Here are a few things I was shocked to discover that Steve Brown has recently been saying...
...Brown says people should burn Dave Hunt's book that criticizes Richard Foster (because Foster is a hero of Brown's); and he told a whole audience to burn John MacArthur's The Gospel According to Jesus — when he hadn't even read it!Hmmm...and that's not all.
...Brown frequently speaks of how much insight he's gotten from this or that Roman Catholic or otherwise heretical writer, on various aspects of Christian living.
...Brown says in particular that … Annie Lamott is a wonderful Christian person who he thinks is so great and loves to provide a soapbox on his radio show.
-Source: Steve Brown's "Grace in the Church" course at RTS: impressions and analysis by Dan Phillips [teampyro.blogspot.com]
If you go over to Steve Brown Etc., you will see that he has been promoting Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero (here). And while you are there, you will also notice his promotion of The Shack by William Paul Young on SBE, as well as Shane Claiborne, and Anne Lamott. And let's not even talk about the February lineup that includes Tony Campolo and Sara Miles.
[If you're not sure why that is not a good thing, read about Anne Lamott and Sara Miles here, Peter Scazzero's book here, The Shack here, Shane Claiborne here, and Tony Campolo here and here and here and here and here and here and here.]
So you see, it's not just books and conferences and retreats that Christians need to be spiritually discerning about these days…it’s Christian radio programs, interviews and podcasts! But of course, every one already knows that. Right?
Right...
7 comments:
I like reading your blog and am thankful to learn so many things!
Could someone tell me why you do not approve of Ash Wednesday as it is also part of the Anglican Church.
Thank you for your kind words.
And that's a very good question. I'll try to explain my point of view, for what it's worth...
It’s a personal decision, and I don’t look down on anyone for choosing to be part of Lent. God looks at the heart anyways. I think Got Questions has a good explanation that I agree with:
"Should a Christian observe Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday, along with Lent, is observed by most Catholics, most orthodox denominations, and a few Protestant denominations. Since the Bible nowhere commands or condemns such a practice, Christians are at liberty to prayerfully decide whether to observe Ash Wednesday or not. If a Christian decides to observe Ash Wednesday and/or Lent, the important thing is to have a biblical perspective. It is a good thing to repent of sinful activities, but this is something Christians should do every day, not just during Lent. It is a good thing to clearly identify yourself as a Christian, but again this is an ongoing identification. It is unbiblical to believe that God will automatically bless in response to the observance of a ritual. God is interested in our hearts, not in us observing rituals."
http://www.gotquestions.org/Ash-Wednesday.html
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Another reason I don’t choose to observe lent is that it is a countdown on the Gregorian calendar to Easter, which rarely lines up with the time of Passover on the Jewish calendar, which was the actual timing of the death of the sacrifice lamb on the cross.
Here's another snippet from Got Questions:
"Dating Easter in conjunction with the vernal equinox and full moon had nothing to do with the biblical account of Christ’s resurrection or the Passover. It was pagan practices, such as the spring fertility goddess rituals that the Catholic Church “absorbed” and attempted to Christianize, that resulted in Easter's being linked to the vernal equinox and the full moon. The only thing that is biblical regarding when Easter is now observed is the fact that Easter is always on a Sunday."
http://www.gotquestions.org/date-easter-determined.html
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That was part 1 of my answer, part 2 to come as this comment box is not accepting so many words.
Part 2 of my answer...
Also, a few years ago I learned that the popular things we associate with Easter come from pagan traditions rather than Christian, but the church has taken these things and "converted" them (removed the Jewishness, even though our Saviour was Jewish). I see it as a form of anti-Semitism that we have replaced the Passover Lamb with Easter Ham, in more ways than one.
Nevertheless, we are all accountable individually to the Lord as to what we choose to do with the light, knowledge and conviction He has given us. But without grace, even the best convictions can turn into legalism. That's why I say that this is my personal conviction, and don't mean to push my beliefs on anyone. As the Bible tells us...
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
20 Therefore,if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Collosians 2
Finally, Passover, and all the biblical feasts and even the temple were/are shadows of things to come, and point to, and are fulfilled in, Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb.
It's a little early in the morning for me to think straight, and I think I may have rambled on, but hopefully that answers you question.
Thank you for your reply! It is easy to go through the motions/ rituals without looking at your heart.Have found so much information on your blog and your links really makes one think!
So very true. So many things we do are just the traditions of man.
The good question posed here (why not endorse Ash Wednesday when the Anglican church does) caused me to remember a book I read a few years ago by William Bradford called “Of Plymouth Plantation” (published by The Vision Forum, Inc. http://tinyurl.com/yg7xpml). In addition to Carla’s excellent response, I am compelled to set forth a few historical quotes which, I pray, will remind us why we ought not give in to what appears to be harmless, insignificant things. The first few pages are extremely insightful as to the intense struggles that led our forefathers to risk and leave all in coming to this land. I’ll spare you all a full book report, but get to the germ of why they did what they did, which speaks directly to us today:
During Queen Mary’s reign, there arose between the bodies of protestant reformers “a bitter war of contention and persecution about the ceremonies, and the service books and other such popish and anti-Christian stuff, the plague of England to this day.”
“The one party of reformers endeavored to establish the right worship of God and the discipline of Christ in the Church according to the simplicity of the gospel and without mixture of men’s inventions, and to be ruled by the laws of God’s word dispensed by such officers as Pastors, Teachers, Elders, etc., according to the Scriptures.
“The other party -the episcopal- under many pretences, endeavored to maintain the episcopal dignity after the popish manner…”
“At her death [Mary’s], the episcopal party of the Protestants returned to England under gracious Queen Elizabeth, many of them being preferred to bishoprics and other promotions…with the result that their inveterate hatred towards the holy discipline of Christ in His church, represented by the dissenting part, has continued to this day; furthermore, for fear it should ultimately prevail, all kinds of devices were used to keep it out, incensing the Queen and State against it as a danger to the commonwealth; arguing that it was most needful that the fundamental points of religion should be preached in these ignorant and superstitious times, and that in order to win the weak and ignorant it was necessary to retain various harmless ceremonies; and that though reforms were desirable, this was not the time for them. Many such excuses were put forward to silence the more godly, and to induce them to yield to one ceremony after another, and one corruption after another. By these wiles some were beguiled and others corrupted, till at length they began to persecute all the zealous reformers in the land, unless they would submit to their ceremonies and become slaves to them and their popish trash, which has no ground in the word of God, but is a relic of the man of sin.”
Now, my understanding of that last paragraph is that the highly placed popish group persuaded the Queen to keep these "harmless" traditions, to which she obliged (even though she knew better) only to appease and keep the peace for the time being. Astonishing!! I don't think it worked then, and it won't work now.
Wow, that is quite the eye opening paragraph. Thanks for sharing it!
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