truth
All posts tagged truth
Deuteronomy 33:15
“And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,”
‘There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding what carbon dating actually is and does. For example, we mentioned in a previous Creation Moment that, contrary to popular opinion, carbon dating is not used to find a date for fossils because such fossils do not usually contain the original material of the organism.
Carbon dating relies on an isotope of carbon with a mass of 14, whereas normal carbon atoms have a mass of 12. About one in every trillion carbon atoms is carbon-14. It is just as well that the amount of carbon-14 is so small because it is radioactive, having a half-life of 5,730 years. Carbon-14 is produced in the atmosphere by bombardment by cosmic rays. These rays produce thermal neutrons which crash into atoms of nitrogen (mass 14), dislodging a proton in a microscopic game of pool, thus producing a carbon-14 atom. As carbon-14 acts chemically the same as carbon-12, it gets into carbon compounds and enters the food chain. Both plants and animals are constantly both taking in and emitting carbon-14, so its quantity is assumed to remain constant. On death, however, the existing carbon-14 will simply decay, so the amount of carbon-14 left can be used to calculate how long ago it died.
Used correctly, carbon dating is actually a useful technique, but it relies on the assumption that atmospheric bombardment has been constant. This is an unsupported conjecture, and the devastating effects and aftermath of the biblical Flood would have greatly affected calculated carbon-dates.’ https://creationmoments.com/sermons/what-is-carbon-dating/?mc_cid=5ef30aa0f2&mc_eid=00c1dcff3c
The older I get the less I wish to be identified with certain groups. When I was younger I identified with those considered fundamentalists. Sadly, today there are many in the ‘fundamentalist’ group that speak of essential and non-essential doctrines just as evangelicals have done for sometime. Kent Brandburg states it well in the following article.
‘As the children of Israel prepare to enter the land, Moses declares the requirements from God for them. Sometimes speakers will say, if there is anything you should remember, it’s this. Before Moses gets into all the details, which are many, he talks about their relationship to those details as an explanation of their necessary approach to what God told them. If there is a God, which there is, and one, it would seem that what all-powerful, all-knowing holy God would want and should receive the attention of people. In Deuteronomy 4, Moses prepares God’s people for the statement of what God wants from them. Read these first ten verses of that chapter, a normal theme through the book of Deuteronomy, which stands as a handbook for an interpretation of the rest of the Old Testament as well.
1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
The tendency in reading posts with large, even smaller, portions of scripture is to skip over them with your eyes. Read those carefully. Then I draw your attention to verse two, specifically, “neither shall ye diminish ought from it.” If anyone would know about diminishing what God had said, it was Moses, who would not enter the land because of his disobedience in striking the rock. God wants all of what He said kept or obeyed. Moses diminished this one thing — one — and he didn’t go into the land because of it.
In the above portion of Deuteronomy, a book which reads like a treaty between God and His people, their making an agreement based on His terms, which is laid out in words, a less than subtle warning is given of future bad consequences for not hearkening to and obeying God’s words, communicated by the terms “statutes,” “judgments,” “commandments,” and “words.” Verse 3 reminds, “Your eyes have seen what the LORD did . . . . the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.” And then on the other hand, they lived because they cleaved to the LORD (verse 4). To put it together, someone could truly say, if I diminish I could be destroyed. It’s serious.
You can’t say that you are supportive of scripture if you are going to support the parts of it only that will allow your life to proceed without the hassle of decreasing size and overwhelming unpopularity — in other words, one that trusts — and fears — the Lord. That diminishes the Word of God. There must be greater fear of and love of God than there is desire for the earthly success associated with numbers.
The Diminishing of and by the Fundamental or Primary Doctrine Designation
Phil Johnson@Phil_Johnson_“…fundamental, primary doctrines will be commonly recognized by like-minded men [under] the illumination of the one Holy Spirit, rather than privately found in the 21st century by young pastors looking to make a name for themselves.”
—Don Greenhttps://www.facebook.com/don.green.14/posts/2767654866591378 …
18 people are talking about this
The idea of fundamental and primary doctrines is an evangelical or fundamentalist chimera. They’ve made it up to serve a need and now refer to it like it exists. They also use essential and non-essential doctrines. As I’ve written many times here, the list of essentials is shrinking. What was once essential is now non-essential, when nothing that God says is treated as non-essential, just the opposite.
