Jer 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Eccl 9:3 ” …The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.“

Ps 10:2-4 “In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.  He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.  In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.“

Matt 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”

Rom 1:24 “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…“

Our hearts are wicked and as Jeremiah said, deceitful above all things. It is, according to Jeremiah, beyond cure!

Yet, God, “…desirest truth in the inward parts.” Ps 51:6.

The fact of our blindness to truth is established easily. Every attitude of the heart is geared to manipulate, defraud, cheat, steal, or influence for our own gain. The motivating force of our life is our human nature of lust and pride. 1Jn 2:16 “For everything in the world‑‑the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does‑‑comes not from the Father but from the world.“ We are creatures of this world, and we are governed by the inherited nature of Adam, that is the fact. A child, almost instantly, discovers how to get its way. This blindness does not stop with the secular world, but is manifested in its most brilliant form in the religious world.  Left unrestrained by penalties and punishment,  men will commit the most heinous crimes against society or God.

It is onto this stage that Jesus came, as the Son of God. Into this depraved world, Truth has come. Jesus called himself the Truth – “I am…the truth“; “To this end have I come into the world, that I should bear witness onto the truth.” The Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth, and God is called the God of Truth. The Godhead is characterized by this one blunt feature – truth!

Two types of truth exist in the world today. There is the prevalent truth that dominates, and that  we see in operation all around us, every day, and at all times. This truth is the truth of the world, which has to be kept in check by rules of morals and ethics. Then there is true truth. True truth is hidden and is very rare. It is this truth that God requires in the inward parts. But, where do we find something so rare?

The Truth of This World is Evil, and Satanic

Rules and ethics are not of the truth, but are mechanisms to keep men in check, to induce civility, but they cannot make men holy. God’s rules instruct us, and point to Jesus.  Satan is a liar and the rules he institutes are cover-ups, designed to hide the evilness of man’s heart so he appears just, honest, humble, forgiving, contrite, and faithful. “The god of this age,” says Paul, “has blinded the eyes of the unbelieving.” Man is a blind, deceived creature, but God still desires “truth in the inward part.“

Systems of religion, including Christianity, that operate on these rules, and put on programs, rituals, and outward show, are false, they are not true, they are lies. The religions of this world are built on the world’s truth, and for institutional Christianity, that means unbelief. The goodness caused or the evil prevented, by obeying rules, does not qualify as the goodness required by God.

The distinguishing characteristic and motivation behind the truth of this world, that is woven deep into the fabric of organized religion, is a natural personal interest and consideration, viewing things in the light of our own advantage or disadvantage. A life based on this truth is not faith, this is unbelief and rebellion against God’s promises and provision. This is the position that Israel occupied, and they were found to be unbelievers, and it was that very thing that blinded them. They had faith in a truth that was based on natural personal interest, and built a religious system on that foundation. They allowed their flesh to dictate how they worshiped and how they defined faith. When their actions are examined carefully it is found that they were building on ground that was cursed by God.

There is no light in all the world, it is a blind thing; all of nature is blind. To the degree that we govern and build our lives by the motivation of this world is the degree of our own blindness. 1Cor 2:14 “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God…he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned.“

Mark 10:42,43 “But Jesus having called them to him, says to them, Ye know that those who are esteemed to rule over the nations exercise lordship over them; and their great men exercise authority over them; but it is not so among you.“

Faith, based on true truth, has absolutely nothing to do with organized religion. Any use of the world’s ways is unbelief, and not faith. Marketing, management, manipulation, are all the ways of the men of this world to gain an advantage over others. Exaggerations and false statements are the life of marketing and advertising. Perceived value is a con, it is not real value, it is a lie. Branding is a form of mind control. Loss-leaders are tricks to sell more expensive items. Creative Strategy is the use of tone, and message to separate a customer from his money. Copywriters and art directors are hired to create desire and wants. Headline; a concise statement to lure you into an advertisement. Eye tracking, a study of how your eyes look at advertisements. Holding power, the ability to prevent viewers from switching channels. Persuasion Process; the process of twisting an audience to purchase through emotion or reason. Positioning; how a consumer perceives a product. Psychographics, a study to determine why people buy, and to get the advantage over the consumer. Subliminal Perception, to unconsciously tap a customers mind to influence them to buy. These, and many more, are all the methods of this world to manipulate people for profit or power. Christian leaders are deceived and think they can use these and other tricks to build God’s Kingdom on earth. These things mentioned here are but a drop in the bucket of the many deceptions being used on regular basis in the Church. “I hate,” said David, “every false way.“ We cannot be a lover of truth and hire a marketing professional to set a strategy to build God’s Church. This is the method being used by nearly every organized Church, “…But it is not so among you.“ 2Cor 4:2 “Instead, we have refused to use secret and shameful ways. We don’t use tricks, and we don’t distort God’s word. As God watches, we clearly reveal the truth to everyone. This is our [letter of] recommendation.“

But, this is not the end of the story. It is not just business owners, or churches, or ad agencies, or marketing companies, that use evil methods to gain wealth and power, and to make merchandise the men’s souls, it is you and I. It is only through the discovery of true truth that a beginning is made to live a life of faith in God, motivated by the love of truth to please Him. The make-up you wear, the cloths that send a certain message, the cologne or perfume, the inflection in your voice, the car you drive, the way you walk, the way you smile, the words you use to write your resume, and the list goes on, and on, and on. There is hardly a thing we do that is not consciously or unconsciously geared to gain something for ourselves, or to get the advantage. Our whole life is one with evil. Our lives are lies, a fantasy, a semblance of truth, but it is a lie.  Our hearts have been spoiled and become evil. And, it goes all the way to the top. When you voted for the lesser of two evils last election, you got it right, they are both evil. Our world is doomed, because evil reigns.

