America's New Age of Dark Power

by David J. Meyer
Last Trumpet Ministries

"When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness." (Luke 22:53 )

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12 )

"Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Baalam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Co'-re. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." (Jude 11-13)

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will use the Scripture and our God-given discernment to examine the workings of a dark force that is now in its final stages of transforming America and the rest of the world into a new age of antichrist dominance. This sinister and clandestine force is so deceptive that nearly all of humanity accepts it. What has happened to our nation of the United States of America? Clearly, it is not the nation it once was! What has happened to the way people think? Who are we, and what have we become? Has humanity and the society of the last days become the product of a strange force operating within secret societies? Has this force been cleverly and gradually manifested through our religions, schools, and universities?

What has become of the value systems, integrity, character, and honor of the once revered "American way?" Our land is now inhabited by countless millions of people who have never known the American way or those value systems; neither do they want to know them. The powers of Antichrist have manufactured a spiritual melting pot to blend every ideology, religion, and belief system into one satanic admixture of apathetic confusion. Only true Christianity cannot and will not mix into this witches' brew, and every blended component of the satanic amalgam rises up to condemn the true Christian for presenting the saving power of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. In recent days, Satan has intensified his fire under this seething melting pot of confusion and is bringing the world to a full boil. In a spiritual sense, it is like the warning given to the prophet Jeremiah regarding Babylon overtaking Israel because of Israel's gross iniquities. In Jeremiah 1:13-14 we read as follows: "And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land." We must note that the evil out of the North that would break out against Israel was the land of Babylon, and that land is modern day Iraq. It appears that Jeremiah's seething pot is boiling once again, and this whole region has become a bloody scourge to America at the behest of President Bush!

We must also take note of the reason why the United States, like ancient Israel, will be the recipient of troublesome judgment. In Jeremiah 1:16 we read as follows: "And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands."

It is certain that severe judgment will come to America very soon. Fearful sights and burning will be everywhere because of the pride and wickedness of a nation that had been given so much and has responded by becoming so evil. We also know that the Almighty Saviour will never leave or forsake his people. We are kept in the very palm of the Father's hand. The great question is: Where will you be when the entire earth shakes and every volcano erupts simultaneously? How will it be with your soul when the skies fill with angels and the great and last trumpet sounds? You can be at peace with the Saviour if you yield to Him and truly repent and turn away from evil, and then go on to obey the Gospel. Do it now! Time is almost gone!

Global Confusion!

We are now living during a time when it is impossible to bring logic or common sense into anything major that is happening. The reason this is the case is because elitist illuminists, working within the Masonic Lodge, the Scottish Rite, and the Grand Orient Lodges, are now carrying out the final directives of an age-old plot for a one-world government under their god, Lucifer. All of this ongoing effort has brought this nation to a condition of absolute rebellion against Almighty God. In addition to that, it seems that continual mistakes are being made that always favor our enemies as the wealth and independence of our erstwhile great nation become absorbed into a global mixture of ambiguity. This causes the masses of people to be confused and frightened, which makes them easy to control. Since the people do not turn to the true Almighty God for help, they put their trust in their government, which is the very power that is secretly destroying their freedom, faith, health, and wealth.

We continue to fight a war that makes no sense and has been proven to have been started on a false premise. This war is now costing the American taxpayers a whopping twelve billion dollars per month. (1) Paper money is being printed in record amounts, and much of it ends up in the hands of the enemy. On July 12th, 2007, so-called thieves robbed a bank in Baghdad and stole 300 million U.S. dollars in cash! (2)

The war in Iraq had become so obviously ridiculous that numerous members of President Bush's own Republican Party have turned against him, and it has now been admitted that there is an open rebellion of Republican senators over the war in Iraq. (3) We also know that European governments have declared their distrust for the Bush Administration. High-ranking officials in the government of France, such as Housing Minister Christine Boutin, have suggested that President Bush was behind the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. (4)

There is now grave concern that Red China is supplying our enemies in Iraq with high-powered weapons. Richard Lawless, senior Pentagon official for Asia, has repeatedly raised this issue, but Mr. Lawless is now being replaced. (5)

The response of President Bush to the continued failures in Iraq is simple; he is calling for another troop build up. (6) It is a sad fact that our so-called freeing of the Iraqis has caused the death of 665,000 civilians. Now we have learned that many more deaths will be the result of a new weapon. U.S. Air Force Lt. General Gary North announced the planned deployment of a new attack bomber, which is a pilotless drone. The planes will be remotely controlled from a console 7,000 miles away in Nevada. The planes are classified as hunter-killers and are equipped with infrared, laser targeting, and a ton and a half guided bombs and missiles. The name given to these planes is the MQ-9 Reaper, and the announcement was made just before the forthcoming witches' sabat of Lughnasaid, which is the August 1st sabat known as the harvest of souls. The dimensions of the MQ-9 Reaper reveal occult designing. The plane is exactly 36 feet long, (6x6=36), and all numbers from 1 through 36 inclusive total 666. The wingspan is also 66 feet. The planes are armed with missiles named Hellfire by our Air Force. A 400,000 square foot facility is being built just fifty miles north of Baghdad to accommodate these grim Reapers. (7) The entire Middle East is feeling the full effect of the terror of our weapons.

On July 9th, 2007, the Associated Press reported that 140,000 Turkish troops have massed along the Turkish-Iraq border. This massive army is fully armed and ready for immediate action, but the Pentagon is denying it. (

On July 2nd, 2007, a high-ranking official in the Shin Bet, the Israeli Security Agency, revealed that the recent strife with Hamas was actually a battle to completely take over the Temple Mount. The Israeli official's exact words were: "Their goal is to gain full control over the Temple Mount." Why was this not in the media broadcasts? (9) There are spiritual reasons for all of these wars and rumors of war as Satan attempts to realign the world.

Is World War III looming largely on the horizon? On July 15th, 2007, the New York Times reported that Russia has suspended its Arms Pact, and has officially notified NATO that it has suspended all obligations to the arms treaty. (10) Meanwhile, a British newspaper revealed that Iranian bombers are crossing over into Iraq and bombing our soldiers. The defense editor for The Sun stated, "We are at war with Iran in all but name!" (11)

On July 2nd, 2007, AFP News released a story describing a uniting of Iran and Venezuela against the United States. Both of these nations are powerful members of the OPEC oil cartel and have been labeled the axis forces, the very same name given to the united forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan during World War II. (12)

In America, conditions continue to deteriorate. President George Bush commuted the thirty-month prison sentence of his co-conspirator and convicted criminal, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. This act raised a stench of scandal to the very skies over Washington, D.C. (13)

We are now hearing a lot of talk of an impending series of terror attacks that are to take place in the United States. We are being warned of this by Michael Chertoff, a man whose last name is Russian, and in the Russian language, his last name means son of Satan. Chertoff is the director and chief of the powerful Department of "Homo-land Insecurity." Will heinous events occur soon on American soil? We remember the words of the Communist 32nd degree Mason Franklin D. Roosevelt who said, "If it happens, you can bet that we planned it that way."

We have also been hearing a lot from Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who, speaking as the true Communist that she is, recently said, "It is time to replace an on your own society with one based on shared responsibilities and prosperity. I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society." (14) Clearly, Hillary believes that Beatle John Lennon was right in his song "Imagine", in which he sings of no possessions in a communistic society of irresponsible sharing without individual ownership.

Let it never be said again that the United States of America is a Christian nation! On the 13th day of July 2007, the prayer and invocation in the United States Senate was said by a Hindu "clergyman." The Hindu religious leader stood in the Senate chamber holding the Vedas (sacred book) and began to call upon the spirit of the earth, sea, and sky, exactly as Wiccan priests and priestesses do. Suddenly, a man cried out to the Lord Jesus and interrupted the Hindu saying, "God forgive us for this abomination….." The Christian's prayer was interrupted as the Sergeant at Arms dragged him out. The Hindu began a second time to call on the earth spirit when suddenly a Christian woman cried out rebuking the devil and this abomination in our U.S. Senate. She also was interrupted and dragged out as the Sergeant at Arms was so instructed. The Hindu began his invocation a third time, and another Christian was likewise dragged out as soon as he began to rebuke the satanic Hindu. (15) As I listened to this news clip, I was amazed and thankful that God had three witnesses cry out against the abominable invocation of Satan, sponsored by our antichrist government. When will Americans wake up and realize that we have lost our country? The Hindu cleric was praying in clear language to the "god of the earth." In II Corinthians 4:4, we read as follows: "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." I love my country; it is the land where I was born, but it is not now the same America I was born in. It has been seized upon by occult forces and is inhabited by people who do not care. I am so ashamed of this nation that has become an embarrassment to the entire world. Fearful judgment is on its way!

