Exploring Faith Representations
"My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon." — Masahide
"Unto us a Child is born (in a manger) unto us a Son was given (on Calvary)." — Unknown
"Live from the Mecca of Mormonism – Salt Lake City Utah – This is Heart of the Matter – Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity . . . Face to Face"
And I’m your host Shawn McCraney. We praise the true and living God for allowing us to be part of this His ministry.
We announced this last week but next February we are planning to hold a conference. We are calling it Sunday’s Best and the purpose is to have the very best (that we can get) to participate. The very best at what? The very best representatives of their respective faith. What faiths? Any faith that claims the blood of Christ as the source of salvation and presently this includes the Calvinists, Arminianists, Catholics, Mormons, Open Theists, Reconciliationists, And ______________ Baptists. Invitations have been extended to many of the better representatives of each group and more are going out.
If you know someone who would do a respectable job of explaining the nuances of their biblical take please either write us at shawn@alatheamedia.com or call us at 888 868-4686.
Facing Criticism and Moving Forward
Now, here’s the deal. The vast majority of the world has turned on me. Seriously. The LDS, of course, have always had issue with me but now most Christian denoms have joined the crowd. As a result, the ministry (and my person) have been sort of castigated by people who once called me brother and have minimally deemed me heterodox and maximally assured themselves, God, and anyone else who will listen apostate and heretical. Whatever. We will continue on the pursuit of truth as long as God permits. But we need your help to get invitations out to reputable presenters.
This is how we’re going to approach this situation. We are going to get representatives to the respective faith claims mentioned. It is up to those that represent the faith claims to provide us with someone to represent them. If they refuse that is their right, but we will find someone to represent – and they just may not be who you would want.
So let’s have an example, shall we? In Calvinism we have sent out invites and will continue to send them out. If RC Sproul declines, And John MacArthur declines And James White declines, And then the local Calvinist pastors decline We will get a regular old believer who calls himself a Calvinist to present – simple as that. We are giving the Calvinists (and everyone else) a right to speak openly, share their faith, and promote it over an open platform. If they are too busy or too good or not interested, that’s their choice. But we will get someone to represent your faith.
Add to it all, Professor Bob Millet of BYU HAS agreed to present. I would think, in the name of truth and whatever drives other faiths that others would want to do all they can to provide a best effort representation of their respective faith too.
So, there it is. You may not like me or you may believe I am heretical in my views but I am not afraid of information of any kind. This conference is going to gather it up in one place, record it, and push the results (unedited) out to any and all who want to observe them.
The Importance of Names in Faith
Last week we received a call from a young man that was asking about the name of Jesus. His concern was that in light of passage like: Acts 2:21 (which says) “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And Acts 4:12 (which says) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” And even Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Our caller had a legitimate concern – if His name is so vital to salvation, why don’t we use His real name? What isn’t Jesus the real name of the Lord. Not even close.
Exploring the Importance of Jesus' Name
I shared with you last week. It said that I was preaching a false doctrine when I explained that people can be saved without even knowing the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So what are we to make of all of this? Is the actual given name of Jesus required to be saved or is a representative name allowed? Should Christians do all they can to truly speak about and call upon the Lord by His authentic given name?
First, let’s examine His name quickly. Yeshua (pronounced Joshua by Americans) is his given name. And being that I am not Hebrew nor know Hebrews well at all I am probably mispronouncing His actual given name in the first place, right. The New Testament was primarily written in Greek and translated into Greek and the Greek name of Yeshua is Iesous. Take Iesous, and transliterate that into English and we get Jesus. Which, if you're from the South will in all likelihood be pronounced Jyeee-sus, and if you are from south of the border, Hey-Zuz! Names are tricky, aren’t they – especially when they are viewed as having to be pronounced perfectly for salvation. Is that what these passages in Acts and Romans mean?
The Significance of "The Name of the Lord"
To the Jews, the phrase “the name of the Lord” is the same as the Lord himself. Psalm 79:6 says: “Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.” We can say that the Psalmist could NOT have meant the actual name because it was never even spoken (or even known, for that matter) right? In Zechariah 13:9 the Lord says: “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Same argument here. Additionally, I think we can say that to call on the true name of the Lord is an expression from a humble heart and a contrite spirit reaching out to the true and living God authentically much more than it is a perfect articulation from the mouth.
I would suggest that the latter is religion and misses the point. It was in the spirit of this argument that I said in my interview with John Dehlin on Mormon Stories that a person could be saved without even knowing the NAME of the Lord. It’s not that they won’t come to a realization of His name, but that is truly a much lesser event in the burgeoning life of a believer when compared to knowing Him spiritually and from the heart of hearts. In the end, in the human realm God has given us a Savior. The angel told His mother that He shall be named Yeshua, Iesous (if you are Greek) Jeesus (if you’re an American, but simply God if a person hasn’t learned the specifics. Hope that helps.
