Death Sentence Given to Iranian Pastor - Please Pray!

Pray for Iranian Pastor Youcef Who is Sentenced to Death for His Faith

Friday February 24 2012 09:00 AM | Posted by persecution

Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was recently sentenced to death by the Iranian government for refusing to recant his Christian belief. He has been in prison for two years now for his faith and outspokenness against Islam. Pastor Youcef was born a Muslim but converted to Christianity at the age of 19. The global community, including the United States, has raised their objections and concerns towards Iran for this sentence. The video below is of Fox News discussing the background of the case as well as the response from different countries and leaders around the world. Please pray for Pastor Youcef, his wife, and two children as they face this death sentence. Also pray that Iran may have a change in heart. Finally, whatever the outcome of this case, pray that God's love and glory is proclaimed and His kingdom is furthered throughout the Earth.

http://www.persecution.org

The Shameful Social Gospel

Just my take...
by Judie

Ahhh, the "social gospel"...should true believers have any part in such a movement?

Many would think or say, "well, what harm can it do, after all Christians should make a difference in this world shouldn't they?" To which I would respond, ABSOLUTELY! But exactly what difference are we as believers called to make? This is where I think the issue starts to get a bit convoluted in christendom.

The only answer I care to discuss here is what the BIBLE says on the subject...

Considering the teachings of Jesus, what I conclude is that although we should indeed meet the needs of our fellow human beings if and when we can, we certainly should not make that endeavor our primary "focus" or calling in life.

Simply put, the Lord NEVER called His people to "fix" this present world with all it's unfortunate woes, but rather to REACH those who don't yet know Him and teach them the ways of truth.

The commission of Mt.28:19,20 is quite clear on this - "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

In my view, there is no confusion whatsoever as to what the Church should be spending their time and efforts doing. As Jesus said, His Kingdom is not of this world - so tell me, why should we as His people be attempting to build His Kingdom in this present world? Makes no sense.

Let's consider for a minute what our relationship to this world should be...the admonition in Colossians 3 tells us to "NOT put our affections in the things on this earth but to seek those things which are above". In James 4:4, and 1 John, we are told to "NOT love this world or be a friend to it".

Another important consideration is that Jesus clearly said that where our treasure is there our hearts would be also. Needless to say, it seems pretty clear that our ultimate hope should not be in this present world since we who belong to Christ are just strangers and pilgrims passing through on our way to our REAL home.

So, I really have to wonder where all the confusion on this issue is coming from. Does scripture not make it clear enough that we are to be about our "father's business"? And do we not realize that His business is surely not about picketing or lobbying for our many "rights" and comforts? Nor is it about making the doing of GOOD WORKS and "changing society" our primary focus. Neither Jesus or the disciples ever pursued such things, so why should we? As the writer of the article below accurately states - "the root of the problems in our world is SIN".  I wholeheartedly agree.

Now, if SIN is indeed the problem, and it is, then there is really only one solution...SALVATION. The salvation of souls is the primary mission Jesus gave to the Church. He didn't call us to "moralize" or "politicize", he called us to EVANGELIZE! This is why it's so crucial that we believers don't allow ourselves to become DISTRACTED with all the "good things" we can do in this world...good things that oftentimes cause us to neglect our true calling and mission. Remember, Jesus never said to feed the world, He said to feed His sheep. He also said, that if we seek to save our lives in this world, we'll lose them.

Now don't get me wrong, I fully realize that doing good things has a significant place in the life of the believer, but I also realize that it should never take precedence over sharing the truth of God's Word to reach souls. It's noteworthy to also point out that we should never compromise our principals or the truth of the Gospel for the sake of getting together with others to DO "good things"...never!

That said, I think it's safe to say that we'd all be wise to check our priorities and ask ourselves exactly WHAT and WHO we are building for? Are we building on the solid rock - Jesus Christ - resting in HIS righteousness and seeking HIS Kingdom? Or is the foundation of our faith and life set more on the shifting sinking sands of this evil present world with all it's coveted creature comforts?

In closing, my prayer is that we'll ignore all the constant distractions coming our way, both good and bad, and get back to sharing the TRUE Gospel message that alone can save, heal, and change the hearts of men. The message of the GRACE of God and His finished work on the CROSS - this is the help and hope that the world so desperately needs. It is also the greatest and most precious gift the true believer can give to a sin-sick dying world that's in dire need of life-giving TRUTH and godly direction.

Saints, there's much work to do - let's be about our Father's business, He's counting on us to truly make a difference...the RIGHT difference...and the only one that will count for time and eternity!

Come soon Lord Jesus!

Hope you enjoy the article below.

In His love,

Judie <><


The Shameful Social Gospel
by T.A. McMahon

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Romans:1:16

For various reasons, Christians of different sorts have tinkered with "the gospel of Christ" as though it needed adjustments. Not major alterations, most will tell you, but just some minor tweaking here and there. The changes often begin by one's declaring that there is no real change involved, simply a shift in emphasis. Yet, no matter what the rationale may be, the end result is being "ashamed of the gospel of Christ."

To be "ashamed of the gospel" covers a number of attitudes from being totally embarrassed by it to thinking one can improve upon it a bit to make it more acceptable. One example of the former is the recent claim by an Emerging Church author that the teaching regarding Christ's paying the full penalty for the sins of mankind through His substitutionary death on the Cross is irrelevant and viewed as "a form of cosmic child abuse." More subtle examples include trying to make the gospel seem less exclusive, and the "softening" of the consequences from which the gospel saves mankind, such as the wrath of God and the Lake of Fire.

Prevalent among many religious leaders who profess to be evangelical Christians (i.e., Bible-believing Christians) is the promotion of a gospel that is acceptable to, and even admired by, people throughout the world. Today, the most popular form of this is the social gospel.

Although the social gospel is common to many new movements among evangelicals, it is not new to Christendom. It had its modern beginning in the late 1800s, when it developed as a way to address the various conditions in society that caused suffering among the populace. The belief was, and is, that Christianity will attract followers when it demonstrates its love for mankind. This could be best accomplished by helping to alleviate the suffering of humanity caused by poverty, disease, oppressive work conditions, society's injustices, civil rights abuses, etc. Those who fostered this movement also believed that relief from their conditions of misery would improve the moral nature of those so deprived.

Another driving force behind the introduction of the social gospel was the eschatological, or end times, views of those involved. Nearly all were amillennialists or post-millennialists. The former believed that they were living in a (symbolic thousand-year) time period in which Christ was ruling from heaven, Satan was bound, and they were God's workers appointed to bring about a kingdom on earth worthy of Christ. Post-millennialists also believed they were in the Millennium, and their goal was to restore the earth to its Eden-like state in order for Christ to return from Heaven to rule over His earthly kingdom.

The social gospel, in all of its assorted applications, helped to produce some achievements (child labor laws and women's suffrage) that have contributed to the welfare of society. It became the primary gospel of liberal theologians and mainline denominations throughout the 20th century. Although its popularity alternately rose and fell as it ran its course, it was often energized by the combination of religion and liberal politics, e.g., Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. Midway through the last century and later, the social gospel influenced developments such as the liberation theology of Roman Catholicism and the socialism of left-leaning evangelical Christians. It is in this present century, however, that the social gospel has gotten its most extensive promotion. Two men, both professing to be evangelicals, have led the way.

