Growing Papal Influence Within Emerging churches of Christ – Apostasy Redux?

How the “Tail of Tradition” is Wagging the “Theological Dog” in a Growing Number of Congregations Among Us

Benedictine Papal Coat of Arms rendering courtesy of Wikepedia.com

All over our fair city one is finding advertisements for many “holy week” observances. Here, and elsewhere, congregations claiming to be churches of Christ are advertising “holy week” observances such as  “Good Friday” and / or “Easter” worship services.  We must, therefore, ask the question; “Are these celebrations biblical?”  Did Jesus and His Apostles command such celebrations?  Did the Apostles celebrate these things themselves?  Did they even infer that such celebrations were allowed?  The answer is a resounding, NO!

From Matthew to Revelation we find nary a trace of anything called “Holy Week.”  To add such celebrations to the Holy Scripture would be presumptuous, arrogant and wrong.  How, then, did the several observances of “Holy Week” come into being?  The so-called “Holy Week” has six components:

·         Ash Wednesday

·         Lent

·         Palm Sunday

·         Maundy Thursday

·         Good Friday

·         Easter Sunday

What do all of these celebrations have in common?  They are all Roman Catholic in origin and have “meanings” that are allegorically assigned.   Allegorical interpretive methods were adopted by the apostate church beginning in the 2^nd century based most notably upon the teachings of the so-called “church father,” Origen.  Origen taught that all Scripture has multiple meanings and each individual can interpret the Scripture based upon their own individual experiences, understandings and stories.  The RCC then began to assign “meanings” to Scripture erroneously (in error.)  Strangely, even the Catholic Encyclopedia admits that these celebrations were unknown in the first century:

…there seems much to suggest that the Church in the Apostolic Age designed to commemorate the Resurrection of Christ, not by an annual, but by a weekly celebration.[1]

Before you take umbrage at your writer, the claim that Origen’s Platonic philosophy[2] is the foundation of “tradition over revelation,” please note that such is not my claim but the claim of Pope Benedict XVI himself!  Here is what the self-proclaimed “vicar of Christ” said about Origen just five years ago this month:

In our meditations on the great figures of the ancient Church, today we will get to know one of the most outstanding. Origen of Alexandria is one of the key people for the development of Christian thought. He draws on the teachings he inherited from Clement of Alexandria, whom we reflected upon last Wednesday, and brings them forward in a totally innovative way, creating an irreversible turn in Christian thought.  He was a true teacher; this is how his students nostalgically remembered him: not only as a brilliant theologian, but as an exemplary witness of the doctrine he taught.  In substance, he grounded theology in the explanations of the Scriptures; or we could also say that his theology is the perfect symbiosis between theology and exegesis. In truth, the characterizing mark of Origen's doctrine seems to reside in his incessant invitation to pass from the letter to the spirit of the Scriptures, to progress in the knowledge of God.  And this "allegoristic" approach, wrote von Balthasar, coincides precisely "with the development of Christian dogma carried out by the teachings of the doctors of the Church," who -- in one way or another -- accepted the "lesson" of Origen. In this way, Tradition and the magisterium, foundation and guarantee of theological research, reach the point of being "Scripture in act."[3]

Just what does the pope mean when he uses the phrase “Scripture in act?”  He means that, based upon Origen, church tradition in practice…over time…becomes “revelation.”  In other words, church tradition practiced over time TRUMPS Scripture!  Thus, even though NONE of these “holy week” observances are commanded, exampled or inferred in the Word of God…they are “Scripture in act” due to their centuries old practice by papal directive…according to the pope. 

Here is a short history of these allegorical additions to God’s complete Will…“the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  -  Jude 3 (KJV):

1)    1) ASH WEDNESDAY – Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40 days of Lent.  The name comes from the practice of taking the ashes from the previous years burnt palm leaves form “Palm Sunday” and spreading them on the foreheads of parishioners in the form of a cross.  This is said to be representative of “mourning and repentance.”  This supposedly prepares the adherents for the 40 days of Lent following. Historically, Ash Wednesday was first celebrated annually beginning around the year 960.

2)      2) LENT – The word “Lent” is from the old English word lencten which means to “lengthen” and was used to describe the longer days of the spring season.  The time span of “Lent” was totally allegorical and imaginative.  It was based upon the fact that Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness as He prepared for His temptation.  Other allegorical assignments were also made:

The duration of the season of Lent is based on the ancient church custom of requiring catechumens to undergo a forty-day period of doctrinal instruction and fasting before being baptized on the evening before Easter.  This probationary period was called the quarantine (from the Latin word for forty). [4]

The annual celebration of Lent dates to the mid 5^th century and is noted by several church historians of that time; Leo, Socrates and Jerome.

3)      PALM SUNDAY – Palm Sunday was never celebrated in the apostolic era and apparently not annually celebrated until the 6^th century at the very earliest.[5]

4)      MAUNDY THURSDAY – Thursday is the traditional day of the Lord’s Supper.  “Maunday” comes from the Latin term mandatum novum, meaning new commandment.  It is also known as “Holy Thursday” or “Green Thursday.”

Zelený čtvrtek (Green Thursday) is how the Czechs and Moravians refer to Maundy Thursday. One explanation is that in many places, before the thirteenth century, green vestments were used for the Mass that day. Another is that this is a reference to "the Green Ones," the penitents who, being re-admitted to the Church, wore sprigs of green herbs to express their joy.[6] 

5)      GOOD FRIDAY – The annual celebration of both Good Friday and Easter date to, at the earliest, the 2^nd century A.D.  Though unknown in the 1^st century, these two festivals were the earliest of practiced “Holy Week” observances from a historical standpoint.

6)      EASTER – The word “Easter” comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word, eostre.  The word generally came to refer to the “spring season.”  It has clear pagan overtones since the word was the name for the so-called goddess of spring:

This mythical figure is said to have been the goddess of the sunrise and the spring. She is the Teutonic goddess of the dawn. The direction of the sunrise, East, is named for her. In Norse mythology, the name is spelled Eostare. Another considered the Norse/Saxon goddess of spring is Ostara. Eastre is believed to be an ancient word for spring.[7]

CONCLUSION:

Any and all “Holy Week” celebrations are at best extra-biblical and at worst un-biblical.  They are all allegorical, presumptuous and self centered.  They were created by men for men and do not glorify God in any way, shape, matter or form.  We were called, not to “Holy Week” but to holy living!  We celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ EVERY Lord’s Day during the Lord’s Supper and not during an annual celebration of so-called “Holy Week.” 

