tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76704259546095575122024-03-12T16:28:31.131-07:00The Bottom LineAdvocating the One True Biblical
Gospel of Jesus Christ, Defending the Authority of Scripture, Contending for the Christian Worldview, and Exposing the Lies that Fly Under the RadarCameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.comBlogger901125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-62750241042762809982015-11-17T13:53:00.000-08:002015-11-17T13:58:54.276-08:00The Kingless Kingdom of the Social Gospel<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543160">A Kingdom Without the King</a></h1>
<h1>
<o:p></o:p></h1>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg480BQsdomw-sctLLfcUDMKhlQerWxFUNZ2HsLqwUSEf80KmLWkbPsd41Oq7lXpVMapa7ccYPrCnzmagAZhypaDKwaxsDhU_Su1YjGWHLBt4BXxiRwNqGPdnwZGDAA_r5pDzVOg0isfuY/s1600/tumblr_inline_niiay77Jpr1qfpx75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg480BQsdomw-sctLLfcUDMKhlQerWxFUNZ2HsLqwUSEf80KmLWkbPsd41Oq7lXpVMapa7ccYPrCnzmagAZhypaDKwaxsDhU_Su1YjGWHLBt4BXxiRwNqGPdnwZGDAA_r5pDzVOg0isfuY/s320/tumblr_inline_niiay77Jpr1qfpx75.jpg" width="320" /></a>“A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom
without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
That was H. Richard Niebuhr’s lament concerning the rise of liberal theology in
early twentieth century America and the social gospel that advanced because of
it—a gospelless gospel for a kingless kingdom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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According to Niebuhr, “the kingdom of God” had always been a
fixture in the theology of American Christians. But the concept had become
increasingly subjective as people re-defined it according to their own needs.
For the earliest Protestant colonizers of America, the kingdom of God meant
“the living reality of God’s present rule, not only in human spirits but also
in the world of nature and of human history.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
That view was rooted firmly in the sovereignty of God and man’s complete
inability to bring this about apart from God’s regenerative work in the hearts
of men.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The permeating influence on the surrounding culture would come about through
the evangelistic exploits and transformed lives of those already living in
submission to His sovereign rule. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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For their evangelical descendants, the kingdom of God was
advanced by regenerating society through faith and love. The Roman Catholics
erred by identifying the church (as they understood it) to be the totality of
the kingdom of God.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> But
as German liberalism crossed the Atlantic, the conversion of souls took a back
seat to the conversion of a corrupt society. The liberals, with their limited
focus (or sheer unbelief) in eternal life/damnation, replaced the Great
Commission with a social gospel. They actually thought God needed them to bring
the kingdom by transforming a society full of oppression, injustice, and
inequality. They wanted to see the kingdom come through the Christian takeover
of society—where they would right all the wrongs through social action and
activism. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Alva McClain observes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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According to this emphasis, the Kingdom of God is the
progressive social organization and improvement of mankind, in which society
rather than the individual is given first place. The main task of the Church
is, therefore, to establish a Christian Social Order which in turn will
actually make “bad men do good things.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pay close attention to that quote. It drives at the grave
soteriological error of a social gospel informed by liberal theology. First,
they do not see man as “dead in [his] trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1)<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
but rather as someone in need of “improvement.” McLain backs his argument
against their denial of depravity by quoting the pioneer of Christian social
activism in America, Walter Rauschenbush—“bad men do good things.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Second, their view of the kingdom collectively rather than
individually is reflected in their view of sin. As you read this paper you will
notice that the social justice advocates quoted never refer to individual sins
such as lying, sexual immorality, and blasphemy. They always define sin as
something corporately enacted on the oppressed—institutionalized sins like
racism, exploitation, pollution, not being environmentally friendly, and paying
employees low wages. Thus they veer away from Christ’s atoning work as the
solution for sin, and seek a remedy through social activism. McClain goes on to
say:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Kingdom of God became a “democracy” in which man and
God (if there is a God!) struggled together for the social redemption of
mankind. The Social Gospel thus developed may be traced back to a number of
religious and philosophical tendencies: First, an unwarranted belief in the
inherent goodness of man who, it is assumed, will do right if only given the
right kind of social environment. Second, an almost exclusive emphasis
immanence of God which<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . . proceeded
to strip religion of supernatural elements, and more or less came to identify
God with the “social consciousness” of humanity. Third, a politically naïve
acceptance of Socialism as the best theory of government . . . by means of
rigid social controls. Fourth, a critical attitude toward the Bible, highly
subjective . . . as might more easily lend themselves to strictly social
interpretation. Fifth, the diminishing of essential theology to an alleged
universal Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Niebuhr was accurate when he described the soteriology of
the social gospel: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom
without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span></span></a>
They were his soteriological enemies, but he also realized that they were his eschatological
cousins.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543161">The Eschatology Factor</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
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Postmillennialism was the prevailing eschatology of the
nineteenth century. It informed Christian missiology and led most churches into
the twentieth century. It would take two world wars to kill off the unrealized postmillennial
optimism for a world increasingly conformed to the transforming power of the
gospel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The theological liberalism that took root in America at that
time, while rejecting the evangelical gospel, still held to the same
eschatology, and flourished in that postmillennial climate—at least in the
concept of a temporal world constantly improving under the advancement of God’s
kingdom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), widely regarded as America’s
greatest Christian theologian, was famous for his thundering sermons on God’s
judgment. But he anticipated that the millennium would begin in this world,
around the year 2,000, before the final return of Christ. He saw this time
preceding Christ’s return as an era of peace and well-being where learning and
wisdom would increase. He foresaw new methods of global communication giving people
more time to savor “divine things.” Religion would be the chief concern of all
people and Christianity would spread far and wide.<span style="font-family: "book antiqua";"> </span>From his vantage point at mid-eighteenth century,
Edwards calculated that about two hundred and fifty years were needed to convert
the nations to faith in Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Edwards took his calculations seriously and derived them
from the following estimations: fifty years for Christianity, “in the power and
purity of it,” to win over the Protestant world, fifty more years to gain the
ascendancy over the Roman Catholics, a further fifty years to subdue the
Islamic world and usher in the Jewish nation, and an extra hundred years to
completely evangelize and convert the heathen world—250 years beyond his own
lifetime.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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By the time of Edward’s death in 1758, post-millennialism
was growing and morphing with ever-closer links to the realms of politics and
nations. For the new emerging revolutionaries of that time, the antichrist was
no longer the pope but rather tyrannical earthly governments (although the pope
qualified for that realm as well). The Puritan preaching of New England became
heavily invested in the hostile rhetoric against Britain that fanned the flames
of revolution.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edwards would have
detested liberalism and their agenda of a social justice kingdom advanced by
human means. But his eschatology provided the fertile soil out of which another
gospel would emerge.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Indeed Niebuhr identified the rising social gospel strain of liberalism as the
direct descendant of a postmillennial genealogy.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543162">Is the Kingdom Presently Within Us?</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
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One of the key biblical texts that social gospel advocates
appeal to is found in Luke: <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when
the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God
is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’
or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20–21)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Social justice advocates see
the phrase as proof of the kingdom of God being a present reality indwelling
God’s people. But could that be the case considering that Jesus was speaking to
the Pharisees whom He had elsewhere rebuked and refused entry into the kingdom
(Matt 21:43; 23:13)? <o:p></o:p></div>
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While in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">koine</i>
Greek, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">entos humon </i>does translate as
“inside of you,” it often carries the meaning of “within reach.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
But the “in your midst” or “among you” renderings are more faithful to the
surrounding context of the passage. The kingdom of God was present among the
Pharisees because Christ was present among them. Also, the later passages of
Luke 19:11–27 and Luke 21:31 reveal a kingdom that awaits a future arrival. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Michael Vlach explains: “Jesus’ bodily presence carries with it a
presence of the kingdom. Yet there are consequences for when He leaves the
earth for a while. While He is physically removed from the earth the kingdom is
not present but will come in the future.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John MacArthur adds that the kingdom, in its
present form, is a “spiritual dominion” and not an “earthly geopolitical
realm”:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jesus described the current state of the kingdom as
intangible and invisible: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God
is within [or among] you” (Luke 17:20–21 NKJV). He also said, “My kingdom is
not of this world” (John 18:36 NKJV).<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span></a></span></span></blockquote>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543163">No Gospel, No Kingdom</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
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Without doubt, the most devastating error of the social
gospel is its eternal ramifications. Kevin DeYoung does well in articulating the heinousness
of the crime:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To proclaim the inauguration of the kingdom and all the
other blessings of God without telling people how they may become partakers of
those blessings is to preach a nongospel. Indeed it is to preach an
antigospel—bad news—because you’re simply explaining wonderful things that your
sinful hearers will never have the opportunity to be a part of. The gospel of
the kingdom—the broad sense of “gospel”—therefore, is not merely the
proclamation of the kingdom. It is the proclamation of the kingdom together
with the proclamation that people may enter it by repentance and faith in
Christ.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[19]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543164">Cultural Restoration vs. Gospel Proclamation</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
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Tony Campolo argues that Jesus first and primary message was
not about sin but to inform people that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matt
4:17; Mark 1:15).<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[20]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
What is so deceitful about such a contention is that Campolo makes no mention of
Jesus actually preceding that statement with the call to repentance: “Repent
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). By ignoring (or concealing)
such critical detail, Campolo is able to then persuade the reader further based
on his own definition of God’s kingdom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And that is exactly what he does: “God wants this kingdom to
become established on earth, now! . . . God’s kingdom is a new society that
Jesus wants to create in this world—within human history, not after the Second
Coming or a future apocalypse or anything else. But right now.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[21]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pay special attention to that last quote. Any lengthy
reading of social gospel activists like Campolo will regularly encounter the
phrase “God wants” or “Jesus wants.” Such phrases implicitly impugn God’s
sovereignty by suggesting that God needs human agents to help Him bring about
what He desires but cannot quite bring to pass. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While Campolo concedes ultimate fulfillment awaits Christ’s
return, he still sees God’s kingdom being expanded “through faithful servants,
both inside the church and outside the church, bringing hope to the poor,
liberation to the oppressed, and the creation of a new society in which love
and justice reign.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[22]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Campolo continues in that vein: “Remember: the whole creation is waiting for us
to be instruments of God, through which it will be delivered from its present
tragic condition.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[23]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are wondering what he meant by “faithful servants,
both inside the church and outside the church,” Campolo makes it pretty
obvious: “Believe it or not, U2’s lead singer Bono is using his wealth and
celebrity status to do just that: increase the kingdom of God in the here and
now.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[24]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
So, according to Campolo, not only is kingdom expansion achievable by
Christians, unbelievers are also growing its territory.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kevin DeYoung repudiates such theological delusions of
grandeur. Since the kingdom of God is not yet physically present on earth it
cannot be physically expanded—especially by well meaning social workers: “The
kingdom isn’t geographical . . . and therefore you cannot ‘expand the kingdom’
by bringing peace and order and justice to a certain area of the world. Good
deeds are good, but they don’t broaden the borders of the kingdom.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[25]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brian McLaren tries to conceal his theological guilt by
veiling his error in an endless stream of questions. But at times he overplays
his hand revealing how he understands God’s kingdom and the human means by
which he believes it will be established: <o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What if Jesus’ secret message reveals a secret plan? What
if he didn’t come to start a new religion—but rather came to start a political,
social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution
that would give birth to a new world? What if his secret message had practical
implications for such issues as how you live your daily life, how you earn and
spend money, how you treat people of other races and religions, and how the
nations of the world conduct their foreign policy? What if his message directly
or indirectly addressed issues like advertising, environmentalism, terrorism,
economics, sexuality, marriage, parenting, the quest for happiness and peace,
and racial reconciliation?<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[26]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Campolo and McLaren bring nothing new to the table. They are
merely echo chambers of the liberals from a century ago. </div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543165">Social Salvation vs. Individual Salvation</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reconciliation between sinful men and a Holy God, and the
preaching thereof, is simply not on Jim Wallis’ radar when it comes to the core
of Christianity:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It’s time to reassert and reclaim the gospel
faith—especially in our public life. When we do, we discover that faith challenges
the powers that be to do justice for the poor, instead of preaching a
“prosperity gospel” and supporting politicians who further enrich the wealthy.
We remember that faith hates violence and tries to reduce it and exerts a
fundamental presumption against war, instead of justifying it in God’s name. We
see that faith creates community from racial, class, and gender divisions and
prefers international community over nationalist religion.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[28]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much as Wallis detests the prosperity gospel, his social
version is no better. It may land him at the other end of the political
spectrum, but it brings him no closer to the gospel faith that pre-occupied
Jesus’ ministry—calling on sinners to repent (Matt 3:2; Mark 1:15) that they
would be spared from God’s wrath (Luke 13:3, 5). Both those who are wealthy and
those who are oppressed will still find themselves shut out from God’s kingdom
lest they repent and believe (John 3:36).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wallis’ delusion and hypocrisy run deeper than that as well.
I say delusion because anyone with normal vision should be able to see (and
smell) the hypocrisy of calling a Marxist manifesto, “God’s Politics,” while
chastising his right wing opponents for their narrow claim that “God is on our
side.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn30;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[30]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Wallis may try to present himself as non-partisan—“God is not a Republican or a
Democrat”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn31;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[31]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>—but
that veneer is already destroyed by the time he gets through his introduction.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It is highly recommended that you have an air sickness bag on hand while watching the following video:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6eUkc9GCMEQ" width="420"></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543166">A Trojan Horse in the Reformed Camp</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Supposed bastions of Reformed theology have not been immune
to its infiltration. The language may now be couched in better soteriology, but
its Calvinistic uniform has served as a Trojan horse to ease its infiltration.
Tim Keller pastors one of the largest non-liberal Presbyterian churches in the
United States—Redeemer Church in New York City. He is a founder of The Gospel
Coalition and revered by young Calvinists. But he has also garnered
considerable respect in the secular world. The social justice projects of his
church have won him plenty of admirers from outside the church. And Keller
works hard at phrasing hard-edged biblical truths in a way that is far more
socially palatable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The question that needs to be asked is whether he rephrases,
or revises, central salvific truths. In many instances I would argue for the
latter. Keller’s use of the term Shalom may differ from Campolo’s “expanding
the kingdom” through human effort apart from regeneration, but his description
is eerily familiar:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You may find yourself longing intensely for something
that your reason tells you is futile or your conscience tells you is absolutely
wrong, but you can’t stop wanting it or seeking it. Then you experience an
inner unraveling of psychological shalom, commonly given names like “guilt,”
“being conflicted,” or “anxiety.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn36" name="_ftnref36" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn36;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[36]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Conviction of sin, which produces guilt, is a central work
of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers and unbelievers. But Keller’s
quote regarding guilt sounds far more influenced by modern psychology and seems
to be described in a negative light. But it is in his description of how shalom
is obtained that Keller sounds most like an echo chamber of his liberal
predecessors from a century earlier:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When the society disintegrates, when there is crime,
poverty, and family breakdown, there is no shalom. However, when people share
their resources with each other, and work together so that shared public
services work, the environment is safe and beautiful, the schools educate, and
the businesses flourish, then the community is experiencing shalom. When people
with advantages invest them in those who have fewer, the community experiences
civic prosperity or social shalom.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn37" name="_ftnref37" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn37;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[37]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Niebuhr’s postmillennial eschatology was not without its
problems. But both he and Jonathan Edwards saw no possible advancing kingdom,
or shalom, through wedding missionary endeavor with civil/governmental
institutions. They desired the transformation of society but only ever saw the
kingdom advancing or expanding through the advancement of the gospel. Both
Keller and Russel D. Moore may well be emblematic of a growing infiltration of the social
gospel into how the evangelical and Reformed movements view the kingdom of God,
its timing, its scope, and the role believers should be playing in that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543167">The Protest Rally that Jesus Failed to Organize</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two passages of Scripture that rarely, if ever, gets press
regarding biblical arguments against the social gospel are in Matthew 11 and
Luke 7 when John the Baptist, while imprisoned, sent his disciples to question Jesus over His messiahship.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If ever there was a circumstance for Jesus to enter into
robust social engagement of his time, the unjust imprisonment (and imminent
beheading) of John the Baptist would have been it. Jesus may have proclaimed
John the Baptist to be the greatest of the Old Testament prophets (Matt 11:11),
but He also sent his disciples away with a mission field report. Jesus made
zero effort to visit John or seek his liberty. Jesus did not arrange for His
disciples to picket the prison or make an appeal to the United Nations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Jesus knew that both He and John were on divinely appointed
timetables for martyrdom. As He would later inform Pilate: “My kingdom is not
of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be
fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My
kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36).<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543168">Does Matthew 25 Argue for the Social Gospel?</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You would not tell your children, “Wash always; if
necessary, use water.” Nor would you advise a friend, “Be a faithful husband;
if necessary, love your wife.” Those redundant instructions defy logic. They
also beg the question about what other means you would employ to accomplish
those goals. You might as well tell someone, “Stay alive; if necessary, breath
oxygen.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet many Christians rally around a similarly illogical
statement when it comes to evangelism. “Preach the gospel; if necessary, use
words,” is a mantra that is a darling of social gospel activists. </div>
<h2>
</h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tony Campolo is one of the most prominent advocates for the
social gospel. His handling of Matthew 25 typifies the wider movement. While
not explicitly denying the gospel of grace alone, he argues that it is our
treatment of the poor and oppressed that will determine our eternity: “I place
my highest priority on the words [red letters] of Jesus, emphasizing the 25th chapter of
Matthew, where Jesus makes clear that on Judgment Day the defining question
will be how each of us responded to those he calls ‘the least of these.’”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn44" name="_ftnref44" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn44;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[44]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education
(EAPE), of which Campolo was founder and president, clearly defines who he
thinks “the least of these” are:</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That Jesus was homeless and taught that we may encounter
Him in “the least of these”—the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, widow, stranger
and imprisoned (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Matthew%2025.35-40"><span style="color: #6e3120; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Matthew 25:35-40</span></a>),
is the basis of what Tony calls the Whole Gospel and informs EAPE’s<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn45" name="_ftnref45" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn45;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[45]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
holistic ministry. And it raises questions for the Church and every
Christian: what should be our response to the homeless and to “the least of
these”?<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn46" name="_ftnref46" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn46;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[46]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note Campolo’s use of the term “Whole Gospel.” He is
implying that proclamation of the good news is only a partial gospel and must
be accompanied by social action in order to become a complete or “whole”
gospel. But his imbalanced emphasis betrays his mishandling of Matthew
25:35–40.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>Works vs. Faith</b><br />
<br />
The Bible repeatedly teaches that good works are ultimately <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">God’s</span> works because they are the
natural fruit of salvation; never the cause (cf. Ezek 36:25–27; Jas 2:14–17).
