spiphywarfare

Author: Derek

  • This Year

    Ephesian 5:15 & 16 “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk – not as unwise people but as wise – making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” (HCSB)

    That reference to making the most is literally “buying back the time” but I like the translation of “redeeming the time.” Sadly, I confess right here, I have done a poor job of redeeming the time. To be honest I’d say I’ve wasted too much of it. Left me do that no more. My primary, though not exclusive, focus for the near future on this blog, and elsewhere, will be on The Church. More on why and what that means in this video:

  • Dear Fellow SBC-Affiliated Church Member: What are you Funding?

    I fear too many members of SBC churches are giving money, intending to further the Gospel of Christ, and unknowingly funding the teaching of a false Gospel in our seminaries. This is happening through professors and leaders who embrace false teachings and knowingly hide what they are doing.

    Walter Strickland is one such professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Like other SBC affiliated seminaries, some of their funding comes through the SBC Cooperative Program which gives about 22 percent of its funds to the seminaries. And?

    Strickland’s “favorite theological book of all time” is “Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology,” in his own words​1​ (Jude Three Project, 2016). In this book, author J. Deotis Roberts writes that Black Theology needs “to be informed not only by the Christian faith but by the explorations into the unconscious by Freud and his associates, as well as the analysis of social, economic, and political ills by Marx and other social philosophers” (Roberts, 2005, p. 54) ​2​. He also claims that “Whites desire to be ‘as gods’ to blacks” and claims they become angry if blacks respond with Matthew 23:9 (Roberts, 2005, p. 57). He also claims that whites are collectively guilty of racism and should be haunted by the sins of the fathers and mothers (Roberts, 2005, p. 57). Whites appear to be reduced to viewing blacks in one of two ways: they can be overt racist that hate blacks, in which case they can change and be reconciled in love to blacks; or they can be “not aware of any race problem” and therefore be guilty of “preconscious racism” (Roberts, 2005, p 53).

    Our Lord and Savior taught in Matthew 12:31 that “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” There is one. One. Unforgivable. Sin. What does Strickland’s all-time favorite theological book teach? Roberts writes on page 59 that “Preconsious racism is a type of [emphasis added] ‘unpardonable sin’” (2005) that cannot be forgiven of since it can’t be recognized and repented of. By classifying it as a “type of” unpardonable sin Roberts contradicts a direct teaching of Christ. If whites won’t admit they are racist, they can’t be forgiven of sin.

    Strickland also embraces the teachings of James Cone. The New York Times reports that “Reading the black liberation theologian James Cone helped Mr. Strickland, the theology professor, see how white theologians often ignore the structural sources of earthly suffering” ​3​ (Worthen, 2019). Strickland states in this article that Cone’s ideas “are in play” but he won’t actually use his name when he’s speaking to white congregations. Wonder why?

    Perhaps here would be an appropriate place to draw on the efforts of Neil Shenvi, a Christian apologist who has done excellent work in the area of Critical Race Theory. His page of quotes from Cone’s “A Black Theology of Liberation” could shed light on why Mr. Strickland feels the need to sneaks Cones theology “in the back door by walking around the linguistic land mines” when it comes to orthodox Christianity (Worthen, 2019). Go to Shenvi’s page above and you can find quotes about “taking honkies out,” about the Bible not being infallible, how “God was not the author of the Bible,” and discover that, the teaching Strickland brings into churches and the seminary has this as its goal: “The goal of black theology is the destruction of everything white, so that blacks can be liberated from alien gods” (Shenvi, unk)​4​.

    Finally, while I’m not sure what I feel about the site this is hosted on, this video sounds as if he believes THE purpose of the church is to social ills. Otherwise, the gospel is just a white man’s religion (Maples, 2020)​5​.

    Walter Strickland brings perspective that is racist, violates/dismisses God’s Word, and he passes it on to our future pastors and missionaries. He is partly enabled in doing this through the giving of many unsuspecting (I hope) faithful members at SBC churches across the country.

    1. 1.
      Jude 3 Project. 6 The Balanced Scholar: The Life and Work of J. Deotis Roberts | Walter Strickland. YouTube. Published October 2016. Accessed January 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxqW-HQ8Fuc
    2. 2.
      Roberts JD. Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology. 2nd ed. Westminster John Knox Press; 2005.
    3. 3.
      Worthen M. Can Black Evangelicals Save the Whole Movement? New York Times.
    4. 4.
      Shenvi N. Quotes from Cone’s Black Theology of Liberation. Shenvi Apologetics. Accessed January 1, 2021. Quotes from Cone’s Black Theology of Liberation
    5. 5.
      Maples J. SBC Seminary Professor Says He Had to Embrace Another Gospel to “Keep His Faith.” Reformation Charlotte. Published November 2, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2021. https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/02/sbc-seminary-professor-says-he-had-to-embrace-another-gospel-to-keep-his-faith/

  • Who’s Going to Build This Temple Anyway

    Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

    1 Corinthians 3:16 & 17

    It is a good reminder of the seriousness of caring for the Bride of Christ; as well as where our true identity lies. I love verse 16. So much so, that it is the only verse on a wall in my house. I have other ones hanging in frames, but this verse in on the wall itself. As such, it isn’t surprising that it came to mind when I was reading this today.

    Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

    Ezra 4:1-6

    Because it has been on my mind so much lately (I think), the whole Critical Race Theory (CRT) debate came to mind on this. It has been particularly alarming to me as a long-time member of a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) affiliated church. As I’ve read more and more on the topic, it seems the pattern for the SBC has been, “We don’t know what CRT is” → “We don’t have any CRT in the SBC or it’s seminaries” → “Well, it can be a useful analytical tool” → “CRT is incompatible with the Baptist Faith and Message” → “Fine, we’re leaving the SBC if they don’t support CRT.” Obviously that’s over simplified, but once Resolution 9 was adopted, CRT and it’s impact on the church moved front and center.

    SBC leadership has been twisting and turning, avoiding, dodging, and trying to have the church and culture too. Now, feet are being held to the fire, and folks are being made to admit that CRT is opposed to Scripture. Certain elements in the SBC now are leaving since the SBC seminaries refused to accept an opposing worldview.

    One pastor says “We out” regarding the SBC after the “final straw” which was:

    On Dec. 1, all six of the SBC seminary presidents — without one Black president or counter opinion among them — told the world that a high view of Scripture necessarily required a corresponding and total rejection of critical race theory and intersectionality.

    Religion News

    Another says:

    “I can’t sit by and continue to support or even loosely affiliate with an entity that is pitching its tent with white supremacy,”

    Washington Post

    Imagine that. These two, and others, are not leaving because of the SBC rejecting scripture, but because the SBC seminaries are rejecting a racist ideology born of a godless, truth-rejecting worldview. Marxism.

    When I read Ezra this morning, I couldn’t help but think that it provided an example of enemies of God’s people who easily lied and claimed they wanted to help build the temple. This, at a time when Israel was struggling to maintain their unique identity as God’s people.

    Today the church struggle to maintain an identity separate from the world. It’s high time we tell the divisive, lying, saboteurs that they have nothing to do with building God’s temple today. Kick them out and drive them away. Do so knowing full well they will work to discourage, frustrate, and make fearful, those who are carrying out God’s Will in building the true church.

  • Difficult Teaching from Luke 14:26

    If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

  • Campfires, Christians, and Coca-Cola?

    I have never done a reaction video but the Just Thinking Podcast, Episode 106 made me think it was time to do one. But, I don’t have time to learn new Adobe After Effects Explosion FX. Why would I need to? Myself exploding at the knowledge being dropped in this Biblical Exposition of Unity would be the only appropriate video!

    This video is 2.5 hours long. There’s a reason for that. My mind was blown by this deep-dive into what Biblical Unity really is. Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker bring it and this was eye opening.

    Yes, the title of this blog is relevant to the podcast and YES! You will not regret taking the time to listen to this. I’m on my second listen right now.

  • December 2020 Wellness Box

    Always Love Getting our Wellness Boxes!

  • Christian Nationalism: Next Talking Point for BigEva?

    What is Christian Nationalism? Good question. One that needs answering as it looks to become the next talking point to used to try to shut down people who want to speak honestly about God, His Word, and His Church. Like Critical Race Theory (CRT), the term has been around for a while. This person, who I do not know, starts out as if they’re going to give it a sound, clarifying definition and then goes on for thirteen tweets to say, “All that to say, the threat of Christian nationalism to the Church & to the gospel is deep.” So the intention was never to define the term, only to use it as a term to vaguely cast aspersions on folks who won’t toe the line and label it, whatever it is, as a threat.

    It appears that Christian Nationalism will be the next catch-phrase used to demean, dismiss, and slander Christians. I don’t know if it is because “racist” and “white supremacist” are getting worn out and need replacing, or if it will become just another politicoreligious word in the arsenal used to shoot accusatory, fiery darts against the saints.

    Beth Moore used it to define a threat to the Gospel (if one accepts she actually knows what the Gospel is). She says “Trumpism,” whatever that is, is the most dangerous and seductive thing she’s ever seen the saints of God face. She then says, “This Christian Nationalism is not of God.” I guess he must not have given her a special word about it.

    Jon Harris is on it, and so is AD Robles (both links go to YouTube videos). These two guys each use their own tactics when dealing with issues and I appreciate them both. If you have the time, watch both of these linked videos discussing this issue.

    I’ll be trying to follow-up on this post with information that defines this but, sadly, I don’t hold my breath for clarity. Why? I asked for a definition of someone else online who wondered about Christian leaders pushing back against Christian Nationalism. I was given this article. It’s an article of over 3,000 words that, in the end, does not give a true definition. That’s one of the tactics I’ve noticed is so often used by unbelievers infiltrating the church. Obfuscate, muddy the water, and never define what the term used to slander believers means. I guess it makes their job easier.