George W. Bush began his presidency by instituting the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. His objective was to provide government funding for local churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious ministries that were providing a social service to their community. Bush believed that programs run by "people of faith" could be at least as effective as secular organizations in helping the needy, and perhaps more so because of their moral commitment to "love and serve their neighbor." As he prepares to leave office, he has declared that he considers his Faith-Based program to be one of the foremost achievements in his tenure as president. Presidential candidate Barack Obama stated that, should he win the election, he will continue the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Rick Warren, the mega-selling author of The Purpose-Driven Church and The Purpose-Driven Life , has taken the social gospel to where it's never been before: not only worldwide but into the thinking and planning of world leaders. Warren credits business management genius Peter Drucker with the basic concept that he is executing. Drucker believed that the social problems of poverty, disease, hunger, and ignorance were beyond the capability of governments or multinational corporations to solve. To Drucker, the most hopeful solution would be found in the nonprofit sector of society, especially churches, with their hosts of volunteers dedicated to alleviating the social ills of those in their community.

Warren, acknowledging the late Drucker as his mentor for 20 years, certainly learned his lessons. His two Purpose-Driven books, translated into 57 languages and selling a combined 30 million copies, reveal the game plan for what Drucker had envisioned. Warren had local churches implement this vision from his books through his enormously popular 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community programs. To date, 500,000 churches in 162 nations have become part of his network. They form the basis for his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

What is his P.E.A.C.E. plan? Warren's presentation of the plan to the church is found at www.thepeaceplan.com. On video, he identifies the "giants" of humanity's ills as spiritual emptiness, self-centered leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy, which he hopes to eradicate by (P)lanting churches, (E)quipping leaders, (A)ssisting the poor, (C)aring for the sick, and (E)ducating the next generation.

Warren uses the analogy of a three-legged stool to illustrate the best way to slay these giants. Two of the legs are governments and business, which have thus far been ineffective, and, just like a two-legged stool, cannot stand. The third very necessary leg is the church. "There are thousands of villages in the world that have no school, no clinic, no business, no government—but they have a church. What would happen if we could mobilize churches to address those five global giants?" Warren reasons that since there are 2.3 billion Christians worldwide, they could potentially form what President Bush has termed a vast "army of compassion" of "people of faith" such as the world has not yet experienced.

In addition to the Christian version , Warren has an expanded inclusive version of the P.E.A.C.E. plan that has drawn support and praise from political and religious leaders and celebrities worldwide. At the 2008 World Economic Forum, he declared, "The future of the world is not secularism, but religious pluralism...." Referring to the ills besetting the world, he declared, "We cannot solve these problems without involving people of faith and their religious institutions. It isn't going to happen any other way. On this planet there are about 20 million Jews, there are about 600 million Buddhists, there are about 800 million Hindus, there are over 1 billion Muslims, and there are 2.3 billion Christians. If you take people of faith out of the equation, you have ruled out five-sixths of the world. And if we only leave it up to secular people to solve these major problems, it isn't going to happen" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGytW4yh0C8 ).

To accommodate working with people of all faiths Warren has revised the "P" in his P.E.A.C.E. from "planting evangelical churches" to "(P)romoting reconciliation" and the "E" from "equipping [church] leaders" to "(E)quipping ethical leaders." Warren has elsewhere acknowledged his practical shift to pluralism: "Who's the man of peace in any village—or it might be a woman of peace—who has the most respect?...They don't have to be Christian. In fact, they could be Muslim, but they're open and they're influential, and you work with them to attack the five giants [to which he has added global warming]." He quotes a secular leader who affirms what he's doing: "I get it, Rick. Houses of worship are the distribution centers for all we need to do."

Warren has joined the advisory board of Faith Foundation, established by former British prime minister and recent Roman Catholic convert Tony Blair. The Foundation's goal is to further understanding and cooperation among the six leading faiths: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish. How does the Cross fit into this ecumenical gathering? It doesn't. Critical to achieving that ecumenical goal is the elimination of the problem of exclusive religions, a concern articulated by one of the World Economic Forum panelists: "There are some religious leaders in different religious faiths who, in seeking to affirm their own faith and its authenticity and legitimacy...deny other people their faith with its legitimacy and authenticity. I don't think we can keep going like this without...spawning the kind of hatred we are all here to try and solve. I think it's up to us to hold the clergy's feet to the fire of whatever faith. That we insist that we affirm what is beautiful in our own traditions while at the same time refusing to denigrate other faith traditions by suggesting that they are illegitimate, or consigned to some kind of evil end."

The Bible declares all the religions of the world to be "illegitimate" and "consigned" not to "some kind of evil end" but to their just end. Only belief in the biblical gospel saves humanity: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved;...He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Acts:4:12; John:3:36).

The history of the social gospel is, in nearly every case, a sincere attempt by Christians to do those things that they believe will honor God and benefit humanity. In every case, however, the practical working out of "benefiting humanity" has compromised biblical faith and dishonored God. Why is that? God's Word gives no commission to the church to fix the problems of the world. Those who attempt to do so are starting out under a false premise, "...a way which seemeth right unto a man ," not God's way. So where can it go from there? "The end thereof are the ways of death," i.e., destruction (Proverbs:14:12). Furthermore, the problems of the world are all symptoms . The root cause is sin.

What percentage of the "people of faith," who comprise all religions and make up five-sixths of the world's population, understand and accept the gospel—the only cure for sin? Or how many of the 2.3 billion "Christians" in the world believe the biblical gospel? The numbers tumble down exponentially. "Yes, but...they are a massive volunteer force and distribution outlet of resources for slaying the giants of world suffering!" What does it profit the billions of "people of faith" who may alleviate some of the world's symptoms yet lose their very souls?

The social gospel is a deadly disease for "people of faith." It reinforces the belief that salvation can be attained by doing good works, putting aside differences for the common good, treating others the way we want to be treated, acting morally, ethically, and sacrificially—and that doing so will endear humans to God. No. These are self-deceptive strivings that spurn God's salvation, deny His perfect standard, and reject His perfect justice. Salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast." In fact, it is "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians:2:8-9).

Jesus declared Himself to be condemned humanity's only hope for reconciliation with God: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John:14:6). There is no other way, because God's perfect justice demanded that the penalty for sin for every human ("for all have sinned"-Romans:3:23) be paid. Only the perfect, sinless God-Man could and did pay that infinite penalty in full by His death upon the Cross. Only faith in Him reconciles a person with God.

The shameful social gospel today not only promotes "another gospel," it helps prepare a kingdom contrary to the teachings of Scripture. "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). He will return from heaven (John:14:3) to "rapture," or catch, those who believe in Him (His bride) up into the clouds and take them to heaven (1 Thessalonians:4:17). The kingdom that remains on the earth will be the kingdom of the Antichrist.

Consistent with its amillennial/postmillennial beginnings, the efforts of the social gospel are earthbound in their attempted restoration of the kingdom of God. Eugene Peterson has infiltrated that heresy into his Message Bible: "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again" (a perversion of John:3:17).

Rob Bell, in his book Velvet Elvis , reflects the "fix the earth" eschatology of nearly all Emerging Church leaders: "Salvation is the entire universe being brought back into harmony with its maker. This has huge implications for how people present the message of Jesus. Yes, Jesus can come into our hearts. But we can join a movement that is as wide and as big as the universe itself. Rocks and trees and birds and swamps and ecosystems. God's desire is to restore all of it....The goal isn't escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work."

For Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren, this is the future way of life for the Christian. In an interview July 28, 2008, on ChristianPost.com , he said: "I think our future will also require us to join humbly and charitably with people of other faiths—Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, secularists, and others—in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship, and justice for all people, things that matter greatly to the heart of God." No, what matters to the "heart of God" is "that all should come to repentance" and believe the gospel.

Anyone who puts his hope in this social gospel, which employs "people of faith" to make "this world the kind of place God can come to," needs to heed the words of Jesus in Luke:18:8: "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" People of all faiths , yes, but certainly not " the faith," for which Jude exhorts true believers to earnestly contend. Lord, help us all not to be ashamed of Your gospel! TBC

Christian Conference Planned for Uniting Churches

"One Conference" to host Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie and others
February 8, 2012

Pastors, artists and other Christian leaders will join this weekend at the University of Miami for the One Conference, three days of rallies, music and motivation to affect South Florida for the faith.

With megachurch pastors such as Brian Houston and Greg Laurie, the conference is set for Feb. 10-12 at UM's Bank United Center in Coral Gables.

They’ll tackle dire issues like human trafficking, fresh water for Haiti, Bibles for "unreached" people groups and how to respond to crises. But first importance will go to simple unity.

"We're all different, but we're of the same substance," says Pastor Bob Coy of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, who will be one of the 15 scheduled conference speakers. "Anytime pastors get together, that’s good. Translating it into partnerships is difficult. But it's healthy to get to know each other."
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Franklin Graham, another of the planned speakers, agrees.

"The churches are fragmented; everybody gets into their own niches," says Graham, who runs the Samaritan's Purse charity and the evangelistic organization of his father, Billy Graham. "We need to get them inspired, excited about the Word of God. The gospel changes lives instantly."

Besides Coy and Graham, the planned speakers include:

The Rev. Pedro Garcia, the host pastor and spiritual leader of Calvary Chapel Kendall. Garcia, who became a Christian believer in 1996 at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, is the founder of LIFE Radio (90.9-FM), which broadcasts to Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys.

Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and founder of Harvest Crusades. Laurie led a crusade in Fort Lauderdale in 1995 and spoke at a Promise Keepers rally in Miami two years later.

Scott Harrison, founder of the nonprofit organization charity:water. His group has funded more than 3,800 water projects, providing more than 1.7 million people with clean drinking water.

Brian Houston, founder and pastor of Hillsong Church, which includes congregations in Sydney, London, Capetown, Paris, Stockholm and elsewhere.

Rich Wilkerson Jr., who runs a gathering in Miami called Vous. His ministry aims to infuse the gospel in music, teaching and the arts.

Musicians will include Hillsong United, a praise and worship band from Australia; Dominic Balli, a “CaliRockReggae” singer from Oxnard, Calif., and the Rebel Band, an edgy group from Miami.

The conference is being promoted with a splashy website loaded with flamboyant clipart and a video, plus bios on the invited speakers and musicians.

Garcia's wife, Lourdes, is serving as "cause coordinator" for the One Conference. She cites an estimate that 27 million people are enslaved worldwide and 100,000 American children are trafficked for commercial sex annually.

"Because Florida is a crossroads of the region, human slavery is a massive problem that many people are unaware of," she says in a statement. "We want to change that."

No one is predicting turnout, but the BankUnited Center has 8,000 seats. The Garcias say they want to make the One Conference an annual event.

Coy, of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, likes the idea. He mentions work in Broward County -- like the fostering agency 4Kids -- that has been achieved by church partnerships.

"God promised that where brothers dwell in unity, he will command a blessing," he says.

Source

What Mormonism Teaches

Islam - What You Should Know

Islam’s Peace
by Dave Hunt

That Islam is “peace and tolerance” is the most popular lie in the world today. Intellectuals in the West who defame Christ parrot the most fatuous praise of Muhammad, in spite of his legacy of murder, pillage and rape. A Sesame Street-type Arabic TV program features children training to be suicide bombers and chanting “Death to Israel”—for peace, of course. Reporter Ann Coulter suggests, “Inasmuch as liberals are demanding that Americans ritualistically proclaim, ‘Islam is a religion of peace,’ Muslims might do their part by not killing people all the time.” 1

That our leaders promote this lie, and that so many believe it without one fact to support it, bodes ill for America and the world. We only ask Muslims for one example of where and when Islam ever brought peace and tolerance—and please don’t threaten us with death (the standard Islamic persuasion) for asking!

Never forget that Muslims slaughtered and conquered “for Allah” from Spain to China. These Arab conquests ( defensive battles, they claim) were “more rapid than the Roman, more lasting than the Mongol...the most amazing feat in military history.” 2

Islam’s founder, Muhammad, began his career attacking rich caravans passing near his base in Medina. The first three assaults failed. The fourth succeeded because the victims were surprised by an ambush during Ramadan. Arab tribes had long refrained from aggression in that “holy month.” Muhammad, however, had received a “revelation” authorizing plunder and murder in Allah’s name during this special time of peace (Surah 2:217). Another absolved the Muslims of killing: “Ye slew them not, but Allah slew them” (Surah 8:17).

Most Muslims don’t realize that in observing Ramadan and the annual pilgrimage ( hajj ) to Mecca, they follow what pagan Arabs practiced for centuries before Muhammad was born (see TBC Feb ’00 ). Had President Bush known the truth instead of the misinformation fed to him by Cleveland State University law professor David F. Forte,3 he might not have hosted a White House dinner honoring “the holy month Ramadan,” nor flattered Muslims saying “all the world continues to benefit from this faith and its achievements.” Benefit?

Challenged to do miracles like Christ, Muhammad could do none. On March 16, 624, near Badr, he led 300 warriors in a vicious attack against a large Meccan caravan protected by a force of 800. Some 40 Meccans were killed and 60 taken prisoner to a loss of only 14 Muslims. This amazing victory was seen as the attesting miracle Muhammad needed. As a result, the ranks of Muslims swelled with those eager to share in future plunder.

Having proved himself the prophet of Allah with the sword, Muhammad sealed his apostleship with more than twenty murders, beginning with al-Nadr, an old enemy from Mecca. Taken captive in the battle at Badr, he pleaded that the Meccan Qur’aish tribe would never kill captives. Muhammad had him beheaded anyway, justifying the deed with another “revelation”: “It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he hath made slaughter in the land” (Surah 8:67).

Much of the growing Muslim wealth came from robbing and killing Jews, causing “the disappearance of these Jewish communities from Arabia proper”4—justified by a further “revelation” (Surah 33:26,27). To this day, by law no Jew may set foot in Saudi Arabia.

A number of poets were murdered at Muhammad’s behest for having mocked him in verse. The first was the poetess Asma bint Marwan, stabbed to death by Umayr while she was nursing her youngest child. The poet Abu Afak (reportedly more than 100 years old) was murdered next. Then came the Jewish poet Ka’b bin al-Ashraf. A timely “revelation” said all poets were inspired of Satan (Surah 26:221-227).

