Lawsuit Claims Sovereign Grace Ministries Concealed Sex Abuse

Posted by Christine Pack

The Washington Post is reporting that a lawsuit claims that Sovereign Grace Ministries concealed sex abuse allegations in Maryland and Virginia. This is a horrible story, and one I have heard rumblings about for several years. Sovereign Grace Ministries is headed by popular pastor/author/speaker C.J. Mahaney. Mahaney is currently a member of The Gospel Coalition, and has also been very influential in the Charismatic Calvinists/New Calvinists/Young-Restless-Reformed movement.

In an interview with Janet Mefferd, Attorney Susan Burke who filed on behalf of the plaintiffs had this to say about a potential class action suit:

"We have three families, three families have kind of stepped forward and are willing to serve as representative plaintiffs. I've heard from and been in touch with many other victims as well. So we decided that this would be, because of the subject matter and how traumatic it is for people to come forward, we thought that the most protective device here would be a class action. And even just since we've filed, we've had a few more folks reach out to us as well. So, sadly, it's not just the three."

More interviews by Janet Mefferd documenting the progress of the SGM class action lawsuit:

10/18/2012 - Janet Mefferd Interviews Attorney Susan Burke About Lawsuit Against Sovereign Grace Ministries ("I don't know how long evangelicalism can ignore this problem.")

5/16/13 - Janet Mefferd Interviews Attorney Bill O’Neil Again About the Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit

5/20/13 - Janet Mefferd Interviews Bill O'Neil Regarding Latest Details About the SGM Child Sex Abuse Class Action Lawsuit

6/6/13 - Janet Mefferd Interviews Boz Tchividjian Regarding the Silence of Christian Leaders Over American Evangelicalism's Largest Sexual Scandal to Date

10/7/13 - Janet Mefferd Interviews Boz Tchividjian: Are Evangelical Christians Worse Than Catholics on Sexual Abuse Response? (References the SGM Child Sexual Abuse Scandal)

 Additional Resources 

UPDATE: 1/18/13 Attorney Bill O’Neil Interviewed on the Janet Mefferd Show About the Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit

Flagship Churches Prepare To Leave As Lawsuit Charges C.J. Mahaney's Sovereign Grace Ministries With Covering Up Child Sex Abuse

Copy of Lawsuit Filed Against Sovereign Grace Ministries

Yoga Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Posted by Cathy Mathews and Christine Pack

Because we have written with such frequency about the spiritual hazards of yoga, many of our regular readers might be tempted to look at the title of this article and think that we will again be discussing the spiritual dangers of yoga. Not so. Today we want to point you to an article in the New York Times (How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body) which enumerates the potential physical dangers of yoga. You didn't know yoga could be dangerous? Please read on from the article:

"A healthy woman of 28 suffered a stroke while doing a yoga position known as the wheel or upward bow, in which the practitioner lies on her back, then lifts her body into a semicircular arc, balancing on hands and feet. An intermediate stage often involves raising the trunk and resting the crown of the head on the floor. While balanced on her head, her neck bent far backward, the woman 'suddenly felt a severe throbbing headache.' She had difficulty getting up, and when helped into a standing position, was unable to walk without assistance. The woman was rushed to the hospital." 

"(A) 25-year-old man was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Chicago, complaining of blurred vision, difficulty swallowing and controlling the left side of his body. Steven H. Hanus, a medical student at the time, became interested in the case and worked with the chairman of the neurology department to determine the cause (he later published the results with several colleagues). The patient had been in excellent health, practicing yoga every morning for a year and a half. His routine included spinal twists in which he rotated his head far to the left and far to the right. Then he would do a shoulder stand with his neck 'maximally flexed against the bare floor,' just as Iyengar had instructed, remaining in the inversion for about five minutes. A series of bruises ran down the man’s lower neck, which, the team wrote in The Archives of Neurology, 'resulted from repeated contact with the hard floor surface on which he did yoga exercises.' These were a sign of neck trauma. Diagnostic tests revealed blockages of the left vertebral artery between the c2 and c3 vertebrae; the blood vessel there had suffered 'total or nearly complete occlusion' — in other words, no blood could get through to the brain." 

"The first reports of yoga injuries appeared decades ago, published in some of the world’s most respected journals — among them, Neurology, The British Medical Journal and The Journal of the American Medical Association. The problems ranged from relatively mild injuries to permanent disabilities. In one case, a male college student, after more than a year of doing yoga, decided to intensify his practice. He would sit upright on his heels in a kneeling position known as vajrasana for hours a day, chanting for world peace. Soon he was experiencing difficulty walking, running and climbing stairs. Doctors traced the problem to an unresponsive nerve, a peripheral branch of the sciatic, which runs from the lower spine through the buttocks and down the legs. Sitting in vajrasana deprived the branch that runs below the knee of oxygen, deadening the nerve. Once the student gave up the pose, he improved rapidly. Clinicians recorded a number of similar cases and the condition even got its own name: 'yoga foot drop.'"

The article can be read in its entirety here. (Please note that this article does not address the underlying religious roots of Yoga; it only addresses the potential harm it can cause to your body.)

photo credit: lululemon athletica via photopin cc


 Additional Resources 

Yoga Alliance Shows Its Hindu Teeth

Christian Yoga an Oxymoron? 