On the same day that the Hindu abomination occurred in our Senate chamber, the 13th day of July 2007, the U.S. State Department Headquarters was attacked by what the Associated Press called killer wasps. These killer wasps are two inches long, and thousands of them have chosen to nest in the State Department building in Washington, D.C. It is being called a total infestation! (16) I immediately thought of Exodus 23:28, which reads as follows: "And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite , from before thee." I must note at this point, that the three nations mentioned in this verse worshipped the gods of earth, wind, and fire, just as the Hindus do. This wasp infestation that occurred on the same day at the headquarters of the powerful State Department is a clear sign from the Almighty of judgment forthcoming. Where are the Christian ministers who should be sounding the alarm?

The Rising of the New European Reich!

While the United States continues to struggle under the destructive powers of sin and iniquity, a new world empire is rising in Europe. Strange events have been surrounding the rise of the new European Reich, but few people seem to take note of what is happening all around them. One event that received very little press coverage was the June 16th, 2007 death of Baron Guy de Rothschild at age 98. (17) The Rothschild dynasty still controls the economies of the world secretly and by spiritual means. High-level witches do not regard the members of the Rothschild family as human but as gods. The Rothschild tribunal is represented by the triangle elevated above the truncated pyramid with the singular eye and a great light emanating from behind it. This is the crest of the Illuminati, and it appears on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill.

The very next day after the death of Rothschild, it was announced that the last act of Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain would hand the European Union radical new powers. The exact words of the London Daily Express headline pertaining to this are as follows: "Secret New Plans for EU Super State." (18) We are now seeing a strange and clandestine plan unfolding before our very eyes. A powerful United States of Europe, or European Union, is growing stronger every day, and thirteen of its nations are already united economically under the Euro currency. While the stock market in the United States rapidly inflates like a balloon ready to burst, the U.S. dollar continues to slide and fall rapidly against all other major currencies. What is happening? Remember, we must always look for spiritual reasons!

We know that about 70 years ago a man named Adolf Hitler had a dream and ambition to bring the world to order and to unite all of Europe with the secret help of the Vatican. It was Hitler who coined the words New World Order. Hitler also laid out his objectives in a book called Mein Kampf. It is all a long story and well imprinted on the pages of history as World War II erupted. All of this was orchestrated by globalist conspirators. Wars are planned well in advance and always with a primary objective in mind.

Most people believe that Adolf Hitler committed suicide in a bunker, and some believe he escaped to Argentina by U-boat. One thing is certain; he is dead now. Hitler's dreams and ambitions, however, are not dead, and this is where the amazing part of this story begins. German Chancellor Angela Merkel made known her determination to unite all of Europe under one constitution on January 7th, 2007. This powerful woman seemed to rise from almost nowhere to become Chancellor of Germany, President of the European Union, and head of the G-8 economic block of nations. (19) Who is this amazing woman?

Angela Merkel was born in the D.D.R., the Communist portion of Germany in 1954. Her biography says she was born on July 17, 1954, and that she is the daughter of a Lutheran minister from an East German-controlled church. Recently, however, Soviet KJB archive files reveal an entirely different story. Stasi GDR files indicate that she was born on April 20th, 1954, and details of her birth were included in the records of the German Dr. Karl Klauberg, who was one of the Nazi "death doctors" convicted by Soviet courts and imprisoned. When he later was recognized as a brilliant scientist, he was released after seven years and was recognized as the father of artificial insemination. The Soviets were even more intrigued when they discovered Dr. Klauberg had preserved frozen samples of the sperm of Adolf Hitler. The forces of darkness in high places decided to try to produce a child from Hitler's sperm, obviously for occult and illuministic purposes. Dr. Klauberg then brought the youngest sister of Eva Braun (Hitler's wife), whose name was Gretl, to Eastern Germany, and the result of the experiment produced not a biological son of Hitler, but rather a daughter. Amazingly, Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th, 1889, and Angela Merkel was born on April 20th, 1954. (April 20th is 11 days before the witches' high sabat of Beltaine.) Angela became a custodian of the Catholic Church through its connections with the East German Lutheran Church. Once a German Pope would take the Roman throne, Angela Merkel was to also take her biological father's position as German Chancellor. On April 20th, 2005, the Nazi Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, (16th), precisely on the 116th birthday of Adolf Hitler. Then on November 22nd, 2005, Hitler's biological daughter, Angela Merkel was elected Chancellor of Germany. The day of that election, November 22nd, was the anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species, which is an antichrist publication denying the Creator of the universe.

If the Soviet record is true, and the evidence is strong, it opens up some amazing possibilities. The undeniable fact is that Angela Merkel came from obscurity to triumviral power as German Chancellor, President of the European Union, and head of the powerful G-8 economic cartel. When I began to do further research on this, I discovered that Hitler's father, who took the name Hitler, was the illegitimate son of a Rothschild mistress whose last name was Schicklgruber. The etymology of the name Hitler reveals that the name means a shepherd who lives in a hut. The name Adolf from Old High German means noble wolf. Thus, his combined name indicates that he was the Shepherd Wolf, or false shepherd. Strangely enough, Pope Ratzinger, or Benedict XVI, also has the title of Shepherd of the Church, and since he took office, the Roman Catholic Church has had a German shepherd. Incidentally, that breed of dog resembles a wolf. We also know that Adolf Hitler nicknamed himself Herr Wolf. His East Prussian headquarters was called Wolfsschanze; his headquarters in France was called Wolfsschlucht, and his headquarters in the Ukraine was called Werwolf. (20) Will the powerful European Union become the New World Order and Fourth Reich? Only God knows.

One more interesting point is that Chancellor Angela Merkel has an unusual obsession with the works of the occult composer Richard Wagner, who was a Satanist. She made her obsession known in an interview with the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in July 2005. (21) Wagner wrote the infamous composition called Parsifal, which is purely occult and demonic. Parsifal was a favorite of Adolf Hitler as well, and Hitler stated that the music of Wagner occupied his mind. Angela Merkel, like Adolf Hitler, is deeply fascinated with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. The valkyries were minor female deities that would ride through every battle to gather the most valiant of the slain and carry them off to a place called Valhalla where they would wait to join the army of Odin in the last battle at the end of the world. (22)

Is this woman, Angela Merkel, being used of Satan to marshal the forces for the last battle called Armageddon? It is also interesting to note that Chancellor Merkel has exactly the same eyes as Chancellor Hitler, and she bears a striking resemblance to him except for the little moustache, of course.

The Manifestation of Dark Power!

In Daniel, chapter eight, we read of something that happens in the last days that made the prophet Daniel sick when he saw it. His exact words as found in Daniel 8:27 are as follows: "And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days, afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it." The prophet Daniel also described the part of the vision that made him sick in Daniel 8:23-25 as follows: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand."

During these end times, forces of peace have been rising up, but they always bring destruction. President Bush continually talks about peace, but he leaves a trail of destruction, or as he calls it: "shock and awe", behind him. Now we hear from Hillary Clinton, who is running like mad to become the next President of the United States, that she plans to appoint her husband, the would-be First Gentleman, Ambassador to the World. (23) This is the same Hillary Clinton that applauded the June 2007 Gay Pride parades and celebrations that took place in nearly every major city of the world. (24) The Associated Press also reported that the Gay Pride parade in New York City was actually led by "Christians, Jews, and Buddhists." (25)

The dark forces have chosen July 2007 to manifest intense witchcraft in the form of Harry Potter activities. On July 11th, 2007, the latest Harry Potter movie hit the theaters and set attendance records worldwide. On July 20th, 2007, the seventh Harry Potter book hits the bookstores at midnight, exactly eleven days before the witches' high cross-quarter sabat of Lughnasaid, the witches' harvest festival also known as Lammas. Aside from the fact that Harry Potter books and movies are real spellbinding forms of witchcraft, they are also blasphemous. There is speculation that in the final Harry Potter book, entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter dies. Harry Potter fans everywhere are saying, "If Harry Potter dies, it is so others can live." (26) Have our churches traded-in the Lord Jesus Christ and the true Gospel for Harry Potter and his magic?

We are seeing such a fascination for the occult, and Wicca is now the fastest growing religion in the United States. In Washington County, Wisconsin, just before the high cross-quarter sabat of Beltaine, the sheriff's department found thirteen dead goats dumped along the roadside. (27) Another outrageous example of occultism is the traveling exhibition already viewed in museums by over twenty million people, which is called Body Worlds. It is a grotesque and macabre display of real human bodies that are preserved by a plasticizing process. The shows include a man flipping over on a skateboard, a flayed man holding his skin, and an eighth-month pregnant woman and her fetus. All are real corpses and body parts -- about twenty in all. (28) It is a sick world!

