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.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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/
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