Extreme Theology

Did My Starvation Postcard Go Too Far or Not Far Enough?

After listening to the controversy that was ignited after I posted my first concept postcard I am now convinced that it didn't go far enough despite it's ugliness and shock. I know that statement will further upset some people and disappoint others.

Starvation is one of the ugliest forms of human suffering and starvation that is inflicted upon other human beings in POW or concentration camps is one of the worst manifestations of evil imaginable. But I do not believe that physical starvation is the worst evil that one human can inflict upon another. Instead, I believe that spiritual starvation is.

Physical starvation, despite its torturous cruelty is only temporal while spiritual starvation and the suffering and torment that accompanies it begins in this life-time and lasts an eternity in hell. Therefore, using the photograph of a victim of Andersonville is not only appropriate, it gives us a physical glimpse and mental picutre of a very real and evil spiritual reality.

In the 19th, 20th an 21st centuries those who've run starvation camps have faced war crimes charges and have received the due penalty for their crimes. But that is nothing compared to the penalty that awaits pastors who starve Christ's sheep.

I want to make myself perfectly clear on this point, I believe that pastors who refuse to preach God's word and feed the sheep entrusted to their care (as the scripture commands them to) are MORE evil than any Nazi who ever ran a concentration camp. Nazis could only kill a person's body but rebellious apostate 'pastors' keep people in the bondage of their sins and therefore are literally sending them to hell.

I am not interested in striking a deal with any of these 'pastors' or playing nice nice with them. Instead, I see them as agents of the devil and will warn the church about them and their particular brand of evil while calling these apostate 'pastors' to repentance.

The scripture warns us about such 'pastors' and teachers. It describes them in great detail and warns what their end will be.

Jude 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds who feed only themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

What Type of Food is Your Pastor Serving?

Here is the second installment of my suggestions for a postcard marketing campaign for faithful pastors to send out.

* Please note that a real cow lost its life for this post card. It was literally killed, cooked, photographed and then eaten, along with other side dishes for this postcard. (the jellybeans didn't last long either)

Time for Faithful Pastors to Go On the Attack!

They say the best defense is a good offense. After listening to Julia Duin regarding how people are quitting church in droves because it's been dumbed down (thank you very much Purpose-Driven Movement and Seeker-Sensitive Movement).

As an entrepreneur I always see bad news as opportunities. This is not any different. This is the time for faithful Bible preachers to reach out to those who are quitting church and offer them something they haven't been able to get... A good Biblical Meal. Here is a simple post card marketing idea that I think will help get the message out.

Rick Warren's Law Based "Gospel"

In this edition of Fighting for the Faith I respond to Rick Warren's "Gospel". Listen carefully because Rick Warren makes Jesus' forgiveness dependent upon you 'Loving God With Your Whole Heart'.

Leaving Church in Droves

It looks like the 'church-growth' movement is the cause of major church shrinkage.

A Calling or a Career: Romans 1:1-7

By Steven Newell

My church was started a church wide study of the book of Romans for the 2008-09 school year.  Both the sermons and bible studies will focus on Paul's letter to the Church in Rome.  I am teaching on of the adult bible studies and I will be posting my notes for the weeks that I am teaching.  On the weeks that I don't teach, I will try to post my comments as well, but no guarantees. 

I consider the book of Romans as the most important letter that Paul wrote since it properly examines and explains Law and Gospel .  This letter has had significant impact on the Christian Church over the course of time.  It was the proper understand of Roman that led Martin Luther reform the Church.  As I go through Romans, please post your comments so that we can learn together the great truths of our faith.

Paul opens his letter by describing himself as a slave. The Greek word “doulos” is better translated as “slave” than as “servant” as many translations do. Paul was made a slave by Christ. Moses and Joshua were also called servants of the Lord (Joshua 1:2 and Joshua 24:29). A slave is one without the ability to determine their own work but does the work that their master commands them to do. A slave is subject to his master’s wishes, even to the point of death.  A slave has no identity of their own, but their identity is associated with their master. Paul’s existence is defined by Christ.

Paul’s calling had nothing to do with Paul’s desires or goals but with God’s will. One does not chose to be called. Paul’s calling has two parts: God’s calling and the church’s calling.  A career can be part of one's calling but one's calling is never part of their career.

Christ told Ananias that Saul would be his “chosen instrument to carry my name to the Gentiles” (Acts 9:1-19a). This is a course that Saul, the Pharisee, would have never taken. Christ called Saul; Saul never came to Christ, but sought to destroy Christ by destroying the Church. It wasn’t an invitation but a command. Saul most likely heard the Gospel when Stephen proclaimed the Gospel to the Sanhedrin which led to his death for the faith. Paul was present at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58). Many of the great people of the bible where called: Abraham (Genesis 12:1-2), Moses (Exodus 3:10), Samuel (1 Samuel 3), Isaiah (6:8-9), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Likewise, Christ called all of his disciplines (John 15:16).   

Even after Paul's conversion, it was many years before he began his ministry of taking the gospel to the Gentiles. At that time, it was under the direction of the Church that he was sent with a specific mission (Acts 13:1-3). Paul always subjected himself to the authority of both God and Church. This is standard by which all Christian pastors should be held to.

