Obama & Jesus

In an attempt to reach out to evangelical Christians and to dispel the (rather silly) internet rumors that he is a Muslim, Barack Obama has released a new flyer in Kentucky. On it, Obama is shown standing at a pulpit, with a glowing cross prominently displayed behind him. On the back, you can read a short version of Obama's conversion story: "That day Obama felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life."

Really? Let's think this through...

Obama's church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is a bastion of black liberation theology, which preaches a false Gospel, one that replaces the biblical Christ with a black-power activist, spiritual salvation with political liberation, and God's people with black people. Thus, when Obama says that he is "doing the Lord's work" (quoted from the new flyer), one has to wonder what that really means. As the recent turmoils over Jeremiah Wright have disclosed, Trinity UCC is a false church with a false gospel. Yet it was in this false church, under the preaching of false doctrine that Obama claims to have had a (false?) salvation experience.

To top it all off, Trinity UCC is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, one of the most liberal denominations of our day. Their "God is still speaking" campaign reflects a common liberal view that God's Word, the Bible, is not the final authority. This allows room to interpret Scripture in light of modern scientific findings and popular cultural movements (i.e. the UCC's acceptance of homosexuality). To give you a taste of just how far-out this denomination is, here's an excerpt from a UCC website:

Although Christ is the primary lens through which we view God, we experience God
in a variety of ways. Through the centuries, one way the church talked about God
is through the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also speak about God in other ways that enrich our faith—God as mother, rock, liberator, savior, and friend.

Christ is a lens through which we view God? No; Christ is God! One way the church talked about God is through the Trinity? No; God is Triune! These aren't just ways to 'view' or 'experience' God. These are truths about the essential nature of God. And I won't even get started on the 'God as mother' stuff.

So Obama accepted Jesus into his life. I don't doubt that. The question is which Jesus? The black-empowering Jesus proclaimed from the pulpit of Jeremiah Wright? The all-inclusive, gay-friendly Jesus of the United Church of Christ? Some combination of these probably make up the Jesus that Obama accepted. That Jesus may empower you and make you feel good about yourself, but he cannot save you.

A Jesus who accepts all sinful lifestyles has nothing from which to save us. A Jesus who is not fully man and fully God could not conquer sin on the cross or defeat death at the Resurrection.

You, I & Obama need the biblical Jesus, the God-man who came to bear the wrath of God for us, who rose physically from the dead to grant us eternal life, and who will return again to judge all those who do not place their faith in Him today.

Which Jesus have you accepted?

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PS- Sorry about the recent lack of activity on the blog!

Can Women Preach?

Yes, I’m opening this can of worms. Actually, the fine folks down at First Baptist Church Decatur, Georgia are to thank for this. They apparently believe a woman can preach/pastor. You may have heard that they recently called Julie Pennington-Russell to be their new pastor, taking the “honor” of becoming the largest Baptist church to be led by a woman.

FBC Decatur is making a statement. They are obviously pushing this issue. And it all stems from the liberal vs. conservative battle that simmers under the surface of many ‘First Baptist’ churches. But understand that not everyone who likes a strong dose of estrogen in the pulpit is a liberal. Female preachers have long been a part of the Pentecostal movement. From Aimee Semple McPherson to Katherine Kuhlmann to Paula White, our staunchly conservative charismatic brothers and sisters have historically accepted women in their pulpits.

So we have a group of very liberal people and a group of very conservative people who answer affirmatively to the question posed. Interesting, huh? But don’t get the wrong idea. Pentecostals do not support female pastors for the same reasons that theological liberals do.

THE LIBERAL VIEW
Men and women are equal in every way; there is nothing but anatomy that distinguishes one from the other. Where the Bible seems to disagree with this statement, it is wrong.

For instance, Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.” The liberal answer? Paul was a chauvinist pig.

THE PENTECOSTAL VIEW
God gifts both men and women to do the work of ministry, including preaching. Where the Bible seems to disagree with this statement, they find a way to twist it into agreement. Hey… at least they care what the Bible says! And, much to our shame, we have all been guilty of twisting Scripture to fit our agendas.

