Then yesterday in T.D. Jakes To Speak At Willow Creek I told you that doctrinal differences are now going to blurred further with Jakes set to bring his “show” in for Druckerite Bill Hybels at his The Global Leadership Summit 2010 coming up this August 5-6.

Tonight Jakes is appearing for Word Faith pastor Casey Treat, along with the aptly named Creflo Dollar at Vision Conference 2010. Below you can watch the masterful showman T.D. Jakes at work in the top two videos from his New Years Annual Revival 2008.

In this first one Jakes does his leads up to praying for “dreamers.”

In this second part you’ll witness Jakes as he skillfully works the crowd into a frenzy as he supposedly breaks many curses and insecurties before Jakes then slays people “in the Spirit” ala Word Faith uber-charlatan statesman Benny Hinn. 

And below you’ll see that T.D. Jakes had better make his money save some souls while he can; cuz it sure looks to me like the little man’s sure got the show anointing down pat already.

And this is what Ed Young, Jr has been bringing before his church of Southern Baptists for years now; and this summer, Bill Hybels is about to unleash within the mainstream of evangelicalism.

See also:

T.D. JAKES: JESUS IS THE PRODUCT

KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF: T.D. JAKES ON THE TRINITY

T.D. JAKES AND ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM (AKA MODALISM)

And in addition, Jakes will also be a featured speaker for Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Church at The Global Leadership Summit 2010 coming up this August 5-6.

 Below is an MSNBC expose concerning the companies ministries led by Word Faith millionaire moguls T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen. After-all, as Jakes himself says at the beginning of the piece: “I think that Jesus is the product.” 

See also:

KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF: T.D. JAKES ON THE TRINITY

T.D. JAKES AND ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM (AKA MODALISM)

ED YOUNG, JR PAYS HOMAGE TO JOEL OSTEEN

Despite his denial of the Trinity, i.e. the very nature of God, there right alongside Hybels, Andy Stanley, and some others, T. D. Jakes is scheduled to speak at The Global Leadership Summit 2010 coming up this August 5-6.

And doctrinal differences continue to be erased as below is video of T.D. Jakes who’ll also appear, along with Ed Young, Jr and Andy Stanley, for a second time at the Hillsong Conference 2010 in July.

See also:

T.D. JAKES: JESUS IS THE PRODUCT

KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF: T.D. JAKES ON THE TRINITY

T.D. JAKES AND ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM (AKA MODALISM)

Sola fide and sola gratia as used in the Protestant Reformation mean that while the sinner is dead in his trespasses and sins God Himself sovereignly regenerates those whom He will. As His gift God gives them the faith to believe in Christ, and they repent of their sins. This is actually diametrically opposed to any of the seeker-friendly postevangelical movements e.g. the Purpose Driven Life as taught by Rick Warren.

The sad fact is that the contemporary American Christian Church largely believes in synergism (man cooperates with God), while in stark opposition to the synergism of apostate Roman Catholicism, the Reformers (even before John Calvin) taught monergism (soli Deo gloria). Yet to a great extent today the Emerging Church movement overall, and voices in this Emergent rebellion against Sola Scriptura like Rob Bell in particular, also strongly believe in synergism (at best).

The Sheep Need To Be Protected From Preachers Pretending To Be Sent By God

There are those who would ask: “Do you have to be so blunt and use words like that?” My answer is: “Well, it’s about time somebody spoke this way about these jokers.” Victor T. Stephens is a former member of notorious Word Faith prosperity preacher Creflo Dollar:

Mr. Stephens is not a “religious” man, but rather a truth seeking spiritual Christian who has accepted salvation solely by faith in Christ. Embarrassingly, he use to be a member of World Changers Church International. After four years, the Lord opened his eyes to His truth and he withdrew from the charismatic, but aberrant teachings of Creflo Dollar.
(Online source)

While I may not necessarily agree with all of his conclusions in ”The Word-Faith Movement: Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing” Mr. Stephens has done an interesting series on something he knows quite a bit about from first-hand experience. Page five deals with the false teaching of “positive confession” by Word Faith phonies particularly as it pertains to their bogus claim that if a human being has enough faith it causes God to heal them.

Within Stephens happens to quote Word Faith mogul and Oneness Pentecostal heretic T.D. Jakes on divine healing:

Word-Faith leaders attempt to sanction divine physical healing for all Christians who possess adequate faith. If a believer is feeling sick, then he should deny his symptoms and speak positive words of faith. Word-Faith leaders suggest that if a Christian has an incurable disease or is permanently handicapped, then he lacks faith and is living outside God’s will. T.D. Jakes alleges:

“It’s what you say to yourself that gets you healed. If you say that you won’t be healed, you won’t be healed. If you say that you are broke, you will stay broke. Oh! But I came to serve notice on the Devil. The Bible says, ‘The power of life and death is in the tongue.’ Slap somebody and say, ‘You better speak to yourself.’ “ (T.D. Jakes, “Seize The Moment”, Woman Thou Art Loosed, 2000 Atlanta, Georgia)
(Online source, emphasis mine)

Now why is the highlighted above important here? Well, I’m glad you asked. Looks like Jakes needs to speak to himself because it turns out T.D Jakes just canceled an upcoming trip because he is a hypocrite who apparently doesn’t have the faith to back up his own stupid slandering of a celestial being (look it up) in that passage cited by Stevens:

American televangelist TD Jakes called off a planned trip to Zambia where he was to officiate at a Freedom Summit, meeting presidential hopefuls ahead of this month’s presidential election… He explained his cancellation, citing a mysterious disease reported last week to have killed some people. Summit organizers were unable to reassure Bishop Jakes there was no chance of catching the viral hemorrhagic fever believed to be rodent-borne. Two out of three victims of the disease, who died in Johannesburg, had come from Zambia. (Online source, emphasis mine)

When will people wake up and realize what these talk loud when in their own crowd Word Faith wolve$ are really after. Apprising Ministries already contrasted Jakes with some genuine preachers in the history of the Christian Church in T.D. Jakes Is A Spiritual Coward. For example:

Dr. Martin Luther the key figure in the Protestant Reformation that T.D. Jakes might just have enough intestinal fortitude to admit to believing in. Well as long as there wasn’t any Roman Catholic money around…oops, make that weren’t any Roman Catholic people around. T.D. Jakes and Martin Luther are brought before Emperor Charles V with the great Roman Catholic theologian Johann Maier von Eck armed with a papal bull acting as his spokesman who demand that they recant their teachings.

Luther asks for time to think it over. But T.D. Jakes mumbles:

“I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and became a bit disenchanted and so I worked some with Luther… Both of these chapters of my early spiritual journey contributed volumes to my faith and walk with God, helping to hone my character. I was shaped by and appreciate both the Roman Catholic Church and the spirit of the Reformation, but am controlled by neither.”

And concerning Jales’ tacit denial of the Holy Trinity in T.D. Jakes Be A Man And Answer The Question I bring to your attention that back on January 6, 2007 as a pastor I even wrote T.D. Jakes myself for his view of this cardinal i.e. non-negotiable doctrine proclaimed by the actual Church of Jesus Christ. I’ve yet to receive a response and because it would require the gellatinous Jakes to make a clear-cut stand, potenially causing a loss of some of his money, oops—follower$, I’m not holding my breath.

HT: Slice of Laodicea

See also:

KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF: T.D. JAKES ON THE TRINITY

You see the bottom line in our generation is this: either this faith of Jesus Christ was actually delivered once and for all or it was not. Heretical cult of personality teachers such as T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Brian McLaren, Rob Bell and even Rick Warren are essentially telling us that it wasn’t and so we need their particualr Gnosis–whatever flavor of the Ecumenical Church of Deceit they teach–to “really understand” what the Bible plainly teaches. But no matter what these dreamers might say it doesn’t change the fact that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is essentially defined as:

Within the nature of the one true and living God there are three co-equal and co-eternal Persons (cognizant egos) existing simultaneously; The whole undivided essence of God belongs equally to each of the three Persons; God the Father; God the Son – Who is Christ Jesus of Nazareth – and God the Holy Spirit. And these three Persons are that one God. (see–Keeping You Apprised of: the Holy Trinity)

Men and women, quite frankly the issue of Oneness Pentecostal and Word Faith mogul T.D. Jakes preaching in an SBC church is one which I should never even have had to bring up in the first place. Yet it’s a sad reflection upon the near total lack of leadership within the Body of Christ in these timid times of tepid tolerance. But here through an issue like this our Lord Himself again targeted the fact that our leaders are simply not equipped to handle theological conflict. They are afraid and so they say nothing hoping it will all just blow over. Read my keyboard: Not gonna happen! O those silly Reformers who gave their lives for nothing. These poor slobs weren’t enlightened that God really doesn’t care what we believe about Him. Nah, these Reformers apparently didn’t know what the Lord would raise up Rock theologians Lennon and McCartney to teach us: “All You Need Is Love.”

