Hi Friends,
Well we are just about at the one year mark since our arrival here in Forest, Va. just outside of Lynchburg. It's been an interesting year for sure! Many lessons learned in a short period of time I think? We have meet some really wonderful folks, people we will have a lifetime relationship with regardless of our future destinations... I think that for me, meeting different & unique people is maybe my favorite thing in life, not sure? I also realize I had a real naivety about people sadly. In short, they really are at heart pretty much the same wherever you go, are they not? After all my years in Sales Mgmt. and Ministry, you'd think I'd know that, but I guess I didn't....good lesson learned even at 50! The area is just beautiful, hard to describe, you kind of have to see it, those Peaks of Otter, especially when it snows & the tops are covered, the rolling hills, he peaceful pastures & so on, just a real beautiful place from a land perspective, as made by a New Englander! (lol) And what a historical place, if you love history, Virginia is certainly one of the places to go! Poplar Forest just down the road, Appomattox's Court House a short distance away & just so much history. In my next post I'll talk about the Spiritual sense I have gotten from this area. Lord knows it's is for sure a "Religious" area, but do people know truth? That cuts at the heart of it all, they have heard a lot, seen a lot, but do they really KNOW the truth? I'll save that for later friend!
Until Next Time,
Blessings, Al
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Calvin / Arminian Viewpoints (Part IV - Final)
Okay friends,
this is my last post in this series and so we’ll discuss both the “I & P” in this discourse on this interesting, to say the least topic. Below is a reminder of what the “High or 5 point” Calvinism acronym “TULIP” stands for:
T……….the total depravity of Man
U……….unconditional election
L………..limited atonement
I…………irresistible grace
P………..perseverance of the saints
The “I” stands for irresistible grace. Some of you if you have been a Christian for awhile have probably heard the term “hound of heaven”. If you have, this means that when God wants ya, no matter you do, He is going to get you, you have no choice! Well this type of grace is sort of like that! Now it’s easy to get into semantics here by saying that if a person “fall’s away” who was once a believer, the high Calvinist would say “well he was never saved to being with, etc” and so I want to stay away from that line of argumentation because at the core of this “I” is can a human being resist the grace of God in ANY form? Because if a human cannot, it would seem to me that there cannot be such a thing as a free or freed will! And then of course as we continue to see the “linkage” between these letters, we can see the connection in that it is ONLY those whom God has called (the elect) that cannot resist His grace, so His grace is also not (according to the high Calvinist) for everyone, but only for the “elect". This is something the Arminian does not and cannot accept! Rather the Arminian states that God has laid out a “prevenient or preceding” grace to “whosoever will”, and thus working in harmony with this preceding grace, man then accepts the call from God, thus he has a will of his own and is not a “robot or helpless slave”. For it is God who puts out this grace and the call, but it is man who accepts or receives this call. John 1:12-13 beautifully says it this way: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Notice the word received and the that it was the will of God whom the Scripture tells us in 1 Tim. 2:4 “desires that all men be saved” We simply need to only look around us to see the evidence that there are multiple millions of people who are resisting God’s grace (in whatever form you want to call it!) all around us, thus the evidence is clear! However the high Calvinist would state that the reason this is so is because all these people are not of the “elect”!
I submit such a statement makes this doctrine even worse in that the only answer can be that God predestined all these people for Hell, I know that sounds harsh but there is NO other truthful answer friends! This is also something the Arminian cannot and does not accept. John 3:16 and especially 17 make it perfectly clear what “God’s plan for man” was and continues to be:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Amen and Amen, so be it!! Our God has laid out His plan and has done all that needed to be done in order for man to have salvation, all is in order except the forcing of man’s freed will. Now another topic that is weaved in here is the Sovereignty of God and what part that plays. In the future, I will address this in a separate post. Yes friends, there is an elect of God and I pray you are counted among them and in order to be among this elect, the answer is to open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ today and let Him in! John chapter 3 also tells us what this can happen as well as Romans 10:9-10.
And now let us discuss the “P”, the perseverance of the Saints. This perseverance is also called “preservation” and I have already in a sense discussed in this my previous post entitled “Eternal Security” part 1. Here is a brief but succinct definition of what High Calvinism teaches here:
Perseverance (or preservation) of the saints is also known as "eternal security." The word saints is used in the Biblical sense to refer to all who are set apart by God, not in the technical sense of one who is exceptionally holy, canonized, or in heaven. The doctrine asserts that, since God is sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with or will return. This doctrine is slightly different from the Free Grace or "once saved, always saved" view advocated by some evangelicals in which, despite apostasy or unrepentant and habitual sin, the individual is truly saved if he or she had truly accepted Christ at any point in the past; in traditional Calvinist teaching, apostasy by such a person may be proof that they never were saved.
One clear contradiction found in the above statement that a person who has fallen away, might return is when that is compared to Hebrews 6:4-6 which says:
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. God states here that for such a person it simply is NOT possible for them to return, thus the only way the Calvinist can make sense out of this is to say that they were never saved to begin with or that they somehow can return. There is certainly a lot of Scripture to show us that the Christian life is indeed one of perseverance, but to say that God, because a person is somehow “elected” directly by him, can automatically make it through to the end in this life with all it’s troubles and hardships, is just not in keeping with so many passages that I have quoted throughout this study concerning the fact that we need to treat each day like it may be our last and that as 1 Corth. 15:58 states so emphatically: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. So while I agree we need to persevere, I do not believe that we have a “free” pass going through this life based on some special or invisible call made by God as I believe the high Calvinist would have us think. I, especially in this particular issue can quote Calvin himself who stated the following:
"the hearts of the godly are so effectually governed by the Spirit of God, that through an inflexible disposition they follow his guidance." (John Calvin)
"the power of the Spirit is so effectual, that it necessarily retains us in continual obedience to righteousness." (John Calvin)
The idea of God assuring one’s salvation just does not hold up in the whole of Scripture. We are not pawns placed in the hand of God, if that was what God wanted, I submit the “Tree” would never of been placed in the Garden of Eden, for in that tree was founded the very roots of a freed will and of choice!