And in Matthew 25 you don’t see judgment based on works, you see works
revealing who is truly saved by faith. John MacArthur is emphatic on this
point:</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The good deeds commended in <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Matthew%2025.35%E2%80%9336"><span style="color: #6e3120; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Matthew 25:35–36</span></a>
are the fruit, not the root, of salvation. It cannot be emphasized too strongly
that they are not the basis of entrance into the kingdom. Christ will judge
according to works only insofar as those works are or are not a manifestation
of redemption, which the heavenly Father has foreordained. If a person has not
trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, no amount of seemingly good works
done in His name will avail to any spiritual benefit.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn47" name="_ftnref47" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn47;" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[47]</span></span></a></span></span></blockquote>
Note also those who Christ condemns were actually surprised that their works did not qualify them: “When did we . . . not” (Matt 25:44).<br />
<br />
<b>False Faith vs. True Faith</b><br />
<br />
Another critical issue in understanding Matthew 25 is to
recognize that the division Christ makes is not between the church and the
pagan world, but between true and false Christians. While the pagan lives in
open unbelief, the false Christian is an imposter who has blended in among
God’s people. False Christians are the recipients of Christ’s most terrifying
judgment:</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone
who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that
day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out
demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to
them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt
7:20–23)</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Matthew 25:34–46 makes a similar division between those who
have genuine faith and those whose faith is false, according to the evidence of
their works. Note carefully that both groups of people think they are
Christians because they address Jesus as “Lord” (Matt 25:37, 44). Both groups
are also surprised by the verdict. The surprise reveals humility among Christ’s
people (“when did we,” Matt 25:37–39) and self-righteousness among those who
are faking it (“when did we . . . not,” Matt 25:44).<br />
<br />
<b>Citizens of the World vs. Citizens of the Kingdom</b></div>
<h2>
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, the beneficiaries of these good works are not the
disenfranchised people of the world, as Campolo suggests. The word “brothers” (Matt
25:40) is vital to understanding where our benevolence is to be directed. Jesus
is saying that the fruit of genuine faith is evidenced in the way we care for <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">fellow believers</span> who are suffering
(cf. John 13:35; 1 John 3:10–11). MacArthur brings this point home:</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The King’s addressing these people as brothers of Mine
gives still further evidence that they are already children of God. . . .
Because of their identity with Christ, they will often be hungry, thirsty,
without decent shelter or clothing, sick, imprisoned, and alienated from the
mainstream of society.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn48" name="_ftnref48" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn48;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[48]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not to deny any duty we have to love the disenfranchised
people of the world. But if proponents of the social gospel were serious about
Scripture, they would target passages that refer to loving our neighbors (Matt
22:39)—even loving our enemies (Matt 5:44). Christ’s words in Matthew 25 have <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">nothing</span> to do with the social justice
being advocated by its proponents. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>Incarnational vs. Eschatological</b></div>
<h2>
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is after Christ’s return that this great and final
judgment takes place. The heirs of the kingdom enter the kingdom of God fully
prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:34) where they will
live forever with the King as He reigns on the new earth over His kingdom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Matthew 25:34–46 was never written as a blueprint for
salvation through social work nor should it be employed as such. It is not an
argument for preaching the gospel through our actions alone, but rather that
our actions authenticate the gospel we preach. And those actions must be
prioritized towards our suffering fellow believers. We must care for other
believers because Jesus commanded us to. We must also realize that a lack of
care may point to a lack of saving faith. And you should always preach the
gospel with words because they are always necessary.</div>
<h1>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512" name="_Toc308543176">Only the King Brings His Kingdom</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
George Eldon Ladd rightly points out:</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jesus did not expect men to overcome evil by their own
power. Nor did He conceive of a gradual conquest of evil by processes immanent
within historical and societal experience. It is significant that Jesus said
nothing about building the Kingdom or of His disciples bringing in the
Kingdom—both being expressions which have been popular in modern theology. Evil
is so radical that it can be overcome only by the mighty intervention of God.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn52" name="_ftnref52" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn52;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[52]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And what is that mighty intervention? Thomas Schreiner
answers clearly that it all hinges on the person and work of Christ:</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
How is it that the eschatological promises, the promises
of the kingdom, are now available for believers? Paul anchors these promises in
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Justification, redemption,
sanctification, reconciliation, propitiation, and defeat of the principalities
and powers have been secured through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In
other words, no one can enter the kingdom apart from the forgiveness of sins.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn53" name="_ftnref53" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn53;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[53]</span></span></span></span></a></blockquote>
__________________________________<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> H.
Richard Niebuhr, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kingdom of God in
America</i> (New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers, 1937), 193.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 51.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid</i>., 144.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Wayne Grudem, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Systematic Theology: An
Introduction to Biblical Doctrine </i>(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994),
863–64.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Alva J. McClain, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Greatness of the
Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God </i>(Winona Lake, IN: BMH
Books, 1974), 11.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> All
Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible unless noted
otherwise.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Walter Rauschenbush, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christianizing the
Social Order </i>(New York, NY: MacMillan Company, 1912), 127.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
McClain, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Greatness of the Kingdom</i>,
12.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Refer to note 1.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
James McDermott, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One Holy and Happy
Society: The Public Theology of Jonathan Edwards </i>(University Park, PA:
Pennsylvania State University, 1992), 78.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Although I would argue that if they were really serious about a revolution they
would have thrown the coffee in the harbor.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
It is easy to be an armchair critic of Edward’s eschatology, especially with
the extra 250 years of hindsight we now own. But I want the record to show that
my criticisms are only for the sake of tracing the roots of the social gospel.
Edwards’ burning desire for mission to all people groups cannot be esteemed
highly enough and other eschatological persuasions should still be able to
extend charity in recognizing the role postmillennial Christians played as
pioneers in the realm of global missions.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Niebuhr,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kingdom of God in America, </i>161.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Michael J. Vlach, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Majestic Reign: A New
Creationst Approach to the Kingdom of God </i>(The Master’s Seminary Course
Notes, Kingdom of God Class: Unpublished, 2015), 308.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 309.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
John MacArthur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parables: The Mysteries
of God’s Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told </i>(Nashville, TN:
Nelson Books, 2015), 40.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn17" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[17]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Keith
Essex, “The Mediatorial Kingdom and Salvation,” The Master’s Seminary Journal
23, No. 2 (Fall 2012), 221.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn18" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[18]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Robert L. Saucy, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Case for Progressive
Dispensationalism: The Interface Between Dispensational and Non-Dispensational
Theology </i>(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993), 101.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn19" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[19]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What Is
the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great
Commission </i>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 108.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn20" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[20]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adventures
in Missing the Point </i>(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 47.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn21" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[21]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn22" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[22]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 51.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn23" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[23]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 52.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn24" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[24]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 54.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn25" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[25]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
DeYoung and Gilbert, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What Is the Mission
of the Church?</i>, 121.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn26" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[26]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Brian McLaren, The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could
Change Everything (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006), 4.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn27" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[27]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Walter Rauschenbusch, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Theology for the
Social Gospel </i>(New York, NY: Macmillan Company, 1917), 142–43.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn28" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[28]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Jim Wallis, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God’s Politics: Why the Right
Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It </i>(New York, NY: Harper One, 2005),
4.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn29" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[29]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.,</i> 6–7.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn30" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn30;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[30]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, xviii.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn31" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn31;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[31]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn32" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref32" name="_ftn32" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn32;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[32]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
McLaren and Campolo, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adventures in
Missing the Point</i>, 25.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn33" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref33" name="_ftn33" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn33;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[33]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid., </i>21.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn34" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref34" name="_ftn34" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn34;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[34]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Brian McLaren, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why Did Jesus, Moses, the
Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World
</i>(New York, NY: Jericho Books, 2012), 157.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn35" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref35" name="_ftn35" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn35;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[35]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
John MacArthur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reckless Faith: When the
Church Loses Its Will to Discern </i>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1994), 109.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn36" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref36" name="_ftn36" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn36;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[36]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Timothy Keller, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Generous Justice: How
God’s Grace Makes Us Just </i>(New York, NY: Dutton, 2010), 174.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn37" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref37" name="_ftn37" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn37;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[37]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 175.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn38" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref38" name="_ftn38" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn38;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[38]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Both Keller and Moore are very conciliatory when it comes to acknowledging
Roman Catholics as Christian brethren.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn39" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref39" name="_ftn39" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn39;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[39]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Russell D. Moore, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kingdom of Christ:
The New Evangelical Perspective </i>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004), 85.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn40" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref40" name="_ftn40" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn40;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[40]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Mark Galli, “Speak the Gospel,” Christianity Today Website, <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/mayweb-only/120-42.0.html">http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/mayweb-only/120-42.0.html</a>
(accessed October 31, 2015).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn41" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref41" name="_ftn41" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn41;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[41]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Rick Warren, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">40 Days of Community: Better
Together Devotional: What on Earth Are We Here For? </i>(Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2010), 61.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn42" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref42" name="_ftn42" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn42;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[42]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Jim Wallis, “Pope Francis’ Message for Washington,” Sojourners Website, <a href="https://sojo.net/about-us/news/pope-francis-message-washington">https://sojo.net/about-us/news/pope-francis-message-washington</a>
(accessed October 31, 2015).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn43" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref43" name="_ftn43" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn43;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[43]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Voddie Baucham, “You Cannot Live the Gospel,” Youtube Website. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rd2WiYyDxs">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rd2WiYyDxs</a>
(accessed October 31, 2015).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn44" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref44" name="_ftn44" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn44;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[44]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Tony Campolo, “Tony Campolo: For the Record,” Tony Campolo Website. <a href="http://tonycampolo.org/for-the-record-tony-campolo-releases-a-new-statement/#.Vg4Hbnh7DxM">http://tonycampolo.org/for-the-record-tony-campolo-releases-a-new-statement/#.Vg4Hbnh7DxM</a>
(accessed October 31, 2015). <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn45" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref45" name="_ftn45" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn45;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[45]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The EAPE has been recently re-launched as “The Campolo Center for Ministry.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn46" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref46" name="_ftn46" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn46;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[46]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Red Letter Christians, “What if the Homeless Man on the Bench Was Jesus?,” EAPE
Website. <a href="http://eape.org/tag/matthew-2535-40-rich-mullins/">http://eape.org/tag/matthew-2535-40-rich-mullins/</a>
(accessed October 31, 2015). Red Letter Christians is another social justice
group who have created a canon within the Canon by prioritizing Jesus’ spoken
words in Scripture. Not only are they undermining biblical authority and
inerrancy, but if they were really serious about the “Red Letters” then they
would have a lot to say about hell since Jesus had so much to say on the
subject. It just goes to show how little they really care for the Bible whether
the letters are black or red.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn47" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref47" name="_ftn47" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn47;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[47]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
John MacArthur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The MacArthur New Testament
Commentary: Matthew 24–28 </i>(Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 122. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn48" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref48" name="_ftn48" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn48;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[48]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ibid.</i>, 124–25.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn49" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref49" name="_ftn49" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn49;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[49]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Vlach, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Majestic Reign, </i>339–40.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn50" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref50" name="_ftn50" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn50;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[50]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Refer to note 1.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn51" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref51" name="_ftn51" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn51;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[51]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
McClain, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Greatness of the Kingdom, </i>11.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn52" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref52" name="_ftn52" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn52;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[52]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
George Eldon Ladd, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Presence of the
Future: The Eschatology of Biblical Realism, </i>Revised ed.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing,
1974), 333.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn53" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref53" name="_ftn53" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn53;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[53]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Thomas R. Schreiner, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The King in His
Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments </i>(Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 641–42.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-32811775804141136602014-02-18T23:26:00.000-08:002014-02-18T23:35:26.024-08:00A Tale of Three ChurchesDisclaimer: In calling this presentation <i>A Tale of Three Churches, </i>the term <i>church </i>as used here denotes that each of these fellowships calls themselves a church. It is not the acknowledgment of all of them as true churches in the biblical sense.<br />
<br />
This is the examination of three high profile churches and their approaches to ministry in three key areas—leadership, preaching, and mission/evangelism. All three churches are large in size and globally influential.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The Churches</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i>A church in the land without the Spirit is rather a curse than a blessing. If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker, remember that you stand in somebody else's way; you are a fruitless tree standing where a fruitful tree might grow. — </i>Charles Spurgeon</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3GuIsl6m_aMNZyAPlgRLcRPXPiGQU4qhURKnap9RDyAp8nB-JFiXNDaFcWeaMSxth-umelwPXfnn6iSlzbw8uSyisRbBFMaKQXuRFW4Hc92TgYKyTsSlS10SttAPr8SWUZrpfIykenY/s1600/Hillsong+Label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3GuIsl6m_aMNZyAPlgRLcRPXPiGQU4qhURKnap9RDyAp8nB-JFiXNDaFcWeaMSxth-umelwPXfnn6iSlzbw8uSyisRbBFMaKQXuRFW4Hc92TgYKyTsSlS10SttAPr8SWUZrpfIykenY/s1600/Hillsong+Label.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a><b><u>Hillsong Church</u></b> originated in Sydney Australia and has its roots in the Australian arm of the Assemblies of God denomination (which is Pentecostal). It has now franchised itself to many major cities all over the world including London, Moscow, Capetown, Paris, Amsterdam, and New York.<br />
