THE ULTIMATE PRESUMPTION

Red Deer Life, February 9^th, 2009. To presume is to take something as granted. The ultimate presumption is to presume that God will bless.

Was there a revival at this Nazarene church just as announced? No, there were meetings. A revival we would have heard something about.

Almost five years have rolled by since this ‘revivalist’ had his ‘revival’ meetings at the First Church of the Nazarene in Red Deer. Was it a famous revival? Do people talk about it today as a great outpouring of yesteryear by the Holy Ghost? I don’t think so. More likely, there is no distinctive memory of it among those who attended. How different that is from the effects of a real revival. Hear what an Episcopal minister had to say, even twenty years after the event, about revival striking his community in South Carolina through the preaching of Daniel Baker in 1831: “Such was the pervading influence of the religious principle upon the whole aspect of society, that it cast it into the gospel mold and stamped it with its own holy features…For twenty years past there has been a higher moral and religious tone, and a more intelligent and consistent profession of Christianity maintained in that little town than in any other which the writer has visited in Europe or America” (Douglas Kelly, Preachers with Power, 23.) 

A revival happens when God decides to shew mercy to sinners, not when a sinner says a revival will take place. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,” says God (Romans 9.15.) Does that sound like God will respond to man’s predicting a revival? There is God’s answer to people announcing a revival: ‘I will have mercy on whom I will.’ That hardly sounds like the God that a pastor like Murray Kumm would speak for!

This church of the Nazarene (if it were true to its name) would know what the Nazarene’s position on revival is: “The wind bloweth where it listeth…so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3.8.) The Spirit of blessing blows where it pleases him to blow. He does not obey man’s presumptuous announcement. So there is Jesus’ own word on the matter.

When you see an ad like this put out by a church, do not wonder if it’s worth your while to attend its ‘revival’ meetings. It is a great sin against God to presume he will save en masse just because a pastor predicted he would. Better to take no part in affairs like that. When someone calls himself a ‘revivalist,’ do not presume that a revival will take place through his preaching. There is no such thing as a ‘revivalist.’ One would have to be God in order to know when and where a revival will occur. The man who calls himself a ‘revivalist’ is attempting to stand in the place of God. We should be surprised that the Holy Spirit does not strike dead the man who presumes that a revival will happen through his preaching.

Notice that these pastors who announce what God is going to do usually predict a work of mercy from him. The word of God is about more than God shewing mercy, though. “Whom he will he hardeneth” (Romans 9.18.) That is the word of God too. Since God reserves the right to do one thing or another, it is just as possible that he will harden instead of shew mercy, is it not? We have many ‘revivalists.’ If we had something like biblical balance in force, would we not have ‘hardeners’ as well? Where are all the ‘hardeners’? God might harden as well as shew mercy, so where are they?

These ‘revivalists’ remind me of those false prophets who were always prophesying good things in Old Testament times. One has to wonder about all the ‘decisions’ they feel responsible for bringing to town. My guess is that the genuine dollars they walk away with number more than the genuine decisions they leave behind.

Whoever you are, saved or unsaved, know this: You are not bound to support a ‘revivalist’ or a church that welcomes one. Keep your money; save your time; do not presume. Say with David, “Who can tell whether God will be gracious….?” (2 Samuel 12.22.) Begin there, and rest assured that that will be less presumptuous in spirit than any ‘revivalist’ is. Do not run after revivals and ‘revivalists.’ Run after Christ by knowing all you can about him, by receiving all his teachings, and by obeying all his commands. You may be visited, then, with a merciful revival of your own. But never presume. Never do that. Presumptuous persons get no revival as long as they presume, not for themselves nor for anyone else.

DESPERATE PUBLISHING

Red Deer Advocate, May 7^th, 2011. There are several ways we could go if we were to deal with the article that this front-page picture points to. Jenna is the young woman to the right; her surviving twin, Marissa, is on the left. Jenna was a single mom who got in with the wrong crowd, the article says. She went from smoking pot to using meth, which lifestyle likely led to her premature death. So there is a sermon of sin leading to greater sin, and of sin’s ultimate issue: death. Don’t sleep around; don’t do drugs; sin is your enemy; determine to have Jesus for your Saviour.

Our subject, however, is in how this newspaper used the murder of a young woman to further its cause to sell more papers. Whether Laura Tester, the woman responsible for the article, is also responsible for pasting the misleading picture that makes fun of murder, I do not know. But it does say just above the article that she is part of the Advocate Staff.

Now look at this picture. What you immediately discern from it and the caption above is that here are two girls naughtily whispering about a young mom that has been murdered. They seem to be whispering about the murder as if murder is something one should snicker about. Don’t miss what’s going on here. This newspaper got some picture of the murdered mom with her sister, then pasted that on the front page, making it look as if the girls are snickering about murder, when one of the girls just happens to be the one that got murdered! And why did the paper do this? We all know that evil maneuvers like this are done to boost sales and to make money. Do you think that the murdered mom would approve of having it appear as if she thought so little of murder that she would snicker with her twin sister about her own?

This is the kind of obscene trickery that newspaper staff will resort to in order to sell more copies of some two-bit newspaper! It’s a pity that the murdered woman’s family did not sue this paper for all it’s worth! The Bible is not silent on sin, no matter what kind it is. “Yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter” (Isaiah 56.11.) Are not newspaper staff shepherds of a sort? Do they not lead us into the news of the day? Then this quote from Isaiah is close enough to the mark. Is there no special punishment from the LORD regarding sins committed for the sole purpose of making money? Take heed, Red Deer Advocate, and especially the person responsible for this shady piece of business. “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house” (Proverbs 15.27.) The LORD will repay anyone who dares to gain from making murder into something fun to gossip about! Today’s ministers think ‘repent’ is an outdated word that sinners do not understand. If the word is not understood, why do sinners hate hearing it so much? “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3.19.) Christ has suffered for the sins of all who choose to repent. There’s the gospel, Calvinist style. If a person may be forgiven the sin of murder (and he certainly may), then how much more may a person be forgiven for making fun of it?

