Monday, July 29, 2013 at 8:19PM NOTRadio

The video (YouTube) [at the 2013 Eastern Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, held at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (LBTS), Dr. Dan Wallace of Dallas Theological Seminary — Oops, the Liberty Baptist (LU), Ergun and Emir Caner hoaxers are now busy hoaxing the validity of the fraudulent Occult version Codex Sinaiticus — Note: the video is mostly harmless and actually inadvertently does more to reveal Sinaiticus as a hoax — Also Note: the Reformed Theologians (i.e. Dr. James White) have their hair on fire, because their favorite occult bible version ‘Sinaiticus’ is being revealed as a modern day hoax and are busy trying to ‘Cook the Books’ in a scholarly manner of course, as they strive to validate any bible version other than the generally accepted and trusted 1611 KJV Bible] below was posted on James White’s Alpha & Omega ministry website, as an alleged refutation of the claims of Constantine Simonides.  The headline for the article appears thus: “Evangelical Textual Scholar Debunks Chris Pinto’s Conspiracy Claim that Codex Sinaiticus was a Forgery.”  It is worth noting that the scholar in question (Dr. Daniel Wallace of Dallas Theological Seminary) does not mention Chris Pinto, or the film Tares Among the Wheat.  Had Dr. Wallace actually seen the film, his comments would most likely have been orchestrated differently, and he might have even been convinced to change his mind.

Dr. Wallace is obviously unfamiliar with certain particulars surrounding the Simonides affair, and we believe this is not entirely his fault, since this history has been largely buried for more than a century. The purpose of Tares is to show the untold history surrounding the discovery of Codex Sinaiticus, and to draw attention to the fact that this single manuscript has been used to destroy confidence in the Bible as the inspired Word of God.  As such, whether or not this codex is genuine becomes very significant.

A few things: Dr. Wallace says that Tischendorf had “exposed” Simonides as a forger years earlier, which is untrue.  In 1856, Simonides presented the only known copy of the Shepherd of Hermas in Greek [actually it was from the Codex Fredrico-Augustanus that was later renamed and presented as the newly discovered Codex Sinaiticus] at the University of Leipzig and it was originally embraced by the scholars there as authentic.  Several of the scholars published the MS. (known as Codex Lipsiensis) and were very excited about it.  According to Simonides, this provoked jealousy from Tischendorf, who then declared the work to be a forgery that had been created in the Middle Ages, and taken from a corrupted Latin text.  But Tischendorf did not declare that Simonides himself had created the forgery.  Tischendorf believed it had been created by someone else hundreds of years before.  Then, three years later, the only other known copy of the Shepherd of Hermas was revealed as part of the Codex Sinaiticus.  It turns out that it matched the one presented by Simonides in 1856.  This compelled Tischendorf to retract his former assertion.  Why?  Because if he continued to denounce Simonides’ MS. he would, by default, have denounced his own discovery.

… Also, we wonder if Dr. Wallace is aware that the monks at St. Catherine’s Monastery claim to this very day that Tischendorf was lying about how he found the manuscript.  I find it interesting that he does not mention this in his presentation.  He also fails to mention that the British Library has all but officially rejected Tischendorf’s story, in favor of a “politically correct” version that is less offensive to the monks there.  In the newspapers of the time, it was said that Tischendorf’s story was obviously “made up.”

Furthermore, Henry Bradshaw (as we show in Tares Among the Wheat) had no scholarly reasons for embracing Codex Sinaiticus.  His argument was that he didn’t know why he believed it, but that his “senses” told him it was real.  That’s it.  There was no deep scientific argument.  Just his senses.  This becomes very significant once you realize that Bradshaw was said to be one of the key reasons why the MS. was eventually embraced.