One book on marketing states that “everything is marketing.” He is correct. Nearly everything we do is designed to register some sort of effect on another person or persons, and those who have established themselves as the “leaders” use every means available to manage and secure for themselves a bounty of men and women. I believe nearly all of them do it out of ignorance, but nonetheless, they do it.

Faith

We started off asking, where do we find faith in the world, and it is similar to the question that Jesus asked, “will I find faith on the earth when I return.” Obviously faith is a rare thing.

Faith in God seems over simplistic in this age of easy believism. But, how does real faith work? We must have, “truth in the inward parts.“ To have truth in the inward parts means that we have to trust God, that He is able, to do what He said He would do, and that is saving faith.

Christians refuse to separate themselves from the world, but that is a big part of the answer. To separate ourselves means to not participate in the schemes of marketing manipulation, and worldly management practices.  Jesus knew the extent to which men would become involved in the processes of this world. He knew that those processes would be used in building the church. He knew that at the end of the age the church would have become totally absorbed in the world, and that there would be no difference from the world, except the vocabulary. He knew that men would have completely bought into “the Lie.” That “lie” is the fact that men believe that they can build God’s Kingdom using the processes of this world, and only using the word “faith” as a tag line at the bottom of some statement, creed, or confession. Faith is no less than trusting God, just like Moses, Joshua, the Prophets, the Apostles, and some few others who have discovered the “Truth.”

How horrible it will be for you when everyone says nice things about you. That’s the way their ancestors treated the false prophets. Luke 6:26

This is yet another sign of the apostasy of Brian McLaren. In this piece on Brian’s site, he praises an atheist for saying nice things about him, who thinks Brian is the epitome of Christian faith.

Why would an atheist praise Brian McLaren? Well, the answer is easy enough, because Brian is essentially saying the same thing as the atheist, and their goals line up. Atheist and heretics are not offended by Brian’s message, they are brothers traveling the same road. They see Brian as moving into their camp bringing presents (the young and foolish).

The early Church dealt with a similar problem. The religions of the ancient Roman world were all accepted as equally tolerable and equally valuable, and to a large number equally vain, to the Roman people. All the gods were worshiped, and the bond of unity was maintained because every god reigned with equal favor and benefits. It was the Jews first, then the Christians, who violated this universe of unity, by declaring absolutely that there was no other God, but God.

Why were the ancient Christians persecuted?

1. They separated themselves from the world and were accused of being divisive.
2. They accepted as wrong, and idolatrous, every form of religion but the one Christ established.
3. They refused to bow to the Roman leaders and throw a little incense on a Pagan altar, or burn a candle to their gods.
4. They were labeled as “atheist” because they did not believe in the other gods as equal means of salvation.
5. They gave honor to One Who was higher than the Monarch.
6. And, there was one other reason for persecution, it was because of the teaching of the Judas Zealots.  Christianity provided the Zealots with a way to defeat the  government; they were revolutionary Jews who hated Roman rule, and Christianity was simply a means to an end. They were nationalistic, and earthly minded.

Christ has nothing to do with those who don’t believe in Him, they are the world. Next Brian will be telling us that unbelievers are pleasing to God; Oh! beg my pardon, he already says that.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Brian McLaren has defected from Christ and Christianity, while still wearing the uniform and using the language (although with new definitions), and is one of the new Judas Zealots now trying to use Christ to their own advantage. This is the reason that he is  pleased to now add to his ranks, an atheist. It matters not that they represent two different worlds and systems, it only matter that he accomplish “his” goals, of unification of all beliefs, government reform, and selling a few books.

Steve Blackwell

“…As a part of my truth quest I began doing a lot of reading on the different “holiness” strains of Christendom to get a better handle on why so many read the same bible so differently.”

Why? This is a really good question, that the “organized Church” cannot answer. Of course, they each try by stating that the others are wrong and that they alone hold the correct answer. Is there an answer? Yes, I believe there is, but at the same time I believe that it is not a general answer, but an answer that only a few will discover, and it has to do with faith, and it the same answer to why so many in that day will say, “Lord, Lord,…” and the Lord says, “be gone from me I never knew you.” Faith is the answer, and many have a misguided view of what it is.

