Month: December 2007

Theological Books: Year In Review

It’s the last day of the year, which means I go through the two lists I keep and reflect. I keep a list of biking miles, which were low since I began running. Only had about 2,300 miles.

My other list is books I’ve read, which was also low because I didn’t read as much. Seriously, that’s why. But I read 12,627 pages in 51 books (average book length of 248 pages), 31 of which were theological in nature.

The best Theological Books I read this year were:

The Soul Winner by Charles Spurgeon
The Grace of God by Charles Ryrie. See a few quotes here, here and here
The Power of Loving Your Church by David Hansen

The worst Theological books I read this year were:

The Prophecy Survival Guide by Russ Doughton
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Prayer by Philip Yancey

It hurts me to put Philip Yancey in the “worst” category but I really didn’t like that book. I also could have included the book, Reading Judas, about the Gospel of Judas but it was so awful I couldn’t bring myself to list it as a Theological Book without feeling dirty all over.

I read a lot of theological books and I keep a record of them and my opinions of them so if you have a book and are wondering what I think of it, send me an email (jcweddle1 at juno.com) and I’ll let you know.

To save you some time, I’ll let you know what theological books I don’t read and the reasons why I don’t read them.

1) Any with female authors: happens very rarely. I have had very bad experiences with theological books written by women and I have to seriously have the threat of violence on my life to read another one.

2) Any with covenant theologian authors: Covenant Theology annoys me with its non-literalness and sloppy use of Scripture that turns God into a kind of trickster, fooling with the Jewish folks.

3) Any with the name “Jabez” in the title, no reason necessary.

4) Any written by authors whose names rhyme with Osteen, Schuller, Hinn, Jakes, or Lucado.

Pagan Christianity

George Barna and Frank Viola have a new book coming our called Pagan Christianity. I’ve seen it talked about in a few places. Here is the most complete review I have seen of it.

The basic point is that the modern church is just paganism warmed over and most of what institutional Christianity does is not based on Scripture.

I’d more or less agree. Although the concept of paid pastors certainly seems to be a biblical idea (1 Timothy 5:17,18; 1 Corinthians 9:9-11) that they dismiss and I’m not just saying that because I am a paid pastor. I would concur that pastor salaries are way over board, as I’ve made clear in the past.

Anyway, looks like an interesting read.

Hell Is Full Of “Good Christian Folks”

A sobering reality of Matthew 23 is that those who look the most righteous are the ones going to hell! Those who follow these “righteous leaders” are “twice the children of hell” (23:15).

Jesus never spoke to harlots or publicans or any other sinner as harshly as He did to the religious leaders, the Pharisees, the righteous looking guys.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us to let our good works be seen of men so they can glorify our Father (Matthew 5:16). In chapter six He says to do all your religious deeds (prayer, alms giving, fasting) in private so no one sees them.

The Pharisee religious leaders did the opposite: their religious deeds were out in the open before men and they had no good works for anyone to see.

Good, religious people go to hell. The more religious a person looks the more they may be in danger. It’s easier to be religious than it is to do good works.

Good works are based on love and love is tough. Love cost Christ His life and it’ll cost you yours too (Romans 15:1-3).

There’s a fine line between looking good and doing good. The difference determines your eternity.

Religious Teachers Have Hot Seats

I preached on Matthew 23 on Christmas Sunday as it was the next chapter in my series on Matthew. Found it beautiful how the Spirit led me to Jesus’ screed against religion for the Christmas Sunday message!

The chapter’s point is that religious leaders are going to go to hell because they are about themselves rather than God. Even in the midst of their condemnation, Jesus says this:

“Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (13:3)

He tells the people to continue listening to these religious leaders He is condemning to hell! The reason why is because they are saying fine things, the problem is that they don’t believe them or do them.

If you are a teacher be sure you teach the Word, believe the Word and do the Word. If you can’t, then don’t be a teacher.

As a learner, do what the Bible says, not what your teacher does, unless of course you have a good teacher who actually does it. In fact, if your teacher does not do what he teaches, be very careful.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5).

You can learn from anyone, but you can learn more from teachers who have learned the lesson first. You can tell who these teachers are by whether they do what they teach. You will know them by their fruits. Quite simple really.