Further Reference Materials:

Codex Sinaiticus and the Simonides affair: An examination of the nineteenth century claim that Codex Sinaiticus was not an ancient manuscript [book]

Codex Fredrico-Augustanus – the supposedly undiscovered Codex Sinaiticus previously published under a different title

The Shepherd of Hermas [Satan] – The Enigma Of The Shepherd Of Hermas – Even though it is said [unsubstantiated] of the Shepherd of Hermas that it was “…the most popular books, if not the most popular book, in the Christian Church during the second, third, and fourth centuries…”, the fact of the matter is that it is impossible for the modern believer, biblical expert or scholar, or critic, to in any manner understand the message that it bears.  And what this means is that [the Bible if read in context with The Occult Shepherd of Hermas writings] it is virtually impossible for the modern congregations of believers and their critics alike, to understand the original teachings of Jesus and the religion of [the original Christian Church] TheWay.   Why?   How can I make such a statement that on the surface would seem patiently absurd?   The answer is that because our culture and thinking has been build upon a defective Paradigm of Thought that is foundational to all our modern ideas about self and the life that man is living, everything that has been built upon that foundation – i.e., our philosophies, our religions, and even our ideas about self, has all been severely limited because of the defective foundational Paradigm of Thought upon which the whole of our structure of mind has been built.   In the example of the scripture that was the most widely used among the earliest of Gentile Christians, the fact that “…some [Christians] have doubted whether the work should even be considered as Christian” [then there] is [the occult contrived] proof [opinion] that modern Christianity has absolutely nothing in common with the original teachings of Jesus and TheWay.

Westcott and Hort – Occult Involvement

Westcott and Hort founded several occult societies, two of which were The Hermes [Satan] Club and The Ghostly Guild. These were not merely school-boy projects. They were created at one of the highest learning institutions in the world’s largest imperial world-power at that time – Great Britain. Members of these clubs and the occult associations that they went on to found, such as The Society for Psychical Research started the modern New Age movement, became and were prominent members of British Royalty and politics, as well as occupied the highest positions in the Anglican Church including that which is equivalent to that of the Pope in the RCC, the Archbishop of Canterbury. To say that Westcott and Hort were well connected is an understatement.

Doing searches on some of the names, organizations and movements listed in the essay below are real eye-openers if you really want to know what was going on with the occult movement in the latter half of the 1800’s and the connection that Wescott and Hort had to it.

The New Testament Scheme

The progenitor of the Society for Psychical Research and the Fabian Society was the Cambridge University Ghost Society, founded in 1851. In 1853, two years after founding said Ghost Society, F.J.A. Hort and B. F. Westcott agreed, upon the suggestion of publisher Daniel Macmillan, to take part in “an interesting and comprehensive ‘New Testament Scheme,'” that is, to undertake a joint revision of the Greek New Testament. The project was withheld from public knowledge during the twenty years required by Westcott and Hort to complete the New Greek Text and during the subsequent ten years during which an English Revision Committee revised the 1611 Authorized Version. However, during this period of nearly thirty years, Drs. Westcott and Hort maintained their involvement in the Spiritualist pursuits of their various secret societies and political cabals: the Hermes Club, Ghost Society, Company of Apostles, and Eranus. The following entry appears in April, 1853 in The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort:

“One result of our talk I may as well tell you. He (Westcott) and I are going to edit a Greek text of the New Testament some two or three years hence, if possible. Lachmann and Tischendorf will supply [occult] rich materials, but not nearly enough; and we hope to do a good deal with Oriental versions. Our object is to supply clergymen generally, schools, etc., with a portable Greek text which shall not be disfigured with Byzantine corruptions.” (Italics in original)

The elimination of [alleged] “Byzantine (KJV Bible) corruptions” [i.e. this is a direct attempt to discredit and alter the 1611 KJV Bible] would be the substitution [insertion] of minority (1%) Alexandrian [Egyptian] manuscripts for [into] the [Byzantine] Textus Receptus, the Received Text which had been recognized for nearly two millennia of church history and which agrees with the majority (99%) of manuscripts extant. Karl Lachmann (1793-1851) was professor of Classical and German Philology in Berlin, and also a German rationalist and textual critic who produced modern editions of the New Testament in Germany in 1842 and 1850.

