A Hymn and a Her!

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 6 - UMC Pastor Emanuel Cleaver's Gnostic Prayer

Lest any United Methodist doubt what I wrote in Part 3, The Gnostic Connection, I present to you the closing remarks of United Methodist pastor Emanuel Cleaver the II’s prayer:

May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace. Peace in our families. Peace across this land and, dare I ask...oh, Lord...peace even in this chamber now and evermore. We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and gods known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and a-woman. (emphasis mine)

Forget the “a-woman” part. So many are focused on that, that they miss what’s really going on. Isn’t that like the Gnostics? Another name for modern Gnosticism is Perennial Wisdom which is ultimately the synthesis of all religions into One.

In Biblical Christianity, we close our prayers in the “name of Jesus.” We do this because Jesus said in John 14:16:

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Biblical Christianity is founded upon the self-revelation of the one and only self-existent God who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know this because God has spoken through His self-attesting Bible. This Book tells of the salvation that God the Father has given to us through the crucifixion of the Second Person of the Trinity who became flesh in history and physically rose again on the third day. God the Father applies the atonement of God the Son, Jesus Christ, to His elect children through the ministry of the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as we place our faith and confidence in Christ alone.

Why am I so careful in my description? Because Gnosticism uses the terminology of Biblical Christianity as a parasite feeds off its host. These Gnostic pastors can easily fool you if you are not careful. The United Methodist Church is loaded with them.

As a side note, my first article in this series entitles Corporate Pluralism outlines the fact that one of the main reasons the United Methodist Church is dying is because they have adopted the Perennial Philosophy of Theological Pluralism. Because of this, the United Methodist Church as no disagreement with Cleaver’s words, “the monotheistic God, Brahma, and gods known by many names by many different faiths.” I can assure you, no church trial is going to ensue for these blasphemous and apostate words. What an affront his words are to the True Church and to faithful Christians in the UMC.

Paul writes in I Timothy 6:20-21:

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. (emphasis mine)

In Jesus Name!

Amen

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 5 - Tale of Two Husbands

Introduction

The once-great United Methodist Church's demise is symptomatic of a deeper, more troubling theological problem. This problem is not unique to the UMC. Most of the churches in the United States voluntarily participate in this sin without batting an eye. I have been writing and speaking about this problem for many years, and I am shocked at how indifferent pastors and parishioners are. 

Two Husbands?

Imagine a wife legally joining herself to another man. What husband would tolerate such behavior? What kind of man would he be if he passively put up with his wife committing legal adultery? God is obvious in His Law that He hates adultery:

You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:25:

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Revelation 19:7-9 reveals the marriage feast of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, with the Bride, His Church:

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

The Old Testament says it like this:

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. Isaiah 54:5

God likens physical adultery to spiritual adultery:

Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 3:20

What Is Incorporation?

What does this have to do with the United Methodist Church? Everything! Most of the churches in the United States of America are participating in this same sin. How may you ask? It is through submitting the Church to the State through incorporation. 

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines incorporation as:

1 a: to unite or work into something already existent so as to form an indistinguishable whole, b: to blend or combine thoroughly

2 a: to form into a legal corporation, b: to admit to membership in a corporate body

3: to give material form to : EMBODY

When a Church incorporates, it becomes united "into something already existent to form an indistinguishable whole.” How many "blend or combine thoroughly" the Church? When the Bride of Christ incorporates with the State "the two become one flesh." (Genesis 3:24)

The second definition is the legal side of the term. To understand this, let us consult the Cornel Law School's legal definition:

A corporation is a legal entity created through the laws of its State of incorporation. Individual states have the power to promulgate laws relating to the creation, organization and dissolution of corporations.

Since when did God give the State permission to create, organize, and dissolve the Church? Never! Neither did He give any church leaders the right to join the Church with the State through incorporation.

The Bride of Christ

Biblically speaking, the Church is the Bride of the great Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not the only Husband of the Church; He is her Founder and Creator:

Jesus said to Simon Peter, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Psalm 127:1 

The house of God is the church of the living God. 1 Timothy 3:15 

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. Colossians 1:18

The Wedding of Church and State

When a church voluntarily incorporates, the separation between Church and State is destroyed. Jesus Christ, the sovereign head of the Church, is replaced by a new sovereign. The local expression of the Bride of Christ becomes the wife of a new husband once the corporation papers are accepted. The problem with this is as Jesus so eloquently stated in Matthew 6:24:

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

The Money Connection

Speaking of money, the main reason most churches incorporate is because of money. First of all, Church leaders want the tax-breaks that not-for-profit corporations benefit from in the United States. They also believe the only way people can write off contributed money is through incorporation. No one does their homework to find out that the True Church already has these rights because of Church and State's separation.

They don't tell you that once the church becomes a fictitious legal person created by the State, it becomes taxable. The State cannot tax the True Church because of the separation of Church and State. But now that the church has blended with the State through incorporation, it is now taxable. The next hoop an incorporated church must jump through is to apply for tax-exemption through the 501(c)3 line of the tax code. Once this happens, the marriage is complete.

The other monetary reason churches incorporate is because of the fear of being sued. Even though incorporated churches are sued all the time, and savvy attorneys know how to "pierce the corporate veil." Church leaders line up to voluntarily fill out their incorporation papers out of fear, misinformation, and because of money.

I know from experience that it is possible to plant, pastor, and administer a church that does not incorporate with the State. I was the pastor of the Covenant of Grace Church here in Connecticut for over twelve years. The only inconvenience I had was when stores such as Staples asked for the tax-exemption number. I would explain to them that a church is automatically “tax-exempt.” They would look at me with a blank expression because they need a number to put into their computer. If paying sales tax was the price we had to pay to remain the Bride of One Husband, we gladly paid. My point is that it is possible to be an unincorporated church in the United States. I could write a book on this, but for now, I offer these words of encouragement.

The Church in Oppressed Nation

As a side note, the Church exists in many oppressive nations such as China. However, to legally run a church in many of these countries, you must register the church. If you do not, you may be closed down or put in prison. Non-state churches are illegal, but thanks to the faithful pastors in these countries, they meet anyway. How ironically sad that the Church in the United States voluntarily does what the oppressed Church must do in other nations.

Through incorporation, the State has the legal authority in the United States to dictate what the Church can and cannot preach or do. At this present time, the State exercises little interference, but that can and will change in the blink of an eye.

Sadly, the fragment churches that splinter off the UMC after the split will most likely subject the Bride of Christ's new expression to the sin of incorporation. 

Divorce the State

There is only one way out. It is for the Church, in whatever local expression She has, to repent of this sin. The repentance can only be accomplished by each church dissolving their 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporate marriage with the State. Only then will God pour out His blessing once again upon His Beloved Bride. Until then, Christ will remain a jealous Husband. 

Part 4 - A Living Tribute to Pastor George D. Smith

Why hasn't the United Methodist Church not been on the verge of a split before this? I believe it is because of godly and faithful pastors such as Rev. George D. Smith. I write this blog post in appreciation and honor of a man who profoundly impacted my family and me.

I first met Pastor George when my parents left the Torrington Methodist Church back in the 1970s. A revival broke out in the United Methodist Church through the Lay Witness Mission during that time. Many people who were saved through that revival and could no longer remain in liberal churches that rejected the move of the Holy Spirit. My family was one of them.

I know it was a difficult and painful decision for my parents because the Patterson family went back generations in the Torrington Methodist Church. It deeply hurt my grandmother Patterson and my Aunt Carol, but we needed to leave. I believe people like my mom and dad were shown the door just as the "traditionalist" are being pressured to leave the UMC now.

Just down the road was a pastor who was very different than the ones I was used to. He was an athletic rugged-looking man who loved Jesus Christ with all his heart. I was used to the more liturgical worship of the Torrington Methodist Church. It was something of a culture shock when Pastor George descended out of the pulpit and preached on the level where the people were, often with guitar in hand.

When Pastor George preached, I felt like Cleopas and his friend after they talked with Jesus unawares in Luke 24:32, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" Pastor George preached the gospel of Jesus Christ with passion. I remember leaning forward as he would grow red in the face as he proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ. During that time, listening to him gave me a glimpse, perhaps, of the early Methodists such as George Whitefield and John Wesley as they open-aired preached to the masses.

And what was George's message? I still remember some of the sermons he preached back in the 70s, messages like "He must increase and I must decrease" and "The necessity of the Cross in Christianity." His message really had one theme, Christ and Him crucified.

The dynamic power of his ministry came out of a man who had a disciplined prayer life. Pastor George would get up early every morning to spend time with his Beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. He always emphasized that we Christians needed a private prayer life, and he demonstrated this continually in his own life. He indeed practiced what he preached.

Who didn't love when Pastor George pulled out his guitar and sang? I can still sing by heart many of the songs he wrote. One of our favorite moments was listening to Judy accompany Pastor George on the piano and harmonize, enhancing his song with a sweet thread that made the tapestry of his music all the more beautiful.

He was a different kind of pastor than I ever met. He was the pastor that I, and many of us needed. I know I am not alone when I talk about his pastoral care. I was blessed beyond measure when he came to watch me play football at Torrington High School. He was a former football player himself, so he knew what it was like to battle on the football field.

How many of us were blessed by the Easy Peddlers? Can you imagine a pastor who didn't cloister himself in his ivory tower? I had the blessing of going on several Easy Peddler trips. We would bike all day and sing by night. I was pretty strong back in those days, a football captain weightlifting at the YMCA three times per week, but I can tell you, even us tough guys didn't mess with Pastor George.

He would play basketball and would even get a little angry on the court. I appreciated that because he was real. Every Thursday night during the summer, tons of us would show up to play volleyball. Later on, as he got older, he led Hike Trips instead of Bike Trips. I never had the privileged of going on any of these hikes, but I’m sure those who went loved spending time hiking with Pastor George D. Smith.

I remember Pastor George's pastoral presence in times of crisis. Anyone who attended the Bakerville UMC can share my heartfelt appreciation of his pastoral care. He visited the sick and sat all night with people in crisis while their loved one lay dying in the hospital. I learned more about pastoral ministry from watching Pastor George during these times of crisis than have from any other pastor I know.

I believe Pastors like George were salt and light in the United Methodist Church. One of the reasons he remained so long at the Bakerville United Methodist Church was because, I think, they didn't know what to do with him. The uppityups couldn't fire him because he was a member of the New York Annual Conference. Besides, Bakerville paid their church tax (“apportionments” is the official name) every year, which was more than many other Methodist churches could boast.

I loved Pastor George because he refused to pay the full amount demanded by the Conference. He would not send the part of the apportionment that supported United Methodist Seminaries. He would not allow the hard-earned money of Bakeville to go toward the neo-gnostic, liberal, neo-orthodox United Methodist Seminaries. I admired his chutzpah. For all those years, the Bakerville UMC didn't get the certificate from the Bishop that commended churches for paying their full tax because he would not compromise on this issue.

Instead, Pastor George and the Bakerville United Methodist Church sent that money to missions and seminaries like his alma matta Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. While Asbury was a Methodist seminary, it was not a United Methodist Seminary. It was the seminary he attended and that I was to attend later on. Other people from Bakerville also attended Asbury like Pastor John Roy, much to the Conference's chagrin. For the three years I attended Asbury, Pastor George was sure that the church financially supported me.

I have felt a call to pastoral ministry ever since I was a boy. As I grew into a man, Pastor George worked with me and prayed with me whether this calling was of God or not. He gave me a copy of Lectures to My Students by the famous baptist reformed preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I will never forget the time he took to pray with me and help me discern God's calling.

He was one of my most ardent supporters when I decided to enter the ministry of the United Methodist Church. I could go nowhere else but the seminary that Pastor George went to. It was thrilling to have some of the professors that he had. Granted, they were much older by then, but it was cool, nonetheless. Attending this seminary and having some of his former professors and meeting men that knew and loved Pastor George gave me an understanding and appreciation of him that I would not otherwise have had.

As I progressed through the process, I had many conversations with Pastor George about the United Methodist Church's state. I was somewhat sheltered from the reality of just how apostate and hostile the upper echelon was of Biblical Christianity because I attended Bakerville and Asbury. However, I was aware of the theological conflict that was brewing in the denomination. After all, the Good News Magazine was located and published out of Wilmore, Kentucky not far from the seminary.

My dream was to pastor a church just like Pastor George. I prayed I would be placed in a parish in Connecticut to carry out my calling, raise a family, and minister to God's people, much like my mentor had for all those years. I imagined myself working with pastors like George to bring renewal and change to the ever dying United Methodist Church and the New York Annual Conference.

