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Dear Jehovah’s Witness: Is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society an inspired prophet of God or not?

kingdom-hall Is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society an inspired prophet of God or not?

Yes: They claim to be prophets of God.

“So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet?…This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses….Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a “prophet” of God. It is another thing to prove it.” Watchtower April 1, 1972 Page 197

No: They deny that they’re inspired.

“However, the Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances nor is it dogmatic. It invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures.” Watchtower August 15, 1950 Page 263

Two Questions.

1). How can you claim on one hand to be a prophet of God, and yet deny being inspired?

2). If the Jehovah’s Witness organization is an inspired prophet of God, then how do you explain the countless false prophecies and doctrinal flip-flops made by a supposed “inspired” organization? If it is not inspired, then what is the final authority for the rank and file Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Check out more Contradictions in Watchtower Theology at CARM.


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Quotes (490)

What is faith? Faith is not some force or power that we wield that reaches out and accomplishes things. Neither does anyone “turn his faith loose,” though some false teachers exhort us to do so. Faith is just the opposite of such misconceptions. Justifying faith is not “doing” something; rather, it is giving up on doing anything and simply falling on the mercy of God. . . . we are not saved by faith in general; we’re saved by faith in Christ. Some people trust in a past “decision,” but a “decision” will not pay for our sins! Some trust in baptism, a past emotional experience, or even their supposed “faith.”

– Charles Leiter

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An attempted post-birth abortion fails.

u-of-aUnlike the child that survived an attempted “legal” abortion only to have her life snuffed out in a trash can by a cold-blooded abortion clinic staff member (see here), this latest story ends on a much better note.

In the latest saga of mothers who murder their own children, meet 19 year-old Sarah Tatum, a pre-business sophomore at the University of Arizona.

Finding herself pregnant and certainly not wanting to ruin her future dreams and hopes by being burdened with a baby (or “punished with a baby” as our new president would say), she decided to conceal the pregnancy.

Then the inevitable came . . . the beautiful child expecting to be welcomed into the loving arms of his/her mother actually found him/herself coming into the world in a shower, only to be quickly stuffed into a plastic bag like trash to be discarded; never to be seen again (like the moral conscience of this nation).

Fortunately, in God’s providence, other students intervened when they–simply thinking the bag contained bloody clothes–actually saw the bag moving!

Police had to cut the bag open to save the defenseless human being trapped inside. The child was taken to a local hospital where he/she is still alive.

Read the news article here.

This incident causes outrage from those who hear about it, but we would have never heard a thing had Ms. Tatum went to a professional baby murderer and paid to have them rip the child limb from limb from the safety and sanctity of her womb.

So I scratch my head in bewilderment as Ms. Tatum is now being charged with child abuse and attempted first-degree murder. Why? Didn’t Ms. Tatum simply exercise her “freedom of choice” to kill her own offspring like 4,000 women do every day in this nation?

Had she went that morning to her local Planned Parenthood and paid them to kill her baby no one would have batted an eye. But because she chose to do it herself, she’s now going to be criminally charged. Someone please explain the “logic” of that to me.


Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!

– Isaiah 5:20-21


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Quotes (489)

voddie-baucham Many object to homeschooling or private Christian schools based on the fact that God has called us to be “salt” and “light” and to evangelize the world. Ironically, this is precisely why we chose homeschooling. The Great Commission states: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I command you” (Matthew 28:19-20, emphasis added). How is this likely apart from Christian education? How can I effectively “make disciples” of my children if I send them off to the government school forty-five to fifty hours per week? The Nehemiah Institute, The National Study of Youth and Religion, and the Barna Report have shown us clearly that our children do not even understand–let alone obey–all that the Lord has commanded. Moreover, how can our children evangelize our government schools if they don’t know what they believe and why they believe it? Not to mention that all of the evidence currently points to the fact that our children are the evangelized, not the evangelists, in our nation’s schools. They are the ones being carried away by every wind of doctrine. . . . The Nehemiah Institute continues to demonstrate year after year that Christian children in government schools who actually retain anything close to a biblical worldview are the rare exception and not the rule. . . . Let me be clear–I applaud men and women whom God has called to teach in government schools. These people are front-line warriors, and they need to be right where they are. However, there is a big difference between sending fully trained disciples into enemy territory and sending recruits [children] to our enemy’s training camp. If we do the latter, we shouldn’t be surprised when they come home wearing the enemy’s uniform and charging the hill of our home waving the enemy flag.

– Voddie Baucham

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Sermon of the Week: “For God So Loved the World” by Brad Buser.

brad-buser Your Sermon of the Week is For God So Loved the World by Brad Buser. Brad, a long time missionary to Papau New Guniea, challenges you to consider world missions as he smases most of the common excuses people employ to resist going into all the world, including “There are needs here,” “If God wants me there I guess I’ll end up there,” and the infamous but all too common: “I haven’t been called.”

