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The New Atheists demand that religion should not be tolerated (except, of course, their own godless religion), especially its “colonization of the brains of innocent tykes.” According to Dawkins, “It’s one thing to say people should be free to believe whatever they like, but should they be free to impose their beliefs on their children? Is there something to be said for society stepping in? What about bringing up children to believe manifest falsehoods?” By their definition of truth and falsehood, of course. This is dangerous totalitarian talk that makes one fear for parents and children alike.

Nevertheless, we applaud their honesty about where faith in evolution must inevitably lead—a refreshing honesty that rebukes those who claim to believe the Bible yet adhere to “theistic evolution” or “progressive creationism.” This “science falsely so-called” is condemned and disproved by the Bible in the clearest terms.

Amillennialism came along in the early 400’s to teach believers not to expect any literal Kingdom, ever.  It told believers that the 2nd Coming took place when Jesus came into their hearts, that the Church Age is the Millennium and that end times prophecy is not meant to be taken literally. This removed a major obstacle to having Christianity recognized by Rome.

Post millenialism taught that the 2nd Coming would take place after the 1000 year millennium which is really a golden age of Christian prosperity and dominance in the world. The prosperity gospel and Dominion theology are offshoots of post-millennialism.

The Post Tribulation Rapture view denied the doctrine of imminence by placing the Rapture after the Tribulation. Look for the anti-Christ, it says, not the Christ. Mid-Trib (aka Pre-Wrath) is a compromise between the pre and post trib views that denies imminence as well. Replacement Theology was to deny that the re-birth of Israel is an end times sign. Preterism denies all future prophetic events. Kingdom Now, or Dominionism, contends that the Lord can’t come back until we’ve done our part by converting the world. As a result of Dominionism millions of believers have been looking all their lives for a great revival that’s never coming, instead of looking for the Lord, who is.

The combined effect of all this is that most believers have been lulled to sleep with no clue as to how close we are to the End of the Age. While prophecies that Christians have been anticipating for nearly 2000 years are being fulfilled right before their eyes, they’re more concerned about the long term mortgages on their homes and the interest free financing on their cars. Having sufficient retirement income far outweighs stockpiling treasure in heaven on their list of priorities. Their endless quest for bigger and better toys distracts them from the boredom of lives that have been rendered meaningless, without purpose. False teaching about the End Times has left them ignorant of the closeness of the Lord’s return and complacent about their faith. It has stolen their joy, quenched their spirit, and made them no better off spiritually than the unbelievers who surround us. They sometimes get fired up on Sunday, but by mid-week you’d never know it happened.

Here’s what that means. According to recent surveys in the USA, less than 10% of born-again believers have a Christian world view. That means over 90% of us have been seduced into a pursuit of the same materialistic goals as our unbelieving neighbors. Over 40% have never given the first dime to the Lord’s work. Even more have never shared the Gospel with anyone. Some studies show that the abortion rate among Christians is the same as for unbelievers, as is the divorce rate, and two out of three of our children will stop going to church the minute they have a choice.

I lay most of the blame for this at the feet of so-called theologians who’ve let themselves be influenced by Satan while charged with the responsibility of teaching the Word of God. Remember, Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. (2 Cor. 11:13-15)

Knowingly or not, these people have bought into Satan’s lies and have taught those entrusted to them that God’s word isn’t true.

https://gracethrufaith.com/my-thoughts/the-church-against-the-rapture/

There’s nothing quite like revisiting Adventism with a friend who has never been an Adventist. Recently Richard and I met Jim Baber from Academy Apologia YouTube channel and did a walking tour of Loma Linda. Jim knows much about the doctrines of Adventism and the eye-glazing editions and sources of official Adventist documents, but he had never visited Loma Linda University campus, nor had he experienced the “vibe” of an Adventist campus with its internal artifacts and artwork that describe Adventism subliminally.      

In the Adventist Heritage Room Jim had his first glimpse of the sheer size of William Miller’s original 1843 chart which predicted his original date for Jesus’ return. He sat in a chair designed by John Harvey Kellogg, complete with lumbar support to aid perfect posture and free colonic peristalsis. He took two trips around the “Jesus pictures” in the hospital waiting room. Richard and I remembered that those same pictures caught the attention of Paul Carden from The Centers for Apologetics Research when we first took him on campus. It had never occurred to us before that those “Jesus pictures” revealed the cultic nature of Adventism so clearly.

Paul had been struck by the fact that the pictures, painted by Adventist artist Nathan Greene, portrayed Jesus in a familiar, common, “my buddy Jesus” sort of way that reduced Him from His true identity as Yahweh, God the Son. Jim noticed a detail we had never noticed before: none of the pictures of Jesus showed Him with nail-wound scars in His hands. “This is a different Jesus,” Jim said.