The Holy Spirit illuminates all doctrine of scripture, not “fundamental, primary” ones. This is just diminishing the Word of God in the areas where conflict exists. Certain teachings of the Bible especially clash with the world, causing a more difficult life. Professing believers want a Christianity that affords eternal life and all the niceties and acceptability of the world. It is a Christianity that diminishes the most unpopular teachings. Even in the Johnson tweet of the Don Green quote, more conservative evangelicals, who have capitulated already, fear further capitulation that takes their trajectory, except further.
God doesn’t accept the mere acceptance of some percentage of what He said. It’s 100% with Him. Sure, sanctification is a struggle, but believers are sanctified by everything He said, not just the primary things He said. That is not how the Holy Spirit works, and it is a doctrine that misrepresents the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. It is indefensible. If there is a message someone should get from the gospel of John is that the Lord Jesus did everything the Father wanted Him to do. When we pray the model prayer, that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven — everyone in heaven does everything God said, not categorize His sayings into primary and tertiary and allow the latter to go by the wayside.
I understand the concern of Don Green and Phil Johnson about young evangelicals ejecting from their so-called primary doctrines. The degree of pragmatism and reductionism and sheer lust among millennial evangelicals is head wagging. I appreciate that there are degrees of apostasy. I see it in Revelation 2 and 3 with those churches, but the Lord Jesus didn’t come to any of those churches and say, “I warn thee of thy depreciation of the primary doctrines, and I will come quickly to deal only with these, leaving the secondary doctrines and practices ignored.”
By shoving apparent secondary doctrines and practices into a secondary or tertiary category or box, evangelicals diminish the Word of God. They also send these young men of whom they state concern along the same trajectory that they take, except taking it further than what they have. Everyone can opt out of something God said just be shifting it into a different category. And then they can say, the Holy Spirit brought to my attention that this was secondary, which is why I’m not teaching it, practicing it, or defending it.
The doctrines and practices evangelicals and fundamentalists call secondary results in the diminishing of what they call primary. Their secondary doctrines and practices sometimes have a greater impact. I’m saying, as one example, that music style impacts life, both doctrine and practice in someone’s life, more than his doctrine of the Trinity in instances, not to justify the distortion of the latter. Irreverent music shapes the wrong thinking about God, and forms a new god in their imagination not in line with the God of the Bible. And they are giving God something He doesn’t want in the way of worship. It makes provision for the flesh and sends someone away from God in love for the world. They feel justified in their perversion because this is only a primary doctrine or practice to them. It warps love of and for God, and then others, so that the two great commandments are not obeyed.
What I’m writing in this post thus far is right. That should be what matters. Is it the truth? They can ignore or shirk me, but the downward path will continue. They will help grease the skid that empties further away from God and even in the lake of fire, all to protect this primary/secondary chimera.’
How many lies can government, organizations, or individuals tell before they are called out? Sadly, many people go through life swallowing the lies without a whimper. This video shows how much NASA and other agencies seek to distort and even change history. There is a basis for what they are doing, especially in this climate scam. It is all about money and power. The Creator God is out and junk science lies are in. Now, all this doesn’t take God by surprise for as the Psalmist said in Psalm 2:1-6 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
God will have His day!
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Revelation 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Man is in rebellion against his Maker and the climate change lie is the New World Religion. In their rebellion against the Creator they think they can not only change the climate but the gender in which they were born! Poor dupes!
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
However, there is hope and that is ‘if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved’ Romans 10:9.
‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus.’
The Church of England in the UK is moving further and further from the truth of the Word of God. The following are examples of this.
‘It was just over 50 years ago that the leader of the radical German Student Movement, Rudi Dutschke (aka ‘Red Rudi’) called for a “long march through the institutions” to realise the ideal of what has become known as cultural Marxism. This was the brain child of the Italian neo-Marxist, Antonio Gramsci whose key idea was that of ‘hegemony’ – the process whereby a dominant class could exert and maintain its influence over people through non-coercive means, such as schools, the media and marketing.
The aim is to get people to think, and especially feel, for themselves that certain values and practices, such as same-sex ‘marriage’, are ‘obvious’, ‘common sense’, ‘fair’ or even ‘natural’. Whereas Marx spoke of the ‘commanding heights’ of the economy, Gramsci’s vision was to undermine and eventually take over the ‘commanding heights of culture’. One of the main cultural heights in the UK is the Church of England. And it would seem that with the appointment of Stephen Cottrell as the 98th Archbishop of York, the long march in this institution is more or less over – the progressives have their man in place.’ https://christianconcern.com/comment/stephen-cottrell-a-crisis-of-confidence/?utm_source=Christian+Concern&utm_campaign=ebe5ae83f3-WN-20200103&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9e164371ca-ebe5ae83f3-127681039
‘Mermaids has trained professionals in the NHS, Police Service, Social Services, Schools, CAHMS and the workplace. We tailor all of our training to the specific needs and timeframes of each enquiry, if you are interested please get in touch by emailing us on training@mermaidsuk.org.uk or complete the contact form with a summary of numbers, location and a general overview of your current situation. For example, if you are a school supporting a child to transition, or an NHS trust, wishing to skill up key staff members with information and understanding of gender variance in children and young people.’ https://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/transgender-training.html
‘John Parker, vicar and school governor explains what happened at the Mermaids training session’
Some ‘new’ fundamentalists have surrendered to the new Calvinist conservative evangelical scholarship that is so prevalent today. Much of that scholarship is in the Southern Baptist camp. Therefore, many of those who think they are whatever a fundamentalist is supposed to be, have sought unity with Al Mohler, Mark Dever, T4G and TGC crowd.
Southern Baptist & New Calvinist Mark Dever
However, not all Bible believing Baptists have conceded Biblical truth for ‘scholarship’.
Southern Baptist & New Calvinist Al Mohler
‘Three or four times, I think, an anonymous person has posted a comment in which he writes a short paragraph to say that I’m not a scholar, except in a very small circle of KJVO churches. His evidence of this is the lack of acknowledgement received from evangelical scholarship. I’m not recognized in scholarly circles, he says, which proves I’m not a scholar. His point for these comments is to discredit what I write with hopes that no one takes what I write seriously.
Whether I’m a scholar or not had not occurred to me until this person had written these anonymous comments. I’d like to address this, because now it seems like an interesting subject to me. It brought back to memory an article written by Aaron Strouse, “What Is Biblical Scholarship?” Does it matter if someone is considered a scholar? What matters to me is if what I’m writing is true, hence the title of the blog, What Is Truth.
Obviously the idea behind anonymous’s comments is that recognition from certain association is what makes someone a scholar. This reminds me of how the religious leaders dealt with Jesus. To them, Jesus wasn’t a scholar, because He didn’t receive the imprimatur of the sacral society of the day. These men essentially quoted each other and received their endorsement by approved person. The Lord Jesus on the other hand spoke with direct authority, proving His doctrine from scripture. I call this making your cake from scratch versus making it out of the box. Jesus went directly to the source of authority.
A long time ago I knew that I would not get the acceptance of mainstream scholarship. It gives its approval to its own people, which must take “correct” positions. It’s very much like the accreditation of the state schools. Almost all of it relates to power and money. Darwinism is a prerequisite for inclusion in the scientific establishment. We all know that a establishment exists in Washington, DC that protects itself from outside competition.
The money factor in establishment scholarship relates especially to the schools and the publishers. Schools need a broad position to attract the most possible students for more tuition and money to pay for buildings and faculty. Accreditation relates to size. Publishers, as one might understand, need books that will sell enough to make money. The two are interrelated and scholarship means fitting into positions acceptable to a larger group of people. The power lies in positions that will bring the money that pays mortgages. Someone who does not toe the line will lose out. He should know that in advance as he makes his decision to elevate the truth above acceptance and power.
