John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

A short video.





My only comment would be that while denouncing the "prosperity gospel", "name it and claim it", "blab it and grab it", etc. heresy, that we do not ourselves violate Scripture by calling anyone who quotes the clear blessing verses of the Bible in context a "prosperity preacher". I've seen it more than once and had this accusation directed against myself. Why?

I'm a tither and if you tell me that you "cannot afford" to tithe, I will happily and swiftly tell you that when you "cannot afford to" is the time when you can least afford not to tithe. To the Pharisaical heretic hunters, that is enough, I'm guilty and should be put to the Inquisition with themselves as Inquistors of the Faith.

God has not blessed me with a BMW, but I have had blessings in my life. I don't run around in a fancy suit with a fat wallet, but I've never had need to go hungry or even do without many small luxuries. My checking account isn't huge, but everytime something "fun" happens that requires some money to fix, it is there. I may have to go out and work for that money, but right on time, the opportunity for the cash I needed is there.

For my recent trip to Africa, it looked like some extra cash would have to come out of the savings account, but <*pop*> in the last two days before I left came two decent sized donations that closed the loop. Right on time and right on expense as I found when I got back. Note that this doesn't count the money we had already committed out of pocket for the trip.

Of course, this didn't say that everything was cake and ice cream, simply that God takes care of His own children. I've felt the rod more than once and I'm probably going to feel it again before I'm done (or, if you prefer, He is done with me, same thing though).

Listen to entire sermon.

They are without excuse

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalms 19:1-4a)

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
(Romans 1:20)


"The grave error in a technically directed cultural drive is that it sees its highest goal in the possibility of achieving an alteration of Nature. It hopes to set itself in the place of God, so that it may force upon the divine will some petty conventions of its dust-born mind.” Erwin Schrodinger


The destiny of mankind is not decided by material computation. When great causes are on the move in the world, stirring all men’s souls, drawing them from their firesides, casting aside comfort, wealth and the pursuit of happiness in response to impulses at once awe-striking and irresistible, we learn that we are spirits, not animals, and that something is going on in space and time, and beyond space and time, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty. Winston Churchill, The Old Lion, Rochester, NY, 1941

“The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” Werner Heisenberg

“Science and religion are very much alike. Both are imaginative and creative aspects of the human mind. The appearance of a conflict is a result of ignorance.

We come to exist through a divine act. That divine guidance is a theme throughout our life; at our death the brain goes, but that divine guidance and love continues. Each of us is a unique, conscious being, a divine creation. It is the religious view. It is the only view consistent with all the evidence.” John Eccles

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:21-23)

Something I have never been able to understand was how people could deny that there is a Creator. Even when I was straying, the knowledge was there. I think here we see the greatest depravity of Mankind, that they would deny God and try to usurp Him. The greatest thinkers throughout history have always acknowledged a Creator, even if they were not Jewish or Christian. Even now, those that deny God by making a god of science must believe on totally blind faith that miraculous happenings for which the deniers have no proof happened in the past. Miracles so great that they make a six day creation a few thousand years ago by a Creator sound simpler. I don't know what I can do for them.


I can do what He has told me to do in Scriptures, but I also know I cannot do anything for them, only He can. How to make them see? Have I gone too far in my search for growth? I know that even if I am deluded as to my salvation and He judges me unworthy and a false follower that He will know not, that His judgement will be just and my condemnation will be fitting. Of course, my knowing that bases itself on knowing that He is my Lord and Savior and that I am nothing without Him to guide me.


But I fail so much. I try so much and let distractions interfere with me.


Part of this came from rereading an old favorite science fiction book and remembering how much people want to believe in those fantasies. Those who believe them will stay lost, because they believe in that bright and shining future, even though it is flawed by human failures and faults. Logically, if they believe in that, then Christianity is lost to them, because for those futures to occur as they have been written in stories, then Christianity would have to be false. These believers still dream and hope, as I did once, for the outward reach and growth of these fantasies.


They cannot see as I have seen, the turning inward, inward of all human cultures and societies in the last decades. The retreat had started before the pinnacle of the outreach was accomplished. By the time we had reached the Moon, our culture was turning away. Some of the later writers knew that and postulated wildcat entrepreneurs who forced Mankind back into space, but there are none like that. Even the hard science stories are disappearing as over the years more and more shelf space in the book stores' "Science Fiction & Fantasy" section have been taken up by escapist science and romantic fantasies.


I see the symptoms of this throughout our Western culture as people put their faith in all kinds of idols and refuse to turn to Him who is their salvation.



Lord help them.


Lord help us.


Lord help me.

Why Apologetics?

Back in February I did a short post on the core of apologetics, this expands on it some. I was sorting out my documents since I've disposed of my baby (first day at school!) and I'm waiting for the washer to finish so I can hang some clothes up on the line.


God said it, I believe it, that settles it.

Anyone familiar with this one? For a believer, it is at the bottom line, the simple truth. However, for those in the world, it is a bit simplistic and they don’t know how you got from where they are to where you are.

1 Peter 3:15 - "...and always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

2 Timothy 2:15 - “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

This is the verse translated in the King James as “rightly dividing the word of truth”.

Apologetics:
1. The branch of theology that is concerned with defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines.
2. Formal argumentation in defense of something, such as a position or system.

What Apologetics is Not

Apologetics is not designed to prove the word of God, but to provide an intellectual basis for faith.

The objective of apologetics is not to convince a person to become a Christian contrary to his will. The objective, "strives at laying the evidence for the Christian gospel before men in an intelligent fashion, so that they can make a meaningful commitment under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit." "The heart cannot delight in what the mind rejects as false." (Charles Pinnock, member Evangelical Theological Society)
Apologetics does not diminish the importance of faith. Apologetics defends the reasonableness of faith in God and his Word. When non-Christians ask tough questions about the Christian faith, will you be able to give a solid and logical response? If not, there is an opportunity lost to spread God's Word. Worse, the Christian who has a weak foundation for his faith can be easily shaken by the doubts of non-believers.

Is Faith Reasonable? What is Faith?

"Faith is believing what you know ain't so." - Mark Twain

John 10:38 - “But if I am doing them and you don’t believe Me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in the Father.”