Does it bother today’s Muslims that murder, rape, plunder and slavery of innocent people were the accepted way of life upon which Islam was founded and still operates? Apparently not. Ka’b’s murder (the account slanted with fictitious details) is justified on a popular Muslim web site, revealing Islam’s peculiar meaning of “peace” and “justice”:

Ka’b had become a real danger to the state of peace and mutual trust which the Prophet was struggling to achieve in Madinah....The Prophet was quite exasperated with him....This was all part of the great process ...which helped to make Islam spread and establish it on foundations of justice and piety .5 [Emphasis added]

Christ left Christians “an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not...[but] bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness...” (1 Pt 2:21-24). But the Muslim must follow the example of Muhammad who killed all who dared to disagree with him!

A Christian must “know” God (Jer:9:24But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.; Jn:17:3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.), “love” God with all his heart (Deut 6:5; Mat:22:37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind., etc.) and “believe” in Christ in his heart (Acts:8:37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.; Rom:10:9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.). The God of the Bible wants man’s trust and affection without coercion.

In contrast, Allah can be neither known nor loved. Nor does one even have to believe to become a Muslim. Under threat of death, one merely recites aloud, “There is no ila (god) but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” This “conversion without faith” was established when Abu Sufyan, a Qur’aish leader, upon surrendering Mecca in 630 to Muhammad and his superior army, admitted that he doubted the latter’s prophethood. He was warned, “‘Accept Islam and testify that Muhammad is the apostle of Allah before your neck is cut off by the sword.’ Thus [without believing] he professed the faith of Islam and became a Muslim.”6 This pattern is followed today: confess or die!

Upon Muhammad’s death in A.D. 632, many Arabs attempted to abandon Islam. Abu Bakr (the first caliph to succeed Muhammad) and his warriors in the infamous Wars of Apostasy killed tens of thousands of ex-Muslims, forcing Arabia back into Islam. Muhammad had commanded, “Whoever relinquishes his faith, kill him.” Islam is still enforced this way under shari’a (Islamic law) in Saudi Arabia and wherever Muslims are able to do so. This is peace and tolerance ?!

The Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights was announced at the International Conference on the Prophet Muhammad and his Message held in London in April 1980. It declares, “Islam gave to mankind an ideal code of human rights fourteen centuries ago...based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah [teachings and practice of Muhammad]....” Human rights? What deceit!

Abu Bakr was succeeded as caliph by Umar Abu Hafsa. His armies took Damascus in 635, Antioch in 636, Jerusalem in 638, Syria in 640, Egypt and Persia in 641. Entire cities were massacred, such as Behnesa, Fayum, Nikiu and Aboit in Egypt, Tripoli in North Africa and Euchaita in Armenia. Carthage was razed to the ground. In 644, Umar was murdered.

Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph, consolidated and expanded the growing Islamic empire. A son-in-law of Muhammad, he standardized the Qur’an, burning all rival copies over protests of those still alive who remembered different readings and missing verses. Among these was Muhammad’s favorite wife Aisha who, by the way, never veiled her face. Uthman, too, was murdered by a rival Muslim faction. Prevented from being buried in a Muslim cemetery, he was buried at night by friends, ironically, in a Jewish cemetery.

Islam divides the world into dar al-Islam (the house of peace) and dar al-Harb (the house of war). To bring “peace,” Allah commands, “I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads! (8:13); Slay the idolaters wherever you find them...(9:5); O Prophet, struggle with the unbelievers and hypocrites and be thou harsh with them...(9:73); Believers, make war on the infidels that dwell around you...” (9:123). Perpetual jihad is commanded until all the world is under shari’a . Nor would that bring peace, because Muslims fight among themselves, as history testifies.

The fourth and last of the “rightly guided” caliphs was Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. Accused of complicity in Uthman’s murder, he never fully established his rule. Aisha supported a rebellion against him, resulting in the Battle of the Camel in which 10,000 were killed. Ali won, but was murdered in 661.

Wars of succession pitted Qur’aish against Bedouins, Umayyads against the Hashimite followers of Ali, etc. Most of Ali’s family were killed by rival Muslims in 680. Mecca was besieged by troops of Yezid, an Umayyad; the Ka’aba (later restored) was burned to the ground, its Black Stone split into three pieces. Mecca was taken in 692 by Abd-al-Malik (who in 691 had built the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem to replace the Ka’aba). He united Muslims once again by force and Islam continued its conquests.

In 712, Muslim raiders under Muhammad Qasun began the invasion of India, demolishing temples and palaces and massacring, as in Constantinople, where the streets ran with blood. “The massacres perpetrated by Muslims in India are unparalleled in history, bigger in sheer numbers than the Holocaust....”7 But Islam is “peace!”

The Umayyad caliphate ruled the Muslim world until 749 when all of the Umayyads were murdered by the rival Abbasids, except one survivor, abd-al-Rahman, who fled to Spain where he established an independent caliphate. Thus began the Abbasid caliphate, which lasted until 1258 in spite of intrigue, assassinations and uprisings—all peaceful, of course.

The double-cross and murder of Muslims at the hands of Muslims continues to this day. Scarcely a Muslim regime is not ruled by a dictator who seized power from other Muslims, as in Syria and Iraq. The ten-year revolution in Algeria has cost 100,000 lives. In Afghanistan, rival Muslim warlords fight one another. “Infidels” have to intervene there as in the Gulf, to enforce peace among “peaceful” Muslims.

Muslims loyal to the murdered Ali and his sons are called Shi’ites (the majority in Iran). The others are called Sunnis and comprise the majority elsewhere. These two factions have long demonstrated that “Islam is peace” by fighting one another, as in the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq when more people were killed than in World War I.

Muslim conquests involving multiple massacres of literally millions continued for more than 1,300 years. Under the Abbasids the Islamic empire reached its zenith of power, prosperity and learning.

In Spain (to which Muslims point as an example of their tolerance) the garrison of Muez was slaughtered in 920; Pamplona was put to the sword in 923; then Cordova, Zaragoza and Mereda, with all adult males killed and women and children enslaved. The Jews of Granada were butchered in 1066, 34 years after 6,000 Jews had been slaughtered in Fez, Morocco. In 1146, Islamic Fez was put to the sword by rival Muslims, the Almohads, who conquered much of North Africa after annihilating the Almoravides (another Muslim faction) with about 100,000 massacred, another 120,000 killed in Marrakesh, and similar slaughters elsewhere—all gestures of “peace.”

The 400-year rule of the Ottoman Turks saw forced kidnappings of young boys into Islam and slavery, causing parents to mutilate children to make them undesirable. Under the Ottomans, being Greek, Armenian, Serb or any other non-Muslim was to live in daily fear of murder, rape, torture, genocide. To this day, Serbs and Bulgarians loathe Turks and Bosnians.

When Sultan Murad III died, his son Muhammad had all nineteen of his brothers murdered and the seven of his father’s concubines who were pregnant sewn into sacks and thrown into the sea. The successor of Murad IV had all 300 women in his harem sewn into sacks and thrown into the Bosphorus. Like so many other Muslim leaders, he was murdered—peacefully.

