An Invitation and A Response
Hi Ingrid,
On behalf of Pastor Rick Warren, I would like to personally invite you to attend this years Purpose Driven Church Gathering (May 20-22) at our wonderful campus in Lake Forest, California. Pastor Rick would not only like to invite you, but pay for you to come out and spend three days with this group of national and global leaders. We are anticipating close to 2,000 leaders will gather to learn from our guest speakers. The only request we have is that you please wait to share your thoughts until the conference has completed. This will give you the best chance to listen and learn before responding. Lastly, I would like to include you in an open discussion time with Pastor Rick and a few other leaders on Thursday, May 22nd.
I truly hope you will accept this wonderful offer to come and learn. Please let me know by Monday, May 12th if we can count on you joining us. If you can, I will have our travel agent connect with you to take care of your travel needs. To learn more about this great gathering please click here PDC Gathering.
Sincerely,
Erik Rees
Saddleback Church
1 Saddleback Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Dear Erik,
I am in receipt of your invitation offering an all-expenses paid trip to Saddleback’s worship conference. I cannot accept your invitation. In the world of live church webcasts, book publishers, websites and so on, it is no longer necessary to travel to see a church to understand what it is all about. Your pastor’s copious writings, speeches and sermons are online and available for everyone to see and analyze in the light of God’s Word.
No amount of time spent with Rick Warren or the worship conference leaders at Saddleback can change basic facts. One of your speakers, Pastor Mark Batterson, recently referred readers on his website to the writings of New Age teacher, Eckhart Tolle, featured by Oprah Winfrey. He said that Tolle’s book, Practicing the Power of Now, was instrumental in the way he thought about life. I could not sit and listen to someone with that lack of discernment. Also featured at your worship conference is Pastor Jentezen Franklin, of the Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia. This is the pastor who featured a Michael Jackson Thriller dance on his church platform at a Halloween-themed service, complete with a haunted house set-up on stage. Again, how could I sit under that kind of pastor to learn about worship of the Most High God? Additionally, you have Pastor Mark Driscoll as a speaker. Mark’s filthy language and vulgarity is not fit for any woman’s ears, and I’m not about to subject myself to his disobedient use of coarse jesting in the name of ministry. It does not comport with the Scripture’s requirements for conduct in the office of the ministry. Pastor Mark Beeson of Granger Community Church will also be there to speak on the subject of worship. I cannot listen to a “pastor” who claims personal responsibility for the sex-sermon-campaigns by churches across the nation. These campaigns have brought complaints even from the unregenerate who are sick of their children getting hit with lewd materials in public places. Any pastor who is responsible for this kind of filth has nothing to share on the subject of worshiping our holy God.
Pastor Rick Warren has had vast financial resources to share with the world his solution to mankind’s problems. He, unfortunately, has chosen to introduce an entirely new generation to a social gospel, rather than the exclusive message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is telling that none of the E’s in his P.E.A.C.E. plan stand for “evangelism”. This is wrong.
I cannot agree to Rick Warren’s invitation. He has been biblically confronted repeatedly by those far more able than I regarding his numerous unbiblical teachings and the damage they have done to churches nationwide. We are to worship the Lord both in spirit and in truth. The mixture of truth and error is a dangerous combination spiritually, and that is why I will not be coming to Saddleback.
Sincerely,
Ingrid Schlueter
VCY America Radio Network
Posted on May 9, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Hope in Laodicea
I rarely cross-promote for my personal blog here at Slice, but I am taking the rest of today off and plan to enjoy Mother’s Day weekend uninterrupted. Stop by my Hope in Laodicea blog for posts on the blessings of God and the goodness of His creation. In this post, I reflect on Mother’s Day. To the Christian mothers who read Slice, God bless you all. The hope in Laodicea is found in Christian homes where Jesus Christ, the only true hope of the world, is lifted up.
Posted on May 9, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Seeking Success or Oneness with Jesus?
Berit Kjos has posted excerpts from the book, Revolution in World Missions. We are told by America’s “smiling preacher”, Osteen, that if you meet Jesus, everything in your life will be better. Well, only in America would a message like that gain any traction. Men like John Maxwell, and so many others, tie a relationship with Jesus with an improved life in every way. Tell that to the North Korean believer serving a life sentence in a brutal labor camp. We have it wrong here in America. We have it absolutely backwards.
Posted on May 9, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
James Dobson on Glenn Beck Tonight *Updated*
James Dobson is reportedly tonight’s guest on the Glenn Beck Show. Beck is a “family-values” Mormon, so it promises to be an interesting program. For years I have watched “family values” conservatives talk about the mess our country is in without referencing the real source of the problem—the fact that people have rejected Jesus Christ and His Gospel. It is self-evident that 25 years of evangelical culture wars have resulted in a nation that is even worse off spiritually and morally than it was a quarter of a century ago. In addition, the evangelical church is in complete meltdown doctrinally and, in some cases, is openly contributing to the moral squalor. (Think church-sex-sermon campaigns and lewd billboard ads.)
Observing the carnage around us, I believe that James Dobson’s campaign to fix America by “focusing on the family,” outside of an explicitly Gospel-laden message, is a failure. It is not for lack of good intentions; it is the false foundation of man-centered psychology that Dobson’s organization rests upon that has resulted in this failure. The beliefs of the pioneers of psychology were antithetical to Scripture’s clear teaching about the source of man’s problem, namely, his total depravity. Dobson’s organization is merely “pro-family,” encompassing anyone who believes in the traditional family unit, regardless of religious beliefs. This is how Dobson acquired a multi-million dollar headquarters in Colorado Springs and the large following that he has. His is a big tent organization built on “the family,” not the message of the narrow way-the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you simply cannot address moral issues without addressing the existence of sin. You cannot address sin as a Christian without sharing the only cure for sin–the atoning work of Christ. I wonder if James Dobson will do that tonight with his Mormon host.
*Update: You can read the transcript here of the interview with Glenn Beck. Scroll down midpoint to where Dr. Dobson comes on.*
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Crosstalk Today: Bob DeWaay on Why Evangelicals are Heading Back to Rome
Pastor Bob DeWaay’s latest Critical Issues Commentary is titled, “Why Evangelicals are Returning to Rome”. We will be discussing the various streams within evangelicalism that are all feeding into this Home to Rome trend, and why the issue of Sola Scriptura is so important to sound doctrine. The foundational teaching of Scripture Alone is routinely rejected today, either openly, or simply in practice by many evangelical churches today. Join us at 2pm Central Time at our website where you can either listen live or listen to the podcast later.
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
What Now, Dr. Mouw?
“We have a history of either giving up on the culture or trying to take it over,” said Dr. Richard Mouw, president and professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary. “Instead, we should do what we are capable of doing for the common good alongside others who have a sincere commitment to the common good. We need to develop a more adequate theology, not impose our will on society.”
–Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, today at the National Press Club, unveiling the new Evangelical Manifesto with his cohorts.
“I know that I have learned much in this continuing dialogue, and I am now convinced that we evangelicals have often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of the Mormon community. Indeed, let me state it bluntly to the LDS folks here this evening: we have sinned against you. The God of the Scriptures makes it clear that it is a terrible thing to bear false witness against our neighbors, and we have been guilty of that sort of transgression in things we have said about you. We have told you what you believe without making a sincere effort first of all to ask you what you believe.”
–Richard Mouw, “Mormon/Christian Evening of Friendship”, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, November 14, 2004
My Response: Yes, Dr. Mouw, we do need a “more adequate theology” for evangelicals, something you have been unable to provide in your tenure at Fuller Theological Seminary, one of the biggest contributors to spiritual error within evangelicalism. An “adequate theology’ will only be found when evangelicals get back into the authoritative Word of God and stop jetting around trying to find common ground with those in cults and false religions. And you can pass that on to your friend and Mormon enthusiast, David Neff, as well.
Additionally, Dr. Mouw, at a time when anyone can claim the credential “evangelical”, the creation of what you term an “Evangelical Manifesto” seems a tad presumptuous. The term evangelical now can mean anything from a homosexual and his lover at an Evangelicals Concerned support group in New York City, Jim Wallis waving around Karl Marx’s Das Kapital , Shirley Dobson and her Reform Jewish universalist Rabbi, Greg Boyd and his hand-wringing semi-God, Brian McLaren and his hell-free, atonement-free, New Age Shift crusade, Rick Warren and his Purpose Driven madness, Rob Bell and his “human-product” Bible, Mark Driscoll and his toilet mouth pastorate, Doug Pagitt and his Desperate Housewives theology, and so forth and so on. Why don’t you call this document, “An Evangelical Manifesto: Whatever Evangelical Means”. It might clear things up. Sort of.
