Truth War Central

Re-imagining God in the Shack

Mary Kassian a member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the founder of Girls Gone Wise has a thought provoking critique of The Shack written from a woman's perspective. Said Kassian:

The Shack contains terribly wrong concepts about God. Plain and simple. If you think it doesn’t, then you’re well on your way to accepting the image of the Christa on the cross. In a few years, you’ll be hanging her up in your church. I don’t think I’m overstating the case. In my book I’ve carefully documented the way it happened in mainline churches. The arguments used to justify their feminist Christa are the same ones the Shack uses to justify its feminized version of God. In essence, there’s no difference between the artistic image of a feminized Jesus (a.k.a. “Sophia”) hanging on a cross and the artistic image of a feminized Aunt Jemima Papa god in a book. If the latter doesn’t offend you, then the former really shouldn’t.

I’ve had good friends tell me that I’m missing the point of the Shack. Maybe I am. But maybe, just maybe, they are. Maybe they are getting caught up in the emotion of a heart-wrenching story and are failing to notice the horrendous theology that under girds it. The authors claim that “at its core the book is one long Bible Study.” This isn’t an ordinary story book. It’s a book that seeks to transform people’s ideas about God. The fiction is merely a vehicle for the theology.

How we image God matters. So the image of God the book presents matters. It matters a great deal. I seem to recall that God wasn’t terribly amused when his people imaged him in the wrong way, as a golden calf. If you’re not convinced that we should refrain from imaging God as female, and are interested in understanding more about the feminist theology rampant in the Shack, check into my book, The Feminist Mistake. If you take the time to understand the impact that feminism has had on society and church, then maybe you’ll understand my distaste for the Shack’s feminine god rendition.

Click Here to Read the Rest of Kassian's Review

Playing the Pharisee Card

Todd Wilken, host of the Issues, Etc. radio program, has a fantastic article in the latest Issues, Etc. Journal that discusses how the average Christian and those in the anti-discernment crowd play the 'Pharisee card' as a means of silencing those who Biblically critique and challenge pop evangelicalism. Said Wilken:

I have been called a Pharisee more times than I can remember. It goes with the territory. I host a conservative Christian radio talk show. I publicly defend the teachings and practices of the historic Church. I also publicly point out false teaching and practices in the Church today. For these reasons alone, some believe that I deserve to be called a Pharisee.

But I'm not alone. Today, the label "Pharisee" is applied to many Christians just like me - perhaps you're one of them. We are Christians who cherish God's Word, the Church's historic Creeds, confessions and practices. When we see the Church abandoning these things to follow the latest fads and entertainments, we lament. When we see the Gospel itself being left behind in the Church's rush to mimic popular culture, we are grieved. And when we question the Church's infatuation with the spirit of the age, we are labeled Pharisees.

Click Here to Read More

Pierced for Our Transgressions

The Emergent and Neo-Liberal attacks against the Biblical teaching of the Penal Substitutionary Atonement is a battle for the VERY Gospel itself. The latest edition of the White Horse Inn radio program deals with these attacks and definitively lays out the irrefutable Biblical texts that bring us the good news that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and that his death on the cross propitiated God's wrath against us due to our sins. Click Here to Listen.

Gospel-Driven Sanctification

Are you on the treadmill of a 'performance based' version of Christianity? If so then you may be a victim of bad doctrine and bad preaching. Did you know that the Gospel still applies to you as a Christian and that Christians need to hear the Gospel just as badly as non-Christians? We strongly recommend that you read this excellent article from Modern Reformation Magazine by Jerry Bridges on Gospel-Driven Sanctification. Here's just a taste of what you will read:

My story is not unusual. Evangelicals commonly think today that the gospel is only for unbelievers. Once we're inside the kingdom's door, we need the gospel only in order to share it with those who are still outside. Now, as believers, we need to hear the message of discipleship. We need to learn how to live the Christian life and be challenged to go do it. That's what I believed and practiced in my life and ministry for some time. It is what most Christians seem to believe.

As I see it, the Christian community is largely a performance-based culture today. And the more deeply committed we are to following Jesus, the more deeply ingrained the performance mindset is. We think we earn God's blessing or forfeit it by how well we live the Christian life.

Most Christians have a baseline of acceptable performance by which they gauge their acceptance by God. For many, this baseline is no more than regular church attendance and the avoidance of major sins. Such Christians are often characterized by some degree of self-righteousness. After all, they don't indulge in the major sins we see happening around us. Such Christians would not think they need the gospel anymore. They would say the gospel is only for sinners.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Heath Ledger in Hell

Sadly, this video from Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church shows what happens when a church turns God's Law into the "gospel". It shows that the only thing they have to offer the world is God's wrath and judgement. But that is not 'Good News'. That is bad news and the Church has not been called to ONLY proclaim God's Law. The Chruch has been called to also proclaim the Good News that Christ Died for ALL of our Sins and is offering us a full and complete pardon which He won for us on the cross.

Heath Ledger's family needs the love of Jesus Christ right now instead of the judgement and threats that Wesboro Baptist church is spewing.

You do not have to agree with the movies that he made or even believe that he was saved. That is not the issue. As Christians, we should never delight or rejoice when any person dies especially a person who may not have repented of their sins, trusted in Christ and received His forgiveness and mercy. Westboro's attempts to draw attention to their legalistic gospel of works and wrath must be countered with the Biblical Gospel of Christ's love, forgiveness and mercy that is offered to all sinners, even sinners as terrible as me and you.

