Apostasy

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Quotes (728)

Christian mothers too often neglect their home-centered role for the empty promises of fulfillment in the workplace, while they warehouse their children in daycare centers. Parents send their children to secular schools where God is outlawed, and they allow them to watch trashy movies and listen to vile music—and hang out with those who do the same. After years of training in the ways of rebellion through godless schooling, debauched entertainment, and peer association, Christian parents are somehow surprised when their teenagers rebel, forsaking the God of their fathers.

– Philip Lancaster

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Easter 2010.

Last Sunday was Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and I thought I’d give you a peak at what services were like at a few churches in America.

SOS church had a message based on Avatar.

You’re invited this Easter. Bring your family and friends to come and experience CHRIST IN 3D! The one true AVATAR!

Granger church had a message based on The Matrix complete with a marching band.

You never know how GCC might open an Easter service. This year, for the “Wake Up! What if some dreams only come true when you’re awake?” series, it was a little bit of The Matrix and a marching band of volunteers performing “This Too Shall Pass.” It was an unexpected and must see arts element.

And North Point church had a laser light show described as a “spectacular Easter laser show” to kick off their “Paparazzi” theme.

If your pastor presented a doctrinally sound exposition of Scripture that exalted the risen Lord without all the distractions, consider yourself blessed and part of an ever-shrinking and endangered populace within American Christianity.

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See also, last year’s DefCon post: What is the sermon topic at your church going to be for Resurrection Sunday?

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The Coalescing of the Christian Right with Apostolic Dominionism

[Posting an article on Dominionism from Herescope.com.  This being something that has been on my heart recently as I watch with rapt attention what is going on in the world.  No doubt evil is growing not only in America (and has been for years long before Obama) but also across the land as evil men and seducers wax worse and worse as they strive to unite the world in a one-world union. 

Here, not only in America, but across the globe, serfs or the common man are viewed by the PTB (powers that be) as nothing more than cattle who need to be under the constant eye (look at the back of your dollar) of the state as she watches their every move and listens to their every word.  Based of course on the pretense that we need to give up liberty in order to be protected from those nasty terrorists; terrorists who in fact may be you!  Cameras recording conversations and actions are ubiquitous, e-mails and phone calls are often tracked and archived for years, full-body scans are now being implemented; in short, personal freedom and privacy are vanishing and are quickly being replaced with an Orwellian police state.

What is more, the economies of most industrialized nations are in shambles.  Largely due to the concerted efforts of politicians to redistribute wealth to third world nations.  Hence, jobs and industries that existed in many of these countries have disappeared from their given shores and are now off-shored in nations such as India, Mexico, China and elsewhere.  Thus, in America at least, we have an unemployment rate that is well into the double-digits (see Shadow Stats for real numbers and not the govt/media lies) where many people wonder how they will make in through the next week and where they will find a job that pays more than $8.00 an hour.

All of this and more is causing many Americans to rise up and express their anger at the current administration across all areas of government (Congress, Presidential, State Governers, etc.).  Their anger and passions being directed and even fueled by “conservative” talk show hosts/personalities like Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Ted Nugent and others.  Also, there is the “grass roots” Tea Party movement that is gaining much traction as it attracts many folks from across the nation; some of them Christians, but many not.  Thus, you will have the ecumenical mixing of light and darkness as Christians inevitably will be called upon to compromise in many, many areas the more involved they become.  How about praying with Mormon Glenn Beck, or listening to Ted Nugent’s wicked rock at a Tea Party rally, or suffering Michael Savage to blaspheme God? 

And, I won’t even touch the host of “conservatives” in these movements where many (I don’t speak to all Rebublicans any more than all Democrats) are nothing of the sort but rather are sly politicians using the state of affairs as an opportunity to advance the same globalist goals of the Democrats.  This being so much easier for a Rebublican since most evangelicals give anyone with a “R” after their name a free pass (think George Bush).  My encouragement here is for the reader to not for a moment think the good guys/gals are the Republicans and the bad the Democrats for nothing, and I mean, nothing could be further from the truth.

