The Shack

One of the biggest books in Christendom right now is 'The Shack'. It seems like just about everywhere I go I find someone who has read it or is currently reading it and for the most part people seem to really like it. This is a bit concerning to me as the book was written by a person who is a self proclaimed Universalist. This should not be too surprising if you've read the book and are at least a bit discerning since one of the points he makes in the book is that Jesus is 'A' way and not necessarily the only way to heaven. This is a huge problem but just one of many.

Here is a video put together by 'Way of the Master' that highlights 13 heresies found in 'The Shack'.



To see the entire sermon go to this site.

15 Truths About Abortion

Here's something to think about especially now that we have the most pro-abortion president in our history. Does anyone else think it's a bit weird that we are now not only funding abortions in our own country but internationally as well. Thanks again to all those Christians who were hip and relevant enough to vote for him.

15 Truths about Abortion

“These …things doth the LORD hate…a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.” Proverbs 6:16-17

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother’s womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Rick Warren prayed in the name of False Christ "Isa"

Did anyone else catch this. Part of me wants to give him the benefit of the doubt but I'm wondering how you could miss this while preparing for such a huge moment.

“I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus, Jesus (hay-SOOS), who taught us to pray, Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. –Rick Warren, from inauguration prayer

The following is excerpted from Daniel Cordell,
“Praying in the Name of Isa,” Loveforthetruth.com, Jan. 20, 2009:

“Today, in his Presidential Inauguration prayer, Rick Warren prayed in the name of `Yeshua, Isa, and Jesus.´ It seems the three names Warren used were to imply the three `Abrahamic Faiths´ (as they are so-called), Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What´s significant is the name `Isa´ being prayed by the `evangelical´ Warren. `Isa´ is strictly Koranic and used by Arab Muslims. Even Arab Christians don´t refer to Isa,´ but to `Yesua.´ I´ve lived and studied Arabic in one of the same Muslim countries that Warren has visited, and I think he probably knows that the Arab Christian communities only refer to Jesus as `Yesua´ and not `Isa´ as the Muslims. `Isa´ was not Jewish, but Palestinian. `Isa´ did not die on the cross but instead had someone die in his place. `Isa´ is a Muslim prophet. `Isa´ is only found in the Koran. The name `Isa´ doesn´t have any Biblical support or any meaning found in Biblical scholarship. Yet, Rick prayed in the name of `Isa.´”

UN Blowback: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims

Well, what a better time to come out of hibernation. It seems there are more and more man made global warming skeptics coming out of hibernation as well. Check out this article.

In case that's not enough for you, how about the 31,072 that have signed this petition.

Seems the tide is beginning to turn all of a sudden.

Weather Channel Founder Wants to Sue Al Gore

Weather Channel founder, John Coleman wants to sue Al Gore so that at least there can be some debate on the issue of Global Warming/ Climate Change. Check out the article here.

I say, go for it.

Barak Obama and Black Liberation Theology

With all the news coming out about Barak Obama's Pastor and his Black Liberation theology views, I thought it might be beneficial to get some proper perspective on the issue. Here is an excellent article written on the subject by Christian apologist Ron Rhodes.

Mark Driscoll on the Emerging Church

Great message here by Mark Driscoll on the Emerging Church.

Post Modernism Exposed on E.R.

This is an amazing scene from E.R. that exposes the hollowness of the postmodern mindset. Unfortunately, many in the church have bought into this and as a result, well lets just say a couple of verses come to mind:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Col. 2:8

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." John 3:3

We need to be clear with the gospel not fuzzy like the church of ambiguity (Emerging Post Modern Church).



So what does this guy need to hear?
First of all, his conscience is correct in it's guilt.
The fact of the matter is we are all guilty of sin, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23

We are all in desperate need of a Savior and that Savior is none other than Jesus Christ. In John 14:6 Jesus says, " I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Acts 4:12 says this, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Repent and trust in Jesus as the payment for our sins!
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out..." Acts 3:19
"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15

Most Snow on the Ground Since 1966

Ok, so it's been a while but I though this story was significant enough to pull me out of hibernation. I saw a comment on a local blog the other day about how little snow we have had this winter and of course the reason for that was man made climate change. What the blogger conveniently left out was how much snow the rest of the country have been under the whole winter. Record snow falls have been happening all across the nation accept for the mid Atlantic states. So, either we are have our own little global warming party or something else is up here. Can you say Jet Stream? It's as simple as that.
The reason we have had so little snow (12 inches for the season as of Feb. 26th) is because all the storms we are getting have been approaching us from the west, southwest. That track will usually bring us some snow on the outset and then the counterclockwise flow will bring warm air up from the south over the cold air in place which causes the snow to change to sleet freezing rain and sometimes just plain rain. This is what has happened to every storm we've had so far this winter.
When we get real snow storms they are either the result of Alberta clippers (usually around 2-4 inches) or the classic Nor Easter which can dump amazing amounts of snow.
I know February is almost over but there is still hope as many of the Nor Easter dumps have occurred in March. As a matter of fact back in 1958, over 50 inches fell on the area in late March. Wouldn't it be fun to see that happen again and see how the global warming fear mongers would spin it.

