Why I Don't Believe In Richard Dawkins!

Personally, I don't believe in Richard Dawkins. If there is a Richard Dawkins out there, why hasn't he shown himself to me?



Richard Dawkins, like all atheists, never come with any arguments for the nonexistence of God. What they always do come with is a list of reasons for why they hate the God they don't believe in. It is worth asking ourselves the question as to whether it is a worthwhile exercise investing time in dazzling the unbeliever with wizz bang apologetics concerning God's existence when the issue is not one of knowledge but of sin.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:18-20)

These verses from Romans 1 tell us "that which may be known of God is manifest" in the unbeliever "for God hath shown it unto them". They are holding "the truth in unrighteousness". And what is it that testifies God's existence to sinful men? Verse 20 tells us the answer. The "invisible" things of God are "clearly seen" in God's creation "even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse". Put simply, the creation compellingly testifies to the Creator God Himself. The atheist's problem is not a lack of proof concerning God's existence, but rather that he hates God and loves of sin . . . just like I did before being saved by the gracious God that Dawkins denies!

Just Added - The Bondage Of The Will

Luther's masterpiece on the true nature of man has now been added to the resource directory.

THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL
Martin Luther
Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
Click Here To Order
What is at the heart of Luther’s theology and of the doctrine of justification which struck his soul with a bolt of divine lightning? It is the original depravity and sinfulness in man – that which he knew well as an ascetic monk in the Augustinian order. No doubt this is a cornerstone work for the Reformation and for the truth. Luther thought that of everything he wrote, this was his best and most useful work. Every Christian should read this work. If we do not understand how our wills work, who we are before God, and how we ought to continually view our standing before Him as a result of Christ’s work, then we can never understand salvation.

What Is Biblical Discipleship And Growth (Part 6)

Mark Dever, in his book "Nine Marks Of A Healthy Church", outlines the key factors in biblical discipleship and growth. Today, continuing from part 5, we'll continue our examination of what a biblical understanding of church membership actually is.

6. Biblical Understanding of Church Membership (Continued)

In addressing this issue it is necessary to answer these three questions:

1. What is a true church?

2. Why should we join a church?

3. What things does church membership call us to do?

Having answered question one in my previous post we will now examine questions two and three.

2. Why should we join a church?

A - We join a church for assurance. It is only in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we have a true test as to the authenticity of our Christianity:

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

B - We join a church to evangelize. who are we going to be accountable to for the purity of the Gospel we preach. We need to be extremely careful to get the Gospel right:

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)

C - We join a church to expose false gospels. Experts in forgery of money spend most of their time studying real money. Because when you know the real thing – the false one is obvious. Joining together in community with other believers demonstrates real Christianity and shows the world the big difference between a real visible church and a false one.

D - We join a church to help build up that church – joining a church teaches us our need to work together as a body and exposes our selfishness.

E - We join a church to glorify God:

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1Peter 2:12)

And what good work that glorifies God did Jesus command :

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)

3. How should we become members of a church?

A - We should become members through baptism – baptism is the first step in the Bible for a new convert. It is an outward public profession of the supernatural inner work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus warned against hiding our Christianity and baptism was a bold public statement – especially in cultures that persecute Christians. And no – I'm not saying to get baptized every time you join a new church, I'm saying to get baptized every time you become a new creature – ONCE!

B - Signing a doctrine statement and church covenant – This is very important and rarely done. Doctrine statements call us to a standard of holy living, they allow members to be disciplined in accordance with the doctrine statement they submit to, they hold preachers accountable to the members, and they give a clear boundary between the things worth fighting for and the things we can overlook. Please study our confession.

Shakespeare once said that ”something is rotten in the State of Denmark” and he was right. Denmark needs to see what a true visible church looks like. Our prayer is that Kristuskirken (our church plant) can be the solution to that problem.

Part 7 will continue this series and cover the subject of a biblical understanding of church discipline.

Go On To Part 7
Go Back To Part 5
Go Back To Part 1

John Macarthur Gives Rob Bell What He Needs Most - A Biblical Thrashing

Rob Bell in his usual cry-baby style is trying to paint himself as some kind of martyr. A victim worthy of a major chapter in "Foxe's Book Of Emergents With Hurt Feelings". Attacking core tenets of the historic orthodox Christian faith really isn't that big a deal as far as Bell is concerned and he professes great surprise at the firestorm he has generated. “I never set out to be controversial,” Bell told CNN. “I don’t think it’s a goal that God honors. I don’t think it’s a noble goal". Hey Rob, "Controversy" and "heresy" may both end in the letter "y" but that doesn't mean they have the same meaning.

Bell went on to say in his usual postmodern fog, “What’s interesting to me is what’s true. And what’s interesting to me is what’s inspiring. And what’s interesting to me is where’s the life? Where’s the inspiration? That’s what I’m interested in. If that happens to stir things up, that was never my intent, but I’ll accept that.”