In ruminating on these things and more I wonder what is the Christian response?  Of course I know that we as Christians are to do good and be lights in our world which certainly does not preclude civic involvement, yet I cannot escape the words of the Lord where he says that his kingdom is not of this world.  And if his kingdom is not of this world, then it follows by course that the kingdom of his followers is also not of this world.  Yet for many Christians the truth be told, their kingdom is of this world and for many that kingdom is America.  A nation that many wrongly ascribe to be Christian and God’s New Testament apple of his eye even as Israel was for the Old. 

Personally, I fear for the days ahead where violence may well come to our land with Christians facing a crossroad as to whether to pick up the sword, or turn the other check.  This does not mean I am advocating that Christians do not protect their families if a criminal breaks in.  No, I am talking instead about the Christian purposely employing the physical sword to battle the government.  Much as was done in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War where if you study history you will find that many professed Christians took place in the shedding of blood.  Blood which by fact would have involved that of their fellow Christian brothers who found themselves on the other side of the battle field!  Something which per my reading of the Scriptures I cannot in any way justify or support. 

Well – enough of my words, following is the intro to the Herescope article with a link to the full paper.

bro Michael

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It is not about FREEDOM, it is about DOMINION

The NEW BREED of Christian is poised to take over the earth, precinct by precinct. God’s Army is rising up. It is time to put on the militant garb. The glint in the eye becomes fixed as the exhilaration of the hour sweeps through the masses. They can make a difference! The world has been waiting with bated breath for this LAST DAY GENERATION. False prophets in their midst are caught in sin, under discipline, yet their tapes sell to believers of their false prophecies. The call for unity is the common cause bringing them from every denomination. They are calling their unity “revival.” After all, when they have set up the Kingdom here on the earth – they will have fulfilled the mandate given to Adam to subdue the earth. A new sound is heard in the land. The music gets louder and the beat gets stronger (even bringing in rock, metal, and funk) but oddly enough the lyrics are always the same! – The choruses proclaiming the triumphant song of the conquerors! [“The Kingdomizers Have Arrived!” Discernment Newsletter, May/June 1992]

Note to Herescope readers: What follows may be the most important article ever published by Discernment Ministries in its 21 year history. The first edition of the Discernment Newsletter, published in May 1990 began chronicling the activities of a group of men calling themselves “prophets” and “apostles,” claiming to have extra-biblical revelation and calling to build an elite army to take over the Earth.

More…

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My thoughts on “Easter,” and a plea to pastors.

I must admit, I do not care much for Easter. The one day of the year that most people go to church is the one day of the year that I would prefer to stay home. (And this has nothing to do with the pagan celebration of the spring equinox.)

As I sit back and watch the church advertisements roll in, there’s one common theme I see among the churches vying for your annual attendance. The day that Christians recognize as the day our Lord rose from the dead seems to be all about entertaining kids.

Will someone please tell me what colored eggs, grass filled baskets, pastel hats, face painting, bounce houses, coloring contests, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans–all of which are being endorsed and even performed in many churches this weekend–have to do with the resurrection of the Lamb of God? The disciples did not celebrate the resurrection as a “holiday,” but they did celebrate the passover, which I’m certain did not include a ham dinner.

All of this “stuff” serves only to diminish the truth and reality of the day. And sadly, the churches that are supposed to be lifting up Christ so that all men will be drawn unto Him, have acquiesced and now do just as much to distract the sinner from the meaning of the day as does the rest of the secular world.

The once-a-year church goers will flood churches all across America tomorrow, never to be seen or heard from again until next Easter (except maybe some at Christmas). This is a fantastic opportunity for pastors to present the gospel to those who would never sit through a sermon any other time. My experience has been, however, that this opportunity is usually squandered on a vain attempt to make those in attendance feel “comfortable.”

This Sunday is a day when the greatest shows are put on: The goats adorn themselves with their Sunday best and put on a show to appear as though they’re as spiritual as everyone else. The pastors put on their show too. Their marketing strategies will crescendo this Sunday as they put on display their best humor, finest story-telling abilities, and most stunning oratory prowess in an attempt to prove to the unregenerate visitors that they’re just like them and just as worldly as them but they have Jesus as an icing on their cake. And this is all done to secure the return of those once-a-year attendees, while Christ and His gospel simply take a back seat.

Resurrection Sunday in America has become a display, but not of the risen Lord.


Soft, feel-good messages about how the resurrection of the Son of God can help improve your life, finances, marriage, etc. will be the sermon de jour in far too many congregations tomorrow. Pastors, hoping that some of the visitors will return, will shove the message of sin, judgment, wrath, and propitiation aside in order to not offend or upset those who need to hear this truth the most.

If you are a pastor reading this, and you are planning on offering a gentle, watered-down, comfortable “talk” to those in your Church tomorrow, I encourage you–no–I beg you to reconsider. This will be the one and only opportunity for many people to hear the true, unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ, and tomorrow it will be your responsibility to deliver it to them.

Please, take just a moment and read this brief plea I wrote to pastors back in 2007: A Sobering Call to Pastors, Preachers, and Teachers.

And for those of you who are going to lay it on the line and preach a Sinners-in-the-Hands-of-an-Angry-God type Edwards sermon this Sunday, not caring one bit if someone is offended by the preaching of the cross because it’s your job to do so, then I commend you and offer this post as an encouragement:  Thank You: An open Letter to Faithful Pastors.

Oh, and have a very happy Resurrection Sunday, for He is risen!.

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Persecution in Pakistan by the “Religion of Peace.”

A sobering reminder that most Christians in this world are not experiencing their Best Life Now.

Rasheed Masih was murdered with axes by six Muslims for refusing to convert to Islam. Arshed Masih was burned alive in front of a police station for refusing to recant his faith and his wife was raped by a police officer (article found here).

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Which “Jesus” do you worship?

False idols of who Jesus is come in all shades and styles, but there’s nothing that’s created more false idols of who Jesus is than man’s own heart.

Unfortunately, most people have created a “Jesus” of their own liking, fashioned in the recesses of their carnal minds (or created by some religious leader that they’ve submitted their lives and entrusted their souls to) and that’s the “Jesus” they serve and worship. Ironically, these false idols of “Jesus” bear a striking resemblance to those who created them (and their desires), but very little–if any–resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible.

Since there are so many versions of “Jesus” circulating out there I’ve decided to create this easy to use (but non-exhaustive) resource as a way to help you know which “Jesus” you worship based solely upon what you believe about Him.


If your Jesus . . .

. . . is the sibling of Satan; born from a sexual encounter between God the Father who was once a man (Adam to be exact) and God’s own daughter Mary; who was crucified because he practiced polygamy; who did not pay for the sins of the world on the cross but in the Garden of Gethsemane, whose sacrifice was insufficient since you still have to work your way to heaven and in some cases your own blood must be spilled to redeem yourself; and who could not maintain his church but had to commission a lying, swindling, occult-dabbling, womanizing, pedophiliac, adulterer, Freemason, con-artist who was known for telling tall tales (whose own account of the first vision changed several times), to “translate” an ancient and “inspired” book that needed almost 4,000 corrections, changes, and alterations since it’s first publication, and to “restore” the church that your Jesus couldn’t keep together  . . .

. . . then you worship the Mormon Jesus.

Momron Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is a created being (Michael the Archangel to be exact); who is not God but a god (thus making you a polytheist); who will condemn you for celebrating your birthday or giving your child a life saving blood transfusion; who did not die on a cross but on an upright stake; whose body is unaccounted for and still missing today because he did not physically rise from the dead but only raised “spiritually;” whose sacrifice was insufficient because you still have to earn your own salvation; and who–in spite of accepting worship from those around him–does not want you to worship him . . .

. . . then you worship give obeisance to the Jehovah’s Witness Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is most commonly depicted as a helpless infant or dead upon a cross; who is bound to take orders from his mortal mom who he created (the Creator subjecting himself to the creation); who has to share his glory with the mortal human Mary; who is our mediator between his earthly, kindhearted, and loving mother and his angry, vindictive father; who is sacrificed again and again every week (in spite of the Bible saying He was sacrificed once and for all, never to be sacrificed again) because mortal human priests have incredible power to call him down from heaven and magically turn him into a cracker and wine (again being subject to his creation instead of the other way around); and whose sacrifice was insufficient because you still have to merit your own salvation . . .