T.D. Jakes On The Trinity

But the absolute Truth is that the Church of Jesus Christ owes a debt of gratitude to men of God like Athanasius who stood so strong during the Arian controversy. His work sets the standard for orthodox trinitarian statements. You may have heard: “Athanasius contra mundum,” meaning Athanasius against the world. Well, tragically today it’s more like evangelicalism with the world. May the Lord have mercy upon us all as in our lifetime we are going to watch the large sections of the Christian Church cave in on the cardinal doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Think I’m off-base; take some time to read a few doctrinal statements on the Trinity and you will see that so many are vague enough that Oneness Pentecostals could easily assent to them. Not long ago AM did the article Joel Hemphill Does Deny the Deity of Christ showing you that this “Christian” singer has even elected to Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame all the while denying the divine nature of the Savior he says he has.

Again it was treated as just another non-issue in the ol’ evangelical “Love Shack.” So we turn now to T.D. Jakes who’s latest musings imply that Ruth and Naomi were lesbians and that King David and Jonathan were gay lovers. Very nice. See for yourself in the Christian Research Net post Did T.D. Jakes Imply That Ruth and Naomi Were Lesbians? However, that is apparently a non-issue as well as we ride off the rails on the postevangelical “Love Train.” So here I focus your attention upon the fact that when Jakes speaks of the nature of God he is expressing the view of Oneness Pentecostalism (aka Jesus Only) an heretical sect that teaches:

there is but one person who is God who acted in three separate manifestations (aka modes). In the Old Testament they say he acted as Father; in the New Testament he was the Son – Jesus, and now he is acting as Holy Spirit. Not three persons, but one person acting in three different ways or roles.

This teaching is not simply not Biblical and has already condemned as heresy by the Christian Church around 220 AD. Answers.com accurately tells us about the man Sabellius who originally taught what Oneness people still believe today:

Christian priest and theologian, b. probably Libya or Egypt. He went to Rome, became the leader of those who accepted the doctrine of modalistic monarchianism, and was excommunicated by Pope St. Calixtus I in 220. Opposing the orthodox teaching of “essential Trinity,” Sabellius advanced the doctrine of the “economic Trinity.” God, he held, was one indivisible substance, but with three fundamental activities, or modes.
(Online source)

The interested reader will also find the piece What Is Oneness Pentecostal Theology? from Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry very helpful as well. This is how the Belief Statement from The Potter’s House where Jakes is pastor currently reads:

God–There is one God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Online source)

Here we notice the language of Oneness Pentecostalism which is virtually identical to that expressed by Sabellius. In my article Can You Be An Evangelical And Deny God? I have pointed out that T.D. Jakes was listed number 13 among Time’s infamous top 25 Evangelicals and billed as “The Penetecostal Media Mogul.” And while it is true that Jakes is indeed a Pentecostal all right, as I just stated above he is actually a “Oneness Pentecostal.”

Now Jakes himself said in the February 1, 2000 edition of Christianity Today:

While I mix with Christians from a broad range of theological perspectives, I speak only for my personal faith and convictions. I am not a theologian, and I avoid quoting even theologians who agree with me. To defend my beliefs, I go directly to the Bible.

My views on the Godhead are from 1 John 5:7-8, “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” (NKJV)

I believe in one God who is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I believe these three have distinct and separate functions—so separate that each has individual attributes, yet are one. I do not believe in three Gods (Online Source, emphasis mine).

Jakes’ Ordination Is From A Oneness Pentecostal Church

And as I have said before it’s little wonder why Jakes avoids quoting “even theologians who agree with” him because those of us who study Comparative Religion will immediately recognize the modalism contained in the vague explanation of his beliefs. As a matter of fact in that very same CT article called “My Views on the Godhead” Jakes in forms us:

I was raised Baptist and became Pentecostal 26 years ago at a Greater Emmanuel Apostolic Church, where I was later ordained a Bishop.