The [Occult] manuscripts in question were found to derive from an underground of occult scripture within Christendom that has been passed through successive generations since the apostolic era. As the occult Traditions have sought to infiltrate and transform the secular establishment, the Church has historically been attended by an Alexandrian Tradition, which seeks to smuggle Gnostic doctrines into the Sacred Canon via the “revision” or “correction” of Scripture. Bible scholar, Dr. Herman Hoskier parallels the folly of Israel returning to Egypt to the Anglican scribes searching for inspired writings in the ancient house of bondage:

“Nearly all revision appears to center in Egypt, and to suppose all the other documents wrong when opposed to these Egyptian documents is unsound and unscientific . . . those who accept the Westcott and Hort text are basing their accusations of untruth as to the Gospellists upon an Egyptian revision current 200 to 450 A.D. and abandoned between 500 to 1881, merely revived in our day and stamped [by fraudulent scholars] as genuine.” David Otis Fuller (pp. 141-43)

Each of these Ministries was previously involved in the Calvary Chapel system.
Including the Basic Christian Ministry — Graduate of CCCM SoM Class of 1998

Ephesians 5:11 Blog — multiple links and exposés

CalvaryChapelPastors.wordpress.com — exposés

Remnant X Radio — Seed of the Father – Chuck Smith Jr. Expose’ Part 1, Part 2  (Mp3s)

Additional archived topical and discussion internet audio Mp3s — Package #3 (Zip)

2013 TANC Conference Links for Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 21-23, 2013

Update: TANC 2013 Media links and a Video round table wrap-up where Paul, Susan, John and Zach discuss the 2013 Conference.

TANC blog Article with links.

Speakers: John Immel, Paul and Susan Dohse

*It looks like a first rate conference.

I hope to view or download some recorded video after the event is over.

David A. Brown

I will have about Twenty Titles of Videos and various materials to add to the project and if anyone has any material that they would like to contribute to the project please contact me.

Audio:

Sample_Internet_Audio_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_1.zip
Sample_Internet_Audio_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_2.zip
Sample_Internet_Audio_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_3.zip – Essential
Sample_Internet_Audio_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_4.zip

Bible Study:

** CCI_New-Testament-Survey.zip

Audio Bibles:

KJV-Audio-Bible-Dramatized-mp3.zip
King-James-Version-Audio-Bible-mp3.zip

Video:

Sample_Internet_Video_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_1.zip
Sample_Internet_Video_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_2.zip
** Sample_Internet_Video_Programs_Provided_by_BasicChristianOrg_3.zip – Essential

Creation – Evolution: 

** Creation-Evolution_Dr-Dino.zip

** Updated

Resources provided via Nonprofit, Taxpayer and Donation funded organizations.

The Basic Christian Ministry

BasicChristian_Essentials.zip – Recommended

The Download and Share Project

Currently the total available BasicChristian.net downloads of the three download pages
(Basic Christian, Downloads Audio and Downloads Video)
all combined the resources = about 18 gigabytes of data.

To Download and Share all of the resources the smallest USB Flash memory drive available would be a 32 gigabyte USB drive.

God bless everyone,
David Anson Brown

‘Isa of Islam is not Jesus Christ of Christianity

It is interesting that Jesus’ name Yehoshua’ contains within it the proper Hebrew name for God, the first syllable Yeh- being short for YHWH ‘the LORD’.

Yeshua of Nazareth was never called ‘Isa, the name the Qur’an gives to him. Arab-speaking Christians refer to Jesus as Yasou’ (from Yeshua) not ‘Isa.

‘Isa did not die on a cross, pay for our sins nor resurrect

‘Isa not an historical figure

The Qur’an’s ‘Isa is not an historical figure. His identity and role as a prophet of Islam is based solely on supposed revelations to Muhammad over half a millennium after the Jesus of history lived and died.

Jesus’ alleged foretelling of Muhammad’s coming (As-Saff 61:6) appears to be based on a garbled reading of John 14:26, a passage which in fact refers to the [Holy] Spirit (not Muhammad).