Yoga Training: Not Just Exercise

Yoga For children: Not Child's Play

Yoga: From Hippies To Hip

Yoga: Its Spiritual Roots Can't Be Separated From Its Physical Movements

"Christian" Yoga?

Julia Roberts: "I'm Definitely A Practicing Hindu"

Doctor Prescribes "Therapeutic" Yoga For A Christian Woman

Universalism: The Gospel Message of Emergent and New Age Spirituality

Southern Baptist Seminary President Al Mohler on Yoga: "It's Not Christianity"

Karma Just Doesn't Cut It

Interview With a Former Member of Tim Keller's Church

Posted by Christine Pack

Jonathan Cousar,
City of Deception

Jonathan Cousar, a friend and fellow writer, was recently interviewed about his concerns over mysticism at Tim Keller's church (Redeemer Presbyterian) in Manhattan. Jonathan discussed what happened when he became aware of Tim Keller allowing Roman Catholic Mysticism to be taught at Redeemer, and what played out when he tried to bring his concerns to the leadership. Jonathan was a member of Redeemer for almost 20 years.

You may listen to this show in its entirety here.



 Additional Resources 

Learn to Embrace Your "Inner Monk" at Pastor Tim Keller's Redeemer Presbyterian Church?

Lectio Divina at Tim Keller's Redeemer Presbyterian Church - material adapted from the book Sacred Companions by David Benner. (From David Benner's bio: "I first heard of spiritual direction through reading Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, and this quickly led me to an engagement with the Orthodox tradition of the Christian faith. It was here that I encountered the Jesus prayer – a gift from the Russian Orthodox Church – something that was to change the way I opened myself to God in prayer for ever. Here I also encountered the gift of using icons as an aid to prayer. This led me back to the Christian mystics I had long been attracted to but not ready to really engage, and to the discovery of the Benedictine and Cistercian traditions of centering prayer and lectio divina..... I discovered the Sufi mystical poets, Hafiz and Rumi, people who have been intimate spiritual companions since that first meeting. Within a few years, my wife and I were blessed to be invited to spend several extended periods of dialogue with Buddhists and Taoists at the Tao Fong Shan Centre for Christian Spirituality and Interfaith Dialogue in Hong Kong. Once I tasted the richness of meeting people of other faiths in this sort of sacred place there was no turning back. I quickly discovered that I had more in common with those on a spiritual journey within other religious traditions than I had with Christians who had allowed faith to be reduced to beliefs and counted the holding of these beliefs to be their journey. It remains so to this day.")

Ron Choong’s Ties to Tim Keller and His Heretical Teachings (City of Deception, Jonathan Cousar)

Tim Keller and Social Justice (Sola Sisters)

Tim Keller Recommending Roman Catholic Mysticism (Sola Sisters)

Learn to Embrace Your "Inner Monk" at Pastor Tim Keller's Redeemer Presbyterian Church? (Sola Sisters)

Redeemer's Tim Keller Recommends Ignatius of Loyola? (Sola Sisters)

Tim Keller and the Problems with Ignatius of Loyola (Sola Sisters)

What Is Mysticism? (Sola Sisters)

Mysticism: Spiritual Crack (Sola Sisters)

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)

Tim Keller

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)

Quotes (and A Few Random Thoughts) From Rick Warren's Interview with Oprah

Posted by Christine Pack

Saddleback pastor and Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren (dubbed "America's Pastor" by Time magazine) recently joined Oprah Winfrey on Friday, October 5 on her livestreaming Lifeclass. Below are a few comments by Rick Warren taken directly from his interview with Oprah, along with some of my commentary.

Rick Warren: “I highly recommend you make God the most important person in your life. Because He loves you unconditionally.”

What about the biblical proclamation that the wrath of God abides on ALL men, unless they come to him in the way He has ordained....through the shed blood of Jesus?

Rick Warren: “If you build your security around a man, he can die. But if you build your security in your relationship to God, that can never be taken from you.”

But no mention of Jesus or how to be in a right relationship with God to this audience.

Rick Warren: “All of us have things we want to change in our lives......If you want to change the way you act, you have to start....with your thoughts.”

This is a Christianized version of something called "New Thought" which is a New Age practice. This is a practice in which one believes, and acts upon the belief, that their thoughts have God-like power to change circumstances. This belief is also what undergirds the Word of Faith movement.

A woman from Norway called in and said: "Who is God? What does that mean? I was raised Catholic....."

In response to this woman, who was clearly receptive to hearing from a pastor about how to be in relationship with God, Rick Warren did not give the gospel. He is response was something along the lines of, you've got to find God and find God's purpose for your life (paraphrasing). As they were cutting away to break after that segment, Rick Warren leaned over and asked Oprah about that caller, and indicated that he had been expecting a different caller. Oprah and the producer replied to him that this caller's question had seemed more urgent, and that's why they put that caller at the front of the line.

Rick Warren: "God is love."

This reason this bothers me is because so many professing Christians today, when asked about God, will say exactly this: that God is love, as if love is the most important attribute of God, and somehow trumps all of his other attributes. But the truth is that all of God's attributes (love, mercy, grace, justice, wrath, sovereignty, omnipotence, etc.) are in perfect, balanced proportion. I'm not saying God is not loving....but that in this interview (and what I hear at large from most Christians) is that God is love-love-love......like the Beatles song.