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A major reason that I have included Hillsong as one of the churches to profile is because of my long history interacting with them during my time in Australia, and because they are about to open their latest franchise in our own Los Angeles backyard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR11jXV54HXPrOCdy9c5et9BXDFhwYAt9hkmtQHpDV7WKQ6LrEZZr2mGlQ9K9wsugc7CMpHcF-r1jG-nR28HmV0JcwjjMSKJOsOwpJl0m6qDfufmNbXGg9CsIQEMHVG_E5dOipTSFVEo/s1600/Hillsong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR11jXV54HXPrOCdy9c5et9BXDFhwYAt9hkmtQHpDV7WKQ6LrEZZr2mGlQ9K9wsugc7CMpHcF-r1jG-nR28HmV0JcwjjMSKJOsOwpJl0m6qDfufmNbXGg9CsIQEMHVG_E5dOipTSFVEo/s1600/Hillsong.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a>You may have noticed that I am using the term franchise for describing Hillsong's strategy of reproducing themselves around the world. It is not meant to sound derogatory ... no, actually it is meant to sound derogatory. I should be up front from the outset that I am a staunch critic of this organization and as we examine them in the areas of leadership, preaching, and mission/evangelism you will get to see a lot of major reasons for that criticism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKXbCDTNdc9IZDzzLJ9P0fTWqt06irTlDonzwfP5R2opR_vMgpU2FKpghIevF80FkLoADJd5S9UL3OIJ_6vPhreCi2j-j_Q_Lcs7O3Eek33m-9pM1e0tExP7vYjztjpXDitAMXeC8Zfc/s1600/Hillsong+United.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKXbCDTNdc9IZDzzLJ9P0fTWqt06irTlDonzwfP5R2opR_vMgpU2FKpghIevF80FkLoADJd5S9UL3OIJ_6vPhreCi2j-j_Q_Lcs7O3Eek33m-9pM1e0tExP7vYjztjpXDitAMXeC8Zfc/s1600/Hillsong+United.jpg" height="128" width="200" /></a>The major thrust of Hillsong's global impact has been their music. Their choruses are sung around the world in multiple languages and produced with world leading musicianship and production values. Their music has been a massive magnet in drawing people from all over the world to their many conferences which are equal in scale to anything that happens in the USA. Their youth band, Hillsong United, had their last album make the top ten on Billboard's secular charts. The music is a very big deal and has provided an enormous platform for the preaching ministries of Brian and Bobbie Houston (yes his wife is a "pastor") as well as their books.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1m1JNwwlDATCaoyGxfnqhTPEC4dXq2a3nrpSD7fuOX-oK3cP4kPraTy4v6C9v4LKFhCWapDhraxBcYOoGYoSlzPya7K75cZnVZ_EMfQm6pwMA44tNxngx1o9sblSyaWAHrhsI0QCQAfU/s1600/Saddleback-Church-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1m1JNwwlDATCaoyGxfnqhTPEC4dXq2a3nrpSD7fuOX-oK3cP4kPraTy4v6C9v4LKFhCWapDhraxBcYOoGYoSlzPya7K75cZnVZ_EMfQm6pwMA44tNxngx1o9sblSyaWAHrhsI0QCQAfU/s1600/Saddleback-Church-logo.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><u>Saddleback Church</u></b> is a multi-site church with its mother ship located in Orange County, California. Originally affiliated with the Southern Baptist movement, Saddleback has risen to massive global prominence through their pastor Rick Warren who is possibly the world's leading proponent of church growth methodology. Warren's status now goes well beyond the role of pastor and he sees himself as a global statesman and activist in transforming the world. And no, I am not describing another episode of <i>Pinky and the Brain</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eRr1jYB5YAHPc4JeOFHX3JI3W0YO6wvQerXnh094k0aUqNfdLXmXp0O4_kQr7gB-lGy_ncg9qt7xlFsx-E9r98ZYWjUzo2lEDtwlM5OSONhoWclYttLTa4jd2meU-2EUhROyUXAf8AQ/s1600/Saddleback-Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eRr1jYB5YAHPc4JeOFHX3JI3W0YO6wvQerXnh094k0aUqNfdLXmXp0O4_kQr7gB-lGy_ncg9qt7xlFsx-E9r98ZYWjUzo2lEDtwlM5OSONhoWclYttLTa4jd2meU-2EUhROyUXAf8AQ/s1600/Saddleback-Church.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAyraledZgA9OI9p0OHbj_nxadRq6RLyHb6sCPLb9MWgRkiFUPLyPFVxg3rdFRH8rqmv1PfHyvFomaRHAoYxdO8HeoCbf1p1gOHv7BpEPQS3IJq-5og-6_Phu_sNc7ImmBucGl1V9VCs/s1600/new_pdl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAyraledZgA9OI9p0OHbj_nxadRq6RLyHb6sCPLb9MWgRkiFUPLyPFVxg3rdFRH8rqmv1PfHyvFomaRHAoYxdO8HeoCbf1p1gOHv7BpEPQS3IJq-5og-6_Phu_sNc7ImmBucGl1V9VCs/s1600/new_pdl.jpg" height="135" width="200" /></a>Undoubtedly, Saddleback's major catalyst for growth in size and influence has been Warren's phenomenally popular books—<i>The Purpose Driven Life</i> and <i>The Purpose Driven Church. Purpose Driven Life </i>has sold over 32 million copies and is the bestselling non-fiction hardback in history. Did I mention that Purpose Driven Life is the bestselling non-fiction hardback in history? The book essentially is Warren's philosophy for life and has gained widespread acceptance even among business organizations and sporting teams. Warren has now actually placed a patent on the word <i>purpose</i> which is why this presentation has cost me $5.00 thus far (five mentions of the word at $1 apiece).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTDNs8zJFAEBV2ZYwr3BeFolZp-hH_4bHP_-Z-c3wcbAelRRbNV4bWWnpmNu8MjhOwZEcQ2X_S056B_TxYYZ4tUhY3mMRFBTyFuJ4IFHGnwMKI9stsu_iYxP12Hn9w0nojRdqljUfvMw/s1600/WWJMD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTDNs8zJFAEBV2ZYwr3BeFolZp-hH_4bHP_-Z-c3wcbAelRRbNV4bWWnpmNu8MjhOwZEcQ2X_S056B_TxYYZ4tUhY3mMRFBTyFuJ4IFHGnwMKI9stsu_iYxP12Hn9w0nojRdqljUfvMw/s1600/WWJMD.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iq9XpFaDxbhVWCRoiQvNkNKxc-bskc6tEigDm6w_DrfLkFjfObwUHkPRzhV3SoU_L24Fd3Lpcw_-DwqccWdic3UmwyYA8EtCXwqB5ybhMICy5cgRpWQYRhxmd-iY9p5EnHkImrXa7qc/s1600/GCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iq9XpFaDxbhVWCRoiQvNkNKxc-bskc6tEigDm6w_DrfLkFjfObwUHkPRzhV3SoU_L24Fd3Lpcw_-DwqccWdic3UmwyYA8EtCXwqB5ybhMICy5cgRpWQYRhxmd-iY9p5EnHkImrXa7qc/s1600/GCC.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">Grace Community Church</u> in Sun Valley California is the third church we will be looking at in this presentation. It is a suburban church that experienced significant growth through the "Jesus movement" of the sixties and seventies.<br />
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Though not as large as Saddleback or Hillsong, GCC is a burgeoning mega-church with a major global impact through it's Master's Seminary, Shepherd's Conferences, and the radio ministry of its pastor John MacArthur. On the modern evangelical landscape, GCC is seen as a stick in the mud church with doctrinal rigidity and an aloofness from the various trends that have swept through churches over recent decades.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The Leadership</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i>I exhort the elders among you ... shepherd the flock of God ... exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. — </i>1 Peter 5:1–4</h3>
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<b><u>Leadership: Hillsong Church</u></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-30H2tSFtxEX4j6oHQOGE1X-OSZhMyMs8DETnSwMQchT8FUr6uRlykv8sa92VALc1a3p2qFRZwAgH9LJrKkF_cutVJrNuqXWEavadAYciZ4ssOu2YMJgSFN3ynwMWeeZNMDgapd9V9s/s1600/Brian-Houston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-30H2tSFtxEX4j6oHQOGE1X-OSZhMyMs8DETnSwMQchT8FUr6uRlykv8sa92VALc1a3p2qFRZwAgH9LJrKkF_cutVJrNuqXWEavadAYciZ4ssOu2YMJgSFN3ynwMWeeZNMDgapd9V9s/s1600/Brian-Houston.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a>The pastor of Hillsong's founding church is Brian Houston. He also oversees all the other Hillsong churches as well as being the National President of the Australian Christian Churches denomination (an amalgamation of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches including those formerly known as the Assemblies of God). He is actually the Senior Pastor of every Hillsong church around the world which must certainly make matters of church discipline and visitations very challenging.</div>
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Due to my rather lengthy history of correspondence, investigation, and articles on the Hillsong empire I was not able to ask specific questions regarding their philosophy of leadership and model of church government. While the inner workings cannot be precisely known, due to their high international profile and the mass marketing of their material, a fairly accurate picture can be assembled quite easily.</div>
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The pictured book title gives an excellent synopsis of Brian Houston's philosophy of leadership. While he carries the title of senior pastor, he really functions much more as the CEO of a vast organization and marketing machine where mentors his people as a life-coach and motivational speaker. Tony Robbins with some Bible verses for window dressing.</div>
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Since his wife Bobbie is his fellow senior pastor it is clear that his philosophy of church leadership is not informed by 1 Timothy 2–3 and Titus 1. Brian is seen very much as the visionary pastor and his staff and congregation are to be zealously protective of that vision. Any criticism is very poorly received. Brian and Bobbie's consuming desire, according to their website bios, is to place value on humanity. Their approach to building the church is very much pragmatic and based upon the various models they have tried and then sticking with the ones that achieve the best numerical results. That is why I used the term <i>franchising </i>earlier. Because there models of success in church growth are the blueprints for every other Hillsong franchise around the world. Listen to Brian long enough and the pragmatism always shines through. He is very slick at not taking sides and not alienating any demographics in what he says. When interviewed on abortion, Houston said:</div>
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<i>On the subject of abortion I'm pro-life. But in a way I'm pro-choice as well, because I believe in the sanctity of life and I believe that life begins at conception. But I also believe that ultimately human beings have to make their own choices, and I ultimately can't tell you what you should do.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmZ6cp1IKcaXV7ZX4Wy3L0q-WrxFNBb7cT3BcnePNzXEJIulR_Rx3afOMYXy12HixSgGBnSCtauKu8aLMLiSOVHYUCjN8UWuv3pRv9_BRKRueNgHogOR3TI1FpICDmBmwfJHEpemajPo/s1600/YNMM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmZ6cp1IKcaXV7ZX4Wy3L0q-WrxFNBb7cT3BcnePNzXEJIulR_Rx3afOMYXy12HixSgGBnSCtauKu8aLMLiSOVHYUCjN8UWuv3pRv9_BRKRueNgHogOR3TI1FpICDmBmwfJHEpemajPo/s1600/YNMM.jpg" height="200" width="111" /></a>Attitudes towards money are also an important issue for church leaders as Paul says that those who are elders must not be "a lover of money (1 Timothy 3:3). Although Brian Houston bristles at the suggestion that he is a prosperity preacher, he lays out his financial theology quite clearly in his book titled <i>You Need More Money. </i>In it he encourages us to "become comfortable around money" by "putting on your best clothes and ordering coffee in a fancy restaurant or hotel lobby. Even though you could make the coffee for half the price at home, the total experience may enlarge your thinking. You may even feel better about yourself and life." </div>
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Hillsong is now a very marketable brand and carries a strong allure with it. I can guarantee that outstanding music and musicianship will be an essential part of the new Hillsong that opens soon in Orange County. And the musician's caliber always trumps his character when it comes to selecting the right team. </div>
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<b>Key Quotes:</b></div>
"I appoint the elders and then the rest of the elders vote on that." — Brian Houston<br />
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"When you are doing what is correct in God there is a protection over your life. Like—hello—it is just there. So it is a very powerful thing. Amen. Yeah, fully." — Bobbie Houston<br />
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<h3>
<b><u>Leadership: Saddleback Church</u></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SC2XkqWa1wbYStNFe3VnsnQJAKygFcmm3ifLmF_VhZNxieehk3O64otB9dtTJFhfLQG8l8SajFtgWLzatGlppu7aBIozOVi2B5lOLSzK8c3isiyFescIEc9Oi5sX7s0bQt7wm6NU9bU/s1600/rick-warren-time-mag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SC2XkqWa1wbYStNFe3VnsnQJAKygFcmm3ifLmF_VhZNxieehk3O64otB9dtTJFhfLQG8l8SajFtgWLzatGlppu7aBIozOVi2B5lOLSzK8c3isiyFescIEc9Oi5sX7s0bQt7wm6NU9bU/s1600/rick-warren-time-mag.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a>Saddleback's senior pastor is Rick Warren. I was unable to get any answers regarding Saddleback's leadership philosophy and model of church government. What we do know is that Warren's big picture initiatives do give us a window into his philosophy of ministry.<br />
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His approach is very ecumenical when it comes to interfaith dialogue but heavy handed when dealing with <i>Purpose Driven </i>dissenters. Joseph Farah of World Net Daily has pointed out:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58870" style="text-decoration: none;">While mega-pastor Rick Warren has joined a group of 100 church leaders calling for interfaith dialogue and the building of "common ground" with Muslims</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">, he has a slightly different outlook toward Christians with whom he disagrees.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">In his latest missive to fellow pastors, he writes: "You've got to protect the unity of your church. If that means getting rid of troublemakers, do it."</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"> </span></span></div>
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Perhaps this hints at Warren's leadership Modus Operandi. </div>
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Tellingly, Warren had absolutely nothing to say about eldership and church government in an article he wrote on his church leadership website, pastors.com. His article was called <i>Organize Your Church on Purpose and Giftedness. </i>And that is pretty much all he talked about concerning church structure. There was no information I could find on the Saddleback website regarding other pastors or elders. Perhaps the revelation of being complementarian or egalitarian would put a major dent in the breadth of his appeal. Though Warren is seemingly silent on that issue, the fact that women have filled his pulpit during weekend services on a number of occasions shows his hand in that regard.<br />
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Concerning how much power he wields on Saddleback's elder board remains a mystery. But time has borne out the reality that those churches who buy into the <i>Purpose Driven </i>program are counseled to remove dissenters or wait for them to leave.<br />
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With phenomenal book sales, Rick Warren has become a bankable brand. And he clearly has an army of spin doctors constantly working to purge the internet of criticism as well as <a href="http://www.wnd.com/2006/12/39298/" target="_blank">contradictory statements he has made</a>. I personally know of people who have had their web servers pressured to remove their websites by Rick Warren's defenders. <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2052851/posts" target="_blank">One individual had his blog shut down</a>. There do seem to be some sacred untouchable cows in what Janet Mefford has referred to as the <i>Evangelical Industrial Complex </i>and Rick Warren certainly looks like one of those protected species. One cannot help but think that he would be difficult to overrule at the eldership level in Saddleback church.<br />
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<b><u>Leadership: Grace Community Church</u></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNKCw0LCe5YEgeDeWWMeHdRCoVn5njNiViYKnnP975yRJ-vZ48AlCHZc4U26xFmgqJm1y5A4VT-IotbKWnymNFbFdkcr7HB32i9iJCva2h5VtnaNIFqlDnne9qD1Fin0XC6iQGgE6DmA/s1600/JM+Hawaii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNKCw0LCe5YEgeDeWWMeHdRCoVn5njNiViYKnnP975yRJ-vZ48AlCHZc4U26xFmgqJm1y5A4VT-IotbKWnymNFbFdkcr7HB32i9iJCva2h5VtnaNIFqlDnne9qD1Fin0XC6iQGgE6DmA/s1600/JM+Hawaii.jpg" height="200" width="143" /></a>Grace Community Church is a church ruled by a plurality of forty elders. John MacArthur may be the elder most recognized for his preaching and teaching gift, but that does not translate to veto power at the eldership level. He does not always get his way and neither do any of the other elders. Votes must be unanimous to pass and forty elders means a tremendous safety buffer of checks and balances. it would be near impossible for a pope or dictator to rise up within such a leadership structure. </div>
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John MacArthur has a 45 year track record of leadership informed by Scripture, applied consistently in all spheres of life, and lived by example in the leadership of his family before the members of GCC for all of those years. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are the filters through which every elder candidate passes. The evidence is overwhelmingly demonstrative of this high view of Scripture. For example, elders with children who apostatize or live in constant rebellion normally step down from eldership both in obedience to 1 Timothy 3:4 and Titus 1:6, and a desire to prioritize the evangelism of their own immediate family. GCC's commitment to male eldership and male preachers again speaks volumes for their unwavering subservience to the dictates of Scripture rather than the whims of the world.</div>
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John MacArthur's leadership has also been a bastion of biblically understanding when separation is necessary. MacArthur has four decades of refusing to buy into ecumenism, capitulating to Rome, nor associating with false teachers and apostates. Sadly, MacArthur's sterling example on this front has been emulated by scant few.</div>
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<b>Bonus Material:</b><br />
<a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2014/02/book-review-masters-plan-for-church.html" target="_blank">Book Review — The Master's Plan for the Church by John MacArthur</a><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Preaching</b></h2>
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<b><i>The preacher's job is to deliver the goods, not to manufacture them. — Dr. Irv Busenitz</i></b></h3>
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<b><i>Forty Days of Your Best Prayer of Jabez Now — Cameron Buettel</i></b></h3>
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<h3 style="font-weight: normal;">
<b><u>Preaching: Hillsong and Saddleback Church</u></b></h3>
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Probably the most critical question that congregants need to ask about the preaching they sit under concerns whether the text drives the sermon or the sermon drives the text. Hillsong and Saddleback preaching overwhelmingly falls into the latter category. It does not take long for a discerning listener to realize that both of these churches churn out sermon after sermon where a pre-determined idea gets married to a biblical passage deemed as a suitable partner. Furthermore, the suitable text is often ripped wildly from its proper context in order to make that square peg fit in their round hole.<br />
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Hillsong have also brazenly displayed their contempt for biblical authority by their willingness to edit Bible verses in accordance with their own agenda. Tragically, they are a sacred cow in Australia and have escaped any public rebuke from any prominent Christian leaders. Their willingness to make Hillsong altered Bible verses for their Hillsong adjusted gospel presentations is nothing short of disgraceful. <a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/04/hillsong-adjusted-bible-verses-more.html" target="_blank">Their conflicting excuses for doing this</a> would be laughable if they weren't so tragic.</div>
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Both Brian Houston and Rick Warren approach the task of preaching from the starting point of their own chosen topic. That is not always a problem, but it is if that is the totality of what they feed their members. An even greater problem is when you start with a patently unbiblical idea. But perhaps the ultimate tragedy is when an essential soteriological truth gets buried beneath the weight of their own agenda. And that is precisely what happened when Brian Houston preached at Rick Warren's church out of 2 Corinthians 7:8–10.</div>
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<b>Bonus Material:</b></div>
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<a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2013/01/hillsong-pastor-brian-houstons.html" target="_blank">A Review of Brian Houston's Sermon at Saddleback Church</a></div>
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<a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2013/04/is-there-no-repentance-in-gospel-of-john.html" target="_blank">Is There No Repentance in the Gospel of John</a>?</div>
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<b>Key Quote: </b></div>
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"The Bible's a big book, and you're never going to get people to have total agreement on that big book." — Brian Houston</div>
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Rick Warren has committed the same crimes on numerous occasions. Most of us were shocked when John Piper invited him to be a keynote speaker at the Desiring God conference. What Warren delivered was some shambolic handling of Scripture. Among the many problems was his redefining of repentance in non-lordship terms; Warren described Jesus' words concerning his yoke and his burden as a discussion on felt needs; and also demonstrated that he is the master of the <i>humble boast—</i>a difficult manouvre that can only be performed by those most expert in promoting their own humility: </div>
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(Watch <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/conference-messages/the-battle-for-your-mind" target="_blank">this video</a> from 43:30 to 44:25, warning: video may induce vomiting)</div>
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<b>Bonus Material:</b></div>
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<a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/01/critique-of-rick-warrens-sermon-at.html" target="_blank">Blow by Blow Analysis of Rick Warren's Sermon at Desiring God</a></div>
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John Piper's interview with Rick Warren was also very revealing in a very unrevealing sort of way. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We all know Rick Warren is a smart operator. His MO is always to adapt to his audience and Piper is no exception. It is bizarre that Piper recognizes Warren as a pragmatist, and Warren's pragmatism demands that he gives Piper the answers he wants. Trying to understand Warren doctrinally is like shooting at moving goalposts, and yet Piper just doesn't see the pointlessness of this exercise. Warren tells Piper he believes in the doctrines of Grace and then tells an inter-faith forum (made up of Hindus Muslims etc) that he has no interest in seeing them converted but wants to work together with them. He said on national TV that "God's not mad at you, He's mad about you" and then tells Piper his hero is Jonathan Edwards (who preached Sinners in the Hands of an angry God). And then tells Larry King his hero is Ghandi, tells Barack Obama his hero is Martin Luther King, and tells the Catholics his hero is Mother Theresa. The man is a chameleon. Warren told his church he is opposed to homosexual marriage and then denied it on Larry King. He positively commended the President of Syria (in person) for his treatment of Christians and then told Syrian Christian refugees who live in America that he never did such a thing. He can talk to Muslims for an hour without ever mentioning the Lord Jesus Christ and then tell Piper it's his central focus. Warren can tell Piper that penal substitutionary atonement must always be there in Gospel preaching, but I cannot find a single sermon with him talking about it. If I sound upset it is because I am. Warren needs to be taken to task over these inconsistencies and if John Piper will not do it, then who will?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Bonus Material:</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/06/john-piper-rick-warren-interview-part-1.html" target="_blank">Analysis of the John Piper - Rick Warren Interview (Featuring Phil Johnson, Tim Challies, Frank Turk, and Chris Rosebrough)</a> </span></span></div>
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Both Hillsong and Saddleback profess submission to the authority of God's Word. But I fail to see how they can possibly do that when they continually preach Scripture as the servant of their own sermonic thrusts.</div>
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<h3 style="font-weight: normal;">
<b><b><u>Preaching: Grace Community Church</u></b></b></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR2jA12N5UBcjQIckzsv_ssH-dUmB2_eSezID-RQ0WqidKfYy7uPav0jqSsFQ7UtKtJw26NgNhS4BI-IxAfY_ufEG7cL8MfrwfDP5XiBg8DTX0LOHS8rzh4GIH25IJ__7casw5CxfFOM/s1600/MacArthur+pulpit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR2jA12N5UBcjQIckzsv_ssH-dUmB2_eSezID-RQ0WqidKfYy7uPav0jqSsFQ7UtKtJw26NgNhS4BI-IxAfY_ufEG7cL8MfrwfDP5XiBg8DTX0LOHS8rzh4GIH25IJ__7casw5CxfFOM/s1600/MacArthur+pulpit.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a>John MacArthur's preaching legacy is already well established. Having pastored the same church for 45 years and preaching through the entire New Testament verse by verse, MacArthur is a preacher who has continually been enamored with God's Word. I once heard him say that he does not read the Bible to find a sermon, he reads the Bible to know the mind of Christ. This represents a clear reversal of the approach practiced at both Saddleback and Hillsong. I am convinced that the greatest treasure chest on the world wide web is John MacArthur's entire sermon archive available for free download.<br />
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Try downloading a sermon of MacArthur's from the seventies, eighties, nineties, and noughties and you will be struck by the textually driven nature of the preaching. Even the illustrations are overwhelmingly drawn from biblical cross-references. The lack of engagement in cultural matters of that time only serves to give an aura of timelessness and current relevance to the listener. How ironic, that so many in their quest for relevance actually make themselves irrelevant. Mark Driscoll's sermonic illustrations connected with the movie <i>Talladega Nights </i>are only a few years old and already most people have no clue about those illustrations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwKMePyXjwO6bEzwhrJxKMS3o5xNN_5UU0YavWRUzwaMPl8ZLYkY68zpRH83yoQIVvGVpQYdD79SPhpN-g1ZJwjVMs5F0r5ZHvkpEWEWPyZPeBr5yuyPMMufTHKaSsLRTvyklnpttxsw/s1600/Houston+skinny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwKMePyXjwO6bEzwhrJxKMS3o5xNN_5UU0YavWRUzwaMPl8ZLYkY68zpRH83yoQIVvGVpQYdD79SPhpN-g1ZJwjVMs5F0r5ZHvkpEWEWPyZPeBr5yuyPMMufTHKaSsLRTvyklnpttxsw/s1600/Houston+skinny.jpg" height="109" width="200" /></a>MacArthur's suit and the big pulpit he stands behind also speaks volumes regarding his desire to point his people towards God's Word. The large pulpit makes the preacher look smaller and the Bible ever in front of him takes pre-eminence. Though not legalistic about it, MacArthur believes that wearing a suit helps represent the seriousness of the task of handling and proclaiming God's Word.<br />
