Travesty at Greenbelt

Yesterday Monica and I spent a day at the Greenbelt Christian Arts festival, our first visit for some 20 years. It was interesting and challenging, but all for the wrong reasons. For me it vindicated my choice of subjects to write about, but for the 20,000 or so Christians – particularly the young and vulnerable – I fear for them, for the teaching and propaganda they received over the 4 day event. Firstly, propaganda. Greenbelt has decided to target Israel, a decision made around 3 years ago, and to highlight the plight of the Palestinians living in Gaza. That’s fair enough, if a balanced view is given and their views are presented sensitively in Christian love. They decided instead to go all-out, all-guns-blazing, with a sustained attack on Israel through every way possible – talks, exhibition displays, visual aids even drama. The following little drama greeted everyone entering the field on Sunday morning for a communion service … Continue reading »

Who Can Understand God’s Prophetic Plan?

“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
– Daniel 12:4

“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
– Luke 18:8

For most people studying the book of Daniel, the emphasis would be on the visions, the miracles, and perhaps unraveling the various numbers provided which describe the timing of the unfolding of God’s prophetic plan. In other words, the quest is often to determine the meaning of those things which, as of Daniel’s time at least, were sealed up. But Jesus offers what at first blush is a contrast to the quest for knowledge in stating that the important character trait He will be looking for at His Second Coming is faith. (Lk. 18:8) I would offer that if we were to study the book of Daniel looking for what we as believers are to personally apply just like any other portion of Scripture, we will accomplish both goals simultaneously. In other words, the greater treasure provided in the book of Daniel is that biblical insight and understanding is promised not as a gift to a privileged few granted a superior intellect, but to anyone attaining to greater faithfulness by putting God’s Word and ways into practice. Continue reading »

Glenn Beck is a Mormon

by Bill Randles
August 27, 2010

Glenn Beck is a great communicator, he is very bold, and is saying many true things that few have the courage to say. I would agree with much  of his critique of the progressive left and their systematic destruction of our institutions. I also happen to think that reviving the memory and legacy of the founding Fathers is timely. Continue reading »

It Is Always About The Word

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
— John 20:27–29

I do not want to provide even the appearance of ungratefulness. It is truly difficult to express the personal comfort and sheer joy I feel when a professing Christian caught up in error is spiritually rescued and returns like the Prodigal Son to the Father. One such prominent brother was at one time involved with some of the most notorious false signs and wonders movements of recent history only to realize how ultimately unbiblical they were, came out, and is now a very effective and vocal critic of same. But while he presently seems to accurately and passionately debunk these activities, at the same time I have read statements from him which essentially say, “What the church needs is a real signs and wonders movement”. Really? That is what we need? With all due respect, that is completely contrary to what Jesus taught in the midst of what was the most intense period of signs and wonders in the whole of human history. Continue reading »

Are we going mad…once again?

by Ronnie Cohen

I think that there’s just so much that a normal person could put up with. We hear the sword rattling and ongoing rhetoric of the Iranians as they thrive to achieve nuclear power for “peaceful” purposes but under the same breath make no secrete of wiping Israel off the face of the earth. We hear the ongoing ranting of the Turkish government concerning their “peace” flotilla to help the poor besieged and suffering Gazans. Their “Love Boat” had terrorists from all the lands of the Middle East and were planning, in advance, a violent confrontation with the Israeli navy and, hoping, that someone gets killed so they can film it and send it to all the international press organizations. The only thing that was filmed was the beating of the Israeli unit as it boarded the ship. They were beaten and clubbed and still the Turkish govt. together with the rest of the Arab world and, unfortunately, many other nations, condemned the affair as “piracy, murder and a massacre”. Well, it’s good to see that the impartial United Nations has began an inquest into the affair.

Last week a number of rockets were fired by Hamas from Egyptian territory towards the gulf cities of Eilat and Aqaba. The resort city of Aqaba had one killed and many wounded. It was obvious who fired them but initially the Jordanian govt. refused to acknowledge that it was done by their Arab brethren. There comment was, “It was fired from somewhere in the west”. And if that wasn’t enough, Hamas makes a statement that Israel fired them in order to blame Hamas. Wait! Things get better! It’s been an exciting week!

