"You Would Be Safer On a SWAT Team!"

Justin Peters, in talking about the lack of discernment applied to deciding what books to stock in a Christian book store, says that there is no more dangerous place for a Christian than most "Christian" book stores. The title of this post sums up his assessment of that threat.

I've been in several discussions these past few days about all the downright heretical books that are for sale at the Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Christian Resources bookstores. It is a shame that there are not strict doctrinal standards applied to what they sell -- then again, if they applied strict doctrinal standards, they would have to stop peddling books by Southern Baptist heretics like Beth Moore, Rick Warren, and Don Piper. Lifeway is, in many ways, just an update on the moneylenders and animal merchants in the Temple courtyard, where profits trump actual service to the people of God.

But, sadly, for many evangelicals, Southern Baptist in particular, there persists the idea that, "Well, Lifeway sells it, so it must be okay." This is a dangerous attitude, as just a casual stroll down Lifeway's shelves with some discernment will quickly demonstrate, as this picture of JD Hall and Justin Peters in the Lifeway store in Billings during last week's Reformation Montana 2014 conference shows.

By the way, this is not at all intended as a slam on anyone who works at a Lifeway bookstore. This is a call to the top administration of Lifeway in Nashville to reform and become a doctrinally sound bookstore that Christians can trust.

So, in calling Lifeway to reform, every Monday on some sort of simi-regular basis, I think I'll post Lifeway's top-10 bestsellers list with commentary.

This week's top-10 best sellers from Lifeway's website:

1. I Am a Church Member, by Thom Rainer - Thom is head of Lifeway, I've not read the book and cannot speak to its content.
2. One Nation, by Dr. Ben Carson - Again, a book the contents of which I cannot comment on. I have liked a lot of the stuff Carson has said politically
3. Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young - this book is full of heretical mystic blasphemy. Avoid at all costs
4. Child of Mine, by David and Beverly Lewis - Amish fiction. Enough said.
5. The Daniel Plan, by Rick Warren and some other guys - Reinterpriting a passage of Scripture, wrenched from its context, and turning it into a weight loss scheme? Money grubbing heresy, but with a third less calories than regular heresy (There is also a cookbook and a DVD and whatnot to go with it. I wonder when the Daniel Plan® dinnerware comes out?)
6. Bridge to Heaven, by Francine Rivers - More Harlequin Romance, Christian-style...
7. The Closer, by Mariano Rivera (with Wayne Coffey) - Ghostwritten autobiography of a Christian baseball player. Haven't read it, so can't comment on the doctrinal soundness of the content.
8. Good Call; Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl, by Jase Robertson (with Mark Schlabach) - Ghostwritten humor from one of the guys from Duck Dynasty. Can't speak to the content, but I do know the family has some errors regarding baptismal regeneration. But, for all that, judgeing by the TV show, the book is probably funny...
9. You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times, by Max Lucado - have not read it, but I generally find Lucado's stuff to be not very deep, doctrinally anemic, and not worth my time. Your mileage may vary.
10. Recovering Redemption: A Gospel Saturated Perspective on How to Change, by Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzer - I've not read this book, but I've generally liked what I've heard Chandler preach. This one might be worth reading. Maybe. I don't know, for sure.

So, Lifeway, what are the chances of clear doctrinal standards being developed and applied? Please?

Marketing Can't Overcome Truth

The King James Only movement used to be a much bigger deal than it has been lately. Well, it seems that at least one King James Only proponent is ready to try to recapture some lost market share with a series of slick videos.

The website for this effort, What's the Big Deal about the KJV?, says that there will be 8 to 10 videos in the series. Episodes 2 and 3 are, we are told, due out sometime in June.

But episode 1 is out now: Let's watch...

Well, there is is; glossy, well produced, full of good-natured sincerity... and enough error that it's hard to even know where to begin!

Luckily, as textual criticism is not at all my area of expertise, I don't have to know where to begin. James White, who is very well versed on the history of the text of the New Testament knows exactly where to begin, and has produced a 5-part, information-packed, video response to What's the Big Deal about the KJV? episode 1.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

For more information about this topic, I highly recommend Dr. White's book The King James Only Controversy, now it it's second edition. If you are more of an audio-visual learner, Dr. White gave a lecture on the reliability of the New Testament text about a year ago. It is 1 1/2 hours long, but it is just jam-packed full of interesting and useful information!