Rick Warren is addressing this audience as if they all know and affirm what he means by God (as in, the God of the Bible).

Rick Warren: “When God wants to do something great in your life, the first thing He does is give you a dream.” 

Rick Warren: "God is more interested in your character than your career......You're not taking your career to heaven, you are taking your character." 

Really? I hope I'm not taking my character to heaven.....I need the imputed righteousness of Christ. That is the ONLY way I will stand faultless before the throne.

Rick Warren: "It's all about service." 

He has said this a few times. This is pure LAW-based teaching. But this is NOT what "it" is all about. "It" is all about knowing God rightly as He is revealed in his Word, and responding in humble obedience to his command to repent and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sins. This is works righteousness.....this is a false gospel.

Rick Warren: "God never wastes a 'hurt." 

He's completely mischaracterizing Rom 8:28-29 to this audience....those promises are for believers only. Is he somehow under the impression that he is addressing Christians?

The only thing Rick Warren said that came even close to a gospel message was when he said something like, Jesus loved you *this much* (stretching out hands so they're in the hanging-on-the-cross position). Warren paraphrased Jesus's message for us thusly: "I love you so much I'd rather die than live without you." That last part is a direct quote, even though it's Warren paraphrasing, because, well, Jesus never said that. Jesus said "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." But to hear Warren tell it, poor needy Jesus is up in heaven, wringing his hands, just hoping you will let him come and live in your heart. That is just an abominable way for a pastor to describe the Lord of this Universe. Jesus is NOT some needy stalker girlfriend who's emotionally overwrought at the idea that you don't want to be with Him.


 Additional Resources 

Rick Warren and Joel Osteen Join Hands With Oprah

Rick Warren Get's John Piper's Stamp of Approval?

Critical Issues Commentary: A Biblical Look at Rick Warren's Teaching

Rick Warren at DG 2010: Not An April Fool's Joke?

Rick Warren: Driven by Destiny?

My Visit to Ask Rick Warren to Preach Christ (by Pastor Bob DeWaay)

Rick Warren Encourages "Christianized" Mantra Meditation

Rick Warren and Joel Osteen Join Hands With Oprah

Article by Christian researcher and apologist, Marcia Montenegro. Marcia is a former professional astrologer and writes at Christian Answers for the New Age-CANA). Reprinted with permission.

On October 5th, along with others on Facebook, I watched 3 hours of live taping of Oprah’s Lifeclass online. This included an hour of Word Faith preacher Joel Osteen with Oprah and 2 hours of megachurch Pastor Rick Warren with Oprah. These programs will air later on the OWN network (Rick Warren’s two shows will air in early 2013).

 God's Word First 

Before discussing this, let’s look at God’s word. First of all, we are told to handle God’s word correctly: “Be diligent to (present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

It is important not to take scripture out of context, or to misapply it. Reading a passage in context and in comparison to other scripture on a similar topic or theme solves most mistakes or deliberate misuses of scripture applications.

Both Word of Faith teachings (Joel Osteen) and New Thought (Oprah) use scripture and claim Christianity, but take the Bible out of context to prop up false teachings. One of the most widely misused passages is Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinketh, so is he.” This is quoted by almost every New Thought teacher who has ever lived to support the view that your thoughts determine the reality of your life. The deeper belief here is that your thoughts can alter reality, and that positive thoughts attract positive events while negative ones draw negative events. This is actually a principle of sorcery.

How do we know what Proverbs 23:7 really means? It’s easy to discover if one examines the entire passage. Then it becomes obvious that the text is denouncing acting outwardly one way while inwardly thinking another way. Starting at verse 6, we read: "Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; for as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, 'Eat and drink!' But his heart is not with you." Rather than buttressing New Thought principles, this passage is condemning selfish, hypocritical behavior!

The subtle deception of New Thought is that renewing one’s thinking can be done through techniques and self-effort. This is Satan’s counterfeit of the putting on of the “new self” and renewal of the mind by the power of the Holy Spirit, which only happens when one has believed in Christ and been regenerated by the Spirit (see Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10; Titus 3:5).

 Joel Osteen 

Osteen gave his usual Word of Faith teachings that words have power over our lives and this is the way to change our lives. He gave the same kind of affirmations that are taught in New Thought and the New Age, so Oprah was totally on board with this. Affirmations are statements that one repeats, verbally and/or in writing, so that they will become true.

Oprah was spiritually influenced by Unity minister Eric Butterworth’s teaching that Jesus came to show how to achieve Christ Consciousness (the realization that we all have an inherently divine nature). I was not surprised at anything Osteen said, nor that Oprah found him in line with her views.

 Rick Warren 

However, although Rick Warren has had New Age Dr. Oz at his church (along with a supposedly Christian doctor who also endorses some New Age practices), I was hoping he (RW) would somehow give the gospel in the midst of his motivational advice, but he never did. He used the imagery of a poker game to explain we are dealt certain cards, and then gave a teaching on this that sounded like moralistic self-help programs I’ve heard so many times, throwing in a few Bible quotes taken out of context or misquoted. It was something almost any New Ager could accept. God becomes a tool for self-improvement and success.

