Flickering Pixels author Shane Hipps will take over for
Bell during spring 2012 after Bell finishes his series on Acts in December.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
WATCH and SHARE - 180movie.com - WARNING: Graphic (historical) Content
For more information go to www.180movie.com and visit http://heartchanger.com/
A New Third Way? Reformist Evangelicals and the Evangelical Future
Who is and is not an evangelical? With whom should evangelicals cooperate in gospel efforts, and with whom not? Which theological expressions are truly evangelical, and which are beyond the pale?
These questions are central to the ongoing crisis of evangelical identity. In 1989, Carl F. H. Henry spoke to the urgency of answering these questions:
“The term ‘evangelical’ has taken on conflicting nuances in the twentieth century. Wittingly or unwittingly, evangelical constituencies, no less than their critics, have contributed to this confusion and misunderstanding. Nothing could be more timely, therefore, than to define what is primary and what is secondary in personifying an evangelical Christian.”
Just a year after Henry offered those words, Robert Brow called for a complete transformation of evangelical theology — and did so within the pages of Christianity Today, the flagship periodical once edited by both Carl Henry and Kenneth Kantzer. Brow’s manifesto was a clarion call to abandon the Augustinian-Reformation model in favor of a new Arminian and postmodern model. Brow declared that the intellectual context of postmodernity made such an exchange necessary. He argued that doctrines such as the omnipotence, omniscience, and sovereignty of God would have to be radically reinterpreted in light of current thinking. He explicitly rejected doctrines such as the substitutionary atonement, a penal understanding of the cross, forensic justification, and imputed righteousness. With remarkable boldness, he called for the rejection of the traditional doctrine of hell, and he denied both a dual destiny after judgment and the exclusivity of the Gospel. As he made these demands, he informed his readers of the inevitability of an evangelical “megashift” because, “a whole generation of young people has breathed this air.”
Read Full Article Here ....
“The term ‘evangelical’ has taken on conflicting nuances in the twentieth century. Wittingly or unwittingly, evangelical constituencies, no less than their critics, have contributed to this confusion and misunderstanding. Nothing could be more timely, therefore, than to define what is primary and what is secondary in personifying an evangelical Christian.”
Just a year after Henry offered those words, Robert Brow called for a complete transformation of evangelical theology — and did so within the pages of Christianity Today, the flagship periodical once edited by both Carl Henry and Kenneth Kantzer. Brow’s manifesto was a clarion call to abandon the Augustinian-Reformation model in favor of a new Arminian and postmodern model. Brow declared that the intellectual context of postmodernity made such an exchange necessary. He argued that doctrines such as the omnipotence, omniscience, and sovereignty of God would have to be radically reinterpreted in light of current thinking. He explicitly rejected doctrines such as the substitutionary atonement, a penal understanding of the cross, forensic justification, and imputed righteousness. With remarkable boldness, he called for the rejection of the traditional doctrine of hell, and he denied both a dual destiny after judgment and the exclusivity of the Gospel. As he made these demands, he informed his readers of the inevitability of an evangelical “megashift” because, “a whole generation of young people has breathed this air.”
Read Full Article Here ....
Bell to team-up with Chan?
Update: Bell to Move to L.A. and Launch a Tour
The pastor who ignited a debate over heaven and hell has
announced his departure from the church he founded.
Roman Catholic Church ... Dangerous?
Is the Roman Catholic Church the one true church founded by Christ, or an apostate church that has departed from the faith of the apostles? This question had a very clear-cut answer 400 years ago when the Reformers departed from the heretical teaching of Popes. Today, however, there are many evangelicals who are not so sure.
Jude warned the church to
contend for the faith against apostates who attempt to steal away disciples. In
verse 4 of his epistle, he wrote, "For certain men whose condemnation was
written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless
men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny
Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord." Jude identifies the apostates
by certain characteristics. They are ungodly because they supplant God's
sovereign authority with an authority of their own. Apostates turn the grace of
God into a commodity that can be bought, bartered or merited. They pervert the
gospel of grace into a gospel of works. They deny the supremacy and sovereignty
of Christ and give His divine attributes and titles to others. They deny the
sufficiency of the word and work of Christ. It is these impostors who lead
people away from "the faith which was once for all delivered to the
saints." Do any of these characteristics convict the Catholic Church of
being apostate? Let us compare them with teachings from the new Catechism of
the Catholic Church (paragraph numbers are in parenthesis).
