Yes I'm actually in London. I have the great priveledge of being invited onto Revelation TV in the UK to discuss open air preaching.
Today has been a special blessing on the food front. I got to eat a meat pie, some nando's chicken, and a Crunchie bar for the first time in 2 years. Hardly suffering like Wesley and Whitefield did.
I will be appearing with Londoner Rob Hughes (from operation513.com) who is an avid open air preacher and reformed theologian. The program is called "Word in Focus" and can be streamed live at 9pm (UK time) at this site www.revelationtv.com
How appropriate to talk about open air preaching in the heartland of Wesley, Whitefield, Spurgeon, and William Booth. It was the field preaching of the "Great Awakening" that transformed England from a moral cesspool to the high point of world culture. Not only that but countless hell bound souls were saved through their preaching. Our agenda is, of course, to follow in their footsteps and faithfully proclaim the Once For All Delivered Glorious Gospel to a culture in decline.
It is foolish to think that open air preaching is no longer relevant. As a Christian our relevance lies in our difference. What could be more relevant than bringing to men's attention the certainty of death and judgement that awaits. It is also foolish to think that it was somehow easier in the days of the Great Awakening. Wesley and Whitefield were men who were shot at and stoned for their labor. And labor they did preaching ceaselessly from town to town on horseback spending and being spent on the cause of Christ. These men preached themselves to the grave. We have lot to thank them for and a responsibility to continue in their vein.
Here is an excerpt from George Whitefield's life:
Whitefield preached a schedule that would have destroyed even a healthy man, and Whitefield was far from healthy. He preached usually thirteen sermons a week, each lasting one to two hours or more. It is estimated that he preached 18,000 sermons in his lifetime. Even when he tried to rest, the crowds forced him to continue.
Although thousands found faith and hope through Whitefield’s work, he also had tormentors and enemies. He was jeered and ridiculed, pelted with stones and dead cats, and even attacked and beaten by a man with a gold-headed cane. Nothing deterred or even delayed his preaching. He was fearless in his work and frequently proclaimed, “We are immortal till our work is done.”
Although suffering continually from asthma, Whitefield refused to give up his daily sermons. In 1769 he made his final trip to America, arriving in Savannah to work on converting his orphanage to a college. He traveled up the Atlantic coast with crowds at every stop. By the time he reached Boston, he was too ill to speak and spent three days in bed. On September 29, he was carried to Exeter, New Hampshire, where he prayed, “Lord Jesus, I am weary in your work, but not of your work. If I have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for you once more in the fields, seal your truth, and come home to die.” Barely able to stand, Whitefield preached for two hours on “Faith and Works”, and then went to his friend’s house in Newburyport for supper and bed. But when he tried to walk up the stairs to bed, dozens of people appeared at the parsonage and begged for just a short message. Whitefield stood on the steps and spoke until the candle he was holding in his hand burned down to his palm. He told a companion that his asthma was returning and, “I am dying.” At 6:00 the next morning he died. He was 55 years old.
In light of his life it is heavily convicting and reduces me to tears when I read these words by Whitefield: Had I a hundred hands, I could employ them all. The harvest is very great. I am ashamed I can do no more for him who has done so much for me.
Who am I to talk about open air preaching in the land of these great Christian pioneers? May God be glorified in my human weakness! Please pray for us.
A lot of negative things are being said (often by emergents, liberals and "red letters") concerning being a single issue voter. True - saving lives of the unborn is not the only issue. But we need to remember that a single issue can disqualify someone from being president and some issues are so BIG that they can outweigh all the others in one single swoop. If you are a preacher or a church and you don't get the Gospel right then everything else is a waste of time. I believe abortion is heinous enough to fall into the same category.
By Joe Belz from World Magazine
It's become an increasingly frequent reminder to us evangelical Christians not to let our cultural identity be framed by "single issues."
It was a reminder implicitly included in the "Evangelical Manifesto," a document whose basic content we at WORLD have applauded but whose political direction I questioned in our last issue. Why are the Manifesto's backers so ready to join the cultural left in suggesting a guilt trip for those evangelicals who have been preoccupied with the evils of abortion and same-sex marriage?
And if some argue that the rising generation of younger evangelicals is a bit embarrassed by what they think is an out-of-balance focus by their elders, and thinks it's time to get equally exercised over issues like racism, economic justice, and the environment—well, if that's the case with our twentysomethings and our teenagers, then maybe we need to go to work and do a better job of explaining to them why we've put the emphasis where we have for the last generation and why we believe that it's time not to lower our voices.
Evangelicals shouldn't be embarrassed to say boldly and clearly: Abortion and same-sex marriage are uniquely heinous sins. They rattle the foundations of a civilized society. They take a culture in a dreadful direction. We haven't been wrong to say so. We aren't fanatics.
And I'm not referring here so much to the young women caught in the anguish of an unexpected pregnancy or folks bewildered by their sexual identity. I'm talking mostly about a society that goes all out to tell such people that what they're doing is just fine. There's forgiveness for individual sinners. There's judgment for societies that lead them astray.
It's true that we evangelicals sometimes haven't been as zealous as we ought in fighting racism, abuse of the environment, and poverty. But on all those fronts and more, we're at least facing the right direction. We're sometimes slow.
But here's the difference: What evangelical do you know who says insensitivity to the poor should be promoted? What evangelical leader is calling for more racism? Who advocates the uncontrolled plundering of the environment?
That is exactly the kind of cheerleading that is going on for abortion and same-sex marriage. Whole movements and organizations devote themselves to telling us how good abortion and same-sex marriage are for society. It now is expected that Barack Obama feature on his speaking schedule, as he did on June 26, a New York fundraising dinner for the Democratic Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council—where the news account reports casually that Obama helped the homosexual lobby raise $1 million in just one evening.
But here's the core of the matter. To be robustly and consistently anti-abortion is at the very same time to cast your vote for environmental sensitivity, against racism, and for economic justice. These are not independent, isolated packages.
It's hard to see how anyone can claim to be a protector of the environment and not put a high priority on the preservation of human babies. To defend a focus on the future of polar bears and whales, while asking evangelicals to get less noisy about infant humans, is an embarrassing contradiction.