The Bible and the Mormon-Christian Debate
Last week we entered into a new topic in our attempt to help level the playing field in the Mormon / Christian debate. The topic – the Bible. We then showed the utter disrespect the LDS have historically had for the Bible (even though they at least have the respect to include it in what they deem canon). Now, one thing that makes people unfriend me (in real life) is that I do NOT play favorites. If someone is right, they are right – no matter which side of the camp they are residing – Mormon, Buddhist, Atheist, Scientist, Baptist, Catholic – whatever – if their position is true and a Bible believing Christian is false I side with truth.
Most people maintain an “us verses them” mentality – it gives security. Even at the height of doing Heart of the Matter on TV20 we refused to embrace this approach causing many people in the Body to actually hold disdain for our methods. Oh well. I’m mentioning this because we (Christianity) have done an awful LOT of criticizing of the LDS for their extra-biblical teachings. Watch ANY blog or chat room or disgracebook discussion and invariably a Christian will attack the LDS for their man-made, extra-biblical stuff. And rightfully so (as we pointed out last week).
The Influence of Human Interpretation in Christianity
have had (and have) modern-day MEN saying and teaching stuff that is not biblical. And of course it all started with Smith and the BOM, and Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. But what about “Christianity?” If we were to listen to almost any devoted Christian the standard claim is: “We believe and follow the Bible and the Bible alone and man and men mean nothing to us – only God.” Bull shitake mushrooms. Absolute bull. And so if we are going to clear the playing field on this subject we have to lay out what, in my opinion, needs to be discussed and potentially trashed on the “Christian side” of our topic “the Bible.” Now listen, don’t let tonight cause you to throw in the towel. There is a method to this madness and I am going to layout the solution next week.
But before the healing can begin we have to eradicate the cancers, right? And so that’s what tonight is all about and frankly, the procedure is going to be painful. So let’s begin with the basic Christian claims and work out from there.
The Role of the Bible and the Spirit
Most Christians (along with most Christian churches) agree that the Bible is the word of God, that it is reliable, and Christians ought to frequently reference it for guidance and direction, right? I for one completely accept 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 which plainly states that: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Secondly, most Christians agree that to truly understand the Bible (and to truly get the most out of it) the Bible must be understood by and with and in conjunction with the Spirit, right? I personally agree with the following verses and what they articulate relative to this point. 1st Corinthians 2:14 says: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Romans 8:5-6 adds: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” So we have the belief that the Bible can and should be read and trusted and then we have the idea that it can truly and only be understood by the Spirit.
Finally, we have to add in that as true Christians we do NOT trust the teachings of Man in our biblically based walk but??? That’s right, we read the word in conjunction with the Holy Spirit and are lead by God . . . right? Isn’t that what Christians do? It’s what they should do, it’s what they ought to do, but it is hardly what has been done historically or what is done now.
The Rise of Denominations
(Southern Accent) “Well, whatevah do you mean, Mr. Shawn?” What I mean is ignoring these primary principles of Christian liberty, Christians have, almost from the get go, instead of walking by the Spirit subjectively have looked to MEN to tell them what to believe and why? And how has that turned out? Well, let’s see. We have more than 33 THOUSAND Christian denominations in the world! What determines a denomination? WHAT DETERMINES A DENOMINATION! TELL ME! WHAT! That’s right . . . the teachings, the perspectives of human beings – of men and women who have a take on how to live, teach, explain, and govern Christianity. It’s really quite hilarious when we let ourselves think about it. Let me appeal to some secular examples to illustrate the point.
Whatever industry we want to use, the rules of the game are almost always identical. Whether we are talking about an artist, an athlete, a writer, a philosopher, an actor, or the Savior of the World, in the end most types end up institutionalized by man to some extent or another. Let’s say there is a little girl who can sing like no other. In time, people want her to sing for THEM. In the crowds of those who hear her there is always somebody who wants to then “represent her.” Others come along who want to promote her, and market her, and protect her, and arrange for her travel, and build her empire, and and and and and . . . Then there are those who want to imitate her. Soon there are
Denominational Divisions and Doctrinal Disputes
Those who want to improve upon what she has brought to the table and then there are those who want to hate her, destroy her, mock her and take over. It’s the nature of Man and the denominations are a perfect – PERFECT – illustration of this but the original subject of adoration was Jesus. From Him and His original message Man has come in and tried to capitalize on His simple message found and read in this book called the Bible. So not only do we have different denominations that claim His name we have doctrinal mandates that follow right on in behind.
Since there is no central authority (though everyone from Binny Hinn to Creflo Dollar to Jim Jones claim Jee-ZUZ is their authoritai!) every INSTITUTION is self governing (ironically) while the individuals who belong to the respective institution must conform! Among all the 33,000 plus denoms there are so many different opinions that we have to wonder are all these guys reading the same Bible? For example, what do the Ten Commandments mean? What is the view of water baptism, speaking in tongues, taking communion, when will Jesus return and what will it look like? Is there a way to dress? What about tattoos? Drinking alcohol? How do we worship Jesus? Acapella? Piano? Full band? How about tithes, Sabbath days, the nature of God, the trinity?
