As a deist, Thomas Jefferson may have thought God was indifferent, but gospel twisting preachers and theologians of the day seem to think God is a clown. One preacher appears regularly on television pushing his book entitled?How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted. He insists that if people would pay their vows (an Old Testament concept) that this would begin to happen. It goes without saying that payment must be made to him. The blatant emphasis on the business of tithes and offerings among some churches has become a shameful blight but shows no signs of abating.
Before millions of viewers on the Larry King Show, another well known preacher refused to say that everyone needed Jesus for salvation. He then stated that the word "sinner" was a word he never used in his messages. He has since apologized to his many friends and adherents but a chance to witness to millions is now lost. The question remaining is how anyone can find a way to preach the gospel without using the word "sinner." Jefferson's answer may be...Just use a jackknife.
This new kind of preaching has many names. It is called, the prosperity gospel, the abundant life gospel, and the celebrity gospel. I call it, the gospel according to the Americans but in moments of my greatest disgust I call it by its more generic name, trash.
Is it wrong to say that God wants to bless us? Does God want all his people to be dirt poor or live a life of abject poverty? Will God only give us pie in the sky when we die and ignore our love and generosity until later? The answer to all three questions is, no, no, and no. God has promised to bless the giver in dozens of passages similar to Luke 6:38. So what is the problem?
The problem is one of balance. Just like the ancient Pharisees who struggled with the picture of a ruling kingly messiah versus a lowly suffering messiah. Their answer to the seemingly incongruous promises of the prophets was to come up with the idea that their must be two messiahs. There is but one messiah and all prophecy is fulfilled in him. Aha! There is also but one way to walk the life of obedience to the gospel as well. It may be that you have to be abased or exalted as the apostle Paul who said he had learned to adapt to either state for the sake of the gospel. Php 4:12 If Paul were a proponent of today's gospel he would have thought he was out of the perfect will of God every day he was pursued, beaten, jailed or suffering. Thank God he didn't feel this way because he would have had to style his epistles after the Jeffersonian model and leave out those occurrences.
Is it really a time for believers to dismiss every wind of doctrine and accept every new kid on the block kind of doctrine? Are we compelled to look the other way as these twisted presentations of the gospel gain momentum all for the sake of Christian unity? But is this rather a time for Americans to hang their heads in shame. Trying to present a gospel that does not magnify anything but the wonderful finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ is always a shame.
If we emphasize only those parts of the bible we like and leave the rest we are creating our own Jefferson bible. Perhaps we then might be able to do away with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and substitute them with a single gospel we could call, The Gospel According to the Americans.
Rev Bresciani is the leader of a non-denominational ministry in the New Orleans area. He has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote, Hook Line and Sinker or What has Your Church Been Teaching You, published by PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book recently released by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. Rev Bresciani has his own website at americanprophet.org
It may seem trite and naïve to suggest we can... Read More
In looking back on the year that has just ended-a... Read More
Dear Readers, I received a letter this week that is... Read More
Biblically speaking, holding philosophical beliefs that contain internally self-refuting contradictions... Read More
The power of the Holy Spirit is so profound it... Read More
"Christianity posits the realization of human freedom not here on... Read More
The whole universe originated from Tao. Mankind also originated from... Read More
Many cities have large Catholic Church presence and well-established Lutheran... Read More
Murders are so frequent in our country that a single... Read More
Here are a few pomes that may encourage you to... Read More
Hold on to your hat! Here comes one of the... Read More
Actually he was more appropriately called a Cynic, but that... Read More
In my opinion, this story has two very powerful spiritual... Read More
Organized Religion has served mankind well, by uniting civilization and... Read More
Prime probability:You have been and are being deceived by those... Read More
This next event, a war in heaven, will not be... Read More
Have you ever looked into a mirror and wondered what... Read More
Matthew 24:34-24:35 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall... Read More
Per the miscellaneous signs listed in my previous article, Jesus... Read More
Thomas Carlyle is just one of the interesting characters who... Read More
PREFACE TO UNDERSTANDING APOSTASY AND DECEPTIONIn the "last days" the... Read More
The powerful tsunami that on Dec. 26, 2004, hit the... Read More
Should we be tempted to believe that our system of... Read More
The ark must have been much larger than the dimensions... Read More
The Rapture of the Church will be the most startling... Read More
Now that we know God and Jesus want to release... Read More
As the Chritmas season approaches, I figured it's a good... Read More
The Christian Church believes that at the close of the... Read More
Talent is defined as: "Natural endowment or ability of a... Read More
Isaiah 65:17-65:25In Divers Places. A Look at prophecy and today's... Read More
Review your religious beliefs with these revealing quotations all about... Read More
These next two verses are extreme - and I mean... Read More
The Path Is Winding:Ever wonder why things that happen in... Read More
There's another "move of God" that's sweeping the nations. Have... Read More
As the Chritmas season approaches, I figured it's a good... Read More
After years of watching TV shows and movies, I think... Read More
As I was doing my studies, the Lord put something... Read More
As senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New... Read More
He Showed 'Compassion'He made lots where there was only little.... Read More
The bible tells a story about the prophet Ezekiel who... Read More
The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but... Read More
This article was inspired by a book by E. W.... Read More
"I want to know how God created this world. I... Read More
One of the more insightful warnings Christians can receive bears... Read More
2 Corinthians 2:6-2:14Moslem America part 2. Behold, the days come,... Read More
This first verse completely sets the stage for you to... Read More
Biblically speaking, holding philosophical beliefs that contain internally self-refuting contradictions... Read More
With the passing of Arafat, the Middle East will take... Read More
The graven image exclusion as told in the Bible certainly... Read More
If you look at just the man/women after he/she has... Read More
ConclusionVideotape in todays world is based on these three things... Read More
". . . their eyes were opened, and they recognized... Read More
What will be the effect on general public if the... Read More
The whole universe originated from Tao. Mankind also originated from... Read More
It is unfortunate that the Catholic Church seems to continue... Read More
In our last study, we looked at understanding prayer. In... Read More
I want to say a word about faith. Recent events... Read More
You are now inside one of the top theological schools... Read More
Romans 7:8-7:25. The Christian today has become a people without... Read More
During His ministry, Jesus often made references to His impending... Read More
According to CNN, Catholics voted for President Bush over Senator... Read More
I'm really excited. I just got a bigger soapbox, and... Read More
The Right of Passage. by Rev. Anthony SmithIsaiah 64:6-64:6 In... Read More
Jesus won't come until the Jewish people are saved.Why the... Read More
We met at a Saturday afternoon fund-raising and promotional rally... Read More
The question is not whether terrorism is now a world-wide... Read More
Religion |