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I generally do not buy the mega-church pastor claims that they are being edgy and contextual and relevant by wearing their street wear or casual clothes. Personally I don't take offense at Rick Warren's Hawaiian shirts, but I think it speaks volumes about his heirarchy of importance when he wears a suit to the White House and jeans in the Lord's house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PhXUObdZpM0C3GFIp7t8I0LIRIkNVx_eR3gLf8bsqmjOqlLQryJWbs7wLkQSXi083LgNqqAHq5KAhbY6s5xD2AdbgKVlom2d350tEvUnHy89tvG-CSHc9hyQkIQist0ayZV92BksM8Q/s1600/stool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PhXUObdZpM0C3GFIp7t8I0LIRIkNVx_eR3gLf8bsqmjOqlLQryJWbs7wLkQSXi083LgNqqAHq5KAhbY6s5xD2AdbgKVlom2d350tEvUnHy89tvG-CSHc9hyQkIQist0ayZV92BksM8Q/s1600/stool.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>It also needs to be said (pause for a moment and check for a log in my own eye) that there is something decidedly lame about middle aged men trying to dress like their teenage sons. Petra tried to do it in the nineties somehow thinking that spandex is a viable fashion option for men in their fifties. Brian Houston works hard on his fitness and likes to wear skinny jeans. Rick Warren sits on a stool in the middle of a vast stadium because he thinks it is a way of connecting with his audience ... and probably because he doesn't fit a pair of skinny jeans. But God's Word endures when our coolness fades into oblivion. There is nothing more relevant than pointing all people away from ourselves and towards its own timeless truths of God and man, sin and death, judgment and eternity. It's why young people who are concerned about those things flock to hear the silver haired man in the suit with his Bible always before him.<br />
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<b>Bonus Material:</b><br />
<a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2014/02/book-review-rediscovering-expository.html" target="_blank">Book Review — Rediscovering Expository Preaching by John MacArthur and The Master's Seminary Faculty</a><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Missions and Evangelism</b></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Preach always, if necessary use words — Rick Warren</i></b></h3>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Wash always, if necessary use water — Cameron Buettel</i></b></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>There are only two times you should preach the gospel; in season and out of season — Ray Comfort</i></b></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;"><b><u>Mission/Evangelism: Hillsong Church</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: 800;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1vF_-3zJix9tUkfgwkFxJFJ43m45Gv5A9S0qPeOqKug3viZJj5DWhdOfZ5fAKdezltneZrFD_B9pBajiJu4DRYcrkXU6uNl7j7oqL-r6K6V73udGmBu3bZUzNvdl-qQ5REljTTvDAV8/s1600/citycare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1vF_-3zJix9tUkfgwkFxJFJ43m45Gv5A9S0qPeOqKug3viZJj5DWhdOfZ5fAKdezltneZrFD_B9pBajiJu4DRYcrkXU6uNl7j7oqL-r6K6V73udGmBu3bZUzNvdl-qQ5REljTTvDAV8/s1600/citycare.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>An extensive examination of Hillsong's mission endeavors will expose you to a lot of social justice programs. They certainly do many helpful projects both locally and internationally, but they are driven by humanitarian goals rather than adorning the preaching of the gospel. It is also noticeable that their aid projects are not prioritized towards suffering believers, but rather among the community at large where great effort is made to raise their community profile. In fact among the myriad of Hillsong outreaches I was unable to find anything that involved any form of evangelism and witnessing. This stems from two major problems:<br />
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1. The evangelism is done during the main church service; and<br />
2. The main church service fails to do any evangelism.<br />
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My background is in the AOG movement of Australia and I personally lived through the rise of Hillsong to where it has become the overwhelmingly dominant force in Australian charismaticism and evangelicalism. During that time <a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/01/false-gospel-of-hillsong-part-1-houston.html" target="_blank">I have personally challenged them repeatedly over the discrepancies between their doctrine statement and what they preach</a>. The most glaring example is their doctrine statement which has always insisted on repentance as a necessary part of conversion and yet I have never heard repentance preached from any of their preachers or articles in more than two decades. In January 2010, after being affronted once more with their false gospel and continually obstructed and ignored by their leadership, <a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/search?q=gospel+according+to+Hillsong" target="_blank">I went public and called them out</a> (see also bonus material below).<br />
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The gospel that is preached would best be described as a hybrid word-faith message of success, sensuality, and self-esteem. There is no preaching of God's character, man's depravity, the danger of judgment, Christ's person and work, and the call on all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Key Quote: </b></span></b><br />
"Doctrine Statement, Shmoctrine Statement!" — Cameron Buettel<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Bonus Material: </b></span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/brannon-howse-aired-february-13-2014" target="_blank">My recent interview on Worldview Weekend Radio concerning the gospel according to Hillsong</a><br />
<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/02/false-gospel-of-hillsong-part-4-my.html" target="_blank">My entire correspondence with Hillsong's chief theologian, Ps. Robert Fergusson</a><br />
<a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-online-discussion-with-hillsongs.html" target="_blank">My online discussion with Hillsong's Executive Pastor, Ps. Joel A'Bell</a><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u>Mission/Evangelism: Saddleback Church</u></b></span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The only global mission work being promoted on the Saddleback website is Rick Warren's PEACE plan. Here is their own description:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The vision of the PEACE PLAN is to mobilize Christians around the world to address five GIANT PROBLEMS:<br /><br />Spiritual Emptiness<br />Self-Serving Leadership<br />Poverty<br />Disease<br />Illiteracy<br /><br />The Christian Church was designed by God to take the lead in this effort. It has the world's largest distribution network, the most people ready and to serve, and the greatest motivation of all—the LOVE of Jesus Christ. Since responding to these five global giants through the local church is what Jesus says Christians must do, that’s where the PEACE Plan focuses. We have committed ourselves to fulfilling these five expressions of God’s love:<br /><br />Promote Reconciliation<br />Equip Servant leaders<br />Assist The Poor<br />Care For The Sick<br />Educate The Next Generation</span><br /><br />That sounds more like a UN charter than an evangelism strategy. To quote from the Saddleback website:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The bottom line is that we intend to reinvent mission strategy in the 21st century. This will be a new Reformation. The First Reformation returned us to the message of the original church. It was a reformation of doctrine - what the church BELIEVES. This Second Reformation will return us to the mission of the original church. It will be a reformation of purpose- what the church DOES in the world.</span><br /><br />Attention Pastor Warren - why not try preaching that "message" that the first reformers recovered before we even start talking about doing anything. This "second reformation" Warren is fantasizing about only reflects poorly on his understanding of the biblical Gospel and the nature of true conversion. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart, not purpose driven education. </span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Warren's second reformation mantra of "deeds not creeds" is a giant red flag. He really believes that the church has got its doctrine right but are not living in accordance with it. <a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/04/michael-horton-on-john-pipers.html" target="_blank">Michael Horton, however, would beg to differ</a>. In reality, the problem is the exact opposite of Warren's assessment—he is actually preaching the wrong doctrines and they are living it.</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rick Warren's massive selling book, <i>The Purpose Driven Life, </i>has some major weaknesses. These include the use of many different, and sometimes bizarre, Bible translations to somehow give a Scriptural rationale for Warren's agenda. He also fails to differentiate between believers and unbelievers when applying biblical promises. But worst of all, his gospel presentation is just a complete crash and burn: </span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Bonus Material:</b></span></b></div>
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John MacArthur explains what is wrong with <i>The Purpose Driven Life ...</i></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nI9EzMWZoag" width="420"></iframe></div>
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<b><br /></b>
It may be politically incorrect but it needs to be said—Rick Warren is an epic failure as an evangelist. I cannot see any good reason why I should believe that most of Saddleback's tens of thousands of members are truly regenerate.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u>Mission/Evangelism: Grace Community Church</u></b></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></b>
The gospel permeates every arm of GCC's mission arms. Rather than their social work being the heartbeat of their mission program, it is the kindness that accompanies their gospel preaching. Whether door to door in the local area, the annual Christmas concert, or their foreign missionaries and seminaries, all of these are done for the express purpose of reaching out to hell-bound people with the message of eternal life. John Pipers article below explains why true societal transformation only happens as an indirect byproduct of missionaries who evangelize rather than a team of social workers.<br />
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<b>Bonus Material:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/missions-rescuing-from-hell-and-renewing-the-world" target="_blank">Missions: Rescuing from Hell and Renewing the World by John Piper</a><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><u>Conclusion</u></b></span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The differences are stark between GCC and Hillsong/Saddleback. Am I biased? I am very biased towards biblical alignment and GCC has that in spades. I am not foolish enough to believe that I can put an end to the violence done to the gospel by churches like Hillsong and Saddleback. But I do believe that we should make a concerted effort to pressure these churches into either conforming their teaching to their doctrine statements or conforming their doctrine statements to their teaching. It is time to put their cards on the table.<br />
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<b>Bonus Material:</b><br />
My recent interview on Tony Miano's radio show — <i>When Doctrine Statements are Used to Deceive</i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/raYBqsJN5mM" width="420"></iframe>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><br /></b></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Bonus Material:</b></span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2013/03/you-might-be-false-teacher-if.html" target="_blank">You Might Be a False Teacher If ...</a>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-20223413373071487752014-02-10T19:39:00.000-08:002014-02-17T22:26:12.056-08:00Book Review - The Master's Plan For The Church<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48bjSYQfAPYPGOKZnmdzAD8sgzuss8MyY-QY-v6d4jfVH_O2wWw5Ef87Ve5GiKEF3r_nGTU97NAbqU8JGFlxaUodtafptDRWSO8ZPbhiOnkGbnleGadW3F8R18hY3QqNADSrPrntUJtg/s1600/TMPC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48bjSYQfAPYPGOKZnmdzAD8sgzuss8MyY-QY-v6d4jfVH_O2wWw5Ef87Ve5GiKEF3r_nGTU97NAbqU8JGFlxaUodtafptDRWSO8ZPbhiOnkGbnleGadW3F8R18hY3QqNADSrPrntUJtg/s1600/TMPC.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Master’s Plan for the Church </i>by John MacArthur is his
application of the biblical blueprint for a true New Testament church that
honors Jesus Christ and exists for the glory of God. MacArthur brings God’s
Word to bear on the questions concerning how the church should be governed, how
it should be led, and how it should operate. If you are looking for the next “40
Days of Your Best Prayer of Jabez Now,” then you had better head back over to
the front section and best-seller shelves of your local Christian bookstore.
This is not the book for those enamored with consumer driven models for church
growth. MacArthur begins and ends with what has always mattered to him—what has
God revealed in His sacred Word concerning His church.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is difficult to think of any better candidate than Dr.
John MacArthur Jr. for writing a book on the local church that is
uncontaminated by the many trends and fads that have come and gone during his
forty-five years of pastoral ministry at Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun
Valley, California. He has the track record of persevering in the labor that he
began back in 1969. MacArthur has always refused to buy into the many church
growth strategies that have been in and out of vogue during his tenure at GCC.
Instead, during those decades he has expositionally preached his way verse by
verse through the entire New Testament. Rather than cashing in on such an
immense legacy, MacArthur has thrown the floodgates open and made his entire
sermon archive freely available all over the globe through the internet. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One cannot help but feel that MacArthur would have little
to say about how GCC grew so large. It is something that has never interested
him. He has always been consumed with his passion for shepherding the flock,
rightly handling God’s Word, and training up the next generation of Christian
leaders. The vast church growth has been an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">accidental
</i>byproduct of his commitment to biblical matters. The great irony there is
that his relevance is fuelled in large part by his failure to preach as a
reactionary to the ever-changing cultural winds destined for the same scrap
heap as old newspapers. Even his oldest sermons have a timelessness about them
due to their use of Scripture for illustrations and complete lack of
pop-culture references.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Master’s Plan for the Church is the perfect outlet
for MacArthur to lay out his manifesto—which he would argue is God’s clear
biblical manifesto for the church. The book comprises thirteen chapters that
are then followed by eleven appendices. The thirteen chapters are partitioned
into the parts—Part 1: The Anatomy of a Church (chapters one through four);
Part 2: The Dynamic Church (chapters five through ten); and Part 3: Qualities
of an excellent servant (chapters eleven through thirteen). In much the same
way that a building begins with its foundations and skeletal structure before
being finished, furnished, and programmed to function, so too does this book
follow a well organized progression of church structure, features, and
governance. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The appendices warrant significant mention both because
they comprise half the book and, more importantly, because they contain so much
outstanding content. His appendices on answering key questions about elders
(appendix one), an exegesis of 1 Timothy 3 on the biblical qualifications for
church eldership (appendix three), elements of church discipline (appendix
four), the restoration of sinning brethren (appendix five) and fallen leaders
(appendix six), and MacArthur’s outstanding article on why he still preaches
the Bible after more than four decades of ministry (appendix eight) are all
worth the price of admission on their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is hard to find anything within such a lengthy book
that warrants serious criticism. I did struggle with the conclusive statement
that men with older children who have had “the sovereign gift of salvation”
(258) pass them by are not qualified to be elders. I found that overly
simplistic and perhaps harsh considering that some may have the character
qualifications for eldership, having discipled their children well, but in
adulthood their children do not come to saving faith. Should that disqualify
the prospective elder? I have not fully landed on the issue but the conclusions
do not sit well with me. Such a call disqualifies the godliest man I ever knew
on the mission field from the church planting work that we started together,
and he now continues in Denmark. I realize that may seem like an anecdotal
objection, but I do not know anyone who has labored so hard in discipling his
children while maintaining such a godly character beyond reproach.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Aside from that minor objection, there was plenty in this
book that stood out above MacArthur’s usual excellence and thoroughness. His
opening four chapters on the anatomy of the church was a tremendous entry point
into seeing the church through the lens of Scripture. Using the human body as
its illustration, it directly follows Paul’s precedent laid out in his epistles
where he describes the church with the metaphor of human anatomy on numerous
occasions (Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:12–30; Eph 4:1–16; Col 2:18–19) with Christ as
its crowning head. MacArthur argues that many who visit GCC go there hoping to
gain some transferable insights by observing GCC’s “methods, tools, programs,
and ideas and apply them to their own churches. However, that is like going to
buy a steer and coming back home with just the hide” (21). His point is that
the health of the skin is a direct byproduct of the body’s invisible anatomy
and inner workings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Importantly, MacArthur points out that just as skeletons
give vertebrate animals their structure, the church must be committed to
certain skeletal truths to maintain its structure. I appreciate that MacArthur
starts here, laying out the non-negotiables for a church with a healthy bone
structure: A High View of God; The Absolute Authority of Scripture; Sound
Doctrine; Personal Holiness; and Spiritual Authority (22–27). This is the
structure of a true church and the framework on which MacArthur lays out his
book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As MacArthur explores the distinguishing marks of an
effective church, the reader is once again struck by Scripture as the driving
force behind his conclusions. There is a complete lack of pragmatism and market
driven strategies being brought to bear on the subject matter. An effective
church will not be a magnet to the unchurched, but will be marked by: godly
leaders; discipleship; an emphasis on penetrating the community; active church
members; concern for one another; devotion to the family; biblical teaching and
preaching; teachability; great faith; sacrifice; and right worship (114–129). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Importantly, part two concludes with the critical
reminder that God’s work must be done His way. This connects strongly with the
book’s title—The Master’s Plan for the Church. Amidst a tsunami of literature
on pragmatic methodologies on growing churches, this book stands out because it
gets the biblical point that the others miss—it is God’s plan and not ours. He
founded His church, He purchased it, and He builds it. It is not a democracy,
it is a theocracy—and our name is not Theo. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The book builds to the third and
concluding part where MacArthur delves into the critical realm of church
leadership. Interestingly, and out of step with most other books on church
leadership, he begins by profiling apostates (chapter eleven). MacArthur
certainly knows how to recognize an elephant in the leadership living room and
he knows how to shoot it as well. He is careful to distinguish between apostates,
and pagans and backsliders. Apostates depart from the faith while maintaining a
veneer of spirituality. They are wolves among the flock and often reach
positions of influence and power because they are gifted with skills of
persuasion and cunning. Any church that does not take biblical eldership
requirements seriously (1 Tim 3:1–7; Tit 1:5–9) is a church where apostates can
flourish. Those who are more enamored with leadership skills than godly
character will find themselves sitting under the teaching of apostates.
Refreshingly, and consistently with much of the New Testament, MacArthur feels
the need to comprehensively deal with this issue before profiling what a true
servant leader looks like in the body of Christ.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Chapter eleven beautifully sets
up chapter twelve. MacArthur talks about true Christian leaders as servants;
“anyone who serves in any ministry capacity must see himself as a servant of
the Lord” (167). He outlines eleven qualities of the Lord’s true servants and
starts with their willingness to warn of error. Other more notable qualities
include expertise in Scripture, avoidance of unholy teaching, strong
self-discipline, and authoritative teaching. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
MacArthur’s thoughts on advancing
his theological education through studying dead German liberals resonated so
strongly with me that my inner man did a Mexican wave—“I met with the
representative again and said, ‘I just want to let you know that I have spent
all my life to this point learning the truth, and I can’t see any value in
spending the next couple of years learning error.’ I put the materials down on
his desk and walked away” (173).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Chapter thirteen is the final and
crowning chapter as MacArthur profiles those entrusted with the highest (or
lowest depending on how you look at servant leadership) offices of authority
and accountability in the body of Christ based on 1 Pet 5:1–4. The true
shepherds are rescuers, leaders, guardians, protectors, and comforters. He
closes with the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the epitomy of
everything the shepherd leader should ever aspire to. The final chapter also
contains perhaps the most poignant moment in the book by including a lengthy
excerpt from W.G. Bowden on “A Day in the Life of a Shepherd.” And that is
exactly what he describes—a real shepherd’s routine from morning until evening.
It is impossible to read without applying the obvious parallels to those who
shepherd God’s flock. “The sheep sense familiar territory, their home field and
their home fold. The shepherd precedes them, and stands at the sheepfold with
the gate wide open. He calls them in, ‘come unto me … and ye shall find rest.’
The mob with little prompting streams through the portal to rest, to
protection, and to contentment” (198).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
What a tragedy that many of the
millions who read “Purpose Driven Church” will never hear of this book about
the Christ Centered Church. The pickings are slim when it comes to readable and
biblically driven books on the church. This is one of them and would take up
worthwhile residence on any Christian’s bookshelf.<o:p></o:p></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-63773236929218149582014-02-09T13:49:00.000-08:002014-02-18T13:50:25.465-08:00Book Review — Rediscovering Expository Preaching
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Cy8P1yEAS60M2vsBEnmU79tga0sF0pv65l-2zLAEGeF98ksukYpL80X7XCPRuCIuqAEqUm_zQyewzmWpV6rWisuz1FQ81rFgjU1Jp3J4rKbLlz_UhNr1hyhSuZSA_U-XTL-3ff8d7Ac/s1600/Rediscover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Cy8P1yEAS60M2vsBEnmU79tga0sF0pv65l-2zLAEGeF98ksukYpL80X7XCPRuCIuqAEqUm_zQyewzmWpV6rWisuz1FQ81rFgjU1Jp3J4rKbLlz_UhNr1hyhSuZSA_U-XTL-3ff8d7Ac/s1600/Rediscover.jpeg" height="400" width="263" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rediscovering
Expository Preaching </i>by John MacArthur and The Master’s Seminary (TMS)
Faculty is a collaborative book put together by a team experienced in both the
scholarship and pastoral realms of ministry. It is a condensed package of the
training in biblical exposition that TMS has been providing for decades. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The central theme of the book is paraphrased well by Dr.
Irvin A. Busenitz when he states; “The preacher’s proper task is to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">deliver</i> the goods, not to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">manufacture</i> them” (257). Rightly
handling God’s Word is a monumental responsibility that is not to be toyed
with. James 3:1 solemnly reminds us of the “stricter judgment” that falls upon
those charged with purveying God’s truth to the wider body of Christ. Recognizing
the immensity of the preacher’s task, MacArthur and the TMS faculty have pooled
their intellectual and experiential resources to produce a valuable blueprint
for expository preaching that is both faithful to the biblical text, and
penetrative to the wider church congregation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The book contains twenty chapters (including the epilogue)
as John MacArthur and different faculty members take turns in devoting separate
chapters to their varied areas of expertise. MacArthur is the predominant
author with seven chapters. His core work is ably supplemented by the
contributions of Dr. Richard L. Mayhue, James F. Stitzinger, Dr. James E.
Rosscup, and Dr. Robert L. Thomas (two chapters each). Additionally, George J.
Zemek, Donald G. McDougall, Dr. Irvin A. Busenitz, and Dr. David C. Deuel all
provided one chapter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The chapters are grouped into a logical sequence of five
sections: Part I. Proving the Priority of Expository Preaching; Part II.