Identifying the Problem

Over the past five or six years, this thing called the “Church” has been of particular interest to me. In the past I assumed that the familiar thing that I have seen on nearly every corner in America was the “Church,” as presented in the Bible. I have assumed that this was true even though the only Church that it remotely resembles is the latter day Church mentioned in the Book of Revelation, “the Church of the Laodicean’s.” Should this resemblance be alarming?  Yes, absolutely, if we are at all interested in truth. This fact came as a startling revelation to me, and has become the prominent compelling force behind my re-examination of all things pertaining to the Church and truth.

Jesus makes a couple of statements, actually a statement and a question, that became sticking point for me on this new road of discovery. There have been many revelations since then, but initially my eyes were opened to the seemingly vast numbers of Christians in America, and the world, and that it conflicts with the Bible declaration of smallness. Any person truly concerned about salvation will want to think and pray earnestly about the ramifications of the following statements: Jesus said,

1.    Matt 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many (Christians) who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
2.    Luke 18:8 “…when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

This does not in any way point to, or allude to, an end day Church that is busting out at the seams, or walking in truth. Wouldn’t you agree something is amiss here? This should cause us to ask some very straight questions of ourselves, and those appointed to lead us, the, supposedly, enlightened ones.

Setting the Stage

First, let’s set the stage. There are a few things we should give heed to concerning this place we call our home.

▸    Remember, we live in a fallen world. Look at, and listen to, your surroundings; this is obviously true: cursing, foulness, rape, murder,  pillage, greed, envy, pride and deceit are all the currency of this kingdom.
▸    The ruler of this world is not Jesus, His Father, or the Holy Spirit, it is Satan. Satan is the prince and power of the air, and has been given this world as his kingdom. All that you see and hear is the product of his rule. Satan makes the rules, sets the policies and guidelines by which man is regulated, and men everywhere obey them, and, oh, by the way, he is a liar. 1John 2:16-17.
▸    Human beings are a deceived race of people. If the Bible makes one thing perfectly clear it is that ALL of mankind are born blind, and without the gift of sight, and stumble around in the dark. Men are in the dark and would not know the truth if it stood right in front of them. We have been tricked and we are deceived, and we prefer it that way: John 3:19, Jer. 5:31, Gen 6:5, Pr. 6:12-14, Isa. 59:1-16.
▸    God’s ways are not man’s ways. That is a simple enough statement, but why then, in every aspect of the organized church, do we see building and organization that have the fingerprints of men all over them? It doesn’t look supernatural, it looks very natural, very common, and very human. Isa. 55:8-9, 58:1-3; Prov. 21:8; Ex. 20:20; Ezek.. 18:24-30; Ps. 81:11-14.
▸    Man is a religious creature. Man, inherently, desires truth, happiness, and peace, but virtually ignores what the Bible says concerning achieving it. Man seeks these things through selfish motives and wrong doing, through compliance to the world’s rules, or the corruption of goodness, through self-worship, and idol worship, but man’s motivation is always evil, a product of: weakness, pride, selfishness, and lust.

This is the stage on which this whole thing we call “doing church” or “church growth” is played out. The Bible declares, that to men living on this planet, under these circumstances, there is a way that appears to be right to his limit capacity to reason and see clearly, but that “way” is a lie and the way of death, Pr. 14:12. All of the institutional religions of men, including the organized church of Christianity, are based, to some degree, on the wholesale deception of mankind, man trying to please his god through form, ritual, and acts of the will. If the ritualistic religions of the world, including Christianity, are the true earmarks of an omnipotent god then he is no more powerful or creative than any industrious man. What mankind has done, through these acts, is to declare that he no longer needs the God of the Bible, that he is able to finish in the flesh what was began in the Spirit, Gal 3:3. Mankind has effectively declared that he is as powerful as God. He has declared that he is God, by proxy, persons authorized to act in God’s behalf, because he hangs a cross around his neck, is called by a designated title, or sings a certain kind of song, or does good deeds, or prays, or studies the Bible, or a thousand other things, including church planting and building. He assumes he is saved, but he assumes too much. He says he has faith without ever understanding or obeying the dictates of the real God, or understanding the characters acting out their roles on the stage of life in this world. Christianity, and all its sects, have become just another religion searching for a purpose and a meaning to life, not really caring about truth, but anything that offers personal peace and happiness, and the real God says that they love it that way, Jer. 5:31, Isa. 56:10-12, Isa. 30:10, Rom. 1:24-25. Think about it, if God’s ways are not man’s ways, why does all of Christendom look like a production of man? Could it be that God was wrong, and God’s ways do look like man’s ways after all? Or, could it be that man is deceived and simply does things the way man does things, like men, and that the building of the “church” has been taken out of the hands of God so that men can make sense of the operation of the Church, Gen.11:2-4? The same thing has happened over and over through history and God has rejected man’s way to build, and He has cursed it. The Jews never learned from the many times God showed mercy, and always returned to something they themselves could build and manage. This is the play that is continually re-played, and that men never learn from, and the stage is now strewn with all the failed gimmicks, and useless programs of men pursuing God. Doesn’t the Bible say matter-of-factly that “unless the Lord builds the house it is built in vain” Ps. 127:1, and that it is the Lord Himself that adds to the Church those who are being saved, Acts 2:46-47?  But, today we have lords many, all building their own way, just like the Jews. This is the never ending story of mans failure to please God. The church today is built on business plans, accounting principles, and marketing devices, by men each doing whatever is right in his own eyes, and the measure of their success is the visible representation of an organization and a building, Isa. 5:21, Jdg. 17:6, Jdg. 21:25, Gen 11:2-4.

