STEVEN FURTICK PREACHES FROM NON-EXISTENT BIBLE VERSE By News Division

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Hyperventilating Pulpit and Pen goes off on Steven Furtick. We do not intend to defend Mr. Furtick, but rather, we shall examine the author's statements.
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Steven Furtick, who named a book “Unqualified” in reference to John MacArthur’s assessment of him, preached a sermon from a non-existent Bible verse. (In actual fact, the verse does exist. What is a matter of debate is whether or not this existing verse was added by a later scribe. Pulpit and Pen is amping up the offense in an effort to paint Mr. Furtick as being a a big-deal offender.

However, a quick survey of commentaries indicates that there is plenty of thoughtful dissent among Bible scholars, with the preference tending towards rejecting the verse's authenticity:

Studylight.org: In regard to this passage, it should be remarked that the account of the angel in John 5:4 is wanting in many manuscripts, and has been by many supposed to be spurious, There is not conclusive evidence, however...

Bible Study Magazine: This suggests that John 5:4 does not belong in the New Testament, which explains why many modern Bible translations have omitted it.

Bibleref.com: According to manuscript evidence, the most likely answer is that these words were not part of the original text of the Gospel of John. They might have been written into a margin, as a note, or a traditional explanation of the pool. At some point, the note might have been inadvertently copied into the main body and been absorbed as part of the text itself.

"Supposed." "Suggests." "Most likely." "Might." This is hardly the definitive situation asserted by P&P.)

WHAT IS FREEDOM? A definitive answer to an age-old question… by NATHAN J. ROBINSON

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Our idle curiosity is always willing to entertain any leftist trying to make a "definitive answer" to anything.

Mr. Robinson is previously unknown to us, but apparently he is the latest bright light socialist. He engages in the typical leftist rhetorical tactics.
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What about the gift of healing?

In our pursuit of true Bible teaching, and also attempting to dispense with the sometimes questionable doctrines we have been taught from the pulpit, we now turn to healing.

Unfortunately, not only do errant sermons unduly color our thoughts, but also the claims made by certain Bible teachers, as well as televangelists. So, we will neither accept what we've been taught, nor what we have observed on TV, until we have taken the opportunity to explore Scripture ourselves.

The gift of healing is linked to the wider issue of other "supernatural" gifts, so the scope of our discussion will necessarily broaden at times.

A Glimpse Inside the Mind Damaged by Bethel's False Teachings By Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Rev. Wade has become a regular fixture on these pages, largely because of his scorched earth rhetoric. Once he has branded you a heretic, you become the recipient of a mindless barrage of name calling, personal attacks, and withering condemnation, ironically deemed a "devotional."

But the crucial questions, not addressed by the author, are

• Can God raise someone from the dead? 
• Has God informed us that there will be no more raising from the dead? 
• Is God capable of raising the dead, but simply unwilling?
• Is there some verse in the Bible that tells us raising the dead has stopped? 

Let's review some Bible verses that actually deal with the subject:

Ac. 26:8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

Mat. 12:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

John 14:12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

1Co. 12:7, 9 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 9 To one there is given through the Spirit...  gifts of healing...

Ep. 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead...

He. 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the raising of the dead, and eternal judgment.

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BETHEL CHURCH ‘DEAD RAISING TEAM’ FAILS TO SAVE 2-YEAR-OLD By News Division

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Pouncing on the tragic death of a little girl, the Doctrinal Police are happy to say the most egregious, evil things about people whose only "mistake" is praying that this child might be raised from the dead.

You see, it's more important to love your doctrine than love others. It's more important to mock and ridicule those who beliefs are different than it is to show compassion for hurting people.

Pulpit and Pen has now descended into the depths, and cannot be regarded as a trustworthy Christian website.
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WHY YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE IMAGES OF JESUS, EVEN AT CHRISTMAS TIME - By News Division

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Video link.

The forms of idolatry are,

• Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.
• Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature.
• Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes.

...strictly speaking denotes the worship of deity in a visible form, whether the images to which homage is paid are symbolical representations of the true God or of the false divinities which have been made the objects of worship in his stead.

The video tries to explain why a baby Jesus in a creche is idolatry. Mr. Stewart says in the video that an image would draw your mind to the subject, and this by definition must be worshipful. Thus he tries to establish that looking at an image of God is in itself worship of the image.

Worship is προσκυνέω (proskuneó), I go down on my knees to, do obeisance to, worship. From pros and a probable derivative of kuon (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore) -- worship.

This is a very specific and deliberate action, not a casual or incidental thing. One cannot accidentally or inadvertently worship.

Mr. Stewart does quote a Scripture:

Jn. 14:9 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

We can only speculate why this Scripture is relevant. Mr. Stewart does not tell us why a picture, a figurine, or even a movie that portrays Jesus is idolatry. He simply does not do it.

We certainly recognize that certain religions teach the worship of images. And we also recognize that there are a lot of false beliefs out there. However, we would say that having a baby Jesus simply does not rise to the level of a pressing problem.

It smacks of superstition to us. 

