TBC What's New Feed

Here again we see the importance of origins: as Templeton reasoned, if we cannot trust the Bible’s account of the origin of man, why should we believe what it says about the destiny of man? But we could turn that statement around. If we can’t believe what science says about the origin of man, why should we believe what it says about human destiny? As a matter of fact, science has nothing factual and verifiable to say about either man’s origin or destiny.

We know that Noah was described as a preacher (or herald) of righteousness (2 Peter:2:5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
See All...), and that the act of preparing the ark was a witness in and of itself of coming judgment. Especially since Hebrews:11:7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
See All... states: “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

However, Scripture often indicates that even if no one repented, this would not have absolved Noah of warning people about the coming judgment. Think of Jeremiah who preached to Judah for 40 years and apparently only his scribe Baruch and a court eunuch Ebed-melech the Ethiopian (likely a title “the king’s eunuch” rather than a personal name, Jeremiah 38) listened to his call for repentance. Ebed-melech heard the Word of the Lord and repented and became a true believer/follower of God (Jeremiah:39:16Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
See All...–18). In this regard, Jeremiah and Noah are both alike—they were “preachers of righteousness” who ended up having a “ministry of condemnation.” Jeremiah even complained that he did not want to preach “disaster,” but God compelled him with anguish if he did not (Jeremiah:20:8For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
See All...–9).

Furthermore, even though we do not know whether God ever directly communicated a need to Noah to warn the people of his day about the coming flood, it would be consistent with other biblical examples. Think of Ezekiel who was told by God that he was required to warn people of divine judgment.

“So, you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel:33:7So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
See All...–9).

Therefore, the pattern in Scripture of someone blessed with divine forewarnings of judgment is that they felt burdened (or directly commanded) by the Lord to share that message and were told they would suffer (or suffer blame) if they did not. It is entirely consistent then to believe Noah was under the same burden to warn people of coming judgment. However, since we are not directly told one way or the other, we can only make biblically based hypotheses on this subject and not dogmatic proclamations. 

Hypothetically, if the whole world believed Noah and repented, God would not have needed to send the flood as a judgment against the world’s wickedness. We see similar instances of God relenting from promised punishment in that he would have spared Sodom for as few as 10 righteous men, and he did not destroy Nineveh when they repented. Additionally, the ark had plenty of extra room if only a few had repented. However, whenever we deal with hypotheticals, especially when we have limited data, we are on shaky ground. What we do know is that the ark had plenty of room for many who would have believed and all the animals Noah was commanded to bring on board.

It appears that there is a twofold answer to this question of others outside of Noah’s family boarding the ark. The size of the ark was such that it could have accommodated thousands more people.

However, we need to recall that based on the prophecy given in Genesis:6:13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
See All...–22 (specifically verse 18) obviously given to Noah before the ark was built, God had said that Noah and his family only would be saved: “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” Since God is omniscient, he knew that mankind would continue in their wickedness and refuse to board (or even acknowledge) the ark. God also knew that the few righteous people (like Methuselah) would die before the flood came.

It appears from the size of the ark and its excess capacity that God may have wanted Noah to prepare for and see how many more could have been on the ark, but God knew that the space would not be used for that purpose. However, we cannot know this for sure based on Scripture alone….But in any event, Noah knew that it was not “lack of space” that kept people off the ark—it was their own love of sin and unbelief in God (and God’s holiness in judging his creatures). So, the answer to this question is that it appears that God did not directly invite anyone but Noah and his family aboard the ark. And as far as Noah knew, he and his immediate family members would be the only humans on board (per Genesis:6:18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
See All...). Had someone repented and believed Noah though, God could have extended the invitation to them; however, God already knew this would not happen. I know this thought process seems antithetical, yet man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty and omniscience are not mutually exclusive. God is sovereign, and yet, man is responsible. Had there been someone who repented, God could have told Noah that his family and others would board the ark with Noah’s family.

Noah knew that it was not “lack of space” that kept people off the ark—it was their own love of sin and unbelief in God (and God’s holiness in judging his creatures).

Some have objected to this based on Genesis:6:13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
See All... and 17 where God promises to destroy all flesh on the earth. But it is possible that this also would have served a dual purpose; divine condemnation for those who ignored the warning but perhaps also repentance for those who may have been older and died before the flood came or for those who repented at the time of the flood. God can certainly relent from punishing repentant sinners, as seen with Nineveh in Jonah’s time.

But also consider Numbers:14:11And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
See All...–12 (recounted by Moses in Deuteronomy 9) where God tells Moses that he will destroy the Israelites because of their continued rebellion, yet Moses pleaded with God on this occasion (and several others), and God lessened his punishment only to immediately punish the 10 unbelieving spies and eventually all the Israelites over 40 years old (Numbers:14:20And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
See All...–38). God can and does change the parameters of his just punishments when he wishes to extend mercy. There is no greater example of this in Scripture than Christ’s death on the cross, the just for the unjust (Romans:5:6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
See All...–10; Ephesians:2:12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
See All...–13; 1 Peter:3:18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
See All...).

https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/did-noah-warn-people-about-coming-flood/

Why Do I ...?

Personality tests have become all the rage not only in culture but in the church. I recall when I was a fairly new believer, Tim LaHaye's book, Spirit-Controlled Temperament, was making its rounds through churches. It seemed the Bible was insufficient to tell us why we behave the way we do or understand ourselves.Other "tools" were developed over time like Myers–Briggs Type Indicator, Personality profile tests, and others made their way into churches around the country, one of the latest is the Enneagram. Are they helpful or perhaps even harmful. Are they supplements to the word of God or do they distract from it? In, "The Problem with Personality Tests,"Doug Ponder writes: 

“What I object to is the troubling way in which most people, including many Christians, seem to think that personality tests supply us with secret knowledge that is utterly vital for life in God’s world. And though Christians would never come right out and say so, the way that many speak about personality tests makes it seem like the poor apostles did the best they could, talking about sin and virtue as often as they did, but if only they had known about personality types! Then their epistles would have be different. Better even. More like the self-care blogs so popular today. If only…

It’s worth pointing out that personality tests did not exist until 1917. Before that time various theories attempted to explain human behavior, like imbalances of the four humors (blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm) or astrology (which is sadly still with us today). Yet the biblical authors were aware of these theories, and their stubborn refusal to mention any of them is a good indicator that they understood what makes people tick a good deal better than those who walk in darkness. https://mailchi.mp/9a1d5c9fb8ad/happy-lies-a-review?e=169825fd77

