I agree with most that the editors of The Berean Call have to say, but every once in awhile I disagree with something. If you have any comments or questions please write me.
March 18, 2008 Posted on this site 3/19/08
Today's Update:
"When the Lord put it upon my heart to write a book about my concerns regarding Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, little did I know I would face a new kind of opposition. I was compelled to address the subject because of my background as a devout Roman Catholic, a former Hollywood screenwriter, and my experience in Christian apologetics. The "passionate" reaction I received was very different from other controversial issues I had written about in nearly three decades of ministry; in this case some who were very much opposed to the book were those whom I greatly respect.
"To a man, their response to my long list of substantial criticisms (multiple distortions of and additions to Scripture, the use of the film medium to manipulate emotions, the false Catholic gospel of physical sufferings to expiate sins, story content taken from a mystical nun, Gibson's goal of reproducing the Stations of the Cross ritual and exalting Mary, etc., etc.) was: "Yes, but God can still use this."
"At the time it was seen by many evangelicals as an exciting opportunity to witness worldwide to those unbelievers whose curiosity the popular movie piqued. Although predictions abounded that the film would bring about great revival, no such thing -- even on a local scale -- materialized.
"I was told by sincere friends that the value of a book explaining the problems with The Passion of the Christ would very likely be short-lived because movies come and go and are soon forgotten. Generally speaking, yes; but not in this case. The evangelical church, credited for making The Passion an overwhelming box-office success, has lionized this movie. Churches not only purchased tickets for their congregations -- they bought The Passion DVDs for their libraries, Sunday schools, adult and young-adult groups, Bible studies, outreach programs, and so forth.
"Four years since the release of the film, its showing has become an annual Easter event for thousands of evangelical churches. This week Hank Hanegraaff's Bible Answer Man program is having actor and conservative Catholic James Caviezel discuss his experience of playing Christ in "the making of the epic film." Moody Bible Church has encouraged its congregation to register for Saturday's free showing of "this powerful depiction of the last days of Jesus' life on earth." Other examples abound.
"The most grievous aspect of all this is that this very Catholic production (Gibson calls it his "very Marian movie"), with all of its anti-biblical characteristics (see Showtime for the Sheep?), has become a permanent teaching tool within evangelical churches. This is certainly a major addition to the rapidly developing apostasy.
"T.A. McMahon
"P.S.- Let me know what The Passion of the Christ events are taking place in your area. "
The Secret - the Latest Occult
Scam
From the Berean Call - 7/2007
From TBC Today 12/8/06
Global Summit on AIDS and the Church
on the Saddleback campus
MAN SAYS: "[Beginning November 30], the Global Summit on AIDS and the Church [was] held on the Saddleback campus. It is not a church service, but an international summit for pastors and world leaders. Leaders from churches, denominations, health, NGOs, Christian organizations, governments, businesses, and entertainment will meet together to discuss how they can work with churches to end AIDS. Participants will hear messages from Laura Bush, Sen. Bill Frist, Sen. Sam Brownback, Bill Gates, Bono, the doctor who discovered AIDS transmission heterosexually, Franklin Graham, the President of World Vision, the President of World Relief, the President of Compassion, and about 30 other speakers who are concerned about AIDS. [Pro-homosexual, pro-abortion] Sen. Obama is one speaker at a conference which includes Republicans and Democrats, Christians and non-Christians, pastors, business leaders, and all kinds of races from around the world. Yet the vitriol and unChristlike slander was over the top." (Rick Warren, Purpose Driven network, November 25, 2006)
GOD SAYS: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
[TBC: More recently, Warren and Saddleback released a follow up statement: "We do not expect all participants in the Summit discussion to agree with all of our Evangelical beliefs. However, the HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be fought by Evangelicals alone. It will take the cooperation of all government, business, NGOs and the church. That is the purpose of this Summit -- to marshal the policy of the government; the finances of business; the expertise of the health organizations; and the compassion, volunteerism and reach of the church in order to care for the sick and save lives."
Saving of lives is certainly paramount, but saving of souls is greater yet. We have seen enough examples that demonstrate whenever evangelicals join hands with the world, the real "good news" will be set aside. That is part of the demands of the world.]
From TBC Today 12/8/06
A Call To Repentance
See the November 2006 Newsletter on The Berean Call site.
