Letter to Rick Warren, from Joseph Farah

This column is adapted from a letter Joseph Farah wrote to Rick Warren last week about his agreement to offer the invocation at the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama on Jan. 20. In this letter, Farah focuses on just one of Obama's evil policies, (though there are dozens more we should consider): No restrictions on abortion, as in killing babies.

read more digg story

Also see:

Culture Watch: Warren and Obama Strange Bedfellows

Eternity Matters: Obama's Pro-Abortion Extremism

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Update: Also see Dura Realidad (Hard Truth) - Eduardo Verastegui (Warning: Graphic Images)

When Heroes Stand Tall

Warren: Unity Trumps Truth

Ran across a great blogpost today. It is on the subject of whether or not Satan's greatest weapon is "disunity."

Excerpts:

In Rick Warren's Ministry's Toolbox letter November 14, 2007, What the Bible says about handling disunity, Warren clearly illustrates that any threat to unity in a congregation is unacceptable and must be dealt with by the pastor.

Warren selectively cites scripture to support his six action steps. [Please see these at the link.]

Well there it is...Unity at all costs, Truth if possible. Unity trumps contending for the faith, guarding what was entrusted, fighting the good fight of faith, guarding the flock from ravenous wolves, being Bereans, testing all things, false teaching causes division for profit and gain (see verses below). In the consumer-driven church of PDL, Christians are customers and if you don't like what's being served, just leave and go somewhere else. We will help you to the door.

In perhaps the boldest statement in this letter Rick Warren makes an amazing statement:"it’s our job to protect our congregations from Satan’s greatest weapon – disunity."

Satan's greatest weapon is deception, which causes disunity and division in the Scriptures, and ultimately the destruction of souls. Rick Warren's encoded message to his purpose driven pastors might read:

Do not tolerate those who resist the purpose-driven messages that I send you to grow your headcount and draw bigger crowds. Throw them out with their Bibles.

Please read all of the Scriptures at the end of the post. You will plainly see Warren's arrogance against the true meaning of God's Word on this issue.

HT: Watcher's Lamp

Some Thoughts and a Linkfest!

I have been doing a LOT of thinking and reading ever since Mitt Romney dropped his bombshell of an exit from the Republican presidential nomination race at the CPAC convention yesterday.

The moment that Fox News announced that one of Romney's campaign managers confirmed that he would announce his "suspension" (a.k.a QUITTING!!) during his speech to a crowd of cheering conservative Republicans at CPAC, I have to admit that my heart sank. I didn't even vote for the guy! But knowing that Romney saw the writing on the wall, and it said "you don't have a chance against McCain," just saddened my heart. There is something to be said about a person who fights on, despite overwhelming opposition and the creeping realization that the chances for success are slim to none. However, I do admire Romney for two things. First, his motives for dropping out of the race were not selfish. He showed that he loves America more than he hates losing. Second, the fact that he made his announcement after that terrific speech - which was chock full of conservative and moral values talking points - forced a liberal cable news station like CNN to broadcast it to it's audience! Brilliant! They probably hated it, too! Ha!!

When Laura Ingraham came up to the podium, I didn't know whether or not she knew of Romney's intention to announce his withdrawal from the race. Later, I did find out that she was given the word about 10 minutes before she introduced him. How disheartening is that?? I'm sure that she must have been filled with emotions...disappointment, sadness, and the realization that McCain would probably end up being the nominee.

Not so fast!

There is still one other man left standing! His name is Mike Huckabee.

Now, I know that many of my fellow Christian friends don't endorse him. I also know that many of my fellow conservative friends either don't endorse him, or they don't want to endorse him! That's O.K. It's nothing new. People will disagree about politics. The fact that we don't disagree about Jesus Christ or conservative principles still unites us.

Is John McCain's selection as the GOP presidential candidate for 2008 inevitable? It might be. Go ahead and groan. I have been. My friend Matt W. over at Thoughts, Commentary, and other various ramblings states many concerns about McCain.

David Limbaugh over at Newsmax has several articles about the liberalism of John McCain.

However, I really think that there is still a spark of hope. McCain has not yet won the nomination. Mike Huckabee is still committed to continuing on in the race.

My friend Holly over at On the wRite Side shared a Digg post that brought me over to The Conservative Voice article that states, "Why Huckabee Can Win, Like Lincoln Did."

Chuck Campbell wrote:

"Observation likely made prior to Romneys exit from the field but interesting nonetheless. With a little faith and hope anything is possible."

A commenter named these3remain over at Digg had this to say:

This is a God-size task because right now, the numbers are stacked against Huckabee. He only has 192 delegates; to win the nomination , he needs somewhere around 1191. This means he needs 83.3% of the remaining primary delegates while Juan McAmnesty has somewhere in the neighborhood of 703 delegates and therefore only needs to win 40% of the remaining primaries' delegates. God does specialize in the impossible. If this should happen, all the glory should definitely go to Him.

Yep. The Huckabee challenge is indeed one that might just need a miracle!

I like the analogy that Mike shared during his speech after Super Tuesday (paraphrased here):

'It only took one of David's smooth stones, aimed correctly, to defeat the giant - despite Goliath's suit of armor!'

I'm glad that Huckabee is still in it, even though the media naysayers don't think he has a chance. It might be good to see some debates between him and McCain.

