This past Sunday, my pastor, Aaron Menikoff, preached “A Man for the Times” from 1 Samuel 4:1-7:17. See below for more information.

• Hear the sermon.
• Read my notes on the sermon.

For the Romans Sunday School class, here are the notes on Romans 9:19-10:4.

As for the Wednesday night Equipping Matters classes, I am attending the class “Fear of Man” taught by Kevin Vaughter and Rodney Barry. Here are my notes on that class.

For those interested, the book that much of the class is based on is Pleasing People by Lou Priolo.

TEMPORARY TEMPERING VIEW OF DEPRAVITY

26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year (buzzfeed.com)

Sometimes you need a reminder that people can do good things.

SEEN COMING FROM A MILE AWAY

Calm Down, People: Obama's Second Term Was Already in Tatters (theatlantic.com)

In short, those who wondered why Obama seemed so singularly unenthusiastic about the prospect of a second term while in the midst of running for it now have their answer.

THE MIDDLING PEACE PROCESS

What If Israel Nuked Iran? (tomdispatch.com)

In those first minutes, they’ll be stunned. Eyes fixed in a thousand-yard stare, nerve endings numbed. They’ll just stand there. Their fingers will start to resemble stalactites, seeming to melt toward the ground. And it won’t be long until the screaming begins.

10? YOU DESERVE AT LEAST 11

10 Things You Should Always Haggle For (lifehacker.com)

There are times when you should always haggle, like when you're at a flea market or purchasing a new car. But there are other, less obvious situations where your bargaining chops may come in handy. For example, did you know you can negotiate the price of your monthly rent?

THE SHOOTING STAR AND THE MODEL

Inside The Oscar Pistorius Murder Case (vanityfair.com) (WARNING: GRAPHIC)

The detective stepped around the corpse and went up the marble staircase to the master bedroom, where the shooting had occurred an hour earlier. A bloodied cricket bat was on the bathroom floor, along with two cell phones and a 9-mm. Parabellum pistol.

MIYAMOTO IS A SADIST

You Will Never Look At Mario The Same Way Again (buzzfeed.com)

Poor Mario was doomed from the start.

CAME EQUIPPED WITH A COMPASS

5 signs there’s something fishy about the alleged CIA spy arrested in Moscow (washingtonpost.com)

As is often the case with moments of U.S.-Russia tension, Fogle’s arrest has spurred skepticism and suspicion in both countries. But there are a number of credulity-straining details in this incident so bizarre that it’s difficult to square them with what we know about how the CIA actually works.

The links above are provided as an aggregated list of stuff from around the web that I found to be interesting. Sometimes there may be questionable content found on a third-party website. While I attempt to include a caveat with such links, I am not responsible for the content of third-party sites and a link's inclusion does not imply approval of or agreement with the views expressed. I urge caution regarding the advertisements and links displayed on other sites. Please make sure to read my Disclaimer if you have any questions.

I avoid the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). For many years TBN has been dominated by faith-healers, full-time fund-raisers, and self-proclaimed prophets spewing heresy. John Macarthur wrote about the false gospel they proclaim and the phony miracles they pretend to do almost two decades ago in Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992. See especially chapter 12).

Recently, however, I decided to sample some of the current fare on TBN.

But it left me outraged and frustrated—and eager to challenge the misperceptions in the minds of millions of unbelievers who see these false teachers masquerading as ministers of Christ on TBN.

I’m outraged at the brazen way so many false teachers twist the message of Scripture in Jesus’ name. And I’m frustrated because I’m certain that if these charlatans were not receiving a large proportion of their financial support from sincere believers (and silent acquiescence from Christian leaders who surely know better), they would have no platform for their shenanigans. They would soon lose their core constituency and fade from the scene.

Instead, religious quacks are actually multiplying at a frightening pace. One thing I discovered to my immense displeasure is that TBN is by no means the only religious network broadcasting poisonous false doctrine around the clock. The channel lineup I receive includes at least seven other channels whose schedules are filled with false teachers and charlatans. There’s The Church Channel, Daystar, GodTV, World Harvest Television (LeSEA), Total Christian Television, and several others. Some of them feature blocs of family television programing and a few fairly sound teachers who provide moments of escape from the prosperity preachers. But all of them give prominence to enormous amounts of heresy and religious claptrap—enough to make them positively dangerous. And TBN is singularly responsible for kicking that door open so wide.

The continued growth and influence of TBN is baffling for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the thick aura of lust, greed, and other kinds of moral impropriety that surrounds the whole enterprise. A long string of scandals involving notable charismatic televangelists between 1988 and 1992 should have been sufficient reason for even the most credulous viewers to scrutinize the entire industry with skepticism. First came the international spectacle of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s moral, marital, and financial collapse. That was followed closely by the revelation of Jimmy Swaggart’s repeated dalliances with prostitutes. Shortly afterward, an episode of ABC’s Primetime Live exposed clear examples of deliberate fraud on the part of three more leading charismatic televangelists. Those incidents were punctuated by a score of lesser scandals over several years’ time. It is clear (or should be)—based on empirical evidence alone—that preachers promising miracles in exchange for money are not to be trusted. And for anyone who simply bothers to compare Jesus’ teaching with the health-and-wealth message, it is clear that the message that currently dominates religious television is “a different gospel; which is really not another” (Galatians 1:6-7), but a damnable lie.

TBN is by far the leading perpetrator of that lie worldwide. Virtually all the network’s main celebrities tell listeners that God will give them healing, wealth, and other material blessings in return for their money. On program after program people are urged to “plant a seed” by sending “the largest bill you have or the biggest check you can write” with the promise that God will miraculously make them rich in return. That same message dominates all of TBN’s major fundraising drives. It’s known as the “seed faith” plan, so-called by Oral Roberts, who set the pattern for most of the charismatic televangelists who have followed the trail he blazed. Paul Crouch, founder, chairman, and commander-in-chief of TBN, is one of the doctrine’s staunchest defenders.

The only people who actually get rich by this scheme, of course, are the televangelists. Their people who send money get little in return but phony promises—and as a result, many of them turn away from the truth completely.

If the scheme seems reminiscent of Tetzel, that’s because it is precisely the same doctrine. (Tetzel was a medieval monk whose high-pressure selling of indulgences—phony promises of forgiveness—outraged Martin Luther and touched off the Protestant Reformation.)

Like Tetzel, TBN preys on the poor and plies them with false promises. Yet what is happening daily on TBN is many times worse than the abuses that Luther decried because it is more widespread and more flagrant. The medium is more high-tech and the amounts bilked out of viewers’ pockets are astronomically higher. (By most estimates, TBN is worth more than a billion dollars and rakes in $200 million annually. Those are direct contributions to the network, not counting millions more in donations sent directly to TBN broadcasters.) Like Tetzel on steroids, the Crouches and virtually all the key broadcasters on TBN live in garish opulence, while constantly begging their needy viewers for more money. Elderly, poor, and working-class viewers constitute TBN’s primary demographic. And TBN’s fundraisers all know that. The most desperate people—”unemployed,” “even though I’m in between jobs,” “trying to make it; trying to survive,” “broke”—are baited with false promises to give what they do not even have. Jan Crouch addresses viewers as “you little people,” and suggests that they send their grocery money to TBN “to assure God’s blessing.”

Thus TBN devours the poor while making the charlatans rich. God cursed false prophets in the Old Testament for that very thing (Jeremiah 6:13-15). It’s also one of the main reasons the Pharisees incurred Jesus’ condemnation (Luke 20:46-47). It’s hard to think of any sin more evil. It not only hurts people materially; it deludes them with groundless hope, deceives them with a false gospel, and thereby places their souls in eternal peril. And yet those who do it pretend they are doing the work of God.

That’s not all. Almost no false prophecy, erroneous doctrine, rank superstition, or silly claim is too outlandish to receive airtime on TBN. Jan Crouch tearfully gives a fanciful account of how her pet chicken was miraculously raised from the dead. Benny Hinn trumps that claim with a bizarre prophecy that if TBN viewers will put their dead loved ones’ caskets in front of television set and touch the dead person’s hand to the screen, people will “be raised from the dead . . . by the thousands.”