I was unable to locate a website for this church but from years of personal reasearch and study I can tell you that almost invariably when we see the word Apostolic in the name of a church it is Oneness Pentecostal. Jerry L. Buckner further tell us that the Christian Research Institute “has received two e-mails sent by T. D. Jakes Ministries to people inquiring” about Jakes’ view on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. According to Bruckner one “e-mail response is that ‘Bishop T. D. Jakes and The Potter’s House of Dallas believe there is one God who manifest [sic] Himself in the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.’ ”

This representative for T.D. Jakes goes on to say they have “never denied the Trinity, and we are disappointed that anyone would misunderstand or misrepresent us.” Buckner then informs us:

T. D. Jakes Ministries and historic Christianity both use the word Trinity, but the meaning of the word appears to be different. Walter Martin taught us that we must scale the language barrier of the cults. We must recognize the reality that unless terms are defined, a semantic jungle will envelope us, making it difficult, if not impossible, to properly contrast orthodox Christianity with teachings outside it.

On the T. D. Jakes Ministries Web site, an older but still accessible version of their Statement of Faith reads, “There is one God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and existing in three Manifestations: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”29 Their current doctrinal statement has been altered somewhat to read: “THREE DIMENSIONS OF ONE GOD (1 John 5:7, Matt. 28:19, 1 Tim. 3:16)” — “We believe in one God, who is eternal in His existence, Triune in His Manifestations, being both Father, Son and Holy Ghost AND that He is Sovereign and Absolute in His authority.” (Online source)

And finally Buckner is quite correct when he notes that the “position taken by T. D. Jakes Ministries remains problematic” at best:

The problem lies in the word “manifestation.” Manifestation is a modalistic term often used by Oneness Pentecostals. Modalism views Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as different modes of God’s activity rather than three separate persons (ibid).

Jakes Must Be Held Accountable To State Clearly What He Believes

The fact of the matter is this: If e.g. Ed Young, Jr. and Ed Young, Sr. were unwilling to accept this information concerning T.D. Jakes contained here within, which is readily available, then at the very least they should have had a meeting with him concerning his doctrine on the nature of God. Before Jakes is allowed forums inside any orthodox Christian churches he should asked point blank: Do you in fact believe the following concerning the nature of the God you profess to serve:

In all the universe there is but one God. Within the nature of this one God there exists three distinct co-equal and co-eternal cognizant egos, or Persons existing simultaneously; the whole undivided essence of God belongs equally to each of the three Persons: God the Father, God the Son–Who is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and God the Holy Spirit. And these three Persons are that one God.

And should that answer from “Bishop” T.D. Jakes be anything less than, “yes” he should immediately be dropped from any speaking platform. I have even written Jakes myself as you can see in Letter To Dr. T.D.Jakes Asking For His Definitive View On The Holy Trinity but being a “nobody” I was not given even a cursory response. I refer the interested reader to T.D. Jakes Is A Spiritual Coward. But if my warning above won’t do how about the following from Dr. John MacArthur from his series What Doctrines Are Fundamental? (Part Two) where he correctly points out:

a doctrine must be regarded as fundamental if eternal life depends on it. Scripture is full of statements that identify the terms of salvation and the marks of genuine faith.

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). That verse makes faith itself essential to a right relationship with God. It also expressly identifies both the existence and the veracity of God as fundamental articles of the Christian faith.

Elsewhere we are told that eternal life is obtained through the knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Since Jesus Himself is the true God incarnate (1 John 5:20; John 8:58; 10:30), the fact of His deity (and by implication the whole doctrine of the Trinity) is a fundamental article of faith (see 1 John 2:23). Our Lord Himself confirmed this when He said all must honor Him as they honor the Father (John 5:23). (emphasis mine)

This issue with the Youngs and T.D Jakes was also a critical one that the leadership within the Southern Baptist Convention should have investigated, but didn’t. In fact the question that needs to be asked by the whole of the Christian community is this: If the Oneness Pentecostal view was deemed heresy for 1800 years, then why is it now not heresy to deny “God in three Persons, blessed Trinity”? And they certainly need to assess just how it is that a two time ex-president of the SBC like Dr. Ed Young could possibly have been so obtuse spiritually that he would allow his son to yoke them to a heretic like T.D. Jakes in the first place.

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, NASB)

Can You Hear The Voice of The Spirit?

Apprising Ministries is pleased to bring you the following godly and prophetic insight from James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken. Herein we see the full on embrace by evangelicalism of the rotten root of the new reformation of man-centered (semi-pelagian) theology once prophesied by Robert Schuller.

You need to understand that this emerging rebellion against the Word of God is really not far from apostate Roman Catholicism. And so this reversal of the Reformation has now flowered as typified in the new postevangelical religion of Rick Warren and blossomed for the postmodern set in the warped and toxic teachings of Rob Bell, a leading spokesman for the cult of the new (post) liberal theology the Emergent Church.