This has not answered the question of why there are so many “belief” systems that are all called “Christian” and claim to follow Christ. I will answer that question in the next post. There is an answer; if there isn’t then even Christ would be a deceiver, and that is not possible. But, the answer may be very different than what you imagine, so stay with me.

In an effort to keep things tidy I’m going to stop till the next installment, besides I have the flu and I’m getting tired.

Steve Blackwell

Brian McLaren is so bold to indulge God’s patience and to presume upon His mercy as he maligns the “apple of His eye” Zech 2:8 “For thus saith the Lord of hosts: After the glory he hath sent me to the nations that have robbed you: for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of my eye:”

Brian praises Greg Barrett for stomping on Israel, and is then encouraged to write a series of supporting articles on the same subject, so stay tuned.

Greg Barrett tells the inconvenient truth … on Israel and Palestine

Brian McLaren…

I’m working on an important series of posts on the subject … hopefully they’ll be ready to share in the next week or two.

There is only one Christianity and it ain’t emergence or Emergent, neither is it Pentecostal, Baptist, Lutheran, or any other sect. Following Christ is to be a Christian, and for the most part they all have it wrong, but their “labels” at least lets us know what to expect from them. With out labels it is very hard to nail anything down, everything becomes silly putty in their hands. They can believe one thing one day and the opposite the next day, or nothing at all, or both, it is the freedom of an anarchist, both lawless and rebellious.
Tony doesn’t like labels because he says,

“they seem to us (emergence types) convenient ways of boxing someone in. . . .”

when he would much rather be a moving target. This statement is just smoke or camouflage. Liars, cheats, and scoundrels hate labels because they identify who and what they are. Sit at a poker table in Vegas and try and identify the pros. Those professionals hate labels too. They want to look like tourist; they look harmless and innocent, but they are wolves, there to separate you from your bankroll. Hang a label on these pros and the table will empty; at least the smart ones would leave. The first rule of poker is that you never play against someone better than you. But, most people think that the game is just a matter of luck anyway, much like religion. They never pay attention to the “tells” that identify or label a person as a shark or a false teacher, who are both classified as wolves.

Do you see how “labels” can be counter productive to vandals who want to separate you from your valuables? Labels identify people and things, and keep us safe in the world. Thieves, cheats, marketers, card sharks, and false teachers and preachers know this. Subterfuge, misrepresentation, deception, pretense, and dramatics are all the tools of those who fear exposure and labels. At the poker table the pro will likely advertise his stupidity and ineptitude by playing fast and loose, and present themselves as something they’re not. He’ll look like a sap to the vacationer who thinks he’ll be an easy touch. Then the truth comes, when it is too late, and the pro has that monster hand he was waiting for, and the real “sucker” is revealed. This is called “advertising” in the world of poker, and is used with great effect. Marketers advertise also and generally try and trick you into believing something about their product that isn’t true: cars, clothes, cologne, alcohol, you name it, they are nearly all deceptions, lies, and illusions. They allow you to think that there is value where none exist. Your identifying of these lies would permit you to stick a “label” on them and classify their tactics as dangerous and deceptive.

What that poker player is saying by his not saying anything and putting on a show, by his dress and by his actions, is that “you need not worry about me, I am harmless, just relax and have some fun, and please don’t label me.” I believe Tony Jones is saying much the same thing by presenting labels as a bad thing. He says that labels box people in, and I say they protect people. He cannot live by his own philosophy. Does Tony label people? Isn’t Pentecostal a label? Do labels inform us and protect us? Would Tony take a bottle from his medicine cabinet without consulting the “label?” Would anyone? Did Jesus label people and things? Jesus said “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees…. How is it that ye do not understand that I spake not to you concerning bread…? Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Mt 16:6,11-12 Was Jesus putting these teachers in a box? Did He label them? You bet He did, and for our good, for our protection. He identified the threat and stuck a label on it, and expects us to heed the danger.

People who have nothing to hide do not fear labels. Labels are markers and road signs and warnings, to direct the wayfaring man or woman to safety.

Beware of the smoke and slight of hand of the religious magicians, for they will cheat you out of much more than money, they will steal your very soul, and will leave you only this world in which to take refuge.

Tony says at the beginning of that article, “Getting one’s arms around the emergent church is no mean feat. . . .” I think this could be interpreted as

“there’s no way to understand what we’re doing, so don’t try.”

A liberal is more magician than theologian, and their slight of hand can make truth disappear in a flash and reappear as something else all together different. Only another of their dark trade, or the Berean sort, really knows that a heist has taken place; others stand in awe that what they have always wanted their Christianity to be anyway, has magically appeared out of thin air.

