Monday, April 22, 2013

Some Food For Thought For Christians On Earth Day 2013

Posted by Christine Pack and Marcia Montenegro

Today, in case it had somehow slipped by you, is Earth Day. I began receiving notifications that it would soon be Earth Day about two weeks ago. In my email inbox this morning, I received "Happy Earth Day" messages from a t-shirt company, Aveda, a homeschooling organization, Williams Sonoma, Lindt Chocolates, and many others. But how should Christians think about Earth Day? And what, if anything, should be our response?

Let me first note that, when I was a New Ager, we were ALL about Creation worship, sometimes called Gaia worship. And please note the capitalized "C" of "Creation worship;" we sincerely thought creation was imbued with divinity. I didn't know it at the time, of course, but I was a direct fulfillment of Romans 1:25, which states that "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.....".  But I can honestly say that never in my wildest dreams, as a practicing New Ager, could I have imagined that one day the earth worship we had in our little fringe group would spread to the rest of the world and even into Christianity. And yet, I've seen Green Bibles, Green Bible Studies, Green Christian websites, etc.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." Rev 21:1
Now, it's not wrong, of course, to take care of the creation, but we must not give it more value than God has ascribed to it. God has told us in his Word that one day He will create a new heavens and a new earth. This means that this earth is of finite, limited use, and will one day be gone. And again, I'm not saying we should trash the earth: we are told in the Bible to be good stewards of it. But we must not revere it, and "Green" anything that I see inside Christianity literally makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up because there is a very fine line indeed between being a good steward of the earth in a biblical, balanced way, as opposed to letting your everyday decisions be framed by the environmental agenda. But to my dismay, I now recognize that this movement is so completely mainstreamed, that it often does frame our thinking in many of our decisions, from what car we will drive (electric vs. gas-powered), what paper products we will buy (recycled paper products vs. regular paper products) what items we will purchase (those produced by sustainable organizations vs. those not), etc., etc., with some kind of inherent moral virtue often implied in the purchasing of the "green" products.

Sadly, there are many Christians who are innocent to the agenda of the environmental movement. So as a former proponent of the Environmental Movement, I just want to sound a note of caution for Christians to perhaps be careful about what messages they might be unconsciously taking in, and to even be aware of the idea that there might be an agenda of some kind attached to a group that on the surface might look wholesome and beneficial. I also think Christians should be careful about which organizations they donate to, and to do their due diligence. Take for instance the organization Evangelical Environmental Network, which was founded by three pastors. That doesn't sound sinister, does it? But please look at this quote from their website, found by my friend and fellow researcher, Marcia Montenegro:
We urge individual Christians and churches to be centers of creation's care and renewal, both delighting in creation as God's gift, and enjoying it as God's provision, in ways which sustain and heal the damaged fabric of the creation which God has entrusted to us. 
We recall Jesus' words that our lives do not consist in the abundance of our possessions, and therefore we urge followers of Jesus to resist the allure of wastefulness and overconsumption by making personal lifestyle choices that express humility, forbearance, self restraint and frugality. 
We call on all Christians to work for godly, just, and sustainable economies which reflect God's sovereign economy and enable men, women and children to flourish along with all the diversity of creation. We recognize that poverty forces people to degrade creation in order to survive; therefore we support the development of just, free economies which empower the poor and create abundance without diminishing creation's bounty. (online source)
All right, that right there is where the rubber meets the road. It sounds so good on paper....as so many theories and ideas do, but try living that out. Many parts of this country have been hit hard by the recession we're in, and let's say a Christian man, wanting to make Godly choices and walk righteously before his Lord read the above call-to-action to only work at corporations that are sustainable, green, etc., and so he made the decision to do that because he felt it would be sinning otherwise. Should he starve to death, and let his family starve to death, if he couldn't find a suitably green company to work for?

As noted by Christian researcher Marcia Montenegro, this kind of thinking is "a type of legalism and judgment according to man's standards, and not God's. God tells the head of the family to provide for his family or he is acting worse than an unbeliever ('But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.' 1 Tim 5:8 - this goes for single mothers, too). That is God's mandate and that overrides working only for 'green' companies."