Perhaps we should take heed to the realization that the biblical authors, guided by the Holy Spirit while writing Scripture, didn't turn from Scripture to those who walk in darkness for guidance and answers. Many today are turning to them in droves: 

“Besides all of this, most personality tests have dubious origins that raise deep concerns. The Myers-Briggs analysis was based on the theories of agnostic psychologist Carl Jung, who candidly admitted, “We psychotherapists must occupy ourselves with problems which, strictly speaking, belong to the theologian.” (This raises all sorts of important points about the compatibility of psychology and Christianity, but that’s another article for another day.) The Enneagram was developed in 1916 by man named G. I. Gurdjieff who believed it was a mystical way to understand all truth (which Jesus would have a thing or two to say about.) It did not become a personality test until the 1970s, when Claudio Naranjo engaged in the occultic practice of “automatic writing” by entering a trance-like state that permitted spirits to guide his hand as wrote about the Enneagram (1 John 4:1 anyone?).” 

God really has given us what we need to know to understand ourselves and others and how to bring honor to Him in how we live and treat others. It may be difficult to do because our self-centered sinful heart doesn't like it but it is easy to understand.

https://mailchi.mp/9a1d5c9fb8ad/happy-lies-a-review?e=169825fd77

Most amazing is the fact that Templeton continued to represent the National Council of Churches on “preaching missions” across the United States and Canada. In spite of the loss of his own “faith,” Templeton saw an average of about 150 “converts” each night who mostly “stayed converted.” Six months after his meetings in Evansville, Indiana, for example, where 91,000 out of a population of 128,000 attended, a survey “showed that church attendance was 17 percent higher than it had been before he came. . . .” Incredibly, with no faith of his own, he was for three years Director of Evangelism of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

Do you realize that, ultimately, every single biblical doctrine of theology directly or indirectly is founded in Genesis 1-11? Why did Jesus die on a cross?—Genesis 1-11. Why is He called “the last Adam” (1Co 15:45)?—Genesis 1-11. Why do we sin?—Genesis 1-11. Why is there death in the world?—Genesis 1-11. Why do you have a seven-day week?—Genesis 1-11. Why do we need new heavens and a new earth?—Genesis 1-11. Why is marriage between one man and one woman?—Genesis 1-11. Is it therefore important? Genesis 1-11 is the foundational history for the whole rest of the Bible!”

― Ken Ham, ((born 20 October 1951, Australian Christian fundamentalist, young Earth creationist, apologist, and former science teacher. Founder of Answers in Genesis (AiG), which operates the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. Quote from  Understanding the Times).

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

― A. W. Tozer

Jupiter: The Mighty Guardian of Earth

ICR.org, 3/13/25, “Jupiter: The Mighty Guardian of Earth” [Excerpts]:NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently unveiled breathtaking images of Jupiter during its 66th flyby of the colossal planet. Juno has been exploring Jupiter and its surroundings, including its rings and numerous moons, to uncover the planet’s secrets. According to a NASA statement, understanding Jupiter could provide valuable insights into understanding the entire solar system.

Did you know that Jupiter plays a significant role in making life on Earth possible? This massive gas giant, sometimes called the “protector of Earth,” has a profound influence on our planet. Let’s dive into the ways Jupiter helps us live safely and thrive.

One of Jupiter’s most important jobs is to act as a cosmic shield. Because of its massive size and strong gravity, Jupiter can pull in or deflect many asteroids and comets that might otherwise collide with Earth. Imagine Jupiter as a giant vacuum cleaner sucking up debris that could cause catastrophic effects on our planet.

Jupiter also plays a crucial role in influencing the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. This region contains numerous rocky bodies that could potentially be a danger to Earth. Jupiter’s strong gravitational field helps to keep many of these asteroids in their place, preventing them from drifting into the inner solar system where they could pose a threat to Earth.

Jupiter’s gravity doesn’t just protect us from space debris; it also helps keep the solar system stable. The giant planet’s gravitational pull affects the orbits of other planets, including Earth’s. This gravitational influence helps maintain the relatively stable orbits that we observe, which is essential for a stable climate on our planet. Accordingly, a stable climate means Earth can support diverse ecosystems and, thus, life.

Another vital role Jupiter plays is in protecting Earth’s atmosphere. When comets and asteroids are deflected by Jupiter, they are often flung out of the solar system or into the sun rather than colliding with Earth. This protection helps preserve our atmosphere. A stable atmosphere is critical for maintaining the conditions necessary for life, such as an optimal temperature and protection from harmful space radiation.

https://bit.ly/43pJ5OQ

How Middle East Conflicts Challenge International Law 

JPost.com, 12/5/24, “Statehood and sovereignty: How Middle East conflicts challenge International Law—comment” [Excerpts]: One of the favorite claims of the UN rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, is that, according to her reading of international law, Israel has no right to self-defense against Hamas since Hamas is a non-state actor and international law permits “orderly” states the right to self-defense only when attacked by other “orderly” states.

The same envoy who just two years ago implored Hamas leaders, “You have the right to resist,” is now spreading the doctrine that Israel has no right to self-defense against Hamas. In other words, Hamas should attack, and Israel should never have the right to retaliate.

Even if we do not follow Albanese’s distorted approach, which calls on the aggressor to kill and decrees that the attacked must remain silent, it is clear that the so-called “international law” falls short of providing legal tools to deal with a situation like Israel’s, and more broadly, of all law-abiding states in the West (since most non-democratic countries do not follow international law anyway).

https://bit.ly/426eGUt

Biological Sex Is “Natural Reality”

TheCollegeFix.com, 12/4/24,“Biological sex is ‘natural reality’ scholars tell Supreme Court” [Excerpts]:The Supreme Court should allow states to protect minors from transgender drugs and surgeries, a group of scholars said.

[On December 6], the Court [heard] arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case concerning Tennessee’s and Kentucky’s prohibitions on minors receiving drugs and surgeries to change their physical appearance to look like the opposite sex.

Current and former professors, many of whom are known to readers of The College Fix, argued that sex is a “natural reality,” in an amicus brief.

They drew on their experience as scholars of science, theology, history, and philosophy, to make their argument.

https://bit.ly/4iur1at

Originally Published February 1994

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. —2 Timothy:3:15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
See All...

The number of false beliefs being promoted and enthusiastically received among evangelicals is staggering and growing rapidly. Take for example a new book, Lonely No More, by Karen Mains of The Chapel of the Air. In it she tells of acquiring a personal spirit guide and making contact, through visualization, with what Carl Jung called "the idiot child within," whom she identifies as "Jesus Christ"! The depth and variety of delusions which evangelicals will embrace seem unlimited, especially if cloaked in psychological jargon.

The only protection against the accelerating apostasy is an intimate knowledge of and obedience to God's Word on the part of each individual. Being a Berean who daily searches the Scripture (Acts:17:11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
See All...) to "prove all things" (1 Thessalonians:5:21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
See All...) is the surest yet most neglected antidote to error. This ministry exists not merely to point out false and foolish teachings but to call individuals to a passionate love of God's Word as the all-sufficient guide for knowing and loving God as well as living and witnessing for Him.

As false doctrines gain a following and become the distinctive beliefs of particular groups, cults are born. To maintain its peculiarities each cult denies individuals the right to understand the Bible for themselves by insisting that its leadership alone may interpret the Bible and that each member must accept its interpretation and edicts as a condition for salvation. Next comes the claim that the cult has another source of revelation from God in addition to Scripture: "inspired" utterances from the cult leaders, or extrabiblical writings and traditions peculiar to the cult.

Unchallengeable and mandatory teaching comes from cult headquarters, whether it be the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watchtower Bible & Tract Society in New York, Mormonism's First Presidency in Salt Lake City, the Christian Science Mother Church in Boston, or the Catholic pope and bishops in Rome. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church, like any cult, denies its members the right to know and understand the Bible for themselves. No Catholic may be a Berean! Nor is this something which Rome tries to hide.

For example, Vatican II dogmatically declares that "the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God…has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone." Catholic apologist Karl Keating writes, "The Catholic believes in inspiration [of Scripture] because the Church tells him so—and that same Church has the [sole] authority to interpret the inspired text." The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine explains:

When he has once mastered this principle of divine authority [residing in the Church], the inquirer is prepared to accept whatever the divine Church teaches on faith, morals and the means of grace.

Roman Catholic apologists are holding seminars and debates around the country to deny that anyone may be a Berean. Typical are the following remarks at one such conference by a priest, Enrique Rueda: "The outlook of Roman Catholicism is diametrically…opposed to that of fundamentalists…because as Roman Catholics we do not start with the Bible…we start with the Church…." Augustine reportedly said, "I would not believe in the gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so."

As Bereans, we know immediately that Augustine was deceived. Paul wrote, "[T]he gospel…is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
See All...), and he never suggested that its power came from the backing of some church body! The gospel stands on its own without any reference to a church, and it carries such convicting power that it turned the world upside down (Acts:17:6And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
See All...). To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, "[O]ur gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance…and ye became followers of us, and of the Lord…" (1 Thessalonians:1:5-6 [5] For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. [6] And ye became followers of us, and of the LORD, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
See All...).

Three thousand souls were saved on the day of Pentecost without Peter saying one word about any Church. We find no attempt on the part of the early Christians, who "went every where preaching the word" (Acts:8:4Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
See All...), to prove that an infallible Church existed which endorsed what they preached. We are told what Philip preached in Samaria and what Paul preached in many places where multitudes believed. Not once was there any reference to the gospel being vouched for by some church in Corinth, Rome, or elsewhere.

God's Word is “[alive], and powerful…sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews:4:12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
See All...). As for the claim that the Catholic Church gave us the Bible, it obviously didn't give us the Old Testament. Romans:3:2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
See All... tells us clearly that "unto [the Jews] were committed the oracles of God." The inspired writings were immediately recognized and accepted as such by Israel and became available as they were written. We know Daniel was studying Jeremiah (Daniel:9:2In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
See All...).

The prophets knew that they were inspired of God. Scores of times the prophets declared, "Hear ye the word of the LORD," or "thus saith the LORD," or "the word of the LORD came unto me saying" (Isaiah:1:10Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
See All...; Jeremiah:5:14Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
See All...; 13:12; 19:3; Ezekiel:3:16And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
See All...; 6:3; 25:3; Hosea:4:1Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
See All..., etc.). And by the leading of the same Holy Spirit, those who heard them knew the prophets were inspired—not because a group of rabbis decided it was so. By the same Spirit, we know today that Scripture is inspired of God.

The Old Testament is full of references to God's Word being known and loved by ordinary people. Parents in Old Testament times loved God's Word, taught it to their children, wrote it on the doorposts of their houses and meditated upon it "day and night" (Deuteronomy:6:6-9 [6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: [7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. [8] And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. [9] And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
See All...; 8:3; Psalms:1:2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
See All...; 19:7-11; 119:97-105; Proverbs:30:5Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
See All...; Jeremiah:15:16Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
See All..., etc.). Clearly it was commonly known which books were inspired, and they must have been readily available. That a "young man" could understand God's Word and be cleansed by it (Psalms:119:9(BETH.) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
See All...) is proof that it speaks to common people and that no religious hierarchy was ever needed to authenticate or interpret it.

Timothy studied the Old Testament as a child, and he learned it not from some rabbis but from his godly mother and grandmother. Christ rebuked the two on the road to Emmaus for not believing "all that the prophets have spoken" (Luke:24:25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
See All...). He would not have rebuked them had the Scriptures not been commonly known and available to all. Then it says, “he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (v 27, emphasis added), indicating again that all of the Old Testament canon was known and available at that time.

Roman Catholicism claims that the church councils decided which books should be in the Bible. That certainly was not the way the books of the Old Testament were recognized as inspired. Moreover, it was not until AD 397 at the Third Council of Carthage that we have the first conciliar listing of the 27 books of the New Testament. By Catholic reasoning, no one could use the Bible at all until then, for the church hadn't yet decided what it contained. On the contrary, the New Testament canon had been accepted by consensus at least 300 years before 397. Earlier councils had quoted the books of the New Testament in arguments over doctrine without any council ever having pronounced what books were included in the canon.

How did the early Christians know which books were inspired of God? They knew in exactly the same way the Old Testament writings were recognized as inspired. Paul explains how Scripture was recognized: "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Corinthians:14:37If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
See All...). In other words, any spiritual person (i.e., one who is indwelt by and led of the Holy Spirit) will by the Spirit recognize Scripture without any church endorsing it. That is the way it was in the Old Testament, in the early years of the church, and it is the same for us today.

