The Real Story Of Martin Luther

We, in Denmark, had the great privilege of hosting Dr Peter Hammond who is (among many other things) the president of the Reformation Society. Dr Hammond made many fascinating presentations from history and the frontier mission fields last summer for our annual Reformation Resurrection conference but his touching presentation on the life of Martin Luther really stood out to me. Luther's bold stand against the evils of the Roman Catholic church, coupled with his dynamic recovery of our precious doctrine of justification by faith, often get lost in the shadow of historical revisionism which has painted an ugly picture of the reformer.

Without a doubt, Luther got things wrong, which he readily admitted himself. But we often forget the term "Semper Reformanda" - the Church reformed and always reforming. Later reformers went on to make more of the necessary reforms as the Protestant movement veered further and further away from the elaborate and idolatrous works righteous system that emanated from Rome. I think Paul Washer said it best when he declared that we stand on Luther's shoulders. If our theology is superior, it is only because of that monk who discovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone as he groped around in the immense darkness of that Catholic monastery and found a way out. Should we expect Luther to have had all his theological ducks lined up when he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg?

It is interesting to note these words in the second chapter of the book of Judges:

When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:6-10 emphasis mine)

This is the turning point that sent Israel spiraling into some of the darkest chapters of their history - in fact the book of Judges finishes with several horrific stories and the closing words:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

Perhaps Frank Sinatra was actually paraphrasing the book of Judges in his song "I did it my way" which may also be the only song in the hymnal of hell.

Please note carefully the bold words I quoted above in Judges 2:6-10. Israel's tragic descent started with their failure to teach history and that history is His Story. Ray Comfort once said that "the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history". May we not be like those before us and around us who run headlong towards the cliff. May we look back at our rich reformation heritage and the undeniable Sovereign hand of God in a movement that transformed every sphere of European society and won many into God's Kingdom. May we take the time to listen and learn as we take this journey back into the 16th century so we can press on in the 21st century with the knowledge that unless God builds the house, we all labor in vain . . .

Just Added - Wesley Gold

Ray Comfort's compilation of golden nuggets from the preaching of John Wesley, has just been added to the resource directory!

WESLEY GOLD
Ray Comfort (Editor), John Wesley
Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
Click Here To Order
How could one man turn a whole country upside-down? How could he be disciplined to daily read his Bible, have private prayer, meet others for public prayer, and yet not be saved? Why did he say, I went to America, to convert the Indians; but oh! Who shall convert me? What did he read that “strangely warmed his heart” and brought him to Christ? These questions and others are answered in Ray Comfort's compilation of golden nuggets from the life of the great field preacher John Wesley who said that "The World Is My Pulpit". Loaded with great inspiration for evangelism and appreciation for our Christian heritage.

You Need My Book - Rick Warren's Sermon At Desiring God (Part 13)

The following commentary corresponds to the following video from 43:50 to 45:46

WARNING: Watching the following segment of video may induce vomiting!



This is just getting more and more painful. Just when I thought that Rick Warren could not possibly trump his delusions of grandeur reached thus far, he proves me wrong yet again. In a sermon loaded with moralism, pragmatism, bad hermeneutics, and quotes from bogus "bible translations"; Warren now informs his audience (with all the profound humility he can muster) that they all need to get a book on Bible study methods. For the duration of this sermon, Warren has repeatedly proved that he is the last person at the Desiring God conference who should recommend any Bible study methods. But wait - there's more! The book about Bible study methods that Rick Warren recommends is written by guess who? If you're thinking it must be the humblest guy in the universe then you thought correctly. After 40 minutes of hermeneutical hack job from Pastor Warren, he then has the gall to tell his esteemed audience that they all NEED to get "Warren's Bible Study Methods". If this is not the conduct of a complete jerk then can someone please tell me what else could possibly qualify? The fact that Rick Warren can show up (if via pre-recorded video qualifies) and deliver this garbage without being taken to task just makes me angry and grieved. Is it really that difficult to see through the Rick Warren barrage of self aggrandizing advice?