Family Radio's Camping's Trip

(NOTE: For detailed information on the errors that Harold Camping is teaching, check out Alpha & Omega Ministries' Family Radio Resource List)

As no doubt many of you already know, Harold Camping has, through a tortured process of numerologically gymnastical scripture-twisting, determined that this Saturday, May 21, 2011, is Judgment Day®. Billboards announcing the event are blazoned with "the Bible guarantees it!" Vans and RVs have been crossing the country with bright warnings of impending doom painted on the sides. I just heard Camping say last night (No, I don't normally listen to Family Radio. But this week is... special.) that the rapture and a great earthquake will hit each timezone at 6pm standard /7pm daylight.

I'm writing this post to go officially on record with my prediction that Harold Camping is totally wrong in regards to the timing of the return of Jesus. The odds are that nothing out of the ordinary, supernaturally speaking, is going to occur on May 21st.

Just as Camping bases his prediction on the Bible, I also base my prediction on the Bible. Whereas Camping pulls numbers from totally unrelated passages all over the Bible, I can base my prediction that Camping is wrong on just a few verses - All direct quotes from Jesus Himself, and all in the context of Jesus teaching about His return!

Matthew 24:36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

Matthew 24:42 "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."

Matthew 24:44 "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Mark 13:32-33 "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (33) Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come."

Acts 1:7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority."

Now, as Pastor Jim McClarty is fond of saying, "Wherever you and the Bible disagree, one of you is wrong. And it is you." So Harold Camping is clearly wrong. And Saturday will just confirm what we already know.

Well, Camping has been wrong before. He predicted that the world would end on September 11, 1994. When it didn't, he explained himself by saying he had not studied the book of Jeremiah before making that prediction. Well, okay, then. That explains it...

So what will Camping's followers do when events show that he was wrong yet again?

I expect that some, finding themselves still here on May 22, may decide to leave this world by their own hands. This saddens me, but I do expect there will be some. There doesn't seem to be any sort of organized plans for a mass exodus, ala Marshall Applewhite, but I would not be shocked to hear of individual Campingites suiciding over this, especially those who've emptied their savings to pay for the billboards and newspaper ads and whatnot.

Others, having believing that Camping read the Bible right, and, therefore, that it is the Bible that is wrong, will turn away from anything to do with the Bible at all. After all, "The Bible Guarantees It." I expect that James White is correct, when he says that we will soon see atheist groups pushing broke and disillusioned ex-Campingites as spokespeople for "the destructiveness of Christianity." Already, Atheists are mocking all Christians because of Camping's kooky predictions.

Some will simply act like nothing happened at all. Back in 1980, the Baha'i predicted the end of the world. A couple I knew were Baha'i and were very vocal about the prediction. After the date passed without incident, they just refused to talk about it at all. Ever. If anybody brought it up, they would walk away or leave the room. They'd do anything but acknowledge the failed prediction. I expect many of Camping's followers are about to learn a new phrase; "Harold who?"

But, after all is said and done, Saturday, May 21, 2011, will not be the end of Camping's teachings.

You see, back in 1822, a Baptist preacher in Vermont by the name of William Miller started a movement when he began teaching that Christ would return October 22, 1844. Well, when October 22, 1844 came and went, many left the movement. But some didn't.

One of these Millerites, a young girl named Ellen, claimed to receive visions from God that explained how Miller had been right after all. Miller had gotten the date right, he'd just gotten the event wrong. Jesus, it seems, was beginning His "Investigative Judgment" in 1844, and would return physically when He was done. And, thus, the Seventh Day Adventists were born.

All Camping's teachings need to gain new life and continue deceiving people for years to come is someone to play Ellen G. White to his William Miller.

So, what should be the Biblical Christian's response? The Bible does, after all, say that Jesus will return. How do we respond to those who would lump us in with the Campingites and other fringe groups? Our response should be same response we should ever have to any false teacher - the Truth!

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)

We should correct error by patiently teaching what the Scriptures actually say. It is simple, but it will not always be easy.

P.S. - See you Sunday, May 22, in church!

Yeah, Well, That's Just The Way It Is!

I didn't get the Nut Cache typed up today like I'd planned to, for a Saturday Nut Special... C'est la vie.