The persecution of Jews in Roman Catholic Europe was mild compared to what Ottoman Christians endured for four centuries. More than a million Armenians were slaughtered in the last decades of the nineteenth and the first of the twentieth centuries, as well as many thousands of Jews, Greeks, Assyrians, Lebanese, et al. Tragically, the oppression and bloodshed were often condoned by Western powers, particularly England and at times America. In the great 1915 genocide, “women came with butcher knives [to] gain that merit in Allah’s eyes that comes from killing a Christian.”8 The destruction of Smyrna in September 1922 with the deliberate massacre of nearly 300,000 inhabitants is another example of Islamic “peace.” English, American, Italian and French battleships anchored in the harbor repelled fleeing victims who swam out to them for help.9

The popular “explanation” that Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are not Muslims, but fanatics, is a rebuke to the Qur’an, to Muhammad, and to Islam itself. As Trifkovic writes (p. 127), “Thirteen centuries of...suffering and death of countless millions, have been covered by the myth of Islamic ‘tolerance’....” The West winks at the blatant denial of basic human rights and support of terrorism by Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries—even favors Islamic terrorists in Chechnya, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kashmir, Kosovo, Macedonia, Sudan and East Timor.

Our politically correct delusion is leading to disaster. Tragically, the gospel is kept from Islamic countries by the failure of Western governments to admit and confront the truth about Islam. Please continue to inform yourselves, to protest to our leaders, to pray for God’s intervention, and to be witnesses for Christ to Muslims in our country. TBC

Endnotes
1. www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter.html.
2. Will Durant, The Story of Civilization (Simon and Schuster, 1950), IV: 188.
3. Imprimis (Oct 2002), 2-6; Serge Trifkovic, The Sword of the Prophet: The Politically Incorrect
Guide to Islam (Regina Orthodox Press, 2002), 83-84.
4. W. N. Arafat, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1976, 100-107.
5. www.islam101.com/people/companions/maslamah.html.
6. Cf. Ibn Hisham, part 4 of his Biography of the Prophet, cited in Trifkovic, Sword, 48.
7. Trifkovic, Sword, 112.
8. Michael J. Arlen, Passage to Ararat (Ruminator Books, 2002), 224.
9. Nicholas Gage, Greek Fire (Alfred A. Knopf, 2000), cited in Trifkovic, 125.

True Christianity = Relationship NOT Religion

By the author of the video: A poem I wrote to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion. In the scriptures Jesus received the most opposition from the most religious people of his day. At it's core Jesus' gospel and the good news of the Cross is in pure opposition to self- righteousness/self-justification. Religion is man centered, Jesus is God-centered. This poem highlights my journey to discover this truth. Religion either ends in pride or despair. Pride because you make a list and can do it and act better than everyone, or despair because you can't do your own list of rules and feel "not good enough" for God. With Jesus though you have humble confident joy because He represents you, you don't represent yourself and His sacrifice is perfect putting us in perfect standing with God!

This video succinctly shares the true Gospel of Christ...sadly, much of the church IS religious, and consequently, absolutely missing the simple message of God's wonderful grace. Many are still stuck in law and legalism seeking to establish their "own righteousness" instead of trusting in Christ's all sufficient FINISHED work on the cross. Truly it IS all about what JESUS has done, NOT anything we can do - AMEN to that! Good message - I wholeheartedly agree with this brother, and I must say, I hate religion too!!!
Judie <><

Countering the Counter Reformation in the Midst of Evangelical Christianity

Commentary by Roger Oakland

While I am sometimes accused of being a “Catholic-basher,” this is not my desire, nor my intention. I have a number of Roman Catholic acquaintances, and I care for them very much. I also have a number of Evangelical and Protestant acquaintances, and I care about them equally as well. However, in both cases, if a true understanding of the Gospel according to the Scriptures is not present in their lives, then their views will not be biblical—it won’t matter what they call themselves. For the record, my desire is to follow Jesus Christ and His Word and no man, no matter who he is. Likewise, I desire my acquaintances to do the same. It is love, not hate, that motivates me to share the Gospel with them, for there is only one Gospel that truly saves.

Here is the view I promote. Saving faith hinges entirely on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not on an affiliation with a church body. To be born again is to die to the old life of living for self and sin and to be reborn of the Spirit of God when one acknowledges his inability to save himself but rather trusts in Christ alone and His death on the Cross to purchase our salvation.

Many Catholics do not realize that official Catholic teaching does not recognize the biblical Gospel of salvation by grace alone but adds to it the appendage of our merit and participation in the sacraments. By the same token, many Protestants do not realize the biblical faith that martyrs (the disciples, the reformers, etc.) lived and died for. Our hope of an eternal home in Heaven rests in Christ and Christ alone and is offered to all, who in child-like faith, receive Him.

I am not certain when I first realized that the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the Jesuits, were the root force behind the coming one-world religion. If I were pressed to come up with an original time, it would be difficult. Coming to this realization was more of a process for me. The Bible foretells the coming of the Harlot. G.S. McLean always instilled in me that the harlot was apostate Christianity. This I still believe is the proper definition.

Through writing New Wine and the Babylonian Vine, I could see that the final one-world religion will be a mix of all religions for the cause of peace. This will include a revival of ancient Babylonianism that will be rooted in the worship of creation, based on Darwinian evolution that is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism.

[T]he Roman Catholic “Mary” and the Roman Catholic “Jesus” will play [a major role] in the final delusion to prepare the world for the Antichrist. …

It was about 2000, the year before Bryce died, that I came across Pope John Paul’s agenda to promote the “New Evangelization.” This is an organized agenda to point the “faithful” and the “separated brethren” to realize that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. This program, coupled with so-called apparitions from a woman claiming to be “Mary” the mother of Jesus, seems to be the impetus behind the coming one-world religion for peace that would be headquartered in Rome.

As you will recall, I had already come to the conclusion that there is a Jesuit plan to bring the separated brethren back to the “Mother of all Churches” in other ways, particularly their “dove” (signs and wonders) plan.

Following my miraculous come-back to ministry after Bryce died, I not only finished New Wine and the Babylonian Vine but started writing the outline and then the book Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization to continue the warning during 2004. While I was writing this book, Mel Gibson suddenly became a Calvary Chapel-proclaimed saint with his Passion of the Christ. Chuck Smith viewed a portion of the film before it was released and endorsed the film. The Calvary Chapel movement jumped on the bandwagon. As would be expected, they followed “Pastor Chuck’s” leading. There were few voices against the movie. Understand The Times was one of those voices who dared speak up.

While I don’t intend to name the pastors who called me to task over my position on The Passion, let me say there were many who wanted me to keep silent. Support for the ministry of UTT dwindled. There are pastors who even part ways to this day over my stand. Mel Gibson’s Hollywood film with the Eucharistic Jesus and the evangelism that it contained became a sacred cow for Calvary Chapel. If someone spoke against it, he came under zealous attack, as if speaking against Mel Gibson’s movie was speaking against Jesus Christ Himself.

Nevertheless, the book was completed. Jim Tetlow helped me by writing an appendix, which explains that a wafer is a wafer and not literally Jesus’ flesh under the “appearance of bread” and that the Roman Catholic view of transubstantiation is not scriptural.

The book also warns about the coming lying signs and wonders that will occur associated with false appearances of the Eucharistic Jesus that are already underway. Coupled together with further lying signs and wonders, there will be appearances of an apparitional woman claiming to be “Mary” the mother of Jesus. We predicted that lying signs and wonders would impress Muslims because they have a special love for Mary—there is an entire chapter on Mary in the Koran. Most people don’t realize that.

