Christian KISS?

I was lost, but now I'm found! I used to think that Christians were weird, until the day STRYKEN came to town. Now I just have bad dreams.

Notice the guy second from the right. He's got AOG written on his outfit (or perhaps he's holding up a sign or something...I don't know). I assume that stands for Assemblies of God. If my memory serves me correctly, I remember alot of weird bands, like this, coming out of the AOG churches back in the 80's. This group was hoping to ride the wave of the Stryper phenomena. Perhaps there is a connection between bad theology and bad music. Perhaps that's why there is such lousy music in most Southern Baptist churches. Perhaps it's just the connection between the 80's and music in general. Yea, I think that's probably it.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Can you guess what is wrong with this picture? The first one to figure it out wins a free copy of their album. I love their matching outfits! If only their numerical values matched as well. Rumor has it, if you book them during revival week, you actually lose members. But that may be just a rumor of the "gossipy" kind.

The Morels Are Here!

The first batch of morels finally came in. We harvested about 2lbs. We caught them at the their start, so we hope to get up to 10lbs. this year. They go for about $24.00 a pound dried.

Morels are rather mysterious. There is only a two week period in which they even come up. April 16 seems to be the magic date in my area. Temperature, sunshine, and moisture also seem to be important factors.

They taste absolutely great. If you're a mushroom lover, then these will certainly be at the top of your list. You can use them in any recipe that calls for mushrooms or you can just cook them up in some butter and garlic. Good stuff.

White Interacts With Caner

James White dealt with a recent Ergun Caner "sermon" in his latest Dividing Line webcast (Link Here). Craner's sermon exemplifies everything that I dislike about many preachers today. He works the crowd's emotions to a frenzy, tries to impress them with mindless "preacherisms", and thoroughly misrepresents the real issues at hand. At the end, he hypes his crowd up and leaves them to believe that he has actually dealt with the issue in a meaningful manner. If you listen to White's webcast, then you will hear the difference between meaningful interaction and shallow emotional presentations. The Arminian scholars that I respect don't do this kind of thing. Caner is much like Dave Hunt in this sermon--he uses emotionalism over reason and Biblical exegesis. His brief statement on Romans 9 is simply unbelievable. You will actually have to hear it yourself to believe it.

The webcast is informative for a couple of reasons. It gives us a preview of the debate this fall, and it highlights how ignorant many people are on the subject. Caner mixes in a little historical "hyper-Calvinism" with more mainstream Calvinism. He never tells you what the differences are between the two. He also thoroughly misrepresents what most Calvinists believe. The most grieving line was: "Calvinists don't mind stating that God is the author of sin." Anyone with even a cursory understanding of Church History or Theology know this to be false. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. If you read, for example, the Westminster Confession (which is a Calvinistic statement of faith) you will find the words, "God is NOT the author of sin." Caner does a horrendous job of representing historical Calvinism. My hopes of a meaningful debate have been shattered.

Listen to this webcast with your Bible in hand. White takes some of the hardest scriptures against Calvinism and attempts to deal with them. He does a great job of clearing up some common misunderstandings about certain key scriptures. Whether you are a Calvinist or an Arminian, you will learn a lot about what Calvinists believe and what they don't believe. Scriptures need to be studied in context and, unfortunately, this is rarely done in today's church. In issues of controversy, it is important to represent your oppenents viewpoints accurately and respectively. This was nowhere to be found in Caner's sermon. Hopefully, Caner will correct some of these things before his debate with White. If not, then it will be a frustrating night for all of those involved.

More Easter Hype

Every Easter the media seems obligated to release some "new and startling" discovery that supposedly challenges the traditional understanding of Christ. This year, the media hype is surrounding the Gospel of Judas--which, by the way, isn't new at all. I first heard about this writing in seminary, a few years back. It was even known by the church father Irenaeus. Far from being a "startling new discovery" it is actually an ancient writing known and rejected by the early church. It was recently reconstructed, but it's contents have been officially known about since the 70's.

Though no one knows who really wrote the Gospel of Judas, there are at least 3 facts that are not in dispute: (1) It was used primarily by the early gnostics (thus, it is NOT an early Christian writing, but a gnostic writing). (2) It was thoroughly rejected by the early church as being a work of fiction. And (3) was certainly not written by Judas or anyone even close to the original facts. Quite frankly, it is probably more on par with supermarket tabloids than it is with something with serious historical value. What is frustrating is how the mainstream media deals with these kinds of stories. There is little or no critical examination of what some of these fringe scholars are trying to suggest (example here).

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote an excellent article on the Gospel of Judas (Read Here). It was one of the better articles that I have read on the subject. Christians need to be prepared to defend against these kinds of stories. Many people just accept what they see in the media. But as Christians, we need to be a bit more discerning.

The Gospel of Self

Joyce Meyer has become a big name in the "word-of-faith" circles over the years. But she has also broken into the mainstream evangelical church with some of her more market-driven books. Despite being a woman pastor and a popular proponent of the "health and wealth" gospel, Meyer is a best selling author in the church at large. Her market is mainly women--typically, those who are insecure and looking for something better out of life.

This book, in particular, could have easily been written by Opray Winfrey or any other celebrity figure. The inside cover reads: "A self-esteem drought is plaguing America today, and many people find themselves in bondage to unhealthy living habits." Self-esteem and what I like to call, the Gospel of Self, has invaded just about every corner of the church. It's no longer about God and His glory, but about me and my self-esteem. The Christian market is ripe for these kinds of books and Christian publishers are all to happy to put them out. If there's a dollar to be made, then it will be made--it doesn't matter if it comes from a woman pastor or Opray, the market is always ripe for books that promise self-fulfillment, self-esteem, and success in life.

Knowing full and well that my righteousness is in Christ alone and that the sin in my heart is no better than what we see here, I am in constant prayer that the Lord would deliver me from myself. There is nothing more depressing than a self-centered life. We need to be discerning, in these times, about what we feed our souls. Does it exalt self, or does it exalt God? If we know who we are in Christ and if we know WHO HE REALLY IS--then nothing can move us. We don't need the latest self-help book, or the latest cult of personality book--we only need Christ and the knowledge of His grace and mercy towards us. May God deliver us from self!!!

James White Debates Calvinism

James White and Tom Ascol will be debating Ergun Caner and Emir Caner on the subject of Calvinism on October 16, 2006 in Lynchburg, Virginia (see here). It seems that Ergun Caner has emerged as the anti-Calvinistic pitbull of the Baptist churches. He's had some rather harsh things to say about John Piper and others who are obviously influencing Baptists across the board. It will be interesting to see if he (they) can actually back up some of their rhetoric during a formal debate.

Unfortunately, I don't have high hopes for the debate since it would seem that the subject matter will be "all over the place." Don't look for any in-depth discussion on Romans 9 or John 3:16. James White is really at his best when he goes into the actual text of scripture and forces his opponent to deal with what it (the grammar) actually states. I would highly recommend his debate with George Bryson (purchase here). During the cross-examination period Bryson was stumbling all over himself. Bryson now refuses to debate White unless the cross-examination part is taken out (imagine that).

Though I don't think that this debate will accomplish much, I do think that it might open some doors for some better dialogue on the subject. There were rumors that Albert Mohler and Paige Patterson were going to have an informal debate on the issue at the next Southern Baptist Pastor's Conference. I don't know if that will really happen, but it would be a step in the right direction.

The Morels Are Coming!

The morels are almost here! Last year, about this time, I was introduced to these delicious wonders of the natural world. They only come out for a few weeks at the beginning of April. We found a nice area to harvest them at Cedarmore Camp and Conference Center (where I also work and live). Ever since then, I have been looking forward with great anticipation to harvesting them this year as well.

After you pick these, you then clean them really good. You can cook them anyway that you want. I like to cook them in a skillet with some garlic and butter. They are very distinct tasting and have almost a "meaty" texture. If you like mushrooms, then you will certainly like these.