God works in mysterious ways. I don't understand why He does what He does, but I trust His sovereignty and His goodness. It didn't take me long to realize that the path God was taking me was going to be vastly different than the one He gave to Pastor George.

In 1987, I was refused ordination in the New York Annual Conference on the brink of graduating from Asbury. I was devastated. My dream of having a ministry like Pastor George was shattered. This blog post is not about me, but about my appreciation of pastors like George D. Smith so I won’t linger long on this.

To make a long story short, I eventually left the United Methodist Church even though I was an elder in good standing in the denomination. Even after all this, Pastor George welcomed me as an assistant pastor at Bakerville without the New York Annual Conference's approval and blessing. There was the chutzpah yet again. I served with him for over seven years. When he had a heart attack, I had the honor of pastoring the Bakerville Church until he recovered.

I can't say I always saw eye to eye with Pastor George. In retrospect, I realize how much he blessed my family and me during that time. He not only affirmed my calling as a pastor, but he put his "money where his mouth is" by encouraging and supporting my ministry at Bakerville UMC. He blessed and supported all my pastoral endeavors, and for that, I am deeply grateful.

The United Methodist Church was a lesser Church when Pastor George retired in 2005. I believe one of the reasons God has withdrawn His hand from this denomination is because pastors like George are now few and far between. While the rest of the denomination was conjuring up yet another social program or irrelevant district meeting, Pastor George was preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Pastor George, I love you and appreciate your love, care, and faithfulness throughout your years of service. I thank God for how He used you in my life and in the lives of so many other people. I know the United Methodist Church and the Bakerville church was and is a better place because of pastors like you. I know a crown of glory is waiting for you on the other side.

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 3 - The Gnostic Connection

Introduction

I am wrestling with how to present this next analysis. What I am about to write has contributed significantly to the United Methodist Church's demise. It is perhaps the real reason the UMC is dying. 

In my first blog post, I identified Corporate Pluralism as a significant contributor. In my second blog post, I link this concept with the Wesleyan Quadrilateral where Tradition, Reason, and Experience slay Scripture as United Methodist "do" theology.

Background

Anyone involved in the United Methodist Church knows the tension, even hostility, between the theological left and the conservative right. I saw this as a young man when I attended the Bakerville United Methodist Church in New Hartford, Connecticut. I had the honor of knowing Pastor George Smith as a teenager and was blessed to serve as an assistant pastor for several years.

I remember talking with Pastor George at length about the direction of the UMC and what can be done about it. I was familiar with the Good News Movement and personally knew men like Rev. Riley Case, who worked relentlessly to bring truth to the UMC. There was a great divide back then, with a long ugly history. This hostility continues to this day, and the fruit is the "traditionalist" (an interesting characterization, to say the least) are being politely but forcefully told to leave. 

For years I couldn't understand what was happening in the UMC. At times, I experienced anger and outright hostility toward those of us who held to the truth of Biblical Christianity. I think I understand now what was going on.

The Clergy/Laity Divide

There is, and always has been, a great divide between clergy and laity in the United Methodist Church. You cannot find this distinction in the Bible. The Scripture indeed reveals that the role of elder/pastor/overseer is God's will. However, there is no elitism associated with ordination in the Bible, especially the kind you see played out in the UMC.

The term "clergy" comes from old French words that mean those with "learning, knowledge, and erudition." "Laity" comes from the Greek word "λαϊκός, laikos," which means people. In essence, the UMC has adopted more of an Anglican and Roman Catholic understanding of church leadership than the Reformed pastoral view. There is a great chasm between those who are ordained in the UMC and those who are not. This divide is where, I believe, Gnosticism has entered the UMC. 

The Development of Gnostic Clergy

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge. It is the belief that knowledge, particularly esoteric knowledge will bring about spiritual enlightenment and salvation. This knowledge is given to the initiated, not just anyone. Many of our institutions of higher “education” are becoming more and more gnostic in orientation, this includes colleges, universities, and seminaries.

Much of the theology that United Methodist clergy learn and study in UMC seminaries is so esoteric that it is almost impossible to understand. I challenge my readers to pick up a book by Karl Barth, Jürgen Moltmann, Emil Brunner, Rudolf Bultmann, and Friedrich Schleiermacher, to name a few. These theologians are routinely taught in United Methodist seminaries. Try and understand the intricacies of Process Theology, Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, and Neo-Orthodox Theology. Those theologies are just the tip of the Gnostic iceberg. 

Paul writes in I Timothy 6:20-21:

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. (emphasis mine)

I have an undergraduate in Philosophy and a Master's degree in Divinity. I have been studying theology much of my life, and I still have difficulty understanding these various theologies. These theologians and theologies are examples of true Theological Pluralism, i.e. Gnostic Theology. I have, of late, undertaken a study of Karl Barth. Because of my Philosophy background, I can understand some of what he wrote. My knowledge of existentialism and Kantian philosophy helps, but to be honest, I am often lost. I guess I am not bright enough to receive enlightenment.

These theologians and theologies have one thing in common; they are all based upon esoteric knowledge*. The hideousness of Gnostic belief is that it uses familiar terms. The meaning of these terms to the uninitiated is vastly different than what we would expect. 

We see this same manifestation of Gnosticism in Freemasonry, for example. Only as you rise higher in the ranks, are you granted more light on the true meaning of the various words and concepts. It is no different for the seminarian as he or she advances through the ranks of United Methodism. As you advance, you are taught the “true” meaning of the Bible.

Another way to explain the new religion behind the UMC, many mainline denominations, even those in government is Perennial Philosophy or Perennial Wisdom. Essential, it is the belief that all religions are One. We may have different expressions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and so on. Understand this, and you will understand much of what is happening in the Church and in our Government.

While there are clergy men and women in the UMC who consciously espouse the gnosticism behind Theological Pluralism, many are unaware that they have replaced the true faith in exchange for a lie. (Romans 1:25) Many new seminarians and pastors blindly swallow the poison their mentors and professors feed them. These leaders disparage and mock Biblical Christianity by labeling it fundamentalist, traditionalist, and narrow-minded. Unless a new candidate understands the manipulation, they ingest the poison.

The Uninitiated Laity

The problem is, the poor unsuspecting, and uninitiated person in the pew is duped into thinking their Gnostic clergy-person is a Christian in the Biblical sense of the word. Nothing can be further than the truth. Most United Methodist pastors are Gnostics and are adept at teaching the Gnostic religion.

Gnostics can use Biblical terminology while meaning something significantly different. For example, the Gnostic catechism question on Gnosis.org asks:

7. Is God a Holy Trinity?

Yes. The Gnostic tradition has always affirmed the existence of God as the Holy Trinity consisting of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I assure you what a Gnostic means by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is vastly different than what the True Trinitarian God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. Would you be surprised to learn that what most UMC pastor’s mean by the Trinty is significantly different as well? Remember this next time your pastor calls God Mother.

The average person in the pew could ask his pastor if he or she believes in the Scripture's infallibility, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, whether there is any other way of salvation outside of Jesus's death on the cross, and so on. I guarantee the Gnostic pastor will affirm every one of these doctrines and more. However, because the meaning of the words and theology is vastly different than sound Biblical theology, the person asking the question will never suspect. And unless you are aware of Gnosticism and how to bring it to the light, the Gnostic pastor will have you convinced they are just as Christian as you are. I assure you, they are not.

Signs of a Gnostic Clergy

These Gnostic clergy will occasionally slip or purposely push their uninitiated congregants toward Gnosticism with various "buzz words." Some of the signs of a Gnostic pastor are those who pray to Mother God, push for tolerance for same-sex marriage, insist on inclusive language when it comes to God, and much more. Once confronted, they will feign contrition, but it is only an act. They are taught to be patient because uninitiated laity have a long way to go to achieve enlightenment.

The Remnant

The truth is that there are very few Pastors like George Smith once was. What few are left are being driven out. I see many dedicated, trusting, and unsuspecting “laity” in the UMC. Many of this remnant have been in the UMC most, if not all of their lives. They are men and women who sincerely love Jesus Christ and were taught to respect their Elders and submit to their authority. Because of this, Gnostic pastors have walked unconfronted in most local churches. These faithful servants in the pew have given thousands of hours of service and tens of thousands of tithe money to their local church. Their money pays the salaries of Gnostic pastors to go on to further heights of enlightenment by paying for their “education.” These faithful people have been worshipping together for years in their local churches and they don’t want to lose their church. For these reasons, the sin perpetrated against these loyal members is all the more troubling.

Gnosticism - An Ancient Heresy

The early church had to combat Gnosticism in many forms. The epistles of John, for example, are masterpieces that fight against this age-old heresy. For instance, Gnosticism believes there is a little bit of good in evil and a little bit of evil in good. Sound like the Force of Starwars and Darth Vader? Perhaps you are thinking of the Ying and Yang symbol of eastern religions. Can anyone say Carl Jung? The idea that the Bible is both the infallible word of God but contains error is another form of this mixture of light and darkness. 

The apostle John speaks against this ancient heresy in 1 John 1:5-7:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Words of Encouragement to UMC Members

If you are a United Methodist Church member, I have a few words of encouragement to give you.

First, you are not crazy. Your heart has been telling you for many years that something is significantly amiss in the UMC's pastoral leadership. Most pastors, district superintendents, and bishops are steeped in Gnosticism. But remember, the nature of Gnosticism is to hide in the darkness.

Second, the decline of your local church is not your fault. There has been a systematic Gnostic infiltration into the ranks of the clergy for decades. This infiltration is by design. The ultimate goal is not propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ, but the advancement of pseudo-Christian and pro-Gnostic values. This is not the first time Gnosticism has infiltrated the Church and, until Christ comes again, it is not the last.

Third, you are stronger than you think. God always calls us to be humble, but He never calls us to compromise. If you are in a United Methodist Church and recognize Gnosticism either in your pastor, district superintendent, or bishop, you are not out of line to speak out and confront the darkness. You should educate yourself more on this heresy, otherwise, you will be tricked or bullied into submission.

Forth, pray for your Gnostic pastor and witness to him or her. If they don't repent, demand a pastor who is thoroughly Christian. Educate yourself on the subtleties of Gnostic expressions amongst the clergy. Part of the beauty of Protestantism is our belief that we have a right to question the clergy and have a duty to do so. Members of the local church have been systematically trained to be passive, to not question authority. This time is over. 

Fifth, realize that if and when the United Methodist Church splits, your local church has a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave the apostate denomination with your buildings and land in tact. I doubt this opportunity will happen again. I would encourage all United Methodist local churches to pray and think long and hard about this opportunity. I will write more about this in the near future.

Sixth, be faithful to Jesus Christ and not a denomination. If the time comes to leave, wipe the dust off your feet, and don't look back. The judgment does indeed begin in the house of God. If the United Methodist Church's clergy do not repent and leave Gnosticism behind, God will judge them severly. 

Seventh, trust in the sovereignty of God. The Church is His Bride, and He will bring about His holiness and righteousness in Her. You are that Bride. Do all you can to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and His holy Word.

*I am well aware that there are true Christian theologians that may sound esoteric. I think of men such as Dr. Cornelius Van Til, Dr. Greg Bahnsen, and Dr. Peter Jones, for example. There is a significant difference, however. God gifts these types of theologians not only to understand esoteric Gnostic Theology, but they are blessed to refute them as well.

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Note:

If any of my readers, especially those who are part of the United Methodist Church, would like to verify what I am saying or know more, I suggest reading or listening to Dr. Peter Jones. Dr. Jones holds an M. Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th. M. from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He taught New Testament at Westminster Seminary (Escondido, CA) until December 2002. He now directs truthXchange (www.truthxchange.com), a non-profit which emphasizes reaching college and university students who often encounter the "new spirituality" on their campuses.

A few quick resources may be beneficial such as, Gnosticism in the Mainline, Neopaganism Inside the Church, and A Gnostic Gospel should be enough to point you in the right direction.

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 2 - Quadrilateral Confusion

Introduction

One of the core methodological tenants of United Methodism is what is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. To outsiders, "quadrilateral" is a geometric term describing an object with four equal sides. In essence, this definition helps us understand the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

If I had a nickel for every time someone mentioned the Quadrilateral throughout my seminary and pastoral days in the UMC, I would be a wealthy man. The Quadrilateral is at the heart of United Methodism understanding and interpretation. It's how Methodists "do" theology.

