J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet's Moderator Hans Deventer continues to state that the Church of the Nazarene does not believe in the Bible.
This is what Deventer states on NazNet:
"It is clear that the Church of the Nazarene requires of its members belief in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Nowhere it says that we must believe in the Bible. Which of course makes sense."
Yet the denomination does state this:
"We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration."
In other words, the denomination does believe in the Bible.
Deventer has this idea that one can love Jesus and be done with the Bible as an inerrant revelation. Deventer has gone on about this numerous times as if he has a festish about it.
Yet it is Jesus who had such a high respect for the Old Testament data thereby leading Christians to believe that Jesus has the same high respect for the New Testament--that is a respect so as to regard the writ as pure communication.
Deventer has this cause of diverting the Church of the Nazarene from biblical orthodoxy. NazNet founder and owner Dave McClung permits this to continue.
NazNet crashed recently. Yet as it seeks to resurrect itself, Deventer starts up again with his heresies, a prime one being his disregard for the Bible as inerrant. He delights in underlining the Bible as error-riddled.
One can believe that it will not be long until moderator Scott Cundiff, Texas pastor, will soon be posting the same heresy in that Cundiff agrees with the theological liberalism of Deventer, McClung all the while standing silent as this site states itself to be a "friend" to the Church of the Nazarene.
NazNet is a chief enemy to the Church of the Nazarene. It has been for a long time. Yet Pied Piper McClung and colleagues continue to drag into their mystique particularly the inquiring young who are being duped, thus damaging the fiber of the church.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
GOD CRASHES NAZNET
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet lost its content. It crashed.
Why not?
NazNet claims to be a "friend" of the holiness Church of the Nazarene. Instead, it is Judas to that denomination.
NazNet proclaims unsaved souls are annihilated at death, that there is no eternal hell, that there is an "intermediate" state for all souls upon death, all of which is anti-Bible.
NazNet proclaims that the Bible is untrustworthy. It is riddled with errors.
Therefore, the more one reads the Bible, the less one knows about God. One does not have to believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God, just hug Jesus. That is enough.
NazNet champions infant baptism over adult, believers' baptism though nowhere in the Bible is there record of an infant being baptized.
NazNet has a love affair with the emerging church, the latter espousing feeling over doctrine, emotion over theology based upon Scripture.
NazNet's former moderator chaplain states she would not marry two persons of the same gender; however, she will never proclaim publicly the biblical position on the matter. So it is with Barbara Moulton.
The chief anti-Bible proponents on NazNet are Netherlerlands Nazarene Hans Deventer and South Texas District pastor Scott Cundiff, the latter two endorsing the Bible as fallible.
Deventer is particularly enthusiastic regarding the annihilation of the wicked, the Bible aas second-class literature, infant baptism, the Church of the Nazarene evolving into an Episcopal-like "high church" denomination, and the emerging church being the church of the future. His "intermediate state" of the soul upon death is like unto Roman Catholic teaching on purgatory and limbo.
There is little accent on NazNet regarding the biblical call to holiness, Sanctification explained in-depth is wanting. The pure life is sidelined for heresies aplenty.
When it comes to Wesleyan teaching, Scott Cundiff states that holding to the Bible as fallible helps him understand all the more his Wesleyan holding. Whatever that means is beyond imagination. Cundiff states that the more he researches the Word, the less he understands the Bible's deity.
Yet on Cundiff's church website he states his congregation lives out the old-fashioned southern style gospel. Obviously he preaches one thing from the small-congregation pulpit while playing agnostic maximum on NazNet. The South Texas District leadership and pastors have been informed of this Cundiff double-life.
NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung, known for his wealth in business ventures, permits these heresies. McClung, long held with esteem by politicos in the Church of the Nazarene Kansas City headquarters, has worked his way into the egocentric mainstream of the denomination so as to get by with this apostasy.
However, the Church of the Nazarene General Superintendents, General Secretary, and department heads have all been informed in copious detail of NazNet's Judas role in relation to the denomination. That did prompt the General Superintendents to come out with their own reasonable statement regarding the fallacies of the emerging church, thus somewhat silencing the NazNet cheerleading.
McClung has set up a site that is in competition with the Church of the Nazarene, not a friend to it. McClung knows what he is doing. He is establishying himself as a Pied Piper to young pastors in particular. They are weaned away from biblical truth and Wesleyan teaching for outright heresies.
McClung's cronyism is well-known within the church. He is power hungry in his latter years and has used NazNet as a competing churchly "community."
Now NazNet has come under the heavy hand of God. God's anger has wiped out NazNet's content. It as a site crashed. Now McClung is trying to resurrect upon the ashes. Yet the rebuilding is still heresey with Deventer once again starting off with his defense of the error-riddled Scripture.
Deventer states boldly that the Church of the Nazarene nowhere asks Christians to believe the Bible. That is outright blasphemy as well as a bald lie. Devener knows that; however, he is clever with his double-talk and so works again to dupe the ignorant.
It is amazing how apostate these site henchmen have become. Nevertheless, there it is on the Internet for the world to read.
NazNet provides its own evidence for spiritual disobedience.
Why then should not God crash the site? And He will continue to discipline the NazNet owner and moderators who work daily to undermine his eternal Word.
NazNet lost its content. It crashed.
Why not?
NazNet claims to be a "friend" of the holiness Church of the Nazarene. Instead, it is Judas to that denomination.
NazNet proclaims unsaved souls are annihilated at death, that there is no eternal hell, that there is an "intermediate" state for all souls upon death, all of which is anti-Bible.
NazNet proclaims that the Bible is untrustworthy. It is riddled with errors.
Therefore, the more one reads the Bible, the less one knows about God. One does not have to believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God, just hug Jesus. That is enough.
NazNet champions infant baptism over adult, believers' baptism though nowhere in the Bible is there record of an infant being baptized.
NazNet has a love affair with the emerging church, the latter espousing feeling over doctrine, emotion over theology based upon Scripture.
NazNet's former moderator chaplain states she would not marry two persons of the same gender; however, she will never proclaim publicly the biblical position on the matter. So it is with Barbara Moulton.
The chief anti-Bible proponents on NazNet are Netherlerlands Nazarene Hans Deventer and South Texas District pastor Scott Cundiff, the latter two endorsing the Bible as fallible.
Deventer is particularly enthusiastic regarding the annihilation of the wicked, the Bible aas second-class literature, infant baptism, the Church of the Nazarene evolving into an Episcopal-like "high church" denomination, and the emerging church being the church of the future. His "intermediate state" of the soul upon death is like unto Roman Catholic teaching on purgatory and limbo.
There is little accent on NazNet regarding the biblical call to holiness, Sanctification explained in-depth is wanting. The pure life is sidelined for heresies aplenty.
When it comes to Wesleyan teaching, Scott Cundiff states that holding to the Bible as fallible helps him understand all the more his Wesleyan holding. Whatever that means is beyond imagination. Cundiff states that the more he researches the Word, the less he understands the Bible's deity.
Yet on Cundiff's church website he states his congregation lives out the old-fashioned southern style gospel. Obviously he preaches one thing from the small-congregation pulpit while playing agnostic maximum on NazNet. The South Texas District leadership and pastors have been informed of this Cundiff double-life.
NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung, known for his wealth in business ventures, permits these heresies. McClung, long held with esteem by politicos in the Church of the Nazarene Kansas City headquarters, has worked his way into the egocentric mainstream of the denomination so as to get by with this apostasy.
However, the Church of the Nazarene General Superintendents, General Secretary, and department heads have all been informed in copious detail of NazNet's Judas role in relation to the denomination. That did prompt the General Superintendents to come out with their own reasonable statement regarding the fallacies of the emerging church, thus somewhat silencing the NazNet cheerleading.
McClung has set up a site that is in competition with the Church of the Nazarene, not a friend to it. McClung knows what he is doing. He is establishying himself as a Pied Piper to young pastors in particular. They are weaned away from biblical truth and Wesleyan teaching for outright heresies.
McClung's cronyism is well-known within the church. He is power hungry in his latter years and has used NazNet as a competing churchly "community."
Now NazNet has come under the heavy hand of God. God's anger has wiped out NazNet's content. It as a site crashed. Now McClung is trying to resurrect upon the ashes. Yet the rebuilding is still heresey with Deventer once again starting off with his defense of the error-riddled Scripture.
Deventer states boldly that the Church of the Nazarene nowhere asks Christians to believe the Bible. That is outright blasphemy as well as a bald lie. Devener knows that; however, he is clever with his double-talk and so works again to dupe the ignorant.
It is amazing how apostate these site henchmen have become. Nevertheless, there it is on the Internet for the world to read.
NazNet provides its own evidence for spiritual disobedience.
Why then should not God crash the site? And He will continue to discipline the NazNet owner and moderators who work daily to undermine his eternal Word.
Friday, March 5, 2010
NAZNET CHAPLAIN BARBARA MOULTON = QUIET LIBERAL SUPPORTER
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
While NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff took owner/founder Dave McClung’s web site from holiness/evangelical/conservative to emergent church liberal, former moderator chaplain Barbara Moulton played cheerleader.
Whatever Deventer and Cundiff posted that was in keeping with the swing from conservative to liberal Moulton cheered on with comments or posting her name in agreement with their heretical positions.
McClung stood by permitting his site to be turned from “friend” to Church of the Nazarene to Judas the betrayer. If there is ever an enemy on the Internet to that denomination, it is NazNet.
The Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Nazarene Bible College, countless district superintendents, Nazarene headquarters’ department heads, Holiness Today editors and other personnel have been informed of the NazNet betrayal.
Moulton is known for her refusing to take a public witness on God’s abhorrence for homosexual activity. She, a chaplain, stated she would not marry two persons of the same gender. But she emphatically stated that she would not make a public testimony concerning the biblical position on the matter.
The latter would be in keeping with Deventer and Cundiff’s posted suspicions that the Bible is in fact without error.
Moulton’s refusal to speak in public on behalf of God was posted on the Internet. With that, McClung stated that she was “pained” by the exposure. However, McClung did not appear pained that his chaplain moderator refused to stand alongside God in His revelation in Scripture.
Moulton then became known as the gay-mum. She was mum on the gay nuptial issue. That spiked a number of responses from biblical believers asking how a Christian chaplain could be so cowardly.
Shortly, Moulton’s name disappeared from the NazNet masthead. Obviously, the “pained” Moulton led to her absenting herself from being moderator. However, she continues to post on NazNet.
Deventer and Cundiff still hold their moderator positions though their postings have been exposed far and wide. Deventer calls the exposure all “lies.” However, whatever has been revealed concerning his theological liberalism has been supported by his quotes from his postings. The same with Cundiff.
Cundiff, pastor of a small church in Alvin, Texas, knows that clergy and district leaders on the South Texas District Church of the Nazarene know of his double-tongue. They know that he preaches the typical Nazarene message from his hometown pulpit while playing the cavalier theological liberal emergent church enthusiast on NazNet.
Cundiff has even stated that the more he studies the Bible the less he knows God. Evidently to get his pastor’s salary check plus benefits, he does know God when preparing his Sunday msesages.
Deventer, from the Netherlands, knows his district superintendent has been informed of his liberal postings. Yet there is no sign that he still cannot believe in the Bible, that unsaved souls are annihilated at death, that there is an "intermediate state" for souls upon death, that he hopes God takes all souls to heaven, that there is no eternal hell, and that the emergent craze has a lot going for it as the new church.
Moulton, in the meantime, remains on NazNet as a contributor. Her postings are usually quite trivial, not broaching in-depth theological matters. However, NazNet readers cannot but remember that she was the chief cheerleader for Deventer’s and Cundiff’s liberal positions throughout.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
While NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff took owner/founder Dave McClung’s web site from holiness/evangelical/conservative to emergent church liberal, former moderator chaplain Barbara Moulton played cheerleader.
Whatever Deventer and Cundiff posted that was in keeping with the swing from conservative to liberal Moulton cheered on with comments or posting her name in agreement with their heretical positions.
McClung stood by permitting his site to be turned from “friend” to Church of the Nazarene to Judas the betrayer. If there is ever an enemy on the Internet to that denomination, it is NazNet.
The Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Nazarene Bible College, countless district superintendents, Nazarene headquarters’ department heads, Holiness Today editors and other personnel have been informed of the NazNet betrayal.
Moulton is known for her refusing to take a public witness on God’s abhorrence for homosexual activity. She, a chaplain, stated she would not marry two persons of the same gender. But she emphatically stated that she would not make a public testimony concerning the biblical position on the matter.
The latter would be in keeping with Deventer and Cundiff’s posted suspicions that the Bible is in fact without error.
Moulton’s refusal to speak in public on behalf of God was posted on the Internet. With that, McClung stated that she was “pained” by the exposure. However, McClung did not appear pained that his chaplain moderator refused to stand alongside God in His revelation in Scripture.
Moulton then became known as the gay-mum. She was mum on the gay nuptial issue. That spiked a number of responses from biblical believers asking how a Christian chaplain could be so cowardly.
Shortly, Moulton’s name disappeared from the NazNet masthead. Obviously, the “pained” Moulton led to her absenting herself from being moderator. However, she continues to post on NazNet.
Deventer and Cundiff still hold their moderator positions though their postings have been exposed far and wide. Deventer calls the exposure all “lies.” However, whatever has been revealed concerning his theological liberalism has been supported by his quotes from his postings. The same with Cundiff.
Cundiff, pastor of a small church in Alvin, Texas, knows that clergy and district leaders on the South Texas District Church of the Nazarene know of his double-tongue. They know that he preaches the typical Nazarene message from his hometown pulpit while playing the cavalier theological liberal emergent church enthusiast on NazNet.
Cundiff has even stated that the more he studies the Bible the less he knows God. Evidently to get his pastor’s salary check plus benefits, he does know God when preparing his Sunday msesages.
Deventer, from the Netherlands, knows his district superintendent has been informed of his liberal postings. Yet there is no sign that he still cannot believe in the Bible, that unsaved souls are annihilated at death, that there is an "intermediate state" for souls upon death, that he hopes God takes all souls to heaven, that there is no eternal hell, and that the emergent craze has a lot going for it as the new church.
Moulton, in the meantime, remains on NazNet as a contributor. Her postings are usually quite trivial, not broaching in-depth theological matters. However, NazNet readers cannot but remember that she was the chief cheerleader for Deventer’s and Cundiff’s liberal positions throughout.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 4, 2010
NAZNET LAID BARE TO NAZARENE SEMINARY & BIBLE COLLEGE
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
The heresies posted on NazNet have been communicated to the Nazarene Theological Seminary administration and faculty, Kansas City, MO, as well as the Nazarene Bible College administration and faculty, Colorado Springs, CO.
It is imperative that these educational institutions for clergy know the anti-Bible teachings on NazNet, the site owned and founded by Dave McClung.
NazNet claims to be a companion to the holiness denomination but is not.
NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff, for instance, both disclaim the Bible as the infallible Word of God.
They teach emergent church tenets such as the Scriptures not being reliable; therefore, one is left to pick and choose what one believes.
They follow the lessons of emergent church guru Brian McLaren who states there are no “objective truths.” That means there are no eternal absolutes. Therefore, write your own religion. McLaren brings all religions under one tent.
This kind of heresy is applauded on NazNet among other anti-Bible teachings such as the annihilation of the unsaved at death, there being an “intermediate state” upon death, and a good God not permitting an eternal hell.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS for other disclosures at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
The heresies posted on NazNet have been communicated to the Nazarene Theological Seminary administration and faculty, Kansas City, MO, as well as the Nazarene Bible College administration and faculty, Colorado Springs, CO.
It is imperative that these educational institutions for clergy know the anti-Bible teachings on NazNet, the site owned and founded by Dave McClung.
NazNet claims to be a companion to the holiness denomination but is not.
NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff, for instance, both disclaim the Bible as the infallible Word of God.
They teach emergent church tenets such as the Scriptures not being reliable; therefore, one is left to pick and choose what one believes.
They follow the lessons of emergent church guru Brian McLaren who states there are no “objective truths.” That means there are no eternal absolutes. Therefore, write your own religion. McLaren brings all religions under one tent.
This kind of heresy is applauded on NazNet among other anti-Bible teachings such as the annihilation of the unsaved at death, there being an “intermediate state” upon death, and a good God not permitting an eternal hell.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS for other disclosures at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
NAZNET MAKES A SANCTIFIED GOD CRY
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
It is so very, very sad; nevertheless, it is fact.
