The heart deceitfully wicked... or is it?

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

Today we will examine the very common view that not only is the pagan's heart is deceitfully wicked, so is the Christian's heart.

Proof that ‘continuationists’ don’t exist.- BY CHURCHWATCH

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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We would hope to find thoughtful, considered arguments in favor of cessationism. But too often we find analyses that are sloppy, disingenuous, or plain old wrong. 

Such is the case with this quote from Chris Rosebrough, who apparently thinks he has "continuationists" dead to rights. He thinks this is a devastating argument, sealing the deal for all time. 

Let's consider this amazingly puerile argument.

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Rebuking the NAR Experiential Counterfeit Christianity and Revival Chasing - Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The incendiary ministry of Rev. Wade consists of nothing more than bomb-throwing. We have yet to read anything he has written that consists of Bible-teaching or expository truth. 

Invariably he opens his screeds with a Scripture that rarely gets mentioned again, let alone explained or applied. Typically he then embarks on a series of unsubstantiated assertions, unreferenced accusations. He then concludes with a flourish as if he has laid out a devastating case against his theological foes.

This is the nature of his "devotionals," and the below screed follows exactly the same pattern. It's truly a wonder that he is republished on various "discernment ministry" sites, since offers exactly zero discernment.
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Why Are There Fewer Miracles Today? -by Tim Chester

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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We would agree with all four points raised by the author. He ably explains the way the miraculous might work in the contexts described. 

What we find perplexing is his attitude regarding the lack of the miraculous in our Christian experience. He asserts: ...the primary purpose of miracles has been fulfilled. We certainly don’t need to worry if we’re not seeing many miracles in our lives or our churches. 

We would suggest that all four of the situations he describes are found right in our midst right now, so we should not consign ourselves to few or no miracles. We should indeed wonder why God is not moving in power in our churches.

On the "frontline mission" of U.S. culture, the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit is sorely needed. The "Bible is absent" from much of our society, and even in some of our churches. The "occult is strong" and getting stronger everywhere in our communities. And finally, so many of "believers are immature" in the American churches, so much so that one wonders where the Gospel is. 

There is nothing in the contemporary western Church that would suggest that the miraculous is not needed. Indeed, on the whole we are simply not mature, we have not attained or maintained a status of a climax Christian society. Just the opposite, in fact.

We certainly have a large network of churches. We have easy access to the Word. We have lots of strong preaching, beautiful buildings, devoted attendees, and many charitable initiatives. We have missionaries in nearly every country. 

But we do not have the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Ep. 5:18).  We are sedate, reverent, and polite. We are conciliatory, inoffensive, and reserved. At the same time, we do not have much power, and that means we are sadly ineffective, lukewarm, and ambivalent.

We should not relegate God's power to backwards societies and unreached peoples. That smacks of arrogance and self-satisfaction. Rather, we should take a long, hard, honest look at ourselves and our churches. Why should we accept the status quo? Why should we think that because we have "arrived," we no longer need the Holy Spirit? Having constructed this edifice in the name of the Lord, why should we think we can sustain it solely with human effort?

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Was J.I. Packer a Heretic? On His Sharp Turn in His Last Years - By JEFF MAPLES

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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This man just died, after adding much to Christian thought over the decades. Rather than noting his contributions or acknowledging the debt of gratitude we owe Packer, the author jumps straight Packer's supposed heresy.
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False Doctrine is like John Prine’s song Bruised Orange - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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On one hand, we can understand Ms. Prata wanting to act out of concern for her friends. On the other, the Scriptures she uses to justify her actions have nothing to do with the matter she presents.

She could have addressed Bible counsel on correcting friends, like:

Pr. 27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Gal. 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Ja. 5:19-20 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Luke 17:3-4 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

There's an important distinction. There are matters of church discipline, meted out by leadership, and then there is correction borne of relationships between the brethren. Ms. Prata does not make this distinction.

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Bill Johnson Offering False Hope in a False Christ for a Hopeless World - By Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We have managed to avoid Rev. Wade for a while now, since the articles he has recently posted are like a broken record. He keeps harping on the same things over and over, with little light added to the issues.

Today he spends 1606 words (this might be a record for brevity for him) explaining nothing.

We should note that we do not intend to defend Bill Johnson or Bethel church. We are examining the author's statements.
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5 Reasons to Pray Your Church Would Grow Slowly - by AARON MENIKOFF

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The purpose of writing such an article as this is inexplicable. The author's five reasons are superficial and unbiblical.
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Thriving according the Ministry of the Holy Spirit - sermon

You have something to bring to the assembly of the saints. This means I want to ask you to participate this morning. Participate in the prayer, the ministry, the sermon, the worship, and don't be afraid to actively express yourself.

Amen?

Also, you may have noticed Gillian, Trish, Zach, Aaron, Megan, Nick, and my wife Christy circulating around. I asked them to minister to you during the service as Holy Spirit leads them. They are there to bless, to encourage, and to speak with clarity into your life. There will also be time at the
end to take advantage of them.

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Thrive

Introduction

The elders asked me to speak on “thrive.” David has done a good job addressing the aspects of our lives where we want to thrive, like in our work and in our rest. What I especially like is that these are not supernatural activities, but they do have supernatural impact. The daily grind may not be glorious manifestations of the Spirit, but thriving in these routine things can change our own attitudes, and impact the people around us.

So thriving is day to day average stuff. You can thrive in the triumphs and trials of life, but especially you can thrive in your faith, in your church, and in your relationships.

The dictionary definition of thrive:

1. to grow vigorously: FLOURISH
2. to gain in wealth or possessions: PROSPER
3. to PROGRESS toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

Would you like to flourish in doing God’s purpose? Would you like to prosper in a way that increases the Kingdom of God? Are you willing to progress toward the goal to win the prize, no matter your circumstances?

And, would you like our church to thrive in this way?

My definition of thriving would be

1. Living in the spiritual blessings of Christ.

2. Living with the continual filling of His Holy Spirit

3. Living a life of obedience, contentment, and in the peace of God.
4. Living a life pursuing the call God has placed on my life.

So, to thrive is to live according to Father’s purpose, to bear fruit, and to exhibit the evidence of God in our lives. To thrive is to lay up treasure in heaven. To thrive is to have unshakable faith in the word of God no matter the how bad or good things are going. To thrive is to be the church.
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Here's how I got unfriended

I posted this on FB:

A system is a purposeful structure, constructed and maintained by its organizers. Structures cannot continue to exist apart from intentional maintenance.

A system is not a sentient entity, so it cannot be racist. Systemic racism is not possible without racists. A system will not continue to exist without systemizers. Thus it is impossible for a system to persist without those who would feed it.

Since the current system expresses incidents of racism, then we must ask, who is in charge of the system?

As we survey the places across the nation where racism seems to be a significant problem, we note that all of these places are controlled by Democrats. In addition to Minneapolis, we find that Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Seattle are all current racism hotspots, and all of them have been governed by Democrats for decades.

If those in control of the system have not changed the system, we would surmise they are in agreement with its results.

A now-former FB friend responded: