Apostasy/Lukewarm

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The Cotton Patch Gospel.

Cotton Patch Gospel As if I needed more evidence of the decline of the visible church in America, I stumbled upon the following DVD offered in a Vision Videos Christian catalog. The Cotton patch Gospel is described as follows:

This award-winning musical drama is a leg-slappin’, toe-tappin’, hand-clappin’ hoe-down of a story that retells the Gospels of Matthew and John—translated into present day Southern vernacular. It brings the far away places of Nazareth, Jerusalem and Bethlehem closer to home—Atlanta and Valdosta, Georgia. From his birth in a trailer in Gainesville, Georgia to his Good Friday lynching and Easter Sunday victory, the story of Mary Davidson’s son, Jesus, is presented musically with zest and uninhibited joy.

Imagine if you will, that someone made a video like this of Islam, and depicted Mohamed in the same fashion as they did Jesus Christ. The Muslims would be up in arms.

Not us, though. We shrug at it and order a copy for our church youth group.

Ichabod! Ichabod! Ichabod!

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I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

– Galatians 1:6-9

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Redeeming a vampire?

Vampire Not satisfied with the drivel that is known as the majority of what passes as Christian literature today, (obviously a reflection of what’s oozing from most pulpits), the Christian publishing world has long abandoned classic Christian literature like that found in the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s.

Today, the Christian book publishing world is moving in directions that begs the question how they can still use the name “Christian.”

According to this news article, meet the new face of “Christian” literature:

Other Christian fiction shows growing sophistication. No longer must characters follow a predictable path to salvation, for instance. The heroine of Nicole Baart’s “The Moment Between,” published by Tyndale, is not a conventional believer but a spiritual seeker; the novel is set in a vineyard and deals with a suicide.

And as if it couldn’t get worse . . . it does:

Even as Christian publishing suffers during the recession — one study found net sales for Christian retailers were down almost 11 percent in 2008 — several publishing houses are adding or expanding their fiction lines with both the tame (Amish heroines) and boundary-pushing (Christian vampire lit).

You heard right: “Christian vampire lit.” I never dreamed I’d ever in my life use those words in the same sentence.

More on “Christian vampire lit”:

On Sept. 15, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group will release its take on vampires in “Thirsty,” by Christian chick-lit author Tracey Bateman. Not surprisingly, the marketing material mentions “Twilight,” the hit vampire book series and movie whose abstinence message resonated with many evangelicals.

Bateman’s vampire, Markus, is a character but also a metaphor for demons anyone must overcome, said Shannon Marchese, an editor at WaterBrook Multnomah who sought out Bateman for the project. The object of his obsession, Nina, is a divorced alcoholic dealing with addiction.

“These are themes that work in the Christian life,” Marchese said. “You have to fight to say, ‘Am I going to choose unconditional love and redemption or a life of following obsessions, a life with holes in it?”

Still, challenges exist beyond what to do with dripping fangs (they were edited out). On the theological front, questions lurk about whether a creature both alive and dead has a soul that can be saved.

“I think we can redeem a vampire,” said Bateman, adding that she won’t be a spoiler and disclose her character’s fate. “I don’t think this is a despair too dark to pull out of.”

The problem in the world of Christian publishing and bookstores can be summed up with the last line in this quote:

“If you look at ‘Left Behind,’ the moon turns to blood and one-third of the people die,” said Karen Watson, associate publisher, fiction, for Tyndale House, which published the series. “Or you have people with bonnets on drawing water from the well. It just tells me there are a wide range of things you can talk about, and Christian books can be a lot of things.”

It seems “Christian books” are a lot of things, but Christian.

If you enjoy good Christian fiction (without vampires) but cannot stand the garbage that passes as today’s Christian literature, I cannot recommend enough the book Basket of Flowers by Christoph von Schmid. And needless to say, you probably won’t find it in your local Christian bookstore!

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Recognizing those who are taking a stand against the current downgrade.

There are few left who continue to be a voice in the wilderness. It seems that warning the flock and taking a stand against the relentless tide of apostasy, heresy, lukewarmness, easy-believeism, and countless other cancers that are plaguing the Body is often met with resistance by the mass lemmings of lukewarm professing Christians and false converts alike.

So when someone takes a stand against this deluge I would like to honor their effort and support their courageous stance–letting them know that, as the great delusion continues its march through Christendom, they are not alone; there are still a few out there who have not bowed the knee to Baal.

I wish to take a moment to recognize a couple examples of those who still have integrity and strive to live holy lives while the rest of the church is living like God gave us no Law or commands.

