Marsha West responds to her article being removed from the AFA

You may recall the excellent article by Marsha West which was originally posted at the American Family Association’s website: Marsha West: (Part 1) Religious Right leaders have joined forces with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), and how it mysteriously disappeared after a couple days.

It seems the mystery is solved. The author at as i travel thru ThisPilgrimLand contacted Ms.West and received a very interesting reply from her.

As discussed earlier on this website, the powers that be at American Family Association (AFA) decided to remove an article written by Marsha West. The article discussed the on going forging of the mainstream religious right with the cult of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Sadly, the article was removed due to what would seem someone from inside AFA not approving of the discernment of Marsha West. I wanted to give Marsha West an opportunity to speak for herself on this matter and when reached for comment on this matter, Marsha West provided As I Travel Thru This Pilgrim Land with the following comments,

See, Marsha West On Her Piece Being Removed From AFA Website 

Frankly I was somewhat surprised to find it posted at the AFA website in the first place. These groups all share the same bed…

Biblical Foreign Policy

Michael Horton has written a very good article, Biblical Foreign Policy. In light of the discussion in the post below (Is the President Inviting a Genesis 12:3 Curse?), sharing it seemed like a good idea.

quote..

Last week (May 19, 2011), President Obama created controversy with his statement that any Israeli-Palestinian accord “must begin with a return to the 1967 borders.” Besides Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, many evangelical leaders have been criticizing the statement over the last several days.

Foreign policy experts have been discussing and debating the conditions for a lasting accord, offering thoughtful analysis on complicated questions. However, they are often drowned out by the background voices of those who insist, on biblical grounds, that any pressure put on Israel to keep its past pledges is tantamount to heresy.

Lacking both the qualifications and the authority to pronounce on the policy questions, my focus here is on the argument that many evangelicals have made over the years since dispensational premillennialism gained ascendence.

In a recent post for Charisma Magazine Online, Jack Hayford, pastor of Church on the Way (Van Nuys, California), called President Obama’s announcement “a trumpet call from God’s Spirit:

‘Beware – Take Action!’” He adds, “We are living in a sobering moment in history that calls us, as believers in Jesus Christ, to take a stand with Israel. We could be people of the last hour.”

To his credit, Mr. Hayford warned against disrespectful or violent responses. However, he reiterated a familiar defense for a policy that would basically recognize Israel’s privileges as a “holy nation” and not simply as a secular nation that is one of the US’s closest friends. Inasmuch as it has been embraced (at least publicly) by several recent presidents, the “Bible-based” argument that Mr. Hayford offers has had some influence on foreign policy. But is it, in fact, biblical?

Like most dispensationalist brothers and sisters, Mr. Hayford’s main argument is the unconditional nature of God’s promise to Israel of an earthly land and kingdom,

“Israel is a land about which God says uniquely, prophetically, redemptively and repeatedly in the Bible This is Mine. God refers to Israel as He does to no other land on Earth. Israel was raised up to be a light to the Gentiles.”

He makes other arguments in favor of the special relationship of Christians and Jews.

“Salvation comes from the Jews,” the first church was Jewish, and Gentiles are the “wild branches” grafted onto the tree.

All of this is important to remember when we are thinking about the relationship between Christians and Jews. However, does it have anything to do with the nation of Israel and Palestine or the United States? 

The deeper problem in the argument supporting Mr. Hayford’s urgent call concerns the nature of the promise that God made to Abraham. He writes,

“The Lord selected a people … He began by selecting a man named Abraham. The Lord said that through the seed of Abraham (in relationship with his wife, Sarah, giving birth to the promised child, Isaac) all the nations of the Earth will be blessed … every human being having access to the divine blessing of Almighty God. In Genesis 12:3, the Lord says in the covenant He makes with Abraham: ‘I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” 

I can agree with the point that “This relates not only to a people (the Jews), but it also relates to a land (Israel),” and that God did in fact judge Israel’s enemies.

Nevertheless, God’s covenant with Israel was itself conditional. 

It is not Israel’s land, but God’s, and if Israel breaks the covenant, then the land will “vomit out” Israel as well (Lev 20:22). God himself will lay the nation waste through other nations and send his people into exile “east of Eden.” The land will no longer be holy, but common, even though God continues to work through the holy line—the “stump of Jesse,” from whom David and eventually the greater David (the Messiah) would come.

Throughout the law (especially in Deuteronomy), the temporal promise of “long life in the land” is conditioned on Israel’s faithfulness to the covenant it swore at Mount Sinai. It is distinct from the unconditional promise of everlasting life and peace through Abraham’s Seed, through whom all families of the earth will be blessed. 

