THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
"My Journey for Freedom"-From Mao's Young Pioneer to Libertarian
Survivor of Mao's Revolution Speaks Out!
Published on May 21, 2016
This week marked the 50th anniversary of China's Cultural Revolution. It was a chaotic period of purging and punishment that began on May 16, 1966, and lasted until Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong’s death 10 years later.
Led in large part by Mao's Red Guards, a paramilitary social movement of up to 10 million young people who tortured and killed society`s leaders. Many informed on their own parents` alleged ``counter-revolutionary`` thoughts and actions, even if they didn`t know what those terms meant.
sounds familiar…
Lily tang Williams is a Libertarian candidate running for Senate and a survivor of the cultural revolution. She is speaking out because she hates to see the country she loves becoming more like the country she left
"I once was a slave before and I will never be one again." -Lily Tang Williams
Victim of Mao: America Becoming Like Communist China
Published on May 20, 2016
“I was a slave before. I will never be one again”, says Lily Tang Williams, candidate for US Senate in Colorado. Lily talks about life under Mao’s Cultural Revolution and the key tool of cultural revolution in America today — the Federal Dept. of Education.
The NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer warns that a Clinton White House would be a dangerous extension of the Obama White House … and ground zero for a massive attack on our freedom. LaPierre tells the crowd that they are America’s best hope and this is their moment, and he urges patriots to rise up and take our country back this November. Originally aired 5/20/16.
Donald Trump: 2016 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum
Published on May 20, 2016
The Republican presidential candidate talks about his strong support for gun rights. He says the Second Amendment is on the ballot this November and the only way to save it is to vote for him. Originally aired 5/20/16.
On Thursday, police in Washington, D.C., charged a female security guard with assault for removing a man from the women's restroom at a Giant supermarket. The man — who “identifies” as a “transgender woman” — called the police after he was removed from the restroom and the store by the security guard, 45-year-old Francine Jones. Jones was charged with simple assault. The police report notes that the “assault” is a suspected “hate crime.”
The incident began when the man who “identifies” as a “transgender woman” — Ebony Belcher — was visiting the Giant grocery store with his friend to receive a Western Union money transfer. On his way to the restroom, he passed Jones, who was on duty as a security guard employed by a third-party company providing security to the store. Jones immediately recognized Belcher as a man dressed as a woman and followed him into the restroom to tell him he had to leave. Belcher left the restroom, but refused to leave the store. He said the guard put her hand on his shoulder and grabbed him by the arm and pushed him out of the store.
Belcher, 32, told both police and reporters that Jones verbally assaulted him. "She opened the door and came in and started calling me derogatory names," Belcher said, adding that Jones told him, “I know you are a man.... You guys cannot keep coming in here and using our women's restroom. They did not pass the law yet."
A great many Americans would consider that we are truly living in odd times when one is able to "choose" one's "gender identity" and find it a "derogatory name" for someone to call a man a man.
Having first attempted to impersonate a woman and use the women's restroom, and then refusing to leave the store when told to do so, Belcher was forcibly removed from the store by Jones. He later called the police on the advice of a friend who is an activist for the transgender community in D.C.
Belcher told NBC4 News that he has Parkinson’s Disease and struggles with walking. “I almost tripped and fell and busted my head, when she pushed me out the door,” he said. That is quite a prediction. It amounts to, “I almost tripped. If I had tripped, I might have fallen. If I had fallen, I might have busted my head.” One has to wonder why he stopped there. If he had tripped, fallen, and busted his head, he might have died. Considering the logic demonstrated by both Belcher and the D.C. Metro Police, perhaps Jones should have been charged with attempted murder.
Giant released a statement saying, “As this matter involves a third party that provides security services for Giant and there's an ongoing criminal investigation, all inquiries related to the incident at the H Street Giant should be directed to the local police for a comment at this time."
Jones is employed by Wolf Professional Security. Neither Jones nor her employer has made a public statement.
Since all armed security guards and the companies that employ them have to be licensed by the city to operate in D.C., the mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs is watching this case closely. Of course, it comes as no surprise that the city long-known for its liberal policies would have a special office to monitor LGBT affairs. The mayor previously banned all city employees from traveling to North Carolina on any city business after the Tar Heel State passed HB 2, which set aside all city and county ordinances forcing businesses to allow people to use the restrooms and changing rooms which match their imagined “gender identity.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Republican governor of Oklahoma, while calling herself “the most pro-life governor in the nation,” has vetoed a bill that would have criminalized the performance of an abortion in the state and revoke the medical license of any physician who ends the life of an unborn child.
As previously reported, Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, introduced S.B. 1152 earlier this year, adding a provision to a section that regulates the way physicians are licensed in the state.
“Any physician participating in the performance of an abortion shall be prohibited from obtaining or renewing a license to practice medicine in this state,” it reads. “No person shall perform or induce an abortion upon a pregnant woman. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than three years in the state penitentiary.”
The bill provided an exception for the life of the mother.
Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed the measure on Friday, stating that the text was too subjective and would “would not withstand a criminal constitutional legal challenge.”
“The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered ‘necessary to preserve the life of the mother,’” Gov. Mary Fallin said in a statement. “The absence of any definition, analysis or medical standard renders this exception vague, indefinite and vulnerable to subjective interpretation and application.”
She also opined that the effort was not the proper way to end abortion—that it must be done by the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
“While I consistently have and continue to support a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, this legislation cannot accomplish that re-examination,” Fallin said. “In fact, the most direct path to a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade is the appointment of a conservative, pro-life justice to the United States Supreme Court.”
Abortion advocacy groups applauded the veto.
“Governor Fallin did the right thing today in vetoing this utterly unconstitutional and dangerous bill,” Nancy Northup, president and chief executive of the center, said in a statement. “But the reality is countless Oklahoma women still face incredible obstacles to access safe and legal abortion when they’ve made the decision to end a pregnancy.”
But Dahm had said that one of the responsibilities of government is to protect life.
“Since I believe life begins at conception, it should be protected, and I believe it’s a core function of state government to defend that life from the beginning of conception,” he stated.
“If we take care of morality, God will take care of the economy,” supporter David Brumbaugh, R-Broken Arrow, also remarked.
Fallin reportedly attends Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City.
THREE VITAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRUMP’S VP CHOICE BY KELLEIGH NELSON SEE: http://www.newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh309.htm;
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Surround yourself with smart, dedicated people - to build something isn't a one-man show. It's more important to have smart people who really believe in what you're doing than really experienced people who may not share your dream. —Niklas Zennstrom
Three Requirements for Vice President
Several names of Trump’s Vice Presidential candidates have surfaced in the last few weeks. All most likely have been promoted by the MSM, talking heads, and insiders who believe they can sway public opinion with names who are not even in the running. There is so much disinformation that it’s difficult to decipher truth from fiction. Trump has said himself that he would not choose/disclose his VP candidate until right before the convention. We need to look at the VP choice with as much emphasis on their policies as we place on Mr. Trump’s.
• Donald Trump must choose a Vice President who will follow Trump’s policies, especially the most important principles Trump has set forth. This includes the wall on the southern border, healthcare reform, U.S.-China Trade reform, Veterans Administration reforms, tax reform, Second Amendment rights, and big time immigration reform. It also includes the sustainability of our western culture.
Mr. Trump needs to have a Vice President who, like him, is feared for not being a globalist traitor to America. This alone could protect Mr. Trump from winding up like Garfield, McKinley, Lincoln and Kennedy. Should anything happen to the President, his vice-president will carry on with the same plans.
• Who can Mr. Trump choose who could help him with carrying swing states? Or is that really important if he chooses someone the grassroots folks also admire? And, is this even a necessary consideration?
A recent Washington Examiner article stated that former Texas Governor, Rick Perry, predicted a 37 state victory for Donald J. Trump. Perry also said he doubts Trump will select a running mate simply to carry swing states like Ohio or Florida in November because the billionaire is capable of "carrying states himself."
There you have it; another reason we’d love to see Senator Jeff Sessions as Mr. Trump’s Vice President. His policies on trade and immigration echo Trump’s.
• Who can mend the party who is a true Constitutional conservative, not a globalist, and bring the party together? We know the establishment wants an Eastern liberal republican like Romney or Ryan. Other than Sen. Sessions, I cannot think of one politician, but there are military men who could also fit the bill perfectly.
There are some extremely admirable retired military men, who would make excellent vice presidents. The veterans, and especially disabled veterans, would love to see a military man in the second slot with Donald J. Trump.
Veterans for Vice President
When I spoke with Roger Stone a while back, I asked him if Mr. Trump would choose a businessman or a politician for Vice President. Stone mentioned a third avenue, someone from the military with foreign policy experience.
There are many great military veterans, but two I know of…both of whom would fit the bill. One is Michael T. Flynn. Flynn is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, and chair of the Military Intelligence Board from July 24, 2012, to August 2, 2014.
Several retired military veterans have suggested Mr. Flynn would be a wonderful choice should Mr. Trump choose from our military.
The other gentleman I believe would make a stupendous Vice President, is a terrific Viet Nam veteran who I’ve come to know in just a few months. Because I lost two high school beaus in Nam, their names are on the wall, I’m particularly fond of gentlemen who fought is this terrible war. Allen B. Clark graduated in 1963, at age 20, from West Point as the youngest man in his class of 504 cadets. He was one of two cadets in his West Point class to have received the award as "Outstanding Debater" in class.
Subsequent service in Vietnam assigned to the Army Special Forces (the Green Berets) in covert operations found him on June 17, 1967 at Dak To camp in the Central Highlands where a mortar attack in the early morning hours caught him in the open. For his actions that morning he was awarded the Silver Star, America’s third highest decoration for valor. His shrapnel wounds caused amputation of both his legs below the knees. As if this was not enough of a wound, he also suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that hospitalized him in a closed psychiatric ward for fourteen weeks in 1968, and that began his war after his war. He received a Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He is airborne-qualified. He personally presents many speeches on his war and healing experiences.
But that story doesn’t tell you all of the real Allen B. Clark. He is a man who strongly supports Donald J. Trump, who has worked in and been active all his life in politics, a man who is upholding the Constitution, a man who has helped so many other veterans who returned home with PTSD, a man who has written many books about surviving, and a man who is the epitome of courage so many disabled veterans show. Allen and his wife live in Texas, and his first book was,Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior.
There are great men of valor and promise who have survived through devastating tragedies, and come out on the other side as men who should lead. Allen B. Clark is one of them, and another great leader is Michael T. Flynn.
Both have the experience Mr. Trump can use, and today’s veterans and disabled warriors would love to see one of their own help Mr. Trump in Making America Great Again! I know there are plenty of others that Mr. Trump could choose from.
Conclusion
The MSM, pundits, insiders, etc. are all speculating who will be Mr. Trump’s Vice President. Names have been bandied about. Articles have been written telling us who is on the short list. Grassroots folks get upset and nervous because they listen to this nonsense. Roger Stone has made it clear that Mr. Trump is keeping this close to his vest until the convention. So please ignore the yada, yada, yada squawking of the media who just need something negative about Trump to parrot. It’s not worth our time, and certainly by now we know Mr. Trump is far ahead of the rest of us.
As for the people the Trump campaign is hiring…once again I must tell you that we have to trust Trump. He’s the man who has made $10 billion and worked all his life in New York City, so stop with the worry.
And for heaven’s sake, forget who he’s invited to meet with, it’s nothing more than a courtesy call. Get over it! These meetings mean nothing, but they do help grease the skids for his nomination…and we need him as our 45th President!
Again, Roger Stone has it right when he says the following:
Donald Trump knows Wall Street will play both sides – why shouldn’t he take their money to beat Hillary?
They are going to find out you can’t co-opt Donald Trump – he’s his own man with his own nationalist views.
He can’t be bought. He can’t be bullied. No one cons Donald Trump. He knows the elites, but knows their policies have destroyed the country.
He’s a master. He’s using them – they aren’t using him.
Donald Trump is not only selling hope, but he has plans already in place for making America Great Again. So please be confident that he knows exactly what he is doing and why he’s doing it. This is a great man, a brilliant man, someone who plans way ahead. America needs him, and so do all of us in the dwindling middle class. So sit back, relax, and watch this brilliant man work.
[P.S. In order to help Mr. Trump we need to increase the hits to reach more people. Please use this material, and call into talk radio programs (like Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage, etc.) and mention NewsWithViews.com on the air while discussing the content of this article, write letters to newspaper editors, and speak to your friends. Spread the word, and in doing so, we have a chance to save America.]
“The charter school experiment has resulted in the United States being the only country in the world where the Gülen Movement has been able to establish schools fully funded by the host country’s taxpayers.” -The Joke's on US!
The world should never forget “Islam is a Human time bomb ignited by a hair trigger called hatred – them toward us”.
The Gulen Charter schools and the Gulen Movement must be removed from the United States. I recently wrote an article regarding the CIA’s role in allowing Sheikh Mohammed Fethullah Gulen into this country and put all the blame for their invasion into our school systems upon the CIA and uninformed and unquestioning state and local school boards. Now they are invading our military bases. It is time for parents to understand the full danger involved in this Jihad. For the 2015-2016 school year we have 155 Gulen Charter schools in 25 states with Texas (52) and Ohio (17) having the most. In 2011, Texas only had 33.
All Americans must take the time to read “Turkey’s Islamic Supremacist Cult and its Contributions to the Civilization Jihad Volume 8” by Christopher Holton and Clare Lopez. Read a little bit every night, but read it! [Link]
Since February 1997, the National Security Council, the all-powerful institution which includes the civilian and military leaders of the country, has repeatedly placed political Islam at the top of its list of threats to this nation and vowed to "refuse all compromise" in its fight against religious radicalism. A few months later, the net was widened and the list of potential suspects grew longer: investigations have been launched against hundreds of civil servants, teachers, governors and local leaders, accused of being too close to the "forces of reaction"
I would like to remind the readers that it was the CIA who supported Gulen being allowed to come into this country supposedly because he was ill with the endorsement of Graham Fuller, now former CIA agent. Sorry CIA but diabetes can be treated all over the world. The FBI had started several investigations against the Gulen operation for numerous reasons, one of them to prevent Gulen from being granted permanent residency in America and to have him deported. Even though the FBI had determined Gulen to be a “Radical Islamist”, the Islamic angels in Obama’s White House, CIA and Clinton’s State Dept. reigned in the FBI preventing them from indicting and deporting Gulen and his whole operation. Hum!
Taking a look back in history in case you weren’t aware, the Brennan’s CIA is and has been supporting the Islamic indoctrination of our U.S. children and the whole program here in the U.S. was fundamentally developed by George Soros Center for American Progress and Gulen. The object is to “force feed” our children “Radical Islamic” educational programs and incentives. Talk about your own government supporting working from inside to ruin YOUR country!
The past and present governors of Texas told their citizens they were protecting their children by not participating in the Common Core ruination of our education system, but instead they have allowed the Gulen movement to grow within the state and also allowing the Gulen Institute to be at home on the grounds of the University of Houston.
The Institute website talks a good talk as does Fethullah and all his mouthpieces, but the research that has been done is undeniable. With speakers like this how could anyone go wrong?
Even if you don’t have any children currently in school or a Gulen Charter school, Americans need to understand the damage being done here to our children and the internal conversion to Jihad being paid for by YOU!
Gulen Charter schools are disguised by several different names: Concept, Horizon Science Academy’s, Paragon, Sonoran, LISA Academy, Magnolia, and many, many more. Florida for example has 7 Gulen schools all with different lead names.
Something most Americans don’t know is that Gulen and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were best of friends with the same objectives until the Turkish government announced a plan to shutter private schools — many owned by the Gulen movement that help Turkish students prepare for college entrance exams. Two men with big ego’s! They both want to be in charge!
Gulen loves to claim he is all about fighting “poverty, disunity, and ignorance, but his underlying actions tell another story. The use of H-1B visas to bring teachers to America for their schools is also a farce. Local teachers are being passed up for teaching jobs within the Gulen schools with the schools claiming America’s teachers are not smart enough or they don’t have enough education to teach at their STEM schools. No one else in this country applies for more H1B visa’s than Gulen.
The U.S. taxpayer dollars being gained by the Fethullah Gulen operation is undeniable. In 2011, Truebright Science Academy alone received more than $3 million from the Philadelphia School District for its 348 pupils.
The respected German weekly ‘Der Spiegel’ also raised serious questions about Fethullah Gulen and his worldwide movement in a pair of highly critical articles published in 2012 and 2014. The magazine cited individuals who broke ties with Gulen and who characterize Hizmet as an ‘ultraconservative secret society’ and Gulen himself as an ideologue who tolerates no dissent,’ is ‘only interested in power and influence,’ and ‘dreams of a new age in which Islam will dominate the West returning to the ways of the Ottoman Empire.” This description has been repeated over and over again.
Besides the American taxpayers making the Gulen Movement rich, their followers and teachers give as much as 40% of their earnings to the following, yet the Movement has no headquarters, no address, is not registered anywhere, and has no central bank account.
Collectively the Gulen “movement” and the Gulen schools are under their own Charter School Management Co., Charter Educational Services & Resourcesformerly known as Grace Institute for Educational Research & Resources.
When I first began investigating Gulen and his schools, what I found so painful was finding the government of this country so twisted that we have the CIA bringing Fethullah Gulen into this country and the FBI looking into their fraud and Jihad activities and our government is once again taking the lead on ruining America.
Look what it got us: The CIA coming up with this less than brilliant idea, believed they could control Gulen and at the same time abuse the religious structure in America as a cover to advance their design of global control. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton helped in the establishment of the Turkish Gulen Charter Schools in the US, and brokered a deal to split the revenue from the sale of the oil captured in Iraq by ISIS Radical Islamic Terrorists, between Prime Minister Erdogan’s and Sheikh Mohammed Gulen’s factions in Turkey (the captured oil was subsequently driven to the Turkish border in oil truck caravans to be sold by Prime Minister Erdogan’s son).
For using her good offices to help Sheikh Mohammed Gulen, Clinton was paid an estimated $1 million; payment was made to both the Clinton Family Foundation and the Clinton Presidential Campaign (payment to a political campaign by a foreigner is in violation of US Federal Campaign Laws). If we were to remind Mrs. Clinton of this I am sure her response would be, “What difference does it make”.
This makes me question if our State Governors are getting a stipend for allowing the Gulen school’s within their states. What say you Rick Perry and John Kasich?
In 2008 Bill Clinton made a speech praising Gulen at the Third Annual Friendship Dinner organized by the Turkish Cultural Center of New York (a Gulenist organization). The website Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools (CASILIPS), later confirm Hillary Clinton’s involvement:
“However, the most probable reason for Bill Clinton’s attendance was the Gulenists’ numerous contributions to Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Clinton Foundation. A sampling can be seen in this Table. All these contributions came from individuals identified as Gulenist based in their affiliations with Gulenist organizations or schools.”
Not only the Clinton’s, but education’s main destroyer Bill Gates has used his foundation to also fund the Gulen movement. They are after all Charter schools and that is the road to ruination. In 2007, through the Texas (again) High School Project, the Gates Foundation shelled out $10,550,000 to the Cosmos Foundation, another Gulen enterprise which operates several publicly funded Gulen Charter schools in Texas.
One teacher from the South stated, “the Gülen movement’s ultimate goal is to open charter schools in the U.S. to funnel U.S. tax dollars back into the Gülen movement in Turkey. They skim just enough off the public taxpayers from these charter schools so it won’t look suspicious.” She stated this after her class had won a free cultural trip to Turkey through the Atlantic Institute. The Atlantic and Peace Islands Institute’s, are both Gulen enterprises.
Both of these Institutes claim they are supporting “shared values” and send out press releases claiming they are against the killings (Paris) and offer dinner’s celebrating Gulen, Ramadan, Table of Abraham and Interfaith principals. Peace Islands Institute website is a must read.
Were you aware the United States has an Institute of Peace in D.C. and that Fethullah Gulen is recognized by that Institute to be a “spirited advocate for peace”?
Gulen Charter Schools, Terrorism and Fraud on the American People by ex Pentagon spokesperson
Published on Apr 2, 2016
The Gulen Movement is a terrorist organization that is now based out of the USA. The Movement follows the teachings of exiled Islamic Turkish cleric Muhammed Fetullah Gulen based out of a $30 million estate in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania. They operate the largest network of charter schools, that are publicly funded with American tax dollars, grants, and bonds. Some of their schools have been raided by the FBI. They have paid for protection from many lawmakers who they give thousands of dollars to and reward them with free trips to Turkey, Azerbaijan and other Central Asian Countries. The Gulen movement is slated to open a charter school on the Nellis Air force base in Las Vegas Nevada. Coral Academy of Science will be open Fall of 2016 http://www.gulenpoliticians.blogspot.com
Gulen Charter School Scam FBI investigation Money laundering H1-b Visa Fraud
** Editor’s note, this post first appeared at The End Time blog, and is being reposted here with permission.
I appreciated my friend Seth Dunn’s warning about Beth Moore. He wrote on Facebook,
Here is what Moore wrote on Twitter, a bit larger,
Moore is referring to the following verses,
Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. (Matthew 18:18–20)
These are verses which are frequently abused by the charismatic crowd, of which Moore is part of. Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer also frequently refer to binding and loosing in the same vein as Moore did on Twitter, this is noted in the below-linked essay. Moore’s theology is often wrong on many counts, and incorrectly referring to binding/loosing is another example. The sad part is the number of “likes” her references have already garnered. Hence, the warning from Mr. Dunn. Women, be wary of Beth Moore. She is a false teacher.
As with previous posts in this series, the first thing we should check is the context of our passage. What do the surrounding verses tell us about the meaning of our text? In this case, the preceding verses are likely just as familiar as the passage in question:
If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15–17).
Just a simple reading of the text makes it clear that the focus is not spiritual warfare, unity in marriage, or empowering your prayer meetings. Instead, verses 15–17 speak exclusively about church discipline.
Therefore, all of Christ’s instructions about binding and loosing, unity, and the promise of His presence come in the context of church discipline. In other words, Matthew 18:18–20 means that when church leaders gather together to deal with unrepentant sinners, they have heavenly backing.
Please read the rest of the essay for an excellent explanation of exactly what binding and loosing are about.
And, it doesn’t take much thought to see that the manner in which Moore used the binding prayer is faulty. As she said in her tweet, If she “often” has to deal with spine pain, one must ask why didn’t her binding prayer against her pain “work”? The Word/Faith crowd will tell you that it’s because you do not possess enough faith. From there, the downward spiral of incorrect interpretations continue.
Think about it, Paul didn’t pray “binding prayers” against his own continuing pain from the thorn in his side (AKA messenger from Satan). He instead prayed to Jesus to remove it. (2 Corinthians 12:5-10). Timothy didn’t pray “binding prayers” to remove his nausea and frequent illnesses. (1 Timothy 5:23). As a matter of fact, he was told by Paul to stop drinking only water (bacteria-laden) and to take wine (antiseptic). Binding prayers are not mentioned in either remedy. Just those two quick examples reveal an absence of binding prayers from the actual Apostles, and another Jenga slab comes out of the wobbly charismatic doctrinal tower.
At root, what people who speak prayers to bind their pain are really believing is that they have power over demons and that they have power to manipulate God, (i.e ‘if I have enough faith then God HAS to perform this for me’).
In a guest editorial in The Baptist Standard, Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher and President of The Gathering, a faith-based philanthropic endeavor, Fred Smith penned a post entitled, What Can Wash Away My Sin?
His article proceeds to promote nothing less than a case for charitable giving as a means of earning the forgiveness of sins. I had to check twice to make certain I hadn’t wandered on to some doctrine-twisting, diocesan site of the apostate Roman Catholic Church. But no, this article was posted in a Baptist newspaper. (How does that happen?)
Smith begins by explaining why he has such a Scripturally-unfounded view of atonement and forgiveness. (Here’s a clue: He was never taught about it.)
“I am not exactly a product of diversity. As a Southern Baptist, I grew up sure of our traditions and practices, but not our doctrine. I had a clear picture of who we were but had no idea what it was—other than hymns, potlucks, full-immersion and architecture—that distinguished us from the imposters to the true faith around me.”
Herein lies the problem. Smith’s woeful misunderstanding of Christ’s grace in atoning for us,permanently, is evidence of the very problem in the “church” today, especially the Baptist church. So eager to engage the godless culture to come occupy its nearest available pews, the church has not only stripped essential truth from its Gospel proclamation, it’s also egregiously failed to do the essential job of edifying actual sheep that may be scattered among those goat-laden pews. The church does not teach “sound doctrine.” (2 Timothy 4:3)
Smith’s editorial continues as he provides a brief “historical” ecclesiastic analysis of the contrast between philanthropy and charity, stating that “while philanthropy begins with the motivation of doing good out of love for mankind, charity rightly understood begins with the recognition of the necessity of forgiveness of every day sin.”
The article cites “church fathers” as acknowledging the value of acts of charity as penance for sin. However, just because a church father believed, taught, or wrote a thing does not make that thing “Gospel.” We always, always, always turn to Scripture as the final source of truth. We must be Berean.
Smith goes on to suggest that the need for absolution of sin is the reason Christians should be charitable. This, though, is a fundamental Roman Catholic teaching of works for forgiveness.
Consider these words from Smith’s article:
“I give because I recognize I have sinned and am in need of cleansing and atoning for my behavior.”
“The purpose of giving to the poor was not to eliminate poverty but to atone for sin. It was the recognition of the need for confession, forgiveness and atonement that motivated charitable gifts.”
“…as I have thought about this for the last several days, I have come to recognize there is something genuine—not soul-saving—in the recognition that I sin and there is something tangible I can do in repentance for my sin.”
“Giving does not spring from altruism but from our own need. Giving is not a sign of our love of mankind but of our recognition of our own sin and need for absolution.”
If Smith had not identified himself as a Southern Baptist, reading these lines one would logically presume a theological persuasion of decidedly non-protestant, non-grace, and non-Scriptural flavor. But the author’s biographic tagline identifies him. “Fred also teaches Sunday School at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas.”
Closing his article, Smith writes, “Instead of hoping the poor will recognize my help and be grateful, I can say: “Thank you. This is not out of the goodness of my heart but out of my need for forgiveness.”
Folks, this is not Southern Baptist doctrine. It is not even Scriptural truth. Yet it is prevalent in a culture where so many believe that, if on that final judgment day their “good works” outweigh their “bad” works, salvation will be theirs. A doctrine of penance may be appropriate to the apostate Roman church who prefers their deceived members exclude Scripture and embrace tradition. But such a teaching is deceptively erroneous for anyone actually saved by “amazing grace.”
Just a few quick citations of Scripture make clear that the atonement secured by Christ is full and final for the believer. In fact, nearly the entire book of Hebrews explains the implications of Christ as the new high priest for a new covenant that “makes the first one obsolete,” including the old covenant’s incessant need for sin offerings. (Hebrews 8:13)
“When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:8)
“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:15-18)
It is precisely because of that single “work” of Christ’s, that Paul could write in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The atonement required, not only for my past sins but also those sins I will regrettably yet commit, has been made IN FULL. If Christ’s work was insufficient for our complete atonement and forgiveness, then, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, I’d suggest that “we are of all people most to be pitied.”
But the author of Hebrews would go on to write, because of the ultimate act of gracious, and complete, atonement by Jesus, that we should now “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Though the editorial claims that charity is, and ought to be, driven by our “need for absolution,” James, like the author of Hebrews, make clear that such works are not atoning in value, but rather serve as evidence, “fruit,” of a vibrant faith in Jesus as we seek to be “doers of the word.”
Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) You may recall, our Lord summarized those commandments, “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
It is the miraculous gift of grace in God saving me and giving me a new heart that drives me to love my neighbor. Acts of charity are borne out of that love because true believers are borne of His love. (And, oh, when you are charitable to someone because of His love, be sure to share the Gospel. We’re not simply trying to make the world a better place from which to go to hell.)
Please, don’t be deluded by false teachings that suggest there is anything we can do to either earn salvation or to ensure forgiveness. Christ has done that. We have, indeed, been “bought with a price.”
Let’s return to teaching sound doctrine, instead of scratching itching ears. But let us always be Berean because, as Paul said, “there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:7-8)
LILY TANG WILLIAMS, 
