The biggest question a man  faces isn’t whether or not there IS  a God, but rather “How can a man be right with the God he KNOWS exists?”

Through the years I’ve been an on again, off again reader of Christianity Today, often referred to these days as Christianity ‘Astray’. A few years ago I tried another subscription that gave me hard copy and online versions because id seemed like a good deal and after all, there was an occasional article that still contained sound doctrine. When my last renewal came around I opted for just the online version from which it was easier to extract information and save it in digital format for future reference. This week I received my May edition and if I could get a partial refund of the remaining issues due me I would – trust me. Here is a sampling of what CT had to offer:

1. Beyond Bono and Eugene Peterson: The Most Searched and Shared Psalms

Thanks to some earlier advertising I knew this one was coming. Fuller Theological Seminary is using the above two men, one an entertainment idol and social gospel guru, and the other the author of The Message Bible (not even a good paraphrase), to encourage people to read more of the Psalms.

2. Christians Can Hold Their Bladders and Still Shop at Target

This was a piece advising us to ‘consider the missional implications before you boycott’. If Target loses profit some peoples’ jobs could get cut. We shouldn’t b about boycotts, but about the gospel, which is true. It talked about other ‘Christian’ boycotts that had little impact on anything, which is also true. What the article didn’t address is the myriads of people who sign up to boycott Target (and other businesses) because the privacy and safety of their wives, sisters, and daughters is at stake. There’s a HUGE difference between getting upset about a store not saying “Merry Christmas” and biological men posing as women (call it what you will) using the women’s restroom. Anyone who cannot see that has lost the capacity for intelligent thought!

3.What Jen Hatmaker Gets Right about Christian Love: 

Jen Hatmaker’s article was about loving LGBT people, which we certainly should do. At the same time, to tell an LGBT person “You are loved, but……is a no-no. Instead our message should be:

“LGBT gang and all those who love you: You are loved and special and wanted and needed.”

In other words, we are not to tell people trapped in a sinful lifestyle (LGBT or otherwise) that there is sin to be dealt with. Sadly, minimizing sin just might be one of today’s evangelicalism’s main endeavor’s. We are supposed to just ‘love’ people into the kingdom because when they feel SOOOOOO loved they will embrace Jesus. It was hard to tell from the article whether or not she was ‘affirming’ LGBT lifestyles, but it sure sounded like it.

4. Remembering Prince: A Pop Music Priest in a Secular World:

Here’s the lead-in: “He seemed to defy mortal boundaries, but in fact, he showed us the glory of simply being made in God’s image.” The rest of the article was a glowing tribute to his music and his persona. The article finishes with:

“Prince took the raw material of the created world around him and made it into something new, and when he sent that new thing back into the world, it made us smile, made us want to fall in love, made us want to dance. Today, especially, it makes us weep.”

There were a couple of articles from Christian sources that while acknowledging Prince’s musical talent also remarked with sadness his having been a 7th Day Adventist turned Jehovah’s Witness (both are cults), as well as the morally challenging nature of  ‘sexuality’ that Prince espoused. CT completely failed in using the death of an icon to make any sort of ‘gospel’ point.

5. Cover Story: Inside the Popular, Controversial Bethel Church: “Some visitors claim to be healed. Others claim to receive direct words from God. Is it ‘real’–or dangerous?”

This was the kicker, if you will. This one was nine pages recounting a visit to Bethel by a Canadian man (PCA member in Canada) interspersed by some of the history of Bethel and it’s Pastor Bill Johnson. Sprinkled in were accounts of some of the ‘interesting’ things that happen at Bethel and accounts of tingly, fuzzy feelings. To be fair, some of the current criticism of Bethel was also included. and there was a short side article about the ‘theology’ that drives Bethel by none other than the Editor of CT, Mark Galli.

So why am I dumping Christianity Today?  Perhaps it’s just because I’m old and don’t yet suffer from Alzheimer’s. I remember well the CT of thirty years ago. CT has gone from being a beacon of orthodox Christianity and Biblical evangelicalism to being….well, spiritual milquetoast, if not downright junk food.

From a Wikipedia article about Christianity Today:

“The first issue of Christianity Today was mailed October 15, 1956, and the opening editorial, Why ‘Christianity Today’?, stated "Christianity Today has its origin in a deep-felt desire to express historical Christianity to the present generation. Neglected, slighted, misrepresented—evangelical Christianity needs a clear voice, to speak with conviction and love, and to state its true position and its relevance to the world crisis. A generation has grown up unaware of the basic truths of the Christian faith taught in the Scriptures and expressed in the creeds of the historic evangelical churches." “

Sadly, today’s version is almost completely void of anything seriously doctrinal or theological. It contains a plethora of intellectually vacuous material devoid of, or afraid of taking a Biblical stance on anything! The article about Bethel didn’t even offer any scripture references for the reader to use for critically examining some of Bethel’s doctrine or practices. The short article about Bethel doctrine only offered one of the ‘proof’ texts ripped out of context used to support signs, wonders and miracles as normal for every believer.

“Is it real or dangerous?” – Give me a break!

Of course there were other other articles including some I didn’t take time to read. Even if one or two contained decent theology, the overall tone of CT is an affront to orthodox Christianity and the precious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Well,. I’ve said my piece. I needed to get it off my chest. I feel better now.

That was the title of a blog post I came across today. All I could reply was “If I am seated in the heavenlies in Christ, if all my needs are being met out of God’s riches in Glory, and I have scripture that is sufficient for EVERYTHING I need to be a faithful worker in the Kingdom, more what exactly?”

Sye Ten Bruggencate is an encouraging brother in the Lord who has taken Presuppositional apologetics to the streets and have taught it in a way most people can understand. In a recent message he sp…

Source: “Be About The Cure:” Sye Ten Bruggencate in JeremiahCry Ministries Conference 2016

Not really. I know I was a bit sarcastic and snarky with that one, and considering there was a time when I was part of the Charismatic movement, perhaps I should have left it alone. I still have some close Christian friends who are in the Charismatic movement and post a lot of articles from Charisma magazine on Facebook.

I was sucked into the movement as a young prodigal having come back home after spending almost 10 years in the wilderness. I was hungry for everything God had for me and I eagerly latched onto anyone and everyone who, claiming to be ministers of the gospel, told me that God had so much more than Bible reading, church attending, praying Christianity.

Well, since I was into reading and studying the Bible I gradually moved away from that which seemed to be more about my ‘experience’ than objective Bible truth.

So when I see something like the ‘prophet’ with his smartphone and the rest of the false prophet crowd all over God TV (and elsewhere) it bugs me. And someone I have known for years advertises ‘Dead Raising’ training at the church where he is a leader, led by a crew from Bethel Church I want to scream, cry or both.

By now I’ve read and studied the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement from it’s birth in 2nd century Gnosticism to the present day. Since I was there I’m not just one of those low information ‘bashers’.

What bothers me even more than the false prophets at the Azusa Now event was the complete lack of the gospel call to repentance of sin and belief in what I listened to from the speakers, and that’s a problem across most of today’s Protestant evangelicalism. C’ H. Spurgeon summed it up well when he said:

“I do believe that we slander Christ when we think that we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ Crucified.” – From a sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, October 6, 1889

I’ll leave you with that thought.

Chris Rosebrougn’s candidates for ‘Worst Easter Sermon of the Year’ can be listened to and voted on at ‘Fighting For The Faith’. I’ve listened to 7 canditates so far and they are all about us rather than Christ and His resurrection.

Doppelgangers and Discernment | The Cripplegate

Source: Doppelgangers and Discernment | The Cripplegate

Jesus and the Goldilocks Effect | The Cripplegate

Source: Jesus and the Goldilocks Effect | The Cripplegate

WND movie reviewer Drew Zahn has this to say about The Young Messiah:

“The movie’s production values and entertainment value are exemplary, a story filled with distinct and well-blended characters, believable acting, and a script well balanced with mystery and humor. This is no “Christian movie,” but a first-rate, Hollywood production. Jesus’ “uncle,” Cleopas, is a particularly endearing character, and the elderly Sarah, who hides the Holy Family, is a true delight. The entire film is an intriguing exercise in speculation about both the boy Jesus and his earthly father, Joseph, whom Scripture is also largely silent about … so long as we all realize this is merely speculation. It’s not meant to be an addition to the biblical canon.”

This one statement speaks volumes:

“This is no “Christian movie,” but a first-rate, Hollywood production.”

I have absolutely no idea how it rates as a Hollywood production, but I definitely and wholeheartedly agree that it is NOT a “Christian movie.”

In his review, Zahn also rightly states:

“The Young Messiah,” however, is not a catechism, not doctrine, not the biblical story. It’s an exercise, a poem or a song about Jesus in movie form, and an entertaining one at that.” (emphasis mine).

And here are three of my ‘issues’:

1. It’s out of Hollywood and by nature is designed to take in money, from anyone and everyone who chooses to shell out twenty bucks (movie and popcorn/snacks).

2. Since it’s out of Hollywood and designed to make money, the message of the gospel that calls sinners to repentance or face judgment probably won’t be there. It will follow in the footsteps of previous recent films that also missed the true gospel.

3. Zahn was right in saying that the movie is ‘entertaining’. Does the Son of God, who came to save his people from their sins, deserve to be served up as ‘entertainment’ (the great American idol), even if it’s fiction?

There are of course other issues, like the matter of the source material for the movie, which most of the thousands of people and many ‘Christian’ organizations promoting it seem to be ignoring. I choose to think they are ignoring that little tidbit because the alternative of knowing the ‘rest of the story’ (Jesus killing his playmates) and promoting it anyway is beyond the pale.

Anyway, that’s Dan’s 2 cents. . .