Apostates teach a
different gospel
The Catholic Church has
nullified the Gospel of grace by adding additional requirements for salvation.
It teaches baptism (1257), church membership (845), the sacraments (1129), obeying
the commandments (2068), good works (1821) and the sacrifice of the mass (1405)
are all necessary for salvation. This is another gospel, and those who teach it
are condemned as severely as Paul condemned the Judaizers for teaching a false
gospel (Galatians 1:6-9). Catholic priests are needed to dispense salvation
through seven sacraments. From baptism through purgatory, Catholics are taught
they can gain a right standing before God by what they do instead of believing
what God has done for them through Christ. Catholics are taught they "can
merit the graces needed for the attainment of eternal life" (2027). Each
Catholic must attain their own salvation (1477).
Apostates deny salvation
on the merits of Christ alone
The Catholic Church
teaches that through indulgences "Catholics can attain their own salvation
and at the same time cooperate in saving their brothers" (1477). The pope
claims to have the power to transfer the merits of one sinner to another to
reduce their punishment for sin. "An indulgence is a remission of the
temporal punishment due to sins which the sinner gains through the Church,
which... dispenses from the Vatican treasury...the prayers and good works of
Mary and all the saints" (1471-79). Rome also "commends almsgiving and
works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead" (1032). From Scripture
we know that "no man can redeem the life of another or give to God a
ransom for him, the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever
enough" (Psalm 49:7-8).
Apostates condemn the
Gospel of grace
For over 400 years Rome
has not only preached a different gospel but also has condemned anyone who
believes the glorious Gospel of grace. Many Christians are unaware the Councils
of Trent and Vatican II issued over 100 anathema's (condemnations) on anyone
who believes salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
All these condemnations are still in effect today as evidenced by these two
examples:
"If anyone says the
sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to
cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, let him be
anathema."1
The Catholic Church,
"condemns with anathema those who say that indulgences are useless or that
the Church does not have the power to grant them."2
Rome also condemns anyone
who believes they are assured of eternal life. This anathema denies the words
of Christ, who said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). For those who
reject the words of Christ, Jesus said, "there is a judge for the one who
rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will
condemn him at the last day" (John 12:48). Catholics must recognize there
are more serious consequences for being condemned by the infallible Word of God
than by the fallible teachings of their church.
Apostates deny the
sufficiency of Christ's atonement
Catholic teaching denies
that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient to expiate all the guilt and punishment
of sin. Instead they teach a cleansing fire is needed for "those who are
expiating their sins in purgatory" (1475). The doctrine of Purgatory is an
utter denial of the sufficiency of Christ's perfect sacrifice for sin, yet
Catholics are asked to accept it as a grace (1473). The pope has the power to
bring them out of purgatory, but refuses to do so, unless indulgences are
offered in their name.3 "All who die still imperfectly purified
undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy
of heaven" (1030).
Rome teaches that
Catholics can carry their own cross to expiate their sins and the sins of
others (1474-77). What a glaring contradiction this is. The cross of the
sinless and perfect savior is said to be insufficient to expiate sins, yet the
cross of lowly sinners is said to be sufficient to do what Christ could not do.
No priest can tell Catholics how many indulgences are needed or how long one
has to suffer for each sin. This only perpetuates a religious system that holds
Catholics in bondage and at the mercy of their church indefinitely. However,
the writer of Hebrews declared, "For by one offering He [Jesus] has
perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (10:14), and "after
[Christ] had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of
the majesty in heaven" (1:3).
