Counterfeit Christianity: And The Counterfeit Christ

Note: All Biblical references to "God" as “Him” or “Father” have been removed to avoid offending any Counterfeit Christians.

---

Counterfeit Christianity seeks for people to accept Christ. The person who accepts Christ has done God a great favor by alleviating God's distress because of our rejection of God. It makes God's well-being dependent upon our response to Christ. Jesus is God "fishing" for people to see who might or might not respond to God's offer of the sacrifice for sin.

God is depicted as a desperate lover seeking to woo us. The Counterfeit Christian believes God puts no ultimate demand for holiness, purity, and obedience. Since we do God a favor by accepting Christ, there's no need for God to demand anything of us beyond being “nice.” All that matters is that people accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. This warms God's desperate and lonely heart.

God's love through the Counterfeit Christ opened a way for all to participate in the wedding feast of the Lamb. God welcomes sincere believers of all faiths. God includes everyone in eternity, much like Aslan accepted the Tash-worshipping Emeth in The Last Battle in the Chronicles of Narnia:

...the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of Thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me... I take to me the services which thou hast done to him, for I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oaths sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he knows it not, and it is I who reward him...

God's grace is God's ability in the Counterfeit Christ to overlook a person's sin while at the same time welcoming the sinner into God's presence. Any problem with sin is not our problem; it is God's problem. The good news is that God has made Godself acceptable to the sinner by providing a way for the sinner to be welcomed into God’s presence. In the end, the death of Jesus Christ was more for God's benefit than ours.

The Counterfeit Christ makes it possible for God to change. God is still speaking so God is still changing God’s mind. What God once called "sin" has now been rebooted by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. God now sees through blood-stained glasses. God peers through the eyes of Christ. Now God's love is all-inclusive, ultra-tolerant, and universal.

The God of the Counterfeit Christ is no longer wrathful. God spent it upon Jesus. Christ has proven that God desperately loves us, and God includes all. This Jesus has ascended to the pantheon of gods and goddesses of all religions. And if we follow Christ, we will obey Christ's teaching that the ultimate work of Christians of all faiths seeks to eradicate injustice, prejudice, and intolerance.

The churches of the Counterfeit Christ are all about making everyone feel good. The sermons focus on 10 steps, 3 principles, or a self-help guide. The programs encompass the campus. The non-confrontational gospel is that we are making a difference in the world by walking in the wide path of peace at all costs.

God is the God of compromise, of middle ground, of tolerance; the God of the Counterfeit Christ.

Counterfeit Christianity: Exegesis or Exit Jesus

Introduction

When I was in seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, most of the students were from the south. They spoke with heavy southern accents that sometimes made understanding difficult. During my first semester there, I kept hearing seniors talking about a course that sounded like, "exaaJeesus.". I thought they were saying “exit Jesus.” It took me a while to understand that they referred to a required course called Greek "Exegesis."

Definitions

That may be a new term for some of my readers. Exegesis is a Greek term made up of two root words. The first part is "ex," which means "out of." We get the word "exit" from the same root. The second part is from the Greek word "hegeisthai," which means "to lead or to guide." So, exegesis means "to lead out of."

What does that have to do with the Bible and Counterfeit Christianity? To "exegete" the Bible means to let the Bible speak for itself. Instead of reading into the Bible our own meaning, we seek to discover the sense that "leads out" from the Text itself. The exegete (the one studying the Bible) seeks to determine what God's intended meaning is in every passage.

The opposite of exegesis is another Greek term - "eisegesis." The prefix "eis" here means "into" rather than "out of." The second part of the word is the same, so "eisegesis" means "to lead into." In other words, to "eisegete" the Scripture means to read into the Bible some preconceived idea, philosophy, notion, or worldview.

Who Determines Meaning?

Believe it or not, the difference between exegesis and eisegesis is at the heart of literary interpretation and not just Biblical interpretation. Who has the authority to determine the meaning, the author of the reader? When we interact with the creation of another, who determines meaning? If you believe the author does, then you believe in exegesis. If the one experiencing the work has final authority over meaning, then you believe in eisegesis.

This is of the utmost importance when it comes to Bible interpretation. Who has the ultimate authority to determine what the Bible means, the reader or God? Biblical Christianity says God because the Bible self-attests that the one and only self-existing Trinitarian God is the Author who wrote through individual human authors. Since He is the Ultimate Author, this makes Him the Ultimate Authority over the Bible's meaning. This is why the Bible is self-authenticating. This is also why two of the essential interpretive principles are that we must understand every Scripture in context, and we must use Scripture to interpret Scripture.

_____ Theology

You can recognize Counterfeit Christianity whenever someone reads into the Bible their preconceived ideas, philosophy, or theology. You can see this whenever a word is placed in front of theology. Some examples are Liberation Theology, Queer Theology, Process Theology, Natural Theology, Feminist Theology, Liberal Theology, Neo-Orthodox Theology, etc.

Even well-intending Christians need to be careful when approaching the Bible with traditional Christian labels such as Calvinistic Theology, Methodist Theology, Baptist Theology, Reformed Theology, Arminian Theology, Catholic Theology, etc. Perhaps the best primary term we can use is Biblical Theology, which implies that the Bible alone determines what "Biblical" Theology is rather than some form of imposed meaning.

The Importance of Biblical Theology

It is only through Biblical Theology that we can begin to develop Systematic Theology, which is man's attempt to categorize various themes, doctrines, and subjects found throughout the Bible. Since the Bible was not written as a systematic treatise, it helps to see the unified theology scattered throughout the various types of Biblical literature such as narratives, poetry, prophecy, etc.

The biggest challenge for us humans is to let the Bible speak for itself. In the end, there needs to be an Exegetical Biblical Theology. This is a theology that seeks to let God's intended meaning lead out of the Bible. It means the reader has to be aware as much as possible of his or her own bias.

Preconceived Notions

Most people are unaware of their own preconceived notions. Biblical Christians are intentional in how they approach Scripture. We intentionally and unapologetically start with the preconceived idea that we should take the Bible at its own word, that it is the self-revelation of the one and only self-existing Trinitarian God. We start and finish with what the Bible says about itself, that God is the Author of meaning and inspired His Book to be written.

We understand that we still need the Holy Spirit to quicken the Truth contained in the Bible to our hearts and minds. Why? Because that's what the Bible says of itself:

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 1 Corinthians 2:13-15

Biblical Theology begins with the pre-commitment that if anything in the Bible contradicts what we think, believe, feel, do, or experience, we must change, not the Bible. Anytime we find ourselves at odds with Scripture's clear teaching, we must conform to the Bible and not the Bible to us.

Two Examples

"Exit Jesus" imposes a preconceived idea on the Bible. You want to find Marxism in the Bible and interpret it according to Karl Marx? You will find proof for it in Scripture pages. Anything that contradicts Marx either has to change, be reinterpreted, or be ignored. The same goes for all the other "theologies" that comes to the Bible.

Queer Theology believes Jesus had a sexual relationship with John because John "laid on his bosom" in John 13:23. It sees David and Jonathan having a same-sex sexual relationship because it says in 1 Samuel 18:1 that "the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." Start with Queer Theology and you will see examples all throughout the Bible.

Counterfeit Christianity makes the Real Christ of Scripture "exit" and allows for a false Jesus as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:4:

For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Make a Choice

The choice is clear. We either come to the Bible with the preconceived commitment that we must take the Bible at its own word because the Bible commands us to take the Bible at its word, or we intentionally impose our preconceived ideas upon the Bible. Biblical Christianity honors God through practicing exegesis. Counterfeit Christianity ultimately results in Exit Jesus!

3. Counterfeit Christianity: The Bible And...

A Quick Guide to Coin Counterfeiting

Speaking of counterfeiting, did you know there is a way to counterfeit precious metal coins? This is how to do it. First, you start by minting coins that are as pure as possible. Get people to trust and use these precious coins. To prevent people from shaving the edges, you put ridges on the sides to easily detect it.

To get around ridged edges, you have to debase the coins. You mix the pure coins with cheap metal. The amount of precious metal that took to make one can now make two or more coins. Eventually, people will catch on, and the merchants will raise their prices. It's not that the value of goods and services went up; it's that the value of the coins you initially used went down. This, by the way, is how inflation first started back in the Roman Empire.

Debasing the Pure Faith

Counterfeit Christianity is like debasing pure coins. Often what starts as Biblical Christianity slowly, over time, becomes Counterfeit Christianity. The debasement begins whenever human beings mix impure human teaching to the inerrant and infallible Bible.

Counterfeit Religions

Some religions are 100% counterfeit coins. There's no precious metal in them. The sacred writings of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Paganism are like that. There's nothing of eternal value in any of these religions or any like them. While atheists and humanists claim not to have sacred texts, it is obvious to see they esteem some writings above others, but one thing is sure, they do not adhere to the self-attesting Bible.

Mormons have the Bible and the Book of Mormon. JW's, the Bible and the Watchtower. Islam recognizes parts of the Bible and the Quran. Judaism has the Tanakh and other books such as the Talmud but outright reject the New Testament's precious metal. These, and religions like them, are counterfeits.

Are All Counterfeits?

But what about various expressions of Biblical Christianity? For example, Methodists have Wesley's 52 Standard Sermons. Calvinists hold to Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion. Roman Catholics believe in the Apocrypha and the Pope speaking ex-cathedra. These are just a few examples of various expressions of Biblical Christianity. But are they Counterfeit Christianity?

The beauty of the Bible is that it is self-authenticating. It claims to be the sole arbiter of Truth. The Bible claims to be God's objective self-revelation to humanity. Biblical Christianity takes God at His own word that He has spoken through the Bible. This means that true Christians check everything they think, believe, feel, and experience against the objective Truth in the Bible.

The Refining Power of Scripture

The refining power of the Bible is the Spirit’s continual purification of what we believe. Biblical Methodists are willing to ditch anything in Wesley's sermons that are contrary to Scripture. Biblical Calvinists are eager to do the same with Calvin. Biblical Roman Catholics will dare to jettison anything that does not align with Scripture and thus fulfill the Reformation's challenge. This is true with every “brand” of Christianity, whether it is a denomination or a church centered on a particular emphasis.

The courage to refine our beliefs with the Bible's fire is what sets Biblical Christianity against Counterfeit Christianity. Christians have expressed this through the Latin phrase "Sola Scriptura," which means Scripture alone. That little phrase encapsulates the heart of Biblical Christianity.

Sola Scriptura

As Biblical Christians, we do not stand on our own authority. Individually we do not have the corner market on truth. Our authority stands or falls on the Truth communicated through the self-attesting Christ of the Bible. If we or anyone else speak something that is contrary to the Bible, then what we are promoting is the "Bible and…". Do not believe me or anyone else if what we say does not line up with the clear teaching of the Bible.

2. Counterfeit Christianity: Authenticating the Bible

Introduction

Did you know there is such a thing as a "self-authenticating" document? I learned this as I acted as a Pro Se litigant in a Civil trial. Many State courts have "self-authentication" as part of their Rules of Evidence. They are often similar to Rule 902 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, which, for example, states that documents signed and sealed by a Notary Public are "self-authenticating." In other words, you do not need outside verification to prove the veracity of the document.

External Authentication

Counterfeit Christianity seeks to authenticate the Bible based on extrinsic evidence. Instead of taking the Bible at its self-testimony, people refuse to believe unless some outside source proves the Bible true. Within the pages of Scripture, God claims to be speaking directly in the Bible over three-thousand times. Add the times the inspired authors of the Bible declare that God spoke to and through them; the number is much higher.

There are many well-meaning Christian scholars with far more degrees than me who will disagree with me on this point. They claim that they must first authenticate the Bible by historical evidence, archeology, other ancient documents, etc., to persuade unbelievers the God of the Bible is worthy of obedience.

C.S. Lewis and Greg Boyd

Some go as far as to say that the Bible is filled with so much error that it cannot authenticate itself. For example, Dr. Greg Boyd talks about how C.S. Lewis helped him believe in a "Jesus" apart from the Bible. On page 21 in his book Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible's Problems Enhance its Divine Authority, Boyd writes:

What impressed me most about Lewis's argument was that he appealed to reason and history, not to a divinely inspired Bible, when making his case for believing in Jesus. Yes, Lewis appealed to the Gospels, but he appealed to them not as divinely inspired documents but simply as ancient documents that need to be critically evaluated the same way historians critically evaluate other ancient documents.

This is precisely what allowed me to begin to once again consider embracing faith in Jesus, despite all the problems that I knew were in the Bible. Whatever else might be said about these problems, they didn't substantially undermine the historical evaluation of the Gospels, and this didn't undermine Lewis's case for believing that the historical Jesus was the Son of God, as the Gospels present him.

In other words, everything but the Bible can serve to authenticate the Bible; this includes reason, history, other ancient documents, scholars, and so on. While Boyd states that the Bible "needs to be critically evaluated the same way historians critically evaluate other ancient documents," the net result is that historians and "other ancient documents" stand in judgment of the Bible.

Self-Defeating Non-Authentication

Here is a subtle but important point in understanding Counterfeit Christianity; whenever someone uses an external source to authenticate the Bible, that source now stands as the authority over the Bible. Instead of the Bible being self-authenticating, they believe they must prove the Bible to be true before it is worthy of being trusted.

This opens the door to all kinds of problems. How do we verify that the authenticator, be it a human or a document, is worthy of authenticating the Bible? This type of thinking collapses into absurdity. If an ancient document is used to prove the Bible, how do we know this historical document is authentic? If we trust that a historian has authenticated it, what standard do we used to verify that the historian is, indeed, trustworthy in his assessment?

Perhaps the historian has a degree from an accredited University, but who accredited the University? If we dig into the accreditation process, how do we know that the standards used to accredit the University were worthy of being used? Where did they get them? Perhaps the standards were compiled by a panel of people from years past. How do we know that these people are worthy of making these standards? And on and on it goes.

In the end, this type of authentication process regresses into an infinite regressional absurdity. Or it begs the question; that the authentication must be assumed for it to be considered authentic. But this self-authentication is founded upon man's fallibility and has no way to be authenticated from an outside objective standard.

Divine Authorship

The only way out of this conundrum is to take the Bible at its word, that it is the historical self-revelation of the one and only self-existing God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible does not need to have any outside person verify, authenticate, prove, or testify its authenticity. It is self-authenticating.

Well-Meaning but Mistaken Apologists

While I believe there are many sincere, gifted, and well-meaning Christian apologists whose mission in life is to prove the Bible's authenticity through outside sources, I think they're doing more harm than good. They are falling prey to the oldest Satanic lie in the Book, "Did God really say?" (Genesis 3:1)

The Bible Authenticates History

This is not to say that some historical fact can't correspond to a historical reality that is in the Bible, but it must be crystal clear that the Bible confirms the historical truth and not the other way around. For example, Josh and Sean McDowell, in their book Evidence that Demands a Verdict, have a whole chapter dedicated to The Historical Existence of Jesus starting on page 143. While it is interesting to see evidence that collaborates with the Bible, our faith must be in the Bible and not outside evidence. I know the evidence in McDowell's book is authentic when Scripture verifies it.

There is evidence that corresponds to what is found in Scripture because the Bible is a historical document, as well as the self-revelation of the self-existing Trinitarian God. The men and women in the Bible existed in various times and places. Since this is true, it is no surprise to find countless corroborating pieces of evidence. Why would we expect otherwise?

The Self-Authenticating Bible

It comes down to two choices; either an outside self-authenticating source must verify the Bible or the Bible self-authenticates. Counterfeit Christianity looks for external sources before believing the Bible. Biblical Christianity takes God at His word:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 1 Timothy 3:16+17

1. Counterfeit Christianity: The Introduction

Real Money

I’m told they train bank tellers to identify counterfeit money by giving them "real" money to examine for an entire day. Federal paper money is made up of 75% cotton and 25% linen so it looks and feels different. Because of this, it is relatively easy to detect counterfeit dollars once you are familiar with the "real thing." 

Modern Christianity is much like this. Many Christians have a difficult time distinguishing between counterfeit Christianity and the "real thing" unless someone shows them the difference. However, my illustration is not complete. 

Federal money is, in itself, counterfeit money. The U.S. Constitution explicitly states in Article 1 (The Legislative Branch), Section 10 (Powers Prohibited of the States) that States shall not:

Make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts.

In other words, "real money" is not a piece of paper; it is gold and silver. There is no difficulty discerning a piece of paper from a real gold or silver coin. 

This is true for metal coins as well. You can even hear the difference between a metal quarter from a silver quarter just from the sound they make when you drop them. Metal coins sound dull while silver coins make a bright vibrant sound when they hit the ground.

Real Christianity is as easily detectable as being able to differentiate a piece of paper or a metal coin from a precious metal coin. In this series, I teach Christians to recognize "real" Christianity, which is as different from Counterfeit Christianity as paper is from gold and silver.

Why This Series?

I’m writing this series on Counterfeit Christianity for two reasons. First, to help Christians sharpen their understanding of what true Christianity is. Yes, there is such a thing as true Christianity and false Christianity. The Bible warns in several places against false teaching. For example:

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you. 1 Timothy 6:20+21

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

The second reason is that many Christian leaders profess to be Christians but are false teachers. Many Christians are intimidated when a teacher or pastor has a “Dr.” before their name or have fancy academic letters trailing it. While education can be significant, far too often, men and women lose their faith in institutions of higher learning and substitute Biblical Christianity for Counterfeit Christianity. Unless Christians understand this, it is easy to be fooled by false teachers:

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. Romans 16:17

Why Me?

I have attended church all of my life. I have been a committed Christian for over 45 years. I studied the Bible and Christian apologetics when I was a teenager reading authors such as C.S. Lewis, Os Guinness, Francis Schaffer, Duane Gish, Henry Morris, R.C. Sproul, Norman Geisler, and many more. I earned a Bachelors's Degree in Philosophy for the sole purpose of preparing myself for pastoral ministry and defending the Christian faith. 

I obtained a Masters in Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary and have served in some form of pastoral ministry for over 32 years. During that time, I have dedicated myself to studying the Bible through preaching, teaching, and personal study. I continue a rigorous study of the Bible and particularly Christian Apologetics, as my 2020 study list from the past year demonstrates.

God’s Call

I believe God has not only prepared me to write this series on Counterfeit Christianity; He has called and designed me to write it. It’s not that I think I am better or more qualified than others, it’s that I have my own unique voice to contribute to God’s advancing Kingdom. I see myself sharing with others in the more excellent work of the Spirit in proclaiming and defending Biblical Christianity. However, I feel the “fire shut up in my bones” like Jeremiah:

“If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9”

While I got lost a few years ago, Jesus Christ came and found me, the 100th sheep. I have no delusions that I deserve to be a spokesman for Jesus Christ, but this is in line with what God revealed about how He does things:

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Be Prepared

I pray people who know me and who do not know me will read and benefit from this series. I feel an urgency in writing this because the days, indeed, are evil. (Ephesians 5:16) Our country and our world are quickly moving toward establishing a one-world religion, and it isn’t Biblical Christianity.

I can tell you from the start what this religion does not look like. It is not the self-revelation of the one and only self-existing Trinitarian Father, Son, and Holy Spirit God who has spoken to us in His self-authenticating word. The new religion tolerates all religions except for Biblical Christianity. That’s because Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). There is no other true “religion” and no other “way” to be right with God.

Sola Gloria Deo!

To God Be the Glory!

More Thoughts on Gathering a Church Fellowship

How To Start a Church

I've been thinking more about facilitating the gathering a new church fellowship. I thought I would put together a general list of the latest and most advanced techniques the world has to offer on how to do this.

(Please read to the end, or you will miss my point.)

Taking Care of Business

Did you know there are formulas for starting a church? I found a website called www.StartChurch.com where their 5 easy steps start with 1. Incorporation, 2. Getting your Federal Employer Identification Number, 3. Bylaws, 4. Setting Policies, and 5. Obtaining your 501(c)3 tax-exemption. Gosh, even Wikihow gets in on the act by publishing their own version of the 5 easy steps.

That’s Mega not MAGA

There are literally hundreds of organizations and webpages that will help you start and build a church. For example, here are 4 Secret Tactics for Building a Mega Church.

One of the Christian gurus of the Mega-Church movement is Rick Warren of the Saddleback Mega-Church. He shares his secrets to build a Mega Church in a Bigthink.com video where he discloses how his mentor was Peter Drucker. Wikipedia tells us that Peter Drucker was:

An Austrian management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation. He was also a leader in the development of management education, he invented the concept known as management by objectives and self-control, and he has been described as "the founder of modern management".

Considering that it is reported that Rick Warren is worth around 28 million, I'd say he really knows what He's talking about.

Logistics

Let's see, you'd have to rent a theater, hire a cool worship band, buy all kinds of equipment, and spend a small fortune on advertising. Don't forget to study demographics to ensure you are building in an optimal geographic area with plenty of money and people.

Tone it Down

You will have to tone down the Christian rhetoric. It can be, shall we say, off-putting, especially if you want to bring in the crowds. Be sure you have a charismatic personality running the show that can preach a sermon that would be worthy of a TedTalk. 

Bread and Circuses

The key is entertaining programs and services. You need a ministry for every sub-group imaginable: youth, children, women, men, married, single, divorced, addicted, and so on.

Eventually, you can move into selling merchandise. Gosh, you can sell tee-shirts, coffee mugs, coffee, cookies, books, videos, DVDs, on-line access, if you name it, you can sell it.

Pass the Plate… Twice!

But never forget to pass the offering plate. Do it two or three times if you have to. Better yet, make payment easier. Pause in the service for a cellphone “transfer of cash break.” With less friction comes more income. Use PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, you name it.

And think about the advantages of covid closures! No more heating and air-conditioning costs! People can attend church without ever leaving their homes.

Eazy-peezy Christianeasy! 

Or…

A group of people who love Jesus Christ can gather together for worship, prayer, edification, and fellowship. They can meet in a home, a building, a gym, catacombs, or wherever. They consult, to the best of their ability, the Bible as their only standard of authority. They don't register with the State. Instead of doing "what works," they strive to do what pleases God. That's the kind of church I want to belong to.

7 Why I am (still) a Christian: Because God Chose Me!

I am a (still) Christian because God wanted me to be one. God chose me to be a Christian. Dare I say that God elected me?

Whether you believe the Bible says that you are elected because God chose you first or that you are elected once you chose God, the result is still the same; election!. There’s no way to deny that the doctrine of election is in the Bible: (italic emphasis in each verse is mine)

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44

 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. Acts 16:14

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:29+30

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 3:3-11

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. 2 Timothy 1:8+9

For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

I am (still) a Christian because God chose me. It’s that simple. If you are a Christian, it is because God chose you as well. It doesn’t matter whether you think He chose you because you made a decision for Christ or He chose you in order that you could make a decision for Christ. Either way, He chose you!

If you are an unbeliever, you have to ask yourself whether God has chosen you or not. If you flatly refuse to repent and acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all your life, then it’s safe to say God has not chosen you. If that bothers you, then get down on your knees before God and beg He will count you as one of His chosen. If it doesn’t bother you and you don’t repent, then you are not one of His chosen. 

6 Why I am (still) a Christian: I Want To Be Rid of Guilt

Introduction

I am (still) a Christian because no other worldview, philosophy, theology, political theory, faith, or religion can explain or get rid of guilt. There are only two ways to try; Jesus Christ and everything else. By "everything else," I mean humanity's attempt to rid ourselves of guilt by our own effort. The concise word for this is "works."

Ways People Try to Rid Themselves of Guilt

What have you tried? Meditation, mindfulness, Xanax, therapy, Islam, witnessing for Jehovah, cleansing rituals, cutting, binging, apologizing, restitution, penance, protesting? I could spend all day listing ways people try to rid themselves of guilt.

The Necessity of Guilt

If you don't feel guilty, there is something wrong with you. According to Modern Psychology and the DSM-V, if a person doesn't have any "regard for right and wrong and ignores others' rights and feelings," they have sociopathy. If people "show no guilt or remorse for their behavior," they would be diagnoses with Antisocial personality disorder.

I have never met a person who doesn't feel guilty about something. I've seen people on murder documentaries who apparently didn't. Names like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson are terrifying because they didn't feel guilty. The rest of us feel guilty.

God’s Plan To Rid Us Of Guilt

I am (still) a Christian because the self-existing Triune God carried out His eternal plan. God the Father sent His only-begotten Son into the world, who was fully God and fully man. The Bible says that even though sinful humans crucified Jesus Christ, He was :

Delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God Acts 2:23

While Jesus Christ is fully God, He also is the only innocent Human Being that has ever existed in the history of the world. He shed His blood so that guilty people who have faith in Him can be forgiven of their sin and released from guilt.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says it best:

For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If I may flesh this out a little more with parenthetic comments:

For our sake he (God the Father) made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (that is Christ) we (the guilty) might become the righteousness of God. (forgiven of our sins, released from guilt, and made holy) (clarification in parentheses are mine)

The Holy Spirit then applies the death of Christ to those who trust in Christ alone:

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11

How Would You Like To Be Rid Of Your Guilt?

I am (still) a Christian because there is simply no other way to get rid of my guilt. There is no other way for you to get rid of your guilt either. Try as she may, Lady Macbeth cannot wash away the blood on her hands. Neither can you.

Do you want to be rid of guilt once and for all? It is only through trusting in the sacrificial, substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Only in Him will you find relief from the oppression of guilt.

5 Why I am (still) a Christian: The Only Explanation of Guilt

Introduction

Part 4 in my series Why I am (still) a Christian, I blogged about The Insanity of Worldly Guilt. On the one hand, unbelievers are riddled with guilt, and they try to make everyone else feel guilty. If you do not feel guilty for what they deem as "sin” there is something wrong with you.

On the other hand, worldly psychologists' goal is to bring people to psychological wholeness through the elimination of guilt while at the same time, defining a person who has no guilt as having Antisocial Personality Disorder.

The Modern Definition of Sin

Modern Psychology assumes guilt is an "emotion." Psychology Today summarized the contemporary view of guilt in an article called, The Definitive Guide to Guilt:

Guilt is, first and foremost, an emotion. You may think of guilt as an excellent way to get someone to do something for you out of a sense of obligation, but it's more accurate to think of guilt as an internal state. In the overall scheme of emotions, guilt is in the general category of negative feeling states. It's one of the "sad" emotions, which also include agony, grief, and loneliness, according to one comprehensive framework (Fischer, Shaver, & Carnochan, 1990).

There you have it, if you whittle guilt down to its core, all you have is human emotion. It is a complex emotion, but it is an emotion all the same. In other words, guilt has no objective reality in the modern world; it is entirely and totally subjective.

Guilt: More Than a Feeling

Let's contrast this view with the Biblical Christian worldview. According to the Bible, guilt is, indeed, an emotion. Here are two examples:

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Psalm 51:3

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

There are countless examples in the Bible of people feeling guilt. However, Biblically speaking, guilt is more than a feeling. It is an objective reality that exists between the one and only Holy Trinitarian God and sinful human beings.

This is best seen in Isaiah 6. Isaiah had a revelation of God's holiness:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!"

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isaiah had the only response that any human being can possibly have when we see God as He is:

And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Isaiah 6:5

The Objectivity of Guilt

Guilt is objectively present whenever a sinful human being comes in contact with the self-existing Holy Trinitarian God who revealed Himself in His self-attesting Bible. Guilt first came on the scene at the beginning of creation, in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve violated the Holy Law of God:

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16+17

Before this, there was no guilt. It didn't exist. It was on the verge of existence when Adam and Eve heard the Serpent’s question:

Did God really say… Genesis 3:1

We see the moment Adam and Eve became objectively guilty:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:6+7

When they disobeyed God's revealed commandment, they committed sin against God and were objectively guilty:

For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

    and blameless in your judgment. Psalm 51:3+4 (emphasis mine)

And all humanity has been guilty before God ever since:

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalm 51:5

Guilt is the result of sinning against the one and only Holy God of the Bible. Right from the start, God revealed that the result of disobedience brings death:

You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2:16+17

Paul says the same thing in Romans 6:23, but uses the slightly different expression:

For the wages of sin is death.

Apart from the Bible, there is no adequate explanation for guilt.

Why People Feel Guilty

People feel guilty because they are objectively guilty before God. Unbelievers do not want to recognize that this is the source of guilt. They cover it by feeling guilty about everything else.

As human beings, we cannot escape the notion of sin and guilt. All human beings know that the one and only Trinitarian Holy God of the self-attesting Bible exists, but most people refuse to acknowledge Him:

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. Romans 1:19-21

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:14-16

Conclusion

Unbelieving philosophies, psychologies, and worldviews cannot explain guilt. This is why eradicating guilt results in individuals and societies that are dangerous when they exhibit Antisocial Personality Disorder. This is why people protest against injustice, discrimination, oppression, sexism, racism, hate, etc. 

Everybody feels guilty or wants you to feel guilty because all human beings are created in God's image and are answerable to Him and Him alone.

In my next blog post, I will give the only solution to the problem of both subjective and objective guilt. 

If I Were To Gather a New Church Fellowship…

If…

No Church Incorporation

It would remain a local expression of the Bride of Christ, that is, the Body of Christ. In other words, I would never gather a Church that participated in the sin of incorporation with the State. A church does not receive her legitimacy, right to function, structure, government, or anything else from the government.

Furthermore, if the State ever required registration in any form with the government, as such is practiced in countries such as China, the Church must obey God and not man. I am not anti-government (Romans 13), but nowhere in Scripture does God permit the Church to become subject to the State through mechanisms such as 501(c)3 incorporation or the State to take authority over the Church.

Acts 5:27-29 

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.

I can no longer, by conscience, worship in 501(c)3 incorporated churches, and I sure would never gather one only to compromise or participate in this sin.

Sola Scriptura

The Bible would be the sole authority for faith, life, doctrine, and practice. While confessions of faith and creeds are useful, they never take the place of the plain teaching of Scripture. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) is what sets the Protestant Church apart from the Roman Catholic Church. The sole authority for Protestants is the self-attesting Bible. This gives the congregation, not only the right to question errant pastors, but the duty to do so when they teach anything that is not in line with the Bible.

Church Leadership

I think Church leadership is by the consent and agreement of church members. The Bible does not allow for anarchy, nor does it permit a dictatorship. The Bible does call some to lead a local congregation commissioned with the command to "tend the flock." Notice the balance:

Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory. 1 Peter 5:2-4

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:17

The Centrality of Worship

The primary purpose of the Church is the worship of the one and only self-existing Triune God who revealed Himself in the self-authenticating Bible. Out of worship comes evangelism, discipleship, missions, apologetics, fellowship, and all the other functions God appointed for the Church. 

God Pleasing Not Seeker Friendly

While evangelism is essential, I disagree with churches that water down Christianity's central truths to not offend unbelievers if they happen to attend worship. I think worship should be concerned with what pleases God more than what makes unbelievers feel comfortable. I wouldn't beg or plead with people to come to Church. I'd rather worship with one or two other devoted Christians than a church filled with indifferent sinners.

Simple Worship

Worship would include:

Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:20+21

It would include what Paul talked about in 1 Timothy 4:13:

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Word and Sacrament

It appears the early Church gathered together on Sundays to worship, preaching, and enjoy a communion feast:

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them. Acts 20:7

And

When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is for[f] you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged[i] ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined[j] so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for[l] one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come. 1 Corinthians 11:20-34

I think simple worship is best; prayer, praise, preaching, and communion/baptism.

Whole Family Worship

I don't think infants and children should be excluded from worship. Is it any wonder that children who attend "children's church" eventually never return to the adult worship service? I pastored a church for over 12 years where we had over 25 children, from infants up to teenagers, who attended worship every Sunday.

Feed My Sheep

In the end, I am not interested in competing with other churches. I would instead gather the lost and wandering sheep who have nowhere to go. This has been the heart of the 100th Sheep Ministries from the start; to reach those outside of the church. I'd gather together a simple fellowship of saints who love Jesus Christ and each other. If a person wants the program-centered, seeker-friendly, 501(c)3 incorporated church, there always is one right down the road.

The Biggest Fool of All

By the way, I am well aware of my shortcomings, sins, errors, and disobedience in my past. But I am even more aware of the reality of God's complete and total forgiveness. I would not even contemplate gathering people together if I didn't see that He used repentant adulterers, murders, slanders, deniers, and detractors. He indeed uses the foolish to confound the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27) All I know is that He has called me to some form of service. It’s been church pastoral ministry in the past. Whether that is His will for me in the near future, is up to Him.

Questions?

These are not all my thoughts, but they are a start. I am not looking to gather a Church by begging, manipulation, cajoling, or any other human means. Either God is calling me to do this or He is not. I’m not 100% sure that He is. But this goes for anyone who doesn’t have a church home or is not uncomfortable for whatever reason with going to regular churches. If you think God is calling you to participate, email me with questions or thoughts. If not, I wish you well and pray God’s blessing upon you.

4 Why I am (still) a Christian: The Insanity of Worldly Guilt

Introduction

Apart from the Biblical self-authenticating revelation of the self-existing Triune God, how do you explain guilt?

If there's one thing I have observed about human beings is that I have never met a person who doesn't feel guilty about something. I also watch the human tendency to try to make everyone else feel guilty; if you don't prescribe to their definition of right and wrong or good and evil, there is something wrong with you. They may not call it "sin," but what other word is there?

Sin According to…

For Black Lives Matter, there is both individual and systemic "sin" against black people. Our white ancestors committed this "sin" through involuntary slavery. We continue to participate in this "sin" either through consciously or unconscious participation in racism, either individually or through the existing systems built upon white privilege.

LGTBQ advocates believe it is "sin" to discriminate, hate, repress, oppress, and not support people based upon their sexual behavior or ideology.

For some, it is a "sin" to support Trump. For others, it is a "sin" to support Biden. It was a "sin" to storm the political castle on January 6th. It was a "sin" for Antifa to burn buildings. Defund the police or support the police? Protect the unborn or the woman's right to choose? You can't escape feeling guilty, whichever side you take.

People feel guilty for overeating, drinking too much, taking too many drugs, watching too much tv, for not working, for working too much, for not exercising, for getting divorced, for gambling, and on and on it goes.

The Goal of a Guilt-Free Society

The goal of Modern Psychology is to release people from the feelings of guilt. Psychologists like Freud and Jung thought psychological health comes through freeing people from the oppression of guilt. Other psychologists may have a different explanation, but they all share the same goal: helping healthy human beings be free from guilt.

And yet, if people are genuinely released from all guilt, Psychologists will diagnose them with Antisocial Personality Disorder:

Antisocial personality disorder, sometimes called sociopathy, is a mental disorder in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. They show no guilt or remorse for their behavior.

Individuals with antisocial personality disorder often violate the law, becoming criminals. They may lie, behave violently or impulsively, and have problems with drug and alcohol use. Because of these characteristics, people with this disorder typically can't fulfill responsibilities related to family, work, or school. (emphasis mine)

Societal Insanity

What a crazy society in which we live. We are supposed to feel guilty for racism, sexism, discrimination, injustice, and so on. Yet, when we go to the Psychologists, the goal is to release us from guilt. And if they succeed, we will be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Apart from the Biblical Christian worldview, there is just no way to explain guilt. There is no way to know what is right and what is wrong. There is no way to tell whether you are guilty or whether we should feel guilt. There is no way to be released from guilt without turning into a psychopath or a sociopath.

Stay Tune for Part 5

As a Bible-believing Christian who holds to the authority of the self-authenticating Biblical revelation of the self-existing Triune God, I can tell you why people feel guilty. I can also explain when we should feel guilt. Furthermore, I can explain how God frees us from guilt without us becoming psychopaths and sociopaths.

You will find out why in Part 5, Why I am (still) a Christian: The Only Explanation of Guilt.

3 Why I am (still) a Christian: The Irrefutable Proof for Christianity

Introduction

In my first blog post, I established that I am a Christian because the one and only self-existing Trinitarian God of Christianity demands in His self-attesting Bible that I must have faith in Jesus Christ. In my second blog post, I wrote that I am NOT a Christian because the Traditional Proofs convinced me.

Why? The Traditional Proofs set human beings in the judgment seat over God. God never proves His existence; He proclaims it. They assume sinful unbelievers have intellects unmarred by sin, that reason is somehow neutral. At best, the Traditional Proofs only prove the possibility that a "god" exists. They do not verify the Trinitarian God, who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, nor do they prove Jesus Christ's deity.

Does This Mean God Doesn’t Exist?

Does this let the unbeliever off the hook? Does the failure of the Traditional Proofs mean that the God of the Bible doesn't exist? Does it allow for people to deny or question His existence? Are Atheists justified in their assertion that God does not exist or Agnostics to say they just don't know? Does this mean religion is up for grabs? That all religions stand on equal ground and that it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something or not? Does this mean that the only thing we can know for sure is what the logicians and scientists tell us? Are they the only reliable truth-tellers of our world?

To each of these questions, I answer a resounding "Not at all!" The self-existing Trinitarian God of the Bible exists, and I can prove it. It is a beautiful proof, and it is based entirely on the authority of the self-attesting Bible, which is where I started in the first place.

What is this Proof?

Apart from the self-existing God who revealed Himself through the self-attesting Bible, you cannot prove anything.

This proof is different from the Traditional Proofs because it shows that the Trinitarian God of the Bible necessarily exists. If He does not exist as He revealed Himself in the Bible, then there is no basis for logic, rationality, science, ethics, faith, or meaning.

This proof excludes all other "gods" from all other religions and the distortions of the orthodox Christian faith by Gnostics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Neo-Orthodox, Liberals, or any other "faith" that does not begin with the sole authority of the self-attesting Bible. Why? Because every other religion or faith has the Bible and something else. True Christianity begins and ends with Sola Scripture (The Bible alone). Every other worldview, philosophy, or religion does not.

Put On Your Thinking Cap

Before you continue, I must warn the reader that you are going to have to think and think hard. Thinking can be like exercising. We can get lazy and when challenged, want to quit. I encourage you to persevere through the end. It will be worth your time and effort.

Those who are not used to being challenged intellectually may be shaking their heads at this point and saying, "that's no proof at all." I'm glad you are saying that because you prove the proof when you doubt that it is no proof at all.

Doubting Proves The Proof

You see, doubt is only possible if there is Truth. So I ask you, dear skeptic, "What is Truth?" And, more than that, "How will you know Truth when you encounter it?" On what basis of Truth will you refute the proof that “Apart from the God of the Bible, you cannot prove anything”?

You have a serious problem on your hand. To deny this proof is to acknowledge Truth. To recognize Truth means you have assumed something that you haven’t proved, which is the existence of Truth itself. Without Truth, you cannot prove that my proof is false.

What Truth will you appeal to prove me wrong? Yourself? Your reason? Do you believe that not only do you know the Truth, but you are the Truth? If you are the source of the Truth, then you must be Truth itself. But that is absurd. You are not the Truth, and apart from the Truth revealed in the Bible, you have no way of knowing what Truth is.

Apart from Biblical Christianity, you cannot prove “proof.”

Jesus Is the Truth

The self-attesting Son of God and son of man, Jesus Christ, claims to be the Truth. He says in John 14:6:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

He claims that the Bible is the Truth:

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

The Bible claims to be "the word of Truth":

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Biblical Christianity alone can answer the difficult philosophical and theological questions of life. The Bible says that in Christ are:

Hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3

Apart from the God of the Bible, you cannot prove anything false.

The Necessity of an Objective Standard

To show that this proof is wrong, you have to have an objective standard of Truth, which you do not. But I have an objective standard of Truth. It proves all other worldviews, philosophies, theologies, and beliefs are wrong.

If someone denies or contradicts the Truth of God revealed in the Bible, they cannot prove anything because there is no objective standard; all is relativity.

The Meaninglessness of Atheism

Atheists cannot prove anything because atheism is meaningless. If atheists attempted to open their mouth to refute this proof, they would prove the proof because the basis of refutation assumes Truth, Meaning, Logic, Rationality, and so on. In other words, atheism must accept the Biblical Christian worldview to refute the Christian worldview. Atheism must borrow Truth, Meaning, Logic, Rationality, and so on from the Christian worldview in order to refute Christianity because atheism is completely bankrupt. Atheism cannot have Truth, Meaning, Logic, Rationality because it is founded upon absolutely nothing.

Without assuming Biblical Christianity, atheism cannot prove anything.

This goes for the humanist, the agnostic, and every other worldview, philosophy, or religion.

The Absolute Adequacy of Biblical Christianity

Reality

As a Bible-believing Christian, I can account for reality because the Bible states:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Logic and Reason

I can account for reason and logic because the Christian God of the Bible reveals that He is reasonable:

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Isaiah 1:18

Those who believe there is nothing beyond the material universe cannot explain the immaterial laws of logic or man's rationality. The Bible can and does. God made human beings in His image, so I can account for why human beings are reasonable and rational creatures:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

The Foundation of Science

As a Bible-believing Christian, I can tell you why and how science is possible. Foolish Christians think that science and faith are mutually exclusive. Biblical Christians know that science is not possible unless the God of the Bible exists. Otherwise, there is no way to explain nature's uniformity, that is "consistent cause and effect."

David Hume showed that, as an atheist, there is no reason (there's that word again) to assume that consistent cause and effect will necessarily happen in the future just because something happened in the past. As a Bible-believing Christian, I can tell you why specific results follow particular causes, why there are "laws" of physics, why observation and repeatability are possible. It is because of the God of the Bible who:

works all things according to the counsel of his will. Ephesians 1:11

Apart from Biblical Christianity, science is impossible.

Life, Motion, and Being

Only the Christian worldview can account for Life, Motion, and Being which pretty much covers the most important philosophical questions:

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

Apart from the God of the Bible, you cannot prove life, motion, or existence.

The Solution to the One and the Many

Apart from the Trinitarian God of the Bible, there is no way to reconcile the philosophical problem of the one and the many. Philosophers cannot explain how we can have particular facts and universal laws, how we can have a uni (one) verse (many), or how a specific object like "ball" can have an abstract characteristic such as "blue."

Only Biblical Christianity can explain all the mysteries surrounding unity and diversity because the Originator of all is both Three and One. We know this because God revealed this to us in the Bible, for example:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:2

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. John 15:26

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17

According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 1 Peter 1:2

Apart from the Trinitarian God of the Bible, you cannot prove particulars and universals or whether a relationship exists between them.

No Christ, No Moral Law

Finally, there is no way to explain morality apart from the God of the Bible. If all there is in this universe is material, and human beings evolved in a random chance universe, how do you account for ethics, morality, and law?

You can't, but I can. Speaking about right and wrong and good and evil is nonsense in a materialistic, atheistic evolutionary world. The best they can do is have faith in a religion of "survival of the fittest" that results in a political system where "might makes right."

I can explain right and wrong because God revealed in the Bible that He is the standard of good and evil.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8

A legal system built upon human wisdom is foundationless, arbitrary, and ever-changing. Just compare the Ten Commandments to the 300,000+ Federal laws there are in the United States alone.

Apart from the God of the Bible, you cannot prove good and evil or right or wrong.

