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.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Bad worship songs - Glory and Wonder, by Mosaic MSC
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, Glory and Wonder.
Video link.
Monday, November 18, 2024
1967 Pontiac Lemans #2 - budget build - episode five, rust repair installment two **updated 11/20/24
October 5th, 2024:
October 6th, 2024:
Episode one, introduction, here.
Episode two, disassembly and assessment, here.
Episode three, rough body work, here.
Episode four, rust repair, installment one, here.
Episode five, rust repair, installment two, here.
Episode six, rust repair installment three, here.
**************
This episode will focus on the toe panel and the rear package shelf, but first I will chronicle the driver's tail light rust. And later I will address the passenger door skin.
Can we invite the presence of the Holy Spirit? - 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.
---------------
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.
---------------
Friday, November 15, 2024
We are chosen by God - By Elizabeth Prata
Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Ms. Prata attempts to teach about the Calvinistic doctrine of Election, that Christians are chosen and predestined to be saved. She relies on a couple of go-to verses, but these verses don't teach what Calvinists say they teach.
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Ms. Prata attempts to teach about the Calvinistic doctrine of Election, that Christians are chosen and predestined to be saved. She relies on a couple of go-to verses, but these verses don't teach what Calvinists say they teach.
We will explain.
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Wednesday, November 13, 2024
How to root out Trumpism What happened and what must be done - by Robert Reich
Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Dr. Reich is up to his usual shenanigans. He rails against big business and billionaires, but gets confused as to who advocates for what and who is the bad guy.
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Dr. Reich is up to his usual shenanigans. He rails against big business and billionaires, but gets confused as to who advocates for what and who is the bad guy.
As usual, Dr. Reich is reinforcing The Narrative in service to The Agenda. But this time he argues himself into a corner, unable to articulate why Trump is bad for doing the same things Bernie Sanders was advocating for.
It's really a incoherent mess. This is worse than usual for Dr. Reich.
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Monday, November 11, 2024
The Ten Non-Commandments - Faceborg meme
Found on Faceborg:
Morality really bothers atheists and God-haters. They will do everything they can to avoid moral imperatives. Further, they are entirely convinced of their intellectual superiority but are unable to see past their own colossal irony. They bristle at the idea of absolute truth and having morality imposed upon them yet write their own list of do nots. The very same people who don't want religion telling them what's moral are perfectly fine authoritatively telling us what's moral.
Our question is this: In a world without objective morality, on what basis do these these folks offer us (non) commandments about anything? If truth is relative, then each person chooses for himself what to believe, and there can be no imperative. However, each of these "non-commandments" is a moral principle, offered as self-evident truth to be embraced and promulgated. Each assumes the moral stature to apply universally.
Morality really bothers atheists and God-haters. They will do everything they can to avoid moral imperatives. Further, they are entirely convinced of their intellectual superiority but are unable to see past their own colossal irony. They bristle at the idea of absolute truth and having morality imposed upon them yet write their own list of do nots. The very same people who don't want religion telling them what's moral are perfectly fine authoritatively telling us what's moral.
Our question is this: In a world without objective morality, on what basis do these these folks offer us (non) commandments about anything? If truth is relative, then each person chooses for himself what to believe, and there can be no imperative. However, each of these "non-commandments" is a moral principle, offered as self-evident truth to be embraced and promulgated. Each assumes the moral stature to apply universally.
And of course, each statement is a commandment, not a non-commandment. They must have forgotten their premise.
So let's take the above statements one by one.
So let's take the above statements one by one.
Friday, November 8, 2024
Bad Worship Songs: With Everything - Joel Houston, Hillsongs
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, With Everything.
-----------------------
What Is Sin? - by R.C. Sproul
Found here. Our comments in bold.
-------------------
We are often surprised by Dr. Sproul, in that he has a reputation as a stellar Bible teacher. However, we have examined many of his teachings in this blog and found them to be wanting. This is mostly because he actually doesn't teach the Bible, he teaches what his Reformed/Calvinism doctrine has to say about the Bible. We have never read him explain anything apart from his Reformed/Calvinism.
-------------------
We are often surprised by Dr. Sproul, in that he has a reputation as a stellar Bible teacher. However, we have examined many of his teachings in this blog and found them to be wanting. This is mostly because he actually doesn't teach the Bible, he teaches what his Reformed/Calvinism doctrine has to say about the Bible. We have never read him explain anything apart from his Reformed/Calvinism.
In the below article he explains Jesus' death for our sins in financial, transactional terms. But there was no financial transaction. No exchange. It was not a legal proceeding.
Jesus' death and spilled blood was sacrificial. He died as the perfect Lamb of God, and His blood washed us clean. That was all that was necessary. The Father's wrath was not transferred to Jesus because His blood was enough to propitiate (turn away wrath).