Similarly, keep in mind that abortion is one of the most racist of all social causes in history. Minorities don't just happen incidentally to be targeted by the practice of abortion. The history of Planned Parenthood and similar organizations is racist to the core—as is their current practice.
And no economist can look at the loss of 50 million American babies over the last 45 years and not wince at the impact of such a drain on the economic vitality of our society. Today's poor Americans are poorer than they would have been if we'd taken care to preserve enough consumers—and workers—to fill a state one-and-a-half times as big as California. Tomorrow's elderly will worry about Social Security more than they would have with 50 million more contributors to the system.
So stop apologizing for having focused on a single issue. Don't let the "Evangelical Manifesto" or anyone else shame you into an overly narrow self-image. It's the folks promoting causes like abortion and same-sex marriage who are the real "single issue" fanatics, falsely teaching that you can mess with just one or two aspects of life without upsetting the balance God so wondrously installed in His creation order. We need to expose that lie for the tragic falsehood that it is—and to teach the next generation what a very bad bargain they have been asked to accept.
Gianna Jessen is a true hero and revealer of truth concerning the horrendous things that happen to babies that "survive" abortion procedures. Barack Obama can try and play technicalities all he wants - the fact is that he is the pro murder candidate.
I often hear Ronald Reagan's name maligned by intellectuals but unlike Obama he showed that the issue of life was not “above his pay grade”. When asked when does life begin Reagan (like Obama) said he did not know, but in contrast to Obama he said that that uncertainty was reason enough never to allow abortion. It would seem that, if elected, Obama should get minimum wage.
Again I want to stress that I am not overly interested in the political realm but I take keen interest in engaging a Christian worldview where our morality is biblically aligned and our political allegience lies with truth. And in light of this it is important to shed light on candidates who attempt to lure the Christian vote with a deceptive agenda and Obama continually attempts to position himself to the voting public as a Christian voice even though he denies so much of basic Christian truth including the exclusivity of Jesus. My concern lies not with people voting for Barack Obama, my concern lies with the undiscerning church goer who votes for the pro murder candidate because he thinks he's voting for a Christian.
Don't think for one minute that this is an endorsement of John McCain. Christian brothers and sisters, we should not kid ourselves about what can be achieved through politics. Civil law only serves the purpose of restraining a wicked and perverse generation enough for the Gospel to be preached. As I often say the heart of he human problem is the problem of the human heart and preaching is the God ordained means of bringing this about. 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 (I Corinthians 1:21).
The emergents, liberals, and "red letter" crowd have railed long and hard against the "religious right" for being too political and campaigning for the wrong issues. In fact guys like Tony Campolo (standing on the Democratic party platform), Jim Wallis (who chastened the religious right for their failure to be civil whilst saying "George W. Bush was, and is, clueless about how to be the president of the United States") and Brian McLaren (who is doing and funding TV commercials or Barack Obama) continually claim to be above partisan politics.
The truth is that the "religious right" gets it wrong. But their failure has not been the issues they have fought or political opportunism. They have fought the right issues but have shifted the emphasis in evangelicalism from mission to activism. It is good to fight moral issues but fantasy to think that morality can be legislated. I often say that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart and God's ordained method for changing the human heart has been faithful preaching; "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" (I Corinthians 1:21). No amount of legislation can do what can only be done by God's Holy Spirit - regenerating the human heart.
The left on the other hand takes getting it wrong to a whole new level. They have been the actual political opportunists who have politicised moral issues, abandoned the authority of Scripture, and redefined the Gospel.
Christians need to remember that civil laws, ultimately, only serve to restrain a wicked and perverse generation enough for the Gospel to be preached. We are strangers in a strange land that is temporal and perishing. We serve a King who is eternal and has left this strange land to go and prepare a place for us. In the meantime Christ has called us to preach His Gospel in only two situations - in season and out of season. Remember that when you vote.
A lot of negative things are being said (often by emergents, liberals and "red letters") concerning being a single issue voter. True - saving lives of the unborn is not the only issue. But we need to remember that a single issue can disqualify someone from being president and some issues are so BIG that they can outweigh all the others in one single swoop. If you are a preacher or a church and you don't get the Gospel right then everything else is a waste of time.
By Joe Belz from World Magazine
It's become an increasingly frequent reminder to us evangelical Christians not to let our cultural identity be framed by "single issues."
It was a reminder implicitly included in the "Evangelical Manifesto," a document whose basic content we at WORLD have applauded but whose political direction I questioned in our last issue. Why are the Manifesto's backers so ready to join the cultural left in suggesting a guilt trip for those evangelicals who have been preoccupied with the evils of abortion and same-sex marriage?
And if some argue that the rising generation of younger evangelicals is a bit embarrassed by what they think is an out-of-balance focus by their elders, and thinks it's time to get equally exercised over issues like racism, economic justice, and the environment—well, if that's the case with our twentysomethings and our teenagers, then maybe we need to go to work and do a better job of explaining to them why we've put the emphasis where we have for the last generation and why we believe that it's time not to lower our voices.
Evangelicals shouldn't be embarrassed to say boldly and clearly: Abortion and same-sex marriage are uniquely heinous sins. They rattle the foundations of a civilized society. They take a culture in a dreadful direction. We haven't been wrong to say so. We aren't fanatics.
And I'm not referring here so much to the young women caught in the anguish of an unexpected pregnancy or folks bewildered by their sexual identity. I'm talking mostly about a society that goes all out to tell such people that what they're doing is just fine. There's forgiveness for individual sinners. There's judgment for societies that lead them astray.
It's true that we evangelicals sometimes haven't been as zealous as we ought in fighting racism, abuse of the environment, and poverty. But on all those fronts and more, we're at least facing the right direction. We're sometimes slow.
But here's the difference: What evangelical do you know who says insensitivity to the poor should be promoted? What evangelical leader is calling for more racism? Who advocates the uncontrolled plundering of the environment?
