After a class was instructed to sketch something that reminded them of the Christmas holiday, one student drew a crucifix. Apparently, however, according to the godless government-run public school, not only did Christ’s birth have nothing to do with His birth (like they know anything about theology anyway), but it also warranted this child’s removal from school and necessitated a psychological evaluation. Read more about this shocking story from Massachusetts.
Welcome to a brave new world.
Your sermon of the week is Grace Conceived: Unconditional Election by Brian Borgman. This is a great message on the doctrine of Election. If you struggle with this doctrine or simply want to know more about it, you must listen to this sermon.
This is part five of a thirteen-part series entitled Introduction to the Reformed Faith that Pastor Borgman gave in 1998. Look for the each additional installment every couple weeks.
Listen to another great sermon on this subject by Russ Sukhia found on this previous post.
In no way rejoicing, but for those who care to know, Oral Roberts today has joined the growing list of Word Faith teachers who have died. Where once again, a man who claimed he had the power to heal others could not, like his predecessors, heal himself. The cause of Mr. Robert’s death was complications of pneumonia according to Melany Ethridge, his spokeswoman. He was 91 years old.
In poking around the Web, I came across a website of one who was closely tied to the Oral Roberts ministry and was himself a Word Faith preacher and also one of Oral Robert’s bodyguards. Here, I felt it would be profitable to share his reflections since he walked where many of us have not walked regarding the Word Faith movement. And to God be the glory, by His grace, this brother was delivered from the Word Faith movement and is now a Southern Baptist preacher.
Speaking to Oral Roberts death on his blog, he writes:
I do not write this gladly or mockingly. I worked for Oral Roberts for two years. I was one of his bodyguards. I delivered his newspaper every morning. I watched over his family as they slept. I was a huge fan and admirer.
But Oral Roberts died sick today. Just like all of the famous Faith Healers, he has died sick. Kenneth Hagin died of heart disease although he claimed to enjoy Divine Health. He was on heart meds for years.
EW Kenyon, the founder of the Word of Faith Religion and author of the confession brings possesion [sp] message, died from a malignant tumor.
The Word of Faith Message is a false one. It does not work, even for the most famous preachers.
Most assuredly their message is a false one regardless of what the deceivers like Jesse Duplantis continue to spout forth. The only option for those trapped in this movement and in bondage to its damning legalism is that you leave this movement even as Junker Jorge did. And that you come to understand and believe the true gospel where Jesus came not to deliver us from sickness, pain and suffering nor to give us wealth and richers, but the one where he came to set us free from sin and give unto us the gift of eternal life.
From: House of Happiness: “Weighing only 2.5 pounds, Johnny was found in the trash by garbage men on the streets of Quito (the capital of Ecuador, South America). wrapped in a filthy rag, he was taken to the president’s wife, who was overseeing the orphanages of the nation at that time. Henry Davis (the orphanage founder) came to visit her around the same time, and she asked if Henry would take this abandoned little baby to the Happiness Orphanage. He took the baby home to Dorothy, still wrapped in the dirty rags and told her he had a surprise for her. As he began to set the baby down on their kitchen counter top, Dorothy turned around and said, “Don’t set those dirty rags on my counter, Henry!” Before she could get upset, he told her to open the rags and see what was inside. As she opened the rags, she was startled to find a baby. The baby was unnamed, so they began calling him John Mark Peace (“Juan Marco Paz” in Spanish). Johnny was so small and malnourished that they thought he was a newborn. After a visit to the doctor they found out he was one month old. He was so small that Johnny slept in a shoe box. Dorothy cared for him until he was four months old and in good health — then he went to the orphanage to live. He grew up at the orphanage, having no other family. Johnny is now married and has a family of his own. The Lord has blessed him with a charming smile and a natural musical talent.”
I have been researching orphanages and came across this story which I thought I would post to encourage us to be wise stewards with our time and money and to show what a difference one can make. In America and other industralized nations, we often have so much abundance that we do not have enough room to store all of our goods and need bigger houses, taller attics, and rented storage space. And even now so many are preparing to increase their coffers with more goods as we approach the holiday season.
I pray we all might examine our lives and take an accounting of our time, resources and finances to assess how we are using them. And that we might reach out to more of the disadvantaged, downtrodden and despised and share with them the love of Christ, not only in word, but in deed and truth. For it is written:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
And elsewhere, the Psalmist wrote:
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
If any do know of any reputable orphanges, I would be more than interested in learning about them.
