Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Heaven/Hell
All posts tagged Heaven/Hell
‘Federico Carboni made international news recently when he died in Italy’s first legal assisted suicide. Carboni was not terminally ill. He was paralyzed from an auto accident. He wanted suicide because he had no autonomy, saying in an interview, “I am like a boat adrift in the ocean.”’https://evolutionnews.org/2022/06/euthanasias-cruel-compassion/
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments
‘Since June is Pride Month for the LGBT etc. crowd, I expanded and rewrote a 2019 column that produced late-night phone calls, death threats, and scores of hate-filled emails from the “peace-loving,” “all opinions have equal worth,” “fair-minded,” and always “compassionate” homosexuals.
No doubt, many homosexuals—maybe most of them—agree with the thesis of my article while disagreeing with my criticism of homosexuality which is still legal in America. Both homosexuality and my right to disagree with it are legally protected—for now. But the Homosexual Lobby will not permit any honest disagreement with their positions.
You know, like the knee-jerk response of some homosexuals to the Tampa Bay football players who refused to give credibility to perversion by wearing a rainbow version of the team logo on the team’s “Pride Night,” because of their religious beliefs. It seems everyone has a right to make up his own mind as long as you don’t imply that homosexuality is wrong.
The journalists at Newsweek had every right to accuse me, attack me, and even assassinate me (symbolically) but not use illegitimate and spurious and twisted information to do their job.
I’m not whining about Newsweek, just wanting to hold their feet to the fire. After all, they did spell my name correctly and pulled a good photo from one of my lectures at the University of North Dakota.
The Newsweek piece, about my article published on numerous conservative websites, was filled with errors. Even the first word of the headline was wrong! It yelled, REPUBLICAN PREACHER RUNS SHOCKING BLOG POST ABOUT PETE BUTTIGIEG, CLAIMS GAY PEOPLE DIE YOUNGER THAN ‘NORMAL PEOPLE.’ I have not been a Republican for decades, although I admit to voting Republican most of the time, I’m politically independent as a hog on ice.
Journalists, including news magazines like Newsweek, should try that sometime.
A quick phone call or email from the author would have kept him from adding to the escalating charges of fake news. All journalists are taught to verify the facts; maybe he was sleeping during that class.
The author called my article “Pete Since You Brought it Up, How ‘Gay’ Are You?” offensive, and of course, it was. It is impossible to deal with perversion (and politics) without being offensive; however, if we deal with the details, it would be disgusting.
The author suggests I was offensive because I mentioned that homosexuals don’t live as long as normal people. Well, that may be offensive, but it is also a fact according to Columbia University. Of course, they suggested homosexuals died early because of an anti-homosexual environment rather than their perverted practices.
Another widely cited study from Vancouver revealed, “life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.” This was supported by a study done by Paul Cameron, Ph.D. It revealed the latest CDC report “tends to strengthen the overall finding based upon obituaries: that the lifespan of MSM [males who have sex with other men] is shortened two to three decades by AIDS and, possibly, other causes.”
However, the last study was done by a Christian psychologist who is viciously hated by the LGBT crowd. Cameron is allegedly biased by his biblical worldview, but somehow, homosexuals are not biased, blinded, and bigoted by their twisted lifestyle which they cannot defend. The Homosexual Lobby doesn’t understand that facts don’t lie, but that can’t be said about the radical left.
Most mainstream journalists like the ones in Newsweek deal in fantasy, falsehood, and fiction—not facts. They have an agenda that must be disseminated without regard for reality.
Homosexuals die about 20 years earlier than normal people because their lifestyle is really a deathstyle. The human body was not made to endure violent attacks—their use of illegal drugs; their autoerotic playtime; their bondage and sadomasochism; their fisting; ad nauseam—all shorten lives. After all, if eating fried foods will shorten your life, living the dangerous, diseased, and depraved life many homosexuals live will be more deadly than eating fried chicken.
The hit piece charged, “The former lawmaker [this writer] said it was his right as a voter to ask ‘how gay Pete is’ and if his medical records would be made public. Boys, asserting that ‘homosexuals are notoriously promiscuous,’ made a series of baseless claims and suggested Buttigieg should address them.”
It is interesting but common that Newsweek did not list any baseless claims, and they rejected my well-documented charges knowing few readers would discover their deception. And, yes, a politician must answer questions (most Democrats are sorry they did not ask about Biden’s health) but then maybe Pete has been given a No Obligation to Answer Card. That isn’t surprising since homosexuals have demanded and received numerous special rights from cowardly judges, legislators, college presidents, media personalities, and Hollywood.