Our last stop was a moment with Ellen White, her son Willie, and John Burden memorialized in a bronze statue commemorating Ellen’s seeing Loma Linda for the first time and declaring, “This Is the Very Place” that the Lord had shown her in vision. 

Jim said that the vibe on campus reminded him of being in the presence of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, but with a hard-to-define difference. He said that in general, he can strike up a conversation about beliefs with a Jehovah’s Witness or a Mormon, but Adventists—at least in a progressive, academic setting such as LLU—are not open to talk. They are convinced they know truth, and discussion with an unknown person would not be an option. 

We left the campus realizing again how great is God’s rescue of us through the blood of Jesus. Only the Lord Jesus can open the eyes of the spiritually blind and eclipse the great controversy worldview that shapes all of Adventism. Going back and seeing the campus where we used to work and worship was a reminder that what we used to see as praise-worthy is really a charade. Reality is found only in the Lord Jesus, and truth is HIM. I thank God for rescuing us from that deep darkness, and I pray that the Lord will open the eyes of those who are mired in deception so they can see the beauty of the gospel and find true rest for their souls.

—Colleen Tinker, Editor, https://blog.lifeassuranceministries.org/ Friday Insider, April 25, 2025

Richard Dawkins is the de facto leader of this aggressive new movement. At least he does not pretend, as do so many theistic evolutionists, that teaching Darwin’s theory does not undermine the possibility of religious devotion. He forthrightly declares that “evolution must lead to atheism” and that “the atheist movement has no choice but to aggressively spread the good news. Evangelism [to convert the world to atheism] is a moral imperative.” Imagine atheist fundamentalists evangelizing to convert the world to their faith—while condemning all evangelizing by Christian fundamentalists!

I was the first in my entire family—on both my mother’s and father’s side—to be born again. Raised in a deeply traditional Roman Catholic household in Brazil, with roots that included nuns and priests, my encounter with Jesus came not through religious ritual, but through the preaching of the Word—thanks to American missionaries who brought the Gospel with clarity and power. When I gave my life to Christ, everything changed. And the cost was immediate.

My grandfather called me anátema—cursed—and barred me from his home. I was forbidden from attending family birthdays, reunions, or holidays. I had not just changed religions. In their eyes, I had betrayed a legacy. But I had encountered the living Christ, and I could not turn back. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews:12:2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
See All...), and He gave me the courage to stand. Over time, the very same Gospel that cost me so much brought salvation to many in my family. Several were born again and baptized. The seed had been planted, and it bore fruit.

But let me be clear: what I left behind was not just tradition—it was a system that encouraged idolatry and resisted the true Word of God. The spirit behind that resistance is not neutral. It is religious, yes—but not holy. And today, as news breaks that Pope Francis has died, I say this not with hate nor joy, but with solemnity: only God knows where his soul went.

The Bible is explicit. There is Heaven or Hell—no middle ground, no purgatory, and no salvation by works.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians:2:8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
See All...–9)

For years, I watched as Pope Francis turned his back on biblical truth. He openly supported Brazil’s radical leftist leader Lula da Silva, embraced Maduro’s brutal regime in Venezuela, and elevated socialist ideologies over the cries of the persecuted. He went even further—aligning the Vatican with global forces that undermined Israel’s legitimacy and promoted Palestinian statehood. He stood not with the covenant of God, but with those who seek to divide the land of promise.

There is a dangerous spirit of ecumenism rising—a false unity that embraces every faith except the one that dares to say Jesus is the only way. America must not bow to it. The Church must not bow to it.

— Tania Curado-Koenig (Christian author).

Familiar Terrain but a Good Article

My pastor sent a text message, "Familiar terrain, but a good article," with a link to this article, The New Age Movement is Infiltratiing Your Church by Will Spencer. He describes a twenty-year tour through the marketplace of spirituality and sampling the many offerings that were available in "more than 30 countries around the world seeking God. Or so I thought." After returning home with no real answers to his big questions, he was introduced to apologetics and armed with answers, came to the faith. To his horror, though, when he entered the church, he discovered it had been paganized: So, you can imagine my shock to be a Prodigal Son, returning home to my Father’s house, only to discover my siblings feeding from the pig’s trough!

For example, I’ve been astounded to see the angry reaction from Christians on X when I question the Hindu practice of yoga. Enthusiasts say it’s “just stretching,” that they enjoy the exercise, or that it’s permissible as a “meat sacrificed to idols” issue (ref. 1 Cor 8) and that I should just lighten up.

The word “yoga” is based on the Sanskrit term “yuj” meaning “yoke,” as in “to yoke—or become one with—the Divine.” Every entry-level yoga teacher training explains how different poses are devoted to Hindu demons.

