Tag Archives: cult

Bible, False teachers

Steven Furtick = false teacher

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Steven Furtick is a super-creepy false teacher.  He seems like a mean version of Joel Osteen crossed with a cult leader. This was going to just be a one-liner in a roundup post, but I kept coming across more things about this guy and rapidly growing Elevation Church.

His “Hey Haters” video is comical for its hypocrisy.

He trots out other false teachers like Perry Noble to preach sermons about how great Furtick is, all the while claiming that God gave him that text to preach about Furtick, not Jesus.

Poor guy only has a 16,000 sq. ft. house. It is sad that his “church” is growing so fast and taking in a half-million dollars in weekly donations.

His church has sketchy baptism rituals.

Then there is this coloring assignment for kids at the church.  Yes, it is real.  Yes, he takes a verse about government and applies it to himself.  Yes, it is cult-like.  This reminds me of the episode from The Simpsons where Homer joins a cult (“The leader is great . . .”).

furtick

Update: Furtick knew about the book and loved it.

Furtick_Tweet

He actively discourages Bible study (surprise!) so his followers probably won’t catch on any time soon.  If only they would open the book . . .

Roundup

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I enjoyed this analysis of John MacArthur’s preaching.  I listen to his Podcast almost every day and learn a lot.  I go to a Methodist church but appreciate Reformed preaching as well — I suppose I’m just one of those wacky open-minded religious liberals!

Why do so many people listen to MacArthur, this product of all the wrong schools? How can he pack out a church on Sunday morning in an age in which church attendance has seriously lagged? Here is a preacher who has nothing in the way of a winning personality, good looks, or charm. Here is a preacher who offers us nothing in the way of sophisticated homiletical packaging. No one would suggest that he is a master of the art of oratory. What he seems to have is a witness to true authority. He recognizes in Scripture the Word of God, and when he preaches, it is Scripture that one hears. It is not that the words of John MacArthur are so interesting as it is that the Word of God is of surpassing interest. That is why one listens.

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Shocking: Madonna is a sex-selling hypocrite who doesn’t want her daughter to act like she does.

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Black conservative Tea Partiers — turns out that they do exist, even though they get savaged with all kinds of pathetic personal attacks for their independent thinking.

AP Notices Black TEA Partiers Called Racist Names, But, It’s Not Racism, Cause They’re Conservatives — That’s the MSM way: Unsubstantiated claims of racism by Tea Partiers = real racism.  Substantiated claims of racism by Liberals = not racism.

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Threats of violence by the loving, kind folks at Greenpeace (HT: Red State)

If you’re one of those who have spent their lives undermining progressive climate legislation, bankrolling junk science, fueling spurious debates around false solutions, and cattle-prodding democratically-elected governments into submission, then hear this:

We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work.

Think you’ll be hearing about these threats of violence on the MSM?

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Non-Christian quotes about abortion — nice summary by Reason to Stand.  Be sure to check out that blog, it is excellent!  I especially liked this quote.  Even the world’s bloodiest religion is better grounded on abortion than the Left:

You shall not kill your awlad [born or unborn children] due to fear of poverty. We provide for them, as well as for you. Killing them is a gross offence. Quran 17:31

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Dear Liberal friends,

How often did you see this clip of President Obama tripping?  How many times would you have seen it if it had been President Bush?

We now conclude this reminder that the MSM is hopelessly biased.

Love,

Conservative friends

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Mormon update: Still nice neighbors and friends.  Still not Christians.  Same vocabulary, different dictionary.  Many Mormons still as un-/mis-educated about their faith as many Christians are about theirs.  Seriously, watch the whole thing if you have doubts.

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A great response to the Mormon claim that Christianity must be false because it has so many sects (Short version: The LDS religion has many  divisions as well).  Also keep in mind that Mormonism is less than 200 years old and largely localized in the U.S., so they’ve had a lot of divisions, relatively speaking. 

Free advice: Be sure to enunciate when speaking of Mormon sects, Christian sects or any other sects.  I was speaking too quickly in Sunday School once when talking about Hindu sects and got some strange looks.

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Climate Science: The Devil’s In the Details (Which Apparently No Longer Exist) — I am not making this up.  Hat tip: LCB

Raw data? Oh, I’m sure it’s here somewhere. Maybe I left it in my other backpack … yeah, that’s the ticket, my other backpack …

And of course, from the same folks that bring you the tautology of Darwinian evolution, global cooling is evidence of global warming.  And it is definitely man-made, and the only solution is to give much more power to the government, forever.