There was a “disenfranchisement of GenX evangelicals in the 1990s”

as Tony rightly states, but actually the disenfranchisement started earlier than that, it was really a phenomena of the Boomers. In the sixties there was great disrespect and questioning of anything that presented itself with an air of truth, or established order, and thus occurred the legendary  “generation gap”. The Gen X’ers like their mothers and fathers before them, were able to detect the lies and falsehood of their predecessors, but were unable to discover the truth that had been trampled under foot, and consequently they reached out to the magicians to work their magic, and make all the bad stuff go away. It didn’t work then and it is not working now.  The false teaching of sex, drugs, and revolution that the Boomers turned to for answers is no different than the false teachers (liberals) that the disenfranchised Gen X’ers are turning to today. Granted, the established Christian order that exist today and in the ‘90′s is full of hypocrisies and pretense, but at least there is a foundation of truth that underlies the rubble and junk hiding the heart of what Jesus means in His Word.

Tony Jones, Brian McLaren, and all their liberal buddies, are akin to those who raise the price of medicine when a shortage hits, or try to pass off  placebos for the real thing as a psychological pacifier. There is a crisis in the “Truth” department today, but the price that most are willing to pay for the fake is far higher than they will be able to endure. A “half truth” whether it comes from the left or the right is still a lie. There is a desperate shortage of truth today, and it is likened to a famine in the book of Amos 8:11

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

We are in the midst of that famine and real food is in short supply. Where there is a shortage, of any kind, there will be those who will take advantage of, and rob, the weak and the ignorant.

Like the sixties, the young were the weak and the ignorant. They wanted change so badly that drugs and sex were the natural answer, and even if it didn’t work, at least it felt good. Tony Jones, Brian McLaren, and a whole score of new liberals have devised an answer from the old corn husk of liberal theology, that look appealing during a famine, but could not nourish a pig when the truth thrived in its heyday. But, today the old hucksters are back at it, and they have a hungry following. The appeal to the young, to have truth their way, is too much for the starving to resist, and we will yet see the results of such a choice made in desperation.

More on this subject next week. . . .

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”

The Book of Judges, in my opinion, is the saddest book of the Bible.  It show what happens to a nation when they lose their way. The book illustrates that every path, is not the right path, just because we call ourselves Followers of God or Christ. There are many imagined ways to God, but only one path is the right path. These are days of darkness and not light; days of confusion and not understanding. We are reliving the Book of Judges, following our own imaginations of what God requires, and missing the mark by a million miles.

Brian McLaren is leading the charge into this new eclectic Christian wonderland. With every book and video, or speaking engagement, more boldness is shown, and more people are mesmerized, with the thoughts of having their own “form” of the Christian religion.  By following Brian’s heresy they are cutting wide avenues into the un-saving grace of liberal theology, a land of no return, for most, who venture there.

Tim Challies has read Brian’s new book and given a telling review of what is to be found there. If you are so inclined to purchase Brian’s book, at least see what others have to say.  In this age of “everyone doing what is right in his own eyes,” be very cautious of where you trod, dangers lurk in places you would never expect to find it, and many are swept away by the Serpent’s tongue, and pen.

Follow the link below to read Tim’s review.

http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/a-new-kind-of-christianity.php

One evening, Jesus went on the Chris Matthews show and a large audience was viewing.

As he sat down for the interview, Chris introduced a group of religious right leaders. They brought with them a man caught violating the don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy in the military.

They made him stand before the camera and said to Jesus, “This man was caught admitting that he was gay. The Law of Moses commanded us to stone such men, and military law demands that he be court-martialed. We don’t want to kill this man: all we are interested in doing is passing a law that would criminalize such behavior in the military and in all of society. What do you say? Do you support our pro-family agenda?”

Jesus leaned over and wrote on the desk with his finger.

The Family Research Council representative pressed harder, “Don’t you agree that we should outlaw gay behavior? Don’t you agree that the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas which overturned the sodomy laws in this country was wrongly decided? Would you dare to deny that there is a place for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior?” Jesus kept writing on the desk and didn’t respond.

Finally, Chris Matthews said, “Well, Sir, what do you say? They’ve asked you a question. How do you respond?”

Jesus sat up straight, looked directly into the camera, and said, “Just one thing. Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first vote against this man.”

Even if you agree with the Family Research Council on the issue of homosexuality, and even if you’re worried about slippery slopes when it comes to human sexuality, I think you’ll agree: there’s another slippery slope that’s equally easy to slide down, and that’s the slide into the kind of Pharisaical religiosity that attempts to make people behave “morally” through the threat of exclusion, intimidation and legislation.

Whoa!! Steady Nell, whoa there! Whoa! Brian McLaren has just shown his cards to the whole table, and by deliberately putting this lie into the mouth of Jesus shows to the whole world that his agenda, his measly little manmade plan, is more important than getting Jesus’ words correct, is more important than honoring Jesus’ truth about sinful living. Brian is attempting to force Jesus to conform to his own gospel; what a perversion!.