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Universalist Bush: In His Own Words
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Universalist Bush Proposes an International Day of Prayer for All Faiths
President Bush called for an “International Day of Prayer” at the National Day of Prayer observance last week, CNS News reports.
As we pray for God’s continued blessings on our country, I think it makes sense to hope that one day there may be an International Day of Prayer,” Bush said during his eighth and final appearance at the prayer ceremony.
“It will be a chance for people of faith around the world to stop at the same time to pause to praise an Almighty,” he added.
Not THE Almighty, but AN Almighty. All it would require is that everyone be “people of faith”. Faith in whom or what doesn’t matter. President Bush agrees with Rabbi Lustig who opened the National Day of Prayer event with Shirley Dobson—that all religions are equal before God in prayer. Bush has stated on numerous occasions that we all worship the same God, regardless of our religion.
We certainly will see an International Day of Prayer with millions of evangelical Christians participating with Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Jainists, Wiccans, Mormons, Zoroastrians, Rosicrutians, and every other idolator who denies the true God. This is where it has all been leading all along. One world, with Interspirituality as its official creed. Those who refuse to make distinctions now between truth and error, the one true God and all the false idols of heathen nations, will be swept away by this rising tide of universalism. It’s a very serious issue, friends.
Charles Gibson: “Do we all worship the same God, Christian and Muslim?”
President Bush: “I think we do. We have different routes of getting to the Almighty.”
Gibson: “Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?”
Bush: “Yes they do. We have different routes of getting there.”
–President Bush, Interview with ABC News’ Charles Gibson, November 2003
“I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God.”
“I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.”
–President Bush, in an interview with Al Arabiya Television, October 5, 2007
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
An Update on the NDP and the Battle over Jesus Name
Focus on the Family is reportedly planning a two-day program series on the National Day of Prayer on May 13 and 14. They are sending out emails claiming that what everyone has heard is inaccurate about Shirley Dobson and the NDP Task Force. I stand by all that we have said. The facts speak for themselves.
1. Dr. Ravi Zacharias, 2008 Honorary Chairman of the NDP, by his own admission, conformed to government demands that there be a non-sectarian, Jesus-free prayer. That prayer was on the Task Force website for the public to read, and we have posted it at this site. There is no Jesus in that prayer. There was also no inclusion of the name of Christ at Ravi’s White House prayer on the National Day of Prayer.
2. Fact 2 that has already been established is that the National Day of Prayer Task Force sponsors interfaith prayer services that they call “Judeo-Christian”. They have gotten away with it for years and that is why they are shocked that anyone would bring this up now. This “Judeo-Christian” prayer service is what resulted in a liberal, Reform rabbi, Rabbi Bruce Lustig, getting up and opening Dobson’s event by claiming that all religions are equal before God in prayer. Shirley thanked him and the event opened on that footing. This is indisputable, and we have posted the audio online.
Further, while we welcome a wider audience’s awareness of these issues, it will be a major mistake for the Dobsons if they choose to get on the air and reference what we have written and said. Why? Because it will simply introduce many of their listeners for the first time to the reality of what happened. This will not help their cause with born-again Christians in their audience who still care about biblical truth. It will also be ironic if they choose to do this because the Dobsons have steadfastly refused to do any programming of any kind that would mention names in order to warn listeners about the dangers of the false teaching flooding into the church. They don’t like to offend and name names unless they’re talking about liberals in Congress. The evangelical church is off limits. Ryan Dobson is a big fan of Rob Bell, and he told a broadcaster friend of mine that in writing. Bell is the one who told Christianity today that he and his wife were excited to discover that the Bible was not the product of “Divine fiat” but rather a “human product”. If the Dobson family refuses to warn their millions of listeners about men like Brian McLaren showing up at Willow Creek Community Church–a man who rejects the doctrine of hell, the substitutionary atonement and the literal Second Coming of Christ–and in fact have featured Dr. Tony Campolo on their program in the past without ever clarifying that they no longer support him—it will be most interesting to see them warning about Bible-believing Christians by name just because they had the gall to oppose something being promoted by Focus on the Family’s subsidiary, the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
If they choose to go that route, the public will be reminded once again of what the exact issues were regarding the official National Day of Task Force prayer and Dr. Zacharias’s decision, because we will be obligated to make any distortions of the truth plain as widely as possible. Here is a letter sent by Cathy Mickels, author of a book endorsed by Dr. John MacArthur: Spiritual Junk Food: The Dumbing Down of Christian Youth. She was also the state head of Eagle Forum for the state of Washington for many years. She is writing to Jean Truty at the National Day of Prayer who sent out the latest communique.
