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| EPrata photo |
Should we love false teachers?
It’s always nice to talk about love and tolerance. We know that God loved the world. He loves His Son. We are told to love each other, that is how they will know us (John 13:35). But sometimes love is not appropriate or warranted. Do I mean this, really? Well, we know we are supposed to hate sin. We know there are six things, no, seven, that the Lord hates. (Proverbs 6:16-19). We hate sin so much we’re supposed to kill the old man in us. (Colossians 3:5). We don’t endlessly give the Gospel to those who hurl it back, those hurlers are called swine. So when it comes to love, we know we don’t ‘love’ everyone or everything, at least not according to the romantic or secular definition of love. So here is the question: are we supposed to love false teachers?
At The Berean Call, the question is posed:
To the world it might appear that all is well in the Christian realm. Much-beloved speakers hold forth from the pulpits of some of the largest churches in the world. Believers and nonbelievers alike buy their books, avail themselves of their programs, and utilize their methodologies. One might come to the conclusion that Peter must not have been referring to the church in our day regarding false teachers. Tolerance is the word of the day. We hear admonitions on a regular basis to “just get along” with those of opposing faiths. “Love” reigns supreme.
But what is this “love” of which they speak? What about those who identify a false gospel or a false teacher among some of the popular speakers these days? Does this “love” still apply to those who expose the ones who are actually deceivers among the flock?
A dear sister in the faith posed the question to me. To love those who are deluded and cannot understand the Word and care for them and not be critical. I thought about it for a long time, because I love poorly and I’m always appealing to the Lord to teach me love better.
So I began to think hard, should we love false teachers? Are they to be pitied? I decided, no. Though I value the opinions offered and they DO make me think, I don’t necessarily always agree. I’d like to offer an alternate view about how far not to go in pursuing love, and to offer a different perspective of what love actually is.
If we read Jeremiah 14:16, there is not even a hapless non-believer who accidentally can’t understand God’s truth and accidentally follows false prophets because they don’t know better. They DO know better. God said He will pour out their evil upon them because they knew better but followed false prophets anyway. 2 Timothy 4:3 also puts the blame on those who choose to follow false teachers because they wanted their ears tickled, so they went out and accumulated for themselves false teachers who told them what they wanted to hear.
But back to the false teachers themselves. I reserve my highest caring in this situation- for Jesus. We do care for the state of our neighbor’s souls, and we do care for brethren, but in all this let us not forget caring about Jesus.
I care about His name and what people do in His name. The harshest criticism in the Bible from everyone, (Jesus, Paul, Peter, John the Baptist, John, James, Jude, etc) was aimed at those who pervert God’s word. It is not a situation where we say “poor, poor false teachers. Let’s understand them and open our hearts to them and care.” I do hope they are saved someday, but beyond that they get no caring from me. I am highly CRITICAL of them in righteous indignation. Here is why-
The Bible tells us they do it on purpose. They disguise themselves- that isn’t an accident. (2 Cor 1:13). They do it for greed. (1 Timothy 6:5). They do it to put us in bondage again. (Gal 2:4). They do it because they hate Jesus and love themselves. (1 Tim 6:4). They do it because they enjoy lying. (2 Peter 2:1).
These false teachers are already cursed and destined for hell. In the essay “The Pathology of False Teachers” we read,
Unfortunately, their prognosis is not hopeful. Their spiritual condition is terminal. Those who are deprived of the truth are headed for judgment. Hebrews 6:6 solemnly warns of such men that “it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame.” Peter says that they bring “swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1). The severest hell will be reserved for those who, having been exposed to the truth, turned away from it (cf. Hebrews 10:26–31).
The goal of the false teacher is not to create an environment of love, but to feed his ego and fill his pockets.
~John MacArthur
You notice they don’t pervert Buddha’s words. They don’t pervert Allah’s words. They don’t pervert Shiva’s words. They choose to pervert Jesus’ swords for gain, for fame, for an audience, and all the other reasons. I am critical of that because I care about Jesus.
The Berean Call again:
Every epistle in the New Testament was written to correct error in the church. Did Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude not understand that to correct those who were in error was in truth a failure to love them? Did they believe that it was none of their business to bring correction to the false teaching? Do we consider them divisive for confronting error and holding fast to the truth? No! They boldly addressed the error and at times even named the offenders.
No, I do not love false teachers. I do not care about false teachers. I care about Jesus. I love His followers. Tim Challies said in his essay 7 Marks of a False Teacher,
False teachers are concerned with your goods, not your good; they want to serve themselves more than save the lost; they are content for Satan to have your soul as long as they can have your stuff.
Jesus called false teachers broods of vipers and hypocrites. (Mt 23:33)
So did John the Baptist in Mt 3:7
Paul said they were cursed. Twice in 2 sentences. (Gal 1:8,9)
Paul said their talk is gangrenous. (2 Tim 2:17)
Jesus called them ravenous wolves (Mt 7:15)
John called them deceivers (2 John 1:7)
Jude calls them ungodly perverters (Jude 1:4)
Peter called them depraved, disobedient, and destined for hell (1 Peter 2:8, 2 Peter 2:1,2)
John called them antichrists (1 John 2:22)
Never mind the harsh language from God in the OT against false prophets.