I don't know if it is accurate to say that the Quadrilateral is a UMC doctrine. As I mentioned earlier, it is more a method of “doing” theology. And, as the name of the denomination suggests, Methodists love methodology. 

What is the Quadrilateral?

United Methodist Church's (UMC) Book of Discipline 2016 edition states on page 103,

Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.

The official website of the UMC states:

The phrase which has relatively recently come into use to describe the principal factors that John Wesley believed illuminate the core of the Christian faith for the believer. Wesley did not formulate the succinct statement now commonly referred to as the Wesley Quadrilateral. Building on the Anglican theological tradition, Wesley added a fourth emphasis, experience. The resulting four components or "sides" of the Quadrilateral are (1) Scripture, (2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience. For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Tradition is experience and the witness of development and growth of the faith through the past centuries and in many nations and cultures. Experience is the individual's understanding and appropriating of the faith in the light of his or her own life. Through reason the individual Christian brings to bear on the Christian faith discerning and cogent thought. These four elements taken together bring the individual Christian to a mature and fulfilling understanding of the Christian faith and the required response of worship and service. 

While UMC.org clearly states, "For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine," the reality is that practically speaking, the Scripture ends up taking a back seat to tradition, reason, and experience. If you don't believe me, read what the Book of Discipline states on page 102 and 103 of the 2016 edition:

But, even as they (United Methodists) were fully committed to the principles of religious tolerance and theological diversity, they were equally confident that there is a "marrow" of Christian truth that can be identified and that must be conserved. This living core, as they believed, stands revealed in Scripture, illuminated by tradition, vivified in personal and corporate experience, and confirmed by reason. They were very much aware, of course, that God's eternal Word never has been, nor can be, exhaustively expressed in any single forms of words." (emphasis mine)

In my article on United Methodist Corporate Pluralism, I showed how Theological Pluralism is nothing more than pagan relativism. While allowing for "religious tolerance and theological diversity" sounds innocent enough, this has lead to the decline of the UMC and the inevitable church split where "traditionalists" are politely but forcefully being kick out of the denomination. The truth is, Theological Pluralism is the most intolerant form of "theology" there is. 

What is Scripture?

It is the self-revelation of the one and only self-existing Triune God who has revealed Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The self-authenticating Bible claims countless times to be the very words of the Christian God. It reveals God's plan of salvation through the Second Person of the Trinity, the God/Man Jesus Christ, who is the only mediator between God and man. The Bible is infallible and inerrant in the original autograph. The Holy Spirit has preserved the integrity of any copies so that any discrepancies are insignificant, easily detectable, and do not change what God intends to communicate to us.

Contrary to what the United Methodist Book of Discipline says, God’s Word does give an exhaustive revelation of everything we need for correct faith and practice. There is nothing more that God intended to communicate to us this side of eternity. Of course, no mere words can exhaustively convey the majesty and immensity of God, but even in heaven, God will not contradict what He has communicated in the Bible.

Why do I take so much time to outline the doctrine of Scripture? It is because, practically speaking, United Methodism slays the Bible on the altar of tradition, reason, and experience. I have seen this repeatedly in my time as a member and pastor in the United Methodist Church. 

Tradition

Tradition must be subject to Scripture. Jesus Christ was adamant that tradition was a dangerous method to use when understanding the word of God. In Matthew 15:1-20, Jesus condemned tradition. Tradition has no place or authority in Biblical Christianity. Why, because eventually, tradition will take the place of Scripture.

Reason

Reason must be subject to Scripture. I could write volumes on this. People think that faith and reason are mutually exclusive. Many Christians believe that faith takes over where reason leaves off. They believe faith and reason, while friendly towards one another, live in different spheres. As such, reason often trumps Scripture. 

The truth is that reason is not possible apart from the revelation of the Truinue Christian God as revealed in the Bible. Take away the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and you cannot prove anything. Logic, reason, and science is not possible apart from the Trinity. Without the God of the Bible, there is no way to account for the immaterial laws of logic, the consistency of rationalism, and the cause and effect necessary to do science. All are founded upon none other than the self-existing Trinitarian God.

We know who God is, how He holds the universe together, and His holy character because of His self-revelation in the Bible. As the Bible says, "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28). It also claims that all things happen "according to the counsel of His goodwill." (Ephesians 1:11) These two verses alone account for logic, reason, and science, but there are many more besides these.

Experience

Finally, I consider experience to be the worst member of the Quadrilateral. It is interesting that John Wesley added this to the Anglican Church’s “trilateral.” Human beings have all kinds of bizarre experiences. I've heard people testify to astral projection, encounters with aliens, and visitations of angels, even visitation to heaven. People experience sexual desire for anything under the sun. However, for the very reason experience is so strong, human beings will try to explain or justify it to the best of their ability. Paul drove this point home in Galatians 1:8, for example, even if you experience an angel from heaven preaching another gospel, let that messenger be accursed. 

Conclusion

We have many traditions that are contrary to Scripture. Atheistic reasoning often presents itself as contrary to Scripture rather than seeing Scripture as necessary for reason. Experience is so powerful that people seek explanations outside of Scripture or contrary to Scripture.

The United Methodist Church is splitting and dying because it has compromised the authority of Scripture. While it claims Scripture is "primary," practically speaking, everything but Scripture has ultimate authority in the UMC.

As I was finishing my Masters in Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary, I was going through the process of ordination in the New York Annual Conference. I remember one of the questions in my examination asking what I thought about the Quadrilateral. Even back in 1987, I said that I do not hold to it. I told them that according to the Bible, there is no other standard by which we determine or understand truth. Tradition, reason, and experience must be absolutely subject to the Bible. Needless to say, they denied my ordination. It doesn't take a lot of thought to know why.

La muerte de la Iglesia Metodista Unida: Parte 1 - Pluralismo Corporativo

Un hijo del metodismo

Antes de que alguien me juzgue por escribir sobre la Iglesia Metodista Unida, debo decir que tengo un interés legítimo. Mi familia pertenecía a la Iglesia Metodista, mucho antes de que la "Unida" reemplazara a la "Episcopal" en el nombre en 1968. Mis bisabuelos criaron a sus hijos en la Iglesia Metodista de Torrington. Mis abuelos hicieron lo mismo, al igual que mis padres. En el nártex de la Iglesia Metodista de Torrington hay un monumento a mi abuelo Harold S. Patterson hasta el día de hoy.

Soy un hijo de la UMC. Nací y crecí en la UMC de Torrington. Fui a la Escuela Dominical, canté en el Coro Juvenil, asistí al culto y me confirmaron allí. Después de que nos mudamos al UMC de Bakerville, pasé por el proceso de ordenación. Me casé en el UMC con mi primera esposa, al igual que dos de mis hijos. Todos mis bebés fueron bautizados en las Iglesias Metodistas. Asistí al Seminario Teológico Asbury que fue nombrado en honor al ministro metodista Francis Asbury.

Después del seminario, fui ordenado diácono en la Conferencia del Norte de la Indiana Serví en más de 11 diferentes Iglesias Metodistas a lo largo de mi mandato como pastor ordenado en la UMC. Finalmente renuncié a mi ordenación en la Conferencia de Pennsylvania Central hace muchos años. Serví en varias posiciones pastorales en la UMC incluso después de dejar la denominación. Mis padres todavía pertenecen a la UMC y mi madre incluso fue pastora de la Iglesia Metodista Unida de Bakerville en New Hartford, Connecticut durante varios años.

La próxima división de la UMC

La Iglesia Metodista Unida está al borde de la ruptura. Los liberales, neo-ortodoxos, chamanes, wiccanos, gnósticos y paganos están mostrando al "tradicionalista" la puerta. Mientras que los conservadores afirman que es por desacuerdos entre personas del mismo sexo, la división es más profunda que eso. Los Conservadores Tradicionalistas están comenzando su propia denominación. Tristemente para ellos, potencialmente se están llevando consigo semillas destructivas del UMC que, si no son reconocidas, darán el mismo feo fruto.

Hay dos defectos significativos en el UMC que está causando su desaparición y que resultará en la muerte de cualquier denominación derivada de él. El primero es lo que llamo "Franquicia de la Iglesia", y el otro es la falta de Confesionalismo y Disciplina de la Iglesia.

La Franquicia de la Iglesia

Como miembro del clero, a menudo critiqué la mentalidad empresarial de la Iglesia Metodista Unida. Que es un negocio de franquicia, no puede ser discutido. Desde el logo de la cruz y la llama hasta el estatus de incorporación de negocios sin fines de lucro 501(c)3, la Iglesia Metodista Unida es sólo otra marca.

Un obispo de la UMC dio una enseñanza a los pastores y líderes de la iglesia el año pasado. Dijo que deben entender que la Iglesia Metodista Unida es una franquicia como MacDonald's Y así como esperas que un Big Mac sepa como un Big Mac en cualquier MacDonald al que vayas, debes poder ir a cualquier Iglesia Metodista Unida en cualquier domingo y encontrar que lo que se ofrece es uniforme en toda la denominación. Esta no fue la primera vez que escuché tal charla. Era un tema común en las reuniones pastorales de distrito, aunque no hablaban descaradamente de los MacDonald's.

He usado a menudo esta ilustración para criticar a la UMC. Me sentí reivindicado y profundamente entristecido al escuchar a un obispo de la iglesia no sólo admitirlo sino usarlo para ayudar a los líderes de la iglesia a entender la visión del Gran MacMetodismo. Lo que es aún más triste para mí es que si y cuando la Iglesia se divida, los que se vayan, empapados en la franquicia del Metodismo, irán y repetirán el mismo error una vez más formando una nueva franquicia 501(c)3 sin fines de lucro. Y así la locura continúa.

Pluralismo pagano teológico

El legado de John Wesley

La segunda crítica que tengo a la Iglesia Metodista Unida es quizás más importante que el Big MacMethodismo. Las semillas de la destrucción de la Iglesia Metodista Unida fueron sembradas por el mismo John Wesley hace mucho tiempo. Pocos metodistas se dan cuenta de que John Wesley era un clérigo desobediente que a menudo ponía el pragmatismo antes que la teología sólida. Pocos recuerdan que el "club sagrado" de los Metodistas originales fueron reformados completamente en teología. La actual Iglesia Metodista Calvinista da testimonio de las raíces del verdadero Metodismo.

John Wesley fue el que se desvió del Metodismo cuando publicó su infame sermón, "Gracia Libre". George Whitefield trató de llamar al rebelde Wesley de vuelta a la verdadera fe. Tristemente, Wesley rechazó la corrección y continuó promoviendo el pragmatismo que eventualmente floreció en la fallida Iglesia Metodista Unida. Aunque no dudo que Dios usó a Wesley para llevar a muchos al conocimiento salvador de Jesucristo, también creo que Wesley plantó las semillas de la moribunda Iglesia Metodista Unida.

¿Qué es el pluralismo?

El corazón del Metodismo Unido es el Pluralismo Teológico. El pluralismo es un nombre elegante para el relativismo. En otras palabras, la Iglesia Metodista Unida no tiene una columna vertebral. No tiene otra base que la opinión humana y los caprichos de la democracia de la iglesia. Lo opuesto al Pluralismo Teológico es lo que se llama Confesionalismo.

El Confesionalismo es una declaración de fe acordada que uno debe adherirse para ser un pastor y un miembro. Hay muchas confesiones famosas de la Iglesia, como la Confesión de Westminster, la Declaración de Saboya, y el Catecismo de Heidelberg.

Tomar partido por nada significa abrir la puerta para cualquier cosa. Mientras que una Confesión de Fe no tiene el mismo estatus que las Escrituras, es una forma de unificar la Iglesia alrededor de estándares teológicos que están basados en la Biblia. La alternativa es el relativismo del Pluralismo Teológico.

La Iglesia Metodista Unida sembró las semillas de destrucción cuando adoptó el Pluralismo Teológico. Lo diré con más fuerza; la UMC adoptó una Confesión de Fe Neo-Pagana, sosteniendo en última instancia que no hay absolutos teológicos últimos. La Iglesia Metodista Unida ha ordenado a chamanes, adoradores de Sofía, autoproclamados paganos, masones, y gente que abiertamente apoyó la sexualidad que es condenada por la Disciplina de la Iglesia Metodista Unida.