Warren referred to Jesus, but took scripture out of context and applied things said to believers to everyone. He also misused the Proverbs passage that says “as a man thinketh, so is he.” This passage is a famous passage misused by New Thought proponents and is used in “The Secret.”

What was really hard to watch is when a woman in Norway Skyped to say she realized she needed God but wanted to know who God is and she asked, “What should I do?” It was clear that she was ripe to hear the gospel and needed Jesus! It was a great opportunity to share the gospel with her, and at the same time, for Oprah to hear it. Instead of giving the gospel, Rick Warren seemed uncomfortable and finally just said something like, ‘Go to God and find your purpose.” It was a terrible moment! The woman looked surprised and sad, like she was expecting something else. I prayed for her later and am hoping that the many Christians who witnessed this will pray for her.

Not only that, but when Oprah referred to God, as she often did, Rick Warren agreed with her as though she was referring to the biblical God, which she was not. He even said a few times, “Oprah has a good point.” No, she never did! She was speaking totally out of her New Thought/New Age beliefs. I am grateful that RW recommended that people read the gospel of John. That was the best thing he said.

 A Different God and The True God 

New Thought followers and New Agers will refer to God and Jesus, but it is a god who is a tool for self-betterment and success, and a Jesus who inspires as a human example – not the righteous God who has wrath on sin nor the God-man Jesus who through is death and resurrection is found forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who believe.

"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18

"Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43

 Additional Resources 

New Thought: Making the Straight Ways Crooked - A Warning For Christians

Rick Warren Get's John Piper's Stamp of Approval?

Critical Issues Commentary: A Biblical Look at Rick Warren's Teaching

Rick Warren at DG 2010: Not An April Fool's Joke?

Rick Warren: Driven by Destiny?

My Visit to Ask Rick Warren to Preach Christ (by Pastor Bob DeWaay)

Rick Warren Encourages "Christianized" Mantra Meditation

"We are born into this world wanting the world, wanting possessions, titles, glory, wealth." (Christian, Pilgrim's Progress)

Posted by Christine Pack

The character "Christian," from author John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, speaking in Scott Cawthon's animated version of this wonderful classic:

"This letter I write to my wife, whom I love dearly. I am writing this letter before I cross over the river of death. My destination lies on the other side. I wish now I could have convinced you to make this journey with me, but at the time I was unable to describe the journey at hand. All I had was an emptiness in my heart and a desire to fill it. Now, looking back, I can speak more clearly and tell you that my journey was not in vain. This I know: we are born into this world, wanting the world, wanting possessions, titles, glory, wealth. But they are all fading. They are deceptions that cannot bring us happiness or peace. I pray that you will not sell your soul to the things of this world. Let your heart leave those things behind, for there is a promise that awaits you, a way to be reconciled with God, in this life, and in the life to come. It is true that we are born with a sinful nature, and I have come to know sin as anything I do that requires me to turn my back to God first. We are all guilty of this, and no amount of work we do can repair the damage done. Our deeds and efforts are unclean because we do them with our backs to God. The wages of sin is death…not the death of the body, but death of the spirit. It is by His grace alone that we have hope for salvation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear that burden on the cross. When He died, our sin died with Him. Christ was then raised from the dead to prove that death has no power over those who follow Him. Christ has conquered death, defeated guilt, wiped sin away, halted sorrow, and given us a clean conscience before our Father in heaven. Let God’s Word guide you. Let God’s family give you strength. And let God’s sacrifice pay your cost. All of this I pray, that you will begin your own journey."

This is probably my all-time favorite version of Pilgrim's Progress, even though the animation is a little cheesy. My mother credits this simple little children's video with being instrumental in her salvation. During the couple of years that I was witnessing to my mom (who was a false convert), whenever she was visting with me and we were in the car, I used to play this video "for the kids," of course. My mother still talks about one time in particular when I had parked the van outside a store while I ran in to make a return, and she was in the back with the boys; I pushed "Play" and left her and the boys with the video going.......

Below is just a short snippet of this video from which the above quote by the character Christian was taken.

 Additional Resources 

The Pilgrim's Progress

The Wisdom of This World is Foolishness

Posted by Christine Pack

Evolutionary scientists insist that the millions/billions of years framework is what makes the evolutionary worldview make sense. With billions of years, they think, anything could happen, including unimaginably complex genetic coding and life arising from non-life materials. But this is perhaps the most absurd argument ever put forward, and truly evidence of futile thinking (see Rom 1:21-22, 1 Cor 1:20, 1 Cor 3:19). With this kind of logic, I should be able to shut the door to the pantry in my kitchen, give it enough time, and have it automatically order itself. This is the "logic" of evolution. But it flies in the face of what we know to be true in observational science, and that is that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics makes a mockery of this reasoning. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics explains that items go from order to disorder, from new to decaying. That's why shirts get threadbare after repeated washings and the dustbunnies in my pantry, no longer how long I wait, will not order themselves.