In this little bit of stagecraft Brian makes Jesus agree with him, that the sin of homosexuality is O.K., when Jesus doesn’t even come close. The sad thing is that Brian knows exactly what he is doing, and intentionally puts a lie into the mouth of Jesus. This is not only a perversion it is heresy. In this story, it is not so much what Brian adds to it, while he twist it out of context, but rather what he leaves out completely, the instructions Jesus gives the sinner; what he leaves unsaid, is more important than what he does say. Brian would lead his little lambs to believe that Jesus would have condoned the sin of adultery in the woman who was brought to Him by the Pharisees in John 8:10,11, by leaving out these important word of our Savior, “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more..”

By leaving off these very important words, who is Brian copying, Jesus? No, Brian is not copying Jesus, he is copying Satan the Deceiver, the Liar. This is the same tactic used against Eve in the Garden, and it is no different here. It was meant to deceive then, and it is meant to deceive now, and always. The Liberals have perfected this piece of theater; it is literally, as old as the hills, but it still works against those in darkness.

Would Jesus really have left off these important words if the person before Him would have been a Gay person instead of an adulterous woman? We both know He would not have just said, “I forgive you, now go on about your sinful ways.” Jesus’ demands on all of our lives is to “go and sin no more.” We are never admonished to remain where we are, but to move ever closer to Him, and away from our perversions and sins.

We can not pander to sin. Where is righteousness and holiness? Not in the camp of the Liberal theologians.

Thank you Brian McLaren for tipping your hand once again.

Steve Blackwell

The Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas tries his hand at an answer, but fails to answer why God allows such extensive suffering? He Says:

“It is similarly irresponsible for anyone to second-guess God’s redemptive purpose or explain what He is doing through an individual disaster, such as the Haitian earthquake. To try and do so would be to twist the dagger in the backs of people who are hurting.”

“Where was God during this tragedy? The same place He was 2,000 years ago when His Son died. Was God in control? Of course He was. Why did He allow it? I don’t have a clue. He has not revealed His purpose.”

Well, if he doesn’t know I would suggest he find another line of work because the passage he quotes gives the answer, “Repent, or you shall likewise perish.”

“God is ultimately responsible for the earthquake in Haiti and has a reason that is beyond our ability, trapped in time, to understand or comprehend. But it would be theological ignorance coupled with absolute arrogance to try and interpret God’s actions as a judgment against a particular person or nation.”

Thank you Dr. Robert Jeffress, for keeping us in the dark. At least Pat Robertson was honest. It appears to me that Dr. Jeffress is trying hard to be religious by preaching a nice five point sermonette and never getting to the point of sin; but of course that may offend someone.

Elizabeth McAlister, Associate Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University says:

“Vodouists in the Haitian diaspora are praying on their knees today, just as Catholics and Protestants are. Why did this devastating earthquake have to happen in Haiti. . . ?  In Vodou most ritual is about finding balance, putting yourself into equilibrium with the spirits, with your family, and with yourself. In Haiti things are way out of balance. We might say that spirits of death have launched a coup d’état.”

My friend and colleague, the artist, educator, and priest of the spirits, Erol Josué, has been praying and crying in Brooklyn. Through Twitter, Facebook, and his cell phone he has learned of at least twenty dead friends in several Port-au-Prince congregations. He told me today that for him, as a spirit-worker, this event is both scientific and symbolic. This is indeed a natural disaster for Josué. But the land in Haiti is a person, he said. We consider it a woman, our mother. “Haïti Chérie,” as the well-known ballad goes. She wants to know, ‘who will make me beautiful, put clothes on me, and take care of my children?’ When you mistreat her, and uproot her trees, when you give her too much responsibility, she is like a woman with cancer. The tumor metastasizes, and explodes.

For Erol Josué, the earthquake was mother nature, the land of Haiti, rising up to defend herself against the erosion, deforestation, and environmental devastation that have been ongoing for the last few decades. Said the famous painter and Vodou priest André Pierre, “The first magician is God who created people with his own hands from the dust of the earth. No one lives of the flesh. Everyone lives of the spirit.” We humans live in the material world, and other spirits–called lwa, or mystères, “mysteries”–dwell in the unseen realm. God created the spirits to help govern humanity and the natural world.

Others, who may read this and disagree with great force, will not necessarily share it. But Vodou works through spiritual revelation, and this is the revelation Erol gives me today. Vodou has no single spokesperson and no inerrant text. It has God, the angels, and the spirits in the unseen realm.

O.K., now were getting somewhere, NOT! Obviously Ms McAlister belongs in the Emerging New Age camp of Post Modern Christianity. Can you believe these words coming out of the mouth of a “Christian”? These are those who condemn the straight talk of judgment on sin and sinners. Jeremiah would no doubt be left in the well to die, if he had to depend on Ms McAlister.; no, Ms McAlister would have been among those who put Jeremiah into the well (see Jeremiah 38).

It may be prudent to look at the writing of another person, one Silvianus c424, known for his “plain dealing” with sinners, during the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire, when the collapse was being blamed on the Christians.