That is exactly the kind of cheerleading that is going on for abortion and same-sex marriage. Whole movements and organizations devote themselves to telling us how good abortion and same-sex marriage are for society. It now is expected that Barack Obama feature on his speaking schedule, as he did on June 26, a New York fundraising dinner for the Democratic Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council—where the news account reports casually that Obama helped the homosexual lobby raise $1 million in just one evening.
But here's the core of the matter. To be robustly and consistently anti-abortion is at the very same time to cast your vote for environmental sensitivity, against racism, and for economic justice. These are not independent, isolated packages.
It's hard to see how anyone can claim to be a protector of the environment and not put a high priority on the preservation of human babies. To defend a focus on the future of polar bears and whales, while asking evangelicals to get less noisy about infant humans, is an embarrassing contradiction.
Similarly, keep in mind that abortion is one of the most racist of all social causes in history. Minorities don't just happen incidentally to be targeted by the practice of abortion. The history of Planned Parenthood and similar organizations is racist to the core—as is their current practice.
And no economist can look at the loss of 50 million American babies over the last 45 years and not wince at the impact of such a drain on the economic vitality of our society. Today's poor Americans are poorer than they would have been if we'd taken care to preserve enough consumers—and workers—to fill a state one-and-a-half times as big as California. Tomorrow's elderly will worry about Social Security more than they would have with 50 million more contributors to the system.
So stop apologizing for having focused on a single issue. Don't let the "Evangelical Manifesto" or anyone else shame you into an overly narrow self-image. It's the folks promoting causes like abortion and same-sex marriage who are the real "single issue" fanatics, falsely teaching that you can mess with just one or two aspects of life without upsetting the balance God so wondrously installed in His creation order. We need to expose that lie for the tragic falsehood that it is—and to teach the next generation what a very bad bargain they have been asked to accept.
Fireproof, by the makers of Facing the Giants, is a great film about real life, marriage, and God's intervention. I encourage everyone to see it this weekend (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) in that opening weekend numbers will drive how long it stays in theaters and whether or not theaters will show more films like this in the future.
There's been quite a bit of publicity about this film recently. Articles have appeared in USA Today and yesterday Dr. Phil's show was about marriage and featured firefighters, police officers and the star (Kirk Cameron) and producers (the Kendrick brothers) of the film and the pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church.
Also, the Love Dare, the book featured in the film is on it's fifth printing (and it hasn't even hit stores yet) due to demand.
Here are some things to look for in the film:
Look for actors from Facing the Giants to turn up again
The place kicker is driving the car that leads to a wreck
The coach of the winning school in FTG shows up at the end of the film, but not as a coach
One of the dads from the FTG football team helps move the car off the railroad tracks
The opposing coach with the lollipop in Facing the Giants is back (with a lollipop) Look for the Lollipop Shop in a clip that is owned by the opposing coach from FTG. I think the car lot from the Kendrick's first film, Flywheel, is in the film as well. Not too sure about that one.
Both Kendrick brothers are in the film, as is their father. He's in a wheelchair. They were all featured in a past issue of HomeLife magazine.
Also, years ago Kirk Cameron stated that he would never kiss another woman other than his wife, even if in a movie or television show. There's a scene where he kisses his on-screen wife and we all know Chelsea Noble did not have a part in this film. So what gives? Well, the Kendricks and the folks at Sherwood Pictures have also said they would never have non-married couples be intimate or kiss in a film. This is what they did. They flew in Kirk's wife, Chelsea, put a dark wig on her and adjusted the lighting so you couldn't tell. When Kirk's character kisses his wife, it's actually Kirk kissing Chelsea.
So, get your tickets. Seems that Fandango.com has listed this film as the best selling movie for the weekend through their site. That's great! Don't miss out and don't miss the film.
FIREPROOF CINEMA RELEASE TOMORROW To all my friends living stateside. A terrific Christian movie with an overtly clear Gospel message hits the big screen tomorrow.
Please support this movie on opening weekend. Opening box office takings play a big factor in how many more theatres will pick up this movie. People will get saved through the clear gospel proclamation in this movie.
It stars Kirk Cameron who I've had the great priveledge of meeting. Kirk is the real deal as far as being a true disciple, faithful husband (unlike his character in the movie), and devoted father of six. Kirk was made famous by playing Mike Seaver for seven years in the hit sitcom "Growing Pains". Mike Seaver will be long forgotten after seeing Kirk's performance in this film.
The movie is produced by the Kendrick Brothers who brought us Cinema surprise packets "Facing the Giants" and "Flywheel".
Please support this movie. If it does well enough we might even get to see it in Europe.
Time Out - we'll take a break today from the stupidity in evangelical circles that is enveloping the 2008 Presidential race. There is more to be said as it pertains to seeing through the fog of deception and confusion by exercising a biblical worldview. This involves elevating Christ and diminishing worldly things. Who better than Paul Washer to give us some real perspective on Who God is, what man has become, and the things that really matter.
Yesterday I posted a letter by concerned Christians who wrote to Rick Warren pleading with him to retract his invitation to have staunch pro abortionist Barack Obama speak at his AIDS conference. If you read the letter it is plain to see that it is devoid of politcal agenda and instead voices a legitimate concern.
But into the picture stride Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis (and a host of other "Christian leaders") who are a part of a movement known as "red letter Christians" (which is their way of saying that they have a low view of Scripture). On the reason for creating Red-Letter Christians, Tony Campolo said, "The purpose of this gathering was not to create a religious left movement to challenge the religious right, but to jump-start a religious movement that will transcend partisan politics." So because Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis are doing such a great job at transcending partisan politics they decided to write a letter of their own turning the earlier letter to Rick Warren into a political issue all the while ignoring the infinitely more important moral issue that these Christians were concerned about.
Several right-wing religious organizations, including the National Clergy Council, recently blasted Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church for inviting Senator Barack Obama to speak on World AIDS Day this Friday, December 1. It's unfortunate that these groups would exploit the Christian faith to advance their divisive agenda – an agenda that gives almost exclusive attention to a few wedge issues while ignoring the diversity of problems plaguing American communities. We reject the creation of an unbiblical litmus test to exclude believers from the body of Christ. We are called to the ministry of reconciliation and the liberation of all people, spiritually and socially.