This election is serious business. However, we often have the need for comic relief. Where do I go for this? Doug Powers' blog!

Take a look at this posted video over at The Powers That Be - Obama-mania: Is Being a Great Ora-Tater an Accomplishment?

Doug writes:

Monday night, Sean Hannity asked a question of a focus group consisting of over a dozen people who described themselves as Obama supporters.

Q: "Can you name any one specific accomplishment of Barack Obama?"

A: "……. uh……. ummm…… he's a great ora-tater…."

I'll do much better than anybody in that pro-Obama focus group by naming one political accomplishment of Barack Obama: He's convinced a bunch of vacuous boneheads to vote for him — and that's really the only accomplishment any politician has to have on his or her resume, isn't it?

Go look at the video! It would make a great weapon in a GOP campaign commercial!

Commenter "Earl" over there had the best follow-up line:

If hillary has her way the great ora-tater will become the great mashed-tater.

Don't miss Doug's latest post. Obama might need to step to some extra security. The wrath of the Clintons has only just begun!

Well, that was fun. Now, back down to the serious stuff.

I want to share several article links. However, I have been debating in what order I should present them to you.

Perhaps I should present them in the order that I had read them.

1. Over at Laiglesforum, Donald Hank presents the case that the emergent church Christian-left pastors have taken the purpose-driven left turn through embracing the Democrats and their liberal ideals.

Donald writes:

According to the Family Research Council, a new Barna poll shows that the “born again,” whatever that might mean this week, now overwhelmingly support Hillary (20% of the “born again” vote) and Obama (18%).

How is it possible that seemingly devout Christians could support the party that stands like a phalanx behind partial birth abortion and redefining marriage into oblivion and opposes biblical free market principles?

Look no further than “America’s Pastor” and the Saddleback Church, where Obama and Hillary were guests last year. Rick Warren, while claiming to be acting in a Christian, conciliatory manner, treating these leftwing politicians as though they were ideological equals (perhaps they are), was in fact spreading the message that it’s ok for evangelicals to vote for pro-abortion politicians who spurn the free market, because they are decent folks like him, concerned with the same issues, like AIDS, poverty, and peace. Thus his message is in line with the rest of the “religious left,” which, in terms of social issues, can be summed up:

Abortion, marriage and the like social issues pale against the problems of poverty, the environment and world peace. The Democrat message of ending poverty and disease and seeking world peace is a Christian one. It is un-Christian to oppose abortion and gay marriage because this sullies non-Christian sensibilities.

These hopelessly naive people have never learned the lessons of the War on Poverty or the lessons on appeasement taught by the clueless Neville Chamberlain. Sheep-like, their followers fall into line.

I have mentioned in the past that claiming to be "born-again" does not necessarily mean that one genuinely has been born again through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Not to get too far off topic, but Jesus warned us, in the parable of the wheat and the tares, that genuine believers would grow in the churches alongside false converts.

Mat 13:24 ¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:


Mat 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.


Mat 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.


Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?


Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?


Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.


Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

It is important to remember that Jesus was talking about those who perceived themselves to be believers.

Back to Donald's article.

When all the celebrating is over, the purpose-driven pastor [refers to Rick Warren] and prosperity-driven pastor,[refers to Joel Osteen] respectively, and their ilk have succeeded in blinding people to the truth, of which older, biblically minded religious leaders once convinced the majority of their flock, namely, that the platforms of the Democrat party are inconsistent with the message of Christ, who did not support killing the unborn, command taxpayers to care for the poor or order nations to make peace with implacable enemies bent on destroying them. In fact He said “you will always have the poor with you,” and that he had come to “bring not peace but a sword.” Unlike Confucius, for example, He was indifferent to the workings of government. He healed the sick and fed the multitude only to show who He was. Thus when some of that multitude followed Him across the sea and asked Him to “show us a sign,” He understood they didn’t really want or need a sign, because He had already fed them miraculously. They hinted that the “sign” should be in the form of handouts, manna from heaven. They wanted socialism, a perfect Kingdom of God free of hunger, i.e., essentially the Democrat platform.

Donald has brilliantly explained how, and why, the emergent church movement exists. The bolded part demonstrates only just a few points of error where the emergent church movement has gone astray.

There is nothing wrong with desiring to help the sick and feed the hungry. As Christians, we are to do what we can to help our neighbors in need. However, the connection Don has made towards socialism cannot be ignored.

Socialism is highly linked to postmodernism. One of postmodernism's highest goals is "tolerance," (which, btw, has a hijacked meaning of complete acceptance with no need to repent of immoral behaviors) being used as an overriding virtue. The belief that everybody's belief system is right for them is more acceptable than any idea of judgment. Therefore, people have come up with the idea that they should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus. This has led people to not only make their own religion, but because they view Jesus as being "big on love," they eliminate the concept of judgment and hell and created their own kind of Jesus...in their own image. People, this is idolatry! Plain and simple.

They create their own "godliness." They believe that no one's opinion[s] should trump anyone elses. The established biblical Christian tenet of absolute truth is out the window.

The "new" and "rethink" Christianity is a do-it-yourself spirituality. This is known as "syncretism," which is the blending of elements from various faiths into a new form of spirituality. Orthodoxy is thrown out the window. Syncretists adopt doctrines that seem appropriate to them and leave behind others that they regard as offensive or outdated. You could label it the eclectic approach towards an unrecognizable form of "Christianity," which, is a far cry from the truth. The historical Jesus has now become a designer Jesus.

Why is biblical Christianity so despised by many today? Precisely because Jesus claimed (and is) the truth. People understand that truth is a belief, story, ideal, or statement that matches up with reality or corresponds to the way things really are. Yet, for some, they want to take a pragmatic viewpoint and believe that whatever works for them is true. But relativism always falls apart, in the end. Relativism cannot be lived out consistently. There is a mismatch between its theory and practice.

For Biblical Christians, the truth is revealed in God's Word and through the Person of Truth, Jesus Christ. It is true even if people don't acknowledge it. Absolute Truth is true even if no one knows it, admits it, agrees with it, follows it, or even fully grasps it.

New Testament scholar Andreas J. Kostenberger wrote:

The very notion of truth has largely become a casualty of postmodern thought and discourse. Truth is no longer "the" truth, in Jesus' terms who claimed to be "the truth." Rather it is conceived of as "your" truth or "my" truth - that is, different yet equally legitimate ways of perceiving reality. Hence truth is simply one's preferred, culturally conditioned, socially constructed version of reality.

[Source: Andreas Kostenberger, gen. ed., Whatever Happened to Truth? (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2005), 9.]

Notice that Kostenberger uses the term socially in his quote regarding "socially constructed version of reality." Right there, we have the mindset and entryway right into the path of socialism. And, what does socialism here in America hold as one of its highest ideals? Liberalism.


Now, keeping all of this in mind, please read this excellent article called A Liberal Christianity Intensifies Radical Islam Threat.


Notice how the article begins:

The Western church’s growing tendency to blur theological differences and not uphold the absolute truth is contributing to the threat of radical Islam to the Western world, said a highly respected expert on Islam.


Patrick Sookhdeo, the director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, said churches are moving away from central doctrines that teach about separation and instead conforming to secular society’s ideology of inclusion.

“When faced with the uniqueness of Christ we become inclusive. He loves everybody so we talk about love, and hell and damnation goes out the window,” said Sookhdeo. “It becomes too embarrassing. So our church has conformed itself according to society.”

What does this tell us? It tells us that the various tenets, values, and anti-morality socialistic-bent liberalism invading the evangelical churches is attempting to capture the public's attention through a portrait of Jesus that is only nice and loving, while ignoring the fact that He will one day return as the Holy and Righteous Judge of the universe! This new "designer" Jesus does not have any resemblance to the biblical, historical Jesus that has been traditionally embraced by the church over the past 2,000 years.

Sookhdeo isn't afraid to preach the truth:

Christians are afraid to admit that only believers in Jesus Christ will be saved and others – Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists – are lost, because that would be arrogance in a society dominated by secular humanist ideology, Sookhdeo argued.

“If the U.S. church goes the way of Europe and embraces liberalism in its theology then it will embrace liberalism in its life,” said the British Anglican canon. “And if it embraces liberalism in its life then the church will die and not only will the church die, but society around it will also die.”

“What worries me is this,” he added. “I say this to churches in Britain. I can’t say it of the U.S. Is the Lord taking His candlestick from Britain and from Europe? Is the Lord saying: ‘I’m going to vomit you out of my mouth, because your sickness is beyond cure? You are so taken with other gods, you have prostituted yourself enough. I’m finished with you.’ It is a question and a question we must address, not just in Europe but here also.”

Islam is one of these gods which Christians are embracing, said Sookhdeo.

I know. You must be thinking that the last sentence above cannot possibly be true. Think again.

Archbishop of Canterbury seeks adoption of Islamic law
'It is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system'


Commenter John 14-6 sums it up:

Patrick Sookhdeo is absolutely, 100% correct. Christian liberalism bears a huge responsibility for the problems we are facing with Islam. If the church does not stand up strong and present the faith boldly, the absolute truth of Jesus Christ as being the only way, the only truth and the only life, then Islam will run rampant and roughshod across Christendom. It's already happening because of what Christian liberalism has done to the church (what's left of the church) in places like Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark, and most certainly what is happening in England. Today, the Archbishop of Canterbury said England should be "resigned" to accepting partial Sharia Law. I rest my case.

I hope that these thoughts and links have made you aware of the dire consequences that would ensue if either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama become our next president. With their lack of resolve on the War on Terrorism, our nation could be in grave danger. Their socialistic, liberal, "leave Al Qaeda, the Iranian insurgents, the Taliban and Hamas alone and there will be peace" attitudes indicate to me that they could end up being just like that Archbishop - be "resigned" to accepting partial Sharia Law. After all, it would be the inclusive, tolerant, and morally relativistic thing to do...in their spiritually blinded eyes...wouldn't it?