Mark Twain states the current popular definition of religious (especially Christian) faith, however, with apologetics, the true meaning of faith becomes clear: ”Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.” The trust comes from evidence, a closer way of thinking of a Christian’s faith in God is the faith we all have that the sun will come up tomorrow morning. There is no evidence we can use to prove today that it will, but we have seen it come up every day of our lives and so have faith that it will again tomorrow. This is the kind of faith a Christian should gain as they mature.


What kind of questions get asked?

You may not hear any of these, but our kids going to college will. This is not a huge memory work project to memorize defenses to these, but you have to know that there are defenses, usually that end up showing that the question is a bit silly. I don’t know the specific detailed answers to all of these myself, but they can be looked up. You will hear them from people who have advanced college degrees, even if they are stupid statements. It’s not that they are stupid, but they are ignorant and amusingly enough, they are often taking the garbage they have heard about Christianity and the Bible on blind faith of the sort Mark Twain wrote about.

The prophecy about the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14) really translates as a “young woman” not a virgin.
Don’t you know that all agricultural societies have a dying and rising god?
Don’t you know that Jesus is really modeled on mythological deity X?
If Jesus was supposed to be the model for Christians and He was “meek”, why did he dispute with the Pharisees so much?
If Jesus is God, how did He hear prayer when He was a baby?
Well if you don’t believe in abortion and want them to stop, why aren’t you out there adopting babies?
Are you saved by faith or by works? You know the Bible contradicts itself, don’t you?
Since we only have copies of copies of copies of the Bible, how can we trust it?
Don’t you know the Bible is full of contradictions?
Jesus lived a long, long time ago and how can we really know if He was real or that we know what He really said and did?
Jesus couldn’t have really been raised from the dead, He either swooned and woke up, the disciples stole His body, the disciples went to the wrong tomb or it was all some kind of mass hallucination/vision.
Jesus was just a good moral teacher or prophet.
Jesus never claimed to be God.
The Bible states that X horrible thing happened and I just couldn’t ever believe in a God who would do such a horrible thing. (Argument by Outrage)
You know about group X that calls themselves Christians that do some horrible or strange thing Y, don’t you? Aren’t they Christians? They aren’t? What gives you the right to judge? Maybe you are wrong, aren’t you?
Do you believe the Bible is the literal Word of God? Do you hold to a literal interpretation? So, you believe that mountains can skip, don’t you?
Do you eat bacon? Doesn’t the Bible literally say that pork cannot be eaten? Well, real Bible believing Christians wouldn’t eat pork, would they? So you must not be one.

What can apologetics give you? Increased Conviction

I can only speak from personal experience, but studying apologetics, I can state a few things if I’m confronted by these, at least in general. For example, I’ve studied supposed Biblical “contradictions” and I’ve always found that they all fall into the category of being out of context, in the literary, cultural or historical sense, so I can easily answer a critic.

Take for a simple example Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:. Now, I can claim this is in the Bible, so it is Scripture (true) and that these are the words of Jesus (true) which all Christians should agree with (true). Oh no! Have you been wrong all this time Christians? Did Christ advocate that kind of action? Well, no.

What has been done is taking the verse out of context, let's put it back: Matthew 5:38-39 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (39) But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (It goes on down to the end of the chapter at verse 48.) As you can see, the verse has been lifted out to attempt to twist it into something the Scripture doesn't say.

Greater understanding also comes, which increases faith. Take “meekness” which the world defines as overly submissive, docile, of little courage, wimpy, low spirited or compliant. How many Christians of today do you think agree with this definition of meekness?

Consider one definition from Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary: “a calm temper of mind, not easily provoked”. From the Handbook of Biblical Social Values: “gentleness, coupled with non-violence that is followed not because of any revulsion to violence, but because the meek person CAN use violence but has enough confidence and ability not to threaten or challenge others, and whose opponent is unworthy or too weak -- in other words, he's not strong enough or right enough for you to bother with.”

Something every Christian should realize, that for 2000 years now, people have been trying to find that magic bullet to kill Christianity. Don’t you think that if there was one someone would have found it by now? There really is “nothing new under the sun”, so pretty much, anything that a skeptic throws up as an objection has been dealt with long ago.



Verses that support contending for the faith with knowledge

Jude 1:3
Psalm 25:9
Proverbs 10:17
Proverbs 12:1
Proverbs 13:18
Proverbs 15:12
Proverbs 15:31
Proverbs 15:32
Proverbs 22:19
Proverbs 27:5
Proverbs 28:23
Proverbs 29:1
Ecclesiastes 7:5
Matthew 5:10-19
Matthew 22:29
Mark 12:24, 26-8 22:29
Luke 17:3
John 14:23-24
Acts 19:8-10
1 Corinthians 15:58
1 Timothy 4:1-16
1 Timothy 5:20
1 Timothy 6:2-4
2 Timothy 2:22-26
2 Timothy 3:16
2 Timothy 4:2
Titus 1:13-16
Titus 2:15
1 Peter 2:19
1 Peter 3:13-17
1 Peter 4:12-19
1 Peter 5:8-10
2 Peter 2:1-3
2 John 1:9
James 5:19-20

Bearing False Witness

This is not an exhaustive study, merely one that can be replicated by using an electronic or study Bible, intended as an overview. Any references made to the other commandments are informational only since I have not done the same level of research on them, so I will not be defending the comments made about them. Enjoy. I did and found it very instructive.

Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

One little commandment, with huge implications to believers throughout Scripture. As given here, it could simply refer to perjury in legal matters, but it goes much further. Perjury would also include taking the Name of the Lord in vain (some say that this and false professions of faith are the major thrust of the third commandment, not directly swearing). Bearing false witness could also include violations of the sixth (killing) and eighth (stealing) commandments.

It is interesting that this is not a simple prohibition against lying as some choose to interpret it, but then it can be necessary to lie when that lie covers a greater sin. A classic Scriptural example would be in Exodus 1, when the Hebrew midwives reported to Pharaoh that Hebrew women were giving birth before the midwives could get there. They prevented the murder of innocents by being less than truthful, but is this bearing false witness? No. As we will see, false witness covers the area of lying to do injury to others and/or to try to make oneself seem more important or righteous in the eyes of men. Not only can this be done in court, but in everyday life. Loving your neighbor as yourself includes wanting to maintain his good reputation even as you maintain your own.

