A WordPress Blog-THE CHURCH MILITANT Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse. ALL CONTENT FROM HTTPS://RATHEREXPOSETHEM.BLOGSPOT.COM MOVED TO THIS NEW BLOG, MAY 2020
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There’s a lot to celebrate in Christian worship services. Singing hymns, prayers, and learning God’s Word are all part of corporate worship, and I happily participate in that. I also participate in confession.
The Protestant tradition involves both a public and silent confession of sins. It’s an acknowledgment that we are sinful by nature, and have sinned by thought, word, and deed. Through this confession and our earnest repentance, we seek and receive forgiveness through God’s grace.
I sin every single day. I don’t like that I sin but as a member of the human race, it is an inescapable truth with which we’re stuck. As the apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Rome, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That includes me.
Rational people can agree that sin is bad, and I do not embrace my sin; I confess it and seek forgiveness. Jesus Christ said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him,” so I reject any celebration of my sin.
But not all sins are treated equally. Increasingly, Protestant churches are celebrating sin through the installation of ministers whose behavior promotes LGBTQ ideology.
Consider this February 15th report whose headline heralds the “First openly transgender pastor called to guide Lutheran church in North Dakota.”
The pastor’s installation was unanimously approved by the congregation of the church, which has reportedly hosted town hall meetings to discuss, among other things, whether people should be forced to deny reality by calling women men, and vice versa; and whether children should be protected from genital mutilation. One can only speculate as to how those discussions will be steered.
The article goes on to quote the new pastor saying “Historically the church hasn’t been kind to transgender people. A lot of churches still aren’t kind to transgender people.” I do not know how the pastor defines what is kind or unkind but I do know that historically, the church has believed in the word of God as written in the Bible. A lot of churches still believe what is written in the Bible.
The behavior that defines LGBTQ ideology is sinful. That’s not my assessment, that’s what Christ said. He laid it out in the Gospel of Mark when He said, “Out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Affirming and celebrating the behavior of LGBTQ adherents raises a question for Christians: If we’re going to celebrate this sin, what other sins are we prepared to celebrate? That’s a scary proposition and it’s already happening.
The sin of murder is celebrated through the increase of euthanasia. The sin of theft is celebrated through prosecutors who have decriminalized it through their failure to prosecute. The sins of coveting, envy, and deceit are celebrated through Critical Race Theory. The sin of slander is celebrated hourly on cable news channels.
Components of Critical Race Theory are even creeping into conservative parishes today. Whether this portends churches celebrating the sins of CRT’s advocacy for race hatred or its alignment with Marxist ideology remains to be seen.
We all sin, and through confession, repentance, and grace, God forgives us. We are also called to forgive those who sin against us. Whether these are sins of sexual immorality, envy, theft, or anything else, our duty is to forgive others as God forgives us.
But forgiving sin is not the same as affirming it.
The Bible instructs us to love one another but it also tells us to abhor that which is evil. None of my sins should be celebrated; they should be abhorred. If any pastor in the pulpit affirmed or celebrated my sins, I would walk out in the middle of that sermon and find a better church. But more churches are celebrating more sins, and it’s a colossal moral and civic hazard.
If the North Dakota pastor has been harassed, threatened, assaulted, or otherwise treated unkindly, that is flat-out wrong. Likewise, the pastor is entitled to the full enjoyment of and participation in American civic life, and I would demand that any effort to prevent the free exercise of these rights be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
But it is not unkind to believe what the Bible says. It is not unkind to call a sin a sin. It is not unkind to notice reality and natural law. These are normal behaviors. Just as I reject any affirmation of my sin, I reject any attempt to deny that which is normal and in accordance with Scripture.
In many cultures across time and space, the church has provided the moral bedrock of society. When churches celebrate sin, that bedrock crumbles and over time, so do the societies built upon it.
Josh Buice explains what brought him to a conclusion to lead his church to separate from the SBC. You can read his full explanation here: https://g3min.org/why-we-are-no-longe...
Justin Peters' Interview with Dr. Josh Buice on Leaving the SBC
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
One of the great joys of my life has been serving as the pastor of three different churches that have been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. I currently serve the church where my wife and I grew up as children on the west side of Atlanta—Pray’s Mill Baptist Church. Although our church is 180 years old and predates the SBC, our congregation has maintained a longtime affiliation within the SBC. However, in recent days we came to the conclusion that there was no profitable path forward for us within the SBC and we made the decision to officially separate.
Over the last few years, there has been a great deal of transition and change within the Southern Baptist Convention. That’s a nice way of describing the devious deconstruction plan that has been at work for many years behind the scenes. Along the way, we have witnessed scandals, controversies, and divisions. It is not my desire in this article to add fuel to the fire, however, as a lifelong SBC member and pastor, I believe it’s necessary to provide a reason for our church’s decision to officially separate from the SBC effective on January 1st, 2022.
The Commendable
What I will say in this article should not be seen as a denial of the fact that there are many good and gifted professors who are serving in the SBC entities and doing a good job of training men for the pulpit and church planting. When I look back on my time at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, I am grateful for many of the professors who invested in me and helped prepare me for the work of gospel ministry.
Alongside professors are many good pastors and local churches who have been healthy and profitable in supporting Christian education and church planting for many years within this network that we know as the SBC. Therefore, we can be thankful for these gifted individuals and churches who have sacrificed much to accomplish much for the glory of God.