Salvation Through the Spirit of God

This proof will not convert my reader to Christianity. If you turn to Christianity, it will be because God has breathed His life into your soul and brought you forth from spiritual death. The last thing I want to show that this proof proves is, that apart from Him, you have no hope of forgiveness of sins, eternal life, or salvation in Christ.

How To Be Saved

If God has opened your eyes, repent before Him, trust in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The promise of the Bible is:

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved Romans 10:13

This includes you!

---

Note:

I am particularly indebted to Augustine, Dr. Cornelius Van Til, and Dr. Greg Bahnsen for showing us from Scripture the necessity of trusting in the self-existing Christ of Scripture.

2 Why I am (still) a Christian: Not Because of the Traditional Proofs of God

Introduction

In my first blog post, I clearly state that I am a Christian because the Bible commands me to be. I am a Christian because the one and only self-existing Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has revealed all we need for faith and practice in the pages of His self-authenticating Bible.

That last sentence is a mouthful, but in our day in age, one has to be precise on what you mean when you talk about God, even the Christian God. There are too many imposters even in the Church who mean something vastly different when they talk about God than what the Bible means when it refers to Him.

Traditional Proofs

Be that as it may, in this blog post, I take time to write why I am NOT a Christian because of the Traditional Proofs (from now on I will use “TPs” for the Traditional Proofs) for the existence of God. 

I am not a Christian because the TPs for the existence of God convinced me. In fact, I will go so far as to say that the TPs are an abysmal failure when it comes to proving God's existence. If they weren't, why doesn't every unbeliever fall on their faces before the feet of Jesus Christ when they hear them?

Essentially the TPs consist of the ontological, cosmological, teleological arguments. Some argue for the existence of God based on design, motion, causation, and being. Whatever form the argument takes, they all share one common theme; they claim to prove the existence of God.

I think there is irrefutable proof of God's existence, but I will save that for a future blog post. For now, I will outline why the TPs did not, and still do not, convince me of God's existence. Included in each of my critiques is why I do not think these arguments will persuade unbelievers.

The TPs put the unbeliever in the seat of judgment of God. 

Interestingly, you cannot find any proof for the existence of God in the Bible. God never proves His existence. The Bible starts, "In the beginning, God…" (Genesis 1:1) This is not a proof; it is a statement of fact!

The Bible has many passages that repudiate putting man in the judgment seat, demanding God prove Himself. When Satan asked Jesus for proof, He replied:

It is said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." Luke 4:17

In Job 38:1-5, God asks Job 77 questions that proclaim His existence starting with these questions:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Finally, God says in Romans 9:20:

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?

I started this series on Why I am (still) a Christian with the authority of Scripture. God is not asking us to believe in His existence; he commands it.

TPs assume the unbeliever's reason hasn't been affected by sin.

When Christian Apologists try to convince an unbeliever using the TPs, they assume that the unbeliever's mind has not been marred by Adam's original sin. They suppose that man’s fallen nature doesn’t affected man's intellect. They believe the reason an unbeliever isn’t convinced is because there is a flaw in the argument or in the deliverer of the proof.

The Traditional Proofs for the existence of God are perfectly valid, but they are ineffective for converting a sinner to trust in Christ alone for salvation.

The Bible doesn’t offer proofs because it states that the revelation of God is clear to everyone:

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. Romans 1:19-23

Furthermore, unbelievers have the proof of God already in their hearts:

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:14-16

The unbeliever isn’t convinced because they are blinded. The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 4:3+4:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Unbelievers do not acknowledge the truth of God’s existence because:

by their unrighteousness (they) suppress the truth. Romans 1:18

I will give one last Scripture and consider this matter closed. Unbelievers are spiritual “dead men walking” as it says Ephesians 2:1-3:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The TPs fail because the intellect of unbelievers is dead to the things of the Spirit. It's not that they aren't intelligent; it's that they are spiritually blinded and cannot see unless the Spirit of God enables them:

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:12+13

TPs can only prove that a "god" may possibly exist and nothing more.

At best, all the TPs can do is prove to the unbeliever that there might be a "god" who possibly exists. The proofs are a matter of probability to the skeptic rather than necessity. If the proofs prove theism, that a “god” exists, we have to ask, “what god?” The god of Islam, the Mormons, the Gnostics, the Pagans, the Deists, or just "god"? Proving a "god" exists is a far cry to proving the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Faith Comes By Hearing the Word of God

The method of converting sinners to the gospel does not come by intellectually proving the existence of God. The Bible is clear that faith comes by the work of the Holy Spirt through the proclamation of His word:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

This is why my first blog post simply points to the Bible as the only authority for Christianity. As I proclaim the Bible through whatever means, the Holy Spirit will use this proclaimation to open the spiritual eyes of blind sinners.

Does this mean there is no place for the Traditional Proofs? We are called to defend the faith. The Bible has countless examples of Christian Apologetics. It even commands that we defend the faith in 1 Peter 3:15:

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

Conclusion

The Traditional Proofs do not do justice to defending the faith. They cater to man’s desire to sit in judgement of God. They assume that people’s intellect has remained untarnished and there is a ability to aprehend things of the Spirit. Finally, the best they can do is possibly prove there might be a “god.”

In my next blog post, I will offer the only sound proof there is for the existence of God, but not just any god. It is the proof for the existence of the one and only self-existent Trinitarian God as revealed in the self-attesting Bible.

1 Why I Am (still) A Christian: Biblical Authority

Why This Series?

I am writing this series so that whoever reads this blog post will come to faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. I also am writing it to strengthen the faith of those who already claim the name of Jesus Christ. Many Christians have seriously compromised their faith through immorality, disobedience, and indifference because they don't obey what God wrote in the Bible.

Why am I a Christian?

My mind races to many answers. I could start by saying that I am a Christian because I heard the gospel (Romans 10:17), and God has given me the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) and given me new life in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) And I would be telling you the truth.

Notice I sprinkled that the last paragraph with Scriptural references. Most unbelievers pass by the verses Christians put in parenthesis because it means nothing to them. Why do I include them? Because as a Christian, I do not trust in my own wisdom. I do not trust human tradition either, nor do I trust human opinion or any other human beings' information.

The Role of the Authority of Scripture

I must start the defense of Christianity by beginning with the authority of Scripture. The information we have about Christianity comes from no other source. There is no higher authority than what God has revealed in the sixty-six books of the Bible. This assortment of books composes a single Book claiming something no other book in all of human history claims - to be the self-revelation of the one and only true God.

I am a Christian because God has communicated all we need to know for the right faith and practice in the Bible. Why do I believe this? Because this is God's own testimony given throughout the pages of the Scripture. 

The Self-Attesting Bible

The Bible is self-attesting. What does that mean? It means that there is no other source of validation than the Bible itself. If anything other than the Bible verified the Bible's authenticity, then that authenticator would be a higher authority than the Bible. 

I can easily prove that no other ancient document even comes close to the historical reliability of the Bible. Many fine books show the Bible not only meets but exceeds any standard used to authenticate ancient documents. While such a study is interesting, it would reinforce the false notion that the Bible needs external authentication. 

Even if skeptics read the finest, most scholarly books that defend the Bible's reliability, they will still walk away, shaking their heads in doubt. Why? Because they come to the Bible with their prejudice already in place. The problem is not whether I can prove the historical reliability of the Bible; the real issue is whether the unbeliever will acknowledge the Bible's testimony about itself.

The Bible’s Self-Authenticating Witness

The Bible claims that God is speaking over three thousand times. I challenge both the unbelievers and believers alike to see for themselves. I issue this challenge because most Christians, let alone unbelievers haven't read through the Bible.

Imagine if I wrote this blog post criticizing a book I've never read. What if I started the blog post writing, "I have never read the book I'm going to critique but..." What credibility would I have? None! Yet, I've listened to unbelievers express their opinion on the Bible without ever having read it. Oh, they may have read a verse here and a passage there, but they've never taken the time actually to read the Bible. 

This goes for most Christians as well. I listen to Christians debate theology, express opinions that don't line up with what the Bible says, or don't reference the Scriptures in their daily lives. My challenge to both unbelievers and believers is to read through the Bible. You can find it read on Audible or read for free on Youtube. There's just no excuse for not having read the Bible.

I have read the Bible through several times. I have read all of it in Spanish as well. I have a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew and Greek and have read many passages in the original language. I have also preached line by line through many books of the Bible and lead in-depth Bible studies throughout my time as a pastor. At this moment, I am about three-quarters of the way through rereading it again. I can tell you from experience, you cannot read the Bible without being confronted by God’s own witness of Himself on every page.

What We Learn in the Bible

I am a Christian because God commanded me to have faith in Christ through the authority of the written word of God contained in the Old and New Testament. From beginning to end, God calls us to trust in Christ.

I learn everything I need to know about this awesome God in the Holy Scriptures. In the pages of the Bible, I learn He is the creator of heaven and earth, that He is Holy, that He is just, that He is good, that He is One God who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I learn that the Second Person of the Trinity became flesh, fully God and fully Man.

I learn that God the Father ordained the crucifixion of Jesus Christ through sinful human beings so that He might forgive the sins of all who believe in Christ. I learn the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, applies the shed blood of Jesus Christ to all who believe in Christ. I learn that all humanity is dead in their trespasses and sins, and only through God's decision can anyone be saved. I know about God's law and how the Holy Spirit writes the law of God on our new hearts. I learn why men and women are equal, why prejudice is evil, and why we should help the poor. It's all there!

No Logic, Science, or Morality Apart from Scripture

I learn that logic is possible only when you start with the Trinitarian God of the Bible. (Isaiah 1:18) Without Him, we cannot account for logical reasoning. Nor can we account for science. I learn that atheists can do science as unbelievers, but they cannot "do" science apart from the revelation of the God who ordains all that comes to pass through the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11). Through Biblical revelation, we have the foundation for morality. The Bible reveals that God is good (Mark 10:18) and that He hates wickedness (Psalm 11:5) and that He will punish those who do not have faith in Christ. (Matthew 7:21-23)

In short, without the self-revelation of the self-existent God, as revealed in the Bible, you cannot prove anything. Without the Bible, we are lost in human subjective opinion and oppression. Without God, the law of the jungle reigns. It's every man for himself; might makes right through the evolutionary survival of the fittest.

Conclusion

I am a Christian first and foremost because God has given us everything we need to know for faith and practice in the pages of the Bible. I believe because apart from this revelation, we can't be sure of anything. Without this revelation, there is no foundation for salvation, logic, science, or morality.

I am a Christian because God has communicated all that we need to know in the pages of the Bible.

What about you?

Going Home

One of my favorite passages in all of human literature is found in George MacDonald’s Seaboard Parish. It says for me what I have often thought about when I think about home.

In the passage below, Harry Walton, the main character in the book, is reflecting about home as he, his wife, and his daughter were traveling back home from London:

Going home. I lay back in the carriage and thought how this November fog was like the valley of the shadow of death we had to pass through on the way home. A shadow like this would fall upon me, and the world would grow dark and life grow weary-but I should know that it was the last of the way home.

