Dr. Dave's "Would You Pass a Basic Bible Quiz?" from www.truthreallymatters.com

4. Would you pass a basic Bible quiz?
July 8, 2013

Christian . . . Are you growing in knowledge of God’s word? Paul wrote to the Philippians (1:9), “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” Love among and for the brethren must be grounded in truth, in the knowledge of God’s word. You are no help to your hurting brother in Christ if you offer him warm, fuzzy psycho-babble. Love him by sharing Biblical truth that can strengthen, encourage, and direct. Paul desires the believers to grow “in all judgment” – discernment. The Christian that falls for the next spiritual fad is of no use in God’s work . . . especially in evangelism. If you love the lost, you had better be able to show him his errors in reasoning so that you can show him his sins and his need for the Savior.

So I offer a basic Bible quiz, especially for adults who have been believers for several (or many) years. I promise that this quiz is ‘basic’ – elementary. I have resisted what might be considered advanced topics. I have also avoided what some could term ‘trivia’ . . . for example, how did Balaam finally assist Balak to get the Israelites cursed? Even though such topics are not ‘trivia’ at all. We should be familiar with the historical accounts which God has provided for our instruction – Romans 15:4.

Since this is an elementary quiz, a qualifying test for basic Bible knowledge, a passing grade would mean at least 90% of questions answered thoroughly. I’m not trying to stump anyone. You really should know this stuff!

Is this quiz thoroughly comprehensive on THE MOST VITAL questions on THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL truths? No, of course not. Consider it to be a ‘typical’ basic quiz. Teachers: if you decide to actually test your students, and you don’t like this quiz, then construct one at an equivalent level. For example, replace the question about Jeremiah with one about Isaiah.

Regarding pastors / elders . . . the test is not meant for you to take. It should be embarrassing if you have any trouble with it. Rather, you can use this test to evaluate whether you have fulfilled your responsibilities. If the people you teach fail to pass, then you fail. Something needs to change . . . don’t just preach louder!

So, before we begin . . . Don’t get nervous! . . . be assured that if you fail you can recover and re-qualify. I’ll have some comments at the end to suggest how to correct whatever deficiencies you uncover – in your own knowledge or as you re-embrace your responsibility to others.

Section #1: Closed Bible questions . . . you are allowed only pencil and paper.
Time limit: 2 hours

Q1: List all 10 of the 10 commandments. (See, I told you this test would be easy!)

Q2: Explain how the Lord Jesus, in His earthly ministry, taught the moral law. Did He affirm it, diminish it, or amplify it? Give some specific examples from His teaching.

Q3: Why did the nation of Israel split? Which tribes split? Describe the spiritual development of both parts of the nation until the Babylonian captivity. Give several specific examples to illustrate this development.

Q4: Which Old Testament prophet is most despised by modernists, because of his detailed prophecies concerning the centuries to follow? Give a couple of examples of his prophecies which were fulfilled before the 1st coming of Christ.

Q5: What was the historical context surrounding Jeremiah’s ministry – namely, what was the big problem? What was his bad news? What wonderful hope did he offer?

Q6: Which of the 4 Gospel accounts is ‘different’ from the other 3? Explain how.

Q7: Describe 3 Old Testament ‘types’ fulfilled in the New Testament. (For example, the Passover lamb, without blemish, was slain and its blood used to deliver anyone who applied it properly – to the doorposts. The fulfillment is the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses from sin anyone who repents and believes . . . thus, the Passover Lamb is a deliberate God-given ‘type’ to point to Christ . . . now, describe 3 other types.)

Q8: What was the main problem that Paul addressed in his letter to the churches of Galatia and what was his argument to correct the problem?

Q9: Name at least 5 of the 7 churches listed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Summarize the messages given to 2 of them.

Q10: Quote from memory 5 verses from the OT and 5 verses from the NT. Quote them perfectly.

Section #2: Open Bible questions . . . you are allowed pencil, paper, and a plain Bible with no commentary notes, cross references, or appendices.
Time limit: 2 hours

Q1: Use Scripture to support the doctrines of the Trinity and the Deity of Christ.

Q2: Find passages from 3 different OT books that prophesy the 1st coming of Christ. Explain their significance (namely, don’t just list the verses).

Q3: Find passages from 3 different OT and 3 different NT books that prophesy the 2nd coming of Christ.

Q4: Some people assert that Paul and James contradict each other regarding the relationship among faith, works, and salvation. Use Scripture and explain how these two NT writers are in perfect accord.

Q5: Use several OT and NT passages to demonstrate the ‘young earth creationist’ position.

Q6: Use the Bible to show that a believer immediately goes to Heaven when he dies, and that an unbeliever goes to Hell. (Not talking about final judgment . . . but in this present age.)

Q7: Use Scripture to identify at least 15 characteristics of a growing, sanctified follower of Christ.

Q8: Use Scripture to identify at least 15 characteristics of lost people.

Q9: Use at least 3 different books of the Bible to show that Scripture commands us to identify and separate from false teachers.

Q10: Show from the Bible that tithing is God’s method to support the NT churches in order for them to build costly facilities and to pay salaried clergy / staff who must graduate from Bible colleges and be ordained by others who have also done so. (Good luck with this one!!)

Section #3: History of God’s people since the 1st century . . . you are allowed only pencil and paper.
Time limit: 2 hours

Q1: Pick any 5 historical ‘good guys’ out of the following list and describe the significance of their work.

- John Wycliffe
- Erasmus
- William Tyndale
- John Wesley
- Shubal Stearns
- Hudson Taylor or Adoniram Judson
- Charles Spurgeon

Q2: Pick any 4 historical ‘bad guys’ out of the following list and describe the trouble they caused.

- Origen
- Augustine
- Ignatius of Loyola
- B. F. Westcott and/or F. J. A. Hort
- Rick Warren
- Rob Bell or Brian McLaren

Q3: Christian authors . . . Pick either John Bunyan or Henry Morris and describe his principal work and its significance.

Q4: Explain in a few paragraphs how God has preserved His inerrant word and propagated independent local churches since the 1st century . . . apart from and despite the efforts of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches that came out of the Reformation. Mention at least 2 groups of believers that thrived under persecution during the Middle Ages.

Section 4: Practicum . . . Open Bible – you may use a cross-referenced study Bible, plus pen and paper.
Time limit: 2 hours

Q1: You are with an elderly, life-long committed Roman Catholic man who is on his deathbed . . . He has about 10 minutes to live. He insists that he believes in Jesus as his Savior. Show him from the Bible what his fatal errors are and what he must do.

Q2: You share lunch with a young, college-educated Muslim. Start on common ground – the law of Moses – and explain to him the differences between God and Allah, the Gospel and the Muslim’s hope for Paradise, and what he must do to be saved.

Q3: Use your Bible to refute the false Calvinist doctrines of Total Depravity and Unconditional Election. Explain how these doctrines, when embraced in youth, can prevent someone from understanding the Biblical Gospel and becoming a born again believer.

Q4: An atheist insists that he will not listen to your Bible quotes, since he doesn’t believe the Bible to be true. You must first convince him that God might exist. Give him at least 3 affirmative arguments for God being real, and then at least 3 arguments from your general knowledge of basic science to show that evolution is obviously false.

Q5: Give 3 examples where Jesus tried to reach an individual lost soul in the Gospel accounts. Explain His methodology in each case.

Q6: Explain briefly the major differences between Peter’s open-air argument in Acts 2 and Paul’s corresponding message on Mars Hill. How can you apply these principles to your own personal evangelism?

Q7: Do you have at least 100 verses in your current memory bank? Answer simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

Q8: If you have been a believer for several years, have you read the Bible through several times? If many years . . . many times? Answer simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

Q9: In the last month, have you ‘practiced’ your responsibility in evangelism by sharing the Gospel with at least 5 lost people – who were strangers to you? ‘Sharing the Gospel’ must include pointing out that their sins will bring judgment and Hell, and that they must repent – forsake their sins, and trust Christ . . . which will be demonstrated by a new birth and a changed life; ie., you didn’t take shortcuts. Answer simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

Q10: In the last month have you prayed in tears for the burden of another believer. Answer simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. (Do you know why this question is both relevant and important?)

- end of exam – Whew! Tired? Oh, sorry, too long? Have you ever taken the SAT or ACT? How about the GRE (Graduate Record Exam)? Were they too long? How about all of those Finals Weeks in college? Oh, but those were to test important skills, you say. Why would anyone be bothered with testing Bible knowledge?

Isn’t it interesting how ‘discipleship’ – in practice – seems to consist of about 2 or 3 hours per week of sitting under Sunday School lessons and pulpit sermons . . . for decades . . . with no accountability, no exams, no apparent care whether anyone learns anything! The secular world does far better than that. Engineers are not merely lectured to for a few years and then unleashed to build bridges and computers. Pediatricians in training do more than watch Power Point shows before you entrust them with your sick child. Lawyers must repeatedly demonstrate knowledge and skills in rhetoric and writing before they will be licensed by the state.

But the greatest work in God’s universe – making and developing disciples of Jesus Christ – involves no real training, no testing, no care whether anyone ‘gets it’ or not. The few young folks who develop any noticeable zeal are sent off to ‘Bible College’ and become hirelings to some other congregation. Now they are the ones in the pulpit conducting 2-hour per week ‘discipleship’ lectures for the ‘laity’ in the pews. (See my article, “Don’t go to Bible college.”)

Did you pass the exam? Great! Get ready for more advanced study! Those questions were really just elementary . . . surely, you agree. Any 16-year-old raised in a Christian family should pass easily. You wouldn’t send your children out into the pagan / apostate / humanistic world without knowing at least this much, would you?!?

Did you fail? Ok, don’t get discouraged. Do something about it! If your ‘discipleship’ training has been via the traditional failed system described above, then figure out the NT model for yourself . . . described in several articles in the Discipleship section of this site. Man up! You are going to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ – the ultimate test!!! – and give an account for your own life, and for the discipleship responsibilities you have for your wife, your children, and other believers around you.

Don’t just drift along in the system. I’m hoping that for someone out there that this little quiz might be a wakeup call.

There is a spiritual war on and you need some armor and some weapons!!! 
It’s your job . . . your pulpit-pew system is blocking your growth. It’s not helping . . . at least be honest with yourself.

Feel free to correspond if you like. I’m not trying to convince paid clergy – they are committed to their facilities and salaries and . . . they fear for their paychecks, which depend on an unbiblical distinction between clergy and laity. (See 1 Peter 2:9 and Rev 1:6). But you know that you should invest in the gifts God has given you. And follow His way toward spiritual growth and usefulness in the greatest calling of all – The Great Commission.

- drdave@truthreallymatters.com

Kyle Ford's "The Sinner's Prayer, Four Spiritual Laws, Romans Road, and Other Heretical Gospels" (From NeedfulExhortation.blogspot.com)

Friday, December 13, 2013

The sinner's prayer, four spiritual laws, Romans road, and other heretical gospels

Christianity in America is plagued with multitudes of religious lost – people who are convinced they are saved, but they bear no spiritual fruit. Their lack of fruit demonstrates that they are indeed still lost. (Matt. 3:10, Matt. 7:19). This is a bitter truth that every Christian in America needs to acknowledge before they will even have a chance to help those around them. Just as important, we must identify the root cause that is filling churches with many false converts. This root cause is easy to see: churches have silently replaced the Biblical gospel with watered-down, easy-on-the-ears, but heretical messages. This problem is maintained by an anti-biblical church structure that perfectly houses the religious lost that it creates. This is no coincidence. It's a well-planned system that could only come from the mind of Satan. I've talked a bit about church structure in previous posts. Now, I want to take some time to expose the heresies that are all too common and then discuss how to minister to others in this type of environment.

We'll start with the basics. Among other places, the gospel is defined in 1 Corinth. 15:1-4. The message is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. Great news! So far so good – practically everyone gets that part right, even cults. Now, our response to the gospel message, or how we receive it, is by repenting of our sins and putting our faith in Christ (Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19, Acts 26:20). Adding or removing anything anything from the gospel makes it different, makes it 'another gospel', which is condemned in the strongest language (Gal. 1:6-8). This is how heresies are born. You take the gospel and add the keeping of the OT law, good works, baptism, etc. Or, in the case of fundamentalists and evangelicals, you add a sinner's prayer or remove repentance.

The Sinner's prayer is a heresy which promises that you can be saved by asking God for forgiveness or “asking Jesus into your heart”, typically by praying a modeled prayer. Let's be clear. You will not find these ideas anywhere in the Bible. Sinners are always called to repentance and faith. There's nothing wrong with expressing repentance toward God in prayer (Luke 18:13), but the error comes when people are assured that they are saved when and if they recite the prayer. In other words, this modern heresy promises salvation as a result of reciting a ritual prayer, not by repentance and faith in Christ. To make my point, let's look at an example developed and used by Billy Graham published on the Billy Graham Library's website (from the section 'prayer' at the bottom of the page):

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

A few lines after this it goes on to mis-apply Romans 10:13 to suggest that anyone who prayed this prayer is now saved. It all sounds good, doesn't it? But faith and repentance are about actually trusting in Jesus and turning from your sin, not just saying that you will. To suggest that this prayer is sufficient for salvation is to accept lip service where Christ demands the substance.

The sinner's prayer can also be used without suggesting that it saves, but why would you? The prayer does nothing to help bring them to salvation, they need to repent. If the repenting sinner wants to pray, let him, but don't push it. Putting undue emphasis on a prayer can make the issues unclear, and you can make someone believe the prayer is important for their salvation even without explicitly saying so. This is especially true today. Maybe you don't tell the sinner a prayer will save him, but he has probably already heard that from several other pastors throughout his life. So, when you try to witness to that false convert and place the same emphasis on the prayer, he'll assume you're in the same boat. In short, using a sinner's prayer does nothing good, and is almost guaranteed to do some harm. So, if you really don't believe that a sinner's prayer saves, then stop doing it.

The "Romans Road" and "four spiritual laws" methods of sharing the gospel exemplify another type of heresy popular in conservative churches. The main problem of this heresy is that the gospel is proclaimed with little/no discussion of sin, and the need for the sinner to repent is either downplayed or neglected entirely. Yet, in the Bible, God makes it clear that repentance is absolutely necessary for salvation (Matt. 7:21, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19, Acts 26:20). Let's look at some specific examples of this heresy.