Apostates deny Christ's
sacrifice is finished
The Catholic Church
teaches the sacrifice of Jesus must continue daily on its altars for the
reparation of the sins of the living and the dead (1414). This is done so that
sins may be expiated and the wrath of God may be appeased. Although Scriptures
teach the Lord's supper is a memorial, Rome declares it is a real sacrifice and
asserts Jesus is immolated (killed) as a sacrificial victim each time the Mass
is offered. "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist
are one single sacrifice" (1367). Rome claims the priest has the power to
call Jesus down from heaven, and transubstantiate a wafer into his physical
body, blood, soul and divinity. After almighty God has been reduced to a
lifeless, inanimate piece of bread the priest lifts it up to be worshipped. The
priest then re-presents Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to the Father. This
practice is strongly rebuked by Scripture. Paul wrote "we know that since
Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again...the death he died, he
died to sin once for all" (Romans 6:9-10). In anticipation that apostates
would declare Christ is present when He is not, Jesus warned us, if anyone says
to you, "'Look here is the Christ,' or 'There He is!' do not believe
it" (Matthew 24:23). When Jesus "offered for all time one sacrifice
for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God...there is no longer any
sacrifice for sin" (Hebrews 10: 12,18). To deny the words of our blood
stained Savior, who said "It is finished" is to reject the essential
doctrine of the Gospel (John 19:30). For if the work of redemption is not
finished then all humanity remains condemned to hell and dead in their sins.
Apostates deny the
sufficiency and authority of God's Word
Rome declares that
Scripture along with "tradition must be accepted and honored with equal
sentiments of devotion and reverence." Pagan traditions and practices
began tainting the doctrinal purity of the early church when it ignored the rebuke
of Jesus concerning tradition. Jesus firmly denounced religious leaders for
allowing their traditions to nullify the Word of God (Mark 7:6-13). Apostates
show a lack of awe and reverence of God's sovereign power by supplanting His
authority with an authority of their own. They do this by removing, adding, and
altering the inspired Word of God.
Catholic Bishops have
removed the 2nd commandment of God in their new Catechism (page 496). It is no
wonder Rome removed the commandment, which forbids the making and worshipping
of statues. There are huge profits that have been made from the sale of
statues. In the 16th century Rome added the Apocrypha to its canon of inspired
books in an attempt to justify its doctrine of Purgatory. Rome should take heed
of the warnings God gives to those who add to His word. "Do not add to his
words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar" (Prov. 30:6).
Apostates demand
submission to mediators other than Christ
Catholics must submit to
the pope who "by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, has full supreme
and universal power over the whole church, a power he can exercise
unhindered" (882). They must also submit to The Magisterium, which is said
to be the infallible teaching authority of the Church. Catholics are taught
they cannot receive forgiveness for mortal sins unless they confess to yet
another mediator, a priest. Catholics also seek Mary as a mediator who has been
elevated to Mediatrix, Co-redeemer, and Advocate by Rome. Yet Scripture reveals
Jesus is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus alone is
"holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, [and] exalted above the
heavens" (Hebrews 7:26).
Is the Roman Catholic
Church guilty of apostasy? The evidence is overwhelming. The truth must be told
in love with courage and conviction. The eternal destiny of millions of
precious souls hangs in the balance. The Catholic Church has fallen away from
the faith of the apostles and gone the way of apostates.
How are Christians to
respond? Toward individual Catholics we must obey the Scriptures, and call them
out of their apostate churches (Revelation 18:4). We must proclaim the true
Gospel and make disciples of them! Toward the religious system that holds
Catholics in bondage, we must expose their unfruitful deeds of darkness
(Ephesians 5:11). We must correct and rebuke their false teaching (2 Tim 4:2)
and contend for the faith (Jude 3). And finally we must avoid those who oppose
sound doctrine (Romans 16:17). This means refusing to join hands with apostates
"to advance the mission of Christ." It means rebuking the ecumenical
thrust for unity at the expense of truth. We must obey the Scriptures for the
glory and purpose of Christ. May He be exalted and praised in all that we do!
Footnotes:
1 Canon 9, Sixth Session,
Council of Trent
2 Sacred Liturgy, Chapter
IV, paragraph 8, Vatican Council II
3 Sacred Liturgy, Chapter
IV, paragraph 7, Vatican Council II
Monday, September 26, 2011
Jesuit Agenda
In order for this to happen, all
religions must come together in an ecumenical plan. Today, as part of this
Satanic scheme, the evangelical/Protestant church is being drawn seductively
into the Roman Catholic church, largely through what we call “The Jesuit
Agenda.” Incredibly, while the evidence is obvious to some, the majority of
proclaiming Christians are not at all aware it is happening.
