REJOICING IN SUFFERING

 

Why? Suffering produces the fruit of the Spirit, like the apple tree which must endure freezing temperatures and pruning to bear its best fruit:

•    “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”(Romans 5:2-4)

Knowing that the suffering produces endurance, character, and hope, we should be rejoicing rather than damning our infirmities (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Or should we expect to always be delivered in the HERE AND NOW? But didn’t Jesus already accomplish our healing by taking upon Himself our infirmities (Matthew 8:16-17; Isaiah 53:5)? There are a growing number of “apostles” who claim that we should have it all NOW, especially the healing of physical, emotional, and mental problems. According to them, Christ has already taken our infirmities upon Himself and guarantees that all should be healed, as Jesus and His Apostles had healed all.

Of course, we have trouble believing this, especially since all die, and even Paul had failed to heal himself, (2 Corinthians 12:7-11), Timothy (1 Tim 5:23), Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20), and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:26). Besides these massive evidences to the contrary, it is clear that there are multitudes which the modern self-proclaimed “apostles” fail to heal!

Well, who then is at fault if it cannot be God? These modern apostles and prophets have refined their product and no longer blame these failures on our lack of faith. Nevertheless, the majority are left disappointed, fearing that this failure was due to their lack of faith. And perhaps, if they didn’t have enough faith to be healed, they also lacked enough faith to even be saved!

Although He accomplished everything on the Cross—the Big Bang of our Lord’s plans—we await their fulfillment at Christ’s return: (1 John 3:1-3):

• …we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” (Romans 8:23-24)

While we have the firstfruits of the Cross, we await their fulfillment at Christ’s return.

Besides, Jesus assured His Apostles that they only needed the smallest measure of faith to uproot a mulberry tree into the sea (Luke 17:1-6). Since this is so, the failure need not rest with the petitioner or God. Instead, God’s will has to be factored into our thinking. This can take many forms. God determines the length of our lives:

• Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:16)

None of this dismisses supernatural divine healings, but He has also ordained our insufficiency, vulnerability, and often our infirmities:

• But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).

If we want to be like Jesus, we must suffer as He had. If we do not accept these teachings, we will be discouraged when afflictions overtake us, and we lose hope. Instead, Jesus taught that this world isn’t our resting place and reward:

• “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Therefore, we shouldn’t dismiss the tribulations that our brethren are experiencing by thinking that it is their fault or that they lack the faith to be healed. Tribulations and infirmities might simply be part of God’s glorious plan for our lives. Rejoice!

ACCORDING TO THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION (NAR), APOSTLES ARE AMONG US

 

Are there still Apostles? The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) insists that there are, and they make fantastic claims about their mission. NAR sympathizing Pastor Jim Feeney has written:

•    Revival can again break out in churches determined to search the Scriptures, to rediscover the proven, historical, spiritual "ancient landmarks" of God's Word the Bible, to open their hearts to the ministries of God-given, modern day apostles and Christian prophets, and to “build ... everything according to the pattern” (Hebrews 8:5) laid out by God in Scripture. https://www.jimfeeney.org/apostlesandprophets.html

Should we open our arms to these “apostles?” Curiously, Feeney supports his claim by citing:

•    Ephesians 2:19-20 ...God’s people...[are] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

If the Apostle’s mission had been to lay the foundation (upon Jesus), and the foundation (the New Testament) has already been laid, and now the Church resting upon it, why then should we think that God has once again resurrected the apostolic office? Kris Vallotton, senior associate pastor of Bethel Church, a self-proclaimed prophet, and founder of School of the Prophets, brings the strongest argument for the ongoing office of prophet and apostle:

•    Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Did you catch that? It says UNTIL we all attain to the unity of faith…I’d propose the entire body is not unified or looks like Christ, therefore, the office of a prophet and apostle are still essential in the Body of Christ today. https://www.krisvallotton.com/what-happen-to-all-the-prophets-and-apostles

Perhaps this “unity of the faith” had already been achieved once the Apostles had finished their NT writings. Nor does Ephesians claim that the office of the apostles would continue after the foundation has been laid. (Even the NAR seems to be inconsistent in their claims. Some claim that there had always been apostles; others claim that this office was recently restored.)

Instead, the NAR claims that Jesus healing all should be regarded as the norm for the Church. In support, they cite:

•    John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

However, the before (the Lord’s Supper) and after (the Apostolic commission) contexts argue that these promises pertained only to the Apostles. Besides, it was the Apostles who were performing miracles and not the believers in general:

•    Acts 2:42–43 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

God performed miracles among them to demonstrate that it was the Apostles who would provide the foundation for the fledgling Church (Hebrews 2:3-4; Mark 16:20). Because miracles were limited to the Apostles, Paul was able to prove that he too was an Apostle by virtue of the miracles he had been performing:

•    2 Corinthians 12:11–12 For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

Had all the believers been miracle workers, Paul would not have been able to lay claim to apostleship.

However, today’s apostles claim that we should be able to do the works of Jesus. In support they also point to the fact that on two occasions Jesus gave authority to His disciples to heal and cast out demons, and that it shouldn’t be different today.

However, there are many examples of our Lord instituting changes. He changed His evangelistic instructions as the situation changed:

•    And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.” (Luke 22:35-36)

Some things are time sensitive. For example, Paul had healed multitudes. However, towards the end of his life, it is argued that this gift had apparently subsided, at least somewhat. There were four subsequent cases Paul was unable to heal:

1.    Timothy (1 Timothy 3:25)
2.    Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20)
3.    Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:26)
4.    Paul himself (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

This also agrees with the annuls of Church History which record that the supernatural gifts had begun to subside as the NT foundation the Apostles had been laid. However, none of this denies that God is still a Worker of miracles!

Besides, the twelve had been chosen by our Lord not by men:

•    Mark 3:14–15 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. (2 Peter 3:1-2)

The 12 had been appointed by Jesus:

•    John 15:26–27 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 14:26)

Instead, today’s “apostles” are self-appointed. Admittedly, others are embracing them as apostles. However, our discernment is only skin deep. Consequently, we would never have embraced those Jesus had chosen.

Consequently, the Apostles also understood that they were only to be a limited group of 12:
•    Acts 1:21–22 “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

As eyewitnesses, the 12 had been entrusted with Jesus’ teachings to lay the foundation of the Church. Shawn Nelson has written that there is no indication in the NT or the writings of the Church Fathers of any additional apostles, after Paul, had been added:

•    Yet it always looks back to the apostles of the NT era. Nobody reading the early church fathers in their day would find this phrase confusing because the office of apostle did not exist anymore—“the apostles” always referred to the Twelve plus Paul. It would appear that Timothy and Titus faithfully carried out the desires of their mentor, Paul, and established bishop/elders and deacons instead. In short, the claim that the office of apostle was lost in the early church and is in need of being restored has no biblical or historical basis. https://nelson.ink/six-big-problems-with-the-new-apostolic-reformation/?fbclid=IwAR34wMRsw_uvJHX2SnHI10pzopo0I_BNneNCgkMJWR8SGmEjIuXyyQ2_k3s#post-4950-endnote-ref-32

Nor is there any indication that there had been any provisions made by the Apostles to pass their office on to others. Even though the Bible includes criteria for choosing elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9), there are no criteria set forth for choosing apostles, the most prominent office! Why not? The 12 Apostles, having been eyewitnesses had been especially commissioned to carry forth the Gospel and to serve as its foundation (Ephesians 2:20; 35):

•    Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Even the foundations of the heavenly Kingdom consisted of the 12 Apostles and no more! This indicates that no more apostles had been or would be added to the 12. Paul had even written that he had been “last of all” among the Apostles (1 Corinthians 15:8-9). Evidently, there were no more added after him.