And everyone, even some Conservative and even Christian websites are careful not to offend them by suggesting that perversion, like fornication, is always wrong, even wicked. The safe pitch is that each person can make his own decision about such issues and then we will all “live and let live.”
The almost universal message is to be very careful what you say about homosexuality. However, an American does not have to worry what he declares as long as it is truthful. Moreover, no one, especially a Christian, should be malicious, hateful, or even unkind.
Newsweek’s use of claims suggests that my assertion about homosexual promiscuity is not true when everyone with an I.Q. equivalent to his ring size knows it is true. It’s like saying some people claim the earth is round.
The hit piece suggested that homosexual promiscuity is dubious, so let me be clear: no honest, informed, and sane person disagrees, debates, or even sees a need to discuss the issue—homosexuals change partners as often as they change socks—almost.
A 2006 study of 2,294 homosexuals in the homosexual magazine The Advocate reported that 248 men admitted to having more than 300 sexual partners with fewer partners for the others.
The classic Bell and Weinberg study, produced with the help of the American National Institute of Mental Health, consisted of about 1100 men. That pre-AIDS report revealed that 83% of the homosexual men in their survey said it was likely they had sex with 50 or more partners in their lifetime, while 43% estimated they had sex with 500 or more partners. But it gets worse because 28% had sex with 1,000 or more partners!
Even if they are “married,” male homosexuals set aside a “night with the boys.” Of course, there are exceptions, but let’s say it all together now, “Homosexuals are notoriously promiscuous.”
The claim that homosexuality is not influenced by family or trauma was shot down by Neil E. Whitehead in the Journal of Human Sexuality: “It is simply a myth that there are no sociological data showing influence on adult sexual orientation.”
Newsweek reproduced significant points of my column, which added some much-needed juice to their article: “Purporting to cite ‘the largest study ever conducted,’ he said 23 percent of homosexuals ‘participate in golden showers.’” The writer was careless in his use of purporting. He used the wrong word because I did not purport—or claim or assert or allege to cite “the largest study ever conducted” that revealed that 23% of homosexuals “participate in golden showers.” I cited the report and received no rebuttal.
He was trying to denigrate the study without dealing with it, which is common among desperate people. The Gay Report was done by Karla Jay and Allen Young and involved 4,400 respondents. In that study, homosexuals admitted to their usual vile practices, and homosexual leaders criticized it from its publication. Critics never have revealed that the authors were “gay!”
It is much worse today. In a 2006 study of a group of “male S&M practitioners,” 47.3% admitted participation in “watersports” according to The Health Hazards of Homosexually.
Since Pete said: “I’m gay as a… I don’t know, think of something really gay, that’s how gay I am.” I want to know what he meant. No doubt some homosexuals are fairly strait-laced compared to others but just how “gay” is Pete? No one expects him to go into details, but on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most degraded, diseased, and dangerous, where is Pete?
Most people expect a national magazine to produce quality work but not this time. Newsweek’s source, the Friendly Atheist, is such an embarrassment it would make any honest reader run for a barf bag.
My article appeared on May 15, and was picked up by Joe.My.God. on the 17th, the Friendly Atheist on May 18, and was critiqued by Newsweek on May 21. Newsweek did not do any original reporting, just some ramblings from the Friendly Atheist and some of my brilliant comments. So, it was not a total loss.
The Friendly Atheist piece supports the would-be censors out there who want to eliminate bad writing. The blogger is Hemant Mehta, whose claim to fame is “selling his soul on eBay.” He titled his blog “Christian Bigot: Pete Buttigieg Can’t Be President Because Gay People Die Young.” Hemant is right in calling me a Christian but completely wrong using the B-word. Evidently, he is infected with the virus that makes leftists lash out rather than support their position. Accusations are much easier to make than answers and argumentation. Hemant probably doesn’t even know he is infected. Tragic.
Far leftists don’t seem to understand that an American can disagree with their agenda and not be a hater. Disagreement is healthy. It is good to challenge people to analyze an issue and produce their reasons for believing it. Facts are not emotional. Unstable, dishonest people often are.
He then accuses me of declaring that Pete would not be a good president, but I never suggested that. Far leftists have a difficult time reading or comprehending or telling the truth.
In response to my demand that Pete release his medical records, Hemant seems to run off the rails. He charged, “His bigotry [mine] isn’t worthy of a response, but it should be noted that Donald Trump never released his proper medical records.” However, the president is examined annually, and his medical reports are released.
Voters have an obligation to make decisions about a candidate’s total life: his family, education, associations, criminal record, politics, etc., when deciding whether to vote for him.
After many embarrassing gaffes, Hemant dug a deeper hole by writing, “The rest of the article is no better, with Boys arguing that we should know everything about Buttigieg’s sex life.” I did not write that we should know everything about Buttigieg’s sex life. As a voter, I want to know if his “gay” lifestyle will affect his effectiveness as president.
Buttigieg is in Biden’s cabinet, and will no doubt be a national candidate again so I still want to know if his lifestyle might affect his ability to serve Americans.
Hemant continued with his convoluted tirade by charging, “Boys doesn’t bring up how Donald Trump had an affair with a porn star (without protection).” Hemant failed (again) to research the facts. Had he not been so lazy or incompetent, he would have discovered many of my critical articles about Trump. I voted for him because the alternative was Horrific Hillary. Trump’s affairs were despicable, deplorable, dumb, and double dumb without protection— just as homosexual perversions are dumb and disgusting.
Finally, Hemant runs out of steam, takes a deep breath, wipes the foam from his quivering lips, and writes, “This is conservative Christian ‘logic’ for you. A gay guy in a monogamous marriage is somehow a threat to family values, but President P****grabber is somehow a man of virtue.” I wrote nothing about Pete’s “monogamous marriage,” and neither Hemant nor I know if Pete’s “marriage” is monogamous or not, although many studies do not reflect faithful monogamous homosexual “marriages.”
The national homosexual magazine, The Advocate reported in 2006 that less than half of homosexual “couples” were monogamous, a fact supported by the Male Couples Study and others.
It is a fact that homosexual “marriages” or live-in arrangements last two to three years, according to Male and Female Homosexuality, by Saghir and Robins and other studies.
Moreover, I did not refer to family values nor refer to Trump as “a man of virtue.” I doubt if Trump can spell virtue, but he at least did what he promised, something few presidents have done in a hundred years.
Is Pete traveling in the homosexual fast lane that always comes to a dead-end?
Voters have a right to know just how “gay” Pete is.’https://donboys.cstnews.com/newsweek-hit-piece-attacks-and-slanders-me-because-of-my-question-to-pete-buttigieg-2
‘The old saying is that men never learn from history, with the addition that those that do learn from history are doomed to stand by and watch it repeat itself. Mark Twain said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Regardless of your opinion on the repeatability of history, as we already saw in Part 2, the church itself follows a certain cycle that appears to be unbroken since the first century. It’s not very likely for that to change any time soon.
The Inverse-Square Law
Growing up I loved listening to Kent Hovind’s Creation Science seminars. I still remember distinctly his description of the inverse-square law and how it pertains to orbital mechanics, specifically as part of his theory on the Flood and the collapse of the theorized ice canopy that may have surrounded the Earth before the Flood. Simply put: the closer an object approaches to a mass, its gravitational velocity is affected inversely-squared proportionate to its distance; moving the moon 1/3 of the distance closer to the Earth would increase its gravitational pull 9 times (32). Hovind’s application was (is) a comet that struck the ice canopy and collapsed it onto the poles, the comet’s velocity being increased exponentially as it approached the Earth.
I can just imagine the reader scratching his head, wondering what in the world this has to do with anything. Never fear: I shall explain.
As a premillennialist/pre-trib dispensationalist, I believe in a precipitated decline of everything before a catastrophic apocalypse, preceded by a “rescue” of Christ’s church. It’s not “escapism” as such since the church has endured and will endure any amount of tribulation as a sign of her faithfulness, yet “The Tribulation” as an event is for Israel, not the body of Christ. After all, it’s called “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” not the church’s trouble. As we approach this “event horizon,” it would appear that the processes and cycles seen throughout church history are accelerating. Here I offer two examples as observed personally.