Why don't the pastors in my city tackle a public sin like this? Because they are uncaring, clueless, clued out, or cowards. 

GAY PRIDE PROGRESS IN REDNECK CITY

Red Deer Express, August 14^th, 2013. Gay pride in a redneck city seems like a queer idea and a perfect storm. But it’s just a queer idea. While I’m not in favor of promoting violence against queer persons, it would be encouraging if rednecks would at least frown upon queer associations. Is it still permissible to frown at those who celebrate what to God is an abomination? If the queers have their way, even frowning at them will be outlawed. Notice the progression. They get a proclamation from the mayor. Next, according to event organizer, Kristol Gallivan, they must ‘come up with bylaws’ (end of article, not pasted in here.) There was no resistance to their gay pride fruit float. But tolerance must be forced. That is the way queers operate. They call themselves queer, but they don’t want to be called queer. The laws protect them, but they want bylaws too. They are tolerated, but they whine about intolerance. Why?

Queers don’t want to feel like exceptions in the crowd. They want to feel at ease walking hand in hand. They want open kisses without criticism. They want to flaunt their Heinz 57 lifestyles like Texan women do their hair. By suppressing an already tolerant community, they hope to gain enough courage to do it all. If they could get away with it, many of them would, I think, go so far as to coerce non-queers into queer participation. From where do I get a notion like that? I get it from inspired history and human psychology. Modern queers are in harmony of spirit with the queers of old. “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them” (Genesis 19.5.) Queers, deep down, want proof of allegiance by mutual participation. Thanks to God, there are fewer of them than there are of us. The record from Genesis is not surprising in light of human psychology. What do drunks want but everyone to join in? What do drug addicts want but addicted friends? What do fornicators want but open marriages? What is peer pressure but a kind of force? You are a queer thinker if you believe that queers don’t want everyone to dip into their lifestyles. Such promiscuous participation would go a long way toward making them feel that their abominable acts are okay. Then they would not second-guess their queer gestures in public. Then they would handhold, kiss, pet, and set new standards in public for everyone.

Thankfully, a proclamation from the mayor, a reception in a bar, a multi-faith service sanction, and an unobstructed fruit float is not a forceful enough foursome to coerce intimate knowledge of queerdom. The queers who pounded on Lot’s door were unsuccessful against the angels of God. And their modern partners in crime, we should pray, will be unsuccessful due to God’s grace unto salvation. May gay pride progress regress by God’s regenerative act upon gay sinners. This ought to be our prayer if we believe that fire and brimstone, if it doesn’t get you here, will get you Hereafter. That goes for queers, rednecks, and every sinner in between. Jesus may have walked among every kind of sinner. But he participated in no kind of sin. Unlike our mayor, he did not honor sin with a proclamation. He faced it head on with a denunciation: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4.17.) That sounds as intolerant as the edict in Leviticus 18.22.

Forget about pushing for bylaws to conform society to sin. Non-conformity to God’s law calls for the bylaw of repentance. Repent, turn to Jesus for justification and forgiveness, and join the Higher Society of Heaven. Join the angels of God who resisted gay aggression.

THE DARKNESS OF MODERN ART

Red Deer Express, July 31^st, 2013. A fabrication may be classified as ‘modern art’ when what it represents is not discernible. As indiscernible as this object is, we are told that it represents ‘a guardian or comforting presence.’ That we have to be told this confirms that the representation may not be discerned by a look. Who, not knowing what this object is given to represent, would guess that it represents something like comfort? The fact that one would have to guess is proof that its appearance represents nothing specific to reasonable persons. This object could represent a hundred things to a hundred lookers: an ancient telephone, a gas pump, a torture chamber, a gum ball machine, the entrance to a root cellar, and ninety-five other things chosen almost at random. Why comfort the hungry man by bringing him food? Why not just sit him down by the comforting Onisama instead? The claim that the object represents a great fruit that the practice of virtue produces (comfort) is an insult. Yes, the claim that one may be comforted by a hunk of metal whose form represents nothing distinct should be insulting to every thinking person.

A piece of art, even poorly done, may communicate a sense of comfort so long as the object is discernible. A painting of a man rescuing a lamb, though poorly executed, might remind a Christian of the Shepherd of the sheep. That would be comforting. However, an object that looks like an invention by a mad scientist is not comforting at all, even after we are told that it should be. After looking at it, we have to declare that we feel nothing but cold indifference or even contempt from this hulking enigma.

An object does not have to be formed according to an existing pattern in order to be art, though that is the safest, and Scriptural, rule. But it must at least be suggestive of something specific. Otherwise, it will appear, to reasonable eyes and minds, like a work of madness.

A person might guess that this object is a stand-in for an ancient type of catapult. But it isn’t. And it can’t be shown to operate like one. “And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal” (2 Chronicles 26.15.) If an object cannot pass for a work of art, then maybe it can pass for a cunning invention that can fulfill some purpose. But the Onisama is neither art nor a cunning invention. It is not made after a pattern and neither does it have a purpose. It can suggest nothing definite to anyone. And yet we are supposed to congratulate the maker of it, shake his hand instead of our head, buy his metal monstrosity, and place it in a public space as if everyone walking by it will be blessed by its comforting aura!

Modern art is the outworking of the modern mind. The minds emerging out of our teaching institutions have been indoctrinated to dismiss or undervalue the principles of truth, beauty, and goodness. So, according to unprincipled modern art, you may have an object that points to no pattern for its source, that reflects no beauty, that is suggestive of nothing in particular, and that has no good purpose to exist. People will call the object a work of art and the maker of it an artist, even if the ‘sculpture’ consists of pieces of metal welded together in such a way as to perplex the onlooker instead of enlighten him.

The Onisama is a dark piece of work that represents the darkness of an art world that is ages behind the darkest epochs of human history. Look at the drawings in catacombs, or those in caves from a distant stone age, and you will see art in greater advance than backwards modern art is. Great darkness has fallen, by degrees, upon our institutes of learning. This endarkening is increasing year by year.