. . . then you worship the Roman Catholic Jesus

Roman Catholic Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is a hippie-like figure who no longer considers the Bible as a final authority but questions the very Scriptures and their perspicuity, even going as far as to justify such sins as homosexuality; who no longer differentiates between sheep and goats, wheat and tares, truth and error, light and darkness, the broad road and the narrow path, but now warmly accepts Roman Catholicism, Lecto Divina, and other false religious traditions and mystical practices  (it would be judgmental not to); and whose motto is “come as you are and you can stay that way too because only Pharisees would tell you otherwise,” . . .

. . . then you worship the Emergent Jesus.

Emergent Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . wears an Armani suit while driving a Lexus; whose sole purpose for existence is to show you by example how to line your pockets with greenbacks if you simply sow a financial seed of faith; who confirms your salvation by such outward expressions as being slain in the spirit and speaking in tongues; and who says that if you don’t accept these strange doctrines then you’re just not anointed enough . . .

. . . then you worship the Charismatic Word of Faith Jesus.


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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is a registered Republican; wrapped in the American flag; whose purpose for coming to earth was to show us that the gospel is salvation through legislation; who wants us to set up God’s kingdom on earth by our efforts and political action; who exists to help your son win the football game and your daughter win the dance recital; and who doesn’t mind sitting on the shelf till you’re ready to pull him out at Christmas, Easter, weddings, funerals, national tragedies, or whenever you want to feel good about yourself . . .

. . . then you worship American Jesus.

American Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . never mentions your sinfulness or his holiness, but instead emphasizes having a good time in church with a rockin’ praise band; boasts of a fun atmosphere for kids; has a relevant message from the latest Hollywood movie; and offers free coffee and donuts in the lounge . . .

. . . then you worship the Laodicean Jesus (see also Mega-Church Jesus below).

Laodicean Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is a Hawaiian shirt-wearing, big-teeth smiling, latte-drinking-while-preaching, motivational speaker peddling the message that God’s greatest hope for mankind is that they reach their full potential by finding their purpose in this life and living that best life now . . .

 

. . . then you worship Mega-Church Jesus

Graven Image Jesus


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If your Jesus . . .

. . . considers praise music and CCM to be the two sacraments of the church; considers a membership in a Christian CD music club to be evidence of sanctification; emphasizes the church praise band’s practice sessions over that of church Bible study, prayer, evangelism, and holiness; suggests that the church is a place to showcase one’s talent for rockin’ a guitar for God; and who believes that music “reaches people” in a way that the gospel can’t . . .

. . . then you worship Musician Jesus (aka Golden Calf Jesus).

Musician Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . believes public school teachers, Christian psychologists, the church, the lead pastor, and especially the “youth pastor” are all responsible for your child’s biblical and spiritual upbringing, development, nourishment, and maturity (everyone but their own parents); who teaches that peers of the same age group (and often the opposite sex) are the best mentors and role models for your children; whose “youth ministries” are most commonly identified by lock-ins, pizza parties, bowling nights, and lots of drama (both kinds); and who considers that those best qualified to pressure your child/teen into repeating a “sinner’s prayer” is the twenty-something hip dude who’s never raised any children of his own, has way too much gel in his hair, and knows more about MTV and U2 than theology and his Bible . . .

. . . then you worship Youth Pastor Jesus.

Youth Pastor Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is an ascended master (one of many); who does not believe in sin, holiness, or redemption; and is accepting of all religions because he himself is just one of many paths to enlightenment . . .

. . . then you worship New Age Jesus (a.k.a. Oprah Jesus, not to be confused with the Robert Schuller Jesus or The Shack Jesus).

New Age Jesus

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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is ok with the use of profanity, the twisting of parts of the Bible to promote masturbation and other parts of Scripture to create mandates for wives to commit certain sexual acts with their husbands; who winks at the copious amount of vulgarity, sexual innuendos, double entendres, and all things worldly; enjoys being depicted as a disc jokey on t-shirts; and whose premier preacher makes fun of “fundamentalists” (those who take the Bible seriously), mocks those who take responsibility for the education of their own children (because they take the Bible seriously), and considers Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and Robert Schuller his spiritual brothers . . .

. . . then you worship the Mark Driscoll Jesus


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If your Jesus . . .

