Monday, August 17, 2015
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Should Christians Avoid Apostate Literature In All Instances?
The broadcaster confessed that, given what he knows of Campolo and the Word of God today, he would probably no longer read anything by Campolo.
Most Christians grounded in the Word of God and sound theology realize that Campolo is a borderline apostate if he hasn't already crossed over the line altogether.
If someone wants to avoid Campolo's works, so be it.
That's one's right in a free society.
However, such a proclamation in such a manner as to create the impression that no one ought to read these kinds of works under any circumstances if they want to retain good standing as a member of the broader conservative Evangelical community goes a bit overboard.
Regarding religious leftists such as Tony Campolo, should one decide to read works by such an author, the discerning must remain cautious to subtle error that says as much by what it does not say as by what it does say.
In other words, sometimes you have got to read between the lines.
But unless we ourselves conduct our own research or, perhaps more importantly are encouraged ourselves to do so, how can we be sure that those stymieing individual reflection and curiosity aren't simply out to control us for their own assorted ends?
The call to be like the Bereans requires nothing short of such sanctified suspicion on our own parts.
By Frederick Meekins
Monday, August 10, 2015
Exaltation Of Southern Baptist Functionaries Grows Cultic
And with the level of blind devotion called for on the part of a number of prominent Southern Baptist personalities, things are not going to end well.
From a number of statements made by former Southern Baptist Convention President and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, it is doubtful most Roman Catholics follow the Pope as uncritically.
For example, Patterson issued an ultimatum of ten demands that Southern Baptists are expected to abide by in relation to David Platt.
For example, obligation number four reads, “Recognition that there is not a more important man in the world than the President of the International Missions Board because of his potential to touch so many lives...for God.”
In that position, Platt is essentially an administrator and bureaucrat.
Should the President of the United States be praised for the brave acts of the American soldier?
Then why praise Platt over the toils of the frontline missionary?
Another demand made by Patterson in his ultimatum is even more disturbing.
Demand number seven reads, “Willingness to do whatever Dr. Platt asks that is not contrary to our deeply held convictions and is within our power.”
Ladies and gentleman, feel free to listen to anything David Platt has to say.
However, in the final analysis, make up your own mind as to what you will do with what the Lord has given you.
You answer to the Lord Jesus Christ, not David Platt, the Southern Baptist Convention, or any other organized church body.
For while David Platt is essentially teaching that anyone responding with anything less than a willingness to serve as canon fodder for God (as He no doubt whispers in Pastor Platt's ear) is a urine deprived excuse of a Christian, if Brother Patterson had had his way, the seminary Patterson heads would have opened its doors to eventual Islamist takeover.
Some will snap that these kinds of observations are inaccurate or over exaggerated.
However, nearly every cult tragedy or church abuse scandal began with these kinds of claims and admonitions suggesting how some particular leader was so far beyond the mere pewfillers in terms of spirituality who were obligated to bow at the feet of the exalted guru.
My advice to you is that it might be best to avoid Kool Aid offered either by David Platt or his more enthusiastic supporters.
By Frederick Meekins
Thursday, August 06, 2015
Wednesday, August 05, 2015
Headline Potpourri #76
On an episode of his broadcast, Jim Bakker prophesied that this would be the last Fourth of July as we know it. Given that every day is composed of a unique set of contingencies and causalities, isn't that a little vague to insist upon as a prophecy?
Jim Bakker's call to stockpile food in light of pending calamity might seem more sincere if he wasn't the one selling the survival rations. In the commercial, it is insinuated that, with these provisions, the hoodwinked will be able to acquire enough to endure the Tribulation. So will countermeasures be sold to protect against starved zombie hordes and the Anti-Christ's electronic surveillance system likely to be roving the planet at that time?
Apparently Kate Steinle did not look enough like Mooch Obama to merit the sympathies of the White House.
Tolerancemongers are calling for the removal of a statue honoring the Confederacy in a park near the courthouse in Rockville, Maryland. It is said that the memorial is no longer needed and that the COMMUNITY should have a calm discussion to decide what should be done to resolve the issue. That translates roughly as anyone holding to a position other than the destruction of the monument is guilty of hatespeech and do not possess any rights that ought to be respected in a regime valuing diversity above all else. If history is no longer to be a reflection of what happened from a variety of perspectives but rather consist solely of social utilitarian propaganda that furthers the agenda of a prevailing elite, what is to prevent the arrival of a day when Black History Month would no longer be appropriate?