Before it was revealed to Abram that his people would, after many years of affliction, emerge from the darkness of Egypt, ‘an horror of great darkness fell upon him’ (Genesis 15.12.) Unless modern art becomes ‘an horror of great darkness’ to our teachers and artists, no long road toward light can be expected for the art world. An ever-deepening descent into darkness may be predicted if this horror does not fall from above. Abram’s people would not be released until the ‘iniquity of the Amorites’ was full (verse 16.) Many iniquities, I think, have yet to happen before our Western cup is full. Modern art represents a dark culture that cannot, and will not, see the light.

***My letter to the editor about the Onisama was published in the local paper. Here is a copy of that.***

August 2^nd 2013

Red Deer Express

Letters to the Editor

Re: ‘Red Deer’s Identity Crisis.’

Dear Editor:

Red Deer residents have been appealed to for ideas about what makes their city unique. We should address, first, what should not make Red Deer unique.

We should not be unique by having too many ‘ghosts’ about town. Many of them have not the significant history required to justify their existence. The unqualified ghosts ought to be uplifted from their present haunts and repatriated to their originators.

There is another way in which Red Deer should not be unique. The ‘Onisama’ sculpture is supposed to “represent a guardian or comforting presence.” It may be a comforting presence to the one who made it. But (with apologies to the builder) if a person were to look at it without knowing what it is meant to signify, would he find this piece of bulk comforting to the eye? It looks like an iron maiden, a slot machine, and a battleaxe, none of which conjure up comforting thoughts. Imagine breaking your leg beside this thing. Would you feel any comfort from its presence? It looks more like a torture device than a guardian. Many of us would like to see these modern art projects removed and then parked in the back yards of their builders.

Many of these ‘ghosts,’ and probably all of these modern art pieces, make Red Deer appear corny and eccentric. Let’s not let Red Deer continue down this road of eccentric uniqueness. Let’s be unique in some other way.

THE PERIL OF SELF-REFORMATION

Red Deer Advocate, August 13^th, 2011. The apocalyptic look that descended upon Manhattan on 9/11 is so stamped on our memory that it is difficult to imagine a recovery there. But, believe it or not, this picture was taken after 9/11, not before. Over a decade has passed since that modern day of infamy in New York City. And business has begun to move on as it was doing when terror stopped New Yorkers in their tracks.

To rebuild and get moving again is good. Do not mistake me for being critical of that. And some of these folks in the picture may have gotten right with God since 9/11 just as they promised to do. I do not dispute the possibility.

But most persons who made promises in their moment of fear are back to “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Matthew 24.38.) This newspaper picture is an apt figure of this biblical text. There is nothing wrong with eating, drinking, and marrying. What Jesus teaches by the saying is that most people continue in this world, in spite of warnings to repent, with nothing but worldly objects in view; and in the end, because of that shortsightedness, they miss the kingdom of God and the glories to come, just as the multitudes in Noah’s day missed the boat and perished.

Now do not misunderstand what I say. I’m not saying that the terror strikes were a good thing. These acts of terror were evil, and the guilty parties deserve nothing but merciless justice. The culprits responsible who are still alive still deserve the full force of the law, and they should be found and put to death. What I am saying is that every single calamity, whether it be a terror strike or a natural disaster, should be taken by those yet alive as a warning to repent of their sins. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13.3.) Not all persons will perish by the same kind of blow. But anyone might perish suddenly without warning. That is the meaning. Jesus warns sinners to beware of perishing everlastingly.  

Naturally (or it may be more correct to say in some cases, supernaturally), many persons, when in the midst of a terrifying event, make promises. I have heard of two sorts of promises made by persons deeply touched by the terrible event we call 9/11. A few may have promised to get right with God and may have since been saved. I don’t remember hearing that promise being made, however. So I leave that alone. (1) Some have made promises to themselves to improve. (2) Others have made promises to God to live better lives. Let us suppose the best, and interpret ‘improvement’ and ‘better living’ to have meant moral progress by these persons. And let us suppose that some moral progress has been achieved by them. Moral progress by self-effort is self-reformation. This makes the world a better place. And it is better for the world to have self-reformation than degradation. But self-reformation falls short of getting right with God; and all persons who pursue this route will come short of entering God’s glory. They must, if they die still self-reforming, enter an eternity of misery instead. Therefore something better than self-reformation should be desired and promised.  

Because God demands perfection from all who desire heaven, and no man can become perfect by his own efforts, something more than self-reformation is required before eternal security can be granted. Man needs a fundamental change by God. He needs regeneration, not reformation. Reformation in the form of sanctification is acceptable; but this can only take place upon a basis of regeneration. “Ye must be born again,” says Jesus Christ. Regeneration (a change wrought upon the heart by the Holy Spirit) is a must, or a sinner cannot, and will not, be saved. Moral progress may be worth something to you right now; but it will count for nothing with God at the Pearly Gates.

Most of us have made promises to ourselves and to God; and we have utterly failed to fulfill these promises. We cannot live up to our promises; God can live up to his. The wise thing to do, then, is to lay hold of some promise by God. It says in John 3.16 that whoever believes on the Son of God has everlasting life. So the promise of God is that if you trust the Son, everlasting life is yours. The regeneration that you need will be taken care of so long as you believe on Jesus Christ. But how do you believe? Do not focus on your faith, or belief, or trust (all three are one and the same.) Focus on the proper object of faith: Jesus Christ and him crucified. You do this by Bible study, prayer, and close attention to godly writings (like those by C. H. Spurgeon or John Bunyan.) These are the means of grace available to you in order to your desired faith. You must unite to Jesus by the bond of faith; that must be your goal. Then, if by faith in Christ crucified for your sins, you lay hold of God’s promise of everlasting life, your eternal welfare will be secured. When death comes, maybe suddenly, maybe gradually, be ready, by faith in Christ and the promise of God that is annexed to it. Apply every means of grace at your disposal. Your promises will ultimately come short. Self-reformation will end in peril. What you need is a promise from God.