So as far as how Christians should think about and respond to, Earth Day, I think it's pretty straightforward: we should be guided by Scripture, not worldly wisdom about what products to buy or what company to work in. And as far as "evangelical environmentalists," how should we respond to them or think about them? For myself, I have certain criteria that I often hold in my mind when visiting the website of any kind of organization pertaining to be Christian. It goes something like this: What should I see when I visit a website that claims the name of Christ (such as the environmental site linked above)? Should I see Jesus Christ, the God-man, who came and fulfilled God's laws perfectly, and who died for sins, and was raised triumphantly from the grave to reign and rule over all the earth? Should I see Him exalted, magnified and glorified? Or should I see a rather worldly message, designed at piggybacking onto whatever trend is currently captivating people? Well, it's kind of a no-brainer, isn't it?
"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."1 Cor 2:2

 Additional Resources 

Tim Keller's Environmental Gospel

Christians and the Environment

Earth Day: The High Holy Day of Paganism

Paganism: The Natural Default of the Human Mind

The Bible is Our Firewall Against Paganism

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Rob Bell Endorses Same Sex Marriage

Posted by Christine Pack

Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised has reported on a recent Q&A with author and NOOMA video producer Rob Bell, which Bell stated:
‎"I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs -- I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are."
Hmmmm, perhaps this statement by Bell will prompt a few churches to go through their libraries and do a little spring cleaning, and maybe toss out all those NOOMA videos and Rob Bell books? Just a thought.......

Read Erin Benziger's entire article here. 


 Additional Resources 

An Interview About Rob Bell's Book "Love Wins"

Rob Bell on Hell

What Rob Bell's Theology of Hell Looks Like In The Real World

Love Wins? A Critique of Rob Bell's New Book


Rob Bell Answers His Critics....But Don't Be Fooled







Wednesday, March 27, 2013

To Starbucks or Not to Starbucks, That Is The Question

Posted by Christine Pack and Cathy Mathews

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was recently challenged by a shareholder in the company who questioned the company's endorsement of a state bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Schultz reportedly told the shareholder that he was free to sell his Starbucks shares and invest elsewhere. (Article: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s Grande Support for Gay Marriage) The ensuing brouhaha had many Christians up in arms, calling for a boycott of Starbucks coffee, and lighting up social media with conversations about this dastardly deed. And yet, at the risk of inflaming many of my Christian friends who often exercise their American right to choose to boycott a company that makes this or that anti-Christian statement, here is just some food for thought:

Should we as Christians expect lost people to act in any other way than lost people generally do?

That is to say, should we expect lost people to not have animosity toward Christians? Can we look at history, perhaps, to help us get our bearings on this? The fact is that the world in which the very first Christians found themselves was a world that was incredibly hostile to biblical Christianity, and filled with wickedness and depravity, including rampant homosexuality. And yet, I feel certain that the Christians of that time interacted in the business world. And I do not see Scriptures exhorting Christians to not buy from this or that leather craftsman or olive purveyor, based on that person's presumably anti-Christian views.

And also, lest we forget, the Bible makes it clear that the world will have animosity toward both us and God's Word:
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing...." (1 Corinthians 1:18a)
"You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)
This is certainly an issue worth thinking about, praying about, and asking the Lord for wisdom about (James 1:5). Because here's the deal: the world around us has changed. I'm sorry, but it really and truly has. Same-sex marriage, in all likelihood, will soon be legitimized in this country. I'm not happy about that, and I'm certainly not happy about my children growing up in a country in which homosexuals can marry, but how should we Christians now navigate this strange world in which we find ourselves? We have a number of options, but these two come quickly to mind:

Option 1 -We can boycott any secular company that does not promote Christian values. We can stop shopping at Target because they won't say "Merry Christmas," we can stop eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream because they support same sex marriage, we can cross J.C. Penney's off the list because they had a lesbian spokesperson, we can boycott Home Depot because they participated in a gay pride parade, etc., etc. But if we are going to go down that road, we really ought to cash it all in, and buy a farm somewhere and live as an isolationist because very, very, very few corporations cater exclusively to true biblical Christians.