Job:32:8But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
See All... reminds us, "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." Romans 1 and 2 declare that God's revelation of Himself through creation and conscience has come to all men. God spoke to Adam, to Noah, to Joseph, Gideon and David, et al. without any church existing. It is on the basis of the inspiration of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, who is able to convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come (John:16:8-11 [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
See All...), that all mankind knows the gospel is true. Christ is "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John:1:9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
See All...)—and He does so without the help of any allegedly infallible Church whose dogmas must be accepted by all! John speaks of individuals being guided by the anointing they have from God (1 John:2:27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
See All...). Never in all of God's Word is there an appeal to some corporate body of leaders to make an infallible declaration of what is true. Never! In Acts 15, Paul did not appeal to an infallible group in Jerusalem whose word was law. He went there to discuss with and correct the elders if necessary, even rebuking Peter (Galatians:2:1-14 [1] Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. [2] And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. [3] But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: [4] And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: [5] To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. [6] But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: [7] But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; [8] (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) [9] And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. [10] Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. [11] But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. [12] For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. [13] And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. [14] But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
See All...).

In 2 Timothy:3:16-17 [16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
See All... Paul indicates that the Bible contains all the doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that the man or woman of God needs to be everything God wants them to be. But Catholic apologists debating across the country insist that Paul's "all scripture" meant only the Old Testament because that was all Timothy had.

How does a Berean respond? When the Bible says, "All scripture," it means all Scripture, not merely what had been written to that time. Moreover, this is Paul's Second Epistle to him, so Timothy had at least two epistles from Paul. Furthermore, Paul says, "the time of my departure is at hand" (2 Timothy:4:6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
See All...) so he is about to die. Thus all of Paul's epistles must have been written!

Ah, but they weren't yet recognized as Scripture, says the Catholic apologist, because the Third Council of Carthage hadn't yet met. Nonsense! A Berean will note that Peter refers to Paul's epistles as Scripture (2 Peter:3:15-16 [15] And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; [16] As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
See All...), so they must have been accepted and in circulation. He uses the phrase "the other scriptures" without having to name them, proving that the canon was agreed upon and well known as it was being written—at least 330 years before any council listed the 27 books of the New Testament.

Roman Catholicism destroys the Berean spirit. The result has been the suppression of truth; the torture, sword, and flame of the inquisitions; and the rejection of freedom of conscience and press wherever and whenever Catholicism was in power. It was the Vatican which put Mussolini in office with its 1929 Concordat. In exchange, Catholicism was made the official religion of Italy and it became a crime to say anything against the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican also backed Hitler and was handsomely rewarded financially. Pope Pius XI and his cardinals praised both Hitler and Mussolini as God's men of the hour and German and Italian Catholics were forbidden to politically oppose them. The rejection of the individual's right to be a Berean has brought terrible consequences!

Christ said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" and "a stranger will they not follow" (John:10:27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
See All..., 5). He also said, "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God" (John:8:47He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
See All...). He said to Pilate, "Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (John:18:37Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
See All...). Paul said that the church congregation was to judge the words of the prophet to decide whether they were of God (1 Corinthians:14:29-31 [29] Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. [30] If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. [31] For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
See All...). We need to be men and women of God who know God's Word and will not be deceived by false teachings no matter what their source.

Let us weep for and seek to win with the gospel not only those trapped in the well-known cults, but the 980 million Roman Catholics held in the grip of a false gospel that sends them to hell. They've been told they can't be Bereans who understand the Bible for themselves. Challenge Catholics to compare what the Bible says with what they are being taught. Nor is it Catholics alone who need such an awakening. Protestants by the thousands blindly go along with all manner of error without knowing the Bible for themselves. Let us also challenge them.

It is amazing how influential one false teacher can be. For example, much of the aberrant theology of Hagin, Copeland, Hinn, et al. can be traced to one man, Finis Dake. Dake's Annotated Reference Bible presents, among other errors, the idea that God the Father has a physical body similar to man's; that He eats, wears clothes, and lives on a planet called heaven; that Adam and Eve flew back and forth to the moon; that Christians will continue to have children throughout eternity; and even that there will be segregation between races in heaven. Who could believe such antibiblical nonsense? Multitudes. And they accept it from the notes in a "reference" Bible which sold 30,000 copies in 1992!

Let us commit ourselves once again to be lovers of God's truth. May we say with the psalmist, "O, how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day" (Psalms:119:97(MEM.) O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
See All...)! And let us by word and example challenge others to be Bereans as well.

TBC

• Question: Should we be wary of the Scofield Bible?
• Question: What do you mean by "journaling"?
• Letters
• Quotable
• NewsWatch
• Dave Hunt Classic/TBC Extra

Question (composite of several): Should we be wary of the Scofield Bible? I’ve heard Christian conference speakers warn against it. YouTuber Ian Carroll says that the Scofield Bible includes “…all of these new interpretations of the text…with Jewish influence” and that “…that’s where Judeo-Christianity kind of came from…[and that] Christianity got kind of Jewified.” John Rich, on the Tucker Carlson show, said that Darby came up with the Secret Rapture Theory and that Scofield publicized it, both funded by the Rothschild family. Carlson responds that he suspected the Scofield Bible is deceptive and that it has had massive implications on domestic and foreign policy that have been very negative and resulted in the deaths of lots of people.

Response: The Scofield Reference Bible is known for its literal and historical system of biblical interpretation. Like Tucker Carlson, C. I. Scofield was a self-described “nominal Episcopalian” until Scofield gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ in 1879 at age 36. Thirty years later, Oxford University Press published his first edition of the Scofield Study Bible.

The most obvious flaw in the Scofield Bible is that Scofield embraced the Gap Theory, a doctrine developed to accommodate the great ages demanded by evolutionary geologists. The Gap Theory takes a planet full of evidence for a global cataclysm and attributes it to a never-elsewhere-mentioned pre-creation destruction.

The Gap Theory, however, is not why the Scofield Bible has received criticism in the church and in political circles. The Scofield Bible is dismissed because its literal, historical view of the Bible includes the nation and people of Israel having ongoing significance, and because its literal, historical view of the Bible indicates a pre-tribulation rapture of the church.

The Scofield Bible was first published in 1909 by Oxford University Press. It was not a new version of the Bible, as some have stated; rather, it used the King James Version of the Bible as its text and included notes from C. I. Scofield. Today’s most popular versions of the Old Scofield Study Bible are based on the updated 1917 version, which improved the font and incorporated Ussher’s chronology (approximate dates on every page for every book of the Bible except the Psalms).