Slander, spreading rumors, equivocating, gossiping, telling partial truths, remaining silent while others bear false witness and all other forms of lying come under this prohibition and in some ways they can be considered worse than perjury since there is no appeal or formal way to refute this form of false witness. The lies can simply be repeated over and over again. Even worse, the slanderers and rumormongers can tell their tales and claim to be pious while doing so, think of those who “share” too much information in a prayer request so that one can “pray more effectively”. Look at the scribes and the Pharisees in the NT as they attack Jesus and the apostles while claiming to be righteous. In this way, so do those claiming to be Christian also indulge themselves while claiming to be righteous.

Exo 23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

Exo 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

Notice the expansion beyond a purely legal court sense to cover a wider area. Slander, going along with the crowd and “the end justifies the means” thinking are addressed here. One comment I read implies that 23:1a include receiving a false report, we may hear it, but we should reject it.

Exo 23:7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Keeping far from a false matter goes along well with the concept of rejecting the false.

Lev 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

Lev 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Lev 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

Notice how false witness twist into violations of the other commandments mentioned above. Also, gossip and rumors are also covered.

Psa 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

Psa 15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Psa 15:3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

This Psalm gives indicators of how you can identify the righteous, firstly by their walk, work and speech. Notice that in answer to the questions in verse 1, the lack of false witness is mentioned twice in both a positive and negative manner to reinforce it. Again, the implication is here that other commandments are violated by the one bears false witness.

Psa 36:3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.

This appears to be formerly godly man who has become wicked as he has left being wise and doing good, but the false tongue again shows itself among the other markers.

Psa 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

This seems to refer more to the “lies” of earthly things, positions and power although flattery and pandering to the “better” people appears to apply also.

Psa 50:19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.

Psa 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.

This portion of the Psalm (vv. 16-21) is addressed to those who sit in the congregation claiming to be faithful and righteous, but again, the bearing of false witness in its many forms give an indicator of their walk. Even those they should have closest of relationships with will be attacked by them

Psa 52:1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

Psa 52:2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Psa 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Psa 52:4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

Psa 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

Here David is rebuking one who lied to Saul, provoking Saul into killing the priests of the Lord. Jealous and hating David, Doeg the Edomite reported to Saul in such a way as to make Saul think that the priests were in rebellion against them, when they were simply helping the trusted servant of the king.

Psa 58:1 Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

The question of speaking the truth (righteousness) also includes remaining in silence while hearing gossip and slander. It is also noted that even infants lie before they can speak (as any parent can testify), which makes lying closely related to our fallen state and may be considered a good indicator for the validity of a profession of faith. It must remain only an indicator and not a positive sign one way or the other since most of us are not instantly transformed, but must renew our minds and work out our salvation with fear and trembling as we grow in Christ.

Psa 62:4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

In context, the false witnesses seek to destroy the righteous, loving both the gossip behind the back and false flattery to the face.

Psa 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Psa 101:4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Psa 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

The rules of the king as ruler. All sorts of evil and evildoers will be shunned and banned from the court. It also applies to anyone in relation to those they turn to for counsel. Notice that slander is prominently mentioned as a specific trait of those to be removed.

References: Proverbs 10:16-18; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5,9,28; 21:28, 24:28, 25:16

These are short snips again confirming that the Lord is against the false witness.

References: Proverbs 11:1; 16:11

These are about true scales and measure which refer to false witnessing in combination with stealing.

Pro 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Pro 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

Pro 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

The references are easily read and need no comment, but this one passage is quite interesting. Here seven things are listed that are abominations to the Lord and four of them directly involve bearing false witness and the other three are possibly connected to it by being related in the other passages with lying as a strong indicator of a false witness or professor of the faith.

Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

Isa 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

A catalog of sins that keep prayers from reaching the Lord, i.e. signifying the unrighteousness of the one praying. Notice the multiple references to false speech.

Jer 9:3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

Jer 9:4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

Jer 9:5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.

Jer 9:6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

Jer 9:7 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

Jer 9:8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

The Lord speaks of why He will judge Judah, again, repeated references to the various ways of bearing false witness along with hints of other issues such as theft and coveting. Notice that they “weary themselves” or work at it. Again the use of false witness as an indicator of true righteousness.

Eze 13:8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.

Against false prophets who claim to have a “word from god” and deceive the people with their lies.

Zec 8:16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

Zec 8:17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.

Speaking to the returned exiles about what they have to do to restore Jerusalem and their nation. Notice what the Lord requires them to do. Real simple stuff, but which again points strongly to the indicator of bearing false witness as an outward sign of the unrighteous.

Ok, that was just a bunch of OT stuff, what about the NT?

Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Ananias and Sapphira’s lies brought instant punishment, for the crime of lying to God. Notice that it wasn’t the keeping of part of the money that was the sin, it was the attempt to puff up their reputation by keeping part back while claiming to give all the money. Notice also the link between false speaking and stealing again.

Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Notice how many variations of speaking falsely make up this list of traits along with some that usually include sins.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Rom 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Rom 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Rom 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

Rom 3:17 And the way of peace have they not known:

Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Again, a listing of traits, with multiple mentions of false witnessing.

Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

Snips from these passages about those who convert to Christianity, again with multiple references to the various forms of bearing false witness. James 3 is also instructive about this.

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The description of the new Jerusalem, with those that make lies specifically prohibited from entry. Other translations say “does what is vile or false” and “practices falsehood”, which along with “maketh a lie” implies those who bear false witness in all its forms deliberately.

As is shown above, those who bear false witness tend to freely break other commandments, cloak themselves with righteousness and cause disruption in the congregation. We should steer clear of them and examine ourselves since we must also purge ourselves of these old tendencies to destroy others, cause discord and puff up ourselves vainly by our own words. Those that cannot be faithful in a few things, cannot be trusted with many, so to from this study it becomes clear that those who bear tales, slander and gossip should be looked at very carefully, because from Scripture the evidence is strong that they are just professors and not true believers, wolves in sheep’s clothing. Like those of Berea, we must study to find the truth of matters. They did not simply study Scripture, they studied Scripture (here the OT) to compare it to what Paul and Silas were teaching them that was outside the Old Testament.

Wait, am I being too legalistic here? A bit on the Pharisee side? I don’t think so.

1Ti 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

1Ti 1:6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

1Ti 1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

1Ti 1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

However, let’s make it clear. What did Christ Himself say about this matter of bearing false witness?

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Argue with Him.