Check out this article: http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=332289

What Bono Doesn't Say About Africa

I know Bono has become the darling of the evangelical church of late because of his efforts to help out in Africa, but I think he would do well to give the whole story from that part of the world. Personally speaking, I would be much more inclined to lend him my ear if he would be as vocal for the unborn babies being killed by the millions in America and around the world. Take a look at the stat to the left and ask how he and others so vocal about poverty and aids in Africa,can be so silent on the the issue of abortion. Not only has Bono been silent, Rick Warren invites Barak Obama (who supports partial birth abortion) to speak from his pulpit. Perhaps the abortion issue is just not a cool topic anymore in some evangelical circles. Have we bowed to the god of cool?

10 Ways to Grow a Church Without God

I thought this article was very interesting and insightful. I have been to a couple of Willow Creek Leadership Summits and this sounds like it's right out of their playbook.
I don't think Jesus ever said get people in the church any way you can. He said go and make disciples.

Global Cooling by 2020

This is a facinating article about how the sun is the most likely causing climate change and we are iin store for some really good skiing pretty soon. Hopefully I'll still be able to ski then.

Click here to see the article. If this is interesting to you, there are many articles in this one that you can click on for more info.

People Are Generally Good?

Jesus said, "no one is good, except God alone." - Matt. 10:18
Check out this story in case you have any doubts.

How About Some Global Warming Irony

Sorry but I just couldn't get past the irony of the story about Denver, Colorado and their global warming plan. The irony is that the day this was announced, Denver had its coldest June morning in over 50 years. Just last week there was a snow storm not far from Denver and another interesting stat is that 9 of the 12 warmest years for Denver occurred before 1955.

I am all for cleaner air but I wish some of these so called scientists and the media would quit trying to manipulate poeple with their fear tactics. I am not buying it and I believe there is a growing tide of scepticism no matter what the media and governments are telling us.

All that being said, I am for the reduction of oil consumption not only for environmental reasons but also for national security. How about we Americans start driving smaller cars that are more fuel efficient so that we can be less dependent on some of those nice middle eastern countries that would love to hold us hostage with their oil. It's only a matter of time before that happens. Keep your eyes on Iran. I think things could get very interesting this summer.


Here's an interesting article about Mt. Kilimanjaro and its shrinking ice cap. This has been an argument in support of man made global warming but now they're not so sure.

Scientific Consensus on Global Warming? I Don't Think So

A skeptic of global warming skeptics has done some research and found he may no longer be the camp of skeptics he once was. Sorry if that was a little confusing. One of the things we hear over and over again is that there is a scientific consensus that the cause of climate change is the fault of man. Those that disagree with that view are castigated as ignorant, uninformed or have been bought out by the oil companies. The author of this article was one who scoffed at the climate change skeptics but since doing some in depth research, isn't so sure anymore. Read the article and remember that even though some may contend something is a done deal, it is not necessarily so. There is always another side to the story.

Global Warming Anyone?

Every day we are hearing the global warming propaganda machine spewing out more and more fear mongering. In case I haven't been clear, I am a bit skeptical, not about climate change, but the reason behind it. I believe what we are seeing has happened many times before way before anyone ever hear of the evil SUV. I do however believe we as Christians should be responsible with God's creation and should do whatever possible to make and keep the earth clean. That being said, ultimately God is in control of the weather and my trust is in Him, not Al Gore or Greenpeace. I don't trust either one and I believe they have ulterior motives.

Perhaps what we are seeing with the weather, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars is God trying to get our attention before time runs out. Is anyone listening? Check out this video.

Sign of the Times

I just found this story and can't believe this is allowed to happen. As I was reading this I was trying to remember a passage in the bible about how in the last days things that are good and righteous will be looked down on while sinful things will be exalted. Someone help me out with that. If I find it in the mean time, I'll do some editing here. Anyway, I tried to imagine the outcry if this story were the other way around.
Think about it.
God bless,
Marc

Gaia Anyone?

One of the things I like to do every time I stay in a hotel is check the nightstand drawer to see if the Gideons put a bible there. It is always encouraging to see that they are still at it and the hotels are actually still allowing them to do so.

Lately I've been thinking about how many people I hear saying things like, 'that's fine if you believe that, but don't shove it down my throat'. Most of us have heard that many times I'm sure, especially if you are a Christian. Another thought popping in my mind is how the environmentalists have had the floor big time lately shoving their views down everyones throats and instead of resistance, the government, the media, the education system ,film industry and now HOTELS are right there with them proclaiming what is none other than shodding science and to get to the heart of it, a new religion of Gaianism (earth worship). Yup, that's right, it's a religion and one the whole world is uniting around.