So. Were they wrong not to “love” the false teachers?
Indeed, we are told repeatedly we are to mark them, avoid them, not listen to them, close the hospitable door on them, put them out, warn them, keep away from them, give them to satan, but nowhere does it say to love them, care for them, or pity them.
Indeed, John advises the elder lady and her children not to even allow false teachers into their house NOR give them a greeting! If we do, God considers that we are participating in their evil deeds. (2 John 1:10). The John MacArthur Commentary on 2 John 1:10 says this-
Irenaeus relates that the church father Polycarp, when asked by the notorious heretic Marcion, “Do you know me?” replied, “I do know you, the firstborn of satan.” (Against Heresies, 3.3.4)
John himself once encountered Cerinthus (another notorious heretic) in a public bathhouse in Ephesus. Instead of greeting him, however, John turned and fled, exclaiming to those with him, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, is within.” (Against Heresies, 3.3.4)
Charein, (greeting) means ‘Rejoice’ It was a common Christian greeting, conveying the joy believers had in one another’s presence. But it is an affirmation of solidarity that is totally inappropriate for false teachers, who have no part in the truth of genuine Christian fellowship.Such emissaries of satan must be exposed and shunned, not affirmed and welcomed.
False teachers like to decry such treatment as harsh, intolerant, or unloving. But love forbids dangerous spiritual deception to gain a foothold among Christians. John’s pastoral admonition is perfectly consistent with Jesus’ denunciation of false teachers as ravenous wolves, thieves and robbers, whose only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. The church cannot aid or abet such spiritual outlaws by doing anything that would acknowledge them as Christians. The one who does so, even by doing something as seemingly innocuous as greeting them, participates in their evil deeds by helping them to further their deception.
I reserve all my criticism, judgment, and righteous indignation for the false teachers, and all my love for Jesus the Man-God, His people, and His revealed word. During the few times I’ve had opportunity to engage directly with a few of the false teachers I’ve written about, I hope I was lovingly showing them the error of their ways. THAT also is love, though the world doesn’t call it love. Love is to admonish and correct so hopefully they do not persist in their tragic path, or worse, taking others with them.
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)
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| Source |
Here are two resources on the subject:
The Danger Facing the Church
Love also comes out of sincere faith, not the hypocritical faith manifested by false teachers. Faith that has no pretense creates love. A false teacher has a dirty heart because it’s never been cleansed by the true gospel of faith in Christ. A false teacher has a guilty conscience because his impure heart triggers it. But his conscience may have reached the point where it’s so scarred that it’s lost its sensitivity. And a false teacher has hypocritical faith. He’s a phony–he wears a mask. That kind of life will never produce the love of God. The goal of the false teacher is not to create an environment of love, but to feed his ego and fill his pockets.
A Final Warning: Beware of False Teachers
Lesson 107: A Final Warning: Beware of False Teachers! (Romans 16:17-20)
Years ago, a seminary professor told his class at the beginning of the semester that they would work together on one major project during that semester. They would move systematically through the New Testament to categorize every area of truth and determine how many times each area is addressed. Their goal was to find what one thing is emphasized more than any other in the New Testament. When they completed the project, they were amazed to see that warning against false doctrine is emphasized more than any other thing, even more than love, unity, and experience (Renald Showers, in “Israel My Glory,” [April/May, 1995], pp. 24-25). I have not verified their conclusion, but they’re probably right. …
J. C. Ryle was a champion for the truth in the Church of England during the 19th century. I’d recommend that you read him. In Warnings to the Churches ([Banner of Truth], p. 110), he wrote about how difficult yet necessary controversy in the church is. Then he added, “But there is one thing which is even worse than controversy, and that is false doctrine tolerated, allowed, and permitted without protest or molestation.” After acknowledging that many would view what he writes as exceedingly distasteful, he states (p. 111), “Three things there are which men never ought to trifle with—a little poison, a little false doctrine, and a little sin.”
Roma Downey just won’t go away; continues to insult Jesus and Christians everywhere with new TV program
Mystic-Catholic Roma Downey just won’t go away. Now that she has found a money making machine in all things pseudo-Christian, she is going for the gold. Known for her long-running 1990’s-2000s series Touched By An Angel, and more recently for Son of God, AD, The Bible Series, is it announced that Downey and The Learning Channel are teaming up to present a new television program. The press release states,
TLC explores modern-day miracles with ANSWERED PRAYERS, an all-new series hosted by celebrated actress and producer Roma Downey (‘The Bible Series,’ ‘Son of God,’ ‘AD,’ ‘Touched by an Angel’). Premiering Sunday, July 26 at 10/9c, this six-part series follows the remarkable stories of people in life-threatening situations who have experienced moments so inexplicable, so incredible that they can only be described as divine intervention.
Using a blend of heart-wrenching interviews, thrilling recreations and dramatic real footage, each hour-long episode paints a vivid portrait of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances?and miraculously lived to tell the tale. Each individual?s unwavering faith and trust in the power of prayer has transformed potentially heartbreaking situations into stories of true inspiration?from a young boy buried for hours under eleven feet of sand, to the horror of a pastor stabbed 37 times, to a family that survives their car plunging upside down into an icy river bank.