Let’s stick with our fist example (1 Tim. 2:12). The Pentecostal might answer that a woman cannot serve as a pastor, but she may serve as a preacher. Another way they might get around it is to say that Paul was addressing a particular situation, not giving a universal command.

THE BIBLICAL VIEW
Men and women are equal, but God has given each unique roles. God gifts both men and women to do the work of ministry in ways fitting with their roles.

In explaining 1 Tim. 2:12, we would say to the liberal… criticizing Paul is no solution. Paul wrote this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thus, your disagreement isn’t with Paul; it’s with the Spirit of God.
To the Pentecostal we would say… (1) a woman preaching would fall under the ban of “I do not permit a woman to teach a man,” unless that woman was preaching to a group of women. (2) Paul viewed this as a universal command, not a situational one. In the next verse, he bases his command on the God-given roles at Creation. “For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” This command is rooted in Creation, making it applicable for all people (even Pentecostals) in all ages (even in these “latter days”).

So can a woman be a preacher? No, she may not.

Q-“But who are you to say whether or not God has called her?”
A-“I’m no one to say. God’s Word is the authority, not me. God said she can’t.”

Q-“But doesn’t Galatians 3:28 say that there is neither male nor female?”
A-“Yes. That passage is speaking about salvation, not qualification for pastors. Salvation is available for all who repent and believe, regardless of gender. Women are not second class citizens of the kingdom of heaven.”
Q-“I’ve heard women preach better sermons than men.”
A-“Me, too. I’ve also heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing hymns better than Christian choirs. Our experiences do not trump God’s Word. A woman’s ability to preach doesn’t change the fact that she is disobeying God’s command.”

We could go on and on. Let me end with an example that may help to understand the biblical view. I see how some could be confused. How can we say that men and women are equal, but then say that a woman isn’t allowed to preach?

As Christians, we worship the Triune God. As the famous hymn says, “God in three persons, Blessed Trinity.” We worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are ONE God in THREE persons, same in essence and equal in every way. The Father isn’t more “God” than the Son. The Son isn’t more “God” than the Spirit. They are all three equal in their divine status.

Yet in Scripture, we see the Son submitting to the will of the Father (Luke 22:42). We see that the Spirit works to glorify the Son (John 16:14). Each is equally God, but each has a unique role in the work of salvation. Get it?

Men and women are equal, but we have different God-given roles. To argue that this is impossible is to argue against the nature of God Himself.

____________

So what can women do in ministry? Lord willing, that will be the topic of my next post.

By Faith Alone

A few months ago, I wrote a post questioning whether or not liberal Christians were actually atheists. This provocative question isn't original to me. It actually came from an atheist, Sam Harris. I'm sure that some people thought it was a little harsh, but I think I have found something that might make you reconsider...

A Liberal Preacher's Story

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If you have the time, I encourage you to read this. It's an enjoyable read because he's an excellent writer (though I should warn the easily-offended that there is cursing.) He has some true and stinging assessments of conservative Christianity's sub-culture. But, overall, I was amazed by this "preacher's" unregenerate understanding of biblical faith. Yes, we go through seasons of doubt and questions. But this poor soul has camped out there, considering it an honorable thing.

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This preacher says, "God, I don’t have great faith, but I can be faithful. My belief in you may be seasonal, but my faithfulness will not. I will follow in the way of Christ. I will act as though my life and the lives of others matter. I will love." Though that may sound honorable to some, it most assuredly is not. That is unbelief. That is works without faith. That is liberal Christianity.

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Top Shelf Christianity, Deep and Old Christianity (to borrow his terms) teaches that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4 & Romans 1:17). We are justified (saved, forgiven) by faith. And this faith is not seasonal, wishful thoughts that God might exist. Biblical, saving, top shelf faith is an "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

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Friends, we must be convinced. We must know that our Redeemer lives and on the earth again shall stand (Job 19:25). We must be sure, be very sure, that our calling and election is true (2 Peter 1:10). Are you?

_

The fool says in his heart,

"There is no God."

Psalm 14:1

Gays Welcome

The former Governor of New Jersey, James McGreevey, has been in the news a lot recently. You'll recall that he resigned his political position after admitting having an affair with a male staffer. He announced that he was a "gay American" in August of 2004, becoming what many have dubbed the first openly gay Governor... a title that I don't understand because he resigned as soon as he announced his sexuality. His messy divorce from Dina Matos McGreevey has been the most recent news involving the Ex-Governor.