Time has no inherent design capabilities. Time is a measuring stick, that's all.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:21-22

photo credit: Natalie Blackburn via photo pin cc


 Additional Resources 

Bill Nye The Science Guy's Crusade for the Minds of Your Kids

Answers In Genesis (AIG)

Creation Museum

Institution For Creation Research (ICR)

Dan Phillips Dismantles Charismatic Arguments

Posted by Christine Pack and Cathy Mathews

A brilliant post by Pastor Dan Phillips (author of The World Tilting Gospel and blogger at Pyromaniacs and Biblical Christianity) very neatly dismantles many of the Charismatic arguments I've heard. From the article, entitled Charismatic Lexicon - Part One:

Biblically-oriented Christian (BibC): Culmination of millennia of revelation in a completed, wholly sufficient and closed Canon.
Leaky Canon Charismatic equivalent (LC²): Whatever.

BibC: Feeling.
LC²: The Holy Spirit.

BibC: Hunch.
LC²: The Holy Spirit.

BibC: Silly passing thought.
LC²: The Holy Spirit.

BibC: Impulse, best to be rejected after a bit of wise and critical reflection.
LC²: The Holy Spirit.

BibC: Testing by Scripture and rational examination.
LC²: Unbelief.

BibC: Walking in gracious, faith-driven obedience, which definitionally and consciously rests on the written Word alone.
LC²: Deism.

BibC: Living impulsively and irresponsibly, eschewing Biblical analysis and responsible decision-making, and blaming the whole mess on God.
LC²: Moving in the Spirit.

BibC: Undocumented anecdote allegedly done in a corner thousands of miles away and transmitted through the world's longest game of "telephone."
LC²: Proof that "the gifts" continue.

LC²: A divine healing that undeniably proves all charismatic claims.
BibC: Answered prayer, God healing — which all Christians have always confirmed and distinguished from the gift of healing.

And getting into the spirit of the thing, we came up with our own additions to this list:

BibC: Opens Bible, reads it. Knows God is speaking to him through His Word.
LC²: Putting God in a box. 

LC²: Closes Bibles, waits to hear still, small voice of God.
BibC: Vain imaginations.

You can read Dan Phillips' post in full here.


 Additional Resources 

The World Tilting Gospel

God's Wisdom in Proverbs

Charismatic Chaos (book by John MacArthur)

Charismatic Chaos (sermon series)

Copperfield Bible Church (pastored by Dan Phillips)

Just Do Something: How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc.  - by Kevin DeYoung

Biblical Silence vs. Mystical Silence

Secular Interview About What Mysticism Is - BBC Radio Program

What Is Mysticism? (Sola Sisters Article)

What Is Mysticism? (3-Part Series by Dr. Gary Gilley) - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5

Testimony of a Former Mystic

Wretched: Paul Washer and Chick-Fil-A

Posted by Christine Pack

We Americans have a tendency to think it's going to be all noble and Joan of Arc-ish for us, marching bravely and grandly for The Cause, but it's not going to play out that way. It's going to play out with us being spat upon and mocked and reviled all the way, and this Chick-Fil-A skirmish should be a wake-up call for all Christians. Are we prepared for that kind of persecution? Settle it in your heart today, now, where your heart allegiance lies: is it with God? or with the world, and being loved by the world?

 Additional Resources 

Chick-Fil-A Takes One For The Team

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Chick-Fil-A Takes One For The Team

Posted by Christine Pack

Dan Cathy, President of Chick-Fil-A and son of Chick-Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, was recently under fire for taking a strong public stance against same sex marriage. Said Cathy in several interviews:

"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that...we know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles." (online source)

"I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,' and I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is about." (online source)

I've always had somewhat mixed feelings about Chick-Fil-A because I have generally perceived them to be more culturally Christian and moralistic than authentically Christian. But the answer that Dan Cathy gave in "that" interview was the biblical answer (God defines marriage, not man), as opposed to the watered-down, and Godless, moralistic answer (same sex marriage is bad for the culture, children, etc.), and it made me want to stand up and cheer (and eat a chicken sandwich, too).
 

Slightly off topic, but I've often contemplated the idea that there probably are some true, born again believers who just are very culturally Christian in their appearance, and I've therefore wondered what would happen for those true believers if they were really pressed on a biblical issue, and there was no way out: what would they say? what would they do? Well, Dan Cathy surprised me by actually giving the biblical answer, not the moralistic answer. I was so surprised and encouraged by what he said that I probably went a little overboard, with posting CFA posters to my wall this past couple of weeks, such as this.....

and this........
 

and this........
 

and this.......
 

So I'm hoping that all this controversy will be eye-opening for Dan Cathy, whom I've always perceived to be somewhat "culturally Christian" (no more Confucius, please, CFA), and encourage him to do the hard thing, the culturally unacceptable thing, and continue to take the biblical stance on all things going forward. Now......who's craving some waffle fries?

  Additional Resources  

Dan Cathy Interview (Baptist Press News)

Dan Cathy, on the attempt to redefine marriage (Huffington Post)

ValueTales Storybook: Confucius and the Value of Honesty (Chick-Fil-A publication)

Biblical Christianity vs. Cultural Christianity (Berit Kjos)

What Persecution Will Look Like For The Christian (Paul Washer)

Cultural Christianity (Paul Washer)

Ten Indictments Against The Church (Paul Washer)

Just Eat The Good Food?

