MORE ON: GOD OF THE EMERGING CHURCH

Over at Reformata there is another article dealing with the seeker-sensitive purpose driven church for the carnal nature of mankind. The "emerging" church is based upon the ever shifting sands of seeker-sensitive ploys to lure people into these self-help centers called churches.

Here is a good description of what wrong with the emergent church:

And in typical clever (not) Emerging Church fashion what made Rollins stop and think is a parable written in much the same style as his own writings; it simply reverses the original. In this case the author of the parable takes the poem Footprints In The Sand and twists it backward; so instead of being a pretty accurate depiction of the one true and living God of the Bible, this “Footprints” introduces us further to the insipid god of Emergence Christianity:

There was once a man who had lived a long and difficult life… The curtain was pulled back, and he stumbled through the light to meet God.

‘My Master and my Friend,’ the old man hailed God as he prostrated himself before God’s feet. Hearing no reply, the man looked up and saw God shuffling awkwardly in his chair, not quite managing to fight back a blush across his cheeks…

‘Tell me, Lord,’ he said, knowing already the lines that would come, ‘tell me what the footprints mean.’… And slowly God replied, his voice shaking with emotion. ‘The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when you carried me.’… (source)

You can read the full blog at MORE ON: GOD OF THE EMERGING CHURCH.

DID JESUS ARGUE DOCTRINE?

To Earnestly Contend For The Faith Does Encompass Arguing In Defense Of It

The obvious answer to the question “Did Jesus Ever Argue Doctrine” is: Absolutely, yes. In fact, we see an example of this right from the text I just cited above from the Gospel of Mark, which is the end of a series of arguments Mark tells us Jesus had been having with Jewish religious leaders. It’s only because the visible church, fearful of conflict, has decided to follow the whimsical ways of our effete culture that Christ’s confrontational style has been hidden.

So instead people turn to fickle fools advancing the doctrines of demons spewed from the seducing spirits operating within the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC)—like Adam Walker Cleaveland to tell them incredibly stupid things like Jesus Was Wrong. And they turn to EC dreamers like Samir Selmanovic, who’s a member of the Coordinating Group for Emergent Village. (Source: Did Jesus Argue Doctrine? by Ken Silva) See the full article for the rest of this excellent blog.

The sour fruit of Perry Noble: NewSpring Children's minister defends his love of filthy rap music!

The love of the world runs deep within the inner workings of NewSpring Church in SC. It's really disturbing to know that NewSpring Church's Greenville Campus Children's Minister Pudge Huckaby openly defends listening to filthy language (See the picture) and justifies it by making it an outreach to hurting people. Where is the discernment from right and wrong? How can such worldly filth be used to reach people when God clearly said in His Word to be separate? 2 Corinthians 6:16-18

Here are some examples taken from Mr. Huckaby. I want you to truly ponder the example Pudge Huckaby is setting for the children who go to NewSpring Church. Ask yourself what kind of fruit will grow as Pudge waters their minds with the things of the world?

"One of the things that DRIVES me in CM is that I want to expose as many kids as I can to the unconditional, unfailing, unmeasurable love of Jesus Christ!

I want them to KNOW and FEEL God’s love in such a way that it over powers the pain that the world cuts them with! So many of us are sheltered and ignorant when it comes to the “real life” stories that children go through today." source

Pay attention to how Pudge is setting up his defense. He starts off by talking about the unconditional love of Christ. Christ's love for us is unconditional, but living for Christ does have conditions because God told us not to love the world.

Notice the emphasis on "knowing and feeling" God's love. Pudge then proceeds to label anyone who speaks out against his carnality as being sheltered and ignorant. This is a good setup to ignore critics because Pudge immediately painted a picture of us as:

1.) Not understanding the unconditional love of Christ.

2.) We are sheltered and ignorant to the real world.

To help me prove this point, I want to look at a popular rap song, but before I dig in…(source)

Instead of going to the Word of God, Pudge proceeds to dig into popular culture for his defense.

YES, I LOVE RAP MUSIC! And (not to chase a white rabbit here but…) I LOVE EMINEM’S music too, and many others that say “bad words” in their music! And before many of you FREAK OUT because a Children’s Pastor just said he liked “bad music,” let me explain!

I love their music because it is packed with EMOTION and tells a story! They pour their hearts out and (if you listen hard enough) you will be exposed to a reality that most Christians miss because they are too busy being a “Pharisee” rather than a Christ follower. They tell the story of a broken heart, a broken world, and help me to remember the reality of what it feels like to be lost & without hope! (source)

Now we get to the heart of Pudge's defense for rap. The bottom line is Pudge loves rap music no matter how filthy the words, how foul the message, no matter how explicit the sexual the content, etc... Pudge loves the world far more than he loves the Word of God! Romans 12:1-3

It's amazing how he just lumps us as Pharisee and not Christ followers if we speak out against the poison he is teaching. I would like to know which Christ Pudge is following because that Jesus Christ is not found in the Word of God. My Jesus taught us not to love the world(1 John 2:15-16). My Jesus would never defend the worldly filth coming from people like Pudge Huckaby(Col 3:8). My Jesus loves the lost who are without salvation because He died for them, therefore He redeems them to a new life in Him by separating them from their past sins(2 Corinthians 5:16-18). My Jesus told us not to love the world(James 4:4) and not to be taken captive by it (Col 2:8). So which Jesus is Pudge following?

Now, after reading those lyrics you are thinking one of two things…

1. How could I listen to such music
2. How can I help

If you are thinking the first, I’m sorry I let you down. I’ll work harder to continue to care more about where God is leading me than what makes you feel “safe”

If you are thinking the second, I’m with you!

The thing that catches me about this song is that its someones STORY! It’s many peoples STORY! And tragically many times, the 1st thoughts we have as believers has more to do with condemning them and their story than finding ways to pour out the love of Christ on them…no matter their situation.

With all this, verses like James 1:27 have been sticking with me HARD lately! (source)

In this statement Pudge gives us a glimpse into his heart. We see the arrogance, rebellion, and prideful attitude coming from him as he defends his rebellion(Jude 1:17-19). It's amazing how he ends this using James 1:27 as a defense. Clearly Pudge Huckaby has been corrupted and taken captive by the world. His own words are a testimony to this sad fact.

There’s something brewing in me with this. There are single mom’s, homeless children & tragic stories EVERYWHERE in our communities! Day after day they are longing for hope, dying for love and begging that someone would show them the love that Christ has POURED out on us IN HIS MERCY!!

They are waiting for a happy ending…

I have a dream…(source)

What's brewing in Pudge is rebellion and sin. This is a classic example of the blind leading the blind. The end result of Pudge's seeker-sensitive-purpose-driven vision is rebellion and having a form of godliness but denying God's power to change us.

2 Timothy 3:1-7 (New International Version)

2 Timothy 3

Godlessness in the Last Days

¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

⁶They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

I'll again refer to the Pilgrim's blog "When the world's your mistress" as a source to expand on this blog. The Pilgrim lays a solid defense for the Word of God exposing people like Pudge Huckaby who only want to mix the world with the Word. In the end, the world overpowers the Word and it is evident in the testimonies of these worldly pastors.

In all fairness, Pudge is just the fruit of Perry Noble's preaching and teaching.

If anyone from NewSpring Church reads this blog, I really hope that you ponder what I have been saying about NewSpring's leadership. The end result of NewSpring's teachings are sin and rebellion. The final result is a church where there is no difference between it and the world except they attach the name "Jesus" to everything in sight.

When the world’s your mistress. by The Pilgrim September 8, 2009

"Worldly preachers seem to go out of their way to put their carnal expertise on display—even in their sermons. In the name of connecting with “the culture” they want their people to know they have seen all the latest programs on MTV; familiarized themselves with all the key themes of “South Park”; learned the lyrics to countless tracks of gangsta rap and heavy metal music; and watched who-knows-how-many R-rated movies. They seem to know every fad top to bottom, back to front, and inside out. They’ve adopted both the style and the language of the world—including lavish use of language that used to be deemed inappropriate in polite society, much less in the pulpit. They want to fit right in with the world, and they seem to be making themselves quite comfortable there." John MacArthur(source)

Do words really matter? by James Duncan

James Duncan from Pajama Pages has another article called Do Words Really Matter? that deals with the seeker-sensitive purpose driven church's flirtation with worldly acronyms and how they are scoffing at the Bible's condemnation of using filthy language.

Colossians 3:8 (New International Version)

⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

I'm not surprised how men like Perry Noble and Brad Cooper try to redefine(or in the case of Brad Cooper openly defend cussing See HERE ) because they are constantly redefining the Word of God in order to support their love of the world. They are held captive by their carnality and love of the world, therefore it is of no surprise that they would seek to use language that is worldly and contrary to what God would have us to use in our walk with Him.

Colossians 2:6-8 (New American Standard Bible)

⁶Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

⁷having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn?

John MacArthur addresses tithing and how we are not under the OT Law. The way many churches teach tithing is wrong and it short changes the purpose of giving.

Does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn?

Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church burning the NIV in Ignorance

"Pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church has made quite a name for himself of late. Getting himself arrested, preaching on how he hopes the President dies, etc., is all just part of a day's work for this King James Onlyist! He posted a video showing the burning of NIV Bibles. In it claims are made, and not a one of them can stand up to examination. Here is my response." James White(source)

Brad Cooper's foul mouth and poor judgment

Since I have been blogging about Brad Cooper's filthy mouth, poor judgment, and love of the world, I thought it would be very fitting to link this video Do you frickin believe the Bible? . For those of you who do not know what the slang word "frickin" means you can Google it. I refuse to put this filthy word on my blog. I will warn you that it is pure filth. It is repulsive that a student pastor would use such a ungodly evil word and then point to the Holy Bible.

It's very evident that Brad Cooper does not believe the Bible when it speaks against filthy language, living godly, and striving to put aside worldly love (See my other blogs about Brad Cooper). He believes the Bible only when it suits his purpose-driven agenda.

The old NewSpring Church defense of "No perfect people" does not work here because there is no excuse for this type of language.

Brad Cooper's slang and poor judgment

Brad Cooper Student Pastor from NewSpring Church in SC has dug deep into the pits of worldly slang once again to describe FUSE. Brad Cooper has taught me two new slang terms I knew nothing about until he introduced them to me this year. I had no idea what "BAMF" meant until I looked it up and blogged about it here (my concern with Brad Cooper) and here (Brad Cooper's twisted defense for cussing). After pressure from myself and others in the Upstate of SC, Brad Cooper tweeted his new definition of the filthy acronym "BAMF" see "Big Audacious Mighty Fortress" instead of admitting he was wrong for using the foul acronym. Now Brad has decided to introduce another "hip" and "cool" relevant term to describe FUSE! Yes, it's now "BangORang"! For all you old folks like me, who do not own a seeker-sensitive manual for luring people into the church, we must look here (Urban Dictionary for BangORang) for an understanding as to what Cooper is saying about FUSE. Now granted, this is no where near the filth you will find if you look up "BAMF", but it still leads you to a place of sinful words (Refer to Col 3:8).

I'll give Cooper the benefit of the doubt on his usage of this slang term. I will even say that he meant "awesome" when he used this slang. The problem is why does Brad Cooper deem it necessary to lead his followers to a place where they will encounter worldly filth? As a youth pastor, he should be leading his sheep away from the things of the world and pointing them to godliness.

One issue that really stood out to me tonight when I read this on Pajama Pages was how does Brad Cooper know about these words? I'm 38 years old and I had never heard the term "BAMF" and "BangORang." How does Brad Cooper know about slang terms like BAMF and BangORang? What's Brad Cooper reading and watching behind closed doors? What is Cooper filling his mind with that compels him to use these types of terms to describe FUSE? These are questions every parent should ask Brad Cooper and NewSpring Church.

Let's look at what God said in His Word about our actions and walk in life:

Titus 2:5-8 (New International Version)

⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

⁶Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. ⁷In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

Titus 2:11-15 (New International Version)

¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

¹⁵These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (New American Standard Bible)

²¹But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

²²abstain from every form of evil.

3 John 1:11 (New American Standard Bible)

¹¹Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

I'm sure these verses are not in NewSpring Church's seeker-sensitive-purpose-driven manual for Casting Vision to draw people into the church.

Thankfully we still have these verses in the Word of God!

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (New International Version)

2 Timothy 4

¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.