If you think I'm crazy, do a little research on the UN Earth Summits and take a look at the news every now and then and it's unavoidable. Almost everyone seems to think we are responsible for climate change around the world. There already talk of a global tax for crying out loud.

I could go on and on about this for hours but I'll spare you. Check out this article on the 'green' hotel in California and do a little research and see what you think. It's definitely looking like that New World Order we've all heard about is coming to fruition soon.

One other thing, many times when people are confronted with the gospel they come up with an excuse like, 'those Christians are all a bunch of hypocrites'. Any one else see a little irony here? Can any one say Al Gore?

Enough said,

Marc

Old Earth, Sin and Death

It's been a while since I've posted and to be honest I've been a bit weary of all the stuff going in and out of the church and sometimes, to be quite honest, I just don't know where to start. When this happens I need to just step away for a bit and get some perspective which is what I've done.

We've just started a new bible study at our church called 'Origins and Endings'. Basically it's a study on creation & evolution and end times. So far we've looked at theistic evolution, the gap theory, philosophical naturalism and creation in six literal days.

I happen to believe that the six day view is the only view that lines up from a biblical theological standpoint and as a result I hold firmly to that view. To hold to any of the other views compromises the nature of God, His word and the cross. Why is that? Because with the Gap theory and Theistic evolution you have death before sin where the bible clearly states that death came as a result of sin (Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. - Romans 5:12) To have death and suffering before sin makes God to be some kind of a monster and renders the rest of the bible nonsensical.

I am open however to someone explaining how an old earth view can be reconciled with scripture, I just haven't heard a plausible explanation so far.

I would love to hear someone explain how it lines up with God's word, so if you've come across this blog and you are a Christian that believes in an old earth, the floor is yours. Please don't throw any lazy comments like, 'God could have done whatever He wanted'. I've heard that I don't know how many times and it's lame. God does not contradict His word which is the real issue at stake here.

Anyway, God bless and I look forward to some feedback.

Marc

Jesus' Family Tomb?

Well, here we go again. Last year we had the the Da Vinci Code which was nothing more than a re-hashing of the 1982 book, 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail' which was completely debunked back then.
All through history there have been people trying to discount the validity of the scriptures and the significance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The latest which I'm sure many of you have heard about is the so called discovery of the tomb of Jesus and his so-called son. Once again this is an old story that was debunked several years ago. Unfortunately, some will buy into it without doing any research and the damage will be done. This is another reminder that we always need to be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for the hope that lies within us. 1Peter 3:15
Here is a great refutation of this latest attack on Christianity by Paul L. Maier Ph.D.,Litt.D:

Dear Friends and Readers,

...Please, lose no sleep over the Talpiot “discoveries” for the following reasons, and here are the facts:.

1) Nothing is new here: scholars have known about the ossuaries ever since March of 1980. The general public learned when the BBC filmed a documentary on them in 1996. James Tabor’s book, The Jesus Dynasty, also made a big fuss over the Talpiot tombs more recently, and now James Cameron (The Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici have climbed aboard the sensationalist bandwagon as well.

2) All the names – Yeshua, Joseph, Maria, Mariamene, Matia, Judah, and Jose -- are extremely frequent Jewish names for that time and place, and thus most scholars consider this merely coincidental, as they did from the start. One-quarter of Jewish women at that time, for example, were named Maria.

3) There is no reason whatever to equate “Mary Magdalene” with “Mariamene,”as Jacobovici claims.

4) So what if her DNA is different from that of “Yeshua” ? That particular :Mariamme” (as it is usually spelled today) could indeed have been the wife of that particular “Yeshua.”

5) What in the world is the “Jesus Family” doing, having a burial plot in Jerusalem, of all places, the very city that crucified Jesus? Galilee was their home. In Galilee they could have had such a family plot, not Judea. Besides all of which, church tradition – and Eusebius – are unanimous in reporting that Mary died in Ephesus, where the apostle John, faithful to his commission from Jesus on the cross, had accompanied Mary.

6) If this were Jesus’ family burial, what is Matthew doing there – if indeed “Ma-tia” is thus to be translated?

7) How come there is no tradition whatever – Christian, Jewish, or secular -- that any part of the Holy Family was buried at Jerusalem?

8) Please note the extreme bias of the director and narrator, Simcha Jacobovici. The man is an Indiana-Jones-wannabe, who oversensationalizes anything he touches. You may have caught him on his TV special regarding The Exodus, in which the man “explained” just everything that still needed proving or explaining in the Exodus account in the Old Testament! It finally became ludicrous, and now he’s doing it again. – As for James Cameron, how do you follow The Titanic? Well, with an even more “titanic” story. He should have known better.

There are more arguments, to be sure, but I want to get this off pronto.

With warm regards,
Paul L. Maier

8 Reasons Why I Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead - John Piper
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2009_Eight_Reasons_Why_I_Believe_That_Jesus_Rose_from_the_Dead/

Pray for those that are easily decieved by this kind of nonsense.

God bless,

Marc