Ironically, one doesn’t even need to be an orthodox Trinitarian in order to broadcast on the Trinity network. Bishop T. D. Jakes, well known for his rejection of the Nicene creed in favor of oneness Pentecostalism, is a staple on TBN. Benny Hinn has repeatedly attempted to revise the doctrine of the Trinity in novel ways, notoriously teaching at one point that there are nine persons in the godhead.

And yet evangelical church leaders typically show a kind of benign tolerance toward the whole enterprise. Most would never endorse it, of course. They may joke about the gaudiness of the big hair and tawdry set decorations on TBN. Ask them, and they will most likely acknowledge that the prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. Press the issue, and you will probably get them to admit that it is a dangerous form of false doctrine, totally unbiblical, and essentially anti-Christian.

Why, then, is there no large-scale effort among Bible-believing evangelicals to expose, denounce, refute, and silence these false teachers? After all, that is what Scripture commands church leaders to do when we encounter purveyors of soul-destroying substitutes for the true gospel:

The overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain (Titus 1:7-11).

Those who remain silent in the face of such grotesque lies may in fact be partly responsible for turning people away from the truth. Consider the testimony of William Lobdell, religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times, who once considered himself a devout evangelical Christian, but after doing a series of investigative reports on the moral and doctrinal cesspool at TBN; then “finding that his investigative stories about faith healer Benny Hinn and televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch appear to make no difference on the reach of these ministries or the lives of their followers, he [gave] up on the beat and on religion generally.”

All those who truly love Christ and care about the truth have a solemn duty to defend the truth by exposing and opposing these lies that masquerade as truth. If we fail in that duty because of indifference, apathy, or a craving for the approval of men, we are no less guilty than those who actively spread the lies.

Isaiah 6:1–7 is undoubtedly one of the most famous passages in the prophet’s book, and we resume our study of the Old Testament prophets today in that text. Having laid out the problem of Judah’s uncleanness in chapters 1–5, Isaiah now provides the solution as he concludes the introduction to his work.

The passage is an account of Isaiah’s call to ministry, wherein the prophet served as a kind of representative for all of God’s people. Isaiah’s encounter with God was an example to the ancient Judahites, for if even one of the holiest men in the nation needed pardon and cleansing (vv. 4–7), how much more did the common people need the same? They needed to return to trusting in the Lord and not false gods or foreign powers, and to acknowledge their transgression. Judah could fulfill its original calling to be the light of the world (42:6) only through such cleansing, much as Isaiah was commissioned to serve God “in the year that King Uzziah died” (6:1)—740 BC.

God revealed Himself to Isaiah in a manner few have experienced. Taken into the Lord’s heavenly temple in a vision, the prophet saw the Creator seated on His throne. Isaiah’s vision of the Lord captures the immensity and glory of Yahweh, for the prophet could describe only the train of His robe, not His face (v. 1). Seraphim—“fiery ones”— surrounded the divine throne, hovering and singing praises to the Lord, proclaiming His glorious holiness. Their threefold repetition of the wordholy is significant, for this is how the ancient Hebrews placed emphasis on their words (vv. 2–3). This shows us that what sets Yahweh, the covenant Lord of Israel and the only true God (Jer. 10:10;John 17:3), apart from the pretenders to His throne is not primarily His omniscience or omnipotence, for other religions confess an all-knowing and all-powerful Creator. Instead, Yahweh’s holiness puts Him in a class by Himself. His separateness and purity are so grand, so complete that other would-be deities cannot be compared to Him.

Although Isaiah could not explain the fullness of what he saw in the year King Uzziah died, we know who the prophet met when he was called to ministry. In John 12:36b–43, the Apostle comments that Jesus’ ministry fulfills Isaiah 6:9–10 and that the prophet had actually seen the pre-incarnate Christ in His vision. Isaiah met the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God Himself.