Antisemitism seems to be the basis of much of the anger directed at the Scofield Bible. While the individuals attacking are not necessarily antisemitic, Satan has tried to destroy the Jewish people since the days of Jacob (See Judgment Day! Chapter 2; August 1988 TBC newsletter “Anti-Semitism”; September 1988 TBC newsletter “The Kingdom of God”; April 1991 TBC newsletter “Israel—Some Historical Reminders”; etc.). 

God, on the other hand, has declared, “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD” (Jer:31:35-37 [35] Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: [36] If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. [37] Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
See All...).

Many of the political attacks against Israel are focused on the massive outlay of foreign aid by the United States of America despite a $36 trillion national debt. Israel’s case is unique. Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust simply for being Jewish. There is no other people or nation on earth where the goal of its enemies is the total annihilation of every living member of the race. Even from a pragmatic view, it is logical to support the only free nation in the tinderbox that is the Middle East.

The other main reason for the attacks on the Scofield Bible is based on its embrace of the doctrine of a pre-Tribulation Rapture. The Rapture and the Second Coming cannot logically be the same event. The Rapture occurs during a time of peace and prosperity, when the world does not expect God’s judgment (1 Thes:5:1-3 [1] But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. [2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
See All...; Mat:24:37-39 [37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, [39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
See All...): the Second Coming occurs in the midst of the worst war in history (Mat:24:21-22 [21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
See All...; Zec:12:3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
See All...; Rev:6:8-17 [8] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. [9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? [11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. [12] And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; [13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. [15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; [16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
See All...; 9:15, 16:3-21). At the Rapture, the Lord is coming for His saints to meet them in the air (1 Thes:4:16-17 [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
See All...). At the Lord’s Second Coming, He comes with His church to reign on earth (Zec:14:3-9 [3] Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. [5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. [6] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: [7] But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. [8] And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. [9] And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
See All...; Rev:19:11-20 [11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. [12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. [13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. [16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. [17] And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
See All...:6).

Critics will say that those of us who believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture are escapists, that we just want to avoid the trials that Christians throughout history have faced. It is true that, since the beginning of the church, millions of Christians have been slaughtered in Rome, Spain, France, England, Germany, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria…throughout the world—and that many may suffer before our Lord’s return. The Great Tribulation, however, is different: it is not the wrath of this world and the enemy of our souls poured out on the church, it is the wrath of a patient God poured out on a rebellious world, even as He poured out His wrath at the time of the Flood when a few were saved on the ark.

Finally, C. I. Scofield was not operating without godly counsel. He counted among his friends and collaborators D. L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, Arno Gaebelein, and A. T. Pierson. The Scofield Bible was also the Bible carried by J. Vernon McGee, Chuck Smith, and Dave Hunt throughout their lives. As with any writings, including ours at The Berean Call, you should test it against the Scriptures. You can find concerns with any non-scriptural writings, especially those as exhaustive as the Scofield Study Bible, but many Bible students find it a helpful tool.

Question: I see the term “journaling” in several of your articles. Just what is meant by that?

Response: Some would refer to the daily exercise of keeping a diary as “journaling.” That’s not what we’re speaking of. Rather, too commonly today, “journaling” refers to the mystic practice of emptying one’s mind and calling upon a “spirit guide,” who is the one “channeling” their thoughts through our mind and guiding the hand recording these same ideas.

More than three decades ago, Dave Hunt wrote about The Way International former cult member Mark Virkler, who found his way into charismatic circles. He has since become a popular speaker.

“Virkler teaches seminars designed to ‘open one up to two-way communication with Almighty God,’ which…‘is going to change the nation….’ (Sadly enough, not just Virkler’s seminar but the growing use of visualization may indeed ‘change the nation.’) The secret is in two divination techniques (divination is forbidden by the Bible in any form): ‘journaling’ and ‘visualization.’ What Virkler calls ‘the breakthrough’ into two-way dialogue with God came through information gained at a seminar conducted by Dennis and Matthew Linn, Jesuit priests who teach the visualization of Mary and Joseph for inner healing. Virkler teaches visualization of a ‘Jesus’ who can be conjured up at will in the imagination but then begins to move and speak on his own. Clearly contact has been made with some spirit entity independent of the visualizer’s imagination, but it is not our Lord Jesus Christ, for He cannot be called from the right hand of the Father on high to appear before us as our private guru any time we please.”

Dear TBC,

Many pagan beliefs and traditions have also been integrated into the Christian faith, which is troubling. Some “Christians” today reject the Bible outright, because they choose to be led by the spirit”—dangerous ground! Others profess to believe in the Bible, but do not try to reconcile the New Testament with the Old Testament, thus miss the deeper meaning, especially when it comes to Christ's sacrifice and prophecy (as much of the book of Revelation is used with language from Old Testament prophets). Another concern is our limited English language, which also fails to convey the true meaning of certain words like “love” and “hell.”

That said, the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It is a light to my feet and a lamp to my path. It is our only safeguard against the deceptions of our day. Let's praise God for preserving His Word so we need not be deceived! DO (email)

Dear TBC,

Faithful, obedient, Bible-believing Christians, who submit to the authority of God, and have a loving, saving relationship with the One who created them and also died to save them—Jesus Christ. Because of their obedience, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Christ Himself abides in them, and the fruits of His character are manifest in them, as they grow in grace. MM (email)

Dear TBC,

Thank you, TBC. True Biblical Christianity is becoming a rare thing in this world and people are led astray easily by the subtle and cunning methods that sound so right to the human ear. We have to stay in the Word (the Bible) to avoid being misled. Your ministry is much appreciated. God bless and keep you safe. DH (email)

Dear Tom,

I already commented on your FB pages, but seeing it here on YouTube is making me sad again. I am happy for you, brother, and the well-deserved time off you need to spend these precious days with your family. I love you and Dave Hunt so much, and trust me, if I hear anything coming from this ministry after you retire that is not totally biblically based, I will be paying you a visit via an email or something, LOL. I know this ministry will be in blessed hands with men and women of God you trust to carry on the legacy of you and Dave Hunt where the Word of God will continue to be preached worldwide/spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Anon. (email)

Dear TBC,

"For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if ANY MAN shall ADD unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if ANY MAN shall TAKE AWAY from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Rev:22:18-19 [18] For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: [19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
See All...). It seems not only the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and other cults are guilty of adding to and taking away from the Truth of God's Word, but the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy has also wandered down that crooked trail that leads to hell and perdition.

I think the RCC lifts up Christ as the virgin-born, sinless Savior of the world crucified for sin, but it's what it ADDS to that Truth that creates the devil in the details. So much so, they have created ANOTHER gospel, which Scripture clearly pronounces God's curse upon and damnation (Gal:1:8-9 [8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. [9] As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
See All...). AM (email)

Dear TBC,

Thank you for writing and responding to my comments. I don’t know if there was prayer for me by your brethren at the Berean Call, but I was delivered recently from the Catholic System of Religion. I don’t consider Catholicism a “cult,” but it clearly is a false religion, no doubt. The Catholics still in there need our prayers and support. EW (Canada)

Dear Tom,

Thank you so much for your service! I think my first encounter with TBC was at least 25 years ago. I was a State Trooper and had found the Calvary Satellite Network on FM radio. After some years of not following the Lord it was just what I needed to help me get to know our Lord. I would listen in my patrol car. I always looked forward to TBC on that station at about 10 PM. I subscribed to the newsletter and always read it front to back. I have several of Dave’s books and was just thinking recently that I should reread A Woman Rides the Beast. I am retired now, but I have the app and I am subscribed on YouTube. Dave once mentioned that he was going to be at a Christian Booksellers convention in Denver on a particular date and he invited listeners to stop by. I did and got to meet him. I am going to continue to follow the ministry, but I will miss your timely wisdom. Thank you. JA (email)

Dear TBC,

When I was a young Christian in 1985 coming out of prosperity error, I "found" Seduction of Christianity at a Christian bookstore by chance. That book gave me understanding of the enemy traps and got me into apologetics and deeper thinking of subjects. Praise God for TBC, and you and your families, and your continuing work. AS (email)

Dear TBC,

There are far too many unanswered scenarios in the "post-Trib" view…. If all the saved are raptured when Christ returns (Second Coming) there would be NO MORTALS left on earth to go into the MILLENNIUM! The millennium could not take place! Also IF THERE IS A POST-TRIBULATION RAPTURE, there would not be the judgment of the nations in Matthew:25:31-36 [31] When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: [32] And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: [33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. [34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: [35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: [36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
See All... that has to take place for Christ to set up His kingdom. The post-view simply won’t work! DM (email)

He was mistaken. What he readily accepted due to his lack of faith in the Bible is not “demonstrable fact” at all. It is tragic that through faulty evidence and reasoning he was convinced that the Bible was untrustworthy and became an agnostic and, finally, an atheist. Rejection of the Genesis account of creation was a key factor in his losing confidence in the veracity of the Bible. Such was the spiritual climate at Princeton Theological Seminary already in 1946, where many of the professors, such as B. B. Warfield and Charles Hodge accepted the “billions of years old” theory of the age of the Earth—and some, like Hodge, even embraced Darwinism. Templeton reasoned that if the Bible was in such error concerning the origin of mankind, how could it be trusted when it referred to human destiny?

What do Mormon women and Prozac have in common? Quite a bit, because research has shown that “Utah residents currently use more antidepressant drugs, notably Prozac, than the residents of any other US state.”* Since over 70% of Utahns are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is an obvious link between Mormonism and depression. According to this same research, the problem is more noticeable among women than men. This data can be shocking if all someone knows about the LDS church is what is seen on the TV commercials. These families seem so happy and the husband and wife seem to have such a great marriage. Why this apparent contradiction?

What most people do not see is the “pressure-cooker” environment that these women endure day-in and day-out. When you peel off the mask of Mormonism from these women’s faces, what you see is immense pain. Does LDS theology contribute to the problem? Most definitely. Basic Mormon teaching emphasizes the need for perfection. The most inexperienced LDS missionary will be able to quote Mathew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The LDS take this command very seriously. When you combine this requirement with the role of having larger-than-average families, the problem is understandable for the women. She is expected to bear and raise as many children as possible, take care of the home, be supportive of her husband in his career (sometimes even work outside the home to pay for his higher education), be active in her church callings and duties, and serve in the community. Sometimes the pressure to fulfill all these roles becomes unbearable.

A story may illustrate this in a more vivid way. This is taken from the LDS Stephen E. Robinson’s book … where he tells us about his wife, Janet. Mr. Robinson is a religion professor at Brigham Young University.

“A number of years ago our family lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Things were pretty good there...Janet had a particularly exciting year that year. Besides being Relief Society president, she graduated from college for the second time (in accounting), she passed the CPA exam and took a job with a local firm, and she gave birth to our fourth child (Michael)—all in her spare time, of course. Actually, Janet was under a lot of pressure that year, but like many husbands, I didn’t notice or appreciate how much pressure she was under until something blew. And blow it did.

One day the lights just went out. It was as though Janet had died to spiritual things; she had burned out… One of the worst aspects of this sudden change was that Janet wouldn’t talk about it; she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.

Finally, after almost two weeks, I made her mad with my nagging one night as we lay in bed, and she said, “All right. Do you want to know what’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong—I can’t do it anymore. I can’t lift it. My load is just too heavy. I can’t do all the things I’m supposed to. I can’t get up at 5:30, and bake bread, and sew clothes, and help the kids with their homework, and do my own homework, and make their lunches, and do the housework, and do my Relief Society stuff, and have scripture study, and do my genealogy, and write my congressman, and go to PTA meetings, and get our year’s supply organized, and go to my stake meetings, and write the missionaries . . . “I’m just not perfect—I’m never going to be perfect, and I just can’t pretend anymore that I am. I’ve finally admitted to myself that I can’t make it to the celestial kingdom, so why should I break my back trying?”

Janet Robinson’s feelings are very typical of how many Mormon women feel. She had obviously come to the place where she was facing the doctrine that her church had taught her and being honest with herself about her inability to live up to it. When Mormon women become born-again Christians, many of these pressures are still hard to gain freedom from. It has been so ingrained in them from childhood that they must be perfect. One of my favorite verses to help in this process when discipling these women is Romans 8:1&2 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” I always like to point out what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say that there is “some” condemnation. Also, the spirit of life “sets me free”, not “keeps me bound”. These truths are part of what it takes to free these women from what the LDS church has led them to believe that God requires.