Lifeway Christian BookstoreOne example is Southern Baptist Pastor Channing Kilgore who is urging Lifeway Christian Bookstores to remove the heretical books from their shelves. Of course I seriously doubt his request will be heeded. After all, most Christian bookstores are in it for the money, otherwise they wouldn’t be selling such doctrines of demons as The Shack!

You can read more about Pastor Kilgore’s brave stance in this article from One News Now, and read more about “Christian” bookstores here and here.

HT: Rock Springs

ProfanityAnother example is Dick Bott of the Bott Radio Network. According to the Baptist Press, on May 18, 2009, an interview with Mark Driscoll was . . .

. . . halted in mid-broadcast after Bott Network founder Dick Bott learned Driscoll was the guest. Bott then cancelled another scheduled interview and ordered all Bott stations not to carry any programs featuring Driscoll.

Dick Bott has taken a stand against the potty-mouthed pastor while the rest of the world seems to be falling at Driscoll’s feet, stumbling over one another just to touch the hem of his garment, including Pilgrim Radio who–until until recently–I  used to endorse on this very blog.

The Baptist Press article continues:

Bott said he made the decision because of what he saw as Driscoll’s penchant for using vulgarity in his sermons, especially his questionable interpretation of the Song of Solomon in a Nov. 18, 2007, sermon preached in Edinburgh, Scotland, and subsequently in a multi-part series entitled “The Peasant Princess.” “I’ve seen a lot [about Driscoll] that’s on the Internet and that only makes the whole thing worse,” Bott said. “I’ve seen what he said at that church in Scotland and as far as I know he’s never addressed it in any repentant way or apologetically tried to explain why on earth he got so far off the reservation as to think that that’s the way to address people.”

That is all I will quote from the article as they give examples of Driscoll’s sermons which are unfit to print here (much less should be preached from a pulpit).

I would be remiss if I did not mention John MacArthur and Phil Johnson who have also challenged the current lowbrow trend of ‘pornificating’ the pulpit. In MacArthur’s missives found here and here, and Johnson’s sermon found here, they both not only address the problem of smut-peddling pastors, but they both address Driscoll specifically. Thank you to John MacArthur, Phil Johnson and Dick Bott for taking a stand against the onslaught of perversity that has cloaked itself under the guise of “Christianity.”


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BitterSpring NewSpring defenders–defend this!

fig tree

From Ken Silva at Apprising Ministries comes this troubling article about one of Perry Noble’s “pastors”. All you defenders of Perry Noble, who like to claim that he has led 175,000 people to Jesus.

You tell us to “examine the fruit of Perry Noble’s ministry.”

What’s the old saying?

Oh yeah.

Be careful what you wish for:

Brad Cooper, “the Anderson Campus Student Pastor at NewSpring Church (NSC) in Anderson, SC”, has been brought to the attention of Apprising Ministries. NPC is the roost of Perry Noble, one of those mentioned in Purpose-Driven Popes Of The Carolinas Have Spoken.Cooper’s Twitter bio informs us:

clever repartee fills my mouth. rhythm saturates my ears. life floods my veins. (Online source)

And it’s precisely some of this so-called “clever repartee” which forms the basis for our concern here. We’ve come across an article written yesterday by a man named David Horn called My concern with Brad Cooper from NewSpring Church.

In it Horn tells us:

I have been trying to get Brad Cooper Student Pastor from NewSpring Church to talk with me about his comments referring to FUSE. Brad Cooper used the acronym BAMF to describe the body of Christ. The acronym is so filthy and vulgar that I refuse to put it on my blog.

For those of you interested in this relevant worldly “hip” acronym BAMF you can google it, but beware you will be in for a shock. How can a pastor use such a foul term to describe the bride of Christ? (Online source)

So, what does the acronym BAMF stand for? **LANGUAGE WARNING** Continue reading →

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“Ten reasons NOT to ask Jesus into your heart” by Todd Friel.

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Ten reasons NOT to ask Jesus into your heart.

By Todd Friel

The music weeps, the preacher pleads, “Give your heart to Jesus. You have a God shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it.” Dozens, hundreds or thousands of people who want to get their spiritual life on track make their way to the altar. They ask Jesus into their heart.
Cut to three months later. Nobody has seen our new convert in church. The follow up committee calls him and encourages him to attend a Bible study, but to no avail. We label him a backslider and get ready for the next outreach event.