NazNet, set up as a site friendly to the holiness Church of the Nazarene has gone for anti-Bible teachings such as are popular now in the emergent church.
Brian McLaren, stroked emergent church guru, has become the New Age messiah for NazNet and like sites spreading across cyberspace.
NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff are two of the prime leaders with founder/owner Dave McClung giving permission for these heresies.
A web site that should be teaching the world via the Internet the marvelous life of sanctification has given itself over to being avant-garde theologically liberally.
The world is in miserable shape. It needs the biblical call of saving grace and sanctifying grace. In the meantime, we have the likes of Deventer, Cundiff and McClung endorsing the
Bible as riddled with mistakes.
Deventer states outright that he does not believe the Bible except for his hug with Jesus. Cundiff states outright that the more he studies Scripture the less he knows God. McClung goes on his merry way allowing this blasphemy.
There sits a web site telling readers that it is a companion to the Church of the Nazarene when in fact it is the enemy to the Church of the Nazarene.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Those of us who love the biblical doctrine of sanctification suffer. We would pray for the site to give all energies to explaining God’s Word offering the holy life possibility. Instead, readers go to the site to read trivia, nonsense and heresy—all provided on one NazNet.
There is so much that NazNet could do as an instructor concerning the biblical doctrine of holiness. That teaching is rare within Christendom. Therefore, NazNet could pick up on that void to give forth with some of the most amazing scriptural data.
Instead one gets the impression when perusing NazNet that it tries everything but holiness as a viable theme. Why? The reason is obvious. If moderators are theologically liberal so that they question the authenticity of Scripture’s divine revelation, they personally have no living relationship with the Holy Spirit.
With that, they have nothing to teach that is biblically sound. Their minds have been given over to the reprobate mind. They are captured by the latest fads sweeping across too much of the evangelical church.
Would that NazNet would break before God, confess its waywardness and begin the mission of teaching biblical holiness. For instance, the site could begin with the lesson of sanctification being sweet surrender. What a magnificent place to begin.
Sanctification, simply stated, is sweet surrender.
When one becomes saved, he takes Christ's blood upon his soul. In that, he receives divine mercy. Sins are cleansed. This is a divine act beyond our fondest imaginations.
When the saved one then becomes sanctified, he yields his all to Christ. In salvation, one takes grace. In sanctification, one gives all to God.
Picture yourself now standing before God. In your hands are all that you have and are: wardrobe, vehicles, properties, family, friends, wallet, health or sickness, desires, reputation, abilities, dreams, future ambitions, finally death and eternal destiny.
Lift all of this to God. Give it all to Him without reservation. That is the surrender of sanctification. You received at salvation; you now yield at sanctification.
In that moment of submitting completely, the Holy Spirit accepted your all. He then cleansed it in order to return it as holy to you. Now what you submitted is ready for the kingdom's good.
Previously, it was used chiefly for your own self-focused "good."
At the time of sanctification, you are made pure by the Holy Spirit. He takes away your selfishness, stubbornness and stupidity which clung to things for your own welfare. In place of all that, He gives you grace to abandon to God. Now you no longer live for self but for the Savior alone.
When you were first saved, your sins were cleansed. Now that you are sanctified, your sin nature is cleansed. This is the "double cure" of which we sing in the hymn, "Amazing Grace."
How does the Christian remain sanctified? Simply put: remain surrendered to the Holy Spirit in everything. Do not take back anything that you yielded to God. Leave all with Him--everything old, everything new—past, present, future.
As long as your soul submits completely to the Lord, you are continually cleansed. This is all accomplished by His grace, not of works, lest anyone should boast of his own human achievements.
Grace saves us from our sins. Grace sanctifies us from our sin nature. Therefore, God receives all the glory.
Can one remain sanctified completely until death? Certainly. By an act of free will, one becomes saved and sanctified. One chooses these opportunities of divine grace. Likewise, the believer may exercise free will for holiness till death. The decision is always left with us.
Less than surrender is misery. It is a double-minded life--living for God, yet living secretly (and sometimes obviously) for one's self. This is evidently difficult and trying to the soul.
Total surrender is sweet in that it returns one's soul completely to God. Instead of straining to plot one's own benefits, one yields all such maneuvering to God. Therefore, there is a freedom from striving in everything.
The on-going life of sanctification then is perfecting the surrender. It is learning from the Holy Spirit how to consecrate the most practical items to God--life's minors and majors. It is being taught how to think with God ("the mind of Christ").
It is discovering that material less is spiritual more.
Sanctification in this life has no conclusion but "more." There is always more to come upon in God, more to precision, more to uncover of one's own self and of God's self. That is why it is such an exhilarating adventure.
How then does "the law" enter into this sanctifying grace? Is one at liberty to do as one pleases once one comes into this release? No. Instead, one finds that God's commandments are the key to freedom within. Therefore, the sanctified yearn for more of God's statutes.
The Bible speaks of the "law of liberty." This is one more aspect of the sweet surrender. It is experiencing being a slave to God in order to be free from sin and self-centeredness. These paradoxes are lived out dynamically in the sanctified walk.
When the sanctified read of God's expectations (laws) in the Word, they become as delicacies to be enjoyed. Before sanctification, the double-minded believer shunned God's laws for they appeared restrictive. After sanctification, the believer binds God's laws to his heart for they are indeed liberating.
Abiding by God's law releases one from being legalistic. Legalism is adhering to man-made laws.
Living by God's laws is not cold, sharp and unkind legalism; instead, it is gentle, understanding and patient.
Satan thrives on a legalistic religion. The Holy Spirit tutors the sanctified in the eternally true laws of God.
First century Judaism was founded upon legalism. Jesus offered the truth which would set one free from such humanly manufactured bondage. For that reason, Jesus was murdered by the religious system.
Live out the law of holy love and you yourself will be set free. Strap the commandments of God to your soul joyfully; in that you will be released from your chief enemy--stubborn self.
Sweet surrender not only includes yielding tangibles and inner drives. It also includes pain, confusion, tormented thinking, betrayals of the past, disappointments, ponderings of suicide, doubts and dreads.
The true sweetness of this surrender is realizing that the Father is willing to accept these hurts--for healing. Many have been made whole when they submitted those wounds of the heart which they thought they had to contend with till death. No. "Cast all your cares. . ." means all.
Frequently, Bible preachers and teachers request their hearers to yield tangibles and inner drives.
But it is not that frequently that such speakers get around to the awful burdens that many sincere grace-children carry all the time. Therapeutically, it is needful that we preach the "full gospel"--submit to Him the bleeding souls, too. He can soothe. And He does.
Sanctification is one of the most enticing dimensions of the gospel. It is sad that it is not set forth more often. Our souls are made for this opportunity of grace. To lack this experience is to remain partially bound in spirit.
When Jesus said that He came to set us free, He meant it. Sanctification is that wide, open door.
Have you come to God with your all? Have you stood before Him with everything? Then have you yielded all of this--pain and pleasure--to the One who formed you?
Let Him take this package for its cleansing. Satan will lie to you that God will rob you blind, leave you bankrupt. Do not believe the father of deceit.
The Holy Spirit will instead make your offering holy, returning it to you for heaven's sake.
From that moment onward, keep that package in God's plan. In that, you will experience in the depth of your soul the sweetness of your on-going surrender.
Such will continue, if you will it, till you see Him face to face when walking through the door of death.
Eternal life will be continuing the sanctification without threat of Satan's intrusion. It will in fact be "holiness forevermore."
Read DISCOVER HOLINESS at http://www.michnews.com/J_Grant_Swank_Jr/gs030110.shtml
It is so very, very sad; nevertheless, it is fact.
NazNet, set up as a site friendly to the holiness Church of the Nazarene has gone for anti-Bible teachings such as are popular now in the emergent church.
Brian McLaren, stroked emergent church guru, has become the New Age messiah for NazNet and like sites spreading across cyberspace.
NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff are two of the prime leaders with founder/owner Dave McClung giving permission for these heresies.
A web site that should be teaching the world via the Internet the marvelous life of sanctification has given itself over to being avant-garde theologically liberally.
The world is in miserable shape. It needs the biblical call of saving grace and sanctifying grace. In the meantime, we have the likes of Deventer, Cundiff and McClung endorsing the
Bible as riddled with mistakes.
Deventer states outright that he does not believe the Bible except for his hug with Jesus. Cundiff states outright that the more he studies Scripture the less he knows God. McClung goes on his merry way allowing this blasphemy.
There sits a web site telling readers that it is a companion to the Church of the Nazarene when in fact it is the enemy to the Church of the Nazarene.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Those of us who love the biblical doctrine of sanctification suffer. We would pray for the site to give all energies to explaining God’s Word offering the holy life possibility. Instead, readers go to the site to read trivia, nonsense and heresy—all provided on one NazNet.
There is so much that NazNet could do as an instructor concerning the biblical doctrine of holiness. That teaching is rare within Christendom. Therefore, NazNet could pick up on that void to give forth with some of the most amazing scriptural data.
Instead one gets the impression when perusing NazNet that it tries everything but holiness as a viable theme. Why? The reason is obvious. If moderators are theologically liberal so that they question the authenticity of Scripture’s divine revelation, they personally have no living relationship with the Holy Spirit.
With that, they have nothing to teach that is biblically sound. Their minds have been given over to the reprobate mind. They are captured by the latest fads sweeping across too much of the evangelical church.
Would that NazNet would break before God, confess its waywardness and begin the mission of teaching biblical holiness. For instance, the site could begin with the lesson of sanctification being sweet surrender. What a magnificent place to begin.
Sanctification, simply stated, is sweet surrender.
When one becomes saved, he takes Christ's blood upon his soul. In that, he receives divine mercy. Sins are cleansed. This is a divine act beyond our fondest imaginations.
When the saved one then becomes sanctified, he yields his all to Christ. In salvation, one takes grace. In sanctification, one gives all to God.
Picture yourself now standing before God. In your hands are all that you have and are: wardrobe, vehicles, properties, family, friends, wallet, health or sickness, desires, reputation, abilities, dreams, future ambitions, finally death and eternal destiny.
Lift all of this to God. Give it all to Him without reservation. That is the surrender of sanctification. You received at salvation; you now yield at sanctification.
In that moment of submitting completely, the Holy Spirit accepted your all. He then cleansed it in order to return it as holy to you. Now what you submitted is ready for the kingdom's good.
Previously, it was used chiefly for your own self-focused "good."
At the time of sanctification, you are made pure by the Holy Spirit. He takes away your selfishness, stubbornness and stupidity which clung to things for your own welfare. In place of all that, He gives you grace to abandon to God. Now you no longer live for self but for the Savior alone.
When you were first saved, your sins were cleansed. Now that you are sanctified, your sin nature is cleansed. This is the "double cure" of which we sing in the hymn, "Amazing Grace."
How does the Christian remain sanctified? Simply put: remain surrendered to the Holy Spirit in everything. Do not take back anything that you yielded to God. Leave all with Him--everything old, everything new—past, present, future.
As long as your soul submits completely to the Lord, you are continually cleansed. This is all accomplished by His grace, not of works, lest anyone should boast of his own human achievements.
Grace saves us from our sins. Grace sanctifies us from our sin nature. Therefore, God receives all the glory.
Can one remain sanctified completely until death? Certainly. By an act of free will, one becomes saved and sanctified. One chooses these opportunities of divine grace. Likewise, the believer may exercise free will for holiness till death. The decision is always left with us.
Less than surrender is misery. It is a double-minded life--living for God, yet living secretly (and sometimes obviously) for one's self. This is evidently difficult and trying to the soul.
Total surrender is sweet in that it returns one's soul completely to God. Instead of straining to plot one's own benefits, one yields all such maneuvering to God. Therefore, there is a freedom from striving in everything.
The on-going life of sanctification then is perfecting the surrender. It is learning from the Holy Spirit how to consecrate the most practical items to God--life's minors and majors. It is being taught how to think with God ("the mind of Christ").
It is discovering that material less is spiritual more.
Sanctification in this life has no conclusion but "more." There is always more to come upon in God, more to precision, more to uncover of one's own self and of God's self. That is why it is such an exhilarating adventure.
How then does "the law" enter into this sanctifying grace? Is one at liberty to do as one pleases once one comes into this release? No. Instead, one finds that God's commandments are the key to freedom within. Therefore, the sanctified yearn for more of God's statutes.
The Bible speaks of the "law of liberty." This is one more aspect of the sweet surrender. It is experiencing being a slave to God in order to be free from sin and self-centeredness. These paradoxes are lived out dynamically in the sanctified walk.
When the sanctified read of God's expectations (laws) in the Word, they become as delicacies to be enjoyed. Before sanctification, the double-minded believer shunned God's laws for they appeared restrictive. After sanctification, the believer binds God's laws to his heart for they are indeed liberating.
Abiding by God's law releases one from being legalistic. Legalism is adhering to man-made laws.
Living by God's laws is not cold, sharp and unkind legalism; instead, it is gentle, understanding and patient.
Satan thrives on a legalistic religion. The Holy Spirit tutors the sanctified in the eternally true laws of God.
First century Judaism was founded upon legalism. Jesus offered the truth which would set one free from such humanly manufactured bondage. For that reason, Jesus was murdered by the religious system.
Live out the law of holy love and you yourself will be set free. Strap the commandments of God to your soul joyfully; in that you will be released from your chief enemy--stubborn self.
Sweet surrender not only includes yielding tangibles and inner drives. It also includes pain, confusion, tormented thinking, betrayals of the past, disappointments, ponderings of suicide, doubts and dreads.
The true sweetness of this surrender is realizing that the Father is willing to accept these hurts--for healing. Many have been made whole when they submitted those wounds of the heart which they thought they had to contend with till death. No. "Cast all your cares. . ." means all.
Frequently, Bible preachers and teachers request their hearers to yield tangibles and inner drives.
But it is not that frequently that such speakers get around to the awful burdens that many sincere grace-children carry all the time. Therapeutically, it is needful that we preach the "full gospel"--submit to Him the bleeding souls, too. He can soothe. And He does.
Sanctification is one of the most enticing dimensions of the gospel. It is sad that it is not set forth more often. Our souls are made for this opportunity of grace. To lack this experience is to remain partially bound in spirit.
When Jesus said that He came to set us free, He meant it. Sanctification is that wide, open door.
Have you come to God with your all? Have you stood before Him with everything? Then have you yielded all of this--pain and pleasure--to the One who formed you?
Let Him take this package for its cleansing. Satan will lie to you that God will rob you blind, leave you bankrupt. Do not believe the father of deceit.
The Holy Spirit will instead make your offering holy, returning it to you for heaven's sake.
From that moment onward, keep that package in God's plan. In that, you will experience in the depth of your soul the sweetness of your on-going surrender.
Such will continue, if you will it, till you see Him face to face when walking through the door of death.
Eternal life will be continuing the sanctification without threat of Satan's intrusion. It will in fact be "holiness forevermore."
Read DISCOVER HOLINESS at http://www.michnews.com/J_Grant_Swank_Jr/gs030110.shtml
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
NAZNET LACKS THE VOICE OF CONVICTION
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet’s froth is overwhelming. That web site is laden with the superficial. Yet if it were true to being “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, as it states it is, it would fire up the holy convictions.
That church was begun in the blaze of conviction—“holiness unto the Lord is our watchword and song.” That was the preaching point. That was the lifestyle. That was the mission. And there was never a doubt about it.
Yet the voice of conviction is fading from today's pulpit.
Why?
Partly because a premium has been put on appeasement, cordiality, management methods, arbitration, dialog, suave and debonair, political maneuvering, relativism, and "don't make waves."
There has been a loss of holiness ethics, biblical understanding, spiritual knowledge and, in general, a washout of black-and-white morality.
Therefore, when one does speak today with the voice of conviction, he may be regarded as hyper in personality. He may be labeled as brash or uncouth, out of step.
It is rather risky today then to speak without compromise regarding biblical truths: tithing, hell as well as heaven, Jesus as the sole hope of salvation, God's Day kept holy, separation from sin, biblical loyalties, sanctified lifestyles, spiritual discipline, daily devotions, fidelity in marriage, honesty in finances and the like.
If and when one does preach on the Bible's fundamental themes, there is the real danger of running into crossfire with certain power plays in the camp.
That is why numerous pulpits have acquiesced to the harmless and hilarious, limp and languid.
Sad.
Yet when one researches the Bible, he discovers a God with the voice of conviction.