When discussing this topic with some of the women that I’m discipling, the conversation became very lively! They all agreed that many more are clinically depressed who don’t do anything about it. They cannot even acknowledge or call attention to the fact that they’re struggling because to do so would be an admission that they are not living up to the Church’s standards. When they had these feelings themselves, they immediately assumed that the problem was with them, not their Church, because the Church is perfect. They just needed to try harder. One woman illustrated it this way from her life’s experience: “LDS women are put up on a pedestal for all to see…This is NOT the abundant life that Jesus talked about in John 10:10.

Why discuss the life of the LDS woman in this way? My purpose is to enlighten as many as I can so that, as Christians, our hearts will break for the LDS women that we know and compel us to reach out to them and share the truly good news of Jesus with them.

https://www.evidenceministries.org/2011/08/the-lds-woman/

This rejection of the Genesis record is a recurring theme throughout Templeton’s autobiography, Farewell to God. Charles Templeton was one of the original organizers of Youth For Christ. In 1946, he was listed by the National Association of Evangelicals as among those “best used by God.” Yet his doubts grew until at last Templeton told Billy [Graham]:

“But, Billy, it’s simply not possible any longer to believe, for instance, the biblical account of creation. The world wasn’t created over a period of days a few thousand years ago; it has evolved over millions of years. It’s not a matter of speculation; it’s demonstrable fact.”

The abandonment of a literal interpretation of the Bible, and especially of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, has turned many professing Christians into atheists. Charles Templeton, pastor for seven years of a successful and growing church in Toronto, Canada, and at one time close friend and co-evangelist with Billy Graham,19 abandoned the faith entirely when he decided he could no longer believe the biblical account of creation. In fact, he confesses that the foundational reason for his years of agnosticism, as it has been for many others, was: “I had always doubted the Genesis account of creation.”

The abandonment of a literal interpretation of the Bible, and especially of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, has turned many professing Christians into atheists. Charles Templeton, pastor for seven years of a successful and growing church in Toronto, Canada, and at one time close friend and co-evangelist with Billy Graham, abandoned the faith entirely when he decided he could no longer believe the biblical account of creation. In fact, he confesses that the foundational reason for his years of agnosticism, as it has been for many others, was: “I had always doubted the Genesis account of creation.”

In his 1923 book Christianity & Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen asserts that liberalism is another religion unto itself, far removed from the biblical Christianity from which it came. We think he makes some good points. In Chapter Two of his book, he takes the liberalism (of his day) to task concerning their public hostility toward doctrine – when, in fact, they had simply created new doctrines that comport with what Machen points out is essentially a new religion. Liberals in Machen’s days didn’t want a test that shows who, as Brian McLaren says, “is in and who is not.” They wanted Jesus to be merely a good moral teacher or a wise sage like Confucius. Liberals kept the name “Christian” for this new religion while stripping from it the biblical historic faith through redefinition and sleight of hand. As Machen often pointed out in his book, the biblical writers didn’t merely record events like Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection but gave particular meaning to those events. The mere recording of those events would be history. The meaning of the events – that Jesus died, was buried, and raised to pay for the sins of the world, and on that basis, people can be saved and enjoy peace with God – is doctrine.

As Machen builds his case, he establishes something that most seem to miss regarding Who Jesus Christ was and is. Machen writes:

In particular, it [Scripture] contains the loftiest possible presentation of Jesus’ own Person. That presentation appears in the strange note of authority which pervades the whole discourse; it appears in the recurrent words, “But I say unto you.” Jesus plainly puts His own words on an equality with what He certainly regarded as the divine words of Scripture; He claimed the right to legislate for the Kingdom of God. Let it not be objected that this note of authority involves merely a prophetic consciousness in Jesus, a mere right to speak in God’s name as God’s Spirit might lead. For what prophet ever spoke in this way? The prophets said, “Thus saith the Lord,” but Jesus said, “I say.”1

For those who missed it, the first time through, Machen points out that as Jesus spoke those five little words, “But I say unto you,” He “puts His own words on an equality” to the word of God – Scripture. To make sure the readers understood the depth of the importance of this Machen wrote, “He claimed the right to legislate for the Kingdom of God.” As Machen points out, this isn’t a simple passing on a divine word from above, a “Thus Saith the Lord,” but something equal in authority to the original Scripture when He uttered, “I say.”

As Machen notes, the same thing occurs in Mathew 7:23-25: “Jesus here represents Himself as seated on the judgment-seat of all the earth, separating whom He will forever from the bliss that is involved in being present with Him. Could anything be further removed than such a Jesus from the humble teacher of righteousness appealed to by modern liberalism?” 2

The lofty language Jesus used of Himself was not lost on the religious leaders when Jesus walked among them in the first century. They never confused Him with someone claiming to be merely a good moral teacher or wise sage. Jesus openly declared that He is the One Who created the test as to “who is in and who is out.” In fact, it is because of these kinds of statements that they viewed Him as a blasphemer:

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John:10:31-33 [31] Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. [32] Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? [33] The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
See All... ESV)

Why would liberals go to such great lengths to hide or “reimagine” the Jesus of Scripture? In critiquing The Jesus Seminar with a focus on one of the founding members, John Dominic Crossan, in an article we did some years ago, The Hysterical Search for the Historical Jesus, the answer as to “why” is abundantly clear:

Why did Crossan feel the need to make up his own Jesus? Very simple – he didn’t like the politically incorrect, intolerant [any Jesus going around saying that He is the only way to God is just begging to be reimagined!], hell-fire spouting, judgmental Jesus he found on the pages of Scripture! He prefers the mythical Jesus of the Gnostics because their theology is preferable to him.

Ironically, Liberalism is itself in great danger of being chewed up and spit out by the new ultra-intolerant leftists of our day, who are not “liberal” in any sense of the word. They are creating their own dogma (doctrines), which everyone must get in line with – or else. The new leftists are every day creating new “sins” and new rules, and they loudly proclaim their own “tests of who is in and who is out.” Just say something they do not like, and you’ll soon see how very “out,” or as they say, “canceled” you’ll very quickly be! Sit-com TV shows and stand-up comedy routines, which Liberals enjoyed just fifteen or twenty years ago, are being attacked by the new left as sexist, racist, or whatever-ist. “Free Speech,” once a cardinal virtue of liberalism, is falling by the wayside. The following was once a liberal free speech rallying cry — “I may not agree with what you say, but I would defend to the death your right to say it!” In 1977 the ACLU defended the right of actual Nazis to rally in Skokie, Illinois, based upon this bedrock ideal. Today, Nazism itself has been re-imagined to be, “Any person who sits just slightly to the right of me or uses outlawed language is a bonafide evil Nazi.” Ironically, the evil bedrock anti-semitic component of Nazism has very swiftly gained a new respect and even acceptance on the left, especially among the young. In the next few years, will gross anti-semitism have become an essential dogma of all “TRUE” liberals, without which you can lose your right to call yourself a liberal or Progressive at all? “Oh, you don’t hate Jews? You’re a Nazi!” We fervently hope not, but we could not bet against it.

