Christian Post Reports Paula White’s Easter Sermon Offered ‘Resurrection’ for $$$$
I was not shocked, but I was absolutely infuriated to hear that this Easter Pastrix Paula White “offered her followers an Easter Sunday deliverance from a spiritual death sentence for a $1,144 ‘resurrection seed’ she says was set by God,” based a twisted rendering of the resurrection of Lazarus.
THIS is not Christianity! This is not true. Nowhere in the Bible does God say anyone can buy things from Him whether that is health, wealth, wisdom or more importantly than any of that — new life in Jesus Christ.
Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus and be saved. God will raise you to new life in Christ. You cannot buy that gift of God’s grace paid by the blood of Jesus.
Sadly, this is an utterly shameful, but all-too-common tactic of making big promises to people if they pour money into your church coffers. And sadly, plenty of people naively give and when nothing comes of it they think it was their weak faith at fault. I was just talking with someone about this yesterday and they pointed out the other problem: people who aren’t Christians see it and think that nonsense is Christianity and it repels them. For both of those reasons this sort of thing simultaneously infuriates and saddens me.
If you’re in a church that does this, run, do not walk to the nearest exit. And dig deep into the Scriptures for yourself so that you are not led astray by such people again.
Ultimately, God will hold people like White accountable. But true Christians need to do expose this for what it is. Thankfully, Fighting for the Faith often does.
UMC and Episcopals Grow Closer, Advocate Interfaith Cooperation Bordering on ‘Syncretism’
Both of these denominations have been compromising on Scripture for years, so it’s no surprise to see the United Methodist Church and Episcopal Church treading ever closer to universalism or full syncretism. Story by Joseph Rossell of IRD.
How to Grow in Spiritual Maturity – Exegesis of Galatians 5
It’s very popular these days to claim “spiritual disciplines” or “spiritual formation” is the key to growing closer to God and becoming a more mature believer in Jesus Christ. Mike Ratliff of Possessing the Treasure takes a good look at Galatians 5 and finds the biblical answer for both of those things — and it isn’t spiritual formation.
Related: For an excellent examination of spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines as compared to Scripture read Out of Formation by Gary Gilley.
Tim Challies Review of “Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife”
In this book Ruth Tucker shares the story of her abusive marriage to a supposedly Christian man in this new book. She also lays out a case against complementarianism.
I haven’t read the book yet, but appreciated this review from Tim Challies, especially this point:
“Tucker’s story raises a host of important issues and concerns about matters of abuse. I appreciated her bravery in telling her story and even exposing herself to critique by explaining how at times she failed to protect others from her ex-husband’s crimes. I gained insight from her explanations as to why she did not simply leave this man and why she did not report him to church or civil authorities. I benefited from her moving reflections on physical and sexual abuse in marriage and her willingness to ask and answer very difficult questions. I was shocked and saddened by the way too many Christians refused to help her or the way they dispensed the worst and most judgmental kind of counsel. Her story of suffering is, I fear, all too common and highlights one of the church’s great failings. As a Christian and a church leader I gained important knowledge from reading her book and I believe it will help me grow in compassion and understanding toward those who are in similar situations. For all of that I am grateful.”
But Challies disagreed with her assessment of complementarianism. You can find out why by reading the whole review.
Washington Post Opinion: My wife and I are white evangelicals. Here’s why we chose to give birth to black triplets.
Let’s end this list on a high note, with this personal story from Aaron Halpert and his wife (missionaries serving in Honduras) about their adoption and embryo adoptions. It’s a beautiful story.
Filed under: Bookshelf, Christian Life, Discernment, The Word