Dear Jean,
Thank you for responding to my concerns regarding decisions made by the National Day of Prayer committee.
However, I am still very disappointed not only by your response, but also by your suggestion that anyone who calls into question Shirley Dobson’s judgment is divisive to the Body of Christ. Frankly, it’s time for those who are in Christian leadership to acknowledge and consider it is possible for them to demonstrate poor judgment. In this case, it was Shirley Dobson who lacked wisdom, discernment and insight.
I am puzzled why those at FOF would defend sending mixed messages such as the opening remarks of the Rabbi declaring Christians, Muslims and Jews all pray to the same God. This is contrary to God’s word, and some of us take very seriously our responsibility to stand against any lie that breeds or perpetrates this deception. Furthermore, why should anyone at Focus on the Family be surprised that Bible believing Christians challenge the notion of standing arm in arm with those who declare Muslims, Jews or Christians all pray to the same God? Is that a notion validated and embraced in Scripture? Is God pleased with our involvement in ecumenical movements implying it really doesn’t matter who we are crying out to for protection and help?
Per your comments, regardless of how young Shirley Dobson was when she gave her life to Christ, what matters is what decisions she is making today. The spiritual climate in this country is not the same as it was in past years. The blending of different faith perspectives was not an issue years ago, but today we see this compromise everywhere. Consequently, we live in a time where we must not contribute either indirectly or directly to this growing spiritual confusion, which is precisely why Shirley Dobson was wrong.
Unlike the generations noted in Scripture, why does this generation think God will honor or bless our land if Christians stand with pagan religions praying to the “universal god”? What is the matter with us?
I thank God for women such as Ingrid Schlueter and her family who have the courage and boldness to defend the faith regardless of the cost.
I will also use this time to ask Mrs. Dobson’s to reconsider defending a controversial activity in a book called “The Family Compass.” This outrageous activity actually suggests fathers teach their sons the “excitement of sex within the context of marriage” by taking them to a women’s lingerie store to buy a “sexy outfit” for their mommy. In light of the professional opinions stating this activity violates the “universal taboo against sexual expression between parent and child, and breaks down normalcy within the context of family” the activity is still in this book endorsed by Focus. Like Ingrid Schlueter, I learned what happens when you question Focus on the Family, and I also learned, Focus on the Family can be wrong.
With great disappointment,
Cathy Mickels,
Former, longtime Washington state President of Eagle Forum
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Quote of the Day
“Jesus condemned any duplicity which views prayer to be a performance. He called those who pray to perform, “hypocrites” (Matthew 6:5). Jesus drew no distinction between praying inside or outside the church. In fact, knowing Jesus possessed a holistic view of the faith life, and because Jesus repeatedly instructed His followers to pray to the Father in His name, I am convinced that He would reject any tampering with the “in-His-name” formula regardless of the audience (John 14:13-14; See 15:16; 16:23-24.). Christian prayers are always to be spoken “in the name of Jesus.” That is one of “the givens” of the Christian faith. If we refuse to pray in Jesus’ name, then we have no assurance that the Father will hear our prayers or grant our requests.
As a professor from Wabash College diagnosed the issue, “Prayer, for traditionally minded Christians, simply must be addressed to God by way of the name of Jesus. More than that, Jesus Christ is God in human form, so any attempt to separate the idea of God from the name Jesus Christ is nothing more than heresy.” Amen!”
–Pastor Larry DeBruyn, in this online article
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
No Enemies?
You have no enemies, you say?
Alas, my friend, the boast is poor;
He who has mingled in the fray
Of duty, that the brave endure,
Must have made foes! If you have none,
Small is the work that you have done,
You’ve hit no traitor on the hip,
You’ve dashed no cup from perjured lip;
You’ve never turned the wrong to right,
You’ve been a coward in the fight.