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When you can’t tell the difference between the “church” and the world.

holiness

Can someone please tell my why it is so necessary for “churches” in America to mimic the world, its ways, and its culture . . . the very world that’s antithetical to Christ and His Church?

Case in point: For your consideration of the state of the “church” in America today, I’ve posted the following dozen videos produced by a “church” called Waters Edge. I included each video’s own introduction as found on YouTube along with my brief commentary.

Brace yourself.

1). In this video, Jamey shows us the “correct” way to invite people to our upcoming series on love and relationships entitled “Let’s Get It On.”

Is it me or do the words “sexual innuendo” and “double entendre”come to mind after watching this video? Could you imagine being a visitor to this church with your children present when they played this clip? At least they warn us on their website about the content of their “sermon” series: “Parental Discretion is advised… preschoolers and kids should participate in Kid Kraze and WeeWorld.” Can any Church historian please tell me if there’s ever been a time in Christian history when the church had to give a “parental discretion” warning to its congregants?

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2). This video aired on Sunday, November 2nd at Waters Edge. Enjoy!

Kidnapping, physical violence, and spitting in the face of Santa Clause. All in a day’s work for the staff at Waters Edge.

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3). This video aired on Sunday, November 16th at Waters Edge Church. It was our third Christmas Eve promo video on a Sunday and offered the best Christmas Toy idea. It also offered the opportunity to go ahead and order it, to help free people up to attend our Christmas Eve services, since they wouldn’t need to shop on Christmas Eve.

Narcissism and a total irreverence for Jesus Christ. What more do you need to promote your church?

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4). This was one of the videos featured in our first Big Dream Series. Lots of fun!!!

Hmmm. The church mocking the Church. How relevant.

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5). Here it is!! The VIP Rap Video From Christmas Eve 2007 at Waters Edge Church! Starring Lead Pastor Stuart Hodges!!

Introducing the new breed of shepherds of the church.

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6). This Video Aired on Sunday, July 13th at all of Waters Edge’s Services. Enjoy!

So you mean those in each Waters Edge service were subjected to this? How tragic.

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7). This video aired on Sunday, January 11th as a part of our “Crank It Up” series.

No comment.

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8). This video was part of the finale day in our “House” Series in July, 2008. Rob was awesome!!

After watching this video I have a strange burning in my bosom to go to church . . . and not just any church, but Waters Edge.

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9) This video aired on Sunday, January 25th at Waters Edge Church as a part of our “Crank it Up” Series. Enjoy!!

Using a parody of a sexual dysfunction commercial to promote your “sermon” series is so Scriptural. Didn’t the Apostles do this?

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10). This video was part of the finale day in our “House” Series in July, 2008. Rob was awesome!!

If you need to use a product like this may I suggest you reexamine yourself to see if you’re in the Faith? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

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11). This is a video of the Waters Edge Staff Guys performing “Hangin’ Tough” at Waters Edge in June of 2008. This was a part of our “I Love the 80s” Series.

Uh, what part of “Do not love the world . . .” do you guys not understand?

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12). Every year we do an “emmy awards” type event called The WEC Awards to honor say thanks to all of our volunteers. We make a video for each of the teams and this is the one we did for our setup and teardown team. It was a fun video and I thought you guys at PCI would like to see it. It is kind of a big file so that is why I had to post it online for you to download.

Using MTV as their inspiration . . . that bastion of Christian morals and standards. Listen around the 3:20 mark for the quote “These chairs are so comfortable it will make you feel like you’re not even in church.” And once the show service begins that feeling will only increase.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 1 John 2:15-16

See: Suffering Christianity vs. Chipper Christianity

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Quotes (487)

nate-saint People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives . . . and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.

– Nate Saint

1923 – 1956

HT: The Desert Pastor

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And the most admired hero in America is . . .

american-idolAccording to a recent Harris Poll, the following people are the top ten most admired heroes in American:

10. Mother Teresa

09. Chesley Sullenberger

08. John F. Kennedy

07. John McCain

06. Abraham Lincoln

05. George W. Bush

04. Ronald Reagan

03. Martin Luther King Jr.

02. Jesus Christ

01. Barack Hussein Obama

Yes America, Barack Obama is bigger than the Beatles!

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Mormon blasphemy illustrated.

The following picture is found on page 126 of the 1972 LDS Family Home Evening Manual to describe to Mormon children “how Jesus was the only begotten Son of God.”

Utter blasphemy!

1972-family-home-eveningFor more information check out:

Mormon Blasphemy: God and Mary had “natural” relations to conceive Jesus

Redefining the Virgin Birth: Mormonism’s Teaching Concerning the Natural Conception of Jesus

Other LDS related posts:

What do Mormons really believe about Christians?