God said it, I believe it, that settles it

For the Christian believer, this is the core of their apologetic. Nothing more is needed, except some study if you find a passage hard for you to understand. As a Christian, any defense of the faith (as required in 1 Peter 3:15 and Jude 3) does not require some kind of fake "neutral" ground. One example I've seen repeatedly is a demand to "not use the Bible", but how can we as Christians give up what is to be the rule and guide of our faith?

It is not our job to open the heart of the unbeliever, simply our duty to present the reason for the faith that is within us and contend earnestly. It is God's prerogative to bring conviction on them that they might be saved.

Discernment : What is truth?

Pilate's age old question and still applicable today. Note that in Scripture, Pilate knew that there was nothing in Jesus worthy of execution or even punishment. Well, He had caused a riot by existing, so maybe a little flogging would have been appropriate from Pilate's point of view. In the end though, Pilate bowed to the will of the howling mob led by demagogues, despite that fact that he knew that Jesus was innocent.

As Christians, we are to stand for truth, and especially Truth, despite the will of the crowd, the opinions of noisy people and the price we have to pay. It is a Scriptural duty to correct the errors of those who profess Christ, just as Paul rebuked Peter. So how do we know what is true and what is error? By discerning the truth in the light of Scripture and the Spirit.

There are three simple tests to determine truth using rational discernment. I'm not going to touch on spiritual discernment other than to point out its misuse since spiritual discernment in Scriptures does not contradict Scripture. For example:

Mat 16:15-17 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

What are these three tests? They are the same ones I used in the example in the presuppositional lesson. One proviso in these tests relates to the seriousness of the issue. In my first example below, unless you are soliciting my advice on goat raising, it is a trivial matter and doesn't need such precision in discernment. However, in the second example below, that is a critical issue for Christian doctrine and requires much more precision.

1. What are the objective facts? This means getting down to the primary sources. If I say or write down as a fact that I am raising goats, then you should either be able to visit my place to see the goats I am raising or have verifiable evidence, like pictures, of the goats I am raising. If someone says that Jesus endorsed the OT eye for an eye laws, then they should be able to give a citation to that effect like:

Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

See, it was just confirmed in Scripture, wasn't it? You should now go look at the Scripture as the primary source, and see what the context is:

Mat 5:38-42 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Aha! It seems this position is untrue and quoted out of context, which if very common among false teachers since full disclosure and operating in the open would destroy their teachings, but to discern this, you must check the primary sources. Otherwise you are just basing your acceptance (or rejection) on hearsay. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, hearsay may be acceptable, but if it is serious, then even if you implicitly trust your nonprimary source, it is your responsibility to check the objective facts from primary sources before making a call on the subject on nontrivial (salvation, doctrine, etc.) issues.

2. What is the quality of the testimony? Character counts. If the one providing the witness is a known liar, then you should obviously not weight his evidence as much in comparison with someone well known for their truthfulness. Look at what style the “evidence” takes, if it is sketchy and contradicted, gossipy sounding or way over the top, look even closer. Ask what price the witness paid for giving his testimony. Ask if there were any material rewards for giving the testimony he did. If you see lots of ignoring of critical points, refusal to do anything more than assert or accuse, appeals to bad logic or incorrect axioms, ranting, changing of the testimony (especially to make it 'stronger' relevant to the position being claimed), etc., then you should question or discount the testimony you are receiving from this witness. If they are unfaithful in small things, can they be trusted in large ones? See Matthew 25:21, 23 and Luke 16:10-12

3. Apply Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is virtually always the correct one. Even involved issues can have a simple explanation. One favorite conspiracy concerns the oil companies and their constant “gouging” of the public. Yes, they are in it for the money and yes, it is their duty to their stockholders to maximize profits, but on the ground at the gas pumps, the oil companies often have little to do with the price. If four stations are along a street and one raises prices, then invariably the rest will follow suit. When I worked for 7-11, I saw it all the time. The manager would drive by the oil company station and then raise/lower our prices to be one cent cheaper than they had. Nothing changed about the gas in our tanks, but it gave us the reputation of being the cheapest on gas. For the last few hurricanes, the distributors (not the oil companies themselves) chose not to lay on extra trucks to meet demand locally claiming that they had to “keep reserves”. So for the day or so before a hurricane, prices jump up by a large margin, unleaded runs out and only midgrade or high octane are available. Within a day or two of the storm making landfall, prices drop and unleaded becomes available again. For the conspiracy theorist, it must all be the evil CEOs of the oil companies or their master who is controlling every last gas pump price in the world. So watch for the moving goalposts, the quoting out of context (“a text out of context is a pretext for a proof text”), requirements for enormous complicated conspiracy theories, etc.

Remember that no lie can be of the truth and wherever a fundamental doctrine is denied or twisted, even if it is just one little thing, eventually all of the fundamentals of Christianity will be denied since a little leaven will leaven the entire lump.

Discernment : Types of Discernment

Discernment, for the Christian, has several different names in use. Many times these names overlap or replace one another so they need to be defined. Some of the terms I've seen in use are: Wisdom, Knowledge, Spiritual, Biblical, Worldly, Rational, Christian, Learning, Judgment, Instruction, Understanding, Prudence. For my purposes I'm going to consolidate them into three types: Spiritual Discernment, Rational Christian Discernment, Rational Human Discernment. Some could consider the second one to be a hybrid or subtype of the other two where creation and Creator mix, but let's go with these definitions and see what we get.

Rational Human Discernment (RHD): This is the only one we don't find in a positive sense in the Bible. Many are the verses that speak of the foolishness of the wise when compared to the things of God. You will find some who profess Christianity and misuse these verses to rail against any education throughout history and even up to today. They are wrong as we will see below.

What is Rational Human Discernment? Simply put it is that understanding given to all men from God. See Romans 1:18-25. God has given every man that much discernment, to be condemned for willfully failing to follow God. Some will give the excuse that they don't see enough, but at the correct time they will stand convicted in the Presence. Is there any use to RHD? Yes, because as stated in the passage above, it leads directly to God. In fact, anyone who has spent time studying philosophy should marvel at the glories of human reason. It isn't always so, but the best of it is so beautiful and sublime that it looks like it could almost touch God. Almost. I'll say that again, Almost. When viewed through the eyes of the ones who call themselves wise in worldly wisdom, they think they have achieved all truth, but from the eyes of the Christian, that 'almost' is a gulf that cannot be bridged and the greatest that can be done will still be nothing before the Almighty. It should still give some insight into the motivations of those not of the faith, because until they come under conviction, they cannot turn.