Option 2 - We can, by God's grace and with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, move graciously through this dark and dying world, interacting lovingly with lost sinners, and sharing the hope that is in Christ with those around us.
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world...." (Philippians 2:14-15)
I'm not saying definitively how, exactly, all Christians should respond to these changes coming in the world around us. Merely that we ought to think long, hard and prayerfully about how we should each navigate this unfamiliar terrain. I am reminded of a recent Christianity Today article in which a former lesbian recounts her story of writing an article, as a practicing lesbian, that was aimed at attacking Christianity. Predictably, she received heaps of support letters and also heaps of hate mail. But she received one letter from a pastor that was neither. This letter led to what she has referred to as her "Train Wreck Conversion," that is, it led to her turning her back on her former lifestyle and becoming a born again Christian. In her own words, she lost "everything but the dog." But what she gained was forgiveness, redemption and eternal life. Perhaps we can learn from this pastor's kindness and graciousness in how he reached out to this woman, and shared truth with her in a way that had eternal consequences.


photo credit: Nick Humphries via photopin cc

 Additional Resources 

Interview with Former Lesbian (Rosaria Champagne Butterfield)

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Catholicism is Not Just Another Christian Denomination

Posted by Christine Pack

Is Catholicism just another Christian denomination? I know many Christians who declare this to be so, including Christian leaders. But is this actually true? Are the differences between Christianity and Catholicism so minor as to be just a trifle, as incidental as whether or not you stand or sit when you sing or pray during a worship service?

Former Roman Catholic priest,
Richard Bennett
(Berean Beacon)
I was recently "unfriended" on Facebook by a friend who told me couldn't take what she considered harsh treatment of Catholics in some of my postings. What I told her is that I have always-always-always clearly stated that I do believe there absolutely can be truly saved people within the Catholic church. It's just that, unless death claims them first, a true born again believer WILL come out of the Catholic church, eventually. I don't hate Catholics, I hate Catholicism, because it keeps Catholics in bondage, it keeps them so busy doing all their works and their sacraments that they can be tricked into thinking they are right with God. (And isn't Satan so very good at devising works-driven systems for keeping lost people busy? Busy all the way to their deaths, that is, at which time they will understand the truth.) Well, I want them to be set free (John 8:32). (My friend, incidentally, became very Catholic-sympathetic, after she started working as a teacher at a Catholic school. So I kinda saw it coming.)

If you are a Christian, and you are unsure of the doctrinal differences between Christianity and Catholicism, please look at the attached charts (click on these charts to see a more readable size). These charts were compiled by Richard Bennett, a former Catholic priest. Richard Bennett was a Roman Catholic priest for 21 years. Now think on this: Catholics are trained to look up to their priests and to think that their priests have a greater understanding of the Bible. But, if you listen to Bennett's testimony, he makes it clear that this is not true: Catholic priests are taught very little - very little! - actual Bible in seminary, and are instead trained in the Catholic writings. And yet, Catholics put their trust, their eternal trust, and faith in these men whom they believe have more Bible knowledge.

So how did a Roman Catholic priest of 21 years come to saving faith? A debilitating accident put Catholic priest Richard Bennett flat on his back, and he began to read the actual Bible......and he got saved! The way to salvation IS clearly presented in the Bible, but sadly, many Catholics don't read and study their Bibles, and thus don't know this.



 Additional Resources 

Testimony of Richard Bennett (former Roman Catholic priest)

Berean Beacon (former Roman Catholic priest Richard Bennett)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Check Your Jesus

Posted by Christine Pack
"For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough." (2 Cor 11:4)


I love the hashtag #CheckYourJesus, which Pastor Dan Phillips of the Pyromaniacs blog came up with.   For right or wrong, it conjures up an image of multitudes of people flipping over their "Jesus" to double check the label on the back. But is it really that important to get "Jesus" right? Does it matter who we think Jesus is, or is it simply enough that we are very sincere about what we believe? That fact is that we all need to be checking our "Jesus," because the consequences of not getting this right are eternal. And lest we forget, many people (including Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and some New Agers) claim to love and have faith in Jesus, including the producers of the Bible miniseries. Do they have the right "Jesus?" Do you?  Listen to Chris Rosebrough of Fighting For the Faith as he discusses the portrayal of "Jesus" in the currently running Bible miniseries. And then #CheckYourJesus.