The four spiritual laws can be found on the campus crusade website. In short, the four spiritual laws neglect the Biblical focus of sin/justice/hell/repentance/new birth and focus instead on “God has a wonderful plan for your life...you need Jesus so you can experience God's plan.” Sin is presented as a mere inconvenience that prevents the flow of blessings and is never properly defined. Repentance is almost completely neglected. Sure, there's a little cartoon at the end about Christ-directed vs. self-directed life, but their description of sin and repentance is so vague that it is practically useless to any sinner. Contrast this with the preaching of John the baptist, who called out specific sins and told men exactly what they needed to do (Luke 3:8-18). It wasn't just John, Jesus and the apostles did the same thing throughout the NT. So, instead of using the four spiritual laws, use God's laws (the 10 commandments are a great place to start) and show sinners their guilt, that they deserve judgement and hell, and that they need to repent and trust in the savior that died for them.

The Romans road is a very similar approach. Though older and more traditional, it's no better than the four spiritual laws. This approach relies on quoting several verses from Romans without their context. There are some variations, but let's look at the Sword of the Lord's website – a popular fundie resource. The shallow presentation of sin is similar to the four spiritual laws, but the Romans road is even worse because it mischaracterizes the nature of sin. At least the evangelicals talk about sin as a personal choice. In the Romans road, the fundies just talk about how you inherited Adam's sin nature. Too bad. How exactly are you supposed to repent of a sin nature? This description misleads sinners from gaining any concrete understanding of their personal, willful sins. The reality is that they must repent of their personal sins, not just the concept of sin, nor a supposed sin nature. Of course, they wouldn't know that anyway, because the Romans road doesn't even mention repentance at all. Therefore, the preacher robs the sinner of information they need to be saved. This road is just a spiritual dead end.

Now, given the nature and pervasiveness of these major errors, how can you minister to those around you? Realize that the number of religious lost is astounding, more than anyone would like to admit. From years of experience in preaching the gospel one-on-one, I estimate that less than 2% of Americans can give even passable responses to basic questions about the gospel, salvation, and the new birth – things that are necessary for salvation. If you don't believe me, approach some strangers or those lazy people at your church and ask them the following questions:

1) “Can you tell me how to get to heaven?” Probably the best response you'll get on this one is “believe in Jesus”. While not necessarily wrong, this answer is awfully incomplete. They should show some understanding of repentance in their answer to the rest of these questions. If not, they fail the test. Anyone who claims to have been saved for longer than a month certainly should be able to use the word “repent” without prompting.

2) “How is it that Jesus is able to save you?” they should have at least a basic understanding of substitutionary atonement – You are guilty of breaking God's law, but Jesus died in your place.

3) “What changed when you were saved?” Honestly, they should light up at this point. Every real Christian will have at least one story to tell that is very dear to them: loss of desire for formerly loved sins, a new hunger for the Bible, unexplained love for Christians, etc. They should be able to mention something like this which would demonstrate that they had a very real transition from darkness to light. If they have to think about it, you're looking at a lost religious person.

4) “So what are you doing for the Lord these days?” Maybe they're not making the best use of their time, but they should be doing something. Going to church, staying away from sin, reading the Bible, etc. doesn't count. That's no-brainer stuff that we do for ourselves. A person who does nothing for Christ is demonstrating that they do not really know Him (Matt. 3:10, Matt. 7:19-23, Matt. 25:23-30). Can someone recognize their sin and guilt, be saved from death and hell, then move on and not sacrifice and serve their Lord out of love? I don't buy it. There should be a desire to help and reach out to others that manifests itself somehow, ideally by sharing the gospel with others. Expect others to put up strong resistance to this one, as it cuts to the core of what is important.

As mentioned before, familiarity with the major errors that infect churches today is critical in order to minister to others. If you aren't willing to recognize the problems with a sinner's prayer or Romans road, you'll never ask the hard questions that are necessary to get through to the religious lost. This is not just theory. I seriously challenge you to ask the above questions to people around you. If they can't answer these simple questions about the gospel and the new birth, then it is evidence that they do not know Biblical repentance and faith. Treat them like a lost person until they prove otherwise. Specifically, share the Biblical gospel with them. Take away their hope in their superficial religious rituals, declare their need for repentance, and demand that they show the fruits of repentance. Be warned though, this simple Biblical practice will likely cause your friends and your church to turn away from you. But more importantly, you will have a chance to make a difference in their lives, and you will be following in the footsteps of Christ.

Josh Stone's "What Is Christianity?" (From Josh's Blog)

What Is Christianity?
NOV 8TH, 2013
Or maybe, what is it to be a Christian. There are many popular slogans today, “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship,” for one example. Maybe being a Christian is going to church. Maybe it’s a set of ideas you’ve committed your mind to. Maybe it’s hallmark activities, like reading the Bible, and going to church instead of watching the Super Bowl.

But I look at it a little differently. Theologically, it’s following Christ – repentance and faith, new birth, life in Christ. But I’m not talking about systematic thinking here. I mean, “What does it feel like to be a Christian?” In this post, I present some rambling about what this means. I hope it makes any sense at all.

A relationship

I’ve always heard people say this one, but it bugs me. “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.” But James 1:27 tells us what pure religion is. Shouldn’t we avoid trite little sayings that seem to disagree with a perfectly good Bible verse? If we consult a dictionary, relationships are a way to describe how two things are connected. A religion is the service and worship of God.

As a Christian, I’m connected to God, but so is a non-Christian – it’s just a different kind of connection. We might call the connection I have that of a Father and son. Corporately, Christians are the bride of Christ. That’s another kind of connection. A non-christian has something more like that of the cop and the criminal. Or at least, Creator / creation. For that matter, can you think of a religion that can’t describe itself as a relationship with God? (if not, you’re suffering from something called “group think”) In any case, using a flexible word like that to sum it up is silly. If it could mean anything, then it probably means nothing.

So stop picking on people who use the “r” word. It has a much better definition, anyway.

A lifestyle

Lots of people go to church buildings regularly, and this is an evidence that they’re christians. But you don’t find church buildings in the Bible, so it’s really just a cultural thing. In fact, most of the things people typically point to are not things that fundamentally make someone a Christian. They really just represent a cultural lifestyle. Church buildings, services, pews, devotions, radio stations, potlucks… lots of things that don’t make you a christian.

I think the classic argument about this perspective is that spending the night in a garage doesn’t make you a car. But that really sells this argument short. What we’re really talking about is people who can’t see past the cultural trappings of christian faith, as implemented in the culture, and find the consuming fire inside.

As a house-church proponent, I’ve seen this vividly with people who will mentally assent to the ideas of New Testament ecclesiology, but still refuse to let go of their cultural lifestyle. Many people will agree that church buildings are not biblical… but they still want to go to one. They’ll agree that employing a senior pastor, a paid professional, is frought with temptations and abuses, but they still want one. If they didn’t go sit next to 300 people this weekend, they won’t feel like a christian. And those same 300 people wouldn’t think a person’s still a christian if they gave it up.