The Pope’s Exorcists

The Pope has ordered his bishops to set up exorcism squads to tackle the rise of Satanism. They have introduced courses for priests to combat what they call the most extreme form of “Godlessness.”

“Too many bishops are not taking this seriously and are not delegating their priests in the fight against the Devil. You have to hunt high and low for a properly trained exorcist.”

Ironically enough Paul tells us exactly how to counter “godlessness” in 1 Timothy 6. If we want folks to live godly they have to live apart from riches and worldly goods. Pretty simple.

One look at the hat tells us that Mr. Pope may be a tad into worldliness and a facilitator of ungodliness. Just a theory.

Preaching Prophecy

I’m preaching on Matthew 24, the signs of the end in Jesus’ words, on Sunday and am having some fun with it. Teaching prophecy it’s going to take you some study time.

Looking at commentaries is not always helpful when studying prophecy. Everyone has a different take on what Christ is talking about in Matthew 24.

Here is my conclusion on why there is so much disagreement on prophecy:

1) Prophecy can only be understood by dealing with all that the Bible says about prophecy.

2) Knowing all the Bible takes a long time.

3) Most people don’t want to spend that amount of time, therefore, everyone thinks prophecy is confusing.

However, if you look at the scriptures dealing with prophecy they explain each other. You can’t preach Matthew 24 without Daniel 9 and 11 and Revelation 7 and 14 and various other passages, like 2 Thessalonians 2.

Instead of reading all that, we just find our favorite prophecy guy who is copying his favorite prophecy guy because he doesn’t want to read the whole Bible either, and we repeat whatever those other guys said.

Much confusion has ensued and it need not be that way. It’s sad really because God wrote it for a reason and we miss the reason if we miss the message.

(And, yes, I am studying prophecy on a Friday night. Who says pastors don’t know how to part-ay.)

Jesus The Arsonist

The man who admitted to police and firefighters that he set fire to a west side home told officials he was Jesus and set the fire to “crucify” the home to get rid of evil spirits in the house.

So, this is the second coming of Christ eh? Isaiah does talk about Christ coming with fire, but I guess I was expecting more than just one house to go up in flames. Oh well, I’m ready when He is.

Priest Fight!

Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into each other with fists, brooms and iron rods while the photographers who had come to take pictures of the annual cleaning ceremony recorded the whole event.

Everything I think about religion is backed up fully by this story: much ado about man. Jesus was pretty smart and sums up this story nicely 1970 some years before it even happened.

Jesus On Bathroom Door

I guess being laid in a manger as a baby wasn’t humiliating enough for our humble Savior. he has now shown up on the door of a pastor’s bathroom.

Pastor’s Wife wasn’t so excited about Jesus looking at her in the bathroom, “At first it was like I didn’t want it to be there. And then it became more loving,” she says. “It’s a reminder, I guess. I know that’s not Jesus. I see Jesus in heaven and in my heart. But it was a reminder of his love.”

The pastor is just giddy with the possibilities. “I think that’s what society needs,” Pastor Berndt says. “That spirit, that heart, that kindness, that caring for one another. So whatever good can come from this, I am all for it.”

The real reason for his optimism and joy is that he’ll use his Bathroom Door Jesus to boost church attendance:

If you’d like to see the image with your own eyes, Pastor Berndt will take the door off the hinges and bring it to the 10 a.m. Sunday service at Jacksonville Church of Christ. The church is located at 6118 Bowden Road.

No word as to whether Pastor’s Wife likes Jesus looking at her in the potty more than not having a bathroom door.
Jesus on other doors:
Showing up with Mary and some others
Jesus on random door making life better

The Star In The East

A theoretical astrophysicist, Grant Mathews, from Notre Dame has been researching what the “star in the east” could have been that the wise men saw.

His conclusion: Probably an alignment of planets and the sun.

April 17, 6 B.C., when the sun, Jupiter, the moon and Saturn aligned in the constellation Aries while Venus and Mars were in neighboring constellations.

It makes sense because he believes the wise men were Zoroastrian astrologers who would have recognized the planetary alignment in Aries as a sign a powerful leader was born.