As a follow-up to Fourpointer’s post from two days ago, I want to direct your attention to a situation that has arisen between Perry Noble’s church and Dr. James Duncan, a vocal critic of Noble.
I will not attempt to rehash the ugly situation here, but will direct you to the following piece written by Dr. Duncan on the matter: Holy Rage at the Spring
I also highly recommend a fantastic two-part podcast from Pirate Christian Radio on this situation. In the first half of part one of this podcast Chris Rosebrough interviews Dr. Duncan regarding the character assassination and wholly unbiblical and non-Christian acts perpetrated against Dr. Duncan by staff of NewsSpring in retaliation to his vocal opposition to Noble. The second half of part one concludes with Rosebrough’s critique of a Perry Noble sermon. Part two of the podcast is Rosebrough’s continuation of this critique.
You can download the podcasts here:
Perry Noble’s employees assassinate the character of a critic: Part One
Perry Noble’s employees assassinate the character of a critic: Part Two
Frankly, I am not surprised that this whole awful situation has transpired. The current culture that’s being fostered in such churches as NewSpring is that the leader is not to be questioned. When the cults act this way it’s identified as a sign of conditioning and thought-control, but when mega-churches act this way we’re supposed to shut up because Noble’s god told him that those outside of his church who criticize him are jackasses and are to be ignored.
The intolerance and anger that comes from Noble is nothing that his critics should be surprised at. After all, this is the guy, if you’ll recall, who gave a tongue-lashing to his own congregation for expecting their pastor to . . . . well, be a pastor.
Welcome to Laodicea, where peace is defined as the absence of all opposition.
Care not so much for [your children] being mighty in the catechism as for their being mighty in the Scriptures.
J.C. Ryle
1816 – 1900
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What happens when you mix hippies, psychics, and “prophetess” Patricia King? One huge unbiblical mess reminiscent of Woodstock and a Psychic Fair!
See the results in this video clip.
A sword in a madman’s hand, and the Word of God in some wicked man’s mouth, are used much alike.
– William Gurnall
1617 – 1679
In the news: The Duggar’s welcome child number 19 and a feminist who wants the planet to adopt China’s limited child policy (video).
Timothy George, Co-Author of Manhattan Declaration
From: Ralph Ovadal, Pastor of Pilgrims Covenant Church, Monroe, Wisconsin.
The Manhattan Declaration is an ungodly manifesto, contemptuous of the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an ecumenical treatise, complete with a Romish gospel and shot through and through with popish error. Those evangelicals who have authored this document and who have led the way in signing it show themselves to be in rebellion to God. It is, in their case, a brazen manifesto of treason against the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are not friends but rather are enemies of Christian liberty in that they disobey and provoke the Author of liberty with their spiritual fornication, even wresting His word and corrupting His blood-bought church. It is the biblical duty of all faithful Christian pastors to stand against the evangelical authors of the Manhattan Declaration and all evangelicals who sign it or promote it in any way. Such betrayers of Christ and His church must be separated from and called to account by all faithful Christian ministers and people.
For a message speaking to this much needed, very strong public rebuke to the evangelical signers of The Manhattan Declaration, please listen here.
Who made the following statement?
My message is not about doctrine. I don’t have to get 50 references from Scripture in a sermon for it to be a good sermon. Churches that are helping people live out a Christian life are growing and flourishing. . . . I want to be careful not to criticize anybody or be negative . . . but we need to change with the times.
Answer . . .
This is the third of a series of four videos on Jesse Duplantis’ utterly heretical teachings that we’re featuring here on DefCon so you can better understand just how sinister the Charismatic Word of Faith movement really is (see parts one here and two here).
In the following video watch how this great deceiver twists yet more Scripture and subtly manipulates his undiscerning followers to believe his Satanically inspired closing point that “there’s nothing man can’t do.”
Come Judgment Day I am certain he will be singing a different tune, but for his biblically illiterate followers it will be too late.
If only his blind followers read the Scriptures for themselves they’d know they were being lied to.
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men HAD BUILT.
Genesis 11:5
So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they STOPPED BUILDING the city.
Genesis 11:8
Your sermon of the week is The Labor of Prayer by Kenneth Stewart of Dowanvale church in Scotland. Stewart deals not with the issue of prayer in and of itself as much as he deals with the labor of prayer. Definitely a convicting message that I wished to share with the readers of DefCon.
What does any self-respecting false teacher do when confronted with their heresy and the damage that their heresy has caused?