Until Next Time,
Al
this is my last post in this series and so we’ll discuss both the “I & P” in this discourse on this interesting, to say the least topic. Below is a reminder of what the “High or 5 point” Calvinism acronym “TULIP” stands for:
T……….the total depravity of Man
U……….unconditional election
L………..limited atonement
I…………irresistible grace
P………..perseverance of the saints
The “I” stands for irresistible grace. Some of you if you have been a Christian for awhile have probably heard the term “hound of heaven”. If you have, this means that when God wants ya, no matter you do, He is going to get you, you have no choice! Well this type of grace is sort of like that! Now it’s easy to get into semantics here by saying that if a person “fall’s away” who was once a believer, the high Calvinist would say “well he was never saved to being with, etc” and so I want to stay away from that line of argumentation because at the core of this “I” is can a human being resist the grace of God in ANY form? Because if a human cannot, it would seem to me that there cannot be such a thing as a free or freed will! And then of course as we continue to see the “linkage” between these letters, we can see the connection in that it is ONLY those whom God has called (the elect) that cannot resist His grace, so His grace is also not (according to the high Calvinist) for everyone, but only for the “elect". This is something the Arminian does not and cannot accept! Rather the Arminian states that God has laid out a “prevenient or preceding” grace to “whosoever will”, and thus working in harmony with this preceding grace, man then accepts the call from God, thus he has a will of his own and is not a “robot or helpless slave”. For it is God who puts out this grace and the call, but it is man who accepts or receives this call. John 1:12-13 beautifully says it this way: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Notice the word received and the that it was the will of God whom the Scripture tells us in 1 Tim. 2:4 “desires that all men be saved” We simply need to only look around us to see the evidence that there are multiple millions of people who are resisting God’s grace (in whatever form you want to call it!) all around us, thus the evidence is clear! However the high Calvinist would state that the reason this is so is because all these people are not of the “elect”!
I submit such a statement makes this doctrine even worse in that the only answer can be that God predestined all these people for Hell, I know that sounds harsh but there is NO other truthful answer friends! This is also something the Arminian cannot and does not accept. John 3:16 and especially 17 make it perfectly clear what “God’s plan for man” was and continues to be:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Amen and Amen, so be it!! Our God has laid out His plan and has done all that needed to be done in order for man to have salvation, all is in order except the forcing of man’s freed will. Now another topic that is weaved in here is the Sovereignty of God and what part that plays. In the future, I will address this in a separate post. Yes friends, there is an elect of God and I pray you are counted among them and in order to be among this elect, the answer is to open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ today and let Him in! John chapter 3 also tells us what this can happen as well as Romans 10:9-10.
And now let us discuss the “P”, the perseverance of the Saints. This perseverance is also called “preservation” and I have already in a sense discussed in this my previous post entitled “Eternal Security” part 1. Here is a brief but succinct definition of what High Calvinism teaches here:
Perseverance (or preservation) of the saints is also known as "eternal security." The word saints is used in the Biblical sense to refer to all who are set apart by God, not in the technical sense of one who is exceptionally holy, canonized, or in heaven. The doctrine asserts that, since God is sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with or will return. This doctrine is slightly different from the Free Grace or "once saved, always saved" view advocated by some evangelicals in which, despite apostasy or unrepentant and habitual sin, the individual is truly saved if he or she had truly accepted Christ at any point in the past; in traditional Calvinist teaching, apostasy by such a person may be proof that they never were saved.
One clear contradiction found in the above statement that a person who has fallen away, might return is when that is compared to Hebrews 6:4-6 which says:
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. God states here that for such a person it simply is NOT possible for them to return, thus the only way the Calvinist can make sense out of this is to say that they were never saved to begin with or that they somehow can return. There is certainly a lot of Scripture to show us that the Christian life is indeed one of perseverance, but to say that God, because a person is somehow “elected” directly by him, can automatically make it through to the end in this life with all it’s troubles and hardships, is just not in keeping with so many passages that I have quoted throughout this study concerning the fact that we need to treat each day like it may be our last and that as 1 Corth. 15:58 states so emphatically: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. So while I agree we need to persevere, I do not believe that we have a “free” pass going through this life based on some special or invisible call made by God as I believe the high Calvinist would have us think. I, especially in this particular issue can quote Calvin himself who stated the following:
"the hearts of the godly are so effectually governed by the Spirit of God, that through an inflexible disposition they follow his guidance." (John Calvin)
"the power of the Spirit is so effectual, that it necessarily retains us in continual obedience to righteousness." (John Calvin)
The idea of God assuring one’s salvation just does not hold up in the whole of Scripture. We are not pawns placed in the hand of God, if that was what God wanted, I submit the “Tree” would never of been placed in the Garden of Eden, for in that tree was founded the very roots of a freed will and of choice!
Until Next Time,
Al
Thursday, December 4, 2008
"Pastoral Blogging"
Can “Pastoral Blogging” be a good thing? I’d like to talk about it here for a bit. In this day of “politically correct speech” slowly taking over this Country, and please don't be fooled as we are slowly drowning in this sea of what is okay to say, seems to me that many Pastors have need for an “outlet” or place to share some of the things they may feel they for whatever reason, they cannot say on a Sunday morning in any of their sermons, or maybe have no place in their sermons or Pulpits & that is valid! For instance right now there is a lot of talk about Pastors getting overly political behind their pulpits. Maybe you have heard, but if you haven’t over 30 Pastors of large Churches the Sunday before this past election choose to defy the IRS 501c-3 law that states non profits must not & can not take political sides in any election. These Pastors I guess feel that the pulpit is indeed the place to speak out on politics. This Pastor couldn't’t disagree more! I am no fan of the IRS, God knows that for sure & I see this rule being broken time & time again, especially by those on the left, but becoming as they are is not the answer, other than my humble feeling that the pulpit is not the place to endorse Candidates. I think the evidence is quite clear after this election just how fractured Evangelicals are by all the various person’s they supported. Certainly we can & should use our influences to try to get people to vote their faith & conscience, but to blacken the pulpit with political rancor just de-values God’s Word & our places of Worship.