“In fact, it would have even meant that (the leader was) destined to die at an appointed time, which of course would have been significant for the Christ child, and may have been why they brought myrrh, which was an embalming fluid,” Mathews said. “Saturn there would have made whoever was born as a leader a most powerful leader because Saturn had the strength to do it, in their view.”

Of course, Notre Dame can’t even play football anymore so I’m sure their astrophysicists are inept as well.

The Archbishop Of Humbug

The Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday that the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men was nothing but a ‘legend’.

“Matthew’s gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that’s all we’re really told. It works quite well as legend.”
Archbishop says nativity 'a legend'
The Archbishop went on to dispel other details of the Christmas story, adding that there were probably no asses or oxen in the stable.

I’d also like to correct the Archbishop by pointing out that there was no mention of a stable either.

None of this is that big of a deal except that it shows we have no idea what “Our Book” says. Christopher Hitchens brought up the stable bit proving that Christians don’t know their Bible. Everyone thinks Jesus was born in a stable but it never says that.

It won’t ruin any doctrine or anything but it is disgraceful that we’re so sloppy with the Book God wrote for us. If we truly believed God one would think we’d bother to keep His words straight.

Oh, But She’s A Christian

One of my pet peeves about Christianity is our willingness to label people “Christians.” They say “Jesus” once and for the rest of their lives, regardless of resumed lifestyle, we know them as “Christians.”

I personally find it blasphemous, not to mention insulting to true followers.

The Bible is clear about what a Christian’s life will look like. Neither Jessica Simpson nor Britney’s Mom is what it describes. It also doesn’t describe Mel Gibson or Michael Vick.

Again, I’m not God and my judgment is based on externals not the heart. At the same time “we will know them by their fruit.” The Bible does say what we can expect to see out of a believer, I’ve yet to see it much in our churches let alone on my TV.

Matthew 13 describes the time period we are living in. Christ uses several parables to describe this age.

He refers to it as “the kingdom of heaven” and we can know He’s not referring to the Millennial Kingdom because He says the prophets don’t know about it (13:11-17). We are currently in the Mystery Form of the Kingdom or the Spiritual Kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

The point of all His parables is that the Mystery Form of the Kingdom will look huge but in reality it will be filled with false professors. It’s inflated with evil leaven. Many plants growing; only one bears fruit. A net filled with fish, many of which have to be cast out.

Paul and Peter explain our age more in their books–many professors, few believers (Titus 1:16; 2 Peter 2).

I’m sure in saying this the majority opinion will be that I’m judgmental and evil for condemning others when I don’t know their heart. I don’t. What I do know is that accepting people as believers when they aren’t leads people to hell. Pointing out their error leads people to heaven (James 5:19,20).

Part of loving people is to judge them (Philippians 1:9). We do love and the Faith a disservice when we accept anyone and everyone, just because they said “Jesus” once. Even the demons believe. Even Judas was a disciple. People who think they’re believers can be further from heaven than those who know they aren’t (Matthew 21:31).

Don’t demean the Lord Jesus Christ by calling heathen sinners “Christ’s representatives.” Let’s be careful with our willingness to accept professions when the works deny it because the Judge won’t be fooled (Matthew 7:22,23). It’ll be too late then, it’s not too late now.

Jamie Lynn Spears

Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears has announced in OK! Magazine that she is pregnant. Meanwhile her mom Lynn Spears’ book on Christian parenting, due in Spring 2008, has been indefinitely delayed.

16-year old Jamie plans on keeping her baby. The father, her boyfriend from church, has not commented on his plans.

To me, the most remarkable aspect is that Britney Spears’ mom is writing a Christian parenting book! Taking parenting advice from Britney’s mom, and now with Jamie following her lead, seems dubious.

Lynne Spears's Parenting Book 'Delayed Indefinitely' Lynne Spears

Makes you wonder how Christ figures into the picture. I’m not the Final Judge but based on everything I know from Scripture if you raise up a child in the way they should go, this shouldn’t be the way they are going.

But I suppose my kids are too young for me to be making bold statements. But I can guarantee you that if my kids turned out like these I will not be writing any parenting books.