Today, the news tells us that Mr. McGreevey - a lifelong Catholic - has joined the Episcopal church. Not only has he joined... he's planning on attending their seminary in the Fall! Naturally, this raises a lot of issues, but my initial thoughts aren't about sexuality and the priesthood or the gay rights movement. I'm thinking about the Episcopal church's acceptance of McGreevey into communion... and possibly into leadership.

James McGreevey is a homosexual. He is an adulterer. He is going through a divorce. His wife claims that he is showing perverse art to his 5 year old daughter. This man now wants to join the Episcopal church... and they say, "Welcome!" with arms wide open. Episcopals open their arms to gays, adulterers, and divorcees.

And so do I.

Christ's invitation stands for the homosexual. Jesus' call to follow Him stands for the adulterer. The cross stands to forgive any sinner, including me.

But there is a difference between what I'm saying and what the Episcopals are saying. There is a difference between biblical Christianity and liberal Christianity. Liberal Christianity welcomes the sinner, never asking for change. Biblical Christianity welcomes the sinner, urging and demanding change. The key difference is summed up in one word: repentance. Repentance is a sinner turning from sin to Christ... when a sinner begins to hate his sin and begins to love Jesus Christ... when the sinful habits that we treasure become disgusting to us in light of the invaluable blessings of following Christ. Repentance! Without it, there is no faith. Apart from repentance, we become like the Pharisees and hypocrites, of whom Jesus said, "You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." Jesus' description fits liberal Christianity in many ways. They have the outward forms of religion, the external marks of Christendom, but inside, nothing has changed.

Mr. McGreevey can join the church, go through seminary, and become a priest, but he's still filthy on the inside. Pray for him. And realize that it can happen to you and me, as well. We can devote our lives to going to church, walking aisles, praying prayers, etc. and still have our hearts filled with the nastiness of sin.

I leave you with the chilling, yet gloriously "welcoming" words of Jesus:

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The Democratic Baptist Convention

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are working to unite Baptists in North America. Both of the ex-presidents were, at one time, part of the Southern Baptist Convention but withdrew from the denomination because of its conservative beliefs. Now the men have introduced an idea that they submit will heal divisions between all Baptists and focus on the common factors between the groups. Carter said, "Our Goal is to extend an invitation to all Baptists."

They extended this invitation to take part in the unifying plan to 80 leaders from 40 Baptist organizations. The one group not on the invitation list was the Southern Baptist Convention -- the largest Baptist denomination in the world. Interesting huh?
The reason every other Baptist group in America was invited and the SBC was not is simple: conservatives are not welcome. Bill Underwood, president of Mercer University and the mind behind this madness, let his bias show in a statement made on this plan. He said, "The only image most North Americans have of Baptists comes from right-wing leaders who frequently appear on television news shows or other medial, representing some of the most negative rhetoric, most conservative political views and most fundamentalist theology." So back to Jimmy Carter's earlier statement... "extend an invitation to all Baptists"? Here's what he really meant, "We will extend an invitation to everyone except those with conservative political views and fundamentalist theology."
Basically, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton want to start a Democratic Baptist Convention! One in which homosexuals are accepted, women are ordained, doctrine doesn't matter, and everyone just talks about love and acceptance. This is awful -- and I haven't even pointed out the fact that Bill Clinton is the religious leader here!
This brings me to two conclusions. First, I am saddened that there are deeply religious people who just don't get it. They want everyone to be happy and hold hands and just love. But they are willing to unite at the expense of doctrine. Virgin birth? Big deal! Literal hell? Doesn't matter! Jesus the only way to God? Who cares! Well, Mr. Carter and Mr. Clinton, those things DO matter. In fact, Scripture teaches that doctrine is what unites us (Eph. 4:13, 1 John 4:1-3). Let's pray for these erring 'Baptists', that they might see the truths of Scripture and unite on doctrine first.
My second conclusion is that I see, yet again, how thankful we Southern Baptist should be for the trials that kept the SBC from turning into a liberal mess. We were on the brink of disaster. Our seminaries were teaching heresies and practicing immorality. Our pastors were standing in pulpits, ripping God's Word to shreds. But by the grace of God and the work of some very dedicated men (Paige Patterson, Adrian Rogers, Jimmy Draper, Al Mohler, etc.), we younger Southern Baptists are not faced with battles over the inerrancy of God's Word or the ordination of homosexuals. I praise our Good and Gracious God for keeping us from such errors and pray that future generations would remain loyal to "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3)."