La falta de Confesionalismo ha hecho imposible para la UMC llevar a cabo la Disciplina de la Iglesia. Mientras que hay un procedimiento para la Disciplina de la Iglesia en el Libro de Disciplina de la Iglesia Metodista Unida, no tiene ningún valor o poder real. Debido a esto, no hay manera de librar a las filas pastorales o a la gente en las bancas de herejes o pecadores no arrepentidos. La palabra clave en esa última frase es "no arrepentido". No hay manera de mantener la iglesia pura de la levadura que estropea todo el bulto. (1 Corintios 5)

La ironía de la división de la Iglesia es que los progresistas, o como quieras llamarlos, practican una forma de disciplina eclesiástica limpiando las filas de aquellos que consideran que están fuera de línea con su fe y su práctica. Incluso están dispuestos a pagar 25 millones de dólares para librarse de ellos.

Tener una Iglesia que no es una corporación 501(c)3 sin fines de lucro no es garantía de que no caerá en la trampa de una mentalidad de negocios. Ser una Iglesia Confesional que practica la disciplina de la Iglesia Bíblica no asegurará que la Iglesia permanezca fiel a Jesucristo. Sin embargo, ambas cosas ayudan mucho a que la Iglesia no se deteriore hasta el punto de que la Iglesia Metodista Unida ha declinado.

Enseñar la sana doctrina

Pablo escribió a Tito en el capítulo 2, versículo 1, diciendo

Pero en cuanto a ti, enseña lo que concuerda con la sana doctrina.

La Biblia es clara, hay un verdadero evangelio y una sana teología que debe ser proclamada en la Iglesia y por la Iglesia. Las Escrituras contienen la sana doctrina que puede y debe ser parte de la Iglesia. Esboza la razón, la necesidad y el procedimiento de la Disciplina de la Iglesia. La Iglesia Metodista Unida ha ignorado la Biblia en favor del Pluralismo Teológico Pagano. Ha sido secuestrado por hombres y mujeres que ya no se aferran ni siquiera a la teología de John Wesley. Y no tiene forma de probar y disciplinar a aquellos que han dejado la verdadera fe.

Mi experiencia personal como pastor de la UMC

Cuando escribo estas cosas, hablo desde la observación y la experiencia personal. Tuve que dejar la Iglesia Metodista Unida debido a la creciente hostilidad hacia la enseñanza sólida. Los seminaristas que se aferran a la sana doctrina bíblica han sido sistemáticamente eliminados. En cada iglesia que pastoreé, luché contra el liberalismo, el paganismo, el corporativismo, y la neo-ortodoxia con mis superintendentes de distrito y mis compañeros de clero. En cada iglesia, excepto en la UMC de Bakerville, fui presionado por los masones para unirme o ser acosado. Fui objeto de hostilidad y odio por parte de influyentes pastores de grandes iglesias. Incluso me negaron la ordenación en la Conferencia Anual de Nueva York en 1987, aunque no tuve problemas en ser ordenado en dos Conferencias diferentes. Por lo tanto, sé de lo que estoy hablando.

La Iglesia Victoriosa

Tengo plena esperanza en Jesucristo, el gran Novio de la Novia Victoriosa, su Iglesia. Las puertas del infierno no detendrán el poder y el dinamismo de la verdadera Iglesia. La Iglesia Metodista Unida está abandonando rápidamente la Iglesia Verdadera, si es que no lo ha hecho ya. Tristemente, demasiada gente en las bancas o no les importa, no saben lo malo que es, o simplemente se niegan a dejar una iglesia a la que asistieron durante la mayor parte, si no toda su vida. No culpo al último grupo. Para estas personas, mi corazón está realmente triste. Su iglesia ha sido robada delante de sus narices.

Hasta que o a menos que la UMC rechace el Pluralismo Teológico y se convierta en una Iglesia Confesional que practique la disciplina de la Iglesia Bíblica, hay poca esperanza de que esta denominación reviva. Y si los vástagos de la división no aprenden los errores de la UMC, sufrirán las consecuencias de repetir el ciclo una vez más.

Lo que sucederá con la división de la iglesia está por verse. Sigo deseando ver cómo se desarrolla.

Traduje esto con la ayuda del Traductor Deepl

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 1 - Corporate Pluralism

A Son of Methodism

Before anyone judges me for blogging about the United Methodist Church, I must say that I have a legitimate ax to grind. My family belonged to the Methodist Church, long before the "United" replaced the "Episcopal" in the name in 1968. My great-grandparents raised their children in the Torrington Methodist Church. My grandparents did the same, as did my parents. There stands in the narthex of the Torrington Methodist Church a memorial to my grandfather Harold S. Patterson to this day.

I am a son of the UMC. I was born and raised in the Torrington UMC. I went to Sunday School, sang in the Junior Choir, attended worship, and was confirmed there. After we moved down the road to the Bakerville UMC, I went through the ordination process. I was married in the UMC to my first wife, as were two of my children. All of my babies were baptized in Methodist Churches. I attended Asbury Theological Seminary which was named after the Methodist minister Francis Asbury.

After seminary, I was ordained a deacon in the Northern Indian Conference and was ordained an elder in good standing in the Central Pennsylvania Conference. I served in over 11 different Methodist Churches throughout my tenure as an ordained pastor in the UMC. I eventually surrendered my ordination to the Central Pennsylvania Conference many years ago. I served in several pastoral positions in the UMC even after I left the denomination. My parents still belong to a UMC and my mother even pastored the Bakerville United Methodist Church in New Hartford, Connecticut for several years.

The Coming Split of the UMC

The United Methodist Church is on the verge of a split. The Liberals, Neo-Orthodox, Shamans, Wiccans, Gnostics, and Pagans are showing the "traditionalist" the door. While the Conservatives claim it is over same-sex disagreements, the divide goes deeper than that. The Conservative Traditionalists are starting their own denomination. Sadly for them, they are potentially taking with them destructive seeds from the UMC that will, if left unrecognized, bear the same ugly fruit.

There are two significant flaws in the UMC that is causing its demise and will result in the death of any offshoot denominations that spring from it. The first is what I call Franchise Churchianity, and the other is the Lack of Confessionalism and Church Discipline.

Franchise Churchianity

As a clergy member, I often criticized the United Methodist Church's business mentality. That it is a franchised business, there can be no argument. From the cross and flame logo to the 501(c)3 business not-for-profit incorporation status, the United Methodist Church is just another Brand.

A Bishop of the UMC gave a teaching to pastors and church leaders last year. He said that they must understand that the United Methodist Church is a franchise just like MacDonald. And just as you expect a Big Mac to taste like a Big Mac in whatever MacDonalds you go to, so you should be able to go into any United Methodist Church on any given Sunday and find what is offered is uniform throughout the denomination. This was not the first time I heard such talk. It was a common theme in district pastoral meetings, though they didn’t blatantly talk about MacDonalds.

I have often used this illustration to criticize the UMC. I was both vindicated and deeply saddened to hear a bishop of the church not only admit it but use it to help church leaders to understand the vision of Big MacMethodism. What is even sadder for me is that if and when the Church splits, those who leave, steeped in franchise Methodism, will go and repeat the same error yet once again by forming a new 501(c)3 nonprofit franchise. And so the madness continues.

Theological Pagan Pluralism

John Wesley’s Legacy

The second criticism I have of the United Methodist Church is perhaps more important than Big MacMethodism. The seeds of the destruction of the United Methodist Church were sown by John Wesley himself long ago. Few Methodist realize that John Wesley was a disobedient clergyman who often put pragmatism before sound theology. Few remember that the "holy club" of the original Methodists were thoroughly Reformed in theology. The current Calvinist Methodist Church bears witness to the roots of true Methodism.

John Wesley was the one who deviated from Methodism when he published his infamous sermon, "Free Grace." George Whitefield tried to call the rebellious Wesley back to the true faith. Sadly, Wesley spurned correction and continued to promote the pragmatism which eventually blossomed in the failing United Methodist Church. While I do not doubt that God used Wesley to bring many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I also believe Wesley planted the seeds for the dying UMC church.

What is Pluralism?

The heart of United Methodism is Theological Pluralism. Pluralism is a fancy name for relativism. In other words, the United Methodist Church has no backbone. It has no foundation other than human opinion and the whims of church democracy. The opposite of Theological Pluralism is what is called Confessionalism.

Confessionalism is an agreed-upon statement of faith that one must adhere to be a pastor and a member. There are many famous Confessions of the Church, such as the Westminster Confession, the Savoy Declaration, and the Heidelberg Catechism.

To take a stand on nothing means you open the door for anything. While a Confession of Faith does not have equal status with the Scripture, it is a way to unify the Church around theological standards that are Biblically based. The alternative is the relativism of Theological Pluralism.

The United Methodist Church sowed the seeds of destruction when it adopted Theological Pluralism. I will say it more forcefully; the UMC adopted a Neo-Pagan Confession of Faith, ultimately holding that there are no ultimate theological absolutes. The United Methodist Church has ordained shamans, Sophia worshippers, self-proclaimed pagans, freemasons, and people who openly endorsed sexuality that is condemned by the Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

The lack of Confessionalism has made it impossible for the UMC to carry out Church Discipline. While there is a procedure for Church Discipline in the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline, it has no real value or power. Because of this, there is no way to rid the pastoral ranks or the people in the pews of unrepentant heretics or sinners. The key word in that last sentence is “unrepentant.” There is no way to keep the church pure from the leaven that spoils the whole lump. (1 Corinthians 5)

The irony of the Church split is that the Progressives, or whatever you want to call them, are practicing a form of Church Discipline by cleaning the ranks of those who they consider to be out of line with their faith and practice. They are even willing to pay twenty-five million dollars to be rid of them.

Having a Church that is not a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation is no guarantee that it won't fall into the trap of a business mentality. Being a Confessional Church that practices Biblical Church discipline will not ensure the Church will remain faithful to Jesus Christ. However, both of these go a long way to help a Church not deteriorate to the point that the United Methodist Church has presently declined.

Teach Sound Doctrine

Paul wrote to Titus in chapter 2 verse 1, saying

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

The Bible is clear; there is a true gospel and sound theology that must be proclaimed in the Church and by the Church. The Scriptures contain sound doctrine that can and should be part of the Church. It outlines the reason, the need, and the procedure for Church Discipline. The United Methodist Church has ignored the Bible in favor of Pagan Theological Pluralism. It has been hijacked by men and women who no longer hold to even John Wesley's theology. And it has no way to test and discipline those who have left the true faith.

My Personal Experience as a UMC Pastor

When I write these things, I am speaking from personal observation and experience. I had to leave the United Methodist Church because of the growing hostility to sound teaching. Seminarians holding to sound Biblical doctrine have systematically been weeded out. In every church I pastored, I battled against liberalism, paganism, corporatism, and neo-orthodoxy both with my District Superintendents and fellow clergy. In every church besides Bakerville UMC, I was pressured by the freemasons to join or be harassed. I was subject to hostility and hate by influential pastors of large churches. I was even denied ordination by the New York Annual Conference in 1987, though I had no problem being ordained in two different Conferences. So, I know what I am talking about.

The Church Victorious

I have complete hope in Jesus Christ, the great Bridegroom of the Victorious Bride, His Church. The gates of Hell will not hold back the power and dynamism of the True Church. The United Methodist Church is quickly leaving the True Church if it hasn’t already. Sadly, too many people in the pews either don’t care, don’t know how bad it is, or just refuse to leave a church that they attended for most, if not all of their life. I don’t blame the last group. For these people, my heart is truly sad. Your church has been stolen right from under your nose.

Until or unless the UMC rejects Theological Pluralism and becomes a Confessional Church that practices Biblical Church discipline, there is little hope that this denomination will revive. And if the offshoots from the split don’t learn the mistakes of the UMC, they will suffer the consequences of repeating the cycle yet again.

What will happen with the church split remains to be seen. I remain eager to see how it plays out.

How Chess Proves the Existence of God

Thesis:  The game of chess proves the existence of the self-existing Triune Christian God of the Bible.

Chess is, perhaps, the most perfect game known to man. You can learn the moves in a few short minutes and spend the rest of your life trying to understand its intricacies. It is a game so logical and orderly that we can program computers to play and defeat world champions.

I contend that the game of chess proves the existence of God, but not just any God. Chess proves the existence of the one and only self-existent Triune God that has revealed Himself in the self-authenticating Bible. When I claim chess proves God's existence, I am not talking about a general theistic "god." I am specifically referring to the one and only self-existing God who has revealed Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who mediated the covenant through the Second Person of the Trinity, the God/Man Jesus Christ. 