A FALSE PROPHET ON THE FRONT LINE

(Christianity Today, July/August 2013.) This clip is a rip from a full-page ad in the magazine that, unfortunately, so many people regard as the voice of Protestant Christianity. Christianity Today is far from a model of orthodoxy. But I was surprised to see an ad in there promoting international charismatic mania. It’s hard, I guess, for a magazine to resist big advertising dollars from an enthusiastic quarter when that magazine is lax on doctrine and morals to start with.

I knew nothing of Reinhard Bonnke before reading this ad. As soon as I saw the ad and read it, suspicion filled my heart. Why was I suspicious? Besides the appearance of show and sham, I suspected evil because of these words: “Over time my ministry has seen 72 million people respond to the call of salvation.” Claims like this one are becoming the norm today among globetrotting wonder-workers who claim to be, as this one does, ‘evangelists from the front line.’ If readers of ads like this would just consider the number of converts that are claimed, they might soon realize that such claims must be false. Conversions cause morality to spread. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7.20.) Has any significant part of Africa become changed for the better on account of Mr. Bonnke’s rip-roaring meetings? What do we hear about on a regular basis on the news? Whole regions of Africa transformed into communities of righteous conduct and holy behavior? No, we hear of clan warfare, machete attacks, and the rapid spread of AIDS on account of fornication and rape. African superstitions (like sex with a virgin as a cure for, or preventative against, AIDS) carry on because the large scale conversions through visiting boasters like Bonnke are not real. The man’s numbers are a mirage. He does not instruct, the Holy Spirit cannot be with him, and sinners are not transformed through his meetings. If you were to add up the claims of these peripatetic showmen, would the numbers not amount to every African soul being saved by now? People who follow and support anarchic speakers of Bonnke’s ilk, and who marvel at his wild boasts and worthless wonders as if they were genuine, need to be amazed at the fact that the numbers do not reflect the morality on the ground. Such gullible believers must not be very moral themselves, not very instructed, more subjective than reasonable, and more superstitious than Scriptural. They would believe in the accretion of conversions even after the accretions overtopped the population of the world. They would believe in this even while the world all around them is on fire with sin, crime, war, and anti-Christian religion. A loud sensationalist says that 72 million souls have been saved. That is enough for them. He says that ‘America shall be saved.’ They believe it. Never mind that no nation has ever been wholly saved. The man says that it will happen. His word settles it. After he passes through and completes his tour, the nation will continue to believe in gods of every sort, immorality will increase, the people will still be renown for blasphemy, and the Sabbath will be scorned again like there is no tomorrow. What will these gullible believers do then? They will continue to listen to their puffed-up braggart and go on to believe his next claim for the next nation. Not only this, but they will continue to empty their pockets to support him financially. The ad says that the admission in Orlando will be ‘FREE!’ Further down it is written that America has enabled financially for the ‘harvest’ in Africa. Let me assure you that it will enable financially for the vain venture in Orlando as well. Reinhard Bonnke will exact an exorbitant fee, if not through tickets or at the door, then through tricky or coercive methods before or during the event. Yes, ‘bring a friend,’ not for Good News, but to pay the Bonnke fee. There is the plausible interpretation for you. The meeting will take place in the Amway center. For the most part, people who come to charismatic meetings like this are not after salvation, but some temporal aid or a quick fix, which is the same reason why people flock to Amway conferences. I am no fan of Amway. But an Amway meeting would be far less deceptive and destructive to the soul than a meeting where the name of Jesus is disgraced by a lying, barking character such as Reinhard Bonnke.

I would never say all of this without listening to this man for myself, though what I have written so far I would not doubt the truth of just on the basis of seeing the ad. After sighting the ad, I decided to watch one of his performances over the internet. ‘God Uses Ordinary People’ (from 2005) is not a sermon. It is not a speech. It is something akin to a semi-hysterical rant. My guess is that all of this man’s ‘sermons’ are like this, crammed with claims and destitute of doctrine. Though rantings and ravings by men like Bonnke are all alike in their tone (rabid), I was fortunate to choose the ‘Ordinary People’ tirade. He gives us some of the background in this one, concerning both his call and popularity. The story of his call to minister is, not surprisingly, a remarkable one. Being too poor to take a tour of London, Bonnke ended up bussing around the city and then walking about in the midst of it. He eventually happened upon the house of a former preacher who then anointed him for his mission just before he died. And thus did the mantle of George Jeffreys fall upon Bonnke. That is the story. And it is interesting to trace the tale backward from George Jeffreys. This Mr. Jeffreys was one of the men responsible for bringing the ‘gospel of signs and wonders’ to Great Britain, a man who was converted during the Welsh Revival of 1905 or thereabouts, which revival was more conspicuous for fanaticism than teaching or preaching. Jeffreys believed that the Brits are the spiritual and even literal descendents of the ancient Israelites. Does a belief like that not have a cultic ring to it? Is that man fit to preach who would believe such obvious nonsense? Bonnke, not to be surpassed by his predecessor in the fantastic nature of his claims, asserts, though somewhat indirectly, to be in the line of apostolic succession!

What was to be the foundation for Reinhard Bonnke’s ministry? This: preaching on the Baptism of the Spirit, and prayers in unknown tongues. That is what the Lord told him, he says. Did the Lord say the like to any New Testament apostle? No, but that doesn’t matter. Why should it? We might even suppose (not by exposition, for Bonnke doesn’t do any) that Jesus chose his twelve apostles ‘at random’ as he ‘bumped into them,’ as it were. That is the revelation to Bonnke for the rest of us, which is for the purpose of teaching that God uses ordinary people. Yes indeed, Jesus prayed all nite just to pick apostles at random the following day! The revelation has no support from Scripture to back it up. No matter. Bonnke needs it to justify his anti-intellectual pattern. 