But, all is not well within evangelicalism and that also includes the SBC. In recent years, we’ve witnessed quite a transformation take place within the once-beloved SBC that has necessitated separation for what I believe is far more than preference matters.
The Downgrade
Over the past decade or more, things began to shift with the SBC leadership that moved the once theologically conservative denomination in a leftward direction. The biggest catalyst to this leftward movement undoubtedly was the acceptance of the social justice agenda which has resulted in the greatest downgrade in our modern era of church history. Any denial of this downgrade is simply a refusal to report the facts about where the SBC is today, where the SBC was yesterday, and where the SBC is moving tomorrow.
While this shift did not take place overnight, it began to pick up the pace drastically over the last 4-5 years. Back in 2018, I was part of a group that assembled in Dallas, Texas for a meeting regarding the problems of social justice. As we assembled, I was concerned but hopeful. Little did I know that our meeting and subsequent Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel would not only serve as a means of confirming what was already in motion beneath the radar, but it would expose many people and institutions within the SBC and their involvement in this devious movement.
Sadly, the top-tier SBC leaders continue to double down on their positions. They have sought to deflect charges of theological capitulation and rigorously work to protect their positions through cultural virtue signals and theological word salads.
During this downgrade, we have witnessed once trusted voices and institutions accept the ideologies of the social justice movement and platform notable voices within their hallways, classrooms, and conference circuits. They came together under the banner of the gospel only to embrace a social justice gospel that resulted in confusion, division, and in some cases—a complete derailing altogether. This must not be overlooked. If left unchecked, the social justice agenda will leave an indelible mark upon preachers who will be sent out into local churches to serve as pastors.
The SBC once fought a war on the inerrancy of Scripture during what has become known as the “Conservative Resurgence.” After claiming a victory over the “Battle for the Bible” the SBC has moved into a new era where this once theologically conservative denomination has adopted the controversial “Resolution 9” at the 2019 SBC in Birmingham. How could the SBC openly champions inerrancy, at the same time adopt a resolution stating that we need to employ Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality (CRT/I) as “analytical tools” for gospel ministry? This was done, in all reality, without much public debate, and through sly political schemes.
Moving beyond the 2019 SBC, after a break in 2020 due to COVID-19, the SBC reconvened in Nashville in the summer of 2021 to discuss business and make decisions as a group of churches. During the meeting, there were multiple attempts from the floor to call upon the SBC to openly renounce the teachings of CRT/I. At each juncture, all of these attempts were rejected and generic language was adopted in place of specific language that openly rejected CRT/I.
One must ask the honest question as to why there was such an open refusal from the SBC leaders at this point? In the past, the SBC openly challenged Disney and eventually boycotted Disney in 1997. One must ask why the SBC was willing to boycott the gospel according to Disney but failed to boycott the gospel according to social justice? Why are theologians, pastors, and professors unwilling to reject CRT/I when concerned unconverted soccer moms are flooding school board meetings demanding that their local schools refuse to teach such ideologies to their children? It appears that unconverted soccer moms are more concerned about their local schools than SBC leaders are about local churches.
One must ask why the SBC was willing to boycott the gospel according to Disney but failed to boycott the gospel according to social justice?
During this downgrade, we have also witnessed a progressive attack upon the pulpit within the SBC. A movement in recent years has focused on dividing the office and function of the pastor in the life of the local church. As the progressive winds continue to blow through evangelical circles, it seems that in order to continue to maintain the big tent approach to evangelicalism, the SBC must allow for women to preach so long as they are not ordained to the office of elder. We have watched the rise of popular figures like Beth Moore continue to weave this methodology into the fabric of the SBC through the years.
This downgrade has not been a sudden explosion. It’s the result of what might be considered a crock-pot approach to compromise and failure. The SBC celebrated victory on the subject of inerrancy but never entered the battlefield to address the issue of biblical sufficiency. As a result, the slow cook of pragmatism has led the SBC to embrace theological error in order to become culturally relevant which has been quite evident through the virtue signaling of major SBC leaders in the wake of tragedies like George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Pragmatism demands that you do whatever works and provides the best results. Standing for biblical justice as opposed to social justice is the unpopular and narrow road that is not culturally acceptable.
When the SBC is willing to cancel Walt Disney but unwilling to cancel Derrick Bell or Kimberlé Crenshaw, we have serious problems.
Allow me to be crystal clear at this point. This is not merely a personal conviction or preference matter. The present downgrade that has encompassed the SBC is one of both methodological and theological errors. When the SBC is willing to cancel Walt Disney but unwilling to cancel Derrick Bell or Kimberlé Crenshaw, we have serious problems. To be clear, the social justice movement is not purely Marxist, but it has roots in a postmodern attempt at deconstruction, and such a dialectic will be catastrophic if not corrected. J. Gresham Machen described this theological compromise as “the modern hostility to doctrine.” 1
This downgrade involves compromise on theological levels such as complementarianism (roles of men and women in the church), ecclesiology (the office and function of elder), and most important of all is the gospel (the social justice movement has replaced theology with victimology—resulting in the rise of a new religion).
For that reason, our church which is 180 years old and predates the SBC by three years, has determined by a 100% congregational vote led by the elders who voted in a 100% eldership vote to lead the church away from the SBC due to such compromise. The SBC has failed. The leaders have compromised. The SBC must know that local churches do not need the SBC, but the SBC does need local churches—both large and small.