The premiere episode introduces viewers to two amazing families. An Indiana mother hears the voice of God telling her to prepare for a possibly devastating storm and protect her three children. She acts on her instinct and huddles in a closet with her husband and kids mere moments before a tornado rips through their home, hurling it hundreds of feet through the air. Though she loses hold of her family, she never gives up faith that God will keep them safe, even if she can’t. Next, in Florida a young boy suffers a horrific lawnmower accident. Distraught, his parents make the agonizing decision to have his leg amputated, but pray for a sign they are doing the right thing. On the day of the operation, what their son sees on the ride to the hospital could be the answer to their prayers and may change his life for good.
With authenticity, insight, compassion and heart, the astounding stories featured on ANSWERED PRAYERS will leave even the most skeptical viewer considering if a divine force was at work.
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| Source Variety |
A divine force IS at work but it is not God that the woman hears. If the woman in the inaugural episode actually heard God she would be in very small company. When the People Israel heard God they feared greatly.
All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” (Exodus 20:18-19)
The writer of Hebrews reminds us,
and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (Hebrews 12:19-21)
But on an ordinary day an Indiana mother hears the voice of God telling her a “possibly devastating” storm is coming and the woman says “Um, OK” and goes into a closet? Sure.
Given Downey’s pagan activity regarding religion (New Age spirituality, mystic, visions, hearing God, divining and summoning spirits) one wonders WHICH God she will be talking about whom she touts as the one who answers prayer. We know the True God does, but to attribute the things of satan to God or vice versa is a weighty matter. Downey does not know the true God. And I’m tired of her making merchandise out of Him.
It is a grief that the name of God and Jesus are used to trade on people’s hopes and fears and is used as a vehicle to garner money and ratings. Downey is a false professor of the faith and God will deal harshly with her. She is accursed.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)
God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
32For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:29-33)
The best thing is that Downey would be given a spirit of repentance and convert to worshiping the true God. Then she would stop blaspheming Jesus, distorting His Gospel, and troubling the people with lies.
"Gay Marriage: Evidence That the Nation Is in the Biblically Foretold Age of Apostasy" by Dr. James Taylor
A friend emailed me this link to a news article. She said it has been published on Yahoo but was taken down very quickly. It is hosted on CNS News (a conservative news site).
The author is Dr. James Taylor, the blurb about him at the end of the article states, “Senior Pastor at Christ’s Church of Norman in Norman, Oklahoma. http://www.ccnonline.biz. He is the author of the forthcoming book “It’s Biblical, Not Political: How to Line Candidates up Biblically.”
His article is titled:
Gay Marriage: Evidence That the Nation Is in the Biblically Foretold Age of Apostasy
It’s very good. I won’t re-post the entire article here because it’s long but it is worth a read. And bookmark. Or download, you never know how long things are going to stay up or available these days. Here are some excerpts:
Dozens of books have been written in recent years by liberal theologians in an attempt to demonstrate that homosexuality, homosexual relationships, and homosexual marriage are fully consistent with Biblical Christianity. I have grown weary of reading that King David was a homosexual because he loved Jonathan, or that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of a lack of hospitality, or – my personal favorite – that the Bible never actually addresses the issue of homosexual behavior.
I would suggest that the fact that some of such foolishness comes from persons who once professed to be Christians is yet further evidence of the fact that the nation – indeed the world – is well along in the Biblically-foretold age of apostasy. During such a period, we are warned about the prevalence of false teachers. How can we tell whether a teacher is false? Who can we rely on? But for the fact that we have the Word of God, we would be adrift on such matters.
…The Book of Romans gives us a description of the end-times society when Jesus will return and God will pour out His wrath, beginning with Chapter 1: “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools.” I have seen men with degrees, piled on top of degrees that get up and say how you and I evolved from monkeys. Maybe they did, but I sure didn’t! Some of the greatest intellectual minds of the universe talk about how we evolved from a single cell protoplasmic blob! That is beyond the comprehension of the mind. If you saw a Boeing 747 flying across the sky, wouldn’t you assume that because it could fly, it can carry people, its seats are placed in rows, and that it can do all the things it can do; wouldn’t you assume that somebody thought it up, and somebody put it together? Certainly you would not conclude that it was the accidental product of a tornado blowing through a junkyard. Yet, the same mind can look in the sky and see a bird fly by and say, “product of chance.”
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| Charles Mahoney Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, exhibited 1936 |
Please go to the link to read more. It might help coalesce your thoughts or give you biblical talking points on this important end time issue.
The Onion hilarity, bible study fellowship recipes, a scientist’s agitation, Drive By Theology, WWUTT?
Thursday is grocery shopping day. I want to go early since it is supposed to be very hot and my car AC doesn’t work anymore. My usual routine is suspended for today, so no deep theological thoughts. 🙂 Here are a few things for your consideration.