Do miracles validate NAR claims that the office of apostles has now been restored? God had validated the ministry of the 12 with miracles:

•    Hebrews 2:3–4 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Since God bore witness to the 12, is it possible that He is now bearing witness to the modern self-proclaimed apostles? Ultimately, everything must be judged by the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) even when miracles are being performed. If these so-called apostles are preaching another Jesus, they deserve severe divine punishment (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Galatians 1:6-9). However, the Jesus that they are teaching is often quite unclear:

•    While many of the NAR apostles venerate some of the Word-of-Faith/Prosperity-Ministry pastors who had clearly been teaching another Jesus—claiming that they were “just as much an incarnation as Jesus” and the they were “little gods” who could do things that Jesus had done—the NAR apostles haven’t made such public claims.
•    The NAR apostles don’t usually identify themselves as such. They remain a loosely affiliated group, which lacks membership and a statement of faith.
•    Among these self-appointed apostles, there is little uniformity nor any NAR requirement that they adhere to certain principles.
•    Perhaps it is by design that their affiliation with the NAR is casual. Otherwise, any criticism of the NAR might rub off on these individuals. Perhaps they had learned from past mistakes to keep their heresies to themselves and to simply focus on producing miracles?

However, doctrinal red flags have gone up. In his forward to “The Physics of Heaven,” Kris Vallotton, the senior associate pastor at the Bethel Church in Redding Ca. (perhaps at the epicenter of the NAR movement) has written “Through their collective intelligence, these seers, have emerged with new perspectives never before pondered.”

Such a claim is suspicious since the Bible instructs us to not go beyond the teachings of the Bible:

•    1 Corinthians 4:6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. ()

Regarding the authors of this book, Vallotton suggests that we should join the authors’ readiness to go beyond what has long been accepted as the final truth:

•    Leaving the safe haven of conventional thinking, they set sail in uncharted waters with a passion to discover new lands…If you are tired of being a settler, existing on the shores of tradition [the Bible] and riskless living, this book is for you.

However, the Bible instructs us that the Scriptures are all that we need to live a life for Jesus:

•    2 Timothy 3:16–17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

However, the author/editors, Ellyn Davis & Judy Franklin, claim that we are missing out:

•    …sea of quantum light that undergirds everything, and more importantly, we need to know how to access it.

Ellyn Davis is convinced that we can suppliment the Bible with New Age thinking:

•    I decided to examine New Age thought and practice for anything precious that might be extracted from the worthless…now… we are hearing more …Christians “taking back truths.”

Stalking the New Age for truth is like going to mediums. Instead, we should seek truth from God and His Word:

•    Isaiah 8:19–20 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

One contributor, NAR associate Jonathan Welton, wrote that he had:  

•    “…found throughout Scripture 75 examples of things that the New Age has counterfeited …such as having a spirit guide, trances, mediation, auras, power objects, clarivoyance. Clairudience, and more…  These actually belong to the Church but have been stolen and cleverly repackaged…now whenever you see a counterfiet, I hope you’ll ask yourself…what is that a counterfeit of, ‘what is it’s source,’ and how can I have the authentic?’”

Although the authors, professed Christians, clearly reject the warnings of the Word of God, they can offer no justification for their own “insights” other than asserting that others are coming to the same “insights.” However, Satan is the master deceiver:

•    2 Corinthians 11:13–15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

How then can we protect ourselves against deception? By “not going beyond what is written” in the Scriptures. Jesus had warned that Satan’s deceptions will be so compelling that even believers would be led astray apart from our Savior’s protection:

•    Matthew 24:22 And if those days [of tribulations, deception, and Satanic miracles] had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

There are many other warning signs. Besides doctrinal error, we are directed to know them by their fruit. Mark Haville, a former faith-healer, confessed,

•    I learned gradually to do what all these speakers like Copeland, Cerullo, Benny Hinn and others do. They manipulate audiences and individuals simply by the power of suggestion…The techniques are no different to those used by any practicing hypnotist… the people in these meetings are already coming with high expectancy… They are psychological techniques – nothing else. (Mark Haville and Peter Glover, “The Word on The Word of Faith,” May 26, 2009, https://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/2009/05/26/ex-faith-healer/

John MacArthur has also observed:

•    The number of scams and scandals that continually arise out of the charismatic world is staggering. J. Lee Grady, contributing editor to Charisma magazine, acknowledged in Christianity Today that the charismatic world “has been shaken to its core in recent years by a number of high-profile leaders who have divorced or had moral failures. Many charismatics I know are troubled by this, and they feel it is time for deep introspection, repentance and a rejection of the shallow, celebrity Christianity that has typified much of our movement.” (Strange Fire)