I want to be quite clear about this point. I am not arguing that chess proves a god exists. Chess does not prove the existence of a god, such as the false god of Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, or whatever other gods you can think of. So, for the rest of this article, when I write the word "God," I am referring to the God of the Bible, and when I prove God's existence, I am demonstrating the existence of the Christian God and no one else.

Perhaps you are wondering how I can prove God's existence through chess. It is quite simple. Apart from God, chess is impossible.* What do I mean by this? Let's start with atheism. 

An atheist cannot account for the game of chess in his worldview. It is impossible because an atheistic worldview begins in chaos. In an atheistic world, there is only material randomly falling in space. There is no life. There is no meaning. There is no order. The great enigma of atheism is how we start with chaos and end up with order. Add to that the mystery of how perceiving minds can communicate with other human minds that perceived order. From where did this order and meaning come? The human mind? That begs the question, doesn’t it? How can a human mind that evolved out of chance random processes account for and explain order and meaning? It can’t, especially starting from the presuppositions of an atheistic worldview.

The atheistic worldview is entirely unable to account for the order of the universe. David Hume, the famous Scottish atheist, proved that cause and effect is impossible to prove in a chance-based universe. An atheist cannot account for science, which depends upon the repeatable observation of cause and effect. 

Nor can an atheist account for logic, those immaterial laws that order rationality. If all that exists is material, how does an atheist account for the immaterial laws of logic? This is another great conundrum of atheism.

The atheist has nothing to say in the realm of ethics either. Chance random particles falling through space have no right or wrong, nor any standard to determine what is right or wrong. For the atheist, morality is not possible. 

As a Christian, I can account for science because God has ordered all things according to the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11) I can account for the laws of logic because God has revealed in the Bible that He is the God of reason and logic. (Proverbs 1, 2, and 3, Isaiah 1:18, John 1:1) I can account for morality because the holy God of the Bible is the standard by which good and evil are judged.

What does this all have to do with chess? Chess is a game founded upon the laws of logic. The squares and pieces are meaningless in and of themselves. They don't move, speak, or have personalities. You cannot have two pieces on the same square. The pawn is the only piece that cannot move backward and the only one that can turn into another piece. Knights don't move like Bishops, and Rooks don't have the same power as a Queen. The game can be won or drawn. 

If someone found a chess set, he would not ascertain the rules of chess just from looking at them. The rules are a creation of man's mind, and the function of the mind of man is created and ordered by God. The atheist cannot account for the rules of chess nor the rationality of the mind of man. But as a Christian, I can. 

Each of these aspects of the game presupposes God in order to function, not to mention accounting for the staggering mathematics behind the possible moves in chess. Mathematicians have stated that there are more variations in a chess game than atoms in the universe. I state as a theologian; there is only one Being who knows all these variations and created every one of them.

Next time you play a chess game, you are proving the existence of God; otherwise, you couldn't play. All chess players must leave whatever worldview they hold to and borrow the Christian worldview in order to make a single move, let alone play an entire game. The reason the game is possible is that God exists. 

The interaction of the pieces, the chess clock, the rules, tactical combinations, the sequence of moves, skewers, pins, forks, repetition of position, checks, perpetual checks, discovered checks, and checkmate all are possible because of the existence of God. The impossibility of chess apart from God is the most concrete proof of His existence known to man. So, when two people play chess, they are attesting to the reality of God. They borrow the Christian God to play chess.

Try cheating in chess, and you will see just how fast a person proclaims the Christian God. Chess depends upon God's moral law. Breaking the rules is strictly forbidden. Chess players do not tolerate the violation of God's law by lying, stealing, and bearing false witness. Chess is filled with morality; touch and move, no kibbitzing, no using chess computers, etc. Apart from God's existence, there is no way to account for the rules and the morality behind the rules. Nobody likes a cheater, not in chess and not in life. That’s how God made us.

The traditional proofs for the existence of God can only prove the possibility of God. Chess proves the necessity of the existence of the Christian God because, without Him, you cannot prove anything. Without Him, you cannot play chess. This proof is irrefutable.

The beauty of this proof is that as soon as someone tries to refute it, he has to assume the Christian worldview in order to refute the Christian worldview. In the words of Dr. Cornelius Van Til, “Antitheism presupposes theism.”

So next time you play chess, you are attesting to the reality of the Christian God.

*Thank you to Dr. Cornelius Van Til, Dr. Greg Bahnsen, and Dr. K. Scott Oliphint for their pioneer work on the transcendental argument for the existence of God.

If I Die…

Someone I’ve known for many years died the other day. It’s an interesting phenomenon that when people die, we eulogies them. We stop and pause and think about the messages they proclaimed throughout their life. It seems we find more meaning in things they may have said, done, or written only after they die.

I think we honor people more after they die because they are no longer a threat. They no longer are competition. They cannot rise and speak for themselves or defend themselves. Because of this, it is easier to say good things about them. We contemplate the mystery of their lives, passions, struggles, joys, and concerns.

I am positioning myself so that when I die (not “if” I die), people who knew me or heard about me will become nostalgic or curious and check out things that I have written. And I hope and pray that what I have written is a clear and consistent witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I die, I want people to read this article. I want the curious to know that there is only one way of salvation, and that is through a repentant heart having faith in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity who died a substitutionary death on their behalf.

I want atheists to hear that atheism is entirely untenable. To deny the existence of the self-existing Triune God who has revealed Himself in His self-authenticating Bible means that you cannot prove anything. Without Him, reason, science, and morality are impossible. As Dr. Cornelius Van Til so aptly proclaimed, “Antitheism presupposes Theism.” By “theism,” he does not mean just any god, such as the false god of Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, or any other religion. Only the Christian God of the Bible mediated through the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, is worthy of love, honor, praise, and thanksgiving.

When I die, I believe God will sovereignly direct the reader to read my words and be confronted with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I pray the Holy Spirit will breathe spiritual life into the core of your being so that you will become a child of God.

I pray those who read these words who are caught in the deception of our age where people, even pastors, are lying to you telling you that what God clearly calls sin is now, somehow miraculously made holy. I pray the Spirit would so convict those stopping by curious about my life, and my message will be so changed that no matter how difficult, how painful, how radical a change you have to make to get right with God, you will do it. Hell is real, and I want to see you again in heaven. I want you to tell me how God used what I wrote to change you for all eternity.

It doesn’t matter if you read these words before or after I die. What matters is that you respond to them by placing your faith in Christ.

A Guide to Understanding Ken Ham

Ken Ham is best known because of his debate with Bill Nye on February 4, 2014. He is the former president of Answers in Genesis (AiG) and currently operates the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. I contend that most people do not understand where Ham is coming from and what he is trying to communicate. He is often misunderstood, dismissed, maligned, and misrepresented.

This post aims to help people understand Ken Ham. I believe he is crystal clear on what he is saying, where he is coming from, and what he is trying to accomplish. I hope that anyone reading this blog post will, at the very least, be able to understand him better. For the record, I have personally met Mr. Ham and visited the creation museum with my family many years ago.

Ken Ham is a Presuppositionalist

The first thing you must understand is that Ken Ham is primarily making a presuppositional argument. In other words, Ham recognizes the reality that everyone has a fundamental starting point from which they see the world. Another way of saying this is that we all have a worldview. This means that we all have a set of beliefs that we hold that profoundly influence how we see reality.

If you do not understand this point, you will not understand Ken Ham. He is unequivocal that his starting point, his worldview, his presupposition of reality is that the Bible is the infallible word of God. I could get into why he believes this, but that is not the purpose of this blog post. I could also spend a lot of time explaining that everyone has a set of presuppositions that they assume to be true through which they view reality. But that again exceeds the purpose of this post.

In his opening statement of the debate, Ham clearly stated:

So, is creation a viable model of origins in today's modern scientific era? The creation/evolution debate is a conflict between two philosophical worldviews based on two different accounts of origins or historical science beliefs. Creation is the only viable model of historical science, confirmed by observational science, in today's modern scientific era.

Ken Ham Presupposes the Authority of Scripture

The second thing one must understand is that because Ham presupposes the authority of the Bible, anything that contradicts the Scripture is automatically presumed to be wrong. Before you dismiss him for doing this, it is essential to note that Bill Nye does the same thing with naturalistic evolution. Bill Nye immediately presumes that something is false if it does not line up with naturalistic evolution presuppositions.

As Ham often points out, when an archeologist uncovers a bone, it does not come with a date engraved on it. If Ham and Nye simultaneously discovered the same bone, Ham would say that the bone cannot be more than 6,000 years old. Nye would claim that the bone maybe millions of years old. They both are looking at the same bone, but they see it differently because of their presuppositional foundation.

Ken Ham Holds to Observational Science

The third thing one must understand is that Ham is careful in his use of terms. The old axiom is true, "The one who controls the definition of the terms controls the argument." Why? Because definitions are presuppositional. Ken Ham was careful in the debate to define the term "science." Says Ham,

What is science? The origin of the word comes from the classical Latin, which means "to know." The dictionary will tell you that science is the state of knowing and knowledge. But there's different types of knowledge, and I think this is where the confusion arises. There is experimental or observational science, as we call it, that's using the scientific method of observation, measurement, and experiment and testing…

But I want you to also understand: molecules-to-man evolution belief has nothing to do with developing technology. You see, when we're talking about origins, we're talking about the past; we weren't there; we can't observe that, whether it's molecules-to-man evolution or whether it's the creation account.

When you are talking about the past, we like to call it origins- or historical-science.

Ken Ham believes in observational science. His point is that since we cannot go back in time and observe evolution, it is speculative as to what happened millions of years ago or whether the universe is millions of years old for that matter. Bill Nye cannot bring us back to the past, and conclusively prove evolution is true. The best he can do is speculate. Speculation is not science. That's Ken Ham's point.

Ham presupposes the Bible gives the correct account of historical science. Nye presupposes the theory of evolution. Both are presupposing something. Because Nye assumes God does not exist, he must come up with a theory to explain how we got here without God in the equation. Ham's point is that Nye is not using observational science. He is philosophizing.

Ken Ham is a Christian Apologist

The final thing one must understand about Ken Ham is that he is a Christian apologist. This does not mean that he ignores observational science. He doesn’t. I believe his primary motive is evangelism through creationism. His point is that you cannot believe in the theory of millions of years and still believe in God’s revelation given through Scripture. He is primarily a Christian apologist defending the integrity of the Bible in the face of naturalistic evolution. His ultimate desire, I believe, is that people come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Two of the most famous Presuppositional Apologists are Dr. Cornelius Van Til and his former student, Dr. Greg Bahnsen. The fact that you can read many of Bahnsen's articles on Answers in Genesis attests to these two Christian apologists' influence.

Both Van Til and Bahnsen articulated and promoted the transcendental argument for God's existence. In essence, this proof states that if you do not start with the self-existing Triune God who revealed Himself in the self-attesting Bible, you cannot prove anything. Apart from the Christian God, there is no way to account for science, reason, and morality. They argue that if one starts from an atheistic evolutionary worldview, you cannot account for the uniformity of nature, the immaterial laws of logic, or human morality. The atheist must borrow meaning from the Christian worldview to attempt to refute Christianity. When atheists begin with atheism's presuppositions, they start with nothing, say nothing, and prove nothing because no meaning exists.

As soon as Bill Nye showed up to the debate, he lost because he has to borrow meaning from the Christian worldview in order to logically argue the supposed science of evolution because he believes Ham is wrong and it is immoral to teach creationism. Understand what I just wrote in that last sentence and you will understand Ken Ham.

Books, Lectures, and Debates I Read and Studied in 2020

Just to toot my own horn a little, here is a list of the books, lectures, and debates I read and studied in 2020. I take my calling seriously and do my best to obey 2 Timothy 2:15:

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

You can see where I've been concentrating my studies. I took the time to hyperlink all that I can in case the reader wants to check something out yourself.

Books:

Bible in Spanish (Nueva Biblia de las Americas) Por el único Dios trinitario

Bible in English (ESV) By the One and Only Trinitarian God

Institutes of the Christian Religion (4 Volumes) By John Calvin

Christianity and Liberalism By J. Gresham Machen

Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion By Thomas E. Woods Jr.

Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History By Andrew P. Napolitano

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Permanent Record By Edward Snowden

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail By Bill Bryson

Christianity and Barthianism By Cornelius Van Tin

Van Til, defender of the faith: An authorized biography By William White

Van Til’s Apologetics By Greg Bahnsen

Victory in Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillenialism By Greg Bahnsen, Robert Booth

Homosexuality: A Biblical View By Greg Bahnsen

By This Standard By Greg Bahnsen

Presuppositional Apologetics Stated and Defended By Greg L. Bahnsen, Joel McDurmon

Theonomy In Christian Ethics By Greg Bahnsen

The Inerrancy of the Autographa By Greg L. Bahnsen

Greg Bahnsen: The Man Atheists Feared the Most By Mike Robinson

The Lost Letters of Cornelius Van Til to C.S. Lewis By Jomo K. Johnson

The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy By R.J. Rushdoony

By What Standard? By R.J. Rushdoony

Law & Liberty By R.J. Rushdoony

Van Til and the Limits of Reason By R.J. Rushdoony

The American Indian By R.J. Rushdoony

The Great Evangelical Disaster By Francis A. Schaeffer

A Field Guide to the Ants of New England By Ellison, Aaron M., Gotelli Ph.D., Nicholas J., Farnsworth, Elizabeth J., Alpert Ph.D., Gary D.

Train Yourself on Blindfold Chess Make yourself a mental athlete By Sourav Sahay

The Psychology of Chess (The Psychology of Everything) By Fernand Gobet

Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible's Problems Enhance Its Divine Authority By Gregory A. Boyd

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo By Earl Scruggs

BlueGrass Banjo By Bill Keith

Audio/Visual:

Greg Bahnsen on Van Til’s Apologetics 4 Parts (YouTube)

Greg Bahsen’s Debate with Gordon Stein (YouTube) Excellent!!!

Greg Bahsen’s Debate with Edward Tabash (YouTube)

Greg Bahsen’s Debate with a Muslim and Jew (Covenant Media)

Greg Bahnsen Reasoning with Unbelievers (YouTube)

5 Problems for Unbelieving Worldviews by Dr Greg Bahnsen (YouTube)

Scott Oliphint - Understanding Cornelius Van Til (YouTube)

The Theonomy Debate Joel McDurmon vs. Jordan Hall

Cornelius Van Til on Karl Barth Part 1 and 2 1968 (YouTube)

The Most Terrifying Words

A fascinating phenomenon is happening. We are living in a time when, if you question the government’s narrative, you are accused of either denying the seriousness of the virus (stupidity) or you are accused of not caring about other people (selfishness). It’s a script the herd has swallowed; hook, line, and sinker.

It all leads to the same end: faith in the government and suspicion of all those who question the narrative. It is brilliant! The government doesn’t even need to suppress dissent, our fellow citizens do it for them.

How ironic that Ronald Reagan, the most powerful government official of his time, said, “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.”

The False god of Spinoza, Einstein, and Moore.

Recently, I was reading someone’s Facebook page. He shared a post by a woman named Jillene Moore. I will include the text of Moore’s post at the end of this blog post, so the reader can read what each of us wrote and make up your own mind. If you are at all interested in this subject, I encourage you to scroll down now and read it first. Or you can read it here.

Moore begins her post by saying,

When Einstein gave lectures at U.S. universities, the question students asked him most was: Do you believe in God? And he always answered: I believe in the God of Spinoza.

Baruch de Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, along with Descartes.

She then gives a fanciful depiction of Spinoza's god. She paints this god with an optimistic brush. Assuming Spinoza would approve, how does she know what this god would say? It is entirely arbitrary and total conjecture.

This god supposedly reveals itself through sunrises, landscapes, and in the eyes of loved ones. Why didn't she include maggot-infested carcasses, garbage dumps, and train wrecks?

Whether she realizes it or not, Moore borrows her optimism from the Christian worldview. Only in the self-attesting Bible do we have the objective revelation of the self-existing Trinitarian God. Without this, Einstein, Spinoza and Moore cannot account for why sunrises, landscapes, and the eyes of the loved ones are better revelations than carcasses, dumps, and train wrecks.

What does she mean when she writes that Spinoza's god "loves"? And why is "love" better than "hate"? Neither Moore nor Spinoza's god tell us. They assume it. Without an objective revelation of love, how can we even know what it is?

God reveals in 1 John 4:8 that "God is love." We cannot know what love is apart from the God of the Bible. It says in 1 John 3:16,

By this we know love, that Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.

Without this objective revelation, any notions of love are purely speculative. Again, Moore borrows from the Christian worldview when she believes that Spinoza's god "loves" rather than "hates" us.

The god of Spinoza, as revealed by Moore, cares nothing for morality. She opines that Spinoza's god says,

I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing. Sex is a gift I have given you and with which you can express your love, your ecstasy, your joy. So don't blame me for everything that others made you believe."

Would she then say that it's okay to rape, cheat on your spouse, or that it's wrong to have sex with animals? Since this god never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you are a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing, why not do as you please to whomever or whatever you want?

If you follow this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, you can't say that any form of sexual expression is wrong. And if you do, you once again have borrowed the objective revelation of the Trinitarian God of the Bible, which limits human sexual behavior and says that the violation of His Law is the very definition of sin. 1 John 3:4,

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The god of Spinoza knows nothing of law and sin. This god cannot say any form of sexual behavior is wrong. As soon as you try to put limits upon human sexual behavior, you assume once again the morality of the God of the Bible. You can't have it both ways. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:24,

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

It's either the self-existing God of the self-attesting Bible or the subjective, amoral, relativistic god of Spinoza.

Moore writes that you cannot know Spinoza's god through any "alleged sacred scripture." While there are many "alleged sacred" scriptures, there are none like the Bible. It is the only self-attesting Book that claims to be the sole and unique revelation of the one and only self-existing Trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No other book claims that it is "infallible" and "God-breathed." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Only the God of the Bible provides the foundation for rationality, science, and morality. Apart from this self-attesting revelation, we cannot prove anything. How does Einstein, Spinoza or Moore know anything about their god? Again, maybe cesspools reveal more about this god rather than fluffy white clouds. Without an objective standard, it's all fairytales and wishes.

Any person that claims that anything can be proven presupposes the Christian worldview as revealed in the Bible. The very idea that something can be proven presuppose the God of the Bible exists; otherwise, we choose meaningless humanistic subjectivism that cannot prove anything. Who needs proof of anything in a God-empty universe?

We can’t have scientific proof apart from the Bible. The atheist Hume clearly demonstrated that we cannot assume the uniformity of nature. Science is impossible without this assumption. Science is only possible when we start with the God in whom

we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28

Quite frankly, I am terrified of Spinoza's god. Imagine a universe where

"there's nothing to forgive."

This god makes us with

"passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies, and best of all, free will."

Since this god does not hold us accountable or threaten punishment for "being the way you are," why aren't we "absolutely free" to do whatever the hell we please to anyone we want and not ask forgiveness?

Imagine if humanity believed and acted on this presumption. What's to stop people from carrying out whatever atrocity they want? Even the idea of an "atrocity" must assume the Christian worldview rather than Spinoza's god. To agree with Spinoza's god, you cannot say anything is wrong. You have no moral basis for condemning the holocaust or Stalin's genocide of his people. Moore wants to paint Spinoza's god with a rainbow pallet, but this god paints with the pallet of blood.

Spinoza founded his god by his own subjective idealistic thinking. However, the Bible is the only objective revelation of the one and only God of the universe. Yet, even those who deny God continue to testify to His existence. Moore does so by assuming meaning in what she is saying, by assuming sunsets are better than carcasses, that enjoyment is better than misery, that the god of Spinoza is true, and the God of the Bible is false. She assumes she is saying something meaningful about a meaningless god.

For Spinoza's god, as depicted by Moore, there is no such thing as sin. In the Bible, God revealed that sin is real because He is holy, which means He is wholly set apart from sin. God defines sin, and no one else. The Bible reveals that God punishes sin. The glory and beauty of Biblical Christianity is that the Second Person of the Trinity became fully Human and died as a substitute for all who believe in Him. Believing in Him means that we repent of our sin and look to Jesus Christ for our salvation. The Bible says all who call upon Jesus Christ will be saved.

God then sends the Third Person of the Trinity to fill us and make us as pure and holy as Jesus Christ Himself. The Spirit writes the Law of God on our hearts so that we obey God not only outwardly but inwardly as well. God empowers us to love one another, not according to our subjective whims, but according to His Law given to us in the Bible. This is why it is wrong to rape, cheat on your spouse or have an affair with a goat.

The god of Spinoza speaking to us through Moore hasn't offered anything but meaningless sentimentality and permission to do whatever the hell we please. This god is the ultimate expression of narcissistic humanity.

The god of Einstein and Spinoza is nothing new. You can find it all throughout the Bible. Sometimes it is called Moloch, sometimes Baal, sometimes Astorath, and under many more names. In the end, we learn that this god's name is ultimately Satan.

The choice is always the same, both in Biblical times and in our times:

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. Joshua 24:14+15

Me? I have made my choice. I answer as Joshua did in the same verse,

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I'm happy to dialogue if you want to talk about what I've written.

Jillene Moore’s Facebook Post, November 19, 2020:

When Einstein gave lectures at U.S. universities, the question students asked him most was: Do you believe in God? And he always answered: I believe in the God of Spinoza.

Baruch de Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, along with Descartes.

According to Spinoza, God would say: “Stop praying. I want you to go out into the world and enjoy your life. I want you to sing, have fun and enjoy everything I've made for you.

“Stop going into those dark, cold temples that you built yourself and saying they are my house. My house is in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes, beaches. That's where I live and there I express my love for you.

“Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing. Sex is a gift I have given you and with which you can express your love, your ecstasy, your joy. So don't blame me for everything that others made you believe.

“Stop reading alleged sacred scriptures that have nothing to do with me. If you can't read me in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your friends, in your son's eyes—you will find me in no book!

“Stop asking me, ‘Will you tell me how to do my job?’ Stop being so scared of me. I do not judge you or criticize you, nor get angry or bothered. I am pure love.

“Stop asking for forgiveness, there's nothing to forgive. If I made you, I filled you with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies, and best of all, free will. Why would I blame you if you respond to something I put in you? How could I punish you for being the way you are, if I'm the one who made you? Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who behave badly for the rest of eternity? What kind of god would do that?

“Respect your peers, and don't give what you don't want for yourself. All I ask is that you pay attention in your life—alertness is your guide.

“My beloved, this life is not a test, not a step on the way, not a rehearsal, not a prelude to paradise. This life is the only thing here and now—and it is all you need.

“I have set you absolutely free, no prizes or punishments, no sins or virtues, no one carries a marker, no one keeps a record.
You are absolutely free to create in your life. It’s you who creates heaven or hell.

“Live as if there is nothing beyond this life, as if this is your only chance to enjoy, to love, to exist. Then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is an afterlife, rest assured that I won't ask if you behaved right or wrong, I'll ask, ‘Did you like it? Did you have fun? What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?’

“Stop believing in me; believing is assuming, guessing, imagining. I don't want you to believe in me, I want you to believe in you. I want you to feel me in you when you kiss your beloved, when you tuck in your little girl, when you caress your dog, when you bathe in the sea.

“Stop praising me. What kind of egomaniac God do you think I am? I'm bored with being praised. I'm tired of being thanked. Feeling grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world. Express your joy! That's the way to praise me.

“Stop complicating things and repeating as a parrot what you've been taught about me. Why do you need more miracles? So many explanations?

“The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are alive, that this world is full of wonders.”

Fides and The Ultimate Measuring Machine

A little boy named Fides had a curious toy that his great grandmother gave him when he was born that he called TUMM. He called it that because on the top of the toy were engraved the letters T.U.M.M. His wise old great grandmother told his mom and dad that she would tell Fides all about the toy, but only after he developed a sense of wonder.

That day finally came on his sixth birthday. He received all kinds of presents, like toys, clothes, and practical things for school, but nothing held his interest as much as TUMM. That night as he was going to bed, he had TUMM in his hands and asked his parents about the toy. 

His parents remembered his great grandmother's words, so they took him to see her the very next day. Fides loved to visit with his great grandmother and was excited to see her once again.

When they arrived at her house, they found her sick in bed. She looked older than usual and close to death. Fides was sad because he loved his great grandmother very much. She was sad too, but not because she was afraid of death, but because she would miss her great grandson until he joined her someday in heaven.

As he sat next to her on the bed, she explained to him the wonders of TUMM. She told him that T.U.M.M. stood for "The Ultimate Measuring Machine." There wasn't anything that this machine could not accurately measure. It was, she said, something of a truth detector. She noted that TUMM would make him rich and famous, but it will also bring him a lot of hardship and pain. She then explained to him all the mysteries of TUMM and how to use it. As he left, his great grandmother placed her wrinkled old hands on his head and blessed him. As she laid her head back down, the fire went out of her eyes, and she died.