Along the Israeli-Lebanon border an Israel group of soldiers were cutting fallen a tree that had fell on the Israeli fence from the other side. Two shots were fired from snipers in Lebanese territory killing the commanding officer and wounding another. The Israeli army swiftly retaliated by hitting a number of Lebanese army positions killing four, including press reporter (Gee, did he just happen to be in the neighborhood?) It was a major incident and obviously well planned by someone on the other side. The UN troops stepped in to calm the scene and actually made a statement in favor of Israel that they were in their own territory and the assault was unprovoked. Right away the Arab press backed the Lebanese story that Israeli troops and entered their territory and they were protecting their sovereignty against Israeli aggression. It seems that since the Israelis were in the right, most of the world kept silent and made no comment of the affair.

Now, besides all this distorted press there seems to be another matter of grave concern that really bothers me and I assume, many others. What’s the deal with the Muslims getting permission to build a 13 story mosque at “Ground Zero?” Is this insane or what? Of all places, why there? It’s a slap in the face to all the families who have lost their love ones there. It seems to me a very much “In your Face!” by the Islamic world. I can understand tolerance of other faiths in the Home of  “The Brave and Land of The Free” but this has gone far enough. But the OK came from Washington. Is anyone really surprised? It’s going to be an Islamic cultural center as well. I wonder if they’ll have a little exhibit of relics from 911.

I think much of the world is starting to lose their minds. I think there should be an awakening before it’s too late! Hey, maybe now the Islamic world will be tolerant enough to allow a 3rd. Temple built upon the Temple Mount? Time will tell.

Anti-Semitism Growing Rapidly in Tolerant Europe

The following is excerpted from “Jews Reluctantly Abandon Swedish City,” Haaretz.com, July 11, 2010: “At some point, the shouts of ‘Heil Hitler’ that often greeted Marcus Eilenberg as he walked to the 107-year-old Moorish-style synagogue in this port city forced the 32-year-old attorney to make a difficult, life-changing decision: Fearing for his family’s safety after repeated anti-Semitic incidents, Eilenberg reluctantly uprooted himself and his wife and two children, and moved to Israel in May. Sweden, a country long regarded as a model of tolerance, has, ironically, been a refuge for Eilenberg’s family. His paternal grandparents found a home in Malmo in 1945 after surviving the Holocaust. His wife’s parents came to Malmo from Poland in 1968 after the communist government there launched an anti-Semitic purge. But as in many other cities across Europe, a rapidly growing Muslim population living in segregated conditions that seem to breed alienation has mixed toxically with the anger directed at Israeli policies and actions by those Muslims–and by many non-Muslims–to all but transform the lives of local Jews. Like many of their counterparts in other European cities, the Jews of Malmo report being subjected increasingly to threats, intimidation and actual violence as stand-ins for Israel. … A continent-wide study, conducted by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence at the University of Bielefeld in Germany, released in December 2009, found that … 37.4% agreed with this statement: ‘Considering Israel’s policy, I can understand why people do not like Jews.’ … 86-year-old Judith Popinski says she is no longer invited to schools that have a large Muslim presence to tell her story of surviving the Holocaust. Popinski found refuge in Malmo in 1945. Until recently, she told her story in Malmo schools as part of their Holocaust studies program. Now, some schools no longer ask Holocaust survivors to tell their stories, because Muslim students treat them with such disrespect, either ignoring the speakers or walking out of the class. ‘Malmo reminds me of the anti-Semitism I felt as a child in Poland before the war,’ she said.”

Med Venlig Hilsen

A Bible-believing Christian’s reaction to the overturning of Prop 8

This week’s overturning of the vote of the people of the state of California has left Bible-believing Christians reeling and voters cynical. It appears that the interests of the Castro District of San Francisco trump the voting rights of the entire state. Perhaps the talks of dividing northern and southern California into two separate states should come back to the table. That might be the only way for church-going voters to regain their democratic right to vote in an election where their vote counts. Continue reading »

Review of “Be Still” DVD

Please click here for a review by Christopher Fisher of Chino Valley Bible Church of the “Be Still” DVD.