Lastly, we are happy that Dr. Sproul provides some Bible quotes. But he makes so many undocumented claims about the Bible that we must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.
------------------------------
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Why We Won’t Spend Eternity in Heaven - by Benjamin L. Gladd
Found here. Interesting article and a different angle.
---------------------------
On March 19, 2021, my father passed away. He was larger than life. Nobody who met him ever forgot him. And since his passing, I’ve thought more deeply about death and the afterlife.
One pervasive misconception is that we’ll spend eternity in heaven, gathered around God’s throne with the angels. Of course, this is a present reality—deceased saints are indeed worshiping God in heaven. Scripture is clear on this point (e.g., 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Rev. 6:9–10). But the church is often ignorant about what will transpire in the future after Christ’s second coming.
For the last hundred years or so, evangelicals have expended more energy on what precedes the eternal state—the nature of the tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and so on—than on the eternal state itself. Let’s examine what Scripture says about the new heavens and earth and consider a few points of encouragement.
On March 19, 2021, my father passed away. He was larger than life. Nobody who met him ever forgot him. And since his passing, I’ve thought more deeply about death and the afterlife.
One pervasive misconception is that we’ll spend eternity in heaven, gathered around God’s throne with the angels. Of course, this is a present reality—deceased saints are indeed worshiping God in heaven. Scripture is clear on this point (e.g., 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Rev. 6:9–10). But the church is often ignorant about what will transpire in the future after Christ’s second coming.
For the last hundred years or so, evangelicals have expended more energy on what precedes the eternal state—the nature of the tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and so on—than on the eternal state itself. Let’s examine what Scripture says about the new heavens and earth and consider a few points of encouragement.
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Walsch, Young, and Beth Moore: ungodly channelers producing ungodly books. Part 1- Neale Donald Walsch and his alleged ‘conversations with God’ - By Elizabeth Prata
Excerpted from here. Our comments in bold.
*******************
We have no intention of defending Mr. Walsch, we are here to examine Ms. Prata's incoherent and largely Scriptureless presentation.
*******************
We have no intention of defending Mr. Walsch, we are here to examine Ms. Prata's incoherent and largely Scriptureless presentation.
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Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Is Double Predestination Fair? - by Kevin DeYoung
Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The author has appeared in our blog several times before. In these times we've analyzed him we've discovered he has a marked aversion to quoting Scripture. Today's article is no exception. Thus the author attempts to teach about his doctrines but without hardly a quote of the document from which those doctrines are derived.
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The author has appeared in our blog several times before. In these times we've analyzed him we've discovered he has a marked aversion to quoting Scripture. Today's article is no exception. Thus the author attempts to teach about his doctrines but without hardly a quote of the document from which those doctrines are derived.
We must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.
In fact, the author doesn't even teach the Bible, he teaches Calvinism. We have yet to observe him teaching the Bible apart from specific Calvinistic doctrines.
Lastly, this is nothing more than an exercise in futility. There is no benefit to knowing the things the author writes about. "Double predestination" is nonsensical.
--------------------------
Monday, November 4, 2024
The Faulty Paths of The Final Quest - by lovesickscribe
Found here. Our comments in bold.
----------------
This is an assemblage of undocumented claims, ill-informed opinions, and scriptural misrepresentations. The author doesn't get a single thing biblically correct.
Now, we should note that we are not here to defend Rick Joyner or his writings. We have read The Final Quest and found it challenging, interesting, and at times, odd. We do not ascribe to it the status of Scripture, nor should we or anyone else.
Speaking of Scripture, the author writes almost 1500 words without quoting a single Scripture.
We must consider this Bad Bible Teaching.)
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Friday, November 1, 2024
What does it mean to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)? - gotquestions
Found here. Considering how often we find fault with gotquestions' poor doctrine and faulty teaching, the below article is astonishingly good.
Answer
The apostle Paul’s closing instructions to the Thessalonian church stresses the believer’s responsibility for guarding his or her own spiritual integrity with this command: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21).
In the original text, the verb for “quench” used here speaks of suppressing fire or stifling a flame. The Holy Spirit is like a fire dwelling in each believer. When Paul writes, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit,” he is cautioning Christians not to suppress the fire of God’s Spirit that burns within us. This command to the Thessalonians is similar to reminders Paul gave Timothy “to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6, HCSB) and “do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you” (1 Timothy 4:14, NLT).
----------------------
Answer
The apostle Paul’s closing instructions to the Thessalonian church stresses the believer’s responsibility for guarding his or her own spiritual integrity with this command: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21).
In the original text, the verb for “quench” used here speaks of suppressing fire or stifling a flame. The Holy Spirit is like a fire dwelling in each believer. When Paul writes, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit,” he is cautioning Christians not to suppress the fire of God’s Spirit that burns within us. This command to the Thessalonians is similar to reminders Paul gave Timothy “to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6, HCSB) and “do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you” (1 Timothy 4:14, NLT).
Thursday, October 31, 2024
1967 Pontiac Lemans #2 - budget build - episode four, rust repair installment one - updated 11/15/24
Are You OK with Your Country Going Fascist? - By Lawrence Wittner
Found here. Our comments in bold.
One gets the impression that the author is not being cynical, that he really believes this. Everything he writes is presented as common knowledge. But he doesn't tell us why or how. He makes dozens of accusations but never tells us where he finds his information.
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One gets the impression that the author is not being cynical, that he really believes this. Everything he writes is presented as common knowledge. But he doesn't tell us why or how. He makes dozens of accusations but never tells us where he finds his information.
This article is nothing more than a litany of leftist talking points and bumper sticker slogans. He perfectly parrots this Narrative chapter and verse, without so much a blink of his blank, staring eyes. It's eerie regurgitation, facile to the point of robotic.
And he never defines fascism, nor does he offer a single example of something fascist.
We notice the author is a professor of history. That means this article, which in actual fact could have been written by a junior high student in study hall, is the product of higher learning and represents the current state of education.
That is a truly scary thought.
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Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Book Plunge: Discerning The Voice of God Chapter 1 - by Nick Peters
Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Apparently the author is constructing an entire series to analyze Priscilla Shirer's book. Why? We don't know. We've never heard of her. We're pretty certain she's not a Bible teacher of note. So the purpose of the author's analysis is not clear.
Apparently the author is constructing an entire series to analyze Priscilla Shirer's book. Why? We don't know. We've never heard of her. We're pretty certain she's not a Bible teacher of note. So the purpose of the author's analysis is not clear.
In any case, if this first installment is any indicator of the author's theological prowess, we probably won't be reading any future installments.
Lastly, the author barely manages to quote the Bible.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2024
What Future Judgment Will Christians Face? - Interview with John Piper
Found here. Our comments in bold.
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---------------
Dr. Piper makes a common mistake, he filters biblical concepts through his modern-day experience. But more egregiously, he wants us to believe the Calvinist/Reformist doctrine that the Father punished Jesus for our sins. This did not happen. See our in-depth analyses here and here.
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Monday, October 28, 2024
Rich's proverbs, book seven - 11/18/24
Book six here.
Book five here.
1. Some say that you can't do something until this or that happens. "Can't " is a word that should never be used about you.
2. Grace is not the father being nice to the undeserving. Grace is his desire to be near. To claim I don't deserve your nearness is an insidious form of pride.
3. I have attended more than 2000 Sunday services in my life. We sing a few songs, do announcements, take the offering, sermon, done. With rare exceptions, that is church. Over and over again.
I've just about reached my limit. The routine, the powerlessness, the superficiality. Something must change. Holy Spirit we need you so much!
4. The crucial step towards Christian maturity is to get past myself. This is the same crucial step to be a worshiper. And an intercessor. And a servant.
Hmm. Apparently, getting past myself is crucial for everything.
Book five here.
Book four here.
Book three here.
Book two here.
Book one here.
This is a continuation of my practice to take notes on what I prayed.
Chapter One
Book three here.
Book two here.
Book one here.
This is a continuation of my practice to take notes on what I prayed.
Chapter One
1. Some say that you can't do something until this or that happens. "Can't " is a word that should never be used about you.
2. Grace is not the father being nice to the undeserving. Grace is his desire to be near. To claim I don't deserve your nearness is an insidious form of pride.
3. I have attended more than 2000 Sunday services in my life. We sing a few songs, do announcements, take the offering, sermon, done. With rare exceptions, that is church. Over and over again.
I've just about reached my limit. The routine, the powerlessness, the superficiality. Something must change. Holy Spirit we need you so much!
4. The crucial step towards Christian maturity is to get past myself. This is the same crucial step to be a worshiper. And an intercessor. And a servant.
Hmm. Apparently, getting past myself is crucial for everything.
Friday, October 25, 2024
Is Every Sin the Same in God’s Eyes? - by Kevin DeYoung
Found here. Our comments in bold.
-------------------------
The reason the author writes this (we think) is because a statement of faith he agrees with makes the issue important. So he teaches to the statement of faith, looking for biblical support for this view of the doctrine.
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The reason the author writes this (we think) is because a statement of faith he agrees with makes the issue important. So he teaches to the statement of faith, looking for biblical support for this view of the doctrine.
So from this he considers the nature of sin in an interesting way, and we might in some sense agree, except for several critical errors:
- He never defines what sin is
- He thinks sin is the issue when it's the sinner
- He mistakes the severity of punishment for the severity of sin
- He doesn't quote a single Scripture.
We will define sin. Sin is hamartia, missing the mark, offense, a state or status:
Ro. 3:9 ...Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
The condition of the sinner is at stake, not the relative severity of various sins.
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