We as elders determined that it would be a violation of our conscience and a misuse of money to invest in a system that has clearly rejected all forms of correction in private and public settings. Therefore, we are no longer an SBC church, but we are Baptist and will continue to cooperate with other like-minded churches and pastors for the work of missions and theological education for the glory of God.
The Final Straw
As I attended what would be my final SBC in Nashville in 2021, the final straw was apparent through the election of Ed Litton as the president of the SBC. To watch leaders of SBC seminaries like Danny Akin take to Twitter to encourage the messengers of the SBC churches to vote for Ed Litton in the runoff was quite revealing. Danny Akin is entrusted with millions of SBC dollars to train pastors for the pulpit and he sent the signal that Ed Litton is a proper example for SBC pastors and future pastors to follow.
Following the SBC annual meeting in June of 2021, the plagiarism scandal (which is being referenced as “Sermon Gate”) surfaced which further exposed the failures of Ed Litton’s pulpit practices. Rather than calling for his resignation, the 11th Commandment of the SBC appears to be in full force as the SBC elites not only enable his capitulation, but they celebrate him as a faithful leader. This was put on vivid display as Adam Greenway, who serves as the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, extended an invitation to Ed Litton to address the student body. Rather than preaching, they held a Q&A session where Greenway asked Litton to respond to allegations of plagiarism and then accepted his answer and applauded him.
As the pulpit goes, so goes the church. This was the final straw for me and for our local church. We refuse to be associated with a group of churches that elect and support leaders who will not be held accountable for sin.
As the pulpit goes, so goes the church.
As the final word on the matter, it is not my desire to cast stones at a sinking ship. I find no pleasure in separating from the SBC. In logical terms, when we reached the conclusion that we can no longer support the educational entities or the church planting agencies of the SBC (the very reason the SBC exists), it only made sense that we should invest our time and energy elsewhere.
A couple of years ago as we gathered together with our local church for a meeting to discuss the problems within the SBC after the adoption of Resolution 9, one wise elderly woman in our church stood and made a simple, yet profound statement. She said, “Pastor Josh, if it is true and we must eventually leave the SBC, it will not be that we left the SBC but that the SBC left us.” That accurately describes the current scenario that many SBC churches are experiencing.
As we came to a close in our congregational members’ meeting where we voted on December 26th to separate from the SBC, we closed by praying for the SBC churches and leaders. It would be our earnest desire to see the SBC repent and change direction, but since there is no evidence of such a change of direction from the leaders within the SBC, we must exit this aging battleship and move onward in this fight of the faith.
As a local church pastor and president of G3 Ministries, I find myself very committed to a high view of the local church. While this decision has been a long time in the making, I have had to come to the place where I see my commitment to the local church as far superior to any organizational or denominational relationship. At whatever point the network or denomination fails to hold to biblical positions, we must make the hard decision to separate. In so doing, I walk away from the SBC without shame. I involved myself in the SBC, attended the meetings, and sought to do my little part in the work of the SBC causes. Now as I walk away, I do so without regret knowing that this decision was not merely a reactionary decision made in haste. The decision was made for the glory of God and the health of our local church for which I do not apologize.
When Charles Spurgeon was addressing the compromise among Baptists in England, he penned “The Downgrade in the Churches” where he wrote the following:
A chasm is opening between the men who believe their Bibles and those who are prepared for an advance upon the Scripture. . .The house is being robbed, its very walls are being digged down, but the good people who are in bed are too fond of the warmth. . .to go downstairs to meet the burglars.
It appears that Spurgeon’s words could be applied to the present downgrade within the SBC. We must remember the words of Paul as he penned a letter to the church in the city of Colossae. He wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). When you’ve done all within your power to stand—sometimes the only option that remains is to separate.
Rumble — Paula White Cain, president of Paula White Ministries, gives us "The Real Story" on her hope and prayer during Christmas. Don't be fooled by this one, like Trump was!
"When Paula White called angels from Africa and South America to wage spiritual warfare in the aftermath of the presidential election, she was tapping into the notion of territorial spirits associated with the emergence of what Peter Wagner has called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Wagner coined the phrase to describe a novel kind of independent charismatic Christianity led by apostles and organized into relational networks. Many of the prophecies associated with Trump’s rise and re-election came from persons associated with these networks. Some like Kris Vallotton of Bethel Church apologized while others such as Lance Wallnau doubled down. Regardless, much of the public support for Trump came from Christians connected to this new form of charismatic Christianity, even though it has largely remained unexplored by most journalists and historians."
1 Cor 11 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 1 Tim 2 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. 1 Corinthians 7:17 17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so, I ordain in all the churches. Ephesians 4 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Women can teach, but don't have authority over the Church.... Christ is the Authority over the Church. Christ chose the 12 Apostles, it's God that gives the gifts not men.
Paula White is a demon-filled false prophet. Part of NAR and supporter of antichrist. OAN - sorry- having to unsubscribe with your false promotion of the demonic dominionists.
Paula White Cain's apostate history has influenced Trump in a negative way, what with her "Word of Faith" charismatic, dominionist, ecumenical, interfaith, universalist, astral projection heresies. Plus her multiple divorces & re-marriages. Just see these posts for proof:
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In case you missed it, JD Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention addressed the Southern Baptist Executive Committee last night with a sermon decrying “white supremacy” and all those who oppose Critical Race Theory. If you can stomach it, the sermon can be watched here and begins around the 51-minute mark.
During the sermon, Greear decried his critics who accused him of being liberal and then gave a rundown of his conservative credentials; he said that he believes homosexuality is a sin and that homosexuals left a packet on his doorstep of pamphlets of people who have committed suicide because of his anti-homosexuality position. Yet, in 2019, Greear preached a sermon on Romans 1 and concluded that God believes other sins — such as boasting — are more egregious than homosexuality.
Greear then went into a tirade against people who believe that Critical Race Theory, a secular Marxist ideology that is opposed to the gospel, and labeled them as “pharisees” and called them “demonic.”
“We should mourn when closet racists and neo-Confederates feel more at home in our churches than do many of our people of color,” he said. “The reality is that if we in the SBC had shown as much sorrow for the painful legacy that racism and discrimination has left in our country as we have the passion to decry CRT, we probably wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Of course, those “neo-Confederates” he is referring to would be the most vocal anti-Marxist critics in the denomination. Those would include men like Tom Ascol and Tom Buck, even Voddie Baucham. And, of course, it would include the countless journalists out there covering the stories including Reformation Charlotte, Capstone Report, Worldview Conversations, and Protestia, among many others.
If Greear were after unity, he’d denounce the heresy that is swarming the denomination and call for unity around the truth. Instead, Greear labels those who defend biblical doctrine as “pharisees” and calls on the denomination to repudiate them.
“Brothers and sisters, in the 1980s, we repudiated the leaven of the liberals, a leaven that threatened to poison the gospel,” he said. “Are we now going to repudiate the leaven of the Pharisees, which can choke out the gospel just as easily?”
Greear also demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of Jesus’ issue with the pharisees when said that the pharisees in the New Testament had correct doctrine, but that their problem was that they opposed Jesus. The Scriptures, however, do not teach that the pharisees had correct doctrine — Jesus’ problem with them is that they were false teachers, just like those who push Critical Race Theory.
In an interview with The New American magazine's Senior Editor Alex Newman, prominent Southern Baptist evangelist Thomas Littleton exposes the "Evangelical Deep State" and its nefarious efforts to mislead the Church and corrupt even conservative denominations. Among other concerns, he points to the normalization of homosexuality, the spread of support for "social justice" heresies, the joining together with the Marxist "Black Lives Matter" movement, and more. But people are waking up, he said. 🇺🇸 The New American: http://www.thenewamerican.com/
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Sodomites from around the country are celebrating as a record number of homosexuals and sexually aberrant candidates ran for office in this year’s elections. According to Crooks and Liars (that’s the actual name of this blog…fitting), “more LGBTQ candidates ran for office in the United States in 2020 than ever before – at least 1,006,” Timothy Bussey wrote. “That’s a 41% increase over the 2018 midterms, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.”
The Scriptures speak of homosexual celebrity as judgment against a nation. When a nation turns its back on God, according to Romans 1, God gives that nation over to sexual immorality. There can be no question that God has given America over to the lusts of their hearts. A nation filled with evil people — even those who claim to be conservatives — celebrate homosexuality and abortion at record rates.
Bussey argues that “better representation” in the political arena could “help LGBTQ Americans maintain some of their hard-won rights, which have come under attack over the past four years.”
These “rights,” however, are nothing more than wrath and judgment being poured out. These “rights” are signs that a nation does not worship the one true God, but has, instead, refused to acknowledge him (Romans 1:28). Even the Church has joined with Sodom to celebrate this immense perversity.
The Church deserves every bit of persecution she will see come her way in the next decade. Even if God decides to extend mercy, the Church, in her weakness and refusal to boldly proclaim the one true living God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, will face an increasingly difficult and perilous time. God will not allow other gods before Him. If you think it’s bad now, just wait.
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A Muslim woman who claims to have had a five-month affair with befallen celebrity Hillsong NYC pastor, Carl Lentz, says that their relationship was much more than just a fling. According to Ranin (pictured above), a 34-year-old designer who spoke with The Sun, they had an emotional break-up after they were busted by Lentz’ wife who found sexting messages and “naughty photos” on his church office computer.
Lentz, who was fired last week amid “moral failures” — which were not mentioned in a letter sent by Brian Houston, Hillsong’s founder and CEO — admitted to being unfaithful in his marriage, but did not go into detail. According to Ranin, after she found out that they had been exposed, Lentz came over to “say goodbye in person” where they were intimate, once again.
Interestingly, according to when this affair began in May according to Ranin, Carl Lentz has had a pinned post on his Twitter account celebrating his marriage and anniversary.
“17 years of marriage, today! I remember being told the only competition you should have in your marriage, is who can serve each other better,” Lentz hypocritically wrote on Instagram as he was sleeping with another woman, “When our marriage is strong, that theme is protected and valued. When our marriage has struggled, that theme has been distant… and thats because ‘Serving’ is not a word that we instantly gravitate towards because it involves putting yourself, your needs, your opinions second.”
Lest one be fooled into believing that Lentz is truly repentant and sorry for this, don’t be fooled. He did not stop because he felt remorse or shame and wanted to repent. He stopped because he got caught. All these years of leading a church, who can actually be surprised that sexual immorality would be so pervasive in a church so worldly with such a false gospel?
