Why the Blood? - by Greg Koukl

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The actual thing the author wants to discuss is his statement in a book he wrote: "Jesus came to rescue us from the Father." His point is that the wrath of God towards the sinner means that Jesus' death averted this wrath. Thus we are saved from God.

This teaching is odd in that if gets a lot right. But because of the author's Reformist/Calvinist orientation he reinterprets his correct statements by adding unbiblical statements.

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The Lord Told Me - by Cameron Buettel

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This nearly scriptureless presentation is all about the abuse perpetrated by people and nothing about what the Bible teaches about the prophetic gift. The author is essentially trying to use present-day misbehavior to justify his cessationist beliefs. 

We do not accept this sort of commentary, because the behavior of people has nothing to do with making one's case from the Bible. But that's what the bulk of this article does.

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Wolf Week # 3: Types of false teachers and their different methods - By Elizabeth Prata

Excerpted from here. Our comments in bold.

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Ms. Prata appears in our blog from time to time with her sometimes errant teaching and mistaken beliefs. We have no desire to dishonor her, but she represents herself as a guardian of doctrine and a teacher of Christian women. Her teaching therefore ought to be scrutinized.

A favorite topic of the Doctrinal Police is wolves in the church. She has been writing a series on this topic, but this article contained the below off-topic quote. This sort of thing is exactly why we scrutinize her writing.

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Ask Jesus Into Your Heart - by Cameron Buettel

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This kind of moral certainty causes us to wonder what the motive is. What is the author reacting against? Perhaps he is against the easy-believism that seems to be permeating certain areas of Christendom? Or since he's a Calvinist it's likely he disagrees with the idea that we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to get saved. We don't know, but we can take his statements at face value and examine them.

Let's see what the Bible says accepting Jesus into one's heart:

Accept

So, is it really true that nowhere in the Bible are we told to accept Jesus? Let's review a few Scriptures:

Mk. 4:20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop — thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

"Accept" is (paradechomai), to admit i. e. not to reject, to accept, receive...

Jn. 12:48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.

"Accept" is lambanó, to believe the testimony... 

Jn. 13:20 ... and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.

"Accept" again is lambanó in this case, to receive what is offered; not to refuse or reject... 

Ac. 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

"Accept" is apodechomai, to believe... 

Ac. 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

Ac. 22:17-18 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord speaking. `Quick!’ he said to me. `Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

1Co. 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1Ti. 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.

Ja. 1:21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

And why not use a different word that conveys the same concept:

Col. 2:6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him...

So when we actually read the Bible and do not simply take the author at his word, we discover we are commanded to accept the Holy Spirit, accept the testimony of Jesus, accept the Word of God, and to accept and receive Jesus Himself.

Heart

The heart is representative of the spiritual nature of men. Hard-heartedness is equated with disobedience, lack of faith, and deadness. Those who are alive in Christ have Him living in their hearts.

These are not controversial assertions, and the Bible backs them up:

Ac. 16:14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

Ac. 28:27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ [Isaiah 6:9,10]

Ro. 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Ga. 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Ep. 3:16-17 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Col. 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts

1Pe. 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

So the author is wrong about what the Bible says. Yet he is right that we need to repent and believe. This makes his objection a false choice. To accept Jesus is to repent. One cannot accept something unless one also rejects something else. 

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Fixing prayer

If churches want to have better prayer meetings and better pray-ers:

• Teach/model prayer. Most people are not natural pray-ers, they have to learn how to pray and develop a passion for prayer.
• Keep prayer at the forefront in church. Make it more important than the announcements.
• Pray at prayer meetings. Music, testimonies, prayer requests, and devotionals are all good things, but they're not prayer.
• A variety of people should pray, not just leaders or pastors.
• Pray with enthusiasm. Too many people pray like they're depressed or tired.
• Don’t dominate prayer meetings with long prayers. Instead, don’t be afraid to pray just one or two sentences. There are others who need the opportunity to pray. 
• Pray with purpose. Avoid random disconnected statements.
• Pray, don't instruct or exhort. We sometimes forget that we are praying, and the prayer morphs into a lecture or prophecy.
• Silence is good. We listen as well as speak.
• Real silence is good. Consider eliminating background music.
• If you have the gift of tongues, don’t go on and on while someone else is praying. Rather, express agreement with short affirmations, thus respecting them when they are praying.
• If you have a testimony, encouragement, prophecy, or word of knowledge, you may wish to wait until the end rather than divert the prayer meeting.
• Do not focus on binding the enemy or making decrees and declarations. Our prayers are directed to God, not powers or principalities.

How “Voodoo” Caused Most of the National Debt

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This presentation about the national debt is about the worst we've ever read. The author completely ignores real numbers, relevant facts, and common sense in an effort to explain what he clearly doesn't understand. 

The author's leftist bonafides start showing relatively quickly as he employs all the typical leftist tropes regarding the national debt and various Republicans. 

And, he repeatedly confuses the national debt with the deficit.

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Fixing my 1995 Prowler camper trailer - water damage

Water damage. It's almost inevitable with camper trailers. Despite decades of experience building campers, manufacturers can't seem to figure out how to keep their products water tight.