It is supposedly breaking news that a Univision poll (the network that is to illegal aliens what Al Jazera is to jihadist sympathizers) that the majority of Hispanics don't like Trump. And what about polls of Whites in traditionally conservative areas?
In conclusion of Ramadan, President Obama praised Muslims that used the celebration to draw closer to God. This was the very same President that at one time condemned Pennsylvanians in particular for clinging bitterly to their guns and their God.
The mass casualty incidents at a number of Chattanooga military instillations are being categorized in certain instances as “terrorist inspired” rather than as an act of terrorism per say. Is this a semantics game designed to deny the attacked and their families benefits and recognition as was the decision in categorizing the Fort Hood attack as “workplace violence”?
Did Sojourners Magazine write gushing reviews of the minor character Ms. Marvel when the character was a White blond rather than a Central Asian Muslim?
“Christian” lesbian Chely Wright proclaims that straight White men lack empathy and kindness. And one supposes it was a humanitarianism that motivated the aspiring jihadist to open fire at a number of military facilities in the Chattanooga area taking the lives of four marines.
Isn't saying that the Confederacy fought only for slavery akin to saying that Martin Luther King marched for racial equality solely for the purposes of making it easier to facilitate extramarital affairs with White women?
According to Rick Warren, God only speaks to those that determine beforehand to do whatever it is that God asks. But what about the examples of Moses that struck the rock rather than speak to it for the purposes of extracting water and Jonah who ran away from Nineveh intentionally upon being instructed to go that reprobate metropolis?
The same ones chastising those for suggesting a person armed at the church might have prevented a greater loss of life at the Charleston Church are the same ones that will heap condemnation upon you if you stop going to church for fear of copycat violence.
Regarding the prepackaged meals Jim Bakker is peddling advertised to get the customer through the Tribulation. Are these dehydrated? What good will they do you when the water is turned to blood as prophesied during the Apocalypse?
John Kasich said, “If we weren't born to serve others, what were we born to do? Hopefully along with that admonition it was also explained that there is nothing wrong with financial compensation in exchange for such service, that service can be done on behalf of one's own family, and that most of the service rendered ought to take place within the context of one's paid employment. Usually when public figures talk like this, it is in defense of the compulsory COMMUNITY service scam.
Speaking before a convention of the Veterans Of Foreign Wars, President Obama assured that the Chattanooga jihadist would not fundamentally transform the American way of life. Obama has pretty much reserved that role for himself.
Chris Christie insists that he is the only candidate to have prosecuted terrorists. As governor, he was also quite lax in his stance against Islam.
Media propagandists are insisting that peddling fetal organs is an act of generosity rather than of commerce. So if a fugitive slave hunter engaged in that profession to uphold the law and the good of the social order, they ought to be applauded and only condemned if they were engaged in the pursuit in the hopes of securing the bounty?
If dealing in prenatal human organs is placed along the moral spectrum somewhere between neutral and positive, why can't someone make a profit from such transactions? Doesn't the revulsion most feel at this shocking news testify just how wrong this biomedical development happens to be?
It was suggested in a Christian podcast that, if children talk more about Jurassic World than the “things of God”, this is possibly a symptom that they might be slipping into idolatry. But could it also be that God designed children to be more fascinated by dinosaurs than potluck suppers or lengthy meditative expositions where they are ordered to sit with heads bowed and eyes closed pretending to have a conversation where honestly the deity does not respond directly? Call me a heathen, but a T-rex battling it out with a velociraptor is just more exciting than a lengthy exposition on someone's mechanic's accountant's taxidermist's bunion removal.
It was observed in a Christian podcast on media consumption that, if children watch a movie Friday night, in all likelihood they will want to watch a movie on Saturday night as well. And the problem is? Most people are awake between 12 and 18 hours per day. Does all of that time need to be focused on direct Bible study or related religious exercises? This is an especially valid question if they are going to get a big dose of church the next day anyway?
On The Five, Juan Williams denounced the documentarian exposing Planned Parenthood organ harvesters on the grounds that the video politicizes a profoundly personnel matter. So did he denounce the businesses that penalized Paul Deen for verbalizing with her husband a profound trauma in the privacy of their own home?
In an address to the Veterans Of Foreign Wars, President Obama spoke of the urgent need to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness. But in undermining the Second Amendment rights of those needing counseling as they transition back into civilian life and now proposing to take the protections of the Second Amendment from the elderly requiring clerical assistance to navigate the no doubt complicated Social Security system, hasn't his regime erected barriers that will spark a hesitancy among the afflicted that might otherwise seek help to return to optimal emotional well being.
It is claimed that murder rates along the border are less than American cities elsewhere. Is the media insisting that Black people are more prone to homicide than Hispanics?
Hillary Clinton points out that one of her merits and qualification for the presidency is that she is a woman. But has it been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hillary doesn't posses a Y chromosome or a penis?
Apparently “good Catholic” Nancy Pelosi doesn't have much of a problem with organ harvesting.
A headline announced that Jeb Bush calls upon the GOP to embrace Latinos and African Americans. That translates as the patrician establishmentarian demands Whites beneath his class to be self-loathing and to applaud increases in crime and welfare checks.
In his book “Swords Into Plowshares”, Ron Paul writes, “Religion has been hijacked by nonbelievers and used to support war.” However, Christianity does not equal pacifism. The title of Paul's book is itself the hijacking of a Biblical principle for, lack of a better term, secular purposes. The reference is in regards to a characteristic of the Millennial Kingdom directly implemented by Christ Himself upon His return.. It is not something humans can ever achieve on their own no matter how pious or even redeemed they might be.
Those opposed to the Trump campaign for presidency have hypothesized that, should the billionaire win the office, he might apply his particular brand of verbal pugilism to various world leaders. As if the bowing and scraping of Obama's multi-year worldwide apology tour are wracking up an impressive number of foreign policy victories. Isn't an aversion to articulating the truth bluntly on the part of the diplomatic establishment responsible in good measure for the mess that the world is in today?
Mike Huckabee is being condemned for suggesting that Obama's Iranian nuclear agreement could possibly lead Israelis to the doors of the ovens. The allusion was to the horrors of the Holocaust. Elites have admonished that one should only refer to the Holocaust when referring to the Holocaust, meaning it should not be referenced in connection to other concerns or developments. So if we aren't to draw any lessons from the Holocaust applicable to other situations, what is the point of studying the Holocaust? Are the global elites reluctant for the average citizen to contemplate the role of these shadowy rulers in what is considered one of history's greatest atrocities so as to truly make good on the imperative of “Never again”?
So if precedent has been set that memorials that offend the sensibilities of riotous and subversive minorities can be vandalized with impunity, why is the Satanic idol on display in Detroit worthy of respect? And if Satanists view morals such as respect for property as an unacceptable imposition upon might making right, on what grounds can they invoke Christian principles should something disagreeable take place from the perspective of those embracing the most outright form of heathenism?
A fatal stabbing occurred at a church in Urbana, MD. Police assure that the suspect was taken into custody without incident. But what about the assault that led to the injury of a woman and the murder of her husband? Isn't that an “incident”? So apparently violence is only appalling when directed against law enforcement. Will we now be subjected to continually social conditioning on the need to surrender our cutlery for the good of the COMMUNITY or do the victims insufficiently resemble the President?
In speaking about vandalism to a Confederate memorial near the court house in Rockville, MD, a government propagandist admonished that the statue was no longer appropriate because it is “no longer 1913” when the statue was erected. Using that logic, in the year 2913 if the prevailing consensus is that Blacks should be slaves and Jews ought to be herded into camps, one really doesn't have much of a moral leg to stand on.
In a podcast discussion on the infantilization of American youth, it was suggested that young people need to learn to serve. Fair enough. But as the discussion progressed, this Christian leader spoke of sending youth to camps where they would learn this lesson by shoveling manure. Would this labor be compensated at a fair market wage? If not, this just sounds like a scheme to swindle free labor out of people by slapping on a pious label to spiritually manipulate dimwitted parents. This Christian leader in his tirade said that, in his day, the church youth were sent to these religious work camps deep in the woods all summer to learn “how to die to self”. I don't know about back then in the particular instance referred to, but these days that is increasingly becoming a euphemism for being conditioned out of saying “no” to the carnal advances the youth pastor is probably making on those under his oversight in the shower house.