Ranin, whom wishes to keep her last name private, revealed to The Sun she wanted to tell her story so Carl’s followers know “there was another person on the other side of his statement that got hurt.”
She said his Instagram post about his firing was “offensive,” and made it seem like they “just had a fling."
The stunning brunette said: “I wasn’t there for just sex, we both found comfort and a deep, special connection with each other. I am very hurt because we both feel the same way about each other.
“He loves me and I love him. It was a love relationship that wasn’t planned. It wasn’t just a fling or just a sexual relationship."
She explained that the pair met in May at Domino Park in Brooklyn, New York, when he approached her to flirt and make small talk.
“I have no knowledge of the Christian world, I’m Muslim,” she said, insisting she initially had no idea that Carl was a famous celebrity pastor.
“He told me the most beautiful women come from the Middle East and we kept talking from there. We walked and talked more for a little bit and exchanged numbers.
“He told me his name was Carl but that’s it, he wouldn’t tell me his last name. And he told me that his job was as a sports agent,” Ranin claimed of his alleged secrecy regarding his occupation.
She claimed Carl, 42, refused to give his last name because he did not want to be “Googled” so she can “get to know him in person.”
Repenting to plants? Jesus was just a good moral human teacher? The Bible is a metaphor written by men, to pick and choose from? These are among the shockingly heretical Progressive Christian beliefs and practices that Allyson Rossborough grew up in. When God opened her eyes to the truth of Who Jesus is, Allyson began studying the Bible and learning from solid teachers. She realized how twisted the false progressive/liberal teachings were. Now, Allyson helps others to deconstruct progressive beliefs, and compare them to Scripture. You can contact Allyson at Instagram.com/AllysonRossborough Allyson’s blog about the 8 heretical points of progressive Christianity is at https://www.manifoldministries.com/fr... Here are three recommended videos on the issues with the progressive movement: Alisa Childers: https://youtu.be/FwyJk1G_Dm0 and https://youtu.be/mxg4wHywv-s Allie Beth Stuckey: https://youtu.be/Kie9r89naF0
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
About a month ago I discerned through the 8 points of Progressive Christianity on my Instagram. These 8 points are up on the Progressive Christianity website found here.
My heart in doing this to help Bible believing Christians understand where Progressive Christians are coming from and what the implications are for following their teachings. I also want to show that Progressive Christianity is not following the true God of the Bible.
Before you read, please understand that not all Progressive Christians believe all of these 8 points. The major belief they all have in common though is that the Bible is not their authority. Experience and feeling tend to be the authority of a Progressive Christian.
1. “Believe that following the path of the teacher Jesus can lead to healing and wholeness, a mystical connection to “God,” as well as an awareness and experience of not only the Sacred, but the Oneness and Unity of all life;"
This is the first point from progressive christianity.org. Within the first line we can see that Progressive Christians deny that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. They reduce Christ to a human teacher. Such that if they follow what this good teacher taught, they will find healing wholeness in their souls, and they will have a connection with god.
This is very subtle and speaks straight to our flesh. We naturally want to show how "good" we are by ascribing to a list of things to prove to ourselves and others that we aren't bad people. That we are better than others, since we do all these great things. In the PC mind set, by following teacher jesus, they are given a set of rules to show themselves and others they are good Christians. Thus, this will give them healing and wholeness, or in other words, life fulfillment. Then through their goodness, they will achieve a connection with what they call god.
Next, once this connection is achieved they will understand the secrets of the Universe… this is new age rhetoric. And very unbiblical.
The only way to know God is through Jesus Christ. If we believe that all we have to do is follow a good teacher to be fulfilled and then know the secrets of the universe, then we believe in a system of works designed to put us in bondage, build our pride, and feed our sin nature; ultimately sending us to Hell.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John 3:36 ESV
2. "Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience “God,” the Sacredness, Oneness and Unity of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom, including Earth, in our spiritual journey;"
This is the second point of the 8 points of Progressive Christianity found on their website. If you reduce Jesus Christ down to a good moral teacher, it makes so much sense that his teachings are one of many ways to god. Since most Progressive Christians believe in universalism, that Christ died for all regardless of what people believe about Him, there is no need to be exclusive. Because everyone means all religions too.
I would argue that most if not all Progressive Christians want some sort of relationship with God but since they keep denying their sin it's not possible. And since the jesus they follow is all about following a set of rules to be a good, moral, and spiritual person, they look to other religions or the new age to find their experience of god.
Looking at all the world religions and the new age we can see that all of them, except Biblical Christianity, are set up for people to follow a set of rules to achieve something or to get into heaven or to get god. Or in other words to show they are good people.
This statement by PC is also a way of saying we "respect" your experience of god. Since your religion, experience, and philosophy has the same outcome as ours, to be a good person, all religions and ideas must be the same.
Jesus Christ was very clear when He said in John 14:6. "... 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" There is no way around that my friend. My professors at the PC seminary I went to couldn't even refute that claim.
Keep your eyes open to words like interfaith, unity, and ecumenicalism. These are buzz words in PC. When you hear these words, start asking questions. Most likely, it's to promote the second point of Progressive Christianity.
3. "Seek and create community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:
Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
Believers and agnostics,
Those of all races, cultures, and nationalities
Those of all sexual orientations and all gender identities,
Those of all classes and abilities,
Those historically marginalized,
All creatures and plant life;"
First, what is Biblical love? Biblical love is about laying our lives down for those around us, putting their best interest over our own best interest. Jesus showed us this love by dying for us, by taking our place and paying the price for our sin. He came to die for our best interest so we could be free from sin and live with God forever. Biblical love points people to Christ and the Gospel so that they can be saved from the wrath of God.
