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A Conservative Denomination Just Took Christian Nationalism Apart — From the Inside

A Conservative Denomination Just Took Christian Nationalism Apart — From the Inside 

A major conservative Christian denomination has released an interim report on Christian Nationalism, and it does something I did not expect to see done this thoroughly. It denounces the thing. Not with a press release or a strongly worded tweet, but page after page, leg by leg, taking apart the structure that props Christian Nationalism up and dismantling it theologically.

When I first saw it, my reaction was the lazy one – why does anyone need a year of study to figure out that this is wrong? I already knew it was bad. But after reading it, I understood why. There are PhDs and serious scholars on this committee, and instead of swinging wildly at a caricature, they went after the actual load-bearing arguments and knocked them out one at a time, with Scripture and with their own confessional standards.

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The PCA Adopts a Preliminary Report on Christian Nationalism

I was very happy to see the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has adopted a preliminary report that basically condemns the ideology of Christian Nationalism as incompatible with Biblical theology. 

I wanted to post the entire PDF file here for you to download. It’s very good reading and packed with solid Biblical reasoning and arguments that expose Christian Nationalism for the very unchristian movement it actually is. 

You can download the report here. 

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There’s a New Movement Masquerading as the Gospel

Well, it’s actually not a new movement, but it’s one that many Christians haven’t figured out yet. It’s a political movement and perhaps, ironically, it comes from the so-called Christian Right. That’s the side of the aisle that considers itself the protector of Christianity.

The movement I’m referring to is, of course, the

MAGA movement or President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

From the president, on down to his biggest fans, they claim that one of their primary goals is to make America safe for Christians “again”. But anyone who is biblically literate and knowledgeable of geo-political history of, say, the last hundred years or so, can hear in their pronouncements echoes of some of the most dangerous and tyrannical regimes on modern memory.

I have let this site lie mostly dormant for the last 8-10 years because I thought I had said just about everything I needed to say about the subjects I had originally created it for.

But now a new counterfeit is here. One that isn’t exactly a heresy in the technical sense, but is every bit as dangerous. It’s a political counterfeit of the Gospel. It’s drenched in Christian language but it teaches self-centeredness and hate rather than love and compassion. And it preaches “Christian nationalism” instead of the Kingdom of God. And it’s all about political power rather than the glory of God.

For those who have listened closely, it has been clear for a long time that this false gospel would eventually lead to the persecution of devout Biblical Christians. And we are now starting to see the first concrete outlines of how that persecution will begin to take form.

A story in Christianity today really grabbed my attention the other day. It was about how agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) are literally targeting Christian immigrants and churches.

I made a video about it which you can see here:

In it I tell the story of a married couple from Iran, who came here a couple of years ago seeking refuge from the extreme persecution they suffered in Iran. They were arrested about a week ago in Los Angeles by ICE agents. They are slated for deportation back to Iran.

So the administration who promised to make America safe for Christians again is now persecuting Christians who have come here to escape persecution. We are sending them back into the arms of their persecutors. And this well represents the fruit of MAGA, as we’ve watched it develop over the last ten years. It is truly an un-Christian fruit.

 

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Why Did God Ordain the Las Vegas Massacre?

On October 1st, 2017, a gunman holed himself up in a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and started mowing down concert goers on the street below. At last count nearly 60 people have died and nearly 600 have been seriously injured.

The question that always comes up after a horrific event like this is why did God allow it? Continue reading “Why Did God Ordain the Las Vegas Massacre?”

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What’s so Bad About Sin Anyway?

dirty mirrorPeople don’t seem to be able to understand why small sins are so big to God. Most people don’t think it seems right that God would damn someone to eternal hell for everyday run-of-the mill kinds of sins.

If you ask somebody if they’re a bad person they will inevitably say NO! Then if you begin to point out some of their sins, they’ll start making excuses. The most common excuses are, “Ah, come on! Everybody does that!” Or, “I’m not nearly as bad as some people.” Continue reading “What’s so Bad About Sin Anyway?”

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POPE ALERT: Francis Says Good and Evil are Whatever You Conceive Them to Be

popePOPE ALERT:  In my last Pope alert I wrote that the pope had said atheists can go to heaven even if they don’t believe in God! Many Catholics attacked me for posting that. They said I had misread it and that I was wrongly interpreting his words. They said the media had mis-characterized what the Pope meant, although they had quoted him word-for-word.

Well, now he has clarified it.  Now he says as long as everyone goes with their own idea of good and evil – we’ll all be fine.

Here’s the Pope:  “Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good. Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place.” Continue reading “POPE ALERT: Francis Says Good and Evil are Whatever You Conceive Them to Be”

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The Social Gospel – Part 1

Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel, (Springfield, IL), has written an extensive and engaging two-part series on the social gospel. This article pulls together the various elements and manifestations of the social gospel, revealing its grasp on the evangelical church today.