For a long time, Fides wanted nothing to do with the toy because it reminded him of his great grandmother. But as he began to miss her even more, he began to play with his toy because it reminded him of her. He remembered everything she told him. Fides played with TUMM every chance he had. He grew very adept at measuring, testing measurements, and detecting when other measurements were off.

As I mentioned before, T.U.M.M. stood for "The Ultimate Measuring Machine." There wasn't anything that TUMM couldn't test and measure. At first, Fides checked all the measuring cups, rulers, thermometers, and scales in the house. With the help of TUMM, he was able to see which were faulty and which were closer to the truth. He was able to tell when food spoiled or if an appliance was ready to break. His parents appreciated Fides because now all their things were as close to perfect as can be.

It wasn't long before friends and neighbors were asking Fides to help them with their measurements as well. With the help of TUMM, the men in the factories were able to calibrate their machines. Honest merchants were able to test their scales. Even the weatherman called Fides every day to find out what the actual temperature was. Fides discovered that he could earn money using TUMM and that it was making him famous.

As Fides grew, so did his abilities and popularity. People from all over the world wanted TUMM's help. What Fides enjoyed most was helping people in a court of law. When Fides became a man, he learned to use TUMM so well that he could use it to tell when people were telling the truth. Fides traveled the whole world truth detecting. Innocent people loved Fides and TUMM, but those who wanted to hide their crime hated them.

Over time, Fides made quite a lot of enemies, not only of those convicted of crimes, but those who used to cheat, lie, and steal. Politicians especially hated Fides and TUMM. During this time, people enjoyed peace, prosperity, justice, and equity. Fides himself became one of the richest and most well-known men in the world. 

Because TUMM ruined the livelihood of many a thief, they plotted to stop it. It was impossible to trick Fides to steal or destroy TUMM, so they came up with a different way to wreck it. They figured since they couldn't beat it, they would erode people's confidence in it.

From that day forward, they began to carry out their plan. They spread rumors that TUMM was wearing out with time and usage. They gossiped that Fides was a charlatan. Every day they told a new lie about Fides and TUMM. In time, the lies began to have an affect.

Crooked politicians publicly renounced Fides and his ridiculous toy. Evil editors published fake news. University professors mocked them in their classes. Philosophy professors wrote lengthy dissertations on the impossibility of the existence of an Ultimate Measure, let alone an Ultimate Measuring Machine. They roared with laughter as they changed TUMM's name to UMM. Whenever they made fun of UMM, they shrugged their shoulders and put a stupid look on their face, and muttered, "umm."

Still, many believed in Fides and TUMM. Because of this, the evil plotters devised a plan to, once and for all destroy people's confidence. They proposed that the scientists make a series of tests to determine whether TUMM was indeed The Ultimate Measuring Machine or a hoax. 

The crooks in government gave millions of dollars in grant money to fund scientists from every discipline you could think of to discredit TUMM. To appear objective, they refused to use anything that had already been measured by TUMM lest they sullied the experiments. 

The scientists agreed with the philosophers that no Ultimate Measure existed. Because of this, they had to come up with their own set of standards, measures, and tools by which they would test TUMM.  This took a long time because the scientists could not agree on a standard among themselves since they believe none existed. In the end, each scientist had his own that he made up for himself.

Finally, the day came to test TUMM. It was a grand event. Everybody who was anyone was there, from the greatest to the least. After several speeches and fanfare, the moment of truth arrived. They called Fides to bring TUMM forward.

Individual scientists came forward one by one with their own measuring test. It was the most significant challenge Fides and TUMM ever had because each scientist had his own idea of what he thought the measurement should be. Each time TUMM displayed different measurements than what the scientist predicted. Every time this happened, the scientist boldly proclaimed that TUMM was indeed defective. How could it have different readings for every test? 

Throughout that day, scientists brought forward their own system of measurements for length, volume, density, pressure, etc. Because the scientist invented each, there was no way for TUMM to be Ultimate in anyone's eyes. By the end of the day, people's confidence in Fides and TUMM was, indeed, destroyed. The awe, trust, and admiration they once had turned to contempt and disgust. Soon the people were demanding Fides be put in prison along with his ridiculous toy. And that's just what happened. From that day forward, everyone believed Fides to be a fraud and his silly toy a fake. 

With Fides and TUMM out of the way, the crooks, criminals, and evil politicians took over the world. Death, disease, famine, violence, and injustice soon filled the land, but instead of blaming the crooks, everyone blamed Fides and his toy TUMM. It was a very long time before Fides escaped from prison with TUMM, but that’s a story for another day.

By Any Other Standard but the Bible: A Book Review of Dr. Greg Boyd’s, Inspired Imperfections: How the Bible’s Problems Enhance Its Authority

Inspired Imperfections is the story of how Greg Boyd went from an emotional experience he had in an oneness Pentecost apostate "church" to construct a new "faith" built upon mythology, neo-orthodoxy, and his own flawed reasoning. It is an account of how you can believe the Bible is filled with "errors, contradictions, inaccuracies, and morally offensive material," yet still use that flawed Bible to construct a mythical Jesus of your own making. 

This book displays Boyd's deep faith in the presuppositions of evolution, historical-criticism, man's reason, and anything else but the Bible itself. It is a book that attempts to rescue the Bible from itself. 

After reading Imperfect Imperfections, Boyd hopes the reader can use ideas he gleaned from this flawed Bible as the guiding principle to interpret the Bible itself. 

In short, Inspired Imperfections is Boyd's brilliant self-deception that he seeks to foist upon unsuspecting Christians. Based upon most of the reviews on Amazon and other sites, he has done a masterful job.

If only Boyd learned the real lesson of his evolutionary biology teacher, who said, "It's always good to critically reexamine our foundational assumptions in science." (see Introduction, page xiii) Boyd swallows the presuppositions of evolution, historical-criticism, and human authority hook, line, and sinker. He has a remarkable faith in Man. He believes in anything but the self-attesting revelation of the self-existing Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, given to us in the Bible. 

Boyd misrepresents Biblical inerrancy throughout his book. As Dr. Greg Bahnsen has shown in his excellent article Inerrancy of the Autographa, any copy errors of the Bible are so inconsequential and infrequent that the Bible's integrity is preserved. Besides, the Bible has so many reliable copies, more than any other ancient book, that any minor copying errors are easily detectable.

Moving along, Boyd holds a heretical view of the Trinity. For him, the Trinity is Father/Mother Godself, he, and she. (see his Introduction, pages xx, xxi)

This book is a guide on how you can believe in Jesus apart from Scripture. On page 18, Boyd relates how C.S. Lewis helped him understand that you don't need the Bible to believe in Jesus. This Jesus is vastly different than the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of the Bible is given in the historically accurate account of how the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:8 that if anyone proclaims a different Jesus than the one presented in Scripture, they offer a false Christ. The Jesus of Dr. Greg Boyd is based upon mythology and the neo-orthodox "theology" of Karl Barth.

Speaking of Karl Barth, Boyd takes after his mentor in many ways. Both distrust the self-revelation of the self-existing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through His self-attesting Bible. Both do not believe in history as presented in the Scripture. Both accept the presuppositions of evolution and the evolutionary presuppositions of historical-criticism. Both believe the Bible must be rescued from itself through redefining Biblical theology according to an existential worldview. Both assume "glory to man in the highest," that is, Man is the measure of all things. Boyd and Barth's only real difference is that Boyd thinks his "Cruciform Inspiration" is better than Barth's "Christocentric" theology. 

Boyd cannot see that every one of his critiques starting on page 74 of Barth can be applied to his theology. 

What Boyd never answers is by what standard does he determine what constitutes "errors, contradictions, inaccuracies, and morally offensive material?" My question does not have to do just with the Bible. It has to do with how Boyd determines these things overall. The standard(s) that he uses has to be error-free, logically consistent, 100% accurate, and objective to determine what is or isn't morally offensive? 

Here is Boyd's Achilles heel. In fact, this is the Achilles heel of anyone who denies the absolute authority of inerrant (in the original autographs) and infallible (defined as "cannot make a mistake") Bible. The Bible self-attests to its reliability, integrity, trustworthiness, inspiration, and infallibility. In short, there is no other standard than the Bible itself. 

To presume anything less is to destroy the foundation of science, reason, and morality. It is to set Man as the ultimate standard rather than the self-existing Trinitarian God who revealed everything we need to know about Him and what He requires of us in the Bible.

Boyd implies those who presuppose the Bible as the only authority are committing "Bibliolatry." (see his Glossary on page 174) I ask Boyd and anyone who adheres to this book's theology, How can you say you honor the King but teach that His Word is filled with errors, contradictions, inaccuracies, and morally offensive material? 

Those of us who presuppose the Bible as the only infallible standard do not worship the Book, but we certainly do take seriously "Every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

I could accuse Dr. Greg Boyd of Boydolatry, that is, believing that Boyd, or any other human being for that matter, can stand in judgment of God and His word and make Man's reason the ultimate standard to judge the Bible. 

It's your choice. Do you believe in the fallible theology of Dr. Greg Boyd or the infallible (defined as "cannot err") Bible?

In short, this book is a piece of rubbish. Don't waste your money, instead buy anything from Dr. Greg Bahnsen or Dr. Cornelius Van Til. Both these men will affirm your confidence in the necessity of starting with Sola Scriptura.

The Cure to the Original Lie

We are living in a time when the Bible is under attack. What is sad is that this attack isn't only from those outside the Church. The onslaught is also from those inside the Church. For example, one popular pastor wrote a book recently claiming that the Bible has "a multitude of errors, contradictions, and historical inaccuracies, as well as morally offensive material." It's difficult to imagine a Christian, let alone a pastor, would write such nonsense.

There is only one test for Truth in all the world, and that is the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:16+17, God proclaims He inspired all Scripture and that the Bible is,

Profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is the only self-attesting Book in the world that claims to be the self-revelation of the self-existing Trinitarian God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible does not need any outside authority to verify its authenticity or its authority. If anyone uses another standard to authenticate the Bible, that standard has more authority than the Bible. There is only one Authorative Standard, and that is the Bible itself. It has no errors, contradictions, and historical inaccuracies, nor morally offensive material. Anyone who judges God's Book is claiming to be greater than God.

You can trust the Bible as being the very words of God. It is error-free in the original documents, and God has preserved the Bible's integrity throughout time and transmission. Any mistakes in later copies are so inconsequential that we can be confident that all God wanted to communicate to us is reliable and authentic. Besides, these mistakes are easily detectable, given that the Bible has more reliable copies than any other ancient writing.

As for contradictions, it is far easier to claim there are any than providing any credible evidence to prove it. People who argue such things already assume some, and they see them whether they exist or not. We know beforehand there aren't any, so it is a waste of time to look for them.

People who claim the Bible is historically inaccurate assume they have perfect knowledge of history. How can they possibly know that any proof outside the Bible is more reliable than the Bible itself? They would have to be God to know such things.

I write all these things to you just in case the Original Lie tempts you. What was that lie? It is found in Genesis 3:1 when Satan said to Eve,

Did God really say…?

All deception comes down to this one lie. Satan and his minions continue to use it to this very day. Anyone who propagates the Original Lie is in league with the devil whether they realize it or not.

There is no other standard known to man than the written words of God contained in Scripture. This does not mean we shut off our minds when we read the Bible. Because God chose to communicate through the medium of written words, this means that we must engage all our mental faculties and all tools necessary to get at what God meant when He had His words written. This means, at times, Biblical interpretation takes work. Most of the time, the Bible is clear as a bell as to what God intends to communicate. There are only a few instances in Scripture when it takes a little more work to understand.

Why is the Bible necessary to keep us from deception and disobedience? It is because we live in a fallen world, and we are fallen. This means that sometimes it is difficult to know what is true and what is false. If we look to anything else other than the Bible, we cannot know whether what we think, believe, feel, or experience is true or not.

We see this principle all the time in the world. The north star does not change. If it is cloudy out, we can take out a compass and use the north pole's magnetism to point us in the right direction. Machines continually need to be calibrated for accuracy. The measure that we use is the standard. We have universal means to measure distance, weight, time, energy, and a whole host of other things. We even have standards in abstract subjects such as science and logic. But even these are possible only because the Christian Triune God has communicated about Himself through the Bible.

