Word Faith Movement - Mormon Lite?

At one time I actually thought that the Word-Faith movement was a simple money making scam, nothing more: con a few simpletons out of a tithe that should be going to a biblically centered church, convince them that the bible says they'll get their money back with interest, and hint that Jesus wants them in a new Mercedes (available at low low prices from Pastor Cashbox's brother-in-law at Midtown Mercedes Isuzu just off the Gehenna exit of I266) you know, that kind of scam. I heard TBN was a Word-Faith based broadcaster and I thought "Well duh! They're TV!" (making a living on the periphery of the entertainment business doesn't leave one with a generous attitude about said entertainment business) I figured not too many people can get fooled by this cash generating ponzi scheme, and there's not a lot one can do about it because, in the words of Cpt. Tom Pickett from the movie Last Man Standing:

"...because that is the nature of things a certain amount of corruption is inevitable."

A little research shows that the leadership of the Word-Faith movement goes well beyond scamming a lot of sheep out of their hard earned tithe, they're damning those sheep to hell and enjoying every bit of the ride.

How To Handle A Brood of Vipers

Continuing my Lenten series on hypocrisy - 

It's no surprise that Jesus wasn't happy with the Pharisees, their practice of Judaism was little more than legal wrangling. Their legalism and hypocrisy did more than turn religion into an ancient form of Roberts Rules of Order, it took the love completely out of what is primarily meant to be a loving practice of giving thanks and praise to our creator. Rather than bringing the average man closer to God, the Pharasees were replacing God with rules and regulations. Worse yet, they turned the most holy place on the planet, the Temple, into a sideshow fun house that was mandatory to ride. The once pious sacrifices were now an assembly line meat market.

Jesus had enough, He really laid into those that turned His Father's house into a 'salvation factory' (my favorite insulting term for a megachurch)  based on man-made rules and traditions rather than God's own word. Jesus lashed out and publicly berated them, rebuking the Pharasees for nearly everything they stood for.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Matthew 23:13)

OT Tuesday: Bathing Beauty

What could a girl do? Raised near the center of power in Jerusalem, Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam, one of the king's "Thirty", his mightiest warriors. In fact she had married one of the Thirty, Uriah. Bathsheba was raised with power, she understood power, and in ancient times power was something of which  women did not have very much. But they did have some...

The fact that Bathsheba's husband Uriah was one of David's prize mighty men probably meant that they were fairly well off, as evidenced by the fact that they lived right next to King David's palace. Close enough in fact that when she took a bath, the mighty king was able to get an eyeful. History doesn't record if Bathsheba knew that the King had eyes for her (especially around bath time) but there is no evidence that Bathsheba was stupid. She was raised among military men with high political power and was probably a guest in the palace on more than one occasion, so when David's servants came to Bathsheba and invited her up to the King's chambers for "a chat", and considering the fact that the King had sent his troops to war, including her husband, Bathsheba probably knew what the topic of conversation was going to be. 

The Mess of The Message: Gibberish Passing as Prose

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a fan of The Message Bible perVersion, nor am I a fan of it's author Eugene Peterson. I like the real Bible, and I love the real Bible's author, God. But to me it appears that the Bible, the real Bible, isn't interesting enough for Mr. Peterson, so he had to make up his own. 

Unfortunately for the  whole world this abomination was published and distributed exactly like it is a real version of the Bible, rather than what it truly is: one man's satirical rewording of God's inspired word. 

From what little I've read of Peterson's revision of the Book of Revelations he didn't even leave that book alone, maybe it's because he no longer has enough faith left to take heed to the warning in  Revelation 22:18-19, every word inspired by the Holy Spirit is fair game for his creative (read: heretical) pen.

Take 1 Timothy 2:11-12 for example

¹¹ A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. ¹² But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

Why Did Jesus Come To Us?

Unannounced hiatus is over (My bride and I purchased a house with the Good Lord's help and have been dedicating our time to moving and setting it up) I'm still not fully back so I'm bringing you something awesome from Matt Slick at carm.org

To reveal the Father (Matt. 11:27)
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

To be a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28)
"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."