Our beloved child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and the answer reveals itself. She backslides. We spend the next ten years praying that she will come to her senses.

Telling someone to ask Jesus into their hearts has a very typical result, backsliding. the Bible says that a person who is soundly saved puts his hand to the plow and does not look back because he is fit for service. In other words, a true convert cannot backslide. If a person backslides, he never slid forward in the first place. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (II Cor.5) No backsliding there.

Brace yourself for this one: with very few if any exceptions, anyone who asked Jesus into their hearts to be saved…is not. If you asked Jesus into your heart because you were told that is what you have to do to become a Christian, you were mis-informed.

If you have ever told someone to ask Jesus into their heart (like I have), you produced a false convert. Here is why.

Continue reading →

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Quotes (560)

baxter

The office of pastor is not one that is to be attained to lightly. If a man desire the office of bishop, he desireth a good work (1st Timothy 3:1). But what is required of such a one? In order to be called a bishop, one must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach...not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1st Timothy 3:2-7). And what is required of him once he takes to the office? Richard Baxter, from The Reformed Pastor:

The nature of our office requireth us to ‘take heed to the flock.’ What else are we overseers,  for “Bishop” is a title which intimates more of’ ‘labor than of honor,’ says Polydore Virgil.’ To be a bishop, or pastor, is not to be set up as an idol for the people to bow to, or as idle ‘slow bellies,’ to live to our fleshly delight and ease; but it is to be the guide of sinners to heaven. It is a sad case that men should be of a calling of which they know not the nature, and undertake they know not what.

If you miscarry, they and you may perish. You have a subtle enemy, and therefore you must be wise. You have a vigilant enemy, and therefore you must be vigilant. You have a malicious and violent and unwearied enemy, and therefore you must be resolute, courageous and indefatigable.

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Seriously, but not literally.

If you wanted  a great example of the genesis for all the errors that we have presently slithering around under the umbrella of Christianity claiming to be truth, look no further than this video from a Bible society. This is heresy at it’s finest: Did God really say . . . ?

You can almost hear the hiss as this woman speaks.

HT: Apprising Ministries

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“For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions”

schori

This Sunday the fellow that preaches at our little church will be headed for Africa, so I will be filling the pulpit. About the middle of last week, I started to feel drawn to a particular text in Romans. Didn’t know why.

Now I know why (From Christian News Wire, via Slice of Laodicea):

In a lopsided vote, deputies to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church have effectively repealed a moratorium on the consecration of further gay bishops.

Following initial votes in the church’s House of Deputies on Sunday and House of Bishops on Monday, the House of Deputies gave final passage with 72 percent of the vote to an amended version of resolution D025 on Tuesday afternoon. The resolution affirms “that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church.”

The newly-adopted resolution essentially counters another resolution passed three years ago, in which dioceses were urged to “exercise restraint” in the consecration of practicing homosexuals as bishops. The effect of that resolution was to tenuously keep the Episcopal Church connected to the broader Anglican Communion for the intervening three years.

The Anglican Communion is divided over hot button issues like homosexuality and scriptural authority, with U.S. Episcopal church leaders being more theologically and politically liberal than their overseas counterparts. IRD supports a conservative perspective that affirms traditional church teachings.

Romans 1:26-27, 32—For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting…knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

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Piper’s Perpetual Plummet!

I recognize some of our readers are not going to be pleased with this post, but we believe it is necessary to point out error when it occurs. Too many within evangelicalism hold some men in high regard to the point that they will accept all that individual states or preaches with no rebuke ever forthcoming for deviations into false doctrines or the acceptance of such. True believers would do well to remember that we must answer to our Lord Jesus Christ, and not to men. Men will fail, preachers will fall, evangelicals will decline into apostasy – and all of this will happen as the latter days come upon us. The apostle Paul made this clear in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Sadly, when evangelicals begin to slide, more times than not, the degree of the slope gets steeper rather than more shallow! For a long time, I have held a high regard for John Piper’s stand on the fundamentals of the faith. While I would not agree with him on a few issues, his doctrine has remained solid for years. I do not think that a great deal has changed that is until recently.

Despite the positions (language and sexual innuendos) that Mark Driscoll holds to and practices, John Piper continues to uphold this man as both a friend and as a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. No public rebuke has been forthcoming from Dr. Piper at the degrading of the pulpit, but instead they continue to share ministry together.

Now the slope is getting steeper as John Piper openly endorses N.T. Wright and Douglas Wilson while sitting cozily with Mark Driscoll.

