Christianity

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Quotes (729)

So much of the music invading the churches today seems little more than a carnal imitation of the world. There is very little difference between that which is presented on the church platform and that which is presented on the television or the worldly floor show—except of course, that “religious” words are uttered rather than “secular” ones. But the spirit is of the world; the appeal is to the flesh. This we abhor and reject as having no place in the worship of God. That which is sacred ought not to be prostituted and used as entertainment. If men want to be entertained let them be honest enough to go to some secular hall of amusement and be entertained; let them not pretend to be worshiping or in a service when entertainment is the order of the day. No! When we gather to worship, we want to keep the world out; we want to appeal not to the flesh but to the spirit; we want not the sophistication of the world but the simplicity of Christ.

– William Payne

1938 – 1997

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Another CCM star comes crashing to earth.

As we’ve reported on numerous occasions in the past, the rot that is underlying in the Contemporary Christian Music industry seems to keep oozing to the surface as time marches on. We’ve seen numerous examples of this and it appears that there’s no end in sight for the skeletons falling out of the closet of this “Christian” music industry.

The latest news to reverberate through today’s “positive and encouraging” Christian music world is that there is yet another Christian musician who has chosen their sin over their Savior. According to this news article, CCM recording artist Jennifer Knapp has now “come out of the closet” as a “gay Christian.”

Jennifer Knapp doesn’t consider herself to be a crusader for the gay community and she still considers herself to be a Christian, a gay Christian [Emphasis theirs]. Her new album will be a little more mainstream and she hopes her fans, Christian and non-Christian alike, will give it and her a chance.

I encourage everyone not to ridicule Ms. Knapp like some will do, or coddle and affirm her in her sin like many will do, but sincerely pray for her to be convicted of her sin and turn to the only One who can truly make her a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are all great sinners in need of a greater Savior and the fact is, if we claim to have fellowship with the Savior but walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6).

And in spite of this and many similar stories of CCM artists who have embraced their sins in contradiction to holy writ, the drumbeat continues as thousands of professing Christians will continue to thrive on intoxicating doses of Contemporary Christian Music, thrust themselves deeper into idolatrous frenzies at CCM concerts, and continue to garner most of their theology from music lyrics.

I ask, how many more Christian musical artists, icon, idols have to come forth announcing their decision to embrace and practice their love of sin before evangelicals begin taking a serious look at what they entertain themselves with?

I read a great quote from a commenter a few years ago on another blog that is so apropos:

“When I got saved I threw away all my secular music. When I really got saved I threw away all my Christian music.”

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The Church of No Offense

[This article by Paul Proctor really speaks to so much of what we see in the church today.  The church that uses pragmatic and carnal means and foolishly believes that these flesly tools are going to do a spiritual work.  Sadly, this betrays a complete ignorance of the truth that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  The word of God that likewise must be quickened or made alive by the Holy Spirit else it will fall upon deaf ears. 

But such truths are not believed by countless preachers who would rather employ gimmicks, rock and roll, skits, dramas and the like, instead of faithfully preaching the whole counsel of God’s word.  And why not because you cannot grow a successful money-making business unless you have a product that will appeal to a mass market.  Peter Drucker taught his church growth disciples well and they are doing their utmost to give the people what they want.   

Enjoy the article…brother Michael]

By Paul Proctor
April 7, 2010
NewsWithViews.com

From compromise to capitulation

There was a time during Jesus’ earthly ministry when the crowds that followed him grew quite large. He had become what we would call today, a “celebrity” and, by those same societal standards, a “success,” even though He had not yet faced the cross for which He came.

The Gospel of John tells about “a great multitude that followed Him because they saw His miracles.” When Jesus looked up one day and surveyed the enormous crowd before Him, He knew they needed to eat. So, taking “five barley loaves and two small fishes” that were found among them, He fed His followers. The men alone numbered five thousand.

Considering the seductive tactics many churches use to draw crowds these days, it is important to note that Jesus did not use food or the promise of it to bribe people into following Him. More…

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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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Sermon of the week: “Jonah” by Randall Easter.

Your sermon of the week is simply entitled Jonah. I listened to this sermon after posting my short piece on Jonah (found here) and wish I had listened to it earlier.

This is yet another powerful hour of preaching from Randall Easter. He pulls no punches as he steps on toes while preaching the gospel that is so desperately lacking in far too many churches.

HT: The Bororean

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Quotes (725)

Surely that man must be in an unhealthy state of soul who can think of all that Jesus suffered, and yet cling to those sins for which that suffering was undergone. It was sin that wove the crown of thorns; it was sin that pierced our Lord’s hands, and feet, and side; it was sin that brought Him to Gethsemane and Calvary, to the cross, and to the grave. Cold must our hearts be if we do not hate sin and labor to get rid of it, though we may have to cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye in doing it.

– J. C. Ryle

1816 – 1900

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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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Quotes (723)

A W Pink Men wish to go their own way, to please themselves, to gratify their lusts. They want to be comfortable in their wickedness; therefore, they resent that which searches the heart, pierces the conscience, rebukes their evil. Christ was absolutely uncompromising. He would not wink at wrongdoing but unsparingly denounced it, in whomever He found it.

– A.W. Pink

1886 – 1952

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Quotes (722)

Puritans Some think that because God made them, surely He will not damn them. This is true, if they had continued good, as He made them. God made the devil good, yes an excellent creature, yet we know that He shall be damned (Matt. 25:41).  If God spared not His holy angels (Jude 6), after they became sinful, shall man think that God will spare him? A sinful man shall be judged at the last day, not according to what he was by God’s first making; but as he shall be found defiled and corrupted by the devil, and by his own lusts.