The problem of evil is certainly one of the greatest apologetic issue that Christians face today. In a postmodern world, people’s questions, objections, and problems with the Christian worldview are usually connected to the reality of evil in the world and their attempts to harmonize this reality with the seemingly contradictory notion of an all-powerful, all-good God. So valid is this issue that Ronald Nash, the late evangelical philosopher, said a few years ago (and I quote him loosely), “It is absurd to reject Christianity for any reason other than the problem of evil.”

We must be careful not to relegate this problem exclusively to the intellectual realm. I think that J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig have it right when they say we must distinguish between the intellectual problem of evil and the emotional problem of evil (Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, 536). The intellectual problem of evil asks, “Is it possible for a good, all-powerful God to exist in a world where evil is present?” The emotional problem of evil asks “Why would God allow such a thing as _______?” See the difference? One question is concerned with the objective coherence of God and evil, the other is concerned with the subjective coherence of God and evil.

While I think the primary issue today is more with the emotional problem of evil, I do believe that the intellectual problem is one that must be faced before the subjective problem can be dealt with with integrity. Therefore, I believe that the two can be distinguished, but should not be separated.

The foundation for both, comes from this syllogism:

1. If God is all powerful (omnipotent) and
2. If God is all good (omnibenevolent)
3. Then his goodness would motivate him to use his power to eradicate evil.

The intellectual problem of evil is easier to answer since evil’s existence does not, in reality, present a logical contradiction as the syllogism suggests. In other words, the conclusion is not a necessary conclusion, only a possible one. While God could use his power to eradicate evil, his goodness does not necessitate such an act. The following will attempt to explain.

There are three possible defenses to the problem of evil:

1. The free-will defense: Many would say that God cannot create a world where there is true freedom, yet determine all that happens. In other words, being all-powerful does not mean that God can do anything. There are many things that God cannot do. For example, God cannot make a square circle, he cannot make a rock so big that he cannot pick it up, he cannot sin, he cannot commit suicide, and he cannot lie (Titus 1:2). In short, God cannot do anything that is inconsistent with his character and he cannot harmonize logical contradictions (since they are by definition that which are beyond reconciliation). It would be a logical contradiction to say that God can create a world where true freedom exists, yet evil is guaranteed not to exist.

Positives:

• It does seem consistent with the very idea of personhood, which requires some degree of freedom.
• God is not ultimately responsible for evil.

Problems:

• True libertarian freedom is a difficult notion to sustain, both biblically and philosophically. While we make free choices, we make them based on who we are, which is not completely self-determined.
• This seems to give ultimate control to human freedom, thereby diminishing the sovereignty of God.
• This does not seem to adequately deal with the problem of natural evils (e.g., hurricanes, floods, droughts, etc).

2. The greater good defense: Others would say that God has a transcendent purpose that ultimately legitimizes all evil, even if our understanding of this purpose is absent. What might seem like meaningless suffering and pain to us is actually serving to produce transcendent good. For example, what Joseph’s brothers meant for evil (selling him into slavery out of envy), God used for good (preservation of the nation of Israel). While what the Jewish leaders did to Christ was evil (crucifying Him on a cross), it served God’s purpose as a transcendent good (redemption of humanity).

Positives:

• Strong biblical support.
• Keeps God's sovereignty intact.
• Brings meaning to suffering even if we don’t understand its end purpose.
• Analogies in our own experience (e.g., discipline of children, the pain of a workout, surgery, etc.).

Problems:

• Can seem rather cold as a subjective defense of personal pain and suffering.
• Would seem that God could find a better way, especially when the evil is so atrocious (e.g., loss of children, pedophiles, severe depression, etc.).
• It is hard to conceive of any possible good that can be found in certain evils (e.g., prolonged suffering of those buried alive, miscarriages that are not even detected, suffering and pain among heathens who never hear the Gospel, etc.).