The way the Gospels, but especially Hebrews and Galatians, interpret these passages is to recognize that the Sinai covenant was temporary, conditional, and typological. It was a shadow of the things to come—namely, Christ and his kingdom. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus announces a “regime change” from the civil laws of the theocracy. Instead of driving out the enemies of God, the True Israel—those united to Christ—are to endure suffering for the gospel and to pray for their persecutors. God’s common grace is shed on the just and the unjust alike in this age. Having fulfilled its job, like a trailer for a movie, the old covenant is now “obsolete” (Heb 8:13). Christ’s ministry, far greater than that of Moses, fulfills the everlasting promise that God made to Abraham.

Now, blessing has come from the Jews to the ends of the earth in Jesus Christ, the true Israel, the true and faithful Son of David, the true Temple. 

The church has therefore not replaced Israel; rather, the borders of Israel have now been extended. No longer a geo-political nation, limited to one people, it is an international remnant “from every tribe, kindred, and nation” (Rev 5:9). So while I do believe that Paul’s teaching in Romans 9-11 leads us to expect a great outpouring of God’s Spirit on ethnic Jews in the last days, this has nothing to do with the state of Israel.

A lot more could be—and should be—said (I treat this at length in The Christian Faith [535-47, 729-33, 919-90] and elsewhere). However, it’s worth concluding this brief response by mentioning that not even Orthodox Jews believe that the modern state of Israel is holy. The messianic kingdom for which they long is strictly “from above.” It comes with the Messiah and cannot be a secular democracy. So they too realize that the state of Israel is not in any way a revival of the Mosaic theocracy. They are still living in exile, even in Israel.

To conclude: God’s promise to Abraham included (1) an earthly land and (2) a heavenly land. The central claim of the New Testament, anticipated by the prophets, is that although Israel (like Adam—Hosea 6:7) has thoroughly violated the conditions for inheriting the first, God has been faithful to keep history moving beyond the sinfulness of his human partner—including us. Through Christ, he has fulfilled this promise, bringing blessing to all the families of the earth. All heirs of this kingdom are “a holy nation,” living in the common nations of this age.

Especially given the legacy of Christian persecution of Jews throughout the medieval and modern periods, there is a special obligation of Christians to defend the common rights of the Jewish people to a flourishing existence. Yet, by acknowledging that God’s promise of a temporal, geo-political theocracy and land were conditional and that this covenant now lies in the past, we are free to support our friends in Israel and Palestine in their pursuit of a stable peace that will doubtless require trust and negotiation on both sides.

White Horse Inn

Is the President Inviting a Genesis 12:3 Curse?

I’d like to say stuff like this below, sent out by Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, saddens me but I can’t. It use to, but now it just angers me. Its one thing to misinterpret scripture, but an entirely different thing to use that misinterpretation to manipulate others.

quote..

President Obama’s actions undermining the nation of Israel blatantly ignore the promise God made in Genesis 12:3, when He said of Israel, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse…”

WE must choose to stand with Israel even if those in control of American public policy refuse to!

We MUST insist our elected officials stopping pushing America to move under the curse promised in Genesis 12:3! God forbid that we turn our backs on the nation of Israel! Last week, I joined 49 other ministry leaders in signing an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which was posted in the Wall Street Journal and the Jerusalem Post. The headline of the letter stated… “Israel, You’re Not Alone. We Stand With You!”

There is no “neutral ground” when it comes to Israel.

PJ, we MUST tell our President that he is jeopardizing our nation through his disrespect of the nation of Israel! God’s word WILL NOT return void! (full letter)

Back in December of 09 I put together a post addressing Genesis 12:3 and how the misinterpretation of this one scripture has forged one of the worst false doctrines found in many of America’s Churches today. 

See: Misinterpreting Scripture (Genesis 12:3)  

Disaster as Judgment for sin: Christian or Hindu belief?

Excellent article by JD Ellis,

The is a growing trend in the church and especially on the Christian websites today for people to stand up and pronounce each new disaster that appears in the headlines as punishment for the sins of the people who live in that area. Self-styled prophets everywhere are popping up out of the woodwork to proclaim that God has told them that He is waving His hands and directing tsunami, earthquake, and tornado to sinful parts of the world. They also say He tells them which disasters are judgment and which are not. We need to examine whether this holds true to Scripture and applies to the Christian living in today’s world, or if it is a dark doctrine and an unbiblical creed that needs to be rejected…  (Disaster as judgment for sin: Christian or Hindu belief?)