Posted by Christine Pack

Knowing that there is false teaching but not being willing to name names is like knowing there is a chef in town who is putting arsenic in his food, and people are dying from it, and your friends are going out for date night. And you say, oh hey, there's a chef in town who's poisoning the food, so whatever you do, don't eat the poisonous food. Only eat the good food! You know what good food is, right? So just eat that. No, I don't think I should tell you his name because that would be unloving. But I know you know what good food is, so just eat the good food. Okay, bye! Have fun!

Except that....the consequences of getting the gospel wrong (or not protecting others from the false teaching out there in opposition to the gospel) are a lot more dire than someone just dying. The consequences are eternal. So let's be exhorted to do the loving thing and gently and lovingly and with all humility name names when we need too, and examine all teachings in light of Scripture.

Jonathan Cahn's Own Mars Hill?

Posted by Christine Pack

There is an unlikely book taking the Christian world by storm right now (unlikely because there seem to be obvious problems with it) and yet this book, surprisingly, has been embraced by a a number of evangelical Christians. The book is The Harbinger, and it was written by Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jew who is also the senior pastor of the Jerusalem Center/ Beth Israel in Wayne, NJ. In our original Commentary on The Harbinger, we noted that The Harbinger is a fiction book, and features a character known as the prophet who is slowly giving seals to one of the main characters (Nouriel). These seals contain messages (nine in all) which are meant to be put together as clues in a mystery, so that a final, distinct message will emerge and be revealed. This message, once decoded, is intimated to hold the secret to bringing America back to its moral center and becoming once again a Godly nation. And in our original article, we discussed some of our concerns with the book, chiefly that, (1) in our opinion, the book has a distinct gnostic flavor to it, with its "mysteries" needing to be decoded, and also that (2) Jonathan Cahn's two appearances on Mormon Glenn Beck's show to discuss spiritual matters were problematic because Glenn Beck is not a Bible-believing Christian, and so his view of God and Cahn's view of God are vastly different, and such an alliance is likely to be very confusing, in general, to the body of Christ. 

One of the Cahn's staunchest defenders has been discernment speaker and talk show host Jan Markell, who is featuring Jonathan Cahn at her 2012 Understanding The Times conference, and who also recently had Jonathan Cahn on her radio show to discuss his controversial book in a two part interview (segment one here and segment two here). In these interviews with Jan Markell (which also included Dr. Walter Martin's daughter Jill Martin-Rische and discernment speaker Eric Barger), Jonathan Cahn addressed concerns that have been raised about him by discernment ministries (including ours), specifically his appearances on the Glenn Beck show. This was Cahn's response:

"If I am given an invitation to go on an interview show, and I am given an open platform to share the gospel, to share the word of God, to share the warning and the call to repentance, I will do that. In no way, shape or form is going on an interview show, are you giving consent that you agree with the host's position or they agree with your position. And so they're giving an open platform........If I spoke to some of these people in these discernment ministries, and said, there's a man who's actually going to a pagan place, where it's all pagan, a pagan event, and he's going to speak, they would condemn him or crucify him, most likely. And they'd be crucifying the Apostle Paul on Mars Hill. And because he went there, it didn't mean that he was agreeing with Mars Hill."

This is the second interview that I know of in which Cahn has likened his appearance on the Glenn Beck show to that of the Apostle Paul on Mars Hill addressing their "Unknown God." But in my opinion, that is an incorrect characterization of Cahn's Glenn Beck appearance.

 Did Jonathan Cahn Use His Appearance on The Glenn Beck Show To Give The Gospel Message?

The Apostle Paul on Mars Hill

The Apostle Paul clearly gave the gospel message on Mars Hill, while, by all appearances, Cahn went on Glenn Beck's show to promote his book (The Harbinger), and did not proclaim the gospel. If you read the passage from Acts (below), and contrast it to what Cahn discussed on Beck's show (1st interview here, 2nd interview here), you simply cannot find anything in either of Cahn's appearances  where he clearly proclaimed that Glenn Beck, as a Mormon, has given his allegiance to a false god, and is himself, personally, in danger of judgment, and that he needs to repent and place his faith in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins.

"Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, him I now declare unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; And has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Therefore then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Deity is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God overlooked; but now commands all men everywhere to repent: Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom he has ordained; and of this he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear you again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them." (Acts 17:22-33, my emphasis)

Our family has been reading through the Bible on a yearly reading plan, and as providence would have it, we recently landed on this passage of the Apostle Paul on Mars Hill.  I've read this passage many times, but in light of Jonathan Cahn's insistance that he will use any platform as his own "Mars Hill" in order to proclaim the gospel message, I slowed down and really looked again at what exactly happened on Mars Hill. I ended up coming away from the text with an even deeper appreciation of Paul, who, not surprisingly, gives a magnificent gospel proclamation to the men of Athens. And make no mistake, it's all in there: 

- A sovereign creator God who is holy, who made us and who has a righteous claim on our lives.

- Man's depravity and inability to save himself.

- Man's attempt to conjure up his own path to God with his all-bases-covered "Unknown God," and Paul then proclaiming that this God, who is "unknown" to them is real, that He commands all men to repent, and has Himself appointed a Man by whom salvation comes, and as proof of this, has raised this Man from the dead (all of which probably drove those sophisticated, religious pagans bonkers in the same way that it drives sophisticated, liberal Christians of today bonkers when people take the Bible literally....but I digress).

