Where Word-Faith Meets Southern Baptist -- A Presidential Campaign, of Course

I simply pass this on without comment . . . well, except for one at the end (h.t. h.b.).

This is from a press release from the Trinity Foundation (which now publishes the Wittenberg Door: Click here: Wittenburg Door) sent to subscribers of their newsletter.

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Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee reached out to a questionable funding source this week—Texas televangelist Kenneth Copeland, one of the targets of a Senate Finance Committee investigation into the funding and governance of "prosperity gospel" ministries.

At Copeland’s annual by-invitation-only Minister's Conference at his Newark, Texas, headquarters Jan. 23, Copeland received a call during the meeting from Huckabee requesting emergency financing. According Doug Wead, former Bush family evangelical adviser, Copeland and his supporters at the conference raised $111,000 in cash for Huckabee, with about a million dollars in pledged donations, after he temporarily adjourned the conference and then reconvened the group as a "private meeting."

Wead relayed a report in his blog from a source at the meeting that "Last night [Jan. 23] the Governor called his friend in the middle of a conference and Copeland, carefully observing all the laws governing non profits, as a private citizen, re-convened a private meeting, turned to his friends and raised a few million dollars for Huckabee." (See "Mike Huckabee’s Big Mistake")

According to video clips of the conference obtained by Trinity Foundation, an investigative watchdog group in Dallas, Copeland revealed that Huckabee had pledged his total support to Copeland's ministry while dismissing the Senate investigation.

Video clips of Copeland's comments are posted on The Wittenburg Door Magazine website.

One video clip shows Copeland describing a phone call from Huckabee regarding the Senate investigation:

"[Huckabee told me] Why should I stand with them and not stand with you? They've only got 11 per cent approval rating.' And then he said, 'Kenneth Copeland, I will stand with you.' He said, 'You're trying to get prosperity to the people and they're trying to take it away from 'em.' He said, 'I will stand with you any time, anywhere, on any issue.' That settled that right there. I said, 'Yeah, that's my man! That's my man, right there.'"

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There's only one case in life I can think of where a Southern Baptist minister would come to Kenneth Copeland, hat-in-hand, to ask for an "emergency donation" -- A failing presidential campaign.  One more weird consequence when the two kingdoms are blurred. 

Mike Huckabee and the Two Kingdoms

Now that Mike Huckabee is surging in the polls--quite a surprise to me--his candidacy raises very important issues regarding the two kingdoms (the "kingdom of God" and the "city of man").  Huckabee was governor of Arkansas for more than ten years, so one might assume that Huckabee no longer sees himself as called to the gospel ministry.  Not so.  Click here: Huckabee Steps Back Into the Pulpit at Evangelical Church in N.H.

Here's why Huckabee and so many on the Christian Right make me nervous--they often confuse the two kingdoms.  Here's an example of what I mean.  On January 6, while campaigning in New Hampshire for president of the United States, Mike Huckabee preached a sermon at a church called the Crossing.  In his sermon, Huckabee stated "When we become believers, it's as if we have signed up to be part of God's Army, to be soldiers for Christ."  This raises a number of red-flags.

First, if Huckabee is called to public service (a legitimate and noble calling), then he should resign his office as minister.  That would clarify things greatly.  In effect, Huckabee should do what the minister in the movie the Patriot did when he took up arms against the Tories--he took off his clerical collar before going to war.  This made things very clear.  Ministers don't wage war.  Citizens can if the cause is just.

Second, it makes me very, very, nervous when a presidential candidate gets in a pulpit and preaches a sermon during the midst of an election in which he is running for office, especially when the church service seems much like an election rally.  It makes me even more nervous when candidate Huckabee speaks of God's army and being a soldier for Christ in that same sermon.

In all fairness, Huckabee made an effort to preach a sermon and not give a political speech.  But why does a candidate who feels he is called to be president of the United States, also feel called to preach a sermon using militaristic metaphors, if not to whip up potential voters?  If not confusing the kingdoms (which I think Huckabee did), it certainly muddies the waters.  Not good.

Third, since evangelicals often don't evaluate things theologically, they tend not to see a man confused about what God has called him to do (either be a public servant or a minister), and instead see value in having a "man of God" as president.  This, many think, will ensure that the traditional values agenda is duly addressed from the right perspective.  After all, it is argued, America is a "Christian nation" and must maintain these values.  Huckabee, it is believed, will do this.