With all due love and respect for our erring brethren, the embrace of Roman Catholic “holy week” (or significant parts thereof) tradition constitutes a theological un-equal yoking with un-believers.  Sadly, a large number of churches of Christ are now heeding the words of Pope Benedict XVI more than the words of God’s Holy Word by accepting, instead, the magisterium.  For a biblical perspective on how God wants us to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, read I Corinthians 11. 23 – 34.  Let us go back to the Bible and avoid an apostasy redux.

– Russ McCullough – 8 April 2012

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NOTE: An "Emerging church of Christ" is a congregation focusing on it's own "theological evolution" rather than eternal and static truth.  For more information on the "emerging church," read Brian McLaren's 
A Generous Orthodoxy.


[1] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm

[2] Plato understood Homer allegorically and so Origen taught that God’s Word could be understood allegorically as well.  An allegory is a fictional illustration of a point of fiction.  Such allegories have multiple meanings and multiple interpretations – after all, it’s only fiction!

[3] Origene: il mondo, Cristo e la Chiesa," tr. it., Milano 1972, p. 43. (Benedict XVI. Homily On Origen of Alexandria. Vatican City. Zenit - April 25, 2007).  [RM NOTE: According to the Catholic Encyclopedia On Line, Magesterium & Tradition is defined thusly: “The word refers sometimes to the thing (doctrine, account, or custom) transmitted from one generation to another sometimes to the organ or mode of the transmission.”]

[4] http://www.stpaulskingsville.org/lent.htm#WHAT DOES THE WORD "LENT" MEAN?

[5] http://www.orlutheran.com/html/holyweek.html

[6] http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_holidays/easter/green_thursday.html

[7] http://www.allabouthistory.org/origin-of-the-word-easter-faq.htm

Un or Non Denominational?

The current issue (April 2012) of the Christian Chronicle leads with this headline:

Declining Numbers, but Signs of Hope?

NEW DIRECTORY for Churches of Christ in the U.S. shows a loss of members and congregations.  At the same time, interest in non-denominational Christianity soars.

What does reporter Erik Tryggestad find as “signs of hope?”  Here are some quotations from the story:

They (young Christians) just don’t see why it (the Lord’s church) must have the words “Church of Christ” on its building…

Our generation wants more Jesus and not more tradition.

We’re all about relationship…

…many Lipscomb students attend ETHOS CHURCH, a congregation started by a former campus minister for the university.  The church meets in the Cannery Ballroom, a downtown Nashville bar and music venue and has multiple worship services, all with instruments.  The Harpeth Hills church of Christ in Brentwood, TN. helped fund the church as it began.

Young Christians don’t look for the name “Church of Christ” when choosing a place to worship…And we’re not looking for instrumental music…We’re looking for how we can connect with God.

We used to say, “We are Christians only but not the only Christians.”  What happened to that?[1]

Two things are disturbing here.  First of all, with one exception, specific Scripture citations are missing.[2]  In addition, history has been rewritten to suit the present day.
 

First and foremost, the church of Christ is not a denomination nor is it "non-denominational."

The blood bought Body of Christ is UN - denominational.

Jesus promised to build His church (singular) in Matthew 16.18 - 20.  In Acts 2.41, 47 we read that His promised singular church was established on the Day of Pentecost and "God added to that church (singular) daily those who were being saved." Words mean things.  The word “denomination” is a mathematical term meaning “division.”  The bottom number of a fraction is known as the “denominator.”  A denomination, by definition, is a division from the original. 

The phrase "non-denominational" is bandied about by those denominationalists (in current semantical usage) who advocate religious pluralism.  In reality, “non-denominationalism” is the mixing together of many denominations together into a singular setting.  It is not the rejection of denominationalism, it is the acceptance of multiple denominations! 

This view is marketed by some among us with the phrase; "We are Christians only, but not the only Christians."  In real history, this phrase was used to describe the fact that un-denominational Christianity was springing up all over the American frontier and those finding the truth of the gospel did so without any knowledge or contact with other New Testament Christians in other locations. Today this quotation has been co-opted by many departing churches of Christ who embrace the so-called "emerging church" theories of non-Christian theologians. 

To those who celebrate these "other Christians," please consider these questions: 1) Who are these "other Christians?"  2) How did these "other Christians" become such?  3) When did God begin adding Christians (those who have repented of their sins and have been baptized for the remission of those sins in the Name of Jesus) to churches other than the church of Christ? 

The purpose and mission of the singular church of Christ was clearly articulated by our Lord in Matthew 28.18 -20.  We, too, should “be about our Father’s business.” We are to make disciples, baptize and to teach all things taught by Christ in the gospels, the Acts, the epistles and the Revelation for “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”  Our mission is to preach and teach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, the very same gospel proclaimed by Peter and the rest of the apostles on the Day of Pentecost.  It is NOT for us to become just another “non-denominational” denomination. 

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[1] All quotations are from: Erik Tryggestad in “Declining Numbers, but signs of hope?” The Christian Chronicle, Vol. 69, No. 4, April 2012.  From page 1 continued on page 10

[2] The only Scripture citation is a generic reference to the Pentecostian congregation in Jerusalem.  (Acts 2)   The text is used as a “proof text” that this congregation was prototypical for all congregations which would follow.  Such Is not the case.

God's Pattern For Congregational Growth

What does dynamic church growth look like in the New Testament?  Were there “mega churches” with highly organized programs, super committees, and dynamic public relations?  It might surprise us to see for there are today precious few congregations following the New Testament example, let alone even being aware of one!

By far, the most successful, influential and long lasting congregation we know of in the New Testament was the church of Christ in Antioch, Syria.  Their evangelistic thrusts took place continually for literally hundreds of years!  Antioch was one of the last congregations to fall into apostasy. This congregation was spontaneously planted and became aggressively evangelistic without any push from the outside to be so.  The news of what was happening in Antioch spread as far as Jerusalem to the point where they had to “check it out!”

What does, then, dynamic congregational growth look like in the New Testament?  The church of Christ in Antioch is a powerful case study, one to which we should pay heed.  Here are some characteristics of dynamic congregation growth, both then and now:

•       God first takes people out of their “comfort zones” and scatters them – Acts 11:9.  When Christian people become fewer in number, weaker in resources, driven out of jobs and moved out of their traditional surroundings, God is ready to grow that congregation.
•        Among the “scattered,” God raises up a few people to spontaneously reach out to previously “unseen” seekers of God’s truth, shares the gospel and baptizes them.  In Acts 11:20, scattered people form Cyprus and Cyrene began to teach Gentiles the gospel in Antioch, a group previously ignored by earlier efforts.  When God is ready to grow a congregation, a few people begin to reach out and teach those they previously ignored for one reason or the other.
•          God blesses individual spiritual initiative to share the gospel with others.  The more it happens, the more God blesses the efforts.  This is what Luke tells us what happened in Acts 11:21.
•          When congregations begin to show individual spiritual imitative, taking the Great Commission seriously, God raises up help from outside the congregation who just begin to “show up!”  God did this for Antioch in Acts 11:22. They sent Barnabas as emissary.
•          Such strong individual spiritual initiative will do a number of things according to Acts 11:23:

1.     Make God’s grace very visible.

2.     Bring gladness to others.

3.     Bring exhortation to even more faithfulness.

4.     Bring a “steadfast hope” to the congregation.

•          All these things working together will cause “many to come to the Lord.”  Acts 11:24
•          When many come to the Lord, these faithful individuals will actively seek out even more help from outside the congregation.  They will literally go to people in other congregations to say, as it were, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”  This is illustrated in Acts 11:25 when Barnabas left Antioch to go to Tarsus to look for Saul.
•          Not only will others be sought, they will be BROUGHT in to help!  Barnabas did not go to Saul for a “consultation” or attend a “seminar,” he physically brought him to Antioch as we see in  Acts 11:26.
•          God uses all these things working together to drive the congregation “into the Word of God” for a period of intensive Bible study as He did in Antioch in Acts 11:26.  Saul and Barnabas studied with the Antiochene brethren for about a year!
•          When the faithful spread the gospel, teach others who had been previously ignored, bring outside help in to assist in the work and engage in serious Bible study, God will cause the outsiders to take notice – even if it may be in derision!  “…they were called Christians first in Antioch.” – Acts 11:26
•          When God causes a congregation to grow, there will arise preachers and teachers capable to deliver powerful messages and teach others the details of the Christian faith as was evidenced in Acts 13:1.
•          All of these things coming together will motivate a congregation both worship and fast as they did in Antioch in Acts 13:2.
•          Worship and fasting will garner even more blessings of God as evidenced in Acts 13:2 which will then, in turn, cause more fasting, along with prayer as the church Christ in Antioch did in Acts 13:3.
•        Finally, what is the result of this all?  The congregation, now strong in numbers, faith, knowledge, and commitment to the Great commission will reach out and establish other congregations, thus completing the “unbroken circle!”

We are saved so as to be used by God to save others.  Congregations grow so they can then establish other congregations.  This is a pattern that worked then and it still works today!  Every congregation should strive to continually plan to grow in these ways, not to build a larger and richer “super congregation,” but to have the faith, resources and the passion to continually plant new works.  THIS is how the church of Christ “turned the world upside down” in the 1^st century, all for the Glory of God!

NOTE: Picture courtesy of: http://hamptonchristianchurch.com/AboutUs/History/tabid/33947/Default.aspx  This is a picture of the Hampton Christian Church, Hampton, VA circa 1885.  Our parents were members of this denomination until they were taught the truth in 1963 by my grandparents, bro. and sis. Clyde and Georgie Taylor.  The church moved to a new location in 1974.  The building is now used as a women’s shelter and is missing the steeple, having fallen into disrepair. - Russ

Red Flags for Evangelism

The other day I ran across a blog posting on http://prdaily.com, written by Michael Sebastian. Though not having anything to do with evangelism per se, Michaels thoughts are very instructive for our evangelistic efforts. We must never give the wrong impression to anyone, especially in regards to our integrity. We must never come across as anything "less than honest."

Sebastian says that there are four "catch phrases" that people often use to "underline" a point that actually do far more damage than good. These "catch phrases" actually send the signal that the person saying them is not to be be trusted.

When sharing the gospel our words must be "seasoned with salt" so as to focus totally on Christ and His Word alone. Let's avoid using these four "catch phrases" when we share the gospel:

1) "Let's be clear."
2) "To be perfectly honest."
3) "Frankly."
4. "Just between you and me."

When people use these phrases, this is what people HEAR:

1) "Often times, I am NOT clear!"
2) "Often times, I'm NOT perfectly honest."
3) "Often times when I speak I am NOT frank."
4) "Often I say different things to different people based upon the circumstances."

Sharing the gospel is literally a LIFE AND DEATH message! Let's not jepordize a soul by being careless in our conversation for "...knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men!" (II Corinthians 5:11)
- Russ McCullough - Distrubuted Through JTC Media

The Instrument of Division - Part III

THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION ARGUMENT

One of the strangest and most bizarre “arguments” set forth by the instrument of division is what we will call (the faction has no formal name for it) “the anti-discrimination” argument. On one hand this argument is downright silly, yet, on the other hand, it clearly illustrates just how far that evolutionary and circular thinking has permeated those among us who want any kind of change at any kind of price so we can have “progress.” Rick Atchley articulates this foolish notion:

Please do not say that you can only praise God from the heart with the voice and not the instrument. This is an unkind and an untrue insult to all believing musicians. Playing an instrument to the glory of God is not just an aid to worship, it is an act of worship… Now many a-cappella churches allow people with gifts in acting or in painting to bless the body. Why would we deny that same sweet privilege to our gifted musicians? (1)

This is a very old and very Catholic argument. It is pure “Thomism” (the imagination is truth theory of Thomas Aquinas). As we have observed, Aquinas believed that, like Aristotle, men come to “truth” primarily through their senses, one of which – according to Aquinas – is imagination. If one can “imagine truth,” it becomes truth to that person. Aquinas “imagined” all kinds of biblical personages, including Jesus Christ, speaking to him on a regular basis in person and in real time! More importantly, he also taught that truth is better communicated visually than orally. That is why popery adopted all kinds of visual stimulations into their “worship.” When one experiences art, sculpture, drama, stained glass, pomp and circumstance…one is experiencing pure Thomism.

It is to this Thomistic theory that Atchley goes to assert that it is “discrimination” to disallow the “gifted musicians” among us from “giving glory to God” with an instrument for other such “gifts” are allowed in worship in some congregations. Sadly, THOSE practices are also additions that presumptively corrupt the pattern of revealed New Testament Christianity. “Performances” of any kind in worship are not to be found in the pages of the New Testament revelation! Paul did not paint pictures and Peter did not put on plays during worship… and neither should we!

Not only that, the argument would open a “Pandora’s box” of insane “worship” experiences. For example “IF” we should – to use Atchley’s word – “insult” gifted musicians by denying them the ability to use their gift in worship…what then will we then say to the “gifted” plumber, electrician, bricklayer and sales person? Will they too be invited to “share” their gift in public worship?

Most importantly, the Holy Spirit NEVER intended to use sensual stimulation to communicate the gospel! Paul clearly articulates God’s will in this manner in Romans 10:17 – “For faith comes by HEARING, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” Jesus, from Matthew to Revelation, continually pleads for us to “have ears to hear what the Spirit says!” Thomas Aquinas and Rick Atchley are VERY wrong in their assertions. The performing arts have no part in biblical New Testament worship for they glorify only man!

(1) Rick Atchley, December, 2006, Richland Hills church of Christ – “Both / And” sermon

To Be Continued…

The Instrument of Division - Part II

By adopting the subjective and evolutionary so-called “allegorical method,” the instrument of division is able (so it thinks) to put forth “arguments” in support of it’s demonic purpose – the deconstruction and destruction of the Lord’s Body as described in the New Testament. To the faithful and Berean Christian these assertions are specious, shallow and superficial. Unfortunately, to those who have “itching ears,” they are appealing, innovative and pragmatic. There are many such “arguments.” Generally speaking, however, there are five main assertions – the new revelation argument, the anti discrimination argument, the less narrow door argument, the silence of the scriptures argument and specific passage arguments.

THE NEW REVELATION ARGUMENT

Since Satan tempted Eve in the garden, people have injected heresy into God’s will by claiming new and special revelation from God himself. When rebellious and self serving humans want change and cannot find support for such in the Bible, claims of “special revelation” are made. Until 2006 we never experienced such apostate thinking in the church of Christ. However, all that changed in December of that year when our erring brother Rick Atchley preached three sermons to the Richland Hills church of Christ in Ft. Worth, Texas. In true existential form, he entitled these lessons “Both / And.” The existentialist sees “truth” and “progress” in contradiction and chaos. Among other “arguments” for the instrument of division he attempts to assert that God’s will embraces both vocal and “instrumental” praise though our God is “not a God of confusion but of peace.” Atchley’s centerpiece salvo was the “new revelation argument.” Here is the exact quote:

Right there in that spot about 1994 in the middle of my sermon, the Holy Spirit said to me; “and that’s what you and all the preachers like you are doing who haven’t for years believed that the worship to God with instruments is wrong but you continue by your silence to let people think it’s wrong to all the body to be disrupted and you do so under the plea, “Well, we’re maintaining peace, but that’s not peace, that’s cowardice." I knew then the day would come I’d have to teach this lesson.(1)

We should shudder at the thought of adding to God’s revelation! The wise man of Proverbs tells us clearly in 30:5 -6 that adding to God’s Word will find us to be liars by God Himself! The Scripture plainly states that “God IS (present tense meaning “now and forevermore”) “no respecter of persons,” (Acts 10:34) that “The faith was once deliver-ED (past tense) to the saints (Jude 3) and that “His divine power has giv-EN (past tense) to us ALL things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has call-ED (past tense) to us glory and virtue.” (II Peter 1:3)
“IF” Rick Atchley is right, “IF” the Holy Spirit really spoke to him and “IF” what Atchley “says” the Holy Spirit said was really spoken by Him, then:
• God now allows man to add to divine revelation
• God now IS a respecter of persons – in fact Rick Atchley now possesses “greater truth” than ALL the inspired New Testament writers who somehow “missed” the will of the Holy Spirit in regards to the instrument!
• The faith actually was NOT completely delivered to the saints in the long ago.
• God has actually NOT delivered to us “all things pertaining to life and godliness.
Words mean things. “IF” we are to take Atchley at his word then we MUST embrace his assertion that he (Atchley) is a modern day prophet with more insight, revelation and inspiration than Peter and Jude!

(1) Rick Atchley, “Both / And” #2, approx. 5 minutes 30 seconds into the sermon as transcribed by the author.

To Be Continued:

The Instrument of Division - Part II

By adopting the subjective and evolutionary so-called “allegorical method,” the instrument of division is able (so it thinks) to put forth “arguments” in support of it’s demonic purpose – the deconstruction and destruction of the Lord’s Body as described in the New Testament. To the faithful and Berean Christian these assertions are specious, shallow and superficial. Unfortunately, to those who have “itching ears,” they are appealing, innovative and pragmatic. There are many such “arguments.” Generally speaking, however, there are five main assertions – the new revelation argument, the anti discrimination argument, the less narrow door argument, the silence of the scriptures argument and specific passage arguments.