When Bonnke was bucking for his beginning, he sought cooperation from local churches for his first crusade. The answer they gave was that anyone can say, ‘The Lord spoke to me.’ Supposing that this story is true, they were right to put him off like that, and Bonnke should have never been given access by anyone to speak anywhere on anything regarding the Bible. After he got his way, how did his venture take flight? Only 100 persons showed up at his first meeting. But why so many after that? Because of core doctrines preached by a holy minister at his first meeting? No, but because of ‘healings’ in the crowd. God does not put a propeller behind you, Bonnke says. But that’s just about what he claims God did for him. “Sermonettes are for Christianettes,” he says. That’s his way of belittling hard work, learning, and preparation. What did he do instead of preach a carefully wrought sermon? He performed for the audience, and by chicanery or emotive influence, some phenomena occurred. What followed after that? Crowds followed, for the world is full of easily deceived sinners who run after wonders even while their souls are sinking down toward hell. And when they show up, what happens to their excitable selves? The lucky ones have hands laid on them or they collapse, or both. Are they taught anything about the Bible and made to feel their sins thereby? No, but what’s the difference? They will settle for the thrill of falling down. Some dare to hope that they will be healed as they fall. But falling is enough in a pinch. Nothing in a Bonnke meeting resembles what we find in the New Testament ministries of Jesus, Peter, or Paul. What does that matter, though? The discomposed folks who gather in meetings like this don’t know what’s in the Bible and care little to find out. And what kind of narrow-minded bigot would limit himself to the rule of Scripture anyway? How many ignorant folks obeyed this man to go out as if called by the Holy Spirit to do so, only to go who knows where and to what disappointing, and maybe even deadly, end? There are consequences to believing the fancies of fanatics. 

Any person who believes that a ministry of reconciliation begins like Mr. Bonnke’s charade did is disconnected from biblical history and ignorant of the history of the Church. In Acts 2 the Spirit falls upon believers, not unconverted visitors, and much teaching on Jesus Christ follows. In a Bonnke meeting, we are led to believe that the Spirit falls upon unconverted visitors through a man who preaches nothing but stories of himself! This rancid talk he gives about God using ordinary people, for instance, has no doctrine in it except the bare mention of salvation and Jesus’ death. And we are told, even during a rant in which no doctrine is expounded or explained that the finger of God is moving through the stadium! It is more likely that seeds planted in a snow-bank would sprout! The Spirit was not moving in this meeting any more than he moved over the pages of Bonnke’s Bible that time he was ‘told’ by God to read 1 Chronicles. If you have ears to hear spiritual things, maybe you will pick up on the spiritual meaning of this story he tells. Here it is: the finger of God moving over the pages of a Bible, that’s nothing; but the finger of God moving in a Bonnke crowd, this is everything. That person is in a sorry spiritual state, or at least in a spiritually stunted condition, who believes that salvation or healing falls from the sky subsequent to a minister shouting for an hour about nothing but himself and his unbelievable experiences. That person needs education on the bare necessities of sacred Scripture if he believes that, and he probably needs to be saved besides. “All the wisdom in man will not save the world.” This is Bonnke’s way of saying that doctrines (teachings on justification, regeneration, repentance, etc.) are not necessary. I know that ‘wisdom of man’ and ‘doctrine’ are not synonymous. But I tell you, the context and tone lead me to insist that this is his way of dismissing saving doctrines. These doctrines are nothing to him but the contents of man’s wisdom. He has no time, patience, or diligence for doctrine. What need of actual sermons? No need. He will get people to respond to his enthusiastic yelling, pacing, and fist clenching. That is his method: self-caused exuberance instead of warm, careful exposition. It is the easiest and fastest way to get a rise from the audience. His mad zeal reminds me of a certain woman who used to exclaim, ‘Stop the insanity!’ Or of a certain man who used to strain his veins with, ‘Technique!’ Mr. Bonnke might as well be a walking infomercial parody, so little does his performance exude holy spirituality! He is a good actor, though, and has a hypnotic effect on deluded, passive souls. If the man did not expect us to take him seriously, it would be safe to say that he is entertaining. What characterizes a sermon during a meeting in which the finger of God is present? Is a revival sermon about the minister and his experiences? Or is it about the most holy things of God? Edward Griffin has written a competent, dependable summary of what a revival sermon contains. He experienced, under his ministerial leadership, genuine revival in Massachusetts in the 1820’s. We should listen to such a man. What does he say? “In those revivals unwearied pains were taken to lay open the divine character in all its benevolence, holiness, and justice; to present the divine government in all its righteousness and purity, in all its sovereignty and covenant faithfulness, in all its reasonableness and benignity and awful terror; to lay open the carnal heart, festering with every evil passion, and the horrid nature of sin, with its infinite demerits; to explain the great provision of the atonement and the terms of acceptance with God; to bring out the mercy which melts in the gospel and to press home the invitation; to show the reasonableness and sincerity of God in his treatment of sinners, and the unreasonableness of their obstinacy in rejecting the gospel” (W. B. Sprague’s Lectures on Revivals, p. 415.) Quite different, this, than speaking about the self! The results are different as well. What can we expect as the result of Bonnke’s frantic exercises up on his fancy stage? We may expect the same as the outcome witnessed by Edward Griffin during revivals that were false: “The people, who were stupid before, relapse into the same stupidity at the end of the protracted meeting” (p. 415.)