As the thought of water is to the thirsty soul, such is the thought of home to the wanderer in a strange country. And my own soul had always felt the discomfort of strangeness in the very midst of its greatest blessedness. In the closest of contact of one human soul with another, when all the atmosphere of thought was rosy with love, again and yet again on the far horizon, the dim, lurid flame of unrest would shoot for a moment through the enchanted air, and the soul would know that she was not yet home. But did I know where or what that home was?

I lifted my eyes, and saw those of my wife and Connie fixed on mine, as if they were reproaching me for saying in my soul that I could not quite be at home with them. Then I said in my heart, “Come home with me, Beloved; there is but one home for us all. When we find that home we shall be gardens of delight to each other, little chambers of rest, galleries of pictures, wells of water.”

Again, what was this home? God Himself. His thoughts, His will, His love, His judgments, are man’s home. To think His thoughts, to choose His will, to love His loves, to judge His judgments, and thus to know that He is in us-this is to be at home. It is the father, the mother, that make for the child his home. Indeed, I doubt if the home idea is complete to the parents of a family themselves when they remember that their fathers and mothers have vanished.

An Open Letter to Pastors of Incorporated Churches

Dear Pastor:

What I am about to share with you may be the most important information you’ve read in a long time. How you respond to it will have a profound effect, not only on your local church but on the American Church as a whole. Yes, it is that serious.

I hope you will read what I am about to write prayerfully and Biblically.

The sin I am referring to is the sin of 501(c)3 incorporation of churches.

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 legalized 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 does this have to do with the 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.

Biblically speaking, the Church is the Bride of the great Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not only the 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

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.

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. The Church is non-taxable. But now that the church has blended with the State through incorporation, it is 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. They don’t tell you that 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 because I did it. I was the pastor of an unincorporated 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. It is possible to not incorporate.

By the way, all contributions to churches that remain churches are automatically tax-deductible, so there’s no excuse here. Even if they weren’t, that would be no reason to wed your church to the state through incorporation.

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 some interference, but that can and will change in the blink of an eye.

The State has no say in churches that are not incorporated. I am not referring to the duty the government has to arrest any person or persons who are engaged in illegal and immoral behavior. The Bible supports this in Romans 13.

When a church incorporates, it gives the government the right to curb, dictate, or interfere with its activity. Here is an article that outlines the ways in which incorporated churches give control over to the State. This is from an organization that helps churches incorporate, so they know what they are talking about. Among these controls is Section 501(c)(3) limits organizations from engaging in substantial efforts to influence legislation:

A church or religious organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if it contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation. IRS Publication 1828

The word “church” here does not mean a congregation that has not subjected itself to the State through incorporation. This kind of church can do whatever it believes God wants them to do. That means they can speak against and lobby against abortion, sexual immorality, and so on.

One incorporated church went too far against the State. As a 501(c)3 corporation, they influenced legislation more than the State thought it should. It was brought to court and lost. It had to pay fines and, I’m sure, accumulated substantial legal costs. It went all the way to a Federal Appeals court where the church lost.

One website that aids churches in the sin of incorporation publish articles for incorporated churches on matters such as “Same-Sex Marriage, Now Transgender Bathrooms; What Churches Should Know” Again, read “Churches” as “incorporated Churches.”

I think it will be a matter of time before the State will require all 501(c)3 incorporated churches to do things that compromise the gospel. I hope that I am wrong, but given that corporations answer to the State, why not? 

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 and the Church, a cheating Bride.

Pastor, you have a duty and responsibility to undo this sin. You have a significant influence in your church and people will listen to you. Since your parishioners follow your lead, the burden lies upon your shoulders. 

Now that you have this information, what are you doing to do about it? I am glad to help you in any way I can. I do not promise that dissolving your church corporation will be easy. I do not promise that things will go smooth for you once you do. In fact, your difficulties may increase. But that is no reason to disobey God. He promised that in following Him, you will have difficulties in this world. He also promised that He has overcome the world.

I close with a thought from the book of 1 John 2:28

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

Someday, we will all face the great Bridegroom of the Bride. When He comes, I pray that we will be able to look Him in the eye in confidence because we obeyed Him in every way. Dissolve your church corporation. Release the Bride!

In Christ

Are You Ready For Catacomb Christianity?

There is growing discomfort amongst American Bible-believing Christians. I have ever-increasing conversations with others about our concerns. We talk about how the Unground Church gathers in secret throughout the world in persecuted countries. We wonder if we will have to do this in the USA. Why in the world are we talking about this?

Our discussions go beyond our distaste of the seeker-friendly, sappy, entertainment-centered, dead-mainline denominationalism, we-accept-everyone-no-matter-your-lifestyle, God-loves-everyone-no-matter-what, 501(c)3-incorporated-business-model church. Just as grandma felt the gathering storm in her bones, so we sense the needle in the spiritual barometer in the United States moving toward "high pressure."

The American Church has been dying for some time now. Perhaps it is because, like Israel of old, the Bride of Christ in American has become a whore, joining herself in the unholy union to the State through the sin of Incorporation. It could be because the American Church has become more concerned with filling their coffers and pews than with offending people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. (John 6:66) Perhaps it is because most pastors have traded in their calling for a career and love their semi-celebrity status. Whatever the reason, the American Church, in its present state, is compromised.

It is time for American Christians to wake up. The true gospel is offensive. We proclaim the One and only self-existing True Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All other religions are false religions. That goes for Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Ekhart Tolle, Eastern Religions, Paganism, Gnosticism, Marxism, Feel-Good Churchianity, etc. We believe every word of the self-attesting Bible. We are willing to die for the cause of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the only mediator between God and Man. We proclaim the message, "No King but Jesus!"

Christians are afraid to gather for worship. They are scared of COVID-19, of being traced, or being turned in if too many gather in one place. They are afraid to greet one another with a holy kiss, afraid of gathering together to sing hymns of praise, fearful of taking communion, afraid of baptizing, afraid of making disciples, afraid of preaching the gospel, afraid of praying for the sick... afraid afraid afraid afraid. Where in the Bible does it ever say His People are to give in to fear?

And there is a new fear now. It is the fear of being caught gathering. I've heard Christians say they are worried about being turned in. Can you believe it? There is a fear that if you meet in a home, a business, a church building, or a public place, the government will write your names down and make you disperse or, worse, arrest you.

I can't help but think about Theoden in the Lord of the Rings at Helms deep. While the demonic hoards march to destroy them, he asks, "How did it come to this?"

I also think about his words right before the battle, "And so it begins."

The question is, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to cower in our homes in fear? Are we going to let fear dictate our actions? Are we going to obey God or man?

The early Christians gathered in the catacombs under the streets of Rome while, above, they were fed to the lions or set on fire to light Nero’s orgies. The catacombs were a series of tomb tunnels. The Christians buried their dead there and eventually began to worship Jesus Christ in the catacombs because of the severe persecutions they suffered in the Roman Empire. I wonder if we will be forced to worship in the American catacomb equivalent. What that is, I do not know. Perhaps it is symbolic; we will have to begin to worship in secret, out of the watchful eye of nosey neighbors or intrusive government.

I am ready. I am willing to participate in a Church like this. I am prepared to help, organize, perhaps lead, or do whatever needs to be done to begin doing what God commands us to do as Christians. I am ready to participate again in worship where we pray, sing praises, read the word, share communion, baptize, correct, preach, and encourage.

I am ready for the American Catacomb Church.

What about you?

Death of the UMC: Ten Words of Caution to New Methodist Denominations

Note:

I have been working on this blog post for some time now. I have mixed emotions about publishing it. I believe these Ten Words of Caution have merit and are Biblical sound. However, I have lost the zeal to spend a great deal of time perfecting and editing them. 

I offer them as a "for what it's worth" post. I trust the Holy Spirit will put this before the eyes of those He intends to read it and speak to their hearts, anything that says that He wants to say to the powers that be.

---

Introduction

Some churches and denominations are hoping to form something new as a result of the United Methodist Church schism. Groups like the Wesleyan Covenant Association have already drafted their Book of Doctrines and Discipline. As I read through their Book, I think they are sowing the same seeds that destroyed the United Methodist Church. Perhaps these Ten Words of Caution can help prevent them from perpetuating the mistakes of the UMC.

Maybe they are too close to Methodism that they can't see that they may be perpetuating some fundamental mistakes from the get-go. They are so focused on the battles over same-sex matters that they can’t see there are other more serious flaws in the UMC. I think they have been fighting the symptoms of a more profound failure of the UMC.

It is my sincere hope that this blog post will find its way to those in the Wesleyan Covenant Association and other potential denominations or local churches who are starting afresh. While I have extensive experience in United Methodism, I have been away from the denomination long enough to see some things that I believe those who have been there too long can no longer see.

In the Spirit of love, I offer these Ten Words of Caution to New Methodist Denominations 

1. Beware of the sin of Incorporation.

I might as well start with what will probably be the biggest stumbling block. I wrote about the theology behind the sin of Incorporation of Churches here. I continue to have difficulty understanding why Christians, especially pastors, so easily dismiss this theological warning. This is an area of blindness that prevails in 95% of American Churches.

However, I am compelled to speak this the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15) Any new church or denomination that joins the local expression of Bride of Christ to the State through Incorporation is in sin. It's that simple. 

The IRS recognizes that there are churches that remain churches in the tax code. You can check out the IRS criteria to determine if an organization is a church or not from its website. Yes, it is easier to be incorporated. You will enjoy some benefits that unincorporated churches do not enjoy, but that is no reason to join the Bride to the State. 

Any new church or denomination will perpetuate the primary sin of the UMC if and when they incorporate. This leads me to the next Word of Caution.

2. Beware of the business model of doing Church

I remember well my time in the UMC. I attended Annual Conferences, District Meetings, Special Meetings with the Bishop, ad nausea. If you didn't know it was a ministerial meeting, you could quickly think it was a corporate executive or a regional sales meeting. Along with most churches in the United States, the UMC has adopted a business model for running a church.

What does this look like? It becomes an organization that provides products and services for consumers. While it may use the jargon of Christianity, in the end, it's about the numbers. Be it attendance or the offering; most churches run like businesses. Don't get me wrong; churches need to be administrated. But in the Bible, the administration appears to be a small part of the Church's life, not it's raison d'être.

Both 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Romans 12:8 mention "administration" as one of the gifts of the Spirit. However, this does not mean that the Church exists as an administrative enterprise. How new denominations and churches can avoid falling into the business mentality trap goes beyond this blog post's scope. It can be done. However, awareness of this tendency is the first step in reevaluating how things are done and finding Biblical ways of understanding a local church's nature and function.

3. Beware of Quadrilateral Confusion.

I refer my reader to the article I wrote on this called Quadriladral Confusion. It appears proposed denominations such as the Wesleyan Covenant Association are poised to make the same mistake as the UMC. Twice the proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline speaks of Scripture as being "primary":

¶ 103. HOLY SCRIPTURE 

The canonical books of the Old and New Testaments (as specified in the Articles of Religion) are the primary rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities must be measured.