Jesus Ad

An ad in Australia showing the baby Jesus throwing gifts back to the wise men so he would get a better gift has offended Catholics and Anglicans.

“The gifts that the wise men were giving were appropriate for a king, so the notion that Jesus would reject them is absurd,” Dr Davies said.
betta ad
Yeah! So take that you stuffy headed ad execs. Don’t you understand the true importance of the wise gifts? Sheesh, dum dums. And furthermore, you who don’t get Christmas, the wise men didn’t show up until Jesus was like, two years old. Man, give me a break.

Jesus Meteorite

Terrance Cotton said he wished on what he thought was falling star outside his Abilene home while playing with his dogs. The object headed toward him at lighting speed, he said. “There was this cracking sound, and it was really loud,” Cotton said. A meteorite crashed into his yard.

“I heard a voice, and it said, ‘Look and see if you can see a face,'” he said. “And I looked, and I saw an image of Jesus Christ.”

Cotton said he has seen the changes in his life. He is at peace, he said. He hopes the meteorite can be studied. “I believe science needs to take a look at this and study it to see what it means,” Cotton said.

Now, I never did do real well in science in school but I’d like to take a crack at this one. Here’s what it means according to my scientific analyses: A meteorite fell to earth that vaguely resembles a face of Christ.

Thank you.

Jesus Rock

A woman has found a unique rock with the face of Jesus on one side and the face of George Washington on the other side! Incredible! Totally a sign.

The woman, Rae Oliver, who found it is perhaps more unique than the rock however. She happens to be writing a book on the second coming of Jesus where Jesus comes back as a female! Get this:

Oliver believes finding the rock is a gift from God. She’s writing a book about the second coming of Christ and believes George Washington is on the rock because his initials stand for “God in woman.”

It’s too much. Stop, stop, you’re killin me. Sorry, there are no pictures, of the rock or the woman.

Annoying Reading 2

Was reading a book with this in it:

“Better to gouge out your eye to kill lust and to go to heaven than to make peace with sin and go to hell” (Matthew 5:29).

Here’s my problem with that one: that’s not really what the verse says. I looked in many translations and did not find one that said that. Anyone know what translation this is or perhaps the author just made it up? I mean, even the NIV gets this one right.

What I don’t like about it is that it’s written as a direct quote, there was no paraphrase notation or anything, just as if it were an actual quote.

If it is an actual translation, my problem would begin afresh because that is not what the verse says! It may be a conclusion or an application from the verse, but it’s not what the verse says. I now doubt every other quotation of Scripture in the book and have looked many of them up just to check.

Be careful out there.

Christian Freedom International

I came across Christian Freedom International yesterday. I don’t know much about them at this point but everything looks good. They are an organization designed to help persecuted Christians around the world with ways for us to help as well.

While we’re rejoicing in our freedom and wealth this Christmas, it’s good to remember how other Christians are celebrating their Christmas in prison for their faith.

Let’s remember our priorities.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Guilt trip over. Return to your TV’s. Oops, wait, OK now the guilt trip is over.

God’s Frustration: Our Understanding Of Prayer

Basing doctrine on experience is an awful habit. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that Scripture is the source for doctrine. Most churches include “the Bible is the sole authority for life and practice” in their doctrinal statements.

It sounds nice, but we don’t act like it’s true. Prayer is one subject that causes us to chuck the Bible and go with our experience.

We’ve dismissed Jesus’ words about moving mountains. We’ve thrown out John’s statement that we will have the requests we make to God (1 John 5:15). And Paul was completely out of his mind when he said God can do above what we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

We don’t agree with any of these guys because God has never done any of this for us! So instead of believing prayer has power we conclude that it doesn’t really matter. God doesn’t do anything with it anyway.

It’s all God’s plan, we sit and wait and see what He does and be thankful or whatever. Thankfulness is the opposite of whining and complaining. Which do we hear more of? That’s because we don’t believe what the Bible says about prayer.

If we believed prayer did things we would have peace, lack of worry, our minds and hearts would be guarded, there would be no complaining, and so forth. These traits are linked with the proper understanding of prayer.

It’s obvious we don’t understand prayer because all the things we’re not supposed to have (ingratitude, worry, complaining, etc) we certainly have.

