Thursday, May 31, 2007

It's time for more talk on Mormonism by someone with the courage to quote my father (and have me as a guest) . . . so tune in this afternoon to KKLA's Frank Pastore Show* (4:00-7:00 pm PDT) for another fascinating discussion. You can also listen here:

http://www.frankpastore.com/aboutfrank/latimes_dec05.asp

Should be interesting . . .

For my Los Angeles friends listening in today, here's some more information:

Top 10 Amazing Facts of Mormonism

1. Mormons can become gods and goddesses.

2. Goddesses will spend eternity in full submission to their god-husband.

3. Mormon women will give birth “forever and ever” to spirit-babies.

4. Mormon men can have multiple wives in heaven—eternal polygamy.

5. Heavenly Father is an exalted man who lives with his goddess wife, Heavenly Mother, on a planet near the great star Kolob.

6. American Indians are descendants of the wicked Lamanites, who were Israelites that God cursed with dark skin.

7. God the Father had sex with Mary to conceive Jesus, who is the half brother of Lucifer.

8. All Christian churches are an abomination.

9. Mormons need 4 secret handshakes to get into the Celestial heaven.

10. Joseph Smith revealed that the actual Garden of Eden is in Jackson County, Missouri.



Sources:
[1] Journal of Discourses 1:50-51; J of D 8:115; Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:20

[2] Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-9; Goddesses are always subject to a god. Women are denied the Priesthood (meaning they are denied authority—not the same as Catholic priesthood). “In the LDS universe, theologically described as the real eternal universe, each man who achieves the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom is worth many times more than each woman, even the women who qualify at that highest Celestial level, because each man who achieves Godhood-level may have numerous God-wives, but each God-wife may have only one husband. This can only mean that each "heavenly father" is worth many times more than each "heavenly mother." And, even if the ratio were strictly one to one, the male God, not the female God, holds the priesthood authority and is the only one of the God parents to whom his earth-mortality children are allowed to pray. So Mormon women can never, NEVER achieve equality with men, no matter how outstanding or righteous the women are. That's just the way it's set up." MORMON WOMEN, PROZAC® and THERAPY By Kent Ponder, Ph.D. e-mail address: kponder@swcp.com http://home.teleport.com/~packham/prozac.htm.

[3] LDS Apostle Orson Pratt wrote, “Each father and mother will be in the condition to multiply forever and ever” (The Seer, 37).

[4] Doctrine and Covenants 132; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 11:269; Men can still be sealed for eternity (not time) to women other than their wives; “The practice of polygamy has been discontinued, but the doctrine of polygamy has never been revoked. D&C 132 is still part of the LDS canon. And some current church practices are still based on polygamous principles.” See pro-Mormon site http://mormonopenforum.blogsome.com/2005/08/02/eternal-polygamy/ (accessed February 25, 2007).

[5] Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:2-4, 9; J of D, 26:214.

[6] Book of Mormon: Alma 3:6-19; 3 Nephi 2:14-15; Enos 1:20; J of D, 7: 290-291.

[7] Journal of Discourses 8: 116; J of D 8: 211; J of D 8: 115; Mormon Doctrine p.546-547.

[8] Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History 1:19. Smith claimed God sent him to “restore” true Christianity.

[9] Celestial Kingdom is the highest of 3 levels in the Mormon heaven (need handshakes to get past the angel guarding the veil); See ex-Mormon site http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_templeceremonies.html#pub_1816881347 (accessed February 25, 2007); David John Buerger, The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship, http://lds-mormon.com/buerger.shtml (accessed February 25, 2007).

[10] Doctrine and Covenants 116; Journal of Discourses, 10:235; Smith named the Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri area Adam-Ondi-Ahman.




Also see my answer to Richard Mouw's negative comments on Walter Martin:

http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/1271/Jill_Martin_Rische


And then there's:

10 More Amazing Facts of Mormonism

1. Jesus is a polygamist and the father of many children.

2. The God of the Protestants and Catholics is “a monster.”

3. Joseph Smith did a greater work than Jesus Christ.

4. All beliefs that deny Joseph Smith as a prophet of God are “of Antichrist.”

5. Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Spirit.


http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/1656/Jill_Martin_Rische




*Talk Show of the Year - National Religious Broadcasters, 2006

Monday, May 28, 2007

I've been researching Kabbalah the last few weeks, and it hasn't been much fun (it holds the same fascination as a particularly nasty car wreck--I'm horrified but I can't look away). My first impression was one of surprise; I didn't expect there to be so many types of Kabbalah, and I certainly didn't expect to find so many people under its influence. I wish I could give away some of the details of my research, but for now I can only say that it is worse than I ever suspected. Hollywood Kabbalah is by far the most disturbing of all, since it currently has a bankroll of millions that enables it to spread its new age dogma worldwide--and especially in the vulnerable country of Malawi.

Dr. David Livingstone first reached Malawi's Lake Nyasa in 1859, and he spent his life trying to help its people. He fought hard against the slave trade, even chasing off some traders and setting the slaves free. As a result of his work, Malawi eventually became a nation whose primary religion is Christianity.

Today, almost half the population of Malawi are children under the age of 14, and millions are now orphans due to the AIDS epidemic. Famine, Malaria and death haunt this small country (the size of Pennsylvania) and now another battle has begun, thanks to an aging American Rock Star and her quest for inner peace. Madonna became involved in Hollywood Kabbalah in 1996, while pregnant with her daughter, Lourdes, and she has since become its most infamous convert. Today, Madonna's sites are set on Africa, and she is determined to save the lives of as many of Malawi's children as possible (which is good) and stake Kabbalah's claim on their souls (which is very bad indeed).

One of the things Madonna's teacher, Rabbi Berg, and his sons teach at Kabbalah Centres around the world is the Law of Cause and Effect: Every human action produces a cause, which in turn, produces an effect. If you do good things, good will come to you. If you do bad things, bad things will come to you.

Sounds a lot like Karma to me . . . but it wears the label Kabbalah.

So, if we chase the rabbit down the cause and effect rabbit hole, all of Malawi's people must be guilty of horrific things and their misery is basically their own fault. This law is a major tenet of Hollywood Kabbalah--one that thousands of Malawi's children are now being taught--and the burden of guilt it places upon the shoulders of the innocent is despicable.

Jesus Christ anticipated this terrible error and explained the entire problem of cause and effect when his disciples asked him one simple question:

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:1-4


God decided to allow this man's blindness--to suit His purpose. The blind man was not responsible for his blindness; his parents and grandparents were not responsible for it, and there was no reason to blame him for anything. God will be God--He will decide who is sick and who is not. That is the bottom line.

But God and the kabbalists do not agree on many, many things.


And so, it is another sad day for Malawi . . . but there is still hope: Christian ministries are working very hard there to make a difference. They are feeding the children, caring for them and telling them about the love of Jesus--and it is their presence that provides the true ray of light.

Friday, May 25, 2007

A Lie From the Pit of Hell

One of the most disturbing aspects of Preterism is its blatant anti-semitism. I don't know about you, but I will not stand quietly on the sidelines and watch these arrogant men attack Israel.

How many times did God promise Israel his covenant with them was everlasting? "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:31). I think it's safe to say that "everlasting" qualifies as eternal. The Preterists (full or partial--take your pick--it's like saying you're partially pregnant) rant to anyone who will listen that the Church is the new Israel--and God has forsaken the old one. Sorry, but all this reflects is ignorance--historical and theological.

Paul refutes it quite effectively in Romans 11 when he says the children of God can be compared to a tree (Israel) with many natural branches, and some branches God has grafted on to the tree (Gentiles). Just because some of the natural branches are cut off, does not mean God has cut down the tree: "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew."

Joseph Farah, an Arab-American Christian, has a unique and powerful perspective on this situation. Calling it "a lie from the pit of hell," he takes on Preterism's newest convert here:


Answering 'the Bible Answer Man'

By Joseph Farah


Hank Hanegraff, also known as "the Bible Answer Man," may know more about theology than me.

He may have memorized more Scripture than me.

He may have a deeper understanding of some Bible passages than me.

But he sure doesn't know much about the Middle East.

Therefore, today, I am going to address some issues being raised by "the Bible Answer Man" – especially insofar as they apply to the suicidal policies he is advocating with regard to this explosive area of the world.

In a new novel he has written with fiction writer Sigmund Brouwer, "Fuse of Armageddon," he makes the amazingly false case that America's support of Israel causes, at least in part, terrorism directed against Americans.

It is fitting that such a preposterous and wholly unsupportable thesis could only be marketed to the American people as a work of fiction – because that's what it is.

"Much of American Middle East policy is influenced by a huge voting bloc of evangelicals who are taught not to question Israel's divine right to the land," says Hanegraff. "God is not pro-Jew. He is pro-justice. He is not pro-Palestinian. He is pro-peace. Only a gospel of peace and justice is potent enough to break the stranglehold of anti-Semitism and racism fueled in part by bad theology."


Now let's deal with this statement. Let's talk about justice and peace.


Who is it in the Middle East that genuinely wants peace? Who is it in the Middle East that genuinely works toward justice?


There is only one nation in the Middle East that has bent over backward for peace to the point of being counterproductive and risking its own survival. That nation is Israel.


There is only one nation in the Middle East that has worked for justice – offering Arabs and all other people civil and human rights. That nation is Israel.

As an Arab-American who had the opportunity to serve as a Middle East correspondent and study the region over the last 30 years, I think I can make that statement without any equivocation or hesitation.


Full article here:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55820

All I can say about this is that my father would have had these theological lightweights for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Joseph Farah is the founder, editor and CEO of WorldNetDaily.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Walter Martin on the responsibility of teachers:


"For my sighing comes before I eat, And my groanings pour out like water. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes." Job 3:24-26

Some preachers today are set on misinterpreting Job’s words, “What I feared has come upon me....” I wish they would take the time to read the first chapter of Job, where it says that Satan was the cause of Job’s trouble. Satan came into the presence of God and said, “Give him to me and he’ll curse you to your face.” (Job 1:11) That was before anything happened to Job. They don’t know what they’re talking about when they try to blame this on Job’s fear. That is not what the passage says.

In addition to this misinterpretation, they try to say that Job was continually offering burnt sacrifices because he expected all this to happen to him. (Job 1:22, 2:10). This error is what occurs when you don’t have any theological education. Burnt offerings were part of sacrifices made to God for the express purpose of taking care of sin. Job offered a burnt offering for his children’s sins as well as his own, just in case the kids forgot to confess to God. If you read it in English or Hebrew, you couldn’t miss it. The problem is, these people superimpose their own theories on Scripture and they end up with this kind of nonsense.

People sometimes say to me, “Why do you get so irritated when this happens?” Because when you are teaching theology and biblical studies, you are responsible for the souls of the people who listen to you. I am responsible to God, as a teacher, for what I teach you because he set me in Church as a teacher. I do not have any right to give you my pet theories, without identifying them as such. I don’t have any right to give you far out, off the wall theological garbage, just because it happens to be something I think is true. I have a responsibility to teach you what the text says, and with the best scholarship I can get my hands on, to give you a well-rounded picture. You’re supposed to take what I teach you and apply it in your life, after you have tested it by the Word of God to find out if what I say is true. That’s the methodology the teaching arm of the Church has always used.

Not so, today. Today, you have a bunch of evangelists with virtually no education, teaching theology to people who know even less than they do. It’s the uninformed teaching the ignorant—sharing the abundance of their ignorance. And then what happens? Disaster! People need to speak out against this. People need to sit down and write letters. They need to get on the phone and say, “I won’t send you another dime.” Money is a powerful incentive for change.

Somebody needs to say something! When you’re teaching theology and biblical studies, you are responsible for the souls of the people who listen to you. Job’s fear did not bring on disaster. God allowed him to be tested, and in the end, he blessed him greatly for his faithfulness.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

It's never enjoyable to point a public finger at someone in grave spiritual error, but every single one of us is required to do it.

Mariners Church in Irvine, California has ventured once again into the Mormon PR spider web currently inhabited by Robert Millet, Brigham Young University, and his blissfully cocooned evangelical Greg Johnson of Standing Together Ministries. Apparently, the pastor and staff of Mariners have joined the ranks of the cultural apologists (populated by such luminaries as Richard Mouw, Craig Hazen and Greg Johnson). Life is so much easier when everybody likes you.

In 2005, Mariners lent their parking lot to Mormons and other visitors in order to make it more convenient for them to view the shiny new Mormon temple. They wanted to express love to their new Mormon neighbors.

They also flatly forbid Christians to share the gospel with anyone in the parking lot.

Now . . . they're back at it again. Yes, any of you who have the night free on May 20 can attend a pulse pounding "Night of Conversation" with Greg Johnson and Bob Millet. How comfy cozy . . . a Mormon preaching his gospel in the Mariners Church Worship Center as evangelicals smile and nod (think Stepford Wives). Previously recorded sessions just like this one indicate it should be another slam dunk for Millet. (Checkout James Spencer's DVD - Mormonism: Has Anything Changed?)
http://www.beyondmormonism.com/changed/

It seems that spiritual discernment at Mariners is as weak as their defense of the faith.

You can find out more info on this in a revealing article by Keith Walker, Evidence Ministries:
http://www.evidenceministries.org/mormons.php?viewarticle=60


Unhappy with Mariners? Here's one of the guilty parties (they won't let you near the pastor): Chris Lagerlof - clagerlof@marinerschurch.org 949-854-7030, x416






Monday, May 14, 2007

I had such a great Mother's Day yesterday--I hope all the mothers reading this did, too. My 14 year old daughter, Christina, set her alarm and woke up at 6:30 a.m. just to make me breakfast. This was the best gift she could ever have given me because, unlike me, Christina is not a morning person. (Rolling out of bed at 10:00 on a Saturday is painful for her.) It made my day.

My little seven year old, Justin, colored me the sweetest card with a stick picture of me with red hair (this was probably the pen closest to the paper). He is a little tornado--and yet he actually sat still for a few minutes just to make a picture for me.

These are gifts of the heart, and they mean the world to me. It's at times like this, when my heart is so full of love for my children, that I feel like I catch a glimpse of God's heart. I would give my life for my children . . . and God felt the same way. He knew the human heart was "desperately wicked," and yet He sacrificed His perfect Son to save us.

I once had a friend tell me she thought God was a bad parent because He allowed Jesus to die such a terrible death on the cross. I'd never looked at God's plan quite that way before, so I was actually speechless for a minute or two after she said this. Finally, I told her He was the best parent of all . . . a Father willing to do whatever it took to save all of His children.
He couldn't bear to lose any of us, and in the end, we rejoice in a risen Savior.

Friday, May 11, 2007

You asked for it . . . you got it . . . more Walter Martin video clips:

http://www.worldviewtube.com/

I love seeing my father back in action.


Tonight, I watched a special on Harry Houdini, and it amazes me how a man who placed such a high value on hardcore evidence could reject it so completely when it came to Jesus Christ. He did spend a lifetime deceiving people, though, so perhaps it was harder for him to believe that some--including Jesus--could be telling the truth.

Houdini was not just a brilliant magician and clever entertainer, he was a relentless crusader against mediums and their seances. He did the Church a tremendous favor during the first part of the twentieth century, when membership in the Spiritualist movement was growing at a rapid pace. A master of deceit, Houdini was positive that mediums were charlatans, and he attacked them with all the ferocity of a pit bull. As the son of a rabbi, his critics couldn't slam him for being a Christian and they could never hope to match his popularity. It is fascinating to see how God used an unbeliever like Harry Houdini to turn people away from the kingdom of the occult.

As I watched the life of this unique man, I felt a sense of wonder at his talent and a great sadness at the choices he made. Loved by millions; respected for his commitment to protecting people from the fraud that was so much a part of Spiritualism, he died at the age of 52 a spiritually bankrupt man. He completely missed the eternal mark.

Harry Houdini escaped every trap set to hold him, except for the deadliest one of all . . . sin and self-deception.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Walter Martin on The Secret of Apologetics

http://www.worldviewtube.com/video.php/1965/

This is my favorite video of my Dad. If you've spent sleepless nights wondering what Walter Martin was like at home, this video shows my father the way I remember him . . . warm, funny, relaxed and brilliant. :) (The DVD is available in our Resource Catalog.)

Sunday, May 06, 2007

First aftershock . . .

Dr. Frank Beckwith Resigns as Evangelical Theological Society President

From the Beckwith blog, Right Reason:

" . . . given the immense public attention and commentary that my reception into the Church has provoked, I no longer think that it is possible for ETS to conduct its business and its meetings in a fashion that advances the Gospel of Christ as long as I remain as its president. I now believe that my continued presence as president of ETS will serve the very harms that I had originally thought that my retention would avoid. For this reason, effective May 5, 2007, I resign as both President of the Evangelical Theological Society and a member of its executive committee."

http://rightreason.ektopos.com/archives/2007/05/my_return_to_th.html


Saturday, May 05, 2007

Biola University Chooses Final Candidate:

"The Presidential Search Team, formed in July of 2006 and charged by the Biola Board of Trustees to present one fully qualified candidate to the Board for appointment by the Board as the eighth President of Biola University, is excited to announce that it has selected a final candidate. His name is Dr. Barry H. Corey."

http://www.biola.edu/presidentialsearch/update/may.cfm


Dr. Corey is a transplant from Gordon-Conwell Seminary; ordained by the Assemblies of God . . . an interesting combination.


Quotes from Dr. Corey:

"I don't cross my fingers, nuance or flinch when I say the Bible is inerrant. And I can say this having spent enough time in some of its more difficult passages and at a seminary where we take inerrancy seriously. I preach from the Bible. I love the Bible. The stuff about 'a lamp unto my feet' is real to me. What God has revealed in Scripture cannot be trumped by any other revelation or experience, word or wonder. . . .

The more I have studied and the more I have contemplated God's creation, the more I have had to remind myself that learning must not become the altar to which I bow. My faith journey is replete with moments when I have surrendered my intellect (without abandoning it) to the will and Lordship of Christ. Academic study at its core must be a spiritual discipline, lest I become intoxicated by my own learning."


Very interesting, indeed.

Congratulations to Dr. Corey and his family.


Friday, May 04, 2007

This may be of interest to some of you:

Posted on AR-talk
by Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
Manager, Apologetics & Interfaith Evangelism
North American Mission Board


Frank Beckwith has confirmed that he and his wife decided seven weeks ago to join the Roman Catholic Church. He also gave me permission to pass this information along to the list. He will have more to say about their decision and its timing after he has interacted with other leaders in the Evangelical Theological Society, of which Beckwith is the current president. He is aware that the timing of his conversion to Catholicism during his tenure as ETS [Evangelical Theological Society] president will be upsetting to many evangelicals.

In Christʼs service,
Robert M. Bowman, Jr.


My thoughts on this: It is the equivalent of a small earthquake (4.0) in Evangelical Christendom.

Watch for multiple aftershocks.

If Frank Beckwith hadn't been returning to the faith of his childhood, the quake would have been much larger.

Although I disagree with many of the teachings of the Catholic Church, I believe it holds to key Christian doctrines and many within it know and love Jesus Christ. There will never be peace on this earth between the Protestant Church and the Catholic Church; if history has taught us anything, it has taught us this.

I can only hope that God gives us an extra measure of grace in dealing with each other.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Pondering a Prayer . . .

As promised, I am venturing back into the rough, shark infested waters of the Mormon Tabernacle debate. I will take it a little bit at a time (to keep from boring you senseless), and eventually continue the discussion on our new Talk Radio Blog. This will give anyone who’s accused me of “not engaging” on this topic a chance to engage me to the death. (I have to say one of the funniest things written by a critic was the statement that I censor my blog . . . please! Is he reading the English Walter Martin Ministries Blog or the Chinese one?)

In my opinion, Christians had no business worshiping in the Tabernacle of the Mormon Heavenly Father (a polygamous, exalted man currently residing on the planet Kolob). The Mormon Church would like nothing better than for the Gentile world to consider them Christians (since they’re positive they are the only true Christians). It is therefore vital that we confront them on this issue and stop this PR campaign dead in its tracks.

What is at stake? Precious souls for whom Christ died.


Thousands of vulnerable people—Christians and Mormons alike—were present at the Tabernacle that evening in November and they needed to hear a life and death truth: Mormonism is not Christian. Instead, they were fed a syrupy song and dance a la Barney: “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family . . . .”

Some of you think we should have been more charitable to Craig Hazen in critiquing his behavior during this event, and to those people I have only this to say: Craig Hazen knows who and what the Mormons are, and he should have known better. He is a Christian leader and as such is to be held to a higher standard of accountability (James 3:1). It is not uncharitable to hold someone accountable . . . and everyone in the Church is required to do it.

The closing prayer of Biola University’s Craig Hazen in the Mormon Tabernacle, November, 2004:

I really don’t want this to end; in fact, I’d like to make this an annual event. In fact, don’t y’all have a bigger place across the street? Would you all kindly stand with me as we close in prayer? Let us pray.

Our Heavenly Father, our Great King, our Sovereign Creator and Merciful Judge, Solomon asked for wisdom and you gave in abundance. Your servant James taught us that God will give wisdom generously to all who ask him for this precious gift. The Mormon scriptures tell us that Joseph Smith Jr. likewise sought wisdom at a crucial time in his life. No one in this room should ever fear asking you, oh Gracious Father, for wisdom. So, in a common voice we ask you to give us divine wisdom, wisdom from above, and the truth about you, about your Son, about your Holy Word, and about the path to salvation. You have promised to answer such heartfelt prayers, and I ask that you would not let a single person leave this great hall tonight without the light of truth being kindled in his or her soul. In the name of the Blessed One, in the name of the Risen One, in the name of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Go in the peace of Christ.

Robert Millet (Mormon PR guy) hugs Craig Hazen and says, “That was beautiful my friend. Magnificent.”
[1]


What is prayer?

From the Greek word proseuchomai; to pray to God, i.e. supplicate, worship [1]


When Craig Hazen said, “Let us pray,” in the Mormon Tabernacle full of thousands, who was he asking to pray with him? Mormons and Christians worshiping together in a temple built for the god of Joseph Smith.

For those who argue this was not a worship service, Craig Hazen confirmed that it was: “Michael Card led us all in some amazing worship songs. It was surreal to see Evangelicals worshiping in Spirit and Truth at the center of Mormon power and influence.” [2]

Point One: In essence, the Tabernacle event was an ecumenical worship service composed of pagans and Christians.

Point Two: Both the event and the Hazen prayer were inclusive, when we are instructed by Scripture to be exclusive.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

Therefore

"Come out from among them
And be separate , says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
'I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty."


To which Heavenly Father did Craig Hazen pray?
Mormons in the audience would say, “To Heavenly Father.” Christians would say, “To Jehovah, Lord of all Creation."

Which Great King was addressed? Which Sovereign Creator? Which Merciful Judge?

Who could tell the difference? Craig Hazen led thousands of people in a prayer to two completely different deities.


To be continued . . .




[1] Evening of Friendship, Standing Together DVD
[2] proseuchomai (pros-yoo'-khom-ahee); from NT:4314 and NT:2172; (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
[3] http://www.standingtogether.org/Responses_Hazen.doc