In the third point of Progressive Christianity, their definition of inclusion reveals what they truly believe love is. Love is acceptance of every person, including acceptance of all of their sin.
If everyone is striving to follow this teacher jesus and everyone else in other religions around the world are doing the same thing, they must be accepting of sin. Because everyone is trying to make themselves a better person. By accepting everyone and their sin, they have loved like they think their jesus did.
We all know this standard is impossible to live by. How many families are falling apart? We can't even accept our own families let alone everyone we meet. But if you fail at this type of love, they say just keep trying.
This is what makes PC so binding. It either puts you in bondage or builds your pride. But most importantly, it keeps you a slave to your sin.
This type of all inclusive love is a lie from hell and evil. By not pointing people to Christ and the Gospel, there is no hope for them and leaving them to God's eternal judgment is one of the most unloving things we can do.
4. “Know that the way we behave towards one another and Earth is the fullest expression of what we believe, therefore we vow to walk as Jesus might have walked in this world with radical compassion, inclusion, and bravery to confront and positively change the injustices we experience as well as those we see others experiencing;"
One of the things we need to remember is that Progressive Christians do not submit themselves to the authority of the Bible. Because they don't believe it was divinely-inspired they don't use a Biblical understanding of the words "compassion" and "justice" as examples. They look to the world or their own experience to interpret those terms and apply them in a non-Biblical way.
The fourth point of Progressive Christianity really breaks down what it means to follow their moral teacher jesus. Here we have a tangible list of rules so they know they are following him the correct way and thus they know they are "good" Christians. The language used leaves it up to the reader on how to interpret and implement each rule.
This, I believe, is the point where well meaning Biblical Christians can get deceived by PC. Christ tells us to have compassion, and empathy for the downtrodden and oppressed. The Bible is very clear on how to do these things. The issue within PC is that what Jesus says is filtered through a misinterpretation of love, that I mentioned yesterday, and the misunderstanding of Who Jesus Christ truly is. And that all comes from the lack of authority they ascribe to Scripture.
As Christians, we can not trust everything or anyone who claims to be Christian. We must check everything with scripture. Just because it sounds good or sounds Christian doesn't mean it is. This is why it is so important to renew our minds daily with the Word of God. That way we can spot the Truth from lies and know what is good and evil.
5. "Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning with an open mind and open heart, than in absolutes or dogma;"
Progressive Christians believe it is more humble to question everything and claim that it is not possible to know God's will; better for everyone to have questions and doubts but never really seek to find the true answers.
I see this point being born out of a legalistic approach to Biblical Christianity. Many Progressive Christians have been hurt by the church and the hypocrisy they may have seen in other people's lives. If they were taught that to be a Christian requires following all of the rules in the Bible perfectly, but everyone, including themselves, are failing at it, of course they will reject what they were taught.
What fills that gap? They will tend to look at true Christians as very arrogant people. However, by not seeking out answers to their questions, they will become deeply proud of how "humble" they are. All while still being slaves to sin and closing themselves off to hearing the True Gospel.
And those who want to have the Christian label without submitting to Christ will gladly take this point to heart. If questioning without finding true answers makes them humble people, then it's a check mark off the list of virtues that prove them righteous and a 'good' person. Which all goes back to the first point of following the good moral teacher jesus.
Things to look out for with this point are phrases like "Is that what God really meant?" Or "It is impossible to know God's will." These phrases and others like them are used by the enemy to plant doubt in our hearts when it comes to the Word of God.
6. "Work toward peace and justice among all people and all life on Earth;"
In Progressive Christianity most believe in a type of universalism; that Christ died to save everyone regardless of what they believe about Him. And if this is true, it makes sense that they would work towards these things to make the world a better place.
This is another tangible way Progressive Christians follow the moral teacher jesus. They are usually very active in societal issues and charity work. The work is done in a worldly way, taking no consideration of what Biblical peace and justice look like. They are helping people but doing it in vain. They neglect to share the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with those they are helping and just make them comfortable with their sin.
Peace and justice are Biblical principles that must be seen through the eyes of the Gospel in order to be done in a godly way that glorifies God. We must look to Scripture and study it diligently to understand and apply it's truths.
This is another point where Biblical Christians can be deceived by PC. Jesus does call us to do this type of work; we should all be serving. But again, PC does not believe that Scripture is authoritative so they are looking to worldly ideas and structures to fix a spiritual problem. Many Christians don't know that and get deceived by what PC claims. By exploring their honest and compassionate desire to help, the enemy leads them into his trap.
7. "Protect and restore the integrity of our Earth and all of Creation;"
I listened to a story once about a group of PC seminarians who wrote down their sins to a plant. They confessed to it and vowed to do better in protecting the environment. This was at a prominent seminary in the U.S. that has sadly turned from Jesus Christ.
Point seven is another way Progressive Christians attempt to follow moral teacher jesus. And it usually turns into an idol; worshipping creation. This is another way those who follow PC can make themselves feel like a good person.
This can be extreme, where like in the story above, they become overly apologetic to the environment, seeking to make reparations for their environmental sins; an ideology known as Eco-justice. Or it can be small things like buying reusable straws or bags. But all of this boils down to checking another virtue off the list defining a righteous person.