So having said that, Pastors NOW more than ever need an outlet, a place to vent gracefully of course things that have been “simmering” in their souls for many years! And the beauty is that you can write about almost anything! On my blog here, I have written about topics ranging from the Tampa Bay Rays baseball run to the World Series to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956! Just about everything is “open game”.
So from first hand experience, I can honestly say that blogging for Pastors I believe is really very healthy, both mentally & spiritually. I hope you will consider starting your own blog today! I started here on Goggle & like this site & I am sure that there are many more out there, so Happy Writing Friends!
Stay Tuned,
Al
So having said that, Pastors NOW more than ever need an outlet, a place to vent gracefully of course things that have been “simmering” in their souls for many years! And the beauty is that you can write about almost anything! On my blog here, I have written about topics ranging from the Tampa Bay Rays baseball run to the World Series to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956! Just about everything is “open game”.
So from first hand experience, I can honestly say that blogging for Pastors I believe is really very healthy, both mentally & spiritually. I hope you will consider starting your own blog today! I started here on Goggle & like this site & I am sure that there are many more out there, so Happy Writing Friends!
Stay Tuned,
Al
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Post Election Thoughts
Well, the Election is finally over & I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts. Before I do, I’d like to share with you what a friend wrote on their Daily Devotional site in regards to the Election & it’s outcome.
This is from Jerry Scott, Pastor of Washington Assembly of God in New Jersey & he writes:
President-elect Obama! A year ago, who would have thought it probable, much less possible? Our President-elect is no friend of evangelicals. Unless he governs differently than he campaigned, he is not going to be supportive of Biblical values that are so important to us. Now that the election is over, I will admit to a deep sense of concern over the direction our nation will likely take during his administration. He will be governing alongside of leaders in Congress that are equally hostile to evangelical Christian ideals, so there will be little reason to be a moderate. Most troubling for me personally is the kind of judges our new President is likely to appoint to the Federal bench. Despite all of that, I see his election as a real opportunity for evangelicals to get back to our calling to be the Church. I hope that we will embrace God's call to pray for our leaders, to work for a just society, and to proclaim the transforming Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. We can now stop looking to the Oval Office and our legislators for initiatives to save our nation from her sins! It time to feed the hungry, to care for the dying, to visit the imprisoned, to become the defenders of the oppressed, to offer love to the outcasts and hope those who are enslaved by their sins. These words from Romans challenge us to remember that God gives us leaders and demands that we pray for them and live as good citizens. It becomes even more compelling for us when we remember that the authorities at the time these words were written were pagans, not just apathetic toward Christianity but in many cases actively persecuting the Church.
Read these words, then take time to pray for those elected to serve us. "Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God's servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God's servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do." (Romans 13:1-6, NLT)
I copied this because I felt like he really hit on a few good points, one of them is that so many in our Country today seem to look to the Government for or as their “source”. This is a disturbing trend, you would of thought these Candidates were running for “Pastor general” or something! It was promises, badly failed promises from the past that have caused so many people to look to the Government as their source, we gave these initiatives nice feel good warm & fuzzy names like, “the new deal or the great society”. But I believe time has shown that these programs have practically “enslaved” people to relying upon Federal help as the answer, rather than working in tandem with the private sector where opportunity, when pursued, pays huge dividends in the long run.
Like so many of you, I was very disappointed with the outcome of the Election. It is hard to describe though what I am so sure many people felt as I, that while then outcome was not what we had prayed & hoped for, in our hearts we truly wanted to be glad for how far we have come as a Nation. A black man, a woman, or like back in 2000 when we had a Jewish man run for V.P. it truly a testimony to our openness & the opportunity in our society! The problem with Mr. Obama has ALWAYS been his ultra liberal voting record in his short Senate tenure to date, never the color of his skin! But now to the other point Jerry made & is made clearly in Scripture, we need to be about the business of praying for this President-elect. The campaign is over & now our prayer is that he will govern as we are hearing from at worst, the center & that alone will take movement on his part & show his sincerity to lead ALL Americans.
And pray we will! If he does well for the Country, so be it! If we are really besides ourselves & upset, we must also remember that he was elected by a clear majority of the people in our Republic, so if he does not do well or goes back to his ultra left wing stances, perhaps he is only a reflection of us as a whole? I have often thought that whoever we elect is only a mirror of us anyhow, so when we point at him, we point at ourselves.
So today, I fully understand the joy in the black communities & in all minority communities who finally feel like their voice was heard. We have witnessed a true & genuine piece of American history that will & should live on in our history books for generations to come, should the Lord tarry. Blacks especially has suffered for so many years in this Country, something us whites MUST never ever forget. Bigotry & hatred were the “norm” in so many states for so long. I pray that the Black community as a whole today feels a lot better about their place in American history & that the “Dream” that Martin Luther King so eloquently spoke of some 40 years ago is being fulfilled before our eyes! I also deeply appreciated John McCain’s concession speech, one could easily tell that he was speaking from his heart; he knew all along he was running against history, if you will. I have no doubt Mr. Obama was touched by those words & hearing today that President Bush said he will do “all he can” for a smooth transition, confirms even more so that something has taken place bigger than all of us. May we at least give him a chance first!
Again, I am very concerned about this President elects contempt on deep moral issue’s, who he would place on the Nations highest court bench, etc., but I will be praying for a true & real change of heart, may I ask you all to join me?
Stay Tuned,
Al
This is from Jerry Scott, Pastor of Washington Assembly of God in New Jersey & he writes:
President-elect Obama! A year ago, who would have thought it probable, much less possible? Our President-elect is no friend of evangelicals. Unless he governs differently than he campaigned, he is not going to be supportive of Biblical values that are so important to us. Now that the election is over, I will admit to a deep sense of concern over the direction our nation will likely take during his administration. He will be governing alongside of leaders in Congress that are equally hostile to evangelical Christian ideals, so there will be little reason to be a moderate. Most troubling for me personally is the kind of judges our new President is likely to appoint to the Federal bench. Despite all of that, I see his election as a real opportunity for evangelicals to get back to our calling to be the Church. I hope that we will embrace God's call to pray for our leaders, to work for a just society, and to proclaim the transforming Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. We can now stop looking to the Oval Office and our legislators for initiatives to save our nation from her sins! It time to feed the hungry, to care for the dying, to visit the imprisoned, to become the defenders of the oppressed, to offer love to the outcasts and hope those who are enslaved by their sins. These words from Romans challenge us to remember that God gives us leaders and demands that we pray for them and live as good citizens. It becomes even more compelling for us when we remember that the authorities at the time these words were written were pagans, not just apathetic toward Christianity but in many cases actively persecuting the Church.
Read these words, then take time to pray for those elected to serve us. "Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God's servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God's servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do." (Romans 13:1-6, NLT)
I copied this because I felt like he really hit on a few good points, one of them is that so many in our Country today seem to look to the Government for or as their “source”. This is a disturbing trend, you would of thought these Candidates were running for “Pastor general” or something! It was promises, badly failed promises from the past that have caused so many people to look to the Government as their source, we gave these initiatives nice feel good warm & fuzzy names like, “the new deal or the great society”. But I believe time has shown that these programs have practically “enslaved” people to relying upon Federal help as the answer, rather than working in tandem with the private sector where opportunity, when pursued, pays huge dividends in the long run.
Like so many of you, I was very disappointed with the outcome of the Election. It is hard to describe though what I am so sure many people felt as I, that while then outcome was not what we had prayed & hoped for, in our hearts we truly wanted to be glad for how far we have come as a Nation. A black man, a woman, or like back in 2000 when we had a Jewish man run for V.P. it truly a testimony to our openness & the opportunity in our society! The problem with Mr. Obama has ALWAYS been his ultra liberal voting record in his short Senate tenure to date, never the color of his skin! But now to the other point Jerry made & is made clearly in Scripture, we need to be about the business of praying for this President-elect. The campaign is over & now our prayer is that he will govern as we are hearing from at worst, the center & that alone will take movement on his part & show his sincerity to lead ALL Americans.
And pray we will! If he does well for the Country, so be it! If we are really besides ourselves & upset, we must also remember that he was elected by a clear majority of the people in our Republic, so if he does not do well or goes back to his ultra left wing stances, perhaps he is only a reflection of us as a whole? I have often thought that whoever we elect is only a mirror of us anyhow, so when we point at him, we point at ourselves.
So today, I fully understand the joy in the black communities & in all minority communities who finally feel like their voice was heard. We have witnessed a true & genuine piece of American history that will & should live on in our history books for generations to come, should the Lord tarry. Blacks especially has suffered for so many years in this Country, something us whites MUST never ever forget. Bigotry & hatred were the “norm” in so many states for so long. I pray that the Black community as a whole today feels a lot better about their place in American history & that the “Dream” that Martin Luther King so eloquently spoke of some 40 years ago is being fulfilled before our eyes! I also deeply appreciated John McCain’s concession speech, one could easily tell that he was speaking from his heart; he knew all along he was running against history, if you will. I have no doubt Mr. Obama was touched by those words & hearing today that President Bush said he will do “all he can” for a smooth transition, confirms even more so that something has taken place bigger than all of us. May we at least give him a chance first!
Again, I am very concerned about this President elects contempt on deep moral issue’s, who he would place on the Nations highest court bench, etc., but I will be praying for a true & real change of heart, may I ask you all to join me?
Stay Tuned,
Al
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Baseball, Oh I Remember……..
Recently I got the chance to watch a few episodes of Ken Burn’s award winning series about America’s pastime, Baseball entitled “When It Was A Game”. Probably like millions of guys my age, baby boomers, it was hard to sit through these episodes without my eyes tearing up here & there. It also made me realize that Baseball, like so many things today has really lost it’s “innocence”. Now if you know a little about the game, then you know that the it was Cardinals player Curt Flood who in 1970 challenged Baseball’s “reserve clause” that lead to the start of free agency & that allowed players to now move much freer from team to team. And although I get that & do understand that the owners were a huge part of the problem by making millions off these guys & paying them pathetically low wages for the ballpark draw they were back from the roaring 20’s through the early 70’s, I wonder if there couldn’t have been a “middle ground” found somewhere? As far as I can remember, it seems to me the last guy I can think of who played for 1 team his whole career was Robin Yount & he retired back in 1993 & was with the Brewers for 20 seasons I believe! Today, it is practically impossible for a player to stay with 1 team his whole career! But this wasn’t the case back “then”. My all time favorite player, good old number 8, Carl “Captain Carl” Yastrzemski, affectionately known as “Yaz”, played his whole career for my beloved Boston Red Sox from 1961-83, 22 seasons. But today everything has changed sadly. A man I really admire & simply cannot understand why he is not Baseball’s Commissioner is sports reporter, Bob Kostas. He recently did a program with “Hammering” Hank Aaron, in my eyes still the home run king! and Willie “the say hey” kid Mays. It didn’t take long to realize that guys of this magnitude are simply few & far between these days! They spoke also about Mickey Mantle & what a great player he was as well & I fully agree, this coming from a Red Sox fan no less! If “the Mick” would of taken care of himself, it wouldn’t surprise me if he would of hit over 800 home runs, like May’s, he was what they call a “5 tool” player, the whole package! It was nice to see him make peace with all those who loved him before he died & mainly, with himself….
As I write this, my Sox are down to the Tampa Bay Rays (see what happens when you drop “Devils”!!) & being the true baseball purist I am, it is hard for me to root against this group of young guys who have gone from “worst to first”. (Remember the 67 Sox, the Impossible dream") Manager Joe Madden should be crowned “Coach of the decade” for supplanting both the mighty Sox & Yanks! And all with a payroll of 44 million, compared to over 200 million for the Yanks & 170+ million for the Sox. If they beat us, I won’t be all that upset & will certainly root for the Rays as an American League fan, except of course when the Yanks win, sorry New Yorker’s!
But I guess I just miss the innocence of the game & the strategy. I lost count of how many times the Sox all season this past year had runners on 1st & 2nd with NO one out & DID NOT bunt???? Is it me, or don’t the percentages speak for themselves? Runners at 2nd & 3rd w/ 1 out, no automatic double play, 2 chances 95% of the time to score, what is wrong? Could it be that many of today’s players can’t even bunt? I am not a National League fan, but it would seem to be, they still play “small ball” that they manufacture runs! Only Mike Scoscia, manager of the Angel’s, (btw Los Angeles Angel’s of Anaheim, am I missing something?) still believes in small ball. Perhaps because he was a National League catcher for so many years? Last, here’s some teams, names & just some memories from the past:
Seattle Pilots, played 1 year only, 1969 at Sick Stadium & in 1970 became the Milwaukee Brewers. Washington Senators have a long storied past, they would say: 1st in war, last in the American League! I think everyone wanted them to come back as the Senators, or at least the Grays as a tip of the cap to the Negro Leagues, but the old Senators became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. I am the only one who missed those old Seattle Mariner uniforms with the trident from 1977? Or what about those awful San Diego Padre uniforms from the early 80’s? Does anyone still remember Lenny Randall blowing the bunt foul down the 3rd base line for the old Mariners? Does anyone miss the old Municipal Stadium off the banks of Lake Erie in Cleveland? What a miserable place! The team back then didn’t help either, but some great players came through there. The “Eck” Dennis Eckersley, Andre Thornton, The “Hawk” Ken Harrelson & his Nehru jackets!
Anyone miss the “Bird” Mark Fydrich? This guy would talk to the ball, you had to love it! Detroit has seen it’s share of greats also, “Stormin” Norman Cash, Al Kaline, Micky Lolich, Lance Parrish. Old Tiger Stadium was unique as well, Billy Crystal filmed his movie about Mantle there “61” just before they tore it down.
One of my favorite things to do is visit old ballparks…. I just sit there & think of all the players who every played on those fields & the dreams they had of “making it” to the “Big’s”. In Waterbury, my home town, one year back in the mid 70’s Richie Zisk, former big leaguer hit 50 homers, Bobby Bonds once played for the Waterbury Giants at Waterbury’s storied “big ball park” as Bob Palmer would call it back in the 60’s. I listened intently as a friend told me how a ball was hit to deep right field in the corner & a guy tried to score from 1st base & Bobby Bonds took the ball & threw this guy out at the plate with a bullet & strike in the air no less!
As a side note, Bobby ended up coming back to Wtby. year after year as he truly loved the City. He was from all accounts, a class guy. Jimmy Piersall was also from Wtby. As a kid, I played in the Piersall League & Joe Conner & Grasshoppers!
There’s something about the serenity & beauty of a ballpark. I will always be thankful that my Dad took the time to bring me to a few games here & there, even though he wasn’t a sports fan very much. I cherish those times & will never forget them, I hope to have done the same for my children as well & have given them a love for America’s “Pastime”. I pray that the integrity of the game will remain, but I am not hopeful sadly….certainly not when you have a former owner in Bud Selig overseeing baseball's day to day operations. Sort of like the Roster watching the hen house! I vote for Bob Kostas as Basball Commish! he'd restore some integrity to the game & btw, don't let me forget these other names from the past worthy of our respect:
Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio, "Big" Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Harmon Killebrew, The 69 Mets! Willy Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Louie Tiant, Goose Gossage, Reggie Jackson (ouch!) Whitey Ford, Don Drysdale, tony Conigliaro, Marty Patten, Bob Gibson (maybe the best ever!) Roger Maris, Stan Musual, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Jonny Bench, Joe Morgan & I could go on forever!
Stay Tuned,
Al
As I write this, my Sox are down to the Tampa Bay Rays (see what happens when you drop “Devils”!!) & being the true baseball purist I am, it is hard for me to root against this group of young guys who have gone from “worst to first”. (Remember the 67 Sox, the Impossible dream") Manager Joe Madden should be crowned “Coach of the decade” for supplanting both the mighty Sox & Yanks! And all with a payroll of 44 million, compared to over 200 million for the Yanks & 170+ million for the Sox. If they beat us, I won’t be all that upset & will certainly root for the Rays as an American League fan, except of course when the Yanks win, sorry New Yorker’s!
But I guess I just miss the innocence of the game & the strategy. I lost count of how many times the Sox all season this past year had runners on 1st & 2nd with NO one out & DID NOT bunt???? Is it me, or don’t the percentages speak for themselves? Runners at 2nd & 3rd w/ 1 out, no automatic double play, 2 chances 95% of the time to score, what is wrong? Could it be that many of today’s players can’t even bunt? I am not a National League fan, but it would seem to be, they still play “small ball” that they manufacture runs! Only Mike Scoscia, manager of the Angel’s, (btw Los Angeles Angel’s of Anaheim, am I missing something?) still believes in small ball. Perhaps because he was a National League catcher for so many years? Last, here’s some teams, names & just some memories from the past:
Seattle Pilots, played 1 year only, 1969 at Sick Stadium & in 1970 became the Milwaukee Brewers. Washington Senators have a long storied past, they would say: 1st in war, last in the American League! I think everyone wanted them to come back as the Senators, or at least the Grays as a tip of the cap to the Negro Leagues, but the old Senators became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. I am the only one who missed those old Seattle Mariner uniforms with the trident from 1977? Or what about those awful San Diego Padre uniforms from the early 80’s? Does anyone still remember Lenny Randall blowing the bunt foul down the 3rd base line for the old Mariners? Does anyone miss the old Municipal Stadium off the banks of Lake Erie in Cleveland? What a miserable place! The team back then didn’t help either, but some great players came through there. The “Eck” Dennis Eckersley, Andre Thornton, The “Hawk” Ken Harrelson & his Nehru jackets!
Anyone miss the “Bird” Mark Fydrich? This guy would talk to the ball, you had to love it! Detroit has seen it’s share of greats also, “Stormin” Norman Cash, Al Kaline, Micky Lolich, Lance Parrish. Old Tiger Stadium was unique as well, Billy Crystal filmed his movie about Mantle there “61” just before they tore it down.
One of my favorite things to do is visit old ballparks…. I just sit there & think of all the players who every played on those fields & the dreams they had of “making it” to the “Big’s”. In Waterbury, my home town, one year back in the mid 70’s Richie Zisk, former big leaguer hit 50 homers, Bobby Bonds once played for the Waterbury Giants at Waterbury’s storied “big ball park” as Bob Palmer would call it back in the 60’s. I listened intently as a friend told me how a ball was hit to deep right field in the corner & a guy tried to score from 1st base & Bobby Bonds took the ball & threw this guy out at the plate with a bullet & strike in the air no less!
As a side note, Bobby ended up coming back to Wtby. year after year as he truly loved the City. He was from all accounts, a class guy. Jimmy Piersall was also from Wtby. As a kid, I played in the Piersall League & Joe Conner & Grasshoppers!
There’s something about the serenity & beauty of a ballpark. I will always be thankful that my Dad took the time to bring me to a few games here & there, even though he wasn’t a sports fan very much. I cherish those times & will never forget them, I hope to have done the same for my children as well & have given them a love for America’s “Pastime”. I pray that the integrity of the game will remain, but I am not hopeful sadly….certainly not when you have a former owner in Bud Selig overseeing baseball's day to day operations. Sort of like the Roster watching the hen house! I vote for Bob Kostas as Basball Commish! he'd restore some integrity to the game & btw, don't let me forget these other names from the past worthy of our respect:
Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio, "Big" Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Harmon Killebrew, The 69 Mets! Willy Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Louie Tiant, Goose Gossage, Reggie Jackson (ouch!) Whitey Ford, Don Drysdale, tony Conigliaro, Marty Patten, Bob Gibson (maybe the best ever!) Roger Maris, Stan Musual, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, Jonny Bench, Joe Morgan & I could go on forever!
Stay Tuned,
Al
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Deadly Price of Liberal Theology (Part 1)
If any of you have been looking at some of the recent research data & answers to important Biblical questions put out by Barna, Gallop & others, then you know that there is an alarming move toward Liberal Theological views among many of our young people as well as many so called “ordained Ministers”. Questions relating to such key & basic topics ranging from the virgin birth to the deity of Christ & the authenticity of Scripture have been shocking to say the least. In the past, going back some 50 years ago, belief in the Scriptures as “God breathed & inspired” were around 50%, whereas today that same question draws a positive response in only 1 out of every 4 Americans or 25%, half as many as 50 years ago! Statistics among Clergy are just as frightening in their responses to similar questions. Never before has Hosea 4:6 meant more where God states “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. It never ceases to amaze me how people will constantly refer to themselves as “Christians” & then spout out their own views on these topics which are in direct conflict with “thus says the Lord”.
The following is an article that you may find as a real “eye opener”
Only Half Of Protestant Pastors Have A Biblical Worldview January 12, 2004
(Ventura, CA)-In his recently released book and a subsequent research report on worldviews, author and researcher George Barna made waves by citing statistics showing just 9% of all born again adults and just 7% of Protestants possess a biblical worldview. That information pricked people’s curiosity regarding the worldviews of the nation’s religious leaders, prompting Barna Research to conduct a national survey on that topic among Protestant pastors. The numbers are now in – and the outcome may again shock many people. Interviews with 601 Senior Pastors nationwide, representing a random cross-section of Protestant churches, Barna reports that only half of the country’s Protestant pastors – 51% - have a biblical worldview. Defining such a worldview as believing that absolute moral truth exists, that it is based upon the Bible, and having a biblical view on six core beliefs 1)the accuracy of biblical teaching, 2) the sinless nature of Jesus, 3) the literal existence of Satan, 4) The omnipotence and omniscience of God, 5) salvation by grace alone, and 6) the personal responsibility to evangelize), the researcher produced data showing that there are significant variations by denominational affiliation and other demographics. “The most important point,” Barna argued, “is that you can’t give people what you don’t have. The low percentage of Christians who have a biblical worldview is a direct reflection of the fact that half of our primary religious teachers and leaders do not have one. In some denominations, the vast majority of clergy do not have a biblical worldview, and it shows up clearly in the data related to the theological views and moral choices of people who attend those churches.”
Denominational Distinctions
The survey of pastors included ministers from more than four-dozen denominations, each of which was represented in proportion to the number of churches it has in the U.S. That enabled the researchers to analyze the responses of seven denominational segments more closely. There is considerable variation in the worldviews held. An example of the gap among churches is reflected in the outcomes related to the nation’s two largest denominations, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. (Of the nation’s 320,000 Protestant churches, more than 42,000 of them are Southern Baptist and more than 35,000 are United Methodist; these two denominations alone account for roughly one-quarter of all Protestant churches in the U.S.) The Southern Baptists had the highest percentage of pastors with a biblical worldview (71%) while the Methodists were lowest among the seven segments evaluated (27%).
Among the other segments examined, 57% of the pastors of Baptist churches (other than Southern Baptist) had a biblical worldview, as did 51% of non-denominational Protestant pastors, 44% of pastors of charismatic or Pentecostal churches, 35% of pastors of black churches, and 28% of those leading mainline congregations.
Demographic Differences
The survey brought to light some unexpected differences based on pastoral background. The most intriguing of those relates to theological training. Educationally, the pastors least likely to have a biblical worldview are those who are seminary graduates (45%). In contrast, three out of five pastors who have not attended seminary operate with a biblical worldview (59%). The largest gap related to gender. Whereas 53% of male pastors have a biblical worldview, the same can be said for just 15% of female pastors. Overall, just 6% of all Protestant Senior Pastors are women. Another huge gap was based on race. White Senior Pastors were nearly twice as likely as black Senior Pastors to have a biblical worldview: 55% versus 30%, respectively. Age and experience entered the picture. The youngest pastors in the nation (those under age 40) are more likely to have a biblical worldview than are their older peers (56% versus 50%). Similarly, Pastors who have five years or less experience in leading churches have a higher rate of biblical worldview possession (58%) than do other pastors. Even geography is related to worldview. Fewer than half of all Senior Pastors in the Northeast (43%) and Midwest (49%) have a biblical worldview, compared to majorities in the South (57%) and West (58%). In fact, of the nine geographic divisions defined by the Census Bureau, the one with the highest proportion of pastors giving evidence of a biblical worldview was the Pacific division – California, Oregon and Washington. Although the people in those states are among the most liberal in the nation, nearly two-thirds of Protestant pastors there (64%) have such a moral and spiritual compass in place.
A Worldview Is Taught As Well As Caught
Referring to the multi-year research project that formed the foundation of his recent book on the subject of worldview development (Think Like Jesus), Barna suggested that people do not get a biblical worldview simply by regularly attending church. “A biblical worldview must be both taught and caught – that is, it has to be explained and modeled. Clearly, there are huge segments of the Christian body that are missing the benefit of such a comprehensive and consistent expression of biblical truth. “The research also points out that even in churches where the pastor has a biblical worldview,” he continued, “most of the congregants do not. More than six out of every seven congregants in the typical church do not share the biblical worldview of their pastor even when he or she has one. This intimates that merely preaching good sermons and offering helpful programs does not enable most believers to develop a practical and scriptural theological base to shape their life. Our research among people who have a biblical worldview shows that it is a long-term process that requires a lot of purposeful activity: teaching, prayer, conversation, accountability, and so forth. Based on our correlations of worldview and moral behavior, we can confidently argue that if the 51% of pastors who have a biblical worldview were to strategically and relentlessly assist their congregants in adopting such a way of interpreting and responding to life, the impact on our churches, families and society at-large would be enormous.”
Research Source and Methodology
The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 601 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches conducted in November and December 2003. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with that sample is ±4.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. In addition, telephone surveys were conducted with a national random sample of 2033 adults during September through November 2003. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with that sample is ±2.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All of the interviews were conducted from the Barna Research Group telephone interviewing facility in Ventura, CA. Adults in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution of adults. “Mainline” churches are those associated with the American Baptist Churches/U.S.A.; United Church of Christ; Episcopal Church; United Methodist Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Presbyterian Church U.S.A. The Barna Research Group, Ltd. is an independent marketing research company located in southern California. Since 1984, it has been studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. If you would like to receive regular e-mailings of a brief overview of each new bi-weekly update on the latest research findings from the Barna Research Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna Research web site (www.barna.org).
In my next article on this subject, I will take a close look with my experience at the following key bit of information:
Fewer than half of all Senior Pastors in the Northeast (43%) and Midwest (49%) have a biblical worldview, compared to majorities in the South (57%) and West (58%).
Until next time,
Stay tuned
Blessings,
Al
The following is an article that you may find as a real “eye opener”
Only Half Of Protestant Pastors Have A Biblical Worldview January 12, 2004
(Ventura, CA)-In his recently released book and a subsequent research report on worldviews, author and researcher George Barna made waves by citing statistics showing just 9% of all born again adults and just 7% of Protestants possess a biblical worldview. That information pricked people’s curiosity regarding the worldviews of the nation’s religious leaders, prompting Barna Research to conduct a national survey on that topic among Protestant pastors. The numbers are now in – and the outcome may again shock many people. Interviews with 601 Senior Pastors nationwide, representing a random cross-section of Protestant churches, Barna reports that only half of the country’s Protestant pastors – 51% - have a biblical worldview. Defining such a worldview as believing that absolute moral truth exists, that it is based upon the Bible, and having a biblical view on six core beliefs 1)the accuracy of biblical teaching, 2) the sinless nature of Jesus, 3) the literal existence of Satan, 4) The omnipotence and omniscience of God, 5) salvation by grace alone, and 6) the personal responsibility to evangelize), the researcher produced data showing that there are significant variations by denominational affiliation and other demographics. “The most important point,” Barna argued, “is that you can’t give people what you don’t have. The low percentage of Christians who have a biblical worldview is a direct reflection of the fact that half of our primary religious teachers and leaders do not have one. In some denominations, the vast majority of clergy do not have a biblical worldview, and it shows up clearly in the data related to the theological views and moral choices of people who attend those churches.”
Denominational Distinctions
The survey of pastors included ministers from more than four-dozen denominations, each of which was represented in proportion to the number of churches it has in the U.S. That enabled the researchers to analyze the responses of seven denominational segments more closely. There is considerable variation in the worldviews held. An example of the gap among churches is reflected in the outcomes related to the nation’s two largest denominations, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. (Of the nation’s 320,000 Protestant churches, more than 42,000 of them are Southern Baptist and more than 35,000 are United Methodist; these two denominations alone account for roughly one-quarter of all Protestant churches in the U.S.) The Southern Baptists had the highest percentage of pastors with a biblical worldview (71%) while the Methodists were lowest among the seven segments evaluated (27%).
Among the other segments examined, 57% of the pastors of Baptist churches (other than Southern Baptist) had a biblical worldview, as did 51% of non-denominational Protestant pastors, 44% of pastors of charismatic or Pentecostal churches, 35% of pastors of black churches, and 28% of those leading mainline congregations.
Demographic Differences
The survey brought to light some unexpected differences based on pastoral background. The most intriguing of those relates to theological training. Educationally, the pastors least likely to have a biblical worldview are those who are seminary graduates (45%). In contrast, three out of five pastors who have not attended seminary operate with a biblical worldview (59%). The largest gap related to gender. Whereas 53% of male pastors have a biblical worldview, the same can be said for just 15% of female pastors. Overall, just 6% of all Protestant Senior Pastors are women. Another huge gap was based on race. White Senior Pastors were nearly twice as likely as black Senior Pastors to have a biblical worldview: 55% versus 30%, respectively. Age and experience entered the picture. The youngest pastors in the nation (those under age 40) are more likely to have a biblical worldview than are their older peers (56% versus 50%). Similarly, Pastors who have five years or less experience in leading churches have a higher rate of biblical worldview possession (58%) than do other pastors. Even geography is related to worldview. Fewer than half of all Senior Pastors in the Northeast (43%) and Midwest (49%) have a biblical worldview, compared to majorities in the South (57%) and West (58%). In fact, of the nine geographic divisions defined by the Census Bureau, the one with the highest proportion of pastors giving evidence of a biblical worldview was the Pacific division – California, Oregon and Washington. Although the people in those states are among the most liberal in the nation, nearly two-thirds of Protestant pastors there (64%) have such a moral and spiritual compass in place.
A Worldview Is Taught As Well As Caught
Referring to the multi-year research project that formed the foundation of his recent book on the subject of worldview development (Think Like Jesus), Barna suggested that people do not get a biblical worldview simply by regularly attending church. “A biblical worldview must be both taught and caught – that is, it has to be explained and modeled. Clearly, there are huge segments of the Christian body that are missing the benefit of such a comprehensive and consistent expression of biblical truth. “The research also points out that even in churches where the pastor has a biblical worldview,” he continued, “most of the congregants do not. More than six out of every seven congregants in the typical church do not share the biblical worldview of their pastor even when he or she has one. This intimates that merely preaching good sermons and offering helpful programs does not enable most believers to develop a practical and scriptural theological base to shape their life. Our research among people who have a biblical worldview shows that it is a long-term process that requires a lot of purposeful activity: teaching, prayer, conversation, accountability, and so forth. Based on our correlations of worldview and moral behavior, we can confidently argue that if the 51% of pastors who have a biblical worldview were to strategically and relentlessly assist their congregants in adopting such a way of interpreting and responding to life, the impact on our churches, families and society at-large would be enormous.”
Research Source and Methodology
The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 601 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches conducted in November and December 2003. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with that sample is ±4.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. In addition, telephone surveys were conducted with a national random sample of 2033 adults during September through November 2003. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with that sample is ±2.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All of the interviews were conducted from the Barna Research Group telephone interviewing facility in Ventura, CA. Adults in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution of adults. “Mainline” churches are those associated with the American Baptist Churches/U.S.A.; United Church of Christ; Episcopal Church; United Methodist Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Presbyterian Church U.S.A. The Barna Research Group, Ltd. is an independent marketing research company located in southern California. Since 1984, it has been studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. If you would like to receive regular e-mailings of a brief overview of each new bi-weekly update on the latest research findings from the Barna Research Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna Research web site (www.barna.org).
In my next article on this subject, I will take a close look with my experience at the following key bit of information:
Fewer than half of all Senior Pastors in the Northeast (43%) and Midwest (49%) have a biblical worldview, compared to majorities in the South (57%) and West (58%).
Until next time,
Stay tuned
Blessings,
Al
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lakeland Evangelist To Step Down
Dear Friends,
Awhile back, I wrote about these meetings in Lakeland Florida. As you can read from that past blog, I centered my concern around the serious lack of accountability, despite all the sincerity of seeing the Lord move & our true & deep desires for such. Hence, the following article was just released & as should always be the case, may we be saddened when these things happen. Last, perhaps "GODTV" should also be held accountable as well....
Stay Tuned,
Al
Evangelist Bentley stepping down
Allie Martin - OneNewsNow - 8/19/2008 11:05:00 AM
Todd Bentley will step down as head of Fresh Fire Ministries, after the ministry revealed he had an "unhealthy relationship" with a female staffer. That announcement comes one week after Bentley's ministry announced he and his wife were separating. The announcement from the board of directors acknowledged that Bentley had an "unhealthy relationship" on an emotional level with the female staff member. Bentley is best known for leading a series of public meetings in Florida since April that have attracted around 300,000 people to churches and a baseball stadium. The Canadian evangelist will also cease all public meetings, including a 38-city stadium tour of U.S. cities. In a recent article in Charisma magazine on the meetings, editor Lee Grady said many of those who defended Bentley displayed a "lack of discernment," in part because of a "raw zeal for God." Grady also pointed out that Bentley had serious credibility issues from the beginning of the meetings, claiming to have talked to an angel in his hotel room, and bragging about tackling a man and knocking his tooth out during prayer. "Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders than have a quiet Bible study," the Christian journalist wrote. "Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up." Grady also criticized GodTV for telling people that any criticism of Bentley was "demonic." GodTV carried the Lakeland meetings live every night.
Awhile back, I wrote about these meetings in Lakeland Florida. As you can read from that past blog, I centered my concern around the serious lack of accountability, despite all the sincerity of seeing the Lord move & our true & deep desires for such. Hence, the following article was just released & as should always be the case, may we be saddened when these things happen. Last, perhaps "GODTV" should also be held accountable as well....
Stay Tuned,
Al
Evangelist Bentley stepping down
Allie Martin - OneNewsNow - 8/19/2008 11:05:00 AM
Todd Bentley will step down as head of Fresh Fire Ministries, after the ministry revealed he had an "unhealthy relationship" with a female staffer. That announcement comes one week after Bentley's ministry announced he and his wife were separating. The announcement from the board of directors acknowledged that Bentley had an "unhealthy relationship" on an emotional level with the female staff member. Bentley is best known for leading a series of public meetings in Florida since April that have attracted around 300,000 people to churches and a baseball stadium. The Canadian evangelist will also cease all public meetings, including a 38-city stadium tour of U.S. cities. In a recent article in Charisma magazine on the meetings, editor Lee Grady said many of those who defended Bentley displayed a "lack of discernment," in part because of a "raw zeal for God." Grady also pointed out that Bentley had serious credibility issues from the beginning of the meetings, claiming to have talked to an angel in his hotel room, and bragging about tackling a man and knocking his tooth out during prayer. "Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders than have a quiet Bible study," the Christian journalist wrote. "Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up." Grady also criticized GodTV for telling people that any criticism of Bentley was "demonic." GodTV carried the Lakeland meetings live every night.
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