THE NEW REVELATION ARGUMENT

Since Satan tempted Eve in the garden, people have injected heresy into God’s will by claiming new and special revelation from God himself. When rebellious and self serving humans want change and cannot find support for such in the Bible, claims of “special revelation” are made. Until 2006 we never experienced such apostate thinking in the church of Christ. However, all that changed in December of that year when our erring brother Rick Atchley preached three sermons to the Richland Hills church of Christ in Ft. Worth, Texas. In true existential form, he entitled these lessons “Both / And.” The existentialist sees “truth” and “progress” in contradiction and chaos. Among other “arguments” for the instrument of division he attempts to assert that God’s will embraces both vocal and “instrumental” praise though our God is “not a God of confusion but of peace.” Atchley’s centerpiece salvo was the “new revelation argument.” Here is the exact quote:

Right there in that spot about 1994 in the middle of my sermon, the Holy Spirit said to me; “and that’s what you and all the preachers like you are doing who haven’t for years believed that the worship to God with instruments is wrong but you continue by your silence to let people think it’s wrong to all the body to be disrupted and you do so under the plea, “Well, we’re maintaining peace, but that’s not peace, that’s cowardice.” I knew then the day would come I’d have to teach this lesson.

We should shudder at the thought of adding to God’s revelation! The wise man of Proverbs tells us clearly in 30:5 -6 that adding to God’s Word will find us to be liars by God Himself! The Scripture plainly states that “God IS (present tense meaning “now and forevermore”) “no respecter of persons,” (Acts 10:34) that “The faith was once deliver-ED (past tense) to the saints (Jude 3) and that “His divine power has giv-EN (past tense) to us ALL things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has call-ED (past tense) to us glory and virtue.” (II Peter 1:3)
“IF” Rick Atchley is right, “IF” the Holy Spirit really spoke to him and “IF” what Atchley “says” the Holy Spirit said was really spoken by Him, then:
• God now allows man to add to divine revelation
• God now IS a respecter of persons – in fact Rick Atchley now possesses “greater truth” than ALL the inspired New Testament writers who somehow “missed” the will of the Holy Spirit in regards to the instrument!
• The faith actually was NOT completely delivered to the saints in the long ago.
• God has actually NOT delivered to us “all things pertaining to life and godliness.
Words mean things. “IF” we are to take Atchley at his word then we MUST embrace his assertion that he (Atchley) is a modern day prophet with more insight, revelation and inspiration than Peter and Jude!
To Be Continued:

The Instrument of Division

Satan has a weapon of mass destruction. No, it is not nuclear, tactical or strategic. It appears innocent yet it is lethal. It is not expensive and therefore very available to armies of apostates. It fits easily into the "side door" of many a congregation. The weapon is stealth and may be invisible in plain sight. It claims to contribute to growth while designed only to destroy. Its proponents speak of peace, harmony and tolerance while practicing war, discord and intolerance towards any opposition. Just what is this weapon of mass destruction? To the wise and faithful it is a poisonous leaven that will murder souls. To its proponents, it is cynically called "instrumental praise."(1) "Miss Bertha plays on"(2) and millions march off into apostasy.

The "Instrument of Division" is the instrument!

Many congregations in the church of Christ are "emerging towards apostasy" with the embrace of a deadly instrument of division. They are grasping at the "clanging cymbals" of instrumental music in "worship." The fact that drums, guitars and saxophones divide the body of Christ, injure love and kill fellowship means absolutely nothing to those who insist upon their addition. There are many "reasons" for these departures from "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." However, when these "reasons" are all boiled down to their core essence, they parallel Saul's "reasons" to ignore God's clear, direct and linear commands regarding the wicked Amalekites. We read about Saul's apostasy in I Samuel 15. What motivated Saul in the long ago, now motivates the instrument of division.(3)

1) Popular opinion. 2) Presumptive biblical interpretation. 3) Partial obedience. 4) Self promotion. 5) Pragmatic motives.

How can this be? How can people claiming to be Christians divide the Body of Christ and still sleep at night? How can people cause division and blame others for what they themselves have done?!

The instrument of division must embrace a different biblical interpretive method in order to do Satan's bidding.

The instrument of division must reject biblical and linear interpretation, the kind that Samuel followed in I Samuel 15 and Saul...did not. Instead, the apostate must embrace the allegorical interpretive method, a method that goes in continual circles always asking questions and never finding the truth. (4)

The so-called "allegorical method" has been around since the 2nd century A.D. The Alexandrian (Egypt) Jewish teacher, Philo, embraced Plato's allegorical interpretive method used by the Greeks in the study of Homer and applied it to the interpretation of what we now call the Old Testament. Homer, of course, wrote pure fiction. Plato taught that one could understand Homer best by filtering his work through the filter of ones own "stories" and personal "experiences." The resulting interpretive chaos had every Greek with a different Homerial interpretation! Applied to fiction, it meant nothing...BUT...when applied to Scripture, the pre-Messianic Jews soon theologically digressed back to the days of the Judges where "every man did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

Philo was a strong influence on the famous patristic, Clement of Alexandria. Clement had a protégé as well, his name was Origen.(5) It was Origen that piped the allegorical fantasies of Philo and Clement into the mainstream thinking of the rapidly apostatizing 2nd century church of Christ. Origen convinced many Christians of his time that the Scriptures held multiple meanings and these multiple meanings came from the individually personalized stories and experiences of each individual Christian. As a result, the emerging Roman Catholic Church used Origen to justify every digressive doctrine, every change in biblical leadership and every fantasy regarding the Lord's Supper that would soon evolve into the Mass. Today the current pope in Rome credits Origen for the creation and evolution of the ever changing "Magesterium" of Roman Catholicism.

As convoluted as Origen was, a man would come along several hundred years later that would "poison the well" even more. That man was the delusional Thomas Aquinas, a man that imagined biblical characters speaking to him "in person," "revealing" understandings of various Scriptures. His delusion was fueled by a life long obsession with the pagan philosopher, Aristotle. Aristotle taught that man learned truth primarily through his senses. Aquinas adopted this falsehood even though the Scripture clearly teaches that "...faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God..." (Romans 10:17) Making his delusion chronic, Aquinas taught that one of man's senses was his imagination. So as if multiple meanings and individual private interpretation were not enough, Aquinas asserted that if one could "imagine" a "truth," it then became "truth" to you! (6)

Fast forwarding to today, one can adopt the instrument of division when one embraces the "multiple meanings of Scripture," filtered through one's own "stories" (Origen) fueled by the over active "imagination" (Aquinas) that renders "truth" to the adherent of such nonsense.

