Which Came First, Starbucks or the Modern Church?

This video from BeyondRelavance.com has been going around lately.

I find it truthful, humorous, and a sad commentary on what the church has become. However, I’m not sure the impressions I got from the video were what the BeyondRelevance gang wanted me to get.

How about you?

It seems the point is not to decry the commercialization of the church, but, rather, commercialization done poorly by the church. From the BeyondRevelance blog:

“The hidden statement is that there were no signs for visitors whatsoever. Not parking signs, not welcome signs, not even signs telling them where to enter. In our original cut, we had the couple ask, “Where do we go in?” They were confused about where to enter and ended up just walking where the crowd was headed. Lack of signage simply told them they weren’t important. Lack of signage in a church leaves the indefinable impression to a visitor that, “this church was not made for you. It was made for people who already know their way around.”

Now, I understand that pastor might need a parking sign in order to make sure the service goes off without a hitch. I might suggest that it is near the back entrance, if possible. In our video, it was the only signage visible—saying that the barista (minister) was much more important than the visitor.

When we think about how valued we want the visitor to feel, we would all say it should be very high. The way you show that, is in the signage leading up to your entry, and then following that throughout your building. Notice at the end of the video, the wife says, “I couldn’t find the restroom anywhere?” Signage leads the way. Your Info Center does not resolve the timid visitor’s need to know something we should have already told them.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against having the proper signs in the parking lot, and I’m certainly in favor of having signs on bathroom doors, but my initial reaction to this video was not concern over the lack of signs, but the parody(?) of the over-the-top seeker-friendly rhetoric that the modern church has adopted.

This video better serves as a commentary on the spiritual bankruptcy of the modern church as it seeks to cater to the Starbucks crowd.

Not Enough Gospel in Rome to Save

“There may be enough gospel in Rome to save its members, but there’s enough error there to put me off wanting to join them.” John H – Confessing Evangelical

After further study, I’ve decided that I need to remove this quote by Confessing Evangelical. Why? Because to say there is enough gospel in Rome to save is patently wrong. The issue isn’t about quantity; it’s about validity. This issue is: What gospel does Rome preach?

Galatians 1:6-9 (NASB) ⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; ⁷ which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! ⁹ As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

To the Catholic Church Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough. This is not what the apostles preached. The teachings of Catholicism fall into this category:

Colossians 2:8 (NASB) See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

1 Timothy 4:7 (NASB) But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.

In the gospel of the Catholic Church, Jesus needs help; hence indulgences and purgatory.

But the Jesus of the Bible said:

John 19:30 (NASB) “It is finished!”

Romes Version: “It is finished only after you deposit enough into the Treasury of Merit or stay in Purgatory until you are cleansed.

Hebrews 10:10 (NASB) By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Rome’s Version: “By indulgences and a stay in Purgatory to purify you of all your sins and the offering of the body of Jesus Christ you will be sanctified.”

Hebrews 10:14 (NASB) For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

Rome’s Version: “For by repeated sacrifices of Christ’s body by the priest and doing enough penance to earn merits and thus get out of purgatory, you will be perfected for all time.”

Rome’s gospel is different from the one the apostles preached. Rome’s gospel does not save, rather, it places the Roman Church on the throne as Jesus’ helper. In the words of Paul, Rome is to be, “accursed!” How can an accursed gospel bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ? It can’t.

Catholicism is a No Brainer

So, my son went to a monastery for a home school co-op field trip today. When the monk, Bennett, told the kids that Mary had no original sin, my son’s response was: “Excuse me. I’m a bit confused. In the Bible it says, ‘All men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God’ Where does that leave Mary?”

Brilliant.

The monk’s answer: “Well, she’s Mary.”

And that, my friends, was supposed to suffice. Sadly, those types of circular argument, non-answer explanations do suffice for Catholics. Thus proving my point that being a Roman Catholic is literally a no-brainer.

Reformation Reminder: A Primer for Catholics

Happy Reformation Day! For those who don’t know much about the Reformation, allow me give you, in bullet form, some factoids:

• A Protestant is one who protests. The Protestants protested the abuses of the Catholic Church.
• One of the key issues between the Roman Catholic Church’s gospel and the biblical gospel was indulgences.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and other Catholic resources, an indulgence is:

• “The full or partial remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven through penance.” Translation: Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough.
• Indulgences come from the “Treasury of Merit”. Translation: Leftover “Purgatory Points”, if you will, from those who have already graduated from purgatory into heaven. Since they no longer need them and since they have a surplus, they go into the Treasury of Merit. No one is quite sure where this is kept; possibly under the Pope’s bed. The Pope is the only one who can dispense an indulgence to a person, dead or alive, from the Treasury of Merit.
• The Christian who desires the indulgence must be faithful to perform certain prescribed conditions in order to receive forgiveness. Translation: Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough.
• Indulgences go hand in hand with the doctrine of purgatory since they may be applied to the living or the dead. Translation: Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough. How one would know when or if the dead person is released from purgatory is still unclear. Regardless, any well-meaning, albeit brainwashed Catholic, can continue to earn indulgences on a dead person’s behalf. This is the equivalent to nailing Jell-O to a tree.
• Those who deny indulgences are under anathema of the Catholic Church, “The Church,…teaches and establishes that the use of indulgences must be preserved because it is supremely salutary for the Christian people and authoritatively approved by the sacred councils; and it condemns with anathema those who maintain the uselessness of indulgences or deny the power of the church to grant them.” Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution, “Revision of Sacred Indulgences,” [(1967) Ch. 4, Sec. 8] Translation: Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough. So, I’m anathema. That’s like being banned from the bar down the street. I never wanted to go there in the first place. No great loss.

Contrary to Catholic mythology, Luther did not set out to divide the church. He merely wanted to engage in a debate over the misuse of indulgences. So he put his 95 Theses on the door at Wittenburg. That door served as the community bulletin board. I’ve heard many Catholics whine about Luther putting his “vandalism” or “graffiti” on that door. Golly, that hardly seems fair. By the way, Luther just posted a piece of paper on a door; the bishops and popes played the, “Let’s get nasty” card way before Luther.

So why were indulgences such a divisive issue? Because they were (are) in direct opposition to the Bible. Indulgences de-throne Christ and completely negate His sacrifice. Need proof?

Fulano, in Romish Indulgences of Today: An Exposure [London, 1902, p. 82f.]

[...] Rome, by means of deft definitions, lifts the burden of eternal guilt and punishment of sin off the Roman Catholic sinner – only to re-impose, by means of her definition of poena temporalis [temporal punishment] another burden scarcely less appalling. The pains of Purgatory are substituted for the pains of Hell – and then this ‘re-imposed penalty’, as we might call it (practically the only penalty which Romanists yet fear) – this one the Catholic Church graciously takes away in whole or in part by her Indulgences. Rome is an Indulgent Mother!”

Translation: Rome lifts the burden then Rome re-imposes it (one would ask, “Why?”) in a less appalling way. Hmmm…seems God’s design just wasn’t good enough. And this less appalling penalty that Rome imposes can be graciously taken away in whole or in part by indulgences. Rome is quite skilled at playing God.

Imagine it like this: I, your mother, will take away your big penalty (as if I have that power to begin with) and replace it with a smaller, less appalling one of my own devising. Now you are in debt to me for your release. Yea! Aren’t I nice for fabricating an imaginary debt to hold over your head for the rest of your life? I get to play God and you get to wonder if you’re ever good enough.  Mothers like me are what keep psychologists in Armani suits…or the pope in gilded slippers.

Back to Luther’s day. Enter Tetzel:

“You should know that all who confess and in penance put alms [money, money, money] into the coffer according to the counsel of the confessor, will obtain complete remission of all their sins.“

Any doubts as to how the Vatican amassed such tremendous wealth and boondoggled millions should be laid to rest with this quote.

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, the Reformation uncovered the truths of the Bible that had long been withheld from the people. It was by the suppression of the true gospel that Rome managed to oppress, intimidate, and exploit the masses. And, sadly, people are still falling for it.

Bottom line: Indulgences deny Christ’s words, “It is finished”.

John 19:30 (NASB) ” Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. “

Hebrews 10:12 (NASB) “.. but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,“

Colossians 2:13 (NASB) “ When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, “

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.“

Hebrews 10:18 (NASB) “Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

And this is why Catholics are so vehemently opposed to Sola Scriptura. The Bible exposes their indulgences for what they are, a denying of the work of Christ.

It is my prayer that the spirit of the Reformation would open men’s eyes to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.

Sola gratia! Sola fide! Sola Christus! Sola Scriptura! Soli Deo Gloria!

Pope John Paul II Burning in Flames?

Is this Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave? Vatican TV director says yes | the Daily Mail

Apparently Roman Catholics haven’t heard of Photoshop. I find it pretty ironic that he’s being “sighted” in flames. You’d think he’d be in the clouds? Hmmm…kind of makes you wonder.

I’m still waiting for the Mother Teresa sightings.

Musings on Christendom

In the words of Bon Jovi, “It’s all the same. Only the names are changed….”

Or in the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:9:

“That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.“

I continually marvel at the way bloggers, myself included, rehash old controversies. We turn phrases and wax eloquent to make our point, but in the end, we are restating what has already been said. We aren’t fighting original battles.

The Southern Baptist Convention wants to rout out the Calvinists. Nothing new. Our Protestant denominations have been waring since Luther.

And the Catholic vs. Protestant struggle? Again, nothing new.