I’m saying that the truth trumps so-called scholarship. The real power is in heaven, and the approval should be Jesus Christ. Moses rejected the court of Pharoah for the people of God. When I go door to door, the people I talk to don’t ask me if I’m a scholar. I’ve got to stand and show them the truth from the Bible, where they believe it because it is God’s Word. I don’t quote and footnote and explain that so-and-so Dr. Scholar says. When someone does discipleship in the church, he doesn’t say, let’s do this because “most scholars say.” He opens his Bible and proves things straight from the Bible.
The Lord Jesus said, By their fruits ye shall know them. When He said that, He was saying that you judge someone by what kind of fruit is produced, the followers. Are the people following you obedient to the Word of God? As a result, are the people following you living obedient, holy lives in surrender to Jesus Christ? That’s also what builds a church.
My approach on this blog is to present a biblical and historical position. That will stand up to scrutiny. If I write something here that is true — it is biblical and historical — and someone says, “that’s not scholarly” or “you aren’t a scholar,” that doesn’t overturn what I’ve written. What should matter is whether what I’ve written is true.
I could point to at least five or ten different issues or matters where I have proven something from scripture to overturn a “scholar.” Daniel Wallace, who is considered a scholar in the mainstream, wrote an article that said that God did not in fact preserve every Word to be available for God’s people. I dealt with every one of his arguments in a biblical manner without getting an answer, except for personal attack. What I wrote stands, whether he is a scholar or not.
Many years ago, I unveiled the gender discord argument between Hebrew noun and pronoun that backs up the position of a masculine pronoun as antecedent of a feminine noun in Psalm 12:6-7. I sent a paper out by email that made its way all over the country. With clear proof of that gender discord position with numerous examples relating to the Word of God, I never received an answer from those who took the wrong view. Proximity of antecedent to the noun comes back into play. I debunked the argument of gender discord, but “scholars” would not rescind. This dishonesty is scholarship, I’ve found. What is more important? Being a scholar or telling the truth?
I’ve written many articles proving from scripture that unity is based upon all the teaching of scripture and not the “essentials.” There is no biblical proof of unity based on “essential doctrines.” This is very important if unity is very important, which it is.
I understand that I’m defending unpopular positions here, but that doesn’t mean that what I’m writing is false. The “scholars” should prove that what I’m writing is wrong, based upon scripture. They don’t do that. Are they really scholars? Is that what we want scholarship to be?
Even if I’m not a scholar, which I’m happy to agree, that I’m not one, I believe Thomas Ross, who posts here on Friday, is a scholar in a class of anyone who might be called a scholar. He has his personal devotions in Hebrew and Greek. I believe he has large portions of scripture memorized in the original language. I’ve read a lot of scholarship, and he is a scholar. He stands up easily to other so-called scholars, except actually being a scholar. Thomas Ross writes here, perhaps because he recognizes that I write the truth. Is in a regular, consistent way proving the truth, scholarship? That should be what matters.
In the end, we’re going to stand before God, and He’s going to judge. That’s the judgment I’m concerned about. Many, if not most of these scholars, will stand before God, but not at the bema seat judgment. They’ll stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment. They aren’t even saved, and this is evidenced by their elevation of “scholarship” ahead of truth. God is going to judge based upon the truth, not what men agree is scholarly.’ http://kentbrandenburg.blogspot.com/2020/01/does-it-matter-if-someone-is-scholar-or.html
Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
This is the conclusion to the demise of Northland Baptist Bible College. What instigated these articles was the installation of Dr. Les Ollila as Chaplain at Faith Baptist Bible College, Ankeny, Iowa. Being a graduate of this school when Dr. David Nettleton was president it was of interest as to what effect Ollila will have on Faith’s future and especially as to separation.
Until he became chaplain at Faith Dr. Ollila was pretty much an unknown to me. However, Northland Baptist Bible College was known to me in that a friend of mine had
received an honorary DD from the school. When he received that degree, I became aware of two things, the school was in the northern part of Wisconsin and it was considered a fundamentalist school.
It was sometime in the 2000’s that I learned of Northland dropping the name Baptist and changing to Northland International University. That in itself meant (at least to me) it was moving away from its foundation and that other changes were or had already occurred. Dr. Ollila was president from 1984 to 2002 and chancellor from 2002 to 2013. In the video of the Q & A of July, 2013 Dr. Ollila says over and over that he was just being loyal to the leadership. Well, that isn’t really an excuse for not saying something when things are not Biblical! He also said he was a ‘simpleton’ which supposedly gives one a pass on certain matters.