Warren goes on to scold his audience for not training people to be "self feeders". Aside from the self refuting aspect of this statement, it is a borrowed terminology from Bill Hybels and the world of Willow Creek where they seem to be under the impression that their major failure has been in not teaching their members to be "self feeders". Let's apply this self feeder idea to all of Jesus parables concerning a shepherd and his sheep, or how about the Lord's own words in John 15:5 where he says "apart from Me you can do nothing". And this drives right to the heart of the seeker sensitive/church growth train wreck where the indwelling transformation of the Holy Spirit has been substituted with man made programs and more programs. And when the programs fail they arrive at the conclusion that they should have been doing "other programs". This is what happens when the audience becomes sovereign in these matters. Yes, at times we are called to study Scripture in private, to commune with God, and meditate upon His precepts in the sanctuary of our private prayer closet. But this is not self feeding, it is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. And until Rick Warren gets that, he just won't get it at all.

Warren closes this section with the discovery of a new attribute - the "skills" of God! Maybe . . . if you want to call omnipotence a "skill"!!!

More to come . . .

Go On To Part 14
Go Back To Part 12
Go Back To Part 1

Lame Attempts At Relevance (Part 2)

Nominations are now being sought for further "lame attempts at relevance" because there are plenty out there. Part 1 involved the stock standard staple of the modern seeker church - a second rate cover version of an 80's song. My satire and mocking of the decade that brought us mullets, M&Ms, and Miami Vice should not make me immune from subjection to the same historical scrutiny. And my old friend, Paul from Adelaide, gleefully took the opportunity to drag an 80's skeleton out of my very own closet in the comments section of Part 1 - let's just say that I have owned cassettes in the past that I hope remained buried in the past. So thanks Paul for the humiliation.

Continuing in that 80's vein, what could be more fitting than a fusion between breakdancing and Hillsong. Now I am not Simon Cowell and I am in no position to claim much talent in the area of the creative arts. But can someone please explain to me why this video makes me laugh so much and if I need to remove the "talent plank" out of my own eye first.



That was certainly different to what I usually experience on a sunday morning. I can almost hear Paul from Adelaide running back to my closet to drag the next skeleton off the rack! Now Paul, I am aware that I posses the worst moonwalk ever seen in the first world (my moonwalk strategy involves lots of hand movement in the hope that it will divert people's gaze away from my lack of foot movement). I know my wife loves to invite me to perform it at most social gatherings we attend as a blessing to keep me humble. So perhaps I should not be laughing in the light of all my own 80's baggage. And perhaps the guy in this video is a godly man with a sincere motive to honor Christ. But I am still left wondering if "breakdance meets Hillsong worship" is the new cutting edge of church growth strategies. How does this minister to you?

Go On To Part 3
Go Back To Part 1

Hey Pastor, Stop Doing So Much Teaching - Rick Warren's Sermon At Desiring God (Part 12)

The following commentary corresponds to the following video from 41:18 to 43:50



From the outset of this segment Rick Warren tries to respond to his critics who lambasted him for his statement that the next reformation will be "deeds not creeds". This is exactly what Rick Warren stated in an interview with Beliefnet:

I’m looking for a second reformation. The first reformation of the church 500 years ago was about beliefs. This one is going to be about behavior. The first one was about creeds. This one is going to be about deeds. It is not going to be about what does the church believe, but about what is the church doing.

Yet again this serves as a classic example of Rick Warren's warped view of the Gospel and conversion. The deeds are a natural extension of rightly understanding the creeds. Just like James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 2:26). James is not saying that salvation is also by works. He is saying "deeds" are the fruit of genuine saving faith. He is saying that if there are no deeds then we need to re-examine the faith that this person professes. When Rick Warren thinks that the Gospel can have significantly improved "results" by making the narrow gate into a wide gate and offering salvation without biblical repentance - then it is no wonder why he thinks that the next reformation is all about telling a bunch of goats how to act like sheep. Rick, the criticism you have received over this is highly justified - I thought you told us that you learn from your critics? You have not been misunderstood, it is you who have failed to understand the doctrine found in those creeds and that those doctrines are applied naturally by genuinely converted believers. The first reformation was largely about recovering the true Gospel hidden beneath the works righteous hot air that flowed from the pope's mouth. The only difference in the "second reformation" may well be which pope the reformers have to deal with this time around!