N.T. Wright holds to what is known as the New Perspective on Paul and in simple terms reaffirms the Roman Catholic teaching of salvation by works. N.T. Wright is teaching heresy and stands opposed to what the Reformation reaffirmed. Dr. Piper insists that N.T. Wright does not preach a false gospel but that he “preaches a very confusing gospel.” Dr. Piper is VERY wrong! The gospel is a simple message and what N.T. Wright teaches in the NPP is another gospel and one certainly not preached or taught by the apostle Paul. Let’s make this VERY clear — NPP rejects the doctrine of justification by faith alone AND IS HERESY!

Dr. Piper has also endorsed Douglas Wilson who holds to a teaching known as Federal Vision. In a nutshell, Federal Vision identifies the moral law of God to be the gospel. FV believes the moral law or The Ten Commandments can justify fallen sinful man by obedience to that law. FV confuses law and gospel. The apostle Paul made it clear that the law cannot be mixed with the gospel. Like NPP, FV is a teaching that is heresy! The law cannot be mixed with the gospel in order to obtain salvation or justification. It is by grace through faith alone, not by works.

Sadly, Dr. Piper for all he has done in the furtherance of the gospel is now mixing with and enthusiastically endorsing men who preach contrary to the Scriptures. Why he is doing this cannot be surmised. However, he is certainly showing a larger degree of latitude than would have been given by the apostles Paul, Peter, Jude, John, and James. The apostles of old would have put these men in the same camp as those they condemned in their epistles. These teachers spouting heresy should be shunned not embraced, and I believe Dr. Piper is showing a lack of wisdom and discernment in regards to both NT Wright and Douglas Wilson.

Galatians 3:21 – “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.”

I include a link to A Gentle Rebuke to Brother John from R. Scott Clark. This has been very well written and addresses the problem far better than I could do.

In addition, a post on Christian Research Network gives further information along with accompanying video in regards to Dr. Piper’s invitation to bringing Douglas Wilson to preach at his conference. You can read and watch at this link to a Gentle (and not so gentle) Rebuke.

I am sad to see this plummet continuing especially in light of the wonderful gospel message that Dr. Piper has been preaching for years. Why would anybody who preaches justification by faith alone be willing to endorse such preaching? Why would he endorse men who openly hold to heresy? Finally, why would Dr. Piper be so ready and willing to bring a man like Douglas Wilson to preach along side of him?

THAT IS CONFUSION and certainly DOES NOT portray the truths of the simple plan of salvation made available to all who place their faith alone in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary!

Watching the Slide Continue With Great Sadness,
The Desert Pastor

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10 questions for the “seeker.”

Blind Leading the BlindThe following is a good article from Life Way asking ten simple questions of the so-called “seeker.”

10 Questions for the Seeker

Written by Scott Pruett

There is much talk about the proverbial “spiritual seeker,” which many religions zealously court and who is alleged to be on a journey toward truth. But who are these seekers? What are they looking for and what are they willing to accept as truth? And what roadmap are they willing to use to guide their paths? Here are some questions designed to stir the mind of the seeker, and to give touchstones for dialog to Christians seeking to reach them.

  1. What is it that you are searching for? Are you looking for Truth with a capital “T” – an objective truth – or are you just looking for something that “works” for you? Will any old path do so long as it suits your taste? Are you just enjoying the “journey” or are you looking to a destination?
  2. Are you prepared to accept a truth that causes you inconvenience, or that asserts that you are in the wrong on some of your ideas and behaviors? Do you think that it is possible to enjoy doing things that are actually wrong?
  3. Is the truth something that can be contradicted? Do you think that other seekers who have settled on different and conflicting truths could be wrong, or that you may be wrong and they right? What role do you think reason, logic, and evidence play in determining truth? Do feelings trump these? If so, what do you do with people who believe contradictory things but “feel” the same as you about their beliefs?
  4. If there is a true religion, do you think that it would be possible for any of its followers to be pretenders and hypocrites? Must truth be perfectly practiced in order to qualify as truth? Do we judge a religion by those who most consistently follow it or by those who violate its principles?
  5. Do you see problems in this world? Do you think people do bad things and have bad motives? Is it possible that many people are not really looking to surrender to a higher truth?
  6. How do you think morality and your conscience fits into this? Do your moral intuitions tell you anything about truth and the maker of this cosmos? Do you think you’ve ever committed any moral crimes? What is to be done with these and what do you do with your guilt?
  7. Do you just prefer to be “spiritual” and not “religious?” Do you dislike “organized religion?” If there really is an objective truth, and others can come to know it too, is it sensible that common followers of that truth would seek out each other’s company, deliberately organize, and even have spiritual elders and administrative leaders where the numbers warranted?
  8. Have you considered that this truth could have intruded upon history? Do you think that if Truth is personal that it might have spoken and you can look for evidence of that revelation? Do you think that such a revelation would be authoritative and trustworthy, or do you suppose that it could be hopelessly muddled by human involvement?
  9. The Judeo-Christian tradition is one of the most well-documented, historical, and ancient. Have you considered that this could be the actual point at which God has intervened in this world – is it not a prime candidate? Have you actually read the Bible (perhaps the New Testament, or just the Gospels), or even just heard an exposition of the core beliefs of historic Christianity (rather than having a narrow church experience or taking the secular stereotypes at face-value)? Have you honestly sought to have your questions or objections addressed by Christians who are best equipped to do so, such as theologians and apologists? Have you read anything near the number of books on Christianity that you have on other beliefs that you are entertaining? Did you know that there is a whole historical body of literature devoted to explaining Christianity and answering the tough questions?
  10. Are you serious about your search or is it more of a hobby? Would you be willing to pray to this divine entity that you are seeking to help you come to the truth, whatever the cost?

