9:22 AM
Matthew
If you were being prosecuted in a court of law for murder, would you want to be convicted on a statistical probability? Lets say, for example that the prosecution says, "The murderer was in the same city as the victim, was wearing bluejeans, a black dresscoat, and had white hair. The defendant was was in the same city as the victim, was wearing bluejeans, a black dresscoat, and had white hair. The odds are only 1 in 600 that anyone that night would fit that description, so the defendant must be the murderer". First of all, the prosecutor would be laughed out of the courtroom. Second of all, better evidence is needed to convict someone of murder. Statistical probabilities are not going to go very far in a court of law.Enter James Cameron. (right)...
9:06 AM
Matthew
Syncreti-cityReverend Hugh Beck, Lutheran campus pastor at Texas A. & M. University, writes in his book, What Should I Believe:Some people understand the Bible to be basically a code book which, if properly deciphered, gives one access to the very mind of God. Some people understand theBible to be basically a sort of catechism with answers for any and every question that may come to our attention. Some people understand the Bible to be basically a presentation of certain beliefs and doctrines that are to be dug out of various parts of the Bible without regard to the setting in which they appear, are to be pieced together into a whole, and then must be believed in just that way.22A classic case of this kind of eisegesis can be found in Kenneth Copeland’s the Laws of Prosperity. After conflating...
7:33 AM
Matthew
The Question of ToleranceThis week at the Inn, Mike Horton, Kim Riddlebarger, Rod Rosenbladt, and Ken Jones discuss tolerance and intolerance and today's postmodern culture's tendency to be intolerant to so called "intolerant religions". I would add to the conversation that this issue amounts to namecalling. People today get on Christians for saying that Jesus is the only way (and free at that), and express intolerance towards us even as they call us intolerant without noticing what they are doing. Click here to listen to the sh...
11:15 AM
Matthew
Semper Reformanda ~ Always reforming.I'm so tired of people making inconsistant statements. Take this post on a Blog I found on a "lutheran" Webring.http://recoveringlutherans.blogspot.com/2007/02/thursday-thirteen-1.htmlFirst of all, this person is so badly catechised, it's not even funny. The blogger makes this claim:2. Judging others.We're all guilty of doing this from time to time because it is human nature, but I really hate it when I hear Christians judging other people, especially when they go so far as to speculate that another person is not a "true" or "real" Christian or question where the person in question will be spending eternity. We are commanded to "judge not, let you also be judged." Then turns around in the next point and judges other Christians.3. Displaying an attitude...
10:42 AM
Matthew
I don't know if anyone reading this knows it, but on youtube.com, there's a thing going on called "the blashphemy challenge". Atheists are asked to submit videos in which they "blaspheme" the Holy Spirit. I've watched a number of these and they all get it wrong. They think that all they have to do is deny the Holy Spirit, Deny God and deny the Jesus is God. It's funny though, because in order to actually blaspheme the Holy Spirit they would have to attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil, which means they'd have to admit there is a God, which means they aren't really atheists in the first place.But I digress.This video, from a Christian, makes the best case against Atheism I've heard on Youtube yet. He's good, although I think he went to quickly past some complex ideas (in Mathematics...
7:23 AM
Matthew
Today on the Whitehorse Inn, Mike Horton and the usual cast of Characters discuss Postmodernism and the Emergent Church. I find this subject fascinating. I'm starting to see that Brian McClaren and his contemporaries are in actuality reacting to the previous generation's "church" by creating a form that is formless. The whole thing kind of reminds me of what happens with each generation's music. The want their music to be so radical that it disturbs their parents while it affirms the new generation's sense of self.If that's true, then the emergent church is basically a selfish endeavor designed to make it's practitioners feel good about themselves. Listen carefully when Shane Rosenthal asks Brian McClaren "what is orthodoxy and how can a Christian...
8:29 PM
Matthew
This is got to be one of the funniest, yet thought provoking web produced video I've seen in a long time.It's post modern to the hilt, but it get's it's point across in good fashion. George W. Bush rockin' out with his own version of U2's "Sunday, bloody Sunda...
8:13 AM
Matthew
Yesterday on KFUO worldwide:On Issues, Etc. Todd Wilken interviews Brigitte Gabriel, Author of "Because They Hate". She is a survivor of Islamic Terrorism and tells us that "Islamic religious authorities and terrorist leaders repeatedly state that they will destroy the United States. Unless we take them at their word, and defend ourselves, they will succeed"...Click here to listen to the sh...
7:11 AM
Matthew
A tale of two sonsLet us move on to an extensive dissertation by brother Copeland concerning the parable of Jesus, the Prodigal Son. In this passage brother Copeland attempts to draw a distinction concerning the brother of the prodigal son being someone who has a problem with “littleness of thinking”. But first, we need to give brother Copeland his due for stating the gospel clearly… Only to take away the good news at the last second.We have seen from the Word that God has established His covenant in the earth, but what about the new covenant? The Word says it is a covenant of righteousness based on better promises. As we have read in Deuteronomy, God called Israel stiff-necked and unrighteous. According to the new covenant, we have been made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. God does...