This ridiculous diatribe then leads into another incredibly stupid statement (and a strong contender for the dumbest comment in the whole sermon - and we're talking a long strong list of contenders) where Warren tells his audience that they "are teaching their congregations too much". No Rick, the problem is that you sell too many books to too many people that teach too many of your own ideas that have no basis in the Scripture. Surely Rick Warren must take some responsibility for the masses of false converts and severe biblical illiteracy that run rampant in mainstream modern evangelical churches. My head is spinning at the continual avalanche of unbiblical pragmatic man-centered philosophy. Is Rick Warren a bottomless well? Perhaps if pastors were not so enamored with the "success" of the Purpose Driven bandwagon, and they took their copy of Purpose Driven Life and started using it as a door stop (or boat anchor), and actually started expounding the Scriptures relentlessly, then we might start to see a growing number of people who have been regenerated and start bearing fruit in keeping with true repentance.

But I wouldn't say that Pastor Warren teaches too much, he should just teach his schtick on a talkback show instead of from a pulpit - because it does not belong there. And it is an insult to the many faithful shepherds in the audience.

More to come . . .

Go On To Part 13
Go Back To Part 11
Go Back To Part 1

Just Added - Slavery, Terrorism, And Islam

Dr. Peter Hammond's shocking and sensational expose on the real history of Islam, and their many centuries of participation in slave trading, has just been added to my resource directory!

SLAVERY, TERRORISM, AND ISLAM
Peter Hammond
Category: Persecution
Click Here To Order
Slavery, Terrorism, and Islam - The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat is a fascinating, well illustrated and thoroughly documented response to the relentless anti-Christian propaganda that has been generated by Muslim and Marxist groups as well as Hollywood film makers. As Karl Marx declared: “The first battlefield is the re-writing of History!” Dr. Hammond's book sets the record straight with chapters on “Muhammad, the Caliphas and Jihad”, “The Oppression of Women in Islam”, “The Sources of Islam” and “The Scourge of Slavery the Rest of the Story”. With over 200 pictures and 15 maps and charts, this book is richly illustrated. It consists of 16 chapters and 13 very helpful appendixes including demographic maps of the spread of Islam, a Glossary of Islamic Terms, a comparison of Muslim nations' military spending vs. their national prosperity, a chart on how Jihad works depending on the percentage of Muslims in the population and guidelines for Muslim evangelism.

Lame Attempts At Relevance (Part 1)

I just cannot believe the downward spiral that is modern seeker sensitive churches and their attempts to stay at the "cutting edge" of cultural relevance. RC Sproul was quoted as saying:

If there were such a thing as a seeker, what would he be seeking? The church growth movement seems to believe he would be seeking more of the same. In a world consumed with lighthearted entertainment, we offer up less professional, less entertaining lighthearted entertainment? Why, I keep wondering, would a “seeker” get up on a Sunday morning, and travel to some giant box to hear a third rate rock band preceding a third rate comic giving a third rate “message” that leaves him in the same state that he arrived in?

Hyperbole perhaps, but very close to the mark nonetheless. I can't help but believe that the following conversation has happened at the leadership level of hundreds of Willow Creek/Saddleback style churches.

Senior Pastor: Numbers are falling and those that come fall asleep during the service. We need to do something about this.

Youth Pastor: The key is reaching the youth. We need to get twenty-somethings attending regularly.

Late thirties/early forties Associate Pastor with a mullet and a mid life crisis: How about some 80's music (to reach people born after 1995). After all 80's music was very cool in the 80's!.

Senior Pastor and Youth Pastor together: Wow, why hasn't anyone thought of this before . . . like ever?

Associate Pastor: Why not get our worship team to present a poor man's version of a Van Halen song about suicide. I'm sure a lot of people would relate to that.

Worship Pastor: Right on man! I'll even get the bass player to jump one time during the second chorus. That should shatter the stereotype many people have that Christians aren't edgy and cool! Let's show the general public that we are the equal of any Bon Jovi tribute band going around right now!

Associate Pastor: Hey, and I'll see if I can find some Bible verses with the word "jump" in them! With so many lousy paraphrases to choose from I'm sure I'll find something.