Preparing the Expositor; Part III. Processing and Principlizing the Biblical
Text; Part IV. Pulling the Expository Message Together; and Part V. Preaching
the Exposition. Such a layout provides the budding preacher with a chronology
that travels all the way from preparing the expositor through to preaching the
exposition. Importantly, examining the text is not dealt with until Part III.
The authors saw fit to devote two entire sections (six chapters) to arguing for
the pre-eminence of expository preaching, and examining the suitability of the
student to be an expositor of God’s Word. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The book is replete with the high view of Scripture that TMS
is famous (or infamous) for. In fact, John MacArthur launches into that very
issue by devoting the entire second chapter to “The Mandate of Biblical
Inerrancy.” It is the foundational why of expository preaching. To neuter the
Bible by denying, or even downplaying, its inerrancy is to nullify the
compelling reason for preachers to expound its inerrant truths.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is not until chapter seven that the book makes its
initial forays into the first phases of hermeneutical investigation. Importantly
and unlike Kaiser, emphasis on the godly character of the preacher and his
utter dependence on the Holy Spirit are discussed at length in the early
chapters of the book (four, five, and six). Anyone without these prerequisites
in place will make their exegesis an exercise in futility and hence it is
important to examine them before descending into the goldmine of God’s Word.
Echoing 2 Timothy 2:21, MacArthur states; “Only those who practice
righteousness and godliness are fit for the Master’s service” (92). He goes on
to say that “it is impossible to properly understand God’s objective revelation
in Scripture apart from the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit” (102). <o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing that distinguishes the book’s value is the
recognition of the auxiliary fields alongside exegesis that contribute to the
final expository product (143–46). Those who think they can harmonize secular
psychology with biblical truth, for example, have hijacked Christian counseling
and formed a dysfunctional relationship that ultimately undermines our
profession of Scripture’s sufficiency. We must carefully guard our allegiance
to God’s Word, and faithfully trust that our sovereign God is infinitely wiser
than all who are created in His image. Dr. Thomas is also very helpful when he
knocks the straw-man dichotomy of knowledge and practice on its head (151). He
rightly points out that good application only ever stems from biblical truth
and it is foolish to argue against any doctrinal emphasis on that basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I cannot find any major criticism I could level against this
book. My only minor grievance is in chapter four where Rosscup likens Charles
Finney to Jesus in regards to his prayer life (76). Perhaps this can be put
down to a lack of awareness, at the time of writing, concerning the true nature
of Finney’s Pelagian theology (Dr. Rosscup recently informed me that he would
no longer quote Finney so favorably. Having said that, fleshing out such a
minor issue in such a large body of work only serves to highlight the immense
value of this book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, the book takes the reader on a thorough and
detailed ride through every stage of the process in crafting a sound exposition
of Scripture. That exhaustive content, the combined intellectual clout of the
authors, and their distinguished track record of stellar preaching make this
book an essential roadmap from the seminary to the pulpit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Tragically, too few preachers will read Rediscovering
Expository Preaching. I do not say that as a prophet but as someone who
realizes that every preacher should read it to either affirm his commitment to
biblical exposition, develop his skill and character as a faithful handler of
the sacred text, or repent of his lame moralistic sermons and imposing his own
agenda onto the Scriptures. This book is a vital modern addition to the rich
Christian legacy of preaching that rightly and authoritatively communicates
God’s written revelation to His people. May we receive MacArthur’s cautionary
counsel not to study Scripture in search of a sermon, but to develop expository
sermons out of the overflow of our relationship with God that is cultivated in
the study of His Word (94). </div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-21925644614441654092013-07-30T09:41:00.002-07:002013-07-30T09:41:37.173-07:00Cameron Buettel Open Air Preaching At Huntington BeachI have been so busy of late with Seminary and my new job at Grace to You that I have not had time to post on my blog. There is so much material now anyway that many people dig into the archives for a particular article they are looking for. Anyway, just to say that my blog is not dead, just a lot less new material.<br />
<br />
For those who are interested, I was recently videoed preaching at Huntington Beach. I welcome any thoughts, feedback, or criticism. Take a look and see what you think....<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hsZcmfUo1og" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-32068121078388697072013-05-25T22:11:00.001-07:002013-05-25T22:11:59.847-07:00Church Creeds And Rob Bell's Lies
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
On September 11 3001 A.D., a team of archaeologists began an
excavation on Manhattan Island. They were surprised to uncover a legal
document, from precisely 1000 years earlier, that classified colliding an
aircraft with a building as an act of terror. The scientific team examining
this artifact are certain that this answers the ancient mystery of where all
laws banning aircraft from flying into buildings originates from. Based on this
information they were able to deduce that, prior to September 11 2001, the
practice of crashing planes into buildings was widely accepted and practiced by
the general public. Scientists are still working on potential theories as to
what caused the residents of Manhattan to go through such a dramatic shift in
public opinion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clearly, the previous paragraph is a work of fiction - but
what follows is not. In 2005, Rob Bell wrote a book called Velvet Elvis. It was
in this book that Bell's historical research concluded the following about the
Christian doctrine of the Triune God:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
This three-in-oneness
understanding of God emerged in the several hundred years after Jesus’ resurrection…
But over time this belief [the Trinity], this understanding, this doctrine, has
become central to how followers of Jesus have understood who God is. It is a
spring, and people jumped for thousands of years without it. It was added
later. We can take it out and examine it. Discuss it, probe it, question it. It
flexes, and it stretches.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is readily apparent that Bell is making the exact same
erroneous assumption that the archaeologists in 3001 A.D. are making. Bell's
referral to the Nicene Creed as the first recorded instance of Trinitarian
dogma assumes that it marks the first recorded instance of Trinitarian belief.
But if Bell was a true student of Church history, he would know that Creeds are
an affirmation of what Christians at that time already believed. Creeds were
always necessitated by false teaching that attacked the very doctrines they
were designed to defend. In the same way that the horrific acts of terror
perpetrated on 9-11 clearly violated the unwritten morality of the citizens of
Manhattan, so too the Arian attacks on Christ's divinity in the fourth Century
A.D. clearly violated the unwritten convictions of the citizens of Christ's
Church. Anti-terror laws and Church Creeds are both retrospective - a reaction
to new assaults with ancient truth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout church history, creeds have always been
necessitated due to the heresies that have arisen at that time. These creeds do
not introduce new doctrine formulated by the church leaders of that time, but rather
affirm what most Christians had always believed prior to the creed being
written, and repudiate the contemporary heresies that brought these truths
under threat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This also helps to explain why creeds have become more and
more detailed over the course of church history. Each new heresy demands a new
rebuttal to create a clear line of distinction between Christian orthodoxy and
false teaching. It logically follows then that The Apostles Creed, being the
earliest church creed (its earliest form appeared around the middle of the
second century AD), is relatively short and does not cover every essential
doctrine we might see posted in a typical evangelical faith statement of the
21st century.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best possible construction I can put on Rob Bell’s
“research” is that he is an unbeliever who has no clue what he is doing (if
that is not the case then he has been engaging in deliberate deception) and has
been tragically let down by church leaders who failed to retrospectively react
to his clear statements of unbelief. Unfortunately, it took several more
heretical books before the wider evangelical community responded appropriately
to Bell's perversions of history and theology.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even in the most recent of times, the rise of new heresies
has demanded that genuine defenders of Christian truth expand upon their
already detailed doctrinal confessions. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Together
for the Gospel</i> is a band of Christian pastors<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
who came together in 2006 in order to make a robust defense of the Christian
gospel that they perceived to be under ominous threat. This prompted these men
to draft a doctrinal statement of affirmations and denials. Article II reveals
their own retrospective expansion of essential Christian doctrine:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
We affirm that the authority and
sufficiency of Scripture extends to the entire Bible, and therefore that the
Bible is our final authority for all doctrine and practice. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We deny that any portion of the Bible is to
be used in an effort to deny the truthfulness or trustworthiness of any other
portion. We further deny any effort to identify a canon within the canon or,
for example, to set the words of Jesus against the writings of Paul. </i>(emphasis
mine).<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This statement may seem bizarre on face value, but entirely
legitimate and necessary when one recognizes the precision with which it
responds to postmodern attacks on biblical authority. The 21<sup>st</sup>
Century gospel preacher is also faced with the same necessity in expounding the
biblical gospel. Firstly, he is burdened with the necessity of precisely
proclaiming it:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,
let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is
preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed
(Galatians 1:8-9 emphasis mine).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The apostle Paul did this for us in his first letter to the
church in Corinth:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Now I would remind you,
brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you
stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I
preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of
first importance what I also received: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures</i> (1
Corinthians 15:1-4 emphasis mine). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Secondly, the rise of newly seductive and deceptive heresies
demands that the preacher unpack and explain many of Paul’s terms within his
simple definition of the gospel message. We need to biblically define Who
Christ is in contrast with the false christs of cults. We need to define sin in
terms of God’s Law because many are ignorant of what it is and the extent of
its offence. We need to explain why Christ died. We need to explain the
propitiatory transaction that took place during Christ’s death for sinners. We
need to explain the personal consequences of having this perfect atoning
sacrifice or not having it. We need to explain the response this truth demands
of the sinner. These are all issues that are fair game for the subjective
assault of postmodern idolaters. The faithful preacher must preach the gospel
Paul proclaimed all the while insulating it from the fog of reinvention.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a gospel that cannot be lived out. Its effects are
certainly worked out in the sanctification of believers as salt and light in a
fallen world, but the modern cliché to "live the gospel" is just
plain ridiculous. How do you live the resurrection? How do you live the
crucifixion? How do you live the fulfillment of God's law? The Gospel is a
message about someone Who has lived a unique life that nobody can replicate.
That is why we must testify. It is why Paul asks the question “how are they to
hear?” (Rom 10:14). The oxymoronic statement "preach the gospel, if
necessary use words" is like saying "wash always if necessary use
water".<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rick Warren says that: "deeds not creeds will be the next
reformation".<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> He
is suggesting that we have the right doctrine but we are not living it.
Wrong!!! The real problem is that he has the wrong doctrine and he is living
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
For since, in the wisdom of God,
the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of
what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek
wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to
Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:21-24).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Rob Bell, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Velvet Elvis </i>(Grand Rapids,
Michigan:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Zondervan, 2005), 22.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The keynote speakers at their initial conference were Mark Dever, J. Ligon
Duncan, John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, R. Albert Mohler, John Piper, and R.C.
Sproul. Certainly not lightweight theologians by anyone’s estimation.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
This entire statement of affirmations and denials can be viewed at http://t4g.org/about/affirmations-and-denials-2/<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> I
have thoroughly addressed this issue in my blog series “The Anatomy of the
Gospel” http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2009/12/anatomy-of-gospel-part-1.html<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
This statement can be viewed at http://www.religiousherald.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=650&Itemid=110<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-57973135601161125642013-04-24T20:10:00.003-07:002013-04-24T20:31:43.074-07:00Is There No Repentance In The Gospel Of John?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Recent decades have given way to many theologians arguing
against the necessity of repentance in conversion and gospel preaching. People might not talk about it but please ask yourself, do they call people to repentance from sin when presenting the gospel in your local church? The evidence is in the silence. <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/01/false-gospel-of-hillsong-part-1-houston.html" target="_blank">Hillsong have been guilty of this for years</a> - <a href="http://hillsong.com/beliefs" target="_blank">they are even guilty according to their own doctrine statement</a>. Brian Houston avoids the subject like the plague and is even willing to change Bible translations to avoid mentioning the word (<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2013/01/hillsong-pastor-brian-houstons.html" target="_blank">as he did during his recent visit to Rick Warren's fellowship</a>).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">The wholesale abandonment of repentance preaching really took root at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in the 70's. It has created a sub-culture of professing Christians who live lives that look no different to the world. It has been a mission field catastrophe and created mass confusion as to why people claim to be Christians and yet persist in bringing reproach on the body of Christ through their lives of perpetual unrepentant sin. The Bible has a name for this kind of Christian - non-Christians! </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Without
a doubt, Zane Hodges from DTS was one of the leading voices in spreading this poison. He wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">One of the most striking facts
about the doctrine of repentance in the Bible is that this doctrine is totally
absent from John's gospel. There is not even so much as one reference to it in
John's twenty-one chapters... Since John's Gospel does omit the message of
repentance, are we to conclude that its gospel is not the biblical gospel after
all? The very idea carries its own refutation. The fourth evangelist explicitly
claims to be doing evangelism( John 20:30-31 ). It is not the theology of the
gospel of John that is deficient; it is the theology found in lordship
salvation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">This post has been written in order to respond to Hodges
beliefs, which are still very influential on the global mission field. I stand
with John MacArthur in my assessment that this is one of the defining
theological issues of our time and must be fought with unyielding resolve. This
article is designed to show that it is the gospel Zane Hodges advocates that is
deficient and not even a Christian gospel at all. Following is a list of ten
reasons that Hodges assertion is wrong regarding the absence of repentance in
the gospel of John.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
1. This is a Very Easy Game to Play <o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">I can easily play the same game with Zane Hodges. The word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i> makes no appearance in the book of
Acts. Therefore we should ignore the importance of love in fulfilling the Great
Commission and make sure we don’t make it a necessary part of our preaching. A
little closer to the issue at hand, I could also argue that Jesus never
mentions grace in John’s gospel and therefore we should also avoid preaching or
insisting upon God’s grace. Though my comments are sarcastic, these ludicrous
ideas reveal a major deficiency in Hodges’ argument. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
2. John is Not the Only Book in the Bible<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">This is simple but it is true. John’s gospel is not the
entire Bible. The true theologian has to deal with the subject of repentance as
it is dealt with within the entirety of Scripture. The 66 books of the Old and
New Testaments comprise one canon – not 66 canons!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
3. John Wrote More Than One Book<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">John’s gospel is not the only book he wrote. In fact, 1
John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation were all probably written later as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">The word, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">repent,</i>
features prominently in the book of Revelation. It is used to describe wicked
sinners who refuse to repent (Rev 9:20, 9:21, 16:9, 16:11). Their refusal to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">metanoia<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
</i>means much more than a change of mind because the context in these passages
reveals their unrepentance by their continuation in their sinful practices.
Jesus also commanded five of the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3
to repent – Ephesus (Rev 2:5), Pergamum (Rev 2:16), Thyatira (Rev 2:21-22),
Sardis (Rev 3:3), and Laodicea (Rev 3:19). John’s context is clear here that
the repentance demanded requires outward action – “repent and do the works you
did at first” (Rev 2:5).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Although the word repent is not used in John’s three
epistles, the concept is both dominant and clearly portrayed. He who perseveres
in disobedience and wicked works is described as someone who “does not have
God” (2 John 1:9). Those who do good are from God and those who do evil have
“not seen God” (3 John 1:11). In his first epistle, John goes so far as to say
that God’s children are those who practice righteousness and the Devil’s
children are those who continue in their sinful ways (1 John 3:4-10). Repentance
was clearly not a concept that was foreign to John, nor was it a subject he
treated as anything less than a matter of eternal importance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
4. True Biblical Repentance Has a True Biblical Context<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">As mentioned previously, when Jesus tells the church in
Ephesus to repent, He elaborates on His point by telling them to do the works they
had been doing previously (Rev 2:5).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
5. True Biblical Repentance Results in a Change of Mind that Results in a
Change of Action<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">When John the Baptist preached repentance he commanded his
sinful audience to bear fruits in keeping with repentance. He was asked by the
crowds:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><span style="color: windowtext;">"What
then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is
to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."
Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what
shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are
authorized to do." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we
do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats
or by false accusation, and be content with your wages" (</span><a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Luke%203.7-14"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Luke 3:10-14</span></a><span style="color: windowtext;">).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
6. True Biblical Repentance is Tangible and Humanly Quantifiable<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Pay attention to yourselves! If
your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins
against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I
repent,’ you must forgive him (Luke 17:3-4).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Jesus is clearly implying, in these verses, that repentance
is measurable to humans. His command to the offended party is based on the
repentance of the guilty party. The offended party has to be able to determine
if repentance is forthcoming – it must be something more than a change of mind
because it is only the outward change in behavior that is discernable to a
human observer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
7. True Biblical Repentance is Inseparable From Saving Faith<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Jesus’ death for sins was an act of salvation. To receive
God's gracious gift Scripture explicitly teaches that: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Truly, then, God overlooking the
times of ignorance, now He strictly commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge the world in righteousness
by a Man whom He appointed, having given proof to all by raising Him from the
dead (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Acts%2017.30-31"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Acts 17:30-31</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">The Apostle Paul said that; “Godly grief produces repentance
that leads to salvation” (2 Cor 7:10a). This repentance from sin and turning
away from it is also a turning to Christ in saving faith in order to receive
salvation:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">For by grace you have been saved
through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a
result of works, so that no one may boast (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ephesians%202.8-9"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ephesians 2:8-9</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">And that repentance and
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning
from Jerusalem (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Luke%2024.47"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Luke 24:47</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">And how I kept back nothing that
was profitable, but have shown you and have taught you publicly, and from house
to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward
God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Acts%2020.20-21"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Acts 20:20-21</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Some people claim that "faith alone" in <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ephesians%202.8"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ephesians 2:8</span></a> negates the
need to repent. But we must remember this hermeneutical rule: Scripture cannot
contradict itself - therefore in understanding it rightly, it must harmonize
with the rest of Scripture. As we harmonize all of Scripture we can clearly see
that sometimes only faith or belief is mentioned, sometimes only repentance is
mentioned, and sometimes both are mentioned (refer to the verses above).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">By harmonizing all of these (rather than focusing on a
single verse) we can see that the salvation call is a call to turn away from
sin in repentance and a turning to Christ in faith – trusting Him alone to save
us. The turning to Christ (faith) necessitates a turning away from our carnal
affections (repentance). Man cannot serve two masters. As Todd Friel says;
"Repentance and faith are two wings of the same bird that fly us to the
Savior."<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
8. True Biblical Repentance is a Work of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">This salvation is ultimately a work of God. Both repentance
(<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Acts%2011.18"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Acts 11:18</span></a>) and
faith (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ephesians%202.8"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Eph 2:8</span></a>)
are works of God. We cannot come to God unless the Spirit draws us (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/John%206.44"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">John 6:44</span></a>). We are not
saved by praying a prayer or walking down to the front of a church. It is God
who saves. It is God who gives us a love for His law and a desire to live in
holiness. It does not mean we stop sinning but it does mean we have a new
relationship with sin manifest in a love for God's law and a desire to obey it:
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">I will sprinkle clean water on
you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your
idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I
will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ezekiel%2036.25-27"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ezek 36:25-27</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
9. True Biblical Repentance is the True Biblical Fruit of True Biblical
Conversion<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">The regenerative work described in Ezekiel 36:25-27 produces
the repentance described in verse 31:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Then you will remember your evil
ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for
your iniquities and your abominations (Ezek 36:31).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Within its context, this repentance is brought about by the
regeneration of the Holy Spirit. As we have seen earlier in John’s epistles, a
lifestyle of repentance is the fruit and sign of a truly regenerate Christian. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
10. True Biblical Repentance is in the Gospel of John<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">There is so much that can be said here, I could take up a
great number of pages in discussion of this one point. For the sake of brevity
I will point out some of the big ones:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">And this is the judgment: the
light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the
light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates
the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But
whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen
that his works have been carried out in God (John 3:19-21).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Repentance is clearly included by implication in these
verses that follow right on the heels of John 3:16.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Whoever believes in the Son has
eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath
of God remains on him (John 3:36).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Notice here that the opposite of belief is disobedience. The
belief John describes is clearly a repentant belief. Turning to Christ means
turning away from sin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">If you love me, you will keep my
commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you
and will be in you (John 14:15-17).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">John MacArthur drives the whole
issue home:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">To say that John called for a
faith that excluded repentance is to grossly misconstrue the apostle's concept
of what it means to be a believer. Although John never uses repent as a verb,
the verbs he does employ are even stronger. He teaches that all true believers
love the light (3:19), come to the light (3:20-21), obey the Son (3:36), practice
the truth (3:21), worship in spirit and truth (4:23-24), honor God (5:22-24),
do good deeds (5:29), eat Jesus' flesh and drink His blood (6:48-66), love God (8:42
, cf. 1 John 2:15), follow Jesus (10:26-28), and keep Jesus' commandments
(14:15). Those ideas hardly concur with no-lordship salvation! All of them
presuppose repentance, commitment, and a desire to obey.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Thomas Watson responded to this 20<sup>th</sup> Century
invention 300 years earlier:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">“He commandeth all men
everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance is not arbitrary. It is not left
to our choice whether or not we will repent, but it is an indispensable
command. God has enacted a law in the High Court of heaven that no sinner shall
be saved except the repenting sinner, and He will not break His own law. Though
all the angels should stand before God and beg the life of an unrepenting
person, God would not grant it. “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping
mercy for thousands, and that will by no means clear the guilty” (Exod 34:6-7).