The cultural expression of a christian community is just a shell. There ought to be a core inside, which is really the whole point. The shell is just an interface, to borrow a nerd metaphor. But the people I’m talking about – they’re like someone who eats M&Ms for the candy shell, and doesn’t even realize that there isn’t a chocolate center anymore.

If you peel back the layers of your christian experience, and find out that there’s no chocolate in the middle, you need to find something else. Otherwise, you’re settling for something that’s not the real thing.

An experience

Have I offended you yet? Sorry if I did. I told you I’d be rambling though. If you’re still reading, there’s another one that needs to be added to the list. I met a guy not long ago who says he had a vision of Jesus giving him a hug in a restaurant. And that’s why he’s a christian.

OK, you might think that sounds like an anomaly. But this isn’t just a pentecostal or charismatic thing. It’s not just a modern thing. It’s all over the place, and it’s right here in river city too. It’s trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with E, and that stands for ‘sperience.

Let me give you a Bible-thumpin’, independent, fundamentalist example. This is just to show that it affects even the most conservative of circles. I love sermons. And I don’t want you to miss how much… I collected them. I have thousands. I figured once that before I got married, I had heard over 10,000 sermons. It helped that I was a camp counselor for six years – maybe that was cheating – but nevertheless it’s true.

The way I saw it, a sermon was a message from God, and it was just about the most spiritually exciting thing you could do. But one day, someone asked me to name the 10 most influential sermons I’d ever heard. Out of the 10,000, I think I could list… I don’t know… three? He then asked me to name the 10 most influential people. I couldn’t just name 10 – And then I did the same thing with the 10 most influential books. They just kept coming, and I couldn’t decide (well, you really only get 9 anyway, since the Bible is #1, right?).

As fun as a good pulpit-pounding (nay, pulpit-kicking!), hell-fire, and brimstone sermon is, when you get right down to it, there’s usually not that much there. And it really doesn’t stick. Sometime, try to make a diagram of what’s in a sermon, and it’ll surprise you. There are much better ways to communicate, and much better ways to learn (even a regular lecture has a higher information density).

And it’s the same thing for the praise band. The faith healer. The vision in the restaurant. If you tie your spiritual identity to something that feels awesome, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. Feelings fade quickly, and have to be renewed tomorrow. You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.

So if your christianity revolves around the pulpit, or the altar call, or the music (let alone the tongues, the healing, etc.), search your soul, and see if it’s really doing all that you think it is. You may realize it doesn’t make as much difference as you think.

At least one alternative

I want to challenge every professing christian to the most profound adventure you can imagine. At least, that’s the way I think of christianity. It’s the greatest adventure. And if you find yourself in a milieu that doesn’t match that description, cut the cords and start adventuring. Here’s how you do it.

As a christian, you are a special agent. Sometimes, you function as a diplomat – an ambassador for Christ, representing Him to the world. At other times, you are a spiritual infiltrator, like when you preach the Gospel in the synagogue (the way Paul did). Sometimes you’re a warrior on the front lines, like when you’re passing out tracts or trying to figure out how long is too long to argue with an atheist. And maybe occasionally, you’re internal affairs, rooting out corruption and abuse. If this isn’t christianity to you, you might not have it figured out yet.

Also, other christians are real people. They aren’t hands to shake between the songs and the offering plate or targets for your multilevel marketing scam. They’re right sometimes, and they’re very wrong sometimes. And they probably think you’re wrong too. But they’re worthy of the sincerest love and sympathy, all wrapped up in one. Look around at the christians that you know… do you know these things about them? (Oh, and exclude anyone that you’re related to; that’s cheating):

How did they become christians (what’s their testimony)?
What did they think about last week’s sermon?
What is the most important doctrine that they have wrong (guaranteed that there is one)?
How about the least important doctrine they have wrong (these are sometimes fun)?
What do they do on Saturdays?
Do they need help with anything?
Would they go witnessing with you if you asked?
If you can’t answer these questions about your fellow christians, you don’t know them. And I’d argue that you’ve missed the chocolate center for the candy shell.

Yes, christianity is an adventure. This is the most apt metaphor I can think of. Imagine an adventure that you’ve heard of… what things happen in adventures? The hero loses sometimes. People are lost. Battles are fought. Sometimes there’s victory. You go places. You do things – usually of the “interesting” variety. You will be confronted with adversity, challenges, and probably a little evil here and there. You can rescue people. Others depend on you, and you can show your mettle. And usually, you end up getting home in the end. And winning.

You should be scrabbling to get better all the time, hoping that you’ll be prepared for the next step in the adventure. When you encounter an obstacle, you should defeat it. Soundly. With such finality that the next time you hit that obstacle, you won’t even notice. To succeed in this adventure, you need to know where you are, and where you’re going. You need tools. Skills. Heart. And you might have to do it alone, because I can guarantee you that you won’t find many people that will be willing to cast off the pithy sayings that excuse their inaction; the cultural trappings that distract them from the white-hot, burning, consuming passion of the christian adventure; and the trite experiences that keep them locked into spiritual baby-hood.

If this isn’t a picture of your christian life, ask yourself if you wish it was. My experience so far is that it’s apparently very hard to move past those things that hinder. But if you are willing to admit to yourself that christianity is more than almost anyone around you thinks it is, then put feet to it, and do something. Go witness to someone. Challenge 10 of your christian friends to join the adventure (if you find one that will, you’re probably lucky blessy). And regardless of what happens, mix it up until it works.

Recommendations

Join the battle – pass out a tract or argue with an atheist. Nothing will prompt spiritual growth like being part of God’s plan.
Figure out what you really believe, and toss it out if you can’t find it clearly in the Bible somewhere (especially with the cultural practices thing)
Bug other people sometimes, because the worst case is that they rebuff your attempts and they keep coasting. Best case, they join you in the adventure.
Take people seriously. Rebuke someone only because you love them, and really want to help them. Listen to what they say instead of throwing trite sayings and formulas at them.
Email me (yakovdk@gmail.com) because… well… I wouldn’t mind knowing!

Shepherd's Goad Facebook Page

Recently I started a Facebook page for Shepherd's Goad, and I've been using that outlet to post other articles relevant to Christianity. If you have not seen the page, please, visit it and subscribe.

My intention is to use the page as an extra venue for other Christian writers. It should also serve to cause Tim and I to contribute more on this site in the future. That being said, I am going to add the articles I've posted on Facebook this week. Enjoy.

Summary and Remarks Concerning Larry Alex Taunton's "Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity"

An old school friend of mine posted this link to an article on Facebook that appeared in The Atlantic. My first thought was, “This should be an interesting attack against Christianity.” Then, I looked at the title again, and noticed that it had the tagline “Lessons for a Stronger Christianity.” This left me puzzled, because The Atlantic is not known as being a Christian publication, further, it’s much left-of-center, especially in areas conflicting with evangelical/fundamental beliefs. Surely, The Atlantic, in my mind at least, would never publish an article that would challenge Christians, right? After all, isn’t going to church supposed to take care of all that? Isn’t church where one goes to get preached at? Further, according to Christians, aren’t Atheists simply arrogant, hateful, misguided abhorrents to society? If they’d just go to church like they’re supposed to, then they’d see that God is real. If they’d go to church, then the world wouldn’t be so messed up. After all, it was Atheists who have sparked the modern world’s revolutions, most notably the French Revolution, of which I’ve been slogging through over at Clio’s Lessons for more than a year now. If they just realized the foolishness of their position, then they’d reject their stance, and turn to Christ. Therein lies the problem. Who is showing them Christ?

Larry Alex Taunton’s article should be a bombshell. No, let me restate that, it should be a hydrogen bomb. It should cause deep, spirit-led, heartfelt sorrow. It should cause all who profess Christianity to examine themselves, whether they be in the faith, as II Corinthians 13:5 states. It won’t. Modern American Christianity is largely confused. This should come as no surprise to the Bible-believer, because such confusion was prophesied long before America even existed as a nation. Much of the epistles warn against such confusion, but it happened, and is happening anyway. The situation is all too common. Some great teacher, who in many cases has a great heart, arrives on the scene saying amazing things in an incredible way. This man has what seems to be truth, and he definitely has love, so what could possibly go wrong? We should just trust God that He put us under the teacher’s voice. Who are we to question the man of God? Further, this is the way we’ve always done it. It’s tradition, and no one messes with tradition. Especially not an atheist. It’s the atheist who needs to get right, not us Church-going Christians. Mr. Taunton’s article very carefully reveals this very idea/practice as being in fact the problem itself.

Mr. Taunton’s work , which can be seen here, has brought him face to face with atheists, skeptics, agnostics, and many professing Christians. He is attempting to calmly proclaim Christ to an increasingly stormy world. Recently, as his article points out, he and his foundation did a study trying to uncover what he calls “The New Atheists” motives. When did they become Atheist? Why did they choose Atheism? It was questions like these that uncovered many seemingly unrelated statements, that he eventually concluded were in fact all related. Mr. Taunton foreshadows the very heart of the matter when he first quotes Michael, a poli-sci major from Dartmouth, “I really can’t consider a Christian a good, moral person if he isn’t trying to convert me.”  This is the main point, and focus around which all other issues arise. Michael, an atheist, has got it right! In this vein, those professing Christianity have greatly erred, and are in fact part of the ever-growing problems affecting their sacred establishments. After quoting Michael, Mr. Taunton then sets off to prove this point.

Taunton and his team issued a challenge across social media aimed at challenging college student led atheist groups. The response was overwhelming as many across the spectrum responded to the simple request, “Tell us your journey to unbelief.” One such young-man, Phil, greatly touched Taunton. His remarks revealed much that churches just don’t understand, or perhaps in many situations, refuse to understand. Phil was raised in a Methodist church, a church, by his own admission, that he liked. It was a contemporary-style church, but it was not the style that impressed Phil, it was his youth pastor’s, Jim,  heart for and knowledge of the Bible. Phil recalls being able to ask questions, no matter how great or small, during a Bible study setting. He began to realize that Jim would always search the scriptures for an answer. If he knew the answer, great, and if he did not at the moment, Jim would search to find one. Jim simply paid attention, and sought out the Bible. This, however, was not good enough for “growth.” (Numerical growth, not spiritually maturing growth – there is a difference, but more on that later). Jim was told to teach less, and become more of a fun guy in order to attract more numbers. When Jim refused, Phil lost his youth pastor. In Jim’s place the church hired, according to Phil’s testimony, Savannah, a pretty, young girl, “…[who] knew nothing about the Bible.” The numbers began rolling in, but Phil was out. Not out of the church, he still attended, but he attended as an atheist until he left for college. Using this story, Taunton outlines 7 serious issues to which any and all professing Christians should pay attention.

First, most atheists in Taunton’s study attended church. They became atheists in reaction to Christianity alone, nothing else.

Second, those churches had at best an ambiguous message. Messages about being good, or doing good in society (aka Social Gospel) littered the testimonies. Churches were often about their, that is the organization’s, reforming an individual, not Christ’s doing the reforming. No connection was made between Christ and the person’s life, as the Bible states. Taunton recalls Stephanie, a Northwestern student’s remarks, which reveal why she left Christianity. She saw, at best, little incentive to stay in the church, if Christ could not reform the lives of those attending. Taunton further points out that this was not just an isolated comment, but one that was restated often.

Third, churches were giving superficial answers to serious questions. As an educator, I have witnessed this one first hand. A former student of mine recently nailed me with a series of very pertinent questions. He had been asking family, teachers, and pastors the same series of questions for about a year before he reconnected with me. When I started to take the time to show him Biblically the answers he so craved, more questions came. We spent two long evenings, and countless other chats over the last year digging, one on one, into the Bible. I at one point asked him why he hadn’t found any answers yet, he replied with two heartbreaking comments, “I was told that I was thinking too deeply about these things.” and, “I just need to trust by faith that what I’m being told is true.” Both responses reveal the problem Taunton is illustrating. The school and church is not one that preaches social gospel. It would not be claimed by the New Evangelicals or Neo Orthodox realm. It is, as they proclaim Fundamental, Bible-Believing. The reality, however, is that they practice much of the numbers game as well as New Evangelical or Neo Orthodox thought. When the tough questions are asked, those in leadership run, because as Phil pointed out about Savannah, they don’t know the Bible. The students in Taunton’s study all reveal that they found church to be a place of “…shallow, harmless, and ultimately irrelevant people.” They draw this conclusion, especially in the early adult years, from the fact that no one in their professing Christian circles knows how to answer life’s serious questions.

Fourth, my previous comments would seem to have an irreverence for Pastors, Missionaries, and Teachers in the church. It would also seem that these students-turned-atheists have such irreverential attitudes toward church leadership. That’s what someone in those positions of authority would have you believe at least. The reality is much more eye-opening. Taunton has debated many atheists in his lifetime, one of whom was the most antagonistic atheists of his time, Christopher Hitchens. After a debate in 2010, Taunton asked Hitchens why he didn’t attempt to “savage” him on the stage. Hitchens reply is loaded with insight, “Because you believe it.” It was in this paragraph  that Michael from Dartmouth’s quote about good, moral Christians trying to convert him was stated, thus revealing that only a few Christians are due respect. All others claiming to follow Christ are then called out. The atheist, as I have experienced, and Taunton points out, have the utmost respect for those who truly, and ”…’unashamedely’ embraced Biblical teaching.” It is only those who are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ that earn the atheists respect. Those wishy-washy forms incur wrath, as they should. Taunton shows that this is true not just across the college-aged spectrum, but also quotes famous magician Penn Jillette’s now well-known comments, “I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward…. How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” No, there’s not a disrespect or irreverence to these leaders, that is unless they’re so ashamed of Christ as to not proclaim the truth to a lost and dying world. In that case, the atheist is absolutely correct in his antagonistic reply to the weak-minded, social clubs that call themselves “churches.” I concur.

Fifth, Taunton states that ages 14-17 are decisive. As a former High school student I couldn’t agree more. I’d, however, further add that each and every year after 17 the young person becomes exponentially more difficult to reach. Not impossible, but incomprehensibly more difficult. (One can only say such a comment if one has been out “proselytizing.” Otherwise, one would never know this reality in its fullest sense). High school students are not stupid. They often ask better, though simpler, questions about life than adults. They just want to know so much. When they don’t find the answers in one area, by default they look for answers in another area. In today’s age of information at your fingertips, this becomes a serious battle for parents, teachers, etc…. Half-baked answers just won’t suffice. Laziness will soon be exposed. Thus the Bible’s comments about Studying to shew thyself approved or Proving all things and holding fast that which is good. If a Christian doesn’t do these things, what good is he in helping others find truth? Wouldn’t you reject someone who can’t answer your questions on any matter? Teens are no different.

Sixth, emotions are real, and for ages 14-17 they are very serious, often leading to life-changing decisions. Typically in Christian youth rally’s or conferences a type of emotionalized message is preached. Those speakers understand that if they can affect the teenagers emotions, then they can effect an outcome. Often scores of teary-eyed teens flood forward for an alter call, and make decisions about any number of issues. I am not against going straight for a person’s heart, but one must understand that there is a proper way to do so. I’ve had people start crying on the street after I’ve shared the Law with them. This is good, “Godly Sorrow”, not created by my words, but by their own admission to being guilty under God’s Law. That Godly Sorrow, as the rest of the verse states, leads to repentance to Salvation not to b repented of…. II Cor. 7:10. What often transpires, however, at one of these youth events is a ramped up emotionalism that produces numbers of responses. Some of the responses are good, but the majority are nothing more than sensationalized feelings. Speaking from both sides of the coin, I, as a student went forward for the very same things others did. Usually within a week or so, however, the emotion wore off, and I’d be back at whatever it was about which I was so remorseful. That seemed to be the case with others around me too, and I just accepted it as normal. Then I started to notice that I would go further into whatever sin it was that caused me so much angst, and the next time I’d hear an emotion-laced plea, it fell upon deaf ears. I’d become hardened. Not only did I become hardened, I rejected what was being preached. Once I finally understood that Christ overcame the world, sin, death, and hell, and that He wanted to do that for me and in my life, then I realized how wicked I was. Then I was in agreement with God about sin, and then I turned from sin (In repentance to God), and toward Christ (In Faith). This ultimately vital truth is not widely used anymore. It does not produce numbers. Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. It is not enough to point out in an emotional way what sin is. One must give truth to the person who is broken about sin, and compel them to repent from their sin, and turn to Christ. In this case emotions are often present, but emotions without truth properly applied leads to despair when the feeling disappears. Teens more often than not become jaded after a series of emotional responses, and then reject what they think is Christianity. Taunton does not go into this type of detail. Instead he gives witness to abusive relationships, and how they affected the atheists in his study. He metions two cases in which scarred girls rejected a god in whom they thought inflicted pain upon mankind. Their emotions are/were real, and must be handled accordingly. One should understand that these emotionally abusive situations can and do occur in religious settings. (eg. Pastors threatening parents or students, who have experienced some form of wickedness done by the church leadership. The news is all too full of such events).

Finally, Taunton points out that the internet has become an immense tool in teens converting to atheism. The internet is a double-edged sword. When used correctly, it is a very helpful instrument. When used incorrectly, it leaves permanent damage. It would be faulty, however, to blame the internet for causing teens to become atheists. Much as it is faulty in stating that a knife killed a person. The tool has to be willfully used in order for it to be effective. In spite of that, accidents do occur. It is how one responds to the willful or accidental usage of a tool that matters. Let me illustrate my point further. Two teens are doing a research project for school. They both pick the same topic, Atheism. Both claim to be Christians. Both students, Jack and Jill, research the same information, but Jack’s work leads him into atheism, whereas Jill’s work leads her into a deeper understanding of Christ. What was the difference? They both used the same material, but arrived at vastly different conclusions. Jack, who at the beginning professed to be Christian, had a weak, at best, knowledge of the Bible he claimed to follow. Jill, on the other hand, had a strong foundation in the Bible, and was not fazed by the material she researched. She had been properly, Biblically taught the answers to life’s serious questions. When those questions came, she did not flinch. Jack, however, did. The tool did not lead him into atheism, it just revealed that the seed of God’s Word had not taken root in his heart. Jack’s willful choice led him into atheism, not the internet. Jill’s willful choice to follow Christ, kept her from espousing atheism. Thus, when both used the same materials, one used the information correctly, and one used it incorrectly. There are many tools in the world today, much of them online. The parent must be aware of this reality. Further, the parent must be aware of what state the child’s heart is in. This is a present, active, always wary necessity for each and every parent. It does not mean that such parental action will make their child a Christian. It means that a parent must, relying upon Christ, raise their children in scriptural nurture and admonition. When, not if, the serious questions arise, the parent (as commanded by the Bible in hundreds of ways), should teach and train. If that is done properly, the child-become-teen, should not be afraid to answer boldly, and scripturally.

In Taunton’s conclusionary remarks, the makes this powerfully condemnatory last remark, “That these students were, above all else, idealists who longed for authenticity, and having failed to find it in their churches, they settled for a non-belief that, while less grand in its promises, felt more genuine and attainable.” He adds another comment by Michael, “Christianity is something that if you really believed it, it would change your life and you would want to change [the lives] of others. I haven’t seen too much of that.” [Emphasis mine]. What has happened!? Atheists seem to understand something that most professing Christians miss, or refuse to understand. They understand that Christianity, as we know it in modern America, is no longer changing lives, nor does it care to affect the lives of those around them. To add my final thought to the article, one that I and others often use when dealing with professing Christians – “What are you doing with it? If nothing, as Penn Jillette illustrates, why do you hate me so much that you want me to go to Hell? Do you really believe Christ then? Do you really love Him? Has your life been changed by Him?” Well, has it?

Why Go To Church - Part 8a

I go to church, because I’m afraid not to.

The first response a Bible-believing, Christ-following person should have to such a statement must come from scripture - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – II Timothy 1:7. Fear is not a tactic of a Bible-believing Christian. It is a tactic of a cult. Consider a few other verses in order to answer the proposed statement above.

Genesis 15:1 - After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

God is commanding Abram not to fear, while Abram follows Him. After this pronouncement, Abram talks with God, and God restates His promises to Abram as outlined in Genesis 12:1-3. He should have nothing to fear in following God, because God promised to be Abram’s shield and exceeding great reward. This promise extends to the Christian as well in that we should not fear our reward, but put our trust in Him. (cf. Proverbs 18:10).

For time and space I will skip a few more passages in Genesis and come to Genesis 50:19 – And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? This verse does not state that Joseph is in church. It states that he was in God’s will. In that place no one has anything to fear.

Drawing from previously skipped verses in Genesis, one must consider the many passages in Exodus that reference fearing God. Upon doing so, don’t hesitate to cross reference the many statements concerning fear in Proverbs, such as Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of knowledge. (emphasis mine). The fear is only the beginning, but more on that later. The Hebrew women and Moses, who feared God, did what they were told to do, because they feared God. They did not know what would happen, nor did they understand what God was doing. In other words, they did not have the entire picture. They only knew that God commanded them, and they listened. Their continued obedience revealed more of Who God is, and upon knowing God more fully, they passed from fear into a deeper relationship. Notice Moses’ progression from the burning bush until his death in Nebo. Yes, Moses had a fear, a proper fear, of God, but after his initial fear, he matured into a vastly deeper relationship with Him. Also notice what God promised to send upon the Egyptians, who would not submit under God’s authority. Fear, most certainly not the same fear mentioned in context of Moses or the Hebrew wives, was part of the promised curse in Exodus 15:16 (cf. Exodus 23:27).

One final note to meditate upon comes from Exodus 20:20 – And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. This is an interesting verse for a few reasons: The Hebrews are commanded not to fear, This is after the listing of the Ten Commandments, and God’s fear is mentioned.

First and Second, the only thing that man has to fear is breaking God’s Law (cf. Romans 1-3). Upon breaking that Law man should be afraid of Death and Hell, because that is what God has promised for them who do transgress that Law (Romans 2-3, Romans 7, James 2:10, I John 3:4, Revelation 20). In this context the Old Testament saints had much to fear, because of the Law. This is the beginning of knowledge, however. Man has to first understand how Holy God is, and upon realizing His holiness, man must then of necessity realize how unholy he actually is. (cf. Romans 2:4b – it is understanding God’s goodness that leads a man to repentance). This Law, rightly, then is the “schoolmaster”, which brings man to that repentance. It’s only the beginning. God wants us to progress past that level. He did not want the Hebrews to remain at the fear level mentioned in Exodus, hence the command to “fear not.” This truth is the same today as it was then. Any institution using fear as a means to control a person’s actions is misusing God’s fear for their own gain, and fits all definitions of a cult.

Finally from Exodus 20:20 – What is God’s fear? He is mentioned as fearing in this portion, and as previously noted, sends his fear against the nations, such as Egypt in Exodus 15. I must state openly that I do not know, but what seems to be the case is that God has a fear of sin. Not in that it will overtake Him, but that He must punish it in a terrible way. This further seems to fit context with II Peter 3:9 - …God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God does not take pleasure in punishing the wicked (Ezekiel 18:32, 33:11). His punishment is severe, powerful, final, and just, but He does not take pleasure in sending any man to Hell. Perhaps this is what He fears in Exodus. For further weight to this viewpoint, consider Christ’s prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a level of intense passionate emotion in that prayer. Not that Christ feared death, but that Christ’s Divine relationship with the Father would be separated by taking upon Himself man’s sin. (I would love to hear your comments on this idea!)

Throughout the remaining “Five Books of Moses”, as they’re commonly called, fear is mentioned many more times. Leviticus deals with fearing God when His Law is broken, which I have already briefly illustrated. Numbers and Deuteronomy both deal with not fearing man, but fearing God. But how does the fear mentioned in these books mesh with the rest of the Bible? I hope to define this in the coming posts. It is a weighty topic, but a necessary one to understand in order to answer the statement “I go to church, because I’m afraid not to” properly. (Please, do bear with me in this topic, Fear is mentioned 501 times in the Bible, and I am certain to miss a few key verses or points here and there. If so, please, feel free to comment). 

Ben Schettler Discusses Problems Facing Children

I am always interested in discussions regarding issues facing children today. Much attention has been given to this very serious topic, some good and some bad. Some of the information given is good, but misses the main point. Ben's discussion, though very good, falls into the missing the point category. All too often professing Christians attempt to fix what is in front of them by attempting to deal with the external issues - such as music, movies, the world's philosophy. Dealing with those issues is not bad - I believe wholeheartedly that we must earnestly contend for the faith - but what does it matter if one convinces another that the music industry is totally immersed in filth? I know many professing Christians who claim that the music industry is totally wicked, but go on "enjoying" it anyway. How can this be? How can we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? This is the point, this is the main question that must be revisited, and consequently re-answered. Children must be genuinely, soundly saved. 

Ben's viewpoint, save sin nature, is very good. He clearly illustrates a number of very serious issues, and I certainly recommend watching the attached clip. Further, I endorse his message that 1 man is for 1 woman for life, as God intended it to be. His work in this area is second to none.

Here is my outline of a few key points discussed in the video.

I. Infinite Adolescence:

    A. Problem of Perpetually Remaining Youth.

    B. The Emphasis to Remain Young Has Been Pushed Upon Today's Youth.

    C. Today's "Adolescent" Is Between the Ages of 13 and 30.

II. Kids Need To Grow Up:

    A. Treat Kids As Adults.

    B. Parents Should Want Their Children to Mature.

III. Parents Don't Want Their Children to Fail:

    A. Kids Must Struggle In Order to Grow.

    B. Struggle Is a Necessary Component of Growth, Naturally and Spiritually Speaking.

IV. Arrogant Generation:

    A. This Generation Believes That It Can Do Anything.

    B. The Reality Is that It Cannot Do Anything.

    C. Someone, Preferably the Parent, Should Be Realistic.

V. Understand Gender Identity:

    A. We're Not All the Same!

    B. Born With Natural Desires. (This is where Ben mentioned sin nature, and in reality he's arguing against himself by saying something along the lines of "We're all born with desires." " No one is born homosexual, that desire comes from a sinful progression." - My paraphrase of the few comments made).

VI. Know The Truth - Know God's Word!

VII. Protect Children from Perversion:

    A. Mature Responsibility.

    B. Maintain Innocence.

And here is the video for your own viewing.

Why Go To Church? Part 7b

To Teach and Train My Children, Continued.

In the previous post, I listed a hefty amount of scripture all dealing with the parental responsibility to train children. Because much of what could be said in this article has already been previously stated under “I Go To Church to Learn the Word of God”, this section will be short.

The church is the other God ordained institution that should teach/train children, though it should be secondary, not primary in this pursuit. The greater issue when teaching children is impressionability. The world system has this truth passionately burned into its conscience. Anti-God rhetoric is littered across all pedagogy in all public schools, programs, and literature. Churches, depending on denomination, have been deeply influenced by the world, and many nominal Christians have accepted legions of anti-God philosophy. For instance, Rob Bell is preaching a universalistic gospel, but uses various scripture – though blatantly out of context – to keep “Christians” baited. If a Christian does not have enough Bible knowledge and more so, Bible wisdom, to deal with such error, he will fall pray. Granted, many churches do not have the extreme heretical levels of Rob Bell, Joel Osteen, or Rick Warren to name a few, but many do hold Augustinian, Calvinistic, and Catholic pollutions.

If I as a parent present my children to the system for education, I then open a giant door to let anyone, even with the best intentions, to teach my children. As a child, I remember attending Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, Free-Will Baptist, and Independent Fundamental Baptist Schools. Without fail, my father would ask my brother and I if we were being taught this or that error from this or that school. We were definitely indoctrinated, but did not really realize how that indoctrination was taking place. (Side note, my father was much more hands on than most parents are, believe me. As a teacher, I only consistently talked with 4 maybe 5 parents over the span of 5 years). The point is this, children are sponges. Whatever you teach them, they will almost without fail accept what is being said. Hence Jesus’ words in Matthew.

Matthew 18:1-6

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

It is brutally difficult to “retrain” a child once he’s been indoctrinated either for good or for evil. Don’t believe me? Try reasoning with a life-long Muslim, Jew, Hindu….  It is not impossible, but close. Which is further illustrated by Solomon.

Proverbs 22:6

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Most churches have a watered down “kid” approach, which makes Bible truths into cutsie kid stories. Those kid stories remain kiddish well into adulthood. For instance, if a child is brought up with the Apostle Paul looking like a giant, talking cucumber, he will have that picture for many years. This is a dumbed down approach to the Bible, and highly irreverent. The end result makes the “stories” just that and nothing more. The Bible is much more than stories, it is truth that frees from sin (John 8:29 ff.).

Another more dangerous issue is Salvation. Using the dumbed down approach, many well-meaning teachers will coax children into praying a pray to “Go to Heaven.” What’s wrong with this after all? 1. All kids would rather go to Heaven than Hell. 2. They are trusting that the adult knows what she’s talking about. 3. They trust the prayer that the adult leads them in. 4. No repentance is mentioned ever (being sorry is not the essence of repentance, more on that later). 5. No 1,2,3 repeat after me prayer is ever used by anyone ever in the Bible. 6. When children mature into adulthood based upon faulty methods leading to false-conversion, a total lack of “assurance” becomes a severe problem. Further teachers ensure the now teen/young adult that they prayed the prayer, and are in fact saved. In fact, however, the issue that the now matured child has is conviction, that is real conviction that he is lost, and living a life of sin apart from God. What in turn happens is an inoculated “God Believer” but not “Christ Follower” has been created. This belief will not save, because of the crippling false gospel message that was taught at a young age. Just wanting to go to Heaven is the wrong motive for salvation, it is inherently selfish. We must trust Christ upon both 1. Faith, which leads to 2. Repentance – that is a change of attitude toward sin, which will in turn change your life of sin to one of righteousness. Many, including children want to “Go to Heaven”, but few want to get rid of sin. They want a Heaven filled with the “peaceful, loving God of youth”, but they become offended with the Just, Righteous, Jealous God of the Bible after they mature. Parents, be careful, this is the harmful message most churches are teaching your child. Do not forsake, nor forget Matthew 18:6!

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Children most certainly believe in God, you will not find one who doesn’t. They have to be educated out of the obvious, which proves how stupid adults become in order to continue in their sin. If they already believe in God, then teach them Christ. Teach them truth. Teach them yourself. It may be the difference between Heaven or Hell.

Why Go To Church, Part 7a.

8a. To teach/train my kids. Church is most certainly a God-ordained institution to teach/train. The other, and main, institution is the home. There is a third institution that God ordained, but He did not ordain it to teach/train, He ordained it to protect (not read provide), that is the government. The government does at times teach/train, but that is after the parent has failed – not the church, but the parent only, sorry parents – and the government has to penalize, jail, or even kill as necessity dictates.No parent wants the government then to ultimately teach a child under these circumstances. From the remaining two choices, which one has precedence? Unequivocally the parent, so let’s look at the home first, and then as an outgrowth the church will fall into proper place.

The home was established immediately after it was created to raise children. Understandably, the objection would be that Adam, Eve, and children were all that populated the earth, so there were no work conflicts, and no time conflicts. This argument is a straw man, because God established that Adam and Eve raised their own children. When other institutions arose, God did not commute His ordered command from the parents to anything or anyone else, therefore, the fact remains that Parents raise their own Children. What does the Bible further say concerning this issue?

Ephesians 6:1-4

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

No one other than the parent can properly fulfill verse 4. I taught, and did love my students, but I certainly did not love them the same way I love my own child. Further, I will teach my child more than any teacher can hope to teach. This is an outgrowth of the fact that I love my child, and because I love him, I will do all that I can to ensure he succeeds in life, but more importantly with Christ.

II Thessalonians 2:11

2:11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

Implicit in this verse is how a child is raise by his father, exhorted and comforted. It was understood that the parent does this, and was doing it.

I Timothy 3:4-6, 12

3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

Both passages deal with “men of God”, of which we are all, but do notice that these “offices” could only be held if the family was ruled and taught well. I add taught, because it is one of the functions that the church does, and how could a pastor be a pastor if he cannot teach his own children? He cannot be a novice, and must know the Bible. (Sadly, how many pastors know very little of the Bible, or know only a few pet issues? How can they be relied upon to teach/train?)

I Timothy 5:10, 14

5:10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. These commands are to women, so do not think that men have the only responsibility. Women are involved in guiding the house and bringing up children. The most successful children will have a double dose of teaching from father and mother. God planned it that way back in the Garden of Eden.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. This whole passage deals with teaching God’s greatest command, to love Him. The family teaches this to the child, there is no mention of school, church, government or anything else even implied in this passage. Further, the house was even to be used as a message board for teaching God’s truths! The Jews did, and many still do practice putting scripture on walls and doorways today in accordance with these verses. This was such a vital command that it was again restated in Deuteronomy 11:19-20. Don’t miss it when God says it more than once!

Deuteronomy 31:12-13

31:12 Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

Notice that training children may at times also spill over to those who are nearby? Regardless, the Fear of the Lord is taught by the fathers, as it was commanded. Another from Deuteronomy for emphasis:

Deuteronomy 32:46

32:46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. This was part of Moses’ final words before he died, therefore, it must be particularly special, and must be heeded.

Joshua 4:21-22

4:21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?

4:22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

This is just one of many instances where a memorial is set up before God in the Old Testament. Children would ask their fathers of the memorial’s significance, and the fathers were responsible to teach history to the questioning child.

Psalm 78:1-7

78:1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

78:3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

78:4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

78:5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

78:6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

78:7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

What an amazing section! Notice what is to be taught, and who is to teach it? God’s words, and the fathers respectively. This holds perpetually, as fathers teach children, and children teach children. Again, no mention of any other institution. If these truths are forgotten, then the child will not know God’s words. The Book of Proverbs was an instruction manual given by a father, Solomon, to his son, Rehoboam. Consider some examples:

Proverbs 4:1-2

4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

Solomon gives instruction in Chapters 5-7 concerning the forward man, and the harlot. He commands children to listen throughout.

Proverbs 31:26-28

31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. The woman disseminates wisdom as well. She cares for her children as she does this, and will earn praise from those children that walk after God.

Isaiah 38:19

38:19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The father makes truth known to his child.

Jeremiah illustrates what happens to those generations who do not teach God’s Word to their children. They become foolish, and only understand evil. Based upon the well accepted statistic that 85%, stated in every Christian Educator conference I attended, of Christian school kids go into the world, this verse illuminates that truth profoundly.

Jeremiah 4:22

4:22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. No doubt children can readily quote any rock song, movie line, and tv show joke much easier than he can quote John 1:1, 3:16, 3:30, or any other verse.

Our families are failing to toe the line, and do what God commanded, raise your own child! There are hundreds more examples throughout the Bible that illustrate Parental teaching. There are none to be found supporting any other child raising method.

Hosea 4:6

4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

The greatest reason why parents do not train their own children is because they do not know the Bible themselves. This is another illustration of the Christian school’s, and church’s, failure. Most students in Christian Education are products of parents who were also in Christian Education. Their lack of knowledge has created further generations who know even less about the Bible than they did.

Destruction is promised to those who do not have knowledge. Heed this promise parents! Learn what God has commanded for yourself, that way when someone who claims to be a “servant of God” comes along, you can rightly divide the word of truth, and expose error for what it is. It is your responsibility to protect your child from error, no one else’s! You will stand before God and give account for how you raised your child, make sure it is a good account!