Christian Apologetics Ministry Forced To Close
It’s no secret that Christians are often persecuted because of their beliefs. When it comes to state sponsored religious persecution, a country like China
often comes to mind, where professing Christianity is somewhat of a risky
business. Lorri and Kevin MacGregor are two such people. The twist in their story,
however, is that the country they were living in was not China, but Canada.
WorldNetDaily reports that the MacGregor’s long-standing Christian counter-cult
and apologetics ministry, MacGregor Ministries, has been shut down. Canadian
hate laws prevented them from pointing out the false teachings of other
religions, such as the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Canadian
government offered them an ultimatum - quit “criticizing” other religions or be
shut down. Rather than compromise the truth, and stop defending the Gospel, they
opted to shut down.
The article goes on to state that the same type of persecution may occur in the
U.S. within 5-10 years. While this warning sounds a little far-fetched, there
was a failed attempt to pass a hate crimes bill in the U.S. House of
Representatives in 2007.
The MacGregors have subsequently moved their operations to the United States,
and have resumed operations under a new name,
MM Outreach Media Ministries. While the MacGregors don’t share the exact same beliefs that we do at
SoundWitness, they are fellow Christians, and we salute them for their
faithfulness. “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:14)
Written by
Scott Diekmann
Issues, Etc. Canceled
Issues, Etc., the Lutheran talk radio program which the LCMS
(Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod) called “The Radio
Voice of the Lutheran Faith for the 21st Century!,” has been unceremoniously
canceled by the LCMS, silencing a discerning voice in the wilderness. The
host, Todd Wilken, and the producer, Jeff Schwarz, were fired. Issues, Etc.
has for years provided an invaluable ministry on a broad range of current
religious topics, all from a confessional Lutheran perspective. The show
had a huge following, both within the Lutheran community and throughout the
worldwide Church as well. The LCMS states that the show was canceled for
“programatic and business reasons.”
To quote C.F.W. Walther:
"Manifold are the difficult and arduous tasks of a minister of Jesus Christ; but
the most difficult and arduous of all, beyond question, is the task of
proclaiming the pure doctrine of the Gospel of Christ and at the same time
exposing, refuting, and rejecting teachings that are contrary to the Gospel.
The minister who does this will discover by practical experience the truth of
the old saying: Veritas odium parit (telling the truth makes enemies)."
If you are interested in hearing radio programming which
defends the
Gospel and
refutes contrary teachings, I suggest you email your
objections regarding the cancelation of
Issues, Etc. to the
following two gentlemen:
Mr. David Strand, Executive Director, LCMS Board for Communication Services:
David.Strand@lcms.org
Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod:
President@lcms.org
The LCMS also stated: “We look forward to bringing you new programming in this
time slot in the near future.” I can’t imagine what that will be, or how
it could replace what we’ve lost.
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you
will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16
Written by
Scott Diekmann
Pastor Rick Warren: Promoting Works Righteousness?
If life is a test, as Pastor Rick Warren, the Purpose-Driven guru, preaches, I’m
in trouble. I checked my score, and right now I’m getting an F
–. Where do I
sign up to take the test again?
Chris Rosebrough, at his website
A Little Leaven, has released a video in which
Pastor Warren preaches:
And God says during your lifetime on earth, I’m gonna test you, and I’m gonna
see how you use, responsibly, the gifts that I’ve put into your life... Because
life is a test... Some of you are actually getting into this test a little late,
and so you’ve got some makin’ up to do. And you didn’t realize that life was a
test. And so now, in the later stage of your life, you’ve got to make the most
of what you’ve got because God says He’s watching...
God
is watching. He watched as Jesus was hanged on a cross outside the wall of
the city, as blood and sweat ran down our Savior’s body. He watched as Jesus
became a curse for us. He watched as He crushed Him and caused Him to suffer. He
watched as Jesus cried out “It is finished.” At that moment, Jesus, the Son of
God, died. And with Him, all Christians died. And with Him, all Christians are
raised to new life through our Baptism. The written code, that was against us
and stood opposed to us, was canceled. God now sees us covered by the blood of
the lamb. He sees us as sin-free. By grace alone through faith alone in Christ
alone we are
given a crown of life.
continue reading...
Christian “Phishing” Scams
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 reading...
Mother Teresa: Her Inner Turmoil
Mother Teresa, the Catholic nun whose lifelong work with the downtrodden inspired millions
of people, has been revealed in a new book to have had a near-fifty-year battle with a weak
faith. The book, entitled
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, reveals her spiritual
misery through her letters written to confidants: "Where is my faith?" "...why is there so
much pain and darkness in my soul?"
There has been much speculation on how Mother Teresa's outward demeanor was so at odds with
her inner struggle of doubt and pain. Could it be that her doubt and pain were caused by her
own inability to seek God where He promises to be found?
continue reading...
Contacting the dead
James Van Praagh, the renowned medium, psychic, and co-producer of the CBS drama
“Ghost Whisperer,” was interviewed on the FOX News Channel recently. He provided
a few noteworthy soundbites:
“I see dead people, feel dead people, and hear dead people.”
“I say that Jesus was a medium, because Jesus was able to contact the people
in spirit.”
continue reading...
The James Cameron documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”:
More holes than Swiss cheese
You undoubtedly witnessed the hype preceding the documentary film which aired on the Discovery Channel in March of 2007 entitled “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” Produced by James Cameron of “Titanic” fame, and Simcha Jacobovici, this documentary was artfully done. It was artful in its ability to cobble together the comments of a group of scholars who often had doubts, completely disagreed with, or didn’t know, the central thesis of the documentary, and yet make these
scholars to appear as if they agreed with the main thesis.
The sensationalistic claim the show made was that the “family tomb” of Jesus had been discovered in
Jerusalem, complete with Jesus’ bones, those of His “wife” Mary Magdalene, those of His son Judah, and
several others; never mind that this “discovery” actually occurred 27 years earlier with little fanfare.
continue reading...