MacArthur adds that hyper-Pentecostals and NAR associates have been overly represented in the list of fallen pastors like:

•    Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart to Ted Haggard and Todd Bentley. An entry entitled “List of Scandals Involving Evangelical Christians” on the popular website Wikipedia identified fifty well-known, publicly disgraced church leaders. The article indiscriminately labels the group “evangelical,” but at least thirty-five of those listed are from Pentecostal and charismatic backgrounds. (Strange Fire)

In general, NAR apostles promote their ministries by appealing to the “results”—miraculous healings and testimonials. One NAR crusader had claimed that he had raised the dead. He relates a story about one evangelist who came to him asking, “How can you do this, while I have never seen this done?” The NAR crusader thundered to his crowd, “Well, you never have prayed to raise the dead.” He wisely didn’t say, “I have the faith but you do not!”

Nevertheless, the crowd of thousands got the message: “I need to get the faith that this prophet has.” After they find that they are unable to raise the dead, they go to the faith-building seminars given by the various “apostles.” There, they get pumped up, but once
their faith wanes, they go to another seminar of testimonials to have their faith revived.

I think that the idea that we lack enough faith is a common error. Jesus’ Apostles asked Him, “Increase our faith.” However, Jesus responded that faith isn’t a matter of the amount of faith:

•    Luke 17:6 “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

The smallest measure of faith could pitch a mulberry tree into the sea! Jesus’ next parable pointed to the essence of faith—a Biblical belief about Jesus (and ourselves):

•    Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

However, those who regularly attend these faith-building seminars find that they need a regular pep-talk rather than “meditating on the Word, day and night” (Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8) to become a successful Christian. This is dangerous. Their focus has become trained on their lack of faith and the overriding sufficiency of the apostle, instead of merely accepting their faith as is and growing in the Word (Romans 12:2; 2 Peter 1:2-3). Consequently, they are looking to man (the flesh; Jeremiah 17:5) rather than to the God who provides (John 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 3:5).

What then do we do about the claim that the NAR already has 390 million adherents and millions of healings under their belts? I think that we have to remain skeptical. These “healings” might not be of God but:

•    The power of suggestion and the manipulations of a dynamic speaker. One had promised that, “No one will leave this crusade unchanged.” These words can kindle positive expectations.
•    The power of Satan, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), who is able to present himself as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:34-35). For example, healings, prophecies, and ecstatic tongues have been practiced by many other religions, but their practices are not of the Lord.
•    Trickery http://www.piratechristian.com/berean-examiner/2017/11/leaving-the-nar-church-maxs-story

However, we should be hesitant to conclude that, because there has been many instances of fraudulent healings, we can easily dismiss all the NAR claims. All denominations have their hucksters. However, against the claims of miraculous healings, we also must factor in the many who have left disappointed from apostolic crusades.

Similarly, skepticism is advisable regarding NAR claims that they have revived the “rejected” supernatural gifts of the Spirit. However, look-alike counterfeits have been practiced by many other religions. For example, NAR students are taught how to receive these gifts as opposed to the Scriptural model where these gifts are given without any coaxing. Are the NAR producing counterfeits?  http://www.piratechristian.com/berean-examiner/2017/11/leaving-the-nar-church-maxs-story

In Strange Fire, John MacArthur likened NAR miracles to demonic possession:

•    Studies have been done which Keener concludes link these trance like states and glossolalia to the same kind of demonic possession present in the Kalabari spirits of Zulu religion.

Are there still prophets of Biblical stature? An unnamed commentator had wisely written:

•    As for prophets, I hold out the possibility that there may be true prophets today, but I cannot say that I personally know of any. I know many who have called themselves prophets, but their lives have not backed up their words. Jesus taught us that by their fruit we can know who is false and who is true (Matthew 7:15-20). And the fruit Jesus wants us to be looking for is not the miracles (see Matthew 7:21-23), but the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Those who evidence love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control are those who are filled by the Spirit and walking with God. Those who evidence contention, strife, division, impatience, and seek to rule over other people are not God’s prophets. https://truthsaves.org/articles/do-we-have-prophets-and-apostles-today/

Beyond demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit, the Bible requires that when anyone claims to have Words from God, their prophecies must be correct 100% of the time:

•    Deuteronomy 18:20–22 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

I doubt that the School of the Prophets enforces this Biblical standard, but it must!