Origen + Aquinas = Apostasy

The sad thing is that nearly every person advocating the instrument of division has likely never even studied Origen or Aquinas, let alone the New Testament in any great detail. Any teaching they may have experienced is likely to be superficial at best. More likely than not, such teaching was presented with the smooth words of emergent teachers steeped in the teachings of Brian McLaren (7) rather than in the teachings of Christ and the apostles!

(1) See bro. Alan Highers skillful refutation of bro. Rick Atchley's pro-instrument assertions at: http://www.seektheoldpaths.com/stop707.htm#RTAD
(2) See an earlier post on the history of "Miss Bertha" here at:http://samuelslinesaulscircle.blogspot.com/2009/09/miss-berthas-revival.html
(3) See the foundational post for this entire weblog at: http://samuelslinesaulscircle.blogspot.com/2008/04/samuels-line-and-sauls-circle.html
(4) I have written a soon to be published book on biblical (mis)interpretaion entitled Emerging Towards Apostasy
(5) I have written extensively about Origen and Aquinas et. al. For more on this, go to: http://samuelslinesaulscircle.blogspot.com/2008/04/time-traveling-error-from-fallto.html
(6) Ibid.
(7) For a synopsis of Brian McLaren, see: http://samuelslinesaulscircle.blogspot.com/2008/09/who-is-brian-mclaren-why-do-you-need-to.html

To Be Continued...

Ezra Chapter 7 - A Man Prepared for Change!

Change hurts. It makes people insecure, confused, and angry. People want things to be the same as they've always been, because that makes life easier. But, if you're a leader, you can't let your people hang on to the past.(1) - Richard Marcinko

We all experienced radical change in 2010. If nothing else, should the Lord's coming be delayed, we will certainally experience more radical change in 2011. As Richard Marcinko observed, change does hurt. As we begin this new year of change we can learn a lot from a man who epitomized change - Ezra the priest of God.

Few men experience more change than did Ezra, finding himself transferred from the palacial halls of Cyrus the King of the Medo - Persian empire to the broken down rubble of long abandoned Jerusalem. Ezra was not intimidated by such change, he was inspired by it! Inspiration is preceded by preparation.

Ezra Chapter 7 details Ezra's preparation and we can learn from it. Ezra knew who he was, he knew the Word of God, he was willing to leave the familiar, he did God's will, he took direction from others, he was thankful and he took courage for the Hand of God was upon him!

Ezra 7:1 - 5 - Ezra Prepared for Change By Knowing Who He Was - A Son of Aaron

Here we see Ezra's family tree, he was a direct decendant of Aaorn the High Priest of God. Though we might define Aaron by his temporary lapse into sin regarding the "golden calf," God did not. In fact God's view of Aaron is revealed in Hebrews 5:1 - 4, Aaron was a man "called by God.!" Everyone has an "Aaron" in their family tree, even if it is you! Thank God He doesnt define our worth by our worst deed! We can prepare for change in 2011 by knowing who we are and being proud of it like Ezra.

Ezra 7:6 - Ezra Prepared for Change by Knowing God's Word

Preparation requires knowledge, especially when it comes to the work of God. Ezra, perhaps more than anyone in the Old Testament is equated with theological excellence. In fact, Ezra focused on "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" with Pauline dedication. He "set his heart" to "study the Law of the LORD," to "do it" and to "teach his statutes and rules in Israel." We can prepare for change in 2011 by knowing God's Word like Ezra did by studying, doing and teaching it.

To Be Continued...

(1) Source: http://famousquotes.com
Picture Courtesy of: http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/Picture.htm

Simeon's Celebration

A Biblical Perspective on the Incarnation

This coming Saturday, billions of people will mark the birth of Christ in “Christ-Mass” celebrations. While we rejoice that perhaps still on one day…despite the tyranny of tolerance that we call “political correctness”…people remember Christ at least in some way. It gives Christians an opportunity to share the REAL gospel, the fact that Christ died for our sins on the cross, was buried for three days, rose from the dead on the third day and appeared to over 500 witnesses over the next 40 days as an undeniable witness for all time and eternity. (I Corinthians 15) It gives Christians the opportunity to share the fact that salvation comes only through Christ and that said salvation comes only through repentance and baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins from the Day of Pentecost until the end of time. Finally, it gives Christians the opportunity to share the fact that Christ died for and established but one church thus rendering all other “gospels” false. (Galatians 1)

Though the inspired apostle Paul gives individual Christians the right to recognize certain days in private, he also states emphatically in Romans 14:14 that when such opinions cause division in the Body of Christ, they should be kept “between (that person) and God.” When we impose human opinions, harmless when “kept between me and God,” upon entire congregations we then turn opinion into an addition to the Word of God. The celebration of the birth of Christ is never commanded, never mentioned and never celebrated for the New Testament church of Christ. It is indeed then ironic that the most “holy” celebration in catholic, protestant, evangelical and pentecostal divisions from the New Testament pattern is a celebration unknown in the pages of Scripture!

Understanding all of this, what was one man’s reaction to meeting the Christ child in person? (Very likely the middle of the summer of 4 b.c.) In Luke 2:22 – 35, righteous Simeon celebrates 7 things regarding the coming of Christ: 1) The coming of Christ will bring “peace,” the removal of the wrath of God upon those who will believe, 2) The coming of Christ will bring “salvation” from sins, something Moses could never do, 3) The coming of Christ will bring “revelation,” specifically the fact that Gentiles will be saved, 4) The coming of Christ will bring “glory” to God,” 5) The coming of Christ will cause “many in Israel to rise and to fall,” 6) The coming of Christ will bring “sorrow” to his dear mother in the flesh and, 7) The coming of Christ will bring “judgment,” for “the thoughts of many will be revealed.” What was important…and worth celebrating to Simeon…should be important and worth celebrating to EVERY Christian on December 25 and EVERY OTHER DAY of the year as well!

As an American family tradition, Christmas is truly the “most wonderful time of the year.” It is a time for family, hearth, giving and fun. It is not, however, a biblical and religious commandment for the church. When we do think of the birth of Christ – be it in December or July – let’s think about celebrating what Simeon celebrated: Peace, Salvation, Revelation, Glory, The Rising and Falling of Many, Sorrow and Judgment to Come!

Shall We Have "The Bread of Life," or "The Life of Bread?"