Though God is more full of mercy than the sun is full of light, yet He will not
forgive a sinner while he goes on in his guilt: “He will by no means clear the
guilty!”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">
Repentance Properly Defined and Applied<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Repentance is clearly important to God. The Old Testament
prophets, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and Jesus Himself all began their
ministries with a call to repentance. Jesus made it very clear when He spoke
about a natural disaster of His time where eighteen people died. He said that
although they did not die because they were more sinful than others, “unless
you repent, you too will all perish” (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Luke%2013.3"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Luke 13:3</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">What is repentance? Perhaps it is better to initially state
what it is not. repentance is not reformation. Repentance is not remorse. Repentance
is not regret. Wayne Grudem defines repentance as “a heartfelt sorrow for sin,
a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in
obedience to Christ.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Repentance is genuine sorrow for offending God that changes us to be more like
Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Jesus said “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner
who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance” (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Luke%2015.7"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Luke 15:7</span></a>). Our repentance
starts a celebration in heaven. It is repentance that sets us truly free. Free
from the fear of being found out. Free from condemnation. Free from the facades
that we live behind. Free from guilt. Repentance should not be a one-off event
but a lifestyle practice. We all need to live this way because we are all
sinners. The Bible makes it clear that we are all sinners (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Romans%206.23"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Romans 6:23</span></a>) therefore
we’ve all got stuff we need to repent of. “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/I%20John%201.9"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">I John 1:9</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;">Heavenly Father, Maker of heaven and earth, Your ways are so
much higher than our ways. All that You do is perfect and all of Your ways are
just and right. I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ knowing that I cannot
stand in Your presence in any other way. I have sinned against You and have no
excuse. You know all the thoughts and intents of my heart. I confess them to
You. I am not sorry because of the consequences but because it damages my
relationship with You. I repent of it, turn away from it, and plead Your
forgiveness. I put all of my trust in Your promise that You will immediately
totally cleanse me of all my unrighteousness (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/1%20John%201.9"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">1 John 1:9</span></a>). Thank You
Lord for the greatest act of love in history by dying for my sins so that I can
have right standing with You and eternal life instead of hell. In Jesus name
amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br clear="all" /></span>
</span><br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Zane Hodges, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Absolutely Free, p</i>146-47.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The Greek word for repent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Quote heard on Wretched Radio (www.wretchedradio.com).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/a238/repentance-in-the-gospel-of-john<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span class="FootnoteTextChar">Thomas Watson. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Doctrine of Repentance</i>, p59.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7670425954609557512#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Wayne Grudem, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Systematic Theology</i>, p713.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-66785370760097873062013-03-07T18:09:00.001-08:002016-05-12T12:11:33.406-07:00You Might Be A False Teacher If... 1. You might be a false teacher if your website is not blocked by the Chinese government.<br />
<br />
2. You might be a false teacher if you think choosing the base model demonstrates modesty and good stewardship every time you purchase a private jet.<br />
<br />
3. You might be a false teacher if your last name is also a monetary currency.<br />
<br />
4. You might be a false teacher if you think having a Bible Mantra is an alternative to reading it.<br />
<br />
5. You might be a false teacher if Oprah invites you onto her show.<br />
<br />
6. You are a false teacher if you appear on Oprah's show and she never objects to anything you say.<br />
<br />
7. You might be a false teacher if you don't know what an elephant looks like.<br />
<br />
8. You might be a false teacher if Brian McLaren endorsed your book.<br />
<br />
9. You might be a false teacher if you think you are the one who has finally figured out what the Apostle Paul was on about.<br />
<br />
10. You might be a false teacher if you think tithing puts Satan in a cage.<br />
<br />
11. You might be a false teacher if you think "Thou shalt not criticize" is the 11th Commandment.<br />
<br />
12. You might be a false teacher if you think "Thou shalt tithe" is the 12th Commandment.<br />
<br />
13. You might be a false teacher if you think that when Jesus said, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets," He was referring to the 11th and 12th Commandments.<br />
<br />
14. You might be a false teacher if Barack Obama finds your spiritual advice to be helpful.<br />
<br />
15. You might be a false teacher if you think firing an elder is a form of church discipline.<br />
<br />
16. You might be a false teacher if you believe it is the sheep's job to protect the shepherd.<br />
<br />
17. You might be a false teacher if you wear a suit when you're in the White House and an Hawaiian shirt when you're in the Lord's House.<br />
<br />
18. You might be a false teacher if you agree with Rob Bell about anything.<br />
<br />
19. You might be a false teacher if you use the Council of Trent to defend your theological position.<br />
<br />
20. You might be a false
teacher if you think that Herman Newtix is the guy who keeps telling John
MacArthur to be mean to Charismatics.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0in;">
21. You might be a false
teacher if you think that "The Message" is a Bible translation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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22. You might be a false
teacher if you think the Bible is subject to your editorial process.<o:p></o:p></div>
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23. You might be a false
teacher if you think that the Reformation was a speed bump on the highway of
church history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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24. You might be a false
teacher if you think church history refers to the different phases of your
building project.<o:p></o:p></div>
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25. You
might be a false teacher if the promise of the forgiveness of sins found in
Jesus Christ underwhelms you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-11439214316395247502013-02-13T19:00:00.000-08:002013-02-13T19:09:26.836-08:00Only Bad Catholics Go To Heaven<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKHDxI3U4C_QC9cf6OzLu_TxHIqveXHIYE43o5S3rcKykWoARJcSKejTKMm2FCJ8fWZmI8J83CvXtHUKXvlMlgGvcXn_5sN5n-9DXVr5a7BEzxzNQQsPlp9BHhe-sYvTLeUw9TsMq7l0/s1600/pope-benedict-xvi-61a53f03d58a797a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKHDxI3U4C_QC9cf6OzLu_TxHIqveXHIYE43o5S3rcKykWoARJcSKejTKMm2FCJ8fWZmI8J83CvXtHUKXvlMlgGvcXn_5sN5n-9DXVr5a7BEzxzNQQsPlp9BHhe-sYvTLeUw9TsMq7l0/s320/pope-benedict-xvi-61a53f03d58a797a.jpg" width="224" /></a>The recent resignation of the current Pope has brought Roman Catholicism into the global spotlight right now. One of the unfortunate things to come out of situations like this is that the unbelieving world often looks to the Roman Pontiff as the global ambassador for Christianity, but the reality is that nothing could be further from the truth!<br />
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One of my classmates recently said to me that "all roads lead to Rome... except for the one that goes to heaven." A true study of history will reveal that the Church of Rome grew out of a continual slide into apostasy over many centuries (I recommend the book "The Church of Rome at the Bar of History"). <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/10/rc-sproul-on-reformation-day.html">The Reformation of the 1500s was a necessary recovery of the Gospel</a> of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. The differences between biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism remain as stark as they ever have. So what are the vital differences? There are many, but for the sake of space I will point out some of the major ones.<br />
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Before I continue I must state two disclaimers. First, when I use the word "Catholic" I am referring to the Roman Catholic religion, not to be confused with "catholic" when used in it's universal sense such as "catholic church" when it means universal church. Secondly, this article does not suggest that every person attending a Catholic congregation is not a Christian. I believe there are true Christians attending Catholic churches - but this is in spite of, not by virtue of, true Catholic doctrine. Hence the title "Only Bad Catholics go to Heaven" because, as you will see, the only way someone could find true salvation in a Roman Catholic church is by seriously violating their own belief system. (I must thank Matt Slick at CARM [Christian Apologetics Resource Ministry] for much of this information).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcT3Z_H5bAeQBuqsjr_zYVMFeX6FYDePMdXrSIUj_jtE5-z3GG2Fk5Xj7wvpQev4BOge8GITVlBJslYuAmcTM8_TDwHGC7xVXBP3X_d2EESrbdJ9GzX2pNE4sjFbXQSUhJL8e0q3mmPw/s1600/romehistory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcT3Z_H5bAeQBuqsjr_zYVMFeX6FYDePMdXrSIUj_jtE5-z3GG2Fk5Xj7wvpQev4BOge8GITVlBJslYuAmcTM8_TDwHGC7xVXBP3X_d2EESrbdJ9GzX2pNE4sjFbXQSUhJL8e0q3mmPw/s200/romehistory.jpg" width="198" /></a><br />
For by grace you have been saved athrough faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)<br />
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Roman Catholic doctrine denies justification by faith alone and says: <br />
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<i>If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema (Council of Trent, Canons on Justification, Canon 9).</i> <br />
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Anathema, according to Catholic theology, means excommunication, the exclusion of a sinner from the society of the faithful. Roman Catholic theology therefore pronounces a curse of excommunication, of being outside the camp of Christ, if you believe that you are saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus. <br />
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When the Roman Catholic church negates justification by faith alone, it necessarily implies that we must do something for justification, for if it is not by faith alone, then it must be by faith and something.<br />
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Catholicism teaches that certain things must be done by people in order to be justified and to keep that justification. Of these acts, baptism is the first requirement. Consider these quotes: <br />
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<i>Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that we too might walk in newness of life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 977). </i><br />
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<i>Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted to us through Baptism. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most excellent work of God's mercy (CCC, par. 2020).</i> <br />
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According to Roman Catholicism, baptism is only the first sacrament of forgiveness. Good works, according to Roman Catholicism, are also required and are rewarded with going to heaven: <br />
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<i>We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere to the end and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God' eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ (CCC, par. 1821).</i> <br />
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The above quote clearly states that heaven is the eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. Catholic theology asserts that works are a predecessor to justification in direct contradiction to God's Word which states that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:28).<br />
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In the CCC, par. 2010, it says: <br />
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<i>Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification. </i><br />
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How does anyone merit for himself the undeserved kindness of God's grace? Grace is by definition unmerited favor. This is an utterly false teaching. So how does the Catholic church get around this apparent dilemma that grace is unmerited but it is obtained through our merits? It states:<br />
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<i>Sanctifying grace is the gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify (CCC, par. 2023).</i> <br />
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This is the crux of the problem. Roman Catholic theology asserts that God's grace is granted through baptism and infused into a person by the Holy Spirit. This then enables him or her to do good works which then are rewarded with heaven. Basically, this is no different from the theology of the cults which maintain that justification is by grace through faith and your works, whether it be baptism, going to the true church, keeping certain laws, receiving the sacraments, or anything else you are required to do. <br />
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Maintaining Your Justification<br />
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Because the Catholic view of justification is a cooperative effort between God and man, this justification can be lost by man's failure to maintain sufficient grace through meritorious works. Roman Catholicism teaches that works are necessary for attainment of justification. According to Catholic theology, penance is a sacrament where a person, through a Catholic priest (CCC, par. 987), receives forgiveness of the sins committed after baptism. The penitent person must confess his sins to a priest. The priest pronounces absolution and imposes acts of penance to be performed.<br />
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<i>Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as the second plank (of salvation) after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace (CCC, par. 1446).</i> <br />
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Acts of penance vary, but some of them are prayer, saying the rosary, reading the Scripture, saying a number of Our Father or Hail Mary prayers, doing good works, fasting, and other such things. Is it by doing these acts of penance that the Catholic is able to regain his justified state before God? In essence it is earning one's salvation. Think about it. If you do not have it and you get it by saying prayers, fasting, and/or doing good works, then you are guilty of works righteousness salvation, which is condemned by the Bible.<br />
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What is even more frightening is that this post only scratches the surface of this wicked works righteous system. We could also discuss the Catholic denial of Jesus as our only mediator between God and man (contrary to 1 Timothy 2:5) by teaching people to pray to Mary as their mediator. Then there is also the issue of the blasphemous Catholic teaching that during every mass the priest has the power to call Jesus Christ down to die on the cross again (contrary to Hebrews 7:27). On and on it goes. Only bad Catholics can go to heaven because the only way for a Catholic to find true salvation is by completely ignoring the teaching of a religious system that has no saving power and trusting the Bible instead.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4PgaAH87ZxQ?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-31098881927791005502013-01-17T22:27:00.001-08:002013-10-25T12:06:13.784-07:00Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston's Continual Abuse Of Scripture<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTGk3C-lspTb8lsWAyhoKstAKIndNNUmjiKZ4SHICcFaM0s2jP_PEstQ6mADvEHspg65yQoYo9wTUkIXRTQ-hmKqGIPoPF15hOX3SubDDLjtv84eeFp1txHDC0MaJv7GBawrQ97rCjN4/s1600/hillsong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTGk3C-lspTb8lsWAyhoKstAKIndNNUmjiKZ4SHICcFaM0s2jP_PEstQ6mADvEHspg65yQoYo9wTUkIXRTQ-hmKqGIPoPF15hOX3SubDDLjtv84eeFp1txHDC0MaJv7GBawrQ97rCjN4/s200/hillsong.jpg" width="200" /></a>Brian Houston, senior pastor of <a href="http://hillsong.com/" target="_blank">Hillsong Church</a> in Australia (and it's rapidly expanding global empire) has just visited Saddleback Church in California which is just a couple of hours down the road from my current address. I became immediately interested when I found out that Houston would be preaching from 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. I had to ask myself how Brian Houston would preach from a passage explicitly about repentance:<br />
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<i>For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it - though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:8-10).</i><br />
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Those who know me or are regular readers here know of <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/search/label/Hillsong%20Saga" target="_blank">the years I have spent pursuing Hillsong Church and its leaders over their relentless failure to preach the core salvation doctrine of repentance</a>. Not only is this doctrine historically recognized as the <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/01/biblical-defence-of-5-pillars-part-5.html" target="_blank">necessary corresponding reality of true saving faith</a>, it is also a core element of <a href="http://hillsong.com/beliefs" target="_blank">Hillsong Church's very own doctrine statement</a> (which is somewhat difficult to find, although this may be due to my severe lack of nerd capabilities). To quote from their "What We Believe" page:<br />
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<i>We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the 'new birth' we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqzOct3aSV22Rqni25qprOPP7gzG_rukfT-C6JQwFdxrwYHwLyGqkqROwKljikenFxh2p-rb_2tDjQqXhwnSmV4OZTg6k_njQdhaFHhicp2mZ2aKcumDDZ_901tusSFvrezopzoNHOWI/s1600/220px-Mighty_to_Save.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqzOct3aSV22Rqni25qprOPP7gzG_rukfT-C6JQwFdxrwYHwLyGqkqROwKljikenFxh2p-rb_2tDjQqXhwnSmV4OZTg6k_njQdhaFHhicp2mZ2aKcumDDZ_901tusSFvrezopzoNHOWI/s1600/220px-Mighty_to_Save.jpg" /></a></div>
Time and time again I have cited <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/01/false-gospel-of-hillsong-part-1-houston.html" target="_blank">example</a> after <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-finally-got-sent-hillsong-video-that.html" target="_blank">example</a> of this violation of their own doctrine statement (several of the videos previously cited have since been removed). In fact, of the services I and others have attended, the books we have read, the CDs we have heard, and the videos we have downloaded or streamed, none of us have ever heard anything about repentance coming from any Hillsong source. Even if it has been preached on an occasion that I am not aware of (and I gave an open invitation to my many critics to prove me wrong with nothing ever forthcoming), such a core doctrine essential to salvation should be strongly evident in all their outreach arms. Hillsong even had the audacity to edit the Bible verse on the back cover of their "Mighty to Save" CD to sanitize repentance out of it (yes, they REMOVED the line from 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says "turn from their wicked ways"). Can anybody else smell a rat?<br />
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Fast forward to Pastor Brian Houston's sermon at Saddleback. I polled several friends and colleagues of mine at the Master's Seminary (where I am a student) and asked them if they thought it was possible to preach a sermon out of 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 without mentioning the word repentance. None of them thought this to be possible but Brian Houston proved them all wrong. That's right, he preached directly out of a passage that explicitly and obviously centers on repentance without even once talking about it. How did he get out of even mentioning repentance when reading the text itself? By switching to a very liberal translation (The Message) when he got to verse 9! Preachers are called to submit to the biblical text, not submit the biblical text to their own agenda. If you don't believe me then you can <a href="http://saddleback.com/mc/m/4d51e/" target="_blank">see it for yourself</a> (the translation switch happens at the 15:30 mark). Chris Rosebrough's brutal review of the sermon can be <a href="http://worldviewweekends.net/radio/audio/chris-rosebrough-january-8-2013" target="_blank">heard here</a> (start listening to the program at the 93 minute mark).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaMWtqNE317pfsG2lzPHm6spFzMZmF3XMiK93YbdsDxs38DILZhWfU46NHHdd3_2tqeWzldpoU0mtPs0L1rf4hHmrk5a07n2IYaZeXuLxtJXlOcqoPOgZJLrHq6t_QSDGpwNdM4vEmKk/s1600/brian-houston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaMWtqNE317pfsG2lzPHm6spFzMZmF3XMiK93YbdsDxs38DILZhWfU46NHHdd3_2tqeWzldpoU0mtPs0L1rf4hHmrk5a07n2IYaZeXuLxtJXlOcqoPOgZJLrHq6t_QSDGpwNdM4vEmKk/s200/brian-houston.jpg" width="200" /></a>I cannot put into words my personal grief at seeing Houston butcher and pervert a passage of such immense beauty that describes the godly sorrow over sin that leads to repentance and salvation. Furthermore, he twisted the passage into something completely irrelevant to its obvious meaning from a plain reading. Brian Houston believes that the problems at Corinth were caused by Paul's angry letter and that the Corinthians needed to make the decision to stop being bitter and wounded about it so that their pain would be "only for a while". Earth to Brian! Houston we have a problem! Hello!!!!! Paul's angry letter was written because of the incest (1 Corinthians 5:1), immorality (1 Corinthians 6:12-20), lawsuits between brethren (1 Corinthians 6:1-8), idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:1-14), and turning the communion table into a place of drunkenness and gluttony (1 Corinthians 11:17-22). The Corinthians grieved "only for a while" because Paul's rebuke had brought about deep conviction and saving repentance in their lives. As I watched Houston's sermon I was left wondering if he had even read Paul's letters to the Corinthians. My criticism is not the deep theological insight of a Seminary student. It is the obvious conclusions of anyone who would take the time to read these letters in the same way that they read their own mail. It's just not that difficult . . . unless you are determined to avoid the subject of repentance.<br />