Rational Christian Discernment (RCD): Used in day to day living as the Holy Spirit leads us. Most of the mentions in the New Testament about discerning, regardless of the word used, are about this kind of discernment.

What is Rational Christian Discernment? It is the type of discerning that all Christians are commanded to learn in many places (Matthew 7:12-23, Acts 17:11, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 14:29, 1 John 4:1) and spoken about in Hebrews 5:11-14. It is a large portion of the maturing process all Christians are to go through as they are made perfect (mature) in Christ so that they are no longer tossed about (Ephesians 4:13-14) and stay true to the Gospel. Learning to use and exercise it brings forth the fruits of the Spirit as given in Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 5:9 and 2 Peter 1:5-8. It gives not only the ability to tell truth from lie, but to decide between what is trivial, important and essential. Simple example, the number of angels who can sit on head of a pin is a bit on the trivial side. Other examples abound, but a usual signal that the point is trivial is when people try to use their discernment to decide something that God has said is His to judge. The issue of salvation is a basic one and an excellent example for misuse since we cannot decide who is written in the Book of Life, only He can. He may let you know about you, but all you can do is declare it, not prove it objectively. Beware of misuse of this, since as soon as anyone says “How could any true Christian...” they have fallen into error as they are actually usurping God's authority and setting themselves up in the place of God to judge the hearts of others when they cannot even know their own (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Spiritual Discernment (SD): It is special knowledge given to you by the Holy Spirit that could not be learned by human means. It will not contradict Scripture or reason, at least in the form of RCD, it may contradict reason in the form of RHD. See Matthew 16:15-17 for the clearest example, but also 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and Ephesians 4:11-13.

What isn't Spiritual Discernment? Yes, this is a slightly different question than the other two, but it is the most misused claim by those that profess to be Christians. While the Spirit does direct Christians and He does so more and more as they mature, there is no Spirit “bell” in anyone that tells them everything, which is why we are to test every spirit (1 John 4:1) and teacher for false doctrine (Romans 16:17-18, 2 John 9). Of course, such doctrine isn't downloaded into all believers by magic and revealed to them by their feelings (I like calling it the twinge in the “Holy Ghost elbow”.), it comes from the study of Scripture. Although it is possible to know something is True by feeling it is, it will not be something that contradicts Scripture since God is not the author of confusion and those that claim it the most are those that come up with something that contradicts RHD, but also RCD. Often enough, they claim that all reason and logic is against faith (IOW, they buy into the world's view), they make claims about others' salvation, and refuse correction when they are caught in error and simply carry on while acting like they never got busted. Yes, this sounds like childish behavior, but we are talking about a maturity issue and for some reason this is the most claimed gift. As soon as you hear “I just know”, citing the testimony of others without Scriptural basis (or a contrived and shaky one) or claims of special knowledge not found in Scripture, be very, very careful because this is almost assuredly not Christian.

First, why do we want discernment/judgment/wisdom/understanding? Because not only do we have to discern between true and false, but to decide relevant and irrelevant (see Romans 14). Some games are simply not worth the candle and Satan must love Christians getting caught up in side issues while witnessing or on the other side, get so caught up in “pure” preaching of the Word that we forget the fact that part of our walk includes taking care of others (James 2:15-16). Of course, as noted in Scripture, we are commanded to seek it (Proverbs 4:5, 7; 16:16).

Second, how can we tell how we have a Christian level of discerning? Not necessarily simple, but we can do it by being fruit inspectors (Luke 6:43-44) for others and the Spirit will let you know when you have it, or at least all you can handle at this time remembering always that all spirits must be tested and that Scripture cannot be contradicted.

For me, it is simple as I have learned as the years go by, but hard to explain. The key revolves around the insights I get from Scripture, the peace that passes all understanding and seeing the Hand of God in all the ways of my life. It may include (and frequently does) turbulence on the worldly level, but the surety and Scriptural confirmation shows it to continue to grow. Am I finished and perfect (fully mature) in Christ yet? Given my past, I think not, but as I need more, it will be given to me, whether I take it peacefully or have it hammered into me.

Discernment: Cults and Conspiracy Theories

Another Title would be: How to Avoid the FUD Trap.

FUD = Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. FUD is an attempt to influence people using vague information framed in a negative manner, almost invariably as disinformation that cannot be verified, or if it can be verified, turns out to not mean what the FUD pusher says it does. Silly example would be that Christians are ritual cannibals.

Cultic teachings often focus on the fact that they have the 'true' way. Among the heretical Christian cults, the Bible has often been 'corrupted' and this 'true' way is all about the 'real' Jesus. Note that this includes not only formal Christian cults, but can be found in individuals and loosely connected informal groupings within the Church. They always have their own special version and/or addition to add to Scripture. Sometimes the additional material is text, sometimes it is verbal and sometimes it is a mixture of both. This is why one must get them to define themselves and their teachings, because if it is not of Christ, then they will end up convicting themselves out of their own mouths and/or by their actions. The spirit that moves them cannot do otherwise. Vagueness of positions, cherry picking of proof texts, quoting out of context, ignoring of all contradictory evidence and appeals to emotion are hallmarks of this mindset. They have a strong tendency to be authoritarian and into group think practices.

It might be a formal structure with a leader, subleaders and followers in some variation or it can be an informal structure where all of the 'individuals' simply look or sound the same when pressed on their subject. I recall talking to some young girls several years back. They had wild makeup, wild hair, jeans with unpatched holes ripped out of the knees, more holes in their shirts and scuffed up shoes. These weren't old or cheap clothes, they were of decent or good quality and relatively new, the damage was inflicted by the kids. I asked them why they were dressed as they were and they told me it was to be 'different' and 'be themselves'. So I got them to watch with me while their peers came through a public area and even though the details might have been different, everyone was dressed the same in similarly mutilated clothing, some version of wild hair and (for the girls) excessive and wild makeup schemes. After getting them to really look, they realized that even though they thought they were being 'different', they and their peers were all just wearing the same 'uniform' with 'authorized' variations and none of them were really different or being themselves.

After you learn their jargon and sources and use them to debunk their false teaching, they still keep firm in their presuppositions, since it simply 'must' be so. When you push them on it, they always have a way of moving the goalposts of the debate until they find one that you cannot refute, usually framed in vague, unsupported allegations that call for a massive conspiracy. It doesn't matter, for them, the assertion is simply enough.