© 2008 LifeWay Christian Resources

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George Barna poll shows Nazarene prophet’s popularity slipping

george_barna01_l WH sign

(IMAGINATION ALERT!!!!)

After reading Pilgrim’s post below, as well as this post about George Barna’s recent “waffling” and his  growing fascination with ecumenicalism (and this follow-up), I decided to combine the two into one FICTIONAL story.

From Jerusalem Post, c. 33 AD:

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By Mariam Zecharyahu
Jerusalem (JP)–A new George Barna poll has found that the popularity of a certain Nazarene prophet, which had been growing geometrically over the first two years of his ministry, is beginning to show signs of slowing, and, in some cases, the number of people opposed to his teachings is actually greater than those who still favor his doctrines.

Yehoshua Ha’Mashiachah bar-Yusef, whose claims about being the Christ of YHVH have divided people everywhere he has gone, continues to enjoy support from the outcasts of society. But among those in power–especially among the very influential Pharisaical community–his claims to being the only begotten of YHVH Himself have brought about only scorn. As one Pharisee (who spoke to us under condition of anonymity) has said, “He is a blasphemer! I was there when he said that he and YHVH were one. What an outrage to mock the Shema like that! Only YHVH is One!” A scribe, who also wished to remain nameless, said, “The man has a lot of gall! To say what he did, that ‘I AM.’ Does he not know, that is a title reserved for YHVH?” Continue reading →

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Mark Driscoll and 1st Timothy 5:19-20

contextualization

1st Timothy 5:19-20—Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

For all those Driscollites who will come here from various search engines and come across posts like this or like this or like this, and who will be tempted to spew out the tired old, “Well, has anyone gone to Mark personally about this?”–DON’T. That subject has been addressed ad nauseum here. Phil Johnson (an elder at Grace Community Church, under the direction of John MacArthur) has indeed communicated with Driscoll personally and got nowhere. As have several others.

But here’s the problem with the tired old, “Well, has anyone gone to Mark personally about this?” argument. Because Driscoll is an elder at his goat ranch church, we can see from the above-referenced Scripture, an elder who continues to sin is to be rebuked OPENLY–that is, in the sight of the whole church. And don’t try to say that his language isn’t sinful. If it causes a brother or sister to stumble, then it is an offense. If not, then why are there so many admonitions and warnings about what comes out of our mouths? That said, many have addressed Driscoll’s language, and he has still not changed. Therefore, we are called to rebuke him publicly, in the sight of the whole church.

I hope this lays to rest the debate about whether we should be openly rebuking a man whose language would need a step ladder to reach up to the gutter.

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I’ve had it with Mark Driscoll and his mouth. Now it’s personal!

Spicy Talk

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. – Luke 6:45

In the past DefCon has taken issue with Mark Driscoll on several concerns including his gutter mouth, lack of reverence for God, and even his mocking of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of the time I’ve played a less-than-active role in these matters as other contributors have mainly been on the front lines. Well today I’m getting in the trenches because I’m furious at Mark Driscoll and Pilgrim Radio for what transpired yesterday. Here’s the story:

My wife told me about a sermon Pilgrim Radio was playing on the radio as she was returning home from the grocery store with our young children in the car. She said that the man preaching (she had no clue who he was so there were no preconceived notions or expectations) was talking about “prostitutes,” “whores,” and “lesbians” and that he kept using these expressions as if trying to be shocking.