Nevertheless, I would still wonder whether I might be missing out on something that the Lord wants for me—even though I too believe in a miracle-working God—because I don’t believe and practice like the NAR apostles.

For example, some would say, “You need to speak with authority like Jesus had done: “Be healed.” They claim that the Church is weak today because we refuse to take advantage of the authority granted to us to heal. They charge that even the Pentecostal Church has lost its fire.

I wasn’t able to simply set aside these questions. I needed to know that I wasn’t going astray and found the needed comfort in these verses:

•    Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Thank God for the Spirit, who makes up for our many deficiencies! Consequently, I learned that even if my prayers failed to measure up, I would still be in the Lord’s will, and that’s what matters. Nevertheless, we are still required to judge truth and falsehood, especially within the Church:

•    2 Timothy 4:2–4 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

IS THE GOD OF THE BIBLE NON-DUALISTIC?

 

 

A non-dualistic “Christian” had written that there is no distinction between God and His creation. Instead, they are One! In defense, he claimed that the Bible teaches that the creation is merely manifestations of God and cited:

 

·       Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

Even after it reads “It is no longer I who live,” it goes on to demonstrate a distinction between our Savior and ourselves by using the pronouns “I” and “me.” We are no longer swallowed up so that we have no independent existence. Rather, it is God who loves us. Consequently, it is about a relationship between two or more distinct people.

 

Besides, this verse claims that before we are saved, we did live. Therefore, according to this non-dualist, this suggests that we had been a full-blown individuals before we were saved but then we deprived of it.

 

Instead, there are Biblical ways to understand “It is no longer I who live,” but it is God who reigns in my life:

·       Philippians 2:12–13 …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

 

I love the fact that I am beloved by my Savior (distinction) and that He is in charge working all thinks together for my good. I therefore wrote to the non-dualist:

 

·       If you do belong to Jesus, I fear that you will have to endure great suffering in order to realize it is all about a God who loves you rather than One who will extinguish your individual existence.

WORLDVIEW OVERVIEW: PLAYING MAKE-BELIEVE

 

  WORLDVIEW OVERVIEW: PLAYING MAKE-BELIEVE

 

We judge a worldview as we do a roadmap, by its correspondence with reality. If it doesn’t correspond, then it fails to serve as a reliable roadmap for our lives. Consequently, it will not take us where we need to go. Therefore, we ask, “Is it livable?” Here are some thoughts that I hope will demonstrate that materialism (the belief that there is nothing beyond the material world) is not livable: (Definitions)

·        In a materialistic/deterministic/atheistic universe, there is no room for freewill. Therefore, the materialist must make-believe that he has the freewill to make freewill choices.

 

·        The materialist makes moral judgments but lacks an objective standard to make objective moral judgments. Therefore, he plays make-believe.

 

·        The materialist wants to believe that love has meaning and purpose in his materialistic world, but if these are no more than biochemical reactions, he again must play make-believe that there is something transcendent about his feelings, even worth dying for.

 

·        He wants to live according to his conscience, but if the conscience is no more than material, biochemical reactions, why bother!

 

·        He claims that we do not have to believe in God to be good. However, he doesn’t believe that the “good” is anything more than an evolving social convention. So he makes believe.

 

·        He wants to believe in human equality and the equality of all under the law. However, the materialist is unable to make a case for equality, since materialistically, there is no equality, and we are all different. Therefore, he has no choice but to play make-believe.

 

·        He wants to hold to human primacy over the mosquito and the COVID virus. However, the materialist lacks any coherent basis to value man over the mosquito. Again, he plays make-believe.

 

·        He knows that humanity must distinguish justice from injustice. However, for the materialist, these entities do not exist in his “uncaring and evolving materialistic universe.” Therefore, he makes believe that they do exist.