There are several reasons why we conclude prayer doesn’t work

1) It doesn’t work for everyone, only those with the intercession of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and those who are listening to God (living by faith) are promised replies.

2) Our idea of answers are not God’s

3) We’re asking amiss, making requests from the flesh

4) We don’t know the Word well enough to know what to ask for nor how God answers prayers.

5) We generally only pray when we get stuck and we’ve dug ourselves in deep. God is not an emergency rescue system; prayer is an ongoing life principle.

Prayer is beautiful. It’s one of the most vital links we have with the Eternal. Satan knows how powerful it is, that’s why he’s skewed our view of it so much. Go to the Word, make your requests known to God and prove the acceptable will of God.

Britney Spears A New Mom?

It could happen. While Ms. Spears is trying to lose custody of her real child, she is being offered the role of playing the Virgin Mary in “Sweet Baby Jesus.”

“Spears, 26, would play a pregnant 19-year-old unsure of her baby’s paternity who goes into labor on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, Md., as rumors swirl that the birth is Jesus Christ’s second coming,” Rebboah told Us Weekly. “I had to convince my partners, because they were like, ‘Oh, no. Britney?’ But I thought it was brilliant.”

I can feel the outrage burning even now. Feels good, it’s cold outside.

Jesus In Indonesia

It’s a big day for Christians in Asia as a new 95-foot tall statue of Jesus was revealed in Indonesia. Vietnam claims to have a taller Jesus but Indonesia doesn’t have any record of that statue so they are claiming the tallest Jesus in Asia.
Indonesian real estate developer Ciputra built the 30-metre-high (95 feet) statue in its CitraLand residential estate, hoping it will lure tourists and become a religious icon, the company’s marketing manager Sonya Lasut said. “It looks like the Jesus is flying to bless people,” she added.
It looks to me like the Jesus is playing zone defense.

God’s Frustration: Our Understanding Of The End

People go crazy trying to find signs that The End is coming. We look at Sodom and Gomorrah and say that God will end the world because of homosexuality. We look at Revelation and conclude it has to do with the number of the beast and barcode technology.

Throw in earthquakes, wars in the Middle East, rebuilding Babylon and red heifers in Jerusalem and the actual cause is lost. While we’re focused on all this we’re actually doing what ushers in The End.

Romans 11 explains why Israel was set aside—self-righteousness, pride and self-sufficiency. Paul warns that the same thing can happen to Gentiles who arrogantly view their own spot.

Tie this in with Matthew 21 where Jesus says the Kingdom will be taken from Israel and given to another people. This happened because they looked down on harlots and publicans while maintaining their religious superiority that entirely missed God.

The action that will usher in The End is religious superiority and pride. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 spells it out perfectly. Self-righteous, self-serving, self-pleasing religiousness is the last step, the straw that breaks the back.

While the Church is fuming over homosexuality and abortionists, their own religious arrogance and self-righteousness is guaranteeing their failure and judgment.

“Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee [Gentiles]. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God” (Romans 11:20-22).

Huckabee Ducking

Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, has found himself on a surge of popularity down there in Iowa. People are attempting to find out more about his faith. He’s not being very forth-coming with his beliefs.

When asked for copies of the sermons Huckabee delivered at Immanuel Church, an employee there claimed none could be found. A Beech Street Church pastor’s assistant maintained that much of the archival material from Huckabee’s tenure as pastor had been destroyed during a remodeling. The rest, she said, was not available to the press.

I suppose that’s his right. It is a tough position to be in when you’re trying to gain popularity and also state your convictions. He told a recent “Christian” group of supporters that his surge in popularity is due to God and their prayers.

I would believe that if he was telling people his convictions and still gaining points. Hard to believe it when he’s playing political games that are resulting in political gains. I can guess on one of Huckabee’s beliefs: he believes that those who talk and live their faith get persecution.

It appears he’d rather not.

God’s Frustration: Our Understanding Of Love

The Bible defines for us very nicely what love is. But I’ll bet you don’t want to hear it.

Love is the summation of the Bible. Jesus Christ is the focal point of Scripture (John 1:1) and Jesus was God’s demonstration of love toward us (Romans 5:8).

