WARNING: Deep Ditch Ahead!

I know my brother in Christ and fellow blogger Greg, is working on a book review of "The Shack" so I hope this will not ruin his post. But, I just had to let everyone know about a sermon by Dr. Michael Youssef where he lays out thirteen heresies he discovered in this book by Paul Young. The sermon is titled "Uncovering The Shack", and is a must listen which can be downloaded for FREE HERE.

"The book is like a deep ditch covered with beautiful flowers — and sadly, many Christians are falling into this ditch."- Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

The Gospel of Mime

Preacher/Entertainer Brandon Primm doesn't even need to speak to present his Christian testimony, he is the "Minister Mime" he uses mime as a tool to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ with his gifts of interpretative dance and mime to minister to others all without the use of speech. He said quote "People are just floored by the mime interpretation and later tell me that they understood what I shared, although I haven't said a word," Wow that's amazing the people clearly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ without a word spoken, never mind that Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. I wonder how Brandon fits his style of evangelism into Romans 10:14 "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" I guess Brandon wants us to just set the Bible aside and let our minds interpret what the Gospel is by his performance, this approach to ministry is so subjective and seems to be so rampant in our church's as this post-modern mindset has choked the true Gospel right out of the pulpit. When we let things like this go on within the church walls it's no wonder that most of today's so called Christians have become so luke warm!

Doctrines of Contradiction

I have heard many Pentecostals preach some of these false doctrines first hand and they have no idea the damage that they may cause in a young believers life. How someone can teach that Jesus is the only way of salvation and then deny that His Grace is Sufficient enough to keep you is beyond me. As I read more articles on the history of the Pentecostal Movement I find it to be a very strange rabbit hole indeed.

"…Many Pentecostals believe that Baptism is necessary for salvation and that eternal life may be lost due to sin in ones personal life. Speaking in tongues is often said to be the evidence of Salvation. A denomination which believes that speaking in tongues is a necessary part of or the evidence of salvation has fallen into the same trap as Romanism. THINGS whether Tongues or Sacraments are not necessary for Salvation. Giving approval to Pentecostal or Charismatic participants condones their Church and the errors that accompany them,… The statement that most ex-Catholics were in the Pentecostal or Charismatic denominations could mean that they still need salvation... it therefore becomes imperative that the plain Gospel be preached to all, especially those who claim to be saved and yet continue to associate themselves with unbiblical positions that contradict the doctrines of salvation, Romanism and Pentecostalism.…." (Read the full article)

Evil Interpreters

I am just so fascinated by the writings of the early church fathers and how their words still ring so true today. This quote by Irenaeus sounds as if he could be addressing the Emerging Church Movement leaders of today.

Inasmuch as certain men have set the truth aside, and bring in lying words and vain genealogies, which, as the apostle says, "minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith," and by means of their craftily-constructed plausibilities draw away the minds of the inexperienced and take them captive. These men falsify the oracles of God, and prove themselves evil interpreters of the good word of revelation. They also overthrow the faith of many, by drawing them away, under a pretence of [superior] knowledge, from Him who rounded and adorned the universe; as if, forsooth, they had something more excellent and sublime to reveal, than that God who created the heaven and the earth, and all things that are therein. By means of specious and plausible words, they cunningly allure the simple-minded to inquire into their system; but they nevertheless clumsily destroy them, while they initiate them into their blasphemous and impious opinions respecting the Demiurge; and these simple ones are unable, even in such a matter, to distinguish falsehood from truth. - Irenaeus

Excerpt taken from "Irenaeus Against Heresies" Book I

Secret Lies

On a recent trip back home I visited my great aunt and uncle and it's usually always a positive visit and I love them both very much so you can understand why I was troubled when my aunt brought up a new book that she was excited about after having read it; and it was titled "The Secret", after gasping for air as I was shocked, I was able to compose myslef enough to ask some simple questions that caused her to see the red flags of this book. Here is a great article by Lynn Stuter who exposes the New Age precepts that are behind this false teaching that is capturing the christian world by storm.

Update: Dr. Al Mohler has also tackled the topic of this book of lies in a recent radio broadcast titled "Have You Heard The Secret?" you can download the entire radio program here. Also here is a great review of The Secret by Don Whitney.