All of which makes these words from Boice and Ryken so dead on target for the time of growing spiritual blindness we live in right now:

Sadly, this is not the church’s finest hour. We live in an age of weak theology and casual Christian conduct. Our knowledge is insufficient, our worship is irreverent, and our lives are immoral. Even the evangelical church has succumbed to the spirit of this age…

Perhaps the simplest way to say this is that evangelicalism has become worldly. This can be demonstrated by comparing it with yesterday’s liberalism. What was once said of liberal churches must now be said of evangelical churches: they seek the world’s wisdom, believe the world’s theology; follow the world’s agenda, and adopt the world’s methods. According to the standard’s of worldly wisdom, the Bible is unable to meet the demands of life in these postmodern times.

By itself, God’s Word is insufficient to win people to Christ, promote spiritual growth, provide practical guidance, or transform society. So churches supplement the plain teaching of Scripture with entertainment with entertainment, group therapy, political activism, signs and wonders—anything that promises to appeal to religious consumers. According to the theology, sin is merely a dysfunction and salvation means having better self-esteem. When this theology comes to church, it replaces difficult but essential doctrines like the propitiation of God’s wrath with practical techniques for self-improvement.

The world’s agenda is personal happiness, so the gospel is presented as a plan for individual fulfillment rather than a pathway of costly discipleship. The world’s methods for accomplishing this self-centered agenda are necessarily pragmatic, so evangelical leaders are willing to try whatever seems like it might work. This worldliness has produced the “new pragmatism” of evangelicalism.
(The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering The Evangelical Gospel, 20,21)

See also:

ROBERT SCHULLER: FATHER OF THE NEW REFORMATION

RICK WARREN: THE NEW CHARLES FINNEY

ROB BELL SAYS “ALL-EE IN FREE…ALMOST”

Hello,

I just came across your website by looking into T D Jakes as a modalist. I am one who loves orthodox Christian doctrine. I am very concerned for the Church today, not only because of modalism but other false doctrines.

Will you please help clarify some things for me? I looked at the Potter’s House website and their position on who God is. It clearly stated manifestations and then followed with what sounds like orthodoxy concerning the trinity. Their doctrine would imply that all three coexist today.

I am not defending their doctrinal statement. I just want to be right when I teach on the Trinity and call out names such as Jakes as those who do not believe in the Trinity.

Thank you,

AM Reader

P.S. Did Jakes respond to your letter?

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Apprising Ministries. Below you said of T.D. Jakes and the Potter’s House website: “It clearly stated manifestations and then followed with what sounds like orthodoxy concerning the trinity. Their doctrine would imply that all three coexist today.”

Certainly your goal to be fair is admirable. But I would certainly hope there isn’t an insinuation that I don’t wish to be fair because I have correctly labeled him a Oneness Pentecostal heretic who denies the triune nature of the one true and living God of the Bible.

I quote directly from the Potter’s House website in Keeping You Apprised of: T.D. Jakes on the Trinity

Here is their statement: “God—There is one God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” First of all, to use the word “manifestations” is already classic Oneness language. But note that what follows on their webpage does not say Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are also divine Persons.

When those of us who teach the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity say the one God is eternally existing as three “Persons”, this refers to separate cognizant egos Who share one nature. In Oneness theology they do not use “Persons” because in their view these “manifestations” only exist eternally in the sense that the one Person Who is God has eternally revealed Himself through each of these modes.

And the rest of the evidence within that piece above provides very good reason to believe that T.D. Jakes is indeed ordained an Oneness Pentecostal minister, and as such, he would therefore have to be a modalist. And no just as I expected, by his also ignoring others who have written him, T.D. Jakes did not even extend me the courtesy of having so much as a member of his staff acknowledge the letter.

This also gives me further reason to believe that Jakes is in fact a modalist who is being disingenuous about what he actually believes by purposely using vague terminology. It is my opinion this is because Jakes wishes to straddle the theological fence so he can still get into—and receive support from—unsuspecting orthodox churches.

And if Jakes wasn’t a modalist all he would have to do is to clearly state on the record what it is that he believes concerning the nature of God. But the reason I wrote Jakes the way I did in such a public fashion is because in my view T.D. Jakes knows exactly what he’s doing and so he never will speak plainly on this matter. I pray this helps.