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13

“The Obama Code” AHA@

This is too funny… 

Jerome Corsi’s newest book, “Where’s the Birth Certificate? The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President” was released on the 17th of May (available exclusively at WorldNetDaily’s Super Store…where else?).  Due to the bad timing (Obama releases original long-form birth certificate: April 27, 2011) it would appear Corsi has been beating the bushes, in pursuit of another conspiracy to help promote his book. Sales must be seriously lagging as the book can now be purchased at a new discounted price. 

The results of Corsi’s 27 day conspiracy bush-beating has given the world this gem,  

‘The Obama code’: Hidden messages in birth document? By Jerome R. Corsi

Recalling Dan Brown’s bestselling novel “The Da Vinci Code,” computer experts have discovered strange anomalies in the Obama birth record released by the White House. 

Good luck Jerome…  

Quote of the Day..

Richard Bartholomew writes,

(Glenn) Beck was in Israel just recently – he reported that the Temple Mount “almost pulsated”, although it is unclear whether it always does that or whether this was a special sign given to Beck from God.

Source, Glenn Beck and His Tour Operators 

Peace in Believing

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as the world gives.” —John 14:27

“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You.” “Perfect peace!”—what a blessed attainment! My soul! is it yours? I am sure it is not, if you are seeking it in a perishable world, or in the perishable creature, or in your perishable self. Although you have all that the world would call enviable and happy, unless you have peace in God, and with God, all else is unworthy of the name—a spurious thing, which the first breath of adversity will shatter, and the hour of death utterly annihilate!

Perfect peace! What is it? It is the peace of forgiveness. It is the peace arising out of a sense of God reconciled through the blood of the everlasting covenant—resting sweetly on the bosom, and the work of Jesus—to Him committing your eternal all.

My soul! stay yourself on God, so that this blessed peace may be yours. You have tried the world. It has deceived you. Prop after prop of earthly scaffolding has yielded, and tottered, and fallen. Has your God ever done so? Ah! this false and counterfeit world-peace may do well for the world’s work, and the world’s day of prosperity. But test it in the hour of sorrow; and what can it do for you when it is most needed? On the other hand, what though you have no other blessing on earth to call your own? You are rich indeed, if you can look upwards to Heaven, and say with an unpresumptuous smile, “I am at peace with God.”

THE FAITHFUL PROMISER by John MacDuff, 1849 

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” 2 Peter 1:4

“He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 

‘I Don’t Understand’ Why I Haven’t Raptured

Sad…

While standing in Times Square and watching the clock tick, one avid believer of Harold Camping’s May 21 rapture prediction stood there perplexed to his obvious earthbound stay.

“I don’t understand why nothing has happened,” Robert Fitzpatrick said, according to the New York Daily News, after waiting for the end of the world to begin at 6 p.m. local time. “I did what I had to do. I did what the Bible said,” or in this case, what Harold Camping told him to do.

A blank stare to a failed prediction.

“I obviously haven’t understood it properly, because we’re still here,” said the 60-year-old follower, as reported by the Daily News.

One can only wonder what Camping and his devoted followers are thinking now that it is May 22. So far there haven’t been any reports from the California Family Radio headquarters.

What about the MTA retired man who invested his savings, $140,000, on advertisement proclaiming that May 21 would be Judgment Day? And the young couple who quit their jobs?

At least one church is reaching out to Camping’s likely disenchanted followers. Concerned that they might become depressed or commit suicide, Calvary Bible Church of Milpitas, Calif., is reaching out to provide help. The church is urging them not to do anything rash on May 22.

“Do not despair,” said Pastor Jacob Denys in a statement. “You are not alone. We offer you help and Biblical counsel.”

“We realize our offer of assistance may not be well-received right now but we hope on May 22nd they will see it is an offer made in Christian love,” said Denys. “We know that you will be hurting when you realize that you have been deceived, and we will be here for you.”  (CPost)

Tim LaHaye: O’ the mendacity. Thy hypocrisy stinketh

Richard Bartholomew (BarthNotes) correctly points out the hypocrisy of Left Behind author, Tim LaHaye,

Tim LaHaye Against “Trivializing” Bible Prophecy

Related:

Left Behind Author Tim LaHaye on the Rapture

Debunking The Left Behind Series  

Harold Camping: Something to Ponder….

There’s a new article up at the Christian Post.

A Family Radio spokesman affirmed with The Christian Post that the May 21 rapture is “guaranteed” and said the date of end of the world was revealed through Bible study and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (See, Family Radio Spokesman: May 21 Rapture Is Guaranteed)

I’ve not posted much on Camping’s “guarantee” of the rapture taking place this Saturday (at 6 pm, no less) because frankly its ridiculous. But here’s something to ponder on…

If Harold Camping is so positive he will be raptured this coming Saturday, I wonder if he has given away the $25 Million he is reported to be worth?

