Before this blog is even off the ground good, I must take a break ;-)

I began this one to combat what I see is a dangerous trend among the church...a subtle, creeping theology that usurps the lordship of Christ. I found myself dealing with it a lot on Families against Feminism, and decided to try to separate the issues.

However, I do not have the time or emotional energy to devote to another blog right now...hope you understand.

I am going to leave it up in case I decide to come back. But for now, see you at the other one!

Church As Dangerous As Public School?

Spurred by Dr. Dobson's declaration that "all Christian parents should take their kids out of public school", Paul Proctor goes a bit further, seeing an even more damaging force to the family.

WOW. He is not sugar-coating it. There comes a time when the truth needs to be spoken boldly in order to save those who are being blown around by false doctrine and heresy. I was recently accused of being "mean" by questioning a reader's religion. It's sad that even fundamentalists are affected by the new-age philosophy of tolerance and gentleness.

There is a difference in loving those who are outside the faith, and snatching believers out of false idolatry! When those professing Christ are falling into danger, the Bible has a lot to say about our responsibility--and it isn't always gentle. It IS always about bringing others to repentance and restoration, but sometimes that takes an uncomfortable confrontation.

Paul Proctor has taken the challenge:

"...taking your kids out of the public school system is not enough; it's time to take them out of corrupt churches as well, with their Willow Creepy, Purpose Driven, Your Best Lie Now "instruction manuals" that turn them into spiritual liberals with "conflicting doctrines and ideas.

Many today are simply turning themselves and their kids over to the capricious care of "Manchurian Christians" who teach and encourage them to follow their feelings, follow the crowd and emulate the very culture Jesus Christ came to deliver us from - in the name of Jesus, of course. They have been so thoroughly indoctrinated into the new spirituality of Results and Relationships that they no longer know or really even care what "doctrines and ideas" are being taught at their church today or what activities their kids participate in, as long as everybody is having fun, making friends and occasionally hears that sugary, deceptive and egocentric cliché: "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."

Read the rest HERE

Lordship, and the Christian Life

Prompted from the threads on the last post:

There are definitely 2 pits into which a Christian can fall: licentiousness and legalism, and I think both of these pits can be avoided simply by revisiting the first commandment: "Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, and your neighbor as yourself."

And since I've been accused of the legalism pit, I would encourage readers to be careful of what they call legalism.

The Word calls us to LORDSHIP...submitting every area of our lives to the transforming power of Christ if we're saved.

The book of Titus (and other books) is full of instruction to Christians about the way they should live. To say that God is not that concerned with the way we live is to deny a large portion of the Bible.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age....that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, ZEALOUS for good works." Titus 2:12-14

Salvation then, is the beginning for a Christian--not the finality. And when one is saved, his natural inclination (the spirit of God in him) is to submit to, and live for the one who saved him.

Chapter 3 of Titus makes it CLEAR that "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us" and yet the same book urges us to "DO....that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in ALL things"....BECAUSE He saved us.

It's hand in hand. It's allowing God to reign, control, and take over every area of your life, so that the world may see that the people of God are different, and so His purposes may be fulfilled.

"...it is not as much what Christians are doing, that I think is a major problem; it is that they are letting the culture dictate their life choices, instead of bringing EVERYTHING to the light of Scripture, and asking God to show them His will."

It should show in the abstract--love, grace and mercy, and it should show in the concrete--reverent in behavior, modesty, life choices.

Working out salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that there are grave consequences for those who are a stumbling block by the way they live.

This is the essence of why I blog...it is not as much what Christians are doing, that I think is a major problem; it is that they are letting the culture dictate their life choices, instead of bringing EVERYTHING to the light of Scripture, and asking God to show them His will.

I've said before, when a couple prayerfully brings their fertility before the Lord, searches the Scriptures on the subject, seeks counsel, thinks and researches this important part of life, I think the Lord is pleased.