Just check out the throng of trendy youth "getting down" in the church hall. Maybe they really did hit on something here - after all it got 96 hits on youtube!

It never ceases to amaze me that the most relevant thing of all is the ultimate statistic (one out of one people die) and it is also often the most neglected from the pulpit. Death and judgment will strike every man and it is the key to awakening the conscience and arousing our thirst for the righteousness found only in Christ. The law and the Gospel presented faithfully and passionately is as riveting as it gets.



Go On To Part 2

Human Decisions v Divine Renovations - Rick Warren's Sermon At Desiring God (Part 11)

The following commentary corresponds to the following video from 37:35 to 41:18



Rick Warren starts out in this video segment by suggesting that godly convictions lead to godly habits. And these habits are what form our character. Once again, he tries to drag the horse by the cart. And his confusion is verified when he says "put on the fruit of the Spirit". This may be a slip of the tongue but it really brings us to the heart of the problem with moralistic preaching. Chris Rosebrough suggested in an earlier post that Rick Warren is a Pelagian and perhaps that accusation is over the top (maybe not) but I must say that I am certainly smelling a very strong aroma of Pelagianism here.

Pelagius was a monk from Britain, whose reputation and theology came into prominence after he went to Rome sometime in the 380's A.D. The historic Pelagian theological controversy involved the nature of man and the doctrine of original sin.

Pelagius believed that the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin (the Fall) were restricted to themselves only; and thereby denied the belief that original sin was passed on (or transferred) to the children of Adam and thus to the human race. Adam's sin merely "set a bad example" for his progeny and Jesus "set a good example" for mankind (thus counteracting Adam's bad example). Pelagianism teaches that human beings are born in a state of innocence with a nature that is as pure as that which Adam was given at his creation.

As a result of his basic assumption, Pelagius taught that man has an unimpaired moral ability to choose that which is spiritually good and possesses the free will, ability, and capacity to do that which is spiritually good. This resulted in a gospel of salvation based on human works. Man could choose to follow the precepts of God and then follow those precepts because he had the power within himself to do so.

The controversy came to a head when Pelagian teaching came into contact with Augustine. Augustine did not deny that man had a will and that he could make choices. But, Augustine recognized that man did not have a free will in moral issues related to God, asserting that the effects original sin were passed to the children of Adam and Eve and that mankind’s nature was thereby corrupted. Man could choose what he desired, but those desires were influenced by his sinful nature and he was unable to refrain from sinning. (courtesy of Theopedia)

Now, back to Warren's quote "put on the fruit of the Spirit". A logical think through of this sentence may help us to catch a whiff of this Pelagianism. Trees bear fruit as a natural extension of their true nature. Apples on the branches don't make it an apple tree but the apples do testify to the authenticity of the apple tree. But what would you think if you found a tree with apples hanging off it attached by sticky tape? The fruit of the Spirit is an indicative of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit - not an imperative that we add to our lives to make our Christianity authentic. As usual, Rick Warren, like Pelagius, is more interested in the how to do and the what to do, than the Who has done - the "Who" being Christ and the "done" being His finished atoning work that makes it possible for us to become new creatures in Him. This is the elephant that Rick Warren does not see in his own living room - but I am hopeful that you, the reader, can spot an elephant at ten feet.

I think the 70's band "Police" summed up the transcendent theme of Rick Warren's sermon when they said those immortal philosophical words "do do do do da da da da that's all I'm gonna say to you" (wow I feel so relevant and cutting edge in a seeker sensitive kinda way). And that's what we get as Warren continues - plenty of do do do. Some of the things he points out are beneficial but it always revolves around human decisions rather than Divine renovations.

Oh oh, in the midst of all this I couldn't help noticing that Rick Warren's mention that he has a "life verse". This is modern-evangelicaleze for picking a Bible verse that you like and deciding that it will apply to your life. Life verses are for people who think that Scripture is really a smorgasbord from which we can pick and choose verses to create a reality to our liking. If you ever visit that smorgasbord you'll find that there is nothing left on the Jeremiah 29:11 plate while poor old Jeremiah 29:17 and Jeremiah 29:18 have been left out in the cold with no takers. This is all building up towards "Rick Warren's Desiring God infomercial" where he will tell his audience that they need to get a copy of "Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods" (no this is not a joke - just wait and see . . .). Rick, based on what I've heard thus far, your Bible study methods are right up there with "Joel Osteen's Scripture Memorization Strategies" (ok that was a joke).