3. Evil defines good defense: This argument would propose that evil itself is a conduit through which good can find a definition and reality in contrast to its opposite. In other words, one cannot recognize, define, or appreciate good without evil. God allows evil so that good can be seen more clearly. As when a diamond is placed against a black background one can better appreciate its beauty, so when good is placed in the background of evil one can understand its true goodness. Other examples may be found in the assumption that without evil circumstances, there can be no acts of bravery, heroism, and self-sacrifice. Therefore, evil creates opportunities for good to present itself as truly good.

Positives:

• Gives evil a purpose.
• Finds analogies in real life where people find distinct dignity as they rise above humanity's natural evil inclination toward selfishness through outstanding acts of sacrifice.

Negatives:

• Seems like a rather cold way for God to define good.
• The assumption that good cannot be defined or recognized without evil is hard to accept. Did God himself not know good until evil was present?
• Does not explain meaningless suffering and pain or natural evils.

While I have presented these options as mutually exclusive, they are not. In fact, I don’t know of any who will actually defend the Christian worldview with regards to the problem of evil by offering any one of these alone as sufficient. Most will emphasize one more than another.

Whatever position that we take, we must be sensitive to the magnitude of this issue, especially today. We must also approach these issues with great humility, knowing that the problem of evil is a problem precisely because it causes great pain and suffering. Discouragement and disenchantment with God when evil is present must not be looked down upon with a smug attitude of theological elitism. Theological understanding mixed with some degree of agnosticism (i.e., not knowing) is vital. This should prepare us to face our own upcoming evils with deep roots. It should also give a foundation for tender comfort to those in pain.

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

1 Peter 4:13 “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

Hebrews 2:10 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

CREEPIER THAN SNAPCHAT?

The Creepiest Social Network (interactually.com)

The primary reasons LinkedIn is the mustached, trench coat and wire frame glasses wearing mouth breather of the internet are the “People You May Know” and “People Also Viewed” features.

HINT: THEIR ECONOMY SUCKS

Which City Has the Most Millionaires? (economist.com)

New York City isn't at the top.

SEEMS SIMPLE

This is How You Earn the Highest Honors in North Korea (washingtonpost.com)

The North Korean traffic cop who just won the state's highest honor may have done so by putting out a fire that broke out near a propaganda poster bearing the name of leader Kim Jong Un.

SPOILERIFIC

The Death, Destruction And Relationships Of 'Game Of Thrones' Visualized (guardian.co.uk)

Can't emphasize enough that this will spoil Game of Thrones for you especially if you haven't read the books.

AGENDA MUCH?

A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question 'Where Do Babies Come From?' (theatlantic.com)

I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something.

REALLY SOUTH CAROLINA?

How Mark Sanford Won (washingtonpost.com)

The morality tale of Mark Sanford's election.

The links above are provided as an aggregated list of stuff from around the web that I found to be interesting. Sometimes there may be questionable content found on a third-party website. While I attempt to include a caveat with such links, I am not responsible for the content of third-party sites and a link's inclusion does not imply approval of or agreement with the views expressed. I urge caution regarding the advertisements and links displayed on other sites. Please make sure to read my Disclaimer if you have any questions.

This past Sunday, my pastor, Aaron Menikoff, began a 12-week sermon series titled “The Kingmaker”. The first sermon in that series, “A Nation in Need”, comes from 1 Samuel 1:1-3:21. See below for more information.

• Hear the sermon.
• Read Aaron’s blog post about this sermon and read his study guide.
• Read my notes on the sermon.

For the Romans Sunday School class, here are the notes on Romans 9:1-18.

Also, a new series of Equipping Matters classes began last Wednesday. I am attending the class “Fear of Man” taught by Kevin Vaughter and Rodney Barry. Here are my notes on that class.

For those interested, the book that much of the class is based on is Pleasing People by Lou Priolo.

There will come a point when the producers, the people who earn wealth and create jobs, will simply give up. The outrageous growth of “government mentality” is only adding to that frustration and speeding up the inevitable shrug. Here is yet another example of the government dependence mentality.

