Cross-shaped swirl pops.

Desensitizing the sheep to the price paid for their salvation by trivializing the cross and removing its offense one lick at a time.

Brian McLaren is absolutely certain that no one can be absolutely certain.

From page 14 of popular false teacher Brian McLaren’s book A New Kind of Christian comes this drivel:

“I drive my car and listen to the Christian radio station, something my wife always tells me I should stop doing (”because it only gets you upset”). There I hear preacher after preacher be so absolutely sure of his bombproof answers and his foolproof biblical interpretations. . . . And the more sure he seems, the less I find myself wanting to be a Christian, because on this side of the microphone, antennas, and speaker, life isn’t that simple, answers aren’t that clear, and nothing is that sure.”

Quotes (173)

Certain avant-garde evangelicals sometimes act as if the demise of certainty is a dramatic new intellectual development, rather than seeing it for what it actually is: an echo of the old unbelief. It is unbelief cloaked in a religious disguise and seeking legitimacy as if it were merely a humbler kind of faith. But it’s not faith at all. In reality, the contemporary refusal to regard any truth as sure and certain is the worst kind of infidelity. The church’s duty has always been to confront such skepticism and answer it by clearly proclaiming the truth God has revealed in His Word.

- John MacArthur

Will the Mormon church be able to stop NASA’s planned assault on the inhabitants of the moon?

According to this article NASA is set to slam not one, but two satellites into the moon. Since Mormon leaders have taught that the moon is populated (along with the sun), I anticipate that the LDS church will vehemently protest this planned attack on the moon. I expect to see the LDS church publicly confront NASA on their disregard for human life and their insensitivity to the inhabitants of the moon. The LDS church will have to race against the clock, though, as this attack on the moon people is scheduled for February 2009.

If they don’t take a stand here and now, Kolob may be next!

Cross bubble bottle necklaces.

Teaching kids to treat the grace and sacrifice of God with utter contempt, one cheap trinket at a time.

Quotes (172)

The resounding cry of freedom in the Bible is, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). In other words, be free! Don’t be duped by the gurus of the age. They are here today and gone tomorrow. One enslaving fad follows another. Thirty years from now today’s tattoos will not be marks of freedom, but incredible reminders of conformity.

- John Piper

Sermon of the week: “The Ungodly Practice of Dating” by Tim Conway.

This week’s sermon is a must-hear for fathers; especially for father’s of daughters. This is a sermon that will definitely change your understanding on who is truly responsible for your daughter’s chastity and spiritual well-being.

In The Ungodly Practice of Dating, Pastor Tim Conway clearly lays out from the Bible how the father is ultimately responsible for the protection of his daughter.

Those familiar with Pastor Conway from previous sermons such as Hell is Necessary and The Fruits of Repentance will know that he pulls no punches and that this sermon on dating will certainly leave an impact.

To listen to the abridged version, click here.

Click on the link to listen streaming, or right click on the link and click “Save As” (Internet Explorer) or “Save Link As” (Mozilla) to save to your computer. From there you can burn this to a CD or upload it to your MP3 player.

Designated smoking room in church.

Athough this is complete satire, how long do you think it will be before a church actually does this for real?

If you liked this video, you’ll enjoy these:

Prosperity Praise

Me Church

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Drive-Thru Church

Mr. Seeker-Sensitive Mega-Church Pastor

Quotes (171)

   Many self-styled evangelicals today are openly questioning whether such a thing as truth even exists. Others suppose that even if truth does exist, we can’t be sure what it is, so it can’t really matter much. The twin problems of uncertainty and apathy about the truth are epidemic, even among some of the evangelical movement’s most popular authors and spokespersons. Some flatly refuse to stand for anything because they have decided that even Scripture isn’t really clear enough to argue about. Except for the massive scale on which such thinking has attained popularity today, and the way it is seeping into the church, such ideas themselves are really nothing new or particularly shocking. It is exactly the same attitude with which Pilate summarily dismissed Christ: “What is truth?” (John 18:3

- John MacArthur

What if Gordon B. Hinckley returned from the grave to deliver one last message?

Here’s your chance to be a little creative and use some artistic license. I pose this query to all my readers, so put on your thinking caps.

It was exactly one month ago today that Mormon prophet/president Gordon B. Hinckley died. What if he was permitted to return from where he’s spent the last month (wherever you think he may be) to deliver one last, but brief, message? What do you think his message to the world would be now?

I anxiously await your comments.

Quotes (170)

Let it not be said of you at last, as it is of many, that your “youth was a disorder, your manhood a struggle, and your old age a regret.”

- J. C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

Stay cool with God?

When the church has to resort to a tropical penguin to interest children in God (and candy too) it’s no wonder that we’ve raised a generation of biblically illiterate and doctrinally ignorant entertainment-seekers whose concept of God is that He’s just a “cool” dude.