–Charles Mackay (1814-1887)
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Secretly, Quietly, Insidiously, Plausibly
False prophets are nothing new. They are as old as the fall in the garden when the first hiss of Satan was heard. “Yea, hath God said?” Here is a piece written by J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) who warns of how seretly, quietly, insidiously, and plausibly these false prophets come. They don’t come billowing clouds of sulfur, with horns on their head, etc. They are far smarter than that.
“Watch out for false prophets! They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves!” Matthew 7:15
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light!” 2 Corinthians 11:13-14
False doctrine does not meet us face to face, and proclaim that it is false. It does not blow a trumpet before it, and endeavor openly to turn us away from the truth as it is in Jesus. It does not come before us in broad day, and summon us to surrender. It approaches us secretly, quietly, insidiously, plausibly, and in such a way as to disarm our suspicion, and throw us off our guard. It is the wolf in sheep’s clothing, and Satan in the garb of an angel of light–who have always proved the most dangerous foes of the church of Christ.
Let us be on our guard against the “insidiousness” of false doctrine. Like the fruit of which Eve and Adam ate–at first sight it looks pleasant and good, and a thing to be desired. “Poison” is not written upon it, and so people are not afraid. Like counterfeit coin, it is not stamped “bad.” It passes for the real thing, because of the very likeness it bears to the truth.
Let us be on our guard against the “very small beginnings” of false doctrine. Every heresy began at one time, with some little departure from the truth. There is only “a little seed of error” needed to create “a great tree of heresy!” It is the little stones, which make up the mighty building. It was the little pieces of lumber, which made the great ark that carried Noah and his family over a deluged world. It is the little leaven, which infiltrated the whole lump. It is the little flaw in one link of the chain cable, which wrecks the gallant ship, and drowns the crew. It is the omission or addition of one little item in the doctor’s prescription, which spoils the whole medicine, and turns it into poison!
Let us never allow a little false doctrine to ruin us, by thinking it is “but a little one,” and can do us no harm.
There are three things which we never ought to trifle with:
a little poison,
a little sin, and
a little false doctrine.
Let us read the Bible regularly, daily, and with fervent prayer. Let us receive nothing, believe nothing, follow nothing–which is not in the Bible. Let our rule of faith, our touchstone of all teaching–be the written Word of God. “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
New Testament Church Post
Something went haywire with my post text when I tried to add some information to the last post so I deleted it. I was requesting information on the New Testament Church movement, and I thank those who have written to me. I hope to find out more about this particular group.
Posted on May 6, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
RZIM Responds to National Day of Prayer Controversy
Ravi Zacharias has finally issued an official statement about his Jesus-free prayer for the National Day of Prayer Task Force. He simply confirms what I have reported on this blog repeatedly when he writes:
This is important to note: There are no restrictions on any of the events that take place on this day across the country, except for the official prayer for the nation that goes into the public record and must be approved by the appropriate government representative. In distinction to anyone else praying or for even the prayers that are prayed at the invitation of the President at his inauguration, the chairperson’s prayer at the National Day of Prayer must meet certain conditions. In fact, my prayer was only approved for reading one day before the White House ceremony.
This is exactly what we reported here at Slice. Ravi agreed to the government’s stipulations regarding his prayer. By stripping it of the name of Jesus and making it non-sectarian, he rendered it worthless before God. Why participate in a “government” sanctioned prayer at all? Does Ravi believe that God hears all the prayers of the Muslims, Sikhs, Jainists, Buddhists, etc., as Rabbi Lustig claimed at the outset of Shirley Dobson’s gathering?
In retaliation for our coverage of this issue, Ravi Zacharias pulled his radio program from our network which we carried for 13 years. George Curry from RZIM copied me in on the letter of cancellation last Friday. I wrote the following:
“…after hearing Rabbi Lustig who opened the event Ravi attended on Capitol Hill, I can see why Ravi would no longer be a good fit for our Christian radio network. How could any genuine believer possibly participate in a prayer event where the opening remarks state that all religions are equal in God’s sight through prayer? God help us when this kind of apostasy gets sanction from our supposedly “brilliant” apologists. Faithfulness to Christ is worth far more in His sight than brilliance any day. I think many are waking up to this belatedly.”