Harold Egbert Camping born July 19, 1921 is a Christian radio broadcaster and president of Family Radio, a California-based religious broadcasting network that spans more than 150 outlets in the United States as well as a website. Camping’s trademarks include his deep, sonorous voice coupled with a slow cadence.

He has also used mathematical predictions applied to the Bible to predict dates for the end of the world. His current end times prediction is that the Rapture will be on May 21, 2011 and that God will completely destroy the Earth and the universe five months later on October 21. He had previously predicted that the Rapture would occur in September 1994. 

Christian Radio Broadcaster Harold Camping Net Worth 2011:  Harold Camping Net Worth $25 Million USD

But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Mark 13:32

It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. Acts 1:7

*UPDATE* Marsha West: Religious Right leaders have joined forces with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)

Interesting article by Marsha West. 

Some Religious Right leaders have joined forces with movers and shakers, literally speaking, of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). They have been warned about this “New Breed” of Christian and their global kingdom agenda and have chosen to disregard the warnings…. What’s astounding is that conservative Christian leaders, many of whom are biblically literate, fail to recognize blatant false teaching.  

It has become necessary to report on the NAR again because it is gaining credibility with evangelicals as well as the conservative media, entertainers, politicians and the Tea Party movement.  

Last year self-professed NAR prophet Cindy Jacobs’ and General’s International held the May Day 2010: A Cry To God For A Nation In Distress at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial where,

“local representatives shared about their state’s Christian heritage and lifted up prayers for their state and the United States. National leaders offered up prayers of repentance for seven main issues: family, the church, education, arts and entertainment, business, government and the media.” 

Janet Porter of Faith2Action had an active role in organizing the gathering. In attendance were such notables as James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Wendy Wright, Jerry Newcombe, Peter LaBarbera, David Barton, Mathew Staver, Robert Knight, Alan Keyes, to name a few. Also in attendance were several NAR leaders including C. Peter Wagner, Chuck Pierce, Dutch Sheets, Lance Wallnau and Rick Joyner.  

*The link to the American Family Association where this article was posted, no longer takes you to the message for the simple reason the article was removed,

AFA Yanks Post Calling Out Religious Right For Aligning With False Prophets 

Marsha West’s article must have really ruffled some feathers. 

If you’re interested in reading it, see the cached page here 

(HT to Kyle at RWW) 

Religious Right Leaders, Dominionists and False Prophets: United at Last

Janet Porter of Faith2Action has started a new website, IsraelYoureNotAlone.com, and has managed to gather a whole host of names for a Wall Street Journal ad condemning President Obama’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

Porter, who last week blamed the deadly tornadoes in the South on Obama’s approach to Israel and legal abortion, garnered signatures from Religious Right luminaries like Mike Huckabee, James Dobson, Lou Sheldon, Mat Staver, Tim Wildmon, and Roy Moore, along with dominionists like herself, such as Jerry Boykin and Rick Scarborough, and New Apostolic Reformation ‘prophets’ like Rick Joyner, Che Ahn, Mike Bickle, and Chuck Pierce. Other prominent Religious Right signatories include Gordon Klingenschmitt, Don Feder, Rob Shenck and Paul Blair. 

The above story is from RWW where you can view the Wall Street Journal ad, Porter Brings Religious Right Leaders, Dominionists And Prophets Together For Israel. 

If Only….

Jesus Needs New PR: FORGIVENESS 

Beck and Hagee, a match made…. “somewhere”

Since reading that Glenn Beck’s Fox show was coming to a close (thank God) at the end of 2011, I’ve been watching to see where the winds of deception would take him next. It didn’t take long for him to land …

Join us in Washington from July 18-20, 2011 for our sixth annual Washington Summit. 

Christians United for Israel’s Washington Summit is the premier pro-Israel event of the year. We bring together some of the most influential leaders and thinkers to update you on recent developments in Israel, the Middle East and Washington, D.C. Then we go to Congress so that you can share your support for Israel directly with your elected officials and help change the way Washington views the Jewish state.

The leadership of Christians United for Israel (*CUFI) are thrilled to announce that Glenn Beck will be the keynote speaker at the national Night to Honor Israel Banquet during the Washington Summit on Tuesday, July 19, 2011.

Now there’s a dynamic-duo: false prophet & Mormon Glenn Beck and false teacher extraordinaire, John Hagee.  

Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, Beck announced this morning he is holding a rally in Israel this summer,

“I believe I’ve been asked to stand — in Jerusalem,” Beck told his audience…

Beck detailed current challenges facing the nation — “Things in Israel are going to get bad…it’s only a matter of time.” “They are going to attack the center of our faith, our common faith, and that is Jerusalem. And it won’t be with bullets or bombs. It will be with a two-state solution that cuts off Jerusalem, the old city, to the rest of the world.” “It is time to return inside the walls that surround Jerusalem and stand with people of all faiths all around the world.”

The event will unfold under the designation “Restoring Courage,” with a clear intention that it serve as a step forward from last summer’s “Restoring Honor” rally held on 8/28 in Washington, D.C. (Beck Announces Major ‘Restoring Courage’ Rally in Israel This August)

*Also see Joel’s post which includes audio: Glenn Beck is no Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

David Wilkerson Memorial Service (Live Webcast May 14th)

Today at 2:00PM ET the memorial service for Pastor Wilkerson will be streamed live from Times Square Church. 

Live Webcast from NY City 

It’s a Conspiracy Stupid!

Ah yes Mr Joyner, it was a conspiracy. All the other factors (the mortgage crisis and housing bubble, to name just two) had nothing to do with it…

Years ago, while involved in a local deliverance ministry, I noticed a few people within the ministry began to report seeing demons behind every bush. Were they really seeing them? No, of course not. But the folks who claimed to “see them” everywhere, had fallen into a trap. That doesn’t discount the fact of there being real demons, there are.  

Some of the folks today claiming to see conspiracies “everywhere”, (some so ridiculous they are laughable) have fallen into the same trap. Others know what they are claiming is a lie: but it plays into their own personal agendas to make the claims. Like the example of the demons, “seeing” conspiracies everywhere doesn’t discount the possibility of real conspiracies: in the past, now, or in the future. 

The problem is if there ever is something God wants His people to be aware of, we most likely wouldn’t recognize it for the simple truth, we are now flooded with all this goofy-garbage everyday.

Oak Initiative: Below is a clip from that session where Jerry Boykin and Rick Joyner respond to a question about the economic collapse by alleging that was part of a plot by George Soros and some cabal inside the Council on Foreign Relations who are working to create Marxist, one world government and that the collapse itself was intentionally triggered in order to help Barack Obama win the election: (RWW)

Donald Trump & Paula White Teaming Up?

Not a fan of Brian McLaren, but in this case I agree with him,

“What a crazy world…….What a crazy country,”

quote..

Pastor Paula White and Donald Trump are teaming up to host a private meeting with Christian leaders in New York this week. 

The Thursday meeting has been billed as a “time of dialogue & leadership with Mr. Trump,” who is seriously considering a run for the presidency in the 2012 election. Details of the meeting could not be confirmed. Multiple calls to Paula White Ministries were not returned.

One of the invitees, however, to the meeting is Brian McLaren, a popular Christian author who is considered part of the controversial emerging church camp. McClaren posted the invitation he received on his blog last week.

It reads:

“Pastor Paula along with Mr. Donald Trump would like to extend a special invitation to Brian McLaren for a time of dialogue & leadership meeting with Mr. Trump. This private meeting will take place on Thursday, May 12th, 5:30pm at Trump Tower in NYC.” 

…Evangelist Franklin Graham said on ABC that although he initially thought it was a joke when he first heard Trump may be running, he now believes the billionaire can be his candidate of choice. Tony Perkins, head of the conservative Family Research Council, also expressed that he and other conservatives are considering Trump as a serious candidate. 

Full article, Donald Trump, Paula White Rallying Christian Support?

After that ugly, vitriolic, Las Vegas speech on April 29th, (Donald Trump drops F-bombs on Las Vegas crowd) how could any right-thinking Christian support this guy? Never mind, I answered my own question. 

Bob Jones Sr. to Billy Graham: A Bad Prediction, Some Good Advice

A Slice of Church History…

“I have the sense that younger evangelicals today are often ignorant of the modernist-fundamentalism divide in the early twentieth century, followed by the fundamentalist-evangelical divide in the mid-twentieth century. But there are great lessons for all of us to learn from studying these important events, including the virtues and flaws of our forefathers in the faith” 

See: Bob Jones Sr. to Billy Graham: A Bad Prediction, Some Good Advice 

Mormonism’s Heavenly Mother

Interesting article. The author, a Mormon, appears to be hopeful this false doctrine is making a comeback. 

Is Heavenly Mother Making a Comeback in Mormonism? 

It’s a little-known fact: according to Mormon tradition, God is not an old man but rather a male-female couple: a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. Yet for most of the twentieth century you could go a month of Sundays in most Mormon congregations without hearing Heavenly Mother so much as mentioned—a taboo that may finally be waning.