Yet another form of witchcraft that will eventually be in every home that has a television involves a new control device for televisions that works without a remote control unit. The control device reads hand signals and turns the television on and off, changes channels, and performs other functions; all activated by signals from the right hand. I quickly recognized the hand signals as the same ones used in witchcraft and the occult! (29)

Even the Wind and the Sea Obey Him!

Certainly judgment cannot be far off! We are seeing many signs of it already and on a continuing basis. On May 18th, 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a large piece of East Lae'apuki in Hawaii collapsed and broke off from the island. The piece was twenty-three acres in size. (30) On June 13th, 2007, a strong earthquake rocked Guatemala City, causing buildings to sway and terrified people to run for their lives. The quake was a magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale. (31) On June 13th, the Washington Post reported that the famous Jefferson Memorial is sinking on its eighteen-acre site in Washington, D.C. The 32,000 ton memorial has already sunk nearly six inches in places and experts say there is real trouble ahead. (32) The earth is doing strange things and is opening its mouth and swallowing things. On June 21st, the witches' sabat of Midsummer, a twelve-acre lake in Chile was swallowed up and disappeared, leaving nothing but a large fissure. (33)

Disasters are widespread, and in the United States nearly every state is suffering from severe drought, fires, or floods; including severe record-setting weather. On June 25th, California officials declared a state of emergency in the Lake Tahoe area. A massive fire was burning out of control, and four square miles of raging flames destroyed 225 homes and buildings. The entire lake was covered with a layer of ash, and it was as if hell had been raised to devour the area. (34)

In President Bush's home state of Texas, widespread flooding inundated entire villages and towns as violent storms and deluges of rain sequentially pounded a large area of the state. Kansas and other areas also suffered from as much as eighteen inches of rain overnight. Roads were closed and mass evacuations were common. (35)

In Utah, massive fires began to break out, and since much of the western United States is drought-stricken and dry, more trouble is expected. In fact, the massive fires in Utah that have burned over sixty-two square miles are expected to burn all summer. One-third of the Ashley National Forest has been completely charred and destroyed. (36)

The U.S. Geological Survey has reported 301 major earthquakes of over 4.0 in magnitude in the past thirty days. I am writing this newsletter on July 16th, 2007, and I just heard the news that a major earthquake hit Japan. The 6.8 magnitude quake flattened hundreds of homes and other buildings, and it tore fissures three-feet wide in the earth. Smoke and fire were everywhere, and the nuclear reactors at a large atomic power plant were damaged and poured radioactive water into the Sea of Japan. (37) Strong aftershocks continued all day, and then a second 6.8 magnitude quake hit, causing further damage and widespread panic. (38)

It is clearly not a matter of if the end is coming, but rather when will the end come? I believe in the return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, because the Bible tells me so, but I also see the reality of that promise every day; in every sign foretold by our soon-coming King of kings. Will you be ready to stand before Him? Have you obeyed the everlasting Gospel? Where will you spend eternity?

In closing, I once again want to personally thank all of you who support this end time prophetic ministry. For twenty-six years we have been sounding the trumpet, and we will continue to do it as long as God gives us the ability. We continue to welcome your prayer requests, and each one will receive individual attention. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acknowledgements

01. Associated Press, Jul. 9, 2007, by Andrew Taylor, Washington, D.C.
02. Reuters News Service, Jul.12, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq.
03. Financial Times, Jul. 8, 2007, by Andrew Ward, Wshington, D.C.
04. Reuters News Service, Jul. 7, 2007, Paris, France.
05. Financial Times, Jul. 6, 2007, by Demein Savastopulo, Washington, D.C.
06. Associated Press, Jul. 16, 2007, by Robert Burns, Baghdad, Iraq.
07. Associated Press, Jul. 15, 2007, by Charles J. Hanley, Balad Air Base, Iraq.
08. Associated Press, Jul. 9, 2007, by Bushra Juhi, Baghdad, Iraq.
09. Jerusalem Post, Jul. 2, 2007, by Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem, Israel.
10. New York Times, Jul. 15, 2007, by Andrew E. Kramer and Thom Shanker, Moscow, Russia.
11. Sun Newspaper, Jun. 26, 2007, by Tom Newton Dunn, London, England, U.K.
12. Reuters News Service, Jul. 2, 2007, by Parisa Hafezi, Assalouyeh, Iran.
13. Associated Press, Jul. 2, 2007, by Ben Feller, Washington, D.C.
14. Associated Press, May 29, 2007, by Holly Ramer, Manchester, NH.
15. Breitbart TV, Jul. 13, 2007, Washington, D.C.
16. Associated Press, Jul. 13, 2007, by Matthew Lee, Washington, D.C.
17. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun. 16, 2007, Milwaukee, WI.
18. Daily Express, Jun. 15, 2007, by Geoff Marsh, London, England, U.K.
19. San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2007, by Christoph Bals, San Francisco, CA.
20. Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Childhood and Heritage of Adolf Hitler.
21. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sep. 18, 2005, Frankfurt, Germany.
22. Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Valkyrie.
23. Associated Press, Apr. 21, 2007, by Mike Glover, Marshalltown, IA.
24. Staten Island Advance, Jun. 3, 2007, by Frank Donnelly and Deborah Young, New York, NY.
25. International Herald Tribune, Jun. 24, 2007, New York, NY.
26. USA Today, Jul. 5, 2007, Gannett News Service.
27. West Bend News, Apr. 28, 2007, by Mitch Maersch, West Bend, WI.
28. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Apr. 21, 2007, by Steve Schultze, Milwaukee, Wi.
29. London Daily Mail, Jul. 14, 2007, by David Derbyshire, London, England, U.K.
30. Honolulu Advertiser, May 18, 2007, by Christie Wilson, Honolulu, HI.
31. Reuters News Service, Jun. 13, 2007, by Mica Rosenberg, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
32. Washington Post, Jun 16, 2007, by Michael E. Ruane, Washington, D.C.
33. Reuters News Service, Jun 20, 2007.
34. Associated Press, Jun 25, 2007, by Aaron C. Davis, Meyers, CA.
35. Associated Press, Jul. 2, 2007, by Steve Brisendine, Osawatomie, KS.
36. The Press Association, Jul. 4, 2007.
37. Associated Press, Jul. 16, 2007, by Koji Sasahara, Kashiwazaki, Japan.
38. Reuters News Service, Jul. 16, 2007, Washington, D.C.

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Are all of the above information real facts or are most of them fictions? Are they ammunitions from some "enemy", or are they some real hard stuffs to ponder about? How remarkable what right to freedom of expression can provide to anyone who wish to avail of it.

[1 John 4:1-6] Beloved, don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit who doesn't confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn't listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Worldviews Have Consequences

By Dr. Everett Piper
President, Oklahoma Wesleyan University

How do we know which arguments are right and which are wrong? How can we distinguish between claims that are accurate and those that are mistaken? How do we determine what is true and what is false?

Now before we go any further let me say this: Congratulations if you even care. For in a post-modern culture where over 60 percent of Americans say they don't believe in any absolute standards of right and wrong and that all “truth claims” and all moral judgments are relative, it is encouraging to find a remnant wishing to pursue truth rather than construct it. I think you should be applauded if you are eager to debate the veracity of certain ideas. You are already halfway home while others haven't yet even begun the journey.

But I digress. Let's get back to the question. How do you assess arguments for truth?

To set the context for an answer, I think we should first acknowledge the negative. There are certain methods of debate that we should beware of because they often lead down the wrong path - to darkness rather than light - to dishonesty rather than candor.

First, beware of arguments that shoot the messenger and, thus, obfuscate the message. This is an age old fallacy of diversion that goes back to the days of Socrates. It is technically called the argumentum ad hominem which means an “argument addressed to the person” instead of the issue. In other words, you attack the antagonist rather than address his or her ideas. When you see someone attempting to brand liberals as “loons” or conservatives as “fundies” it is a dead giveaway. When a politician calls those who disagree with him ignorant or when a professor labels opponents as “fools” you know the argument is more about political agendas, personal attacks, and protecting opinions than about rational debate. Beware of these tactics. They rarely lead you to your goal of deciphering fact from fiction.

Another tactic to beware of is that of assumption. When a person says something is true you can't assume it is so. This is a non sequitur which means that the conclusion doesn't necessarily follow from the argument. It is perhaps the most common of all fallacies, so common we often fall prey to it unknowingly. A pastor makes a claim so we accept it as fact. A professor denies something so we assume he is telling the truth (primarily because we lean in his direction politically and we want to agree with him).

But our experience has shown us time and again that trusting personal claims is not a good measure of truth. Hitler told Chamberlain that he wouldn't invade Eastern Europe. Nixon denied complicity in Watergate. Clinton said he “didn't have sex with that woman.” Ward Churchill claimed he didn't plagiarize and Eric Pianka (despite the testimony of multiple students, colleagues, interviews, and audio recordings) now denies he has called for forced sterilization and the massive depopulation of the human race. Simply saying something doesn't make it so. History has taught us that truth must be grounded in something more stable than mankind's proven propensity for deception. Haven't we learned that in order to trust we must first verify?

So how do we do this? In the midst of conflicting statements how do we verify what is true and refute what is false? How can we have confidence in what is really honest and trustworthy?

Perhaps the answer lies in paradigms and not people - in guiding ideologies rather than fallible men and women. Here is a question: Are we missing the forest for the trees when we listen to ad hominem attacks and non sequitur arguments; arguments that presuppose name-calling; arguments that assume a statement is true just “because I said so?” Do we get distracted by fallacies and miss seeing the facts?

In our pursuit of truth we must look past the distractions of people and instead look to the power of ideas. The specific ideas associated with a given worldview set the context for us to assess the truthfulness of that worldview's proponents. Marxism set the stage for Stalin's deception. Nazism was the predicate for Hitler's military subterfuge. The ideological consequences of Darwinism as espoused by Pianka are, likewise, unavoidable. If men and women are of no greater intrinsic value than other forms of biological matter then there is no reason to argue for our existence versus that of a lizard or a virus. Survival of the fittest is the optimal value. Morality has no meaning and humanity's belief in truth is merely unscientific self-deception, and “un-Darwinian” (as declared by Richard Rorty, himself a noted Darwinist).

Worldviews have consequences. Some admit truth exists and that we are obligated to pursue it and speak it. Other worldviews boldly state that there is no such thing as truth; that a religious moral compass is the opiate of the masses; and that “survival of the fittest” is the only built-in ruling law of nature and of man. All other “laws” are merely the sum total of one organism jockeying for power over another.

If your goal is to find what is true, you might just be better off looking at ideas first before you listen to people. Perhaps guiding worldviews and their proven consequences are the best starting point for assessing sincerity and answering the question - What is the truth?

Between Two Extremes: Liberalism & Fundamentalism

By Michael Craven

The latter half of the 20th century has seen the emergence of two extremes in the American Church and its relationship to the culture – liberal revisionism on the one side and conservative fundamentalism on the other. Both, I contend, have hindered the work and ministry of the Church. One renders the Christian faith meaningless while the other makes it irrelevant.

Liberal revisionism has capitulated to contemporary culture and with it many truths of the historic faith. Liberal revisionism ultimately renders the Christian message meaningless by reducing Christ to anything you want him to be – there is simply no authority in this view beyond your own preference and cultural whims. My concern herein however is not for liberal revisionism but conservative fundamentalism, which has become the predominant view. Additionally, unlike liberal revisionism, conservative fundamentalism remains Christian but a distorted version of it that is often difficult to distinguish. A recent conversation with Os Guinness offered this insight:

Fundamentalism has become an overlay on the Christian faith and developed into an essentially modern reaction to the modern world, a reaction that tends to romanticize the past … and radicalize the present, with styles of reaction that are personally and publicly militant to the point where they are sub-Christian or worse.

I think Os puts this well when he describes fundamentalism as “an overlay” which, as a result, has captured the thinking of many unwitting Christians. This is frequently expressed in terms of conservative politics, Christian nationalism and what one Evangelical writer revealed when he referred to the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount as “Americanisms.” Being Christian and being American are often thought to be synonymous.

Practically, these expressions are manifest in the almost exclusive reliance upon coercion and politics as the means and method of bringing culture under the influence of biblical principles. The idea is that if “we” can only capture political control we can bring about cultural change in a way that recovers biblical values. Cal Thomas refers to this as expecting the “Kingdom of God to arrive on Air Force One.”

This is, in large part, inspired by a romantic, but inaccurate, view of the past in which we believe that America was once a distinctly “Christian nation” and from the time of our founding has suffered the linear descent from once Christian to now secular. There is no doubt that secularism has achieved its pinnacle in our time, however this does not mean that Christianity was the singular prevailing reality that occupied its place prior to this point. More accurately, the Church in America, much like the Israelites of the Old Testament, has been cyclical with periods of spiritual apathy punctuated by periods of great Awakenings and faithfulness. A serious survey of history will quickly confirm this. Consider that on the eve of the American Revolution, church attendance in this country was less than 10 percent, significantly lower than it is today. Nonetheless, driven by a romanticized view of the past, there is the desire to recover this past but this is often nothing more than a conservative social/political movement with a shallow Christian identity.

To be sure, Christians should be involved politically. This is part and parcel of being a good citizen within a democratic republic. However, Christianity is not nor ever should be defined politically—it is and always must be defined theologically and confessionally. This is where these two extremes share an equal role in undermining the Church’s mission. While liberal revisionism errs in defining Christianity culturally, conservative fundamentalism errs in defining Christianity politically, which is often limited to nothing more than conservative political positions. To be sure, these may tend more toward biblical values than the liberal position but neither political expression is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. They, in and of themselves, are not the source of truth—they are merely political positions that must be tested against the truth of Scripture. Ironically, politics has never changed culture as politics is a reflection of culture not vice versa.

The ultimate effect of conservative fundamentalism upon the Church is one of cultural irrelevance. Fundamentalism tends to see the world as something to oppose rather than to engage and influence. As a result there naturally follows a disregard for anything deemed “worldly” and this includes among other things, intellectualism. Fundamentalists will say “The only book I need is the Bible” and thus remain uniformed about the world and incapable of meaningful influence. This same attitude is expressed toward the study of theology and Church history, which results in a sophomoric theology -- wholly inadequate to shape a coherent biblical response to the complexities of life and culture.

Fundamentalism inevitably reduces the Christian faith to a simplistic set of behaviors and the emphasis tends toward legalism and personal piety -- it remains a private belief and not a public truth to be pressed into every aspect of life and culture. Additionally, with the emphasis on external behaviors, (i.e. sin management) there is little effort applied in the converting the human heart and mind with all of its wretched attitudes. This theological myopia has been central to the deplorable lack of a consciously Christian life and worldview among so many professing Christians as documented by George Barna and others.

Additionally, this “opposing” posture is inherently adversarial, inciting an “us versus them” mentality rather than an “us for them” attitude. This mentality can even be seen in much of the Church’s approach to evangelism, which often treats the gospel message as an argument to win. In such a state, the Church is polarized against the culture and the “Good News” is reduced to a “sales pitch” often relying on high pressure and committed to closing the deal. In many instances the gospel is subtly defined in terms of “happiness,” which is not even the true gospel. Gone is the demonstration of the gospel where the Christian is encouraged to “love his neighbor” and then through the course of a, possibly long and at times difficult, relationship, disciple him or her into the truth. This is the Great Commission and it remains unchanged to this day.

Fundamentalism is not only antagonistic to the world but often toward other Christians as well. Fundamentalists tend to view anyone outside their particular tradition or beyond their theological distinctions with suspicion at best or as outright unbelievers at worst. The result is increasing division within the Body of Christ over what often amounts to non-essentials.

Liberalism won’t press the kingdom in the culture because it has surrendered to the culture; it is of the world, and Fundamentalism won’t because it is not in the world but rather opposed to it. What is needed is a return to the historic Christian position of being in but not of the world. This position requires that we do the hard work of renewing our minds to form a coherent and comprehensive view of life and reality through the lens of a distinctively Christian worldview—being confident in the Truth. It also means that we endeavor to understand and engage the culture in a humble and intelligent way so that we might reach the lost and suffering with the reality of Jesus Christ.

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S. Michael Craven is the Founding Director of the Center for Christ & Culture, a ministry of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families. The Center for Christ & Culture is dedicated to renewal within the Church and works to equip Christians with an intelligent and thoroughly Christian approach to matters of culture in order to recapture and demonstrate the relevance of Christianity to all of life. For more information on the Center for Christ & Culture, additional resources and other works by S. Michael Craven visit: www.battlefortruth.org

A Theology of Suffering for a Self-Obsessed Culture

By Paul Edwards

Contemporary culture is, in the words of the late author and social critic Christopher Lasch, a “culture of narcissism.” Tragically, the American church is not immune to this virus. For today the lifestyles and longings of many modern day followers of Christ often bear no appreciable difference from that of our non-Christian neighbors and co-workers.

At some point during the last quarter century it became all-too-common to stop proclaiming a gospel directed at people’s real spiritual needs and instead focus on the wants and desires of potential church goers. More than mirroring the first century church, this conduct reflects the way Starbucks markets overpriced coffee to potential consumers.

For example, conventional wisdom in evangelicalism today is that suffering is the exception, not the norm for the believer. Moreover, if a Christian does suffer it is quite possibly because of sin in his or her life. Many segments of the American church—immersed in a culture of happy, prosperous consumers—have failed their constituency by not faithfully proclaiming what the Bible says about the reality of suffering.

But suffering in the Christian life is the rule, not the exception. From the day Christ called us to follow Him he fully disclosed two prerequisites: denying ourselves and taking up our cross. When Saul of Tarsus was converted on the road to Damascus, he didn’t experience a Benny Hinn-esque healing. On the contrary, God blinded him, left him in that condition for days and sent a reluctant evangelist by the name of Ananias to inform him of how much he would suffer for the name of Christ (Acts 9:15-16).

And suffer he did. Consider what Paul endured: five times beaten with 39 stripes, three times beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked three times, a night and a day floating in the sea, danger of all kinds, weary and in pain, hungry and thirsty, naked and cold. And to add insult to injury God refused to answer his prayer for healing from whatever was ailing him—a thorn in his flesh. Paul was told to be content with grace in the midst of his sufferings (2 Cor. 11-12).

How did Paul respond to his sufferings?

I will glory in the things which concern my infirmities (2 Cor. 11:30).

I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand …henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto them also who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).

The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (2 Tim. 4:18).

How could Paul rejoice in his sufferings and give glory to God? The answer lies in a full reading of 2 Timothy 3-4, written in prison just prior to his execution. Note the use of the word “love” five times in these two chapters: lovers of self (3:2); lovers of money (3:2 - “covetous” in some translations); lovers of pleasure (3:4); love his appearing (4:8); loved this present world (4:10).

One of the five loves mentioned stands in stark contrast to the other four: loving the appearing of Jesus Christ.

When we live in anticipation of seeing Jesus and hearing Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter into the joy of your Lord,” we can endure suffering. Why? Because such a focus helps us realize that the worst thing that happens to us here and now can never separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. With our focus not on self but Jesus, we more fully realize the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:17: “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

The tragedy is that much of contemporary evangelicalism has sold the future and eternal “weight of glory” for the immediate and transient satisfaction of “your best life now.” As a result, when Christians encounter difficultly they are ill-prepared to deal with it biblically: the storms come, the winds blow and “Cultural Christian” is blown away because there was no firm, biblical foundation for life (Matt. 7:24-27).

In contrast, the English Baptist John Rippon wrote in 1787 of the believer’s firm foundation:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

In Jesus we have a foundation not only for this life, but for all eternity. Therefore, come what may, the Christian can proclaim, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26).

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Paul Edwards is the host of “The Paul Edwards Program” and a pastor. His program is heard daily on WLQV in Detroit and on godandculture.com. Contact Paul at paul@godandculture.com.

Hold Lightly What You Value Greatly

By Ray Pritchard

The land of a rich man produced plentifully and he thought to himself, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And he said, "I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16-21).

At first glance, it's hard to know what this man did wrong. He seems like the sort of man any of us would want as a church member.

There is no hint in the story that he was a cheat, a crook or a scoundrel. Jesus never suggests that he obtained his money by unethical means. He doesn't seem to be the sort of man who tried to take advantage of his friends when they were in trouble. He wasn't a loan shark or a shady lawyer or a dishonest merchant. If he ever tried to hurt anyone, Jesus doesn’t mention it.

He was a farmer. That's a noble profession. We wouldn't eat if there weren't farmers to grow the crops and tend the herds. Since moving to Mississippi 20 months ago, I've come to a new appreciation of what farmers do. In this part of the world, they grow cotton, soybeans, peanuts, corn, rice, onions, sugar cane and sweet potatoes. And they raise cattle and hogs and chickens. It's hard work, not just the physical part, which is hard enough, but today's farmer has to be an economist, financier, business executive and computer expert on top of all the things he has to know about growing crops and raising animals. It's a 24/7 job and only the strong need apply. Lazy farmers won't last very long, and even the hardworking ones have a tough time making it. Right now we're suffering through a severe drought in the South, one of the worst in years, that has affected the growing season. The farmers are hoping and praying for rain to come, just in time but not too much because the water that produces the crops can destroy the harvest if it comes at the wrong time. Then there are bugs and diseases of various kinds. And even though today's farmer has a wide variety of pesticides to choose from, the bugs seem to get smarter every year. It's a hard life being a farmer, and even though you can find plenty of third- and fourth- and even fifth-generation farms, it true that many young people see how hard their parents have to work to keep the farm going, and they soon decide things look better in Memphis or Atlanta or Dallas or Chicago.

You have to love the land to be a farmer, and you have to have perseverance to stay at it year after year. Among other things, a certain stoic resolve is required. A sudden disease can wipe out a herd or a late rain can ruin a crop and destroy your savings. A man can be farming today and bankrupt tomorrow. Sometimes it happens to those with the best of intentions. Anyone looking for an easy life should look elsewhere.

So when you find a man who has made his fortune in farming, you know that he must have had a strong work ethic, he found some good land, he has good business sense, he knows how to manage his resources well, and he has good fortune on his side. You may think I'm overdoing it, but we can't grasp the point of Jesus' parable unless we give this man his due.

You really can't fault him for anything he did. We can go further and say that he did what he was supposed to do. He farmed his way to the top. He was so successful that he had a bumper crop. I have seen those mountains of grain when the harvest has come in. Sometimes they pile it up by the side of the road so it will dry before they store it. But sooner or later the farmer has to find a place to store it. He needs a barn or a silo or someplace else to keep it.

His Success Overwhelmed His Capacity

That really was this man's problem. His success had overwhelmed his capacity. He had all the grain he needed, more than he expected, and he had nowhere to put it. So he decided to build some barns to hold all the grain.

That's a wonderful problem to have. It's like having . . .

More money than you can spend.
More food than you can eat.
More clothes than you can wear.
More cars than you can drive.
More TVs than you can watch.
More rings than you have fingers.
More gifts than you have friends.
More homes than you can visit.
More beds than you can sleep in.
More lawn than you can mow.
More house than you can clean.
More yachts than you can sail.
More planes than you can fly.
More cattle than you can count.
More games than you can play.

Most of us think that's a nice problem to have. To have so much of everything that you need nothing at all. You have more of everything that matters in life.

Before going on, let me spell out this one key insight. Jesus is not condemning this man for working hard and being successful. The problem is not his outward success. The problem was in his heart. And that's what makes this story so tricky — and so universally true.

This isn't a parable about the dangers of being rich and successful. This is a parable the dangers of having the wrong kind of heart. And that can happen to any of us — rich or poor, young or old, male or female, American or Bengali.

Empty Nesters

Marlene and I have had a chance to think about this a lot in the last twenty months. When we left Oak Park to move to Mississippi, we gave away a lot of what we owned. What we couldn’t give away, we threw away. We disposed of a great deal of what we had accumulated over the last three decades. Some of it was old and worn out. Some of it we didn't need since the boys aren't living with us any more. Some of it we simply didn't want to bother with. Now that we are empty nesters, we're de-accumulating. Besides our furniture and our clothes and various household items, my books constituted the largest part of what we carried with us when we moved.

Box after box after box of books, most of them heavy, all of them packed tight, sorted only in the most general sense, and mostly just jumbled together. I had dozens of boxes of books that went from my office to our garage to the truck to the lodge on the other side of the lake. For months they stayed in boxes against the wall. Eventually I opened them up and put them on a long table in what once was the indoor recreation area at the lodge when it used to be a church camp 25 years ago. There my books collected dust and heavy Mississippi humidity during the summer months. Several times Marlene asked me what I was going to do with those books. To be fair I should add that over the years I have discarded hundreds of books, given some away, and still I have hundreds of books in those boxes. Here's what I discovered. I didn't need most of those books. Some of them I had carted from Dallas to California to Dallas to Chicago and then to Mississippi. The number of those books that I had actually consulted was very small indeed. Maybe I looked at them once or twice and then put them away. When I had those books covering three walls of my office in Oak Park, people used to say, "Have you read all those books?" And I would reply, "I've read parts of all of them." Which was loosely true, with an emphasis on the word "parts." A lot of those books I hadn't used in twenty years.