The Pseudo-Theology of Doctrinal Fraud and Historical Revisionism

by Jacob Prasch

That Laidlaw College (formerly Bible College of New Zealand) has departed from its scripturally Evangelical origins into spiritual and doctrinal bankruptcy is a view I find widely held by many Scripture-believing Kiwi Evangelicals. Indeed, with its present senior lecturer Philip Church, I cannot help but make the case that its perceived abandonment of its heritage into the abject realm of compromise with increasing liberal theological influence is now being followed by an academic and ethical devaluation into non-comprehensive exegesis and revisionism with regard to the anti-Israel position of Mr. Church in his factually and doctrinally erroneous Christ at The Checkpoint article. Continue reading »

Letter to Elim National Leader

Saturday, July 03, 2010 – 03:44 PM

Recently New Zealand’s national press was awash with a story about a disabled, wheel chair bound man who had given his life savings to an Elim Church. An appeal to the Elim church’s pastor, by the management of the man’s hospital care facility, fell on deaf ears. The witness to the world in general was of a rapacious church willing to take all the money it could get from a man they knew to be disabled and obviously in more need of the money than the Elim church. Truth Watch remonstrated directly with the pastor and also sent the following letter to each member of the Elim movement’s national board. Meantime the church, smarting under the unwanted limelight, returned the bulk of the poor man’s money, but the damage had been done. The best response we could get from the Elim Board was a stilted, ad hominen response, from the board’s chair; “You guys must live sad lives”. Of course, we are sad, but not in the sense intended by the Chair. Everytime the Gospel of Jesus Christ is trampled in the mud of church sponsored greed, we weep. Continue reading »

Instant Conversions and the Absence of Sanctification

Prof. Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (July 2010)

We are living in a time of unprecedented technological achievements, in which handy aids and instant solutions are offered for virtually all problems. Strenuous efforts are no longer needed to get something done. In the area of communication, all information is literally available in a moment with the push of a button. Searching for hours is not necessary as the internet unlocks to us the whole world. It has become a way of life to put in less effort and to find instant solutions for everything – unfortunately also for spiritual problems. Continue reading »

The Hillsong Escapade

by Philip Powell

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/money/money-matters/tax-office-push-for-charity-monitoring/story-fn3hwldr-1225896551630

At the above link you’ll read an interesting story and some good blog comments. I am quoted and am happy to go with the flow even though the journalist did NOT meet his promise to check with me before quoting me. He is reasonably accurate in the way he quotes me. I support Spencer Gear’s view (see the blog comment) and while I think that due to their abuse of the system Hillsong should be stripped of their Tax Free status I do not have a problem with Church’s registration for Tax Free status per se. It is the abuse that should be looked at and monitored especially in the case of the Houston family. If Brian and Bobby are multi-millionaires as is alleged, the question that should be asked is where and how did they get their wealth?. I know and everyone associated knows they came from a poor back-ground. The issue is not the $300,000 per year that Brian claims (incidentally is that between Brian and Bobby or is it $300,000 each?) but rather their net financial (monetary) worth at this point in time. This is the question I would be asking.

TV Channel 7 – programme – Today Tonight – recorded an interview with me last Tuesday. I am told it will air this coming week.

My major concern about Hillsong is that they present a false message about Christianity and about the true Christian Church. They pervert the scriptures and will ultimately incur the judgment of almighty God. In many ways they have become a cult with a cult following.

Re-Arranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic and Steering into Another Iceberg

John Partington’s New Strategy To Rescue The Declining British Assemblies of God

A defective product line driving an enterprise towards bankruptcy must be redesigned and not put into a new box with new packaging. Merchandising the same old junk that caused the crisis to begin with by adopting a new marketing strategy or a new company re-organization or a new catalog or a new website will not solve anything. Indeed, it cannot. Every businessman, marketing consultant, and corporate executive knows this. Unfortunately modern Pentecostal theocrats do not. Continue reading »

The Problem with “Discernment”

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
— Philippians 1:9-11 (NASB)

These are the verses we selected at Walk with the Word as our theme. They are prominently displayed at the top of the home page of our website with the exact emphasis provided here. To us these verses are an important application of how the truth of God’s Word needs to be incorporated into our life so that we can possess biblical love which knows how to reject the ways of the world in favor of God’s. But there are many ministries whose websites quote these verses with the aim of promoting just one single word contained within: “discernment”. Continue reading »

Rhyme and Reason

Please click here to watch this very short video of a sermon done in rhyme.