You also see it outside of Christian heresies among the Christ mythers and Christ deniers, they use the exact same tactics of making an assertion that could possibly be true, then denying any evidence that contradicts their presuppositions, counting the mere possibility as absolute proof. Commonly know as “Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.”

Regardless of whether they are antiChristian, antiBible, Christian heretical cults, heretic hunters, political conspiracy theorists or any other group, how do you identify these practitioners of the hypervictim mentality of conspiracy theorists? Look for some simple traits this mindset has in common.

1. They know the 'Truth'. It is special knowledge that has been revealed to them. Oh, they may claim it is Biblical, but it isn't. Or maybe it is just something 'proven' by science. In any case, the root remains pride.
2. The “other guys” aren't real bright, are deceived or just aren't rational.
3. Logic doesn't matter much, various fallacies based on emotional appeal are used. Over the top sensationalist claims are often made.
4. Reliance on personal revelation instead of Scripture. When Scripture is used, it is often twisted or used as trump cards with masses of verses being tossed out without commentary.
5. Lack of primary research done. They will claim it, but if you call them on it, they obviously haven't done it. Refusal to acknowledge any sources contrary to their positions. Refusal to explain themselves.
6. Use of forged documents or editing actual documents for proof texts (quoting out of context). Using definitions rigidly, see # 1.
7. Ask questions aggressively and keep asking them, no matter how many times and ways they are answered until they get the answer they want.
8. If they do find themselves getting refuted, they will resort to making assertions without backup or that logically contradict their claimed worldview. Tantrum throwing.
9. They fail to use the simplest explanation, instead it must be even more and more convoluted to get beyond refutation. They keep moving the goalposts of what needs to be proven/disproven. If need be, everyone else is a liar and they are right, see #1.
10. Strong ends justify the means flavor to their position(s) if you develop them by interacting. They don't care that they are wrong, as long as they are pursuing a 'righteous' cause. Fanaticism, not zeal.

If you are not familiar with the tactic of moving the goalposts, here is an example where antiBible Lite evolutionists try to 'prove' their point against young earth creationists:

“Creationists aren't scientists.” (Proof provided that there are YEC scientists.)

“Well, creationists aren't real scientists with real degrees.” (Proof provided that YEC scientists have real degrees.)

“Well, creationists don't have degrees in the relevant fields.” (Proof provided that the degrees are in relevant fields.)

“Well, creationists don't get those degrees from real schools.” (Proof provided that the degrees come from top scientific universities.)

“Well, creationists don't get published in refereed scientific journals.” (Proof provided they do.)

“Well, those aren't real refereed scientific journals.” (Proof provided they do publish in 'real' refereed scientific journals, as defined by the evolutionist.)

“Well, those papers don't having anything to do with creationism.” (Proof provided that they do.)

“Well, creationists don't understand how science works.” (Umm, your degree is in what? Your documented body of work if you don't have a degree? Your sources to back up your assertion?)

“Well, they just have to be wrong since there is a consensus against them.” (Point out how every current scientific theory and law was at one time a minority position.)

“Well, it cannot be scientific because it is just goddidit!” (As opposed to itjustgrowed?)

“Well, religious nuts cannot be expected to understand science!” (When the basis of modern science directly rests on the doctrines of Christianity?)

“You know, everybody knows it is just lying for Jebus!” (Any proof?)

“Well, there is that dinosaur park guy!” (Who isn't a scientist and who has been publicly corrected by YEC scientists for his use of disproven theories and unscientific stances, too bad evolutionists don't police themselves up a tenth as well.)

“Well, it is just lying, Dawkins and Gould said it, Professor Fuzzybrain at school said I should think more for myself, don't accept authoritarian religious controls, and believe in evolution totally! All creationists are liars!” (Uh, well, what do you do in the face of someone who has their mind made up and isn't interested in the facts.)

Other ways besides attacking credentials include finding smaller and smaller groups and shifting the groups around who are 'really in control' or making it a case of smaller and smaller geographical areas. In both cases, no matter what the personal testimonies of numerous people who should be “in the know” according to the conspiracy theory, those testifying must be either liars, not part of the 'in' group or in the 'right' geographical spot to see the conspiracy and are therefore deceived.

This is all about seeing the pattern. At times and places, several of those traits I listed above can be used legitimately by people, but you can usually tell from the context of the conversation which one is ranting and which one is simply telling them to put up or shut up. Again, the context will give you the pattern and when you see the pattern, hold onto your wallet. They may not want your money, but often enough, they do.

Discernment : Symbols, Uses and Interpretations

Symbols mean what the user of them wants them to mean. Many times there are symbols with common meanings to most in society, but even those can have a different meaning to individuals or small groups. Symbols have been used in all societies to convey meaning and all people use symbols to remind themselves of things. In fact, what you are reading is composed of symbols arranged in a certain order to provide meaningful communication.
Since writing is a subset of symbols, much of the advice given about understanding language applies here. You must find out what the user of the symbol means by it and sometimes it varies widely. Take for example the modern peace sign. An upside down forked symbol in a circle. What does it mean? Well, the original creator of it took the flag semaphore symbols for N (a man holding each arm down at a 45 on each side) and D (a man holding one arm straight down and the other straight up) for Nuclear Disarmament. It didn't take hold until they added a circle around it.
Now, what does the modern peace symbol mean? Here is a partial list: identifying sign for the Nuclear Disarmament group in the UK, the footprint of the American Chicken, a dove's print in a circle, a broken cross, the sign of the Antichrist, an rune of life inverted to symbolize death, Nero's cross, a symbol of the devil and other variations. Speaking of people incapable of discernment:

PEACE SYMBOL - Also known as the Cross of Nero. Many people are not aware of the origins of this symbol or how it became to symbolize peace. This is the cross of Nero, a broken and inverted cross, enclosed in a circle which represents Nero's vision. Nero believed that there would be world peace without Christianity, thousands of Christians were martyred under the rule of Nero. This is what the "peace symbol" represents regardless of what it means to you.

Their way or the highway, despite well documented historical evidence that it was created by a man who wanted a simple symbol for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. You see that often in marginal groups, they force a definition linking similar symbols and assert their authority, but if you actually check, the symbols in question were created years or decades apart with no connection between the two sources. Somehow, someway, somewhere, there simply MUST have been some communication though, because it fits the group's agenda.