Compare these verses to the message offered by Fred Phelps in the video below.

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

When you compare the Biblical Gospel to Fred Phelps' "gospel" it becomes clear that he is teaching a different 'gospel'. He's traded the preaching of 'Christ Crucified for Sinners' for preaching 'Gays BBQ'd for Eternity'. The irony here is that by preaching 'another gospel', a 'gospel' of wrath, hate and self-righteousness, Phelps is actually sending the members of his church to hell. Scripture gives this ominous word of warning to those who in their self-righteousness believe that they are saving themselves through their keeping of the law:

Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be Eternally Condemned.

Galatians 5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

Is homosexuality a sin? Absolutely. Will there be homosexuals in hell? Sadly, yes and they will share their eternal punishment with heterosexual sinners and self-righteous legalists alike. And hell is a great tragedy because God so loved the world that He gave His Only begotten Son that WHOEVER trusts in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Therefore, We'd like to ask you to pray AND find a way to combat this hate by sending messages that share Christ's love with Heath Ledger's family and loved ones. If we don't take a stand against this type of hate done in the name of Christ then we will become silent accomplices to Westboro's gross and inhuman sin.

Further Study: For a Biblical look at the correct use of God's Law and the Gospel please listen to this edition of the Fighting for the Faith podcast.

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Update

I had a very nice conversation with Heath Ledger’s publicist this morning and they’ve given us two ways to send our messages of condolences and love to Ledger’s family.

You can send mail to

Heath Ledger’s Family
C/O ID Public Relations
8409 Santa Monica Blvd.,
West Hollywood, CA 90069

or send emails to

Rachel Karten at rkarten@id-pr.com

Is Disunity Satan's Greatest Weapon??

Watcher's Lamp has a good Biblically reasoned critique f Rick Warren's latest op-ed piece entitled "What the Bible Says About Handling Disunity".

Not surprisingly Warren sets unity above truth and correct teaching. Watcher's Lamp does a great job of fleshing this out as well as setting the Biblical record straight (something Warren seems incapable of doing).

Click Here to Read

Are You Truly a Protestant OR an Unwitting Catholic?

You may have never set foot in a Catholic Church your entire life. You may even be a life long member of a Protestant Church. But, because so much of Protestantism has wandered away from sound Biblical preaching you may actually have far more in common with Catholicism than you do with Orthodox Christianity (Protestantism). Below is a short 10 question diagnostic tool to help you determine what you are.

Please record your answers to the 10 questions. In each of the following 10 choices, mark either (a) or (b), whichever you believe is correct.

1. (a) God gives a man right standing with Himself by mercifully accounting him innocent and virtuous.

(b) God gives a man right standing with Himself by actually making him into an innocent and virtuous person.

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2. (a) God gives a man right standing with Himself by placing Christ’s goodness and virtue to his credit.

(b) God gives a man right standing with Himself by putting Christ’s goodness and virtue into his heart.

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3. (a) God accepts the believer because of the moral excellence found in Jesus Christ.

(b) God makes the believer acceptable by infusing Christ’s moral excellence into his life.

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4. (a) If a Christian becomes “born again” (regenerate, transformed in character), he will achieve right standing with God.

(b) If the sinner accepts right standing with God by faith in Christ’s sinless life and atoning death, he will then experience transformation in character.

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5. (a) We receive right standing with God by faith alone in the blood of Christ.

(b) We receive right standing with God by faith which has become active by love.

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6. (a) We achieve right standing with God by having Christ live out His life of obedience in us.

(b) We achieve right standing with God by believing that Christ obeyed the law perfectly for us.

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7. (a) We achieve right standing with God by following Christ’s example by the help of His enabling grace.

(b) We follow Christ’s example because His sinless life has given us right standing with God.

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8. (a) God first pronounces that we are good in His sight, then gives us His Spirit to begin to make us good.

(b) God sends His Spirit to make us good, and then He will pronounce that we are good.

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9 (a) Christ’s intercession at God’s right hand gives us favor in the sight of God.

(b) It is the indwelling Christ that gives us favor in God’s sight.

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10. (a) Only by faith in the doing and dying of Christ can we fully satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments.

(b) By the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we can fully satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments.

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Answers.

1. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism
2. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism
3. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism
4. A= Catholicism, B= Protestantism
5. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism
6. A= Catholicism, B= Protestantism
7. A= Catholicism, B= Protestantism
8. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism
9. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism
10. A=Protestantism, B=Catholicism

How did you do?

If you are unwittingly subscribing to Catholicism rather than Biblical Christianity then we recommend that you read all of the articles in this issue of Present Truth Magazine. It will be a tremendous help to you.

Discernment 101

The Reformation Nation blog has good introductory level lesson in Christian discernment. It is really worth the time. The lesson even has a short 1 question quiz to help you see whether or not you passed the lesson. Click Here to Read

Deeds NOT Creeds??

Rick Warren has been traveling the world for the past few years calling for a second reformation of deeds not creeds.

Please watch the video below regarding the proper place of creeds and then compare it to Saddleback Church's statement of belief. It will be very eye-opening for you.

Why Modern "Evangelism" is Not Evangelism At All