My wife who knows very little—if  anything—about Mark Driscoll hit the nail on the head in her evaluation of him.

She then told me that this same man began talking about wives in submission to their husbands and how oftentimes men abuse this. Instead of using an innocuous example to make his point he chose to expound on such abuse by illustrating an example in which men misuse their wives’ submission by making them watch porn!

Seriously? Are you kidding me? That’s the best example he could come up with? For crying out loud, my kids were in the car and heard this trash before their mother turned it off. Does this guy’s mind ever come up out of the gutter for air?

Consider, if you will, all the images that were conjured in the minds of those who heard this man go on about porn yet again (he was talking about porn in another sermon just a few weeks ago on Pilgrim Radio). Does he not care about all those who are struggling with pornography who listened to this pastor expecting to hear the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ preached in reverence, only to their minds drawn back to the gutter? How many men and women at that moment had impure thoughts rush into the battlefields of their minds because of Mark Driscoll’s seemingly insatiable appetite for discussing all things sexual in a public forum?

How dare he stand in a pulpit spewing such juvenile, perverse, and debase ideas under the guise of preaching? And how dare Pilgrim Radio air such filth from the ever-flowing open sewer of the mouth of Mark Driscoll?

When my wife described this to me I immediately knew who she was referring to because during the same hour of the morning that this sermon was oozing across the airwaves, I also had turned on Pilgrim Radio and heard Mark Driscoll talking about men liking noisy power tools because it drowns out the constant yapping of the wives they hate. Are you kidding me? This was coming from the pulpit and Pilgrim Radio thought this was acceptable? What an obnoxious thing to say!

Needless to say I immediately turned off the radio. Little did I know, fifty miles away my wife and little children were about to have their minds polluted with the whimsical handling of the matters of “prostitutes,” “whores,” “lesbians,” and “porn.”  These are not matters that my children should have to be exposed to in such a flippant manner, especially by one who claims to be a minister of the Gospel and on a radio station that claims to be Christian.

My wife had no idea who this profane man on the radio was but she had enough sense and discernment (which seems to be lacking in so many others) to reject him and change the radio station.

Now let me clarify something to avoid any confusion, I am not opposed to such words (and dealing with such subjects) as “prostitution” and “whores.” They are real sins, and they are addressed within Scripture. What I am opposed to is the use of these subject (ad nauseum I might add) by Driscoll (or anyone else for that matter) to make people laugh or to be shocking. There is a way to handle sensitive and weighty issues such as these without reverting to a juvenile mentality.

It’s the same as the expression “Oh my God.” The words themselves are not the problem, but the spirit behind them and how they’re being delivered. The way the Psalmist cries out “Oh my God” is completely different than the way a thirteen-year-old girl shrieks “Oh my God” when the boy she has a crush on invites her to prom. If you cannot see the difference, then I don’t expect you to understand the point of this post.

As a result of this, I have done the following three things:

1). I’ve removed Pilgrim Radio from this blog as they will no longer be endorsed by DefCon.

2). I wrote to the once trusted Pilgrim Radio a lengthy letter detailing my disappointment of them for allowing this type of material to be aired. Unfortunately their entire response was:

Thank you for your thoughtful remarks on Pilgrim Radio’s programming.  We were, of course, sorry to learn that you no longer feel comfortable in endorsing our ministry which is aimed at a very broad segment of the Christian community.  We do appreciate your enthusiastic past support.  God bless you.

3). All the Driscollite defenders who patrol the internet and swarm blogs such as this to offer excuses for their Golden Calf will have to find another soundboard for their approval of and winking at sin as their comments will no longer be welcome here. I refuse to provide a platform for their calling evil good and good evil.

Our family strives to be holy in spite of being surrounded by the world, the culture–and now even the professing church which is indistinguishable from the world and culture–where holiness is a strange and foreign concept, and oftentimes openly mocked by those who should know better (those who claim to be Christians while still practicing lawlessness). So when the wickedness of the world sneaks in via a Christian radio station you can imagine my surprise, anger, and disgust. My kids should have never been subjected to this filth and as their father it’s my responsibility to protect them and keep them pure.

Shame on Mark Driscoll for using the pulpit to advance his agenda, and shame on Pilgrim Radio for giving this purveyor of perversity a platform to poison my precious children with his toxic, man-centered, flesh-pleasing oratory.