I bought this 24 foot Prowler about three years ago. It seemed to be in decent condition:

The Workers Behind Bozeman’s Boom - by NICK BOWLIN

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This is a classic agendized puff piece, aimed solely at manipulating the emotions of readers. It is replete with sob stories, evil rich villains, and hand-wringing regarding the plight of the leftist Journalist's preferred victims.

Now, we should say that we are not in favor of anyone suffering. And we do recognize that people can be taken advantage of. This is not acceptable. But it also isn't unique to illegal immigrants. But the obstacles in the way of legal immigration, and the abuse and poverty that comes from this, are problems created by government. 

Further, no one has the right to enter the US. The government is constitutionally empowered to protect its borders, and to limit or even eliminate the number of people coming in. The fact that people are oppressed in other countries is not automatically a problem to be solved by the American people. The fact that people want to come for the possibility of a better life does not justify their presence here.

Lastly, no one has forced these folks to come to Bozeman. No one forces them to stay. If they find life unlivable here, there are many other places they could live.

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Bad worship songs: Back To Life - Bethel

From time to to we examine the lyrics of worship songs. Our desire is not to mock or humiliate, but rather to honestly examine content with a view to calling forth a better worship expression.

With the great volume and variety of worship music available, none of us should have to settle for bad worship songs. We should be able to select hundreds or even thousands of top notch songs very easily.

What makes a song a worship song? Is it enough to contain words like God or holy? How about vaguely spiritual sounding phrases? Should Jesus be mentioned?

We think an excellent worship song should contain the following elements:

• A direct expression of adoration (God, you are...)
• A progression of ideas that culminates in a coherent story
• A focus on God, not us
• Lyrics that do not create uncertainty or cause confusion
• A certain amount of profundity
• A singable, interesting melody
• Allusions to Scripture
• Doctrinal soundness
• Not excessively metaphorical
• Not excessively repetitive
• Jesus is not your boyfriend

It's worth noting the most worship songs contain at least something good. That is, there might be a musical idea or a lyric that has merit. Such is the case with this song, Back to Life. 

Video link.

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God’s Word Is Necessary - by KEVIN DEYOUNG

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author is not writing to defend the necessity of Scripture, he's writing to negate charismatics. And in attempting to do so he makes several obvious missteps.

Further, the author barely quotes the Bible. But he is able to provide substantial quotes from a Statement of Faith and also a theologian.

We must label this "Bad Bible Teaching."

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If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? - by James Williams

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The author provides a truly confused explanation of God's sovereignty. His underlying assumption is that if God doesn't control everything He controls nothing. But he doesn't document this. And, he quotes absolutely no Scripture until a snippet of an irrelevant verse at the very end. 

He's going to teach the Bible without quoting it?

Astonishing. 

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NAR New Shiny New Object to Hate? Taylor Swift - By Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Too often we are pressed into service regarding Rev. Wade's bombastic pontifications. We thought he had already hit bottom, but surprisingly, this screed is even lower. 

We can't emphasize enough that Rev. Wade puts these on his website under the heading, "devotionals:"

It's well past time we defined what a devotional is, because Rev. Wade clearly doesn't understand:

A devotional is a tool to help you grow in your relationship with God and others. It can be a Bible reading plan, a series of meditations, a liturgical exercise, or a daily selection of verses with a thoughtful essay...

Rev. Wade's "devotional" is completely devoid of Bible verses, Bible explanations, or Bible meditations. He's simply debating the meaning of the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song. He disagrees with someone about what they mean. That's it. That's the "devotional."

Astounding.

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What to say to a Republican who complains about the federal debt - by ROBERT REICH

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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One can be sure that if a leftist is going to explain something, it will not be accurate, it will not clarify, and it will not be intended to impart information.

That's because leftists like Dr. Reich are only interested in The Narrative, that is, the talking points and bumper sticker slogans promulgated by Central Command. The Narrative is circulated throughout the media landscape every day, and writers, commentators, and news operations dutifully regurgitate it.

So Dr. Reich pretends to be a truth teller, but he's simply doing his duty to repeat The Narrative, spouting agitprop in service to The Agenda. The Agenda is the dismantling of the system. The system, being racist, unfair, and hurtful to the worker and minorities, must be replaced. 

But in actual fact, none of these issues are important to the Left. They are simply excuses for advancing the leftist dream. So, nothing you will read below will be true, accurate, logical, or helpful. 

This article is The Narrative, which facilitates The Agenda. The reader should keep this in mind at all times.

The left is obsessed with other people's money. They want it. They spend it. The problem has always been spending: 

Last year, the federal government took in a record $4.9 trillion in revenue, more than triple the $1.58 trillion the government collected just 25 years earlier (1997)....

That’s an average increase of more than eight percent a year, far more than the rate of inflation (which has averaged 2.4% annually over the past 25 years) plus the increase in the U.S. population (roughly 0.7% annually). The total of all economic activity in the United States per year (GDP) is currently $26.1 trillion, which means the federal government now claims nearly one-fifth (19.6%) of all dollars for itself, a much higher rate than the long-term average of 16.5 percent.