I have Bible study in my home. Here are two recipes I enjoy making in order to have something on hand to serve the guests. My mama taught me that. She taught me manners and hospitality. It is a dying art, I think. I like these 2 recipes because they are inexpensive, use only a few ingredients, are easy to make, and are low calorie. They also cook fast, something to consider in hot Georgia during the summer.
Banana Oatmeal ‘cookies’
These are gluten free and sugar free. Though the recipe calls for a small bit of sugar, I omit it. I use banana, oatmeal, raisins, and sunflower seeds. That’s it. They are tasty and filling.
The write-up says, “I’d very loosely call these treats cookies. Why? The recipe is basically two ingredients, oats and bananas, plus a few add-ins. Also, it’s pretty healthy. Probably with my add-ins they’re only about 40 calories each, but don’t let that scare you. These “cookies” are actually very tasty, like baked banana oatmeal in portable form.”
Two-Ingredient Angel Food Pineapple Cake
This recipe uses a box angel food cake and a 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, in its own juice. That’s it. Don’t even grease the pan, the cake won’t rise. I stir the the ingredients together by hand and let sit for 2-3 minutes. It froths up. Then pour into a baking dish. I use a 13-inch glass dish. Bake for the allotted time and that is it! Top with Cook Whip if desired, or fresh fruit.
As far as beverages go, I never have any that other people enjoy on hand. I don’t drink sodas or juice because of the sugar. I do always have a jug of cold water in the fridge and usually a jug or two of chilled herb tea. Chilled green tea with lemon is refreshing to serve. I know most people down south drink ‘sweet tea’ but I just can’t serve that. It’s gross.
As a person who studies prophecy and has from the beginning of her Christian walk been interested in last things, I found this spoof-news piece from The Onion laugh out loud funny. I mean, I laughed hard from my gut.
Experts Say Best Option Now Is Keeping Nation As Comfortable As Possible Till End
WASHINGTON—Saying there were no other options remaining and that continued intervention would only prolong the nation’s suffering, experts concluded Tuesday that the best course of action is to keep the United States as comfortable as possible until the end.
According to those familiar with its condition, the country’s long, painful decline over the past several decades has made it clear that the most compassionate choice at this juncture is to do whatever is possible to ensure America is at ease during its last moments.
“We need to accept the fact that the U.S. doesn’t have long—simply helping it pass that time in comfort is the humane thing to do,” said economist Danielle Martin, speaking on behalf of a large group of experts ranging from sociologists and historians to lawmakers and environmentalists, all of whom confirmed they had “done everything [they] could.” “Attempting to stabilize the country in its current enfeebled state would not only be extremely expensive, but it would also cause unnecessary agony as it enters this final stage. With how hard the nation is struggling to perform even basic functions, letting it meet its end naturally is the merciful decision here.”
More at the link.
Here is a new site I found. It is WWUTT, or “When We Understand The Text”. WWUTT is the creation of Pastor Gabriel Hughes from First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, KS. Their 90-second video about Altar Calls is very good. Their statement says the videos are made to share, so if you enjoy this one and agree then go for it, share away.
Todd Friel of Wretched.com has a new series out. It’s actually an update of an old series, called “Drive By.” I own and have listened to Drive By Discernment and Drive By Pneumatology. I’ve listened to DBD twice, actually. It’s really good. The Drive By series is so named because the series contains numerous lectures about the topic which can be listened to on your commute to work. Each lecture is only 7-11 minutes long but are doctrinally solid. Many contributors speak on the series so there are a variety of voices. This newly updated one is Drive By Theology. It features Friel as host and Dr Steven J. Lawson.
I don’t drive anywhere and my commute to work is a short 10 minutes, but I listen to these when I cook or do the dishes or craft at home, so it’s perfect for busy homschooling moms, too. The series is an excellent way to get an education without commuting to seminary or spending lots of money.
You can purchase them by downloading immediately to your computer or ordering a CD/DVD. They are affordable, usually between $15 and $25 for 35-70 lectures. I recommend the series. If you are a pastor who has a person in your congregation who wants to study more but is frustrated by time limits either because they work outside the home or are a busy mother or caretaker, this is a perfect series. I should say that the lectures are doctrinally solid without being dense or difficult to understand. Makes a great gift. I plan to buy the Theology package in 2 weeks. I can’t wait!!
Erik Klemetti is a Professor of Geology who specializes in volcanology. He also has taken on the journalism world for the frequent false, misleading, or hyperbolic reporting on science topics. I feel his pain. As a former journalist I know for a fact that we stumble on science and fail almost always on math/economics reporting. Here Dr Klemetti is frustrated with a Russia Today news piece on the newly active volcano Sinabung in Northern Sumatra.
Now this is a difficult issue. With most science reporting there is a decided bias against a creationist perspective. This is to be expected. However too many Christians display a lack of maturity when it comes to pressing repeat or ‘like’ or retweet on science that is hyperbolic and just plain wrong. Much of the Ark discovery news in the Turkish mountains is one example.
There are some things that are true about the article but I was perplexed as to what exactly was untrue. Someone asked the same question and Klemetti said what was reported was “not a likely scenario at all regarding Toba”. No further specifics were given.