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Oh how tragic that a church would pay a lot of money for a man to fly a long way and then obscure the glorious truth that is so obvious to anyone who would read that passage. It is perhaps almost as tragic that Brian Houston's continual avoidance of the subject of repentance makes him oblivious to his own need to repent. And repentance of the unbiblical nonsense he is preaching is the single greatest contribution he could presently make to the Body of Christ.Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-34153996803666735332012-12-21T00:36:00.002-08:002012-12-21T16:56:22.851-08:00The Truth About Rick WarrenFinally, a movie that tells the truth about Rick Warren and hasn't been altered by his spin doctors. This is an important movie for those of us grazing on the modern evangelical landscape. Please check it out . . . good job guys! Also, under the video you will find links to more articles critiquing Rick Warren.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kxY3VbBHTkY" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/06/john-piper-rick-warren-interview-part-1.html">The John Piper - Rick Warren Interview</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/01/critique-of-rick-warrens-sermon-at.html">Rick Warren's Sermon at Desiring God 2010</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2012/02/does-rick-warren-worship-allah.html">Does Rick Warren Worship Allah?</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2009/01/racism-in-reverse-rick-warrens-prayer.html">The Undertones of Rick Warren's Inauguration Prayer for Barack Obama</a>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-73667348323715816302012-12-10T18:42:00.002-08:002012-12-10T18:45:11.966-08:00Genius The Movie - See It HereRay Comfort has just released an exciting new movie about John Lennon on the 50th Anniversary of the birth of the Beatles. Please check it out and promote it because of its evangelistic content. Check it out here!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o7pe3_VQbUM" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-19521796417365942572012-12-07T10:28:00.001-08:002012-12-07T10:28:04.288-08:00John Macarthur On Expository LeadershipThis video explains a lot about the privilege of attending The Master's Seminary in California. All Christians should watch this because whether you are in the pulpit or the pew, you need to know how to distinguish between biblical Christian leadership and self indulgent empire building. Please sit back and listen to 43 years of wisdom as one of the truly great expositors of the 20th and 21st centuries brings outstanding clarity on this subject . . . and he also takes a shot at who he thinks is the most egotistical individual among the current parade of "TV preachers". Great viewing!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hFq9SBtvW0A" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-14046629527096566942012-11-29T08:39:00.001-08:002016-05-12T12:11:33.334-07:00What I Hate Most About Socialism<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wtiY6fc4u7Q" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Karl Marx famously stated that "religion is the opiate of the masses." I'm not sure if Marx ever realized how upside down his famous statement was. It is actually when many of his socialist ideals get put into practice, for an extended time, that you get to see a general populace that is both sedated and pacified. This is strongly evident in my former home of Denmark where the state has taken on the role of a gigantic national nanny (does that sound familiar my Obamanation friends?). Never in my life have I encountered so many passive and indifferent men who have been sedated under the narcotic of a massive welfare system. What is breathtaking about this video is that the young man is not even embarrassed or ashamed of his conduct. He actually seems to think the whole interrogation is going well. When it comes to the opiate of socialized welfare, this young man definitely inhaled!<br />
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During my five years in Denmark, I discovered that work is an option that someone may take should he find the place of employment that meets his specific requirements. And why be entrepreneurial and visionary when the state circles your profitability like a vulture with its ravenous claws of taxation. Mediocrity is the happy middle road winding its way through this socialist landscape. <br />
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Options abound for those who get their fix from the state. You can take a job and work at your own pace. No worries, the union will make sure that you cannot get fired . . . that is unless you want to take a two year holiday courtesy of your employment insurance. Why have initiative, why be industrious, why care for your neighbor - when the government can do it all for you.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAtbHsk-_iPjuq0aY69v_xkbNCRmvx6bwoRIsMh0db0FkfkK_1topuxm5sMEMOMc-rLvP6ES8_nkkC2kOjS9xQ3GgceJdzb64XbdsmAwfr4sdv6TI_Zhf_KB5LFiTHG3hV_WDiev4G5k/s1600/socialism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAtbHsk-_iPjuq0aY69v_xkbNCRmvx6bwoRIsMh0db0FkfkK_1topuxm5sMEMOMc-rLvP6ES8_nkkC2kOjS9xQ3GgceJdzb64XbdsmAwfr4sdv6TI_Zhf_KB5LFiTHG3hV_WDiev4G5k/s200/socialism.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Marx never understood that it is actually a biblical worldview flowing out of a genuine Christian conversion that generates a sense of drive and destiny in the individual. A willingness to risk one's life for the sake of a transcendent and worthy cause. Indeed it was Paul who said:<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.<br /><br />Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us (Phillipians 3:7-17).</span><br />
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Paul even admonished the Christians at Thessalonica that if a man does not work then he should not be fed (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Christians are a people so enraptured with the ultimate sacrifice of their Savior that they joyously enter in to a life of self sacrifice and labor that they may be salt and light in an evil generation.<br />
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But the worst thing about socialism is an issue that slides under the radar of most professing Christians. And that is the fact that socialism is an ideology that directly attacks the biblical doctrine of man. Whereas socialism teaches us that we have rights and entitlements, Christianity preaches the glorious Gospel of God's grace - and what is grace? Grace is unmerited favor! In other words, grace is favor bestowed on an individual that he does not deserve. This raises the question as to why we don't deserve God's favor? It is because all men are desperately wicked sinners - the biblical doctrine of man!<br />
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Scripture teaches mans depravity on many occasions - here are some examples:<br />
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<em>The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)</em> <br />
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<em>As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10-23</em>) <br />
<br />
Ok, so maybe Paul could say something so brutal to our fragile self esteem, but surely not Jesus . . . then check the verses that immediately follow John 3:16:<br />
<br />
<em>For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:17-20)</em> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqOMKTY00GKRK1WnGVztoKYgr4-x57xDzhqOrUqaIao3wYqQhnty8hTSN_O6KdVkC0tkGTnxvkJSC0cnIIH9yn0CATQD0S4YGvs2s-b2QHl30WUS2pz814yLh6QGfrSAjZUb5_LakV2s/s1600/Hindi-Joel-Osteen-Book-Spoof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqOMKTY00GKRK1WnGVztoKYgr4-x57xDzhqOrUqaIao3wYqQhnty8hTSN_O6KdVkC0tkGTnxvkJSC0cnIIH9yn0CATQD0S4YGvs2s-b2QHl30WUS2pz814yLh6QGfrSAjZUb5_LakV2s/s320/Hindi-Joel-Osteen-Book-Spoof.jpg" width="211" /></a>Does the natural man know he is a sinner (as Joel Osteen <a href="http://www.rickross.com/reference/tv_preachers/tv_preachers65.html">suggests</a>) therefore nullifying our need to preach on sin and define it. Absolutely not. Mr Osteen clearly hasn't visited any prisons recently because if he did he would have found a building full of self professed wrongly convicted people. Indeed the Scripture teaches that "every man proclaims his own goodness" (Proverbs 20:6) and is "clean in his own eyes" (Proverbs 16:2). That he "suppresses the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18) and has a heart that is "deceitfully wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9).<br />
<br />
<em>If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)</em><br />
<br />
If we are to teach that Christ died for our sins then we must define what sin is:<br />
<br />
<em>Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4)</em><br />
<br />
And how do we come to a knowledge of our sin:<br />
<br />
<em>if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." (Romans 7:7b)</em><br />
<br />
A faithful proclamation of the Gospel, therefore, must present men as sinners and bring this knowledge by the use of God's law. <br />
<br />
<em>So the law functions first of all to kill me, to end my self creation - all attempts to write my own life movie and reinvent my character. The gospel inserts me into a new script: "alive in Christ" (Michael Horton - Christless Christianity p129).</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YDML-fsIma4atfKlba5BqN0tW0Gl7BzhWnGcpe5tE7SbrZgN-bF0ZF1yQ8HQHWty5taijxpa4jSLSu0qa9QUbeiuENtwDd8EUDCaD6W0DzOwbWuGog2HqaNTJpZRzisj-Aoq65P0crQ/s1600/tea+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YDML-fsIma4atfKlba5BqN0tW0Gl7BzhWnGcpe5tE7SbrZgN-bF0ZF1yQ8HQHWty5taijxpa4jSLSu0qa9QUbeiuENtwDd8EUDCaD6W0DzOwbWuGog2HqaNTJpZRzisj-Aoq65P0crQ/s1600/tea+party.jpg" /></a></div>
My greatest concern with the current rising tide of socialism in America is not primarily fiscal (although socialism is certainly a safe path to economic ruin). My primary fear with the socialistic indoctrination that produces people like the young man in the video is that it robs them of a reference point to the Gospel. How can anyone ever see his need for a Savior to die for his sins when he is unable to see his own guilt in the first place. And as the video so ably demonstrates, that is what an entitlement mentality so ably does!Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-89241920959194517142012-10-29T08:58:00.001-07:002012-10-29T09:16:13.096-07:00The Relationship Between Infallibility And Authority<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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When Christians talk about the Bible being “infallible”, we
mean that the Bible is incapable of making mistakes
or being wrong. As discussed previously, the Bible is “inspired” and,
ultimately, authored by the Almighty Sovereign God Who is incapable of making
mistakes or being wrong. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So here we have an infallible God delivering to man an
infallible written revelation. Since the infallible God has ultimate authority
over all things, then it follows that His infallible Word also speaks with
ultimate authority on all things. There can be no doubt that Jesus Christ
subscribed to this view as He said “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Peter said that Scripture is “more sure” than hearing God
speaking audibly to us from heaven (2 Peter 1:19) – which is something Peter
experienced on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). The Psalmist states
that God has exalted His word above all things (Psalm 138:2). When Jesus spent
forty days in the wilderness under severe temptation from Satan, He responded
to each accusation with the initial words “it is written” (Matthew 4:1-11).
Here we see God incarnate making His appeal to the authority Holy Scripture.
The fact of the matter is that the Bible is authoritative, and this is the
obvious consequence of its infallibility.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-25800999379504939492012-10-29T08:56:00.000-07:002016-05-12T12:11:33.356-07:00The False Religion Of Guy SebastianThe recent sad <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/guy-sebastian-losing-his-altar-ego/story-e6frf9hf-1226493157024">article on the faith of Australian pop star Guy Sebastian</a> has served to bring back the pathetic memories I have of Australian churches (especially charismatic ones) desperately trying to gain some sort of "street cred" through "christianizing" someone famous. If some rock star or famous sportsman gives the slightest hint of any sort of spirituality there is a bandwagon of church leaders ready to claim him as their own. I know this is not exclusive to Australia, but as an Aussie I can readily recount the continuous stream of embarrassing outcomes that have occurred because of this. I am just one of many bearing the scars of this practice when, as a young and impressionable Christian, went through the trauma of seeing some of these "christian celebrities" living in blatant unrepentant sin without having a shred of Christian testimony.<br />
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If you think I am trying to take some high moral ground here, think again! I take my issue here not with those popular and famous people who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him by their lifestyle (Matthew 25:31-46, 1 John 3:4-10), but with those pastors and church leaders who seem to think that the test of someone's Christianity is whether they call themselves a Christian. Worse than that, it has now descended to the point where talking about God or some "higher power"is enough to enter through the narrow gate.<br />
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I have seen the cavalcade of stars welcomed into the fold and thrust into the limelight as role models for under-achieving Christians and pagans who think we are not as cool as they are. Australian names like Tommy Emmanuel, Rebecca Gibney, Rick Price, Jason Stevens, Darren Beadman, and now Guy Sebastian readily spring to mind though there are many others. Globally, I have been told of the "strong Christianity" of Bono, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Mariah Carey etc. etc.<br />
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Am I suggesting that all celebrities who claim to be Christians are false? Absolutely not! In fact, I have a good personal friend who happens to be a celebrity and has also shown himself over many years to bear the authentic fruit of genuine Christianity. But what I am suggesting is that biblical pastoral responsibilities demand that church leaders soberly shepherd, protect, and inspect the fruit of those who have a high public profile and identify with the Lord Jesus Christ. The tragedy of failing to do this is three fold:<br />
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First, if a celebrity walks the aisle, signs the card, and repeats the prayer; it does not mean that they need to deliver next weeks sermon. Give them space and obscurity to meditate on God's Word, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and demonstrate the authenticity of their faith within the setting of the local church. I cannot describe the anguish of sitting through wildly promoted Christian events with a major celebrity drawcard only to see him arrive on stage, receive the adulation of the masses, give some sort of motivational speech, never mention Jesus Christ, exit the stage, collect his check, and then jump in his car and drive home hours before the event even finishes. This is just straight-up shameful on the part of those who arrange and organize these events.<br />
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Secondly, this practice sets up impressionable church goers for disappointment and diverts their attention away from the sole Hero of the universe.<br />
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, and appear at major Christian events (to draw a crowd)<br />
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Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-63641004081256508022012-10-20T02:50:00.003-07:002012-10-21T23:20:14.628-07:00The Bible Is Inspired - What Does This Mean?When evangelical Christians speak of the Bible as “inspired” they are referring to the unique nature of authorship for all 66 books of the Bible. The key verse referring to this reality is found in Peter’s second Epistle where he describes the production of Holy Scripture as something never “produced by the will of man”, but rather came into written form as “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21) .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7aGZHLPi8_3cv1ZTWRm2UvdlCO-npHbbXvjjK7YWoRP-GHhZ9VCkekkOsV9qHIb_v2bYFO_7aNbKQtrwtgUOo-hPYbUHOcaRl40mk2-5-ZXAHOSFGZPC_lfPfKADdVPsqBZHPUc8eFM/s1600/breathed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7aGZHLPi8_3cv1ZTWRm2UvdlCO-npHbbXvjjK7YWoRP-GHhZ9VCkekkOsV9qHIb_v2bYFO_7aNbKQtrwtgUOo-hPYbUHOcaRl40mk2-5-ZXAHOSFGZPC_lfPfKADdVPsqBZHPUc8eFM/s1600/breathed.jpg" /></a>This is the phenomenon the Apostle Paul is referring to when he says that “all Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
This uniqueness is often described as “dual authorship”. In one sense, all Scripture is written by God. It is also true that each biblical book is authored by the human writer ascribed to it. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Wayne Grudem describes the concurrent truths of dual authorship when he says:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLUt3k9YSO6HnK7t4GRY45IZqokUCi3dOVrbYFYpmMYbw2hsyOKI6JgXiBZI4lrCwT9Befzjc4nTypbXQ0n_J80MTKXo8rtrts3fYHkfFnxWOWQqg120Szct3snP-eAHv7IWAT_DRLdw/s1600/light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLUt3k9YSO6HnK7t4GRY45IZqokUCi3dOVrbYFYpmMYbw2hsyOKI6JgXiBZI4lrCwT9Befzjc4nTypbXQ0n_J80MTKXo8rtrts3fYHkfFnxWOWQqg120Szct3snP-eAHv7IWAT_DRLdw/s1600/light.jpg" /></a><i>God’s providential oversight and direction of the life of each author was such that their personalities, their backgrounds and training, their abilities to evaluate events in the world around them, their access to historical data, their judgment with regard to the accuracy of information, and their individual circumstances when they wrote, were all exactly what God wanted them to be, so that when they actually came to the point of putting pen to paper, the words were fully their own words but also fully the words that God wanted them to write, words that God would claim as his own (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology p81). </i><br />
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The Bible stands alone as unique among all literature because it is ultimately and entirely authored by Almighty God and this is what is meant when Christians refer to all Scripture as “inspired”.Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-78724568718749813512012-10-05T11:20:00.000-07:002012-10-05T12:21:49.678-07:00When We Make Enemies With Our Mission FieldI recently discussed <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-gay-agendas-intolerance-of.html">the Gay agenda's intolerance of traditional marriage</a> as displayed in the venting of their wrath over Dan Cathy's, president of Chick Fil A, public support of traditional marriage. While gay activists and liberal mayors boycotted and banned Chick Fil A stores in their area, an even greater number of Christians turned out in droves to support Chick Fil A by purchasing and eating their delicious chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. It was great to see the "silent majority" turn out in support of biblical truth and God honoring businessmen. I was only too happy to take part in the "buycott" especially considering my fondness for their "spicy chicken deluxe". As Christians take part in this honorable activity it is always helpful to take a deep breath, step back, and consider our part in the bigger story of God's redemptive plan. The ditch we need to be wary of in this climate of boycotts and "buycotts" is that we do not turn our mission field into the enemy!<br />
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If our zeal for biblical morality trumps our evangelistic zeal then we are in big trouble. In the Old Testament God continually reminded the Israelites that they should remember that they were once strangers in Egypt. We Christians should humble ourselves in the memory that we were once strangers from God and that our redemption had nothing to do with our own merit (because we have none) but by God's grace so that we could never boast in anything but the cross of our risen Saviour. Paul reminds us of this truth in his letter to the Ephesians:<br />
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<i><b>And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked</b>, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience; among whom <b>we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind</b>. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ; by grace you have been saved; and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:1-9 emphasis mine)</i><br />
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Even darker clouds are gathering all over the world right now as the cup of God’s wrath fills up against a wicked generation. Most of these people have been busy pursuing pleasure and material gain never realizing that God continually delays His wrath, giving them time to repent. Well, God’s cup of wrath is filling up further every day and it is only a matter of time before it overflows with His righteous judgment on a world bound for Hell. Next time you munch on a Chick Fil A sandwich and gaze out the window at those deluded protestors outside in their overtly sinful lifestyle - remember such were we before God redeemed us by His own blood. As the clock counts down to Armageddon are you going to continue watching? Are you going to believe the evil lie of modern preachers who say “preach the Gospel, if necessary use words” (which is like saying “wash always, if necessary use water”)? Or are you going to use that voice that God gave you?<br />
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<i>How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15)</i>
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Stop for a moment and listen. Can you hear it? Do you hear it? It is the sound of thousands of church goers saying absolutely nothing about the glorious and once for all delivered Gospel. Please don't let your zeal for righteousness transform your mission field into a battlefield. There are only two times we should proclaim the Gospel to lost sinners - in season and out of season! Is not our wonderful Savior worthy to receive more glory by saving wicked sinners other than yourself?<br />
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Whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Talk to people, be friendly regardless of how they speak to us, always remembering that we too were once slaves in Egypt. We need to ask ourselves the question as to whether our evangelism is informed by culture or Scripture? We, as Christians, are all meant to be a part of a culture, but it isn’t American or Republican. As the author of Hebrews made clear we are meant to be strangers in a strange land longing for a city who’s builder and maker is God.<br />
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For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:14-16)<br />
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And here is the exciting part! Our heavenly homeland will surpass and vastly exceed the temporal glory of our local Chick Fil A franchise. Should we not inform strangers and aliens of this fact along the way? And guess what, it can even be done while holding a chicken sandwich!Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-14029761832505648752012-09-28T11:04:00.002-07:002013-02-13T19:00:16.885-08:00Only Bad Catholics Can Go To Heaven<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdojhoUCgYxbfOm9NoVxo5wFkdaMa9FydRr2NE7oXWdiDEMwhe4ip3gjxxrMcaXj45zNNPAjR6MBzIf9UGyD87UqX0-hohQAhP19k3MK0ImZE3_EDwc7TkCLZPoNWajX9Y_uhYi6POOZk/s1600/pope-benedict-xvi-61a53f03d58a797a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdojhoUCgYxbfOm9NoVxo5wFkdaMa9FydRr2NE7oXWdiDEMwhe4ip3gjxxrMcaXj45zNNPAjR6MBzIf9UGyD87UqX0-hohQAhP19k3MK0ImZE3_EDwc7TkCLZPoNWajX9Y_uhYi6POOZk/s320/pope-benedict-xvi-61a53f03d58a797a.jpg" /></a><br />
With the impending retirement of the current Pope, Roman Catholicism has been prominently brought into the global spotlight. One of the sad realities of this high profile is that many unbelievers in the world look to the Pope as the worldwide representative of Christianity. But the differences between biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism remain as stark as they ever have. So what are the vital differences? There are many, but for the sake of space I will point out some of the major ones.<br />