Historical Conflicts and Interpretations
Go back with me some 1800 years. What have men and women who have laid claim to a belief in the words of this book done not only to people of other faiths but people who claimed to believe and love Jesus too? Look at Northern Ireland and the Protestants and the Catholics! How about rabid anti-semitism that actually exists within the hearts of true Bible believing Christians? The Inquisitions? There were a lot of them and what was their primary driver? Suppress heresy. I mean in 1252 Pope Innocent IV issued a papal bull that literally approved torturing others in the name of Jesus.
Did Pope Innocent IV have access to a Bible? Oh, oh, oh – I see . . . that was long ago. Before the Protestant Reformation. Uh-huh. Ever hear of the Puritan Witch-hunts? 1600’s. Why? DOCTRINAL DEVIATION. And what did they do? Flogged, hung people, cut off body parts bored through peoples tongues with a hot iron! Did you know that if a person was charged with preaching the doctrine of the Quakers the punishment was death!
By 1690 this fervor morphed into what we call the Witch Hunts. We could go backward and talk about the absolute viciousness of Christian believers in the Bible in and around the time of Luther, the reformation, and Geneva which was in the command of a Man named Calvin. But let’s move forward to a little group called the Ku Klux Klan.
Contemporary Religious Influences
“Oh that is NOT fair, Shawn!” you may be screaming by now, “you know good and well that members of the KKK are not really Christians.” I do know this – but I bring them up to prove my point – I am sure many of them LOVE the Bible, read the Bible, and even acted by what THEY believed the Bible was saying! Did you know that the KKK began as a Protestant movement (I would suggest as a movement that in mindset was not much different than some of the far right-winged American Evangelicals or Arians I’ve read about and seen).
In the Book, Antisemitism: From earliest times to the Present by Michael, Robert and Phillip Rosen that Klansmen honestly believed that Jesus was the first Klansmen? Did you know that “cross burning” were done to demonstrate “respect for Jesus,” by lighting Christianity on fire across the nation? What were these people reading in their Bibles? What were their pastors teaching them from their Bibles? Certainly they were following men, were they not? But were they following men anymore or any less than a people in the Church of the Nazarines and Methodists follow Wesley, or Reformed Churches follow Calvin, Lutherans listen to Luther, Presbyterians follow John Knox and Baptists follow the insights of John Smyth?
How about the Four Square Churches? They follow Aimee Semple McPherson! Go read up on her. But it doesn’t stop with the influence of these denominational founders and those like them. The teachings and influence of Man upon “biblical Christianity” today goes much deeper. We now have the over-abiding influence of men and women who we call our scholars, and our theologians.
Non-Biblical Terms in Christian Theology
The Christian faith often includes man-made terms that are not found in the Bible but are considered necessary to be part of the Body, or at least, not heretical. Where in the Bible do we read terms like Hypostasis, Monotheism, Incarnation, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient? There are hundreds of non-biblical terms that theologians use, but just a few more include HOMO OU SIAN, which is considered the "Hallmark word of Orthodoxy." If it's not in the Bible, can you still be considered a Christian? If so, why is the word needed in the first place? Is it to make God's infallible, inerrant word make sense?
Historical Context of Theological Terms
Do we now have to add to the biblical fact that we trust the Word of God and it must be read by the Spirit with new, additional, extra-biblical words provided by men to make the Bible make sense? Sheeeesh. Do you know who the very first MAN was to use the word Trinity in recorded history? No, it was NOT Tertullian. It was a Gnostic named Valentinius. And believers today MUST embrace the word and ALL that it contains to be considered Christian?
I had a brother in Christ say that I am a heretic and am going to hell because I reject the use of the term Trinity! Before we open up the phone lines, let me let you in on a few more non-biblical terms that believers today banter about as if God Himself demands them: Altar call, Senior Pastor, associate Pastor, Chaplain, Reverend, Building fund, Church board, Worship leaders, Sinners prayer, Pulpit, Nave, Sunday School, Memberships, Voting, Parsonage, Pastors Housing, Sabbaticals, Men’s group, Small group, Women’s group, Moderation in all things, God works in mysterious ways, Cleanliness is next to Godliness, I never said it would be easy, God helps those who help themselves, Love the sinner hate the sin, Once saved always saved, Shout to the Lord, Pastor’s vacation, Rapture, Hallelujah.
Christian Song Titles and Their Biblical Presence
Awesome . . . here are some popular Christian song titles, none of which are found in the Bible. “Our God is an Awesome God,” “God of wonders (no) and neither is the rest of the title which is . . . God of wonders beyond our galaxy.” “Healing Rain?” (nope – Man) (as much from man as praise to the Man, by the way) “It is you,” “We all Fall down” (but it is, ironically in the little ditty Ring Around the Rosie). And one of my all-time favorites, a title that seems to be saying, Okay God, I’ve finally been able to pencil you in, the legendary: “Here I am to worship!”
If we are going to criticize other faiths for embracing the ideas, influences, and ways of Man, we had better get the beam out of our own eye before trying to get the spec out of theirs. So, what are we to do? Is there something we have altogether missed as Bible believers? I think there is . . . and we’ll cover it next week.
Let’s open up the phone lines: (801)
While the operators are clearing your calls, the LDS have slipped a MAJOR dozing into the world.
