with health and wealth heretics on the same stage. The more surprising thing is that this is not the first time that Ray has done this.

Having observed Ray’s ministry, I can say without much doubt that I know that he will strive to preach the Gospel as it is without hesitation. However, the issue here is not whether he will preach the Gospel, but whether Ray, whose radio show has on many occasions decried the practices of such heretics and their errant doctrines, should be seen to be in league with these heretics by his participation in such conferences.

I’m of two minds on this issue, not because I respect Ray and therefore am hesitant to point out that he’s wrong if it were indeed so, but because I think there are questions to be answered:

  1. Should Ray be seen to be associated with such WoF heretics though we have faith in his motivation to preach the Gospel at such conferences?
  2. Will such an approach, i.e. preaching the true Gospel in a heretical conference, be effective?
  3. Or is this a case where we can bring up the fact that though Jesus dined with sinners, he didn’t partake of their sinful ways but spoke His truth to them?

Thankfully, Ray has decided to respond openly to Ingrid here.

Having now read both sides of the story, I’d like to ask what your take on this is.

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Great Apes Now Enjoy “Human Rights”

No, this is not a joke, though I wish it was.

The Spanish parliament has voiced its support for the rights of great apes to life and freedom.

In a statement, Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project, said, “This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity.”

Now I am worried if they will extend these rights to all of our “evolutionary comrades” because there might come a day when I can be charged with ‘man’-slaughter or even murder if I consciously kill a mosquito carrying the dengue fever virus.

And, gasp!, won’t eating meat be considered cannibalism?!

In the meantime, does anyone know how I can say “Welcome, cousins!” in ape-ese?

Full Story: Reuters.