From 1998 to 2008, compensation for government employees grew by 28.6%. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the private sector. The increase there was 19.3%. The Wall Street Journal points out those government workers earn $1.45 for every dollar you earn doing the same exact job in a private business – a business that is forced to pay taxes and compete for customers.

The Boston Herald points to a local example of this mentality. In Salem, Massachusetts 45 city government employees earn over $100,000. That is up from 34 people who earned that amount just two years ago. Keep in mind that the median household income in Salem is less than $60,000. But those government workers “could pass out drunk in front of a supervisor and still be on the payroll.”

But shhhhhhh. Don’t say anything. If you do you could be identified as a dangerous, racist, violence-prone right winger!

NOT THE TOWN SHIRLEY JACKSON WROTE ABOUT

The Luckiest Village In The World (gq.com)

What happens when an entire town wins the lottery.

THE NRA OF THE LEFT

Abortion Rights Community Has Become the NRA of the Left (thedailybeast.com)

The abortion clinic of alleged killer Kermit Gosnell was not illegal. But any talk of more government regulation unleashes an NRA-style assault from the abortion rights contingent, says Kirsten Powers.

SO YOU CAN CHARGE THE PHONE YOU USE

How To Get Emergency Power From A Phone Line (blog.makezine.com)

What do you do if the power is out, but you need to charge your cell phone to make an emergency phone call?

A HATED MINORITY

When Christians Become a “Hated Minority” (religion.blogs.cnn.com)

With the current societal trends, some Christians are afraid to speak out on what Scripture says about homosexuality for fear of being labeled a bigot.

SO MANY REASONS

Why Gmail 2013 Sucks (taigeair.com)

I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something.

FIRE YOUR I.T. PERSON

The Onion’s Tips On How To Prevent Your Major Media Site From Being Hacked (theonion.com) (contains offensive language)

If you receive an unfamiliar email asking for your username and password, don’t delete it right away. Dig deeper by inputting your personal information and following the links.

The links above are provided as an aggregated list of stuff from around the web that I found to be interesting. Sometimes there may be questionable content found on a third-party website. While I attempt to include a caveat with such links, I am not responsible for the content of third-party sites and a link’s inclusion does not imply approval of or agreement with the views expressed. I urge caution regarding the advertisements and links displayed on other sites. Please make sure to read my Disclaimer if you have any questions.

In 2010, three Christians from Acts 17 Apologetics peacefully witnessing at Arab Fest in Dearborn, MI were unlawfully arrested. In the aftermath, the mayor of the City of Dearborn lied regarding the events surrounding the arrest and attacked the Christians for witnessing. Those arrested were found not guilty by a jury and filed suit against Dearborn. I and many others have been praying for vindication for three years and, today, justice was done and the city accepted a settlement. As part of that settlement, the city must post the following statement on their website for the next three years.

On June 18, 2010, David Wood, Nabeel Qureshi (co-founders of Acts 17 Apologetics) and Paul Rezkalla were arrested by Dearborn police officers at the Dearborn Arab International Festival (“Arab Festival”), while they were engaging in a peaceful dialogue about their Christian faith with several festival attendees. Wood, Qureshi, and Rezkalla were subsequently charged with breach of peace, a misdemeanor offense.

The decision to arrest these individuals was based in part on information provided to the Dearborn police by Arab Festival attendees, workers, and volunteers. When all of the information—including the video captured by Wood, Qureshi, and Rezkalla—was presented to a Dearborn jury, the jury found that these individuals were not guilty of the criminal offense of breach of peace.

The City of Dearborn regrets and apologizes for the decisions to arrest and prosecute David Wood, Nabeel Qureshi, and Paul Rezkalla and the hardship caused to everyone involved.

Through this apology and its acceptance by David Wood, Nabeel Qureshi, and Paul Rezkalla, the parties seek to build a bridge and to confirm to the community that members of all faiths are welcome in Dearborn to peacefully share their views and to engage in religious discussions.

Though Acts 17 is still involved in litigation against other parties in the lawsuit, at least Dearborn has seen the error of their ways. Even if they had to be sued in court for that to happen.