– Henry Scudder

1585 – 1659

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Sermon of the week: “The Atonement: Real or Potential?” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur Your sermon of the week is a fantastic one. Grab a pen and paper because you will be taking copious notes (I had to keep pulling the car over to write). I bring you this Thursday’s sermon by John MacArthur entitled The Atonement: Real or Potential?

This is a great message. The only disappointment I had was that in this 30 minute sermon MacArthur did not (in my opinion) spend enough time dealing with the arguments against limited atonement. For another great sermon on limited atonement in which the opposing arguments are dealt with in greater depth, check out the sermon Grace Secured: Limited Atonement found on this post.

MacArthur sums up the universalist atonement proponent’s argument perfectly when he says those who reject limited atonement believe that Jesus died for everybody in general, and no one in particular.

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Quotes (721)

A case could be made that some of the derisive criticisms leveled at the Puritans were due to a smoldering resentment at their God-fearing and Christ-honoring lives. This trait in the Puritan makeup seems to disturb and agitate a society given over to pleasing “the world, the flesh, and the devil.”

– I.D.E. Thomas

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“The Roman Road to Wrath” by Brannon Howse.

Back in June of 2008 I published a piece on the downward spiral of sin entitled The Evolution of Sin. In similar fashion I recently discovered the following piece by Brannon Howse from May of 2009 entitled The Roman Road to Wrath: Five Consequences for a Nation that Rejects God. The parallels between Paul’s admonitions and America’s current condition (as described in both posts) are inescapable.

The Roman Road to Wrath

Five Consequences for a Nation that Rejects God

By Brannon Howse

Ideas-and the actions they produce-have consequences, and the Bible is very specific about what a nation will reap when it rejects God. America is already experiencing the results of the ideological path it has been wandering. Lawlessness and disorder have their roots in our continually snubbing the God of the Bible.

Chapter 1 of Romans delineates five specific national consequences for denying God. To be sure, there are others outlined in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and elsewhere in the Old Testament, but in this article I will focus just on Paul’s warnings because they are so explicit and frighteningly relevant to what is happening in America today.

1. The nation that continually rejects God becomes a nation of fools.

Romans 1:21-22:  
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.

According to verse 21, people become futile, vain, and useless. Their hearts become darkened, allowing them to be seduced into accepting spiritual lies.

Verse 22 points out that even though they profess to be wise, they actually become fools. This refers specifically to the extremes men will go to in order to justify their sin and false beliefs about God. Situational ethics, moral relativism, and postmodernism are all methods used to justify rebellion against the character and nature of God. (And remember Psalm 14:1? It tells us that it’s the fool that says in his heart there is no God. America has denied God and the need for His existence in every area of life.)

2. The nation that continually rejects God accepts pagan spirituality.

Romans 1:25:
Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Pagan spirituality centers on the worship of nature, yet its ultimate goal is to sidestep feeling guilt-for anything. Our world has moved from theism to atheism to pantheism, the belief that “god is all and all is god and all is one.” The Denver Post in June 2008 reported that pagan spirituality is doubling in America every 18 months.

Continue reading →

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Quotes (720)

For one, I care little for the government which presides at Washington, in comparison with the government which rules the millions of American homes. No administration can seriously harm us if our home life is pure, frugal, and godly. No statesmanship or legislation can save us, if once our homes become the abode of profligacy. The home rules the nation. If the home is demoralized, it will ruin it. The real seed corn whence our Republic sprang was the Christian households represented in the Mayflower, or the family alter of the Hollander and the Huguenot. All the best characters, best legislation, best institutions, and best church life were cradled in those early homes. They were the taproot of the Republic, and of the American churches.

– Theodore L. Cuyler

1822 – 1909

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Sermon of the week: “The Grace of God’s Law – God’s Law in the Life of the Saints” by Brian Borgman.

Brian Borgman We have finally reached the end of Brian Borgman’s thirteen-part series  entitled Introduction to the Reformed Faith. The Grace of God’s Law – God’s Law in the Life of the Saints is the concluding installment of this great series on the Doctrines of Grace that we began in October 2009.

I hope it has been a blessing to you all. For those who want to download the entire series, you can find it here.


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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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Democracy is always temporary in nature.

DefCon is not a political blog. We do, however, touch on political topics when appropriate. See past posts such as Has the Religious Right Lost Its Voice in American Politics? and The Fall of the United States of Rome for examples.

I recently found the following piece that was written by VA Voter back on October 22, 2007. I found it here on Free Republic.com and felt compelled to share it with the readers of this blog. Although America was originally a republic, there is little doubt it has since morphed into a democracy.

VA Voter’s post is very eye-opening but since its posting I have received information that those who the quotes are attributed to never made them. I do not wish to promulgate error, and sincerely apologize if  this re-posting of VA Voter’s piece mislead anyone.

With that said, I will allow the following quote (from the original thread I procured this from) to stand. Regardless of whoever the original source of the following quote is from, I think it is very thought-provoking and is further proof that Believers should not trust in such temporal things as horses and chariots, but we should trust in the eternal name of our Lord (Psalm 20:7).

A Democracy is always temporary in nature:

‘A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government’

‘A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury’

‘From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship’

‘The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years’

‘During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage’

And finally, I wanted to leave you with a quote that’s been attributed to Winston Churchill:

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.