Rome will continue to embrace its heresies and Protestants will continue to divide. I’m surprised we aren’t more used to it by now.

According to Quran: Christians Worship Mary

From Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities by Mark A. Gabriel, PhD.:

“The Quran says Christians worship three gods–God the Father, Jesus the son, and Mary the mother of Jesus.”

Hmmm…seems their beef is with the Roman church (I know, I know, they say they don’t worship Mary, but…).

I have long noticed that the liberal media lumps all Christians into a sort of twisted Catholic I-can-do-whatever-feels-good-as-long-as-I-go-to-confession stereo type, but I didn’t realize Muslims shared a similar view. I knew they viewed us as infidels, but I didn’t realize they viewed us all as Roman Catholics to boot.

There’s a part of me that would like to inform them of the differences between Christianity and Catholicism, but I doubt it would do much good.

I’m generalizing, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Rome is a Stickler for Rules

I don’t have time to keep up with the antics of Rome, but I’ve found a blog that does.  Beggars All  uncovered this little gem about the Roman Catholic church and its strict adherence to…shall I say…policy?  

Apparently the rogue sect of the RCC, The Army of Mary, has finally been excommunicated.  Chock one up for the Vatican, right? But wait.  Turns out it wasn’t the Army’s ‘quinternity’ (that would the the trinity with the addition of Mary and a certain mystic named,  Marie-Paule Giguère) that really got under the Vatican’s robes, but rather, it was the fact that an Army of Mary priest, Father Jean-Pierre Mastropietro, ordained six other priests.

The problem?  Mastropietro jumped rank.  Seems only a bishop can ordain priests.  And here I thought messing with the trinity might be the problem.  Silly me.

Wanted: non-Western Missionaries for the West

Jason Foster of the blog, Conversations in Calvinism has a great post about American Calvinists and our place in the world. It’s a follow-up post to one of his earlier posts as well as a commentary on another post by Richard Land. Sloppy intro aside, here’s an excerpt:

It has become commonplace in the cultural discourse to hear the refrain that Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion. Not true. It MAY have been true 20-30 years ago, but no longer. Christianity has reassumed its place as the fastest growing religion in the world. Moreover, along with pentecostal leanings leading the Protestant charge, Reformed leanings are also enjoying something of a comeback. As mentioned previously, South Korea is a phenomenal Reformed success story, but as Land points out, places like Ghana have also become very receptive to Reformed theology and Presbyterianism in particular, while much of orthodox African Anglicanism is also fairly Reformed.

Foster continues:

There is no longer any serious doubt that the power base of the global church is no longer in the West, but in the Global South. It is in the Global South that Christianity is literally spreading like wildfire and where revival is literally happening right now. It is the Global South that is evangelizing the West rather than the other way around.

I think Land’s article, without directly saying it, supports the notion that American Christians need to seriously start getting used to being in the bullpen rather than being the starting pitcher.

And Foster finishes with this:

The American church needs two things more than anything else at the moment: A spirit of repentance, and non-Western missionaries who prophetically call us back to the passionate childlike faith we long ago sacrificed on the altar of cultural and academic sophistication.

But will our arrogance allow us to listen to prophets from countries that we have, for so long, felt ’superior’ to? Indeed, it is the wisdom of the world that God calls foolish; and it is in the weak that God displays His strength. What will we do with the prophets if they come calling? Will we listen to the rich message coming from ‘poorer’ voices? Or will history repeat and find the prophets have been soundly ignored?

Of Churches, Planks and Hypocrites

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Calvin’s words are sobering as I lament the condition of my own church. Alas, the plank, once again, hangs from my critical eye…

To the Church of God which is at Corinth. It may perhaps appear strange that he should give the name of a Church of God to a multitude of persons that were infested with so many distempers, that Satan might be said to reign among them rather than God. Certain it is, that he did not mean to flatter the Corinthians, for he speaks under the direction of the Spirit of God, who is not accustomed to flatter. But among so many pollutions, what appearance of a Church is any longer presented? I answer, the Lord having said to him, “Fear not: I have much people in this place” (Acts 18: 9, 10) keeping this promise in mind, he conferred upon a godly few so much honor as to recognize them as a Church amidst a vast multitude of ungodly persons. Farther, notwithstanding that many vices had crept in, and various corruptions both of doctrine and manners, there were, nevertheless, certain tokens still remaining of a true Church. This is a passage that ought to be carefully observed, that we may not require that the Church, while in this world, should be free from every wrinkle and stain, or forthwith pronounce unworthy of such a title every society in which everything is not as we would wish it. For it is a dangerous temptation to think that there is no Church at all where perfect purity is not to be seen. For the man that is prepossessed with this notion, must necessarily in the end withdraw from all others, and look upon himself as the only saint in the world, or set up a peculiar sect in company with a few hypocrites.