For Christ’s honor I labor,

Pastor Ken Silva

See also:

T.D. JAKES AND ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM (AKA MODALISM)

“GET READY” FOR T.D. JAKES: THE VELCRO BISHOP WITH ANOTHER GOSPEL
T.D. JAKES IS A SPIRITUAL COWARD

While the Reformation solas of sola fide and sola gratia mean that while the sinner is dead in his trespasses and sins it is God Himself sovereignly regenerating those whom He will and gives them as His gift the faith to believe and repent. This is diametrically opposed to any of the seeker-friendly new evangelical movements like that led by Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren.

Today the contemporary American Christian Church largely believes in synergism (man cooperates with God), while in opposition to the synergism of apostate Roman Catholicism, the Reformers (even before John Calvin) taught monergism ( God alone i.e. soli Deo gloria). And I mentioned that to a great extent today the emerging church movement overall, with voices like Dan Kimball— and Rob Bell in particular—also strongly believes in a synergism not far removed from Rome.

A Different Gospel In The Emerging Church And The New Evangelicalism? began our look into what all of this means. And this companion piece is adapted from Free Will or the Bondage of the Will: Definitions are Critical (FWBW) by Bob DeWaay at Critical Issues Commentary. DeWaay is pastor of Twin City Fellowship “a non-denominational evangelical Church located…in St. Louis Park, MN.”

Some may also recall DeWaay from his debate with emerging church leader Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, MN. The short synopsis of DeWaay’s FWBW below is designed to shed some further light on “the contemporary evangelical movement [which proclaims] that revival [as well as individual salvation] can be engineered” using what essentially amounts to “modern marketing principles” (Online source).

In this very well-researched article—which you can read in its entirety here—DeWaay will say:

Please realize that free will is more of a philosophical concept than a theological one, though it has theological implications… free will is not the simple solution to many important theological issues that many people think it is… I will be discussing two alternative definitions of free will. The first is the typical definition demanded by Arminians (those who believe that a free will choice to believe brings about salvation): “The ability to choose between options, either of which could be actualized by the act of choosing.” The second definition was proposed by Jonathan Edwards: “The ability to choose as one pleases”…

Free will is assumed from passages that teach human responsibility… [because of a ] most important problem: free will is never directly addressed in the Bible. Even in passages where prophets and others asked God why He allowed so much evil to harm the innocent, it was not discussed. The answer was never that God was committed to the principle of free will and determined that allowing evil was a necessary by-product of free will…

[People can produce] a long list of scriptures on human responsibility…[and then assume] that if we are responsible we must have free choice in the matter… If we say that in order for a person to be responsible, that person must be perfectly able to make correct choices to obey God—it is the same as rejecting the teaching of the Bible. The Bible teaches that humans are both responsible for their sin and in bondage to their sin. It teaches that God’s grace is necessary to deliver us from sin. If man were free to perfectly choose obedience, then someone other than Christ could have lived a sinless life and escape judgment based on human merit. That idea denies Paul’s teaching in Romans 3:9-18…

Charles Finney, the 19th century revivalist championed the idea that Biblical passages about man’s moral responsibility imply complete ability to perfectly obey God:

Moral agency implies the possession of free will. By free-will is intended the power of choosing, or refusing to choose, in every instance, in compliance with moral obligation. Free-will implies the power of originating and deciding our own choices, and of exercising our own sovereignty, in every instance of choice upon moral questions of deciding or choosing in conformity with duty or otherwise in all cases of moral obligation. That man cannot be under a moral obligation to perform an absolute impossibility is a first truth of reason. But man’s causality, his whole power of causality to perform or do anything, lies in his will.

This sounds logical to the unregenerate mind; but it is not Biblical. Finney’s position is a reiteration of the Pelagian heresy. It goes so far in the direction of human ability that even Rome anathematized it at Trent: “If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if by free-will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty: let him be anathema.”

Rome also anathematized Luther’s opposite position on this, the bondage of the will: “If any one saith, that, since Adam’s sin, the free-will of man is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing with only a name, yea a name without a reality, a figment, in fine, introduced into the Church by Satan: let him be anathema.” Roman Catholic theology is semi-Pelagian, which it viewed as middle ground. That means Rome taught “prevenient grace”: “If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him: let him be anathema.”

Summary Statement

Let me summarize the three basic positions on the will of man in relationship to ability to choose to obey God: 1) Pelagianism like that of Finney teaches that humans are fully able to obey God without any special work of grace. The mere presence of a command from God, they say, requires the reality of free will ability to comply. 2) Semi-Pelagians teach that without prevenient grace, man would not be able to respond freely to the call to believe; but that God has already provided such grace to all humans. “Prevenient” is an old English term that means “to go before.” The semi-Pelagian view is also synergistic—meaning that salvation and sanctification are a cooperative effort between God and man.