He then addresses a second shock of what we might call the re-enchantment of the church: I was further floored to discover the popularity of the Enneagram with Christians in positions of power. Russell Moore claims to be an “Enneagram Type 4” and spoke at the 2023 Gospel for the Enneagram Summit. Andy Stanley discussed the Enneagram on his leadership podcast saying, “It helped me tremendously.” Even N.T. Wright uncritically referenced the Enneagram on his own website, in a discussion about the Psalms.

Little do Christians know that even in New Age circles, that “personality test” was considered woo-woo!

Is the evangelical church spiritual but not religious?: Yoga and the Enneagram are two examples of New Age contamination I’ve seen in Evangelical circles, but I could name more. It seems that every day Americans aren’t the only ones who are “spiritual but not religious.” Many professing Christians are, as well.

Christians should know better. But at the encouragement of respected leaders they’ve adopted the same practices I fled from. They’re trading the rich, saving discipleship of historic Christianity for empty spiritual dead ends.

I would like to think this is a much-needed wake-up call for church leaders and their congregations but I am inclined to think most will turn past it with little more than a yawn. It is, as my pastor noted, familiar terrain for us as the church further embraces re-enchantment. 

https://mailchi.mp/9d1f5537feb3/the-resurrection-probability?e=169825fd77

My pastor sent a text message, "Familiar terrain, but a good article," with a link to this article, The New Age Movement is Infiltratiing Your Church by Will Spencer. He describes a twenty-year tour through the marketplace of spirituality and sampling the many offerings that were available in "more than 30 countries around the world seeking God. Or so I thought." After returning home with no real answers to his big questions, he was introduced to apologetics and armed with answers, came to the faith. To his horror, though, when he entered the church, he discovered it had been paganized: So, you can imagine my shock to be a Prodigal Son, returning home to my Father’s house, only to discover my siblings feeding from the pig’s trough!

For example, I’ve been astounded to see the angry reaction from Christians on X when I question the Hindu practice of yoga. Enthusiasts say it’s “just stretching,” that they enjoy the exercise, or that it’s permissible as a “meat sacrificed to idols” issue (ref. 1 Cor 8) and that I should just lighten up.

The word “yoga” is based on the Sanskrit term “yuj” meaning “yoke,” as in “to yoke—or become one with—the Divine.” Every entry-level yoga teacher training explains how different poses are devoted to Hindu demons.

He then addresses a second shock of what we might call the re-enchantment of the church: I was further floored to discover the popularity of the Enneagram with Christians in positions of power. Russell Moore claims to be an “Enneagram Type 4” and spoke at the 2023 Gospel for the Enneagram Summit. Andy Stanley discussed the Enneagram on his leadership podcast saying, “It helped me tremendously.” Even N.T. Wright uncritically referenced the Enneagram on his own website, in a discussion about the Psalms.

Little do Christians know that even in New Age circles, that “personality test” was considered woo-woo!

Is the evangelical church spiritual but not religious?: Yoga and the Enneagram are two examples of New Age contamination I’ve seen in Evangelical circles, but I could name more. It seems that every day Americans aren’t the only ones who are “spiritual but not religious.” Many professing Christians are, as well.

Christians should know better. But at the encouragement of respected leaders they’ve adopted the same practices I fled from. They’re trading the rich, saving discipleship of historic Christianity for empty spiritual dead ends.

I would like to think this is a much-needed wake-up call for church leaders and their congregations but I am inclined to think most will turn past it with little more than a yawn. It is, as my pastor noted, familiar terrain for us as the church further embraces re-enchantment. 

https://mailchi.mp/9d1f5537feb3/the-resurrection-probability?e=169825fd77

These New Atheists seem also to be ignorant of the fact that from the days of Christ there were always multitudes of Christians who never gave allegiance to Rome but to the Bible and to Christ alone and paid for their faith with their lives. The Church of Rome martyred them by the millions over a period of centuries before the Reformation. The New Atheists seem to know nothing of the Protestant Reformation, with its cry of sola scriptura. Millions of Roman Catholics in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and thereafter rejected the dogmas of their Church and embraced a biblical faith in Christ alone. These defectors from the false faith that had once held them in bondage were also killed by the hundreds of thousands by the popes and their armies. To equate them and biblical Christians today, who are their successors, with Roman Catholicism (let alone with Islam) is to be guilty either of inexcusable ignorance or deliberate dishonesty. Passing along such misinformation in the name of science not only does a gross injustice to Christ and to His true followers but casts serious doubt on the honesty and motivation of those doing so.

Sadly, self-confessed New Atheists equate Christianity with Roman Catholicism. Imagining that everyone who calls himself a Christian gives blind obedience to the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, they equate Christian fundamentalism with the Crusades and Inquisitions and thus with fanaticism and violence. The truth is that the Crusaders who waved the Cross and conquered in the name of Christ could hardly have been biblical Christians because they violated everything Christ taught, slaughtering His brethren, the Jews, everywhere they went and especially in Jerusalem. The Inquisitors were equally in disobedience of Christ.