The Mormon doctrine of a Heavenly Mother was articulated in 1845 by the Mormon author and thinker Eliza R. Snow, in the lyrics to a hymn:

In the heavens are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare! Truth is reason, truth eternal Tells me I’ve a mother there.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, at the height of Mormon speculative theology, Heavenly Mother was referenced frequently by both male and female LDS Church leaders. Since that time, an agglomeration of folk tradition and anti-feminist retrenchment made talking about Mother in Heaven virtually taboo. Growing up, I heard various unsatisfying explanations for the absence of Heavenly Mother from Mormon discourse, including the canard that Heavenly Father didn’t want us to talk about Her lest someone sully Her name.

In the early 1990s, Mormon feminists challenged the taboo with an outpouring of creative and theological works dedicated to Heavenly Mother. In 1991, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley responded to the heightened visibility of Heavenly Mother by cautioning Church members against praying to Her. President Hinckley’s cautionary address, along with excommunications and firings of prominent Mormon feminists, renewed the perception among mainstream conservative Mormons that Heavenly Mother should not be talked about. In 1996, Brigham Young University Professor Gail Houston was fired for publicly describing her personal relationship with her Mother in Heaven, including her use of “meditation” and “visualization” to deepen that relationship. Houston’s case brought BYU under censure from the American Association of University Professors.

But new evidence suggests that the taboo might finally be easing. Research funded by the BYU Women’s Research Institute and published this year in the journal BYU Studies reviewed more than 600 references to Heavenly Mother in Mormon discourse since 1844.

LDS women’s advocacy groups are also making notable efforts to heighten awareness of the female divine, and some Mormons are reporting an uptick in Mother-in-Heaven references over the pulpit last weekend—it being Mother’s Day, and all….

There really is “nothing new under the sun”.

The Mother in Heaven or “Queen of Heaven” (false) teachings and/or beliefs, have been around since the days of Nimrod . It was even a problem in Jeremiah’s day,

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 7:18 

Related: Mormonism’s Teaching on pre-existence 

The Kingdom Now

The Kingdom Now, By Anton Bosch

Food and material blessings are some of the felt needs, as I discussed last week, and political empowerment is another.

The people living in Israel in Jesus’ time had two priorities: The first was for material provision and the second was for political reform and to be liberated from the Roman overlords. Economics and politics are very closely related and they both impact each other.

Jesus did meet people’s needs and on several occasions fed large crowds miraculously. But in John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, John mentions men, who as a result of the feeding of the multitude, wanted to take Jesus by force to anoint Him as their king (John 6:14-15). This was a natural response to Jesus meeting their need and shows the danger of appealing to people’s felt needs.

Today, many argue that it is good and right for people to want to make Jesus king because He meets their felt needs. But let’s examine this a little closer.

There were two problems with the people’s desire to crown Jesus. Both remain problems today. The first is that it was not God’s timing. The second was their intention: they did not want Jesus to be their King in order to come under His authority but, rather, that they may use Him as a source of free food or to gain political power. Jesus will one day be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but God has determined a very specific time when that is to happen. We cannot impose our agenda on God. God is sovereign and has predetermined a method and a time when Jesus’ kingship will become a physical reality. It is vain for people to think they can manipulate God into doing what they desire.

Some have suggested that the reason Judas betrayed Jesus was in an effort to force Jesus’ hand to establish a material Kingdom. Any attempt to rush God’s plan is rebellion against His sovereign rule. At the heart of the prosperity message is the notion that God is there for us to use when we need Him or need something from Him. This is diametrically opposed to the truth. He is not there for us, we are here for Him. Almighty God is not our servant, He is the King and we are His servants. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

Throughout the 3-year ministry of Jesus, his disciples and the multitudes who followed Him, expected Him to establish a material, political Kingdom. It is likely that a number of the Twelve followed Jesus because of this expectation. Several of them were of the party called the “Zealots”. Simon is specifically named a Zealot (Luke 6:15). And in addition there is evidence that Simon Peter, John, James and Judas (Iscariot) were all Zealots. According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, the Zealots were one of the political parties of the day. (The others were the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Essenes – the Zealots had broken away from the Pharisees.)

The Zealots were on the extreme right of the political spectrum, and they were called Zealots because of their zeal for national Israel and their hatred of Roman domination.

Throughout the ministry of Jesus there is evidence that the twelve expected Him to establish a material Kingdom immediately: “they thought the Kingdom of God would appear immediately” (Luke 19:11). In response, Jesus tells the parable about a nobleman who went away to receive a Kingdom, thus indicating that he had to go away, receive His kingdom, and then return (Luke 19:12-27). The request by James and John, through their mother, for the second and third positions of political power in the Kingdom (Matthew 20:21) was also based on the anticipation of an immediate, literal Kingdom.