The Obama Regime is proposing that those that need assistance navigating the Social Security administration should be denied their Second Amendment Rights. Once the Second Amendment is taken away from such individuals, what protections will remain to prevent the Regime from handing down a related decree that those needing assistance navigating Social Security should also be denied healthcare because such individuals in decline are of diminishing social utility?
On The Five, Geraldo admonished that researchers were almost morally obligated to poke through the remains of discarded fetuses because the cures to horrible diseases such as cancer might be contained within such bio-slurry. To not take advantage of such material at hand would otherwise be wasteful. Didn't Dr. Mengle make similar arguments?
In a podcast on the infantlization of the nation's youth, it was suggested that parents and the church had something of a Christian obligation to shatter the dreams of children that might not be good at something that they otherwise enjoy. But won't life kick them in the teeth soon enough anyway? Wouldn't it be wiser parenting to ensure that the youth have character enough to settle for a job they don't care for that they will be miserable at when what they had hoped for doesn't pan out?
In a discussion on the infantilization of the culture, it was suggested that those that cannot do so by human standards shouldn't be allowed to sing special numbers in church. But how is that attitude markedly different than those that select leaders on the basis of appearance or physical stature? If the person's heart is in the right place, what's so wrong with allowing them such a ministry from time to time? How do we not know God might enjoy that more than a highly trained performance artist? The churches certainly don't mind taking money from those not deemed “good enough”. If those falling into such a category feel that they don't have a place in ministry, would those insisting that everything presented in church must be “just so”, would they rather loose the individual to another congregation? Will these churches that pat themselves on the back for having done a righteous thing in their eyes by crushing someone's dreams also assist the individual in finding a ministry that the person finds spiritually satisfying other than dropping money into the collection plate?
Regarding these hardline disciplinarians and even freemarketeers that constantly gripe about peewee athletic leagues that give all the participants some kind of ribbon whether they are winners or not. Why shouldn't such a child receive some kind of recognition for showing up when there is nothing saying that they even have to show up in an era of expanded entertainment and recreational options. Because if these kids don't feel appreciated and recognized, what's to prevent them from just staying home and either playing X-Box or watching the hundreds of hours of quality on demand dramatic programming on TV?
If Donald Trump is a sexist pig of the first order according to Rolling Stone Magazine, doesn't that make the women that romped in the sack with him willingly big time whores?
Regarding reports of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's alleged demise, fuss is being made that he had only one eye. Would it have been pointed out if he had an undescended testicle or suffered from erectile dysfunction? Is his ocular disability any more relevant than Hillary Clinton's bosom starting to whither and sag?
The Georgetown Safeway sponsoring a chicken wing eating contest will probably during the holiday season guilt-trip shoppers into contributing to a variety of homeless rackets.
It is warned that, following the death of Cecil the Lion, the next highest ranking male will likely slaughter Cecil's cubs in the attempt to manipulate the females into mating. So basically a pride of lions operates like an inner city ghetto.
From the classified ads in an issue of Analog Magazine, it seems most science fiction conventions run nearly $100 per ticket. Some nerds must be raking in the money from somewhere. $10 for a movie ticket makes me think twice as to whether or not I actually want to see a particular film.
On Gotham, if Detective Gordon's mentally unhinged wench Barbara doesn't turn out to be the mother of his daughter Barbara Gordon who goes on to become Batgirl and he does not marry another woman named “Barbara”, both Detective Gordon and whoever eventually marries Jim Gordon have got to be crazier than the Joker and the Riddler put together.
Instructive. Huckabee's references to the Holocaust are condemned as distasteful but the remarks of the Iranian leadership expressing their desire for another of these atrocities are overlooked and downplayed.
Hillary Clinton pointed out that Planned Parenthood provides health services for women. And the Nazi party also provided soup lines for the destitute and recreational enrichment programs for youth.
A bill before consideration in Congress would still fund women's health services through Planned Parenthood. Would a men's organization that assisted men in evading their child support obligations continue to receive funds to provide men's genital health? Perhaps an even more pertinent question to ask would be is there any organization funded by Congress specifically for the purposes of keeping men's plumbing pristine and functional? After all, why is it less of a tragedy for a man to die of pestilence-ridden privates than a woman?
Humus is just something for beatniks thinking themselves too good for dip to put on their chips or whatever it is such deadbeats snack on.
On Fox Business network's “Kennedy”, Greg Gutfeld disdainfully sneered at those that pursued self-publishing. Not all of us can whore our books shamelessly during appearances on Fox News. Therefore, we use the technologies at out disposal to promulgate our wit and observations. In this instance, how is Gutfeld appreciably different than the Pope that the pundit badmouths for opposing a variety of innovations made available through the development of the free market system?
Regarding these celebrities that admonish how $50,000 to hunt Cecil the Lion should have instead gone to charity. It is lamentable that such a creature was killed solely for sport (as with this catch I am sure 7 Eleven could have improved the quality of their hot dogs). But in terms of charitable donations and frugal living, are you going to tell me that these bigshots eat ramen noodles, purchae their clothes at Good Will, and drive used automobiles pushing 20 years old? I doubt their vacations consist of trips across state lines to purchase discount outdated cereal.
If the Republicans that received campaign contributions a number of election cycles previous from the hunter that slew Cecil the Lion are being viewed as partially responsible for this act of felinicide, does that mean that every campaign receiving donations on behalf of Planned Parenthood or the organization's operatives should be viewed as culpable in the infant organ-harvesting scandal?
If it would be inappropriate for a heterosexual man to sleep overnight in a tent with Girl Scouts, why is it appropriate for a homosexual man to sleep overnight in a tent with Boy Scouts?
In a sermon on the dangers of schism in the Body of Christ, Pastor James Cooley admonished that believers are not to let those outside of the church know what is going on inside the church particularly in regards to disagreements and conflicts. So does that include abuse allegations and scandals? Even if not mentioned by name unless the transgressions rise to the level of the criminal, why shouldn't the public be warned that there are some churches that strive to honor the freedom found in Christ while others attempt to stifle such with elaborate system of pious-sounding man-made rules?
If the lives of military personnel cannot be protected with firearms amidst a violent assault, then why should that of the President's.
In an oration justifying the imposition of an environmental dictatorship, Preisdent Obama insisted that Black children were more likely to suffer from asthma. Maybe that is because their parents are less likely to get off their lazy backsides to clean house.
Regarding those such as Bob Barker that insist that the death penalty should be imposed upon the hunter involved in the slaying of Cecil the Lion, do these extremists call for a similar punishment for PETA operatives that have been caught in the questionable terminations of animals under the organization's care?
Pastor David Platt suggested that one should not think of small groups so much as a class imparting information but rather that a group is there to be aware of your besetting sins. All the more reason not to participate or instead to keep church members at a distance. Especially when in the same sermon one of the punishable sins included was cynicism.
As part of an accountability group, the president of the Southern Baptist Mission's Board David Platt suggests writing up a sheet of questions. Included among these was how well you have loved your wife this week. So long as you aren't loving on someone else's wife or backhanding yours across the face, is this really any of a small group's business?
On “Your World with Neil Cavuto”, a Democratic Party propagandist applauded a California municipality that appointed two illegals to positions on a civic advisory board. The hypothesized that we aren't going to be able to exclude these individuals from society anyway. So if the Chinese Red Army landed an invasion force along the West Coast, should the nation automatically surrender territory since, in the words of this political strategist, “we [would] have to learn to work together.”
It is claimed that Republicans and allied conservatives exposing Planned Parenthood's organharvesting side hustle are engaged in a war against women. If this is what a number of women are engaged in, why shouldn't they be warred upon? Should child support enforcement be curtailed since such laws are as much about penalizing men as they are about providing for children?
A Christian broadcaster denounced online friendships as shallow and superficial. How is that markedly different than most offline relationships?
By Frederick Meekins
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Do Baptist Elites Conduct Big Game Hunts Under The Guise Of Missionary Outreach?
Monday, August 03, 2015
Will Church Hopping Send You To Hell?
Then who is to say that it is not God that prompts individuals to go elsewhere?
As justification for his position condemning the practice of going from church to church, the pastor invoked the passage in Matthew 7:23 where Christ says, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The pastor insisted that the issue was not that those surrendered to eternal damnation did not believe in Christ as Lord and Savior but rather that these workmen were ministering where they had not been assigned.
The pastor further taught that the individual believer is not cleared to find another church until God tells the PASTOR that it is time for you to leave.
And I guess, when the pastor tells you to drink the funny-smelling Kool Aid that burns as it goes down, you are expected to remain in the church for that as well.
Contrary to this podcast under consideration, if you leave one church to go to another, you shouldn't have to give an elaborate reason why.