We also wonder why any organization claiming to represent believers in Jesus Christ would choose to play what amounts to partisan politics (emphasis added) instead of encouraging our leaders to address the scourge of AIDS.
AIDS has claimed the lives of 25 million people since 1981. Forty million people across the globe, including 2 million children, live with this wretched disease. And nearly 7 million people are now in desperate need of life-saving drugs, without which they will die. In the face of this crisis, it boggles our minds and offends our God-given sense of justice that these groups would choose to attack Senator Obama and Reverend Warren – Christians both – for working together to stamp out AIDS.
It is time for believers to unite under the banner of truth and work to address our society's most pressing problems. The time for scare tactics and divisiveness is over. As leaders in the Christian community, we will not stand silent in the face of these attacks, but will instead serve as voices for equality, fairness, and justice for all people.
It is easy to see who is playing the partisan politics here. Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis should be severely disciplined by their local congregations for such disgraceful behavior and high level hypocrisy. In fact Tony Campolo is so "above" partisan politics that he was on the Democratic Party Platform Committee for their convention in July. Join the dots on that one!
I have recently touched on the ridiculous fiasco of Rick Warren inviting rabid pro abortionist Barack Obama to his AIDS conference to talk about saving lives. Then, many from the "emergent", "red letter", and social justice camps (who have been pontificating for years about the religious right being too political) decided to turn it into a political issue. This stinks on so many levels and I just don't know where to begin unpacking this.
First of all, just because Barack Obama calls himself a Christian doesn't mean he is one. This is how Barack Obama describes his faith: "I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people." Hmmm how can I say this gently . . . "many paths" IS NOT CHRISTIANITY. The Christ of Barack Obama is not the Christ of Scripture. Barack Obama might speak christianese but he doesn't follow the TRUE Christ Who is the ONLY path to salvation. C'mon, this isn't that hard to figure out.
Secondly, Obama really brings nothing new or helpful to the fight against AIDS as his solution revolves around sex education programs rather than promoting abstinence before marriage. AIDS, as far as the big picture goes, is a moral issue because it is mainly spread through sexual promiscuity.
Third, all this focus on AIDS, global warming, opposing the war in Iraq is becoming disturbing - not because those issues don't matter but because of the silence on the abortion issue. All these "progressive Christian Leaders" rallying around Barak Obama and talking about taking the "holistic approach" is just one big fat disgraceful joke. If you were to add the total number of deaths from AIDS, the war in Iraq, and "the melting icecaps" it does not even come to one twentieth of the 46 MILLION estimated abortions each year (abortionno.org). Abortion is an outrage that dwarfs these other issues. If these people cared about abortion they would be making plenty of noise about it because they have no problem making a song and dance about our "carbon footprint" and they would never endorse Obama's pro death policies.
Genuinely concerned Christians wrote to Rick Warren pleading with him not to invite Barack Obama to his AIDS summit because of his pro abortion stance. Here is a copy of the letter:
As those who have worked to defend preborn children from the horrors of abortion in America and who have stood uncompromisingly against the legalized slaughter of an estimated 50 million Americans in the womb since 1973, we join with one voice in expressing our indignation and opposition to Rick Warren's welcoming of Senator Barack Obama to his church on December 1, 2006. Rick Warren is bringing Senator Obama to his church to speak for his Global Summit on AIDS and the church and to take an AIDS test in front of the cameras at a noon press conference.
Senator Obama comes to Rick Warren's church believing that abortion should be kept, "safe and legal". When Barack Obama campaigned for the U.S. Senate in 2004, his wife wrote a fundraising letter for him that revealed his support of partial-birth abortion. She said Obama's position is that the "partial-birth abortion ban . . . is clearly unconstitutional and must be overturned." Support of partial-birth abortion goes a lot farther than the politicians who want abortion to be "safe and legal." Senator Obama actually supports the barbaric practice of allowing abortionists to kill babies by allowing them to be partially, born, their skulls punctured and their brains sucked out. Further, he repeatedly opposed an anti-infanticide bill in the state of Illinois that only passed after he left. Killing a child at any stage of life is a violation of God's clear command, "Thou Shall Do No Murder". In addition,Obama's solution to the growing AIDS crisis has been and continues to be the widespread distribution of condoms, not chaste behavior as directed by the Bible.
In the strongest possible terms, we oppose Rick Warren's decision to ignore Senator Obama's clear pro-death stance and invite him to Saddleback Church anyway. If Senator Obama cannot defend the most helpless citizens in our country, he has nothing to say to the AIDS crisis. You cannot fight one evil while justifying another. The evangelical church can provide no genuine help for those who suffer from AIDS if those involved do not first have their ethic of life firmly rooted in the Word of God. Accordingly, we call on Pastor Rick Warren to rescind his invitation to Senator Obama immediately. The millions of silent victims who have died because of the policies of leaders like Senator Obama demand a response from those who believe that life is a gift from God. The name of the seminar at which Senator Obama will be appearing is entitled, " We Must Work Together." No, Mr. Warren, Mr. Obama, we will never work with those can support the murder of babies in the womb.
Did you count the number of times the word "democrat" got mentioned in the letter - big fat zero. That is because this letter was solely conerned with Obama's pro murder stance.
Well those so called "progressive Christians" like Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis got wind of this letter and wrote a response. As you will see tomorrow, the real problem of political opportunism is not from the "religious right" but from these disgraceful individuals. Read their response tomorrow
Last saturday I wrapped up my posts on Rick Warren discussing his invitation of rabid pro abortionist Barack Obama to speak at his AIDS conference held annually at Saddleback church. This event serves as a great snapshot of the lies, deceit, and hypocrisy going on by the false teachers otherwise known as "emergents", "red letter Christians", and "progressive Christians".
I have stayed silent about this for a long time. I have listened patiently to the "voices of reason" lecturing me on how the "religious right" is too political, that there are more issues than abortion and same-sex marriage, and that we, as Christians, should lean neither to the right or left.