Hat Tips:

Christian Business Daily
World Net Daily
The Powers that Be
LaiglesForum
On the wRite Side
Thoughts, Commentary, and Other Various Ramblings
Newsmax - David Limbaugh
The Conservative Voice
CNN Politics
Digg
The Christian Post

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Update @ 4:56 p.m. PT -

GCMWatch has an excellent post up which presents and explains the term "diaprax." Author and Pastor, D.L. Foster, demonstrates how that term (diaprax) is related to both the emergent church movement heresy and the gay "christian" movement heresy. His research on these issues expose the diehard efforts of such groups - through the use of fraudulent and deceitful purposes - to attack and skew the truth of God's Word in their not-so-secret attempts to undermine the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Second Update @ 5;45 p.m. PT -


At least someone involved with the clergy over in the U.K. finally had the brains to speak out against the Canterbury Fairytale Archbishop!

'Resign,' clergy tell Archbishop of Canterbury
Call for Williams to quit part of backlash over sharia comments

Make-Your-Own Jesus?

I was just reading about how New Agers (and, their many off-shoots) believe in the "evolutionary emergence of a new collective consciousness that will result in a new humanity."

Their goal is a "society founded on love and wisdom" emerging. (Nice goal, but in a world rife with sin and evil, there is but One Person, namely, Jesus Christ, whose love and wisdom far surpasses that of man. It is through believing in Him, and following Him and His Word, the Bible, that true love and wisdom will be realized by us.)


It's wrapped up in the "save the planet" mantra of the sixties which has now "evolved" into the "global warming" mantra.

I don't have the time to type out all that I'd like to today, but here is a portion from Ed Hindson's book AntiChrist Rising that speaks to the Scriptures that Sothenes just quoted (included below) at my message board:

They are united in their rejection of the God of the Bible, the deity of Christ, and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is repackaged as the cosmic Christ. In a do-it-yourself religion, we ought not be surprised to find a make-your-own Jesus! (bold mine)

Desperately seeking answers to the great human problems of our time, the New Ager turns to himself, the planet, the forces of nature, and the spirit world for help. But in his quest, he misses the true Christ - the real source of the peace, security, and stability he seeks.

Constance Cumbey is right when she says, "For the first time in history there is a viable movement - the New Age movement - that truly meets all the scriptural requirements for the antichrist and the political movement that will bring him on the world scene."

The stage has certainly been set for a new world order based upon a subjective view of reality. It will only be a matter of time until the objective standards of truth will be totally eroded in the modern world. We are getting closer, and the only real question left is: How much time do we have until it's too late?

In today's New-Age type movements, rejection (or, sometimes re-writing) of God's Word and the make-your-own Jesus trend is rampant.

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Sothenes post:

If I had to make a prediction without a 'thus sayeth the Lord', one of the end times deceptions will need centralized leaders and it is troubling that some are calling Rick Warren "America's Pastor".

What do I think of Rick Warren's peace plans?

Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Acts 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Jer 6:14 They have healed also the hurt [of the daughter] of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.

Jer 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.

I can't see everything but I'm waiting to see everything fall into place.

Things are certainly falling into place, people.

We are witnessing it all right before are very eyes!

The Cain Method

I have previously written about the dangers inherent in the Seeker-sensitive types of churches. Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life book is an example of this type of ministry.

Please understand that I am not saying that his highly successful book isn't valuable. It is. When I started reading it and saw that there was very little in it about the cross of Christ and the need for repentance, I assumed that it was a good book for those who are already born-again.

But, even from the first day I attended a leaders meeting for conducting a Bible study based on the book, something in my spirit told me that the gospel message in it was incomplete. The "alarm bells" went off in my mind and I questioned the lack of adherence to the need for repentance before accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.

Unfortunately, the reaction that I got on that day from the assistant pastors who were conducting the training session was basically a shrug of the shoulders and a "yeah, we will look into it" reply. I was immediately concerned (as were several other women at that meeting).

Our church is welcoming to all and the congregation is a diverse group of people from different races and backgrounds. The two women who spoke up with me happened to be African American. They were really upset, too. We spoke afterwards about it and in our discussion, we all pledged to not use Rick Warren's "prayer of salvation" (that was presented on the video) and, instead, present what our pastor usually does at church each week.

This "seeker-sensitive" method being used by some churches today is part of, and also called, The Emergent church movement. There are several branches of this movement, as well as "copy-cat" movements out there (the gay christian theology movement, for example) that appear to share the love of Christ without any emphasis on the need to share God's condemnation against sin. Without repentance (which means realizing that we all have broken God's laws [a.k.a. "sin"] and need to confess and turn from those sins of the past) and the shedding of blood, the Bible says that there is no remission of sin.

Hbr 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (KJV)

Perhaps, by this point, you may be wondering what all of this has to do with the title of my post. I'm getting to that.

A commenter by the name of Sothenes who often posts at my Talkwisdom message board, brought the following to my attention this morning:

I was listening to Skip Heitzig today and got some ideas...

Cain and Abel... Which method of evangelism does the Purpose Driven Life demonstrate to you? Cain's method or Abel's method?

Cain was the prototype of the first religious Christian that was a hypocrite and fell away. He tried to come to God on his own terms just like "finding your own purpose" is going your own way.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

I believe that most people's "purpose" have no room for a blood sacrifice... Remember that Abel brought a blood sacrifice and Cain brought a grain or fruit offering..

Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

I have often run across people who asked why was Cain's offering not accepted? The above brief quote by Sothenes offers the reason why.

Sothenes later added:

You might get some heat (hate) for this one because I went through it before.

There is going to be a falling away and the emergent Church (PDL movement) is a departure from the word of God in my mind. What you have to remember is that this generation doesn't like the Bible or doesn't believe in the Bible. The Bible says in Romans that faith comes by hearing and the PDL people are coming by comfort (not faith):

Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Hbr 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Rom 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Those who do not have the wedding garment of faith on by the hearing of the word of God cannot come by PDL that doesn't have scripture because faith comes by hearing the word of God. Those "Christians" who come along without faith cannot please God and they will be bound and cast into outer darkness.

Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Another thing is that they are leaving components out of the formula. Everyone should write the formula of Ephesians 2:8-9 in their Bible because church growth experts say that you have to have a country club in the church to grow the church. It says in the book of Acts that the Lord added daily. You have to ask the question , "who is doing the adding?"...today?

Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Note the warning at the beginning of this second quote.

Sothenes is absolutely correct in his analysis. The seeker-sensitive movement, as well as the gay christian theology movement are both based on the "Cain method." It is clear as day to me now. It certainly fits with the arguments that "seeker sensitive" believers often give to Bible-based Christian believers (who take the Word of God as absolute, unchanging, truth); rather than the words, actions, opinions, and moral relativism of the "Cain method" adherants.

The use of the word "hate" is often the mantra used by gay christian advocates against those who hold to God's Word, the Law and the Prophets, and the need for repentance within the gospel of Christ. Rather than see what we share as a rescue type of message for them, they use the word "hate" indiscriminately to injure those who are attempting to steer them back on the correct path. It's really sad, but it's the truth.

HT: Sothenes at Talkwisdom message board

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Update from Sothenes at message board:

Mat 7:14 Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

We're really not narrow minded but closed minded because there is only one way.

Pro 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.

I was listening to Pastor Mike Fabarez of Focal Point radio today (Message "Internal Conflict" on 7-13-2007, FM 90.3, Hopefm.net). He mentioned these two verses, I think:

Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

I can't quote him verbatim but what I got was if you don't have this "internal conflict" then you are not a Christian and that if you want to follow Jesus then everything He's going to teach you is going to go against your flesh.

Then we have these two different verses which made me think:

Luk 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?

Mat 11:30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.


Though we are saved by grace through faith and not of works then why should we think that following Jesus isn't supposed to cost anything and should we just be allowed to do anything that we want to do? Shouldn't we allow other people to sin just to get them into the Church? And what do we do about having country clubs in church?

THE Most Important Question: Answered

As the year 2006 winds down, I have been contemplating what kind of "end of the year blogposts" I should write. It's always fun to post "New Year's resolutions" and ask visitors to post theirs. I'll probably end up doing a post like that. It's also a good idea to remember and post the significant events of 2006. Perhaps I will include that, too. But foremost in my mind today is a post about what truly matters in life. And that is finding, and believing in Jesus Christ.

I don't know how many blogging visitors here venture over to my discussion forum site. But there is a post that was done by a member of the forum (screen name "Sothenes"), that added a lot to a former blogpost of mine about some bad news concerning Rick Warren. You can read Sothenes' original post here, as well as the continued discussion between GMpilot and me.

Some fellow Christians and non-Christians have chastised me (lovingly...of course :-) ) for "picking on" Rick Warren at this blog. That's OK. I'm glad that people are willing to challenge and/or correct me when it's needed! I'm not perfect and I do make mistakes. However, I DO KNOW where to go when conflicts arise. That is to the Bible. God's Word is perfect. People can disagree with that, of course, but Jesus said to the Father, "Thy Word is truth. Sanctify me with thy truth." That's enough for me to believe that the Bible is inerrant! So when conflicts come up between Christian believers, it IS wise to go directly to that believer and discuss it. That is biblical. However, in the case of Rick Warren, I don't think he would hear me. Even an assistant pastor at my own church wouldn't hear my concerns over two years ago when I (as well as two other Bible study leaders) noticed that Rick Warren's prayer of salvation was missing something very crucial!

In a former blogpost, I stated my concerns:

There is no doubt that the success of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life book has stirred up a lot of controversy within many Christian evangelical circles. I have read several blogposts, opinions and comments from various Christian blogs and message boards. Some praise Warren for his book and efforts, others fear that he is pointing people in the wrong direction through a watered-down gospel message often known as the "seeker-sensitive" kind of approach to evangelism. Others even go so far as to believe that he is guilty of "preaching another gospel".

When I read the "Purpose" book, I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. However, when our church began a home group Bible study series based on the book, I had my concerns right from the start. I wrote about this in a former blogpost called Seeking to Save?

The crux of the matter and debate (for me, at least) can be summed up in this portion of my former blogpost:

All the leaders gathered to view a video done by Pastor Rick Warren as an introduction to the study course. When the video came to the portion where accepting Christ was involved, an alarm went off in my heart and mind as I noticed something missing from Pastor Warren's prayer. There was no mention of the need to confess personal sins and repent of them. I had arrived late to the meeting so I thought that perhaps I missed that part in the beginning. During the question and answer time, I raised my hand and brought this up to the assistant pastor leading the class. He said he would "look into it" and quickly called on someone else with the next question. His lack of reaction and abrupt answer was close to an outright dismissal about my concerns!! I was shocked! Two other women sitting nearby said they felt the exact same way about that prayer! I was hoping that this would be brought out to the general congregation (because my pastor ALWAYS SPECIFICALLY EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO CONFESS SIN AND REPENT BEFORE RECEIVING CHRIST AS SAVIOR) but I don't think it was ever brought up.