He [Jesus Christ] did not call [Father] God Allah, which appears to have been the name or title of a pagan Arabian deity worshipped in Mecca before Muhammad. Muhammad’s pagan father, who died before Muhammad was born, already bore the name ‘Abd Allah ‘slave of Allah’, and his uncle was called Obeid Allah.

The Qur’an is not a credible source for Biblical history

The Qur’an, written in the 7th century AD [about 660 AD], cannot be regarded as having any authority whatsoever to inform us about Jesus of Nazareth. It offers no evidence for its claims about biblical history. Its numerous historical errors reflect a garbled understanding of the Bible.

Conclusion

‘Isa the (Jesus) of the Qur’an is a product of fable, imagination and ignorance. When Muslims venerate this ‘Isa, they have someone different in mind from the Yeshua or Jesus of the Bible and of history. The ‘Isa of the Qur’an is based on no recognized form of historical evidence, but on fables current in seventh century Arabia.

For most faithful Muslims ‘Isa is the only Jesus they know. But if one accepts this Muslim ‘Jesus’, then one also accepts the Qur’an: one accepts Islam. Belief in this ‘Isa is won at the cost of the libel that Jews and Christians have corrupted their scriptures, a charge that is without historical support. Belief in this ‘Isa implies that much of Christian and Jewish history is in fact Islamic history.

The Jesus of the gospels is the base upon which Christianity developed. By Islamicizing him, and making of him a Muslim prophet who preached the Qur’an, Islam destroys Christianity and takes over all its history. It does the same to Judaism.

In the end times as described by Muhammad, ‘Isa becomes a warrior who will return with his sword and lance. He will destroy the Christian religion and make Islam the only religion in all the world. Finally at the last judgement he will condemn Christians to hell for believing in the crucifixion and the incarnation.

This final act of the Muslim ‘Isa reflects Islam’s apologetic strategy in relation to Christianity, which is to deny the Yeshua (Jesus) of history, and replace him with a facsimile of Muhammad, so that nothing remains but Islam.

“The Muslim supersessionist current claims that the whole biblical history of Israel and Christianity is Islamic history, that all the Prophets, Kings of Israel and Judea, and Jesus were Muslims. That the People of the Book should dare to challenge this statement is intolerable arrogance for an Islamic theologian. Jews and Christians are thus deprived of their Holy Scriptures and of their salvific value.”  — Bat Ye’or in Islam and Dhimmitude: where civilizations collide, p.370.

Source: http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/durie/islamic_jesus.html

Reblogged from: Christianity Today

Why 100 Former Muslims Converted to Christianity by Melissa Steffan

Survey offers insight into how gospel operates in Muslim contexts.

According to scholar Scot McKnight, conversion experiences are deeply impacted by the different contexts in which the gospel operates. What does that mean for Muslim conversion experiences?

As an answer, McKnight points to a survey of 100 former Muslims by Georges Houssney, founder and president of Horizons International, that attempts to understand the factors that led to their conversion to Christianity.

The vast majority of respondents—who were mostly moderate Muslims (40%) or nominal Muslims (40%) before their conversions (20% were self-described “fanatics”)—said they viewed their relationship with Allah as based on fear or duty. Equal percentages (55%) said they viewed Islam primarily as a cultural system vs. a religious system. Today, 9 in 10 respondents say they believe they now are worshiping a different God than Allah.

So what do they think distinguishes God from Allah? Nearly 3 in 4 respondents emphasized love as the most meaningful characteristic of the Christian God. Meanwhile, 25 percent cited God’s forgiveness.

And love appears to be extremely influential when it comes to evangelism as well. More than 8 in 10 respondents cited “the love of Christians as one major factor” in their conversion, and 6 in 10 cited it as the only factor. Only 30 percent cited “disappointment with Islam.” Meanwhile, 25 percent say they were drawn to Christ by dreams or visions.

CT reported extensively on Muslim conversion in our January/February issue, which featured a cover story on what it’s like to follow Christ while embedded in Muslim culture. The reports detailed why evangelicals should be thankful for insider Muslims, and debated how much Muslim context is too much for the gospel.

