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Tuesday, November 20, 2018

ASSEMBLY OF GOD MEGA-CHURCH SAYS YOGA IS DEMONIC; BIBLE BELT TOWN FREAKS OUT

 ASSEMBLY OF GOD MEGA-CHURCH SAYS YOGA 
IS DEMONIC; BIBLE BELT TOWN FREAKS OUT
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
[USA TODAY] SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A pastor of an Assemblies of God megachurch recently took aim at yoga, saying it has “demonic roots” and warning Christians to avoid the popular activity.
Pastor John Lindell told the attendees of James River Church in Ozark, Missouri — which has a congregation of about 10,500, according to a 2016 report — that the positions in yoga were “created with demonic intent to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic.”
Members of nearby Springfield’s yoga community are now speaking out.
A Christian yogi says his practice has brought him closer to God and wants others to know that it’s possible to do sun salutations while following Christ. One owner of a yoga studio said she’s worried that small local businesses are being hurt. An instructor, feeling on edge after a shooting at a Florida yoga studio Nov. 2, can’t shake a fear that someone might take the church’s anti-yoga message too far.
They are taking a stand against the sermon’s message, which they say is “ignorant” and divisive, in a time when unity is needed.
“Yoga transcends religion,” said Reggie Harris, who also said five years of yoga has transformed his life. “Yoga brings people together in a heart of unity and love. You’re teaching people to hate something that may help them physically, emotionally, spiritually.”

Sermon: Yoga as ‘paranormal’

Lindell delivered a paranormal-themed sermon the Sunday  before Halloween. Among other things, he warned congregants about the spiritual dangers of fortune-telling, Wicca, a form of paganism, and finally, yoga.
People might be shocked that the church was comparing yoga to the paranormal, Lindell acknowledged.
“That, to me, is an indication of how far our society has drifted into a post-Christian culture. Earlier, it would have been a given that yoga was inherently a form of eastern mysticism that Christians should absolutely avoid, but that is no longer the case,” he said during the sermon.
Yoga is everywhere now, he said, pointing to the local YMCA’s class schedule as an example.
First, he addressed yoga poses.
“They were designed, they were created with demonic intent, to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic,” Lindell said.
According to the government of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, yoga does not adhere to any particular religion or belief system.
Lindell said the sun salutation, a common sequence of positions in yoga, is meant to worship Surya, the Hindu sun god.
“To say the positions of yoga are no more than exercise are tantamount to saying water baptism is just aqua aerobics,” Lindell said.
Then, he talked about meditation.
During meditation, he said, people clear their minds. Sometimes they chant a mantra, which can incorporate the names of Hindu gods, Lindell said.
He said it’s “spiritually dangerous” for people to empty their minds.
“Yoga is diametrically opposed to Christianity,” he said. “….Christians should stay away from yoga because of its demonic roots.”
Lindell said he was coming from a place of concern for people’s spiritual well-being.
Stop doing yoga, he told his congregants, and they don’t have to be afraid.
“I can’t say the same if you keep doing it,” Lindell said.

Yogis respond

Attendance was low at Heather Worthy’s yoga class at a Republic, Missouri, gym a week after the sermon.
Worthy said many people at the gym are active members of James River Church, and she speculated that Lindell’s sermon had an impact on them.
“It hurt,” she said. “It could have been a coincidence, but it’s interesting.”
She called the sermon “quite ludicrous.”
Stephanie Wubbena owns Live Pure Yoga in Springfield, Missouri, and runs Goats and Yoga out of her Rogersville farm made a rebuttal video to the James River Sermon about yoga and posted it to YouTube on Nov. 1. It’s received more than 530 views as of Monday.
In an interview, Wubbena said  her main concern is that the sermon is “going after small businesses.”
“This is our sole source of livelihood,” Wubbena said. “One yoga studio lost over 10 members the Monday after the sermon.”
Wubbena agreed with Lindell on one aspect: that yoga has “pagan origins,” she said.
But so do Christmas and Easter traditions, Wubbena said.
“The blatant hypocrisy was just so overwhelming,” she said.
Harris, who has been practicing yoga for five years, said yoga has helped with more than just physical ailments. Emotionally, he said he’s less angry and less insecure.
For the 36-year-old, who grew up “old school Baptist,” yoga has a deep spiritual side as well.
“I know my relationship with the Lord and my relationship with him has gotten deeper through yoga,” Harris said.
Harris said he felt “disappointed, hurt and angry” when he listened to Lindell’s sermon online.
Doing yoga with goats is way more about the goats than the yoga, and it’s so joyful, you’ll feel the therapeutic benefits immediately. 10Best Editors, USA TODAY 10Best
Amanda Davis said the pastor’s message is “hate speech,” and it’s frightening after the shooting at a Florida yoga studio.
“It’s really… scary,” said Davis, who is a yoga instructor. “I don’t really know if somebody is going to walk into the Y, and shoot us up, or one of the other studios we teach.”
Toward the end of his sermon, Lindell said he hopes people consider his words.
“I don’t do it to make anybody mad. If I made you mad, that’s unfortunate,” he said. “But I have a responsibility before God as the shepherd of souls to say I told you the truth.”
To continue reading, click here.
[Editor’s Note: James River Assembly is a Pentecostal Assembly of God Church that regularly teaches meditative or contemplative prayer, which is little different than Eastern Mysticism. We’re glad that, oddly enough, Yoga seems to be a stand that Pastor Lindell saw to be worth making. It is worth noting that not all agree with Lindell on Christian Yoga. Andrew Rappaport surprised the discerning audience at the 2017 Judge Not Conference that his own pastor was on the board for a “Christian Yoga” organization]
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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT YOGA & THE YMCA:
https://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/search?q=YOGA&max-results=20&by-date=true
http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/02/can-yoga-ever-be-christian-or-if-not.html 
 

SODOMITES MAD BECAUSE PASTOR REBUKES CROSS-DRESSING CHURCH MEMBER IN FRONT OF CONGREGATION

 SEE VIDEO ABOVE
SODOMITES MAD BECAUSE PASTOR REBUKES 
CROSS-DRESSING CHURCH MEMBER 
IN FRONT OF CONGREGATION
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
“When you come in this house, if you a man, dress like a man … When you come in here, you will not be a drag queen … I’m not going to allow you to disrespect the house of God” 
[Christian Post] Pastor Antonio Rocquemore of Power House International Ministries in Chicago, Illinois, is coming under fire from advocates of the LGBTQ community for publicly rebuking a male member who came to his church dressed as a woman Sunday night.
In response, Rocquemore said the male member had been repeatedly warned that he would not be allowed to dress like a female during worship service.
clip of Rocquemore’s open rebuke of the church member, who was not identified in the video, was first highlighted by Christian James Lhuillier, who insisted that the member should not have been rebuked.
“Some of y’all are going to have to excuse my language but I am tired of this sh*t. In a place that is supposed to be a place of change, a place of deliverance, whatever you want to call it why would you destroy someone in front of a room full of people?” Lhuillier asked.
“This is the kind of bullsh*t that causes people to go home and commit suicide. Sh*t like this is the reason that the church has no power in 2018 because they are so worried about the wrong things. I know drag queens and transsexuals that can pray you out of sickness faster and some of these preachers that collect your love offerings every Sunday,” he continued.
“I would have turned that church clean out do you hear me!!!!!!!!! It’s time for us to stand up for what we believe and stand in our truth and walk away from these ministries that bash who we are. Too many illegitimate relationships have been created trying to conform to a mold you were never meant to fit. I have a great deal of respect for the house of God. But I wish upon wishes upon wishes that had been me. The city of Chicago would never forget my name!” Lhuillier ended.
 Continue Reading >>

"GAY CHRISTIAN" SAYS JESUS IS PROMISCUOUS & POLYAMOROUS

 https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sodomy-featured.jpg
 "GAY CHRISTIAN" SAYS JESUS IS PROMISCUOUS 
& POLYAMOROUS
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
Warning: The following article contains a description of extreme blasphemy. It also has offensive language. We only write about this with fear and trembling, so as to lift it to scorn and contend against it.
In a video entitled, “Jesus is Polyamorous,” amateur theologian, Brian G. Murphy – a co-founder of “Queer Theology” who identifies as polyamorous, gay and Christian – claims that Jesus was polyamorous.
“Jesus is polyamorous. We know this already if we don’t think about it or put it in those terms. If you’re one of those Christians who believe in having a personal relationship with Jesus, well Jesus is having personal relationships with billions of other people. He’s kind of a relationship slut.”
Let me start my take-down of this rainbow-dyed dung of blasphemy.
First, Murphy conflates “having a personal relationship” with polyamory. If his definition of polyamory -which consists apparently of anyone with multiple personal relationships – were true, everyone on the planet would be polyamorous because we all have relationships with multiple people. This means I’m in a three-way love triangle with my wife and post-woman. Worse yet, this means that parents are in a polyamorous relationship with their children. This is what one will, by necessity, deduce when conflating romantic or erotic relationships with any and all types of relationships. And it’s gross. It’s almost as gross as this boy-band-looking fellow with the homosexual lisp trying to do theology via Facebook.
No, wait. It’s even grosser.
Jesus’s polyamory…is Biblical, even. In Ephesians 5, Paul specifically uses the word ‘marriage’ to refer to Jesus’ relationship with us. Repeatedly, Paul reminds us that Jesus gave himself for us. Us. The church, which Paul describes as the whole body of believers. In this marriage, Jesus isn’t married to one person. He’s married to the entire body of believers. Jesus is in a pan-sexual, polyamorous relationship with us.
Second, Jesus has one Bride. As Murphy correctly points out (but glosses over), Jesus’ relationship with the whole church is likened to a marriage. The church is one body. The church isn’t a bunch of bodies. Jesus isn’t a polygamist and he’s not a bigamist. The Bible doesn’t speak of Jesus having multiple brides.
Third, while this Olympian-level jump in logic leads Murphy to argue that Jesus is in a “pan-sexual” relationship, we might stop to ask where on Earth does the “sexual” part come from in Scripture? Jesus loves you. But Jesus does not love you like that.
This is the heresy of theoerosism, which essentially amounts to romantic vibes for Jesus. That’s not the type of love with which he loves us. He’s not your boyfriend. His love is not reckless or romantic. In fact, Jesus doesn’t love us “amorously” and so to argue Jesus is polyamorous, is logic that does not follow.
That’s gay. Jesus isn’t gay.
Then the polyamorous, gay fellow argues an “ergo” that because Jesus is polyamorous, it’s okay for you to be polyamorous.
And so, of course, Christians can be in a polyamorous relationship; that’s a Biblical model of relationship…are relationship with God can be a model for our romantic and sexual relationships as well…
Do you remember how those perverts in Sodom wanted to rape the angels that came to visit Lot? That’s this guy. Had he been in Sodom, he would have been beating on the door to rape the sons of God. This guy basically wants to engage in a “gay sexual” relationship with God Almighty.
I submit to you that hell was not made for demons any more than for Brian G. Murphy.
You can watch the video below [adults with strong stomachs only, please].
 VIDEO:
 https://www.facebook.com/qtheology/videos/2234834956762783/

LYSA TERKEURST PROMOTES PROSPERITY GOSPEL IN LATEST BOOK

https://www.wordandway.org/images/stories/2018_pix/webRNS-TerKeurst-Book3-110819.jpg
 WITHOUT THE MAKE UP:
 https://i2.wp.com/pulpitandpen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lysa-terkeurst.jpg?fit=720%2C719&ssl=1
LYSA TERKEURST PROMOTES PROSPERITY GOSPEL 
IN LATEST BOOK 
BY JODIE JENSEN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
A new book was released this week by Lysa TerKeurst , and I want to earnestly caution believing friends against running out to get it or hopping on Amazon to order it. She is an exuberant writer and speaker and has experienced great triumph over intense difficulties in her life, but these things alone do not make her a sound Biblical teacher, and that should be our top priority when we are studying the Word of God.
In her latest book, “It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way”, she states,
“We will be victorious because Jesus is victorious. Victorious people were never meant to settle for normal.”
Referencing 1 Cor 15:57 she says,
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sounds awesome, right? What if your life IS normal? What if God’s plan for you is to be a postman, accountant, Kindergarten teacher, orphan, widow, childless spouse, or an amputee?
VV. 54-58 give us a broader, more accurate picture. Paul is speaking about our *eternal* life. We are not promised victory in our earthly life. We may have triumphs – for which we should praise and glorify the Almighty God – but this is not primarily a promise for our mortal lives. This is called eisegesis – inserting your own personal thoughts, hopes, and self into Biblical text, rather than proper EXegesis: that is, the drawing out of the truth that God has already established for us.
Countless Christians live with overwhelming discouragement in their spiritual walk because they are told they should be victorious *now*, that things would go better for them if they had more faith, that even if trials come, they will have peace if they simply TRUST GOD. When leaders put this burden on a believer without proper Biblical teaching, the weight is often too great and people give up. We don’t have peace because we muster the strength to trust God. We have peace when we realize we are lost, wrought with sin, desperately in need of a Savior, and governed by a sovereign God who works all things for His glory – which is to be our purpose also.
1 Cor 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Rom 11:36 says, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to Him be glory forever.”
Psalm 73:24-26:
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward, you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
In a PDF entitled “How to Hear God’s Voice”, Lysa declares:
”Every day, God speaks to us. Sometimes He invites us to draw close and listen as He reveals Himself, His character, and His direction. Other times He calls us to participate in His purposes. Still other times He simply whispers to remind us of His amazing love for us.”
Where, when taken in context, does Scripture say this? Where does Scripture say we need to be hearing from God as the PDF asserts? (It doesn’t.)
She goes on to say:
“God will never speak to us or tell us to do something that is contrary to His Word. But unless we know Scripture, we will not be able to discern whether what we are hearing is consistent or not with the Word.”
If this is the case, all we need is the Word. We do not need to be seeking extra-Biblical revelation because we are then, in fact, ADDING to scripture, which God says is complete.
Proverbs 30:5–6 cautions us not to add to God’s words:
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”
Deuteronomy 4:2 (and Deut 12:32) warns us not to add or take away from God’s commands:
“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you”
We have all of the instruction we need, and do not require more.
2 Pet 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”
When we seek personal revelation, we are seeking instruction outside of God’s Word, and these notions are subjective within our emotions and circumstances, and therefore not to be trusted. Our words and thoughts cannot be equated with scripture, and we must, therefore, do away with this practice of contemplative listening. Just read your Bible, unless it’s an audio version of the Bible. Listen to that, and you will never mishear God!
Eph 5:11, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
Col 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
http://lysaterkeurst.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/How_to_Hear_Gods_Voice.pdf
[Contributed by Jodie Jensen]

THE DANGEROUS DELUSION OF THE NEW DOCTRINE OF DIVERSITY

THE DANGEROUS DELUSION OF THE NEW DOCTRINE OF DIVERSITY 
BY ED DINGESS
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 As the world turns, so turns the churches. As the culture trends, so 
trends the churches. And the world is turning, and the culture is 
trending in the direction of diversity. Diversity has been all the rage 
for quite some time in corporate America. It has now weaved its way into
 the churches so that now it has become part of the criteria for some 
churches to fill vacancies in the pastoral staff. This post seeks to 
turn the spotlight on the uncritically accepted premise that “diversity 
is inherently good.” Is diversity a goal or objective to be pursued by 
the churches? Should we purposely aim for ethnic diversity inside the 
walls of our churches? Should the pastoral staff be intentionally 
diverse? These are all good questions even though it seems to me that 
very few people are asking them.
We are living in increasingly dangerous times. While the church has deliberately downplayed the significance of the Reformation in its history, American culture has done its best to turn back the clock on the enlightenment. Contributing to the dismal conditions in the world more than any other single factor is the academy.
Heather MacDonald wrote on the condition of the academy regarding the loss of rational justification for our source of authority:
We are cultivating students who lack all understanding of the principles of the American Founding. The mark of any civilization is its commitment to reason and discourse. The great accomplishment of the European Enlightenment was to require all forms of authority to justify themselves through rational argument, rather than through coercion or an unadorned appeal to tradition.”[1]
In 2018, human beings who are biological males or females are now protected in their psychological delusions of self-identifying as the opposite of their undeniable scientific class. And Heaven help you if you refuse to go along with this delusion. This is just one example of the radical and massive shift we are witnessing in American society. I could go on and on about racism, microaggressions, feminism, etc. You get the idea. The point here is that science and all reason be can be ignored, dismissed, or tossed into the incinerator if at any time they contradict my narcissistic tendencies regardless of how radical they might be.
As the world turns, so turns the churches. As the culture trends, so trends the churches. Contributing to the same dismal conditions in the churches that we see in society is the seminaries and the men they are producing of late. One example of the church’s mimicking the world is how she thinks about diversity. Society is all about diversity. Diversity, in and of itself, is a virtue to be prized. And seemingly, it is to be prized above all else. But should it be? Should diversity be an intentional pursuit of the churches? Should diversity play a role in pastoral searches for example? If we do as the culture has done and remove any rational justification for an appeal to epistemic authority, then to what shall we appeal to answer these questions? It seems to me that the mob now has the authority and the mob isn’t about to give it back come hell or high water. And that mob, believe it or not, is having a dramatic impact on the churches both by way of influencing the seminaries, the pastors, and uncritical Christians which sadly, happens to be the overwhelming majority these days. Returning to the mob mentality, my point is that the mob demands that its morality be the standard and it does so without the slightest compulsion whatever to provide a rational justification for its demands. The mob snaps its fingers and a man can become a woman, a woman can become a man, and murder can become a woman’s right to healthcare. That is how the mob thinks and it is how the mob behaves. The mob is never to be challenged for any reason whatsoever. And if you challenge the mob, it stands ready to club you to death, without mercy, metaphorically speaking at least. The minority in society isn’t the only group that is intimidated by the mob mentality. The church is too. Her seminaries are intimidated. Her pastors are intimidated. Indeed, mob rule has reached a crisis point in society and unless a strong, opposing voice can rally the rational, I am afraid that civil society can see the end of its existence from where we stand today.
The doctrine of diversity is one that ought to be challenged. It ought to be challenged by any critically thinking godly men. But the price for such a challenge is high and there are few who are willing to write that check. In fact, the churches have been caving to the diversity pressure rapidly over just this past year. Beginning with the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., sponsored by the SBC, to the #MeToo intimidation that led to the firing of Page Patterson, to the outright promotion of the idea of the homosexual Christian under the ruse of Same-Sex Attraction, the churches have wilted under the pressure of this godless society with its god-hating, man-centered, narcissistic movements. All that has to happen for the churches to succumb to the wickedness around us is for the hirelings to possess the megaphones and for good men to stand by and do nothing. And that is precisely where we are today. The hireling kingdom builders and celebrity pastors are in possession of the megaphones, they have the platform, and the good men, many of them, are too weak-in-the-knees to write that check in opposition to the strong current of paganism we see sweeping society. Many good pastors are quiet on these issues and that is both unfortunate and regrettable. The pastorate is no place for men who are lacking in courage.
Many of these good men have been deluded into thinking that diversity in and of itself is a good thing. This idea, they have inherited from society. If it is the case that we are all sinners, totally depraved, God-hating at our core, then how could diversity in and of itself be a good thing? The only good thing in me is not my German or Irish heritage. Not even for a second. The only good in me is Christ. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You are thinking that it takes an Irishman to win an Irishman and an African to win an African and a Chinaman to win a Chinaman. And it takes an Irish pastor to attract Irish unbelievers or even Irish Christians, etc. But is hiring an Irish pastor to attract Irish people to the church a principle or practice that can garner biblical support? The easy and obvious answer to that question is NO. Otherwise, Christianity would have forever remained a Jewish religion. So then, this kind of diversity thinking on the part of the church, seminaries, and pastors is a departure from, and in fact a contradiction to biblical principles. For starters, it fosters division in the body by unwittingly reinforcing an “us vs them” mentality based on things like ethnicity and even melanin. This thinking is foreign to anything taught in Scripture. What should we be doing instead? We should be teaching believers NOT to judge others based on their ethnicity and not to be loyal to one’s earthly heritage to the point that it affects major decisions like where we will worship. Think about that. It’s fine to be proud of one’s heritage, such as being Irish or African as far as it goes, but it isn’t fine to break off into groups and it certainly isn’t fine to pick a church or a pastor, based on ethnicity, melanin, or any other trivial accident in man. The entire idea is absurd and fleshly. Yet, we have thousands of pastors who inadvertently (in many cases) encourage just this kind of behavior. And make no mistake about it: this behavior, this thinking, this way of looking at others is sinful.
A perfect example of this kind of thinking is found in 1 Corinthians 3,
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
To think that things like the unscientific concept of race or the ethnicity of other people matters in churches is indeed to think like the world. It is fleshly. It is worldly thinking at its core.
Let’s return to the mob for a moment. Back in 2015, A University of Missouri student reported having the N-word painted on his door. He claimed that the administration had allowed these attacks. The board of overseers convened in emergency session because the black athletes on the Missouri football team threatened a boycott. The president of the university, Timothy Wolfe resigned before the meeting with the typical mea culpa: “I take full responsibility for this frustration.” The university could have lost as much as a million dollars if it had forfeited the game which was with BYU. There is no evidence that the University of Missouri denies equal opportunity for its black students. Those black students, like every other student on campus, are surrounded by lavish educational resources, which are available to them for the asking on a color-blind basis. Nor was there any evidence of the attacks alleged by the graduate student; he reported none of them to the university or to the city law enforcement. Yet, despite all this lack of evidence, Timothy Wolfe had to forego his career and place his family in a very bad situation just to satisfy the mob.
Today, this same situation has obtained in many of the churches, mostly SBC churches. Unless you support the racial reconciliation movement, the #MeToo movement, the SSA movement, then you must be one of those racist, sexist, homophobes. Or, as some from that mob are saying, you must be an old white male. The rhetoric of the mob is indeed outrageous and fantastic, both outside and inside the churches. The tactics are the same. And those tactics are ungodly and must be called out for what they are: fleshly, worldly, departing from the principles taught by Christ himself.
To highlight how the mob tactic is working, I will provide one more illustration. Recently, I listened to a Christian woman describe an interaction she had with an Indian man. The man told her that he was definitely not a Christian in a way that made her wonder what he had against Christianity. She inquired into why he felt this way about Christianity. He told her that Christians hate everyone who is not a Christian. And he tossed out a few groups, homosexuals being at the top of his list. The lady used this as an example of what is wrong with Christianity. We are unloving in how we present ourselves and the gospel. What is wrong with this scenario?
For starters, she thought it was odd that people should hate Christianity or Christians. The reason that they do so must be because we are doing something wrong. But she couldn’t have been more mistaken. Jesus said,
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. —Matt. 5:11-12
It should come as no surprise to us that the world hates us. To quote Jesus again,
If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. —John 15:19
The world is going to hate Christians because the world hates Christ because the world hates God. Why would we think that the world would love us if in fact we are being transformed into the image of the one the world hates?
The doctrine of diversity, so embraced by many well-meaning leaders and by plenty of not-so-well-meaning leaders, is dangerous because it is a threat to core Christian principles. The most basic of those principles is that it is the nature of truth to offend the ungodly. Diversity, at its core, will always seek to mitigate the offense caused by truth and it usually does so by either ignoring truth or by taking the stinger out of it altogether. For example, I hear men say that God doesn’t condemn the homosexual because he is a homosexual but because he is a sinner like everyone else. Now, on the face it, that is true but only to a degree. The real question is what are we doing when we engage in that sort of rhetoric? We are taking the stinger out of that person’s personal pet rebellious sin against God. Homosexuality to the homosexual is their idol. Above all else, it is their god. And when you attack their god directly, you attack their most prized idol above all their idols. And when you do that, they respond with the mob tactic: you are hateful, mean, homophobic. And of course, we don’t want to be any of those things and so, in order to not be attacked by the mob tactic due to our own lack of courage and willingness to suffer for Christ, we change the language. This proves we have bought into the world’s idea and the world’s tactics as legitimate and we have adjusted our thinking and even our presentation of the gospel accordingly.
Diversity is an idol of our culture. God is truly saving from all nations and tribes. The kingdom of heaven will be a diverse kingdom. But that work belongs to God alone. Only God fills his kingdom with those whom he predestined before the foundation of the world. And if you think that God’s criteria for election involve diversity, then you have truly failed to understand grace. There is nothing in man that God would choose him. So consider this: when you are deliberately targeting people in your community based on any criteria other than they are a sinner in need of a Savior, you are operating contrary to the core principles bound up in the gospel of grace. And that is no small error.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. —Gal. 3:28-29
[1]MacDonald, Heather. The Diversity Delusion, 17.
[Editor’s Note: This article was written by Ed Dingess, and first published at Reformed Reasons]

BAPTIST CHURCH HOSTS THANKSGIVING MEAL FOR HOMOSEXUALS WHOSE FAMILIES DON'T ACCEPT THEIR SIN

BAPTIST CHURCH HOSTS THANKSGIVING MEAL 
FOR HOMOSEXUALS WHOSE FAMILIES 
DON'T ACCEPT THEIR SIN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
“Pastor” Maurice Blanchard and his “husband”
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.1 Corinthians 5:11
The Highland Baptist Church will host a “Soul Supper” on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. for members of those identifying by the sin of sodomy.
The church claims to hold to “progressive theology” on its website.
“You will find folks from all walks of life contributing to this church family: retired grandparents, hard-working twenty-year-olds, parents, tons of kids, LGBTQ friends of every age, and people with a variety of gifts, abilities, insights, and opinions. Our progressive theology is hard to miss, but hopefully, you will also notice how we value the healthy tension that comes from recognizing our differences.”
The pastor, Maurice Blanchard (who is a homosexual and goes by the nickname “Bojangles”), claimed that the meal was for those practicing sodomy who can’t return home because they’re unrepentant. He told the press, “We provide a safe space for them to come be loved, affirmed, feel safe.



The pastor said, “Some people might be shocked that a Baptist church would be a welcoming place for the LGBTQ community, but I can tell you that Highland Baptist and this community have really embraced the LGBTQ folk.”
Pastor Bojangles was arrested in 2013 for demanding a gay marriage license from his local courthouse, and when denied, hosting a “pray-in” demonstration.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH TO HOST "REQUIEM MASS: A QUEER DIVINE RIGHT"

EPISCOPAL CHURCH TO HOST 
"REQUIEM MASS: A QUEER DIVINE RIGHT" 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
Practicing the “Queer Mass” musical at the Episcopal Cathedral
An Episcopal cathedral is hosting a gay musical composition that borrows from the Latin Mass. The composer says the work is “a radical appropriation of a European, patriarchal tradition, the formal Latin Mass, which we reinterpret through the lens of the marginalized LGBTQ experience.”
Apparently, appropriation is okay so long as its religious and not cultural.
Holcombe Waller
“Requiem Mass: A Queer Divine Rite” will premiere on Nov. 16 & 17 at Grace Cathedral. The piece is a choral work by composer Holcombe Waller, and was created to honor those who have suffered persecution due to their homosexual sin. “Requiem Mass” is presented by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in collaboration with Grace Cathedral’s Ghiberti Foundation.
‘Requiem Mass: A Queer Divine Rite’ is a radical appropriation of a European, patriarchal tradition, the formal Latin Mass, which we reinterpret through the lens of the marginalized LGBTQ experience,” Holcombe Waller told one San Francisco press outlet, the Bay Area Reporter.
He continued, “In many ways, the result is like an alternate universe in which the millennia of queer leadership in communities of faith have been out all along, shining their example of loving equity across all people. This is what the piece seeks to dream into being.”
According to reports, the idea for the Mass-inspired musical production was due to the Mormon and Catholic support for Proposition 8 in California, which sought to define marriage as between one man and woman.
Waller said, “At that time, I realized that the queer arts owed it to organized religion to intervene. It’s so misguided to apply Christian tenants against equitable social justice. It’s sort of a no-brainer to offer some ceremonial counterpoint. Music brings people together. It creates fellowship and shared experience. It disarms, it softens, it connects with heart. A Requiem calls on our common mortality. These were all points of inspiration.”
Waller added, “For many who grew up in religious contexts who felt alienated for their gender expression or sexuality, the piece may feel cathartic and surprisingly uncanny in how it intersects the familiarity of High Church with the incredibly queer-affirming love, despite the fact that it’s right there in all of the most basic Christian ideals.”
Waller himself is not a Christian or religious, but he claims to have an adequate enough understanding of the Christian Scriptures to pull out a pro-LGBTQ message from the Sacred Writ.

HILLSONG CHRISTMAS MUSICAL TRAILER DEPICTS JESUS BORN IN A BAR

HILLSONG CHRISTMAS MUSICAL TRAILER 
DEPICTS JESUS BORN IN A BAR 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
Increasingly, Hillsong Church’s Christmas musical productions seem to break the blasphemy barrier of the year before. In 2015, Hillsong made international news for a “Sleazy Night” Christmas special, which was a cabaret and burlesque-type show that incorporated Christmas hymns. At the time, charismatic apologist, Michael Brown, defended Hillsong from critics, claiming that they meant well  (Brown also defended Hillsong’s Carl Lentz when he made pro-abortion comments and defended Hillsong when they had gay choir directors). Two years later, Hillsong one-upped the Sleazy Night presentation with yet another Christmas sensuality show. Blaspheming God by masquerading flesh-peddling as “worship” is nothing new, with Hillsong famously having a “naked cowboy” appear at a women’s conference in 2016 and then a “naked Santa” later that year.
While there’s still time to see how flesh will be on display at Hillsong Australia’s Christmas program this year (mark it down; it will be), Hillsong London’s Christmas program seems to be attempting to break the barrier of the worst re-telling of the Christmas narrative ever.
The trailer for the Hillsong London’s Christmas program depicts the “Three Wisemen” hunting down the newborn Christ at the Inn. The Inn, in the Hillsong depiction, was a place where patrons were swilling mugs of beer at a bar, while serving wenches danced on tables. As the scene progresses, Jesus is depicted with Mary and Joseph in the midst of the bar scene, among much mirth and merriment.
In reality, Jesus was born in the stable – not in the Inn, which had no vacancy for his expectant mother – and laid in a manger, or feeding trough (Luke 2:12). The Wisemen, or Magi (a sect of astronomers and seers going back to the prophet, Daniel -Daniel 2:48 ), whose number is unknown, found Jesus at his home sometime during the first year after his birth (Matthew 2:11), just prior to their midnight flight to Egypt. Inns of the first century in Jerusalem, by the way, were not bars or brothels resembling Old West taverns, but informal guest rooms in larger residential houses.

For why Hillsong music is dangerous for your church, click here.
To understand how Hillsong uses music to attract people to the aberrant teachings, read about the Arian Snare, or Snarianism, click here.
_______________________________________________________
 Hillsong Church Exposed
 Hillsong Church is a denomination which has chapters throughout the world. Hillsong Church, United, Young and Free and Worship contain false theology, teachings and doctrines. All of these topics are analyzed in this video
 

COUNTY SHERIFF TAKES OATH SERIOUSLY, VOWS ZERO ENFORCEMENT OF NEWLY PASSED GUN CONTROLS

 Image result for oathkeeper orders we will not obey
 COUNTY SHERIFF TAKES OATH SERIOUSLY, VOWS ZERO ENFORCEMENT OF NEWLY PASSED 
GUN CONTROLS 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 Police Chief Loren Culp of Republic, Washington, says 
the gun controls in the newly passed Initiative 1639 
will not be enforced in his county.
On September 25, 2018, Breitbart News reported that I-1639 would put in place enhanced background checks for the purchase of semiautomatic rifles, would place a ten-day wait on completion of a semiautomatic rifle sale, and would require purchasers to pass a gun safety course. The initiative also contained new gun storage laws for every type of firearm, including penalties for gun owners whose guns were stolen and used in crimes, among other things.
Chief Culp reacted to the passage of I-1639 by reminding Republic residents that the Second Amendment will reign supreme under his leadership:
Republic Police WA
I’ve talked with quite a few concerned citizens today so let me clear something up.
I’ve taken 3 public oaths, one in the US Army and Two as a police officer. All of them included upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States of America.
The second amendment says the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
As long as I am Chief of Police, no Republic Police Officer will infringe on a citizens right to keep and Bear Arms, PERIOD! – Chief Culp
 In an interview with KXLY, Culp added, “We took an oath to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State of Washington, and [I-1639] completely flies in the face of both the U.S. and state constitution.”
Culp said he believes I-1639 will “eventually … be overturned in the courts.” Until then, he made clear, the controls of the initiative will not be enforced in Republic, Washington.

U.S. CLOSES PORTS OF ENTRY AMID REPORTS CARAVAN PREPARING TO RUSH BORDER

 U.S. Closes Ports of Entry Amid Reports Caravan Preparing To Rush Border
U.S. CLOSES PORTS OF ENTRY AMID REPORTS CARAVAN PREPARING TO RUSH BORDER 
 Migrants determined to flout American sovereignty
BY JAMIE WHITE
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
The U.S. has temporarily closed several ports of entry with Mexico after officials received reports that the migrant caravan of 3,000 is preparing to bum-rush the border, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Monday.
“This AM, all of #SanYsidro Port of Entry’s northbound lanes were temporarily closed to initiate additional port hardening efforts after @CBP officials were notified that a large # of caravan migrants were planning to rush the border in an attempt to gain illegal access to the US,” Nielsen tweeted.

This AM, all of Port of Entry's northbound lanes were temporarily closed to initiate additional port hardening efforts after @CBP officials were notified that a large # of caravan migrants were planning to rush the border in an attempt to gain illegal access to the US.
In response, Customs and Border Protection issued a statement, saying they blocked several port-of-entry lanes and reinforced their numbers to head off the invasion, in conjunction with the Department of Defense.
“In the early morning hours, CBP officials received reports of groups of persons from the caravan gathering in the city of Tijuana for a possible attempt or attempts to rush illegally through the port of entry instead of presenting themselves as required to a CBP officer.”
“CBP officials suspended operations to safely place impediments at the port of entry that would restrict access to a large group attempting to run through the border crossing. After the CBP response at San Ysidro, no activity materialized at the border crossing,” the statement read.
 
.@CBP and @DeptofDefense appropriately responded by blocking the lanes, deploying additional personnel and seeking assistance from other law enforcement and federal assets. has reopened lanes for legitimate trade and travel. I want to thank them for their swift actions.
San Ysidro is known as the border’s busiest crossing, with over 100,000 people entering the U.S. daily.

About 10 lanes were reopened several hours after the closure.
Nielsen reminded the caravan that entering the U.S. by force is illegal and won’t be tolerated.
“Unfortunately, some members of the caravan are purposely causing disruptions at our border ports of entry. There is a legal and illegal way to enter the US. We have deployed additional forces to protect our border. We will enforce all our laws.”

Unfortunately, some members of the caravan are purposely causing disruptions at our border ports of entry. There is a legal and illegal way to enter the US. We have deployed additional forces to protect our border. We will enforce all our laws.
Video has emerged of residents of Tijuana, Mexico, clashing with members of the caravan over the weekend, saying President Trump was right to call it an “invasion.”
Trump tweeted an updated picture of the reinforced border, saying that the Fake News has been “showing old footage.”
“The Fake News is showing old footage of people climbing over our Ocean Area Fence. This is what it really looks like – no climbers anymore under our Administration!”



The Fake News is showing old footage of people climbing over our Ocean Area Fence. This is what it really looks like - no climbers anymore under our Administration!




US HOUSE DROPS 181 YEAR OLD RULE AGAINST HEADCOVERINGS TO APPEASE NEWLY ELECTED HIJABBED MUSLIM

US HOUSE DROPS 181 YEAR OLD RULE 
AGAINST HEADCOVERINGS TO APPEASE 
NEWLY ELECTED HIJABBED MUSLIM 
BY ROBERT SPENCER
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

There have been Orthodox Jewish men who have served in the House, and this rule was never changed for them. But the principle must always be maintained: wherever Islamic law and custom and American law and custom conflict, American law and custom must give way.

“US House Reverses 181-Year-Old-Rule To Appease Newly Elected Muslim,” by Cillian Zeal, Western Journal, November 17, 2018:
For 181 years, you haven’t been able to wear head coverings on the floor of the House of Representatives. Now, however, after the election of the first hijab-wearing Muslim representative, that’s about to be changed.
According to the New York Post, the election of Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar will put an end to a rule that was originally meant to differentiate Congress from British Parliament.
Parlimentarians had a tradition of wearing hats on the floor of Westminster. Given that we took up coffee as our national beverage (and even threw that dastardly tea over the sides of some ships in Boston Harbor) to let the British know how we felt about their institutions, banning hats only seemed to come naturally.
However, in the age of Ilhan Omar, that’s changing.
“There are those kinds of policies that oftentimes get created because people who have blind spots are in positions of influence and positions of power,” Omar said Thursday.
“I think it will be really exciting to see the stuff that we notice within the rules that don’t work for a modern-day America.”…
There have been numerous changes to dress code in Congress over the years; women were forbidden to wear pants on the floor until 1993, and bare arms were first allowed under Paul Ryan’s speakership.
So, the times they do a-change when it comes to congressional styles. However, the aforementioned rules were based around gender biases and the norms of the era; there wasn’t any real or symbolic reasoning behind them. In this case, it isn’t quite that simple.
As the House’s website notes, proposals to ban head coverings dated back to 1822. In 1833, future president James K. Polk proposed that the House “provide that the members should sit in the House uncovered, unless under special leave of the Speaker.”
Others pointed out “the symbolic value of the tradition, noting that members of the British House of Commons wore hats during debate to symbolize that body’s independence from the King of England.”
Of course, the case could be made that a religious argument against it could have existed since 1845, when Lewis Charles Levin became the first Jewish man elected to Congress.
Granted, Levin is probably best remembered as a vicious anti-Catholic, anti-foreigner zealot, but the point still holds that for 173 of the 181 years that the head-covering ban has existed, there’s likely been a compelling reason to abandon it for Jewish men who wish to wear the kippah. Yet, we’ve seen no movement on the matter until now.
Should the tradition be amended? It’s interesting that the only representative who plans to take advantage of this new rule is Representative-elect Omar; even Watson Coleman says she’s not going to be taking advantage of it.
While we appreciate the fact that the hijab is part of Omar’s religious dress, we also appreciate that head coverings have likely been the part of other representatives’ religious dress, and they also haven’t been able to wear them on the floor, either. This wasn’t just some “blind spot” but part of congressional heritage….

SARAH SILVERMAN'S TV SHOW MOCKS JESUS CHRIST AS "PANSEXUAL"

 Sarah Silverman blasphemy mockery of Christianity | End time Christian persecution
 WARNING OFFENSIVE & INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN & THE IMMATURE
 SARAH SILVERMAN'S TV SHOW MOCKS 
JESUS CHRIST AS "PANSEXUAL" 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
Sarah Silverman has repeatedly mocked the name of God – now depicting Jesus as “pansexual.”
In just the latest of attacks on The Lord Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, comedian Sarah Silverman used a skit from her newest TV show to portray Jesus Christ as a profanity spewing pansexual seeking to ban crucifixions. Silverman who has spent much of her career mocking, attacking and ridiculing Christianity not only demonstrated the current state of TV when it comes to its treatment of the Christian faith but also how far society is falling from any fear of God at all.
According to reports:
“Comedian Sarah Silverman, who has made a career out of mocking religion, took her crass humor to another level last week with an Election Day skit involving a cursing “Jesus” who is promiscuous.
The skit, which appeared on Hulu’s I Love You America, shows Silverman in a line on Election Day when she spots “Jesus” (played by Fred Armisen) at the front and calls out his name. Newsbusters first reported about the controversy.
“Sarah, my child, how are you?” she asks.
“I’m great, how are you?” he responds.
The discussion quickly devolves into a discussion of his genitalia – which he happily talks about – before the conversion turns to politics.
“I don’t want to say who I’m voting for,” he says.
Silverman asks him which issues are most important to him.
“I just want a law that says you can’t force your kid to die publicly by bleeding to death on a cross,” he says.
The discussion then turns back to sex, with Silverman saying she wished he wasn’t celibate.
“I’m essentially pansexual,” he says, before adding that he had “sex” with an oak tree recently.
When Silverman lets an f-bomb slip, he curses, too, saying, “I curse all the time. F— f— f—. D–. P–. H–, B—-. S—.” (source).

Sarah Silverman’s History of Blasphemy

Sarah Silverman I love America Blasphemy | Antichristian TV shows and movies
Silverman makes many comments with the intent to anger and “trigger” Christians.
Silverman has devoted much of her comedic efforts ridiculing Christianity. Here is just a portion:
Webster’s 1828 dictionary (based on the English of the King James Bible) defines blasphemy as:
“An indignity offered to God by words or writing; reproachful, contemptuous or irreverent words uttered impiously against Jehovah.
Blasphemy is an injury offered to God, by denying that which is due and belonging to him, or attributing to him that which is not agreeable to his nature.” (source).

The Bible warns: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7). Denigrating the Name of God is a serious offense in the Bible:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” – Galatians 6:7-8
And yet, Silverman has relentlessly attacked God in her comedy skits and shows. Why? The Bible is clear that the farther someone moves from God, the more their anger and animosity towards The Lord grows:
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” – Romans 8:5-7.
All people are born with a corrupted, sinful nature as a result of the first sin in the Garden of Eden. And thus, we are “carnally minded” focused on satisfying the sinful desires of our hearts that we all have. But in addition to wanting to sin – the carnal mind is at “enmity” or at war, with God. So, the problem for an unbeliever like Silverman is not that she does not believe in God – but that she hates God. Hence her spending so much time attacking, mocking and challenging a God she claims does not exist and a faith she says is “magic.”

An Outspoken Support of Murder In The Womb

Bible verses on blasphemy | Is Sarah Silverman Jewish?
A “joke” made by Silverman during her “Jesus Is Magic” comedy show.
To no surprise, much of Silverman’s public anger towards Christianity centers around abortion. She is an ardent supporter of Planned Parenthood – the abortion corporation Beginning And End has repeatedly detailed for its racist history, encouraging minors to have abortions and having workers on video encouraging the cover up of statutory rape. At a pro-abortion telethon Silverman berated laws that seek to prevent corporations from using the body parts of aborted children for commercial use. In response the comedian said: “If anything has ever made me want to eat an aborted fetus, it’s this law.” (source).
In response to laws that seek to provide funerals for babies killed in the womb she stated: “F— funerals for f—aborted fetuses? I would like to speak at those funerals. He lived the way he died. He died the way he lived. The size of a sesame seed with no discerning brain function.” (source).
She’s also tweeted her support of abortions on a regular basis:
Sarah Silver man Illuminati Satanic Entertainment | Hollywood blasphemy of Jesus Christ and the Bible
Silverman pretending to be pregnant with “before and after” photos of an abortion with her then boyfriend, Alec Sulkin, a writer for the Family Guy cartoon which also has mocked The Lord Jesus Christ.
God says of those who come to belief and faith in Him and the mindset of those who willfully reject and deny Him:
“For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.  But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” – Proverbs 8:35-36
Notice the verse above does not say “all they that do not believe in me…” but rather rightly identifies the many people who hate God. And along with that becomes a love of death. The pro-abortion movement has continually linked attacking Christianity with their political movement – one stark example being when a group of pro-abortion activists shouted, “Hail Satan!” during a rally at the Texas Capitol building.

Pray For Sarah Silverman

Without a doubt, some reading this article will be incredibly angered at the brazen disrespect and blasphemy carried out by Sarah Silverman for over a decade. And that anger stems from a love for God and the defense of the Christian faith. But remember that the Bible says: “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27). The Lord Jesus Christ commands believers to pray for those who persecute Christians. Pray for Sarah Silverman and the many entertainers who use their platform to blaspheme the name of God. And pray for society to move away from viewing blasphemy as entertainment.
Silverman is a lost soul whose heart has been seared from years of rebellion and enmity at God. But that does not change the fact that the same Jesus Christ she disrespected gave His life for her, just as He did for the soldiers who mocked and attacked Him as He walked to the cross. God loves her just as He does all the lost souls in the world today. Pray she repents and receives the free forgiveness that can be found through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, taking her punishment so she could be forgiven. If you are a Christian tune out blasphemous entertainment. And if you are not a Christian, understand that Jesus Christ predicted this would take place as the end times approached. And He gave a stern warning about how we speak to Him:
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” – Matthew 12:35-37
Lord willing Sarah Silverman will repent of her words before the day she stands face to face with the real Jesus Christ.