When viewed from the perspective of the two kingdoms, every Christian is simultaneously a citizen of both kingdoms and our theological beliefs should inform how we behave as citizens.  But there's no distinction of kingdoms with Huckabee in a pulpit, and Huckabee's "soldiers in God's army" are people who will serve his political cause.  In other words, they'll vote for him and encourage others to do the same.  Fine for a political rally.  Not fine for a church service.

Let say that as for me and my house, we'll have nothing to do with Mike Huckabee.  I don't like his populist rhetoric.  I want to hear talk about budget cuts, tax cuts, size of government cuts, etc.  I want to hear a candidate tell me how he will protect my civil liberties and not mortgage the future of my children by taxing and spending.  Furthermore, I will not support a candidate for president who wants the nanny state to protect me by keeping me from smoking--Huckabee supported a national "no smoking" initiative.  By the way, other than a very occasional cigar, I don't smoke.  I happen to think the nanny state can be as dangerous to my health as a two-pack a day habit. 

"Prophet" Pat Is At It Again

Pat the "prophet" Robertson is at it again.  For 2008, he's predicting a recession and major upheaval in the financial markets.  He's also predicting increasing violence and chaos around the world.  He even claims God told who who the next president will be.  Click here: Pat Robertson predicts violence, recession for 2008 | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

But before you go all sell of your stocks, don't forget that in 2006 God supposedly told Pat that a Tsunami would hit the Pacific Northwest, and that in 2007, God "told" Pat that millions of Americans would die in a terrorist attack.

I have two simple questions.  How can Robertson spew these falsehoods with a straight face?  God told Pat Robertson no such thing!  And why on earth does anybody pay any attention to this guy?

Well, I know the answer to the last question--the media thinks the guy is a total doof.  And yes, I am paying attention to him (I'll admit it) because his continuing false prophecies make the point about the importance of the sufficiency of Scripture.  If God has revealed himself in Christ, why do we need Pat Robertson?

I just wish the guy would shut up!  Retire already! 

Just How Bad Is John Hagee's Theology?

It is hardly breaking news that Hagee's got some weird hyper-dispensational ideas about Israel and that he's become very active in certain political circles.  But what about these comments?

"Jesus did not come to be the Messiah"

Jesus was killed as part of a "Calvary Conspiracy"

Jesus "did not claim to be the Messiah"

Check it out for yourself, Click here: John Hagee Jesus NOT Messiah(audio|video perfect)

All of this nonsense so as to sell his book, "In Defense of Israel."  

Joel Osteen's New Book . . .

Our old friend Brian Ring is at it again, this time with a slight modification to the cover of Joel Osteen's latest.

Brian's done some great work -- including a few White Horse Inn posters which have appeared here before.  You can check it out here:  Click here: My Fake Posters.

You can see Joel's earlier book, "Your Best Hair Now," along with "Three Dispys" and my personal favorite (for obvious reasons) "Born to Ride." 

And the Winning Bid . . . $134.89

How much would you pay to see Joel Osteen speak in MSG (Madison Square Garden)?

Someone dropped $134.89 for 2 floor seats (near the front) on E-Bay to see Joel speak in the Big Apple.  Joel doesn't ask for money on his broadcasts, but he must be raking it in when he takes the show on the road.  One thing about Joel . . . when MSG sells out and tickets to see him are selling for that much on E-Bay, he's sure having his "best life now." 

Click here: 2 Floor Seats Joel Osteen 10/20/07 Madison Sq- NYC - (eBay item 160168184511 end time Oct-15-07 13:41:21 PDT)

 

I wonder if his MSG appearance will include bench-pressing?  He might even shoot a few hoops on the Knicks' home floor.  But he sure won't waste the audience's time talking about sin and a suffering Savior.

Update on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 10:52AM by Kim Riddlebarger

I had hoped to let this Osteen business go, but then I saw this on "A Little Leaven" (Click here: A Little Leaven )

Someone is actually selling an "I Watch Joel Osteen" lapel pin!  (Click here: Joel Osteen)  Please, will someone reading this buy one for Zrim!

OK, I promise, no more . . . 

So, We Have An Image Problem . . .

According to a recent article @ Time.com, Christianity has a serious image problem (Click here: Christianity's Image Problem - TIME).  Based on Barna research, Christians are often perceived as too political, too hypocritical and far too judgmental towards homosexuals.

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"Barna polls conducted between 2004 and this year, sampling 440 non-Christians (and a similar number of Christians) aged 16 to 29, found that 38% had a `bad impression' of present-day Christianity. `It's not a pretty picture' the authors write. Barna's clientele is made up primarily of evangelical groups.