By Frederick Meekins
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Certain Evangelicals Overreact To AD Miniseries
At best, according to White, such is merely the presentation of an historical event even if integral to the Gospel. As justification, White invoked the Apostle Paul whom White alleges did not rehash these events but went on to emphasize Christ crucified and risen as the Savior of the world.
St. Francis is attributed with saying preach the Gospel and if you must use words. Though with the anti-Catholic attitude often elicited in the consideration of this drama, it is doubtful his admonition will be positively considered.
An important question to consider here is what is this pastor really concerned about. At times, it sounds primarily to be about the job security of the professional clergy and their relevance in the context of the missiological encounter.
No balanced person in favor of the series is saying that exposure to the drama is all that is required to drag the soteriological ball into the end zone of salvation.
If God did not intend our faith to be founded on a basis of history, why were we given the Gospels? Perhaps of even greater curiosity would be why bother with vast stretches of the Old Testament at all?
For while many Christians insist that they abide by all of Scripture, they'd probably tell you that while scarfing down pork barbecue with a big mess of crabs.
Pastor White insists that, in terms of outreach, the believer is better off going to one's neighbor and sharing what Christ has done in your life.
That might have been an effective approach in a previous era. However, for better or worse, this is an era where the visual will likely have as much impact on the individual as the conversationally verbal.
Furthermore, I am not particularly all that interested in what Jesus has allegedly done for you per say, especially if there is little chance of distinguishing that from transient indigestion (the old Mormon burning in the bosom) or fluctuating biochemistry.
I for one, if I was an unbeliever, would be more concerned if the objective historical accounts detailing the Crucifixion and Resurrection actually happened and the conclusions drawn by the eyewitnesses and their immediate contemporaries universally binding irrespective of ones temporal circumstances.
In his exposition, Pastor White asserted that dramatic presentation of these events are just so problematic in that the possibility exists for the director, playwrite, or screenwriter to leave things out or to embellish that which ought to be downplayed.
But isn't that also true of sermons and testimonies as well?
What pastor hasn't invoked Scripture in ways to buttress their own opinion or interpretation to appear as if it was handed down at Sinai as part of the stone tablets?
Perhaps an even greater danger are those eagerly plying the techniques of the “Look What Jesus Has Done For Me” School Of Evangelism.
That approach might be able to draw in a number of the hurting.
But sometimes those accounts are so fanciful that a fledgling faith or even one that is longstanding could suffer profound harm if the individual exposed to these stories does not experience the intervention of God in such a tangibly overpowering or life-altering manner.
Though a single sin is sufficient to alienate the individual from God for eternity, not everyone's life was as screwed up as the average drug addict, wife beater, or pornstar.
Granted, those that have not fallen into these temptations should not go around like the proud Pharisee displaying for applause how grateful they are that they are not like other men.
But that said, shouldn't the church also be just as cautious in the other extreme that lavishes increasing rewards and benefits such as book deals and speaking engagements upon the repentant reprobate that can craft the most titillating tale of carnality and debauchery provided Jesus rushes in at the last second to rescue to rescue the teller from utter damnation?
With the brand of Christianity most openly opposed to the AD Miniseries, there is no winning. Such critics seem to enjoy playing an unending game of vocational gotcha in condemnation of those not part of the ministerial in crowd.
For example, it is claimed rightfully so that all talents should be utilized in honor of the Lord and for the furtherance of His kingdom in pursuit of the lost.
However, as soon as a believer or even those inclined to a traditional brand of spirituality attempt to do so through a modality or medium that might be morally acceptable but which might not be suited for a traditional church service, these hypertraditionalists rank among the first to poopoo such artistic efforts.
Pastor Randy White in the broadcast went out of his way to denigrate the accompanying DVD and online studies released in conjunction with the miniseries.
He insisted that the true pastor needs nothing more than his Bible, and not the Internet, to prepare a sufficient sermon addressing these kinds of matters.
Interestingly, was it not the Internet that Pastor White turned to to warn those beyond the boundaries of his own congregation of the allure of seductive entertainments?
In criticism of the AD miniseries, often those the most rigorously opposed have seemed to have more to say about those either producing or promoting the drama than about the actual contents of the narrative.
For example, of particular concern is not only the Roman Catholicism of Roma Downey but that the particular strand that she is an adherent of borders upon the New Age in terms of its beliefs and practice.
