On Modern Heresies

I just want to mention one thing which is very important in the issue of confronting aberrant teachings and heresies - The early church since the time of Acts 2 was in a constant state of refuting error and defending the teachings of Jesus. They circulated letters publicly denouncing these errors, and we have these letters as the canon of the New Testament. The NT seems to be solely committed to reinforcing what exactly Jesus did and did not teach. We have no problem with the writers of the NT speaking up against aberrations of Christian doctrine, but somehow we lose sight of this when we criticize those who quote the NT to speak up against similar if not the same heresies being taught in churches today. We are being taught in churches to have faith in our faith (Hagin, Copeland) and unity for the sake of unity (Wagner, Joyner) and that we are little gods creating our own futures by our words (Hinn, Copeland, The Secret). We have lost sight of what the Bible actually says about this stuff, and we castigate the ones who quote scripture to show us that we are off-base. What Jesus prophesied is coming true in this day, that men will call good evil and evil good. 30 years ago, apologists were defending the Church against forces from without - Today they are having to defend the Church against forces from within.

Church Wake Up!

Faith Is The Rational Response

I've heard it said that Atheism is the default position (via Brian Sapient and RRS). Babies don't believe in a god, as the argument is asserted. I personally have no problem agreeing with this statement, we are after all born in sin so this would make sense, but that's as far in this line of logic that would be rational for me to go, because I think that we are here in this life on this earth to "grow up" from this default position to see the evidence for the Biblical God in creation and more so to embrace a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. And faith begins as a process of rational discovery. When you observe a baby becoming aware of his surroundings, you see this process at work. Trial and error can be seen in these humble beginnings as the foundation of further discovery on the road from dependence to independence to interdependence with an experiential knowledge of what one can and cannot place one's faith in: the parents' love encourages trust, painful experiences produce caution, some things will hold one's weight and some will not. And the questions that arise in the heart of a child serve to propel him to answers, not to wallow in ignorance. As we grow, this process becomes more "second nature" and our sphere of exploration grows in turn. And faith grows in us, we begin to understand the things which are trustworthy or not. Life is our schoolroom, and the wise among us learn every lesson. Ultimately, we are confronted with the great lessons of life. Can we learn to trust again after being betrayed? Do we believe that we have all the answers? Does God exist? Where do I fit in? Do I always need to fit in? What about Jesus? (Try not to dismiss this one - no matter what you believe or don't believe, you will eventually have to face this question, or in absence of the preaching of the Gospel - Is there a moral ideal?) And when the claims of Jesus Christ are made, we have an opportunity to rationally weigh these claims, just as we rationally assess any new idea. Is this logical? Is this possible? And we decide these issues as we have always done, we put them to the test of everything we know to be true. Some say that faith is a blind leap, but I see faith as something we all invest with eyes wide open. The only question that remains is, In what have we placed our faith?

I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ. This has been for me a rational decision. And I have found God to be wholly trustworthy, truly Our Father in Heaven.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Rational Response?

Considering that they call themselves "RATIONAL Response Squad" you would expect them to make more rational statements in response to theism. But their many irrational and juvenile statements only serve to contradict their title. If they make these outrageous statements they need to back this up with evidence - this would be rational. In many debates and dialogues they similarly pile assertion upon assertion, assuming that this is enough to raise questions in the mind of the theist regarding the veracity of faith. If they could provide evidence they might succeed. They insist on evidence from their opponents but somehow feel they are exempt of the same. How rational is that?

Introduction - The Story So Far...

I moved to Calgary with my young family in '02 with great expectations and a few trepidations. It has been for the most part a breath of fresh air to be living in the Canadian Bible Belt. It has also been one of the most intense times of soul-searching that I have ever experienced. I felt the peace of God leading me here, but I had no idea that unlike the "pillar of fire leading me to the promised land" experience that I was expecting, it would be more like "being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."

More to come...