Kinnaman says non-Christians' biggest complaints about the faith are not immediately theological: Jesus and the Bible get relatively good marks. Rather, he sees resentment as focused on perceived Christian attitudes. Nine out of ten outsiders found Christians too `anti-homosexual,' and nearly as many perceived it as `hypocritical' and `judgmental.' Seventy-five percent found it `too involved in politics.'

Not only has the decline in non-Christians' regard for Christianity been severe, but Barna results also show a rapid increase in the number of people describing themselves as non-Christian. One reason may be that the study used a stricter definition of `Christian' that applied to only 73% of Americans. Still, Kinnaman claims that however defined, the number of non-Christians is growing with each succeeding generation: His study found that 23% of Americans over 61 were non-Christians; 27% among people ages 42-60; and 40% among 16-29 year olds. Younger Christians, he concludes, are therefore likely to live in an environment where two out of every five of their peers is not a Christian.

Churchgoers of the same age share several of the non-Christians' complaints about Christianity. For instance, 80% of the Christians polled picked `anti-homosexual' as a negative adjective describing Christianity today. And the view of 85% of non-Christians aged 16-29 that present day Christianity is `hypocritical—saying one thing doing another,' was, in fact, shared by 52% of Christians of the same age. Fifty percent found their own faith `too involved in politics.' Forty-four percent found it `confusing.'"

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I wonder if this would still be the case if Christian preachers emphasized what Francis Schaeffer once called "true truth," i.e., that it is far more important that Christianity is true than it is that Christianity is useful.  How many of those who thought Christians were too judgmental have ever heard a sermon in which law and gospel were properly distinguished?  How many have ever heard that Christ's death is absolutely sufficient to save even the worst of sinners and that his blessed righteousess will cover them on the day of judgment?  My guess is that not one of those who thought Christianity was too political has ever heard someone explain the two kingdoms from a Reformed perspective.

Seems to me that what the church is missing is the kind of stuff we've been emphasizing on the White Horse Inn for years (Click here: The White Horse Inn: Know What You Believe & Why You Believe It).

1).  An emphasis upon Christianity's unique truth claim

2).  A proper distinction between law and gospel (as set forth in classical covenantal/Reformed theology)

3).  Justification by an imputed righteousness received through faith alone 

4).  A proper distinction between the two kingdoms

Recovering these emphases would go a long way toward fixing our image problem! 

Far more important, this will help recover the prophetic quality of true evangelical preaching and which is so often absent from the pulpit.  We reap what we sow.

Top 50 Evangelical Authors

According to the ECPA, here's a list of the current top 50 "best-selling" evangelical authors (Click here: ECPA E-LINK).  A list like this tells us a great deal about the state and health of American evangelicalism.

Alcorn, Randy C.
Alexander, Shaun
Arterburn, Stephen
Beers, Ron
Bell, Rob
Blackaby, Henry T.
Brunstetter, Wanda E.
Chapman, Gary
Cloud, Henry
Colbert, Don
Collins, Brandilyn
Dekker, Ted
DeMoss, Nancy Leigh
Dungy, Tony
Eggerichs, Emerson
Eldredge, John
Ethridge, Shannon
Feldhahn, Shaunti
Gregory, David
Hagee, John
Heavilin, Marilyn
Henderson, Dee
Hybels, Bill
Jakes, T. D.
Jeremiah, David
Kilgore, Kay Wheeler
Kingsbury, Karen
LaHaye, Tim
Lewis, Beverly
Lucado, Max
MacArthur, John
McGraw, Robin
Meyer, Joyce
Miller, Donald
Moore, Beth
Oke, Janette
Omartian, Stormie
Osteen, Joel
Piper, Don
Rice, Helen Steiner
Rivers, Francine
Rosenberg, Joel C.
Shepherd, Sheri Rose
Strobel, Lee
Warren, Rick
Weaver, Joanna
Wick, Lori
Yancey, Philip

Novels, fluff, counseling, and "how to" stuff clearly dominates.  MacArthur and Strobel seem to be the only exceptions.  

On Subscription Sermon Series (Part 2)

 
Picking up where we left off last time . . .

(If you haven't done so yet, please read part 1--posted below.  I'm posting sections from a "free" sermon I was sent, advertising a subscription sermon series).

The sample sermon--supposedly based on Mark 5:1-19--now discusses what both Satan and the Savior can do.  And no, as you'll soon see, this is not a proper distinction between law and gospel!

Here are the three main points in the sermon--although you can probably guess where this is going.  In fact, this sermon was emailed to so many preachers, you may have already heard it! 

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 l. WHAT SATAN CAN DO.

It is the mistake of believing that we can play around with Satan.  But what they fail to understand is when you play around with Satan, he is not playing.

