You’ve heard of phishing, in which you receive a legitimate appearing email from
a company claiming that your account has been compromised, or that you’ve won
something. For verification, they ask you to supply your account number,
password, or other personal information. If you do, you’re committing financial
“suicide,” because you’ve just been scammed.
In the same way, there are “Christian” phishing scams. The bait seems
legitimate, but once you start to nibble, you’re committing spiritual “suicide.”
One of these “Christian” phishing scams is that of Ronald Dart and his “Born to
Win” radio program, which “can be heard on over one hundred radio stations
across the nation.”
CONTINUE
Part of the phishing bait is packaged in the form of comments such as this one
on the "Born to Win" website: “People around the world have come to appreciate
Ron’s easy style, his non-combative approach to explaining the Bible, and the
personal, almost one-on-one method of explaining what’s going on in the world in
the light of the Bible. People say they get hooked on Ron’s depth of insight
into the Bible and appreciate the unique gift for clarity and simplicity that
enable him to hold an audience.”
What he has to say is indeed easy to read and often contains truth. It really is
easy to get “hooked.” But hidden in that truth are the barbs of falsehood. If
you weren’t paying close attention, or didn’t know your Bible very well, this
statement by Mr. Dart might not stand out: “...besides all that, the Holy Spirit
is not something other than God. It is the power of God, the breath of God. The
mind of the spirit is the mind of God. When the Holy Spirit acts, it is God who
is acting.” If you dig deeper, you will read statements such as these:
He [God] dwells in us by His Spirit. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit is
a third person, a third mind. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual presence,
activity, power, and influence of God in the natural world.
The New Testament scriptures that tell us that there are two who are called God.
...you wonder how anyone could have imagined God as a Trinity.
At this point, you’ve hopefully recognized the scam and won’t take the bait -
this guy is an anti-Trinitarian! But many people don’t recognize it, and instead
are ensnared. Unless you’re looking for it, Mr. Dart’s anti-Trinitarian doctrine
is often difficult to pick out, disguised in more insidious quotes like the
first one above, rather than the more obvious last three quotes. Plus there is
no statement of faith on either Mr. Dart’s personal website, or on the "Born to
Win" website, which should alert the reader that something may be amiss.
The Christian Church has battled Ron Dart’s type of heresy, and other similar
heresies, from the beginning of the Church. The Church has responded to these
heresies through creeds, such as the Athanasian Creed, in which the true
biblical doctrine of the Trinity is proclaimed, and those who reject it are
condemned.
Mr. Dart was originally a disciple of Herbert W. Armstrong and the cult he
created, the Worldwide Church of God. While the Worldwide Church of God has
subsequently repented of it’s heretical views and become an orthodox Christian
denomination, the same can not be said for Mr. Dart, and by extension his
ministry, Christian Educational Ministries, and the "Born to Win" radio program.
Mr. Dart rejects the Trinity, instead believing god is a family composed of a
Father and a Son. The Father will have more sons (believers) who will also be
like him. To quote Mr. Dart, “...it is possible for man to become God.” He also
denies the bodily resurrection of Christ, and believes Jesus rose in a spirit
body. He believes that no one goes to heaven immediately after death
because he rejects the eternality of the soul, he denies the existence of hell,
and contends that unbelievers will be given a chance to repent at the resurrection.
There are few Christian fundamentals that he leaves untouched.
The "Born to Win" radio program airs on several
Christian radio networks, though
it is not Christian. Many people “let their guard down” when they’re listening
to “Christian” broadcasting, which could be a fatal mistake. Mr. Dart, and those
like him, “...are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of
Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is
not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). “The
devil is in the details” is an apt phrase here,
literally.
If "Born to Win" airs on a Christian radio network near you, drop them a line
requesting they remove "Born to Win" from their programming, so that no one else
will be deceived. And as always, stay alert!
Written by
Scott Diekmann
www.soundwitness.org
Return to the Stay Alert home page
For further reading:
James Kieferdorf’s description of Ronald Dart’s theology:
http://www.cephas-library.com/worldwidechurchofgod/wwchurchofgod_A Detailed
Description of Ronald Darts Born To Win Theology.html
Articles written by Ronald L. Dart describing his “family of god”:
“Knowing God: Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit”
http://www.abcog.org/lesson4.htm
“Does God our Father beget us as god-level beings?”
http://www.abcog.org/family.htm
http://www.borntowin.net/newsite/
http://www.rondart.com/