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate. -Proverbs 8:13

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I do not stand alone in my concern of Driscoll’s pornification of the pulpit. See related:

Sound Doctrine; Sound Speech (A sermon by Phil Johnson delivered at the 2009 Shepherd’s Conference)

John MacArthur on Mark Driscoll (Part 1)

John MacArthur on Mark Driscoll (Part 2)

Driscoll Disqualified

CrossTalk: Watch your mouth

Mark Driscoll: Flesh Peddler

Mark Driscoll mocks the sinlessness of Christ

Mark Driscoll praises his “brother in Christ” Rick Warren

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My local Christian bookstore: Leaping from one great heresy to another.

RelaxOne expects to see Osteen, Warren, Jakes, Meyers, Bell, Driscoll, and Schuller on the shelves of their local Christian bookstore because they will sell whatever people will buy (regardless if it’s damaging to the soul, detrimental to the Christian’s walk or out right heretical). But I was shocked to discover what my local “Christian” bookstore was selling now .

I walked into the bookstore and (once I passed all the Jesus trinkets) lo and behold staring at me from the bookshelf was none other than The Shack. This tome of doctrines of demons was prominently displayed eye-level in the number one spot on the best seller’s bookshelf.

This, if you recall, is the same bookstore I previously posted about in regards to the owner’s reasons for selling books steeped in rank heresy. In that post (you can read it here) I asked the question if Christian bookstore owners are responsible for what they sell? In a post prior to that on the same topic I inquired of whether or not the readers of DefCon support their local Christian bookstore? You can read it here.

There is absolutely no excuse (other than the desire to make money) for any supposedly Christian bookstore to sell The Shack. And claiming ignorance will not suffice.

For those wondering what the stink about The Shack is all about, allow me to quote a description of the book from the January 2009 Writer’s Digest magazine (a secular periodical) who wrote a favorable piece on William Young’s book:

In Young’s story, Jesus is a dark-skinned Middle Eastern Jewish man who thwarts Mack’s expectation of a hunky blonde Jesus. God isn’t a white-haired wizard figure, but rather a matronly black woman who calls herself “Papa” in an attempt to challenge Mack’s preconceived notions. The Holy Spirit is a transparent creature named Sarayu who can’t be seen directly.

What business does a “Christian” bookstore have selling this rank heresy?

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Why we do what we do

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Many people who visit DefCon come here seeking truth. They have heard lies and stories told by those who claim to be shepherds and pastors, only to find they have been lied to and misled. Others are new Christians who are looking for help to understand what is truth, where to find it, who can be trusted, and who to should be avoided at all costs.

Then there are some who come here from a mindset, a philosophy, a religion, that is opposed to the truth of God. They are Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness or Emegerent or postmodern or they come from the prospoerity gospel, and so on and so forth. Or they may come from The Church of the Fluffybunny–those churches where they would not DARE speak biblical truth, lest somebody’s feelings get hurt. They would not DARE talk about sin, lest somebody’s self-esteem be injured. They are from an all-inclusive, seeker-sensitive, porpoise-drivel, Osteen/Warren/Schuller/Ed Young type church where truth is simply whatever you want it to be.

So, this person comes to DefCon, sees that we are not afraid of offending anyone, knowing that the cross is “to the Jews a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness” (1st Corinthians 1:23). And they see us tear down the foolishness of these “little boy preachers,” and compare/contrast what they say against the Scripture. And the accusations come flying. We are “Pharisees.” We are “judgmental.” We are “putting God in a box.” We are “the only ones who know the truth.” We have never “talked to God.” etc. etc. etc

At this point, the question becomes: “Why do we do what we do.” That’s what you’re about to find out. Let me tell you in a parable.

Suppose I served a master who was married to a young bride. This bride is not always wise when it came to the ways of the world (Matthew 10:16). Now, my master is going on a long trip, and will not be back for a long time (John 16:16). While my master is gone, he has entrusted me with the care of his bride (1st Timothy 3:15). I promise that I will look after her, watch over her, and let nothing happen to her. I promise to let no one do violence to her or despoil her (Acts 20:28). After all, my master has gone to great lengths to keep her pure (Ephesians 5:27).

Shortly thereafter, a young man comes knocking at the door. He is a finely-dressed, good-looking, well-spoken young man. But I also know he is not as he seems. Yet, when He asks to come in, I let him in. After all, I don’t want to offend him or make him feel bad or unwelcome. Then I step out to go to the store, leaving the young man alone with my master’s young bride. When I return, the young man is gone. I go upstairs to find my master’s young bride in the bedroom. Her face is bruised, her clothes are torn. She is crying and inconsolable. I know what has happened. I also know that it is my fault that it happened, because I left her alone with someone whose intentions were evil–and I knew it. I have done evil by allowing this evil to be done–all the while thinking my master will never know (Psalm 10:11).