I can't help but think that when this thing runs it's full course Bell will experience far more serious repercussions than "stirring things up". He might as well enjoy his fifteen minutes of fame because he is destined to become just another name in the long line of Church history's hall of heretics.



Whichever way you slice it, its safe to say that John Macarthur is not a postmodernist! And he is speaking with crystal clear clarity on an issue that demands it. Over at the blog on the Grace To You website Macarthur wrote several posts concerning Rob Bell and I thought it worthwhile to quote from one of them:

Just how serious is Rob Bell’s heresy? It is not merely that he rejects what Jesus taught about hell; Bell rejects the God of Scripture. He deplores the idea of divine vengeance against sin (Romans 12:9). He cannot stand the plain meaning of texts like Hebrews 12:29: “Our God is a consuming fire.” He has no place in his thinking for the biblical description of Christ’s fiery return with armies of angels: “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). Bell's whole message is a flat contradiction of Jesus' words in Luke 12:5: "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!"

Bell will have none of that. He therefore tries to eliminate the authority and clarity of Scripture so that he can reinvent a god who is more to his liking. It is the sin of all sins; the sin of the serpent. Like Eve’s tempter, Bell is subtly but undeniably fomenting rebellion against the true God. He suggests that he is better—nicer, more kindly, more tolerant, more lenient—than the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture. He therefore sets aside God’s revealed Word and makes his own musings the inviolable standard.

In effect he wants to assume the role of God for himself. That is not a minor evil; it is epic. It is the original sin of Lucifer.

Rob Bell has been sowing doubt, confusion, and error in the church for years. His theological trajectory has been clear for at least a decade. The stance he takes in Love Wins is the predictable fruit of many other compromises and concessions to worldly opinion that were already well established in Bell’s teaching.

In fact, the most surprising thing about Love Wins is not the position Rob Bell takes, but the fact that so many people seem genuinely caught off guard and unaccountably confused by it. The record of Bell’s own words makes it clear that this latest book of his is little more than a distillation of things he has been saying all along. He abandoned Jesus’ teaching years ago in favor of a different religion—one more in keeping with his personal preferences. He is pointing people toward the broad way that leads to destruction.

The sad reality is that if Rob Bell does not confess the truth in this life, one day he will realize how wrong his understanding of hell really is. His view of hell will be painfully altered forever when he receives the more severe punishment reserved for those who with a Bible in their hands mock God and trample the blood of Christ underfoot (Hebrews 10:29; cf. 2 Peter 2:21).

My earnest prayer is for Rob Bell’s repentance. But I am even more deeply and urgently concerned for the many untaught and undiscerning people who are being led astray by his toxic teaching (Jude 22-23). It is time for faithful shepherds to speak up and warn the flock of the deadly peril posed by false teaching such as this.

It is also time for the people of God to proclaim the gospel more clearly and more carefully than ever, including the difficult parts of the message. For too long evangelicals have been prone to omit the full truth about sin, righteousness, and judgment—falling back instead on dumbed-down, dampened, defanged versions of the message. In all candor, that is one of the main reasons there is so much confusion over Rob Bell’s book among evangelicals today. We have a sacred duty to preach what Jesus preached in the manner He preached it—without toning it down or adjusting it to make it more suitable to secular culture.

I Will Be Preaching One Last Time In Brisbane Next Sunday

Hi friends, as it turns out Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship have invited me back to preach one more time for their Sunday evening service - as it will be my last Sunday down under before my family heads back to Denmark.

Here are the details:

Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship
When: Sunday May 13 at 6pm
Message: "Contending For The Faith (Jude 1-4)"
Address: 2759 Logan Road (Entrance via Millers Road), Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113


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It was a true honor to preach there last Sunday as their pastor, Philip Powell, has a ministry that helped me enormously back in my days when I was trying to practice discernment in a local church full of man centered nonsense. Pastor Philip is a man who stood up and opposed the early emergence of what we would today call the Hillsongization of nearly every major denomination in Australia. He paid a heavy price for the stand he took - a price that, unfortunately, too few in Australia are willing to pay. Over recent years Philip became an online acquaintance and published one of my articles in his magazine. Philip, one of the truly great joys of this trip down under has been the opportunity to meet and befriend you in person. May God richly bless your tour to the UK!

Rob Bell On The Death Of Osama Bin Laden

Cartoon courtesy of the witty guys at Sacred Sandwich.

Just Added - What's So Great About The Doctrines Of Grace?

Richard Phillips' excellent introduction to the "five points" of Calvinism has just been added to the resource directory.

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE
Richard Phillips
Category: Theology
Click Here To Order
In What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace?, the Rev. Richard D. "Rick" Phillips shows that "the doctrines of grace," those theological tenets more popularly known as "the five points of Calvinism," are comforting, faith-strengthening, and humbling teachings. In six short chapters, Rev. Phillips demonstrates conclusively from Scripture that this view of salvation exalts God and makes plain His great love for man, which drove Him to do all that was necessary to redeem a people for Himself. What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace? is a compact, highly readable treasure chest of scriptural wisdom.

