Orthdoxy. Sound doctrine. Authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The exaltation of Christ in His Word. These things may seem obvious expectations to be found in a church, for even the most casual reader of Scripture. Add the Biblically prescribed ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism and you could probably safely assume you have a … Read more
In just a couple of days, the preeminent, and self-proclaimed, spiritual “leaders” of “American Christianity” will be convening, on behalf of America, a “solemn assembly,” a la Old Testament precepts for God’s actual and only chosen nation – Israel. (But really, pesky little interpretative details about God’s revelation in Scripture don’t really matter when it’s … Read more
Who is Douglas Groothuis? According to various autobiographical web pages, Doug Groothuis is an “evangelical, protestant, near-Anglican”[1] Christian and a “constructive curmudgeon”[2] On these informal web pages, Groothuis writes with regularity and at some length, with a fire in his bones[3], about Christianity. He is well-qualified to do so. “Groothuis joined the faculty (of Denver … Read more
As you can imagine, our articles generate a wide array of email responses from readers. There’s also a generous bit of opinions tagged beneath their listings on Facebook and Twitter. While there are many positive, supportive comments, heavily interspersed in the mix are those that are … well, umm … less than supportive. Some … Read more
Although there are many varieties of mysticism, the sub-christian heresy is that mysticism common among purported Christians, also known as Christian Mysticism. Mysticism, as it may reveal itself in any religious tradition, is the attempt or practice of becoming one with a deity through meditation, ecstasy, altered consciousness, or another discipline or practice that manipulate or … Read more
Montanism is a 2nd Century heresy, still prevalent today, named after its founder, Montanus. Those who engage in the Montanism heresy sometimes speak of it as “The New Prophecy.” Montanists hold to most orthodox doctrines in their most generic forms (except the Sufficency of Scripture), but believe in new prophecies that are outside of Scripture. Montanus and his … Read more
I haven’t looked at the “Christian Bestsellers” list, as compiled by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, in quite some time. I made the mistake of doing so this morning. You can find the list HERE. Just be warned, if you practice discernment (as you should, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) and have concern for the right handling … Read more
Former President of The Southern Baptist Convention, Ronnie Floyd, invited the President of his church’s “School Of Ministry” Jeff Crawford to fill in on his blog today. Yippee. In pure Floyd-esque style, Crawford, who is also a “teaching pastor” at Cross Church proceeded, out of the gate, to promote not only an extra-biblical, thus unbiblical, … Read more
Bearing a rhetorically inverse relationship, it seems, to the believer’s duty to discernment is the occasionally seen-on-a-meme quote by Joseph Heller, from his work Catch-22, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” To be sure, for the Christian, the enemy is always on the prowl. He is always after believing prey of … Read more
The Together 2016 gathering on the National Mall July 16 had a grand ambition. According to its website, “Moments of historic change are often marked by historic gatherings.” While this can certainly be validated throughout the annals of history within social, cultural, and political arenas, it seems less so within the spiritual one. Indeed, the greatest … Read more
For years now, Pulpit & Pen has been writing articles about the dangers of associating with false or unorthodox teachers on the conference speaking circuit. Pulpit & Pen contributors have written so many articles about unwise partnerships that it almost doesn’t make sense to link to them in order to provide examples. Do I link … Read more
On today’s episode of The Dividing Line, James White argued that JD Hall’s recent critique of Jeff Durbin and Apologia Church was out of line because he “doesn’t know” Jeff Durbin. To the contrary, James White does know Durbin. Not only does he know him but, according to White, he is one of Jeff Durbin’s greatest theological influences. On the Dividing … Read more
“Let’s cross denominational lines and simply be the bride of Christ together.” Andrea Helton, Enlightened Hearts One of the newest evangelical women’s ministries on the block is Enlightened Hearts out of Cartersville, GA. The organization is closely associated with the First Baptist Church of Cartersville and counts church members among its leadership. Its most prominently … Read more
With the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting mere days away – June 14-15 – and since more, shall we say, “conventional” leaning websites have generated their own “Ask The Nominee” queries, I thought perhaps a similar list would be useful from a more discerning source, such as Pulpit & Pen. Here are a few … Read more
Stanford University professor and Hoover Institute Economist Thomas Sowell is well-known for his common-sense, straightforward books and editorials about the shortcomings of the progressive leftist worldview. This worldview, as he explains in his book The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as Basis for Social Policy, is one which posits that a certain “anointed” intelligentsia class … Read more