But, while my blog has devolved into a Foodie & Weird News Extravaganza, others are still doing serious work. I'm very impressed by my young friend, Fisher, whom God has gifted with a great ability to retain and process information that I can only envy (i.e. he's a really smart guy...). As an example, he just posted this tonight, and it is a thoughtful read: The Christology of Mark. It is well worth reading.

Professing to be wise…

Professing to be wise, they became fools,
(Romans 1:22 NASB)

Last Friday night, Dr. James White, Director of Alpha & Omega Ministries, debated Dr. Robert Price, fellow of the Jesus Seminar on the topic of “Is the Bible True?” with Dr. White in the affirmative, and Dr. Price taking the negative. And I have some thoughts…

Oh, not on the debate, I wasn’t there. I look forward to listening to it just as soon as the .mp3’s become available. (Until then, try these!) No, I have some thoughts on an atheist’s comments that were posted online after the debate. You see, yesterday, I did a Google search on the debate, to see what various reviewers were saying, and my search turned up the Free2Think Atheists, Humanists & Freethinkers forum (WARNING: this site contains certain monosyllabic words that always get bleeped on television.) The site is a forum for atheist discussion & “Killer Bud” posted his observations from the debate, which he attended.

In reading through his account, I was first struck by something “Killer Bud” said about his encounter with an unidentified Christian who tried to share the Gospel with him before the debate. “Killer Bud” said, “I had explained to him that it was not just some extemporaneous decision, and that my choice to be an atheist was well thought out.” So, his decision to become an atheist was “well thought out”? After some sort of thorough investigation as to the truth claims of Christianity and other religions?

But, no, it seems that is not the case. Later, as he is discussing the debate itself, “Killer Bud” writes, “To be honest, I had a hard time following a lot of it because I do not know much about the bible. They were quoting Hezekiah, Jeremiah, and I swore I heard Aunt Jemimah [sic]. I realize they both were really educated in biblical stuff but all that Matthew, Acts, and Corinthians stuff just kind of ran together for this laymen [sic] to follow.” Golly! He made a “well thought out” decision to reject the Bible with little or no Biblical knowledge to work from! Huh…

Then, later in the forum, “jedg.1987” said, “But yea, there was a good portion of it that was way over my head, and you have to imagine that if it was over the head of us atheists, the people who actually tend to study the Bible somewhat critically, it had to have gone over the head of 90% of the Christians there.”

Wait, atheists are the ones who “ actually tend to study the Bible somewhat critically ”?! If the debate is over their heads, then the Christians sure wont understand it? Well, sure, because atheists’re so much smarter than any dumb Christian, right? Yeah… Right…

The arrogance displayed in their ignorance is stunning! Atheists love to style themselves as intellectual & informed free thinkers, yet, truthfully, they are often uninformed and their ability to think is always in bondage to their sin.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4 NASB)

I am praying that God will open these atheists' eyes.

The Return of Deism?

Before the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, atheists had no answer to “Where did everything come from, then?” And so, Deism. Deism is an attempt to “have your god, and ignore him too.” It is the belief that God created the universe, set it in motion, and left it to run on its own. Deism was the refuge of the intellectual and of the practical atheist. Of America’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine and Ethan Allen were avowed Deists, and Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, just to name a few, were Deistic in much of what they wrote and said.

Deism was a big deal a couple of hundred years ago, as it dealt with the questions of origin by saying that “God made it,” but ignored any moral obligations that creatures might just, possible, owe their Creator. But, with the growing acceptance of Darwin’s work, God became unnecessary. Deism faded into the background to be replaced by hard atheism and agnosticism as evolutionary belief made it possible to be intellectually satisfied regarding questions of origins.

But as Intelligent Design, and other critiques of evolution, continues to make Darwinism less and less tenable a position, it seems that Deism may be becoming popular again. I recently received an e-mail from a friend who needed answers to Deism’s claims. It seems that my friend has a friend who has discovered “what he was looking for” in Deism.

Deism is an effort to reconcile the obviousness of the existence of a creator with the desire to be unaccountable creatures of that creator. Paul directly addresses this in Romans chapter 1:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

It is clear from creation that God is real and that He is vastly powerful, but that is all that we can learn from creation itself. We would know nothing else about God, if God did not reveal Himself to us. This He did through Scripture and through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-2) Deists deny the truth of Scripture because of their unrighteousness. As Jesus put it, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19-20) If the Deists’ god is God, then there is no moral judgment to come, and they may do as they please, and decide right and wrong for themselves. But, if God is God…

Why should we believe what the Scriptures say about God? My reasoning goes like this: Jesus said that He was God (John 8:58 is just one example) – Jesus proved that He was God at the Resurrection (Acts 17:31; 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8) – Jesus said that the Old Testament was true (Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 16:29,31) – Jesus chose the writers of the New Testament (John 15:16) and told them that the Holy Spirit would help them write the Scriptures (John 14:26), and this is what Peter said happened (2 Peter 1:19-21). Therefore, the Bible is true and reliable.