We were going to be forced to remove Ravi’s program due to this matter and others of concern, so RZIM simplified things for us greatly. It still remains a mystery as to why Shirley Dobson thought that a liberal Reform rabbi who has been promoting interfaith relations and who believes all religions are equal before God in prayer, was a good choice to open the NDP event. This entire debacle could have been avoided if Ravi would have refused to be over-awed by political power and would have turned down the invitation of the government to write a meaningless, Christ-free prayer. The Dobsons could also have moved their prayer event to a Christian church where Christ’s name could be spoken by ALL without hindrance and without the abomination of an interfaith statement claiming all religions are equal. Had this been an explicitly Christian prayer event on private property, none of this would have happened. You simply can’t please God and the government at the same time. They should know this by now.
Posted on May 6, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Wise Words for Weary Christians
“The one true goal or resting-place where doubt and weariness, the stings of a pricking conscience, and the longings of an unsatisfied soul would all be quieted, is Christ himself. Not the church, but Christ. Not doctrine, but Christ. Not forms, but Christ. Not ceremonies, but Christ; Christ the Godman, giving His life for ours; sealing the everlasting covenant, the divine storehouse of all light and truth, ‘In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Colossians 2:3); Christ the infinite vessel, filled with the Holy Spirit, the Enlightener, the Teacher, the Quickener, the Comforter, so that ‘of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.’ (John 1:16). This, this alone is the vexed soul’s refuge, its rock to build on, its home to abide in till the great tempter be bound and every conflict ended in victory.”
–Horatius Bonar, Words to Winners of Souls
Posted on May 6, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Cornerstone Chandler Does it Again
Cornerstone Church in Chandler, Arizona has done it again. They’re having a special Mother’s Day service. This is what their website says:
“In our culture, image is everything. This Mother’s Day at Cornerstone, we’re celebrating a different image though. We’re celebrating the image of God that has been placed in our moms and women. We’ll discover the fullness of the image of God and how we can carry that image to a world that needs it! Women and men alike, come ready for the best Mother’s Day you’ve had!”
So who are they bringing in to speak on the 18th, a week later? Hilary Griffith, now Hilary Griffith Peele, the former Miss Arizona and 2007 contestant in the Miss America pageant. So the woman who is bombarded with the world’s expectations of beauty must now come to church on Sunday and be, well, bombarded by the world’s expectation of beauty. Rather than find an elderly saint who has walked with God for 50 or more years to speak about what really matters before God, they get a 22-year-old beauty pageant contestant who paraded across a stage in a bikini in front of men to be judged like a piece of meat. Older women don’t teach the younger today as Scripture instructs. The younger teach the older and the older, who are not always wiser these days, spend their time trying to look like the younger.
The most beautiful Christian woman I ever met has age spots on her hands, gray hair and lines on her face. She has arthritis and some days can hardly walk because of it. She has spent her entire life loving others and she has a prayer notebook that is full of names of those she uplifts before the Lord. Her Bible is worn and marked from all the hours she has spent in it. She has walked with God for nearly 60 years and has endured numerous trials. She has served her husband and his ministry at great personal cost for 52 years. She has the gift of helps, and has spent her life rolling up her sleeves to help meet needs whenever necessary. You’ll hear her speaking in another room but when you walk in you’ll realize she was praying. She’s always praying, because her faith and hope are in Jesus Christ and He is real to her. She is a beautiful, lovely Christian woman and I wish I could be just like her. She’s my mother, Freda Eliason. But Chandler is interested in drawing a crowd, and a woman like my mother wouldn’t draw a crowd.
Posted on May 6, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Todd Bentley’s ‘Emma’: Angel or Demon?
The mega-”revival” going on in Lakeland, Florida that is being carried on God-TV every night features the latest hot property in the charismatic realm,Todd Bentley. Some Christians believe he is bringing down the power of the Holy Spirit as all kinds of manifestations are taking place at these events. Healings are being claimed and even the media is getting in on the act as a network affiliate anchorwoman claimed to be healed of a migraine by Todd. Here is a quote from one of Todd’s articles on his angelic visitations. The Bob Jones referred to is one of the Kansas City Prophets who claimed to be specially visited by an angel to start the modern prophetic movement.