So my lingering question is this: Going by the biblical text from Acts above, and comparing that to Jonathan Cahn's Glenn Beck appearances (here and here), does it appear that Jonathan Cahn took the opportunity, as he claims he did, to present the gospel message on the Glenn Beck show? Do we hear anything of God's holiness? man's depravity? a command to repent and believe on the Jesus of the Bible, who bodily rose from the dead, for the forgiveness of sins? I just don't see it. But beyond just taking apart what he said he did vs. what he actually did, would it be stating the super obvious for me to wonder, also, where is Jonathan Cahn's pastorly care and compassion for Glenn Beck as a lost human being on his way to Hell? I'm rather neutral on the subject of Glenn Beck, other than finding him pretty amusing, but on the subject of Hell, I am not neutral. The thing about Jonathan Cahn's interview with Beck that is the most upsetting to me is that Glenn Beck has a soul, having been made in the image of God, and I'm left wondering this: how will Glenn Beck feel when he wakes up in hell, and thinks, wait a second, I was just twelve inches away from a Christian pastor who sat there and nodded when I talked about "God" and never told me that my Mormon god was a false god? Glenn Beck is lost-lost-lost, and he needs to hear that the times of ignorance have been overlooked by God, but that He now commands all men everywhere to repent (and that includes sincere, well-intentioned Mormons, like Glenn Beck).


 Additional Resources 

Jonathan Cahn's first appearance on the Glenn Beck show (Glenn Beck online)

Jonathan Cahn's second appearance on the Glenn Beck show (Glenn Beck online)

Is The Harbinger Fact or Fiction? (Apprising Ministries)

Implications of The Harbinger (Erin Benziger)

A Commentary on The Harbinger (Sola Sisters)

The Harbinger - A Review and Commentary (Pastor Larry DeBruyn)

The Harbinger - A Review (Pastor Gary Gilley)

What To Make Of The Harbinger Mystery (Stand Up For The Truth, Amy Spreeman)

The Rise and Fall of World Powers (Dr. John MacArthur)

When Contending Becomes Cantankerous (a pro-Harbinger interview, with Jan Markell, Eric Barger, Jill Martin Rische)

Myths From Hislop: A Call To Examine Facts

by Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For the New Age - CANA)

“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” Proverbs 18:13 

“A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will not escape.”  Proverbs 19:5 

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14

Many mistaken views can be traced to the pages of The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop. This book made a number of claims which do not rest on clear historical data, but were conclusions drawn by Hislop influenced by his own biases.

One of Hislop’s supporters, Ralph Woodrow, wrote a book based on Hislop’s book titled Babylon Mystery Religion. However, Woodrow later discovered that Hislop’s claims were largely unsubstantiated, and Woodrow withdrew his support of Hislop, pulling his own book out of print. Woodrow wrote a book to expose the false claims he was now rejecting, The Babylon Connection?

In an article (link below), Woodrow shows the fallacies behind some of Hislop’s thinking:

Let’s suppose that on May 10th a man was stabbed to death in Seattle. There were strong reasons for believing a certain person did it. He had motive. He was physically strong. He owned a large knife. He had a criminal record. He was known to have a violent temper and had threatened the victim in the past. All of these things would point to him as the murderer, except for one thing: on May 10th he was not in Seattle—he was in Florida! 

So is it with the claims about pagan origins. What may seem to have a connection, upon further investigation, has no connection at all! 

By this method, one could take virtually anything and do the same—even the “golden arches” at McDonald’s! The Encyclopedia Americana (article: “Arch") says the use of arches was known in Babylon as early as 2020 B.C. Since Babylon was called “the golden city” (Isa. 14:4), can there be any doubt about the origin of the golden arches? As silly as this is, this is the type of proof that has been offered over and over about pagan origins.

Since many popular ideas derive from Hislop’s book, some may not want to face the facts and prefer to cling to these unproven or even false views. Many notions linking Easter and Christmas with paganism are linked to Hislop. This is often used by cultists as a battering ram against Christians.

But as Christians, we are called to truth. After all, Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)! How can we as Christians claim to embrace and preach Jesus if we ourselves do not want to see factual evidence that overturns some cherished beliefs that came from Hislop (or any other less than credible sources)? Therefore, it is suitable and biblical to examine all claims in the light of objective truth and reject any that are unsupported by solid data and which spring from dubious sources. Let us not jump to conclusions or make hasty judgments.

Exposé of Hislop’s book

Article by Ralph Woodrow, regarding his previously published book Babylon Mystery Religion, and his public statement of the errors in that book (Woodrow also wrote and published The Babylon Connection? as a corrective to his original book that promulgated the Hislop errors)

Woodrow’s book, The Babylon Connection?

A point-by-point refutation of some of the major claims by Hislop

Is Easter a pagan word? 

Why Christmas on Dec. 25?

