SIDEBAR: The following article is being used by the Berean Call under Thomas McMahon’s leadership to justify their attacks on The Harbinger, and as a segway to further attacks upon other Christian ministries Mr. McMahon and his staff characterize in their opinion as marginally or completely heretical. It was written long before The Harbinger, but it has been taken out of the dustbin and prominently placed on their web page as a sort of way of using a noteworthy excuse to defend the faith against heresy, which is what they claim they are doing.
Of course they are not. The methods and tactics used today by its current leadership is a far cry from the biblical manner in employed by the late Mr. Hunt in his day and by other apologists like Josh McDowell and others. They engaged the debate between false doctrines with intelligent biblical rebuttals, but did not use ad hominine attacks to press their case against the other party.
This article is also being used to present the appearance that there has been a “seamless transition” from Mr. Hunt to the current leadership at the Berean Call and the legitimate Christian apologists of old with the new crop of “discernment ministers” that have proliferated on the Internet. This way, beloved names such as Mr. Hunt’s are connected to such others as the current Cessationists who head the Berean Call, and use their position to attack legitimate Evangelical leaders such as Pat Robertson, Dr. James Dobson, Pastor James MacDonald, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, and many others with whom they hold certain doctrinal disagreements.
Mr. Hunt’s narrative is being misappropriated by Mr. McMahon to justify the current agenda of direct personal attacks, and present it under the legitimate light of Apologetics in order to legitimize these tactics and give one the impression that Mr. Hunt would have approved of them had he been aware they were being used; therefore Mr. Hunt’s statements are being used to convince the reader that the current tactics and methods being used are part of a praiseworthy cause. I disagree. They are not.
I doubt seriously that Mr. Hunt would agree with Mr. McMahon, Brannon Howse, David James, and Jimmy DeYoung, who proscribe all sign gifts of the Spirit of God, because he posits below when comparing apologists in his day with a prophet no less conspicuous than Jeremiah, and opines the following, “Jeremiah was hated, maligned, imprisoned, and threatened with death… But God’s Word was in his heart and burned like a fire in his bones, so that he had to speak (Jer 20). Yes, above all, it is God’s Word burning within that compels us.”
Indeed. Mr. Hunt understood something that these men do not; that the testimony of Jesus is indeed the spirit of prophecy, as the Book of Revelation tells us (Revelation 19:10), and that we are warned to avoid men who have a form of godliness, but who deny its power (2Timothy 3:5) – what power is that? The power of the living Christ who lives and works in every Christian. The living Christ who is our hope of glory, as the Scripture promises (Colossians 1:27).
Without Him we can do nothing, and apart from Him we are nothing. None of these gentlemen, myself included, and everyone else who calls on Christ for salvation are anything in and of ourselves – if we are, what we are, we are because of and for Christ. Let’s get that straight right here and now, so I would caution everyone – myself included – not to get ahead of ourselves, or think of ourselves above another for any reason whatsoever, and act as judge, jury, and executioner over someone else’s faith, calling, and ministry. As Paul writes in the Holy Spirit:
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
(Romans 14:1-14)
The Apostle Paul was writing in the Holy Spirit, addressing a problem among believers who bought meat in the market, where such meat had previously been offered to idols; some struggled with this, some did not. And he addressed the matter accordingly. So it was also with the observance of certain feast days. Yet, we know that it is not just these surface issues that Paul addresses, but deeper one – ones of the heart, ones of how much of God’s grace does the person understand and have insight into, and how does that person apply that to himself and to others. So it is on these matters.
Dave Hunt understood a fundamental core belief of Biblical Christianity – Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1Corinthians 12:4-11)
This is how he could write that God’s Word was in Jeremiah’s “heart and burned like a fire in his bones, so that he had to speak (Jer 20). Yes, above all, it is God’s Word burning within that compels us.” This is because, as the Apostle Paul affirms above in his First Letter to the Corinthians without any equivocation that But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1Corinthians 12:11) And at the end he exhorts everyone to earnestly desire the greater gifts. (1Corinthians 12:31)
There was no cessation of gifts, nor was there any teaching anywhere in the cannon of Scripture that teaches such heresy, yet the new crop of men who call themselves watchmen and defenders of the Christian Faith; having strayed far from Christian Apologetics into a whole new realm they call “discernment ministries” in which they now turn their attention away from the cults and the heresies they teach; have now focused to other Christian Evangelicals.
By coining the term “discernment” and fashioning it into a new ministry or new office, rather than the Scriptural application of it as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 12:10); not only do Cessationists claim these gifts ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age, but they’ve invented an entire new ministry around the discerning of spirits to mean arguing with other Christians over doctrinal differences, and called it “discernment.” This is how far they have strayed from the Word of God while claiming just the opposite. It is time to wake up to this and see it for what it is.
When someone spends the better part of their time arguing against someone else for preaching repentance and salvation because they do not approve of how that other person is doing it or where, even in the face of true repentance and salvation; then you know that there is something seriously and fundamentally wrong with these people.
And this is precisely what they do all of the time. They are now writing books specifically targeting other Christians while peppering their books with enough false prophets and heretics to make these books look legitimate. Ladies and gentlemen, a little leaven leavens the whole lump of doe. (1Corinthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9) In Scripture we read the following:
John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Messiah, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”
(Mark 9:38-41)
When the Gospel is being shared, there is no point of contention, and it is foolish and pointless for anyone to criticize another on the effectiveness or manner that the other person shares the message of salvation as long as it is Christ who is being preached and repentance being called. But these men are unreasoning inasmuch as they have now zeroed in on how others share Jesus Christ, and how it does not meet “their” standards. In all of my years, I have never seen such a thing. As one sister in Christ writing to me said (and boy did she hit the nail on its head.), “…just call it evil. It's blatant evil to throw fits, tantrums, and cry heresy over an item promoting repentance and salvation.” So true.
It doubtful that Mr. Hunt before he went to his just rewards, was aware to what extent Cessationists like McMahon, James, Howse, and DeYoung had penetrated and taken his beloved ministry, and the methods employed by them against other Christian Evangelicals within the body, having diverted its original mission and intent of defense of the Christian Faith against the kingdom of the cults. Mr. Hunt understood as the Bible teaches, that God does not change, and has not changed since the beginning of time, and there will be real prophets and false prophets in the end times before Christ returns. These men do not.
Unfortunately, the author quoted by the Berean Call, not available to support those who have without his knowledge and or assent to its use; have employed it to justify their current methods and behavior both in his name and in the name of Christ. Of course, if asked, these people would claim that Mr. Hunt would endorse such methods and tactics, and had given his stamp of approval to them before passing on. Only the Lord really knows for sure. Mr. Hunt was not a Cessationist, but Mr. McMahon and company are squarely and solidly within the Cessationist camp, and there is a wide chasm between how Cessationists and other Christians interpret and believe the prophetic, not just prophecy, but the prophetic.
Well, I am calling them out. They’ve made their attacks against their fellow Christians public, so I am here exposing their unbiblical methods of attacking other Christians. They’ve hijacked Christian Apologetics, given a new name – “discernment” – removing it from its biblical foundation of discernment of spirits and diverted it from addressing cults and their heretical teachings, and refocused their attention polemically against other Christian Evangelicals. One of their number, David James, made the following statement in an interview on the Susan Puzio’s radio program:
“Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this is that, the division has now penetrated to within conservative evangelicalism and Christian Fundamentalism (Susan in background: Yes). Up till just recently, I guess, and it almost seems like The Harbinger was actually one of the catalysts anyway – where those of us who were in apologetics and discernment and Biblical hermeneutics and, you know, dealing with these issues. We were kind of all on the same side, in that, those who were teaching things that were wrong were, pretty obviously doing that. The cults were being taken on and, certainly, that needed to be done and the Catholic church was addressed. World religions were addressed. But, the truth is, those things don't change much so after they've been written about for about 20 or 30 years, I mean, there's not much more to say. There's a whole body of resources out there that's really good and we all tended to agree to a very large degree. But the Bible says that, in the last days, that false prophets will arise from within the church and, you know, when our enemy is out in the world, it's pretty clear who the enemy is and where it is and you try to warn people and just equip people to deal with that but it becomes more insidious when it starts developing inside and, what has happened is – it has obviously become more personal as well. (Susan is giving a hearty “Yes”) and more emotional because, if we question a particular teaching and say, this doesn't line up with scripture rather than say, well, yes it does and here's why – rather than present a Biblical defense on their side as we present Biblical defense on our side. I can't tell you how many times I've been accused of being a Pharisee...”
So Mr. James says that because there is a large body of material on the cults, now it’s time to zero in on Christians themselves and draw them out to the public and get close and personal with them – note what he says – “But the Bible says that, in the last days, that false prophets will arise from within the church and, you know, when our enemy is out in the world, it's pretty clear who the enemy is and where it is and you try to warn people and just equip people to deal with that but it becomes more insidious when it starts developing inside and, what has happened is – it has obviously become more personal as well.
He’s admitting that the nature of what they are doing is very personal, because not only are they bringing these people out into the public – some of them Christians, but it is impossible for them to separate the doctrinal differences from the people who have them – and this is when and where these people get very close and very personal with their attacks, and equate legitimate Christian Evangelicals – brethren in faith – with latter day heretics and false prophets.
I am against any manifestation of the tyranny of one man imposing his personal theology as God’s Word over the life, conscience, and mind of another when it brings into question the legitimacy of that other person’s calling in Christ over doctrinal matters; when in fact that other person is a genuine follower and servant of Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures are specific as to the methods that we must use in dealing with doctrinal differences within the church. They are very different than those used with outsiders. But these self-appointed “discernment ministers” think they know better. Their scorched earth policy belies the fact that they do not know the biblical methods, even with the information they have and the tools at their disposal.
It is a question of spiritual blindness and a sense that they are beyond reproach and criticism themselves. If asked about this, of course they will claim otherwise, that’s expected. But this group has made it their life’s work to target other Christians, not just the false prophets, false teachers, and phonies out there, and this is where the danger lies.
I have made the following request of Mr. James, on this website earlier this year, and on Amazon.com, as he did not respond to it when I sent him a private e-mail and he did not reply to it earlier this year. This is what I wrote:
I wouldn’t expected at the very least the courtesy of a reply, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and allow that you are prayerfully considering granting full permission to quote at will from your book, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? and have not yet decided. I would say that if you are as certain that what you have written is correct, allow me then to address what you have written point by point, argument by argument, and a then allow for what I write to either stand or not stand on its merits.
Surely, you wouldn’t want a full disclosure of the facts to be kept from seeing the light of day, wouldn’t you? If indeed your desire and motivation in this is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and to see to it that the truth and nothing but the truth prevails. Allow me then, to quote you at length, and address point by point, logic by logic, Scripture by Scripture, exegetically everything that you have written. I promise neither you or those on either side of this issue will be disappointed.
I have no doubt that the people on both sides of this controversy are servants of Christ, and are both zealous for the Lord. What lies in doubt is their works. One of the two works will be burned by fire, the other will prevail, yet both parties will be saved because of the grace of Almighty God in Christ Jesus Our Lord. I have absolutely no doubt of that.
David, allow the wheat and the tares to be made manifest and be shown for what they are. Grant me permission to write at length regarding what you wrote, and I promise you that Christ will be well served. I cannot promise to convince you that what you have written is incorrect, that is between you and the Lord, but I do promise that if the Lord wills, you will understand a little better why these points must be taken into consideration. Please prayerfully consider this, and let me hear from you soon. Thank you.
I remain, yours truly for the glory of God in Christ Jesus Our Lord,
And this person made the following statement in public on a radio show, “…rather than present a Biblical defense on their side as we present Biblical defense on our side. I have exhausted all opportunities to discuss this point by point with Mr. James, via private e-mail, on his website, and in writing, but have gone nowhere.
There is no interest expressed either in e-mail or in any other form, and no reply given by Mr. James, so I am of the opinion that he is not interested in resolving the matter, but is seeking to prolong it for reasons the Lord knows. Mr. James understands that he is on very shaky ground, yet he persists in public to claim that his only aim is to seek the truth and to speak it.
If that were the case, Mr. James would’ve contacted me the minute I asked in writing to allow me to quote point by point every charge and every difference of opinion he provides in his own work.
Let me make this quite clear right here so that I am not misunderstood. This crowd is very adept at misunderstanding what people say and reading into what one says or writes what is not there – a form of reinterpretation, and then accusing the other party of having written or said something they did not.
Let me make it clear right here; when I criticize these people, I am not criticizing their entire work, but the situations where they attack legitimate Christian Evangelical believers and question their calling in Christ because they were either seen in public with someone these people do not approve, or they have a theological disagreement with them – I’m not referring to heresy here, but to legitimate differences of opinion.
But for these people to disagree with them is as though one were disagreeing with The Bible. It is no less than astonishing to see it happen in our day, and to hear these people justify themselves when criticized about it.
I leave you with the following exhortation. Be on the lookout and don’t be fooled by these people. They are merciless and have broken years long relationships with devout Christian brethren of theirs over doctrinal differences. There is absolutely no biblical injunction under grace that has one denying God’s grace to another, especially a brother or sister in the faith, over doctrinal or theological differences.
If Christ were to treat us in this manner, not a single human being would survive God’s wrath, and His salvation would be condition. Of course, we know that both questions and conditions are an absolute NO. This is not Christ, and this is not the grace of God, nor is it biblical. It is the work of vanity and how the mind of man thinks, not how God thinks or does things, or instructs us to do.
Originally Published October 1991
Hunt, Dave
Critics have long leveled the charge of “divisive” and “negative” against those who would warn the church of unbiblical teachings and practices. I prayerfully consider such accusations, for my heart echoes the same concern. I long just to preach the gospel and to put behind me the controversy that has become such an unwelcome part of my life. Yet in preaching the pure gospel one must carefully distinguish it from the clever counterfeits all around.
How negligent it would be not to warn the sheep of poisoned pastures and false shepherds who promote lies in the name of truth. Yet the odds are staggering. Norman Vincent Peale’s magazines, for example, have 16 million readers monthly, many times our small circulation! The flesh faints with weariness and frustration. Then why persist in a task so lonely and burdensome? Yes, why this burning passion ?
There are, thank God, the many letters of encouragement from those who offer their love, support, and prayers. There are, too, the earnest “thank you’s” from the thousands who have been set free from the delusion and bondage of false gospels—from Catholicism and “Christian psychology” to positive/possibility thinking and positive confession. Yet even without any such encouragement we would be compelled to carry on and would urge you to do the same.
Jeremiah was hated, maligned, imprisoned, and threatened with death because he preached repentance and warned of God’s impending judgment when the “positive prophets” promised peace and prosperity “by the word of the Lord.” Popular opinion opposed him. He became so discouraged that he declared that he would no longer speak for God nor even mention His name. But God’s Word was in his heart and burned like a fire in his bones, so that he had to speak (Jer 20). Yes, above all, it is God’s Word burning within that compels us.
Distressed by accusations of “negativism,” I cry out to God and turn to His unfailing Word. And what do I find there? The very message I am constrained to preach! Christ himself was far more “negative” than I have dared to be. He continually warned of judgment and hell, exposed sin, demanded repentance, rebuked the religious leaders and indicted them as hypocrites, whited sepulchers, blind leaders of the blind, fools. Without doubt, He would be banned from most Christian pulpits and media today!
The Sermon on the Mount is not intended to enhance one’s “self-esteem.” It encourages one to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek and merciful, and promises that those who are true to God and His Word will be hated, persecuted, and vilified (Mt 5). But didn’t Jesus say, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Mt 7:1)? Isn’t it unbiblical, then, to accuse a Christian leader of any wrong? On the contrary, Christ could only have meant that we were not to judge motives , for He clearly told us to judge teaching and lives: “Beware of false prophets [i.e., teachers]... by their fruits [lives] ye shall know them” (vv. 15-20). Surely He is calling us to judge false doctrine and deeds!
When Paul exhorted Timothy to “preach the word,” he explained that to do so one must “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tm:4:2). Paul warned of “vain talkers and deceivers...whose mouths must be stopped [from teaching false doctrine].” He urged Titus to “rebuke them sharply” (Ti:1:10-13). He told Timothy, “Them that sin rebuke before all [i.e., publicly], that others also may fear” (1 Tm:5:20). Clearly such reproof requires a judging that does not violate Christ’s prohibition but which, in fact, He commanded and the apostles practiced—a judging which Satan hates because it unmasks his lies.
The International Genocide Treaty signed by President Reagan in November 1988, makes it a crime to try to convert anyone of another religion or to suggest that their beliefs are wrong. It will soon be a serious crime to call homosexuality a sin. The day is coming when, to protect “minority rights,” we will be prohibited by law from preaching the gospel except in the most “positive” manner. Sadly, much of the evangelical church has already conformed.
It is not enough simply to “preach the truth” when there are lies that counterfeit it so closely that many can’t tell the difference. It is both logically and scripturally essential to expose and refute today’s pernicious false gospels. Yet to do so is to be opposed by church leaders and barred from most platforms. I am banned even from such evangelical networks as Moody Radio lest I expose the humanism they promote in the name of “Christian psychology.” Why not allow an open discussion of vital issues before the whole church? Are church leaders concerned for truth—or with protecting their own interests?
“Christian psychology” may seem to help for a time, but it undermines our real victory in Christ by redefining sin as “mental illness.” This heresy inspired a host of new terms such as obsessive-compulsive behavior, dysfunctional families, addiction—and more recently the increasingly popular co-dependency myths and Twelve Step recovery programs spawned by Alcoholics Anonymous. In 12 Steps to Destruction , the Bobgans point out that Bill Wilson, founder of AA, based his system upon what was a revolutionary new theory: that drunkenness was not a “moral defect” but an excusable “illness.” Wilson was relieved to learn that he was an “alcoholic”—a new term at the time.
Enlarging upon this lie, “Christian psychologists” have redefined as mental illness all manner of behavior that Jesus, the Great Physician, diagnosed as sin. John MacArthur tells of hearing a woman call into a “Christian psychology” radio program to confess that she couldn’t keep from having sex with anybody and everybody. She was told that her problem arose from an overbearing mother and milquetoast father and that it was an “addiction” that could take years of therapy to cure. So much for Christ’s “Go, and sin no more” (Jn:8:11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.). Disobeying God is no longer sin if one has a compulsion or addiction or has had a traumatic childhood.
In his book, Our Sufficiency in Christ , MacArthur writes, “The depth to which sanctified psychotherapy can sink is really quite profound. A local newspaper recently featured an article about a 34-bed clinic that has opened in Southern California to treat ‘Christian sex addicts.’ According to the article the clinic is affiliated with a large well-known Protestant church in the area.” Several leading “Christian psychologists” interviewed for the article “scoffed at the power of God’s Word to transform a heart and break the bondage of sexual sin.” The director explained that his treatment center would serve to rescue many Christians who had been taught that “the Bible is all you need.” Yet that is what the Bible itself claims and the entire church believed for 1,800 years until the advent of Christian psychology.
In The Journal of Biblical Ethics in Medicine , Dr. Robert Maddox warns that “all manner of sin...from gluttony to fornication, from stealing to bestiality...is [being] labeled as disease, to be cured with chemical, electrical and mechanical treatments.” The Bobgans also quote from University of California professor Herbert Fingarette’s book, Heavy Drinking: The Myth of Alcoholism as a Disease : “I just don’t understand why any churches would go for the disease idea...[it] denies the spiritual dimension of the whole thing.” They also quote Stanton Peele from his book, Diseasing of America: Addiction Treatment Out of Control: “...disease definitions undermine the individual’s obligations to control behavior and to answer for misconduct...[and] actually increase the incidence of the behaviors of concern.”
How astonishing that as the secular world is abandoning the sinking ship of psychotherapy, Christians are jumping aboard, imagining that this doomed vessel will not only stay afloat but add needed buoyancy to the ark God has provided!
It makes me weep to watch the growing deception, to cry out against it, and to be heeded by so few and opposed by so many. Why is that essential correction, which Scripture so clearly demands, left to a few of us nobodies and shunned by church leaders who would be heeded by millions? Write to the most influential evangelical leaders and ask how they can “preach the Word” without involving themselves in the reproof and rebuke of rampant error that Paul said must be at the very heart of biblical preaching!
Today I received a memo from a researcher who, along with her husband, is among the nobodies crying out against heresy in the church. Her concern was The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, a Catholic, published by Multnomah Press. In part she said, “Manning teaches...that [a Christian] may continue to live a life of debauchery...describes himself as a [heavy] smoker and someone who became an alcoholic after conversion...wants active homosexuals accepted into full fellowship (p 26) along with other immoral people... teaches an eastern-type meditation (pp 43, 205-206)...twists scripture (pp 23, 28, 73, 173); he says that everyone, but the self-righteous [those that obey God by Manning’s definition], will go to heaven (pp 17, 26, 29)....This book is dangerous...a ploy by a new age Catholic to invade the evangelical church....Christian[s] must be warned that...the once trusted names of Multnomah, Thomas Nelson and Fleming Revell [to name a few] are no guarantee of orthodoxy. What a shame!”
I called her to make certain she hadn’t overstated her case. She read excerpts from the book to prove she had not. Christian publishers can no longer be trusted to publish truth but have become purveyors of death! A dump truck would not have been large enough to haul all of the heresy out of the recent Christian Booksellers convention in Orlando. Even Roman Catholic publishers of the most awful blasphemy and incredible nonsense, such as Paulist Press, were represented alongside evangelicals.
Take, for example, the booth of another Catholic publisher, Our Sunday Visitor . One of their books on display told the story of Padre Pio, a recently deceased Catholic monk admired by Pope John Paul II. Pio manifested the “stigmata,” a bleeding from his palms to make up the deficiency in Christ’s redemptive work on the cross ! Pio believed he was suffering for the salvation of sinners ! He claimed that literally millions of the spirits of the dead, whom he saw with his physical eyes, came to him on their way to heaven to thank him for gaining their release from purgatory! This is only one of Rome’s many heresies . I confronted Sunday Visitor employees concerning the demonic delusion promoted by their books and objected to their presence at a convention of evangelical publishers. They pointed to a nearby booth promoting horrendous, allegedly “Christian” rock music and declared, “We have as much right to be here as they do!” I could only agree.
Mission Frontiers , the bulletin of the U.S. Center for World Mission in Pasadena, California, Vol. 13, No. 4-5, has a biblical passion for world evangelization. In contrast to the Manning/Multnomah justification of smoking, the editorial declared, “Tobacco causes more deaths each year in the United States than heroin, cocaine, alcohol, AIDS, fires, homicides, suicides, and auto accidents combined....More Colombians died last year from smoking American cigarettes than did Americans from using Colombian cocaine.” “Addiction,” or sin?
The editorial also highly commended Pope John Paul II’s recent encyclical on world missions. Disappointment was expressed that the encyclical was “marred by reference at the very end to the idea that...the work of the church is done ‘together with Mary.’” Yet the encyclical was praised and an address given where it could be purchased because it spoke of “people groups,” a term in vogue at the World Center. Sadly, however, 950 million Catholics who need to be evangelized—a special “people group” comprising nearly 20 percent of the world’s population—were overlooked! The editorial, in fact, implied that Catholicism’s evangelism is biblical.
Throughout Central and South America, Catholicism is in the most blatant partnership with spiritism and paganism. In Brazil, I visited Aparecida, the largest cathedral in the world next to St. Peter’s in Rome. It is dedicated to a small idol of a “Black Virgin”—pulled from a nearby lake in a fishing net—which now performs “miracles.” The pope came recently to honor this idol. At the Mass the priest led the people in prayers and songs to the idol, asking it for salvation and dedicating their lives to it. Aparecida’s large bookstore carries many of the same “positive” books that delude Protestants—books in Portuguese by American authors, from Norman Vincent Peale to “Christian psychologists.”
Today’s evangelical leaders shun their duty to oppose heresy. Many of them promote Catholicism, occultism, and humanistic psychology. Therefore we, the nobodies, though few heed us, must cry out even louder to warn the sheep of poisoned pastures and false shepherds. “Positive” or “negative” is not the issue, but rather truth and simple obedience to our Lord and His Word. TBC
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