THE EIGHTH BOOK

1. I think, nay, I am certain, that the great length of my argument will arouse distaste in many, especially since it upbraids our vicious lives. For most men wish praise, and no one enjoys censure. Worse than this, however evil a man is, however profligate, he would rather be falsely praised than rightly reproved, and prefers to be deceived by the mockery of false praise than healed by the most salutary admonitions. Since this is true, what are we to do? Must we accede to the will of wicked men? Or if they wish even empty praise conferred on them, is it fitting to proffer silly and meaningless eulogies? Surely we must consider that, as men of honor should not mock even those who wish to make themselves ridiculous, so they should not laud in lying phrases those who yearn to be adorned by praise, however false.  We must not take into account the preferences of individuals, but rather what is fitting for us to say, especially since the prophet said: “Woe unto them that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

We must by every means hold fast to the truth, so that what a thing is in fact, it may also be in words, and those that contain sweetness be called sweet, and those that contain bitterness, bitter.

You say, however, that he does not bid, but merely permits us to endure them. Suppose we grant this point, still I ask how far he is from ordering what he permits? For he who knows we endure such woes and can prevent our suffering them, proves beyond a doubt that we ought to endure whatever he permits. From this it is manifest that his acquiescence is part of his judgment, and that we are enduring a sentence from heaven. As all things, are subject to sacred authority and the will of God rules everything, whatever evils and whatever punishments we bear daily are the censure of his divine hand, which censure, indeed, we constantly arouse and kindle by our sins. We kindle the fire of the celestial wrath and arouse the flames by which we are burned, so that the words of the prophet may rightly be used against us as often as we endure such ills: “Make your way into the flames of the fire that you have kindled.” From this we see that according to the sacred sentence each sinner is preparing for himself the suffering that he endures.  From this we see that according to the sacred sentence each sinner is preparing for himself the suffering that he endures. None of our misfortunes can be imputed to God; we are the authors of our own misery. For God is gracious and merciful and, as the Scripture says, he wishes no one to perish or be injured. So whatever is done against us is done by our own actions; there is nothing more cruel to us than ourselves; we, I say, are torturing ourselves even against God’s will.

2. Since I have already spoken at length of the unchastity of Africa, let me now briefly discuss its blasphemies, for the paganism of the majority has had no interruption. They have indeed confined within their own walls their native crime, by which of course I mean that “Celestial” demon of the Africans, to which I suppose the pagans of old gave so fair-sounding a title in order that having no divinity it should at least have a name, and lacking any virtue derived from actual power should gain honor from its designation. Who among them has not been initiated into the worship of that idol? Who has not been dedicated to it by his very family and birth? I am not speaking now of men who are pagans as much by profession and name as in their way of life, and whose name indicates their heathen error. Paganism is certainly more tolerable and less evil in men avowedly pagan; the more deadly peril lies in the fact that many who have made their vows to Christ continue to give their real devotion to idols. For did not those who were called Christians turn from the worship of Christ to that of the “Celestial deity,” or—which is far worse—worship her even before they paid their devotions to him? Who among them did not cross the Lord’s threshold redolent of the odor of demoniacal sacrifices and go up to the altar of Christ reeking with the foulness of very demons, so that it would be less monstrous not to come at all to the Lord’s temple than to come in such a fashion? For a Christian who does not come to church is guilty of neglect, but one who comes in such a way is guilty of sacrilege. It is less difficult to atone for failure to honor God than for direct insult to him. So we see that any who have acted thus have not given honor to God, but have taken it away from him. They have even in a way given the attention due to the church of God to an idol, because that to which priority is accorded gains in honor from that which is relegated to second place. See then the faith of the Africans, and especially of the noblest among them! See what their religion and their Christianity have been! It was in scorn of Christ that men called them Christians. Though the apostle cries: “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils,” it was not enough for them to drink the cup of the Lord with the cup of devils, but they must take the latter first. It was not enough for them to match the table of devils with the Lord’s table, unless they came to the temple of God fresh from the worship of infamous superstitions and breathed on the holy altars of Christ the foul miasma of the diabolical spirit itself.

_____________________________

It is blatantly well-defined by now that the Haitian Nation exist in great sin and that a call to repentance should be the clear and plain message, a message delivered with bread in hand, but a message Plain, and Clear, that their repentance is a prerequisite to their healing.

Steve Blackwell

For an interesting article on the history of Haiti and their problems read Government Of The Devil, By The Devil, And For The Devil by Tom Barrett.