As Christians we are called to be good stewards of creation. God has given us the earth to treat well for His glory. But we also must understand that creation is under a curse because of our sin. This earth will never be perfect. It will be when Jesus Christ returns and those who are His join Him for eternity on the new earth where there will be no more sin.
8. "Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love on this journey toward a personally authentic and meaningful faith."
We have come to our last point of Progressive Christianity. We can see that they want to continually educate themselves to be better people according to the standards of this world. They believe following Christ means following a moral teacher jesus; who is only one of many ways to god. The more they can learn, the more they can prove to themselves they are good enough for Heaven. The more they can check off their list of virtues.
Biblically, we know even our good and righteous deeds are sinful and as filthy rags to our Holy God. We have all fallen short of God's glory. It will never be possible to be compassionate enough, or love others enough to earn God's favor.
At the root of all of this is pride. Progressive Christians and others like them refuse to acknowledge their sin of self righteousness, or in other words, pride. They reject the True Gospel of Jesus Christ, instead believing they are morally superior and can earn utopia by their works. If we can never admit we are sick, we can never be healed.
And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
ROMANS 1: 21-22- Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools
JOHN 8:34-Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-7-This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
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LYNCHBURG, Va. —Liberty University, which hails itself as the world’s largest Christian university and holds to the mission motto “Training Champions for Christ,” announced on Friday that its board of trustees has requested that President Jerry Falwell Jr. take an “indefinite leave of absence” from his roles at the school, to which he has agreed. The announcement follows controversy over a vacation photo he posted to Instagram — and then deleted — in which he imitated his wife’s pregnant assistant, posing with his pants completely unzipped.
“The Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as president and chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately,” the statement said.
As previously reported, Falwell recently participated in a “Trailer Park Boys”-themed outing on a yacht while on vacation.
The vile Canadian-based show filled with profanity, alcoholism, drug use, sexual immorality and other ungodliness features episode titles such as “[Expletive] Community College, Let’s Get Drunk and Eat Chicken Fingers,” “I’m Not Gay, I Love Lucy … Wait A Second, Maybe I Am Gay,” “Gimme My [Expletive] Money Or Randy’s Dead”, and “You Want The Lot Fees, [Sexual Vulgarity]”.
The imitation of the characters at the costume party was made into a video, which was deleted but downloaded by a polemics outlet before it was taken down. Falwell was the lead character, Julian (see below).
In the photo that Falwell posted — and then deleted, Falwell held a faux glass of alcohol and stood with his shirt rolled up and his pants completely unzipped. His wife’s assistant, who was dressed as the character Lucy, likewise had her shirt pushed up with short ripped shorts that were unbuttoned.
“She’s pregnant, so she couldn’t get her pants up,” Falwell stated. “I had on a pair of jeans that I hadn’t worn in a long time, so I couldn’t get mine zipped either.”
“So, I just put my belly out like hers,” Falwell continued. “I should never have put it (the photo) up and embarrassed her.”
“Jerry Falwell Jr.’s ongoing behavior is appalling,” he wrote. “As a Music Faculty Advisory Board member and former instructor @LibertyU, I’m convinced Falwell should step down.”
“None of us are perfect,” Walker continued, “but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better.”
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LYNCHBURG, Va. —Jerry Falwell, Jr., the president of Liberty University, which hails itself as the world’s largest Christian university, has explained, and expressed regret over, a controversial vacation photograph in which he had his pants unzipped while standing next to his wife’s assistant, who likewise had her fly unbuttoned. A federal congressman, who is a former pastor and serves on Liberty University’s Music Faculty Advisory Board, is calling for Falwell to resign due to continued concerns about his behavior.
“She’s pregnant, so she couldn’t get her pants up,” Falwell told the WLNI “MorningLine” radio show on Wednesday. “I had on a pair of jeans that I hadn’t worn in a long time, so I couldn’t get mine zipped either.”
“So, I just put my belly out like hers,” Falwell continued. “I should never have put it (the photo) up and embarrassed her.”
He said that he has apologized over the matter, which happened at a costume party on a yacht that was “just in good fun.”
“I’ve apologized to everybody, and I promised my kids I’m going to try to be a good boy from here on out,” Falwell said.
As previously reported, Falwell recently participated in a “Trailer Park Boys”-themed outing on a yacht while on vacation. The vile Canadian-based show filled with profanity, alcoholism, drug use, sexual immorality and other ungodliness features episode titles such as “[Expletive] Community College, Let’s Get Drunk and Eat Chicken Fingers,” “I’m Not Gay, I Love Lucy … Wait A Second, Maybe I Am Gay,” “Gimme My [Expletive] Money Or Randy’s Dead”, and “You Want The Lot Fees, [Sexual Vulgarity]”.
The imitation of the characters at the costume party was made into a video, which was deleted but downloaded by a polemics outlet before it was taken down. Falwell was the lead character, Julian (see below).
In the photo that Falwell posted — and then deleted, Falwell held a faux glass of alcohol and stood with his shirt rolled up and his pants completely unzipped. His wife’s assistant, who was the character Lucy on “Trailer Park Boys”, likewise had her shirt pushed up with short ripped shorts that were unbuttoned.
“Jerry Falwell Jr.’s ongoing behavior is appalling,” he wrote. “As a Music Faculty Advisory Board member and former instructor @LibertyU, I’m convinced Falwell should step down.”