Now it’s true that a volcano can rain down hell, volcanic sulfur gas and ash is part of the eruption. (And God can make sulfur rain down at any time as we learned from Sodom in Genesis 19:24). It’s true that volcanoes can cause a nuclear winter and they will do so again (it’s likely volcanic activity that is referenced in Rev 6:12). Though the article throws the specter of near-extinction of humans, it is true that in the Tribulation no flesh would survive if Jesus doesn’t come back before everyone dies. But scientists don’t know that, or they don’t believe it if they do know.
Dr Klemetti’s concern with the article is that the kind of eruption the reporter described is not likely for the kind of volcano Sinabung is. However we know that the earth is the Lord’s and He can make the ground open up where there is no earthquake fault. He can make mountains melt like wax and He can make all the islands sink under the ocean. Klemetti’s frustration is legitimate because many reporters aren’t careful with the science facts. However the frustration he feels and all scientists feel only increase as the Lord increasingly demonstrates that He is in charge of the earth. A third of the sun will go dark, pestilence will sweep away most of the population very quickly, Israel will be supernaturally protected from military destruction, demons will emerge from the abyss, a third of all waters will turn to blood, and third of all grasses will burn up, the sun will be so hot people would combust if they stayed outside, and more. Science will not be able to explain these coming things.
More than one scientist will be saying “no, no, no, no, no, no…”
One last thing. Check out Adam Ford’s (Adam4D) cartoons. He has been on a roll lately. Like with this one
And “Who’s The Bigot?“
And I really liked “Locusts“
I’ll leave you with a good word from Paul-
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
What "Family" is ABC from?! Young & Hungry review (UPDATED)
Update at bottom.
As I mentioned the other day, I’m in summer mode now. As I’m a kindergarten teacher aide in Special Education, my employment has suspended for the summer months. This is one of the things I love about my job 😉
I am old enough to remember basic television that came with reception only as good as the antenna on top of the TV and ended at midnight or 1am with the Star Spangled Banner and then a test pattern until dawn and The Today Show came on. You watched what was on when it was on and that was it.
Then in 1983 cable came to me in college in Maine and rather than study I just watched MTV endlessly on my 9-inch Sony. I already had HBO. Yay!
Anyway one of the things I enjoy in the summer is time to kick back and watch stuff. What a boon it is to be able to watch anything, anytime on streaming Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime, or Youtube or well, just about ‘station! We are truly living in amazing times.
However the quality has not kept up. When evening, TV watching time rolls around, I search and search and search and most often I find nothing to watch. Ten thousand programs available at any time and nothing on. Bruce Springsteen sang about this in 1992.
57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)
I bought a bourgeois house in the Hollywood hills
With a trunkload of hundred thousand dollar bills
Man came by to hook up my cable TV
We settled in for the night my baby and me
We switched ’round and ’round ’til half-past down
There was fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on
Sometimes it takes me a few hours to find anything to watch. By the time I find a title, go to IMDB and read reviews, try the program for a few minutes, find it’s actually disgusting, and then start all over, it’s time for bed.
I’m not averse to watching kids’ shows. I am not a huge fan of cartoons, but The Brady Bunch or Full House has in recent times passed before my eyes. So the other night I tried something on Netflix, an ABC Family show. The synopsis went like this:
Set in San Francisco, a wealthy entrepreneur Josh (Jonathan Sadowski) hires a food blogger named Gabi (Emily Osment) to be his new personal chef.
Sounds promising! A family show! Foodies! Cookery/chefery! Nice scenery! A family show!
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| Aw! So cute! |
I watched a show and a half and then turned it off in disgust and outrage. That’s 29 minutes before I called it quits and shook my head in absolute amazement.
Within the first ten minutes the young woman had slept with her boss, who until a few minutes before had been engaged to a woman, who in turn later admitted to sleeping with someone else. The homosexual butler/aide made numerous quips about gay culture, and the double entendres from everyone were disgusting. Jokes about size of penis, and ‘once you go black you never go back’ were just two that I remember. Gay sex, pre-marital sex, adulterous sex, broken vows, lies, drunkenness, thievery, nudity, clandestinely videotaped sex, self-centeredness, selfishness, and immodesty were just a few of the “family” values being presented on this show within the first few minutes.
Episode 3 is titled Young & Lesbian where according to the summary “Josh hosts a dinner with the deciding editor of a “30 Under 30″ list hoping to impress her, only to find out she is more interested in Gabi.” The next episode after that is titled, “Young & Pregnant, Gabi worries that she might be pregnant.”
I’m not surprised, that much, that our culture reflects these values. But I am astounded at the casualness they are shown to children. This is the description for the ABC Family channel:
ABC Family is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney–ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The channel generally offers contemporary as well as family-oriented programming aimed at a wide audience, but primarily features series and movies aimed at teenage girls and young women; its programming includes off-network syndicated reruns and original series, feature films and made-for-TV original movies, and some religious programming. The network was founded in 1977 as an extension of televangelist Pat Robertson’s Christian television ministry, and eventually evolved into The Family Channel by 1990…
WOW! How far they have fallen. It is no surprise that the world acts like the world, but it is saddening to me that our youngest and most vulnerable are being deliberately brainwashed this way. Every perversity imaginable was immediately presented from the opening moments of the show. Though the set was appealingly designed in bright, Disney colors, it belies a poison akin to the color of gangrene.