As a leader of two study groups, I felt that it was my obligation to be sure that the sinners prayer was included in this study so I led such a prayer myself to give people the opportunity to receive Christ at any time during the 8 week study. If I had to criticize the "Purpose" book for one reason, it would be its lack of this important point within its pages.

This is why the book, "The Way of the Master" SHOULD ALSO BE READ BY EVERY BORN-AGAIN BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIAN. It picks up where the "Purpose" book is lacking (IMO).

I will say this. There is much that is commendable in the work of Rick Warren. I am not saying that TPDL belongs in the trash. What I am saying is that it lacks the part of the gospel (the cross of Christ and his death in our place for our sin; plus resurrection to life) that saves people from their sin.

I do believe that God can, and does use even incomplete writings and turns them for good.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

But I also think that when a crucial part of the gospel is missing from a pastor's message, it must be pointed out and corrected!

It wasn't until this morning that I clicked on one of the links that Sothenes shared in his post. I'm really glad I finally got around to reading it because it is a truly wonderful, intricate explanation of What Must I Do To Be Saved?

I can't think of any other, more important message to share as the year 2006 comes to a close.

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

This is the most important question a person could ever ask. Thankfully, we are not left on our own to "imagine" what the answer might be. God has clearly TOLD us what we must do in order to be saved. The question is answered in the Bible! The Philippian jailer asked this very question to the apostle Paul in Acts 16:30-31. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Men have invented their own answers. Some have said we must "make a commitment" to Christ. Some say we must try to "be good", "stop sinning", "obey" the ten commandments, or join a church. God says, "BELIEVE" on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! God gives the sinner but ONE requirement in order to be saved. He must believe on Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31) [see also Rom. 5:1; 10:9; John 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24]

But what does it mean to BELIEVE?
The Scriptures make it clear that ALL a man has to do to be saved is believe. The Bible also makes it clear that there is a real kind of faith and a phony kind of faith. Is your faith real? Put your faith to the test.

1.) True faith includes knowledge.
One must know the correct FACTS of the gospel message. Faith placed in the wrong facts will never save. The "facts" of the gospel are recorded in I Cor.15:1-4. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel … by which also ye are saved…how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

The New Testament makes it clear that no one is saved apart from a knowledge of the facts included in the gospel. An incomplete or inaccurate gospel will not save anyone! (II Cor.11:3-4) A vague belief in "a Higher Power" will not do. Today God requires that a man know that Jesus Christ is the only Savior. (Acts 4:12; John 14:6) Knowledge is an important part of saving faith. But saving faith is much MORE than simply KNOWING the truth about Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

2.) True faith includes assent.
There must also be an assent to the reality and truthfulness of the gospel! We must believe in our heart that the gospel message is true. (Rom.10:9) Saving faith is more than having information in the head. It must include a deep inner conviction and persuasion concerning the reality of the gospel and all it implies. Faith must exist in the head and heart. The fact that Jesus died for our sins implies that we are condemned SINNERS, unable to save ourselves, and desperately in need of a Savior! (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) No one is ever saved apart from knowing the correct facts concerning the gospel, AND being fully persuaded of the reality of those facts.

But even so, it is possible for a man to know the correct facts of the gospel, believe them to be true, and STILL not be saved! James makes that clear in his epistle. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19) Satan has that kind of faith. He believes the "facts" of the gospel message. He KNOWS those facts are true! He is well aware that Jesus died and rose again. But having the correct information and being fully persuaded of its reality is NOT saving faith! That is the point James makes in his epistle. It is perfectly possible (it happens often!) for a person to genuinely believe that all of the facts of the gospel are true, and yet in his heart want nothing to do with Jesus Christ! He may believe that Jesus died and rose again, and yet, he may at the same time, enjoy his life of sin and have no desire whatsoever for a new life! Thousands of men today have heard the gospel message, have assented to the truthfulness of it, and yet have said, "No thank you!" to God's gracious invitation to salvation.

3.) True faith also includes the will. Faith that saves must also involve a "choice", an act of the human will. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:11-12) In this passage, John says that saving faith is synonymous with the choice to "receive" Christ. That is an act of the will, and is a deliberate choice on the part of the sinner. It is one thing to believe intellectually that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. It is another thing to make the choice to "receive" Him personally!

Choosing to "receive" Christ goes beyond intellectual faith to personal faith. Christ becomes MY personal Savior! It goes beyond a cold, intellectual belief in facts to TRUST in a Person.