A Survey of Heresies

Posted by Christine Pack

Phil Johnson, executive director of Grace To You and creator of the Pyromaniacs blog, has done an excellent teaching series entitled A Survey of Heresies:

Phil Johnson

“It’s important for Christians to have a grasp of heresies that the church has battled over the centuries, because they often return with new clothing, and the unprepared Christian is likely to fall into these old pits. Phil does an excellent job of looking at some of the major heresies that are revisiting the church today: Socinianism, Arianism, Pelagianism, Gnosticism, and Judaizing. This is an excellent 6 part series that will shore up some weak points in the church today.”

The helpful chart below gives a thumbnail sketch of the heresies, when they originated, the main theological error, and, perhaps most importantly, how that heresy is manifested in today's culture:

And below are links to each of the teachings:

The Judaizers 

The Gnostics 

The Arians pt1, The Arians pt2 

The Pelagians 

The Socinians

Thanks to this series, I am now able to state that I grew up in a Socinian church (where I never heard the gospel), went off into Gnosticism, and was flirting briefly with Pelagianism and Judaized theology as a new Christian. But, I'm now back on the straight and narrow, thanks to all the great teaching out there, including this particular series by Phil Johnson. Listen and be blessed.

Beth Moore Preaches At Louie Giglio's Church

Posted by Christine Pack

Bestselling author
Beth Moore

Apprising Ministries recently published an article pointing us to Pastor Louie Giglio's decision this past Sunday (7/1/12) to allow Beth Moore to preach that morning's sermon before the entire congregation.

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." 1 Timothy 2:12

But the command from 1 Timothy (above) is not complicated or hard to understand, is it? Why, then, is Beth Moore, a widely admired and popular Bible study teacher, given a pass to disobey this clear command from Scripture?

Beth Moore's popularity and influence among her followers has catapulted this issue into the spotlight, and I suspect this issue of whether or not women should preach to men will become increasingly important. At least, I hope it becomes increasingly important. I have a little bit of a dog in this fight, having grown up in a very liberal denomination (Presbyterian-USA) in which women were (and still are) allowed to preach authoritatively from the pulpit to men. It was only as a born again believer, after I had become an adult and was in a church that actually read and taught the Bible, that I came to realize that, biblically, this women-preaching-from-the-pulpit thing is not okay in God's eyes.

And yet, several widely respected pastors, and pastors who are perceived to be conservative, have been blurring the lines between (1) what is popular and accepted in today's culture and (2) what is biblical:

Pastor Louie Giglio turns his Sunday morning pulpit over to Bible study author Beth Moore

Pastor John Piper recommends a book by "Reverend" Lauren Winner

Pastor Tim Keller  recommends a book by "Pastor" Adele Ahlberg Calhoun 

I indicated that I hope for this issue to become front and center in today's church, and this is why: as I noted, I grew up attending a liberal church where women were allowed to share in pastoring duties. But in addition to that (and no surprise), the idea of Sola Scriptura (i.e., the idea that we bend the knee to Scripture as authoritative on all matters) was something of a joke. For anyone asking questions about scripture addressing women pastors (and yes, I was the questioning type), one was told, with a patronizing pat on the arm, Well of course we can't take the Bible as entirely accurate for today! No, the times have changed. It's just the biblical principles of helping others and following Jesus' example that we need to follow, you see. 

After rejecting what I thought was Christianity and leaving the church as a young woman, I went into the New Age where pretty much anything goes for you, as long as you are sincere about your beliefs. And of course, while in the New Age, I became deeply involved in mysticism and occult practices.

Mercifully, God rescued me. He opened my eyes to the futility of liberalism and man-made wisdom, as opposed to seeking the truth of God's word on all matters. But more importantly, He opened my eyes to my own sinfulness and my need for a Savior. I repented and placed my faith in Christ's atoning death. What a miracle that a wretch such as I could be saved! My husband and I joined a church, and I naively thought that liberal teaching and New Age mysticism were far behind me. How foolish I was! I had only been a Christian for a short time before I began to realize that once conservative preachers and denominations were now sliding down the path toward liberalism....and yet the conservative evangelicals around me seemed not to notice or understand when I tried to point this out. I also suddenly began to see New Age mysticism (albeit with Christianized new names) flowing unchecked into the churches, sometimes brought in by Sunday School teachers, sometimes by the pastors.

This is why my sister and I write this blog. We've already been where the conservative evangelical church of today is headed. We've already lived out the liberalism and mysticism. We desire, with a deep and pure longing, to warn the church of what waits at the end of this road. It is not a good end. Despair and confusion and universalist theology with no salvific power will most likely be the result for churches that don't hold the line on Sola Scriptura. My question for the church of today is this: do we believe the Bible is God's inerrant word, or don't we? If we do, we must contend most earnestly for this issue. Share articles and books and DVDs with your pastors and church leaders. Contend earnestly but graciously with them, with Scripture as your guide. And above all, please be in earnest prayer for the church of today and for our pastors. These are not easy times in which to pastor a church. It is said that Charles Haddon Spurgeon, after having battled the Down-Grade Controversy all of his adult life, died of a broken heart. And yet, our church today is many times worse than the church during Spurgeon's day. Our pastors and churches need prayer.

 Additional Resources 

Theology......More or Less With Beth (Sarah Flashing, Midwest Christian Outreach)

An Overview of Beth Moore (CARM)

Beth Moore's Dangerous Bible Twisting ( Fighting For The Faith radio)

John Piper Happy To Learn From Beth Moore