No wonder there is this staccato throughout Scriptures: "Thus saith the Lord." In other words, God’s declaration is a given; it has been revealed from eternity and therefore is not open to question. With that, such revealed truth is conveyed with conviction, no compromise permitted. Simplicity and forthrightness are absolutely necessary in the communication—clear and clean.
When this God pronounces His eternal imperatives, He speaks with gusto through dedicated preachers. Take, for example, the prophets warning Israelis of their backsliding, not tithing, desecrating the Lord's holy day, sexual license, materialistic cravings in neglecting their poor. Not nice topics delivered in soft tones; but all necessary if the prophets were going to be true to God.
Further, when this God implanted Himself in Jesus, that voice of conviction took flesh and dwelt among us—with raised voice on occasion. With stern countenance on occasion. With authority always.
When a preacher speaks with the Jesus-voice of conviction, those who are behaving under God applaud, encouraging such messages to continue.
I can hardly picture Jesus toppling Temple tables in a meek and mild manner. Nor telling hypocrites that they were of their father the devil while wearing a sweet smile.
Can one imagine John the Baptist with a Gentleman's Quarterly profile while castigating Herod for sleeping with a woman not his wife?
And what about Paul's demeanor when preaching to one congregation after
another, warning listeners of zealots plotting to undo his gospel planting?
The Bible is electric with power, riddled with zeal, moving and disturbing with a God who means business, refusing to play religious games to placate.
Why then does today's church find itself so easily comfortable?
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
NazNet’s froth is overwhelming. That web site is laden with the superficial. Yet if it were true to being “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, as it states it is, it would fire up the holy convictions.
That church was begun in the blaze of conviction—“holiness unto the Lord is our watchword and song.” That was the preaching point. That was the lifestyle. That was the mission. And there was never a doubt about it.
Yet the voice of conviction is fading from today's pulpit.
Why?
Partly because a premium has been put on appeasement, cordiality, management methods, arbitration, dialog, suave and debonair, political maneuvering, relativism, and "don't make waves."
There has been a loss of holiness ethics, biblical understanding, spiritual knowledge and, in general, a washout of black-and-white morality.
Therefore, when one does speak today with the voice of conviction, he may be regarded as hyper in personality. He may be labeled as brash or uncouth, out of step.
It is rather risky today then to speak without compromise regarding biblical truths: tithing, hell as well as heaven, Jesus as the sole hope of salvation, God's Day kept holy, separation from sin, biblical loyalties, sanctified lifestyles, spiritual discipline, daily devotions, fidelity in marriage, honesty in finances and the like.
If and when one does preach on the Bible's fundamental themes, there is the real danger of running into crossfire with certain power plays in the camp.
That is why numerous pulpits have acquiesced to the harmless and hilarious, limp and languid.
Sad.
Yet when one researches the Bible, he discovers a God with the voice of conviction.
No wonder there is this staccato throughout Scriptures: "Thus saith the Lord." In other words, God’s declaration is a given; it has been revealed from eternity and therefore is not open to question. With that, such revealed truth is conveyed with conviction, no compromise permitted. Simplicity and forthrightness are absolutely necessary in the communication—clear and clean.
When this God pronounces His eternal imperatives, He speaks with gusto through dedicated preachers. Take, for example, the prophets warning Israelis of their backsliding, not tithing, desecrating the Lord's holy day, sexual license, materialistic cravings in neglecting their poor. Not nice topics delivered in soft tones; but all necessary if the prophets were going to be true to God.
Further, when this God implanted Himself in Jesus, that voice of conviction took flesh and dwelt among us—with raised voice on occasion. With stern countenance on occasion. With authority always.
When a preacher speaks with the Jesus-voice of conviction, those who are behaving under God applaud, encouraging such messages to continue.
I can hardly picture Jesus toppling Temple tables in a meek and mild manner. Nor telling hypocrites that they were of their father the devil while wearing a sweet smile.
Can one imagine John the Baptist with a Gentleman's Quarterly profile while castigating Herod for sleeping with a woman not his wife?
And what about Paul's demeanor when preaching to one congregation after
another, warning listeners of zealots plotting to undo his gospel planting?
The Bible is electric with power, riddled with zeal, moving and disturbing with a God who means business, refusing to play religious games to placate.
Why then does today's church find itself so easily comfortable?
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
HERETICAL NAZNET HANS DEVENTER’S BOSS TALKS
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet moderator Hans Deventer divulged on Dave McClung’s site that Deventer’s Nazarene District Superintendent had contacted him.
I had communicated with the Netherlands District Superintendent regarding Deventer’s heresies blatantly posted on the supposed “friend”-to-Nazarene web site.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
These heresies included Deventer not believing in the Bible, holding that unsaved souls are annihilated at death, that souls go to an “intermediate state” upon death, and that there is no immediate entrance into heaven upon death for saved souls.
Further, Deventer was quite enthusiastic about the emergent church’s fuzzy teachings, mainly that one does not need “objective truths”—that is, moral absolutes—as long as one has sweet Jesus. Moral absolutes get in the way. Hugging Jesus is the all-in-all. Deventer stated: “I don’t believe the Bible. . .”
Deventer also aggressively pushed for a worldwide infant baptism acceptance throughout the Church of the Nazarene, though no infants are ever mentioned being baptized per the New Testament. Deventer expressed that he just could not understand why Nazarenes did not get the message that infant baptism was far more superior than infant dedication. Infant dedication is the traditional mode in that denomination.
Deventer definitely leaned in the ritualistic-liturgical “high church” direction of Anglican/Episcopalian when it came to worship style. He delighted in referring to “communion” as the “Eucharist,” the latter term not traditionally used in the denomination. “Communion” is the preferred term.
His theology was old-time liberalism cloaked in his own confused entanglement phrases. Deventer’s communication style was the more unclear the more posh, typical of emergent church proponents.
Deventer stated on NazNet that his boss had received ten emails in two days concerning Deventer’s various anti-Bible posts, none in keeping with the historic Church of the Nazarene.
The District Superintendent told me that he would speak to Deventer about matters. Apparently the boss followed through.
The Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, Nazarene Theological
Seminary and Nazarene Bible College administrations and faculties have also been informed of NazNet’s theological liberal positions, Deventer’s in particular.
The question then comes down to this: How does Dave McClung, founder/owner of the site, permit these gross theological distortions propagated especially by his two prime moderators—Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff?
McClung is a wealthy businessman who has held prestigious positions on various denominational boards as well as being one-time President of Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, MA.
Read “Naznet's Dave Mcclung's Cronyism Ups Emergent Devilment” at http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/naznet039s-dave-mcclung039s-cronyism-ups-emergent-devilment-1903633.html
Why then does he advertise his site as a “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene when he allows constant anti-Bible moderator positions expressed? Some individuals have reached the conclusion that McClung was in fact creating his own Internet church in competition with the Church of the Nazarene.
Read ” Naznet Hans Deventer's Boss 'Will Discuss Questions'” at http://www.magic-city-news.com/J_Grant_Swank_61/Naznet_Hans_Deventer_s_Boss_Will_Discuss_Questions13076.shtml
NazNet moderator Hans Deventer divulged on Dave McClung’s site that Deventer’s Nazarene District Superintendent had contacted him.
I had communicated with the Netherlands District Superintendent regarding Deventer’s heresies blatantly posted on the supposed “friend”-to-Nazarene web site.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
These heresies included Deventer not believing in the Bible, holding that unsaved souls are annihilated at death, that souls go to an “intermediate state” upon death, and that there is no immediate entrance into heaven upon death for saved souls.
Further, Deventer was quite enthusiastic about the emergent church’s fuzzy teachings, mainly that one does not need “objective truths”—that is, moral absolutes—as long as one has sweet Jesus. Moral absolutes get in the way. Hugging Jesus is the all-in-all. Deventer stated: “I don’t believe the Bible. . .”
Deventer also aggressively pushed for a worldwide infant baptism acceptance throughout the Church of the Nazarene, though no infants are ever mentioned being baptized per the New Testament. Deventer expressed that he just could not understand why Nazarenes did not get the message that infant baptism was far more superior than infant dedication. Infant dedication is the traditional mode in that denomination.
Deventer definitely leaned in the ritualistic-liturgical “high church” direction of Anglican/Episcopalian when it came to worship style. He delighted in referring to “communion” as the “Eucharist,” the latter term not traditionally used in the denomination. “Communion” is the preferred term.
His theology was old-time liberalism cloaked in his own confused entanglement phrases. Deventer’s communication style was the more unclear the more posh, typical of emergent church proponents.
Deventer stated on NazNet that his boss had received ten emails in two days concerning Deventer’s various anti-Bible posts, none in keeping with the historic Church of the Nazarene.
The District Superintendent told me that he would speak to Deventer about matters. Apparently the boss followed through.
The Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, Nazarene Theological
Seminary and Nazarene Bible College administrations and faculties have also been informed of NazNet’s theological liberal positions, Deventer’s in particular.
The question then comes down to this: How does Dave McClung, founder/owner of the site, permit these gross theological distortions propagated especially by his two prime moderators—Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff?
McClung is a wealthy businessman who has held prestigious positions on various denominational boards as well as being one-time President of Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, MA.
Read “Naznet's Dave Mcclung's Cronyism Ups Emergent Devilment” at http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/naznet039s-dave-mcclung039s-cronyism-ups-emergent-devilment-1903633.html
Why then does he advertise his site as a “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene when he allows constant anti-Bible moderator positions expressed? Some individuals have reached the conclusion that McClung was in fact creating his own Internet church in competition with the Church of the Nazarene.
Read ” Naznet Hans Deventer's Boss 'Will Discuss Questions'” at http://www.magic-city-news.com/J_Grant_Swank_61/Naznet_Hans_Deventer_s_Boss_Will_Discuss_Questions13076.shtml
Monday, March 1, 2010
DAVE MC CLUNG: FACEBOOK NIXES NAZNET?
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Could Facebook have become more popular than NazNet? Maybe.
NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung states on his site that Facebook might have magnetized communicators over NazNet.
That very well could be the fact. There are so many integrity questions looming about NazNet that persons with an honest heart for biblical truth may just be making a reasonable detour to Facebook.
After all, NazNet describes itself as “friend” to the holiness, evangelical Church of the Nazarene while posting anti-Bible reads.
Moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff, both listed on NazNet masthead, are chief integrity offenders when it comes to boasting anti-Bible beliefs.
Deventer does not believe in the Bible, just sweet Jesus counts. In other words, a hug from Jesus is okay, no matter biblical researching of details concerning this or that.
Deventer also holds that unsaved souls are snuffed out at the last breath. In other words, there is no hell, only annihilation of the unsaved.
Deventer holds to an “intermediate state” upon death—whatever that means. In other words, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” does not hold for Deventer as he constantly types out his doctrinal oddities.
Cundiff states on NazNet that the more one
studies the Bible, the less one knows about God. Reach your own conclusion on that zinger.
Cundiff espouses the emergent church as a springboard for revitalizing Christianity—the emergent church holding to no “objective truths” per prime leader Brian McLaren. Cundiff concludes McLaren’s situation ethics to be posh.
Cundiff even goes so far as to say that kind of agnosticism clarifies his “Wesleyan” understanding. If you make sense of that one, let the rest of us biblical enthusiasts know, please.
McClung baptizes these heresies by permitting them to reign on his site. If McClung were theologically astute he would have never mastheaded these two left-wingers for theological liberalism—totally contrary to the Wesleyan, holiness base of the Church of the
Nazarene.
More could be noted. For additional information on NazNet distortions, click onto NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
With the above taken seriously, it could be that biblical loyalists are now sidelining NazNet for other forum opportunities on the Internet. It surely would be a breath of fresh honest air to those genuinely interested in sharing spiritual insights.
After all, it takes quite an intense search on NazNet to discover anything of theological or practical Christian living substance. There is froth all over the place. But substance is lacking—obviously so. Irritatingly so to the thinking believer.
On alternative forums intelligent Bible-wise disciples can get deeply into doctrine and Christian-applied living without having to sidestep NazNet heresies floating throughout that site.
Could Facebook have become more popular than NazNet? Maybe.
NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung states on his site that Facebook might have magnetized communicators over NazNet.
That very well could be the fact. There are so many integrity questions looming about NazNet that persons with an honest heart for biblical truth may just be making a reasonable detour to Facebook.
After all, NazNet describes itself as “friend” to the holiness, evangelical Church of the Nazarene while posting anti-Bible reads.
Moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff, both listed on NazNet masthead, are chief integrity offenders when it comes to boasting anti-Bible beliefs.
Deventer does not believe in the Bible, just sweet Jesus counts. In other words, a hug from Jesus is okay, no matter biblical researching of details concerning this or that.
Deventer also holds that unsaved souls are snuffed out at the last breath. In other words, there is no hell, only annihilation of the unsaved.
Deventer holds to an “intermediate state” upon death—whatever that means. In other words, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” does not hold for Deventer as he constantly types out his doctrinal oddities.
Cundiff states on NazNet that the more one
studies the Bible, the less one knows about God. Reach your own conclusion on that zinger.
Cundiff espouses the emergent church as a springboard for revitalizing Christianity—the emergent church holding to no “objective truths” per prime leader Brian McLaren. Cundiff concludes McLaren’s situation ethics to be posh.
Cundiff even goes so far as to say that kind of agnosticism clarifies his “Wesleyan” understanding. If you make sense of that one, let the rest of us biblical enthusiasts know, please.
McClung baptizes these heresies by permitting them to reign on his site. If McClung were theologically astute he would have never mastheaded these two left-wingers for theological liberalism—totally contrary to the Wesleyan, holiness base of the Church of the
Nazarene.
More could be noted. For additional information on NazNet distortions, click onto NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
With the above taken seriously, it could be that biblical loyalists are now sidelining NazNet for other forum opportunities on the Internet. It surely would be a breath of fresh honest air to those genuinely interested in sharing spiritual insights.
After all, it takes quite an intense search on NazNet to discover anything of theological or practical Christian living substance. There is froth all over the place. But substance is lacking—obviously so. Irritatingly so to the thinking believer.
On alternative forums intelligent Bible-wise disciples can get deeply into doctrine and Christian-applied living without having to sidestep NazNet heresies floating throughout that site.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
EMERGENT CHURCH NAZNET: GOD CAN GET ANGRY
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Sweety-pie emergent church hugs a smiley Jesus. That’s it. NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff along with former moderator chaplain Barbara Moulton agree. So obviously does NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung.
But there is no only-smiley-Jesus in the Bible. That is a figment of the adolescent imagination of theological liberalism.
However, one cannot actually have a Jesus unless He is the historical Jesus as recorded in holy writ. That is the Jesus one must deal with if one is going to say his life is committed to actual Jesus. A huggy, smiley, make-believe Jesus is legendary, to start with.
Therefore, to surrender one’s existence to the historical Jesus is to surrender to the God of the Bible—the whole Bible, Old Testament included. And that God is the perfect eternal balance of mercy and justice.
The emergent church NazNet only wants the mercy. They don’t want the justice part. This is particularly so in the posts typed by Deventer and Cundiff. They are sappy posts, yes. But they are sappy because they won’t own up to the just God of Scripture.
The just God of Scripture must be just if He is going to be merciful. A lopsided God is a deity one does not want to commit to.
In Scripture, God can be merciful. God can also be angry. The angry parts include Noah’s day flood. Scores of mortals drowned because an angry God doomed them to their punishment. They had rejected His call to holiness, living in sin purposefully; therefore God wiped them off the planet.
Read YES, YOU CAN BELIEVE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD at http://www.michnews.com/J_Grant_Swank_Jr/jgs021010.shtml
So that is the God of the Bible. That same God appeared in Jesus, dying murderously on the cross in our place as our substitute sacrifice. Jesus took our sins upon Himself, washing them away via His blood when we repent of our wrongdoing.
There are countless other examples of divine mercy and anger throughout the Bible, of course. But the point is that if one is going to believe in the God of mercy, one must also hold to the God of justice.
What is interesting today is that these emergent church NazNet disciples of the huggy Jesus don’t seem to get that God is angry right now. It is part fulfillment of biblical prophecy. For instance, the Jesus of Scripture predicted that in End Times there would be an increase of earthquakes and pestilence.
Sin would increase. People would turn against one another, even within families. True believers would be martyred. And so forth.
All of this happens present-tense. The earthquake part in particular is evidence of God’s anger at the tolerated disobedience throughout the world. One does not have to tally those sins for the moralists already are quite sensitive to the list.