Semantics, Social Justice and the Gospel in the 21st Century – Part 1

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.“
John 6:35b (ESV)

While in college, way back in the last century, I took a class on semantics. No class before or since has had a more positive bearing on my desire to properly communicate the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I must be up to the semantical challenges on a daily basis. Allow me to illustrate: I have a dog. I tell three people I am taking “my dog” to the vet. When I say “dog,” Mary thinks “poodle.” When I say “dog,” Mark thinks “blood hound.” When I say “dog,” Larry thinks German Shepherd. I own a beagle. When I say “dog,” I mean beagle. Four people, one word, four “meanings.” In order for me to be semantically correct and an effective communicator, I should say; “I’m taking my beagle to the vet.” Precise words with precise meanings, commonly understood, are the key to effective communication. And…no communication is more urgent than that of the gospel message. This point is soberly important for it is God Himself who has chosen the spoken word as the primary vehicle of the gospel! (Romans 10:8 – 18)

In the spirit of semantical precision, just what is the gospel? There is no need to wring our hands, circularly converse towards consensus or speculate with our imaginations! God has revealed the singular and everlastingly true definition of the gospel in I Corinthians 10:1 – 6;

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. (ESV)

The gospel consists therefore, without addition or subtraction, these four components; 1) Christ died for our sins, 2) Christ was buried, 3) Christ arose on the third day, and 4) Christ established the fact of his raising by appearing to over 500 witnesses before returning to heaven. THAT is the gospel!

In times past, effective communication was the goal of nearly everyone. Not so in our world! In our day and time, more and more people communicate with un-clear words and phrases…on purpose…in order to perpetuate one agenda or another. We call this practice “spin.” Spin is defined by the Miriam Webster On-Line Dictionary as, “…to evolve, express, or fabricate by processes of mind or imagination.”(1) “Spin” is the cumulative term. “Spin” is made up of what we call “buzz words.” A “buzz word” is defined as, “an important-sounding usually technical word or phrase often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen.”(2) The term “social justice” is a buzz-word. It takes noble sounding words to promote an agenda that is anything but noble. The term is not found in the Bible, neither Old or New Testaments. In fact, the term “social justice” is a mid 19th century concept coming out of the radicalism of the 1840’s that culminated in the revolutions of 1848(3). As Michael Novak observes;

The term "social justice" was first used in 1840 by a Sicilian priest, Luigi Taparelli d'Azeglio, and given prominence by Antonio Rosmini-Serbati in La Costitutione Civile Secondo la Giustizia Sociale in 1848.(4)

What caused the revolutions of 1848, societal upheaval and the advent of “social justice?” Novak further observes;

The birth of the concept of social justice coincided with two other shifts in human consciousness: the "death of God" and the rise of the ideal of the command economy. When God "died," people began to trust a conceit of reason and its inflated ambition to do what even God had not deigned to do: construct a just social order. The divinization of reason found its extension in the command economy; reason (that is, science) would command and humankind would collectively follow. The death of God, the rise of science, and the command economy yielded "scientific socialism." Where reason would rule, the intellectuals would rule. (Or so some thought. Actually, the lovers of power would rule.)(5)

Nature abhors a vacuum. When God was “shown the door,” the satanic surrogates came in. Those surrogates were Charles Darwin and Karl Marx. Society was no longer governed by “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It was now “from each according to his ability to each according to his need.” True justice was supplanted by “social justice.” [To Be Continued]

END NOTES:

(1)http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spin
(2)http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buzz+word?show=0&t=1291827233
(3)For more information on the Revolutions of 1848: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848#cite_note-3
(4)http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0081.html
(5)Ibid.

Christendom, Islam and Christianity

New Testament Christianity Stands in Stark Contrast with Both Christendom & Islam

