Comments on: Would Mark Driscoll have been right in shattering the Crystal Cathedral?

By: Chris H.

Chris H. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:09:45 +0000

Nathan, you’re presuming that some of the bigger names on TBN such as Benny Hinn, Ken Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, etc., are actually preaching the biblical gospel. You and I would both agree that there are true gospels that God will use to save, and false gospels that God will not use to save someone.

Therefore, what biblical reasons do you have for believing that a message which proclaims God’s desire for us to be healthy and wealthy is a message which is biblically accurate and which God uses to regenerate a sinful human heart?

By: tekhak

tekhak — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:06:50 +0000

I do believe that you are required to back up such statements with some sort of proof. Now, I am not saying that there have been millions of people that would repeat a prayer. But repeating a prayer, tithing to a ministry or any of that stuff does nothing to save you. So yes, I agree TBN has done a lot of stuff to deceive people into thinking that they are saved. But the truth is many of those people will blindly walk into Hell because they have not truly been born again.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:59:48 +0000

TBN's ministry has brought more people to saving knowledge of Christ than you will ever see in your life.

By: Martha

Martha — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:16:50 +0000

John MacArthur & Pretrib Rapture

Who knows, maybe John (Reformedispy) MacArthur is right and the greatest Greek scholars (Google "Famous Rapture Watchers"), who uniformly said that Rev. 3:10 means PRESERVATION THROUGH, were wrong. But John has a conflict. On the one hand, since he knows that all Christian theology and organized churches before 1830 believed the church would be on earth during the tribulation, he would like to be seen as one who stands with the great Reformers. On the other hand, if John has a warehouse of unsold pretrib rapture material, and if he wants to have "security" for his retirement years and hopes that the big California quake won't louse up his plans, he has a decided conflict of interest. Maybe the Lord will have to help strip off the layers of his seared conscience which have grown for years in order to please his parents and his supporters – who knows? One thing is for sure: pretrib is truly a house of cards and is so fragile that if a person removes just one card from the TOP of the pile, the whole thing can collapse. Which is why pretrib teachers don't dare to even suggest they could be wrong on even one little subpoint! Don't you feel sorry for the straitjacket they are in? While you're mulling all this over, Google "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" for a rare behind-the-scenes look at the same 180-year-old fantasy.

By: Trout Fishing

Trout Fishing — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:51:29 +0000

A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew. – Herb Caen

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:03:55 +0000

I certainly don't mean to be condescending, Marcus, but this was the first time I've looked your blog in a while, and was surprised (don't be offended…) by your candor and willingness to admit that while it could be easy to pretend there is a giant line that is extremely easy to discern on this issue, there is not, and you gave brother Mark the benefit of the doubt that he probably was settled in his spirit and his God-given conscience on what to say and what not to say. I also very much appreciate that you (along with many others, whom I believe are in the right) are quick to rebut those who would call Mark a wolf in sheep's clothing. We must be careful with our words…and those speak of the difference between one who is redeemed and one who is hell-bound. Teachers will be judged more strictly, but the same grace that forgives a layman's sin forgives a pastor's sin (be it omission or commission) as well.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:04:44 +0000

This was a very thoughtful post, Marcus.

By: Tony Denham

Tony Denham — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:32:59 +0000

I think Driscoll is simply being wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, as the scripture calls us to be. Let's think about Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron a second. How many of us GNN, Way of the Master people, came to understand the gospel through WOTM that airs on TBN? I would say quite a few.

Now, I know there is a brief warning that TBN displays right before a show starts saying that the beliefs represented on the show don't necessarily represent TBN, but let's face it. The show is on a heretical station–the false prophet network or as some put it Total Blasphemy Network. What business does such sound teaching have, being on TBN? Is it bad to be associated with the network? I think it has its negatives and positives. But for those that came across Hell's Best Kept Secret while airing on TBN, I bet you (yes, I just betted) they wouldn't trade that knowledge for anything in the world.

I figured I would chime in a few thoughts on this one.

By: deebeedee

deebeedee — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:57:18 +0000

Interesting. I just read about the Christian's equivalent to Godwin's Law ("As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1."). In the Christian version, replace "Hitler" with "heresy."

(http://donteatthefruit.com/2009/08/on-tornadoes-p...

IMHO, instead of calling out the host's heresy, maybe the Gospel should be preached in that place like it's never been preached before.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:49:05 +0000

Sometimes kicking down the door is not always in order, especially when the door's been opened for you. When you go out on the streets, nobody has invited you there so it's no holds barred. However, when someone offers you a hand and lets you into their home/church the scenario plays out a little differently. There has to be a little more decorum as they've been kind enough to welcome you – you must show gratitude for their hospitality. I would imagine – open to correction of course – that after sermon 1 which was not bad (I think many people judge 'good' on what they would say in his place, perhaps not what God led him to say – careful men that's dangerous ground) we will see a stronger position in sermon 2. The title of the sermon even hints at that.

While pointing out heretics and apostates may make sense at times, be careful not to sling those words around – falsely accusing a brother and possibly directing him to do the opposite of what he's been called to do in that situation. We can be as certain as we are able to be that Driscoll is a Christian by his testimony and fruits. The moment a man seems to slip in our opinion we are so quick to lead him to the cliff edge. Are we not to love one another (assuming we are talking about true brothers and sisters)? How then will people know we are Christ's disciples if we spend our time in a circular firing squad?

Calling Driscoll a wolf in sheep's clothing is remarkably slanderous. The judgment for this type of 'undercover' agent is dreadful, how dare some DefCon couch inquisitor decide that God's judgment is on this faithful man because he is not a carbon copy of the blogger. Or are we to be more like Rome, where every sermon outline, book, and teaching material is passed before a Congregatio Sancti Officii run by bloggers and everyone who crosses it is executed?

Forgive my passion, there are false teachers who need to be called out. But to level such charges against someone who has evidently taken so many hits from major denominations for his biblical stances makes me burn.