Not only that, the Bible communicates that the self-existing Triune God makes all measurement possible because He is the Ultimate Standard. The Bible is true because God is the Truth. Logic is only possible because God is the God of reason. Science is possible because God holds the universe together and orders all things. We know what is right and wrong because God revealed His character through His Law. I could go on, but I think I made my point.

We can avoid being deceived and deceiving ourselves by calibrating what we believe, think, feel, and experience according to the Bible. We can know who God is and what He is like by reading His words. We can understand what we can and cannot do by studying His Law. We can know if something we are doing is sinful by comparing it to what He revealed about Himself in the Scriptures. In short, God has given us everything we need to know Him, what He is like, what He requires of us, and how He wants us to live by studying and obeying everything we read in His authoritative word.

Those who believe the Bible is a flawed book deceive themselves. They bought the Original Lie, 'Did God really say…?" If the Bible has "a multitude of errors, contradictions, and historical inaccuracies, as well as morally offensive material," we get to pick and choose what we like and what we don't enjoy, much like a person filling his plate while passing through a salad bar. You don't like something, move on. How can we know whether what we are reading is a lie, an error, a mistake, a contradiction, an inaccuracy, etc.? When this happens, Man becomes the measure of all things and not God.

Why am I taking so much time writing about the Bible? Because I know what it is like to deceive myself. I thought I could defy God's word and not be judged. And I suffered the consequences, not only me but other people who know and love me. I do not intend to make the same mistake twice. I hope you won't as well.

Because of that, I read and study the Bible daily. I read every word as if God is speaking directly to me because He is. From its pages I learn about the Trinity, Father God, Jesus Christ His only Son, the promised Holy Spirit, the nature of the Church, and so much more.

Do I take the Bible literally? I do, especially when the literary context demands that the words be taken literally. God speaks through a myriad of literary techniques such as metaphor, similes, stories, parables, prophecy, and so on. When I come across different types of literature, I let the Bible speak for itself, and I look for clues in the text that signal not only what God is speaking but also how He is speaking. I use the Bible to study the Bible. I always study in context and use Scripture to interpret Scripture. I also use history and original languages to help me understand the Bible. But never are these tools used to judge the Bible. They are always tools to help me know what God is communicating in the Bible.

And most importantly, if I ever come across anything in the Bible that is contrary to what I think, believe, feel, or experience, I know I have to change and not the Bible. Any time anyone changes the Bible to conform to their lifestyle, their sin, or their preconceived beliefs or experiences, they are deceived. They have fallen prey to the Original Lie, "Did God really say…? God's Spirit will never do anything or speak anything subjectively contrary to the authority of Scripture.

We know that we are saved because the Bible tells us that "all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved." To believe anything less than what God has revealed in the Bible is to accept the Original Lie.

The King’s Book

Once upon a time, there was a wise king of a great kingdom. He was revered by all. Whenever anyone talked about the king, they did so with honor and respect. Whenever he passed by, people would humbly bow and acknowledge his authority.

The ancient law of the land stated that anything the king said while sitting on his throne was to be carefully written down. The sole task of the scribes was writing down everything the king said. It wasn't a difficult job, though, because the king was careful in everything he said while sitting on his throne, and he was not a man of many words. When the king finished speaking all that he wished to say, he ordered the scribes to bind the pages into what was called the King's Book.

Everyone in the land had a copy of the King's Book. It contained everything the king wished the people to know and to do. You would think that people would take it seriously, especially since they honored the king. But such was not the case.

While the king was highly esteemed, the King's Book was not. Some said the Book was filled with errors. Others laughed at the stories, poems, and parables contained in the Book. The scholars of the land questioned its authenticity.

Teachers throughout the land refused to teach the King's Book to children. It was used in the Universities, though, but not in the way you would expect. The professors made fun of the King's Book in each and every class until every university student learned to do the same. The professors were careful to fail any student who believed the words contained in the King's Book. Even the artists and writers joined in the derision through their art, plays, and books.

Some took the King's Book seriously, however. They believed a person can't be honored, let alone a king, while at the same time laughing at what he said. They were called dumb, stupid, and dull-witted because they not only believed what was written in the King's Book, but they sought to obey what was written in its pages.

As you can imagine, they suffered a lot in this kingdom. They were accused of worshipping the King's Book and were renounced by the pastors as heretics. Some were beaten. Others were thrown into prison. Not a few lost their lives, not because they dishonored the king, but because they would not disgrace the King's Book.

Contained in the King's Book was a prophecy that the king would punish everyone who did not honor him and his Book. Of course, hardly anyone took this prophesy seriously since few took anything the king said to heart. After what seemed like an eternity, the day came when the king carried out his prophecy.

At first, no one believed when the soldiers came and ordered them to stand before the king to be judged according to his Book. As they gathered, the king stood to speak. He read his own words written so many years ago. Some people laughed as the king read. Others mocked, booed, and jeered. Still, others cried out in anger as they tried to drown out the king's voice as he read from his Book.

The noise was so loud that the people could not hear anything that the king was saying. If they listened, they would have heard the king read that he would pardon all who both honored him and his Book. He told them that it is impossible to honor him without honoring his words. Sadly, no one listened. They refused to believe that honoring the king had anything to do with dishonoring his written word. Finally, the time came to pass judgment. All who refused to listen were cast out of the kingdom and exiled forever.

Next, the king released from prison all who had honored him and his word. They were given a place of honor in his kingdom. All the lands, houses, goods, and possessions of those in exile were given to them.

The last prophecy in the King's Book was the promise that all who were killed would be brought back to life and given special places of authority. However, no one was surprised that this happened because they had already read about it in the King's Book.

And they lived happily ever after.

The Executive Order You Need to Obey

Today is Thanksgiving. It is an official holiday where our government decrees that we as a nation are to give God thanks. Did you know that the word "holiday" comes from the old English words "holy day?" I read that George Washington made the first executive order by proclaiming day of Thanksgiving day on October 3, 1789. 

Exactly seventy-four years later, Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order proclaiming the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." Franklin D. Roosevelt, too, made an executive order making Thanksgiving a permanent national holy day. Ever since, the president of United States of America has affirmed and upheld this holy day of Thanksgiving.

That's right, the United States of America's government established, affirms, and promotes a national holy day where we as a nation are to set aside a holy day to give thanks to God. But doesn't this go against the First Amendment, the establishment of religion? Not at all. The government should acknowledge and give thanks to the One True Trinitarian God who revealed Himself in the Bible. The separation of Church and State does not meant the separation of State and God.

It makes no sense to give thanks to the universe or mother nature, or anything else. The Bible is clear that there are no gods but the One True God who has revealed Himself through Scripture. In His Holy Word, God demands that we give thanks. Here are a few examples:

Enter his gates with Thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:4

I will give the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7:17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

That our nation is in crisis, there can be no doubt. Our whole world is changing rapidly, and I don't think it is for the better. Many people are hurting today. Even here in the United States, I see more and more people on the roadside with signs that say "Homeless and Hungry." I won’t even talk about all that’s happening around the election or the latest news about COVID-19.

What's going wrong? The answer is found in Romans 1:18-23 where it says it is because God is not honored, and people do not give Him thanks. Read for yourself:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Emphasis mine)

The rest of Romans 1 tells us what happens when we fail to honor God as God or give thanks to Him. If the rest of chapter one isn't a description of what is happening in our country and in our world, I don't know what is. 

Today, we have a choice as a nation. We can obey this executive order and give God thanks, or we can continue on in our foolish ways. I want to encourage you to take this day to seriously, honor Him, and give Him thanks. 

Will The Real God Please Stand Up?

To Tell The Truth

I remember a television show when I was growing up called To Tell the Truth. In the show, celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants who have something about them that is not obvious. The panelists have to question the contestants to determine who is telling the truth and who are lying. Two of the contestants can lie all they want, but the real person must always tell the truth. After questioning the contestants, the panelists have to vote on who they think is telling the truth. At the end of the show, we have the moment of truth. The announcer asks, “Will the real Person, please stand up?” and the real person reveals himself.

As I interact with other Christians through reading their blogs, checking out their social media, or dialoguing with them in one form or another, I am amazed how different their understanding of God is from the God I read about in the pages of Scripture. At times, I get discouraged because I feel like the God many Christians believe in is so different than the one I see revealed in the Bible. I wonder how many Christians would vote for God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture if they were a panelists on To Tell the Truth.

Contrast of Gods

To illustrate my point, first I list just a few common beliefs about God that most American Christians believe. Next, I show that God says the complete opposite in the Bible. I try to make it this stark so people can see the contrast.

The American God

God loves everyone.

The God of the Bible

God hates the wicked.

Though God has a general love for the “world” and He loves His lost sheep (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10), He hates those who defy Him in thought, word, and deed.

Example Verse: 

You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. Psalm 5:4–5

The American God

God changed His mind. Certain behaviors that were once considered sinful are now deemed holy in the eyes of God.

The God of the Bible

God does not change nor do His standards of righteousness. 

Example verses: 

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 3:19

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. Malachi 3:6

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

The American God

Everyone is going to heaven.

The God of the Bible

Jesus Christ was clear in many of His parables that there is coming a day of judgment where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12) 

Example verse:

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:41+42

The American God

If you are sincere, you will go to heaven. 

The God of the Bible

Sincerity will not save you. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that is manifested through Spirit-empowered obedience that will save us. This is not to say that Christians do not sometimes fall into sin. (1 John 2:1) We do. But when we do, we know that the Father is not pleased and will chastise us until we leave our sinful ways. (Hebrews 13)

Example verse:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

There are many more examples, but these will suffice to make my point. You may not like what the Bible says, but you cannot deny that it says what it says. 

Two Views of Scripture

If I had to diagnose the difference, I have to say it comes down to people’s understanding of the Bible. It comes down to two views. The first view is that the Bible is the only self-attesting book that reveals the self-existing triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This view takes what God says of Himself in the Bible. God claims the Bible is infallible; that is it cannot err. God reveals in the Bible that He is the foundation for science, reason, and morals. He claims that His written word is True and is the Standard of Truth. 

The second view is expressed in many different ways but can essentially be traced back to an authority other than Scripture. The authority is ultimately a person, whoever they are, who decides for himself what the Bible means.

The first view assumes God has one intended meaning in the Bible, and He is the one who has the right to determine what it means. This view uses all the literary tools available to us to get at God’s intended meaning. If those who hold to the first view encounter anything in the Bible that contradicts what they think, believe, feel, or experience, they know they must change and not the Bible.

Those who hold to the second view use another standard to determine whether what the Bible says is true or not. This takes many forms. For example, some assume that miracles are impossible, so they either dismiss the miracles in the Scripture or try to explain them away. Another example is those who want to live life according to their own standards. They don’t like that the Bible says their lifestyle is sinful. Hence, they twist the Scripture until they are satisfied that the Bible doesn’t mean what it obviously says and that Christians for thousands of years were mistaken in thinking that behavior is sinful. 

The Final Authority

I can give thousands of examples, but they all boil down to one common difference from the first view. What is that difference? That Man is the final authority of truth over the Scripture. The first view does not deny that people have to use their minds. This view fully engages the mind but also considers that our minds can’t always be trusted. Romans 1:28 talks about how God “gave them up to a debased mind.” Romans 1:21 says people become “futile in their thinking”, and “their foolish hearts” become “darkened.” It is not until people, by the power of the Holy Spirit, submit themselves to God through Jesus Christ that they can be “transformed by the renewing of their minds.” (Romans 12:2) 

And we can’t trust our hearts as Jeremiah says in 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Which God would you vote for if you were one of the panelists on, To Tell the Truth where different “Gods” were the contestants? Would you vote for the god that makes you feel good about yourself, or would you vote for the God who has revealed Himself in the Scripture?

The Lie Detector Test

If you were on such a panel, there is only one way you could know whether the “God” you were questioning was telling the truth or not? You would have to open your Bible and verify his answer. If it did not match up with the whole of Scripture, you would know who is lying and telling the truth.

It is time to read the Bible. Take time to examine everything you think, believe, and feel in light of the Scripture. Familiarize yourself with the entire word and not just the popular parts posted in memes on social media. And if you find anything contrary to what you think, believe, and feel or is contrary to what someone else is saying or doing, you must go with Scripture and not with man.

The real God has stood up! He has revealed Himself in the Bible. If you worship Him, you won’t just win on a tv show; you will have life for all eternity! Follow any other god and you will lose.