As an aside, the screenshot below pictures a creche, with an X drawn through the baby Jesus. Apparently the potential for sin is so great here that the scene needs to be edited for offensive content. Hmm.
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17 ways that the Holy Spirit helps us - by Pastor Marcus Elmer

17 ways that the Holy Spirit HELPS us:

1. He dwells within us at all times (John 14:17, 1 Cor. 6:19, Rom. 8:16, 2 Tim. 1:14). “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor. 6:19)

2. He guards our salvation and assures us we belong to God (Rom. 8:16, 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5) “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 8:16)

3. He gives us hope and peace during difficult times (Rom. 14:17, 15:13, 1 Thess. 1:6). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

4. He gives us strength and endurance during trials (Eph. 3:16). “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…” (Eph 3:16)

5. He brings conviction (John 16:8, 1 Thes. 1:5). “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…” (John 16:8)

False Converts Can Now Get Wet With Mobile Baptistry Unit - BY NEWS DIVISION

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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It is difficult to discern what the author objects to. He seems to take offense with people having an easy time of getting baptized. Then without reason he calls them false converts.
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Revive Mississippi is probably a well-intentioned evangelical group that’s full of wonderful people. ("Probably" great people, who apparently are making false converts. Hmm.)

However, their mobile baptistry unit is ill-conceived.

The trailer, which has a cattle watering troughs designed for baptisms-on-the-go, is equipped to be hauled on location for various church activities in which the gospel will (theoretically) (For unknown reasons the author feels the need to impeach this church.)

The NAR Dominionist Agenda Calls on Local Pastors to Let Their Church Die - by Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We probably deal with Rev. Wade too often, but he is a rich treasure trove of unhinged rants and incendiary commentary. We feel it is important to chronicle these excesses, not to demean him (which we do not do), but rather, in the hopes that some good will come of it. Thus we continue on to his latest screed.

Not counting the words in the verse he quotes at the beginning, and not counting the quoted sections from John Burton, the author expends 2495 words in his attempt to debunk the NAR bogeyman. That's a lot of verbiage to "Wade" through (pun intended).

Especially since there is not a single Bible verse quoted here, except for the opening passage. There is not a single biblical exposition here. There isn't a single assertion documented in any way. The author has nearly 2500 words to increase our understanding, refer us to biblical principles, or encourage us to press on in faith. Nothing.

We will be adding paragraph breaks in order to try to make sense of the author's stream-of-consciousness presentation.

Our usual caveat is that we do not intend to defend the NAR or John Burton. We are simply intent on examining Rev. Wade's presentation.

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Using Paganism and Bible Mangling to Reinforce NAR Bless-Me Theology - Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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In typical fashion, Rev. Wade throws around loose accusations and undocumented claims in scattershot fashion, presuming the worst about people without evidence or context. 

We should note that our intent is not to defend Eddie Hyatt. We are here to examine the author's claims and presentation.

We have excerpted a relatively brief portion of a much longer article.)

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Is Grace undeserved favor?

Introduction

We have been examining our own doctrinal understandings (doctrine rethink) for some time now. We have discovered that what some of what has been preached from our pulpits is not necessarily the truth. We would deem these "Christian myths," that is, things that are common knowledge accepted by Christians, but are ultimately unbiblical.

Our process of doctrine rethink has brought us to an examination of grace.

The rhetorical tactics of the political Left

In our interactions with the political Left, we have noticed recurring tactics among our interlocutors. These tactics are so pervasive as to have become predictable.

Some of those are:

• Reframe the issue

Example: "The national debt is too high."

Leftist rejoinder: "Don't you want to have police, schools, and highways?"

• Do not address the argument presented

Example: "Return the government to its constitutional limits."

Leftist rejoinder: "The real problem is tax cuts." 

• Blame the problem on the ignorance or stupidity of the other party

Example: "Unemployment among blacks has dropped 30% under Trump."

 Leftist rejoinder: "Stop watching Faux News." 

• Infer evil intent

Example: "Obamacare is a failure."

Leftist Rejoinder: "Do you want people to die?"

Is It OK to Confess That Jesus Descended into Hell? - by Justin Dillehay

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We are posting just a part of the author's article, which centers on a single phrase from the Apostles' Creed: 

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy catholic Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.

The author is discussing a book by Matthew Emerson, who attempts to explain what happened when Jesus descended. According to the author, there is a problem with the idea that Jesus descended to hell and was punished.

The author enthusiastically acknowledges the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement: ...it is gloriously true that Jesus delivered us from hell by experiencing the hellish torments of God’s wrath on the cross. This is "gloriously true," but then he states that Jesus being punished in hell doesn’t mean that Jesus suffered in hell’s flames.

So on one hand it's ok that the Father punished Jesus on the cross, yet on the other hand it's offensive he was also punished in hell. Why might one be gloriously true and the other is not?

We examined at length the idea that the Father punished Jesus, and have concluded that the Father did not punish Jesus at all. We therefore would assert with consistency that Jesus was neither punished on the cross, nor was He punished in hell. 

This is perhaps controversial, we realize. It is a cherished doctrine in much of Christendom. In fact, many have stated that Penal Substitutionary Atonement is a central doctrine, and to deny it is heresy. These ardent reformists defend the doctrine as critical to being a Christian.

Yet the doctrine was “virtually unattested” to before Calvin. It seems he invented a whole new doctrine, a doctrine that was basically unknown back then but is now is deemed critical. 

If Calvin overthrew 1500 years of doctrinal understanding, one might expect the biblical basis be unassailable. Once again we refer the reader to our analysis of Penal Substitutionary Atonement. We think there is good reason to abandon this doctrine.
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A TENDENCY ARISING WITH SUCH FREQUENCY I SUSPECT A DEEPER PROBLEM [uncaring pastors] - by Stephen Kneale

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The author is puzzled why so many pastors don't seem to care about people. The short answer is, they're not pastors. They may have a title, but they don't have the gift.

The author will repeatedly ask "why," but ultimately does not have the answer. We will suggest an answer at the end.
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