Peter Ruckman is widely held to be one of the staunchest proponents of the King James Bible, as well as pre-trib premillennialist moderate dispensationalism. His work sparked a movement that started Bible institutes on just about every inhabited continent, published hundreds of books, some of which have been translated into multiple languages, and sent hundreds if not thousands of pastors and missionaries into the ministry. He himself fleshed out the very cycle that we are discussing, as quoted in Part 2. So, why is it surprising to anyone that the “ruckmanite” movement has evolved into the machine that spits out identical clones, something that Dr. Ruckman himself denounced vehemently, and (I have it on good authority) the leadership at Ruckman’s former church (Bible Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida) dislikes even the mention of the “cycle” that Dr. Ruckman himself warned of? While the Pensacola manifestation of this process hasn’t reached the point of creating a bronze-cast statue of the founder or a three-story mural of the deceased pastor and his wife complete with cases of their favorite soft drinks left as an offering, the reverence with which Ruckman’s positions, teachings, and even attitudes are held has created its own kind of “monument” in the Florida Panhandle and in the “ruckmanite” camp around the world, all within the span of a few decades, especially during Bro. Ruckman’s decline at the end of his life.
More recently and even more visibly, Steven Anderson made a name for himself using social media, railing on homosexuals and forging a patented brand of theology including aspects of antisemitism/anti-zionism, calvinistic replacement theology, post-trib “anti-dispensationalism” (clearly misunderstanding that premillennialism is itself a dispensational position), his “reprobate” theory, and other bizarre private interpretations of the scriptures, all with a view to generate friction and create notoriety for himself. With the help of a professional video producer, he created “documentaries” slyly promoting his strange doctrines, even going as far as titling the Arabic translation of his film Marching to Zion as The Lies of the Jews. However big his following at one time, he quickly splintered his movement into numerous factions thanks to a series of “excommunications” and executive decisions about churches established under his ministry. Many of his former allies have distanced themselves from him, especially after an attempt to hide some abuse by members of his own family. Others fled his authoritarian-style grasp and started churches espousing various false doctrines from modalism to teaching that salvation can be “lost” by ceasing to believe on Christ (as if it were the individual’s faith that saved him). This particular cycle-within-a-cycle had a very short lifespan, basically petering out within a decade of its inception.
While previous manifestations of this cycle have dragged on for decades or even centuries, more recently they appear to have a more rapid lifespan, exhausting themselves quickly. My pet theory is that it’s a spiritual “inverse-square law” leading up to the catching away of the church, where heresy becomes more common even among believers as the great falling away accelerates. After all, Christ did warn His followers about being deceived in the last days, and we are certainly getting close to the end, so it stands to reason that deception would be on the rise.
Just Another Brick in the Wall
When the younger fundamentalists started leaving churches and the “Recovering” moniker was adopted, I had some hope that this movement would be different, and that churches would start seeking a move of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, my cynical side won that wager. There are undoubtedly many sincere believers that are truly seeking a recovery, whether from the frequent abuse in churches, or to figure out what is real as opposed to the religious fakery that is so rampant in churches today. Yet just as we see throughout church history, the sincere are promptly overshadowed by the ambitious, and the progression of the cycle can only be delayed, not prevented.
In this case, the “Family” that grew up around the various anonymous Twitter parody accounts and moved to a Facebook group started to feel a lot like the very “fundamentalism” that these participants had left. Getting kicked out of the group without notice or appeal has become a common occurrence, while the leadership have assumed a kind of control that is little different from any authoritarian religious movement out there. When Eric Skwarczynski, the founder and host of the Preacher Boys Podcast, announced that he no longer considers himself a Christian, the reaction from both sides of the “Recovering” discussion was about what you would expect. While some aspects of the response were measured and reasonable, others bore the distinct markings of the us-vs-them division so common among fundamentalist churches.
Eric’s defection would require its own series of articles to address, and that’s something we have no interest in doing. Suffice it to say that after detailing scores of instances of abuse, cover-ups, manipulation, and obfuscation in Baptist and evangelical churches, he decided that he had had enough and renounced his faith. We could talk about John 6:66 or apostasy in general, but the reality is that the behavior of professing Christians led this man to renounce his faith. He will give an account of himself to God at some point. What is truly at issue here is the system that he saw, the filth that he exposed, and the results of his experiences, both at the hands of “fundamentalists” and the “Recovering” crowd.
Of course there were responses; what else is a podcast good for? Instead of focusing on the church’s responsibility for Eric’s apostasy, The Church Split decided to argue moral standards, saying that an atheist or agnostic has no authority, lacking an objective moral standard. The point is valid, but irrelevant to the topic at hand. What is at issue here is the same issue that caused the “Recovering” group to head out in the first place: the body of Christ is in direct disobedience to its Head. As a result, the church has no objective moral standard now, since her behavior is diametrically opposed to the commands that Christ gave us to love one another.