So, what should we expect if we
are in the time when such a system unfolds? First, many who once were
Protestant and evangelical will become ecumenical and eventually assimilate
with the Roman Catholic church. Second, all religions will unite in solidarity
of purpose. Understanding the Jesuit Agenda is essential if we are to
understand how this worldwide deception will come about.
Who are the Jesuits?
Since its foundation, the Catholic
papacy has been zealous and often brutal in its endeavor to establish the
kingdom of the Pope (of whom it is believed within the Catholic church is
headed by Jesus Christ). In fact, the Pope has been referred to as the “Vicar
of Christ.” This determination was witnessed during the Inquisition where
countless thousands, if not millions, died cruelly for resisting Rome. Foxe’s
Book of Martyrs describes many of these atrocities.
While many believers in Christ
during the Reformation period attempted to spread the truth that God’s Word was
truly God’s Word and could not be squandered and kept hostage by the papacy and
the Catholic Church, it was not long before the Counter Reformation was founded
to bring the “Separated Brethren” back to the “Mother of All Churches.”
This Counter Reformation was
largely headed by Ignatius Loyola, the man who founded the Jesuit Order in the
mid 1500s and launched an all-out attack against those who dared stand against
the papacy and Rome. This excerpt from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs gives us
an idea of the nature and determination of this Counter Reformation:
The emperor Ferdinand, whose
hatred of the Bohemian Protestants was without bounds, not thinking he had
sufficiently oppressed them, instituted a high court to prosecute the reformers
upon the plan of the Inquisition, with this difference, that the court was to
travel from place to place and always to be attended by a body of troops. This
court was conducted chiefly by Jesuits and from their decision there was no
appeal, by which it may be easily conjectured that it was a dreadful tribunal
indeed.
This bloody court, attended by a body of troops, made the tour of Bohemia. They seldom examined or saw a prisoner, for the soldiers were permitted to murder the Protestants as they pleased and then to make a report of the matter to them afterward.(1)
You see, the Jesuits were
commissioned by the Pope to do whatever it took to end the Protestant
Reformation. The 1540 Constitution
of the Jesuits states:
[L]et whoever desires to fight
under the sacred banner of the Cross, and to serve only God and the
Roman pontiff, His vicar on earth, after a solemn vow of perpetual chastity,-
let him keep in mind that he is part of a society, instituted for the purpose
of perfecting souls in life and in Christian doctrine, for the
propagation of the faith . . . Let all members know, and let it be not only at
the beginning of their profession, but let them think over it daily as long as
they live, that the society as a whole, and each of them, owes obedience to
our most holy lord, the pope, and the other Roman pontiffs, his successors,
and to fight with faithful obedience for God. (Emphasis added.)
While most Christians think that
the Counter Reformation is a thing of the past because we are not seeing
Inquisitions today, this movement continues until today and with renewed effort
through various avenues of the evangelical/Protestant church. In a way, it is
more insidious than the Inquisitions, because now it has infiltrated
Christianity and is being disguised as the “new” Christianity. (Rick Warren
promotes it as the “new” or
second reformation.) But disguised or not, it is the Jesuit Agenda,
and it is bringing about ecumenism and a one-world religion. And at the same
time, it is attempting to destroy the message that so many died for - the
message that Jesus Christ is not found in a wafer and a cup of juice to be
re-crucified day after day but has died once and for all for the sins of man
and offers a salvation that is an entirely free gift, unearned to those who
believe on Him (Hebrews 7:27; 10:11-14).
Who Was Ignatius Loyola?
After a serious injury in the
military and during a lengthy rehabilitation, Ignatius Loyola (b. 1491, d.
1556) turned his focus from “military enthusiasm to ghostly fanaticism.(2) Ignatius assumed
the name and office of Knight of the Virgin Mary, seeing himself as Mary’s
favorite. Ignatius wanted to start a new order, The Society of Jesus (or the
Jesuits) and presented the idea to the Pope. He told the Pope that the idea had
been inspired by heavenly revelations. At first, the Pope hesitated, but when
Ignatius added a fourth vow (in addition to the regular poverty, chastity, and
obedience), “absolute subservience to the pope,” promising to do whatever the
Pope wanted and go wherever he wanted, the Pope agreed and sent the new order
out to “invade the world.” While other monks of other orders sought to separate
themselves from the world, the Jesuits went out into the world and obeyed
whatever command the Pope gave. Often this was to win the world with the sword.