* Do you know how people become ALCOHOLICS?  They become alcoholics by letting the devil tell them they can take a drink and quit drinking any time they desire -- nothing will come of it!

* Do you know how people become DRUG ADDICTS?  They become drug addicts by listening to the devil saying that they can experiment with drugs and quit any time they want to -- nothing will come of it!

* Do you know how people become HOMOSEXUALS? They start to play around with SATAN, but Satan is not playing.

* You know how Christians who used to attend church every time the church doors were open started playing around with Satan and he told them they could miss some of the church services and everything would be fine?  They start missing and missing and the more they missed, the easier it became.
People's lives are messed up because they think they can play around with Satan.

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So, the devil made me do it!  I knew it!  Now let me get this straight . . .  In a sermon based on Mark 5:1-19--where Jesus encounters a demon-possessed man in the Garasenes--the application that I am supposed to draw is that it is Satan who makes people into alcoholics, drug addicts and homosexuals. 

Foolish me, I thought the passage had something to do with the dawn of the kingdom of God and that Christ's power over the demonic is one of the principle signs that the new age of salvation has come.  I thought that human sin originated in Adam's fall and is then manifest in the human heart so that it constantly springs into action.  I guess I missed the biblical passage that speaks about sin coming from Satan . . .

Next, comes the suggested illustration as to why we shouldn't "mess around with Satan". 

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Illus:  Someone said, "Sin would have very few takers if its consequences occurred immediately!"

When people start to play around with Satan they do not know where that participation may take them.

*    There are DOPE ADDICTS who will tell you they would have never messed with dope if they knew it was going to take control of their lives.

*    There are ALCOHOLICS who will tell you they would have never messed with alcoholic beverages if they knew it was going to ruin their lives.

*    HOMOSEXUALS who will tell you they never would have played with sex sins if they knew it was going to wreck their lives.

*    There are BACKSLIDERS who will tell you they did not intend to get that far from God.

If people only knew how far sin was going to take them, they would never participate in sin. You!

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I don't know about you, but the first thing I thought about when I read Mark 5:1-19, was drugs, alcohol, homosexuality and backsliding (???).  You gotta be kidding me!

 

Now comes the second part of the sermon . . .  I know, you just can't wait.

 

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II. WHAT OUR SAVIOR CAN DO.

The Bible tells us that Satan has come for the purpose of destroying us PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALLY. 

Look at John 10:10. We read, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."   

Look at verses 7-13, [the passage is cited--reminding the reader that the points made in the sermon have nothing whatsoever with the passage cited]

HOW DID HE GET IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION?

He just kept opening the door to the Devil playing around with him, and one devil at a time just kept entering him.

We have looked at :

WHAT CAN SATAN DO? He can destroy a man's life with sin so that he is beyond recognition. 

WHAT CAN CHRIST DO?   He can take the man that Satan has destroyed and RESTORE him so no one recognizes him!

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Since the sermon never mentions sin, but is concerned only with fact that the demon-possessed man is proof that drug and alcohol addiction, backsliding and sexual sin come from Satan (???), we should not be surprised that the application would be framed along the lines that Jesus came to restore what Satan came to destroy.  If there is no mention of sin, of course, there will be no mention of the saving work of Christ!

 

That (thankfully) brings us to the conclusion.  "What we can do?"

 

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III. WHAT WE CAN DO.

Notice, Mark 5:18-20, "And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.  Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.  And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."     Jesus told the man that he should not go with Him, but rather that he should... (V. 19), "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." That was what the man did.  The Bible says, verse 20, "And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

DO NOT CLOSE THE BLINDS...we are at WAR WITH SATAN.

* If you are not saved, God wants to take you from RUINS TO REDEMPTION.

* If you are saved, He wants you to share with others what He has done for you.

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Ministers really buy this stuff?  Finally, we discover the real point of the sermon--the call to do something (with no mention whatsoever of Christ). 

This is immediately followed by the sales pitch to the minister who would like to pass this kind of drivel off as his own work.

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"Thanks for taking the time to read this condensed outline. As you look at the full outline you can see this sermon has so much more!  If you subscribe today we will send you Sept/Oct package of sermons that contains this sermon and fifteen (15) more great sermons.  When you subscribe you will receive sixteen of these full-length, useable sermons for only $5.75 a month."

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Talk about nerve!  It is one thing for a minister to buy someone else's material and then pass it off as his own.  Its another thing to subscribe to a series of sermons like this one, which have virtually nothing to do with the biblical text upon which they are supposedly based.