I opened this essay with a retrospective of ‘back in my day’. I related to you the facts of the broadcast matter, but the fact of the content of what was broadcast is equally applicable. Any ONE of the sins presented so immediately and casually in the first episode of “Young & Hungry” back in my day would immediately have merited censoring if the television show was aimed at children, say, The Brady Bunch. We all learned a lesson about not being a Tattle-Tale from season 2’s The Brady Bunch. Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color on Sunday Nights featured true family friendly shows and movies. I remember watching Lassie, Gentle Ben, Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith, Carol Burnett, and more.
In one generation have the sins which Jesus called an abomination become so palatable and normal, sins for which He smote four entire cities in brimstone, as to be family fare? Yes.
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| Top L-R: Monkees, Bradys, Lassie. Bottom L-R: Gentle Ben, Disney, Andy. Middle: Sex, perversity, adultery, AKA millennial family fare |
Once the truth is suppressed in unrighteousness and the Creator is denied, as per Romans 1:18-19, it does not take long for the trajectory to play itself out as the rest of Romans tells us:
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Do you know the ratings for Young & Hungry are through the roof? They are heartily applauding sin. Note how the ratings began high and only got higher as the first season progressed. And the show has been picked up for season 2.
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| Source IMDB |
In 1974 the American public expressed strong outrage that a scene in the movie Born Innocent contained a lesbian rape scene and even was used in promotional ads aired during the afternoon. Outrage was so strong that the FCC instituted “Family viewing hour“. Forty years later Family programming includes a comedic plotline about lesbian lust. The very children parents in 1974 sought to protect from such fodder are now grown ups watching, applauding and seeking more, and calling it family viewing. Oh, how we have crumbled.
Nothing of what I’m saying is any surprise and hasn’t actually been said before. Like, from Newt Minow-
May 9, 1961 that Newt Minow, then the young head of the Federal Communications Commission, gave what would be called the Wasteland Speech:
When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better. But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.
His talk hit like a bomb. Mr Minow is still alive and in 2011 he gave another speech, in which he joked that his children threatened to put on his tombstone “A Vaster Wasteland” because things have only gotten much worse of course. Here is a snippet from Mr Minow’s talk in 2011—
I knew broadcasters would not be happy [in 1961]. My favorite response was from the Hollywood producer Sherwood Schwartz, who named the sinking ship in Gilligan’s Island after me. The “vast wasteland” was a metaphor for a particular time in our nation’s communications history, and to my surprise it became part of the American lexicon. It has come to identify me. My daughters threaten to engrave on my tombstone: On to a Vaster Wasteland. But those were not the two words I intended to be remembered. The two words I wanted to endure were public interest. To me that meant, as it still means, that we should constantly ask: What can communications do for our country? For the common good? For the American people?
We did some great things, to be sure. We expanded choice with public broadcasting, cable, and satellites. Sesame Street became one of the most-watched television programs in the world. Our televised presidential debates, once groundbreaking and then abandoned until 1976, became the most substantive view of our presidential campaigns. We launched the first communications satellite in 1962. On a visit to the space program, President Kennedy asked me about the satellite. I told him that it would be more important than sending a man into space. “Why?” he asked. “Because,” I said, “this satellite will send ideas into space, and ideas last longer than men.”
But our failures were equally dramatic, particularly in using television to serve our children and to improve our politics. For 50 years, we have bombarded our children with commercials disguised as programs and with endless displays of violence and sexual exploitation. We are nearly alone in the democratic world in not providing our candidates with public-service television time. Instead we make them buy it—and so money consumes and corrupts our political discourse.
Man corrupts. He is fallen and everything he touches is cursed or polluted. I feel for parents who seek opportunities to present entertaining clean shows to their children. Let me tell you, ABC Family ain’t it.
Godlessness in the Last Days
1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (2 Timothy 3:1-8)
And take note: those verses describe not the world, but the church.
We know these things and we trust the Lord’s word is true. Though there are predicted days of difficulty, He also made promises to the good. He will return and take us with Him. He will keep us from the hour of trial that is to come upon the whole world. He has prepared unimaginable treasures for us. He is our strength in the dark days and our source of joy amid the pollution.
At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. (1 John 2:8)
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UPDATE
My premise was that within one generation the cultural understanding and acceptance of moral/immoral behavior has been reversed. Today Al Mohler was interviewed by The Gospel Coalition on this exact topic. Here is one relevant excerpt
Albert Mohler on How to Survive a Moral Revolution
Watch the full nine-minute video to hear Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, explain how in the span of a generation an entire moral understanding was reversed, what Christian faithfulness looks like in our day, and more.
TGC: How did in the span of a generation an entire moral understanding in North America become reversed? And how did this moral revolution happen so fast?
Mohler: We’ve never experienced anything like this. . . . And the bottom line is that no part of the culture is going to be left untouched. . . . We haven’t had any moral revolution on this scale in human history. The first Christian answer is secularization. . . . This could only have happened after modernity had so shifted the worldview of most of the people in what we might would call the industrialized world. . . . That’s made all these changes inevitable.