Why, they disrupt a peaceful meeting and file a lawsuit!
That’s right, “disturbing the peace” and “litigious” can now be added to Helen Ukpabio’s repertoire. After her insidious teachings and the damage it has caused countless children and their families in Nigeria (all for financial gain of course) was exposed, her followers have recently resorted to disrupting a conference intended to help the victims of her Hell-spawned doctrine, and filing a lawsuit against her detractors. How typical.
Here’s a description of the mob take-over and the accompanying video:
Supporters of “witch exorcist” Pastor Helen [U]kpabio stormed the Calabar Cultural Center today with the intent of disrupting a child’s rights conference being sponsored by Stepping Stones Nigeria and the Nigerian Humanist Movement. The crowd of over 150 fanatics stormed into the hall chanting religious slogans and intimidating the small crowd, which they outnumbered by more than 5 to 1. Organizers of the event, and the crowd in general, were insulted and physically assaulted to the point where they were forced to abandon the meeting hall and reassemble outside the grounds of the Cultural Center. The police eventually arrived to disperse the mob and a few hours later the conference continued with a large number of supporters in attendance.
For those new to DefCon or are unfamiliar with Helen Ukpabio, check out the disturbing documentary on the post Charismania Unrestrained: Africa’s Witch Children detailing an absolutely heartbreaking travesty taking place in the name of Ukpabio’s false god. Also check out one of Ukpabio’s own propaganda videos on this post.
The following is a letter from Leo Igwe in regards to Helen’s lawsuit:
Reason, Justice and Human Rights Will Prevail
A Press Statement For Immediate release
I have been informed that Helen Ukpabio of the Liberty Gospel Church in Nigeria has sued me to court. She joined in the suit-the Goverment of Akwa Ibom state, Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police of Cross River State, Sam Ituama, Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network, and Gary Foxcroft of Stepping Stones Nigeria. The case came up for hearing on November 4 2009. It was adjourned to November 17, but the court did not sit. Now the case will come up on December 17 for hearing.
Helen applied to the Federal High Court in Calabar for the enforcement of her fundamental rights. She claimed, among other things,that the conference on Witchcraft and Child Rights, held on July 29 in Calabar – which her members disrupted- and the arrest of her church members on the said date constituted an infringement on their rights to practice their christian religious belief relating to witchcraft. She asked the court to issue perpetual injunctions restraining me and others –
From interfering with their practice of christianity and their deliverance of people with witchcraft spirit.
From holding seminars or workshops denouncing the christian religious belief in witchcraft
From arresting her and her church members etc.
Helen asked the court to order that I, the Akwa Ibom state government, Sam Ituama, CRARN and Gary Foxcroft pay her 200,000,000.000.00(two hundred billion) naira(800. 000 dollars) as damages for unlawful and unconstitutional infringement on her rights to belief in God, Satan, witchcraft, Heaven and Hell fire and for unlawful and unconstitutional detention of her two church members.
Helen used a copy of the welcome address in my bag which her members made away with on July 29 and an article by Dr Olusegun Fakoya among others as exhibits.
…She should be ready to pay damages to thousands of children who have been tortured, traumatized, abused and abandoned as a result of her misguided ministry. Helen should be ready to pay for the damage she has done to many homes and households across Nigeria.
…So, whatever the mischief this vicious woman and her rag tag ministry are planning, I am convinced that at the end of the day, reason, justice and human rights will prevail.
Leo Igwe, Ibadan, Nigeria
If you haven’t done so already, take a moment to sign the petition to stop Ukpabio’s reign of terror on helpless children in Nigeria.
Will you put God to this, that either He must work constant miracles in every age, and before every man, or else He must not be believed?
– Richard Baxter
1615 – 1691
The following is from John MacArthur’s book The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ. And as always, he’s spot on.
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The problem is that the needed reformation within evangelicalism won’t occur at all if false ideas that undermine our core theological convictions cannot be openly attacked and excluded. When peaceful coexistence “with our deepest differences” becomes priority one and conflict per se is demonized as inherently sub-Christian, any and every false religious belief can and will demand an equal voice in the “conversation.”
That has actually been happening for some time already. Listen, for example, to what some of the leading voices in and around the Emergent movement have said. Tony Campolo is a popular speaker and author who has a major influence in evangelical circles. He believes evangelicals should be in dialogue with Islam, seeking common ground. In an interview conducted by Shane Claiborne,Campolo said:
I think that the last election aggravated a significant minority of the evangelical community, believing that they did not want to come across as anti-gay, anti-women, anti-environment, pro war, pro capital punishment, and anti-Islam. There is going to be one segment of evangelicalism, just like there is one segment in Islam that is not going to be interested in dialogue. But there are other evangelicals who will want to talk and establish a common commitment to a goodness with Islamic people and Jewish people particularly.