This is an important message about the many ways professing Christians and the Evangelical subculture have become corrupt and deceived.
This message includes serious warnings about the following:
President Bush and Condoleezza Rice, D. James Kennedy, R.C. Sproul, Bob Finley, Christian Aid Mission, Mennonite Central Committee, World Vision (WV), Timothy George, Jack Hayford, Duane Litfin, Brian McLaren, David Neff, Ron Sider, Jim Wallis, Rick Warren, Thomas Wang, John Stott, Billy Graham, John Ankerberg, James Dobson, Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, J.I. Packer, Zondervan, Rupert Murdoch, Rick Warren, The Roman Catholic Church, Richard Land, the Southern Baptists' Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Pat Robertson, Jack Van Impe, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Chuck Colson, Paul Crouch, TBN, Benny Hinn, Jerry Falwell, Robert Schuller, the Chrysostom Society, Richard Foster, Calvin Miller, Karen Mains, Eugene PetersonGlory to God!
<<Dr. Tony Wright, a dentist in South Africa, musing on his website how the prophecies of the Bible incontrovertibly point to Jesus as the expected and manifested Messiah:
"As groups such as Answers in Genesis point out, there is an increased reliance upon what is called Ultra-Semitic translations of the Scriptures. What this means is that such translations are opposed to any literal understanding of such passages as Genesis 1. There is a reason for this as the following commentary points out:
"Most of [the prophetic scriptures] point directly or indirectly at Jesus Christ, who fulfilled 371 Tanaach Messianic prophecies. 371 Coincidences? Surely not.....!!!
"We read in the TALMUD (Sanhedrin 97b):That the Sanhedrin wept and said, "Woe to us! Where is the Messiah? He had to have come by now." Even the Holy leaders of Israel realized the fact that, according to the Tanakh, they had missed their Messiah! To cover up their error, they banned Jews forever from reading or interpreting Daniel 9 - because Daniel 9 gives the date, to the day, that the Messiah was supposed to have come. According to Judaism (the midrash Bereshith on page 243 of the Warsaw edition), the Messiah was to exit in 33 AD.">>
Rick Warren, Tony Compolo, & Brian McLaren
"Is Emerging Church Leader, Brian McLaren, Turning His Back on the Cross?"
[From TBC Today 3/22/05]
"March 20, 2005
"Is Brian McLaren becoming an enemy of the Cross of Jesus Christ? While his signature and endorsement on the back of such books as Tony Campolo's Speaking My Mind and Dave Fleming's The Seeker's Way, was horrible enough, that was mild compared to what he has now done.
"In the midst of Purpose Driven mania and an apparently sleeping church, Brian McLaren has endorsed a book that calls the doctrine of the Cross a vile doctrine.
"That book? None other than Alan Jones' new book, Reimagining Christianity. Alan Jones in an interspiritualist and mystic in every sense of the word. Take a look at the Living Spiritual Teachers Project, of which Jones is involved. This group of about twenty-five includes Zen and Buddhist monks, New Agers and even Marianne Williamson and her Course in Miracles. The goal of this group is to destroy the belief that Jesus Christ is the only way for redemption and to integrate other world religious beliefs into Christianity.
"Not only does Alan Jones believe the Cross to be vile, he says that the spiritual practice of contemplative prayer will draw Christians into the realms of all other world religions. Now on this point, we have to agree with Mr. Jones. He couldn't be more right.
"Right now there are two groups of people who are rushing interspirituality and contemplative prayer into the world's midst.The first group consists of those who are not afraid nor do they keep secret the beliefs they hold. They include such as Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Wayne Teasdale, Bede Griffiths, Robert Schuller, Tilden Edwards, Alan Jones, Marcus Borg and the list goes on.
"The second group, and in a sense a far more dangerous group because they outwardly wear the clothing of sheep, are nothing more than disciples of the first group. They include, to name a few: Richard Foster, Brennan Manning, Bruce Wilkinson, Eugene Peterson, John Ortberg, John Eldredge, Bill Hybels, and yes Rick Warren and Brian McLaren.
"In time,we believe this second group will merge with this first group, proudly and openly. With Brian McLaren's help that task will be accomplished far sooner than some had expected.
