I’ve gotten a few emails from friends and church leaders encouraging me to sign the Manhattan Declaration – a rather short document that addresses certain moral concerns our nation (and world) is facing. On the surface it all sounds great. However, a careful read of the document has some serious issues that would cause the discerning Christian to think twice before putting their name on such a document. Why? Because the very gospel of Jesus Christ is at stake. I realize that many well-meaning Christians will completely disagree with me but the issues are too great to simply overlook.
I completely agree with the declaration’s cry against moral sins such as same-sex marriage and abortion. However, the problem is that this document does not address the one and only cure for such problems: the gospel. This is just simply another “can’t we all get along” document that folks like Chuck Colson have been pushing for quite some time. The big question is how can Protestants, Orthodox and Catholics come together when the very gospel they claim to believe are all inherently different. The Roman Catholic gospel is another gospel – it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. The declaration also encourages believer and unbelievers to come together in unity. How? While their may be some capability of moral conformity (as seen in the RC Church) there is no true reformation of the heart and soul as there is in the true regenerated believer of Jesus Christ.
The Manhattan Declaration is simply another attempt at ecumenical madness and sadly there are very few who seem to be able to see this. I was quite surprised to see Al Mohler’s signature and not surprised to see names like Chuck Colson and James Dobson. However, there are men of God standing up for the gospel and it was refreshing to see that Dr. John MacArthur has written on his web site why he refuses to sign such a document. Dr. James White also has voiced his strong concerns over this document, as well as a few blogs that have a discerning eye.
Will our children and children’s children look back to see men and women who will fight for the true gospel of Jesus Christ or are we seeing a steady crumble of the very truths men of God died for? It is sad and troubling to see such a lack of Biblical discernment – especially among prominent protestant church leaders. I fear it is simply a sign and a result of the church in America refusing to preach and teach the gospel! Lord help us and forgive our foolish ways.
“Many of you know more about your magazines and novels–than what God has written! Many of you will read a novel from the beginning to the end, and what have you got? A head full of froth when you are done! But you cannot read the Bible–that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cupboard of neglect–while anything that man writes, a best-seller of the day–you greedily devour!”
Ask the average adult to read the book of Revelation and when you ask them to tell you what they got from it they will go into great detail about how they have spent much time and energy concluding that Obama is the antichrist (or Oprah, Bush, the list goes on.) Ask a child to read the book of Revelation and ask them the same question. Their response: “God has won!”
Mark Driscoll has been one of those pastor/theologians over the years that I have never really been sure about. It’s as though he has two mouths. At one moment what seems to come out is pure doctrine and Christ-exalting exegesis of Scripture and then in the same breath what comes out is like vinegar and gall with use of filth words that are simply not appropriate for the pulpit. Honestly I have not spent a lot of time reading Mark’s books or listening to his sermons. I’m more of a Paul Washer kinda guy – give me the passion of Driscoll without the filthy mouth.
For one brother in Christ the line has been drawn with Driscoll. Apparently his wife and children were listening to Pilgrim Radio recently and Driscoll was preaching on the air when expletives and words not appropriate for little ears much less the pulpit were being pumped over the airwaves. This man is furious that his wife and children heard this on a Christian radio station. After reading his article I see more of why many people, even in the reformed circles, are having more and more of a hard time putting up with Mark Driscoll. Don’t get me wrong. I believe that Mark is a sincere, Christ-loving follower of Christ who is trying too hard to be relevant. (Oh what a dangerous word.)
Nicholas Batzig has penned an outstanding article on the obedience of Christ that everyone should take a moment to read. It’s an excellent small article on the glory of Christ as the obedient second Adam. Check it out over at Reformation21.
My pastor and I have decided to give a weekly internet radio on theological discussions a try. So far we’ve been having a blast. We’ve called it Puritan Voices – take a listen. Would love to get your feedback/suggestions. (Neither of us have a clue what we are doing when it comes to radio production but we love to talk about Christ so that was enough for us! <grin>)
In the reformed circles it is not uncommon to be talking with friends and have a focus on great men of the word such as Piper, MacArthur, Washer, etc. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this admiration there is a great danger in allowing these men to become as Dan Phillips writes, “paper pastors”. Dan, over at Team Pyro, has written an outstanding article on the importance of understanding the importance of our local church pastor and to have a healthy understanding of the impact that pastors of other churches who write great books and are in the public spotlight can have on Christians – especially new ones. When it comes to the reality of life, sin and church discipline there is no replacement for your home church pastor! Kudos to Dan for writing a timely and important article.
“Their real pastor isn’t you. It’s Dave Hunt. Or it’s John Piper. Or it’s John MacArthur, or Ligon Duncan, or Mark Dever, or David Cloud, or Joel Osteen. Or it’s Charles Spurgeon, or D. M. Lloyd-Jones, or J. C. Ryle. Or Calvin, or Luther, or Bahnsen, or de Mar, or R. B. Thieme, or J. Vernon McGee.” – Dan Phillips
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” – Mark 8:34-36
You have to admit that the internet has undoubtably changed the way people communicate more than any medium in history. It is truly an amazing technology that allows people all over the world to gain volumes of information, check up to the minute news and of course communicate in just about any way you can imagine from a “tweet” to full motion video.
As a network administrator and web designer, I have spent the last twenty years of my life working on the internet. I have been blessed to be able to really see the underpinnings of the technologies behind much of what the populace uses on the internet. I have found the internet to be an amazing, almost living thing that has allowed me to learn, grow and at times be dismayed. That being said, I have found the internet to be one of the most dangerous technologies ever created – and a technology that continues to be even more dangerous. Being one who makes a living designing web sites I know the seriousness of my statement about the internet being dangerous but it is just for that very reason that I can say so with such boldness. If you have followed my blog for a while you’ll noticed that I normally don’t write on this type of stuff but I just feel so strongly about it as I continue to watch parents allow children to have unfiltered access and Christians who take absolutely no precautions what-so-ever when it comes to internet usage.
If we could hook up some kind of super device to the internet that monitors all traffic on a given day I would be extremely surprised if the majority of the internet’s bandwidth was not used up by pornography. The amount of pornography on the internet is hideously massive and because it is so easy to get to it is all but knocking on your computer screen. With television, pornography was harder to get to given that you would either have to subscribe to a premium channel or order it by calling the cable TV station. The internet, because of its openness, has made pornography “channel 1″ on the internet dial and the saturation of it on the internet is terrifying.
Television is similar to the internet in that the typical American family spends way too much time in front of the tube soaking in mindless babble and an increasing amount of sexual content that 10 years ago would be quickly deemed pornographic. I have heard some excellent messages by folks like Paul Washer and Pastor Tim Conway on the dangers of television – and they are spot-on in their assessment. But are we overlooking what is pervasively more dangerous? Is not the internet potentially eons more dangerous than television ever was or ever will be?
Before you label me some fundamental nut please know that I also see good in television and the internet. There are several television programs my wife and I enjoy together (with the help of Tivo to bypass commercials that are often soaked in sexual images) and of course I love to browse certain blogs and write on my own blog on the internet. What I have learned (and by God’s grace continue to learn) is that we must constantly be vigilant of the use of media outlets such as the internet. As one who deals with internet technologies every day in my job it has allowed me to really assess some of the major issues Christians should tackle with regards to how we use these technologies in our lives. In doing so, I decided to jot down a few observations of how the internet, while having some good qualities, can be dangerous if not detrimental to the Christian walk:
“Open” internet connections (those without any kind of filter or parental controls) are nothing but trouble waiting to happen. I firmly believe that no Christian should have a computer connected to the internet that does not have some kind of internet filter installed. It is a) way to easy to get access to inappropriate sites and b) inevitable that as you are browsing the internet an ad, link or video will pop-up. If you are a parent and allow your children open access to the internet they will, not might, but will be exposed to inappropriate material. When Jesus tells us to cut off our right hand He wasn’t joking. He is telling us that we are to do whatever is necessary to protect our souls – and that may mean getting rid of the computer all together. There are several internet filters available. I personally have used a combination of OpenDNS and SafeEyes although there are others out there I am sure. Internet filters are not just for children – they are important for all aged Christians.
The internet can be distracting. I have noticed more and more in my own Christian walk that if I am at my desk and have all intentions of prayer, studying or reading Scripture that the computer screen beckons me with the latest twitter updates, latest blog post or my email inbox. Honestly, take an inventory of how often the screen calls out to take you away from time with the Lord over such trivial things as twitter and email. In this way, as a guise for a tool for study and information, the internet actually becomes more of a distraction than television. I think this is where Christians need to keep things in check with regards to use of the internet. Again, I am not saying the internet is the epitome of evil. The point is that if something, even something good, distracts and takes time from prayer and study of God’s Word it should be looked at with all seriousness.
The internet can be addictive. I would not be surprised if modern psychology terms some new medical condition for those who sit hours at a time on the internet and deem it a “condition”. What the Bible would call that is not an addiction or a condition but sin. It would be the sin of idolatry. Oh how sites like Facebook and Twitter literally become the life of people. Do an inventory of your time you spend on the internet and compare it to the time you spend in prayer and in God’s Word. For many (including myself) this will be a humbling assessment. From that baseline idolatry of the internet as a whole often follows the idolatry of sexual immorality through online pornography – which is a dismal spiral into graver and graver sin. Christians should have one magnificent obsession and that should be Christ and everything that points us to Him including prayer, worship and His Word.
The internet can be misleading. It amazes me how many people will get information from a web site on the internet and believe every single word they read. The way the internet is designed allowing anyone, anywhere to post anything they want it would be the same as taking what someone wrote on a bathroom wall in a local restaurant and believing it to be serious stuff. Honestly, this is what it is like. We need to be extremely (did I say extremely) discerning when it comes to what we read or watch on the internet. It is important to rest on only trusted sites by trusted theologians and writers. In addition, always be aware that it is VERY easy to take someone out of context. Seeing a snippet from a video clip or reading only a few sentences from an entire transcript can easily (and often is) taken way out of context often to the demise of the author. In lieu of this we should be cautious, discerning and careful on many of the “watchdog” Christian sites. While these sites do provide an excellent resource to protect Christians from false teaching we must always be vigilant of snippets and clips from messages and materials and check the source carefully. Again, trusted sites and authors make a world of difference when it comes to gathering information – especially negative information.
With all of the wonderful things the internet offers (and there are many) there are also a slew of problems that we as Christians must tackle and mortify if we are to live for our Lord in a world already full of distractions and roads to no where. Accountability amongst Christians is nearly non-existent. We are to hold each other accountable and there are great software tools out there that send reports to accountability partners so that everything is out in the open for discussion and gentle rebuke.
I see in my own walk a need to continually address these issues and by His grace to stay focused on the Author and Perfecter of my faith. May we continually realize a need to make war with sin all the days of our lives here on earth. May we always seek our Lord in prayer and Scripture study above all worldly distractions – even those that are innocent in themselves for if we do not we are moving down a crooked road called idolatry.
“Most Christians in our culture live like everyone else. There is little distinction between our lives and the lives of the pagans down the street. We wear the same clothes, watch the same movies, read the same books, send our children to the same schools, and sign the same divorce decrees as everyone else. Furthermore, there ought to be a sign posted in every Christian bookstore that reads, “The views expressed in these books do not necessarily express the views of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” I’m not saying, don’t read Christian books. I’m just saying, read them with discernment.”
This is not usual for me to post on my blog about “culturally relevant” things but as I was browsing some blogs this evening I came across a couple of Christian blogs that are talking about the latest Batman movie called “The Dark Knight”. Some of the blogs are using the content of the movie to describe the condition of man and assessing the evil of evil through the character “Joker” played by the late Heath Ledger.
Before I begin to rail on movies in general let me start by saying that I love to watch movies. I believe there are some fantastic movies out there that get us thinking. For example, John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” was recently made into a feature length film and it is outstanding. The story is true to the book and the acting is wonderful and of course it is Christ exalting and causes us to use our mind to reflect on God and His mercy and grace. However, I draw the line with many of the movies out today and refuse to sit through several hours of a film that attacks Christianity or worse blasphemes Christ.
Jeff Noblit, the senior pastor of Paul Washer’s home church is one of my top 5 favorite preachers who preaches the full meat of Scripture. This video of one of his sermons hits home for me as it is something that I personally preach (my SS class says I preach most of the time <grin>) and teach on constantly. It is a serious problem is most of the American church today and his message is right on. We need to seriously hear what he is saying and for all you pastors and teachers who frequent my blog -- I beg you to hear what he is saying and take it to heart. Preach the full counsel of God -- all of it. Feed your congregation with expository preaching. Please!
It seems lately that the video on YouTube of Oprah (see below) (where she is going on about how there are many ways to God, her endorsement of New Age spirituality through the likes of Eckhart Tolle and a complete attack against Christianity) is now quite popular among emails, etc. It’s a great thing that organizations such as Christian Worldview Network has put together videos that expose the heresies coming out of who many call “the most dangerous woman in America”. Her “church” now has more than 2 millions members through her television and online “ministry” including the new age junk course called “Course on Miracles”.
Mark Driscoll has been one of those pastor/theologians over the years that I have never really been sure about. It’s as though he has two mouths. At one moment what seems to come out is pure doctrine and Christ-exalting exegesis of Scripture and then in the same breath what comes out is like vinegar and gall with use of filth words that are simply not appropriate for the pulpit. Honestly I have not spent a lot of time reading Mark’s books or listening to his sermons. I’m more of a Paul Washer kinda guy – give me the passion of Driscoll 
You have to admit that the internet has undoubtably changed the way people communicate more than any medium in history. It is truly an amazing technology that allows people all over the world to gain volumes of information, check up to the minute news and of course communicate in just about any way you can imagine from a “tweet” to full motion video.
“Most Christians in our culture live like everyone else. There is little distinction between our lives and the lives of the pagans down the street. We wear the same clothes, watch the same movies, read the same books, send our children to the same schools, and sign the same divorce decrees as everyone else. Furthermore, there ought to be a sign posted in every Christian bookstore that reads, “The views expressed in these books do not necessarily express the views of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” I’m not saying, don’t read Christian books. I’m just saying, read them with discernment.”
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