A prophet may be discovered false by many avenues of inquiry. He is usually interactive, asking for Amens from the audience, for example (the case here.) He either preaches doctrine falsely, or he dismisses doctrine altogether; again, the case here. A false prophet usually occupies a glittering stage, which is the case here as well. And false prophets of the charismatic stripe always focus more on personal experiences and manifestations than on the life, death, and merits of Christ and the doctrines that are connected with closing with him for salvation. In other words, redemption by Christ, and his righteousness to a sinner’s account through faith, these are facts not considered worthy of expositing or preaching, while claims of bodily healing and other modern miracles take center stage. The false prophet is usually about the business of temporary, transient things (like money and popularity) at the expense of the soul. And, as if by the gift of God for the naïve, the gullible, the simple, and the credulous, the false prophet will wear on his sleeve the denial of some basic biblical reality. Here, for example, that comes in the form of a mantra emotionally exclaimed: ‘Hell empty; heaven full!’ Even the dullest reader of Scripture ought to notice an error when a speaker’s pet phrase contradicts a fundamental spiritual reality that is set in stone by God in the Bible. Hell is not empty right now, and it never will be empty. That this phrase is just Mr. Bonnke’s way of expressing his desire for the salvation of all is no worthwhile counter argument. A true prophet, while he may desire the salvation of all or any, submits to the will of God that is written in the Bible. And he chooses phrases that are in line with that.

But for me, what mostly singles out the false prophet from the true one is his attitude toward God. This indicator is not as easy to spot as some of the others. Familiarity with a godly attitude is necessary for one to be able to spot irreverence. If a person listens only to speakers who are irreverent, and therefore imagines, when he reads the Bible, that the Psalmist spoke in a saucy manner too, and that this manner is the holy norm, he will not recognize irreverence even when it stands before him disrespecting God. The discerning spirit will feel the irreverence come across, as it does here when Mr. Bonnke tells the story of how he used to skip the first part of 1 Chronicles while executing his reading plan. Seeing and hearing this man repeating and shouting ‘In Jesus’ name!’ and ‘Glory to God!’ will repulse every spirit that is acquainted with the spirit of the Psalms. This man’s exclamatory utterances will sicken the soul of any person who has had sweet fellowship with any portion of Scripture that is conspicuous for exalting any Member of the Holy Trinity. Those who are filled with admiration for a man who labors to exude energy will take Mr. Bonnke’s demeanor for German passion or even holy zeal. My suggested treatment for this false interpretation is this: Listen to this man and then pause to read Psalm 8 or Psalm 26. Go back and forth, from the spirit of Bonnke to the Psalmist, and if you feel no difference, God help you, for then you cannot be very near God’s kingdom. Read a verse from the Bible where God is extolled: “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works” (Psalm 9.1.)  Then listen to Bonnke say to God: “I do the preaching, and you bring the people!” If you are not struck by the difference there between a holy tone and a sneering voice, then I might go so far as to say that there is little hope for cure to your blind eyes and ears. But the God who is little esteemed by Bonnke knows for sure if you are one of those, or not, who is beyond curing and left over to endure his everlasting curse. “If you love the praise of man, the criticism of man will destroy you.” That is a rare jewel from Reinhard Bonnke, albeit lacking polish, for criticism is often for our good. It may be safer to say: If you love the praise of man so much that you have no regard for criticism, you might be in danger of missing the advice that would save you from Ultimate Destruction in Hell. “Reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (Proverbs 6.23.)

THE VATICAN'S APPROACH TO CLERICAL PEDOPHILIA

Red Deer Advocate, April 19^th, 2010. The Vatican has known about child sexual abuse among its priests since at least 1993, according to this piece of news. Those who know their Roman Catholic history will tell you that the Vatican is as evil as it is old, and that it has been trying to cover its bloody tracks from the start.

It says here that Pope Benedict ‘expressed shame and sorrow’ at the pain suffered by sex-abuse victims. A person can express shame and sorrow without any repentance going on in his soul and without determining to make restitution for the wrongs done by his priests. This pontiff continues to drag his feet where justice is concerned. When have we heard him rail about these priests deserving jail? Never! A person who is in charge of pedophile priests, if he really had sorrow and shame in his heart about their endless abuses, would be pounding his Bible for justice! He would be assisting the law to root these priests out and get them into prison! But no, all he does is ‘express,’ and usually in the Latin tongue so nobody will understand! He does not preach—he does not demand—he does not guarantee justice. His expression is a show. And to merely ‘express’ is a weak show at that! Yea, it is a much weaker expression of remorse than that of Judas Iscariot: “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matthew 27.4.) Will Pope Benedict confess as much as Judas Iscariot did? Of course not!         

Pope Benedict’s concern is not justice. His concern is the same as that of Archbishop Collins, his obedient spokesman. Notice that it is ‘the impact of the scandals on the church’ that Mr. Collins is concerned about. When crimes by priests are still under cover, how does the Vatican treat its perverted perpetrators? This news article is poorly written. But it seems to be trying to communicate that the Vatican promoted an official to one of its top posts in spite of having knowledge of his pedophilic sins. The Vatican treats its pedophiles rather well, even to the extent of handing them promotions! and not just average promotions either! but promotions to top posts! Incidentally (though we do not intimate that Mr. Collins may be a child-predator), Archbishop Collins is now, as of January 2012, Cardinal Collins, so well does he enunciate what Pope Benedict wants to him to say!  

I would never say that New Testament Pharisees were as evil as today’s Roman Catholic officials. But the result that follows from promoting perverted priests is the same as that achieved by Pharisees upon making converts: “ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23.15.) What is worse than a pedophile priest? Answer: a pedophile priest with more power. How many pedophile priests have been promoted to the rank of bishop? How many to the rank of cardinal? How many have been chosen by cardinals to sit as pope? God knows. And we know this for sure: Church officials who knowingly promote pedophiles to higher posts are not holy and not saved. Therefore their doctrines, practices, and religion must be examined against the Bible. And then the seeker after truth must either remain in the Roman Catholic pew, or else take a walk. Can the narrow path to heaven be through the widespread darkness of Roman Catholicism? Begin your research with that question in mind. A bias in favor of holiness is okay.

PROGRAMS IN PLACE OF PREACHING

(City Light News, June 2013.) The writer of this article is puzzled that faithlessness and church attendance are on the increase together. The answer just happens to be in the big question period at the head of the article: ? Doctrinally anemic programs like Alpha (which has the big ? on the cover of its book) are largely responsible for the increase of both faithlessness and church attendance. ‘Creative engagement’ is less offensive and judgmental than preaching; and so it’s an attractive way for timid Christians to give church growth a whack. You get lots of husk but not a lot of kernel that way, many unbelievers, but few converts. Church growth, of whatever sort, must be what Alpha pastors are after.

This is how dull the talking heads at church meetings are. Faithlessness and church attendance are up. The cause of this strange harmony: faithless programs that plant infidels in God’s Church. Not realizing what the cause is, these heads of churches (ever talking, never preaching) put their programmed heads together around some boardroom table and decide to take advantage of the paradox by setting up a whole campaign of programs! Yes, Alberta 2013! That’s the newest gospel replacement. Get ready, not for revival, but for a bumper crop of faithlessness. ‘Building bridges’ has a positive, constructive sound. The problem is that the bridges lead to everywhere but the cross. The campaign “will provoke people to ‘Question Everything.’” Yes, people will be provoked to question many things—except the merits of all these faithless Alpha courses! People are distracted by many things, it says in the article. Yes, they are distracted by many things, not the least of which are programs like Alpha! Did Peter or Paul and their Master try to ‘creatively engage’ sinners with innocuous programs whose way of witnessing is to make faithless sinners feel they have faith already? No, but the New Testament model is just too discriminate and offensive for bloodless pastors to use. All their weak hearts can do is pump up more programs. They have no heart for preaching, no heart for the gospel, no heart for the heart of Christianity. They’re scared right down to their shriveled up arteries. The truths that made great preachers of old bubble up with heat and light, our pastors turn white at the suggestion of. To preach down to sinners a gospel from above is a horrid thing to these men. To say ‘repent’ with distinction, detail, and exclamation is the shibboleth they can’t utter. They are foreigners to preaching, just as the men of Ephraim were foreigners to the word that they couldn’t pronounce. They ‘compass land and sea’ to make proselytes to programs, but take no steps at all to becoming proselytes to preaching in order to save the souls they gather. The gospel is their shame; programs are their crown. Alpha is their smooth way; the Way of Life is too rough for them.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1.16.) And notice: “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1.23.) Many who are preached to stumble at the word and cause trouble, like the unbelieving Jews who continually hunted the head of Paul. Many others who are preached to regard the word as foolish, and so the preachers of it they treat as fools. Caving in to such responses is what Paul warned Timothy not to do: “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Timothy 1.8.) Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown on this: “Paul…felt it necessary to stir him up and guard him against the possibility of unchristian dereliction of duty as to bold confession of Christ.” Is Alpha’s cowardly approach a bold confession? It is because pastors have caved in to the pressure of the possibility of persecution that they resort to programs in place of preaching. They will not risk so much as being called fools for the sake of preaching Christ. Caving in is what pastors do through Alpha and similar inoffensive, seeker-friendly, creatively engaging, ecumenical-minded courses and programs. To be ashamed of preaching Christ crucified is to be ashamed of Christ, if anything is.

What kind of message does God use to effect revival but the effective, faithful preaching of his holy word? Here is the sort of content that a revival message contains, in the words of a minister actually used by God in a broad way: “The object was to make the impenitent feel that they were under a righteous condemnation, that they had destroyed themselves, that their hearts were entirely alienated from God, that in this alienation lay their guilt and not their excuse, that, of course, they were bound to repent and become reconciled to God without a moment’s delay, that, nevertheless, so desperate was the depravity of their hearts that nothing short of the power of the Holy Ghost would ever subdue it, and that God was under no obligation to exert that power. So far as could be known at the time, and so far as the ‘fruits’ enable us to determine, these and other kindred truths were ‘the power of God unto salvation’, to multitudes that were ready to perish. The design was to exalt God and bring the sinner in guilty at every step, not to terrify even the vilest transgressor so as to render him incapable of reasoning and reflection, but to induce him, under the strong convictions of an enlightened conscience, to ‘flee from the wrath to come’, and ‘lay hold on eternal life’” (Heman Humphrey, in W. B. Sprague’s Lectures on Revivals of Religion, p. 360.) Do ministers leading Alpha preach like this? I know that they do not. Do they even try? I don’t think so. Preaching Christ crucified involves more than coaxing people to a ‘decision.’

Are you a pastor seeking to gain a world of churchgoers through faithless programs? Are you willing to receive churchgoers as church members, no matter how worldly and unrepentant they may be? Let the Scriptures reason you out of that for the good of your own soul and the poor multitudes that you refuse to really preach to. “For what is man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9.25, 26.) If these verses seem not to touch you, then consider that you may be spiritually blind. If you will not consider that you may be spiritually blind, then count on it: you are spiritually blind for sure, for a man whose eyes have been opened by the grace of God will not begrudge to examine his profession of faith. Hath God given you a spirit of fear? (2 Timothy 1.7.) 

ROMAN CATHOLIC DRONES

Red Deer Advocate, April 19^th, 2010. Says the archbishop drone: Roman Catholic sexual abuse scandals are ‘dramatic exceptions’ to the good work done by priests. In light of all the pedophilic crimes that are being discovered within the ranks of the Roman priesthood, it is more accurate to call these scandals ‘commonplace villainies,’ not ‘dramatic exceptions.’

As to the good work that priests do, it is during their supposed work that they commit their crimes. And what of all the good work that is done by priests who are not pedophiles? Their chief work is to teach or perform ceremonies like the Mass, which is the heresy that pretends Christ can be sacrificed anew to some benefit for sinners, when, in fact, the Bible teaches that there is no more acceptable sacrifice to be made for sin since Christ was crucified on the cross. So these Masses are useless and sinful because they are needless and anti-Christian; that is, they would add to what Christ accomplished, as if his perfect sacrifice on the cross were insufficient. Hebrews 9.26 says that “once in the end of the world hath he [Jesus Christ] appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” It does not say that regularly does he appear to put away sin by being re-sacrificed by a priest, but that once he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So it is done. It may never be done with God’s blessing again. The fact that it is perfectly and completely done makes the Mass unnecessary, and sinful to perform. And since that sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to put away sin, it renders unnecessary also, all prayers to Mary and the saints for help, and all good works that one might try to rack up for salvation. In essence, that once-for-all, all-sufficient sacrifice condemns any other attempt at satisfying the anger of God toward sinners. The ultimate sacrifice for sin has been made. God is satisfied with it. And the sufficiency of this sacrifice is what we must trust in order to be saved.