Jesus frequently tried to discourage the Twelve, and others, from thinking about the Kingdom as a literal and material Kingdom. Sometimes He did so by inference, teaching that the Kingdom was made up of the meek and that the greatest in the Kingdom were little children. But He also demonstrated unequivocally that he had not come to remove the Romans. This He did by paying taxes and teaching obedience to the Romans (Matthew 5:41), even allowing them to crucify Him. But Jesus also taught very specifically that the Kingdom would be taken from the Jews and given to others (Matthew 21:43), thus removing all doubt about a revival of the state of Israel.

In response to questions by the Pharisees as to when the Kingdom would come Jesus replied: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, `See here!’ or `See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you’” (Luke 17:20-21). In other words, the Kingdom is not visible or material, but is spiritual and in the hearts of its citizens; and it is not immediate.

When Pilate questioned Jesus about His Kingdom, He very explicitly stated that His Kingdom was not physical: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). There cannot be a clearer statement that the Kingdom is not political or earthly. Those who teach a material Kingdom outside of the Millennium do so in direct contradiction of the Scriptures.

After the cross and the resurrection, the most important question on the minds of the disciples was still “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). In fact, this is the last question they asked Him before His ascension. Jesus did not seem to bother to answer the question but simply told them that they would receive power to be witnesses to Him (Acts 1:8).

So, in spite of Jesus’ very clear teaching that the Kingdom was not now and was not material, the expectation of His followers did not change. It is against this background that He rode into Jerusalem four days before His crucifixion.

A huge crowd had assembled and they began to remove their outer garments and cut palm branches in order to lay them on the dusty street so Jesus could ride into Jerusalem in royal style. This was the equivalent of the modern custom of laying out a red carpet to welcome a dignitary. Everyone knew that this was the King and that they were welcoming Him as their King. The problem however was that they were looking for the wrong kind of king at the wrong time.

This was evident as they shouted the words of the messianic Psalm: “Hosanna to the Son of David! `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9; Psalm 118:24-26).

The word “Hosanna” is a composite of two words meaning “save” and “now”. They were literally saying “save (us) now”. If you look at the reference in Psalm 118:24-26, you will notice that the Psalmist said: “Save now, I pray, O Lord.” In the light of the political climate of the time, it becomes clear that they saw Jesus as the King who would save them from the Romans, and that they saw salvation as material and political. This is identical to Liberation Theology and Dominionism of today, that sees salvation in political and material terms.

Jesus had indeed come to save His people. His name – “Jesus” means “Jehovah is salvation” or “God saves”. But when the angel announced to Joseph that His name would be Jesus, he was very specific that “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Yes, Jesus had come to save His people (and us), but not from the Romans or poverty, but from their SINS. Salvation is spiritual and not political.

Because Jesus refused to be their political savior the crowd turned against Him. A few days later the same people who wanted to make Him King cried “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15). It is amazing how quickly people turned against Him when He did not do what they wanted.

Nothing has changed 

Nothing has changed. God’s plan for man is still the same and sinful man’s agenda for God is still the same. God’s plan is to save the lost (Luke 19:10) and to conform the saved into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Everything else is subject to these two purposes of God. He will bless or withhold blessing in order to achieve these purposes in the lives of people. Our material and political situation is of little or no consequence in the light of God’s higher purposes – saving us and perfecting us. He does not deviate from that.

God’s plan for the world has been spelt out: At the predetermined time Jesus will come and setup his Kingdom. For the first time the Kingdom of God will be literal, material and political. He will rule the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem. Until then His kingdom will be spiritual and in the hearts of His people.

We cannot bring this about through political action, and we cannot manipulate God to change His timing. Sinful man has not changed. Man still wants to use God for his own selfish purposes. Man still thinks he can force, manipulate and blackmail God to do his will and to pander to his greed and lust.

And just like the Zealots, man still thinks he can bring about a material Kingdom of God through political action.

It is time for the church to line up with God’s purposes and to stop trying to force God in line with man.

“And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:5-6).

Joyce Meyer bodyguard eligible for death penalty…

This has been a sad sick story from day one… 

The jury in the Christopher Coleman murder trial will return Monday to begin deciding his fate after finding him guilty Thursday of killing his wife and children.

Ed Parkinson, an assistant prosecutor, stood before jurors today and asked the jurors to find Coleman eligible for the death penalty and “let Sheri and her boys celebrate Mother’s Day.” When the family went to bed on May 5, 2009, “they were four hearts throbbing, four hearts beating … and the only one left is his,” Parkinson said.