. . . is the sovereign, mighty, holy, King of kings, Lord of lords, chief cornerstone; the Alpha and Omega; the First and Last; the Son of God; God in the flesh; a completely sufficient Savior; eternally existent; Creator of all things; who is, who was, who is to come; who became flesh; subject to no human; reigns over all; was born of a virgin; who shed His priceless Blood for His elect; who laid His life down upon a rugged cross, took that life up again–body and all–on the third day, snatched the keys of Hades, and removed the sting from death; who is the Prince of Peace, the Great Physician, Immanuel, God with us; whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light; who is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, who is the faultless, sinless, unblemished, Lamb of God; the only mediator between God and man; the narrow gate; the way, the truth, the life; the only way to the Father; and who is worthy to receive glory, and honor, and power forever and ever, Amen!. . .

. . . then you worship the Jesus of the Bible.



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See also:

How Do You Read Romans 1:16?

Woe Unto You

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Sermon of the week: “The Shack Uncovered” by Michael Youssef.

Your sermon of the week is The Shack Uncovered by Michael Youssef. In this message Youssef lays out thirteen heresies in the book The Shack that, for some reason, many professing Christians think is a good book and sound in its doctrine.

The following video is a snippet from this message. You can watch the entire message here, or you can download the audio by right-clicking here. Additionally, I’ve included (below this video) the thirteen heresies Michael Youssef levies against this book.

Thirteen Heresies in The Shack

1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.

Because God’s eyes are pure and cannot look upon sin, the Bible says that God would not look upon His own beloved Son as He hung on the Cross, carrying our sins (Habakkuk 1:13; Matthew 27:45).

2. God is limited by His love and cannot practice justice.

The Bible declares that God’s love and His justice are two sides of the same coin — equally a part of the personality and the character of God (Isaiah 61:8; Hosea 2:19).

3. On the Cross, God forgave all of humanity, whether they repent or not. Some choose a relationship with Him, but He forgives them all regardless.

Jesus explained that only those who come to Him will be saved (John 14:6).

4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the Church or in the government, are evil.

Our God is a God of order (Job 25:2).

5. God will never judge people for their sins.

The Word of God repeatedly invites people to escape from the judgment of God by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-3).

6. There is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.

The Bible says that Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. This doesn’t mean that one Person is higher or better than the other; just unique. Jesus said, “I came to do the will of Him who sent me. I am here to obey my Father.” Jesus also said, “I will send you the Holy Spirit” (John 4:34, 6:44, 14:26, 15:26).

7. God submits to human wishes and choices.

Far from God submitting to us, Jesus said, “Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.” We are to submit to Him in all things, for His glory and because of what He has accomplished for us (Matthew 7:13-15).

8. Justice will never take place because of love.

The Bible teaches that when God’s love is rejected, and when the offer of salvation and forgiveness is rejected, justice must take place or God has sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for nothing (Matthew 12:20; Romans 3:25-26).

9. There is no such a thing as eternal judgment or torment in hell.

Jesus’ own description of hell is vivid … it cannot be denied (Luke 12:5, 16:23).

10. Jesus is walking with all people in their different journeys to God, and it doesn’t matter which way you get to Him.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one will come to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.

Jesus, who dwells in the splendor of heaven, sits at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling the universe. The Bible says, “In Him there is no change, for He is yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 11:12, 13:8; James 1:17).

12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.

Jesus said, “Only those who believe in me will have eternal life” (John 3:15, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40).

13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.

The Bible is God-breathed. Sure, there were many men through 1,800 years who put pen to paper (so to speak), each from different professions and different backgrounds, but the Holy Spirit infused their work with God’s words. These men were writing the same message from Genesis to Revelation.

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DefCon is now on FaceBook.

Defending Contending has finally joined the world of social networking. We are now on Facebook and you can ‘friend’ us here.

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Another ten (very) quick questions for Mormons.

In the past you’ve enjoyed Ten (very) quick questions for Mormons and Ten more (very) quick questions for Mormons. Now DefCon brings you Another ten (very) quick questions for Mormons.

Enjoy!

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Quotes (704)

The family, too, is in decline among Christians. Believing fathers generally fail to play their God-given role as the spiritual leader of their families. Christian fathers in times past led their families in twice-daily family worship. Today most Christian fathers reinforce the pervasive humanism of our culture, denying the practical relevance of God to the lives of their children by failing to worship Him together with their families in the home.

– Philip Lancaster

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Another sad day.