 202 SECTION ONE—FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES

Article II. Doctrinal Foundation—The doctrines of the Church shall be those embraced within the historic creeds of the Church, our Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith, and the core Wesleyan tradition as defined within the Doctrines and Discipline, with the Holy Scriptures understood to be our primary rule for faith and practice.

The Wesleyan Covenant Association doesn't mention the word "Quadrilateral." They do, however, use the Quadrilateral word "primary" when referring to the Bible. 

The Bible is not only "primary," it is the only authoritative standard by which any Church evaluates tradition, reason, and experience. 

The Bible is the only self-attesting Book that claims to be the self-revelation of the one and only self-existing Trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible claims to be completely reliable (2 Peter 1:9), infallible (2 Timothy 3:16+17), and truth. (John 17:17).

It must be assumed that the Bible is inerrant in its original autograph and that any copying discrepancies are so infrequent and insignificant that there has been no change of meaning throughout the ages. The Bible that we hold in our hands is 100% reliable. To presuppose anything less opens the door to doubt, questions, and ultimately relativism. If there are significant mistakes in the Bible, then we cannot be sure of anything. This is contrary to the Bible's witness of itself. It not only claims to be the word of God, but it also claims to be the words of God.

To deny the truth of the Bible undermines theology, metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. If the Bible is not true, you cannot prove anything. Saying the Bible is "primary" will not stand the test of time. Mark my words, if new denominations and churches maintain the doctrine of Scripture's primacy, they will be fighting the same battles they fought in the UMC. It will only be a matter of time.

It’s time to go back to the Reformation’s call of Sola Scriptura!

4. Beware of using any lens to interpret Scripture.

One of my biggest concerns with new denominations is found in the following paragraph:

 103. PRINCIPLES OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER 

Wesley said, "there is no holiness but social." By referring to "social holiness," Wesley meant that the road to holiness was one that we could not travel by ourselves, but rather involved the community of faith at every step along the way. Our longing and hope is that our Church may:

1. Remain rooted and grounded in the scriptures and in the historic teachings of the Christian Church as defined in our Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith, and understood through the Wesleyan lens of faith. (bold and italic emphases mine)

This paragraph shows how these men and women are too close to see their potential error. The Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith must be rooted and grounded in Scripture alone and not the other way around. There are many great Articles of Religion and Confessions of Faith, but they must be subservient to the Bible's authority. 

It is suicide to start with "the Wesleyan lens of faith." There is only one lens, and that is the Bible itself. They must submit Wesleyan theology to the authority of Scripture, not Scripture to Wesleyan theology. They must be brave to reject any Wesleyan teaching that is not exegetically found through a systematic study of Scripture.

If this denomination's purpose is to propagate Wesleyan theology or interpret Scripture through that lens, what hope is there? Wesley is only right as his theology lines up with Scripture. This is true of Luther, Calvin, or any other significant theologian of the past. 

This is an excellent opportunity for me to express something that has been troubling me. I've been out of the corporate Church for a while and was surprised to see organizations and people such as the Wesleyan Covenant Association and the Good News Magazine referred to as "traditionalists." What surprised me was that nobody seemed to object. 

Is this what new denominations and churches are about, the Tradition of Wesleyanism? If someone used this term to describe me, I would find the term "traditionalist" highly offensive. I'd rather be called a Fundamentalist associate with Dr. J. Graham Machen and Dr. Cornelius Van Til than a Traditionalist. 

I hope the new churches and denominations will prayerfully contemplate what the term "traditionalists" means and whether it is an accurate epitaph, containing the seeds of destruction. If it is accurate and you are comfortable with it, I pray God opens your eyes. Jesus Christ was not a traditionalist, and He repudiated tradition throughout His ministry. (see Matthew 15:1-20)

5. Don't Use Land Clauses.

I think the trust land clause of the UMC is evil. Any mechanism that prevents healthy separation is wrong. It is also wrong to use legal manipulations to steal or control a local church's building and property if they no longer want to be part of the denomination. 

I have written about land trust clauses here. The Wesleyan's proposed Book is vague on whether it has a land clause or not. Perhaps those with legal expertise can discern if the following paragraphs are coded legalese with the same effect as the United Methodist land clause.

Article XV - The Christian and Property We believe God is the owner of all things and that the individual holding of property is lawful and is a sacred trust under God. Private property is to be used for the manifestation of Christian love and liberality, and to support the Church's mission in the world. All forms of property, whether private, corporate or public, are to be held in solemn trust and used responsibly for human good under the sovereignty of God.

¶ 417. ADMINISTRATION OF LOCAL CONGREGATIONS.

3. A board of trustees, which shall function as the legal guardians of all real property, as well as provide for the upkeep and maintenance of church facilities, and any engagement which the Church may have in legal or other such matters.

I encourage any new church or denomination to allow local churches to maintain ownership of their property. If you don't, you or your spiritual progeny will be fighting the same battles you are fighting. The only reason you are leaving the UMC now is that God has opened a window of opportunity that has not been available to you before. You are allowed to leave because those in power want you to go. Otherwise, you would still be in the grip of the UMC Empire. Don’t do to the local churches, what the UMC has done to you.

6. Beware of Theological Pluralism (Be Confessional)

Perhaps it is in the proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline, but I did not find any reference to Confessionalism. I saw a reference to the Articles of Religion, Normative Wesleyan Standard Sermons, and so forth. I didn't see any reference that pastors and members must adhere to a particular Confession of Faith or suffer the consequences of dismissal or ex-communication. The most I found was in 

¶ 103. PRINCIPLES OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER, Our longing and hope is that our church may:…

and then the Book lists a series of excellent desires. 

Without a stable and unified Confession of Faith based upon a Biblical Exegetical Systematic Theology along with healthy Church Trials, Theological Pluralism will creep into the Church or denomination. While this Caution may seem contrary to Caution #4, "Beware of using any lens to interpret Scripture," I assure you, it isn't. A Confession is not a lens as much as it is a unifying statement of agreed-upon beliefs that allows members to recognize when someone is preaching heresy. 

This leads me to Caution #7

7. Beware of avoiding Church Trials

It appears that the proposed Book of Discipline has a section in Part Nine called Judicial Administration. The Book seems to avoid the title "Church Trial," but it is at least a step in the right direction. I didn't see any mechanism that would cover church members' right to resolve any disputes they may have using Judicial Administration.

Paul expands Judicial Administration beyond just "administration" in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8:

When someone has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the Church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

What if members have disputes that they don't want to bring before a Civil or State court? What if they want the Church to adjudicate contracts, legal disputes, and so on? What would they do in that instance? Isn't the Bible calling us to create and utilize an Ecclesiastical Court System? I think it is based upon texts such as 1 Corinthians 6:1-8.

8. Beware of Roman Catholic and Anglican Clergy/Laity Distinctions

Let's face it; the term "clergy" is not in Scripture. The Bible has the role of deacon and elder/pastor/overseer/bishop. These "offices" do not have the same distinction as the traditional Clergy/Laity distinctions that we see modeled in the United Methodist Church. It goes beyond this blog post's scope to flesh out the Biblical difference between the Traditions of Catholocism, Anglicanism, and Methodism clergy and the Biblical office of deacon and elder/pastor/overseer/bishop. 

If my memory serves me correctly, didn’t Wesley ordain Thomas Coke based on his belief that elder/pastor/overseer/bishop are different words for the same office and function in the Bible? If so, why would denominations based on his teaching make such distinctions?

The idea of "professional clergy" and "the unqualified laity" is not Biblical.

9. Beware of Church Hierarchies

As mentioned above, is there a distinction in the Bible between pastors, overseers, and bishops? What about the role of district superintendents? The Wesleyan Covenant's proposed Book reads very much like the United Methodist Methodist Book of Discipline when it comes to persons, offices, and committees' hierarchy.

It is a mistake to build into the polity of any new church or denomination a form of ecclesiastical classism. It goes against the Bible. Do the new proposed Books of Discipline perpetuate the hierarchies seen in the United Methodist Church? If so, perhaps this should be examined.

I will add to this point something that probably should stand on its own. The sole elder polity that most Methodist Churches adopt. It appears as if the Bible prescribes that each church should have a multiplicity of elders. God does this for many reasons, one of them being that one person should not have authority, nor does one person have the ability to carry out all the functions of pastoring a local church. I get that Methodism is not Presbyterian, but the concept of a plurality of elders could be built into the structure for the protection of both pastors and congregants.

10. Beware of Wesley's Pragmatism

Wesley did what worked. From land clauses to ordaining Thomas Coke, Wesley leaned toward a practical view of getting things done. He was, at times, restrained by his knowledge of the Bible, deep love of Jesus Christ, and pastoral care for people. At times, his innovations were brilliant and bore much fruit. However, he did sometimes do what worked over what was Biblical.

My Word of Caution here is, perhaps, more directed to his spiritual progeny. There are many things that will fill the churches. The "seeker-friendly" churches often do what works. Some churches remove all potentially offensive religious symbols from the sanctuary, put on showy Sunday morning performances that draw the people in, or suppress any offensive Biblical language that might turn off an unbeliever. 

The nature of Methodism is to do what works. I encourage leaders of new denominations not to fall into the trap of pleasing the world to fill the pews. Jesus Christ Himself, at the height of His popularity, told the adoring crowds in John 6:53-56

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

The non-utilitarian result of Jesus' word is found in verse 66

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Not the best way to fill the pews!

I do hope these Ten Words of Caution have some value. I have no delusions that I have all knowledge or that everything I say as gospel. However, I encourage potential new denominations and/or local churches that split off to consider and pray about these Ten Words of Caution.

The Death of the UMC: Part 8 - Help for Local Churches

The Facts

Let's be clear about the facts. The United Methodist Church is splitting or perhaps dissolving because a disgruntled section of the denomination disagrees over the 2019 General Conference's Decision No. 1378. The General Conference voted and decreed the following concerning same-sex matters:

Petition 90032 - Qualifications for Ministry - ¶ 304.3 Expands the definition of "self-avowed practicing homosexual" to include those "living in a same-sex marriage, domestic partnership or civil union, or is a person who publicly states she or he is a practicing homosexual." 

Petition 90036 - Episcopal Responsibilities - ¶ 415.6 Prohibits bishops from consecrating, commissioning or ordaining self-avowed homosexuals. (The text does not include the word "practicing.") 

Petition 90042 - Minimum Penalty - ¶ 2711.3 Mandates penalties for clergy convicted of performing same-sex wedding ceremonies. Those penalties are a one year suspension without pay for the first offense and termination of conference membership and church credentials for a second offense. 

Petition 90043 - Qualifications for Ministry - ¶ 304.5 Prohibits conference boards of ordained ministry from approving candidates not meeting ordination standards regarding sexuality.