It's when a couple takes their cue from a sinful, selfish culture, surgically destroys what God has created, without giving it a second thought, that does not look like what Christians should be doing. Or, years later, they discover the birth control pills they've been using actually sometimes cause abortions; if only they had researched--thought about it first. It matters.

And apply that to every other area.

Why is modesty so important? Because of the stumbling block thing, and because "if a man looks at a woman to lust after her, he has committed adultery in his heart". I know the man has some of that responsibility; but if I'm dressing in a way that is sensual, without seeking the Lord about my dress, I have carelessly caused a brother to stumble, and that is sin. (This is not pants/vs. dresses...for those of you who have not read it before, I wear pants sometimes.)

So the pits are there, and we must be careful. But as a friend of mine told me once,

"I'd rather get to Heaven and have God tell me,

'You know, you were too careful. You didn't really have to wear a bathing suit cover at the pool.' rather than, "I know thy works, that thou art neither hot nor cold;...so then because thou art lukewarm, I will spew thee out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15,16).' "

Just Like Jesus

Yes, the beautiful thing about Jesus' ministry was that He came to save the lost, heal the sick, and bind up the broken-hearted.


He did not, however, come to make us feel better about being sinners, or to feel less guilty about our sinful behavior.


This is the biggest missing element in the New Age-ish gospel of the post-modern movement. Jesus didn't call a big group of people together, light candles, have everybody write their feelings on a piece of paper, and then burn them.


He didn't create a "mystical atmosphere", such as this emerging pastor writes:

"In contrast to the bright and cheerful big churches, he said, ''younger people
want it like a dusty cathedral...They want a sense of mystery and transcendence.''

I've been reading the gospel of Luke to the children. It's interesting how so much of the ministry of Christ gets skewed by those seeking a "softer" gospel. Listen to these verses:

Jesus says, twice in chapter 5, "Follow Me." And twice it is recorded: "And he left ALL, rose up, and followed Him."

He left everything behind. Jesus didn't come hang out in his life, enduring his habits and lifestyle very long...just long enough to say, "Leave it all for Me."

And this...

When the Pharisees questioned Him about the authority to forgive sins, He answers:

"Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, TO REPENTANCE."

See, the deep love of Jesus and his holiness requires us to repent in order to follow Him. That's just the way it is.

And so when post-moderners squawk that fundamentalists don't treat people the way Jesus did, I'm left scratching my head.

We cannot truly love people unless we give them the truth about God's command to repent--just like Jesus did. We must tell them that a holy God wants to save them, and that following Christ is to leave all behind. Their lifesyle of sin. The lusts of the flesh. The pride of life.

We will continue to commit sin, yes; but if our theology is correct, we will hate it more and more, and come to see ourselves as depraved as we truly are. That's when the cross becomes so incredible, so unimaginable; and that leads to more hatred of our sin.

Because to be flippant toward my sin is to crucify my Savior all over again.

Jesus and Sinners

"Jesus came to save those who sought after Him....those His Father gave to Him...those who longed for new life. He didn't come to make everyone feel better
about their sin!"

In the last post, I mentioned that I had a revelation about this statement:

"A popular verse to support the [postmodern] theology is, 'He was friends with sinners and tax collectors.' The implication being, 'he hung out in the slums, with the slummy, and just loved on 'em, in case they decided to follow Him.' "

Churches use this supposed idea to validate their pragmatic approaches and watered-down gospel. That is, they'll do whatever necessary to get the lost into the church, make them feel comfortable, and then slip the gospel in between the shows and voila--a convert. This was not Jesus' approach.

An important thing to remember about the above verse, was that "the sinners and tax collectors" the Bible mentions his being "friends" with, were the converted sinners and tax collectors. The Pharisees (which are the ones speaking in that verse) referred to anyone who wasn't a Jew as a "sinner and tax collector". And since they didn't believe Jesus had the power to forgive sins, they didn't even know these followers of Christ were no longer "heathens".

Which gives us a clear understanding that Jesus spoke the truth of the gospel to everyone. If one heard it, and believed, and repented, and followed, they became a companion of Christ.