 

·        He talks about human rights as if they objectively exist but has no basis to believe that they exist anymore than mosquito rights. Therefore, he makes-believe that they do exist.

 

·        His psychology craves for meaning and purpose, which are non-existent in a materialistic meaningless world. He might create them for himself, but he doesn’t fully realize that He is playing make-believe.

 

 

 

SUPERIORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

 

COHERENT WORLDVIEW = Conforms to lived reality and navigate through it.

 

Transcendent God vs. Materialistic Determinism?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If

 

Atheist Philosopher Daniel Dennett: …”free will, in their view, is obviously incompatible with naturalism, with determinism, and very likely incoherent against any [materialistic] background, so they cheerfully insist that, of course, they don't have free will, [and] couldn’t have free will, but so what?”

 

PROBLEMS:

·       Sam Harris: Denies freewill but claims that we must play make-believe.

·       Denial of Reason: All thinking formulaic and pre-programmed

·       Wet Machines (Totally dominated!)

·       No Accountability, Responsibility, Praise, Guilt, Innocence, Relationship

·       No Adequate Basis for Criminal Justice System and Punishment

·       Contradicts our experience and intuitions (Existence)

·       Demeans humanity. Psychologist James Hillman: “We dull our lives by the way we conceive then…By accepting the idea that I am the effect of…hereditary and social forces, I reduce myself to a result. The more my life is accounted for by what already occurred in my chromosomes, by what my parents did or didn’t do, and by my early years now long past, the more my biography is the story of a victim. I am living a plot written by my genetic code, ancestral heredity, traumatic occasions, parental unconsciousness, societal accidents.” (The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling, Random House, 6)

·       Cannot live according to determinism. Inevitable Self-contradiction (Belief x Life) “Johnny, you bullied Peter because you were biologically determined to do so!” à Find new paradigm or play Make-Believe!

 

 

Human Primacy: Greatest Worth (Anthropocentrism vs. Biocentrism )   1.    Science cannot establish a value! (What is, not what should be!; Hume) or   2.    Feelings/Intuition? (If purely biochemistry = Fire Alarm sounding when no real fire)   3.    GodConscience = Obj. Moral intuitions

 

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

·       Pragmatic Borrowing? (Ted Bundy)

 

Philosopher F. Nietzsche: “They are rid of the Christian God and now believe all the more firmly that they must cling to the Christian morality… When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one’s feet. (Twilight of the Idols)

 

BIOCENTRISM: Among life-forms, we cannot say that one is more valuable.

Howard J. Moore: The supposed psychical gulf between human and non-human beings has no more existence, outside the flamboyant imagination of man, than has the once-supposed physical gulf. It is pure fiction. The supposition is a relic of the rapidly dwindling vanity of anthropocentrism, and is perpetuated from age to age by human selfishness and conceit. It has no foundation either in science or in common-sense. Man strives to lessen his guilt by the laudation of himself and the disparagement and degradation of his victims. (The Universal Kinship. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co. 1906).

 

Paul Watson: My perspective is biocentric, whereas most of humanity looks on reality from an anthropocentric point of view. I do not expect the anthropocentric mind to understand my position. My position is that a human life is not more important than the life of a gorilla or a whale. (Why not also a mosquito or COVID virus?)

 

·       Science cannot determine values (what should be) but what is! But science can serve our values. (Avoid pain) Values, Desires > Pragmatic Considerations

·       Chaos—Our laws would have to equally protect all life forms

·       “Common-sense?” (Subjective Biochemical Materialism, Not Principled)

·       Laws must protect termites as well as humans

·       Make-Believe after God is Rejected

 

NON-BIBLICAL ANTHROPOCENTRISM: “The individual, cultural, and technological skills of humans are among the attributes that make our species, Homo sapiens, special and different. The qualities of humans have empowered the species to a degree that no other species has achieved during the history of life on Earth, through the development of social systems and technologies that make possible an intense exploitation and management of the environment.”

 

PROBLEMS:

·       No basis for values—not love, skills, development!

·       Anthropocentric bias!

·       Inconsistent with other values (Human Equality)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROBLEMS:

·       No physical basis

·       Pragmatism inadequate (UPR—Borrowing, Hypocrisy!)?