Priests love to ‘work’ with children. Given all the pedophilia that we now know that priests have been guilty of, we cannot blindly assume that the work they wish to do with children is really work. After all the pedophilic indecencies that priests have been caught doing, who could remain so ignorant and careless as to risk the bodies, virtues, and souls of children to obtain some dubious, priestly benefit? If you leave your child with a Roman priest, it is in the face of God the All-Seeing Judge that you do it; and this Almighty God will have the last Word about such ‘childcare’ in the end. Any biblical novice should be able to recognize from his little bit of reading that God cares especially for children. So we must be cautious (especially Roman Catholic laypersons) to leave our children with guardians who are least likely to abuse our children. Roman Catholic priests do not qualify.

The Canadian archbishop is a Roman Catholic ‘yes-man’ who says whatever accords with the wishes and will of his master the pope. And that Toronto’s priests are given a ‘pastoral message’ to repeat is proof that they are not permitted to speak for themselves when shameful scandals abound. They are the pope’s politicians, lower-level drones who speak when they are told to speak and who say what they are told to say. Have they wills and brains of their own? Feelings of their own? Apparently not. The great concern they are brainwashed to promote is the reputation of Mother Church. Is it not more important, righteous, and holy to throw your concern on the side of the abused children?

Don’t be a Roman Catholic drone, whoever you are. Read your Bible and put up personal prayers to God. He is the only Holy Father; the other one is an imposter. While you pray, never mind your rosary. Why not recycle that? There are none of these to be found in use among the saints in the Bible. Speak to God from the heart, not by rote.

The Roman Catholic spokesman says that you ‘should not be discouraged by the seemingly endless stream of victims.’ Think about that. Multitudes of victims are discouraged. But you shouldn’t be. How does this square with the Bible’s command to ‘weep with them that weep’? (Romans 12.15) You should weep with all the victims, but more: you should be as mad as the hell these pedophiles ought to be cast into! It is unnatural to have no anger about this. If you are not disturbed, ask yourself why. Are you hanging on to your tradition in spite of your revulsion? Are you suppressing your revulsion because you want to continue to believe that Roman Catholicism is true and blameless and that this religious institute may some day open heaven’s gates for you? Surely there is enough evidence by now for you to seriously reconsider your belief that the Roman Catholic Church is the true Church. How many atrocities will it take to make you doubt? What is the true Church? How may I be part of it? How may I get a salvation that will one day look down on the hell these Romish perverts deserve? These are the righteous questions that a holy indignation would ask. Begin seeking answers to these questions, whether you are a Roman Catholic, or just someone who shrinks from criticizing anyone. And why not get a fresh start by setting your Roman version of the Bible aside? You may keep to it; I would have you read it rather than nothing at all. But would it not be nice to have a brand new Protestant KJV in your hand, big and black, authoritative-looking, and reliable? Begin to put your quest in motion. Get to the bottom of this Church issue, and maybe you will get to the bottom of your own redemption while you are at it, which is your greatest need. And may the grace of God through his Holy Spirit guide you. If you like, you may even email me. Ask me any question you like. My email address is in my profile.    

Under the new rule of Pope Francis, the rules remain the same. Pedophile priests are protected, drones continue to drone, and victims continue to seek justice. 

THE DECLINE OF JUSTICE IN CANADA

Red Deer Life, July 17^th, 2011. “There is no longer any reasonable prospect of conviction.” This is the feeble excuse given by the Crown to not pursue justice for suspected murder! Can you feel the matter-of-factness, or flippancy of that statement? The man was sentenced for murder once. And so never mind pursuing the other charges laid against him! How does the Bible interpret judicial apathy like that? “They that forsake the law praise the wicked” (Proverbs 28.4.) In other words, by refusing to punish the wicked for his crimes, our Crown sides with the wicked against its own law. This murderer should have been put down after his first sentence. But not only is he allowed to live, he has the prospect of freedom too. He reaps life and freedom by the decline of justice. The most wicked reap life and freedom by the decline of justice in Canada.

Prior to 1865, capital punishment extended beyond reasonable bounds in this land. For instance, in 1803 in Montreal, 13 year old B. Clements was hanged for stealing a cow. From 1865, the death penalty was in force for crimes of murder, treason, and rape. In 1961, the law began to suffer its whittling down. And in 2011, murderers get to go free after some years of confinement; some of them get to dodge jail altogether.

Execution for the crime of murder is good sense. It makes good sense to the majority of Canadians. As recently as 2009, an Angus Reid poll showed that 62% of Canadians support the death penalty for the crime of murder. Why should a conservative government fear reinstating capital punishment, then? Liberals would spin the act as part of a wider agenda just waiting to be implemented. But a just government should act in the direction of justice regardless of spin and slander. Politicians, though, are more afraid of losing power than they are zealous for righteousness.

A lot of judicial watering down has occurred since 1961, the year when murder was classified under capital and non-capital offences. The Bible calls this the framing of mischief by a law (Psalm 94.20.) And this injustice brings punishment by the LORD upon the framers and the people who support these framers in office (verse 23.) Law is made to punish persons like murderers (1 Timothy 1.9.) Reducing execution to life, and making life into 25 years, or 10 years, or even 7 years, depending on the murder degree, is to make a law for the murderer’s good instead of for his crime. This is outrageous to God and dangerous for every citizen.

The Bible warns us to remember the good laws that preceded us. “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (Proverbs 1.8.) 62% of us want capital punishment reinstated. Fairly recent ancestors would agree. For progress in the sphere of justice to occur, we must regress to pre-1961 standards. Do not be afraid to be a spokesman for executing murderers. In Canada, believe it or not, you are in the majority. And God himself agrees with your position.