In June of 2005, Paul Smith recommended that Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization be given out to the Calvary pastors at the annual senior pastors conference at Murrieta. As UTT did with New Wine and the Babylonian Vine, the books were donated through Calvary Distribution and handed out. In the back of the book is a commentary called “Passion Evangelism” that exposes Mel Gibson’s plan to win the world to the Eucharistic Christ.

By many accounts, the conference was deemed to be a watershed. A panel discussion one afternoon about Calvary basics ended up in a free-for-all. Greg Laurie led the way with Bob Coy in stand-up comedy. Things got serious when Greg Laurie chastised pastors for not participating in Harvest Crusades just because of his desire to be linked with Purpose Driven globalist pastor, Rick Warren. The only pastor who seemed to be in favor of studying the Bible instead of someone’s book was Mike Macintosh.

Many pastors left the meeting with a heavy heart. Mine was so heavy I decided to pack up my book table one afternoon and stay at my hotel. Later that evening while at the hotel, my cell phone started to ring. The messages were all the same sentiment: “You cannot believe what just happened!” one pastor from South Carolina cried out.

“This is heresy!” said another in an excited voice.

“What has happened to Calvary? Have we been seduced by the Jesuits?” asked another who called me. All this commotion was because [a] Calvary Chapel pastor, who was to perform the communion service at the end of the meeting, turned it into a Eucharistic-style service. …

After the conference, I wrote a letter from my heart to Chuck Smith. I expressed my deep love for him and for Calvary Chapel but also told him of my strong concerns. Here is some of what I said in that letter:

It is with a heavy heart that I must communicate to you that over the past several years, because of many firsthand encounters and experiences in various places with numerous Calvary Chapel pastors, that I have observed a change in the Calvary Chapel movement that deeply concerns me. Perhaps some of my concerns have filtered back to you through others. Until writing this letter, I have not formally contacted you with these concerns. I regret now that I have waited so long. After leaving the Pastors Conference in Murrieta this past week, I laid awake several nights contemplating what I should do or say. This letter is the result.

I explained to Chuck that while I knew there were Calvary Chapel churches that were staying true to God’s Word, there were many that were being influenced by another gospel. I gave him six points where serious error could be found. I want to list them here because every Christian denomination is being affected in these areas to one degree or another:

Ecumenical and unbiblical teachings are being endorsed for the cause of unity and church growth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is being disguised to make it less offensive and more acceptable.

Churches that once taught the Bible faithfully verse by verse preparing the flock for the imminent return of Jesus Christ, now are looking for ways to make their services more seeker-friendly and are less concerned about the prophetic signs we are living in the last days.
Pastors and churches that once believed church growth was dependent on feeding the sheep and equipping the saved to share the Gospel, now promote humanistic means to draw in the masses based on a consumer style of evangelism focused on “finding out what people want” to “get them in the door.”

Churches once led by pastors committed to biblical truth, now are employing experts who use worldly principles borrowed from secular corporations with material goals for success. Rather than following Jesus and His Word, pastors and church leaders are looking to successful men and their methods so they can become part of a movement that is based on principles foreign to the Scriptures.
When church leaders promoting strategies to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth by humanistic methods are challenged by concerned believers warning about the dangers, the leaders label these believers as divisive. Contending for the faith is no longer considered biblical. A person taking a position for biblical truth is now accused of being critical of what others believe.

Bible-believing pastors who once taught the Bible are now looking for ways to attract people to their congregations by providing extra-biblical experiences [e.g. contemplative] and an atmosphere that includes candles, icons, incense, and the introduction of Roman Catholic sacraments. When concerned observers suggest this appears to be leading to a partnership with Roman Catholicism, they are considered to be negative opponents of the “new thing” God is doing to reach our generation.

I told Chuck that it was apparent to some that we are at another crossroads in church history, a fork in the road. I asked him if pastors were going to stand up and make their voices known if they have concerns about the direction current trends are leading. I reminded him, “While some say, don’t be negative—just be known for what you believe, not what you are against—the Old Testament prophets were outspoken when followers of God strayed away from the truths of God and never allowed the sheep to feel comfortable in their sin.” (This is an excerpt from 'Let There Be Light' by Roger Oakland.)

Lectio Divina: What it is, What it is Not, and Why It is a Dangerous Practice

Lectio Divina – There’s a lot of talk about it today; umpteen books are published and more are on the way about lectio divina; and an increasing number of evangelical/Protestant figures are writing about it, endorsing it, and teaching it. Some people think lectio divina simply means to read a passage of Scripture slowly (or “praying the Scriptures”) then ponder or think on that Scripture. That can be a part of it. But if you ask mystics or contemplatives what it entails (And who would know better than they?), they will tell you that lectio divina (pronounced lex-ee-o di-veen-a) always includes taking a passage of Scripture (or other writings), reading it slowly, then working your way down until you have just a word or small phrase from the passage that you are meditating on (repeating over and over). Basically, you are coming up with a mantra-like word or phrase that has been extracted from a passage of Scripture, which, according to contemplatives, if repeated for several minutes will help you get rid of thoughts and distractions, so then, they say, you can hear the voice of God and feel His presence.

Contemplative mysticism pioneer Thomas Keating explains what lectio divina is not. It is not traditional Bible study, not reading the Scriptures for understanding and edification, and not praying the Scriptures (though praying the Scriptures can be a form of lectio divina when a word or phrase is taken from the Scriptures to focus on for the purpose of going into “God’s presence.”).1 Keating says that lectio divina is an introduction into the more intense practices – contemplative prayer and centering prayer.

While some people think lectio divina is just reading Scripture slowly, and what’s wrong with that, it is the focusing on and repeating a word or small phrase to facilitate going into the “silence” that is the real danger. There is certainly nothing wrong with reading Scripture carefully and thoughtfully. Thoughtfully, we say. In eastern-style meditation (and in contemplative prayer) thoughts are the enemy. Eastern-style mystic Anthony De Mello describes this problem with thoughts in his book Sadhana: A Way to God:

To silence the mind is an extremely difficult task. How hard it is to keep the mind from thinking, thinking, thinking, forever thinking, forever producing thoughts in a never ending stream. Our Hindu masters in India have a saying: one thorn is removed by another. By this they mean that you will be wise to use one thought to rid yourself of all the other thoughts that crowd into your mind. One thought, one image, one phrase or sentence or word that your mind can be made to fasten on. (p. 28) 

Spiritual director Jan Johnson in her book, When the Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer also believes that thoughts get in the way, and the mind must be stilled:

Contemplative prayer, in its simplest form, is a prayer in which you still your thoughts and emotions and focus on God Himself. This puts you in a better state to be aware of God’s presence, and it makes you better able to hear God’s voice, correcting, guiding, and directing you. (p. 16)

Ray Yungen explains this silence that contemplative mystics seek:

When [Richard] Foster speaks of the silence, he does not mean external silence. In his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, Foster recommends the practice of breath prayer (p. 122)—picking a single word or short phrase and repeating it in conjunction with the breath. This is classic contemplative mysticism. . . . In Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, he [Foster] ties in a quote by one mystic who advised, “You must bind the mind with one thought” . . . I once related Foster’s breath prayer method to a former New Age devotee who is now a Christian. She affirmed this connection when she remarked with astonishment, “That’s what I did when I was into ashtanga yoga!” (A Time of Departing, p. 75)

With lectio divina, the word or phrase one repeats eventually can lose its meaning, and this repetitive sound can start to put the practitioner into an altered mind state. Yungen tells us that: “Keeping the mind riveted on only one thought is unnatural and adverse to true reflection and prayer. Simple logic tells us the repeating of words has no rational value. For instance, if someone called you on the phone and just said your name or one phrase over and over, would that be something you found edifying? Of course not; you would hang up on him or her. Why would God feel otherwise? And if God’s presence is lacking, what is this presence that appears as light during meditation and infuses a counterfeit sense of divinity within? (ATOD, p. 76).”