·       Pragmatism unable to retain objective values (Nepotism, CRT)

·       Division, Suspicion, Intolerance (Roebling)

·       Nietzsche: No Christian GodàNo Christian Values

·       “Human Equality” must be protected by religion. Pragmatic considerations secondary

·       Otherwise—Playing Make-Believe

 

Human Rights   Sanctity of Life (God) or Quality of Life (Man)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genesis 9:5–6 “…From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. ‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.’”

 

Preamble - Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Deist)

 

PROBLEMS:

·       Arbitrary (QL)

·       Rejection of God: (Sanctity of Life) replaced by  Quality-of-Life (QL)

·       “Professionals” and gov. determine QL à euthanasia; abortion

·       Slippery Slope

·       If HR come from government, government can retract.

·       Dignity of Humanity

·       Materialism - Wet Machines

·       Disposable

·       Denial (Communism, Totalitarianism) or Play Make-Believe

 

Atheist, humanist author of the Humanist Manifesto II, Paul Kurtz, maintained that pragmatism [not divine moral principles] is the only possible justification for morality:

·       How are these [moral] principles to be justified? They are not derived from a divine or natural law nor do they have a special metaphysical [beyond the material world] status. They are rules offered [by people] to govern how we shall behave. They can be justified only by reference to their results [costs/benefits]. (Preamble)

 

PROBLEMS:

·       Pragmatism always governed human history and its horrors

·       RESULTS—for whom? Ted Bundy

·       Personal benefits/cost analysis, generally governed by Selfishness (Pragmatism is enlisted in service to values/desires.)

·       No Objective Moral Judgments (Hitler, Stalin)

·       “This is just the way I feel. I have not done wrong!”

·       No Resolution of Conflict through Appeal to Obj. Principles

·       Playing Make-Believe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karen Wright: “Eudemonia refers to a state of well-being and full functioning that derives from a sense of living in accordance with one’s deeply held values.” (Psychology Today, May 2008, 76)

·       PROBLEM: But how can we have deeply held values by just creating them? Can we take them seriously? We take the laws of science seriously because we know we didn’t create them. Instead, we regard them as reality!

 

Atheist Richard Dawkins: "They say to me, how can you bear to be alive if everything is so cold and empty and pointless? Well, at an academic level I think it is - but that doesn't mean you can live your life like that. One answer is that I feel privileged to be allowed to understand why the world exists, and why I exist, and I want to share it with other people."   

 

PROBLEMS:

·       Schizoid—Truth vs. Personal Beliefs/Feelings.

·       Internal Struggle; Lack of Integration

·       Self-Obsessed to resolve struggle --> Confusion -->

·       Hopelessness—No relief from tyranny of our changing feelings.

·       Not always feel that way. Nothing to provide stability and purpose.

·       No Eudemonia/No Deeply Held Beliefs-->Instability

·       Playing Make-Believe! Nietzsche: “If you have a “why” to live for, you can bear almost any setback.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

 

PROBLEMS:

·       No Evidence

·       False Religious Claims—“Christians anti-Science)”—Minds are closed

o   British scientist Robert Clark: "However we may interpret the fact, scientific development has only occurred in Christian culture. The ancients had brains as good as ours. In all civilizations—Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, India, Rome, Persia, China and so on—science developed to a certain point and then stopped. It is easy to argue speculatively that, perhaps, science might have been able to develop in the absence of Christianity, but in fact, it never did. And no wonder. For the non-Christian world believed that there was something ethically wrong about science. In Greece, this conviction was enshrined in the legend of Prometheus, the fire-bearer and prototype scientist who stole fire from heaven, thus incurring the wrath of the gods." (Christian Belief and Science, quoted by Henry F. Schaefer, 14)

·       Materialism cannot account for design. (DNA)

·       Laws of science--Transcendent

·       Must play make-believe that there exists an undiscovered naturalistic explanation.