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One of my classmates recently said to me that "all roads lead to Rome... except for the one that goes to heaven." This statement rings so true in the light of church history. A true study of history will reveal, however, that the Church of Rome grew out of a continual slide into apostasy over many centuries (I recommend the book "The Church of Rome at the Bar of History"). <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2011/10/rc-sproul-on-reformation-day.html">The Reformation of the 1500s was a necessary recovery of the Gospel</a> of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. And nothing has really changed in this 500 year old stand off with regards to the doctrine of Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Neither has the central issue over Christ (and not the Pope) being the Head of His Church!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcT3Z_H5bAeQBuqsjr_zYVMFeX6FYDePMdXrSIUj_jtE5-z3GG2Fk5Xj7wvpQev4BOge8GITVlBJslYuAmcTM8_TDwHGC7xVXBP3X_d2EESrbdJ9GzX2pNE4sjFbXQSUhJL8e0q3mmPw/s1600/romehistory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcT3Z_H5bAeQBuqsjr_zYVMFeX6FYDePMdXrSIUj_jtE5-z3GG2Fk5Xj7wvpQev4BOge8GITVlBJslYuAmcTM8_TDwHGC7xVXBP3X_d2EESrbdJ9GzX2pNE4sjFbXQSUhJL8e0q3mmPw/s200/romehistory.jpg" width="198" /></a>Before I continue I must state two disclaimers. First, when I use the word "Catholic" I am referring to the Roman Catholic religion, not to be confused with "catholic" when used in it's universal sense such as "catholic church" when it means universal church. Secondly, this article does not suggest that every person attending a Catholic congregation is not a Christian. I believe there are true Christians attending Catholic churches - but this is in spite of, not by virtue of, true Catholic doctrine. Hence the title "Only Bad Catholics can go to Heaven" because, as you will see, the only way someone could find true salvation in a Roman Catholic church is by seriously violating their own belief system. (I must thank Matt Slick at CARM [Christian Apologetics Resource Ministry] for much of this information).<br />
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For by grace you have been saved athrough faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)<br />
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Roman Catholic doctrine denies justification by faith alone and says: <br />
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<i>If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema (Council of Trent, Canons on Justification, Canon 9).</i> <br />
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Anathema, according to Catholic theology, means excommunication, the exclusion of a sinner from the society of the faithful. Roman Catholic theology therefore pronounces a curse of excommunication, of being outside the camp of Christ, if you believe that you are saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus. <br />
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When the Roman Catholic church negates justification by faith alone, it necessarily implies that we must do something for justification, for if it is not by faith alone, then it must be by faith and something.<br />
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Catholicism teaches that certain things must be done by people in order to be justified and to keep that justification. Of these acts, baptism is the first requirement. Consider these quotes: <br />
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<i>Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that we too might walk in newness of life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 977). </i><br />
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<i>Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted to us through Baptism. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most excellent work of God's mercy (CCC, par. 2020).</i> <br />
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According to Roman Catholicism, baptism is only the first sacrament of forgiveness. Good works, according to Roman Catholicism, are also required and are rewarded with going to heaven: <br />
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<i>We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere to the end and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God' eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ (CCC, par. 1821).</i> <br />
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The above quote clearly states that heaven is the eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. Catholic theology asserts that works are a predecessor to justification in direct contradiction to God's Word which states that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:28).<br />
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In the CCC, par. 2010, it says: <br />
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<i>Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification. </i><br />
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How does anyone merit for himself the undeserved kindness of God's grace? Grace is by definition unmerited favor. This is an utterly false teaching. So how does the Catholic church get around this apparent dilemma that grace is unmerited but it is obtained through our merits? It states:<br />
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<i>Sanctifying grace is the gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify (CCC, par. 2023).</i> <br />
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This is the crux of the problem. Roman Catholic theology asserts that God's grace is granted through baptism and infused into a person by the Holy Spirit. This then enables him or her to do good works which then are rewarded with heaven. Basically, this is no different from the theology of the cults which maintain that justification is by grace through faith and your works, whether it be baptism, going to the true church, keeping certain laws, receiving the sacraments, or anything else you are required to do. <br />
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Maintaining Your Justification<br />
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Because the Catholic view of justification is a cooperative effort between God and man, this justification can be lost by man's failure to maintain sufficient grace through meritorious works. Roman Catholicism teaches that works are necessary for attainment of justification. According to Catholic theology, penance is a sacrament where a person, through a Catholic priest (CCC, par. 987), receives forgiveness of the sins committed after baptism. The penitent person must confess his sins to a priest. The priest pronounces absolution and imposes acts of penance to be performed.<br />
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<i>Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as the second plank (of salvation) after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace (CCC, par. 1446).</i> <br />
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Acts of penance vary, but some of them are prayer, saying the rosary, reading the Scripture, saying a number of Our Father or Hail Mary prayers, doing good works, fasting, and other such things. Is it by doing these acts of penance that the Catholic is able to regain his justified state before God? In essence it is earning one's salvation. Think about it. If you do not have it and you get it by saying prayers, fasting, and/or doing good works, then you are guilty of works righteousness salvation, which is condemned by the Bible.<br />
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What is even more frightening is that this post only scratches the surface of this wicked works righteous system. We could also discuss the Catholic denial of Jesus as our only mediator between God and man (contrary to 1 Timothy 2:5) by teaching people to pray to Mary as their mediator. Then there is also the issue of the blasphemous Catholic teaching that during every mass the priest has the power to call Jesus Christ down to die on the cross again (contrary to Hebrews 7:27). On and on it goes. Only bad Catholics can go to heaven because the only way for a Catholic to find true salvation is by completely ignoring the teaching of a religious system that has no saving power and trusting the Bible instead.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4PgaAH87ZxQ?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-86050120344234325362012-09-21T11:06:00.000-07:002012-09-26T22:33:09.385-07:00REFORMATION RESURRECTION 2013 - Voddie Baucham Coming To Denmark<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2Rd2WiYyDxs?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The Tilbage Til Bibelen (Back to Scripture) network of Denmark is pleased to present Reformation Resurrection 2013 with keynote speaker Dr Voddie Baucham - an outstanding reformed preacher and cultural apologist (bio below). Reformation Resurrection 2013 is a four day conference in the Danish countryside devoted to the furtherance of the Gospel in Europe and around the world. There is a lot of talk today about "new reformations" with new solutions to new problems. But we face the same problem today that we did 500 years ago - the pulpits of Europe have abandoned the Gospel. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cPlSHXCypZk?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="425"></iframe><br />
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Reformation Resurrection 2013 is a rallying cry to the same solution that the reformers risked their lives to proclaim. That sinful men can be justified before a Holy God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. And that this truth is faithfully proclaimed in God's Word alone, and to God's glory alone. The reformation isn't over - it just needs new life breathed into old truth. Men and women who are not ashamed of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto salvation. Will you forsake the silence to join with us and be a voice in resurrecting the Reformation?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">WHEN:</span> <br />
Tuesday July 23rd to Friday July 26th 2013.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd0CkDQi9s_QkDsD6UVB789j1f6nMVhdK-ysreDlj0cOp1eeJ_vg8E3sLy-bJM5oH5BpJ_-FcS33aGYT1zWr_CmPBVbOAeu1fI15VeJpW_OmGcc90m9ynTthuCLr0_SXhOw8O6eSCzyU/s1600/school.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612989170097205026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd0CkDQi9s_QkDsD6UVB789j1f6nMVhdK-ysreDlj0cOp1eeJ_vg8E3sLy-bJM5oH5BpJ_-FcS33aGYT1zWr_CmPBVbOAeu1fI15VeJpW_OmGcc90m9ynTthuCLr0_SXhOw8O6eSCzyU/s200/school.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 121px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHERE:</span><br />
Skroedstrup Boarding School<br />
Skroedstrupvej 26 <br />
9550 Mariager<br />
Denmark <br />
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Here is an online map of the conference site:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Skr%C3%B8dstrup+Efterskole,+Skr%C3%B8dstrupvej,+Mariager,+Danmark&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.819956,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=Skr%C3%B8dstrup+Efterskole,&hnear=Skr%C3%B8dstrupvej,+9550+Mariager,+Denmark&ll=56.624657,10.056746&spn=0.008617,0.016047&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Skr%C3%B8dstrup+Efterskole,+Skr%C3%B8dstrupvej,+Mariager,+Danmark&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.819956,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=Skr%C3%B8dstrup+Efterskole,&hnear=Skr%C3%B8dstrupvej,+9550+Mariager,+Denmark&ll=56.624657,10.056746&spn=0.008617,0.016047" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">PRICE:</span><br />
To be announced.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THEMES</span><br />
Dr. Voddie Baucham's main subject will be "Preaching Christ from all of Scripture". Dr. Baucham's teaching on this subject has been so powerful and compelling that we could not go past it for our 2013 theme. There will also be extensive question and answer sessions where you will be welcome to throw your toughest questions at the keynote speaker. Evening meetings will be open to the general public.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">TRANSLATION</span><br />
The meetings will have Danish translation. The question and answer sessions will be in English only.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">CHILDREN</span><br />
Because Reformation Resurrection 2013 is a family camp, there will be teaching and activities for the children.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">CONTACT:</span><br />
For further information and travel advice please e-mail:<br />
Carsten Jorgensen - carstenstampe@yahoo.com <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq9_wvLsSRmOOwCDb4_p9jTQgK0XSI3RFLETFKke_uewdJVobQeuvcsqaltzaE-EkemvbL9RuZh1_LrslTpmwWfp7O5TiN4civgUFRgzBKbSTKKeexIsJwVZ2MHBb9YOAUmLnwrrSOv8/s1600/voddiebaucham04bw.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565730029668829570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq9_wvLsSRmOOwCDb4_p9jTQgK0XSI3RFLETFKke_uewdJVobQeuvcsqaltzaE-EkemvbL9RuZh1_LrslTpmwWfp7O5TiN4civgUFRgzBKbSTKKeexIsJwVZ2MHBb9YOAUmLnwrrSOv8/s200/voddiebaucham04bw.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 151px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">KEYNOTE SPEAKER:</span><br />
Europe has an amazing heritage of godly men who thunderously and fearlessly preached the Gospel. Thus it is entirely appropriate that this years guest speaker is a man cut from the same die (those of you who have not had the chance to sit under the teaching of Dr. Baucham will be able to do so by viewing the sermon video we have posted below). Voddie Baucham (www.voddiebaucham.org) wears many hats. He is a husband, father, pastor, author, professor, conference speaker and church planter. He currently serves as Pastor of Preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, TX. He has served as an adjunct professor at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, TX, and Union University in Jackson, TN. He has also lectured at Southern Seminary.<br />
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Voddie’s area of emphasis is Cultural Apologetics. Whether teaching on classical apologetic issues like the validity and historicity of the Bible, or the resurrection of Christ; or teaching on biblical manhood/ womanhood, marriage and family, he helps ordinary people understand the significance of thinking and living biblically in every area of life. <br />
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Voddie Baucham holds degrees from Houston Baptist University (BA in Christianity/BA in Sociology), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.), an honorary degree from Southern California Seminary (D.D.), and additional post-graduate study at the University of Oxford, England (Regent’s Park College). <br />
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Voddie and his wife, Bridget have been married since 1989. They have seven children, Jasmine, Trey (Voddie, III), Elijah, Asher, Judah, Micah and Safya. They are committed home educators. <br />
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Voddie Baucham has written numerous books including The Ever Loving Truth, Family Driven Faith, The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World, What He Must Be, and Family Shepherds.<br />
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For those of you who like to feast on great preaching here is an entire sermon preached at a pastors conference where Voddie Baucham took it upon himself to respond to the man centered and moralistic preaching by the previous speaker. This is a sermon that every church goer in Denmark needs to watch. It will also give you a great feel for the privilege we are in for at our next conference:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/COPZrKskSZA?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-71784618421595471192012-09-15T12:18:00.004-07:002012-09-15T12:18:39.309-07:00RC Sproul And Michael Horton Talk Christless ChristianityI make no secret of the fact that <a href="http://onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2010/05/recommended-books-michael-horton.html">Christless Christianity</a>, by Michael Horton, is one of the most influential books I have read over the last five years. What I love about this book is that Horton reveals the works righteous gospel as something that runs far deeper than I ever realized. It is a plague that is evident in liberalism, fundamentalism, and many in between. Horton calls it the religion of "moralistic therapeutic deism" and there is a decent chance that you might be a subscriber to this religion.<br />
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The following discussion between Horton and RC Sproul is well worth watching to hear two great modern Christian thinkers discuss this issue of eternal consequence:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMOJGmMGj2E?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-62420855719593586232012-09-11T16:40:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:41:43.831-07:00Communion On The Moon<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vU5QwuYKIgQ?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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I was born on July 3rd 1969. It was a monumental year in human history, something for which my birth had no connection. Nonetheless I can recall a childhood where my mother liked to tell people that the day I returned from the hospital was the day that Neil Armstrong first set foot on the surface of the moon. Any human with access to a television had his eyes fixed on that television on that day, oblivious to the fact that yours truly took up residence in a little house in the small Australian town of Chinchilla at the very same time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFc5mtsEncVvS9W5h1ihVYM2jIjY9atRmwO_IYaZ_tyvzP_PSFc4j2tRa0dpK1sL0SGSQHwquyoRRwBxK3Dgi5vc8qI6p6Fv7zUGYuIcbbi2zNYIJcNyEQpHymVqTTsb5Y_uDeaiAUdk/s1600/na.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFc5mtsEncVvS9W5h1ihVYM2jIjY9atRmwO_IYaZ_tyvzP_PSFc4j2tRa0dpK1sL0SGSQHwquyoRRwBxK3Dgi5vc8qI6p6Fv7zUGYuIcbbi2zNYIJcNyEQpHymVqTTsb5Y_uDeaiAUdk/s1600/na.jpg" /></a>The recent death of Neil Armstrong has been a sobering reminder that the mightiest of men are still but dust. Time waits for no man and Neil Armstrong was no exception . . . and neither am I.<br />
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Several years ago I was asked to name the five people I would most want to meet. Neil Armstrong was on that list. Not only because of his fame, but also because of his subsequent obscurity. As one reporter said back in 2009:<br />
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<i>He could have raked in millions through endorsements and personal appearances. Courted by kings, praised by politicians, he could have signed book and film deals telling of his amazing story.<br />
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Instead, he became a virtual recluse who uses a fake name to receive his mail and refuses to talk about his incredible life.<br />
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This is Neil Armstrong, who first walked on the Moon and uttered one of the world's best-known phrases: "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."<br />
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Armstrong returned 40 years ago this month from his Apollo 11 mission to a hero's welcome and offers to cash in on his fame.<br />
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But today, even among locals in the small town of Indian Hill, Ohio, few know him as the man who made history by taking the first steps on another world.
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The 78-year-old leads a fiercely secretive existence.<br />
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Local hairdresser Marx Sizemore claimed he was warned not to bother Armstrong with questions when he became a customer.<br />
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"He's a very withdrawn individual. I cut his hair for five years and he never even mentioned that he was Neil Armstrong," he said.<br />
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"I knew who he was, though, because the salon owner had told me. I was warned that he doesn't like to talk about it.<br />
<br />The only time we ever spoke about the Moon landing was when I asked him about it once. I had to initiate the conversation. I was born a week after he walked on the Moon so I told him that to see if he would start talking.<br />
<br />But he barely reacted and just looked down."</i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>"He was more interested in talking about golf. I think he's a private person who can't stand to be the centre of attention."</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> </span></i><br />
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Neil Armstrong has now left this earth for the final time as somewhat of an enigma. I remain intrigued as to how his unique experiences affected him. I sometimes wonder if Paul's words to the church in Rome were echoed as he travelled into the surrounding cosmos:<br />
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<i>For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)</i><br />
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I do not know how Neil Armstrong reacted to an encounter with God's glorious creation on a far more profound level than most men ever will. But I am greatly encouraged by a little known fact concerning the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 that may surprise you . . .<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o_J2EGDCwXo?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-68234370186183185572012-09-08T23:38:00.001-07:002012-09-08T23:43:34.273-07:00The Racism That Is RighteousRacism is an ugly scourge in all societies that goes all the way back to the tower of Babel. Governments are foolish enough to believe that they can legislate it out of society while people remain in their sin. One of the most prominent ways that sin manifests itself is in our selfishness. And selfish people don't like people who are different. Is it really any surprise that racism exists?<br />
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Yet, at the core of all of this lies two shocking truths that escape almost everybody. Firstly, that God is a racist and secondly that there is only one race - the human race. We all descend from Adam and that is why we are all sinners.<br />
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<i>Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)</i><br />
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All sinners are alienated from God and excluded from His Kingdom - the ultimate form of racial segregation! Furthermore, God's segregation is right and just! He is holy and we are not. He would be a corrupt judge if he were to ignore the sinful deeds of every member of Adamic race! God's justice demands that He must separate, segregate, and reprobate every member of the Adamic race! Unless . . . certain members of the Adamic race were to be reconciled to this Holy God via the wrath bearing work of a sinless substitute in their place! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only solution to deal with all forms of racism - God's alienation from man and man's alienation from each other.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ePsZNMJGMHs?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-14613722818927939032012-09-05T14:39:00.002-07:002012-09-05T14:39:40.652-07:00John Macarthur And Steve Lawson Preaching To PreachersLast week, John Macarthur and Steve Lawson poured themselves into the lives of the 80 new students at The Master's Seminary. It is not well advertised or well known that these videos are now available on Youtube. I have already <a href="http://www.onceuponacross.blogspot.com/2012/08/sneak-peak-inside-masters-seminary.html">posted the first session with Dr. John Macarthur</a> and it was so good - especially when he talks about "big boy church" - that today I am posting the rest of the sessions (many thanks to Joshua Crooch for uploading these and making them available).<br />
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Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: Lecture 2 with Dr. John Macarthur<br />
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Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: Lecture 3 with Dr. John Macarthur<br />
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Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: Lecture 4 with Dr. Steve Lawson<br />
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Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: Lecture 5 with Dr. Steve Lawson<br />
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Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: Lecture 6 with Dr. Steve Lawson<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h8bl4AeaKFk?list=PLA4F1CA2C916E583E&hl=en_US" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: Lecture 7 with Dr. Steve Lawson<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qQJrKFfEc9Q?list=PLA4F1CA2C916E583E&hl=en_US" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670425954609557512.post-46335310857669089352012-08-31T00:46:00.001-07:002012-08-31T00:47:01.349-07:00Sneak Peak Inside The Master's SeminaryFor those of you who wonder what it's like to sit in class at the Master's Seminary, you are going to enjoy this! This is Dr. John Macarthur's opening address to the newest intake of biblical expositors. What would John Macarthur say to the preachers of the future? No need to wonder any more . . .<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-jCyfWwz3-Y?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Cameron Buettelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217501740084187739noreply@blogger.com0