But the point is this: God is angry now. But right now is the time frame that emergent church willy-nillys are declaring a deity who only hugs and kisses, snuggles and cuddles. Their deity does not get angry, will not tolerate Noah’s day
flood, and surely will not permit an eternal hell.
These are surely intriguing times to live in. While biblical prophecy is unfolding before our newsfeeds’ eyes, a lame brain segment of religionists proclaim that their god is lovey-
dovey sweetcakes.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Sweety-pie emergent church hugs a smiley Jesus. That’s it. NazNet moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff along with former moderator chaplain Barbara Moulton agree. So obviously does NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung.
But there is no only-smiley-Jesus in the Bible. That is a figment of the adolescent imagination of theological liberalism.
However, one cannot actually have a Jesus unless He is the historical Jesus as recorded in holy writ. That is the Jesus one must deal with if one is going to say his life is committed to actual Jesus. A huggy, smiley, make-believe Jesus is legendary, to start with.
Therefore, to surrender one’s existence to the historical Jesus is to surrender to the God of the Bible—the whole Bible, Old Testament included. And that God is the perfect eternal balance of mercy and justice.
The emergent church NazNet only wants the mercy. They don’t want the justice part. This is particularly so in the posts typed by Deventer and Cundiff. They are sappy posts, yes. But they are sappy because they won’t own up to the just God of Scripture.
The just God of Scripture must be just if He is going to be merciful. A lopsided God is a deity one does not want to commit to.
In Scripture, God can be merciful. God can also be angry. The angry parts include Noah’s day flood. Scores of mortals drowned because an angry God doomed them to their punishment. They had rejected His call to holiness, living in sin purposefully; therefore God wiped them off the planet.
Read YES, YOU CAN BELIEVE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD at http://www.michnews.com/J_Grant_Swank_Jr/jgs021010.shtml
So that is the God of the Bible. That same God appeared in Jesus, dying murderously on the cross in our place as our substitute sacrifice. Jesus took our sins upon Himself, washing them away via His blood when we repent of our wrongdoing.
There are countless other examples of divine mercy and anger throughout the Bible, of course. But the point is that if one is going to believe in the God of mercy, one must also hold to the God of justice.
What is interesting today is that these emergent church NazNet disciples of the huggy Jesus don’t seem to get that God is angry right now. It is part fulfillment of biblical prophecy. For instance, the Jesus of Scripture predicted that in End Times there would be an increase of earthquakes and pestilence.
Sin would increase. People would turn against one another, even within families. True believers would be martyred. And so forth.
All of this happens present-tense. The earthquake part in particular is evidence of God’s anger at the tolerated disobedience throughout the world. One does not have to tally those sins for the moralists already are quite sensitive to the list.
But the point is this: God is angry now. But right now is the time frame that emergent church willy-nillys are declaring a deity who only hugs and kisses, snuggles and cuddles. Their deity does not get angry, will not tolerate Noah’s day
flood, and surely will not permit an eternal hell.
These are surely intriguing times to live in. While biblical prophecy is unfolding before our newsfeeds’ eyes, a lame brain segment of religionists proclaim that their god is lovey-
dovey sweetcakes.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 27, 2010
NAZNET FORBIDS ME TO READ ITS CODE OF CHRISTIAN ETHICS
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
The Internet provides the Code of Ethics subscribed to by Christian web sites, NazNet being one of them.
But when I try to get into that site to read the NazNet Christian Code of Ethics, I am forbidden.
“Forbidden” in large bold letters is in the left hand corner of my screen. All I want to do is read NazNet’s agreement to live by the Christian ethics code; however, I cannot get to that segment.
What does NazNet have to hide? Why are the owners and moderators keeping me from reading their commitment?
As far as I can reason, NazNet knows it is not living up to that Christian code of ethics for it describes itself as a “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene while cutting right through the Nazarene doctrinal fundamentals.
The Church of the Nazarene preaches biblical truth from Genesis to Revelation. NazNet posts moderators’ statements that they do not believe in the Bible or doubt parts of the Bible as being divinely inspired.
Further, NazNet touts heresies as reported in NAZNET DISTORTS where these heresies can be researched in exceptional detail: http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
With that, what comes through loud and clear to me is that since I have exposed NazNet to world readers via the Internet, I am not privy to their unethical standing as related to the Christian ethics code on cyberspace.
These readers include headquarters’ personnel at the denominational offices in Kansas City as well as spiritual leadership on the South Texas District where moderator Scott Cundiff, Pastor, Alvin Texas Church, preaches one thing while posting heresies on NazNet.
In addition, faculty and administration at the Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO, and Nazarene Bible College, Colorado Springs, CO have been informed of these heresies on NazNet. Moreover, countless district superintendents throughout the world church have received this data.
With this particular post, it is my hope that these persons will read the Christian Code of Ethics as related to NazNet and posted on the Internet. In that, they will see the huge ethical gap between NazNet and the code.
Read NazNet.com's Christian Internet Code of Ethics” at http://freechristiancontent.org/NazNet.coms_Christian_Internet_Code_of_Ethics.htm
Also, For more information visit the Christian Internet Code of Ethics home page. I am forbidden to reach this site because NazNet has cut me off from reaching it.
I receive this message:
“Forbidden
“You don't have permission to access /ethics/ on this server.”
The Internet provides the Code of Ethics subscribed to by Christian web sites, NazNet being one of them.
But when I try to get into that site to read the NazNet Christian Code of Ethics, I am forbidden.
“Forbidden” in large bold letters is in the left hand corner of my screen. All I want to do is read NazNet’s agreement to live by the Christian ethics code; however, I cannot get to that segment.
What does NazNet have to hide? Why are the owners and moderators keeping me from reading their commitment?
As far as I can reason, NazNet knows it is not living up to that Christian code of ethics for it describes itself as a “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene while cutting right through the Nazarene doctrinal fundamentals.
The Church of the Nazarene preaches biblical truth from Genesis to Revelation. NazNet posts moderators’ statements that they do not believe in the Bible or doubt parts of the Bible as being divinely inspired.
Further, NazNet touts heresies as reported in NAZNET DISTORTS where these heresies can be researched in exceptional detail: http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
With that, what comes through loud and clear to me is that since I have exposed NazNet to world readers via the Internet, I am not privy to their unethical standing as related to the Christian ethics code on cyberspace.
These readers include headquarters’ personnel at the denominational offices in Kansas City as well as spiritual leadership on the South Texas District where moderator Scott Cundiff, Pastor, Alvin Texas Church, preaches one thing while posting heresies on NazNet.
In addition, faculty and administration at the Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO, and Nazarene Bible College, Colorado Springs, CO have been informed of these heresies on NazNet. Moreover, countless district superintendents throughout the world church have received this data.
With this particular post, it is my hope that these persons will read the Christian Code of Ethics as related to NazNet and posted on the Internet. In that, they will see the huge ethical gap between NazNet and the code.
Read NazNet.com's Christian Internet Code of Ethics” at http://freechristiancontent.org/NazNet.coms_Christian_Internet_Code_of_Ethics.htm
Also, For more information visit the Christian Internet Code of Ethics home page. I am forbidden to reach this site because NazNet has cut me off from reaching it.
I receive this message:
“Forbidden
“You don't have permission to access /ethics/ on this server.”
Friday, February 26, 2010
CAN NAZNET FIND THE HOLINESS HERITAGE?
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Can the advertised Nazarene-friendly NazNet website discover once again its holiness heritage that sparked its start at Pilot Point, Texas in 1908?
Some would have it today that the biblical call to the holy life is too difficult to understand. That is unfortunate in that for decades preachers, teachers and evangelists have given forth on the holiness lifestyle over and over again.
There are still those faithful to the holiness truth set forth in Scripture. May NazNet and all those into biblical research uncover this marvelous divine provision, proclaiming it without apology or compromise.
The nearly l20 gathered in the Upper Room were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4)!
When the Holy Spirit comes upon a disciple, there are various occurrences which are primary and wonderful.
First, the infilling is a GIFT, not an achievement. All that God does in a believer’s life, from alpha to omega, is provided by divine grace. There is nothing which is trophied as an accomplishment by the human vessel.
When one receives salvation, it is by divine grace. Even the prevenient grace which precedes saving grace is emptied out upon the human heart by God Himself. So it is with the infilling. It is an act of grace executed by heaven’s powers so that the homo sapien may enter into the holy of holies provided here on earth.
Second, the infilling is bestowed by a PERSON, not an institution nor ritual nor ecclesiastical title. The origins of the sanctifying presence are from Him—the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, one may be filled by the Holy Spirit anywhere and at any time the Spirit deems it appropriate.
Consequently, no attention is focused upon churchly leaders nor rites nor liturgies nor assemblies. All of these are extraneous to the marvel of the infilling presence. God is a jealous God; therefore, He deserves all focus—totally so—for He is the fount of the sanctifying experience.
Third, the infilling is an introduction to the HOLINESS of God. It is a holy come-upon by the divine. Why? Because the Indweller is nothing but holiness. There is no sin nor carnality within the divine nature; consequently, when He sets up residence within the human life, that housing is evidenced in the holy life. “Be holy, even as I am holy.”
Therefore, the competing spirits of this existence are left to their unholiness. These spirits are the spirits of self, worldliness, Satan, carnality, bigotry, hypocrisy, and so on. No other spirit in planetary sphere can compare with the HOLY Spirit, for all others spirits are less than holy; in other words, they are of this fallen scope.
Fourth, the infilling is MULTI-DIMENSIONAL in splendor just as the Holy Spirit is infinitely creative in power, peace and purity. These many facets of the Holy Spirit’s personality have no allowance for evil; however, within the eternal awareness of His being, the Spirit is everlastingly imaginative—far beyond human speculations.
Consequently, when the Holy Spirit explores the human personality for kingdom fulfillment, there are endless doings which the Spirit will come upon. That is why it is faulty to circumscribe the Spirit’s work within the consecrated life. That is why it is unbiblical to narrowly define what and how the Spirit is to achievement His plans for and through the dedicated soul.
One must permit the Spirit His perfect freedom to do what He wants to do, how He wants to do it, and when He wants to perform it. Openness is the anticipatory key which opens up the infinite possibilities to the loving Spirit’s chartings for good.
Fifth, the infilling is DURABLE for the Holy Spirit is God! There is no start nor finish to God. There are no boundaries to God except those which would contradict His holy nature, such as wickedness. There are no “wearings thin” with God.
Therefore, when the holy work is begun in the consecrated heart, durability can see
through the experience to heaven’s gates. There is the possibility that one can remain true to the indwelling Spirit if one wills such tenacity to be lasting. It is true that the human still deals with foibles, shortcomings, eccentricities, mistakes in judgment and performance—but one does not have to backslide into sin if one determines holiness to be set. It is a matter of persevering with one will in control—that is, the DIVINE will only.
Sixth, the infilling is ADEQUATE for the Holy Spirit is all-sufficient. His chief historical proof of such is His raising Jesus from the dead. If there is a power who can raise the dead, then there is nothing which is impossible to that mighty presence. Yes, the Spirit of God is a match and more for any trial in this existence. There is nothing too difficult for Him to conquer—again, in His time and manner.
Consequently, in the indwelt soul, “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose”. What is His purpose? It is holiness. That is the chief desire of a holy God for His children of grace. Therefore, there is no testing which God cannot overcome. It is then a matter of faith on the part of the indwelt. One simply believes in the adequacy of the divine, no matter what may arise to threaten, even martyrdom.
Seventh, the infilling is ATTRACTIVE in that the Holy Spirit is handsome in His nature and evidence. All the beauty of creation is from the workings of the Spirit who first brooded upon those creation waters. All that is good, clean, delightful and happy finds its source in the Holy Spirit.
It is the unholy spirits which are violent, ugly and repulsive. They promise fulfillment, peace, prosperity and all the other human desires for this world. But they cannot produce lastingly any of these offers. That is why Satan is a deceiver, the Father of Lies. Therefore, when one is indwelt with the spirits of worldliness, self, lust, avarice and so forth, one is overcome with the grip of emptiness, finally controlled by these spirits.
Eighth, the infilling is HUMBLE in that all focus is upon the Provider. That is why the sermons and testimonies following the Day of Pentecost all point to Jesus, the One whose death upon the cross made Pentecost presence possible.
“Wait…until you are overcome from on high,” Jesus commissioned His own when ascending into heaven. It was Jesus who purchased our salvation and sanctification upon Calvary. It was Jesus who breathed His last by taking our sins upon His sacrificial head, becoming scapegoat for rebellious humanity. It was Jesus who rose from the grave. It was Jesus who returned as our Intercessor to the right hand of the Father in glory. It was Jesus who predicted that the disciples would be indwelt by holiness. It was Jesus who then was lifted up by the Early Church as the Supplier of the Pentecost Spirit.
Consequently, all self-glory in the work of the holy kingdom is anathema to the truth of Christianity. It must be abhorred. It must be exposed and put away immediately. There is no room for pomp and circumstance when it comes to the fleshly leadership of any Christian institution. All of that will pass as dust. Therefore, only the adorable beholding of the Sanctifying Savior is tolerable in any labor for God.
Humility is the most rare gift to be found in any generation. Yet it is absolutely imperative that believers come upon that gift in order for all ego attention to be driven from our midst. It must be a conscious effort. It must be prayed over. It must be set forth more publicly from every pulpit. It must be written across our hearts daily. We are nothing; He is everything. “For without Me, you can do nothing.” And without Him, we indeed are nothing.
Can the advertised Nazarene-friendly NazNet website discover once again its holiness heritage that sparked its start at Pilot Point, Texas in 1908?
Some would have it today that the biblical call to the holy life is too difficult to understand. That is unfortunate in that for decades preachers, teachers and evangelists have given forth on the holiness lifestyle over and over again.
There are still those faithful to the holiness truth set forth in Scripture. May NazNet and all those into biblical research uncover this marvelous divine provision, proclaiming it without apology or compromise.
The nearly l20 gathered in the Upper Room were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4)!
When the Holy Spirit comes upon a disciple, there are various occurrences which are primary and wonderful.
First, the infilling is a GIFT, not an achievement. All that God does in a believer’s life, from alpha to omega, is provided by divine grace. There is nothing which is trophied as an accomplishment by the human vessel.
When one receives salvation, it is by divine grace. Even the prevenient grace which precedes saving grace is emptied out upon the human heart by God Himself. So it is with the infilling. It is an act of grace executed by heaven’s powers so that the homo sapien may enter into the holy of holies provided here on earth.
Second, the infilling is bestowed by a PERSON, not an institution nor ritual nor ecclesiastical title. The origins of the sanctifying presence are from Him—the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, one may be filled by the Holy Spirit anywhere and at any time the Spirit deems it appropriate.
Consequently, no attention is focused upon churchly leaders nor rites nor liturgies nor assemblies. All of these are extraneous to the marvel of the infilling presence. God is a jealous God; therefore, He deserves all focus—totally so—for He is the fount of the sanctifying experience.
Third, the infilling is an introduction to the HOLINESS of God. It is a holy come-upon by the divine. Why? Because the Indweller is nothing but holiness. There is no sin nor carnality within the divine nature; consequently, when He sets up residence within the human life, that housing is evidenced in the holy life. “Be holy, even as I am holy.”
Therefore, the competing spirits of this existence are left to their unholiness. These spirits are the spirits of self, worldliness, Satan, carnality, bigotry, hypocrisy, and so on. No other spirit in planetary sphere can compare with the HOLY Spirit, for all others spirits are less than holy; in other words, they are of this fallen scope.
Fourth, the infilling is MULTI-DIMENSIONAL in splendor just as the Holy Spirit is infinitely creative in power, peace and purity. These many facets of the Holy Spirit’s personality have no allowance for evil; however, within the eternal awareness of His being, the Spirit is everlastingly imaginative—far beyond human speculations.
Consequently, when the Holy Spirit explores the human personality for kingdom fulfillment, there are endless doings which the Spirit will come upon. That is why it is faulty to circumscribe the Spirit’s work within the consecrated life. That is why it is unbiblical to narrowly define what and how the Spirit is to achievement His plans for and through the dedicated soul.
One must permit the Spirit His perfect freedom to do what He wants to do, how He wants to do it, and when He wants to perform it. Openness is the anticipatory key which opens up the infinite possibilities to the loving Spirit’s chartings for good.
Fifth, the infilling is DURABLE for the Holy Spirit is God! There is no start nor finish to God. There are no boundaries to God except those which would contradict His holy nature, such as wickedness. There are no “wearings thin” with God.