Free Speech, however, is already a lost ideal among the new leftists. “Speech cannot be free if it disagrees with me” is now the mantra of the far left. Just a few short years ago, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton upheld marriage as being between one man and one woman. Shocking! Let’s be honest – what Liberal would openly say that today? Very few. Will older classical liberals like Alan Dershowitz be able to keep up with the new far-leftist dogma as it mutates from the old liberalism at warp speed? That’s a question that classical liberals should perhaps ask themselves. Will the “old guard” liberals stand up for ideals they devoutly championed just “yesterday?” Or will they just keep their mouths shut and embrace the new – and very dogmatic “religion” of the far-left “Progressives”?

[TBC: For footnotes see:]

https://midwestoutreach.org/2025/02/27/is-progressive-christianity-christian-2/

I recently published an article detailing the pervasive anti-Semitic environment at Sarah Lawrence College (SLC), where I have been a faculty member for the past fifteen years. In it, I presented troubling facts about the rise of anti-Semitism on the New York-based campus and shared my perspective on SLC’s handling of these issues.

Rather than engaging with the facts I presented, however, many members of the SLC community chose to dismiss the evidence and instead attack me for my political views. This response reflects poorly on SLC and undermines public confidence in the integrity of higher education in America, an institution already in steep decline.

As a Jew, writing about anti-Semitism is never easy, but some truths must be shared. It is undeniable that several Jewish Zionist students have left the school or switched to fully remote learning due to—at the very least—their perception that SLC has failed to effectively address a toxic environment of threats, intimidation, and harassment.

Understandably, they worry about their safety and the disruption of their learning environment.

By being forced off campus or leaving the school entirely, these students have been denied the same opportunities to engage and thrive on campus as others, solely because of their faith and heritage.

Finally, SLC has indeed allowed a workplace environment to develop where students can disrupt my teaching and academic work and attack me for my faith and Jewish Zionist heritage.

After presenting these facts, I shared my perspective on SLC’s response to these campus issues—specifically, its decision not to settle the Title VI investigation and its choice of leadership. My views are open to debate and disagreement; thoughtful dialogue is both welcome and essential to a healthy intellectual and academic environment.

However—unsurprisingly—that did not happen.

Instead, when my aforementioned article was posted in an alumni group on Facebook, the first response came from a former student who urged the community to stop discussing me—then proceeded to call me “a right-wing hack” and a “pest” on campus.

This alum couldn’t be bothered to engage with any of the ideas in the article and instead resorted to attacking me—employing a deeply dangerous and horrifying trope once used by the Nazi regime to justify the persecution of Jews and, ultimately, the Holocaust. I’ve been called many things over the years, but it was shocking to be labeled a “pest”—a term historically invoked to justify the extermination of Jews. As the Antisemitism Policy Trust notes, “The pest … is perceived as something which will eat away at society and rot the wood of societal values; it must be eradicated.”

Of course, no one commented on the disgusting use and intention behind the word “pest” as it applied to me.

This alum couldn’t be bothered to engage with any of the ideas in the article and instead resorted to attacking me—employing a deeply dangerous and horrifying trope once used by the Nazi regime to justify the persecution of Jews and, ultimately, the Holocaust. I’ve been called many things over the years, but it was shocking to be labeled a “pest”—a term historically invoked to justify the extermination of Jews. As the Antisemitism Policy Trust notes, “The pest … is perceived as something which will eat away at society and rot the wood of societal values; it must be eradicated.”

Of course, no one commented on the disgusting use and intention behind the word “pest” as it applied to me.

As a social science professor, I have no interest in telling students what to think. I aim to teach them how to think—how to question, establish facts, and critically engage with all ideas. Intellectual progress and societal betterment come from viewpoint diversity and the rigorous scrutiny of ideas. Yet, the reactions to my concerns about Sarah Lawrence College and the real danger of hatred towards its Jewish community members show how the school has devolved into an illiberal environment, where empathy is replaced by hostility and a desire to harm those with differing views and foundational beliefs.

Those numerous alumni who have engaged in anti-Semitic behavior serve as a stark reminder that SLC has not instilled the critical thinking skills necessary to foster a truly open and tolerant society.

https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/jewish-professor-called-pest-for-antisemitism-criticism/

The first eleven chapters of Genesis are ignored, mythologized, or given a non-literal meaning by many who nevertheless call themselves Christians. Yet the Genesis account of the origin of the universe and all that is within it, including man, is foundational to everything else the Bible says, including the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. That is, of course, precisely why the Bible begins this way. John M. Cimbala, a mechanical engineer who earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautics at California Institute of Technology, explains the importance of the opening chapters of Genesis:

“I was raised in a Christian home [but] eventually rejected the entire Bible and believed that we descended from lower creatures; there was no afterlife and no purpose in life but to enjoy the short time we have on this earth. My college years at Penn State were spent as an atheist. . . . Fortunately, and by the grace of God, I began to read articles and listen to tapes about scientific evidence for creation [and] realized that the Bible might actually be true! It wasn’t until I could believe the first page of the Bible that I could believe the rest of it.”

Of course, we would readily admit that there are and always have been bad-actors in the church, and in fact, all of us as human beings, Christian or not, we are seriously flawed. But that is a very poor reason to reject the salvation the Lord provides, the only remedy for our flawed (sinful) condition. Often the unbeliever’s finger pointing at flawed people in the church, sinners all, is used as an excuse to reject what they desperately seek to reject for other reasons — namely their own sinfulness. And we probably all remember the childhood saying that when one finger is pointing at someone else, three fingers are pointing back at the accuser. There is also the tried and true “rubber and glue” adage to keep in mind. So, we posit this convenient rejection is very often motivated more by how someone wants to live than whether Christianity is true.

We must point out that Voltaire and other atheists in the past lambasted Christianity while safely swimming in the cultural pool of the very faith they despised. They did not taste the world that their ideas would create, and never had to suffer the repercussions of their most genial visions. And their ideas have caused massive chaos and suffering in this world.

—Don/Joy Veinot (Founders of Midwest Christian Outreach, Apologists, and authors.)