Brian McLaren is perhaps the best-known figure in the Emergent conversation. He thinks the future of the planet—not to mention the salvation of religion itself (including Christianity)—depends on a cooperative search for the real meaning of Jesus’ message. In McLaren’s assessment, this means an ongoing dialogue between Christians and followers of all other religions. This, he is convinced, is of the utmost urgency:
In an age of global terrorism and rising religious conflict, it’s significant to note that all Muslims regard Jesus as a great prophet, that many Hindus are willing to consider Jesus as a legitimate manifestation of the divine, that many Buddhists see Jesus as one of humanity’s most enlightened people, and that Jesus himself was a Jew, and without understanding his Jewishness, one doesn’t understand Jesus. A shared reappraisal of Jesus’ message could provide a unique space or common ground for urgently needed religious dialogue—and it doesn’t seem an exaggeration to say that the future of our planet may depend on such dialogue. This reappraisal of Jesus’ message may be the only project capable of saving a number of religions, including Christianity.
Indiscriminate congeniality, the quest for spiritual common ground, and peace at any price all naturally have great appeal, especially in an intellectual climate where practically the worst gaffe any thoughtful person could make is claiming to know what’s true when so many other people think something else is true. Besides, dialogue does sound nicer than debate. Who but a fool wouldn’t prefer a calm conversation instead of conflict and confrontation?
In fact, let’s state this plainly once more: Generally speaking, avoiding conflicts is a good idea. Warmth and congeniality are normally preferable to cold harshness. Civility, compassion, and good manners are in short supply these days, and we ought to have more of them. Gentleness, a soft answer, and a kind word usually go farther than an argument or a rebuke. That which edifies is more helpful and more fruitful in the long run than criticism. Cultivating friends is more pleasant and more profitable than crusading against enemies. And it’s ordinarily better to be tender and mild rather than curt or combative—especially to the victims of false teaching.
But those qualifying words are vital: usually, ordinarily, generally. Avoiding conflict is not always the right thing. Sometimes it is downright sinful. Particularly in times like these, when almost no error is deemed too serious to be excluded from the evangelical conversation, and while the Lord’s flock is being infiltrated by wolves dressed like prophets, declaring visions of peace when there is no peace (cf. Ezekiel 13:16). Even the kindest, gentlest shepherd sometimes needs to throw rocks at the wolves who come in sheep’s clothing.
In the comment thread of another post, reader “David T” linked to a revealing article on Mark Driscoll from the blog The Christian Worldview which I wished to highlight in this post. You can read it here:
Mark Driscoll: Is He Qualified To Lead?
I caution you, however, that discretion is needed because the article quotes Mark Driscoll heavily. It’s unfortunate I have to provide a caution regarding what comes out of the mouth of a “minister,” but these are the times in which we live.
I hope that the article linked above will help those who are on the fence in regards to Driscoll. But beware, you may feel the need to take a shower after reading some of Driscoll’s quotes.
And for those who feel the need to defend their man Driscoll, before you leave your comments you must first reconcile Driscoll’s speech with the following Scriptures, or don’t expect your comments to be approved.
A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth . . . Proverbs 6:12
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
The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted. Proverbs 10:32
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool. Proverbs 19:1
Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:6-8
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See also:
I’ve had it with Mark Driscoll and his mouth
Sermon of the week: “Sound Doctrine; Sound Words” by Phil Johnson
Recognizing those who are taking a stand against the current downgrade
Any system of training that does not make knowledge of Scripture the first thing is unsafe and unsound.
– J.C. Ryle
1816 – 1900
A few days ago I entered the book section of a local Wal-Mart and was shocked to see a large section of books on Mormonism. And no, this Wal-Mart was not in Utah.
I then checked the internet and discovered they even sell Mormonism’s plagiarized piece of fiction known as the Book of Mormon online. (To understand more about the Book of Mormon check out this excellent documentary.)
I never thought I’d see the day when a major retailer would carry cult literature. I suppose this isn’t much of stretch for Wal-Mart, though. They’ve been selling Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyer for years.
I wonder if the Jehovah’s Witnesses will demand their place on Wal-Mart’s bookshelves next.
Christ Alone Wyoming 