(You can view Part 2 Here)
Reprinted in full, with permission
Original article can be found here

One of the important issues which the church has always had to address is that of its role in society. In the Old Testament, the Lord chose Abraham to be the father of a called-out race of people. Years later, the Lord would establish the nation of Israel under the Mosaic Covenant. Detailed laws and regulations were given to Israel at the time including how that nation was to be governed, how poverty was to be dealt with, how widows and orphans were to be helped and how injustices were to be corrected. All of these matters were addressed almost exclusively within the context of the nation of Israel, with relatively minor concern for the surrounding nations. Continue reading “The Social Gospel – Part 1”

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The Social Gospel – Part 2

Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel, (Springfield, IL), has written an extensive and engaging two-part series on the social gospel. This article pulls together the various elements and manifestations of the social gospel, revealing its grasp on the evangelical church today.

(You can view Part 1 Here)
The original article can be found here

In the first part of this study, we examined together the history of the social gospel as it presented itself in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and then documented a resurgence of the social gospel agenda as found at the present time.  The original social gospel movement began as an appendage to the emerging liberalism that started in Germany and ultimately swept through the Western church.  As the growing liberal movement matured, it left behind most doctrinal distinctives held by earlier Protestants and eventually came to be defined by social action.   Continue reading “The Social Gospel – Part 2”
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A Little Straight Talk for Andy Stanley & Barack Obama

Andy Stanley and Barack Obama Figuratively Embrace
Andy Stanley and Barack Obama (figuratively) Embrace

I grew up going to Charles Stanley’s First Baptist Church in Atlanta.  I left Atlanta in the early 90s for New York City, where I’ve been ever since.  I had heard that Charles’ son Andy had become a pastor and founded his own church and I was excited thinking that Atlanta would have another solid pastor. So, the disappointment and sadness in having to write this is personal and great.

In May of last year (2012), we posted an article by Christine Pack about Andy Stanley who had made some disturbing comments about homosexuality.  Or rather I should say, it’s what he left out that was disturbing.  In a sermon last year he told the story of a married man who was cheating on his wife – with another man.  The man and his gay lover began going to Stanley’s church and eventually wanted to get more involved by volunteering at the church.  As Stanley related the story in his sermon, he told the man that he couldn’t begin volunteering at the church as long as he was living in sin.  However, the only sin he mentioned, specifically, was that of cheating on his wife. He said nothing about the homosexual relationship being a problem.

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Rick Warren – Master of Marketing

Rick Warren – Master of Marketing Strategy

Rick Warren sent an email out today, to pastors who are members of his Pastors.com website, explaining why it’s good idea to preach sermons in a topical series instead of one sermon per topic.

You might think this idea arose out of a desire to find better ways to convey sound Biblical teachings to his listeners in a way that would help them remember.  But he makes no mention of any such concerns.  Instead his concerns revolve around marketing the church and saving time.

Warren believes that preaching a series of sermons on a single topic is a great marketing strategy for increasing the size of the church and, with the added benefit of saving a pastor’s very valuable time.  He wants all the pastors who follow him to know about it this great new marketing tool. Continue reading “Rick Warren – Master of Marketing”

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Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Church Growth

After I was on World View Weekend with Brannon Howse, a listener emailed me and we struck up a conversation.  This week he sent me a link to a video he has worked on about Rick Warren and the “seeker-sensitive” movement.

It was so good I wanted to post it here.  It’s long, two hours, but that’s why it’s so good because he takes the time to really go into detail about all these related church movements and pastors.  Each pastor has a slightly different take but they all go in the same direction of leading people away from true Biblical teachings. Continue reading “Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Church Growth”

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Ron Choong’s Ties to Tim Keller and Choong’s Heretical Teachings

ron choongAs we continue to look at the theology of Tim Keller, we’ll look at some of the people he has endorsed, promoted and otherwise been associated with.  A lot of times we are able to tell more about a pastor by who he associates with and endorses than by what he’s actually willing to say publicly. Continue reading “Ron Choong’s Ties to Tim Keller and Choong’s Heretical Teachings”

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Rick Warren’s Daniel Plan Agenda

This article was so well written I decided to post it here.  A very personal story from a woman who attended a Rick Warren conference on his “Daniel Plan”.  I tried to find the author to get permission but was unable to find any links or contact information for her. However, I saw it posted on several websites, with permission, so it seems she just wants to get the information out.  I got it from LightHouseTrailsResearch.com – they have some additional links and info here). Continue reading “Rick Warren’s Daniel Plan Agenda”

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Is This Andy Stanley’s Gay Affirming Shot Across the Bow?

I grew up in Charles Stanley’s First Baptist Church of Atlanta.  When his son, Andy, became a pastor I was excited that Atlanta would have another Biblically solid pastor. However, it seems that may unfortunately no longer be the case.

Christine Pack posted this article on her blog Solasisters.com describing how Andy Stanley recently gave a talk at his Buckhead Church, wherein he described a married man who had left his wife to pursue a gay relationship with another man.  Stanley tells how the man wanted to get involved in the leadership of the church, but he had not yet divorced his wife.  Stanley said in light of the fact that he was committing adultery, he couldn’t be allowed a leadership position in the church.  However, he said nothing indicating that his active homosexual lifestyle should prevent him from holding a leadership position.  He said that if the man would only divorce his wife, then everything would be fine.  So apparently, adultery is out in his book, but an active homosexual lifestyle is okay.

Continue reading “Is This Andy Stanley’s Gay Affirming Shot Across the Bow?”