Quotes (169)

Many in the academic and philosophical realms . . . . no longer believe in truth as a sure and knowable reality. Make no mistake: unbelief is the seed of that opinion. The contemporary aversion to truth is simply a natural expression of fallen humanity’s innate hostility toward God (Romans 8:7).

- John MacArthur

We salute you “Mr. Seeker Sensitive Mega-Church Pastor.”

Chris had this great video featured on A Little Leaven. I’m sure you will get a kick out of it!

If you enjoyed this video, check out:

Prosperity Praise

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Quotes (168)

The millions of Asians who are dying and going to Hell are people for whom Christ died. We say we believe it–but what are we doing to act on that faith? Without works, faith is dead. No one should go to hell today without hearing about the Lord Jesus. To me this is an atrocity much worse than the death camps of Hitler’s Germany or Stalin’s Russia. As horrible as the 1.3 million abortions are in the United States each year, the eternal loss of multiplied millions of additional souls every year is the greatest preventable tragedy of our times.

- K.P. Yohannan

Cross Pops: Another shameful and irreverent use of the image of the cross.

Just think of all the people that will want to ask you about your faith in Jesus when they see you eating one of these.

Qutoes (167)

Absolutely everything is for our good. The problem is many times we do not understand the good. The good isn’t big ministries, the good isn’t fame in the Christian life, the good isn’t that after we die someone will write a book about us, the good isn’t that we’re respected as the greatest pastor in the world. The good is that we look like Jesus; that we look like Christ.

- Paul Washer

“Walking with Jesus” gummy shoe snacks.

Proof that if you slap the word “Jesus” on anything, the gullible among us will buy it.

Quotes (166)

   God and truth are inseparable. Every thought about the essence of truth–what it is, what makes it “true,” and how we can possibly know anything for sure, quickly moves us back to God. That is why God incarnate–Jesus Christ–is called the truth (John 14:6). That is also why it is not particularly surprising when someone who repudiates God rejects His truth as well. If a person can’t tolerate the thought of God, there is simply no comfortable place for the concept of truth in that person’s worldview, either. So the consistent atheist, agnostic, or idolater might as well hate the very idea of truth. After all, to reject God is to reject the Giver of all truth, the final Judge of what really is true, and the very essence and embodiment of truth itself.

- John MacArthur

ABC’s 20/20 examines how some televangelists use your money.

Quotes (165)

Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed on a mountain; Isaac prayed in the fields; Hezekiah turned his face to the wall as he lay upon his bed; Daniel prayed by the riverside; Peter, the Apostle, on the housetop. I have heard of young men praying in stables and haylofts. All that I contend for is this, you must know what it is to”go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6). There must be stated times when you must speak to God face to face, you must every day have your times for prayer–You must pray.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

Introducing the Fuzzy Bible.

Introducing this new Bible for kids.

Don’t let the publishers limit who this Bible would appeal to. This would make a perfect gift for those who want their Bible cover to reflect their depth and personal understanding of sound biblical doctrine: “a little fuzzy.” It would also be perfect for those who view Jesus as a cuddly little teddy bear.

Mormonism: A history of outlandish outerspace opinions, crazy cosmology, silly spacemen, and lunar lunacy.

Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth prophet/president of the Mormon church, said the following:

We are not the only people that the Lord has created. We have brothers and sisters on other earths. They look like us because they, too, are the children of God and were created in his image, for they are also his offspring. Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 1, Page 62

Brigham Young, second prophet/president of the Mormon church, announced the following three gems of wisdom:

Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents who were first brought here from another planet, and power was given them to propagate their species. Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, Page 285, 1859

Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon? When we view its face we may see what is termed “the man in the moon,” and what some philosophers declare are the shadows of mountains. But these sayings are very vague, and amount to nothing; and when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, Page 271, 1870

We are called ignorant; so we are: but what of it? Are not all ignorant? I rather think so. Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon? When we view its face we may see what is termed “the man in the moon,” and what some philosophers declare are the shadows of mountains. But these sayings are very vague, and amount to nothing; and when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It was made to give light to those who dwell upon it, and to other planets; and so will this earth when it is celestialized. Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, Page 271, 1870

Martin Harris, one of the three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, had this to say:

Daniel Hendrix relates that as he and [Martin] Harris were riding to the village one evening, and he remarked on the beauty of the moon, Harris replied that if his companion could only see it as he had, he might well call it beautiful, explaining that he had actually visited the moon, and added that it “was only the faithful who were permitted to visit celestial regions.” William A. Linn, The Story of the Mormons, Page 35, 1902

Oliver B. Huntington, who was a close associate of Joseph Smith and remained a faithful Mormon his whole life, had this to say:

Astronomers and philosophers have, from time almost immemorial until very recently, asserted that the moon was uninhabited, that it had n atmosphere, etc. But recent discoveries, through the means of powerful telescopes, have given scientists a doubt or two upon the old theory. Nearly all the great discoveries of men in the last half century have, in one way or another, either directly or indirectly, contributed to prove Joseph Smith to be a prophet. As far back as 1837, I know that he said the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth, and that they lived to a greater age than we do, that they live generally to near the age of a 1000 years. He described the men as averaging near six feet in height, and dressing quite uniformly in something near the Quaker style. In my Patriarchal blessing, given by the father of Joseph the Prophet, in Kirtland, 1837, I was told that I should preach the gospel before I was 21 years of age; that I should preach the gospel to the inhabitants upon the islands of the sea, and–to the inhabitants of the moon, even the planet you can now behold with your eyes. Young Woman’s Journal, Volume 3, pages 263-264, 1892

Huntington also told of founding prophet/president Joseph Smith’s teaching regarding the moon:

“The inhabitants of the moon are more of a uniform size than the inhabitants of the earth, being about 6 feet in height. They dress very much like the quaker style and are quite general in style, or fashion of dress. They live to be very old; coming generally, near a thousand years.” This is the description of them as given by Joseph the Seer, and he could “see” whatever he asked the father in the name of Jesus to see. The Journal of Oliver B. Huntington, Volume 3, Page 166

When “salvation” becomes so trivial and cheap, it’s only natural to make a board game out of it.

Now you too can have this “evangelism tool wrapped in fun” when you play Salvation Challenge. This game boasts that you can “celebrate–and share–your faith by responding to the salvation message.”

Is a comment even necessary?

Truer words were never spoken by a Mormon.

   Cursed be that man or angel who preaches another gospel, or perverts the true gospel of Christ.

Orson Pratt

The Seer

Page 255

April 1854

Quotes (164)

Grace transcends reason and logic, but it doesn’t violate them. Reason would never have the shepherd die for the sheep, the judge die for the condemned, or–most incredible–the Creator die for the creature. Logic would insist that the sinner die for his sins, that the penalty of the broken law be carried out. Grace does the unthinkable.

- William MacDonald

Sermon of the week: “A Sermon That Has Angered Many” by Paul Washer.

This week’s sermon is entitled A Sermon that Has Angered Many by Paul Washer.

Click on the link to listen streaming, or right click on the link and click “Save As” (Internet Explorer) or “Save Link As” (Mozilla) to save to your computer. From there you can burn this to a CD or upload it to your MP3 player.

Quotes (163)

   Much of the visible church nowadays seems to think Christians are supposed to be at play rather than at war. The idea of actually fighting for doctrinal truth is the furthest thing from most churchgoers’ thoughts. Contemporary Christians are determined to get the world to like them–and of course in the process they also want to have as much fun as possible. They are so obsessed with making the church seem “cool” to unbelievers that they can’t be bothered with questions about whether another person’s doctrine is sound or not. In a climate like that, the thought of even identifying someone else’s teaching as false (much less “contending earnestly” for the faith) is a distasteful and dangerously countercultural suggestion. Christians have bought into the notion that almost nothing is more “uncool” in the world’s eyes than when someone shows a sincere concern about the danger of heresy. After all, the world simply doesn’t take spiritual truth that seriously, so they cannot fathom why anyone would.
- John Macarthur

Yet another “church” making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

There’s so many things wrong with this that I won’t even bother wasting my time discussing it. But here’s my suggestion to Relevant Church: How about trying the 30-day Study-Your-Bible Challenge?

Quotes (162)

The evangelical movement itself must take some blame for devaluing the truth by catering to people’s itching ears (2 Timothy 4:1-4). Does anyone really imagine that many of the entertainment-hungry churchgoers who pack today’s megachurches would be willing to give their lives for the truth? As a matter of fact, many of them are unwilling to take a bold stand for the truth even among other Christians in an environment where there is no serious threat against them and the worst effect of such a stand might be that someone’s feelings get hurt.
- John MacArthur

George Bush proves once and for all, that he’s not a Christian.

Finally, George Bush (indirectly) denies he’s a Christian by (directly) claiming that we (including non-Christians) all worship the same God (except terrorists of course) and that even non-Christians will get to Heaven–just by a different route.

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me. - Jesus Christ (John 14:6)

I wonder if all the Christian bookstores are going to pull their stacks of George Bush books from their shelves now?

HT: A Little Leaven

Quotes (161)

Few indeed are to be found who pray: there are many who go down on their knees, and say a form perhaps, but few who pray; few who cry out to God, few who call on the Lord, few who seek as if they wanted to find, few who knock as if they hungered and thirsted, few who wrestle, few who strive with God earnestly for an answer, few who give Him no rest, few who continue in prayer, few who pray always without ceasing and do not grow weak. Yes, few pray! It is just one of the things assumed which is everybody’s business, but in fact hardly anybody performs.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

Can you guess where that verse is?