There is absolutely a place to oppose false doctrine. It is certainly necessary to warn against apostasy. Objective morality is without question a fundamental issue. However, Eric’s departure was due to the failures of the church. Again we refer to John 17:
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Christ’s prayer to the Father indicates that our role in this world as Christ’s body is to give evidence of Christ’s authority as the Son of God. Simply put: if people don’t believe in God, it’s the church’s fault. You don’t have to like it, but those are Christ’s words on the matter. Eric’s apostasy is ultimately the church’s fault. But since it’s easier to call for someone else’s head than call for repentance within our own “camp,” we see the standard response: finger-pointing and the blame game. How is this different from the hated “fundamentalists”? How is it not hypocritical to point at Tony Hutson’s carryings on or John Hamblin’s vapidity, while in turn blasting a victim of the church’s REBELLION against her Saviour? No, Will and Brian aren’t attacking Eric’s dress standards or the length of his hair, or the music he listens to; yet the end result is the same: ignoring the root issue to point fingers at the fruit of the problem. Granted, their treatment of the situation is nowhere as “cringe” as the typical IFB pastor’s response to an internet sensation, but it still misses the root issue completely. Eric’s problem isn’t that he’s logically inconsistent: Eric’s problem is that the church is logically inconsistent. As he stated in an interview with Jimmy Hinton:
My faith has been hurt very deeply by, again, not by Hollywood or rock stars or all the people I was told were the threats. Like, for me, you know, I struggle to see people who claim to be transformed by the Holy Spirit, living in a way and acting in a way, covering for things in a way, that far exceeds what I see happening in places like Hollywood, or places like, you know, places like secular places that I was warned about. And so for me, you know, it’s affected my ability to believe in there being some radical, transformative “power” to this.
I totally understand Galatians 5:16-17. I get it, the “in Christ” of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is the saved person’s spirit added to the body of Christ. I know all the doctrines; that’s not where the issue is. The issue is the part about walking worthy of our Saviour. It’s the practice, not the doctrine. How can a person behave like a lost person, or even worse than a lost person, all the while claiming to have the Holy Spirit residing inside of him? How can churches ignore child rapists in their ministries, cover up for serial adulterers, and fellowship with peeping toms, all the while pointing fingers at Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein? Eric’s point is absolutely correct: the gospel calls for repentance, something that has been thrown out the window in IFB churches in exchange for bigger ministries, larger bus routes, and more “conversions.” We see the fruit of this cheap, flippant approach to God’s holiness: a church that is poor, wretched, miserable, blind, and naked.
Eric Skwarczynski grew up in IFB churches and left because of the hypocrisy. Unfortunately, that hypocrisy didn’t disappear once he stepped outside of the circles in which he grew up. While it may seem attractive to point fingers at the other group, everyone that claims the name of Christ is equally responsible for the way in which He is portrayed. The “Recovering Fundamentalists” aren’t the enemy, the “IFB” aren’t the enemy, and Eric or lost people aren’t the enemy. Do you want to know who the true enemy is? Let’s ask the apostle James:
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
When you do the world’s work for them and distract from God’s glory, you become the enemy of God. When Eric is discouraged and walks away from the faith, it is the church’s fault, and instead of attacking him, we need to take some time to look inward and see where we went wrong. Our bickering, dissension, backbiting, and overall disobedience is doing the devil’s work for him.
All These Lives
I am still an independent Baptist. I believe the doctrinal positions espoused by the Baptists to be closest to the Bible in any organized group of churches in the world. I have no intention of changing my position or taking “Baptist” off of the name of any churches that the LORD sees fit to allow me to plant in my field of service. As such, it’s important to take stock of our situation as believers and make sure that we truly are following the scriptures as we claim to do. If our wake is littered with broken families, bitter wounded, and discouraged former believers like Eric, then we can only assume that we missed something somewhere; it’s certainly not the Bible’s fault.
Let’s look at an example from economics. “Capitalism” has become a dirty word in politics and the legacy news media, and is constantly blamed for everything that might possibly go wrong in any country with even a modicum of economic freedom. Of course, the real problems are caused not by capitalism which is simply the free exchange of goods and services, but instead are caused by corporatism which is the interference of the state (government) in commerce, preferring certain corporations over others. There are all sorts of issues that arise once the state begins to regulate business: regulatory capture, the use of regulations by established companies to prevent competition from entering the marketplace; lobbying, purchasing preferential treatment from politicians; and collusion, establishing virtual monopolies with government assistance, are among the many tactics used by entrenched corporations to use the power of the state against the consumer.
When these tactics are employed, immediately the socialists condemn “capitalism” as the culprit and insist that more government intervention is the solution, ignoring that it was government intervention that created the issues in the first place. Ultimately, it’s not actually “capitalism” that caused these problems, but it is always the scapegoat.
Let’s apply this truth to the church. The “church” is a called-out assembly of believers, assembling for the purpose of the One that called her out of the world. The “church” is never a construction, a 501(c)(3) corporation, a convention, or a “camp,” yet these are always what the world perceives as “the church.” Therefore, when those organizations that call themselves “churches” hurt others, lie, steal, manipulate, or misrepresent Christ, it is unfortunately Christ’s body that is blamed, even if that body wasn’t even involved.
It is not Christ that does these horrible things, yet He gets blamed for them. Much like Nathan told David:
2 Samuel 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
There is a price to be paid when Christ is reproached by our sin and wickedness. When churches cover up and marginalize sexual abuse in the pulpits, when spiritual abuse is the norm in churches, and when those who hold the truth do so in unrighteousness, Christ is dishonored and there must be a reckoning.
Conclusion
The answer is not nor has it ever been to split or separate from the body of Christ, form a new denomination, start a new movement, or attempt to distance ourselves from the problem by claiming independence. Yes, we’re independent Baptists, but we’re still in the same body and we will still stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ alongside every other believer regardless of what name was on the church sign (or if they even had a church sign). We’re all in the same boat together, and Christ’s command that we be as one in Him is still valid, even if your brother uses the wrong Bible version.
Unfortunately, sin in the camp will eventually affect everyone, just like with Achan and Ai. The 36 dead at Ai had obeyed God’s commands perfectly; they hadn’t stolen anything from Jericho: Achan did, and he survived the battle just fine. His sin affected others, and the LORD withdrew His hand of blessing and protection from the entire nation. As with Daniel’s prayer, a collective repentance is required before we can expect God’s blessing on our churches.
Daniel 9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Even though Daniel himself was a godly man, he recognized himself as being part of the problem. We will never see God’s blessings on us until we realize that WE are the problem and repent.’https://www.kjvchurches.com/recovering-part-5-more-of-the-same/
If you have read the “About” me for this blog you know I am an independent Baptist. I was saved (accepted the Lord Jesus Christ) when I was a very young lad through the ministry of an independent Baptist Church where I also followed the Lord in baptism and heard some good preaching from His Word. However, having now walked with the Lord these many, many years I have seen a lot of “things” within “Christianity” that did and do bother me. Today, I came across the following and thought I would share it with you. This is only the first Part so i will share the others later.
‘Over the last few years there has been a significant movement to rethink “fundamentalism,” a term often applied to churches that would qualify to be listed in our database here at KJV Churches. Largely driven by younger believers, mostly Millennials, this movement has questioned many of the positions and attitudes held by a number of prominent figures who purport to hold to “Old Time Religion” or the “Old Paths,” and without a doubt there are many valid questions and rebukes necessary in many sectors of “fundamental” Christianity.
In this series, we intend to deal with a number of the real issues that should be addressed with regard to the supposed “Old Time Religion” and “fundamentalism,” but at the same time it is our desire to inspect the attitudes displayed by the “Recovering Fundamentalist” movement. As with most things, there are ditches on both sides of the road, and while a strong argument can be made against the traditional model that frequently covers up sin, overlooks abuse, and welcomes “fallen” men while ignoring and blaming the victims, we must be careful not to allow a knee-jerk reaction that will result in the same rotten attitudes, ungodly spirit, and combative approach that is many times the fruit of the “fundamentalists.”
Meddling Millennials
The generational divide between the majority of the church leadership, made up of Generation X and Baby Boomers (of disrespectful “OK, Boomer” fame), and the up-and-coming Millennials, the generation to which this author belongs, has been the cause for a lot of conflict. We Millennials have a very different approach to certain things which makes us appear to be a threat to many people, especially those who appreciate their authoritative positions and perceive any question as a threat or assume that any disagreement is an attack. The older generations must understand that a person presenting a question is not necessarily seeking to supplant whoever is in authority. Often it is done in a spirit of reconciliation, hoping to correct a wrong, perceived or real, and to restore respect for whoever was in error. Simply put, most Millennials aren’t interested in sweeping things under the rug, regardless of the consequences.