  • Crazy Legislation/Legislators

    I guess this isn’t too far outside my stated reason for having this site. To encourage spiritual and physical health in others. I can see how both of these issues can impact your physical well-being. One other note, I know the image is not flattering, it may even be harsh, but given that Miriam-Webster defines dunce as someone who is slow at learning, I stand by it.

    So when I first heard about Representative Thresa Meza‘s HB 196 regarding changes to defenses against the use of deadly force, I was miffed. Please! Do not let this happen to my beloved Texas. The bill isn’t as bad as I’ve seen it presented but it needs to be opposed nonetheless. While it doesn’t impose a strict duty to retreat on you in your home, it changes it to require it to be your own habitation. Current law would allow an adult child visiting their parents home to defend that home with the same protections under the law. This bill would remove that. I suppose you would lose the protection for defending your small business location as well. Interestingly, it also amends the crimes this applies to when it says a person is justified in using deadly force against another…

    to prevent the other’s imminent commission of aggravated kidnapping, murder, sexual assault,or aggravated sexual assault [,robbery,or aggravated robbery].

    Just to be clear, it appears that you would not be justified in using deadly force, even in your own habitation, to protect yourself from robbery, or aggravated robbery. In case you wonder what aggravated robbery is, and therefore what this bill would remove your protections from defending yourself against; here’s the definition of Aggravated Robbery from the Texas Penal Code:

    (a) A person commits an offense if he commits robbery as defined in Section 29.02, and he:
       (1) causes serious bodily injury to another;
       (2) uses or exhibits a deadly weapon; or
       (3) causes bodily injury to another person or threatens or places another person in fear of imminent bodily injury or death, if the other person is:
          (A) 65 years of age or older; or
          (B) a disabled person.
    (b) An offense under this section is a felony of the first degree.
    (c) In this section, “disabled person” means an individual with a mental, physical, or developmental disability who is substantially unable to protect himself from harm.

    I do not think this bill will see the light of day. I do think an even more nonsensical piece of municipal legislation, thankfully out of Seattle, may have a chance of becoming law. If I was a Seattle resident, I would sell everything and take my family elsewhere before the end of the year. This is asking for trouble and given the way it is being handled behind closed doors and outside of the normal process, I figure the City Council there knows it.

    Basically, addiction, mental health issues, and poverty would be a defense to prosecution for virtually every misdemeanor you can commit is your intent was to meet and immediate and basic need. According to this MSN.com story, “For example, if a defendant argued they stole merchandise to sell for cash in order to purchase food, clothes or was trying to scrape together enough money for rent. The accused could not be convicted.”

    God, please help this country.

  • Naked Bible Podcast

    If you haven’t heard of Dr. Michael Heiser, or his Naked Bible Podcast, then I’d urge you to correct that. 😁 Dr. Heiser is an expert in ancient languages. I’ve always heard that we need to read the Bible in context, he points out that we need to read it out in proper context which isn’t the context of a 21st Century, Western Christian.

    Not too long ago while reading through Deuteronomy, I was a bit perplexed by why the Israelites were instructed to build an altar out of unhewn stone. I had wondered if maybe it had something to do with using prohibited technology. It didn’t.

    How do I know that? I wrote Dr. Heiser a question, and it was answered in a recent episode of his podcast. I thought it was so considerate of him to give his time to help me understand this passage of the Bible. He has a saying along the lines of, “If something in the Bible is weird, it’s important.”

    If you, like me, routinely commute, I’d encourage that you give this podcast a listen with an open mind. I guarantee you I have not found anything he says yet that violates scripture, but he has sure pointed out that I’ve had the wrong view of some things.

  • On that day…

    I’ve been a little hesitant to post this as I take scripture seriously and approach it with respect. However, this just came out of my mouth the other day while having a conversation, and it keeps coming back to me.

    I personally make a point of not sharing those social media posts that say basically, “If you don’t share this you don’t love Jesus” because I’m not going to be manipulated, and I’m pretty sure that’s not a standard we’ll be held to.

    Right now, politics seems to have divided Christianity. And, I’m not saying that it is without good reason. I can easily say that one party’s platform easily is more in line with my beliefs. But, I’ve seen folks indicate that if you vote for Trump, your vote will lead to eternal destruction for people and nations. Likewise, I’ve seen some state that voting Democrat means you aren’t Christian. That said, I’ve noticed some things that make me wonder if some want to syncretize political platforms with Christianity. Weird.

    Finally, I know memes are a thing of our day. Done right, they get a point across quickly and effectively. Poorly done, they either leave you scratching your head in wonder or mislead people with funny but incorrect information. I’ve had plenty of “religious” memes that leave me thinking the creator needs to work on their theology a bit.

    I pray that as we continue through tumultuous times that, my brothers and sisters in Christ (including myself), we will leave behind that which is past and press on toward that which is ahead and press on to reach the goal and receive that Heavenly prize in Jesus Christ[ref]Philippians 3:14[/ref].