That being the case, you can bet Christianity has blown to bits what love is. Love is a feeling and it is also a sacrificial choice. The Bible uses the word both ways (compare Genesis 27:4 with Isaiah 63:8,9).

When it comes to Christian love, living the love of Christ, it focuses more on the sacrificial choice. It copies what Christ did. So what did Christ do, and, by implication, what are we to do?
Here is the Bible’s definition of love:

“And this is love, that we walk after his commandments” (2 John 6). Now, I can actually hear the birthing of the cows my dispensational friends are having, but bear with me.

Although that definition bothers our sensibilities it shouldn’t. Christ himself says that love is the summation of the law and prophets (Matthew 22:40). Furthermore, our pal Paul teaches the exact same truth.

“Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:9,10).

Love fulfills the Law because Christ fulfilled the Law and Christ is God’s love personified. We fulfill the Law in Christ and thus, doing the Law is no big deal (1 Timothy 1:8,9). The sacrifices and the curse of the Law were taken by Christ (Galatians 3:10-13) so we are not bound to those any longer.

However, when it comes to doing the Law, love fits the bill. Love is what we do. Love is the centerpiece of all God has communicated to man. It’s what He wants us to do because it’s what He did for us.

Love is doing what God tells us to do.

Colorado Shootings

The man doing the shootings in Colorado was apparently killed by suicide. Although he was shot by the security detail at New Life Church, it was his self-inflicted wound that did him in.

They have also found a number of his online rants about hating Christians. “”You Christians brought this on yourselves. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you … as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world.”

The security detail at the church claimed she was able to shoot so well because God was with her. “It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God.” I might doubt the inspiration on that one.

It also turns out Ms. Church Security Guard was a fired Minneapolis police officer who was fired for lying during an investigation about her cussing out a bus driver! Nice.

Also, the guy doing the shootings was a home-schooler, so they don’t just win spelling bees.

God’s Frustration: Our Understanding Of Acceptance

Grace does not mean that God smilingly approves of everything we do as believers. We stress grace out of proportion when we teach that everything a believer does is “OK with God.” This is not the case.

We are told several times to do things in order to be accepted or approved by God:

**Kids should take care of elderly widowed mothers—1 Timothy 5:4
**We are to pray for all men, especially rulers and lead a quiet life—1 Timothy 2:1-3
**We are to stop walking in darkness and rather walk in the light—Ephesians 5:8-11
**Using liberty to edify others and not cause them to stumble—Romans 14:18
**Present your bodies as a living sacrifice—Romans 12:1,2
**We are to study the Bible–2 Timothy 2:15

Doing the things that we are told to do is acceptable to God; doing things we aren’t supposed to do is not acceptable or approved by God.

Yes, we are accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6) but this is far from saying that God approves of everything we do.

All believers will have their works tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:13,14). The resulting ash heap definitively proves that not everything we do is acceptable to God.

This fear of not being acceptable to God motivated Paul to keep ministering (1 Corinthians 9:27). Philippians 2:12-16 explains that we are to work out, make evident, all that Christ is working in us with fear and trembling.

We have convinced ourselves that the grace of God eliminates the fear of God. Not so! Paul says to keep doing things in His good pleasure so that your labor is not in vain, implying your labor could be in vain–unacceptable, pointless, worthless.

Grace does not eliminate responsibility. “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Doing what Paul says to do is the condition for having the God of peace be with you (Philippians 4:9).

Many believers have no concept of God’s peace because they are not doing anything acceptable to God. We’ve overblown this “Christianity is not doing; it’s being” garbage (Christianity is doing what you be!) resulting in a Christianity void of God’s acceptance, approval or peace.

Christian Leaders Making Peace With Islam

Our good buddies Rick Warren and Bill Hybels have signed a peace document with Islam, along with 300 other “Christian leaders,” including many from Bethel Seminary, my alma mater.

It is coming under much criticism, and probably rightly so, seeing as how it states that these Christian leaders are praying to the “All-Merciful One,” which is a Muslim title for their god.

It’s irking some folks, as it should. Be careful out there.

HT: Reformed Gadfly

To see the Document and the list of signers, go here