Of course, whether something is Biblical or not is determined by the doctrinal glasses one wears. For instance, ‘There is a lot of noise today among some “fundamentalists” about “conservative evangelicals,” and there is a growing association between the two groups.
Central Baptist Seminary of Minnesota, Calvary Baptist Seminary of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and Northland International University (formerly Northland Baptist Bible College) have all recently praised “evangelical conservatives” for their “vigorous commitment to and defense of the gospel.”
Northland recently invited Bruce Ware, Southern Baptist Seminary professor, in to conduct a seminar for pastors. To justify this, former Northland president Les Ollila sent out a letter in December 2010 stating:
“At Northland we have chosen to keep our focus on the highest concerns facing our generation while keeping Fundamentalism centered on the historic fundamentals of our faith that best articulate our core understanding of biblical truth.”
That is the “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty” philosophy. To say that it was the position of “historic fundamentalism” is true, but that does not make it right.’ https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/conservative_evangelicals.html
Of the three schools mentioned above two have closed their doors. Central is the only one still operating. The doctrine that is missing from these new fundamentalists is Biblical separation. ‘Dr. Ernest Pickering wrote how the New Evangelicals showed a disdain for the ‘Bible Institute mentality’ and had little use for Bible colleges. An increase emphasis on scholarship was the need. This reminds me of Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar, WI. For many years I spoke there in an Urban Ministry block class, chapels, and mission conferences. The last time I was there I felt the shift. Innocently, the name was changed to Northland International University. Then a Southern Baptist was invited to speak at a block class. Matt Olson the president, visited a Sovereign Grace Church ministry of a young man who had split from a good fundamental church. Recently, Albert Mohler of Southern Seminary (Southern Baptist and co-founder of the Together for the Gospel Conference) spoke at the convocation. A contemporary rock band was formed and played on campus and soon the school had moved from its fundamentalist roots.
We must remember that just as King Jehoikim took his penknife to shamelessly shred God’s inspired words, so the world will not blush to disregard His truth. “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,” and “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.” (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14). Time will not change this truth, and neither will writing New York Times best sellers, tolerating false teachers like N.T. Wright, or playing academic games in the lust for respectability. We live in a day where it is thought to be a ‘hate-crime’ to speak the truth in love that God alone has the right to define the definition of marriage. These are serious times. What is needed is not the persuasive words of man’s wisdom, but to stand and speak by the power of His Spirit.’ https://www.proclaimanddefend.org/2014/08/06/new-calvinism-best-sellers-scholars-and-compromise/
Those who were the leaders of Northland when it met its demise are in the NEW FUNDAMENTALIST camp! They have bowed the knee to what they see as scholarship, outward success and have an attitude of inclusivism. These new fundamentalists are comfortable with new Calvinists such as Al Mohler, Mark Dever, John MacArthur and Tim Keller. These four men are prominent in either or both the Together 4 the Gospel and The Gospel Coalition. These gatherings are a mixture of denominations which brings with it a concoction of various doctrinal beliefs. If we will be true to God’s Word ‘We must not join with those who unite with those unfaithful to the Word of God. They may be popular. They may write good books or commentaries. But we must avoid assisting them in their compromise.’ https://www.proclaimanddefend.org/2014/09/10/the-ringing-call-of-new-evangelicalism-repeated-in-the-new-calvinism/
The present president of Faith is a graduate of Northland Baptist Bible College and has received an honorary doctorate from Bob Jones. So, with Dr. Les Ollila as chaplain and a Northland graduate as president the future of Faith will be interesting to watch. For instance, Faith will be holding a REFRESH CONFERENCE January 28-31, 2020 and of the nine speakers five have some connection with the old Northland, one with Central Seminary, and three with Bob Jones University. This is what I view as just another ‘good ole boys club’. It is not a healthy situation for fundamentalism in general, the schools involved and especially the students. Too be honest, Spurgeon’s Downgrade Controversy of the 1800’s has not really ended.