It is so sad to watch pastor after pastor, and ministry after ministry acquiesce to or downright endorse Mark Driscoll.

It is with a heavy heart that I bring your attention to yet two more examples–two websites that I have long respected for their work, but now I can no longer endorse on DefCon.

The first one is Monergism. I have greatly enjoyed their Reformed resources but I have discovered that they endorse Mark Driscoll (as evidenced by their 163 links about him found on their website).

The other Driscoll endorsement was brought to my attention by DavidW, a regular reader and commenter on this blog. He pointed out this article from apologetics ministry C.A.R.M. in which the following quote was found:

Would I recommend anybody go to Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church?  Absolutely yes.  Not only will you get good teaching, but you’ll encounter a vibrant community of believers in the midst of a very unchurched society.  Keep up the good work Mark.

It is so discouraging that there seems to be so little discernment within the Church today, even from those who in the past have exhibited great discernment. Times are getting grim.

At this time I have removed both of these ministries from DefCon’s category links and I will be contacting both of them. If my contacts are ignored or I’m told they’re going to continue in their endorsement of Driscoll, then you will see that their sites remain absent from DefCon. However, if they do change their stance on this man I will welcome them back with open arms and even announce DefCon’s endorsement of them in a future post.

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Benny Hinn’s wife files for divorce.

Another health, wealth, and prosperity preacher is headed to divorce court. According to this report from Fox News, Suzanne Hinn, wife of heretic faith healer Benny Hinn . . .

Filed papers in Orange County Superior Court on Feb. 1, citing irreconcilable differences.

The LA Times is also reporting that the request for divorce came “without notice.”

Benny can now join the growing list of divorced (or living depraved) big name preachers like Ted Haggard, Todd Bentley, Juanita Bynum, and Paula White.

For those of you not familiar with Suzanne Hinn, back in September 2007 DefCon featured the following video of her “preaching.”

Thanks for the heads-up Lyn

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Elton John’s “Jesus” was a gay man.

The Sun is reporting yet another big name entertainer who has gotten too big for his britches. Openly homosexual musician Elton John claims that:

“I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.”

But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31
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Creepy . . . just creepy.

This video is highly offensive to pirates (and all five of your senses).

Satan is a quadriplegic?

God wants me to be a sunbeam?

Did they kill that baby bird to make their point?

Words escape me.

No trip down “Bad Theology Lane” would be complete without Tillie the Bible Clown and Super Adrian.

Wait, doesn’t this video contradict Tille the Bible Clown’s superhero theology?

And finally, imagine how silly it would be if a worship band performed while dressed as clowns. Imagine no more!


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Vision Forum’s Doug Phillips on Avatar.

I’m sure this will upset the applecart of those who see no problem with having one foot in the church and the other foot in the world (namely its entertainment), but for anyone who plans on seeing the film Avatar, below is some food for thought from Doug Phillips. And for those who have seen it, here’s what you’ve exposed yourself (and possibly your family) to:


Twelve Things I learned From Avatar: A Worldview Review of the Top Film of 2010

There is so much that could be said about James Cameron’s riveting and technologically advanced blockbuster, Avatar, but I thought it would be helpful to very simply distill some of the most important messages I learned from this film which is now the highest grossing film in all of history, and which will likely be the most popular film of 2010. Below are the headlines from a forthcoming review of the film:

  1. We can experience liberty when our spirits possess alien bodies.
  2. Business men are evil because they rape the earth for profit.
  3. It is noble to be a savage.
  4. The earth is our mother.
  5. God is female.
  6. Animals are our brothers.
  7. In noble cultures women are the spiritual leaders.
  8. Nudity is freedom.
  9. Heroes have foul mouths.
  10. Shamanism and demonic possession is a means for healing.
  11. Enlightened cultures are spiritually unified with animals and plants.
  12. Men are born-again as they commune with the earth.

Bonus Lessons From Hollywood:

  1. Pantheism is the religion of the Hollywood elite.
  2. Darwinism, with its emphasis on evolution as the defining process for understanding the universe, is at the heart of Hollywood pantheism.
  3. A primary mission of Hollywood pantheism is to destroy the Dominion Mandate, the doctrine of Creation and the Creator/creature distinctive detailed in the Bible.
  4. Science fiction is the primary genre used as an evangelism tool for Hollywood’s religion of pantheism.
  5. Films are more important than schools, pulpits or politics, for training disciples of this new Hollywood religion.