No violent act was withheld if the order came from their top “general.” (3)
In time, the Jesuits entered the
education system, especially that of the Protestants. The Jesuit maxim was:
“Give us the education of the children of this day – and the next generation
will be ours.”(4) The Reverend W. C.
Brownlee, D.D. stated: “They pretended to be converted and to enter into
Protestant churches.” One Jesuit even boasted that the Jesuits were
successfully able to imitate the Puritan preachers. They used trickery and
deception to become “all things to all men.” Within 48 years, there were eleven
thousand Jesuits around the world, quite a large number for back then. (5)
By 1773, the order was abolished
because of their horrible reputation of bloodiness, deception, and immorality.
However, they were reinstated fully in 1814 by Pope Pius VII. Even by this
time, the influence and infiltration into the United States by the Jesuits was
significant.
In 1857, the Reverend W.C.
Brownlee, D.D. compiled a book of a translated document called Secret
Instructions of the Jesuits (found on the Boston College Libraries website,
for one). While Catholic sources say that the Secret Instructions of the Jesuits
is an untrue document, there is enough evidence to indicate that it is true
indeed. Naturally, it is so indicting against the papacy and the Jesuit Order
that one can understand from a human point of view why Catholic sources would
say the document isn’t true. But the facts are that the Jesuit Order was
performing brutal cruel acts to bring the world to “Christ” and the Mother
Church and that they were infiltrating every area of society to do so. This
cannot be denied. Brownlee’s book would be a worthwhile read for those who wish
to understand more of the history of the Jesuits.
The Jesuit Oath
It is said that the ancient
Jesuits took the Jesuit Oath. This has been refuted by Catholic sources as a
true oath taken by Jesuits of the past; nevertheless, there is evidence enough
that the oath did exist to include excerpts of it in this report. We have taken
these excerpts from a book titled Political and Economic Handbook by
Thomas Edward Watson published in 1916, and found in the Harvard College
library.
I do declare from my heart,
without mental reservation, that the Pope is Christ’s Vicar General and . . .
He hath power to depose Heretical Kings, Princes, States . . . that they may
safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the utmost of my power I will defend this doctrine.
. . . I do further declare the doctrine of the Church of England, of the
Calvanists [sic], the Huguenots, and other Protestants to be damnable
and those to be damned who will not forsake the same.
I do further declare that I will
help, assist, and advise all or any of His Holiness agents in any place
wherever I shall be; and to do my utmost to extirpate [exterminate] the
heretical Protestant doctrine, and to destroy all their pretended power. (p.
437)
In another version of the Jesuit
Oath, the Jesuit is asked to promise that he will make “relentless war” against
“all heretics, Protestants” and to “hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle,
and bury alive these infamous heretics” (found in U.S. House Congressional
Record, 1913, p. 3216).
The Jesuit Agenda Today:
While we are not saying that
Jesuits today are murdering Protestants if they don’t convert to Catholicism,
we are saying that the determination and efforts to convert Protestants back to
the Mother Church still exist. Basically, while the methods may have changed,
the plan and objectives have not. The following quote from an article titled “Essay on
Popery” by Rev. Ingram Cobbin M.A. (taken from one edition of Foxe’s
Book of Martyrs) is insightful:
The
Jesuits, though at times expelled or pretendedly so from Rome, have been its
awful emissaries to augment its power. The intrigues and deceptions of these
men would fill volumes, and the conveniency of their creed to deny or affirm
anything, or assume any profession as it may serve their purpose, is too well
known to need recapitulating here. These men have at times assumed so much that
every papal state has alternately ejected them; and large numbers are now in
this country—doubtless many under false colours —waiting the most favourable
opportunities to corrupt the rising generation, and, as much as possible,
restore the dark days of former ages. The Jesuits are unchangeable.
The
Jesuits were driven in the past to bring back the lost brethren, and they are
driven today with the same vision. Today, that vision is part of the pope’s
Eucharistic Evangelization, drawing people to the Eucharistic Christ. The
Eucharistic Evangelization is discussed at length in Another Jesus: The
Evangelization of the Eucharistic Christ and in several articles on the
Understand the Times website.
Read Full Article by clicking here .....
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