But, my master does know. He has cameras all over the house. He can see everything that happens (Hebrews 4:13). And He has seen that I left His bride with a man who was good-looking outside, but evil resided within him (Matthew 7:15). When He finally returns, will He be angry? I dare say He would be extremely angry for allowing such evil to be done to his bride (Jeremiah 23:1). He would be furious with me for allowing His bride to fall prey to someone that I knew good and well was evil throughout (James 4:17). And He would beat me severely for my disobedience (Luke 12:47).

On the other hand, suppose when that young man came to the door, I knew his intentions (Hebrews 4:12). And instead of letting him in, I proclaimed to the entire neighborhood that he was evil (Philippians 3:17-19). I let it be known to all who could hear that this man who looked so dashing and charming was a snake on the inside (Romans 16:17-18). Thus warned, men kept their brides hidden from him, and would not so much as open the door to him (2nd John 1:9-11). And when my master returned, He would reward me for my obedience (2nd Samuel 22:21; Revelation 22:12).

That, friend, is why we do what we do. Because there are many good-looking, fine-sounding religions that are just waiting to find their way into the true church and wreak havoc upon her. We, with every breath in us, will fight to never let that happen! And will warn everyone we can so they do not fall prey.

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Gaithers enter “The Shack”

 

Sadly, Bill and Gloria Gaither–names almost synonymous with Southern Gospel music–have joined the apostasy that is “The Outhouse” “The Shack.” A couple weeks ago, they held a “Family Fest” (hat tip: Apprising Ministries) in Gatlinburg, TN (pop: 3800. pop during tourist season: 2,500,000), right near my back yard. And who were two of their guest speakers? None other than Paul Young, author of the blasphemy that is “The Outhouse” “The Shack” and Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries (why should you avoid Steve Brown answered here).

Gloria Gaither gave a copy to Mark Lowry, who then gave a personal endorsement of “The Outhouse” “The Shack” (via Slaughtering the Sheep):

I am only on page 149 but, already, I want there to be a sequel. Part 2, please!

Gloria Gaither handed this book, The Shack, to me while I was staying in their home. I read up to the murder of the little girl and couldn’t read any more. I put the book down, lost it and, a few weeks later, felt compelled to go to Lifeway in Nashville and buy another copy.

Now, I can’t put it down. (Source: Scroll down and read the post from May 1, 2008.)

[…]

Well, I finally finished The Shack by William P. Young. The first five chapters are very hard to read. Very painful. But somewhere around chapter 6, Dorothy lands in Oz and everything becomes technicolor. I really love this book. It confirmed for me a lot of things I’ve been learning about God. (emphasis mine) Source.

So, unfortunately, if asked, I can no longer endorse The Gaithers’ music in any way, having embraced the heresy that is “The Outhouse” “The Shack.”

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Ex-Prime Minister Blair – Champion of Homosexuality

Blair Pope Ingrid at Slice of Laodicea wrote:

“Willow Creek Community Church and Bill Hybels will be honoring Tony Blair at its annual Leadership Summit in August. Tony Blair’s ‘Third Way’ was a failure, and he left his country in shambles, but as this article points out, his one singing success was gay rights.

“In April, Tony Blair had the audacity to lecture the pope on homosexuality, telling him to get the Catholic church up to speed on gay rights.

“Bill Hybels doesn’t care where people are being led at his ‘Leadership Summits.’ He’ll feature anyone who is an international celebrity, no matter that they are moral failures. Bill Clinton’s visit to Willow Creek comes to mind. That’s because Hybels long ago departed the faith once delivered to the saints in exchange for his own celebrity status and sense of importance.

“Tony Blair is no example of biblical leadership. His new Faith Foundation is dedicated to interspirituality and the promotion of the United Nations’Millennium Development Goals.

He added that the foundation would focus on the “Abrahamic faiths” of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, as well as Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, and that it would help people of those faiths “discover what they share” and “help partner those within any of the faiths who stand up for peaceful co-existence and reject the extremist and divisive notion that faiths are in fundamental struggle against each other.”

“This is what Bill Hybels is promoting at Willow Creek as leadership for Christians to follow. God help us.”

HT: Slice of Laodicea