And another thing, I really would like to meet all these pastors who are "godly and love the Lord and preach the word" but lack the "skill" to have a successful church. What exactly is he saying here? Define success? What skill? The only skill you will find listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 (which list the requirements for church leadership) is to "be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it". What a shame Rick Warren didn't choose that as his "life verse" nor develop it as a skill!

More to come . . .

Go On To Part 12
Go Back To Part 10
Go Back To Part 1

Dear Graeme, UnkleE, And Everyone Else Who Is Silent About The Gospel

I am finding a common tendency among most people who are critical of my adherence to Scripture or my "narrow" view of the Gospel. The tendency is that these people, when asked, almost always refuse to explain the Gospel in their own words. Two particular people spring to mind in recent weeks.

The first is a guy called Graeme who is an old friend from my early Christian life when I lived in Ipswich, Australia. Though I would still consider Graeme as a friend, I'm not so sure he would reciprocate after the hard words I spoke to him in the comments section of one of my posts. These hard words were, however, entirely called for due to Graeme's disgraceful cheap shot at the Creation Science community with his outrageous claim that:

Lets face it, Creationists don't don't really care about Christ. But they do care about the literal meaning of creationism (yes that is a direct quote).

It becomes even more outrageous when you consider the fact that Graeme has commented numerous times on this blog without having anything to say about the Person and work of Christ. Graeme's comment is equally insulting to ministries like Answers in Genesis who produce excellent Gospel tracts and invest heavily in evangelistic outreaches. Some of these people are people who I have met personally and found to be very Christ centered. I wouldn't have a clue about where Graeme stands with Christ because he has never said anything about it. When Graeme was asked several times to articulate the Gospel and how much He esteems Christ, he had this to say . . . . deafening silence.

"UnkleE" is another Aussie, as best as I can tell, who felt the need to comment on a recent post about Rob Bell and defend Rob Bell's heretical theology. In fairness to "UnkleE", he initially responded because he misunderstood some of my commentary (which I should have been clearer on). But as the conversation progressed, it turned out that "UnkleE" had read one of Bell's books (Velvet Elvis if I recall) and found nothing problematic or heretical in a book that is very heretical and probelematic (paging universalism). Since "UnkleE" considered Bell to be sound enough that we should just leave him alone I challenged him to explain the Gospel in his own words - in the hope of understanding where "UnkleE" was at. I was genuinely concerned about "UnkleE" due to his handling of Scripture and relaxed attitude about universalism. What was UnkleE's response:

Further discussion would be unproductive.

Well Graeme and "UnkleE" and everyone else who is unwilling to discuss this with me - please watch this video and answer my question underneath!



Obviously the woman's advice is as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle . . . unless you WANT to go to hell! But what would you say to this man in this situation? I really want to know. Graeme and "UnkleE", hard as it might be to believe, right now I am being your best friend. This is where the rubber meets the road. And whether you respond or not (please do), you can be sure about this: one day you will either meet the man in this video or be the man in this video.

Just Added - The End Of The Law

Jason C Meyerøs in depth work on how the Mosaic Law relates to the Gospel has just been added to my resource directory!

THE END OF THE LAW
Jason C Meyer
Category: Theology
Click Here To Order
Commonly understood as the first theologian of the Christian faith, Paul set forth the categories by which we describe our relationship with Christ. Did he understand the new covenant Jesus announced at the Last Supper primarily as a replacement of the old Mosaic covenant God made with Israel, or as a renewal and completion of the old? Jason C Meyer surveys the various differences that have been argued between the two covenants in The End of the Law: Mosaic Covenant In Pauline Theology, carefully and inductively perfoming a semantic, grammatical, and contextual analysis of all the Pauline texts dealing with covenant concepts. This is Book Seven of the New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology series, an extension of the long-respected New American Commentary.