Therefore, when the holy work is begun in the consecrated heart, durability can see
through the experience to heaven’s gates. There is the possibility that one can remain true to the indwelling Spirit if one wills such tenacity to be lasting. It is true that the human still deals with foibles, shortcomings, eccentricities, mistakes in judgment and performance—but one does not have to backslide into sin if one determines holiness to be set. It is a matter of persevering with one will in control—that is, the DIVINE will only.
Sixth, the infilling is ADEQUATE for the Holy Spirit is all-sufficient. His chief historical proof of such is His raising Jesus from the dead. If there is a power who can raise the dead, then there is nothing which is impossible to that mighty presence. Yes, the Spirit of God is a match and more for any trial in this existence. There is nothing too difficult for Him to conquer—again, in His time and manner.
Consequently, in the indwelt soul, “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose”. What is His purpose? It is holiness. That is the chief desire of a holy God for His children of grace. Therefore, there is no testing which God cannot overcome. It is then a matter of faith on the part of the indwelt. One simply believes in the adequacy of the divine, no matter what may arise to threaten, even martyrdom.
Seventh, the infilling is ATTRACTIVE in that the Holy Spirit is handsome in His nature and evidence. All the beauty of creation is from the workings of the Spirit who first brooded upon those creation waters. All that is good, clean, delightful and happy finds its source in the Holy Spirit.
It is the unholy spirits which are violent, ugly and repulsive. They promise fulfillment, peace, prosperity and all the other human desires for this world. But they cannot produce lastingly any of these offers. That is why Satan is a deceiver, the Father of Lies. Therefore, when one is indwelt with the spirits of worldliness, self, lust, avarice and so forth, one is overcome with the grip of emptiness, finally controlled by these spirits.
Eighth, the infilling is HUMBLE in that all focus is upon the Provider. That is why the sermons and testimonies following the Day of Pentecost all point to Jesus, the One whose death upon the cross made Pentecost presence possible.
“Wait…until you are overcome from on high,” Jesus commissioned His own when ascending into heaven. It was Jesus who purchased our salvation and sanctification upon Calvary. It was Jesus who breathed His last by taking our sins upon His sacrificial head, becoming scapegoat for rebellious humanity. It was Jesus who rose from the grave. It was Jesus who returned as our Intercessor to the right hand of the Father in glory. It was Jesus who predicted that the disciples would be indwelt by holiness. It was Jesus who then was lifted up by the Early Church as the Supplier of the Pentecost Spirit.
Consequently, all self-glory in the work of the holy kingdom is anathema to the truth of Christianity. It must be abhorred. It must be exposed and put away immediately. There is no room for pomp and circumstance when it comes to the fleshly leadership of any Christian institution. All of that will pass as dust. Therefore, only the adorable beholding of the Sanctifying Savior is tolerable in any labor for God.
Humility is the most rare gift to be found in any generation. Yet it is absolutely imperative that believers come upon that gift in order for all ego attention to be driven from our midst. It must be a conscious effort. It must be prayed over. It must be set forth more publicly from every pulpit. It must be written across our hearts daily. We are nothing; He is everything. “For without Me, you can do nothing.” And without Him, we indeed are nothing.
EMERGENT CHURCH NAZNET PREACHER Xs OUT THE BIBLE
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Scott Cundiff fits right in with the emergent church foolishness.
God is a “violent and genocidal child killer.”
God is deranged when he calls for “Noah’s flood, the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the slaughter of the Canaanites and Amalekites.”
The Old Testament deity is anathema to this Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene pastor who serves as moderator on “friend”-to-Nazarenes web site NazNet.
I wonder if Scott Cundiff preaches the above disconcerting suspicions regarding the Bible to his Sunday morning congregation. Of course, it is a small church so maybe those few don’t care what they get for a message.
And when it comes to Cundiff’s Sunday evening evangelistic messages, how can he present the biblical God when there are questions buzzing all around his head concerning the scriptural authority? Perhaps God messed up throughout the entire writ.
Cundiff writes on NazNet that perhaps there is an “’otherness’” to God. What that means is anyone’s guess. Surely God has declared His persona throughout Scripture for us to get the basic point that He is the perfect eternal balance between justice and mercy. However, Cundiff does not seem to get hold of that.
But I would wager that when it comes to preaching biblical sermons in Alvin he sticks to the Word. After all, there is a pastor’s salary check plus parsonage and benefits at stake here. So keep the old holiness preaching going full force. There’s money in it.
But on NazNet, Cundiff changes to a kiss up for liberals on site—some young, others older. And of course he can always depend on Netherlands’ favorite Hans Deventer to back up his agnosticism. And then there is NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung who permits the
two heretics to post anything they please on NazNet.
So there is an “’otherness’” to God that Cundiff can’t understand. Perhaps Cundidff should realize that mortal brains cannot grasp the wholeness of God. Perhaps Cundiff should also conclude that the Word is a divine revelation that will only be totally grasped in eternity when our understanding apparatus is perfect.
In the meantime, believers read the Word by faith. They live the Word by faith. They evangelize concerning the Word by faith.
And those who have not given up on the Word get to see more clearly the God of Scripture as the Holy Spirit gives understanding to the humble. For instance, read the footnote to understand how God can do what He did in the Old Testament time frame. There is reason to it all; but Cundiff gives up too quickly—as does Deventer and McClung plus their clique on NazNet.
Cundiff writes on NazNet: “Writing from a devotional point of view my take away is that there’s that about God, an ‘otherness’ that is beyond us and that passages like that (Old Testament verses) are reminders of that fact.”
However, Cundiff’s suspicions are okay for they keep him in line with his Wesleyan theology. He states that outright. As soon as someone can tell me how agnosticism with such disbelief in the God of Scripture lines up with holiness Wesleyan doctrine, let me know. But Cundfif has come upon the twosome wedding one another quite nicely.
“I find a solid Wesleyan perspective that helps me deal with the issue.” Again, what is the issue? It is that Cundiff cannot believe in the God of the Bible. Yet that baseline brings him closer to his Wesleyan understanding.
Truthfully, there is no tie between John Wesley’s teaching concerning the Bible’s God and Cunciff’s “’otherness.’” None.
Cundiff continues: “And van de Beek is right. No matter how hard one tries, it is impossible to reconcile the many commands to kill enemies in the Old Testament with the commands to love our enemies in the New.
“Even more difficult is the portrait painted of God as a violent and genocidal child killer in the Old Testament (Noah’s flood, the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the slaughter of the Canaanites and Amalekites), and in Christ the lover of children in the New.
“Van de Beek admits as much. He confesses that ‘The more one wants to let all of Scripture speak for itself . . . the more unclear the Bible becomes. The more we believe that the whole Word is revelation, the less we know who God is.’”
Cundiff states his belief in this Bible-throw-away. Sad, but true. And he’s right there in the Texas Bible belt (South Texas District/Church of the Nazarene) supposedly ministering the gospel to the unsaved.
So there you have the bottom line: Don’t read the Bible. Don’t study it. If you do, God dies on you.
FOOTNOTE: YES, YOU CAN BELIEVE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD
In the Old Testament, God commanded the death penalty in twenty-some cases. This was not because God was barbaric, but because God was civil. The Israeli twelve tribes had no law enforcement agencies. Further, they were surrounded by barbarisms of strange magnitudes exhibited by neighboring pagan nations.
Consequently, for God to establish an Israeli civil community, He set forth stringent punishments--some being the death penalty. He Himself became, in other words, the Law Enforcement Agency for the new nation of Israel. That chosen community thereby was to model morality / civility to the surrounding nations.
Extremely severe penalties then were commanded by God in order to bring in line an Israeli community which tended to be unruly like its neighbors. If God had been lax in penalties, human nature, being what it is, would have tested gladly the boundaries. But when penalties were severe, human nature thought twice before testing the boundaries, hence the death penalty prescribed by God in some instances.
However, once Israel lost its nationhood by "going a-whoring after other loves", Israel's civil structure disappeared. Israel as a nation lost its temple, its government--that is, its two primary components of culture--religion and politics. Pagan nations then ruled over the heretofore nation of God. In this loss was the disappearance of death penalties previously prescribed by God. The death penalty period as dictated by divine revelation, in other words, ended near the close of the Old Testament era.
That is why when Jesus appeared as flesh-and-bones divine revelation, He pronounced, "You used to say, 'An eye for an eye', but now I say to you: Love your enemies." Jesus pronounced a civility of love toward one's enemies. "Love your foes, pray for your foes." This was the New Testament for it was now a new way of dealing with others--all others.
Government was now established primarily within the believer rather than under Israeli kings. "The Kingdom of God is within you." Law was now primarily of the heart. "My law will be written on your hearts." That was the new politic. Further, the tabernacle was now primarily the human frame: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." That was the new religion.
Therefore, for the New Testament Church Age, it is the law of love toward all--friends and foes. Jesus provided a simply stated ethic. He refused to garble it with amendments. But, one may ask: "What about these atrocious crimes and the death penalty?"
The biblical answer is still the same: love your friends and foes in Jesus. What kind of Christian love then can be shown to a multiple-murderer / rapist / arsonist / child molester? What kind of Christian love can be meted out to a Hitler?
It is a Christian tough love. Tough love keeps
the exceptional criminal alive but consigns that one to supervised environs without parole. Hopefully, even that exceptional criminal then may come upon redemption through Christ, yet never be placed in tempting circumstances whereby he again may do others and Himself harm.
Keeping the individual alive also allows the possibility that, realizing human justice systems to be flawed, that person in truth may be found innocent though originally pronounced guilty. Indeed, the future may prove this to be fact if new evidence is forthcoming. History has case files on those in the aforementioned category.
Reason this moral / ethical situation from God's perspective: Adam and Eve slew God's love when they played loose with Eden's snake. However, God did not slay them. Instead, God banished them to their own solitary isles of remorse, hoping at least for their eternal redemption.
You once slew God's love by going your own stubborn way. In reality, you pronounced yourself Lord of your life. It is a hurtful truth to you now that you are a believer; nevertheless, living once in sin and for sin, you were once that callused toward your own loving Creator. However, did God obliterate you? No, instead God searched you out, loved you even while you were enemy, in hopes of redeeming what was left of your destiny.
He now invites each Christian to live out that same kind of persevering, at-times-tough love toward all others--especially those who are Enemy. God has already walked for us the path of love-for-foes. We, of all creatures, should know this for sure. Praise be to a loving, merciful God!
He then invites us to join Him on that love path. He has walked it for us. He asks us now to walk it for others.
Scott Cundiff fits right in with the emergent church foolishness.
God is a “violent and genocidal child killer.”
God is deranged when he calls for “Noah’s flood, the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the slaughter of the Canaanites and Amalekites.”
The Old Testament deity is anathema to this Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene pastor who serves as moderator on “friend”-to-Nazarenes web site NazNet.
I wonder if Scott Cundiff preaches the above disconcerting suspicions regarding the Bible to his Sunday morning congregation. Of course, it is a small church so maybe those few don’t care what they get for a message.
And when it comes to Cundiff’s Sunday evening evangelistic messages, how can he present the biblical God when there are questions buzzing all around his head concerning the scriptural authority? Perhaps God messed up throughout the entire writ.
Cundiff writes on NazNet that perhaps there is an “’otherness’” to God. What that means is anyone’s guess. Surely God has declared His persona throughout Scripture for us to get the basic point that He is the perfect eternal balance between justice and mercy. However, Cundiff does not seem to get hold of that.
But I would wager that when it comes to preaching biblical sermons in Alvin he sticks to the Word. After all, there is a pastor’s salary check plus parsonage and benefits at stake here. So keep the old holiness preaching going full force. There’s money in it.
But on NazNet, Cundiff changes to a kiss up for liberals on site—some young, others older. And of course he can always depend on Netherlands’ favorite Hans Deventer to back up his agnosticism. And then there is NazNet founder/owner Dave McClung who permits the
two heretics to post anything they please on NazNet.
So there is an “’otherness’” to God that Cundiff can’t understand. Perhaps Cundidff should realize that mortal brains cannot grasp the wholeness of God. Perhaps Cundiff should also conclude that the Word is a divine revelation that will only be totally grasped in eternity when our understanding apparatus is perfect.
In the meantime, believers read the Word by faith. They live the Word by faith. They evangelize concerning the Word by faith.
And those who have not given up on the Word get to see more clearly the God of Scripture as the Holy Spirit gives understanding to the humble. For instance, read the footnote to understand how God can do what He did in the Old Testament time frame. There is reason to it all; but Cundiff gives up too quickly—as does Deventer and McClung plus their clique on NazNet.
Cundiff writes on NazNet: “Writing from a devotional point of view my take away is that there’s that about God, an ‘otherness’ that is beyond us and that passages like that (Old Testament verses) are reminders of that fact.”
However, Cundiff’s suspicions are okay for they keep him in line with his Wesleyan theology. He states that outright. As soon as someone can tell me how agnosticism with such disbelief in the God of Scripture lines up with holiness Wesleyan doctrine, let me know. But Cundfif has come upon the twosome wedding one another quite nicely.
“I find a solid Wesleyan perspective that helps me deal with the issue.” Again, what is the issue? It is that Cundiff cannot believe in the God of the Bible. Yet that baseline brings him closer to his Wesleyan understanding.
Truthfully, there is no tie between John Wesley’s teaching concerning the Bible’s God and Cunciff’s “’otherness.’” None.
Cundiff continues: “And van de Beek is right. No matter how hard one tries, it is impossible to reconcile the many commands to kill enemies in the Old Testament with the commands to love our enemies in the New.
“Even more difficult is the portrait painted of God as a violent and genocidal child killer in the Old Testament (Noah’s flood, the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the slaughter of the Canaanites and Amalekites), and in Christ the lover of children in the New.
“Van de Beek admits as much. He confesses that ‘The more one wants to let all of Scripture speak for itself . . . the more unclear the Bible becomes. The more we believe that the whole Word is revelation, the less we know who God is.’”
Cundiff states his belief in this Bible-throw-away. Sad, but true. And he’s right there in the Texas Bible belt (South Texas District/Church of the Nazarene) supposedly ministering the gospel to the unsaved.
So there you have the bottom line: Don’t read the Bible. Don’t study it. If you do, God dies on you.
FOOTNOTE: YES, YOU CAN BELIEVE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD
In the Old Testament, God commanded the death penalty in twenty-some cases. This was not because God was barbaric, but because God was civil. The Israeli twelve tribes had no law enforcement agencies. Further, they were surrounded by barbarisms of strange magnitudes exhibited by neighboring pagan nations.
Consequently, for God to establish an Israeli civil community, He set forth stringent punishments--some being the death penalty. He Himself became, in other words, the Law Enforcement Agency for the new nation of Israel. That chosen community thereby was to model morality / civility to the surrounding nations.
Extremely severe penalties then were commanded by God in order to bring in line an Israeli community which tended to be unruly like its neighbors. If God had been lax in penalties, human nature, being what it is, would have tested gladly the boundaries. But when penalties were severe, human nature thought twice before testing the boundaries, hence the death penalty prescribed by God in some instances.
However, once Israel lost its nationhood by "going a-whoring after other loves", Israel's civil structure disappeared. Israel as a nation lost its temple, its government--that is, its two primary components of culture--religion and politics. Pagan nations then ruled over the heretofore nation of God. In this loss was the disappearance of death penalties previously prescribed by God. The death penalty period as dictated by divine revelation, in other words, ended near the close of the Old Testament era.
That is why when Jesus appeared as flesh-and-bones divine revelation, He pronounced, "You used to say, 'An eye for an eye', but now I say to you: Love your enemies." Jesus pronounced a civility of love toward one's enemies. "Love your foes, pray for your foes." This was the New Testament for it was now a new way of dealing with others--all others.
Government was now established primarily within the believer rather than under Israeli kings. "The Kingdom of God is within you." Law was now primarily of the heart. "My law will be written on your hearts." That was the new politic. Further, the tabernacle was now primarily the human frame: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." That was the new religion.
Therefore, for the New Testament Church Age, it is the law of love toward all--friends and foes. Jesus provided a simply stated ethic. He refused to garble it with amendments. But, one may ask: "What about these atrocious crimes and the death penalty?"
The biblical answer is still the same: love your friends and foes in Jesus. What kind of Christian love then can be shown to a multiple-murderer / rapist / arsonist / child molester? What kind of Christian love can be meted out to a Hitler?
It is a Christian tough love. Tough love keeps
the exceptional criminal alive but consigns that one to supervised environs without parole. Hopefully, even that exceptional criminal then may come upon redemption through Christ, yet never be placed in tempting circumstances whereby he again may do others and Himself harm.
Keeping the individual alive also allows the possibility that, realizing human justice systems to be flawed, that person in truth may be found innocent though originally pronounced guilty. Indeed, the future may prove this to be fact if new evidence is forthcoming. History has case files on those in the aforementioned category.
Reason this moral / ethical situation from God's perspective: Adam and Eve slew God's love when they played loose with Eden's snake. However, God did not slay them. Instead, God banished them to their own solitary isles of remorse, hoping at least for their eternal redemption.
You once slew God's love by going your own stubborn way. In reality, you pronounced yourself Lord of your life. It is a hurtful truth to you now that you are a believer; nevertheless, living once in sin and for sin, you were once that callused toward your own loving Creator. However, did God obliterate you? No, instead God searched you out, loved you even while you were enemy, in hopes of redeeming what was left of your destiny.
He now invites each Christian to live out that same kind of persevering, at-times-tough love toward all others--especially those who are Enemy. God has already walked for us the path of love-for-foes. We, of all creatures, should know this for sure. Praise be to a loving, merciful God!
He then invites us to join Him on that love path. He has walked it for us. He asks us now to walk it for others.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
NAZNET ZAPS JESUS’ ACCEPTANCE OF SCRIPTURE
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet posts the Bible thrown out in favor of sweet-Jesus-only. No place for moral absolutes.
NazNet posts that when believers study Scripture God blurs out.
NazNet posts the Word error-riddled.
NazNet posts hope that all souls go to heaven—Unitarian’s universalism.
NazNet posts no hell but unsaved souls being burnt up at death.
NazNet posts an “intermediate state” after death.
NazNet posts writing your own religion according to your subjective whatevers, in other words “situation ethics” / moral relativism.
Question: What did Jesus believe about Scripture? Answer: He believed none of the above NazNet positions.
Jesus never questioned the divine inspiration or accuracy of Scripture.
On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus informed two travelers about Himself according to the Old Testament record.
Jesus warned more about hell than providing detail about heaven.
Jesus never spoke of an “intermediate state.” Jesus referred only to heaven and hell as the options for souls upon death.
Jesus accepted the historicity of Old Testament detail. For instance, Jesus accepted the reality of Abel’s existence. Further, He accepted Noah and the flood as having existed. He never questioned the existence of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Lot, Jonah, Daniel, and Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jesus accepted the fact that Moses wrote the books of law.
Jesus stated that Scripture was penned by mortals but inspired by God. Note Matthew 19:4, 5; 22:31, 32, 43; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37.
Jesus castigated those who remained ignorant of the Divine Word. Note Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24.
Jesus warned against slicing and dicing Scripture. He taught that one accepted by faith the Word of God as is. Note Matthew 5:17; 15:1–9; 22:29; (cf. 5:43, 44); Mark. 7:1–12.
Jesus Himself lived out Old Testament prophesies regarding Himself. In other words, Jesus personified the accuracy of Scripture. One cannot go further than that—living out via one’s own bodily existence the eternal truth of holy writ.
Jesus Himself IS the Word. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”
Is Jesus the Word errant? Is Jesus the Word prone to mistake? Is Jesus the Word riddled with suspicion? No. Jesus is the perfect image of God. He is the incarnation of deity.
Yet emergent church gurus as Brian McLaren want to toss out Scripture in favor of a love hug with Jesus alone. That cannot be done without coming under divine wrath. One cannot have Jesus without Scripture for Jesus is the Word in flesh and bones.
How clever of Satan to fool such individuals as McLaren and hysteriacs who follow him as the new Pied Piper. The fact is that the emergent heresy is nothing other than the old-line theological liberalism that has been around for centuries.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
ADDENDUM: JESUS THE WORD AS GOD
Jesus calls Himself God
Matthew 12:8
For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Mark 2:5-12
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, "Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee'; or to say, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?' But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins," (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) "I say unto thee, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.'" And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw it on this fashion.'
John 5:17-18
But Jesus answered them, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, "Verily, verily I say unto you, 'Before Abraham was, I am'." [compare with Exodus 3:14 - And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM," and he said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'I AM hath sent me unto you.'"]
John 10:30-33; 36-39
[Jesus said,] "I and my Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" 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." [Jesus said,] "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, 'Thou blasphemest'; because I said, 'I am the Son of God?' If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand...
John 13:13-14
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
Revelation 1:8
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending," saith the Lord, "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
Jesus is called God by others or by the Bible
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, "God with us".
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 20:26-29
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace be unto you." Then saith he to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." And Thomas answered and said unto him, "My Lord and my God." Jesus saith unto him, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
John 21:17
[Peter said to Jesus], "Lord, thou knowest all things."
Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Romans 9:5
Of [the Israelites] as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.
Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
All things created through Jesus (and thus He existed before everything)
John 1:1-5,9-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:12-20
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-8
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?' And again, 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?' And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, 'And let all the angels of God worship him.' And of the angels he saith, 'Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.' But unto the Son he saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.'
NazNet posts the Bible thrown out in favor of sweet-Jesus-only. No place for moral absolutes.
NazNet posts that when believers study Scripture God blurs out.
NazNet posts the Word error-riddled.
NazNet posts hope that all souls go to heaven—Unitarian’s universalism.
NazNet posts no hell but unsaved souls being burnt up at death.
NazNet posts an “intermediate state” after death.
NazNet posts writing your own religion according to your subjective whatevers, in other words “situation ethics” / moral relativism.
Question: What did Jesus believe about Scripture? Answer: He believed none of the above NazNet positions.
Jesus never questioned the divine inspiration or accuracy of Scripture.
On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus informed two travelers about Himself according to the Old Testament record.
Jesus warned more about hell than providing detail about heaven.
Jesus never spoke of an “intermediate state.” Jesus referred only to heaven and hell as the options for souls upon death.
Jesus accepted the historicity of Old Testament detail. For instance, Jesus accepted the reality of Abel’s existence. Further, He accepted Noah and the flood as having existed. He never questioned the existence of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Lot, Jonah, Daniel, and Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jesus accepted the fact that Moses wrote the books of law.
Jesus stated that Scripture was penned by mortals but inspired by God. Note Matthew 19:4, 5; 22:31, 32, 43; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37.
Jesus castigated those who remained ignorant of the Divine Word. Note Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24.
Jesus warned against slicing and dicing Scripture. He taught that one accepted by faith the Word of God as is. Note Matthew 5:17; 15:1–9; 22:29; (cf. 5:43, 44); Mark. 7:1–12.
Jesus Himself lived out Old Testament prophesies regarding Himself. In other words, Jesus personified the accuracy of Scripture. One cannot go further than that—living out via one’s own bodily existence the eternal truth of holy writ.
Jesus Himself IS the Word. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”
Is Jesus the Word errant? Is Jesus the Word prone to mistake? Is Jesus the Word riddled with suspicion? No. Jesus is the perfect image of God. He is the incarnation of deity.
Yet emergent church gurus as Brian McLaren want to toss out Scripture in favor of a love hug with Jesus alone. That cannot be done without coming under divine wrath. One cannot have Jesus without Scripture for Jesus is the Word in flesh and bones.
How clever of Satan to fool such individuals as McLaren and hysteriacs who follow him as the new Pied Piper. The fact is that the emergent heresy is nothing other than the old-line theological liberalism that has been around for centuries.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
ADDENDUM: JESUS THE WORD AS GOD
Jesus calls Himself God
Matthew 12:8
For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Mark 2:5-12
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, "Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee'; or to say, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?' But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins," (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) "I say unto thee, 'Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.'" And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw it on this fashion.'
John 5:17-18
But Jesus answered them, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, "Verily, verily I say unto you, 'Before Abraham was, I am'." [compare with Exodus 3:14 - And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM," and he said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'I AM hath sent me unto you.'"]
John 10:30-33; 36-39
[Jesus said,] "I and my Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" 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." [Jesus said,] "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, 'Thou blasphemest'; because I said, 'I am the Son of God?' If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand...
John 13:13-14
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
Revelation 1:8
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending," saith the Lord, "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
Jesus is called God by others or by the Bible
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, "God with us".
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 20:26-29
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace be unto you." Then saith he to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." And Thomas answered and said unto him, "My Lord and my God." Jesus saith unto him, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
John 21:17
[Peter said to Jesus], "Lord, thou knowest all things."
Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Romans 9:5
Of [the Israelites] as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.
Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
All things created through Jesus (and thus He existed before everything)
John 1:1-5,9-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:12-20
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-8
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?' And again, 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?' And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, 'And let all the angels of God worship him.' And of the angels he saith, 'Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.' But unto the Son he saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.'
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
NAZNET’S SWEET JESUS EMERGENT CRUCIFIES JESUS AFRESH
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Emergent mess-up guru Brian McLaren says that “objective truth” is to be discarded for a Jesus all-in-all love fest.
Does McLaren think this kiss up to Jesus is pleasing to Jesus?
McLaren stands on extremely dangerous ground when he makes Jesus is to be the Nice Guy Max so that Jesus’ own divine revelation can be canned. In other words, someone needs to warn McLaren that there’s a hell.
To make this whole diabolical scheme worse, a holiness denomination is in danger of imploding via NazNet, a web site founded by a political opportunist named Dave McClung.
NazNet, unofficial “friend” to the holiness Church of the Nazarene, endorses via moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff in particular the sidelining of Scripture. Deventer states outright that he does not believe the Bible. What then is important to Deventer? Jesus only.
Does Deventer do Jesus a kindness with that devil’s doctrinal blasphemy? Obviously not.
Cundiff goes so far as to state on NazNet that the more he reads the Bible, the less God comes into focus. God fades out the more biblical research is engaged. In other words, invite dust to cloak the Scriptures while God goes fish.
Both Deventer and Cundiff disparage Scripture to such a hellish degree. And all the while McClung baptizes these moderators as legitimate.
From what I read in the Bible, McLaren and clique sidelined, Jesus does not like that kind of religiosity. In fact, Jesus considers it hypocrisy.
Jesus is, frankly, angry this moment because of the McLaren crowd, including Deventer, Cundiff and McClung.
Judgment Day is coming down on this wayward crew. They will burn and burn some more forever, though none of them admit even the existence of an eternal hell. Deventer dismisses hell completely, unabashedly. The others do so by companionship with the heretics.
There is no Sweet Jesus apart from Scripture. There is no Nice Guy Jesus apart from divine revelation.
And for McLaren, who claims all religions are under the Jesus umbrella if one wants them to be, Jesus is not in agreement with that “exegesis.” It was Jesus who stated no one goes to God the Father but by Jesus, that HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Holding to Jesus is an exclusive cling, not a swing-and-sway your way with Jesus and Buddha and Confucius.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Emergent mess-up guru Brian McLaren says that “objective truth” is to be discarded for a Jesus all-in-all love fest.
Does McLaren think this kiss up to Jesus is pleasing to Jesus?
McLaren stands on extremely dangerous ground when he makes Jesus is to be the Nice Guy Max so that Jesus’ own divine revelation can be canned. In other words, someone needs to warn McLaren that there’s a hell.
To make this whole diabolical scheme worse, a holiness denomination is in danger of imploding via NazNet, a web site founded by a political opportunist named Dave McClung.
NazNet, unofficial “friend” to the holiness Church of the Nazarene, endorses via moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff in particular the sidelining of Scripture. Deventer states outright that he does not believe the Bible. What then is important to Deventer? Jesus only.
Does Deventer do Jesus a kindness with that devil’s doctrinal blasphemy? Obviously not.
Cundiff goes so far as to state on NazNet that the more he reads the Bible, the less God comes into focus. God fades out the more biblical research is engaged. In other words, invite dust to cloak the Scriptures while God goes fish.
Both Deventer and Cundiff disparage Scripture to such a hellish degree. And all the while McClung baptizes these moderators as legitimate.
From what I read in the Bible, McLaren and clique sidelined, Jesus does not like that kind of religiosity. In fact, Jesus considers it hypocrisy.
Jesus is, frankly, angry this moment because of the McLaren crowd, including Deventer, Cundiff and McClung.
Judgment Day is coming down on this wayward crew. They will burn and burn some more forever, though none of them admit even the existence of an eternal hell. Deventer dismisses hell completely, unabashedly. The others do so by companionship with the heretics.
There is no Sweet Jesus apart from Scripture. There is no Nice Guy Jesus apart from divine revelation.
And for McLaren, who claims all religions are under the Jesus umbrella if one wants them to be, Jesus is not in agreement with that “exegesis.” It was Jesus who stated no one goes to God the Father but by Jesus, that HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Holding to Jesus is an exclusive cling, not a swing-and-sway your way with Jesus and Buddha and Confucius.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
NAZNET’S DAVE MC CLUNG’S CRONYISM UPS EMERGENT DEVILMENT
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet’s founder Dave McClung furthers the emergent church fracas by way of his ongoing ecclesiastical power cronyism within the Church of the Nazarene.
McClung is wealthy as a successful businessman. At the same time, he has been a stroked layman placed on denominational prestigious boards, even serving as past-president of Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy MA.
That political opportunism permits McClung his favored status as NazNet founder in upping the emergent evil. McClung’s web site states he wants to foster “community.” He says NazNet is a “friend” to the holiness church.
Bosh.
NazNet squashes holy community within an evangelical church that is founded upon God’s call to the holy life.
NazNet does not enhance holiness of heart and life. The site disclaims biblical holiness by endorsing the emergent church’s claim that the Bible is sidelined while sweet Jesus is all that’s necessary. One can even bring under the Jesus tent all world religions, embracing whatever in Jesus love.
This is a blatant prostitution of the Jesus reality.
Do you see how far flung McClung’s cronyism within the Church of the Nazarene has brought the denomination into heresy via NazNet? It is blasphemy. It is diabolical.
Will the denominational leadership bring McClung to a “come to Jesus” agreement to expunge NazNet of heresies posted especially by moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff? If those denominational leaders do not do that, God will take care of the Church of the Nazarene in a most severe disciplinary manner. God being God, He is justice as well as mercy.
The emergent mess says that eternal absolutes are foolish, in the way, a nuisance. Emergent fuzz guru Brian McLaren states: “I believe people are saved not by objective truth, but by Jesus. Their faith isn’t in their knowledge, but in God.”
By “objective truth” he means “eternal, biblical absolutes.” In other words, McLaren and disciples believe in moral relativism—situation ethics. There are no “object truths.” None. Religion is all about being subjective—whatever you make “truth” to be, it is.
That is anti-Bible, antiChrist, anti-scriptural Christian theology. That is in-your-face old-time theological liberalism believed by Unitarians and all others disclaiming the Bible as the Word of God.
McClung’s site actually encourages this widespread devilment. How does he get by with it to this very moment? Why has he not been brought to task?
Remember: He is one of the power structure’s cronies. It’s politics, not truth, that counts with McClung and his clique.
That is being Pharisee groupie present-tense. McClung and colleagues stubbornly stand fast against God’s divine revelation.
I think there will be numerous Nazarenes standing quite stark naked, frosted in fear, at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Yet today they claim to be “holiness people.”
Such is the confusion of the times when it comes to holiness as defined by Scripture.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
NazNet’s founder Dave McClung furthers the emergent church fracas by way of his ongoing ecclesiastical power cronyism within the Church of the Nazarene.
McClung is wealthy as a successful businessman. At the same time, he has been a stroked layman placed on denominational prestigious boards, even serving as past-president of Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy MA.
That political opportunism permits McClung his favored status as NazNet founder in upping the emergent evil. McClung’s web site states he wants to foster “community.” He says NazNet is a “friend” to the holiness church.
Bosh.
NazNet squashes holy community within an evangelical church that is founded upon God’s call to the holy life.
NazNet does not enhance holiness of heart and life. The site disclaims biblical holiness by endorsing the emergent church’s claim that the Bible is sidelined while sweet Jesus is all that’s necessary. One can even bring under the Jesus tent all world religions, embracing whatever in Jesus love.
This is a blatant prostitution of the Jesus reality.
Do you see how far flung McClung’s cronyism within the Church of the Nazarene has brought the denomination into heresy via NazNet? It is blasphemy. It is diabolical.
Will the denominational leadership bring McClung to a “come to Jesus” agreement to expunge NazNet of heresies posted especially by moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff? If those denominational leaders do not do that, God will take care of the Church of the Nazarene in a most severe disciplinary manner. God being God, He is justice as well as mercy.