When I see an old kungfu movie filmed at an old temple in China, do all the swastikas about mean that the worshipers there were proto-Nazis, they were just using a good luck symbol in their decorative work or were the producers of the film neoNazis?

Often people and groups use such rigid definitions to force a conclusion in line with their presuppositions. Research the symbology of the snake or serpent in Scripture. Is it Satanic? Or is it wisdom? What about the Son of Man being lifted up?

How about the circle? Is it a female symbol? Symbol of the One God? Eternity?

Is the triangle the Trinity? A doorway for demons?

How about the famous fish symbol? A symbol of Christ? Or a female symbol?

Shall we go to the cross itself? Did it have a Christian use before Constantine saw the Chi Ro vision? Did it have any other symbolic uses prior to Christ? I actually find this one sadly amusing. I read a post by a lady railing against a group using what she described as “Babylonian sun symbols” as some kind of proof about something. In her signature was a cross, the earliest use of which was in Babylonian sun worship. It also was a fertility symbol from the pagan beliefs about the sky 'fertilizing' the earth.

Now, some people do define some of these symbols in a negative fashion, I'm not saying they don't, but until you know what they mean to the one using them, you cannot call it that.

Discernment : Grammar, Vocabulary and Misunderstanding

How something is said can sometimes be more important that what is said. People bring presuppositions to their use of language. Language can be misunderstood by the hearer and conclusions can be jumped to. One must be very sure of what the person talking is saying to them. This can cut both ways, as a heretical cultist might say that 'Jesus saves', thus sounding good, but if you question them further you might find that they consider other possibilities for salvation.

Language changes over the centuries and translations don't always catch the full flavor of the original, even when you are dealing with the same language. For example, the word 'replenish' in Genesis 1:28 has been used to justify the gap theory of creation since it means to 're – plenish' or 'plenish again'. The problem with that is that back in the day the KJV was written, there was no such word as 'plenish' and replenish didn't mean 'fill up again', but simply to fill or make complete.

It is very important when attempting to discern the message someone is giving to find out how they define the words they are using. Putting your definitions on someone else's words can lead to some serious misunderstanding about what they are saying. Learn to ask what they mean when you are not sure about what they are saying. If there is no mutual understanding of what is being said then the discussion can degenerate very quickly into a “yes you did say that”, “no I didn't” match.

If you find that someone is saying things differently that you would and won't budge, you should charitably try to speak their language using their words. Then you can show them the lack of difference (or major difference) between your positions. It may be that you have a better way of saying it or it may be that they do. It might even be a trivial difference that isn't important.

This is a fairly common bit of advice given in writings on counter cult sites specifically for discerning what is being said. It is very useful at all times whenever you encounter something you don't understand. Don't charge in, find out what they mean. If, in the end, you find them in error and they will not change, then stronger measures can be taken.

Many times people use words to try to make a point where their logic is weak. They force a definition to gain an illegitimate connection between groups or ideas. For example, many religions have a lustration ceremony for symbolic purification. Greeks, Romans, Jews and Christians are among that number. The Christian specific one is baptism, John the Baptist used one as he prepared the way for Jesus, there are other purifications ceremonies in Judaism and examples abound in pagan cultures. People who try to find any sort of connection between pagan beliefs and Christian ones (the so-called 'pagan christs') often take any sort of lustration ritual (of which there are many) and immediately name it 'baptism' in their writing, then redefine it as a 'stolen' item by Christianity from a pagan religion.

Be careful of those who insist that their definitions are the only possible ones for words or phrases, most especially if they deny the full range of definitions available in the dictionary. Make sure they are discussing something not only in literary context, but historical and cultural context, note again the 're-plenish' example of error I used above.

Discernment: Presuppositions

Presuppositions are nasty things. They hide deep within you and color your entire worldview. For many, they cannot deal with their own presuppositions or step outside of them. When you see those that cannot step aside from their own presuppositions, it is a mark of immaturity, whether it be a child in their youth, a babe in Christ or anyone else. They cannot deal with the "given this, then that" thought process. One example would be someone who rails against the Jews on the basis of them considering Christianity simply a heretical cult of Judaism.

While from my presuppositions (being a Christian), the Jews are wrong, given that the orthodox Jew has certain expectations of what the Messiah (the Christ) is to be, then Jesus failed to meet some of those presuppositional expectations. After all, He didn't blow out the Romans and institute the Kingdom right then, did He? Therefore, from the point of view of the orthodox Jew, Christianity is a heretical cult of Judaism (or Jewish heresy if you prefer).

When you confront immature people on their presuppositions, you will find them reacting as a child and throwing tantrums. They will not be able to step outside of them, defend them by being purely offensive and repeat mantras of "truth" over and over again, no matter how much you show them that by their own standards they are wrong. They will fall back on assertions and rely on convoluted chains of “proof” that require some serious suspension of disbelief.

How do you test presuppositions? The usual method is threefold: find out what the objective facts are from primary sources, consider the character of those who interpret those facts and if they are being honest (this could be literally or logically honest) and then apply Occam's Razor to the interpretations since the simplest explanations are almost invariably right and interpretations that require jumping around and changing the goalposts rarely are right.

Example: Christians presuppose that Christ arose from the dead.
1) A review of the actual literature (Gospel and outside accounts) finds that there is strong evidence for something happening to Jesus' body. The quantity and quality of the ancient copies of the Gospels surviving to the present testify to its truth.
2) Those that reported the resurrection died for their belief in it, those that railed against tried to kill those who reported it.
3) The simple and straightforward reading is that Christ arose. The objectors made up different tales, some more wild than others, some requiring actions that would have resulted in death for those who presented evidence against. The need for such conspiracy theories to disprove the resurrection point to the falseness of the claims (swoon theory would require the punishment of the Roman executioner in charge of the crucifixion, the disciples stole the body theory would require Roman soldiers to admit being asleep on watch which was again an executable offense, saying that the Gospel accounts "don't count" is special pleading not called for against any other ancient document, etc.).

When you encounter something that challenges your presuppositions (worldview), you evaluate it and decide to incorporate or reject it, each of which choices has an effect on your future life. Watch what people do when you challenge their presuppositions.