As an aside I am well aware of the shortcomings of the "religious right" but they were not those identified by these naysayers. The "religious right" were right about the issues they fought for and probably saw many unborn lives saved in the process as well as significantly delaying the homosexual agenda. Their problem was that they failed to understand that you cannot legislate morality and the political sphere is not how to grow God's Kingdom. His Kingdom is not of this world nor is it grown by Christian government. God's chosen method has always been preaching. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart and unless a person is born again they will not change where it matters. No amount of political clout can regenerate a human being. I think it is fair to say, generally speaking, that the preaching and purity of the Gospel took a back seat during the heyday of the religious right. And now, it seems, we are paying a price for it.
Well I can no longer remain silent because the current farce by so called Christians who have been pontificating their political neutrality and slamming the religious right for years are now revealing their true colors and true agenda that they had all along. I'm really mad about this and a lot of people are practicing little or no discernment.
Outwardly the emergent movement disdains the seeker sensitive approach, but in reality they have a lot to thank them for. If it was the church growth/seeker sensitive proponents that played a large role in dumbing down biblical literacy of congregations around America, they also paved the way for church goers to be deceived by false teaching that never would have gained acceptance 30 years ago.
Some people will question why I am becoming politically involved. The truth is this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with theology and exercising a biblical worldview because that should affect everything we do. Take Mitt Romney for example when he was in the running. I would not interfere with someone voting for Mitt because they believe he is the best candidate. Where I would have taken issue is if someone was to vote for Mitt because they thought he was a Christian. In that case I would be compelled to point out that Mitt Romney is a mormon and mormons are not even remotely Christian. I am not opposed to Barack Obama because he is a democrat. I vehemently oppose his support of murdering the unborn and the truth should be told about that. My concern is for the Christian voters ability to exercise a biblical worldview and use it when making decisions. That is why I will attempt to shed some light on the political deception going on among these "politically neutral" left leaning "Christian voices".
Voddie Baucham is just not your shy retiring type of preacher. Never backwards in coming forward Voddie always speaks with biblical authority and sheer clarity. This also happened to be the case when he was invited onto CNN to give his thoughts on women's roles in the church and society. Get into a theological debate with Dr Baucham at your peril - you better know what you're talking about unlike the two women in this video . . .
In December 1989 I had only been born again two months when I graduated from my Air Force training in Australia. I was posted to a base just outside of Brisbane and the first Christian I met was a man called Stan Martin who had recently been promoted to Corporal.
Stan was kind enough to have Bible study with me in the chapel, invite me over to his house for dinner, and patiently listen to my rantings about the King James Bible. Stan was one of those Christians who never had a high public profile or got noticed by too many people. But he was a rock of provision for his family, a pillar of faithfulness in the local church, and a steadfast witness in the military.
Well last week Stan finally got promoted again - this time to glory in the presence of his Lord and Savior. All who attended his funeral found these words inside the order of service:
THE GOSPEL
One of Stan’s greatest passions in life was to tell other people “the gospel” – which is the good news about Jesus Christ. In honour of Stan, we would like to tell you about it. Would you please carefully consider the following message?
Mankind has become separated from God because of sin. Sin is breaking God’s law. Perhaps you feel you are a good person, who doesn’t need anything. Here’s a quick test of that, based on some of God’s laws.
Have you ever told a lie (including fibs), stolen anything (the value is irrelevant), or hated anyone? Have you used God’s name as a swear word, or jealously wanted what other people have?
If you are honest, you know you will be guilty when you stand before God. God, however, doesn’t want to send you to hell. Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross, so you could go free. That shows how much God loves you.
We have broken God’s laws, but Jesus paid our fine. Then He rose from the grave and defeated death. If you repent (which is turning away from your sins), and trust in Jesus, God will forgive your sins and give you eternal life.
God demonstrated His love toward us like this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:4-5
Well done, good and faithful servant; Enter now into the joy of your lord. - Matt 25:23
For to Live is Christ but to Die is Gain.
Precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints.
Jesus said: ‘I am the Resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’
INDIA – Violence against Christians Escalating in Orissa State On August 23, widespread violence erupted against Christians following the assassination of World Hindu Council leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, the alleged mastermind behind the December 2007 attacks on believers in Kandhamal, Orissa State. Saraswati was killed with four of his followers. 30 men believed to be Maoist extremists, stormed a religious center in Kandhamal and opened fire, VOM contacts reported.
"Despite evidence indicating that Maoists are responsible for Saraswati’s murder, several Hindu militant groups have blamed Christians," VOM contacts said. "As a result, Hindu militants have launched attacks on Christians throughout the state, setting buildings on fire and beating and killing believers in at least 12 districts. The Voice of the Martyrs has been receiving numerous reports on this developing crisis. At present, it is difficult to know the full extent of what is happening to Christians in Orissa State.
VOM contacts reported churches, mission buildings and schools throughout the state have been damaged or destroyed in the attacks. In the village of Nuagaon, Kandhamal district, extremists set fire to a social centre in the village after violating a nun who was at the facility. The Bethel Association, a Christian orphanage in the district of Rayagada, was burned to the ground. The mission was home to 150 children, many of them from families who have suffered persecution for their faith.
In Bargarh district, another orphanage was torched and a young woman was burned alive after she was thrown inside the building when she tried to protect the children. At least 20 churches have reportedly been destroyed, but the extent of the damage in Orissa State has not been ascertained as reports continue to be released from the affected regions.
VOM contacts report more than 50 homes belonging to Christians have been reportedly burned to the ground by extremists in the village of Rupagaon, Kandhamal alone. "A paralyzed man was unable to escape his burning house and was killed. Houses have also been ransacked, pelted with stones and vandalized throughout the state. Christian-owned shops have been torched and looted. Many Christians have fled their homes and are seeking refuge in the jungle. Although police have attempted to protect Christians and end the attacks in Orissa, the violence has continued to occur. Militant groups have blocked roads with logs in order to keep the police away. Christian groups continue to beseech government authorities to intervene and end the violence," VOM contacts added.
Similar attacks erupted on Christmas Eve 2007 after Hindu extremists targeted Christian homes and churches. Four Christians were killed, many injured and numerous homes and churches destroyed or damaged in the violent clashes that lasted five days. More than 18 churches and prayer houses were ransacked and torched in several areas of Kandhamal district in Orissa. In the past Hindu extremists have used anti-conversion laws to terrorize Christians.