Consider the passage in John 3:14-15. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament book of Numbers. In that passage, the children of Israel were bitten by serpents and were dying. Moses was told by God to erect a pole and put a brass serpent upon the pole… and whoever would look upon the brass serpent would live. In John 3:14, Jesus uses this as an illustration of "saving faith". As condemned sinners, we are like those who were bitten by the serpents. That "bite" was poisonous, and left to themselves, they would perish. The wages of our sin is death, and apart from Christ, we too will perish - forever cast into the torments of the Lake of Fire! (Rom.6:23; Rev.20:11-15) The children of Israel were told to "look" upon the brass serpent and live! That's all they had to do! Look and live! If one bitten by the serpent did not believe the "facts" told to him [that looking at the brass serpent would cure him] he would not bother to go to the pole and look. But what would PREVENT the one bitten from looking on the serpent? Stubborn pride, self will, and rebellion would! Can't you just imagine some of those men saying to themselves, "I will not look to that serpent for a cure. That's the most foolish thing I have ever heard! It's too easy! I will never submit to anything so foolish"! The Bible tells us that "the preaching of the cross is to them who perish, foolishness!" (I Cor.1:18a) Yet it "pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe". (I Cor.1:21b) The cross, God's way of salvation, humbles the sinner. Because of our sinful pride, we refuse to submit to GOD'S METHOD of salvation. It seems foolish to the proud heart of man. It is offensive to sinful flesh to be told that our own efforts to save ourselves are like worthless, filthy rags, (Isa.64:6) and that we must trust in Christ's work for us or perish! Most men WILL not come to Christ. They choose not to. (Matt.22:3; John 1:11; 5:40)

Believing is easy in the sense that it is the ONLY requirement God has given us. But it is NOT easy to believe in the sense that true faith is humbling and offensive to our proud, sinful human nature. It is hard to admit that we really ARE condemned (John 3:18; Rom.3:9-19), that in our flesh dwelleth "no good thing" (Rom.7:18), and that we must trust in Christ alone to save us or we perish forever. The act of believing is simple. It is as easy as drinking water (Rev.22:17; John 4:14), stepping through a door (John 10:9), or receiving a gift (John 1:12; Rom.6:23). But the choice to believe may be quite difficult. It is a big decision, and heaven and hell hang in the balance!

God's only requirement for the sinner is to believe on Christ. But saving faith must involve the head (knowing the facts of the gospel and my desperate need as a condemned sinner), the heart (assenting to the truthfulness of the gospel message), and the will (choosing to call on the name of the Lord to be my Savior and to save me! -Rom.10:13) It is a deliberate, personal, knowledgeable, choice to receive Christ. You KNOW that Jesus died for your sins and paid your penalty. Perhaps your heart has even been stirred by that truth, but have you decided to receive Him personally? Is your faith real? BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Do it today!

Hat Tip: Salem Bible Church website
(Special thanks to Sothenes for providing the link!)

Many Now Recognizing the Heresy of Warren

Here are some more interesting letters from WorldNetDaily about Rick Warren.

I will place some comments in between:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2006

A better handle on evil

Mr. Farah: My name is Clint Grimes. I am 46 years old. My wife and I have been members of Saddleback Church for almost 17 years. I have known the Warrens that long. I am part of the guest relations ministry, a group of law enforcement professionals that protect the Warrens at public events in Southern California, including Sunday services at Saddleback. In addition to my job as a Long Beach Police Officer, I am a commander in the Navy Reserve. I write you from Kuwait Naval Base, where I have been stationed since August. I am a Christian and I would like to say that I love and admire Pastor Rick and Saddleback Church. I would also like to say that I believe that I am intellectually honest. I have been deployed to the Middle East twice. I have read and seen a lot. As it stands I receive an in-depth intelligence brief three times a week. Regarding Rick's comment about Syria being moderate, you are right, and he was wrong. The government of Syria is not moderate. They do fuel insurgency, put limits on religious expression and are openly anti-Semitic. I also would like to acquaint you a phenomenon of which you may be aware. Many people, mostly Christians believe or at least act like they are protected by the force of their good will and do not recognize many of the evils of the world as well as situations in which they may be in danger. I guess this is naivety. Many people at Saddleback are like this, especially the staff. Living in the upper, upper middleclass community of South Orange County also feeds this mentality. The staff thought we were nuts when we suggested that he, Kay and the other preaching pastors have protection on campus about 10 years ago, and it took a couple of incidents before the staff realize that we knew what we were talking about. In conclusion, I would like to say that Rick is a great man and a great pastor. He has and will continue to do a lot of good. I don't know you, but I have read enough to know that you are a great editor of a magazine that tackles the issues head on. I believe that you and I just have a better handle of what evil is, what it looks like, and how it manifests itself. May God Bless you and your work throughout 2007.

Cdr. Clint Grimes

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Unfortunately, as a long-time member of Saddleback Church, I think that the loyalty that Cdr. Grimes has towards Rick Warren prevents him from recognizing the heresy that his pastor is involved in. However, I do think that the commander was absolutely correct when he stated:

Quote:
Many people, mostly Christians believe or at least act like they are protected by the force of their good will and do not recognize many of the evils of the world as well as situations in which they may be in danger. I guess this is naivety. Many people at Saddleback are like this, especially the staff. Living in the upper, upper middleclass community of South Orange County also feeds this mentality.

I have found that many Christians (usually of the liberal side of the equation) do not see the evil in the world as something that needs to be confronted and battled against by believers. They seem to think that the "battle is the Lord's." Well, that's true, but we are his "army," so to speak, here on the earth and we are not to just sit around and wait for the return of Jesus and do absolutely nothing to combat evil whenever, or wherever we see it!

David faced Goliath in the Old Testament. God was with David, but David also needed to confront Goliath by taking action through hurling that stone at him! Please understand the context of what I am saying, I'm not saying that we are to literally "throw stones" at our opponents. But we are not supposed to just stand by and allow the damage to our morals, ethics, and values to continue, unfettered, in this nation either!