3) Luther and the other reformers taught the bondage of the will. This position, anathematized by Rome in several canons on justification, was that all fallen sinners are in bondage to their own sin so much so that they will not submit to God without a prior sovereign work of God’s grace. This became the Reformation doctrine of “grace alone,” also called “monergism.” By this thinking salvation is an act of God alone. I agree with Luther on this matter.

Bob DeWaay, Free Will or the Bondage of the Will: Definitions are Critical

See also:

Recovering Reformation Theology: Rejecting Synergism and Returning to Monergism

ROBERT SCHULLER: FATHER OF THE NEW REFORMATION

RICK WARREN: THE NEW CHARLES FINNEY

ROB BELL: MEET YOUR SPIRITUAL FATHER

Christian Soldiers Standing Up For Jesus?

In many of our local fellowships on a given Sunday we could hear a congregation singing songs like “Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus” and/or “Onward Christian Soldiers.” But let’s stop and think for a moment; isn’t a part of the job of a soldier defending against attack? So doesn’t this bring them into conflict; and wouldn’t this mean that they would have no choice but to fight? Well, ask yourself: Have I seen much of that going on for the cause of Christ in my lifetime? Which is why I find myself wondering: “Where are the Elijahs of God?” Lord, about now I’d say Your Church would be willing to settle for just one.

You know I can’t help but wonder, among our professing Christian brothers and sisters today, just where are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6)? And among our so-called Christian “leaders,” with their compromised contemplative spirituality and false phony unity; just where are those who are persecuted because of righteousness (Matthew 5:10)? Do they seriously not know that Christ Jesus said of those who do hunger, and of those that are persecuted, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (ibid.).

Let’s take a moment to go over to 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 4. At this point in this Age of Grace it’ll be a good idea to remind ourselves of something the Bible tells us about false teaching. And this is becoming especially evident in these times of growing apostasy and the so-called “Christian” mysticism which is now infesting our Lord’s Church through men like Living Spiritual Teacher Richard Foster. Truly this is really but neo-Gnostic mysticism all over again, which originally resurfaced in the antibiblical monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism, and it has already been condemned within the pages of Scripture itself!

However, secular humanism and the theory of evolution—left virtually undefended by the Church—gave birth to the relativism now so deeply imbedded in very definitely pagan America. And so we currently find ourselves having to witness in a most difficult mission field here in the “postmodern” pudding of the United States. This becomes especially problematic as the Christian agnosticism of the Emergent Church continues to be spread now by evangelicals themselves who should have seen right through its skeptical approach to the Bible itself. It’s not like we weren’t warned:

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

Only the Lord knows for sure how true these words are for this gelatinous generation of (un?)believers in particular. As much as I don’t like to say so, I really can’t help but wonder if there has ever been a more gullible group of Christians upon the face of the earth. You really can’t see through people-pleasers like Rob Bell of the emerging church? His “Christian” message is essentially a repainted version of the old social gospel of liberalism mixed together with the pomo equivalent of Becoming A Better You by jolly ol’ Joel Osteen.

And be that as it may, a large part of my job here at Apprising Ministries is to help you come to see that it is most certainly quite possible for counterfeit “teachers” to appear very spiritual, and very “Christian”; who are not preaching the Gospel, but are instead actually teaching you things that originate with the enemy of men’s souls Satan himself. If you can’t see this, then I must be frank and say as gently as I can that you really do need to ask God to open your eyes.

The Quickly Creeping Universalism

And now I’ll show you a common theme that is developing among major leaders within what I have come to call the Ecumenical Church of Deceit (ECoD). Let me also remind you that this type of universal approach to God is always the end result of those who practice the aformentioned neo-Gnostic brand of so-called “Christian” mysticism. First we take the case of Rick Warren, the Pope of the Purpose Driven pillar of the ECoD. In the video clip contained within the A Different Gospel in the Emerging Church and the New Evangelicalism you’ll hear both Billy Graham and Robert Schuller tell you they believe that men can be saved apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Warren’s affinity for teaching the same man-centered gospel of synergism preached by both Graham and Schuller gives us very good reason to think that Warren believes the same thing they do regarding this issue. In fact Mike Oppenheimer of Let Us Reason in his piece “To be (a Fundamentalist) or not to be- that is the question?” quotes from “Question 32. What about people who live in a country without Christian witness?” from the website of Warren’s Saddleback Church:

A person who trusted in God without hearing the name of Jesus would be of the heart to immediately recognize that Jesus was the name of the one they believed in if they were ever to hear His name and story. They would know, just as Abraham would have known, that this is the truth about the God they have been following all of their lives. Someone who has begun to walk in the light is always able to recognize a brighter light. (Online source)

But if this were so then it brings up a couple of questions: Can we can begin to “walk in the light” without the Light of the World? Where would that the light come from if our hearts are dark with sin as Romans 3:23 states? The Bible clearly teaches that the spiritually dead are not walking in the light. We will note that “Question 32” referenced above has been substantially revised since Oppenheimer and others like Ingrid Schlueter exposed this teaching from the Saddleback’s website a year ago. It is now Question 31 and the above quote has now somehow disappeared.

Moving over to the Emergent Church pillar of the ECoD I bring to your attention that Gary Gilley has done a fine job of reviewing Brian McLaren’s earlier book The Secret Teachings Of Jesus (STJ) and in doing so Gilley brings out the emerging church guru’s own growing universalism:

McLaren is sure the kingdom is populated by people from all religions, not just Christianity. It is open to all but those who actively oppose it (pp. 163, 167). As a matter of fact it is possible that some Muslims, Buddhist and Hindus might begin to “take their places at the feast,” discovering the secret message of Jesus in ways that many Christians have not.

Now I readily acknowledge there are those who take serious exception to my calling this Emergent Church, of which McLaren is unquestionably one of the noted of its “theologians,” a neo-liberal cult. But, doesn’t it strike one as behavior quite typical of cult leaders when this “spiritual director” tells us in STJ that the “true” message of Jesus has been lost on the Church of Christ until he and his enlightened Emergents re-discovered it? And turning quickly to the Word Faith pillar of the ECoD; you also may recall in various public venues how Joel Osteen doesn’t directly answer—the way an evangelical Christian should answer—the question: What happens to those who die who are not in Jesus Christ.

Men and women, the truth is that through the widespread acceptance of Richard Foster, who is a Quaker, all of these men have been influenced by the dead wrong teaching of an alleged Inner Light supposedly already within in all men. Because they have then run forth with a compromised message so focused on pleasing the people they are preaching to, men like these are hoping that their mush god of unconditional love has made another provision outside of the Gospel. Why? Well, for one, because with this theology we would have no real need for missions or for true evangelism at all. So now can you figure out who is actually behind this kind of false teaching?

The Creeping Liberalism Comes Slithering In

You need to know that if you are going to stand for the absolute Truth of the Gospel today, then you are going to have to be willing to come into conflict with this core teaching of the ECoD. As a matter of fact the battle is very similar to that fought by men like J. Gresham Machen who had to come into conflict with the Cult of Liberal Theology, which would go on to spiritually poison the mainline denominations. And that’s why we now have such an influx of anti-Reformation teaching—particularly against the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible—which leads to women in the pastorate, and finally to openly practicing homosexual “Bishops” in authority over local pastorates inside what are supposed to be evangelical churches. So is it any wonder that Tony Jones and the Emergent Church [Say]: “Christian” Gay Is A-Ok.

If you don’t believe me then please do some research on your own, but you are only going to find that these issues really are just as theological dominoes. All you need to do to see this plainly is to take a look at what liberal theology did to mainline denominations like the Episcopal Church, the Congregational Church and the Methodist Church. If the Lord tarries we are going to witness this same domino effect happen within the evangelical community as well, and in this generation we are going to have to come to grips with this neo-liberalism which has already come slithering into the leadership of more and more of our major evangelical denominations e.g. the SBC (Slowly Becoming Catholic) and the AoG.

Men and women, the most important issue before us—as I tried to point out in The Evangelical Cave-In Has Begun: The Bible—is that once you punch out the absolute and final authority of what God has unambiguously said in the Bible, then cardinal doctrines of the historic orthodox Christian faith all will topple one by one. And if we aren’t willing to come into conflict soon, then all of these wonderful truths, which the great martyrs for the faith of our Lord so willingly died for, will continue to fall each after the other right before us. Inevitably each of these great doctrines will tumble until all that will be left is but a very hollow shell of the glorious Gospel that those gallant Christian soldiers once stood up for and then marched onward unashamedly to proclaim to this lost world with the Cross of Jesus going on before.

See also:

“ALL-EE, ALL-EE IN FREE” THE UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF JESUS