Bridge of Reason

  “Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well. He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death. The essence of God is existence, and He defines Himself as: 'I am Who am.' The essence of the devil is the lie, and he defines himself as: 'I am who am not.' Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; they are already on his side.” [1] The Schemes of the devil Satan uses various "wiles" with the aim of doing one of two things: i)            To blind the minds of unbelievers – and keep them from the light of the gospel and so be saved. ii)          To try and defeat, deflate, and discourage those who have put their faith in Christ.  Can we know anything of the devil’ schemes? Paul the Apostle tells the church in Corinth. …for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor.2:11 Paul here suggests that devil is pre...

The attention-grabbing headline shocked me but, as a Bible believing Christian, perhaps it shouldn’t have. ‘All hail the rise of baby Lucifer — now a more popular baby name than Nigel or Trevor’. [1] What a headline! Traditionally, people will have named their baby boys after a loved one, perhaps a father, a grandfather an uncle, or even a famous person; but how times have changed. Many, abandoning long-established forenames now seek to name their children something different, something that makes their little one stand out. Following this trend, last year in the U.K. fifteen parents saw fit to name their baby boys Lucifer. What the devil is going on? “The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.” It seems that there is a lack of clarity regarding who said this, but what is certain is the truth of it. There are many who deny the existence of a personal devil. Certainly, to say that you believe in the devil, in the increasingly secular West, is to invite scorn...

The Knowledge of God in Christ People can struggle, especially in the current church climate, with the question of what does being a Christian look like. So many claims and counterclaims are made on our lives it can be daunting trying to simply walk in faithfulness. Two areas in particular are problematic for people, Bible reading and prayer. I will have something practical to say about that, but first I want to build on the question I addressed in my last post ; where do you stand in the daily battle of faith? (Eph.6:13) Of especial concern throughout the New Testament is the threat of error from within the church. Paul, in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, warns of false prophets who will arise ‘from your own number,’ (Acts 20:30); He warns the church in Corinth not to be taken in by ‘false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ,’ (2 Cor.11:13) In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes of some who will ‘abandon the faith and follow deceiving...

Technorati Tags: Cult , Cults , Deception , Discernment If I was to start a cult these are the steps I would take: Reinvention : Every cult leader worth his salt has an image that he/she must work hard to maintain, from the clothes they wear to the way they conduct themselves. Saffron or white robes, smart casual western dress, formal wear, (a white suit is effective, as are robes, turbans, etc.) all will be determined by the image you want to project, but it must be consistent, people must recognise you instantly from your appearance and persona. Maybe this is why so many cult leaders choose to come across as still and contemplative rather than active and energetic. Novelty : It is important to have a message. The best messages have some novelty, revolve around issues of Revival, Renewal, Restoration, Transformation. It’s good if it is a ‘lost’ message, or something misunderstood until you came along to explain it. You can look really good if you can compare yourself favo...

by Jon Taylor Background A decade ago, Zondervan published Rob Bell’s first book ‘Velvet Elvis’ i which caused quite a stir amongst evangelicals although that was just a ripple compared with the tidal wave caused by his 2011 publication ‘Love Wins.’ ii In particular, John Piper was deeply concerned about Bell’s thoughts on penal substitution and the atonement. iii Rob Bell usually writes in a mysterious and provocative style, appealing to a postmodern audience, often leaving questions unanswered before raising another issue. There is typically a lack of clarity leaving the intended meaning open to discussion. Although not expressly stated in the respective texts, both books have come under criticism for either bordering Universalism or presenting Universalist ideas. At the time of authoring ‘Velvet Elvis’, Rob Bell was the Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan which is not to be confused with Mark Driscoll’s former church, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. In fact D...

Mrs Baxter, of Naas, Co Kildare, died of acute cardiac failure caused by blood problems in Tallaght Hospital on September 15, 2009. The Jehovah's Witness died five days after surgery to remove a tumour from her colon, after which she suffered significant bleeding. Surgeon Diarmuid O'Riordan told the inquest there was a “98% to 99% chance she would have survived if she was given the appropriate blood transfusion”. A woman with a 98% chance of surviving surgery dies because she has refused blood. The madness of this tragic decision becomes even more incredible when you realise that the blood issue came about, not because of a biblical injunction to abstain, nor from a misinterpretation of Bible verses regarding blood, but because of one mad man’s irrational opposition to vaccination. In 1919 Clayton J Woodward became editor of the JW publication The Golden Age magazine. in 1923 an article appeared that proved the first shot in a salvo against vaccinations. Under the title The...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Web site defines an “affinity fraud”: “Affinity fraud refers to investment scams that prey upon members of identifiable groups, such as religious or ethnic communities, the elderly, or professional groups. The fraudsters who promote affinity scams frequently are — or pretend to be — members of the group. They often enlist respected community or religious leaders from within the group to spread the word about the scheme, by convincing those people that a fraudulent investment is legitimate and worthwhile. Many times, those leaders become unwitting victims of the fraudster’s ruse.” You don’t have to be a believer of any kind to fall prey to affinity fraud but if you are a person who is daily looking for the “leading of God”,  who believes that God is bound to have a hand in the minutiae of your every day life, that there is no such thing as a coincidence and that God is “wanting to bless you” as part of his great plan then you  ...

"I belong to the top" (Matt. 5:14). This is the Bible quotation that greets you under the section 'Prophetic Focus for September 2009' on Bishop David Oyedepo's website. You may be thinking - I don't remember that part of the Sermon on the Mount? You may be thinking - I do remember the bit where Jesus in fact says, "Blessed are the meek." The reason why you don't remember that quotation is because it isn't there. Matthew 5:14 actually reads: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." So Bishop David and his Winners' Fellowship may want to gloss the Lord's words as "I belong to the top", but is it really fair to post it as a direct quotation? In fact, is it in any way a fair interpretation of the text? What is the Lord Jesus actually saying here? Jesus says, "You," but Bishop David says, "I." The Lord is giving a statement to a collective 'you' which will soon be...