My generation experienced the Internet as young people, so we remember the days before instant, worldwide communication was possible even though many of us met our spouses and best friends online. We’re the pre-Internet generation that has in a very real sense shaped the Internet as it exists today. Our unique experiences have created a group of people, from 25-40 years old, that believe that respect is earned and can be lost, authority does not automatically deserve respect, and that age does not automatically mean wisdom (Job 32:9) when it departs from the word of God. As a result, our generational perspective does not automatically follow that of our predecessors. We are more likely to investigate a man’s character and testimony, and not just assume that he was a great man because he was a “great soul winner”. We’ve seen too many “great men” go to prison to assume that large numbers of “conversions” or a big Bible College are the marks of spirituality.
Personally, I’ve long since stopped identifying with men or movements, since many that I respected as a child turned out to be problematic, to say the least, once I reached adulthood. It’s true that there are Biblical commands to respect those that have positions of authority, but all too often the warnings and responsibilities of those tasked with those positions have been ignored, while the man in question hides behind a “man of God” moniker and rejects all criticism as an attack on “the ministry.” I don’t even know how many times as a child that I heard my pastor preach grave warnings about speaking out against the pastor (him, of course), talking about she-bears, lightning strikes, and leprosy attacks, as if he himself were Elisha, Elijah, or Moses. Another shocking recollection is of the pastor (same man) claiming that the church funds were low because he had chosen not to receive his salary, and that God wasn’t blessing the church as a result.
It is the unfortunate reality of modern “Christianity” (“Churchianity” is much more accurate, since it’s more about the “church” than it is about Christ) that those in places of authority heartily accept the “benefits” that come with being the CEO of a government-recognized 501(c)(3) charity, yet ignore the stern warnings in the Scriptures about how to deal with God’s flock (Acts 20:28-29; 1 Peter 5:2-3; 2 Peter 2:3; Hebrews 13:7, 17, etc.). Too many pastors have assumed the right to skin God’s sheep at will, abusing Christ’s flock and manipulating the LORD’s heritage for their own benefit, be it physical (just look at the average BMI of Baptist pastors), monetary, or spiritual, seeking the preeminence that belongs exclusively to the LORD. Now, lest the reader assume that fingers are being pointed at Generation X or the “Boomers,” allow me to clarify: this danger exists in any generation, for any pastor, who ignores the scriptures and seeks his own benefit instead of that of the body of Christ.
Assuming anyone is still reading at this point, there may be some anger in that so far nothing has been said against those meddlesome “Recovering Fundamentalists.” Don’t worry, we’ll get there. But since the “Recovery” movement is a response to the real problems in so-called “Fundamentalism,” those issues should be addressed first, which will allow us to see how this new movement started and why, and we’ll be better prepared to address the issues that they themselves face and the problems they are causing for themselves and for the body of Christ. Don’t worry: there are plenty of problems to go around, and there is plenty of blame to be shared.
What’s the Big Deal?
Over the last few decades the focus of self-professed fundamentalist churches has shifted from the glory of God, edification of the body, and the evangelization of the lost to a pragmatic approach to maintaining the status quo of church attendance, bus ridership, and financial giving. Paris Reidhead’s warning against pragmatism in his famous sermon Ten Shekels and a Shirt (listen to it if you haven’t already) has been completely ignored by the body of Christ. While it may be easy for “conservative” churches (traditional music, KJV only, etc.) to point fingers at “megachurches” with their sports complexes, coffee shops, and polo-shirt-wearing “campus pastors,” we must take stock of our own attitudes and recognize that our own religious system focuses on itself and its own self-propagation more than the glory of God and the spiritual edification of the body.