For follow-up research see the following sites:

US Department of State Report of Religious Freedom

http://www.cesnur.org/testi/irf/irf_haiti99.html

Haiti – God’s country after a ‘holy invasion’

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9802.html

Victory Over Voodoo in Haiti

http://www.christian-connection.org/print.php?sid=299

Religious Persecution Intensifies In Haiti

http://www.andyfigueroa.net/haiti.htm

Haiti; Satan’s Stronghold

http://www.raptureme.com/rap16.html

Breaking the Blood Pact

http://www.newdirections.org/index.php/pressroom

Aristide Approves Voodoo as an Official Religion

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/archives/00002966.html

Voodoo  It’s Official in Haiti

http://www.ccgm.org.au/articles/ARTICLE-0070.htm

Aristide Defends Record

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/5060184.htm

ARISTIDE MANSION

http://www.salon.com/news/1999/03/12news.html

Media Research Center http://www.mediaresearch.org/printer/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040302pf.asp

Pearl of the Antille

http://www.rminet.org/retreat_center.htm

Aristide Must Go The Weekly Standard

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/795ywram.asp

Aristide Claims He Was Kidnapped from Haiti

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040306/wl_nm/haiti_aristide_dc_1

Islamic Influences on Haitian Voodoo

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/islam.htm

The Challenges Facing Haiti

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/bookreviews/arisfarmplum.htm

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPyyXQN8cG0

Christians who attack Pat are without understanding of the workings of God in the world, and especially in these perilous end days. God has always judged the world and His children for its sins, so what’s the problem with preaching it?

Now, look at the world you live in. What do you see? You see a world decaying before your very eyes; a world of ugly, decaying, death; a world controlled by an unseen force of evil, occupied by a race of beings with a death sentence on them, humans bewitched into believing they see goodness, value and beauty where none exist, only filth; a world about to disappear. The story of Jesus’ love is a story of how the spell has been broken; of how the blinders have been removed, and of how we say thank you. Even those who have no Hope, those who have bought into the Great Lie can see that the world is rapidly accelerating towards self destruction, this is apparent. What they don’t see is the solution. Some of you see the Solution, as I did, but choose to allow the weeds of your life to come in and choke the tender new growth. It is a choice you make, and unfortunately, others are affected by your choices. Because you are weak you think you have an excuse and that God understands your particular set of circumstances, or that you can continue in your weakness for just a few more days. Your “particular” sin will find you out, and then it will be too late, as the sins of Haiti found them out.

In December 2005 the main topic of discussion was the Tsunami tragedy. Both Christian and non-Christian people were confused, and insurance companies were calling it an act-of-God and just leaving it there. People can’t understand how a “good” God would allow 200,000 “innocent” people to die.  Lk. 13:1-9 says everything that needs to be said for those who want the truth. Luke 13:1-9 “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” It was generally accepted by the Jews of that time, and some today, that if something bad happens to you it is because of sin in your life, in other words if a building falls on you, you must have been very bad. Jesus’ simple answer was, “no, that isn’t true. But, unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” So, Jesus answer to the Tsunami disaster, and the Haiti disaster, is “no, God did not cause this disaster, but He did allow it, and unless you repent you will likewise perish.” The parable that follows sheds much light on the matter. What some will see here is a mean natured God; others will see a God of Mercy. What you discover is that the wrong question is being asked. They, and we, ask “why did God do this or allow this to happen?” By understanding the parable and what Jesus is trying to teach us we understand that the question should be, “Why does a perfectly “just” God tolerate anyone to live, why doesn’t He destroy all mankind, not just a few?” The answer is “MERCY.” In the parable God is the owner of the tree and Jesus is the gardener, who asks for mercy on the tree for a period of time, to try and make the tree fruitful. God is a merciful God who has waited and waited and waited, but He will not wait forever, and He may choose to allow America to suffer likewise.

All this is happening in the world while Americans play dumb and place their hope in the lottery, worship materialism, idolize Hollywood, praise sports, fill their bellies, cheat their friends and neighbors, hate their boss, and commit unfaithful acts of all kinds. And, we do all this thinking we’re perfectly normal, declaring to the mirror on the wall that we’re, “the fairest of them all.” Pornography, mutilation of the body, 4,000,000 dead babies, 50% divorce rate inside the church, all kinds of selfish addictions, mass mental illness, murder, rape, homosexualism, child molestation, and everything evil is on the rise in the “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.” Americans along with many all over the world are under the curse of believing they can live as they want and fix any problem that comes along while they secretly contemplate suicide. They chase the “illusive butterfly of love” and happiness while walking a tightrope over Hell, without a net. We are a country gone mad. Not only can we not catch the, “butterfly of love” it doesn’t even exist, it’s an illusion. There is no love, happiness, or life apart from Jesus. The “American Dream” has become a nightmare.

Heb 3:6-15 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”   See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
Ps 9:7-10 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Rom 2:5-11 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”   To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

Rev 6:15-7:1 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
2 Peter 3:3-10 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Matt 11:20-12:1 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Isa 58:1-12 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,’ and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the accusing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
I have tried to write you a letter of love and desperation. There are only two groups of people: those who are Christian and those who God is calling to become Christians. The Bible says, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” If you are unsaved, glorifying God may not sound too exciting, but the truth is that you were created for that purpose.

What has happened in Haiti is horrible, and they need help, but all the liberals and their social gospel (which is no gospel) of only good deeds will fill their bellies just to send them to Hell. They are sinners who desperately need to be saved. This is not just a warning to Haiti, this is warning to the whole world, including the Christian world.

Repent, or you shall likewise perish.

Steve Blackwell