"You don't know his heart" meme - Famine in the land

This is a supposedly clever meme: 

Here's the unquoted Scripture: 

Ac. 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

So many issues with this meme:

Cessationism - Episode 18 - Are charismatics functional cessationists? Or is it the other way around?

Our next Episode in the cessationism series.

Additional Episodes:

• Episode 1, the Perfect.
• Episode 2, the apostles.
• Episode 3, prophecy.
• Episode 4, the closed canon.
• Episode 5, extra biblical reasons.
• Episode 6, only the apostles had all truth.
• Episode 7, there were only limited periods of miracles.
• Episode 8, tongues.
• Episode 9, the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Episode 10, does God speak only through the Scriptures?
• Episode 11, what about impressions?
• Episode 12, what is discernment? 
• Episode 13, the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Episode 14, Was the purpose of miracles restricted to the authentication of the apostles?
• Episode 15, Is revival excluded because of apostasy?
• Episode 16, is prophecy subjective?
• Episode 17, Could only the apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?
• Episode 18, are charismatics functional cessationists?

Our criteria for the cessationism debate is that the argument must

1. be from the Bible
2. not appeal to contemporary expressions of charismata
3. not appeal to silence
4. not appeal to events or practices of history

That is, any defense of cessationism must be Sola Scriptura.
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Foreword to A Biblical Case for Cessationism - by JOHN MACARTHUR

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Dr. MacArthur makes many assertions, but quotes only a couple of words of Scripture. This is alarmingly typical for these cessationists. He makes claim after claim, but He doesn't quote a single Bible verse. Not one.

Now, we realize this is a forward to a book written by Tom Pennington and not a teaching. But we have examined Dr. MacArthur's presentations quite often in this blog, and his pattern is to avoid Scripture and to make unsupported statements. So we make our evaluation based on his track record. And it is disappointing. 

Lastly, Dr. MacArthur wants to talk about present-day charismatics, but that has nothing to do with "The Biblical Case For Cessationism. We shall note these with red typeface.

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Capitalism Is A Giant Scam - by Caitlin Johnstone

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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It's inevitable that when anti-capitalists/Socialists/Marxists talk about capitalism they will get it wrong. We would suppose it is ignorance borne of indoctrination, or it could be deliberate. If it's deliberate, that would be the typical modus operandi for them, a technique called agitprop.

Agitprop is rhetoric designed to amp up resentment and discontent towards those who are better off than you. The objective is to cause the proletariat to rise up against the bourgeois and overthrow the system. The overthrow of the system is The Agenda, and agitprop is The Narrative, which serves to implement The Agenda.

The author wants us to think that cheating, overcharging, and manipulation are features of capitalism, but in actual fact they are violations of capitalism. Capitalism is simply the voluntary, legal exchange of value.

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How To Explain Socialism Clearly In a Way That Actually Persuades People - Comedian and writer Danny Katch

Excerpted from here.

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This is a long, boring, unenlightening conversation between two Socialists patting each other's back. Neither of them are actually able (or perhaps willing) to accurately explain either Socialism or Capitalism, instead relying on well-worn tropes and bumper sticker slogans. This isn't surprising, since the very title of the article suggests that there is a way to sell Socialism. 

Socialism doesn't sell, so Socialists sell something else. They sell class envy, greed for other peoples' money, and a utopian vision of peace and goodwill to everyone because government will give us everything. 

Socialism is a religion for the irreligious.

In any case, there is little that interests us here, with the exception two things. One, the irony of a Socialist selling his book about Socialism...

"Danny Katch is the author of the most accessible and entertaining existing introduction to socialist ideas, Socialism…Seriously"

...and two, Mr. Katch's definition of Socialism and Capitalism:

“Socialism is a society whose top priority is meeting all of its people’s needs, ranging from food, shelter, and health care, to art, culture, and companionship. In contrast, capitalism only cares about any of that basic human necessities stuff to the extent that money can be made of it.”

Let's spend some time unpacking these errant definitions.

THERE ARE NO MORE APOSTLES - By Rick Becker

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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In this blog we have commented on several articles by Mr. Becker. At times he provides valuable insight. But mostly we have seen errant presentations based on false assumptions and faulty reasoning. Today's article is more of the latter than the former.

We should note that Mr. Becker is obligated to provide the biblical case for his beliefs. Though he does quote Scripture, he's more focused on the practices of the "NAR." However, we will not accept the relevance of his critiques of contemporary persons, because these do not demonstrate the biblical case. We have noted where this happens in red typeface.

This is a long and somewhat scattered article. He not only discusses apostles as promised in the title, he also deals with prophets. 

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Penal Substitution Evidences the Godness of God - Murray Campbell

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author writes over 2700 words (not including quotes from others), including several Scriptures, but cannot cite any Bible verse that tells us the Father punished the Son. Because there isn't one. Period. Yes, that's right. PSA (Penal Substitutionary Atonement) is not found in the Bible. 

We discuss this in more detail here.

We will be redacting large sections because the author spends most of the article dealing with Rob Buckingham's opinions about PSA. We find this largely irrelevant. We want the author's biblical case.

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Andy Stanley Declares You do not Need to Believe in the Inerrancy of Scripture to Follow Jesus - By Anthony Wade

Found here. our comments in bold.

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Another scattershot presentation by the choleric Rev. Wade. As usual, he rails against his perceived enemies with a stream-of-consciousness, barely coherent rant. The fact that he labels these as devotionals continually amazes us.

This quickly will become a muddled mess. By the end of this screed one will not be able to ascertain Rev. Wade's point was or where Andy Stanley was wrong. 

We should note that we are not here to defend Andy Stanley. He may indeed be teaching false doctrines. Our intent is to examine Rev. Wade's presentation.
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Laleó, Rhéma, and Logos - The Word of God

Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered what we think are unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were too lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that there is more than one way to interpret doctrine, more than one way to think about the faith, and more than one way to read the Scriptures. We would not suggest that our way is the only way, or the right way; we are not Bible scholars. But we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to rightly divide the Word of God.
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1967 Pontiac Lemans budget build - Episode six, passenger quarter panel - updated 02/09/24

Episode one, introduction.

Episode two, trunk panel install part one.

Episode three, trunk panel install part two.

Episode four, door rust repair.

Episode five, tail light panel and rear crossmember.

Episode six, passenger quarter panel.

Episode seven, driver's quarter panel.

Episode eight, floor pan and rockers, part one.

Episode nine, floor pan and rockers, part two.

Episode ten, frame repair and prep, body drop.

Episode eleven, radiator core support and miscellaneous rust repair.

Episode twelve, trunk repair and more miscellaneous rust repair.

Episode thirteen, fender and inner fender repair.

Episode fourteen, panel prep and block and prime.

Now it's time to turn to the passenger quarter panel. This is going to be another difficult task, so I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking and planning. I don't want to mess this up.

Here's what I started with:

YOUR PREACHING IS PRIMARILY FOR BELIEVERS - by Stephen Kneale

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This article is about 3 times longer than it needs to be. The author makes the same points repeatedly without adding new information.

But the more fundamental problem here is the author's presumption that his opinion is the same as the biblical teaching. But he never quotes or even references the Bible. Where in the Bible does it say that church services are for believers? It doesn't. Where does the Bible say that sermons must be for Christians, or even that church services must include sermons? It doesn't. 

"Church" is not a process or a list of items on a bulletin. Rather, the people of God gathering together is church. What happens during a gathering of Christians is church. Any place, any time, any day, any gathering of any number of Christians is church: 

Mt. 18:20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. 

1Co. 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

Now, a church organization as an entity might have certain structural and procedural requirements or expectations. But these vary, sometimes substantially. Thus we should not think our traditions or culture are the only right way to conduct a church gathering.

If a church organization wants to be evangelistic in orientation then its official gatherings are likely to look quite different than the author's church. If a church holds relationship and connection as an important value its gatherings will tend toward that emphasis. It should therefore be clear that it can be quite proper to orient a church around attracting non-believers.

Last point: The author confuses terms, equating sermons with preaching. "Preach" (kérussó) means to proclaim after the manner of a herald, proclaim openly, the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it. 

"Teaching" is a different Greek word, didaskalia, teaching, i. e. that which is taught, doctrine... This is the activity that imparts knowledge about the truths of Christ, holy living, and correct doctrine. 

Almost every occurrence of the word translated "preach" is related to the proclamation of the gospel, whereas teaching is related to instruction about the deeper things of the faith. 

This is how we should understand verses like this:

Mt. 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Here Jesus was doing three things, instructing (kérussó), heralding (didaskalia), and healing.

But the author confuses preaching with instruction, even in his title, as he utilizes words in a manner that conforms to his preconceptions.)

Was Jesus punished for our sins? Did He drink the cup of the Father's wrath?

Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered what we think are unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were too lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that there is more than one way to interpret doctrine, more than one way to think about the faith, and more than one way to read the Scriptures. We would not suggest that our way is the only way, or the right way; we are not Bible scholars. But we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to rightly divide the Word of God.

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True patriotism is the opposite of Trump’s White Christian Nationalism Thoughts on July 4th - by obert Reich

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Dr. Reich wouldn't know true patriotism if it came up and punched him in the face. Patriotism is Love of one's country; the passion which moves a person to serve his country, either in defending it from invasion or in protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions. He will do his level best to redefine the term. No surprise, since the Left has been devoted to changing the meaning of words.

Continuing his obsession with Trump, Dr. Reich engages in Mountain Man's Law with impunity, accusing Trump of everything that the Left is actually doing.

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Misinformation obscures standards guiding gender-affirming care for trans youth - by Helen Santoro KFF Health News

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This is presented as a news article but it's an opinion piece, replete with biased phraseology, leftist talking points, and deceptive characterizations. What a dismal piece of journalism.

The actual Florida legislation is easily located on the internet. It only 10 pages long, and is succinct and specific. The alarmist reaction to it indicates an obsessive desire to mutilate children and monkey with potentially dangerous medicines and shows a callous disregard for a child's long-term health and well-being. 

All in the name of tolerance, diversity and inclusion.

Also, one of the principle claims of the author is the careful protocol involved in gender transition. Perhaps she might explain this Portland "doctor" chopping up pre-pubescent children.

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On Muslims Coming to Christ in Dreams and the Heresy of Monophysitism - By Publisher

Excerpted from here. Our comments in bold.

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The unnamed author at Disntr spends the greater part of his article explaining a vague doctrinal distinction about Christ's nature that is unedifying and largely irrelevant. We redacted it. When he finally gets to the actual subject he immediately concedes that the Holy Spirit can indeed come to someone in their dreams. 

He makes his case from a misunderstood Romans 10:17.

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Is God giving direct revelation? - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Ms. Prata is a familiar character on our blog. She represents herself as a teacher of women and a guardian of correct doctrine. However, too often her presentations are flawed, scriptureless, and superficial. Indeed, today's article contains only a single Bible quote. We are mystified at how these so-called Bible teachers can teach the Bible while barely quoting the Bible.

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We've seen this John Owen quote several times before, and are amazed that anyone thinks it's clever:

There are no such things as "private revelations." One will not find this concept in the Bible. And it's a false choice, and a choice not found in the Bible. What we're really talking about is prophecy. And prophecy is detailed by Paul in 1Co.14 for all to read. If Paul's instruction regarding prophecy is no longer relevant, Ms. Prata would need to explain why.

She won't do that, unfortunately. 

But more to the point, we are thankful indeed that no prophet who wrote down revelation held himself to the John Owen criteria. Isaiah had the Scriptures, and still wrote his prophecies. Same with Joel and Jeremiah and all the OT prophets. 

And Paul in the NT. He had the Scriptures as well, but still wrote what became a large portion of the NT. And James. John. Peter. They all wrote revelation, despite the fact that they had the Scriptures.

And everything these men wrote agreed with previous revelation. So were these writings needless, or were they false? Ms. Prata will need to tell us.