Also Note: recently a blog (TheWartburgWatch.com) was involved in a mild controversy regarding their desire to reform or rehabilitate Reformed Theology (Calvinism), saying that Calvinism could be a viable and sustainable form of Christianity if it underwent some simple changes in adhering to ‘genuine’ Calvinism and the controversy ensued in that ‘genuine’ Calvinism in its inception [i.e. limited atonement] is thought by some [myself included] to not be Orthodox. In his article Mr. Dohse is somewhat concluding that both Calvinism and Protestantism need to be replaced with the Believers Priesthood but it is the position of the Basic Christian Ministry that true Protestantism is the Believers Priesthood as presented in the Christian New Testament Bible.

Reblogged from: Paul’s Passing Thoughts

Protestantism is [somewhat] predicated on confusion [i.e. the deliberate and confusing change of the start of the Christian Church from Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost, relocating Mt. Sinai from Arabia to Egypt, the eventual removal of the Believer’s Priesthood and authority from among the people, etc.] … But I wonder if those in authority even understand. Frankly, I doubt it, and in many cases those who have the authority to take such action simply don’t know what is really going on while using confidentially as a pious cover to conceal that fact.

Protestantism is [somewhat] predicated on confusion. It is no friend of thinking people or critical thinkers. The foundations of Protestantism are elitist, caste, and fraught with mysticism and superstition [i.e. relocating Mt. Sinai from Arabia to Egypt]. The Reformers were murdering bigots. Martin Luther could not be a pastor in any American church upon the reading of “The Jews and Their Lies” [a disastrous rant of a book written in 1543 AD by Martin Luther]. His statements concerning women would raise some brows as well. The problem would be the “upon the reading” part.

For revival to take place in the American church Protestantism must be scraped completely and the church must return to an emphasis on the priesthood of believers. We must rethink all of the traditions of men that are the American church. It’s called, “orthodoxy.” We must become Bereans and take back the church—the God-breathed word must be our authority and pastors must bow to its authority or be rejected as leaders. We should submit to leaders who submit to the authority of the word. They do not have the authority to be wrong.

New Calvinism is a return to authentic Protestantism amidst anemic Protestant Light that has plagued the American church since the unfortunate arrival of the Pilgrims on America’s shores with their European Calvinistic Puritan virus. They never made it far inland for lack of curiosity and vision. Spiritual tyranny soon followed and has always been repackaged as heroism by the traditions of men. As good Protestant anti-thinkers, we deem their behaviors like a bad hair day. Quakers and women hanging at the end of a rope, their only crime being the desire for some clarification, must not be relevant; our Protestant philosopher kings pat our little heads and tell us so—all is well, nothing here, return to the Protestant merry-go-round and commendable idiocy. Because it is “humble.” Proof? How about Reformed/Calvinistic anti-spiritual abuse bloggers? Where do they think the abuse comes from? Again, like the Puritan issue, behavior is separated from their ideology like the two are mutually exclusive. This is the acceptance of tradition over sound thinking.

Authentic Calvinism is so viral in reasoning and behavior that even the overseers of our present mental leprosy are beginning to reject it. New Calvinists are being fired from religious positions of authority from coast to coast. However, in many cases, it is not known that they are New Calvinists, and in most cases they are dismissed because, “something doesn’t seem right, but we don’t know exactly what it is.” I suppose this is a good start. It’s better to fire people if you can articulate their specific faults, but nevertheless, something is better than nothing. The Feds couldn’t indict Al Capone on what he was really guilty of, so they changed the standards in order to indict him on something else. This is sort of the same thing.

A disclaimer: I know little of the Baptist stripe that supports Northland International University, but they are among the latest evangelical organizations to fire someone in a position of authority; in this case, a university president. The name of this president is Matt Olson, and a cursory observation of his blog reveals the fact that he is a New Calvinist. Literally ten seconds into surfing his blog, I locked in on a post that touts the idea that we can eclipse the majesty of Christ as seen by the world through an emphasis on obedience. So what’s the alternative? What exactly do we emphasize over obedience that doesn’t obscure the “personhood” of Christ? He doesn’t say, and nobody asks—it sounds spiritual—and he is a philosopher king. And so it goes.

Par for the course: the university is not stating specifically why he was terminated, but nevertheless, also par, people will continue to donate money to the college because it is not their place to know what the controversy is. Thou in authority has spoken. Let it be written—let it be done. Besides, the donors probably wouldn’t understand.

But I wonder if those in authority even understand. Frankly, I doubt it, and in many cases those who have the authority to take such action simply don’t know what is really going on while using confidentially as a pious cover to conceal that fact. But it’s a good start.

paul (Paul Dohse)

Pastors Chuck Smith Sr. and Brian Broderson – Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa in Santa Anna, CA

Source: CorporationWiki.com – Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa filed as a Articles of Incorporation on Thursday, December 21, 1961 in the state of California.

Source: Wikipedia.org – Chuck Smith [replaced an unknown pastor and] started pastoring at Calvary Chapel in December of 1965 with an [existing] congregation of twenty-five people.

Note: what was originally a public Church has now apparently been transformed into a Smith family private enterprise.

Source: Basic Christian Wiki – Church Scandals

See Also: Galatians 4 blog: Chuck Smith Sr. Exposed

Possible IRS Complaint

Reblogged from: Fatherless Children in the Church
Website: Fatherless Children in the Church

PLEASE PRAY FOR JUSTICE…IRS COMPLAINTS WILL BE FILED IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AGAINST JON COURSON (APPLEGATE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP) AND BRETT MEADOR (ATHEY CREEK CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP). IN MY OPINION, BOTH MEN HAVE VIOLATED THE IRS RULES (AS NOTED BELOW). NOW IT WILL BE UP TO THE IRS TO MAKE THE FINAL DETERMINATION.  (IRS rules noted below were coped from the IRS website)

~~~~~

EXEMPT PURPOSES-INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 501(c)(3)

The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals. The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.

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EXEMPTION REQUIREMENTS: 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATIONS

To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may INURE to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.

Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170.

The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization’s net earnings may INURE to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction.

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INUREMENT/PRIVATE BENEFIT-CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

A section 501(c)(3) organization must NOT be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, SUCH AS THE CREATOR OR THE CREATOR’S FAMILY, shareholders of the organization, other designated individuals, or persons controlled directly or indirectly by such private interests. No part of the net earnings of a section 501(c)(3) organization may INURE to the benefit of any private shareholder OR INDIVIDUAL. A private shareholder or individual is a person having a personal and private interest in the activities of the organization.

Note: I think filing an IRS complaint though regrettable and if she chooses not to file then that is certainly understandable as well  though an official IRS complaint is probably the only plausible way that people can get an accurate and honest assessment of what is actually taking place within these family-run, non-profit, corporate church organizations.

God bless everyone,
David Anson Brown

SBC Annual Meeting  2013 June 11-12 in Houston, TX

SBC Pastors’ Conference 2013 June 9-10, in Houston, TX

© 2013 Houston’s First Baptist Church

Pastors’ Conference Speakers

Bruce Frank
Pastor
Biltmore Baptist Church Arden, NC

Governor Mike Huckabee [Governor of Arkansas 1996–2007]
Host of “Huckabee” on Fox News Channel (FNC)

Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministry
Sugar Land, TX

Greg Laurie** (Calvary Chapel affiliated Pastor)
Senior Pastor
Harvest Christian Fellowship
Riverside, CA

Dr. Gary Rosberg
National Speaker & Author
Des Moines, IA

Matt Carter
Pastor
Austin Stone Community Church
Austin, TX

Dr. Rodney Woo
Senior Pastor
International Baptist Church
Singapore

Fred Luter, Jr. (SBC President)
Pastor
Franklin Avenue Baptist Church
New Orleans, LA

Dr. John Bisagno
Pastor Emeritus
Houston’s First Baptist Church
Houston, TX

Ed Stetzer (Reformed, Calvinist) – LifeWay Christian Stores
Lead Pastor
Grace Church
Hendersonville, TN
President of LifeWay Research