Instead of remaining and reclaiming the denomination, the "traditionalists" are flying the coop. Those who oppose the resolutions mentioned above have agreed to an ecclesiastical no-fault divorce. 

The Local Church Suffers

As the ecclesiastical titans battle in the heavenlies, the local churches in the UMC are the ones who will suffer the fallout. As the split moves forward, each local church is going to have to make a decision. I believe the decision should be made independent of the UMC and any potential denomination. If the local flock vote that they want someone from the Conference or another denomination to talk to them, then and only then should any of the "pastors" or "wolves" (depending on your point of view) be allowed to interfere. 

Counsel for Local Churches

I offer local churches the following counsel:

1. Hold a Congregational Meeting without any pastor, district superintendent, bishop, or a clergy member from the UMC or from a potential new denomination.

2. Vote on a committee to research and provide sound information for the congregation.

3. Establish lines of communication for all the members, such as an email list or invitation-only website, so that people can get information.

4. Vote whether to remain with the UMC, join another Methodist denomination, join a different denomination, or become an independent church.

What are the Pros and Cons of Each Decision?

1. Remaining with the UMC

Pros:

• You can continue with the status quo.

• You can keep your church and property without added legal fees.

• You can keep your pastor.

• If you are an LGBTQ affirming congregation, your church will have the opportunity to have a pastor who supports same-sex marriages and maybe is married to a same-sex partner.

Cons:

• If you are not an LGBTQ-affirming congregation, your church will have to submit to church leaders who support and perform same-sex marriages and you may have a pastor married to a same-sex partner.

• If you think the UMC was theologically colorful before, you ain't seen nothing yet.

• You may not have another opportunity to leave the denomination again in your life-time.

2. Joining with a Methodist Adapted Denomination

Pros:

• The polity and structure will be very much like the United Methodist Church so that it will be familiar.

• You may be able to keep your church buildings and property at little or no legal cost.

• You may be able to keep your pastor.

• The new denomination will have much of the same Methodist theological emphases.

• From what I can see, potential denominations such as The Wesleyan Covenantal Association have a proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline similar to the United Methodists Book of Discipline. This means, if you like all the UMC structure, you will fit right in with proposed denominations like this.

• They will have a strong stance against same-sex marriage and ordination since this is the reason the conflict came to a head in the first place.

Cons:

• Since potential denominations such as The Wesleyan Covenantal Association have a proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline, the local church will immediately be ensconced in Methodist bureaucracy. The new apple will not fall far from the UMC tree in that regard.

• Potential Methodist denominations appear to be more concerned with perpetuating Methodism than Biblical Theology. For example, in the proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline, states in ¶ 103. PRINCIPLES OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER

  Our longing and hope is that our church may: 1. Remain rooted and grounded in the scriptures and in the historic teachings of the Christian church as defined in our Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith, and understood through the Wesleyan lens of faith. (emphasis mine)

• As soon as a person, church or denomination is committed to the scriptures "AND" something else, they are off to a bad start. They are set to perpetuate the "primacy of the Scripture" fiasco of the UMC rather than the soul authority of the Bible encapsulated in Sola Scriptura of the Reformation.

3. Becoming Independent

Pros:

• The local church decides what they will do rather than a denomination.

• With legal help, it may be possible to keep the buildings and properties that the congregation worked hard to purchase and maintain.

• While every church has to administrate, you potentially could be released from the "death of a thousand meetings," Methodist clergy love to inflict.

• No more apportionments.

• The local church can put off joining a denomination until the dust settles.

Cons:

• Potentially there will be more legal costs to maneuver the intricacies of keeping your buildings and properties.

• If there are no strong leaders in the congregation, the decision can potentially split the congregation.

• Potential confusion, conflict, and division.

4. Join another denomination

• I will not take time to Pro/Con this option, but I want local churches to be aware that there are over 30,000 denominations in the United States that would love to have you join. 

That’s All Folks

This is the end of my series on the Death of the United Methodist Church. Please share this series with other United Methodist parishioners. Please fact-check my blogs, both with the Bible and with other resources. My desire is not to be right. It is to help and inform members of local churches.

Solo Gloria Deo

The Death of the UMC: Part 7 - Land Claws

The Source of the Problem

Forgive my play on words. This blog post is about what is referred to in United Methodist circles as the "land clause." I change it to "claws" because this is how the United Methodist Corporate Franchise prevented any church schism in the past. They did it by sinking their claws into each and every local church's deed when the denomination formed in 1968.

The Book of Discipline states in ¶ 2501: 

1. All properties of United Methodist local churches and other United Methodist agencies and institutions are held, in trust, for the benefit of the entire denomination, and ownership and usage of church property is subject to the Discipline.

In other words, the buildings and the property of local churches that were bought and paid for by the local congregations no longer belong to them. They now belong to the Corporation of the United Methodist Church. While the trust clause's language states the local church owns the property, it also says that they hold it "in trust" for the entire denomination. This means any local congregation can leave the Corporation anytime they want, but they cannot go with their own property intact. Then the UMC Corporation can then do whatever they want with this property. They can even sell it and profit from it.

Modern Denominational Scribes

Sadly, people had no idea of the legalese of a land trust back in 1968. I wonder how many people even noticed it, let alone understood what it meant. The denominational scribes of the time knew exactly what it meant and what they were doing. They are of the same spirit of the scribes Jesus described in Mark 12:38-40

Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.

Whose Property Is It?

Many a widow mite bought and paid for the land most United Methodist Churches stand upon along with the blood, sweat, and tears of farmers, factory workers, business people, teachers, and so on. The denominational leaders were smart, savvy, and deceptive by including a mechanism into each church deed that would allow them to maintain an iron grip on local congregations for over fifty-two years.

The Wesley Connection

Before I place too much blame on the modern denominational UMC scribes, I need to be fair. Enter the founder of contemporary United Methodism, the pragmatist John Wesley. He was a religious utilitarian. In other words, he did what worked, whether it was right or wrong. Back in 1750, Wesley hired three lawyers to construct the "land claws" into the deeds of three Methodist preaching houses in England. He didn't want to lose control.

Wesley was an Anglican minister and had no ecclesiastical authority to ordain anyone. The rebellious Wesley defied Church authorities by ordaining Thomas Coke and sent him over as a pastor to the defiant colonies in what is now called the United Methodist Church of America. Following Wesley's lead, Coke ordained Francis Asbury. 

While in America, Asbury and Coke revised Wesley's land clause back in 1750. The 1796 General Conference approved the trust "claws" that is still in effect today. If my understanding is correct, the United Methodist trust claws have never lost in court, but perhaps the "times are a-changing."

The Sinking of the UMC Titanic

I believe the coming split is a God-given lifeboat for the people to abandon the sinking of the United Methodist Titantic. I also suspect that the UMC Empire will exert a tremendous amount of spiritual, emotional, and corporate pressure to keep churches from leaving. I think the denomination is going to make leaving the denomination as difficult and as painful as possible. How will local congregations respond? That is yet to be seen.

I have pastored or served in over 11 different United Methodist Churches. I have visited dozens more. My experience is that most United Methodist Churches are made up of honest, hard-working men and women who have no taste for all these denominational conflicts. They have little time or tolerance for land trust clauses and such. They want to come to church on Sunday, see their friends, worship, have an occasional pot-luck dinner, and go home. 

Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?

These pew sitters are often indifferent about Theological Pluralism, matters of same-sex marriage or ordination of same-sex pastors, whether or not their bishop worships Sophia, or is a shaman. There is little I can offer them except Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 5:14

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Indifferent churches like this are part of the problem. They are already dead and have contributed to the death of the United Methodist Church.

If you don’t care what your pastor believes, whether same-sex marriages take place in your church, whether your pastor is married to a same-sex partner, whether the denomination promotes theology and programs contrary to Scripture, then you should stay in the denomination.

If these things matter to you and your church, read on.

What You Can Do

Here is my advice to the faithful United Methodist Remnant:

1. “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5

Too many of you have been lulled into passivity and complacency. Many churches are tired. Perhaps you have allowed sin to permeate your lives. Maybe your theology has deteriorated throughout the years. How is your relationship with Jesus Christ? If you are not ready to die for Him, do you really follow Him?

The United Methodist Church is part of the cultural revolution that is happening all around us. God is calling His people to prepare themselves for whatever may occur in our government and our churches.

To consecrate means to declare yourself and your church as sacred unto the Lord. It is time to make Jesus Christ first and foremost in every area of your lives. God demands nothing less.

2. Remember the Battle is the Lord's so you must fight His way.

God spoke to His people in 2 Chronicles 20:15:

And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.

He also reminded us in Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

There is no way to win in the physical realm if the spiritual work hasn't happened.

3. Gather for prayer with other like-minded people.

This is a follow-up of point 2. The way to do spiritual battle is to pray:

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

If you are not praying, both individually and with other like-minded people, there is little that you will accomplish in the spiritual realm. The future of your local church is in your folded praying hands. 

4. Do your homework.

The time is over for the people in the pews to hide their heads in the sand. There is work to be done, and you have a responsibility to find out what your options are. Perhaps forming a study group will help. You have the internet at your fingertips. I suggest you start googling.

Why not be brave and share this blog post along with my whole series with your United Methodist friends and neighbors?

I advise local churches to consult attorneys who specialize in land trust clauses, such as Dalton and Tomich in Detroit, Michigan.

5. Invest your time, money, and energy.

If you are not willing to invest your time, money, and energy, the battle is already lost. May I suggest that instead of giving your tithe money to your local church, you pool that money and use it to consult or retain legal help? Even if you have pledged money to your local church, I do not see any conflict using that pledge to help your local church. It is God’s money, not yours and certainly not the bishop’s. Why let it go to a church or denomination that will use that money to work to keep your church in the denomination. But whether you use pledge tithe money or your own cash, that is between you and the Lord.

6. Speak up and oppose.

I was going to quote verse 7 of Ecclesiastes 3, "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak," but I think it is appropriate to quote verses 1-8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

My friend, what time is it for you?

This may mean speaking out against your pastor. This is not disrespect. It is what Peter said in Acts 5:29

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Anytime anyone asks you to do something contrary to God, you must obey God and not man. The very heart of being a Protest-ant is we believe in the God-given responsibility to challenge governmental and ecclesiastical authorities when they wrong. It’s time to make your pastor uncomfortable if he or she is going against the Bible.

7. Try to leave with your property intact.

By now, you know my bias. I think the land claws are a demonic mechanism that corporate United Methodism has used to control the local church. Those in power did NOTHING to purchase your buildings and property. It does not belong to them. It belongs to the Lord, and He has made you stewards over it. Do not let the UMC corporation steal your land through the legal system.

8. If unsuccessful, then leave.

What more can I say than what God said to the Corinthians through Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:15-18

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

"I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

    and I will be their God,

    and they shall be my people. 

Therefore go out from their midst,

    and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

    then I will welcome you,

and I will be a father to you,

    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty."