This post on the LTW blog here is an open letter to a church in TN after it was sent to a pastor there privately…In this letter a concerned Christian quotes from the book Sacred Romance and compares its teachings to Scripture. The following excerpts are examples of some of the questions asked in response to biblically unsound points made by John Eldredge:
I recently received a letter from a preterist:
Dear Dwayna,
[…] Please keep in mind that one thing preterists would stress, is that as Christians, we must realize that the New Testament is a compilation of letters written to a very specific people. These are letters written to the first century Church and they had great meaning and importance to them. In affect, we today are reading someone else’s mail. It was written "to" them and "for" us. There is a difference here. Once we understand this, we can apply the Bible’s truth to our lives here in the 21st century. In other words, the Bible was written by Hebrews, for Hebrews who understood Hebraic thought. This is how we begin our exegesis of the scriptures. We must first understand it’s original intent before we can apply it’s truths to our lives today. This leads me to my next point. Whenever we read these words of imminency by Jesus and His disciples like, "soon", "shortly", "quickly", "near", "at hand", "about to be", "this generation" etc. in reference to the coming of the Lord, we must understand how those words were first understood by those to whom they were first written. How did those first century Christians understand those words? It is our contention that those words meant that the Lord would come soon (In their generation). Isn’t this how they would have understood these words? I hope you see my point. Does this not coincide with Jesus own words on the Mount of Olives?
In the first half of his autobiographical LIVING FAITH, Jimmy Carter is dodgy about the deity of Christ. I wondered about his belief in Christ. In the chapter "The Search for Faith," he writes about where he got his theology…
The Emergent Church teams up with the Dalai Lama, "a simple Buddhist monk" for "InterSpiritual Day" where all faiths find a common ground and become "one." Any mention of John 14:6 when Jesus said, "…no one comes to the Father but through Me"? Hinduism, Buddhism, and occult doctrines gather with "Christianity", as if Jesus is not mankind’s only hope for salvation. Details are here. We can rightly assume this gathering will be proliferating "another gospel" and "another Jesus" and "another spirit." (Galatians1:8; 2 Corinthians 11:4). The list includes:
People question whether the Seventh-day Adventist Church is a cult. The SDA church follows the writings of their late Seventh-day Adventist prophetess Ellen G. White. E.G. White claimed to be the "messenger from God",and she had over 2,000 thousand visions and dreams from “god.” Ellen G. White claimed that an angel helped her with her writings. Galatians 1:8 warns us "But even If we, or an ANGEL from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let them be accursed"
“Does the Bible Make a Distinction Between Israel and the Church?” Hank Hanegraaff asks in the CRI Journal, Vol. 31/Number 01, page 54. If you “Ask Hank” (which is the title of the featured page), the answer is unequivocally, “No.”
Don Finto quotes from John Hagee here on the LTW blog to expose his anti-biblical teachings on Jesus and the Jews, all the while with John Hagee claiming to be a friend to Israel. A true friend to the Israelites would respect the covenants of God, including the New Covenant purchased by the blood of Jesus–the blood that offers the only remission for our sin. Don Finto writes this commentary to explain the difference in what John Hagee purports and what the Bible teaches about the true, saving Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and the power of His blood shed on the cross for the penalty of our sin.
I have heard the Master say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness watch and pray
Find in ME thine all in all
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin hath left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Visit the LTW blog here for reasons to not underestimate the power of a "witness". A witness for Jesus comes by God’s mercy alone. It is His work. He will not share His glory with another. Therefore, classes on "how to be spiritual" are at best immature. This article examines the difference in the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of man. No one can "abide in Jesus" in their own strength. By His mercy alone, the Holy Spirit draws the person…This is why no classes on "spiritual formation" are needed for someone who is saved. Not only that, but the classes can be an "escape" for people who do not want to repent and leave their sin, which is the only way a Christian will "become more spiritual."
I have a confession to make. I can’t write about Catholicism without my emotions getting in the way. I can’t be objective about the subject – nor can I shut up about it either….Several things have happened this week that have brought my relationship to the Roman Catholic Church to mind and all the emotions that go with it. First of all my mother died several days ago and her funeral will be at the Catholic church where I grew up and went to school.