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy puts it this way:

1. God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness to Himself.

2. Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms: obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.

3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.

5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

And Article X clarifies that this inerrancy applies fully only to the original autographs (a document or text handwritten by its creator):

Article X.

WE AFFIRM that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.

WE DENY that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by the absence of the autographs. We further deny that this absence renders the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.

The issue of the autographs and textual criticism (the study of manuscripts in order to determine which preserved reading is the closest to the original writing) becomes important in addressing the “Deist Challenge to Christians” found at the World Union of Deists website. You see, their challenge centers around Mark 16:18 – “they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” – Unfortunately for them, Mark 16:18 most likely shouldn’t be in the Bible at all. And, if it isn’t in the Bible, it can’t be used to disprove or challenge the Bible, nor those who believe the Bible.

Here’s the big problem with their “challenge,” textual critics say that, according to the best manuscript evidence available, the Gospel of Mark ends at verse 8!

The external evidence strongly suggests these verses were not originally part of Mark’s gospel. While the majority of Greek manuscripts contain these verses, the earliest and most reliable do not. A shorter ending also existed, but it is not included in the text. Further, some that include the passage note that it was missing from older Greek manuscripts, while others have scribal marks indicating the passage was considered spurious. The fourth-century church fathers Eusebius and Jerome noted that almost all Greek manuscripts available to them lacked vv. 9–20. (John MacArthur, the MacArthur Bible Commentary, Nashville, Thomas Neilson, Inc, 2005)

In fact, in an amusing twist, the Deist site links to the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, and, on the very page the Deists link to, we read this:

Verses 9-20 were are not found in the earlier manuscripts and are therefore considered later additions. So the gospel of Mark ended without anyone seeing the resurrected Jesus or any of the cool stuff about snake handling, drinking poison, or damned non-believers.

Since these verses are believed, by believers and skeptics alike, to not be part of the original text of Mark, we are under no obligation to defend what is said in Mark 16:9-20. For a movement that prides itself on its commitment to reason, trying to force Christians to defend something that isn’t part of the inspired text of Scripture seems… unreasonable.

But, just for the sake of discussion, let’s pretend that these verses are part of the inspired text; what then?

Nowhere in the text does it say that all Christians would perform these signs. But it is worth noting that all of these signs, excepting the drinking of poison, are fulfilled by the Apostles in the book of Acts.

“They will cast out demons” – Acts 5:16 records that Peter was both healing people and casting out demons. Acts 8:7 – Phillip was casting out “unclean spirits” – Acts 19:12 tells of “unclean spirits” departing in association with Paul’s ministry, but then Acts 19:13-16 tells one of my all-time favorite stories from the Bible of an exorcism that went very, and very funnily, wrong.

“They will speak with new tongues” – Acts 2 records the first occurrence of this event in great detail!

“They will pick up serpents” Acts 28:3-6 tells of what happened when Paul was bitten on the hand by a poisonous viper.

“if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them” – there is no recorded instance of this in Scripture. It may have happened, it may not have happened.

“They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” – There are many healings recorded in the book of Acts. Acts 3 tells about God healing a lame man through Peter. Acts 5:16 – God, again through Peter, was healing people of sickness. In Acts 9, Peter is used to heal a paralyzed man who had been bedridden for 8 years.

So, even though Mark 16:9-20 are not in the inspired text, there is ample evidence that the things spoken of were, in fact, fulfilled during the lives of the Apostles. This all powerful “Challenge to Christians” turns out to be just so much hot air.

Deism fails at a philosophical level. They posit a God powerful enough to create the universe and everything in it, but will not allow that God to intervene in His creation in any way. Nor, apparently, can God have any purpose in and for His creation. Nor will they allow the possibility of God communicating with His creature in any way. All such ideas are dismissed as “superstition” and rejected.

It seems to me that Deism is a bankrupt philosophy.