Watch the full 9-minute interview at the link above.
See what love the Father has for us!
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (1 John 3:1)
The words ‘what kind’ in the Greek indicate an otherworldly or supernatural love. It is a kind of love that the Holy Trinity has for His children but one that we do not understand fully…because it comes from another place than from men, or on earth. It’s astounding to think of this love! It is so deep and so perfect. It’s abstract because it comes from the fountain of the Father’s heart but it is real because He demonstrates it-
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Warren Wiersbe explains that in the 1 John 3:1 verse and onward, John gives us three reasons for a holy life.
God the Father Loves Us (1 John 3:1–3)
God’s love for us is unique. First John 3:1 may be translated, “Behold, what peculiar, out-of-this-world kind of love the Father has bestowed on us.” While we were His enemies God loved us and sent His Son to die for us!
The whole wonderful plan of salvation begins with the love of God.
Many translators add a phrase to 1 John 3:1: “That we should be called the sons of God, and we are.” “Sons of God” is not simply a high-sounding name that we bear; it is a reality! We are God’s children! We do not expect the world to understand this thrilling relationship, because it does not even understand God. Only a person who knows God through Christ can fully appreciate what it means to be called a child of God.
First John 3:1 tells us what we are and 1 John 3:2 tells us what we shall be. The reference here, of course, is to the time of Christ’s coming for His church. This was mentioned in 1 John 2:28 as an incentive for holy living, and now it is repeated.
God’s love for us does not stop with the new birth. It continues throughout our lives and takes us right up to the return of Jesus Christ! When our Lord appears, all true believers will see Him and will become like Him (Phil. 3:20–21). This means, of course, that they will have new, glorified bodies, suited to heaven.
But the apostle does not stop here! He has told us what we are and what we shall be. Now, in 1 John 3:3, he tells us what we should be. In view of the return of Jesus Christ, we should keep our lives clean.
All this is to remind us of the Father’s love. Because the Father loved us and sent His Son to die for us, we are children of God. Because God loves us, He wants us to live with Him one day. Salvation, from start to finish, is an expression of the love of God. We are saved by the grace of God (Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 2:11–15), but the provision for our salvation was originated in the love of God. And since we have experienced the love of the Father, we have no desire to live in sin.
(Source: Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 504). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
This heavenly love is given to us that we are children of God. This God, this holy and loving and just and perfect Father, revealed Himself to us in His word. His word is where we learn more about Him, His love, His plan for us.
His word is edifying and instructive and all sufficient. (2 Timothy 3:16). It pierces, transforms, convicts. I read Dr Albert Mohler’s comment yesterday when he put up this link to Dr John Piper’s video regarding the importance of reading the Bible:
Albert Mohler @albertmohler 20h20 hours ago
My heart was really moved by this new video from @JohnPiper — “God Wrote a Book.” Please see it and share it. http://ow.ly/O366H
I did view it and I did share it. I encourage you to watch, it is 5 minutes.
The love the Father has for us brings peace and gratitude. It is a refreshing and wonderful feeling, knowing by His grace I am a child of God. What further joys await when I am lifted to His holy habitation to see Him as He is. That is where the 1 John 3 verse goes, it says in vv. 2-3,
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Pure. Brothers and Sisters, we will see Him as He is. Read John 17 if you want to fall on your face in gratitude in being a recipient of this great love the Father and the Son have for each other and which Jesus opened that circle to include us within it. We are secure in the bosom of the holy and loving Trinity, and someday, we shall see Him as He is.
GOD WROTE A BOOK by Dr John Piper
https://player.vimeo.com/video/130148742
Switching to summer mode
I am a 54-year-old kindergarten special education teacher’s aide. School with the kids let out a week ago, and teachers and staff finished Friday. That means this is the first official summer day for me, being the first week-day I am not headed to school for a 7:15am starting bell.
I don’t like to write a lot about myself, but occasionally I believe it’s warranted. People need to get a context of who I am and what I am about so they can assess credibility. There are many Christian bloggers who aren’t members of a local congregation, or who don’t believe in real life ministries, don’t perform a service, don’t submit to oversight of pastors or elders, or who don’t read the Bible. I am not one of those.
The Lord made it clear to me that I am not to be married. It is also clear that He gave me a delight in and a talent for teaching children. I was formerly a certified teacher but stopped some years ago to do other things like travel and become editor of a weekly newspaper. When I moved from Maine to Georgia, I returned to education once again but as a vastly different person. This time I came to education as a single, born-again, elder woman whom the Lord wants to use for His glory both at school and out of school. He designed my life so that I can be fulfilled in working with children in a not-too-stressful job, use it as a ministry both to kids and colleagues, but also to have lots of time off to write blog essays, based on the available time He has blessed me with.
So when the school vacations and summer rolls around, I am aware that I have a duty to redeem the time He has afforded me and to use the talents He has given me as a spiritual retreat and opportunity to dig into His word in a way I would not if I had a more stressful job, or a husband & family.
