A Biblical illiteracy crisis
Okay, so after hearing a message given by Francis Chan on The DaVinci Code, I felt that I had to follow up my last post with a plea for Biblical literacy among Christians. I think what struck me the hardest is that the status of the current church puts many Christians on the same level as the cults. I mean, do you really think that a devout Jehovah's Witness actually studies their Bible to get the answers they give? No! Most of what they pass on are deceptive teachings that are propogated from their teachers and leaders, and the emphasis on needing to "search the Scriptures" (Acts 17:11) to test the truth of their teachings is simply non-existent.
But what about us? As Christians, I believe we have a responsibility to search the Scriptures; to be Biblically literate, always ready to "give an answer for the hope that we have." (2 Pt. 3:15) Otherwise, what is it that separates our truth from the "truth" that the cults propogate?
It's that sort of reliance that many Christians have on their leaders that I believe is at the root of our fear in the upcoming release of the DaVinci Code.
So... please... take this to heart, and crack open those Bibles. :-) You might just be suprised at what God has in store for you when you do. :-)
Happy studying!
Darryl
But what about us? As Christians, I believe we have a responsibility to search the Scriptures; to be Biblically literate, always ready to "give an answer for the hope that we have." (2 Pt. 3:15) Otherwise, what is it that separates our truth from the "truth" that the cults propogate?
It's that sort of reliance that many Christians have on their leaders that I believe is at the root of our fear in the upcoming release of the DaVinci Code.
So... please... take this to heart, and crack open those Bibles. :-) You might just be suprised at what God has in store for you when you do. :-)
Happy studying!
Darryl
posted by Darryl at
21:03
7 Comments:
Good post,to keep it simple the central core dogma of Jehovah's Witnesses,the reason they came into existence 110 years ago was to proclaim Jesus second coming in the year 1914.
When their 'prophecy' {derived from the William Miller movement of 1844} failed,they went on to say that Jesus came "invisibly".Yes,it's the 'emperor's new clothes' all over again.
The Watchtower is a lie!
-------------
Up close and personal Jehovah's Witnesses can be wolves in sheep's clothing.
Think about this-When the devil comes knocking on your door he may not have the 'dark goth look'.They could be smartly dressed and wielding the Christian Bible.
I have Jehovah's Witnesses family in the usa who practice the Watchtower JW enforced ritual shunning that i have not seen or heard from in 15 years.
The central CORE dogma of the Watchtower is Jesus second coming (invisibly) in 1914 and is a lie.Jehovah's Witnesses are a spin-off of the man made Millerite movement of 1840.
A destructive cult of false teachings, that frequently result in spiritual and psychological abuse, as well as needless deaths (bogus blood transfusion ban).
Yes,you can 'check out anytime you want but you can never leave',because they can and will hold your family hostage.
The world has the Internet now,and there are tens of thousands of pages up from disgruntled ex-Jehovah's Witnesses like myself who have been abused by the Watchtower cult.
Jehovah's Witnesses are often a mouth that prays a hand that kills.The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.
----
Danny Haszard Jehovah's Witness X 33 years and 3rd generation www.dannyhaszard.com
By
Danny Haszard, at 5:31 AM
But Darryl, what do you do when anti-intellectualism charactarizes the evangelical church in this country? Its embarassing. I could go on and on and on about this. I don't think the problem is so much biblical illiteracy as it is a total pooh-pooing of theology in general. There are tons of people out there who "know their Bibles" but who couldn't tell you what justification is. That is Christianity 101. They might know the Bible, but they don't have a clue.
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Imladris2, at 9:25 AM
Isn't that the truth, though? It's one thing to find common ground on core truths - such as the Gospel and the infallibility of the Word of God - but it's another thing to use that as a basis to throw out other doctrine and theology for the sake of unity within the Church! It's absolutely absurd how much of that has crept into mainline Christianity. I swear, people know more about being purpose driven these days than about core doctrines and foundations of the Christian faith.
Could this be the great Apostasy? Hmmmm.... ;-)
Thanks for the intelligent dialogue. If there's one thing that's bugging me big time, it's the immediate dismissal of my thoughts and concerns about theology - or lack thereof - as me being too "conservative." Ugh.
Miss you, amiga.
Darryl
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Darryl, at 11:23 PM
Well, being amillennial in my eschatological perspective, I'm afraid I can't comment on the Great Apostasy ;-)
What was the saying I heard today: "Knowledge puffs up but love builds up". What a nice little proverb. Trouble is that its HOOEY! People NEED knowledge to be able to discern truth from falsehood. I know "Bible teachers" from a certain non-denominational denomination like to say that they don't have a theology, they just read the Bible, but that's simply intellectually dishonest. Its OKAY to label yourself! At least people know where you stand...
Miss you too, my friend!
Cheers from your favorite Reformed, Amillennial, 5-Point Calvinist, Old Earth Creationist, paedobaptist friend, proud wife of an amazing man and proud mother to THREE Covenant children (that would be our child of Heaven, little Alex, AND another on the way :-)
Hey, at least you know where I'm coming from...
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Imladris2, at 8:30 PM
ANOTHER ON THE WAY?!?!? Congrats!!! I looked at your blog to see if you had posted anything... when did you find out??? Keep me posted, amiga, okay?
Back to the subject at hand - you know what I appreciate about you? Even though we disagree on divisive issues, we don't pass them aside and say they don't matter for the sake of unity. What bothers me are those people who think that if you hold to one teaching on a "divisive issue" as truth, then you are considered intolerant and "too pharisaic." I'm sorry, but I can't stand it.
Darryl
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Darryl, at 11:36 AM
I'm totally with you. What is it old Hank Hanagraaf says? They are issues we can debate vigorously but we don't have to divide over. They are only divisive if WE make them so... unless you are talking about what divides orthodoxy from heresy. Then, the divide is too deep and too present. But none of our issues fall under that :-)
I'm due at the end of October. I'm hoping he or she will be born on my birthday.
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Imladris2, at 7:26 AM
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