Osama Bin Laden - What He Teaches Us About The Gospel

I had been planning to blog about Chuck Norris today, who just returned from a brief vacation to Pakistan. But in the light of major breaking news, I thought it important to put all else on hold and discuss the recent death of Osama Bin Laden.

It is interesting to note how the word justice has been so readily thrown around (even by bleeding heart liberals) in the aftermath of the successful raid and execution of Osama Bin Laden in his hideout. It is a ready acknowledgement that time does not erase crimes and, also, that even the pagan world recognizes that there is a righteous aspect to the punishment of wrongdoers. I too draw some sense of satisfaction from Bin Laden finally receiving retribution for the atrocities he has instigated. But I also feel the danger of gazing too long in the direction of a world full of wickedness lest it obscures my own horrendous crimes against a Holy God.

I recently heard a sermon by CJ Mahaney where he said:

You will never see the cross as something done for you until you see it as something done by you.

It can be a dangerous and damning practice to spend more time gazing in the direction of a world full of sinners who far exceed your own "small and petty sins". Pause and consider the outrage you felt when Bin Laden's responsibility for the September 11 atrocities was revealed. Now go and multiply that outrage by infinity and load it into the cannon of God's wrath that is aimed straight at you (John 3:36) . . . unless you are clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ. It is not just the magnitude and volume of our rebellion against a Holy God, but Who we have sinned against. If I lie to my daughter she can do nothing to me. If I lie to my wife I'll be sleeping on the sofa. If I lie to my boss he can fire me. And if I lie to the government they can throw me in jail. The higher the authority we sin against - the greater the consequences. What if God is an infinite authority??? Then His righteousness would deem our crimes against Him as infinite. A healthy grasp of this truth for the unbeliever will drive him to the Savior in desperate need of forgiveness for sin and the righteousness of Christ. For the believer it should grow and deepen our gratitude for Christ's wondrous redemptive work. The knowledge of our own wretchedness should also aid us in our willingness to love the pagans we witness to and instill a gracious humility into our tone of conversation. We can actually learn a lot about the Gospel in the death of a global terrorist . . .

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?-as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 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, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:5-26)

Cameron Buettel Preaching In Brisbane May 8, 2011

Hi friends, some of you have asked me about my preaching engagements for the remainder of my time here in Brisbane. So, if it takes your interest, here are the remaining 2 engagements, both of which will occur on this Sunday May the 8th. I hope to see some of my Queensland friends at either venue.

I will be preaching at:

Hope Christian Church
When: Sunday May 8 at 9:30am
Message: "The Days Of Noah"
Address: 121 Barbarella Drive, Springwood QLD 4127


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Christian Witness Ministries Fellowship
When: Sunday May 8 at 6pm
Message: "Contending For The Faith (Jude 1-4)"
Address: 2759 Logan Road (Entrance via Millers Road), Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113


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David Wilkerson: 19 May 1931 - 27 April 2011

Just two days ago my friend Nick Booth informed me of the tragic car accident that killed Pastor David Wilkerson and critically injured his wife Gwen.

By late Wednesday night, Times Square Church in New York City announced the death of its founding pastor in a statement from Senior Pastor Carter Conlon:

Pastor David Wilkerson’s was a life fully given for the glory of God and souls of men. He was greatly loved and he will be greatly missed. Our prayers are with the family and we as a church body are committed to standing with them at this time of sorrow.

The Wilkerson family issued a statement after midnight on the World Challenge web site:

We appreciate your prayers and our hearts are sorrowful, yet we rejoice at the joy of knowing David Wilkerson spent his life well. More information will be coming soon. Thank you for your prayers, the statement said.

Alongside founding and pastoring Times Square Church in New York City, Wilkerson also founded such influential ministries as Teen Challenge and World Challenge Ministries.

Though I wear different theological stripes to Wilkerson's charismatic heritage, and though I did shudder at some of his apocalyptic prophetic utterances in the past, David Wilkerson remains to this day as a man who I have deep respect and gratitude for. I am very grateful for some of his sermons that have inhabited my MP3 player in recent years and salute Pastor Wilkerson as an uncompromising voice for Gospel clarity in a wider charismatic movement that has begun to spiral into theological freefall. He was unyielding as an "old school bare knuckle pentecostal preacher" who was unrelenting in his scorching criticism of the entertainment circus that had engulfed the movement he was a part of. It was also David Wilkerson who gave Ray Comfort a platform to speak when he was largely unknown.

I am largely ignorant of the deeper machinations of Wilkerson's ministry, but to the best of my knowledge he remained a faithful preacher of the once for all delivered faith to the day of his departure. A stranger in a strange land who is now no longer in search of the city whose builder and maker is God. The death of David Wilkerson also reminds we strangers who remain, of the great blessing that audio recording is . . .