VOM is working to gather information on these attacks and provide assistance to believers affected. Following the December attacks VOM provided assistance, by distributing thousands of Bibles and supporting some families that lost loves ones during the attack, through VOM’s Family of Martyrs fund.
VOM encourages you to continue praying for believers affected by the attacks. Ask God to protect believers who facing great challenges. Thank God for their faithfulness, and ask Him to provide for their needs.
With these shockingly dreadful things happening to our precious brothers and sisters in Christ in India it is staggering to asses the media silence on the issue. Do you really think the media would be so silent if it was the Christians perpetrating all the violence. We should not kid ourselves about this. Jesus said "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
Not only that, it is worth noting how "liberal christians" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) happily rant away about global warming, the virtues of Barack Obama, and stopping the war in Iraq all the while persecuted Christians are being killed for professing Christ. I'm not suggesting that they don't care at all but it is disturbing when you look at how they prioritise their bandwagons.
I am also ashamed to say that I should have focussed far more attention on this blog to the plight of these heroes of the faith. It is simultaneously a blessing and a curse to be so far removed from lands where Christians are murdered by the day for professing Christ without wavering. Oh may the Lord grant me courage enough to stand firm should I ever face it. And I think we are kidding ourselves if we don't think it will ever happen in the first world . . . in our lifetime. I am not attempting to be prophetic here but am prepared to speculate that we may well be witnessing the decline of western civilisation before our very eyes. I hope I'm wrong but trouble is certainly brewing and silence is the worst possible option for the body of Christ.
There are only two times that a Christian should preach the Gospel - in season and out of season.
Tomorrow - Washer Wednesday is postponed due to an urgent message from Voice of the Martyrs concerning the goings on in India.
Stop Press - it was my intention to discuss the dreadful hypocrisy by certain "emergent" and "red letter" leaders in the USA such as Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, Donald Miller, and Brian MacLaren but that will have to wait. I am a bit late on this story but it needs to be told nonetheless. Another case of the dreadful persecution many of our brothers and sisters in Christ endure in other countries. There is dreadful violence going on in India right now by Hindus against Christians with many martyrs. Here is an urgent message by KP Yohannan (founder of Gospel for Asia) concerning these events in India.
Please pray for these suffering saints and call on your church leaders to include this in their "church announcements". I think too many of us westerners are "living our best lives now" and need to be awakened to the plight of the persecuted church . . . . even though the plight of our affluent westernised slumber may be worse!
There is much more that could be discussed about Rick Warren and may well be at a later date. There is the issue of Purpose Driven mission trips where copies of Purpose Driven Life are handed out instead of Bibles. There is the issue of Rick Warren training Jewish leaders how to grow their Synagogues. There is the issue of Rick Warren prasing the Syrian Islamic regime for their treatment of Christians, then denying that it ever happened, then having to delete a youtube video that confirmed it did happen. There is also Pastor Warren's proud claim of being Rupert Murdoch's pastor - Murdoch being the worlds largest peddler of pornography (paging church discipline . . paging church discipline).
And there is also the issue of Rick Warren inviting homosexuals and strong abortion advocates to speak at his global AIDS summit. This included Barack Obama who supports the hideous murderous practice of "late term abortion". Rick Warren was roundly criticised for inviting these people and rightly so. His mantra to these criticisms is generally "I don't have to agree with 100 percent of what another person does in order to work with them on the 20 percent that we do agree on." Well here's my question following this philosophy - what if the leader of the Ku Klux Klan has some really positive contibutions to the AIDS summit? Would you invite him? Could you find 20% of common ground and put aside that "side" issue of racism? I would love to hear Rick Warren's response to those questions. And I would strongly contend that murder of the unborn is even more hideous than the blight of racism.
This issue of Barack Obama has left a stench on the landscape of "modern Christanity". I've followed the smell and it leads to some very ugly goings on within the "emergent" and "red letter" camps. These people who include Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren, and Donald Miller are hypocrites of the highest order. I have "held back" on this blog for a long time but I can no longer remain silent. I have patiently listened to (and taken on board) their continual criticism of the "religious right" for many years now but now they are starting to show their true colours and I will be speaking openly about their seductive deceptions over the coming days - so stay tuned.
The bottom line, though, with Rick Warren is the "gospel" he preaches and it is not the biblical Gospel as has been clearly exposed in the previous posts. The main purpose behind these posts has been in response to the continual attempts by Purpose Driven Cybercensors to delete any criticism or renounce it as people having personal issues with Rick Warren. There may be people out there who do have personal issues with Rick Warren and I have no interest in their grievances. It is also true that much of what Rick Warren teaches in his Purpose Driven books is helpful and beneficial within the daily life - even a broken clock gets it right twice a day. But these truths can serve as a smokescreen for the greater eternal picture and many of Rick Warren's critics are people who hold these issues dear to their hearts and labor tirelessly in them. They should not be silenced, they should be heard - especially by Rick Warren. Because if you get the Gospel wrong then the rest, ultimately, is a waste of time.
Joseph Farah is a Christian from Syria who has taken Rick Warren to task on several very serious issues, particularly concerning Pastor Warren's trip to Syria and his failure to acknowledge the persecuted church there all the while praising their Islamic regime. Joseph is a respected journalist who writes for the excellent online newspaper "World Net Daily". In the following article, which relates closely to what has been discussed in recent Bottom Line posts, Joseph Farah examines Rick Warren's attitude towards Christians who question his teaching . . .
Rick Warren's Inquisition
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Posted: November 30, 2007
1:00 am Eastern
"As pastors, as shepherds of God's people, it's our job to protect our congregations from Satan's greatest weapon – disunity," he writes. "It's not always easy, but it's what we've been called to do."
I may not be pastor of a mega-church, but, I've got to tell you, Rick Warren's priorities and sensibilities and his biblical literacy and standards are upside-down, inside-out and twisted beyond anything remotely connected with Scripture. And I'm not afraid of his threats of ex-communication from the new papacy he apparently seeks to create.