EMMA, ANGEL OF THE PROPHETIC
“Now let me talk about an angelic experience with Emma. Twice Bob Jones asked me about this angel that was in Kansas City in 1980: “Todd, have you ever seen the angel by the name of Emma?” He asked me as if he expected that this angel was appearing to me. Surprised, I said, “Bob, who is Emma?” He told me that Emma was the angel that helped birth and start the whole prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. She was a mothering-type angel that helped nurture the prophetic as it broke out. Within a few weeks of Bob asking me about Emma, I was in a service in Beulah, North Dakota. In the middle of the service I was in conversation with Ivan and another person when in walks Emma. As I stared at the angel with open eyes, the Lord said, “Here’s Emma.” I’m not kidding. She floated a couple of inches off the floor. It was almost like Kathryn Khulman in those old videos when she wore a white dress and looked like she was gliding across the platform. Emma appeared beautiful and young-about 22 years old-but she was old at the same time. She seemed to carry the wisdom, virtue and grace of Proverbs 31 on her life.
She glided into the room, emitting brilliant light and colors. Emma carried these bags and began pulling gold out of them. Then, as she walked up and down the aisles of the church, she began putting gold dust on people. “God, what is happening?” I asked. The Lord answered: “She is releasing the gold, which is both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that I am bringing into this church. I want you to prophecy that Emma showed up in this service-the same angel that appeared in Kansas city-as a sign that I am endorsing and releasing a prophetic spirit in the church.” See, when angels come, they always come for a reason; we need to actually ask God what the purpose is. Within three weeks of that visitation, the church had given me the biggest offering I had ever received to that point in my ministry. Thousands of dollars! Thousands! Even though the entire community consisted of only three thousand people, weeks after I left the church the pastor testified that the church offerings had either doubled or tripled.
During this visitation the pastor’s wife (it was an AOG church) got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost- she began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her. Also, as this prophetic anointing came on her, she started getting phone numbers of complete strangers and calling them up on the telephone and prophesying over them. She would tell them that God gave her their telephone number and then would give them words of knowledge. Complete strangers. Then angels started showing up in the church.”
“Squawking like a chicken” and “barking like a dog” are attributed to the Holy Spirit by Todd Bentley. This is blasphemy. His “angel” Emma is the described in the same way by Johanna Michaelson, author of The Beautiful Side of Evil, in which demonic forces portrayed themselves to her as being full of goodness and light. It was only later that they revealed their true faces to her. These counterfeit angels are bringing further confusion on the church and promoting doctrines of demons, namely the idea that we need to see into the supernatural realm and that we need the intercessory help of angels. Hebrews 11 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen! But that won’t draw a crowd like these “manifestations”.
Posted on May 5, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Brian McLaren and the Armageddon Alternative
Some of us missed Brian McLaren’s December post on Christianity as a global threat. “Right wing” Christians, that is. But Brian assures us that there is a way out of an Armageddon scenario in the world. The first comment on the post is also enlightening.
The first religious transformation I’d like to see in terms of politics would be for Christians (and other religions too) to say: “I will not seek to impose my religion on nonbelievers.” That’s where the conversation has to start.All too often this whole conversation winds up as something like: “Some of the religious people think environmental stewardship has a basis in the bible and we’ll just all agree not to talk about gay marriage.” Not good enough.
That’s quite a “shift” McLaren has underway, with the help of men like Bill Hybels who just featured him at Willow Creek. What McLaren is promoting is the “Armageddon Alternative” taught by occult New Ager Barbara Marx Hubbard. Read about what this is from Chapter 8 of Warren Smith’s book, Reinventing Jesus Christ, available free as an online book.
In his latest controversial book The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything, Brian McLaren describes the book of Revelation as a book of possibilities. He states that its “prophetic” passages are conditional and that the awful future described in Revelation can be changed. Sounding more like a New Age leader than a Christian pastor, he proposes a peaceful “alternative” to Armageddon.9
Ironically, to make his point, McLaren quotes an evangelical leader by the name of Jay Gary.10 Gary was once the secretary of a World Future Society subcommittee that gave Barbara Marx Hubbard a special award for her outstanding contributions to the field of religion. Hubbard was a co-founding board member of the World Future Society and she still sits on their board of directors. Jay Gary, who remains a member of the World Future Society, was listed along with Hubbard as two of the speakers for the 2006 World Future Society Conference. The World Future Society is an organization of esoteric and New Age futurists from around the world, founded in 1966 for the purpose of creating a new international governance structure. Its global leaders like Barbara Marx Hubbard, John Naisbitt, Harlan Cleveland, and Jay Gary believe they can envision new future scenarios for Earth, and work to create an “alternative to Armageddon.”