6:32 AM
Matthew
Yeah, I have a beef with the prosperity gospel (and by extension, those who teach it) . Many people have asked me about it, so here it is.I used to attend a church where this was the default mode of the church. Basically, Sin and Grace was a small refrain, Jesus and his work on the cross for us was a background tune, and the sacraments were nonexistent. Ok, one could say I'm being picky, but the fact is that when Jesus is a side note and the normal work of the church is set aside, many abuses are made possible. Though unintentional, there can be no doubt of this.Case in Point: One woman at the church had a nerve pinched so severely in her shoulder that she was in constant pain, running down her arm into her hand. Her arm was becoming deformed....
5:37 AM
Matthew
The Gospel According to Dan Brown by Jeff Dunn (Author), Craig Bubeck (Author)There have been a lot of books written debunking "The Da Vinci Code", but this book takes a different path. Rather than going over the historical and factual errors, the authors analyze the world view presented to us in the story itself. One's worldview has a drastic effect on one's ability to interpret reality, and that is definately true of Dan Brown. The authors also dissect each of Dan Brown's novels to show how he creates a case for his world view and how he packages his "gospel" in a whodunit mystery that leads the reader on to discover the hidden "truth".Absolutely fascinating reading. One little known fact that is revealed about Dan Brown is his abortive...
8:09 AM
Matthew
The Pelagian CodeThe teachers of the prosperity gospel teach a wide variety of different ideas, but no teacher has had the same influence as Kenneth Copeland. His books have sold millions of copies, and through his TV appearances on the Trinity Broadcast Network he has reached and influenced millions of people along with dozens of other televangelists. Let us look at an excerpt from his book, the Laws of Prosperity9.When God made man, He gave him a will that has power. It is actually a godlike will because man has the right to choose his own eternal destiny. Only a god has that kind of choice! Man was made in God’s image and given the will to make up his own mind. You can go to hell if you want to and God will protect your right…you don’t have to, but you can. On the other hand, you can choose...
5:32 AM
Matthew
Want to see how far some people will go in constructing an idol? The Craftsmanship of this particular idol is astounding.http://www.hoax-buster.org/The guy gives a ton of "facts" that support his claim the bible is a hoax. Maybe he should read Lightfoot's How we Got the Bible (Amazon: How we Got the Bible). At least Lightfoot actually sites his sources, which the author at "hoax-buster" refuses to do because scholars are "indoctrinated"... He claims the Christian religion started in Egypt... This is exactly why I have this blog. Once the torrent of strange ideas and socalled "facts" weigh in together, whether it's the da vinci code or stuff like this "hoax-buster", all that stands in the rubble of the postmodern revisionism is Christ and...
4:20 AM
Matthew
This week, the boys at the Inn Discuss Postmodernism and it's effect on our culture. http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/the_white_horse_inn/Mike Horton notes that postmodernism is a "condition", we need to recognize that fact before we talk about the theories and definitions of what postmodernism is. I find that to be an interesting way to look this because until now the way the culture has tried to define postmodernism has been to refer to "relativism" and truth as being relative even when something can be proved true. An awesome discussi...
3:52 AM
Matthew
Faith as trust v. Faith as a forceOne of the primary problems in the world we live in today is a problem of definition. One person has a definition of any given concept and another may have a completely different definition. In context with today’s prosperity gospel, we have a major problem of definition in the Christian concept of faith.A classic definition of Faith can be found in the Heidelberg Catechism (cir. 1563)It is not only a certain knowledge by which I accept as true all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also a firm confidence which the Holy Spirit creates in me through the gospel, that, not only to others but to me also God has given the forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation, out of sheer grace solely for the sake of Christ’s saving work. (Question...
11:13 AM
Matthew
He does two hours live on KFUO worldwide from 2pm to 4pm daily (EST).http://www.kfuo.org/LG.htmAlso, I'm working on the next part of my properity gospel series. I came out of a church that wholeheartedly believes that stuff, which is why I think it seemed good to the Holy Spirit for me to write this pap...
8:50 AM
Matthew
This week on The Whitehorse Inn, Mike Horton, Kim Riddlebarger, Rod Rosenbladt and Ken Jones talk about narcissism in the culture and the church. It almost seems as though there's a new "gospel" category to add to the list of "social gospel" and "prosperity gospel": The Narcissistic Gospel. Literally, the Gospel According to Me is the name of the game these days in all church bodies, from the lowliest non-denominational church to the mainliners to the Roman communion.Listen to this week's broadcast at One Place and while your there sign up for the podcas...
the big test
Since someone, somewhere, has seen fit to deprive the world of Issues etc and take a huge bite out of confessional Lutheranism at the same time, I will not take up the mantle of working to see that those who did it answer for their actions.