Warren cites Paul's advice in II Timothy 2:23-26 as the basis for when and how "pastors" should draw the line on disagreements among the flock. However, Paul was addressing Timothy not as a "pastor" or "priest," but rather as an itinerant evangelist doing his utmost to spread the Gospel to non-believers.
"But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
"And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
That happens to be excellent advice for anyone attempting to evangelize unbelievers. It is not, however, a call for church "professionals" to declare themselves as founts of unlimited wisdom and infallibility in spiritual matters.
Likewise, he quotes from Titus 3:10-11 as the authority for getting rid of "troublemakers." Yet, that Scripture is not referring to people contending for the faith. It is referring to heretics.
"A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."
Has it ever occurred to Rick Warren that pastors have been wrong? Has it ever occurred to Rick Warren that pastors might teach unbiblical principles? Has it ever occurred to Rick Warren no earthly pastor is the recipient of all Divine revelation? Has it ever occurred to Rick Warren that pastors have led entire flocks into grave error that may have eternal consequences?
Has it ever occurred to Rick Warren that he, too, might be capable of such mistakes?
Rick Warren makes a spiritually fatal error when he proclaims, without any biblical authority, that Satan's greatest weapon is disunity. That is simply not true. The Bible reveals over and over again that even one spirit-filled believer can stand up against Satan. God is not impressed with numbers. He doesn't need numbers for victory. He doesn't care about big churches. He doesn't care about the cathedrals of men. He wants numbers only because He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
No, Satan's greatest weapon is hardly disunity. His greatest weapon since his fall and since the Garden of Eden has been deception. In fact, Satan loves unity – as long as those unified are knowingly or unknowingly serving him. He'd love for all of us to "go to hell in a handbasket."
Are more people led to death by debate within the body of Christ or by spiritual leaders who demand absolute obedience to themselves?
Paul warned us about this, too, in Acts 20:29-30: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them."
For heaven's sake, nothing could be clearer from Scripture than that no man has a monopoly on truth. That is why Paul even had to correct Peter (Galatians 2:11-14). Besides worshipping God, this would seem to be one of the principal purposes of the church.
The church is warned over and over about false teachers throughout the Bible. Surely Rick Warren is familiar with those warnings. Why would he assume all pastors to be righteous and assume all lay dissenters to be unrighteous?
And, equally curious, why does Rick Warren eagerly seek to find common ground with Muslim leaders while, at the same time, so ruthlessly advocating the disfellowship of Christian believers?
Here is the Crosstalk program that Richard Abanes has twice blocked due to false claims of copyright infringement. Well it's now back in it's third incarnation and well worth the listen . . .
I have a list of people I don't want to cross swords with and Ingrid Schlueter is on that list.
It’s The Gospel Stupid Continuing on from yesterday where Todd Friel critiqued Rick Warren’s “gospel presentation” on the Fox network last Christmas . . . .
This ”gospel presentation” is just atrocious. It totally dismisses the penal substitutionary element of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. There is only one reason I can think of for avoiding the best part of the good news (that Christ endured the just wrath of God in the place of sinners who deserve it). To explain penal substitutionary atonement requires an explanation of why people deserve God's wrath and Pastor Warren just doesn’t seem to want to go there.
Not only was key information missing, but some of the information given was just plain false. The whole idea that Jesus died to give us a “second chance” shows either woeful ignorance or deliberate distortion of Scripture. The fact of the matter is that unregenerate men are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1) and a second chance is no use to a dead man, he needs the resurrection life that is found only in Christ. A second chance will only reaffirm our wicked sinful nature. We need to be regenerated and changed by God with the indwelling of His Holy Spirit into a new creature – Born Again. A “second chance” doesn’t even come close to God’s glorious plan of salvation.
Where was sin? Where was repentance? Where was judgment? Where was God’s Holiness? Not only was Rick Warren’s “gospel presentation” lacking – it was a complete swing and a miss. And here is the problem for Richard Abanes (Rick Warren’s cyberspace attack dog). He even wrote a book in response to Rick Warren’s critics but it never focused on the main issue.
Bill Clinton once said of the key issue in politics “It’s the economy stupid” (never thought I'd quote Billary). Well the key issue in Christianity – “It’s the Gospel stupid”. Many of Rick Warren's critics (including Pastor Ken Silva who had his website deleted) don't have a personal problem with Rick Warren, but they do have a major issue with the false gospel he preaches. Richard Abanes has spent a lot of energy defending Rick Warren without discussing the main point and contending over the core elements of the Once for All Delivered Gospel. Amidst all the noise he’s making in cyberspace, Richard Abanes is very silent on this issue.
If Saturday's installment wasn't enough to expose Rick Warren's false gospel then here's our second installment. Why am I doing this? As a refresher for those new to this blog I have made the decision to speak openly about the false gospel Rick Warren preaches. I am compelled to do this because there is a concerted effort being made by a particular "defender of Rick Warren" to silence and censor those who are trying to question Rick Warren's teaching.
Apologist Richard Abanes has taken on the role of defender of Rick Warren - a very tough gig considering the gospel Warren preaches. Richard Abanes recently succeeded in getting an ISP to shut down a very good Christian website (Apprising Ministries run by Pastor Ken Silva) because he didn't like what was being said about Rick Warren. So much for freedom of speech!
Richard seems to feel hurt that some people don't like his friend Rick Warren. Listen up Richard - they don't have a personal problem with Rick Warren, they have a huge problem with the damage he is doing to biblical christianity by preaching a false gospel. In fact the Apostle Paul told us to "mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (Romans 16:17). The criticism is legitimate and you need to face up to it. I challenge you to biblically respond to John MacArthurs asessment of the "purpose driven gospel" as seen in my pevious post. If that's not enough then let's look at Rick Warren's gospel presentation last Christmas on the Fox network.
One of the greatest tragedies that I saw last Christmas was the trainwreck of a gospel presentation Rick Warren made on the Fox television network. Fox gave Pastor Warren a large chunk of airtime to proclaim the Gospel to millions of American homes (what a wonderful opportunity).