“None of us are perfect,” Walker continued, “but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better.”
His post generated both agreement and dispute.
“Obviously perfection is what you are looking for and not repentance. Jerry has done a great job leading LU and a great job listening to the community when he offends. He also led well during COVID 19,” wrote follower Steven Mosley.
“A congressman has better things to do during this time of crises than to cause division,” wrote Rick Amato. “Out of the same mouth come praises to god and curses on a man?”
“As a Liberty alum myself, I have not appreciated many of the words which have come out of his mouth (especially during our current climate). This is ridiculous and absolutely unprofessional,” opined follower Dan Walker. “He can’t expect students and faculty to uphold a standard that he himself won’t uphold.”
“As a fellow North Carolinian, @LibertyUAlum, and above all else, a Christian, I couldn’t agree more. For the sake of the school and for the sake of Jerry’s soul, it is needed,” stated Austin Edwards. “Thank you for your voice.”
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In a very bizarre Instagram post, Liberty University president, Jerry Falwell Jr. posted a picture of himself standing next to another woman, not his wife, with both of their pants unzipped.
The image was captioned with Falwell’s disclaimer, “I promise that’s just black water in my glass.”
It’s difficult to explain why the president of the largest Christian university in the country would find it appropriate to post such a racy image in what appears could only be explained by a drunken stupor. Falwell has repeatedly found himself in controversies surrounding his personal life. During the 2016 election cycle, Falwell was captured in a picture with then presidential candidate, Donald Trump with a photo from Playboy magazine in the background.
Regarding the original image above, a video has surfaced of the family “vacation” where the photo originated. It appears to be a “Trailer Park Boys” theme vacation and the images in the video below are rather disturbing for a man who claims to be a Christian.
A video of the party also showed up on the internet, featuring Falwell and others at what appears to be a Trailer Park Boys themed party. The scenes are surprising, given that Falwell is the president of a the largest Christian university in the country. One guest in the video makes a vulgar gesture toward the camera. Some are wearing tight clothes with bellies exposed. Many have cigarettes dangling from their mouths.
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RICHMOND, Va. —Legislators in Virginia repealed longstanding laws earlier this year that criminalized fornication and profanity, with Gov. Ralph Northam signing his name to the repeals.
“We should not have laws that make most of the population into criminals,” state Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria, who introduced House Bill 245, told CNN. “Times are very different now than they were in the 17th and 18th centuries.”
A section of Virginia’s “Crimes Involving Morals and Decency”, dating to early America, had outlawed fornication, making it punishable up to a fine of $250.
“Any person, not being married, who voluntarily shall have sexual intercourse with any other person, shall be guilty of fornication, punishable as a Class 4 misdemeanor,” the law had read.
“It’s a stupid law. It’s crazy,” Levine told WTVR-TV. “No one should think they can be prosecuted for this common practice. … How is Virginia for lovers if lovers can’t love each other?”
The law had been rarely enforced the past several decades, only being utilized when bundled with other crimes. Attempts to repeal the law, including as recently as 2014, all failed.
“I don’t want to see it changed,” Jack Knapp, then-director of the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists, told the Daily Press in 1993. “The criminal code as it is stated is very supportive of the biblical stand.”
The Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the law in 2005 in the case of Martin v. Ziherl, as it pointed to the 2003 the Supreme Court decision of Lawrence v. Texas, which legalized homosexual sex acts in declaring, “Their right to liberty under the Due Process Clause gives them the full right to engage in their conduct without intervention of the government.”
Lawmakers also passed HB 1071, introduced by Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, which repealed a 1792 law that made using profanity in public a misdemeanor.
“If any person profanely curses or swears or is intoxicated in public, whether such intoxication results from alcohol, narcotic drug, or other intoxicant or drug of whatever nature, he shall be deemed is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor,” the law read. The intoxication aspect of the statute was left in place by Adams.
According to the Virginian-Pilot, Sen. Jill Vogel, R-Fauquier, wanted to keep the law on the books and expressed concern about removing a legal standard for acceptable speech.
“Is it the case then that I will no longer be able to say if I hear my children swear … ‘If you swear, it’s a crime?’” she asked. “That means I no longer have this high Virginia standard to uphold in my house.”
Like the fornication law, others have tried to repeal the statute. The 1989 Virginia Appeals Court ruling in Burgess v. City of Virginia Beach reversed a man’s conviction for swearing after being pulled over by a police officer, stating, “While we in no way condone the language of Burgess, we hold that since the ordinance is susceptible of application to protected speech, it is unconstitutional.”
NPR reported that if Gov. Northam “signs the bill, Virginians will legally be able to curse to their heart’s content starting July 1.”
And that he did, with Northam spokesperson Alena Yarmosky telling the outlet prior to the passage of the repeal, “It’s past time we swore off the antiquated policies of the past.”
As previously reported, in 1775, General George Washington signed an order that prohibited profanity among the U.S. military, and many state governors followed suit.
“The general is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice hitherto little known in our American army, is growing into fashion. He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men will reflect that we can little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our army if we insult it by our impiety and folly. Added to this it is a vice so mean and low without any temptation that every man of sense and character detests and despises it,” he wrote.
Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
1 Corinthians 6:13 teaches, “Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5,7-8 likewise instructs, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.”
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man but God who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit.”