OK, I'm done.  I can just hear you saying, "please make it stop."  I thought it might help for you to know that this kind of thing actually goes on.  I also thought you might be interested to see the quality of the stuff which passes for a "biblical" sermon these days.

While I could say a lot more, one good solution is for everyone who preaches and who listens to preaching to get and read Dennis Johnson's wonderful book, Him We Proclaim (Click here: Amazon.com: Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures: Books: Dennis E. Johnson).  Johnson's book shows ministers what it truly means to preach Christ from all of Scripture, but it also gives those in the pews a good idea of what they should be looking and listening for from their ministers.

If your pastor buys sermons like this and preaches this way, find another church! 

Oh, and don't close your blinds!
 

Enclosure

On Subscription Sermon Series (Part 1)

Ever wonder why so much of "evangelical" preaching is so awful these days--in the sense of being devoid of biblical content and lacking the power of God?  Sermon subscription series might be a big part of the problem.

Although I never signed up for it, I am now the recipient of a weekly e-mail sales pitch for one of these subscription series.  Little did these guys know . . .

In an attempt to entice me to purchase their weekly sermon (a subscription will cost you $5.75 a month), I was sent the following "sample" sermon.  It is fair to assume that outfits like this send you their best stuff, since, after all, they are trying to get you to subscribe to their series.

I realize that the company which sent me this sermon might get a bit miffed if I quote extensively from their product on my blog.  Too bad.  Since they sent it to me unsolicited, and since it is so indicative of the sorry state of preaching these days, I thought you might be interested to see what passes for a "sermon", as well as shine some light on what some ministers are doing with their hard-earned $5.75. 

First and foremost, any minister who subscribes to this sermon series (or any other) ought to be defrocked!  Ministers must do their own exegesis and study, they must craft their own outlines (or manuscripts) and they must do so prayerfully and diligently.  This is our calling!  To buy someone else's work and then pass it off as your own, is sin, pure and simple.  How about sloth and theft for starters. 

When I looked through this particular sermon, I was dumbfounded at how bad it was.  The sermon is supposedly based on Mark 5:1-19 (the story of the demon-possessed man), and is entitled "Do Not Close the Blinds." 

It will come as no surprise that the sermon has virtually nothing to do with the passage in Mark's Gospel.  Having spent the better part of a year preaching through Mark, I was especially interested to see what these guys would do with that particular text.

The sample "sermon" includes both an introduction and an illustration (which is actually a tacky and completely inappropriate joke).  So let's start there.  I'll simply quote it.

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The intro:  "Some things in life are difficult to explain"

The suggested illustration is as follows:

"Roger is a hard worker, and he spends most of his nights bowling or playing volleyball, or so he claims.  His loving wife decided he needed to relax from work and take a break from sports.  So she takes him to a night club.

The doorman at the club spots them and says, `Hey Roger! How are you tonight?' His wife, surprised, asks her husband if he has been here before. `No, no. He's just one of the guys I bowl with.'

They are seated, and the waitress approaches, sees Roger, and says, `Nice to see you. You want your usual?' His wife's eyes widen. `You must come here a lot!' `No, no' says Roger. `I just know her from volleyball.'

Then this gorgeous blonde comes by and says, `Don't forget you promised me a dance the last time you were here!'  

His wife, fuming, collects her things and storms out of the bar. Roger follows her and spots her getting into a cab, so he jumps into the passenger seat. His wife looks at him, seething with fury and lets Roger have it with both barrels. At this, the cabby leans over and says, `Sure looks like you picked up a mean one tonight, Roger!'"

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Such a tasteless joke might get a nervous laugh from some guilty husband who cheated on his wife in the past, but my question is "what on earth does this tacky joke have to do with Mark 5:1-19?" 

And how dare a minister of the gospel waste God's time during worship to tell an inappropriate joke, when he should be using all his time preaching God's word.

Next up, comes the recommended examples, intended to reinforce the main point that certain things are hard to understand:

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"(1) It is difficult to get people today to understand we are war with the terrorist.

(2) It is difficult to get Christians to understand we are at war with Satan.

No matter how hard you try, some folks can not get this message. They just want to CLOSE THE BLINDS and pretend this does not exist.  When it comes to the terrorist and Satan we had better learn how to STOP them before they destroys us.  Satan is after us and we had better learn how to stop him.  To stop him we need to look at several things."

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So, based on Mark 5:1-19, we learn the following:  1).  Some things are hard to understand,  2).  People don't want to understand, 3). Satan (and terrorists) are after us,  4). We are at war with him (Satan), and  5).  We need to keep our blinds open.

What????  (Part 2 to follow)