The year was 312 a.d. Civil war raged across the Roman Empire. In a history changing conflict, Constantine defeated his enemies at the battle of Milvian Bridge, winning the crown of the western empire. Though “exposed” to Christianity as a child by his mother, Helena, he was a pagan for most of his life. By biblical standards his “conversion” remains to this day as suspect.
According to legend the day before the battle Constantine looked towards the sun and saw written above these words; in hoc signo vinces – “in this sign, win!” The legend says that the symbol he saw was what is now called the labarum. The labarum is a combination of the first two letters in the name of Christ in Greek, chi (X) and rho (P). Constantine, for whatever reason, had his soldiers paint the labarum on their shields they then carried into battle. Historically, of course, we know that Constantine prevailed in the next days conflict. His imagined vision changed history.
The following year, Constantine and his co-emperor, Licinius, issued the Edict of Milan which made the empire officially neutral religiously. Neither Christianity nor paganism was recognized as the state religion. Each person was free to worship whomever he/she wished. For the very first time, the empire no longer legally embraced paganism. These changes led to the return of confiscated Christian property and laid the foundation of what we now know as Christendom, the total union of church and state in full totalitarian mode. “Christianity” (i.e. Nicene Catholicism) became the state religion on 27 February 380 with the issue of the Edict of Thessalonica. Though Jesus Christ Himself clearly stated that “my kingdom is not of this world otherwise my servants would fight,” Christendom ushered in nothing but armed conflict, bloodshed and mayhem for over a thousand years. Wars sponsored by “Christian” nation states began with Charlemagne and lasted until Napoleon! Everywhere the labarum went, death and destruction followed. Slaughter in the name of the pope would take place from Europe to Asia Minor to Asia to the South China Seas to the Americas and back again before the power of the pope was finally neutralized during the Napoleonic Wars by the rise of Great Britain as the first modern age super power.
By the time of Pope Urban II in 1095 “Christendom” was solidified to the point of being a singular and monolithic church-state dictatorship. Rome possessed absolute power over the lives, fortunes and minds of the various European nation-states and their inhabitants. There was no middle class, only a few very wealthy land lords with the rest of the population held in virtual slavery. The economy was what we would best characterize today as fascist - church owned, taxed and controlled. Any opposition was quickly suppressed with extreme violence to the poor and the threat of excommunication by the pope to the rich. So called “canon law” reined supreme over local, state and national laws. Even kings and queens served at the pope’s pleasure. Anyone who opposed Rome either theologically or politically was immediately branded as a heretic bringing death, destruction and confiscation of property upon both themselves and their families. Urban decided that the time was ripe for murder, rape and pillage under the banner of the Constantinian labarum against the Islamic armies pouring in from the east. The bottom line: Christendom is NOT a religion per se, it is a military, political and economic weapon for power and domination of other peoples cloaked with a thin skin of religion.
Two hundred and thirty years after Edict of Thessalonica, a man in Arabia by the name of Muhammad, like Constantine, began to imagine visions from God. The year was 610. By the time of his death in 632, Muhammad had amassed a massive following and controlled all of the Arabian peninsula. Islam means “submission to Allah” and a Muslim is “one who submits or surrenders” to the teachings of Muhammad. It is very likely that Muhammad could neither read nor write for his “visions” were written down in the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, not by him but by his “companions” via memory after his relatively early death at age 62. A “companion” was someone who saw Muhammad while he still lived, believed his teachings and remained a Muslim until death. It is generally agreed that the number of “companions” that wrote the Qur’an number between 50 and 60 persons. Islamic theology is not based solely upon the Qur’an. Like the writings of the so-called “church fathers” in Christendom, the traditions of Islam are taught and supported by the Hadith. The Hadith was written long after the demise of Muhammad, some two hundred years plus in fact. The Hadith is the passed down generation to generation of the “companions” recollections of the thoughts, practices and interpretations of Muhammad. Should one study Islam by studying ONLY the Qur’an, one will miss much of what drives the Muslim to believe the way he or she does. Thirty or so years after the death of Muhammad a power struggle split Islam into two bitterly opposed denominations; the minority Shia and the majority Sunni’s. As Islam rose to battle Christendom, a pope like figure called the Caliph arose to exert total power and authority. The Caliph imposed strict observance of so-called Sharia Law, a medieval and barbarous set of ruthless laws that enslaved the masses just like the so-called Canon Law of Rome. The Caliph’s imposed a brutal dictatorship supported by war, piracy, extortion, plunder and the slave trade. Before retreating in the fifteenth century, Islam would threaten Rome from the French border in the west to eastern Austria in the east. In 1095, however, the two world powers were poised for a death struggle that would take four hundred years to come to an end. Not until the Islamic Moors were forced out of Spain in 1492 would the religious wars between Christendom and Islam begin to subside. The bottom line: Islam is NOT a religion per se, it is a military, political and economic weapon for power and domination of other peoples cloaked with a thin skin of religion.
It is the thesis of this paper that “Christendom” and “Islam” are two side of the same coin. They came to blows, not because of their differences but because of their similarities! It is also our thesis that New Testament Christianity stands in stark contrast to both “Christendom” and “Islam.” In fact biblical Christianity is 180 degrees opposite to both. The greatest challenge of our age is for New Testament Christians to reach out to both Roman Catholics and Muslims with the good news of the gospel, a message of peace, love, joy, faith, hope, forgiveness and salvation – a message NEVER shared by the Pope’s crusaders or the Caliph’s soldiers! They never shared it for they never had it to share.
The chart below validates our thesis – Christendom and Islam are IDENTICAL except for their theologies. Keep in mind however theology is but a thin skinned covering to mask the real thing in both cases. Underneath their two different theological skins, Christendom and Islam are twin brothers, as it were.
Islam Christendom
Caliph Pope
Mosque & State Are One Church & State Are One
Imams Priests
Jihad Crusade
Feast of Ramadan Feast of Christ-Mass
Hadith Tradition Patrisic Tradition
Sharia Law Canon Law
Execution for Internal Opposition Execution for Internal Opposition
Free Salvation for Dying in Battle Free Salvation for Dying in Battle
Holy City of Mecca Holy City of Rome
Ends Justify the Means Ends Justify the Means
No Salvation for Outsiders No Salvation for Outsiders
Submit or Die Convert or Die
At the end of the day, both Islam and Christendom gave up any and all pretense to being “people of the book” and paid any price for power, glory, wealth, domination and total destruction of their mortal enemies. What they once abhorred in their enemies they both embraced for themselves.
Political reality shows that Christendom is no more. Western nations no longer embrace faith in the God of Heaven and for the most part have become secular if not agnostic, even atheist. In fact, since the demise of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, western nations no longer act monolithically, they have fought each other in two world wars, neither of which had a single religious component. Most significantly, the pope no longer has any political and military sway. In that sense, Islam triumphed over Christendom. For some reason, though, the message of this defeat has yet to reach the Islamic world! To them, nothing has changed. Most importantly to this very hour in time, they see Christianity as “Christendom!” No notion could be more false.
New Testament Christianity is found in the heart not on the tip of the sword. New Testament Christianity has absolutely nothing in common with either Islam or Christendom! The Kingdom of God is one of spirit not of flesh. It is the Body of Christ not the bodies of slain enemies. The church of Christ is not a building, it is not a government, it is not an army, it is not a city or stronghold to be taken by force of arms and is not temporal. Her headquarters are not in Rome or Mecca but in Heaven above! The Christian loves his enemies, renders good for evil and prays for those who abuse him or her. Our warfare is not with Islam (or Christendom for that matter!) but with the “power of the prince of the air,” Satan and his wiles. Islam and Christendom persuaded men with violence and the sword, Christians persuade men by the proclamation of the gospel for “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Should men reject the message, so be it. No force, be it physical, be it psychological or be it otherwise will be employed by the Christian against any man or woman who turns away. Our example is Christ who, while being murdered, prayed for God’s forgiveness of those who were literally killing him. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” was His plea. The Father answered that prayer 50 days later on the Day of Pentecost when those same murderers cried out, “Men and brethren, what must we do!?” Peter, along with the eleven, rose up and said; “Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit!” Christians, towards one another, “turn their swords into plowshares” and “learn the ways of war no more!”
For more information on the church of the New Testament, the singular and eternal church of Christ, go to: http://gospelcall.blogspot.com/2010/11/reasoning-together-introduction-to.html. May God bless all those, both the current adherents of both Christendom and Islam, as they turn to God through Jesus Christ, “THE way, THE truth and THE life” through whom all who would seek after God must come!