Posted on May 5, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
Todd Bentley’s “Revival” in Lakeland, Florida **Updated**
The latest charismatic “revival” is underway in Lakeland, Florida. This one has a number of Christians saying, “this is legit. This is no Brownsville! There really are people being healed. This has to be of God” Well, I submit to you the evidence. The leader of this new “revival” is Todd Bentley, a man who says he has had personal visitations from angels. You can read about it here. This new movement targets children. See this video clip.
For those interested, here are a number of other links to articles and videos on this supposed outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Just be aware that you are reading and watching deception, folks. When you read Bentley’s teaching on angels he tells people to pray to see into the supernatural realm, and he calls on “intercessory angels” to be let loose. Exactly why do we need angels interceding for us when we have Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God, our only mediator according to Scripture? Bentley’s entire body of angel teachings detract from the glory of Jesus Christ and have Christians seeking after “angelic” experiences rather than the Lord himself. These people will have “angelic” experiences all right, but how quickly we forget that there are dark angels as well as angels of heaven. Satan is a master counterfeiter. His very name, Lucifer, means “light bearer”. As Warren Smith describes in his book, “The Light that Was Dark”, it is plain that even what seems so good and true and lovely can be a counterfeit. As the deception is deepening, more and more we need to ask the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to mind to discern every idea, every prophet who comes in Christ’s name. The Lord told us that many things will be done in Christ’s name. Not all is of the true Christ. “Here is Christ, there is Christ”, the Lord told us they will say. “Believe it not.” Christ told us “for many will come in my name”. That time is now and the deception is as close as God TV tonight that is airing this Florida “revival”.
Here Bentley describes his encounter with “heaven”.
Angels and the Florida Healing Revival
A Letter from a Lakeland Resident Regarding the “Revival”
This is more from Bentley on his teachings on angels.
Here in his blog, Todd says that a dead man was raised to life.
In this video Todd describes meeting a 14-foot tall angel.
Posted on May 5, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter
The Gospel According to Dr. Who
Back in the stone age of 1985, I acquired an eccentric friend named Allison in a college class. She had jet black hair with a dyed blonde chipmunk stripe down the center of her head. She was 5 foot 1 and had the most awesome scarf I had ever seen. It was hand-knitted, multicolored and so long that it trailed behind her down the hall. I remember a nun who taught that science class staring in awe as Allison made her way down the hallway, her brilliant scarf dragging behind her like some magnificent train. She drove a canary-yellow Cadillac from the 1970’s that was longer than any car on the road. It must have been similar to driving a semi-trailer. She was a Dr. Who addict and that explained the long scarf. Nothing would have explained the chipmunk stripe or the enormous, ghastly yellow Cadillac, but that’s not for this post.
Dr. Who is the longest running science fiction series on television. It was/is produced by the BBC. Now the spiritual leaders of the Church of England have decided that the living Lord Jesus Christ is not sufficiently an attractive figure to present from their pulpits. The Times reports that clergymen are attending seminars in which they watch Dr. Who clips and discuss similarities between the TV character and Jesus Christ. Their hope is that they might draw teenagers and young people to church with their new science fiction messages.
These miserable clergymen aren’t going to draw anybody to any of their dead churches for long. It must be exhausting for these men, running from one seminar to the next, trying to breathe life into their churches through TV show sermons.
The Gospel According to the Teletubbies or Tinkie Winkie Learns to Be Kind
Thomas the Tank Engine–How to deal with the ‘Troublesome Trucks’ in Your Life
Dr. Who–Battling the Daleks at Work
They’ve already tried the U2-charists, where the the music of U2 provides the theme for the church service. There’s no telling what these pastors will come up with next, but you can believe that this phase won’t last long. There’s a new Narnia movie out, and I’m already getting press releases for sermon kits for churches. Here we go again…
Posted on May 5, 2008 by Ingrid Schlueter