Here's Todd Friel's asessment of what happened (please listen all the way through):
Continued tomorrow - Part 2 of Todd Friel's expose
Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in California, one of the largest and possibly most influential in the world. Not only is it a large church with tens of thousands of people but Pastor Warren has countless pastors around the world downloading and hanging on every word he says. Rick Warrens Purpose Driven books are New York Times bestsellers. But do the "results" validate the message? Or has he simply made the "narrow gate" much wider . . .
This is not to suggest that it is a book without merit. There are many helpful things outlined within it's pages. But it is the kind of help that you can find on a secular pop psychology self help programme such as Doctor Phil. Improving our present quality of life is a temporary gain and can actually serve to distract from the infinitely weightier matters of eternity. The glaring downfall of "Purpose Driven Life" is that it fails to ram home the point that an unregenerate man is incapable of changing in a genuine, lasting, God honoring way unless he is born again.
1Co 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Eph 4:17-20 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!--
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Eze 36:25-27 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.
The issue is whether people are born again or not. If you are not born again no amount of self improvement will make lasting change of our wicked hearts. To impact people in this way the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be faithfully presented. Rick Warren's books not only fall short, they preach another gospel altogether as John Macarthur sharply pointed out.
This issue lies at the heart of Rick Warren's critics. He and his army of spin doctors would do well to listen to them instead of silence them.
There are those who would rather I remain silent on this issue. But the problem is that I have been silent for too long and I've got more noise to make - stay tuned!
Standing on the outside and looking in can be an aggravating experience for an outsider viewing the goings on in America by many professing Christians. I love the USA and make no secret of the fact that it is my favorite country in the world. It is the land that fuels world mission and the source of most biblically sound teaching. But among that there are things going on that I can no longer keep silent about. It's time to pick a fight.
There is a certain sacred cow pastor in southern California who I will be talking about in the coming days and perhaps weeks. I can't say his name but his initials are Rick Warren! There seems to be a lot of cyber bullying going on by certain defenders of Rick Warren that is inflicted on anyone who dares to question anything he says or does. In recent times a friend of mine had his website shut down after his ISP was pressured into deleting the website. I know of other preachers who have had doors shut on them after criticising Rick Warren's ministry. Richard Abanes who seems to be RW's top cyberspace attack dog seems to think that all criticism is purely on the basis of people not liking Rick Warren. The fact of the matter is Richard that there are many people critical of the Purpose Driven deception because it is built upon a false gospel. These are people who love the true Gospel and as such cannot stomach a man centred substitute.
There are other things that need to be talked about including the emergent crowd and "red letter christians" who have taken the apolitical moral high ground for so long in criticising the "religious right" for being too political. Well looky here, it's an election year and many of these politcally neutral crusaders are coming out in support of Barack Obama even though he supports the murder of unborn (even late term) babies. The stench you can smell is the rampant hypocrisy. It needs to be talked about and brought into the open. It seems that their problem with the "religious right" was not that they were political but that they don't like that brand of politics. Just like Jim Wallis' book called "God's Politics" which should have been called "Putting God's Name to my Own Left Wing Political Agenda".
I've held off for long enough. Stuff needs to be said because of the fall out that is happening. The Bottom Line's going to Defcon One and it could be a bumpy ride.
I am noticing when witnessing that I often meet people on the street who want to argue against Christianity on the basis of what the media is saying about some professing Christians who give Christ a bad name through their sinful actions. Since most of us will probably encounter this I thought I might give some thoughts on how to respond. Here is a conversation I recently had:
Cameron: Have you got one of these? It's a Christian tract I've made for you.
Middle Aged Woman: I don't want anything to do with Christianity especially after seeing what happened with High Profile Christian Hypocrite (HPCH).
Cameron: I completely understand how angry you must feel. If what the media says about HPCH is true then it makes me very angry too. What makes me most angry is that people who say they are Christians and do things like that totally misrepresent Who God is, what He is like, and how He calls Christians to live. People who say they are Christians and do these terrible things are called hypocrites because they are nothing like Jesus when He walked on this planet.
Middle Aged Woman: I just don't see a reason to be a Christian. I know people who go to church every sunday and live sinful lives and I know people who are atheists and are very good people.
Cameron: Would you call yourself a good person? . . . .
Points to note:
1. It's good to agree on things you can agree on. When someone points out the bad things people do in God's Name agree with them.
2. Avoid making false accusations. This is why I prefixed one of my comments with the following disclaimer "If what the media said is true".
3. Contrast God's character and nature with the hypocrites who blaspheme His name.
4. Understand that the person you are talking to will have to answer for themselves on judgment day regardless of all the bad things other people do so try and steer the conversation away from the outside world and back to a personal focus.
5. Always remember that most of the tough questions people ask come from a wrong view of man's sinfulness and a wrong view of God's Holiness which is why we must open up God's moral law to bring the knowledge of sin (To see my earlier articles on preaching God's law click on these links Part 1Part 2Part 3).
I've spoken recently about rap/hip hop artist Shai Linne who is not only excellent in his genre of music but also an excellent reformed theologian. In a sea of man centred sermons and "Contemporary Christian Music" which rarely approaches biblical soundness these "reformed rappers" are a breath of fresh air. Don't despair brothers and sisters, great things are happening beneath the radar.
I was recently sent a mail by David Wheaton encouraging me with my blog. David was a world class tennis player who is now a world class ambassador for Christ. I have heard David on his radio show "The Christian Worldview" and when he sits in for Todd Friel on "The Way of the Master Radio". I had the great priveledge of meeting David while I was in the USA last March during the Shepherd's Conference. He is a man who is a tremendous advocate for biblical discernment and exercising a biblical worldview and is also one of the few people tall enough to see Todd Friel face to face.
David has written an awesome book called "University of Destruction" which is a vital read for any Christian embarking on the atheistic/humanistic/evolutionary strongholds called "higher learning" or universities. The constant barrage of anti-Christian sentiment undermines many professing Christians as they are ill-equipped to discern via a biblical worldview. If you're about to leave the mother ship and embark on "higher learning" then get your hands on this book. It is a biblical gameplan for influencing your campus for Christ instead of being influenced by your campus for carnality.