Related Post:
Are Liberal Christians really Atheists?

Encouraging News from Episcopals

A group of Episcopals from Virginia voted today to break ties with the Episcopal Church USA (check out my past blog about liberal denominations) and unite with a conservative Episcopal denomination. The group that is pulling out is one of the largest in America and traces its roots back to colonial days. They have chosen to allign themselves with Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, a man who has rightly called the acceptance of homosexuality a "satanic attack" on the church.
You'll remember that the Episcopal Church ordained an open homosexual, V. Gene Robinson, as a bishop in New Hampshire in 2003. Their position on the issue is anything but biblical. Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia has said that the denomination will fight the split, so we can expect a battle in the days to come. The American church's leader, "Bishop" Katharine Jefferts Schori, said that any division saddened her.
This is certainly a sad situation, but not for the reasons that Schori is thinking. The news of the split isn't sad at all. It's great! The sad part is that the conservatives are forced to make this decision. They have no choice but to leave this pagan denomination. I'm thankful for their difficult stand and pray that their tribe would increase!

Are Liberal Christians really Atheists?

Interesting question, huh? One you would expect to be posed by the likes of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. But it may shock you to discover that this question was presented by an atheist, Sam Harris. Read this:

Q --But perhaps the most central thesis of your book, the attack on irrational faith itself, doesn’t that offend people on both sides of the political spectrum?
A --The most controversial aspect of my book has been this criticism I make of religious moderates. Most people think that while religious extremism is problematic and polarizing, religious tolerance is entirely blameless and is the remedy for all that ails us on this front.
But religious moderates are giving cover to fundamentalists because of the respect that moderates demand of faith-based talk. Religious moderation doesn’t allow us to say the really critical things we must say about the abject stupidity of religious fundamentalism. And as a result, it keeps fundamentalism in play, and fundamentalists make very cynical and artful use of the cover they’re getting by the political correctness in our discourse.
Q --You also say religious moderation closes the door to more sophisticated approaches to spirituality, ethics and the building of strong communities. What did you mean by that?
Religious moderation is just a cherry-picking of scripture, ultimately. It is just diluted Iron Age philosophy. It isn’t a 21st century approach to talking about the contemplative life, or spiritual experience, or ethical norms, or those features that keep communities strong and healthy.
Religious moderation is a relaxation of the standards of adherence to ancient taboos and superstitions. That’s really all it is. Moderate Christians have agreed not to read the bible literally, and not read certain sections of it at all, and then they come away with a much more progressive, tolerant and ecumenical version of Christianity. They just pay attention to Jesus when he’s sermonizing on the Mount, and claim that is the true Christianity. Well that’s not the true Christianity. It’s a selective reading of certain aspects of Christianity. The other face of Christianity is always waiting in the book to be resurrected. You can find the Jesus of Second Thessalonians who’s going to come back and hurl sinners into the pit. This is the Jesus being celebrated in the Left Behind novels. This is the Jesus that half the American population is expecting to see come down out of the clouds. (Click Here to see the full interview)

Wow. He's basically accusing liberal (which they call 'moderate') Christians of allowing the conservative (which they call 'fundamentalist') Christians to continue to exist. While I obviously have many disagreements with Harris' opinions, the focus here is on that which we do agree. Liberal Christianity makes no sense. As he notes, the liberals don't believe the Bible, they don't believe in Christ's virgin birth or resurrection, and they don't believe in a literal heaven or hell. That isn't Christianity; It's Atheism in disguise!

Links to Liberal/Moderate Denominations:
1) Episcopal Church USA
2) American Baptist Churches USA
3) Presbyterian Church USA
4) The United Methodist Church
5) United Church of Christ