Ed Stetzer oversees all activities of the LifeWay Insights division, including LifeWay Research, Corporate Communications and Ministry Development. In this role, he also works with LifeWay’s president to assess opportunities that come directly to the CEO’s office and serves as chief strategic executive leader to discover new ministry opportunities. Stetzer came to LifeWay in 2007 as director of LifeWay Research and missiologist in residence. Prior to his tenure at LifeWay, Stetzer served as missiologist and senior director of the Center for Missional Research at the North American Mission Board (NAMB) in Atlanta. … Stetzer earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, a Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and a D.Min. from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.

Source: http://www.lifeway.com/ArticleView?storeId=10054&article=Ed-Stetzer

About Us LifeWay Christian [Bookstore] Resources (previously called the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention)

LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, established in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1891, is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, church supplies, and internet services through LifeWay.com. The company also owns and operates 160 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as one of the largest Christian conference centers in the country. Through its trade publishing division, B&H Publishing Group, LifeWay has produced one of the most accurate and readable Bible translations ever — the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). LifeWay is a religious nonprofit organization that receives no funding from the denomination and reinvests income above operating expenses in mission work and other ministries around the world.

LifeWay’s vision: “As God works through us, we will help individuals and churches by providing biblical solutions for life.”

Source: http://www.lifeway.com/ArticleView?storeId=10054&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&article=About-Us

FALSE TEACHING BY JON COURSON

Because Jon Courson is so knowledgeable of the bible, he can twist scripture to accommodate whatever message he wants to communicate to the church. 2 Peter 2:1-3 “…there will be false teachers… many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By COVETOUSNESS [GREED] they will exploit you with deceptive words…”

How do you recognize false teachers? Study! Last Wednesday night, Jon taught at Harvest Christian Fellowship. His message was about ‘confession’ (ironically so). Now that the Lord has given me eyes to see Jon for who he truly is, it was evident in his teaching last week that he was striving to get through the teaching, he even tried to push out a tear in an attempt to emotionally draw in his audience. Listen for yourself: (http://www.harvest.org/webcast/player.php?event=7&section=archive&id=1566).

So I started to wonder what message Jon gave to the church after he received my e-mail when I asked to be reimbursed for my lost “peas” (keep reading). To read this e-mail I sent to Jon (on Friday, February 8, 2013), go to www.calvarychapelabuse.com and go to [link] the story about Jon Courson, find the link titled “Letter to Atty Paradis, mailed 03.21.14”. Click on this link and you’ll be able to read the letter I wrote to Jon Courson’s attorney. Scroll down the letter to #7 and there you’ll be able to read a copy of the e-mail I sent to Jon Courson and Chuck Smith on 02.08.13.

Jon Courson was so livid after he read my e-mail on Friday, 02.08.13, guess what the title of his teaching was for the following Sunday Service on 02.10.13? “…Get Your Cotton Pickin Paws Out Of My Pea Patch…” No kidding!! Listen to his teaching for yourself: (http://www.joncourson.com/teaching/teachingsplay.asp?teaching=S7040).

The teaching was on 2 Samuel 23:11-12, and out of this piece of scripture Jon extracted his message titled “…Get Your Cotton Pickin Paws Out Of My Pea Patch…”, and his teaching was solely on spiritual warfare and demons, which has nothing to do with 2 Samuel 23:11-12. Jon deliberately misquoted and twisted scripture to meet his own self-serving purpose to say to you and to me “…Get Your Cotton Pickin Paws Out Of My Pea Patch…”.

Jon is a false teacher. Another example is Jon’s definition of the meaning of the name “Shammah”: “…but today I want us to look at one of the men particularly in light of something which I believe the spirit of the Lord wants to say to many of us at Applegate today…Shammah, his name literally means desolation or depression. He was one of those guys who was in debt and distressed and discontent, and his name significantly, as bible names are significant, his name means desolation literally, or depression…” This is false.