The top 5 Brigham Young teachings that Mormons desperately try to conceal from you

Mormonism on how spiritual veggies differ from earthly veggies

Thanks to Mormonism, discerning good from evil is as easy as a handshake or a hair color

Requirements for Mormon salvation

The Mormon doctrine of Blood Atonement as taught by Brigham Young

The doctrine of Blood Atonement as taught by the Mormon organization

The Mormon “Jesus” is Satan’s brother

Recognizing the 202nd birthday of Joseph Smith by posting some of his false prophecies

What Mormonism really teaches about the Bible

The Gordon B. Hinckley interview (video)

When is an “everlasting covenant” not an “everlasting covenant?” When polygamy becomes unpopular

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the LDS church wishes to remind you that they’ve been racism-free since 1978

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Quotes (486)

tozer.jpg If I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is, rather, a new bright ornament upon the bosom of a self-assured and carnal Christianity. The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it.

– A. W. Tozer

1897 – 1963

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Quotes (485)

firm-foundations-creation-to-christ We distort and confuse the Gospel in people’s understanding when we try to present the Gospel using terminology which turns people’s attention to what they must do rather than outward to what God has done on their behalf. . . . “Accept Jesus into your heart.” “Give your heart to Jesus.” “Give your life to Jesus.” “Open the door of your heart to the Lord.” “Ask Jesus to wash away your sins.” “Make your decision for Christ.” “Ask Jesus to give you eternal life.” “Ask God to save you.” These modern and commonly-used phrases confuse people’s understanding of the Gospel.

– Trevor Mcllwain

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Lessons from Coach.

voddie-baucham The following is a heart-wrenching excerpt from Voddie Baucham’s book Family Driven Faith:

Over the years Coach and I have kept in contact. Every once in a while I pick up the phone and catch up with Coach. Recently I discovered that he had fallen on hard times. He had finally retired and didn’t know what to do with himself. What’s worse, his marriage of over twenty-five years had recently ended. At first I wondered what could possibly have gone wrong. Then it dawned on me. We saw a committed coach who arrived early every morning; his wife saw a man who was never home when she got up in the morning. We saw him as committed; she saw him as overextended. We saw him as a confidant who was always there for us; his children saw a man who was more of a father to strangers than he was to them. Now he spends his nights alone missing the woman who spent a quarter of a century missing him. He sits at home reminiscing about the house he was so committed to that he drove an hour to work every day rather than moving. He yearns for time with his kids, but that time is scarce because they are busy doing what he didn’t—spending time with their families. His days are spent with his elderly father, and occasionally he has a chance to watch his grandkids play ballgames, something I’m sure he wishes he had done more with his children. Every once in a while someone from the past calls and asks, “How’s it going, Coach?” A few minutes later the reminiscing is over, the voice from the past is gone, and Coach is alone with his memories. And all he has to show for it are a few trophies, a couple of pictures, and some patches on an old, faded jacket. I cried when I got off the phone that night. . . . All of the pictures came together, and I finally saw the truth that had been there all along. This man who had meant the world to me had sacrificed his family on the alter of his career, and I was oblivious to it. I considered it normal, even admirable. Suddenly, all these years later, I went from admiring Coach to feeling sorry for him. I saw the trade-off, and it wasn’t worth it. The occasional thanks of strangers will never dull the pain of years missed with your family. Needless to say, when I got off the phone with Coach, I spent some time with my kids. It turns out Coach still had lessons to teach.

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Welcome to “Christianity” in 2009.

*** UPDATE: THE VIDEO IS BACK UP AND CAN BE VIEWED AGAIN ***

When the shepherds of the Church forgo the preaching of the Gospel and resort to appealing to the lost through emotion and entertainment, they are left breathless having to keep coming up with new material to attract and retain the goats they’ve herded into their country clubs with steeples.

But when you’re really hurting to attract people and you’ve run out of ideas, you could always resort to groveling. This video is an example of what happens when goat herders stop relying on preaching the Gospel that saves people, and instead opt for every possible form of manipulation.   What an absolute embarrassment.

Slice of Laodicea weighs in on this foolishness quite aptly:

“When you see videos like the one below, it is difficult to imagine that Christianity used to produce some of the finest minds in the world. The brilliance of men like John Owen and Jonathan Edwards who submitted their minds to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, continues to shine down through the centuries. Harvard and Yale were at one time Christian institutions, dedicated to the Gospel and developing minds to the glory of God.

Fast forward to 2009 and the rotting corpse of Western Christianity. This buffoonery is what now fills churches today—the entire idiotic scene inspired by a children’s cartoon of singing and dancing vegetables. Infantalism rules, literacy is dead, and God-given intellects are dead, suffocated under years of video game playing, movie and television watching. Hard to believe that Christians used to produce books like “Bondage of the Will”, and translations of the Scriptures from the original languages. Today, pastors and church laity are reading “graphic novel” (comic book) versions of the Bible because they struggle to grasp anything beyond a one syllable word. Here are some of evangelicalism’s finest in action. Watch and weep.”