But Dr. Reich thinks the government simply needs more money. And it's the rich who unjustly possess that money. It's a familiar Marxist theme.

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A MISUNDERSTANDING OF SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE - by Lovesickscribe

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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About 1000 words (minus quotes), but only about 250 of them are dedicated to actually explaining the quoted Bible passage. The other three quarters of this article beats to death an undocumented, and false, premise that charismatics are all about showing off their "on fire" status. She never quotes anyone or cites any examples of this, but she goes on and on about it, hammering the claim at least a dozen times. 

It is truly taken to ridiculous levels.

Further, the Lovesickscribe quotes Bob DeWaay:  

They posit two types of Christians: “carnal” Christians and “spiritual” Christians. But in reality, there are only Christians and dead sinners. 

Astonishingly, she approvingly quotes a lie. There is absolutely no Scripture that tells us this. Paul wrote many times about carnal Christians:

1Co. 3:1-3 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly — mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

Ro. 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Ga. 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature...

Ep. 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

Col. 3:6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Bob DeWaay is apparently unacquainted with the idea of sanctification, the process of abandoning the ways of the carnal nature and moving on to spiritual maturity. 

Ultimately, Lovesickscribe's real problem appears to be a matter of preference. She doesn't like these supposed "on-fire" charismatics who want to worship, pray and fast. She doesn't even like the term, but she happily supplies her own "on fire" list:  

• A desire to read His Word 
• A desire to pray 
• Being unashamed in sharing our faith in Jesus Christ

And lastly, she concedes her whole case: 

It is a good thing to check the spiritual temperature in our lives... 

We are left wondering what the hullabaloo is about. 

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What happens with unanswered prayers - Rethink

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 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 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 we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.

The Mailbag: Potpourri (Female Bible authors?…) - by Michelle Lesley

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Ms. Lesley continues her series of articles regarding her view of women. She has developed many micro doctrines concerning what women can and cannot do in church. Most of these are derived from a faulty view of 1 Timothy 2:12. Her presentations are sometimes so egregious that we have reserved a corner of our blog for her.

Today she claims that no woman wrote Scripture. As we consider this we first should note that no title of any book in the Bible identifies a woman as the author. But these titles, like the chapter and verse division, are not part of the original text, they were added later and should not be regarded as inspired.

Second, the inspired author is sometimes a matter of speculation (Ruth, Esther, and Hebrews for example). 

Third, we don't know who actually wrote down the words of Bible. The person who put pen to paper may have simply been a scribe, or may indeed have been the Holy Spirit-inspired person named in the title. We know Paul did not autograph at least some of his epistles. It is generally recognized that he dictated many of his letters via amanuenses. He writes:

Ga. 6:11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

This clearly implies that he wanted to emphasize his point by writing these words himself.

In addition, Paul probably dictated many of his letters to Timothy:

• 2Co. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy...
• Ph. 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi...
• Col. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother...
• 1Th. 1:1 Paul, Silas, and Timothy...
• 2Th. 1:1 Paul, Silas, and Timothy...
• Phile. 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon...

Having armed ourselves with the knowledge that the Bible is completely inspired and trustworthy, yet autographed by a variety people, known and unknown, we shall now consider the matter at hand.

We are puzzled by those who would assert that no women "wrote" the Bible, for even the casual reader would discover that it is simply not true. To believe women contributed nothing to the Holy Writ would be to errantly omit important portions of Scripture where inspired women of God spoke His Word, both in the OT and the NT.

Women spoke inspired words, regardless of who wrote them down. The one who spoke the inspired words must be considered primary over the one who wrote those words.

Lastly, we would assert it to be of marginal importance to know whose hand actually wrote the words which became our Bible. In any case, it would be improper to conclude that only men wrote the Bible.

Here's a survey of women who uttered God's words: 

The Old Testament

1Sa. 2:1-10  

Hannah heard from the Lord:

1Sa. 2:1-10 Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 1Sa. 2:2 “There is no-one holy like the LORD; there is no-one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. 4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. 6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 

Judges 5:1-9

Deborah's prophetic psalm, never before uttered.

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: 2 When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves — praise the LORD! 3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing; I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel. 4 O LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. 5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel. 6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. 7 Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. 8 When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the LORD!

2Kg. 22:15-20

Huldah spoke a prophetic word:

 She said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 `This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’“ So they  took her answer back to the king.

Ex. 15:20-21 

Miriam sang a prophetic song:

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.”

2Ch. 9:5-8

The queen of Sheba spoke a prophetic word:

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6 But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them for ever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”

The New Testament

Lk. 1:41-45

Elizabeth spoke prophetically:

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

Luke 1:46-55

Mary's prophetic utterance:

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants for ever, even as he said to our fathers.”

Luke 2:36-38

Anna's words, though not recorded, were noted:

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Mark 16:7 

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were given a prophetic message:

But go, tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."

So the literal word of the Lord came forth from the lips of women. Those words became Scripture. Those words carried unique and powerful Holy Spirit messages that changed the fate of nations, even the world.

Women, therefore, communicated the very word of God, and are a central part of God's redemptive plan. To overlook their contributions, inspiration, or impact on the Bible is an unfortunate and false perspective.