Yungen exhorts believers that “the goal of prayer should not be to bind the mind with a word or phrase in order to induce a mystical trance but rather to use the mind to glory in the grace of God. This was the apostle Paul’s counsel to the various churches: ‘Study to shew thyself approved’ (II Tim. 2:15) and ‘we pray always’ (II Thessalonians 1:11) as in talking to God with both heart and mind. (ATOD, p. 75)

In order to help those you care about stay clear of contemplative spirituality and spiritual deception, it is important for you to understand how lectio divina plays a significant role in leading people toward full blown meditative practices. And we propose that this “presence” that is reached during the “silent” altered states of consciousness from saying a word or phrase over and over (or focusing on the breath or an object) is not God’s presence. God has instructed us in the Bible not to perform “special kinds of process[es] or “formula[s], as Thomas Keating calls lectio divina, (source) to induce mystical experiences (Deuteronomy 18:9-11); thus, we believe ample warning about lectio divina is warranted. LTR

MAKING MORMONISM MAINSTREAM

The year 2011 has seen many LDS efforts put forth in making Mormonism a "main-stream religion" and known to the nation in all possible ways, regardless of the cost. Early this past summer, the Mormon Church sank a million dollars or more in advertising in the "Big Apple" for "the Book of Mormon Musical." It was described by viewers as vulgar and obscene, sexually suggestive, having references to rape and homosexuality and using the "f"-word as many as 49 times in addition to other expletives. Newsweek even commented, "...the Book of Mormon musical may be the most obscene show ever brought to a Broadway stage."

Mormons were promoting it and even claimed that writers of the show (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) were under divine inspiration when they wrote it -- and they gave credit for their inspiration to their founding prophet, Joseph Smith! A praise for this play was written by an LDS attorney, Adam Ford, and published in the Salt Lake Tribune, 6/15/2011. This was hardly a show demonstrating Mormons' godly behavior or giving an example of morality that Mormons have touted as their virtues. How could this show credibly proclaim the Book of Mormon as the Mormons' Holy Book? But advertising worked and brought masses to see it and view Mormons as "common sinners," not as "stiff" and "righteous," as they have been thought to be...Mormons can now be seen just the same as average vulgar Americans are seen by the world.
(H.I.S. Ministries January 2012 Newsletter, January 1, 2012, Sandy, UT)

The Incompatibility of Christianity & Islam

Another excellent article by T.A. McMahon of 'The Berean Call'. (emphasis in article are mine)

Chrislam? Christian Palestinianism??
T. A. McMahon

Whenever we, as biblical Christians, think that things couldn't possibly become more preposterous in Christendom, we need to call to mind the Scriptures that tell us that the time will come when Christians will not endure sound doctrine, and many will corrupt the Word of God (2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Corinthian 2:17; 2 Peter 3:16). The Apostle Paul further declares to Timothy that those who bring such doctrines shall turn people away from the truth to fables, that is, myths, of their own invention (2 Timothy 4:4; Titus 1:14). Today, such teachings and practices are increasing at a staggering rate--practices that range from the patently absurd to the insidious, even menacingly dangerous, both spiritually and physically.

Chrislam? That attempt to combine Christianity and Islam in a common worship service would be a bad joke if it were a joking matter, but it's far from it. As I understand it, this teaching began as a way to help stop the genocide and bring peace between Muslims and Christians in Africa. Sincere in its concern, no doubt, yet sincerely wrong. Muslims who truly follow the Qur'an, and Christians who believe what the Bible presents, regard Chrislam as a blasphemous contradiction of their beliefs.

Why? The differences, which are very apparent, cannot be reconciled. Allah is a false god of man's making and is nothing like the God of the Bible, who sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the full penalty for the sins of the world (John 3:16). Allah has no son and condemns all those who believe that he does (Surah 18:4-6; 23:91). Allah is a singular entity (Surah 4:171); the God of the Bible is a Triune God: one God-three Persons. Isa (Jesus) of the Qur'an is not God; he is simply a prophet of Allah (4:171). The biblical Jesus is God who became a Man (John 1:1-4; John 10:33). Allah denigrates Jews (Surah 5:59-60); God refers to the children of Israel as the "apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:9-10). The Hadith (the sayings of Muhammad allegedly received from Allah) declares that the Judgment Day of Allah won't come until the rocks and trees cry out to Muslims to kill the Jews that are hiding behind them (Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6981-4). That is anti-Semitism at its worst.

The fundamental teachings of Islam and Christianity allow no compromise. Anyone can certainly believe or make up whatever he wants to about Islam or Christianity, but no one can make them compatible with each other on the basis of either one's sacred texts. Nevertheless, that obstacle is not holding back the multitudes who are letting their desires rush ahead of reason. Furthermore, such irrationality is being exploited by those who have as their agenda: "Faith Shared".

It seems that the apostasy (the undermining of biblical faith to prepare the way for the religion of the Antichrist) is developing at an exponential rate, and contributions are being made through a diversity of unbiblical agendas (see TBC 4/86, 5/90, 8/90, 1/95, 2/00, 2/05, 3/05, 9/08, 4/09, 2/08, 3/10). One that is particularly aggressive as well as vicious in its attack on biblical Christianity is referred to as "Christian Palestinianism" (CP). The term was coined by Paul Wilkinson in his book, For Zion's Sake (see TBC resources), which presents the biblical reasons why Christians need to support the restoration of the modern state of Israel, an endeavor known as "Christian Zionism." The enemy of that effort is Christian Palestinianism, which includes far more than a concern over the plight of the so-called Palestinian people (see Dave Hunt, Judgment Day, Resource Pages).

Here are quotes from three anti-Christian Zionism sources that characterize the movement:

It is...a total misunderstanding of the story of salvation and a perversion of God's plan for a Christian to want to re-establish a Jewish nation as a political entity....The Christian conscience should always discern what is the authentic vocation of the Jewish people and what is the other side of the coin, that is, the racist State of Israel. (The Institute for Palestine Studies, 1970)

We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as a false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation....With urgency we warn that Christian Zionism and its alliances are justifying colonization, apartheid and empire-building. ("The Jewish Declaration on Christian Zionism," 2006)

The Christian Zionist worldview has cataclysmic consequences for a religiously integrated and lasting peace in Palestine/Israel. (General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, 2007)

"Now, alas, we see apartheid in Israel." This last quote in support of the Palestinian cause is from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who likens the condition to regimes of "Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pinochet, Milosevic, and Idi Amin..." (Tutu, Foreword, Speaking the Truth, Michael Prior, ed., 2005).

In a booklet we offer titled Prophets Who Prophesy Lies in My Name--Christian Palestinianism and the Anti-Israel Crusade, Paul Wilkinson begins by quoting what the Lord spoke to Jeremiah regarding those who prophesied that which was contrary to His Word: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord....I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied....Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies" (Jeremiah 23:16-32).