Part of it is technological. More and more books are available either on the Internet or on CDs. I imagine the day will come when you can have a collection of 50,000 books on just one DVD. For all I know, that day may already be here.

Of Making Many Books

But having those books made me feel secure. If consulting five books is good, ten is better and twenty is better still, even though the last ten say the same thing as the first ten. Solomon explained all this 3000 years ago when he said, "Of making many books there is no end" (Ecclesiastes 12:12) or as The Message puts it, "There's no end to the publishing of books." I am living proof of the truth of those words. Let's be clear about this. There is nothing wrong with writing books or owning books.But life is more than books. Woe to the man who thinks that his books matter a whit in the eternal scheme of things.

But there is more I wish to say about this. Recently — just within the last week — Marlene and I have moved from the cabin in the woods into a nice home in Tupelo. When I say a nice home, I mean that it is the newest home we've ever owned. It's only a year and a half old, beautifully finished, on a half-acre of land on the north side of town, near the airport. It's also the smallest house we've ever owned. It's a spacious kind of cozy, but there are three bedrooms, with one being my office, so we have plenty of room to do what we need to do. So this move meant going to the lodge on the other side of the lake, taking our things out of storage, loading them in a borrowed truck, and taking them to our new home. Like I said, we gave away or discarded lots of things when we moved, but we still had all those boxes of books that I had discovered I didn't really need. So do you know where they are now? They're still in the lodge on the other side of the lake. Why move something you haven't used and probably won't need in the future? And if I do need one of those books, I can always go out there and dig through the boxes to find it.

We're very happy in our new home, and very grateful to God for his provision, part of which came in a way that seems miraculous to us. Moving ought to cause you to take stock of your life. One of my college professors who had moved many times said that every time you move, you lose 20% of what you own. If you move five times, you end up replacing everything. Let’s see. We moved from Dallas to California (1) back to Dallas (2) to north Oak Park (3) to central Oak Park (4) to the cabin in the woods (5) to our new home in Tupelo (6). I think my professor was right. We have almost nothing left from the early years, we gave away a lot when we moved from Oak Park, and we’re replacing some things that didn’t survive this move or the storage in the lodge. And most of us as we grow older find that we can live a lot simpler than we could years ago. David reflects this truth in Psalm 131:2, "But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me." A weaned child has learned that he no longer needs what he thought he could never live without. Even so the Lord takes from us those things we thought we had to have so that our trust will be in him alone.

The Upwardly-Mobile Fool

The rich farmer did well in so many ways. He worked hard, he played by the rules, he spent his money wisely, he found good land, he worked it in the hot sun, he planted and he irrigated and when the harvest came in, he was rewarded far beyond his expectations. He planned to build more barns because he had so much that he couldn’t care for all of it. Let me repeat what I said in the beginning. I find it very hard to criticize this man. He did what any of us would have done.

In fact, this is exactly the sort of man we want in our churches. When we find a man like this, we cultivate him, we build a relationship, we invite him to a special dinner, we make he gets the red carpet treatment. A man like that could do a ministry a lot of good. We might make him the chairman of the elder board because he is such a good businessman.

The lesson of this parable will be lost on us if we think that Jesus is criticizing him for being rich. That's not his problem. His problem isn't his wealth or his plans to expand his buildings. That was all quite commendable.

Jesus condemned this man because he forgot one fact. He forgot that he was going to die someday. And what then? Someone else will have all that he owns. An old Italian proverbs says, "The last robe has no pockets." Billy Graham likes to say that he has never seen a Brinks truck following a hearse. There is no point is asking how much a man left because the answer is always, "He left all of it."

Naked we come into the world,
Naked we will leave the world.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Harry Bollback told me recently that he had been collecting some memorabilia about the life of Jack Wyrtzen — important papers, crucial correspondence, that sort of thing. Harry said that the stack ended up being several feet tall. He said that he had done the same thing when one of his aunts died. Her stack was very thin, only an inch or two. "But they're both gone," he said. That's exactly the point.

Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.
Death plays no favorites.

Watchman Nee

Let me draw one simple application from all this and I will be done. I can state it this way. Hold lightly what you value greatly because it isn't yours anyway. In one of his books Watchman Nee said that we approach God like little children with open hands, begging for gifts. Because he is a good God, he fills our hands with good things — life, health, friends, money, success, recognition, challenge, marriage, children, a nice home, a good job, all the things that we count at Thanksgiving when we count our blessings. And so like children, we rejoice in what we have received and run around comparing what we have with each other. When our hands are finally full, God says, “My child, I long to have fellowship with you. Reach out your hand and take my hand. But we can’t do it because our hands are full. “God, we can’t,” we cry. “Put those things aside and take my hand,” he replied. “No, we can’t. It’s too hard to put them down.” “But I am the one who gave them to you in the first place.” “O God, what you have asked for is too hard. Please don’t ask us to put these things aside.” And God answers quietly, “You must.”

I learned this truth the hard way twenty years ago. It happened in another time and another place when I thought I was on top of the world. Everything looked so good to me. One day a friend dropped by to see me. “Do you have a few minutes to talk, Pastor Ray?” “Of course,” I replied, “Come in.” After a few minutes of conversation, she came to her point. “Pastor Ray, you have to let go. You’re holding on too tightly.”

How a Good Thing Becomes an Idol

It was one of those moments where from the first word of that sentence I knew exactly what she was going to say. And I knew she was right. Deep in my heart, I had known it for a long time but didn’t want to face the truth. I was holding on to something so tightly that it had become an idol to me, something dearer than life itself. Before you ask, let me say simply that the thing was not evil or bad. In fact, it was a good thing that had become an idol that I dared not give up (an idol is anything good that becomes too important in your life).

One year passed and things in my little world began to fall apart. Through a long string of circumstances I found myself facing a tragedy. Looking back I can see clearly that God was prying my fingers off that “thing” one by one. But when he got down to the thumb, I fought back. I didn’t want to give it up. But God is stronger than any man and eventually he pulled my thumb off. As the wise man said, your arms are too short to box with God. I gave my idol back to him, but when I gave it back, I saw clearly that it was no pagan idol, but something good that had become too important in my life. In the end God took back that which had always belonged to him in the first place.

One Sunday afternoon during this personal crisis I took a long walk and began to meditate on 1 Peter 4:19 (NIV), “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." The little phrase “according to God’s will” caught my attention. I realized that it had been many years since I had been concerned about doing God’s will. Once that had been a consuming passion; now I hardly ever thought about it.

And I remembered my friend’s admonition: “Ray, you need to let go.” As I walked, I held out an open palm and began to let go. Little by little, I released the things in my life that I had been holding onto so tightly. As I did, I felt an enormous sense of relief, as if God were saying, “It’s about time.”

God orchestrates the affairs of life — both the good and the bad — to bring us to the place where our faith will be in him alone. Slowly but surely as we go through life, he weans us away from the things of the world. At first the process touches only our possessions (which we can replace), but eventually it touches our relationships (which may not be replaced), then it touches our loved ones (who cannot be replaced), finally it touches life itself (which is never replaced). Then there is nothing left but us and God.

Through all this process our Heavenly Father leads us along the pathway of complete trust in him. Slowly but surely we discover that the things we thought we couldn’t live without don’t matter as much as we thought they did. Even the dearest and sweetest things of life take second place to the pleasure of knowing God. In the end we discover that he has emptied our hands of everything and then filled them with himself.

Hold Lightly What God Has Given You

In writing these words I am aware that I only dimly understand their full meaning. At this point in my life I still have many things in my hands — my wife, my three boys, a wonderful daughter-in-law and another one coming soon, my friends, my career, my health, my dreams, my plans for the future. But the process of growing older is nothing more than this — learning to hold lightly the things God has given you, knowing that you can’t keep them forever anyway. At any moment, he can take them away — one by one, two at a time, or all of them together. Or he could take back the life he gave me 54 years ago.

If I have any advice for you, it is this. Learn to hold lightly what God has given you. You can’t keep it forever and you can’t take it with you.

Some of you who read these words are in the midst of a great struggle in your life. You feel pressured about something and you don’t want to give it up. But you must... and you will. I can’t spare you the pain of yielding your dearest treasures to God, but I promise you the joy will far outweigh the pain you feel right now.

We call the story Jesus told the parable of the rich fool. But he wasn't a fool because he was rich. He was a fool because he tried to hold on to what was never his in the first place.

Don't be a fool!
Let go of the things you own.

Hold lightly what you value greatly.
It all belongs to God anyway.

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Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

What Happened to My Blog?