A man does not become a pastor as the result of his decision to become a pastor as a career but he becomes a pastor when a Christian Church ordains him to the office of pastor. A man, who feels God’s calling presents himself to the church for the office of pastor after much prayer and studying. The church’s responsibility is to insure that the pastor has the proper biblical qualifications and training to assume the responsibilities of this office when they ordain him. Likewise, a pastor does not select which church he wishes to serve. Instead, through the leading of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the church, he is called to a place to serve.  This can be the authority of the local church or the authority of the larger church.

In reality, we are all called by God to our particular place in life. We are called to be Christians first. No one has ever made a decision to become a Christian. It is God, through the Gospel, who gives us life so that we are Christians (Ephesians 2). Likewise, we are called to be Christians in the place the God has given us: family, work, government and society. My vocation can include father, son, employee, citizen, bible study leader, etc. For others, their vocation can differ by where and when God places them. What is central to all people’s vocation is that we all live out our lives in light of the Grace of God through what Christ has done for us.

Paul described himself as an apostle. An apostle is one who has witnessed the resurrection of Christ and it can be attested by others (Acts 1:22). An apostle is one who is sent. An apostle has authority that is unique to that office. The apostle has the authority of teaching and instructing what the correct doctrine of the church is (Acts 2:42, Ephesians 2:20). Pastors and teachers cannot define doctrine of the church but reflect the doctrine in their preaching and teaching.  The age of the Apostle has been closed with the death of John in the late first century. Whenever there is a movement to bring back apostles, it is not the same office as the biblical office of Apostle. We see this at work in the Mormon religion as well as certain aspects of the Christian Church. What we see that many times is that these “new apostles” will teach doctrine that is contrary to Holy Scripture and they claim to have a “new” revelation of God.

Paul states that he was set apart for the Gospel of God. As a Pharisee, Paul chose to set himself apart from Gentiles and many aspects of Jewish society. A Pharisee's standing before God is determined by how completely they followed the Law. In this way of life, there can be no grace since one’s righteousness, before God, is determined on how successfully one adheres to the Law. The Pharisee believes that the Law brings life and obeying the Law was obtainable. Paul will show that this position is wrong in the following sections of this letter.

In verses 2 to 4, Paul declares that the Gospel was promised from the time of the Old Testament. Paul uses this statement as the basis to show how the Old Testament points to Christ and that the Gospel and the doctrine that he will write about, is consistent with the Old Testament. Starting in Genesis, the Gospel is seen with the Fall as well as with God’s covenant with Abraham.  Paul also clearly states that Christ is both fully human, descendant of David, and fully God, Son of God. We also see the Holy Trinity, God, Son and Spirit. Paul focuses on the unique claim of Christianity: The Resurrection. This is the event that defines our faith. This is a issue that caused problems for the Greek Epicurean and Stoic philosophers when Paul proclaimed the resurrection of the dead (Acts 17:16-33). This is also the point that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15 where he states that if Christ was not resurrected from the dead, then his preaching and our faith is useless.

Paul states that the grace that we receive comes through Christ and for his name sake. In addition to receiving grace, Paul also receives apostleship. What is most interesting is that Paul states that obedience to God comes from faith. Our obedience has nothing to do with our salvation but is the result of our salvation. In Ephesians 2, Paul describes the natural man as being dead in sin. A dead man cannot do anything to please God. It is due to God’s love and mercy that He gives us life. Our salvation is the result of God’s grace which we receive through faith. Even our faith is a gift of God. We cannot believe without God first giving us the ability to have faith. The result is that we are now alive to do good deeds in Christ. Part of our good deeds is now our ability to be obedient.  The irony is that Paul’s efforts to be obedient as a Pharisee got him nowhere with God but now he is able to be obedient through faith.  Paul includes those in Rome who are part of those called by Christ.

We do not know how the Gospel had come to the eternal city. Paul was writing to a church that he had no direct relationship with. In the church at Rome, there were both Gentiles and Jews. Paul’s letter is estimated to be written around A.D. 57. Within 30 years, the gospel had spread from Jerusalem to Rome.

In Paul’s addressing those in Rome, he states that they are called to be saints. Saints are those who have been declared by God to be righteous and are made increasingly holy through the work of the Holy Spirit. Saints are not determined by the actions of one’s life but by God’s calling.

Paul concludes his greeting with his common “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” blessing. This is a great blessing for all Christians since we always need to hear that we have grace and peace that comes from the Holy Trinity throughout our sinful lives since we, many times, do not see grace and peace on a day to day basis.  This type of blessing is commonly spoken by a pastor before he begins his sermon.

Grace Alone

This segment from a recent edition of Issues, Etc. is pure gold. The subject is grace alone. Compare and contrast this to the legal bondage that Rick Warren and his band of preachers puts you under.

Pirate Christian Radio FJ Cruiser

Pirate Christian Radio is soon to have its own FJ Cruiser advertising the station. (Actually it is my FJ and I'm having a wrap put on it.) Here is a preview of the design.