Discernment: An Introduction

There is a symbol that rules our lives. It is rarely noticed, but it permeates our society in the secular and religious areas. You find it everywhere, there is no escaping it. It is all over buildings all over this country and in many other places in the world. Politicians use it, the military plans with it in mind, workers follow its instructions, Christians mindlessly go along with it, preachers give sermons using this symbol for the passage to the afterlife. Children learn to recognize it at an unconscious level from an early age. There is nowhere we can go that the symbol is not there controlling our actions and forcing us to follow it. It tells you that when you are finished, you are to go this way. Followers of the Emergent Church are emerging from their temples of heresy under this symbol. You find it even in churches that consider themselves orthodox. It is frightening.

I am speaking of the Epsilon Chi Iota Tau. Even the name of the symbol is powerful in its mystical connections to its methods of control. People don't understand what Epsilon Chi Iota Tau means, but still they follow it blindly as they go about their daily lives. Something must be done! We as Christians and citizens must no bow to the dictates of any such symbol that is outside the boundaries of Scripture and curtailing our freedom of movement. People have died while mindlessly following this symbol in emergencies. They didn't think of anything else to do except to follow. Beware the Epsilon Chi Iota Tau. The occultic sound of it reeks of Satanic influence, you can just hear it as you say it. Do you know what it is? I bet you have seen one today and allowed you to be led by it instead of by the Spirit and Scripture. I bet you didn't even think of praying in the Name of Christ as you moved under the power of this symbol, you just did it. There are variations of the symbol, that can only be followed under certain circumstances, but when those times occur, I bet you will follow this unScriptural, nonChristian symbol without question. Beware, for you are following something outside of the Bible and it can lead you down the wrong paths. There are those who say it is harmless and others who say it is useful, but don't believe them. They are deceived about the true meaning of this symbol and the extent of the conspiracy that puts it everywhere in society.

I hope you enjoyed the little spoof. I'm going to be posting a few lessons in discerning truth and this looked like a good way to start since the Epsilon Chi Iota Tau does exist and does have the effects listed, but like Dihydrogen Monoxide, it is the presentation that makes the case for it being ominous. Discerning the flaws in this style of presentation will be of help in identifying false teachings, since nobody seems to teach these basics anymore.

Oh, if you got it, don't post the answer please, just enjoy the chuckle. If you haven't got it, go look up the Greek alphabet on Wiki. If you want to come back and argue about the letter choices, I'll know you didn't read the articles.

Even though it started with humor, this is a deadly serious subject. Lack of knowledge and inability to discern has left the Church in the shape it is in now. Heresies, cults, supposedly 'solid' Christian leaders compromising themselves in the name of pleasing their public, the face of Christianity being left to TV preachers who tell verifiable lies supposedly in the Name of Jesus. This is something I have put together as an outline of lessons, gleaning things from both older study and recent events in my life.

Stephen: Boldness

Act 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
Act 6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Act 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
Act 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Act 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

The Hebrew Jews were getting preference over the Grecian Jews. Hebrew = from Judah, Grecian = from outside Judah. Rather than give up prayer and evangelism, the apostles called for the appointment of seven men to see to the day to day business of the church and minister to the poor. Traditionally, this is considered the beginning of the office of the deacon. Stephen was a noted follower.

Act 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
Act 6:9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
Act 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

The synagogue of the Libertines or Freedmen, was one of many Grecian Jews, including those that had been enslaved and then freed. It was probably the one of Saul of Tarsus and possibly presided over by Gamaliel of Acts 5, reputed to be the teacher (rabbi) of Saul. In their dispute, Stephen refuted them by speaking with wisdom and the Spirit. This points towards us being able to know and refute those who come with objections or seek a reason for the faith we have within us (1 Peter 3:15).

Act 6:11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.
Act 6:12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,
Act 6:13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

Unable to refute Stephen, the Jews used false witnesses who incited the crowd and grabbed him and brought him before the Sanhedrin where false witnesses again charged Stephen with blasphemy. Stephen’s defense is listed in Acts 7 where he used his knowledge of the Scriptures to outline the history of the Jewish people from Abram to Egypt and Moses. Stephen then spent some time on Moses pointing out how the Jews had rejected him, then mentioned all of the prophets the Jews ignored or killed, even though all of these came from God with His message. This is similar in pattern to the method Paul used on Mars hill in Athens (Acts 17:16-34), except Paul started from Genesis and led to Jesus since he was speaking to Greeks who didn’t know Jewish history.

Act 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
Act 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
Act 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

As expected, speaking with the power of the Spirit and with wisdom, the Jews were condemned by the Spirit. Stephen’s vision again cut them, especially since Jesus was standing in the vision instead of sitting, symbolic of Jesus being ready to receive and greet Stephen.

Act 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
Act 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
Act 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Act 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

In their desire to no longer hear the words that the Spirit was using to condemn them, they dragged Stephen out of town without the formal verdict of the trial, as an angry mob and stoned him. Stephen remained bold to the end, secure in his faith, committing his soul to Jesus’ care and asking forgiveness for those who were killing him.

Blog Title

Although the most direct source of the title of this blog is Proverbs 4:7, it is interesting that similar cross references can be found in the Bible: Psalms 119:104, Proverbs 4:5 and 16:16. To me, this is the key to the ills of the world today in all areas of life. Ignorance has been highlighted and people are proud of it with the attitude of "don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up". People don't know history, whether it be the history of science, the history of religion, the history of philosophy or any other subcategory. They have not been taught to think for themselves and adequately discern information. Instead they live in a world clouded by FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) given to them by demagogues who "know what's best" for the "peepul" where the height of "instruction" relies on speaking vague innuendo with an unfavorable slant to it.

There was a reason for teaching the old liberal arts in school, it did teach people to research, think and draw rational conclusions. Now you often see lies being put forth that a tiny bit of research would uncover, but nobody knows how or they are unwilling (for good or bad reasons) to go any further in track down the sources. This results in problems because there is a lot of "smoke" in the air. Now while it is true that where there is smoke, there is fire, it takes discernment (secular or Christian, depending on the issue) to see if the smoke is coming from a firestorm or a smudgepot. Without knowledge, ability to discern becomes strictly limited.

With this lack, I'm seeing an increasing dependency among people in general to cling to authoritarian pronouncements that they accept without question. I'm also seeing more of attempts to simply remove "problems" without knowing the full details of the situation. Of course, I'm not guiltless in this situation, but then it isn't always a bad thing. It does save time if you can trust your people.