There seems to be something wrong with my blog. I didn't touch anything in my blog settings but starting this week my new blog postings became unavailable for public viewing unlike it used to be. There's no recent announcement posted by Blogger.com administrators that is related to this problem. Are other bloggers of Blogger.com also experiencing this problem with their blogs? If not, then what's wrong?

Am I being censored here, or blocked, or maybe hacked (Oh no, not again)?

This week I got back online using another ISP (Internet Service Provider) because my previous ISP blocked my dial-up access. As it turned out, they suspected my phone line was "tapped".

Have I violated some rules here? Am I now already being "monitored" also?

I seem to be getting used to with this disruptions already. In the meantime, I'll be continuing to post on my other blogs located elsewhere in the internet, temporarily using mobile phone blogging.

I hope things will be fine soon.

Where There is No Will There is No Way

by Tom Bean
Originally posted on July 10, 2007
http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/beam/archives/

If it is true that where there is a will there is a way the opposite must also be true. Where there is no will there is no way… and that is where we are in America concerning Iraq. We are a people who have lost the will to fight and the courage to win.

This week, the Democrat controlled Senate will begin a new onslaught of defunding tactics designed to force an end to the Iraqi people's hope for a democratically controlled Iraq. Emboldened and strengthened by key Republican defections in the Senate, the Democrats may have their way. If they do we can be sure we will see an escalation of terrorist violence as Al Qaeda will interpret our withdrawal from Iraq as a sure sign of weakness. The difference between this onslaught and the last is the previously mentioned defection of a group of key Republican Senators; politicians who have joined the growing chorus of visionless leaders who use the phrase "redeployment of troops" when they actually mean retreat.

All of this is taking place in the face of incontrovertible evidence of Al Qaeda's presence and determination in Iraq. The tape released last week by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's second in command, was filled as usual with hate-filled, inflammatory rhetoric against Israel and the United States. In the tape, al-Zawahiri encouraged Al Qaeda fighters in Iraq to remain unified in their struggle against America and its allies. It is incredible to me to that the leader of our enemies in the war on terror understands the importance of unity and we don't seem to have a clue. This week, four more Republican Senators, (Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, and Susan Collins of Maine) indicated they are willing to bail on Iraq presumably leaving the country to fend for itself. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer (NY) gleefully predicted on Sunday's Face the Nation that "the dam is about to burst" for Republicans on Iraq. How ironic that while the leaders of our enemies call for and in fact touts their unity, the leaders of the free world are in freefall over Iraq.

The Left in this country continues to scoff at the idea of Al Qaeda in Iraq. They claim the United States military are merely caught between warring Sunni and Shea factions who have been fighting for over a thousand years. The war in Iraq is a civil war they say, and they point to a lack of evidence of Al Qaeda fighters in the country.

How about this for evidence... just recently U.S. forces captured Mohammed Khalaf, the leader of the Mosul branch of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Last week, Spanish authorities arrested 11 people who have been charged with recruiting for Al Qaeda in Iraq. Al Qaeda fighters are being captured or killed in a daily basis as the full force of the U.S. military surge goes into effect. At least one of the doctors involved in the attempted terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow has been linked to a suspected terrorist training camp in Iraq.

But these inconvenient truths do not fulfill the political strategy of some Leftists who are bent on the destruction of the Bush Administration and the Republican Party. They would rather turn a blind eye to the facts in Iraq in order to gain a political advantage rather than facing up to the truth for the sake of our future security. The Left can't afford to be wrong about Iraq. If the President's policy were to see any measure of success (or simply get credit for the success that is occurring) they would lose their political advantage in the next election.

Some members of Congress say the best way to end the war in Iraq is to "sit down and talk" with our enemies. To gage the wisdom of that strategy all you have to do is read the words of Al-Zawahiri from the transcript of the latest terrorist tape. Speaking of the call by the United States to engage moderate Muslims in a dialogue on Iraq Al-Zawahiri said, "The removal of the Crusader Jewish invaders won't occur by peaceful demonstrations." He went on to say, "Reform and expelling the invaders from the countries of Islam won't happen except through fighting for God's sake." Our elected leaders need to wake up and realize we are not fighting against rational people who want to find a peaceful solution in Iraq. We are fighting against radical, Muslim extremist who have high jacked Islam, turned it into an ideology of death and destruction, and who want the same "final solution" Hitler sought for the Jews.

I fear we are on the verge of suffering a shattering defeat in Iraq. If defeat comes, it will not come because our military leaders are incapable of leading us to victory. It will not come because those who fight in the field are incapable of bringing about that victory. If our defeat comes, it will come because we have forgotten that the only way darkness can overcome the light is if the light refuses to shine. It will come because we have lost our will…. and without the will to win we will surely lose our way.

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"I fear we are on the verge of suffering a shattering defeat in Iraq." -Tom Bean

Like the many statements and rhetoric concerning the current status and situation of the nation of Iraq, this too is expressing frustration and disappointment. Most of us may feel the same way because we only see and measure the obvious tangible aspects of things.

Consider the account of the prophet Habakkuk, as recorded in his book, where he complained to God about the condition of his nation during his time:

"Yahweh, how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you 'Violence!' and will you not save? Why do you show me iniquity, and look at perversity? For destruction and violence are before me. There is strife, and contention rises up. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth; for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

Can you see the prophet's deep frustration and disappointment to God's seeming inaction regarding the unrighteousness and the wickedness of the people? But listen to God's answer about Habakkuk's provocative prayer:

"Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvelously; for I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told you. For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are feared and dreaded. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour. All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand. Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it. Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god." (Habakkuk 1:5-11)

What a shocking revelation this is for the prophet! All along this is not exactly what he thought God had planned to do. Observe Habakkuk's reaction in the following verses:

"Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, you have established them for correction. You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity: wherefore look upon them that deal treacherously, and hold your tongue when the wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he? And make men as the fish of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?" (Habakkuk 1:12-17)

Now, are God's higher ways of doing things obvious? Surely not. As He declared in Isaiah 55:9, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

What prophet Habakkuk thought of doing justice was to destroy or punish only those who are unrighteous and wicked people of his nation and leave the righteous ones free from suffering. But God had already done this over and over in the past, yet many of the people still returned to unrighteousness and wickedness, thus God decided to put the entire nation into a higher level of chastening. When you read the whole book of Habakkuk, you will know that indeed the wicked ones were destroyed as what Habakkuk would like to happen, but aside from that, the righteous ones also experienced a great chastening in a foreign land as slaves of a people who worship not the true God. And after so many years in a foreign land, they realized their sin and repented and humbled themselves before the true God and emerged from their chastening with a renewed reverence and deep longing for their God and their homeland.

In Iraq, besides violence and so many sufferings, what things not obvious can you notice that are also happening? Are we limited only to what we set as clear benchmarks? Is God still in control? How will you consider the answers to the following questions?

So far, how much is this war costing the "invading coalition", and what are the effects on them?
So far, how much is this war costing the "opposing coalition", and what are the effects on them?
So far, how much is this war costing the Iraqi people, and what are the effects on them?

What are the strengths and weaknesses exposed by this war (especially on the spiritual aspects of the nations)?

Look among the nations, so far what are the effects of this war that are not apparent? Can it be made to cease by one coalition's withdrawal of forces? Can it be won? Who will win? How long will it take?

Nations suffer when God's protective grace works chastening because of sin brought about by overwhelming unrighteousness and wickedness of its people. Consider the following verses:

Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). God doesn't show favoritism; but in every nation who fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him (Acts 10:34-35). But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can't rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked (Isaiah 57:20-21).

If there is a will, there is a way. But what will, and what way? Whose will, and whose way? Is it not supposed to be God's will and His way? If so, what are we supposed to do then? We who claim to believe in God, do we claim also to be doing something? Look around your immediate surrounding; is there something you observe that God might want you to act upon? God desires righteousness; are we indifferent about it? Are we really praying for our respective nations and for the nations of the world? What do we pray about it? To an ordinary citizen of this world, you can do nothing more that will bring positive results about the situation in the Middle East than to pray. If you truly love God you are highly expected to be a maker of positive difference to the world. Listen to the following verse:

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:47-48)

Things in Iraq may seem to look like a structure of cards but in time the world will see how God will turn it into a tower of solid bricks. God had reserved many leaders; for it will take leaders upon leaders to build it. Every leader is given just enough amount of burden in his own appointed season. Therefore, a leader should not take up other burdens that the Lord had assigned for other leaders to accomplish. Let him focus only to what the Lord has tasked him to do. Let him prepare the things that the next leader will need to accomplish his own tasks. Consider and learn how king David prepared the things that his son Solomon will need in building the Lord's temple.

With a new leadership, will the league of nations continue to be a fence sitter?