"http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/SpecialNewsAlertMarch202005.htm
"[TBC: Contact us for a copy of our Purpose Driven Life critique or read it online at our website: http://www.thebereancall.org.]"
http://www.thebereancall.org/topics/assets/Purpose%20Driven%20Critique.pdf
"Man Says... God Says..."
"Man Says: "Messianic Muslims, who continue to read the Koran, visit the mosque and say their daily prayers but accept Christ as their Savior, are the products of the strategy which is being tried in several countries." A YWAM staff writer wrote: "They continue a life of following the Islamic requirements, including mosque attendance, fasting and Koranic reading, besides getting together as a fellowship of Muslims who acknowledge Christ as the source of God's mercy for them... YWAM is also adopting this approach in India, where a team is working with a Hindu holy man." (YWAM in Foundation, May/June 2000, p. 39).
"God Says: "It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us."" [2 Timothy 2:11, 12]
From TBC Today 11/4/04
"Bogus Beliefs"
"Los Angeles Times (USA), Sep. 20, 2004, excerpted from www.religionnewsblog.com/8717-.html
"By William Lobdell, Times Staff Writer
Excerpts, Part 2"Ole E. Anthony, founder of the Trinity Foundation in Dallas, a televangelist watchdog, said he knew people who had given the last of their savings to TV preachers, hoping for a windfall that never came.
""The people on TBN are living the lifestyle of fabulous wealth on the backs of the poorest and most desperate people in our society," Anthony said. "People have lost their faith in God because they believe they weren't worthy after not receiving their financial blessing."
"Thomas D. Horne, of Williford, Ark., a disabled Vietnam-era veteran, said that in 1994 he was swept away by the rhetoric of TBN pastors and donated about $6,000 in disability benefits.
"Time went by and he did not receive the promised surfeit of money. Last year, he found out that TBN had purchased a Newport Beach mansion overlooking the Pacific. He wrote to the network, asking for his money back. "I want to recoup my hard-earned disability money I sent to these despicable people," said Horne. He said he has received no reply.
"Philip McPeake is another donor for whom God's economy of giving did not deliver. Out of work and out of luck in November 1998, McPeake heard the Rev. R.W. Schambach make an impassioned plea for donations on TBN's Kansas City television station, KTAJ. Schambach promised that if viewers sent $200 as a down payment on a $2,000 pledge, God would give them the rest within 90 days -- with a bonus to follow.
"McPeake sent in his money and waited for his luck to change. When it didn't, he complained to the Missouri state attorney general's office and the Federal Communications Commission. TBN refunded his donation.
"Carl Geisendorfer, who runs a low-power Christian television station in Quincy, Ill., offered TBN programming for 19 years -- until, he said, he grew disgusted by the televangelists' financial appeals. He said he pulled TBN off the air in 2002 after watching a preacher tell viewers that they should pledge $2,000 -- even if they didn't have it -- in order to receive a financial miracle from God. "I should have canceled TBN several years earlier, but I thought Paul Crouch would finally see the light on how foolish and prideful that false gospel is," said Geisendorfer, president of Believer's Broadcasting Corp., a small media group. "I'm sorry I waited as long as I did . . . ."
"[TBC: God¹s Word says: "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not" (2 Peter 2:3]."
From TBC Today 10/11/04
Tony Campolo
and the
Assemblies of God"A Christian group is asking an Assemblies of God Bible college in Pennsylvania to drop a frequent guest chapel speaker because of his heretical beliefs. But the school's president is defending his decision to invite a man who holds to universalist theology and an unbiblical view of homosexuality.
"Dr. Don Meyer says he is not backing down from his decision to once again welcome Dr. Tony Campolo
to preach in chapel...at Valley Forge Christian College, a small four-year college located northwest of Philadelphia. Campolo, a well-known media commentator on religious, social and political matters, often preaches with his wife in homosexual-affirming churches, where he has stated that the homosexual "did not choose homosexuality," but is rather "a victim either of biological accident or someone else's folly" (Jim Brown, AgapePress http://headlines.agapepress.org)."
"[TBC: If what Campolo teaches is true (that people do not choose to favor homosexual attraction, but are born "wired" that way) then how can he preach that God is a loving Father? What kind of loving God would clearly condemn homosexual behavior, while at the same time predestining certain beings to be born as homosexuals?]."
From TBC Today 10/7/04
[I don't necessarily endorse Agape Press. Jim B.]
Commentary on Current Events - Index