 Additional Resources

Check Your Jesus (Dan Phillips, Pyromaniacs)

History Channel’s ‘The Bible’ Exalts Man Over God

Two Creation Ministries Endorse The Bible Miniseries

Theological Errors of the History Channel's Bible Miniseries, Part 1 (Pirate Christian Radio)

The Mishandling of God's Word in the Bible Miniseries (Apprising)

Joel Osteen a Consultant on Upcoming Bible Miniseries

Rick Warren Lays Out The Theology of The Bible Miniseries
 (Pirate Christian Radio)

Roma Downey on Being Catholic

Touched By An Angel, But Which Kind?

The Bible Miniseries Board of Advisors

The Bible or The Bible Miniseries? (Contender Radio)

Wretched's (Brief) Audio Review of the Bible Miniseries (Todd Friel)

Wretched's (Brief) Video Review of the Bible Miniseries (Todd Friel)

Is Sincerity the Most Important Measure of Faith?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Rick Warren Calls Christians to Pray For the Catholic Council?

Posted by Christine Pack


Rick Warren wants us to pray for the Catholic church council as they select a new Pope? Really? What should we pray, that they repent of their apostasy, and come to true saving faith that is found only in repenting of "good works" and placing their faith solely in Christ's finished work upon the Cross?


(Note: While I do think some Catholics can truly be saved, the ones who hold to Catholic teaching are not, because what the Roman Catholic Church teaches about salvation is diametrically opposed to what the Bible teaches. Please see some of the reference materials below for a better understanding of this, particularly the side-by-side chart compiled by former Roman Catholic priest Richard Bennett, and which shows the conflicting beliefs between Catholicism and Christianity.) 


 Additional Resources 

Warren’s Ecumenical Call to Fast, Pray for Cardinals Seeking New Pope Called ‘Real Tragedy’

Redeemer's Tim Keller Recommends Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation Leader Ignatius of Loyola?

Ignatius of Loyola, an Examination of His Teachings
 (Pastor Gary Gilley)

Catholic Mysticism Infused Into Our Society (Berean Beacon)

Why the Reformation Was Important (Sola Sisters)

After The Darkness, Light (Post Tenebras Lux) (Sola Sisters)

Biblically Explaining The Heresy of Catholicism (Dr. John MacArthur)

A Chart With Christian/Catholic Views Side-By-Side (Berean Beacon)

Testimony of a Former Roman Catholic Priest....From Darkness to Light (Berean Beacon)

Far From Rome Near To God (Amazon)

On The "Faith" of Mother Teresa: John Ortberg Strikes Out (Sola Sisters)

The Myth of Mother Teresa
 (Challies)

Mother Teresa A Lost Soul (Berean Beacon)

Mother Teresa in Her Own Words (Sola Sisters)

CNN Reports That Mother Teresa Underwent Exorcism (CNN Archives)

BBC Reports About Exorcism Performed on Mother Teresa (BBC Archives)

Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Lost Will Want More of the "God" of the Bible Miniseries?

Posted by Christine Pack

Christians keep telling me that God can use the currently showing Bible miniseries to reach the lost. Really? But how can this be, when God's beautiful, glorious redemptive plan for lost sinners, that runs all the way from Genesis to Revelation, is not clearly laid out in the series? And without the redemptive plan being understood, for those who have only a smattering of Bible knowledge (as many lost people in America do), the God of the Old Testament just comes off as angry, vindictive and arbitrary. So the question is, does anybody know any non-believers in their lives who want more of that God? Anyone? Anyone? Yeah, I didn't think so.



 Additional Resources 

Two Creation Ministries Endorse The Bible Miniseries

The Bible or The Bible Miniseries? (Contender Radio)

Theological Errors of the History Channel's Bible Miniseries, Part 1 (Pirate Christian Radio)

Rick Warren Lays Out The Theology of The Bible Miniseries (Pirate Christian Radio)

Wretched's Review (Todd Friel)

Roma Downey on Being Catholic

The History Channel’s Bible Miniseries Mishandling of God’s Word (Mike Ratliff)

Touched By An Angel, But Which Kind? (Berit Kjos)

The Bible Miniseries Board of Advisors