The most shocking aspect of what Wilkinson writes is not just the fact that these modern-day "prophets" are teaching "that God has rejected Israel and replaced her with the Church" or that they are attempting to marshal forces through the church against Israel politically, economically, and theologically; it is that many are highly esteemed Christian leaders who profess to be evangelicals, i.e., Bible-believing Christians!

For the most part, these false "prophets" present a veneer of biblical teachings but are rarely challenged when they go off track because today's evangelical Christianity has been nearly stripped of biblical discernment, thanks (or rather, no thanks) to decades of conditioning through seeker-sensitive, church-growth marketing tactics. That approach to drawing the "unchurched" and the unsaved into the church moved Bible teaching to the back burner, if it was implemented at all. Conviction of sin and other biblical teachings that might put off the new attendees was replaced with "positive messages" and entertainment for young and old alike. The pervasive dumbing down of biblical discernment was the result, and the body of Christ is reaping the tragic consequences today.

For example, Wilkinson presents a litany of biblical errors taught by those promoting Christian Palestinianism that should be recognized easily and rejected by all believers: "All the basic elements of a Christian Zionist eschatology are reversed, so that the Bible is seen to be Christian, not Jewish, the land of the Bible is Palestine not Israel, the Son of God is a Palestinian not a Jew, the Holocaust is resented not remembered, 1948 is a catastrophe not a miracle, the Jewish people are illegal occupiers not rightful owners, and Biblical prophecy is a moral manifesto and not a signpost to the Second Coming" (Wilkinson, Prophets, p. 51).

Not every one of the Christian leaders who supports Christian Palestinianism would hold to all the beliefs mentioned above, but they all promote it in general and in opposition to what the Bible declares prophetically. The unofficial ringleader in this movement is an Anglican priest named Stephen Sizer, whose church is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and the Willow Creek Association of Churches (Lynne Hybels, the wife of Willow Creek Community Church's pastor, is a supporter of Sizer. She rejects the modern state of Israel as a fulfillment of prophecy). Sizer's first book, Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon?, received numerous endorsements from evangelical leaders. Wilkinson notes that reviewers praised it as the "most important and most comprehensive on the subject to date," and the "scholarly treatment to counteract the rabid prophecy pack" (italics added), condemning Christian Zionism as "pernicious," a "totally unbiblical menace," "a powerful force that encourages the destruction of millions of people," and "one of the most dangerous and heretical movements in the world which fuels the Arab-Israeli conflict" (Prophets, p. 10).

Sizer summarizes his beliefs presented in Christian Zionism: "There has only ever been one people of God through history--'the Church'; All biblical covenants are subsumed under one covenant of grace; The Jewish people, as an ethnic nation, have fulfilled their role in history, which was to prepare the way for the Church/Christianity; The Church is the new Israel, enlarged through Christ to embrace all peoples." Sizer's second book, Zion's Christian Soldiers?, contains a sermon by evangelical scholar John Stott, who characterizes Christian Zionism as "biblically anathema to the Christian faith."

Although Sizer's books are just a few among the proliferating titles that are in opposition to Israel, Zionism, and Christian Zionism, they are a signpost revealing the beliefs of those highly influential evangelicals who have endorsed his position and his writings. Who might they be? Hank Hanegraaff is known to thousands of evangelicals as the head of the biblical apologetics ministry Christian Research Institute and host of the national radio program, the Bible AnswerMan. He writes, "Sizer's Christian Zionism dramatically demonstrates how a politicized religious movement with a dubious pedigree is a prescription for disaster. From caricaturing Arabs to catalyzing Armageddon, Christian Zionist beliefs and behaviors are the antithesis of biblical Christianity" (Prophets, p. 11).

Hanegraaff's perspective is hardly recent. He formerly was associated with D. James Kennedy at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Its seminary's eschatology was clearly showing in 2002 when the faculty, along with its founder, chancellor, president, and Professor of Evangelism (Kennedy), issued "An Open Letter to Evangelicals and Other Interested Parties: The People of God, the Land of Israel, and the Impartiality of the Gospel." This statement denied that the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (i.e., the Jews) have any special blessings or place in prophecy, much less any claim upon the land of Israel. It was initially signed by 71 evangelical leaders, among them R. C. Sproul and Michael S. Horton. This document declares:

Section VI: The inheritance promises that God gave Abraham...do not apply to any particular ethnic group, but to the church of Jesus Christ, the true Israel....Section IX: The entitlement of any one ethnic or religious group to territory in the Middle East called the "Holy Land" cannot be supported by Scripture. In fact, the land promises specific to Israel [meaning the Church] in the Old Testament were fulfilled under Joshua.

Gilbert Bilezikian was one of the founders (with Bill Hybels) of Willow Creek Community Church. This is his endorsement of Sizer's book: "Some theologies, that make Israel central to the purposes of God and to the processes of history, reduce the Church to the status of concubine while Israel becomes the Bride. Sizer's work provides a timely reminder that, according to the New Testament, God's people is to be identified on the basis of grace, not of race" (Prophets, p.11).

Tony Campolo is a well-known Baptist pastor, evangelical youth conference speaker, and sociology professor at EasternUniversity in Pennsylvania. He lauds Sizer's book as "A comprehensive survey describing how Christians have embraced a theological perspective that has encouraged justice for Jews but has also led to the oppression of Palestinian people and extreme hostility between Christians and Muslims worldwide" (Prophets, p.11). In another place, he writes, "The most serious threats to the well-being of the Palestinians in general, and to the Christian Palestinians in particular, come not from the Jews, but from Christian Zionists here in the United States. With this theology, called 'Dispensationalism,' they argue that according to their interpretation of Genesis 15:18-21, the Holy Land should belong exclusively to the Jews. They contend that all of this land is what was promised to the seed of Abraham...."

Brian McLaren, the most influential writer of the Emerging Church Movement, whose background is Plymouth Brethren, has obviously abandoned the faith of his early days, as he declares "the need to confront the terrible, deadly, distorted, yet popular theologies associated with Christian Zionism and deterministic dispensationalism," which "use a bogus end-of-the-world scenario to create a kind of death-wish for World War III, which--unless it is confronted more robustly by the rest of us--could too easily create a self-fulfilling prophecy" (Prophets, p. 42).

Former president Jimmy Carter may seem out of place among the evangelical theologians presented here who support Christian Palestinianism, but that's not the case. His book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, embodies all that the others mentioned above stand for in their opposition to Israel and the Word of God--and then some. Furthermore, he will have the opportunity to spread his spurious beliefs among even more evangelicals, since he recently signed a three-book deal with the evangelical publisher Zondervan.

These false teachings are neither obscure nor new. Men such as Augustine (AD 354-430), Martin Luther (1483-1546), and John Calvin (1509-1564) have made substantial contributions to such unbiblical beliefs. What is new is the incredible rate at which they are being received. When Jesus was asked by His disciples about the days prior to His return, He characterized it as a time of great deception (Matthew 24). We are seeing just that in our day, and we therefore need to heed His words. Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:28-31) also applies: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." The chief preventive measure against being caught up in the increasing deception of our day is a disciplined life of studying and living out the Word of God. Lord, help us to that end. TBC

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