The emergent mess says that eternal absolutes are foolish, in the way, a nuisance. Emergent fuzz guru Brian McLaren states: “I believe people are saved not by objective truth, but by Jesus. Their faith isn’t in their knowledge, but in God.”
By “objective truth” he means “eternal, biblical absolutes.” In other words, McLaren and disciples believe in moral relativism—situation ethics. There are no “object truths.” None. Religion is all about being subjective—whatever you make “truth” to be, it is.
That is anti-Bible, antiChrist, anti-scriptural Christian theology. That is in-your-face old-time theological liberalism believed by Unitarians and all others disclaiming the Bible as the Word of God.
McClung’s site actually encourages this widespread devilment. How does he get by with it to this very moment? Why has he not been brought to task?
Remember: He is one of the power structure’s cronies. It’s politics, not truth, that counts with McClung and his clique.
That is being Pharisee groupie present-tense. McClung and colleagues stubbornly stand fast against God’s divine revelation.
I think there will be numerous Nazarenes standing quite stark naked, frosted in fear, at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Yet today they claim to be “holiness people.”
Such is the confusion of the times when it comes to holiness as defined by Scripture.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
NAZNET’S GURU BRIAN MCLAREN = ALL RELIGIONS OK
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
When a NazNet moderator posts that the Bible is not important, that’s apostasy.
Read NAZNET DEBUNKS SCRIPTURE at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-rejects-gods-infallible-word.html
When that moderator claims Jesus is The Only Item, downplaying Scripture, that’s apostasy.
Further, it is also old-fashioned theological liberalism, the type that I was taught long ago when a student at Harvard Divinity School.
Therefore, when NazNet moderators adopt Emerging Church Brian McClaren as their prime guru, they are embracing Unitarianism, the foundational theology that governs Harvard Divinity School.
Read NAZNET = MORE UNITARIAN THAN NAZARENE at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-more-unitarian-than-nazarene.html
How far then a “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, namely NazNet by its own advertisement, attempts to swing this holiness church into blasphemy.
Read DISASTER AREA: NAZNET DAVE MCCLUNG AXES COMMUNITY at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/disaster-area-naznet-dave-mcclung-axes.html
If Nazarenes go for the blasphemy, God will level His wrath upon the denomination. It will crumble. If Nazarene leaders do not weed out this demonic intrusion, the structure will disintegrate globally in short order.
Read NAZNET SNUBS GOD'S BIBLE TRUTH at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-snubs-gods-bible-truth.html
McClaren states: “. . . help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish contexts. . .”
That is theological liberalism—plain and obvious. It is not what evangelical biblical disciples hold to. Liberalism’s anti-Bible dogma is at the very opposite end of the evangelical spectrum.
Therefore, when NazNet claims moderators Hans Deventer’s and Scott Cundiff’s pro-McClaren conclusions as posh doctrine, NazNet betrays God, the Bible and the Church of the Nazarene.
Read NAZNET’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH EMERGING CHURCH at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznets-love-affair-with-emerging.html
Not only does Deventer betray his own church, but Cundiff betrays his own pastoral vows for he is the minister at the Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene.
His church’s web site portrays Cundiff as a “holiness preacher;” however, his NazNet Unitarian-type doctrinal positions are just the opposite of Nazarene teaching. In other words, Cundiff lives theologically a “double life” kept secret from his small congregation.
Read NAZNET PASTOR SCOTT CUNDIFF’S ‘DOUBLE-LIFE’ EXPOSED at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-pastor-scott-cundiffs-double_15.html
Garbled McClaren continues his mix-and-match beliefs with such nonsense as the following: “To help Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and everyone else experience life to the full in the way of Jesus (while learning it better myself), I would gladly become one of them (whoever they are), to whatever degree I can, to embrace them, to join them, to enter into their world without judgment. . .”
Do you get the wishy-washy feel of this swing-and-sway McClaren give-forth? It is gibberish. It is whatever-makes-you-feel-fuzzy religion. This infantile approach to doctrine is mirrored by the likes of Deventer and Cundiff on NazNet.
It is, however, more than that. It is a collection of belief statements that will damn McClaren’s soul, a popular false prophet in these confused times.
NazNet moderators who adopt McClaren’s false teachings are likewise in danger of damning their souls for they have wedded into his apostasy. They do more than that, however. They proclaim same on the Internet for the world to read, hoping the readers will agree with their devilment.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
When a NazNet moderator posts that the Bible is not important, that’s apostasy.
Read NAZNET DEBUNKS SCRIPTURE at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-rejects-gods-infallible-word.html
When that moderator claims Jesus is The Only Item, downplaying Scripture, that’s apostasy.
Further, it is also old-fashioned theological liberalism, the type that I was taught long ago when a student at Harvard Divinity School.
Therefore, when NazNet moderators adopt Emerging Church Brian McClaren as their prime guru, they are embracing Unitarianism, the foundational theology that governs Harvard Divinity School.
Read NAZNET = MORE UNITARIAN THAN NAZARENE at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-more-unitarian-than-nazarene.html
How far then a “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, namely NazNet by its own advertisement, attempts to swing this holiness church into blasphemy.
Read DISASTER AREA: NAZNET DAVE MCCLUNG AXES COMMUNITY at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/disaster-area-naznet-dave-mcclung-axes.html
If Nazarenes go for the blasphemy, God will level His wrath upon the denomination. It will crumble. If Nazarene leaders do not weed out this demonic intrusion, the structure will disintegrate globally in short order.
Read NAZNET SNUBS GOD'S BIBLE TRUTH at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-snubs-gods-bible-truth.html
McClaren states: “. . . help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish contexts. . .”
That is theological liberalism—plain and obvious. It is not what evangelical biblical disciples hold to. Liberalism’s anti-Bible dogma is at the very opposite end of the evangelical spectrum.
Therefore, when NazNet claims moderators Hans Deventer’s and Scott Cundiff’s pro-McClaren conclusions as posh doctrine, NazNet betrays God, the Bible and the Church of the Nazarene.
Read NAZNET’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH EMERGING CHURCH at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznets-love-affair-with-emerging.html
Not only does Deventer betray his own church, but Cundiff betrays his own pastoral vows for he is the minister at the Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene.
His church’s web site portrays Cundiff as a “holiness preacher;” however, his NazNet Unitarian-type doctrinal positions are just the opposite of Nazarene teaching. In other words, Cundiff lives theologically a “double life” kept secret from his small congregation.
Read NAZNET PASTOR SCOTT CUNDIFF’S ‘DOUBLE-LIFE’ EXPOSED at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/2010/02/naznet-pastor-scott-cundiffs-double_15.html
Garbled McClaren continues his mix-and-match beliefs with such nonsense as the following: “To help Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and everyone else experience life to the full in the way of Jesus (while learning it better myself), I would gladly become one of them (whoever they are), to whatever degree I can, to embrace them, to join them, to enter into their world without judgment. . .”
Do you get the wishy-washy feel of this swing-and-sway McClaren give-forth? It is gibberish. It is whatever-makes-you-feel-fuzzy religion. This infantile approach to doctrine is mirrored by the likes of Deventer and Cundiff on NazNet.
It is, however, more than that. It is a collection of belief statements that will damn McClaren’s soul, a popular false prophet in these confused times.
NazNet moderators who adopt McClaren’s false teachings are likewise in danger of damning their souls for they have wedded into his apostasy. They do more than that, however. They proclaim same on the Internet for the world to read, hoping the readers will agree with their devilment.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
NAZNET’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH EMERGING CHURCH
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
NazNet’s guru is Brian McLaren who states: “I believe people are saved not by objective truth, but by Jesus. Their faith isn’t in their knowledge, but in God.”
NazNet moderator Hans Deventer parrots this apostasy by stating Deventer does not believe the Bible, only the part about Jesus forgiving sins. Deventer, opportunist maximum, wants Jesus’ forgiveness to get into heaven. That’s all. Figures.
Deventer commits blasphemy by following Pied Piper McLaren rather than God’s infallible Bible. Deventer will pay at the Judgment Seat of Christ, as will all others who discount the divine revelation for their own egocentric “theologies.”
For McLaren to say he rejects “objective truth” is to state that he discards moral absolutes. That is exactly what the adolescent emergent church is built upon—the sand of their own situation ethics.
One does not throw away God’s absolutes in Scripture for a sweety notion of Nice Guy Jesus. That is anathema, yet McLaren and NazNet disciples fold right into such heresies.
NazNet founder Dave McClung does nothing to discount this on his web site. Instead, McClung along with other moderators such as Scott Cundiff and former moderator Barbara Moulton say Amen to it.
Do not these mortals factor in the Judgment Seat of Christ? They were all reared in the Scripture; now they throw the Bible to the winds for their own moral relativism.
McLaren states: “I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion.” McLaren espouses one world religion, as does NazNet.
Yet NazNet claims to be a “friend” to the holiness Church of the Nazarene. What will the Board of General Superintendents, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Nazarene Theology School, Nazarene Bible College and Nazarene college religion department heads do about such heretical intrusions?
Time will tell.
Thus far, McClung and clique have relied on their political cronyism to keep them intact with the power structures throughout the denomination. Will that continue? If so, God’s wrath will descend upon the church. God will not tolerate blasphemy.
Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene Pastor Scott Cundiff in particular is enamored by the likes of McLaren. Cundiff posts on NazNet that the more he studies Scripture, the less he knows God. He states that when meditating on this concept, it keeps him more in line with his Wesleyan theology.
Is that not crazy? Is that not evil? Wesleyan theology siding up to discounting the Bible as divine revelation? Wesleyan teaching a companion to moral relativism?
NazNet is one of the most dangerous web sites on the Internet in that it slices and dices the biblical call to heart holiness—the highest calling from the divine.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at [url=http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/]http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/[/url]
FOOTNOTE: JUDGMENT DAY
Hebrews 9:27:
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment.
Matthew 7:21-23: the words of Christ:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 12:36-37: the words of Christ:
But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Romans 2:6-11:
God who will render to every man according to his deed: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immorality, eternal life; But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor and peace to every man that worked good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.
Romans 14:10-12:
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
I Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsel of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
II Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Numbers 32:23:
Be sure your sin will find you out.
NazNet’s guru is Brian McLaren who states: “I believe people are saved not by objective truth, but by Jesus. Their faith isn’t in their knowledge, but in God.”
NazNet moderator Hans Deventer parrots this apostasy by stating Deventer does not believe the Bible, only the part about Jesus forgiving sins. Deventer, opportunist maximum, wants Jesus’ forgiveness to get into heaven. That’s all. Figures.
Deventer commits blasphemy by following Pied Piper McLaren rather than God’s infallible Bible. Deventer will pay at the Judgment Seat of Christ, as will all others who discount the divine revelation for their own egocentric “theologies.”
For McLaren to say he rejects “objective truth” is to state that he discards moral absolutes. That is exactly what the adolescent emergent church is built upon—the sand of their own situation ethics.
One does not throw away God’s absolutes in Scripture for a sweety notion of Nice Guy Jesus. That is anathema, yet McLaren and NazNet disciples fold right into such heresies.
NazNet founder Dave McClung does nothing to discount this on his web site. Instead, McClung along with other moderators such as Scott Cundiff and former moderator Barbara Moulton say Amen to it.
Do not these mortals factor in the Judgment Seat of Christ? They were all reared in the Scripture; now they throw the Bible to the winds for their own moral relativism.
McLaren states: “I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion.” McLaren espouses one world religion, as does NazNet.
Yet NazNet claims to be a “friend” to the holiness Church of the Nazarene. What will the Board of General Superintendents, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Nazarene Theology School, Nazarene Bible College and Nazarene college religion department heads do about such heretical intrusions?
Time will tell.
Thus far, McClung and clique have relied on their political cronyism to keep them intact with the power structures throughout the denomination. Will that continue? If so, God’s wrath will descend upon the church. God will not tolerate blasphemy.
Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene Pastor Scott Cundiff in particular is enamored by the likes of McLaren. Cundiff posts on NazNet that the more he studies Scripture, the less he knows God. He states that when meditating on this concept, it keeps him more in line with his Wesleyan theology.
Is that not crazy? Is that not evil? Wesleyan theology siding up to discounting the Bible as divine revelation? Wesleyan teaching a companion to moral relativism?
NazNet is one of the most dangerous web sites on the Internet in that it slices and dices the biblical call to heart holiness—the highest calling from the divine.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at [url=http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/]http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/[/url]
FOOTNOTE: JUDGMENT DAY
Hebrews 9:27:
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment.
Matthew 7:21-23: the words of Christ:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 12:36-37: the words of Christ:
But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Romans 2:6-11:
God who will render to every man according to his deed: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immorality, eternal life; But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor and peace to every man that worked good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.
Romans 14:10-12:
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
I Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsel of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
II Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Numbers 32:23:
Be sure your sin will find you out.
NAZNET NIXES THE SAVED = PRONTO HEAVEN
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Apostle Paul writes: “We are confident. . .to be absent from the body (is) to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
NazNet moderator Hans Deventer states that when one dies the soul goes into an “intermediate state,” whatever that means. The saved soul, per Deventer, does not go “to be present with the Lord.”
Deventer does not mind discounting the Bible. When in his whim, he does so frequently on NazNet.
Yet NazNet is represented as “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, per web site founder Dave McClung. That church does not teach an “intermediate state” upon death.
The Church of the Nazarene has always held to the biblical data of the saved going immediately to heaven and the unsaved going immediately to hell.
Deventer makes up his anti-Bible “theology” as he goes along his moderator trail. He posts that he does not believe the Bible, for instance. What he does believe in that Book deals only with Jesus’ mercy for obviously Hans wants to go where Jesus is when Deventer dies.
However, because Deventer contradicts himself throughout NazNet, upon death he cannot go where Jesus is until Deventer first passes through his “intermediate state.”
By the way, Deventer posts on NazNet that the unsaved souls are annihilated. However, once again confusion reigns. Does the unsaved soul first go to an “intermediate state” before being annihilated?
Deventer discounts such biblical warnings concerning hell: Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 7:13; 10:28; 13:38-42, 49-50; 23:15, 33; 25:28-41, 46; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:5; 16:23-26; II Thessalonians 1:9; James 3:6; II Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 9:1-2, 14:10-11; 19:20; 20:10, 13-15; 21:8.
Does McClung do anything about Deventer’s heresies? No. McClung permits them to remain on NazNet.
Yet McClung is esteemed by the Church of the Nazarene as an outstanding wealthy layman, even appointing him to prestigious denominational boards as well as one-time President of Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, MA.
The sad picture then comes into focus: McClung has ingratiated himself politically into the ecclesiastical machine so as to be permitted trashing the Bible as well as destroying the denominational foundations.
In short, politics counts more than biblical truth. Just another travesty of these confusing religious times.
FOOTNOTE: HEAVEN
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. II Corinthians 5:8
Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:34
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. I Corinthians 2:9
Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:l6
Jesus said: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. John 11:25
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. II Corinthians 5:1
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11
This is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life. I John 2:25
He who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:8
Jesus said: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. . . John 10:27-28
Apostle Paul writes: “We are confident. . .to be absent from the body (is) to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
NazNet moderator Hans Deventer states that when one dies the soul goes into an “intermediate state,” whatever that means. The saved soul, per Deventer, does not go “to be present with the Lord.”
Deventer does not mind discounting the Bible. When in his whim, he does so frequently on NazNet.
Yet NazNet is represented as “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, per web site founder Dave McClung. That church does not teach an “intermediate state” upon death.
The Church of the Nazarene has always held to the biblical data of the saved going immediately to heaven and the unsaved going immediately to hell.
Deventer makes up his anti-Bible “theology” as he goes along his moderator trail. He posts that he does not believe the Bible, for instance. What he does believe in that Book deals only with Jesus’ mercy for obviously Hans wants to go where Jesus is when Deventer dies.
However, because Deventer contradicts himself throughout NazNet, upon death he cannot go where Jesus is until Deventer first passes through his “intermediate state.”
By the way, Deventer posts on NazNet that the unsaved souls are annihilated. However, once again confusion reigns. Does the unsaved soul first go to an “intermediate state” before being annihilated?
Deventer discounts such biblical warnings concerning hell: Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 7:13; 10:28; 13:38-42, 49-50; 23:15, 33; 25:28-41, 46; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:5; 16:23-26; II Thessalonians 1:9; James 3:6; II Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 9:1-2, 14:10-11; 19:20; 20:10, 13-15; 21:8.
Does McClung do anything about Deventer’s heresies? No. McClung permits them to remain on NazNet.