The jury had to consider if prosecutors proved one of three factors to make Coleman eligible for the death penalty: that the crime involved more than one death, or that it involved children under age of 12, or that it was cold-blooded and pre-meditated. They quickly agreed that Coleman was eligible. Coleman appeared dejected as Parkinson described the brutal nature of the crime. The prosecutor described the ligature marks around the necks of Sheri Coleman, 31, and their two sons, Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, and how Coleman plotted the murders since November, when he began a sexual relationship with a Florida cocktail waitress.

The trial featured a lurid combination of sex, religion and violence woven together into a circumstantial case in which Coleman was not identified as the killer by physical evidence or any witness. Prosecutors alleged that Coleman wanted to leave his wife to marry her onetime best friend, Tara Lintz, of Largo, Fla., with whom he had a months-long affair. But exposing his adultery, officials said, would have jeopardized his $100,000-a-year job as bodyguard for Meyer, whose Joyce Meyer Ministries is based in Fenton. Full story here 

12 Christian Right Groups: Lavishly funded and politically well connected

This fascinating list gives us some interesting information, including a look at their yearly budgets.

Going through the list, I was also struck by the fact that each of these 12 ‘lavishly funded and politically well connected’ organizations have come to represent what is (today) accepted as the voice of American Christianity. We may deny it, but the truth of the matter is The Church in America has sat by, allowing these politically motivated (so-called) Christian groups to take over. 

Perhaps you’re one who doesn’t mind, or are even happy to have these groups speak for you. I for one, do mind. 

What follows is a survey of some of the nation’s leading Religious Right organizations. Collectively, these groups raise more than three-quarters of a billion dollars annually, the bulk of it tax-exempt. Budget figures are from public tax documents and are the most recent available, in most cases from 2009 and 2010… The 12 Worst (and Most Powerful) Christian Right Groups

David Wilkerson Laid to Rest

Times Square Church and Teen Challenge founder the Rev. David Wilkerson was laid to rest at a private funeral on Monday.

Wilkerson, who also founded World Challenge Ministries, was driving with his wife in Tyler, Texas, last Wednesday when his car collided with a truck. He died at the scene, while his wife was rushed to hospital where she remains under observation. He was 79.

The funeral at Rose Heights Church of God, in Tyler, was attended by members of Wilkerson’s family and close friends, including evangelist Nicky Cruz. Current Times Square Church pastor Carter Conlon was also present at the service. He was quoted by Charisma Magazine as saying, “It’s hard to honor a great man.”

Times Square Church has confirmed that a memorial service will be held in New York City on May 14 at 2 p.m. ET to give members of the church and the public the chance to pay their respects.

The service will be streamed live worldwide via the church’s website.

CPost 

Birthers move over, make room for the “Deathers”

Who didn’t see this coming?  sigh….

Mere hours after President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden, supported by incontrovertible DNA evidence, the conspiracy theorists are hard at work. Andrew Breitbart, a prominent right-wing commentator with close ties to the Republican Party and the Tea Party, is pushing the theory on his website Big Peace.

On Breitbart’s website, J. Michael Walker, suggests Obama take a number of extraordinary steps so he can “make sure [Osama] is dead.” Pictures are apparently not enough. Walker asserts that he needs to be able to “walk right up to bin Laden’s corpse and view it.” More:

The free world, particularly the United States, has a right to make sure Osama bin Laden is really dead. Every American has a right to walk right up to bin Laden’s corpse and view it. We are entitled to know for a fact that the witch is dead. No shroud for dignity’s sake, please – bin Laden’s naked, bullet-riddled corpse should be put on display in lower Manhattan for all the world to see. The entire body should be digitally scanned, inside and out – and made available for everyone to take his or her own picture.

Walker ads that “For us Doubting Thomases out there – we need to see in order to believe.”

Meet The Deathers: Andrew Brietbart Website Pushing Conspiracy Theory That Osama Might Not Be Dead 

Osama bin Laden Dead; Christians Debate Response

Ezekiel 18:23 “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

Last night, like countless millions, I was glued to the TV watching the reports of Osama bin Laden’s death; it was in fact  3am when the TV was finally turned off. Though I considered posting about it then, I spent the next hour reading the different responses to the story on the internet, primarily on Christian boards and forums. Some of it was pretty ugly. Some people had their comments edited plus were openly rebuked by moderators for quoting the above scripture from Ezekiel 18:23. Others received similar treatment for expressing their discomfort at watching the crowds on TV celebrating Osama’s death. And I’ll admit that bothered me also. 

Anyway, the CPost has an interesting article posted today,

Osama bin Laden Dead; Christians Debate Response