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Obama’s dog didn’t bark — As I’ve pointed out separately, if the ObamaCare bill doesn’t cover abortions — and he insists that it doesn’t — why aren’t the pro-aborts “barking?”  They are huge supporters of the bill, but if it didn’t include abortion they’d be howling against it, and under no circumstances would they support it. 

If the pro-aborts like Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards were silent on the bill it would be obvious enough that it includes abortion, but they are aggressively lobbying for it.

Now, someone try to convince me that Obama & Co. don’t plan to use the bill to cover abortions, and that they aren’t lying about it.  Go ahead.  Convince me.

Hat tip: Randy

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www.BarackObama.com, the web site that surely seeks to be bipartisan and unite us all, considers many of us here, including me, to be right wing domestic terrorists.  These people are beyond hyperbole.  And they think we’re nuts for being concerned about the President writing curriculum for all the public schools?!

Christian worldview

Satan doesn’t mind being inconsistent

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contradiction.jpgHumans have an innate desire to appear consistent with prior statements we make, but Satan or his demons will tell you whatever lies you are most likely to believe, such as:

  • You don’t need to be forgiven and an eternity in Hell is not the consequence for your sins – he’ll point you to the culture or any number of liberal churches that teach a false Gospel
  • You can’t be forgiven – your sins are too great – he’ll be glad to reinforce that with grace-less churches
  • You can earn your salvation – he’ll send cultists or false teachers your way or send you their way (Mormons, parts of the Catholic church, etc.)
  • There is no God – he’ll send you to the culture or teachings that the universe came from nothing, life came from non-life and evolved to what we see today, forgiveness is not necessary, that these random evolutionary forces invented religion and the concept of God, etc.
  • God is here to make you prosperous and solve all your problems in this life.  Don’t worry about eternity.
  • That all religions lead you to God.
  • That abortion (or fornication, lying, stealing, etc.) is not a sin, so go ahead and have one.
  • That abortion (or fornication, lying, stealing, etc.) is a sin, so you shouldn’t have had one.

He’ll do anything to keep you from the truth: You are a sinner in need of a Savior.  You can’t fix or forgive yourself.  You need to trust in Jesus and what He did for you on the cross.

He hates you and hates your soul and wants to keep you from Jesus.  If you have been saved by Jesus, then he wants to distract you to make you ineffective for the kingdom or to make your ministry ineffective.

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Evangelism

Evangelism experiences 3

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As noted in the overview, this is part of a series of evangelism experiences I want to share. Please feel free to add your own.

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This is about “drive-by evangelism” – unavoidably brief but significant encounters where you share what you can.  I don’t recommend this as a normal practice.

I was in the Denver airport with my family once.  We were temporarily in different spots (gathering luggage and such) when I was approached by a Hare Krishna member.  I literally had 45 seconds to talk. 

Without thinking I gave the shortest Gospel presentation I ever have.  It was very clear and direct.  I basically told the guy (in a nice, calm voice) that he was in a false belief system, who Satan was, who Jesus was, why he needed Jesus and that I would be praying for his soul. 

I wish I could describe the look in his eyes.  He was desparate and seemed to realize he was trapped in a cult.  He sincerely said, “Yes, please pray for me.”  I walked with him over to his companion and repeated myself, and again he asked me to pray for him.

I prayed for him many times during that vacation and whenever I think of him (like now).  I prayed in general and also specifically that God would send others with a more robust explanation of the Gospel – along the lines of Matthew 9:38: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  When I get to Heaven I’ll learn how God worked it all out.

Sometimes you get a chance to rehearse what you want to say and sometimes you don’t.  But I encourage you to always be open to opportunities. 

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Speaking of Hare Krishnas, I had a less dramatic encounter once coming back from a business trip in the Far East.  I was going through LAX and was exhausted.  I must have looked like a great target, because a Hare Krishna lady made a beeline for me.  She was most eager for me to read some books she was carrying.

As tired as I was, an idea hit me.  I reached down and pulled out my Bible (it was a full-sized one), smiled and told her she should read my book first.  She laughed and noted that my book was much bigger than hers.  She realized I wasn’t likely to convert and begged off.

Moral of the story: Always travel with a Bible.  Best case scenario, you convert the cultists.  Worst case, you chase them off.  It’s win-win.