Yet McClung is esteemed by the Church of the Nazarene as an outstanding wealthy layman, even appointing him to prestigious denominational boards as well as one-time President of Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, MA.
The sad picture then comes into focus: McClung has ingratiated himself politically into the ecclesiastical machine so as to be permitted trashing the Bible as well as destroying the denominational foundations.
In short, politics counts more than biblical truth. Just another travesty of these confusing religious times.
FOOTNOTE: HEAVEN
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. II Corinthians 5:8
Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:34
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. I Corinthians 2:9
Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:l6
Jesus said: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. John 11:25
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. II Corinthians 5:1
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11
This is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life. I John 2:25
He who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:8
Jesus said: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. . . John 10:27-28
Sunday, February 21, 2010
NAZNET DEBUNKS SCRIPTURE
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
God Himself attests to His Word being perfect:
2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit cannot provide an imperfect revelation. Those who regard the Bible as error-prone are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, the Scripture’s Author.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Note that the word “all” is used. “All Scripture is God-breathed. . .” Yet mortals would breathe upon the Bible to disregard what they don’t like and keep what they do like. That is the height of hubris and will answer at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”
Note the words “every word” are used. “Every word of God is flawless. . .”
John 12:47-50 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."
Note: “. . .whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” The Father cannot be mistaken, though some mortals claim Him to be in His ability to communication divine revelation.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Note that “. . .the word of God. . .judges the thoughts. . .” Those discounting the divine revelation set forth in the Scriptures will regret the moment they ever started on that course.
Jeremiah 23:29 "’Is not My word like fire?’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer which shatters a rock?’”
John 12:48 "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
Rejecting the inerrant Word of God will convict the rebellious one at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Psalms 12:6: ". . .the words of the LORD are flawless."
Can God speak more clearly than that?
Psalms 119:89: "Your word, O LORD, is eternal, it stands firm."
Dare one earthly mortal contest the eternal truth of divine revelation?
Matthew 5:18: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Christ is most efficient in His overview of the divine inspiration. “. . .one jot or one tittle. . .”
John 10:35: "...and the scripture cannot be broken."
Those who break the Word of God will be broken by it at the Last Day.
Revelation 22:18-19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
What applies to this divine revelation by extrapolation applies to any divine revelation throughout the Word of God.
What about the severe passages in the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament, God commanded the death penalty in twenty-some cases. This was not because God was barbaric, but because God was civil. The Israeli twelve tribes had no law enforcement agencies. Further, they were surrounded by barbarisms of strange magnitudes exhibited by neighboring pagan nations.
Consequently, for God to establish an Israeli civil community, He set forth stringent punishments--some being the death penalty. He Himself became, in other words, the Law Enforcement Agency for the new nation of Israel. That chosen community thereby was to model morality / civility to the surrounding nations.
Extremely severe penalties then were commanded by God in order to bring in line an Israeli community which tended to be unruly like its neighbors. If God had been lax in penalties, human nature, being what it is, would have tested gladly the boundaries. But when penalties were severe, human nature thought twice before testing the boundaries, hence the death penalty prescribed by God in some instances.
However, once Israel lost its nationhood by "going a-whoring after other loves", Israel's civil structure disappeared. Israel as a nation lost its temple, its government--that is, its two primary components of culture--religion and politics. Pagan nations then ruled over the heretofore nation of God. In this loss was the disappearance of death penalties previously prescribed by God. The death penalty period as dictated by divine revelation, in other words, ended near the close of the Old Testament era.
That is why when Jesus appeared as flesh-and-bones divine revelation, He pronounced, "You used to say, 'An eye for an eye', but now I say to you: Love your enemies." Jesus pronounced a civility of love toward one's enemies. "Love your foes, pray for your foes." This was the New Testament for it was now a new way of dealing with others--all others.
Government was now established primarily within the believer rather than under Israeli kings. "The Kingdom of God is within you." Law was now primarily of the heart. "My law will be written on your hearts." That was the new politic. Further, the tabernacle was now primarily the human frame: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." That was the new religion.
Therefore, for the New Testament Church Age, it is the law of love toward all--friends and foes. Jesus provided a simply stated ethic. He refused to garble it with amendments. But, one may ask: "What about these atrocious crimes and the death penalty?"
The biblical answer is still the same: love your friends and foes in Jesus. What kind of Christian love then can be shown to a multiple-murderer / rapist / arsonist / child molester? What kind of Christian love can be meted out to a Hitler?
It is a Christian tough love. Tough love keeps the exceptional criminal alive but consigns that one to supervised environs without parole. Hopefully, even that exceptional criminal then may come upon redemption through Christ, yet never be placed in tempting circumstances whereby he again may do others and Himself harm.
Keeping the individual alive also allows the possibility that, realizing human justice systems to be flawed, that person in truth may be found innocent though originally pronounced guilty. Indeed, the future may prove this to be fact if new evidence is forthcoming. History has case files on those in the aforementioned category.
Reason this moral / ethical situation from God's perspective: Adam and Eve slew God's love when they played loose with Eden's snake. However, God did not slay them. Instead, God banished them to their own solitary isles of remorse, hoping at least for their eternal redemption.
You once slew God's love by going your own stubborn way. In reality, you pronounced yourself Lord of your life. It is a hurtful truth to you now that you are a believer; nevertheless, living once in sin and for sin, you were once that callused toward your own loving Creator. However, did God obliterate you? No, instead God searched you out, loved you even while you were enemy, in hopes of redeeming what was left of your destiny.
He now invites each Christian to live out that same kind of persevering, at-times-tough love toward all others--especially those who are Enemy. God has already walked for us the path of love-for-foes. We, of all creatures, should know this for sure. Praise be to a loving, merciful God!
He then invites us to join Him on that love path. He has walked it for us. He asks us now to walk it for others.
FOOTNOTE: JUDGMENT DAY
Hebrews 9:27:
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment.
Matthew 7:21-23: the words of Christ:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 12:36-37: the words of Christ:
But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Romans 2:6-11:
God who will render to every man according to his deed: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immorality, eternal life; But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor and peace to every man that worked good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.
Romans 14:10-12:
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
I Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsel of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
II Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Numbers 32:23:
Be sure your sin will find you out.
God Himself attests to His Word being perfect:
2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit cannot provide an imperfect revelation. Those who regard the Bible as error-prone are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, the Scripture’s Author.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Note that the word “all” is used. “All Scripture is God-breathed. . .” Yet mortals would breathe upon the Bible to disregard what they don’t like and keep what they do like. That is the height of hubris and will answer at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”
Note the words “every word” are used. “Every word of God is flawless. . .”
John 12:47-50 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."
Note: “. . .whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” The Father cannot be mistaken, though some mortals claim Him to be in His ability to communication divine revelation.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Note that “. . .the word of God. . .judges the thoughts. . .” Those discounting the divine revelation set forth in the Scriptures will regret the moment they ever started on that course.
Jeremiah 23:29 "’Is not My word like fire?’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer which shatters a rock?’”
John 12:48 "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
Rejecting the inerrant Word of God will convict the rebellious one at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Psalms 12:6: ". . .the words of the LORD are flawless."
Can God speak more clearly than that?
Psalms 119:89: "Your word, O LORD, is eternal, it stands firm."
Dare one earthly mortal contest the eternal truth of divine revelation?
Matthew 5:18: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Christ is most efficient in His overview of the divine inspiration. “. . .one jot or one tittle. . .”
John 10:35: "...and the scripture cannot be broken."
Those who break the Word of God will be broken by it at the Last Day.
Revelation 22:18-19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
What applies to this divine revelation by extrapolation applies to any divine revelation throughout the Word of God.
What about the severe passages in the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament, God commanded the death penalty in twenty-some cases. This was not because God was barbaric, but because God was civil. The Israeli twelve tribes had no law enforcement agencies. Further, they were surrounded by barbarisms of strange magnitudes exhibited by neighboring pagan nations.
Consequently, for God to establish an Israeli civil community, He set forth stringent punishments--some being the death penalty. He Himself became, in other words, the Law Enforcement Agency for the new nation of Israel. That chosen community thereby was to model morality / civility to the surrounding nations.
Extremely severe penalties then were commanded by God in order to bring in line an Israeli community which tended to be unruly like its neighbors. If God had been lax in penalties, human nature, being what it is, would have tested gladly the boundaries. But when penalties were severe, human nature thought twice before testing the boundaries, hence the death penalty prescribed by God in some instances.
However, once Israel lost its nationhood by "going a-whoring after other loves", Israel's civil structure disappeared. Israel as a nation lost its temple, its government--that is, its two primary components of culture--religion and politics. Pagan nations then ruled over the heretofore nation of God. In this loss was the disappearance of death penalties previously prescribed by God. The death penalty period as dictated by divine revelation, in other words, ended near the close of the Old Testament era.
That is why when Jesus appeared as flesh-and-bones divine revelation, He pronounced, "You used to say, 'An eye for an eye', but now I say to you: Love your enemies." Jesus pronounced a civility of love toward one's enemies. "Love your foes, pray for your foes." This was the New Testament for it was now a new way of dealing with others--all others.
Government was now established primarily within the believer rather than under Israeli kings. "The Kingdom of God is within you." Law was now primarily of the heart. "My law will be written on your hearts." That was the new politic. Further, the tabernacle was now primarily the human frame: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." That was the new religion.
Therefore, for the New Testament Church Age, it is the law of love toward all--friends and foes. Jesus provided a simply stated ethic. He refused to garble it with amendments. But, one may ask: "What about these atrocious crimes and the death penalty?"
The biblical answer is still the same: love your friends and foes in Jesus. What kind of Christian love then can be shown to a multiple-murderer / rapist / arsonist / child molester? What kind of Christian love can be meted out to a Hitler?
It is a Christian tough love. Tough love keeps the exceptional criminal alive but consigns that one to supervised environs without parole. Hopefully, even that exceptional criminal then may come upon redemption through Christ, yet never be placed in tempting circumstances whereby he again may do others and Himself harm.
Keeping the individual alive also allows the possibility that, realizing human justice systems to be flawed, that person in truth may be found innocent though originally pronounced guilty. Indeed, the future may prove this to be fact if new evidence is forthcoming. History has case files on those in the aforementioned category.
Reason this moral / ethical situation from God's perspective: Adam and Eve slew God's love when they played loose with Eden's snake. However, God did not slay them. Instead, God banished them to their own solitary isles of remorse, hoping at least for their eternal redemption.
You once slew God's love by going your own stubborn way. In reality, you pronounced yourself Lord of your life. It is a hurtful truth to you now that you are a believer; nevertheless, living once in sin and for sin, you were once that callused toward your own loving Creator. However, did God obliterate you? No, instead God searched you out, loved you even while you were enemy, in hopes of redeeming what was left of your destiny.
He now invites each Christian to live out that same kind of persevering, at-times-tough love toward all others--especially those who are Enemy. God has already walked for us the path of love-for-foes. We, of all creatures, should know this for sure. Praise be to a loving, merciful God!
He then invites us to join Him on that love path. He has walked it for us. He asks us now to walk it for others.
FOOTNOTE: JUDGMENT DAY
Hebrews 9:27:
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment.
Matthew 7:21-23: the words of Christ:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 12:36-37: the words of Christ:
But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Romans 2:6-11:
God who will render to every man according to his deed: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immorality, eternal life; But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor and peace to every man that worked good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.
Romans 14:10-12:
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
I Corinthians 4:5:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsel of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
II Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Numbers 32:23:
Be sure your sin will find you out.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
NAZARENE LEADERS CONCERNED RE NAZNET HERESIES
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Many within the Church of the Nazarene have not been aware of NazNet heresies on founder Dave McClung’s web site. This site says it is a “friend” to the denomination, though it is a prime enemy to Nazarene theology and practice.
Now Nazarene leaders have been informed concerning the NazNet undermining.
The Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, General Secretary and Department Heads have received the data.
The Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas
City, Missouri, administration and staff likewise have specifics concerning the site’s blatant posts advocating, for instance, the annihilation of unsaved souls at death.
These posts state there is no eternal damnation for the unsaved; instead, there is universal salvation. In other words, all souls go to heaven though the Bible warns just the opposite.
So have the Nazarene Bible College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, administration and faculty now been informed of numerous anti-Bible posts debunking faith in the Scripture as the Word of God. NazNet is openly suspicious of holy writ, concluding one’s doubt is a virtue rather than total faith in divine revelation.
Numerous Nazarene District Superintendents received explicit detail relating NazNet statements advocating, for example, that upon death souls go to an “intermediate state.” The Church of the Nazarene has never preached such a Catholic teaching. Yet that is posted on NazNet.
Apparently countless Nazarenes have believed NazNet’s byline that it is cordial to the holiness church. It is not. Instead, McClung and moderators have taken advantage of the Nazarene’s trust in order to propagate anti-Bible inroads.
Now Nazarene leaders and academicians know that NazNet cannot be blindly accepted as a companion to the church. McClung, having built up a personal trust politically and socially within the denomination, has done the church a grave disfavor. He has misused his relationships within the Church of the Nazarene.
McClung should have expunged these heresies a long time ago. He should have appointed only moderators who were biblically faithful in agreement with the Wesleyan holiness doctrines.
In that, McClung has failed miserably. And now we have in these confused times a site that undermines the very fundamentals upon which the Church of the Nazarene was built upon since its inception in 1908.
One of the most blatant intrusions focuses on Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene Pastor Scott Cundiff. On his church’s web site he makes his pastorate appear as a congregation in tune with the “classic southern gospel style.”
Nazarenes reading that would assume that Cundiff’s preaching and teaching are loyal to the traditional Nazarene understanding of Wesleyan theology.
However, when moderator on NazNet, Cundiff changes from Alvin Texas web site Nazarene loyalist to cavalier theological liberal.
He is one of the most adamant in posting suspicions concerning the Bible as God’s infallible Word. He does not trust the Scriptures to be without error. In fact, he holds that the more one reads the error-prone Word, the less one knows God.
This is heresy. It is blasphemy.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
Many within the Church of the Nazarene have not been aware of NazNet heresies on founder Dave McClung’s web site. This site says it is a “friend” to the denomination, though it is a prime enemy to Nazarene theology and practice.
Now Nazarene leaders have been informed concerning the NazNet undermining.
The Church of the Nazarene Board of General Superintendents, General Secretary and Department Heads have received the data.
The Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas
City, Missouri, administration and staff likewise have specifics concerning the site’s blatant posts advocating, for instance, the annihilation of unsaved souls at death.
These posts state there is no eternal damnation for the unsaved; instead, there is universal salvation. In other words, all souls go to heaven though the Bible warns just the opposite.
So have the Nazarene Bible College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, administration and faculty now been informed of numerous anti-Bible posts debunking faith in the Scripture as the Word of God. NazNet is openly suspicious of holy writ, concluding one’s doubt is a virtue rather than total faith in divine revelation.
Numerous Nazarene District Superintendents received explicit detail relating NazNet statements advocating, for example, that upon death souls go to an “intermediate state.” The Church of the Nazarene has never preached such a Catholic teaching. Yet that is posted on NazNet.
Apparently countless Nazarenes have believed NazNet’s byline that it is cordial to the holiness church. It is not. Instead, McClung and moderators have taken advantage of the Nazarene’s trust in order to propagate anti-Bible inroads.
Now Nazarene leaders and academicians know that NazNet cannot be blindly accepted as a companion to the church. McClung, having built up a personal trust politically and socially within the denomination, has done the church a grave disfavor. He has misused his relationships within the Church of the Nazarene.
McClung should have expunged these heresies a long time ago. He should have appointed only moderators who were biblically faithful in agreement with the Wesleyan holiness doctrines.
In that, McClung has failed miserably. And now we have in these confused times a site that undermines the very fundamentals upon which the Church of the Nazarene was built upon since its inception in 1908.
One of the most blatant intrusions focuses on Alvin Texas Church of the Nazarene Pastor Scott Cundiff. On his church’s web site he makes his pastorate appear as a congregation in tune with the “classic southern gospel style.”
Nazarenes reading that would assume that Cundiff’s preaching and teaching are loyal to the traditional Nazarene understanding of Wesleyan theology.
However, when moderator on NazNet, Cundiff changes from Alvin Texas web site Nazarene loyalist to cavalier theological liberal.
He is one of the most adamant in posting suspicions concerning the Bible as God’s infallible Word. He does not trust the Scriptures to be without error. In fact, he holds that the more one reads the error-prone Word, the less one knows God.
This is heresy. It is blasphemy.
Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/
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