Bonus Lessons About Christians and Hollywood:

  1. Most professing Christians will check their spiritual discernment at the door of a movie theater for a cheap thrill.
  2. Most professing Christians love fantasy more than reality.
  3. Fantasy books, films and television shows have trained professing Christians to be polytheists—individuals who believe that you can worship many gods at the same time—in this case, the gods of pantheism and the gods of Christianity.
  4. Most professing Christians have greater delight in a pantheistic Hollywood film about non-reality, than in reading the Bible or hearing a sermon about truth.

Hollywood understands that the demographic of film consumption by non-Christians and Christians is essentially the same—both look to Hollywood for a fatty diet of entertainment to help them escape from reality.   – Doug Phillips on February 15, 2010

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Catholic Agenda Embedded in Manhattan Declaration

 At DefCon we have dealt with The Manhattan Declaration in previous posts (see here, here and here) speaking to its ecumenical postering and Evangelical signatories.  Just recently, Richard Benett from Berean Beacon has published a paper looking into this important matter. Here, Mr. Bennett has highlighted how this declaration is rife with Rome’s agenda.  An agenda that can be summed up wth the following quote where we read,

In order to soften up the Evangelicals in their separation from the Catholics on biblical doctrinal issues, particularly the authority of the Bible alone and the Gospel, the Catholic modus operandi calls for using social issues on which both Evangelicals and Catholics agree as preliminary common ground. 

To read the rest of this very important paper, please go here.

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A Catholic Leap

There is little doubt that many Roman Catholic doctrines simply aren’t in the Bible. They’ve been introduced by the Roman Catholic Church over the centuries. Much as Muslims make weak attempts to find prophecies about Muhammad in the Bible, Catholics grasp at straws to find support for their doctrines in the Bible.

I recently had a conversation with a couple of knowledgeable Catholics. I started by discussing the fact that the Bible blatantly contradicts some of their beliefs. Specifically, they claimed that atheists “of good will” could end up in heaven. There are dozens of verses that prove that line of thinking wrong, and I quoted a few to them. Their response was that they don’t care what I say about the Bible, because according to Catholic teaching, no one is able to interpret the Bible outside the authority of Rome.

This was the first time I’d heard that from a Catholic, and it turns out that it really is the standard teaching of Rome, and it’s based on a misinterpretation of 2 Peter 1:20. Later, they mentioned that there really is no infallible interpretation of this verse, so I’m not sure what authority they have to give any interpretation of that verse.

I showed them Acts 17:11, which describes how the Bereans were commended for scrutinizing Paul’s teaching with the Scripture. I asked them why the Bereans were able to verify Paul’s teaching with the Scripture, but today I am unable to verify Rome’s teaching with Scripture. They never directly answered my question. I gave up asking the question when the only “answer” provided was:

Why did Paul have to “check in” with the Apostles and have them lay hands on him to continue his ministry?

That has absolutely nothing to do with my question. Honest, knowledgeable answers generally don’t start with a “why” and end with a question mark.

They do think that I should verify the doctrines of Rome, but not by searching Scripture. I should determine the truth of Rome’s claims by verifying that their doctrines haven’t changed over the last 2,000 years, and I should do this by reading church fathers. (They were kind enough to give me a list of church fathers to check out.)

But this only leads to more questions. If I’m not trustworthy enough to interpret Scripture, why am I trustworthy enough to interpret the writings of church fathers? Why should I read the second generation (or later) of Christian beliefs when the Bible provides the first generation? If two church fathers disagree (there are many early “Christians” who were outright heretics), which one is trustworthy?

There is no good way to test the Catholic Church. Bottom line: I’m supposed to become a Catholic, because the pope says so.

Trust me.

At the root of this disagreement is the epistemology of Catholics and Evangelicals. Evangelicals believe the Bible is the only source for absolute truth, and Catholics have the Bible plus their tradition. The problem is that the Bible is insufficient to arrive at modern Catholic doctrines (if not contradictory to those doctrines), and there is no other infallible, inerrant source to attest to Catholic doctrines. In order to buy into the teaching of Rome, you must take a blind leap of faith.