But ought the primary concern to be instead the extent to which these might have infiltrated the dramatic presentation?
Pastor White and the Standing For The Truth hosts were noticeably critical of reputable Evangelicals that decided to promote or endorse the miniseries.
Particular ire was directed at pastor and Christian broadcaster David Jeremiah.
White insisted that any good David Jeremiah might have accomplished is undermined and perhaps even nullified by the questionable alliances and affiliations promoting this production.
Does this also apply to Pastor White in terms of his questionable affiliations as well?
At his website, Pastor White admits to being a Southern Baptist though a disgruntled one.
Does he not trust God enough to come out of and to be ye separate if that is the advice he seems to bestow upon everybody else?
Admittedly, the AD miniseries was far from perfect.
However, in this day where the culture is declining more and more to resemble the era in which this disputed narrative takes place, one would think certain Evangelicals would be a bit more pleased that there are a few in the entertainment industry at least willing to consider the only cure for this spreading decadence even if they do not agree to the details around the edges.
By Frederick Meekins
Monday, July 27, 2015
Is Huckabee Any More Egotistical Than Pastors Complaining About His Ego?
That raises a number of observations.
I'm not much of a Huckabee fan.
I possess an aversion to those that insist that the government should track the weight of your children in the name of national security when they themselves possess progeny pushing the 300 pound mark.
However, according to these pastors, are we to take away the impression that whether or not we attempt something should be determined by standards of earthly success?
Secondly, which of the candidates isn't running for some degree of recognition?
What in life isn't done in pursuit of that if only from one other person or even from God Almighty?
When you come down to it, one of the primary reasons people reproduce is so that their name will continue on after they are dead.
Name recognition, in part, is why many get involved in ministry.
Sure, there is the desire to spread the Gospel.
But doesn't even this church posting the comments in question have its name attached as well as those of the participating pastors?
By Frederick Meekins
Friday, July 24, 2015
Will Crypto-Progressives Undermine Fundamentalism's Patriotic Nature?
Previously, the leadership of this congregation in the heart of Dixie came out firmly against the Confederate Flag.
However, this headlong march into a globalist progressivism did not stop there.
For the pastor, who doesn't seem to mind shoving mention of his distinguished military career in your face when he thinks the invocation of such should earn him some due deference, mentioned that he was not too keen on Christians swearing allegiance to the American flag either.
In his tirade, the minister propagated the impression that Old Glory does not necessarily represent the higher values upon which the nation rests but rather whatever regime might be holding power at any given moment.
But even Christians now trying to get their priorities in order while retaining a place of honor for the American flag but in subordination to the Christian flag are not immune from this particular church's derision and contempt.
In the analysis of a church that flies the Christian flag in this manner, it was snorted that doing so might cause offense and that God does not need a flag.
Should an activist Jew travel by Pastor Sean Harris' church and not want to be bothered by the sight of a steeple, should his congregation rush to take that symbol down as well to eagerly comply with the tyranny closing in around them?
After all, God doesn't require a steeple either.
There is nothing in Scripture about churches holding expansive properties rivaling some shopping centers or even small amusement parks in size.
God is perfectly fine with small bands meeting in tiny churches or even catacombs.
Does that mean Pastor Harris and his dutiful sidekicks are going to gleefully applaud the seizure of their building for the establishment of an atheist museum as occurred in the case of the former Soviet Union or perhaps the erection of a gay pride center which might be more fitting in light of the particular variety of carnality and licentious unbelief epidemic to this particular moment in history?
One of the assistant pastors confessed that he was not comfortable pledging to a Christian flag either.
Then shouldn't we be leery of making all sorts of church membership vows and pledges when these are mentioned no where in the pages of Scripture?
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about a church that is taking such a public stance against the American flag is that on its SermonAudio profile page there is a picture of that church building where there isn't simply a single tasteful flagpole with the national ensign flying in front of the church but rather at least four or five American flags.
It was argued in the exposition in condemnation of flags that a sanctuary should be laid out and adorned in such a fashion that a Christian from a foreign land (Palestine was given as an example) would not be offended by any potential Americana such as the flag.
Christian or not, if a Palestinian comes into an American church and gets jacked out of shape at explicitly American paraphernalia, he can slink back to his Third World terrorist-sympathizer excrement pile.
By Frederick Meekins