How Free Is Free?

by Charles F. Stanley

What does it mean that Christ died to set you free? Do you ever feel like one of the least-free people in the world? Do you find yourself working to gain God’s acceptance, trapped by your own expectations of how religious you should be? All too often, believers feel compelled to serve God in order to earn His love and favor.

Often this is the result of a theological error they have been taught since childhood. “You better be good or else.” On other occasions it stems from growing up in a home where parental acceptance depended on their behavior. “Be a good girl, and daddy will love you.” This pattern of thinking can become so entrenched that adults will work themselves into the grave in an attempt to prove they were not a failure to their parents. I have met men who were driven by a desire to gain their father’s approval long after their father had passed away.

When this system of performance-based acceptance is transferred to out heavenly Father, the result is legalism. Legalism is an attitude. It is a system of thinking in which an individual attempts to gain God’s love and acceptance through good works or service. Some people sincerely believe their salvation is at stake. For others, it’s a vague feeling of divine disapproval of which they are trying to rid themselves. Either way, legalism always leads to the same dead end: a lack of joy, a critical spirit and an inability to be transparent.

Freedom from legalism comes through accepting the truth about our favored position in the family of God. Those who have put their trust in Christ have been adopted into His family (Romans 8:16-17).

There is no concept that speaks any clearer of God’s acceptance than this picture of adoption. Whereas a pregnancy can come as a surprise, adoption is always something that is premeditated and planned. While you and I were still without hope, God set the stage to adopt us into his family: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Your heavenly Father loved you unconditionally––before you did anything that could win His approval.

You’re probably so familiar with this concept of God loving you that you might have become a bit numb to it. Do you realize it means that God actually likes you? If He were to show up in bodily form, do you think He would seek you out? Would you be someone He would enjoy being around?

Isn’t it strange how much more comfortable we are with the concept of love than with the concept of like when it comes to God’s feelings towards us? Why do you think that’s true? Many believers have not come to grips with the real extent to which God has forgiven us. Consequently, we live with a subtle sense of condemnation. We say we are forgiven, but in our hearts we are never fully convinced that God isn’t still a little angry with us or a little disappointed in our service.

The truth is, the Cross dealt with every reason God had for being displeased with us. Our forgiveness is so complete that God is not only free to love us, He can like us as well. Think about this: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). If you have placed your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, the Bible says you are positionally in Christ. And once you were placed into Christ, you were separated from the guilt that once brought divine condemnation. You are not condemned. Jesus was condemned on your behalf, and now you are free!

“But why don’t I feel forgiven?” you ask. “Why don’t I feel free? Why do I feel like I have to work to earn His favor and approval?” It’s probably because you have not made up your mind to take God at His Word. Instead, because of your upbringing, personality, or environment, you have learned to measure your worthiness based your performance.

To be free from feelings of condemnation, you must renew your mind with powerful truths from the Word of God. Because you received the Father’s mercy, no further effort is required on your part. Not only are you accepted as part of His family, but He has declared you “chosen,” “holy” and “God’s own possession” (1 Peter 2:8-10).

You can let go of your exhausting efforts to “be good” to win God’s approval. You can say good-bye to your martyr’s attitude about your service for the Lord. You can stop criticizing those who do not work with the same fervor as you.

When you are completely resting in the finished work of Christ, you don’t doubt your total acceptance by the Father. Jesus’ death and resurrection settled the question of your acceptability once and for all. It provided you with an eternal place in the family of God, and allows you to call the God of the universe your Father. Lay aside your prison of condemnation, legalism and performance. Take to heart the words of Christ: “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Adapted from “A Touch of His Freedom,” by Charles F. Stanley, 1991, pp. 31 and 35.

The Anointed 'Untouchables'

By Hank Hanegraaff

During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ exhorted His followers not to judge self-righteously or hypocritically. Is this necessarily what Christians do when they question the teachings of God's "anointed" preachers and evangelists? Many teachers who claim such anointing would say so, and many more of their followers commonly reply to all manner of criticism: "Touch not God's anointed."

Some of these teachers add that such actions carry literally grave consequences. Prominent "faith" teacher Kenneth Copeland affirmed in his taped message, "Why All Are Not Healed:"

"There are people attempting to sit in judgment right today over the ministry that I'm responsible for, and the ministry that Kenneth E. Hagin is responsible for... Several people that I know had criticized and called that faith bunch out of Tulsa a cult. And some of 'em are dead, right today in an early grave because of it, and there's more than one of them got cancer."

In addition to certain "word-faith" teachers, such sentiments may be found among various groups involved with shepherding and other forms of authoritarian rule (from diverse "five-fold" ministries to a host of large and small "fringe churches"). The leaders of these groups are commonly regarded as having a unique gift and calling that entitles them to unconditional authority. To dispute any of their words or deeds is not distinguished from questioning God Himself.

Advocates of such authority assume that Scripture supports their view. Their key biblical proof text is Psalm 105:15: "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm" (KJV). But a close examination of this passage reveals that it has nothing to do with challenging the teachings of church leaders.

It first needs to be noted that the Old Testament phrase "the Lord's anointed" is typically used to refer to the kings of Israel (1 Sam. 12:3, 5; 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16; 19:21; Ps. 20:6; Lam. 4:20), at times specifically to the royal line de-scended from David (Pss. 2:2; 18:50; 89:38, 51), and not to prophets and teachers. While the text does also mention prophets, in the context of Psalm 105 the reference is undoubtedly to the patriarchs in general (vv. 8-15; cf. 1 Chron. 16:15-22), and to Abraham (whom God called a prophet) in particular (Gen. 20:7). It is therefore debatable whether this passage can be applied to select leaders within the body of Christ.

Even if the text can be applied to certain church leaders today, in the context of this passage the words "touch" and "do harm" have to do with inflicting physical harm upon someone. Psalm 105:15 is therefore wholly irrelevant to the issue of questioning the teachings of any of God's "anointed."

Moreover, even if we accepted this misinterpretation of Psalm 105:15, how are we to know who not to "touch"; that is, who God's anointed and prophets are? Because they and their followers say they are? On such a basis we would have to accept the claims of Sun Myung Moon, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, and virtually all cult leaders to be prophets. Because they reputedly perform miracles? The Antichrist and False Prophet themselves will possess that credential (Rev. 13:13-15; 2 Thess. 2:9)! No, God's representatives are known above all by their purity of character and doctrine (Tit. 1:7-9; 2:7-8; 2 Cor. 4:2; cf. 1 Tim. 6:3-4). If a would-be spokesperson for God cannot pass the biblical tests of character and doctrine, we have no basis for accepting his or her claim, and no reason to fear that in criticizing his or her teaching we might also be rejecting God.

Finally, if any individual Christian is to be considered anointed, then so every Christian must be as well. For this is the only sense in which the term is used (apart from Christ) in the New Testament: "You [referring to all. believers] have an anointing from the Holy One" (1 John 2:20, NIV). Thus, no believer can justifiably claim any special status as God's "untouchable anointed" over other believers.

Nobody's teachings or practices are beyond biblical judgment - especially influential leaders. Biblically, authority and accountability go hand in hand (e.g., Luke 12:48). The greater the responsibility one holds, the greater the accountability one has before God and His people.

Teachers should be extremely careful not to mislead any believer, for their calling carries with it a strict judgment (James 3:1). They should therefore be grateful when sincere Christians take the time to correct whatever erroneous doctrine they may be preaching to the masses. And should the criticisms be unfounded they should respond in the manner prescribed by Scripture: to correct misguided doctrinal opposition with gentle instruction (2 Tim. 2:25).

There is of course another side to this issue: criticism often can be sinful, leading to rebellion and unnecessary division. Christians should respect the leaders that God has given them (Heb. 13:17). Theirs is the task of assisting the church in its spiritual growth and doctrinal understanding (Eph. 4:11-16). At the same time believers should be aware that false teachers will arise among the Christian fold (Acts 20:28; 2 Pet. 2:1). This makes it imperative for us to test all things by Scripture, as the Bereans were commended for doing when they examined the words of the apostle Paul (Acts 17:11).

The Bible is useful not only for preaching, teaching, and encouragement, but for correcting and rebuking (2 Tim. 4:2). In fact, Christians are held accountable for proclaiming the whole will of God and warning others of false teachings and teachers (Acts 20:26-28; cf. Ezek. 33:7-9; 34:1-10).

We would do well to heed Scripture's repeated warnings to be on guard for false teachings (e.g., Rom. 16:17-18; cf. 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 4:16; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; Tit. 1:9; 2:1), and to point them out to believers (2 Tim. 4:6). With so much scriptural support, such actions can hardly be considered unbiblical.