What is the true meaning of “Shammah”? Shammah was one of three of David’s mighty men. There was nothing about him that was “…in debt and distressed and discontent…” In fact, the word “Shammah” is derived from the Hebrew word “sham”, which means “there” or “at that place”. YHWH-Shammah is the last name God revealed through His Old testament prophets. In the historic setting in which it’s given, this name reassured Israel that God had not abandoned them during their 70-year period of Babylonian captivity, and that there would eventually be a restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple. What an excellent name is this YHWH-Shammah! YHWH is there… YHWH is here… YHWH is in me… YHWH is in you…! YHWH is very serious about where and in whom His name abides!

Thank God for men like Shammah who will STAND for what is right. We need more men like Shammah who will fight for the church, for the James 1:27 church. Jon’s false teaching implies that Shammah was fighting against demonic forces, when in fact Shammah was fighting the Philistines to protect food on a mountain, food that was probably used to feed widows and fatherless children (the true church according to James 1:27). Out of 2 Samuel 23:11-12, Jon extracted “…Get Your Cotton Pickin Paws Out Of My Pea Patch…” and his teaching was solely focused on spiritual warfare and demons, all for the sole purpose of sending you and me a clear message: the pea patch, the church, the property, the money, all belongs to Jon Courson, and so “…Get Your Cotton Pickin Paws Out Of My Pea Patch…” (Jude v.12, “…shepherds who feed only themselves…”). And anyone who comes against Jon Courson is seen as the enemy or a demon or oppressed or whatever.

The mountain belongs to God. The pea patch belongs to God, not to Jon Courson and his family empire. The peas belong to the fatherless children and the widows (James 1:27), therefore, Jon Courson must make restitution for the neglect and abuse of the fatherless children and the widows he neglected during his watch.

GIVE US BACK OUR PEAS.

Reblogged from: Mormon Coffee blog

The [LDS – Mormon] Priesthood of the Gods vs. the [Christian] Word [Authority] of God’s Power

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Aaron Shafovaloff

In my last post, “‘Go’ is enough”, I talked about the awesome “word of power” of Jesus Christ. The idea behind it is huge and I hope you’ll see the big picture with me.

In Mormonism, priesthood isn’t a product of God. Rather, God himself  [becoming a God] is a [final] product of the [LDS Temple] priesthood.

In Mormonism, [LDS Temple] priesthood is bigger than God himself: it is the [LDS Temple] system under which the genealogy of the Gods are governed and ordered and enabled.

But if God is actually and absolutely ultimate, then it doesn’t make sense to think of him beholden to a priesthood system greater than himself. It makes more sense for God to show that he can operate with effortless, raw power. With ultimate authority. With the flick of a finger. Or with, as Hebrews puts it, the “Word of His power.” (1:3)

God creates, sustains, heals, exorcises (casts out spirits), forgives, renames, resurrects, authorizes, and commissions ultimately by the effortless, raw “word of his power”. Always consistent with his own character, but never beholden to a system bigger than himself.

This has implications for how we view forgiveness, the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of the local church, the preaching of the gospel — everything. It also puts the focus rightly on belief: belief in the word of God himself. Belief in the power and the person and the promises of Jesus Christ.

The issue of grace can be understood as a set of dichotomies: Earning God’s favor vs. receiving God’s free favor. Us reaching up to God vs. God reaching down to us. Us working to please God vs. God working to save men. The need for man to atone for his own sins vs. the finished work of Jesus on the cross. These dichotomies are all powerful and proper. I think it’s also helpful to think about grace as a simple issue of authority:

Does Jesus Christ have the authority, with the Words of His mouth, to immediately forgive your sins?

Matthew 9:6 But that ye [sinners] may know that the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) hath Power (Authority) on earth to forgive sins [and providing some immediate proof of it by healing a sick man], then saith He (Jesus Christ) to the [man who was physically] sick of the palsy, Arise [walk], take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Matthew 8:5-13 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the Word [God’ authority] only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith [understanding of authority], no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with [saved] Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven. But the [disobedient] children of the kingdom [those not placing themselves under the direct authority of God] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

This is liberating. You have zero good reasons to be afraid of any religious [or cult] system that would keep you from this freedom.