The results of this sad state of “Christianity” is that young people have started to look behind the curtain and realize that the “Holy Spirit” that is talked about so frequently is really just emotionalism dressed up as spirituality in order to sell a religious program. Thus, it’s no wonder that the sales tactics of a sleazy used car salesman are employed to fill the pews, and that the same approach to maintaining the membership is used, despite the differing content. Don’t believe me? Consider this question:
“What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs? What if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed? Would his Word still be enough for his people to come together?” – David Platt
The question is valid regardless of who said it; many “fundamentalists” revere serial adulterers and child molesters, so I don’t care what you think about Platt, nor does it matter what I think about him. Consider about the question and imagine how many of the “members” of your church would still faithfully attend if there were no comfortable seats, if there were no heating or air conditioning. How many of the young people would come if it wasn’t for the goodies or fun activities? If all your church did were to assemble, stand together for two or three hours, sing a few hymns a cappella, and listen to the word preached and Christ glorified for two hours, how many would be left at the end of a year? What would the tithing records look like? How many missionaries would you be able to support? How would you pay the mortgage?
You see, we Millennials were sold a bill of goods. We were told that Christ was all that mattered, but we saw that the reality was very different. Just so that we’re clear, that’s called hypocrisy and it’s one of the things that irritates the LORD the most. And, it’s not very appreciated by young people that believed you when we were young and then saw the results of your hypocrisy. So, it’s understandable when young people who would have served God wholeheartedly if they had an example to follow, instead leave church, develop a resentful attitude, or look for a place where they can truly serve God without the humanistic impediments that are so rampant in many “fundamental” churches.
Conclusion (don’t worry, there’s more to come)
So, we haven’t gotten around to bashing those pesky “Recovering Fundamentalists” yet. That’s ok, there’s plenty of blame and rebuke to go around. In a future post we will start to unpack the response, good and bad, of the Millennial generation to the problems we addressed in this post. Just keep in mind that the most important problem to deal with is OUR problem, just like Christ said:
Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. (Luke 6:42)
Do you want to “see clearly” to deal with the issues that someone else has? Great! Start with yourself, just like I must start with myself. When you recognize and deal with the problems at home, you’ll both be more objective and more merciful with the errors of others (Galatians 5:1). But if you start in the flesh and only look at the mistakes of others, you’ll just create more strife, division, and contention (Proverbs 13:10).’https://www.kjvchurches.com/recovering-part-1-meet-the-millennials/
‘A new Health Centre to care for and support LGBTQ people to improve their health will be established by ACON as part of the first NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy…’https://www.acon.org.au/
The man, third from the left, is the New South Wales Health Minister. Vote him out next year!
‘We’re here to help sexuality and gender diverse people take control of their sexual health by providing information, workshops, a range of support services and distributing hundreds of thousands of condoms every year throughout NSW.
LGBTQ Health
Free Safe Sex Packs
NEED SAFE SEX SUPPLIES?
If you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community and you need safe sex supplies, we can post them to you anywhere in NSW (free!). Simply complete the form below and we will get your play pack(s) delivered in no time!
Our play packs include:
- 10 gloves
- 10 condoms
- 74 ml Astroglide Natural toy friendly lube
- 110ml Viraclean bottle (for cleaning toys and surfaces), and
- A sex toy maintenance brochure.
If you need supplies for a party or venue please let us know.
Any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact: kink@acon.org.au‘ https://www.acon.org.au/what-we-are-here-for/sexual-health/#sexually-adventurous-women-project
According to the web site fortunately for some reason these sodomite sex packs are not available right now. This is Government doing Satan’s bidding.
‘On May 12, a young female student — Deborah Samuel — in Sokoto, Nigeria was beaten to death and burned to ashes for praising Jesus on a WhatsApp group chat site. A gang of her radical Muslim classmates saw her post, became enraged, and murdered her. Deborah’s “crime?” She was accused of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Mohammad — a crime that calls for a death sentence according to Sharia Law.
Deborah was rejoicing online because she had successfully passed her exams at Shehu Shagari College of Education, located in northwest Nigeria. According to Open Doors, she posted, “Jesus Christ is the greatest. He helped me pass my exams.” For that message and other similar comments, she was murdered.
A gruesome video of the murder went viral on social media, causing outrage among the Christian community in Nigeria and across the world . And unfortunately, it was really nothing new. Brutal violence against Christians throughout the country has been not only commonplace for decades, but has dramatically increased in recent months. I was invited to discuss this crime against humanity with Joseph Backholm on “Washington Watch.” He asked me to provide some background to the story.’https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5363
This link will take you to the first of two interviews with a missionary to a predominantly Muslim nation https://anchor.fm/gcconversations/episodes/Language–Culture–and-Adversity–Part-One—Interview-with-Bro–C-e1g2gm4/a-a7k9u4o. As the world moves ever closer to its demise those who oppose Christ, such as Islam, will work together.
whatyareckon 