There needs to be balance.

I think that Bill O'Reilly lays out such balance in the last chapter of his book, Culture Warrior.

Although O'Reilly doesn't limit culture warriors to the term "Christian" outrightly in his book, it is increasingly obvious that we need more traditional Christian culture warriors to speak out against the secular progressives that would want to change our nation so that it is unrecognizable as a nation that was originally built on Judeo-Christian moral, values, and ethics!

Media's anointed

Pastor Warren is in love with himself. His ego is tremendous and I really can't listen to him anymore. He is in the line of Tammy Faye and Jim Baker. It's all about him, not Christ. His book, "The Purpose Driven Life," is for people who have no clue about faith or life. The media has anointed him until they find some dirt and knock him off his pedestal.

Ave Maria Bacher

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I can certainly see why Ave said that. "The Purpose" book has value for those who are already saved by the cross of Jesus Christ. But it is not a book that will lead the unsaved to salvation.

Unfortunately, the cross of Jesus Christ is barely mentioned in Warren's book. I have also seen two additional occasions where Warren's salvation prayer had no reference to the need for confession and repentance!

That (repentance!) is essential to being saved and it is missing in his version of the "prayer for salvation."

Warren's church is going in the direction of the emergent church movement, that unwittingly or not, presents a crossless gospel.

People need to read the book, "The Way of the Master" first, become saved, and then they can read the "Purpose" book.

"The Way of the Master" covers what "Purpose" is lacking.

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Who's been co-opted?

Rick Warren's claim of membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and jumping on board the Evangelical Climate Initiative makes me suspect that if anyone has been co-opted by politicians it's him! Not only that, but by implication, Warren appears to be distorting the action of every Christian in the U.S. who has been moved by personal conviction to take a political stand based on morality.

Mic Lawler

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Lawler stated:
Quote:
Warren appears to be distorting the action of every Christian in the U.S. who has been moved by personal conviction to take a political stand based on morality.

Very well said! This is so true! It actually defines the difference between what the liberal left form of Christianity calls for (ignoring personal conviction for sin and avoiding taking a stand on morality) and what Biblical Christianity professes!

Purpose-Driven study called 'new-age'

I used Warren’s book TPDL as a study guide for my Christian study group 2 years ago. What I read disturbed me. It sounded almost like another gospel. It was very new-age and Pelagian. Warren’s subsequent press has reaffirmed my original thoughts about his gospel. His ecumenical message fits better with the World Council of Churches mission statement. Warren’s gospel is not The Gospel in my opinion. Only the Holy Spirit can make the difference, not works.

Lang Price

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Funny how things become much more clear as we do research!

The truth about the "World Council of Churches."

More Rick Warren Bad News

Reading the latest faux paz done by Rick Warren (of The Purpose Driven Life book fame) just terribly saddens me so much! As the author, Joseph Farah explicitly states within his article, I too hope that when all the facts come out about Warren's trip and the words he shared in Syria, that Farah's fears and accusations would be proven unwarranted.

Haven't we had enough controversy in the evangelical world this year with the messy Ted Haggard fiasco?

In four previous posts, I have written about Rick Warren. I started out feeling very enthusiastic about his book, church, and ministry. Unfortunately, as time went by, I had to admit that there were several things that bugged me about his ministry and politics.

In one of my "Rick Warren" blogposts (Seeking to Save title), I can still recall the chill and feeling of dread that I had felt when the following incident happened:

...[I] first want to share something that happened at our leaders training class when preparing for "The Purpose Driven Life" Bible study.

All the leaders gathered to view a video done by Pastor Rick Warren as an introduction to the study course. When the video came to the portion where accepting Christ was involved, an alarm went off in my heart and mind as I noticed something missing from Pastor Warren's prayer. There was no mention of the need to confess personal sins and repent of them. I had arrived late to the meeting so I thought that perhaps I missed that part in the beginning. During the question and answer time, I raised my hand and brought this up to the assistant pastor leading the class. He said he would "look into it" and quickly called on someone else with the next question. His lack of reaction and abrupt answer was close to an outright dismissal about my concerns!! I was shocked! Two other women sitting nearby said they felt the exact same way about that prayer! I was hoping that this would be brought out to the general congregation (because my pastor ALWAYS SPECIFICALLY EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO CONFESS SIN AND REPENT BEFORE RECEIVING CHRIST AS SAVIOR) but I don't think it was ever brought up.

As a leader of two study groups, I felt that it was my obligation to be sure that the sinners prayer was included in this study so I led such a prayer myself to give people the opportunity to receive Christ at any time during the 8 week study. If I had to criticize the "Purpose" book for one reason, it would be its lack of this important point within its pages.

Farah's article contained a YouTube link to Rick Warren's alleged comments in Syria. Unfortunately, when I clicked on it I got this message:

The url contained a malformed video id.

I am truly saddened by all of this!! If all of what Farah alleges in his article is true, then Rick Warren may be turning out to be one of the false teachers that are prophesied in the book of Jude.

I, for one, hope not.

I sincerely hope not!

But the evidence against him certainly doesn't look good.

Hat tip: WorldNetDaily

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Update: Warren denies
praise for Syria