 

 

 

 

 

·       Psychiatrist Edward Hallowell: The sum of our meaningful connections [to people and groups] is…the key to emotional health and the surest protection we have against the psychological ravages of worry.” (Worry, 26)

 

PROBLEMS:

·       True, but expecting too much from others—co-dependency

·       Refusal to accept the limitations of others

·       Resentment, Disappointment

·       Only God can rescue us” Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

 

 

 

 

In Noonday Demon, Andrew Solomon wrote about his struggles with depression, but was discouraged about the hope–-a sense of humor—he offers:

 

·       Of course, it can be hard to sustain a sense of humor during an experience that is really not so funny. It is urgently necessary to do so…Whatever time is eaten by a depression is gone forever. The minutes that are ticking by as you experience the illness are minutes that you will not know again. No matter how bad you feel you have to do everything you can to keep living, even if all you can do for the moment is breathe. Wait it out and occupy the time of waiting as fully as you can. That’s my big piece of advice to depressed people.

 

PROBLEMS:

·       Self-Hope --> More anxiety/depression—Can’t lift ourselves of ground by pulling our legs up

·       Positive Affirmations = A drug that requires increasingly greater doses

·       Self-Absorption

·       Need to look beyond ourselves to the One Hope that guarantees to never fail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·       Subjective—Can you take your own private opinions seriously?

·       Denial of Relationship

·       Self-Deception

·       Self-Love = Narcissistic:

·       Arthur C. Brooks:  A 2010 study in the Journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that the percentage of college students exhibiting narcissistic personality traits, based on their scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, a widely used diagnostic test, has increased by more than half since the early 1980s, to 30 percent. 

 

·       This is a costly problem. While full-blown narcissists often report high levels of personal satisfaction, they create havoc and misery around them. There is overwhelming evidence linking narcissism with lower honesty and raised aggression. It’s notable for Valentine’s Day that narcissists struggle to stay committed to romantic partners, in no small part because they consider themselves superior.

 

Thankfulness

 

Positive Psychology: Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky

·       One way to do this is with a “gratitude journal” in which you write down three to five things for which you are currently thankful – from mundane (your peonies are in bloom) to the magnificent (a child’s first steps). Do this once a week, say, on Sunday night. Keep it fresh by varying your entries as much as possible. (Time)

 

PROBLEMS:

·       Focus on Feelings

·       Death

·       Denial of Reality (Suffering)

·       Make-Believe! Thankful to God, the One who addresses all our problems, even death.

 

PROOF OF GOD   We cannot live without Him!

 

1.     Parsimonious (Simplicity) = Only one leap-of-faith!

2.     Adequate Causal Foundation – Omnipotence

3.     Supremely Beneficial/Pragmatic—

4.     Reason: We bet on a solution which promises maximal returns for the least investment.

5.     Provides viable worldview = Roadmap

6.     Already know God—Ubiquitous Design, Conscience, Guilt, Shame.

7.     Denial of God--> Endless Internal Conflict

8.     To reject God is to reject our nature and needs (Meaning, Purpose, Eudemonia, Hope, Love…)

 

ANSWERING ATHEISTS

Prove God!

 

All of the discussions with atheists devolve into the demands for proofs of God. You might therefore respond:

We are surrounded by the proofs of God. Everything is designed from the smallest atom and strand of DNA to life, the elegant laws of science, the fine-tuning of the cosmos, consciousness and freewill. If you are unwilling to acknowledge what your eyes tell you or what science has revealed, then my flimsy words and proofs will make no difference to you.

In contrast, we find no example of non-design (naturalism). Nor is there any evidence that anything has ever been naturally caused. Nevertheless, naturalism is the reigning god in the classroom and laboratory.

 

Those who attempt to find fault with God need to demonstrate how He has fallen short of an objective moral law. However, there is no basis for objective moral laws without God. Instead, we are limited to merely charging that “God has violated my moral preferences.”

 

I want a scientific proof that God exists!

 

If science is a matter of systematic observations, then science is also dependent upon observations in general. As the foundation buttresses the house, so do observations support science.

 

Since everything has the appearance of design, whether, molecules, proteins, or DNA, then science must endorse the validity of these observations, lest the foundation of science is pulled out from beneath its entire enterprise.

 

Interestingly, no chemicals, atoms, or substances have the appearance of non-design. I think this says something, even from the voice of science.