The ones who heard and didn't believe, did not want to be anywhere near him. Jesus didn't woo sinners to Him with smooth words, a prosperity promise, or pragmatic programs. (Jesus spoke some of the hardest words human ears have ever heard!) He didn't lure them to Himself by their own pleasures, and then "slip" the gospel in (as I've heard some pastors say of their youth program).

Jesus came to save those who sought after Him....those His Father gave to Him...those who longed for new life. He didn't come to make everyone feel better about their sin!

Much of the theology of the day asserts that a person really doesn't have to change to be a follower of Christ. That is NOT what Jesus taught. (If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; behold all things have become new.)

Jesus was friends with sinners--and still is. Sinners who fall at His feet and beg for mercy.

What's the Deal With Sin--Part 1

The danger in "the new kind of Christian" running rampant among the church is that it is based on a half truth; such as most deceptions are. Many being swayed by it's appealing theology are simply lacking biblical knowlege....or worse, the true transformation of the cross. ("My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge" Hosea 4:6)

The tenets of the postmodern movement go something like this:

Jesus was above all, meek and gentle. He loved sinners and came to save them. He did not come to condemn the world. We are to imitate Christ.

So far so good, right? I don't know a Christian who doesn't believe those things.

But without the rest of the gospel, we are led to stop here and conclude that compassion trumps sin, and ultimately, since we're all sinners anyway, sin is really not an issue. In fact, all we can really do about sin is just shrug our own shoulders and pat another on the back, thankful that it's all under the blood.

Problem: if we serve Jesus, who indeed covered every last sin with his blood, we are a new creature. And because of that transformation, if indeed there has been one, we feel differently about sin. We're commanded to flee from it, hate it, fight it, and stop it. AND, our deep love for the Savior begs us to respond in obedience. A blase attitude toward sin has no place in the Christian's life.

Postmodern Christians are slipping toward a tolerance for sin, an abhorrence of the mention of obedience, and claiming to be imitating our Lord Jesus. A popular verse to support the theology is "He was friends with sinners and tax collectors." The implication being, "he hung out in the slums, with the slummy, and just loved on 'em, in case they decided to follow Him."

I had a revelation about this statement this morning...but I'll tell you a bit later!

What is Postmodernism and Why Does it Matter?

Everything we believe, the way we live, the choices we make--it is all encompassed by our worldview. What do we believe? What is truth? Do we even believe there is truth?


Among Christians today, there is an all out attack on absolute truth. It's an attack against fundamental Christianity, and what our spiritual forefathers have believed throughout history. Those who claim that the Word of God is, indeed the inerrant Word of God, are labeled "dogmatic", legalist, and worse.


The "enlightened ones", the intellectual ones have embraced a "new kind of Christianity". Much of what is hereafter discussed on this blog will be better understood if you have some sort of idea of the terms that distinguish these groups.



Fundamentalism (Bible-believing Christians):

"In Christianity, most fundamentalists are those who support a strict reading and following of Biblical texts. Churches considered to practice fundamentalism are those that tend to read most biblical texts as the undisputed word of God, which cannot be negotiated or watered down, as they claim many modern versions of Christianity do. Such churches exist in most Christian sects and may be promoted as “back to the basic” or “bible-based” churches."
(Tricia Ellis-Christensen )


Postmodernism (akin to "Emerging" and "Emergent" churches, and "free-grace" theology)

Rejecting objective truth is the cornerstone of postmodernism. In essence, postmodern ideology declares an end to all ideology and all claims to truth.

Postmodernists hold that the pretense of objective truth always does violence by excluding other voices (regarding other world views to be invalid), and marginalizing the vulnerable by scripting them out of the story. Truth claims, we are told, are essentially tools to legitimate power. That's why in postmodern culture, the person to be feared is the one who believes that we can discover ultimate truth.

Openness without the restraint of reason, and tolerance without moral appraisal are the new postmodern mandates.
(Jeff Leffel)