Can you cite me the book, chapter, and verse where the following passage can be found from The Message?

“How well God must like you–you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.”

Does this even seem vaguely familiar to you?

This would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Sad because people actually consider The Message to be a legitimate Bible “translation.” Rick Warren quotes from it often and XXXChurch passes it out as their “Jesus Loves Porn Stars” Bible.

Well, here’s the answer:

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! Psalm 1:1 (NASB)

Quotes (160)

    In every generation across the history of the Church, countless martyrs have similarly died rather than deny the truth. Were such people just fools, making too much of their own convictions? Was their absolute confidence in what they believed actually misguided zeal? Did they die needlessly? Many these days evidently think so–including some who profess faith in Christ. Living in a culture where violent persecution is almost unknown, multitudes who call themselves Christians seem to have forgotten what faithfulness to the truth often costs. Did I say “often”? As a matter of fact, faithfulness to the truth is always costly in some way or another (2 Timothy 3:12), and that is precisely why Jesus insisted that anyone who wants to be His disciple must be willing to take up a cross (Luke 9:23-26).
 

- John MacArthur

Do you support your local Christian bookstore?

My recent visit to a local Christian bookstore got me thinking about something and I thought I’d pose the question to the readers of this blog:

Do you patronize your local Christian Bookstore? By patronize I specifically mean, do you make purchases from your local Christian bookstore?

Here’s my thoughts:

The Christian bookstore can be a light in the darkness of a somewhat spiritual desert in some communities. There are people who stumble into such establishments who would never darken the doors of a church. Usually the owner, and workers, are professing Christians who could help lead a lost soul to Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, every Christian bookstore that I’ve been in sells tons of literature and books that contain enough heresy to lead any seeking soul who finds them to Hell. Alongside great books of the Christian faith can be found almost every purveyor of false doctrine, every wind of doctrine, and every doctrine of demons imaginable.

So the question arises, how much poison is permissible in your glass of water? Do you support such a den of heresy? If so, why? If not, why?

Quotes (159)

History is filled with accounts of people who choose to accept torture or death rather than deny the truth. In previous generations it was generally considered heroic to give your life for what you believed in. That is not necessarily the case anymore. Part of the problem, of course, is that terrorists and suicide bombers have co-opted the idea of “martyrdom” and turned it on its head. They call themselves “martyrs,” but they are suicidal murderers who kill people for not believing. Their violent aggression is actually the polar opposite of martyrdom, and the ruthless ideologies that drive them are the exact antitheses of truth. There is nothing heroic about what they do and nothing noble about what they stand for. But they are significant symbols of a deeply troubling trend that plagues this current generation worldwide. It seems there is no shortage of people nowadays willing to kill for a lie. Yet few seem to be willing to speak up for truth–much less die for it. Consider the testimonies of the Christian martyrs throughout history. They were valiant warriors for the truth. They were not terrorists or violent people, of course. But they “fought” for the truth by proclaiming it in the face of fierce opposition, by living lives that gave testimony to the power and goodness of truth, and by refusing to renounce or forsake the truth no matter what threats were made against them.

- John MacArthur

Crosstalk: The Rise of Witchcraft in America.

Ingrid Schlueter interviews David Kupelian on the The Rise of Witchcraft in America.

Click on the link to listen streaming, or right click on the link and click “Save As” (Internet Explorer) or “Save Link As” (Mozilla) to save to your computer. From there you can burn this to a CD or upload it to your MP3 player.

Your Mormon Quote of the Day.

  At that great gathering Adam offered sacrifices on an altar built for the purpose. A remnant of that very altar remained on the spot down through the ages. On May 19, 1838, Joseph Smith and a number of his associates stood on the remainder of the pile of stones at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri.

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Page 21

Yet another tastless advertisement for Planned Parenthood.

From the propaganda machine that brought you this atrocity comes yet another tasteless production pandering to man’s insatiable desire to sin. Ah, the wisdom of the world at its best.

Quotes (158)

So many of us–so many times–fight against a certain work of God without which we will never produce excellent fruit. We have been so led into believing that everything difficult, everything that conflicts, everything that scrapes us and works as a rasp in our life to take away our comfort–that it’s from the devil. That’s what America has taught us; a comfortable Christianity. When what we do not realize is those who say such things are blaspheming. Because in the life of God’s people, in His Church, in His vineyard, God the Father is the vine dresser and He is the One that is cutting away at us. He is the One that is pruning us. He is the one that is cleaning us.

- Paul Washer