So I do. I’m filled with gratitude at the life He has given me and want all the more to glorify His name in all I think, say, and do.
However I am fleshly and given large quantities of time I can easily sink into laziness and simply end up watching endless episodes of “Sea Patrol” and reading easy novels in between naps.
In order to stay diligent and productive, I make a schedule. This is my day.
When I awake I am pretty refreshed and I after making coffee I sit down and begin study immediately. I pray through my prayer list. I then study.
I begin with reading the Bible. I recently finished 1 Corinthians so I sought advice from my teaching-pastor as to next steps. The past two summers he has given me a project to do and these have proved helpful in giving me summer structure. He suggested I read Galatians-Ephesians-Philippians-Colossians. He suggested I compare and contrast, and also look for the similarities in each books’ use of presenting the indicative before the imperatives.
I love my Logos 6 software so I plugged in the four books into the software and generated a reading plan that would take 50 days to complete.
I am blessed with having lots of study aids, which I’ll get to in a minute, but I believe that the best approach is two-fold: first prayer, then study the actual Bible. I read it directly.
After I read the designated chapters and have prayed in thanks, then I move to some study aids. Whatever the Spirit has pricked in me is what I go forward with next. Was I interested in looking at a map or atlas to see where Galatia is? Is there an archaeological dig with recent discoveries I can learn from? Did I get hung up on a word and need to do a Greek or Hebrew word study? Was there an animal or plant mentioned I’d like to follow upon? Is there a doctrine I would benefit by comparing to others in the NT? Is there a person mentioned I can learn more about by studying their biography? What does the Commentary say?
After the discipline of reading with prayerful attention, then I let loose my mind and see where the Spirit will take me. In the past, this combination has worked well for me. I believe this is one of the ways, with me anyway, He knits together a wider perspective and a greater understanding. I first put in the work to read His word, and it’s not always easy, then He takes a seed and blows it and I follow. He directs my steps. Almost always, after reading the Bible I will look at my MacArthur commentary and usually the Matthew Henry Commentary to flesh out ideas.
Quite often this is when I receive an idea for a blog essay. Not always, but usually something from my morning reading will spark me into a direction, or will dock with another idea I’d had previously and I’ll follow up on it and write. I put the idea down in draft and then I make breakfast and get dressed.
I don’t like to hang around in my PJs all day. I think it’s important to be dressed early just as if I was headed for work, albeit a few hours later 😉
I’ll write. This takes me hours. For the better part of the next four or five hours I’ll write a blog essay on and off, combined with study, cleaning up the kitchen, looking at Twitter or other people’s blogs and listening to sermons or other Christian-oriented audio while I putter.
For the record, I can heartily recommend the following Bible teachers as trustworthy expositors:
John MacArthur
Phil Johnson
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
S. Lewis Johnson
and also
Alistair Begg, Sinclair Ferguson, Adrian Rogers. I also enjoy Voddie Baucham and RC Sproul but not on the eschatological texts.
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| Yes here’s the ubiquitous study photo. Bible, commentary, notebook, theological book I’m currently reading, coffee, laptop with Logos 6, and tissues because studying the Word is so moving |
In the afternoon I slow down and around 3:30 or 4:00, about the time I’d be coming home from school, I’ll switch to personal stuff. Then and only then do I watch Netflix or Hulu. I might read a novel. I listen to sermons while I craft at the kitchen table. I play with my photographs in post-processing software, I’ll cook, go outside and take photos in the softening light. I answer emails.
Mixed in with these usual days are real-life discipling opportunities I do with people once per week, and church twice per week. It’s important to stay connected with a local congregation. Virtual ministry doesn’t substitute for real life ministry. I also go out once per week to get groceries. I try not to use the car much because summer is a time I can save on fuel consumption as one of the only discretionary utility bills I have control over. The less I browse and shop the less I crave and covet, so I restrict my shopping to groceries and try to stay away from Amazon, too, lol, though I LOVE to buy books. Pay for a teacher aide in Georgia is not too high but the Lord provides me with all I need to survive and thrive. I value time more than money. I really do have everything I need here in this little apartment that during the summer I call The Hermitage.
So that’s it. I am a writer/blogger who studies the Word and I really am a member of a Baptist church and I really do serve in real life ministries, as well as all the stuff I do online.
I thank each and every one of you. So many of you have written to me to encourage me or provide oversight or offer sympathy or ask great questions. I love you my brethren, and I’m grateful not just for the time here to write and study but I’m humbled by and grateful to you, real people who bless me with your comments and questions. You keep me continually realizing that our faith constitutes a kingdom of people from all over the world! Because of you I don’t get myopic or depressed at the state of things. I’m encouraged by you and energized by you, the thriving Kingdom of people whom Jesus loves and the Spirit indwells and God in His timing will glorify. Just imagine the Day when we all meet each other in the air!
Let me not forget to mention Study Aid #1: Bert
Study Aid #2: Luke. He’s saying, “Hey it’s my turn!”
Not to be outdone, Murray is on scene below, Study Aid #3
Scripture picture: Tender Mercies
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| EPrata photo |
Jesus is the Light
the-end-time.org 