WesleyGospel Ministries

1. John Wesley’s Calvinism Calmly Considered (vol 1, vol 2, Schmul) (IHC)

2. Randolph Foster’s Objections to Calvinism As It Is (Schmul) (IHC)

3. Thomas Oden’s The Transforming Power of Grace (United Methodist) – I think this should be seen as the primary book on lordship salvation from an Arminian perspective. Other than my book, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, I think this book by Oden should be seen as the primary Arminian counterpart to John MacArthur’s Calvinistic lordship salvation book: The Gospel According to Jesus. –5/19/16

4. Robert Shank’s Life in the Son (Church of Christ)

5. J. Matthew Pinson, ed. Four Views on Eternal Security (FWB and UMC)

6. Daniel Corner’s The Believer’s Conditional Security (holiness / Full Gospel)

7. F. Leroy Forlines’ Classical Arminianism (Free Will Baptist)

8. French Arrington’s Unconditional Eternal Security: Myth or Truth? (Church of God)

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potential book project: Calvin’s TULIP Plucked Apart: The Case for Biblical Arminianism

At the bottom of the first clip of this “talkie” I believe it says MCMXXVIII, which would mean the year 1928. This is interesting since in 1938, he published What Is Wrong with the Movies? in which he condemned the whole movie industry for its sexual immorality and glorification of sin; although, he theoretically continued to hold a small view that Christian movies could be made.

British witchcraft, also known as Wicca, or Druidism in ancient times, presents a strong supernatural challenge to Christians. This has been sufficiently answered by St. Patrick, St. Columba, John Knox and the “Scots Worthies,” George Fox, John Wesley, and Smith Wigglesworth; add to that Augustin Poulain’s The Graces of Interior Prayer, Herbert Thurston’s The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, and Donald Gee’s Concerning Spiritual Gifts. With reservation to a stronger view of sanctification, I would recommend any books about or by John Wimber and the Vineyard churches.

The popularity of the Harry Potter books and movies should present a real spiritual threat to Bible-believing parents, because these stories introduce witchcraft ideas and practices to children! A popular excuse for these stories is that “they are just fantasy, not reality”; but upon close examination, you will find that these stories are basically introducing the cult of Wicca to kids: a real life cult of witchcraft that has existed for ages.

In the Christian exposé film Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged, Making Evil Look Innocent (2001), we learn that Wiccan concepts are found in the stories, such as when Harry’s mother dies for him as a love sacrifice (goddess concept); or Harry’s use of wands and brooms and other “wizard” tools, that real life witches use in the cult of Wicca; or the use of spells, curses, and magic incantations:–all of which can be found in Wicca; or when Harry’s girlfriend becomes demon-possessed on Halloween (a Wiccan holiday) and murders someone; or Harry’s communication with ghosts (as in Spiritualism); or his use of psychic powers (common to Wicca and all New Age cults); or his dabbling with black magic–which has its parallel with Satanism and other varieties of cult activity; all of these occultic ideas and practices, and more, are taught to young Harry and his friends at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Moral relativism is also implied as acceptable, as Harry is rewarded for lying to and disobeying his teachers:–a parallel with Wicca again–a worldview in which there are no clearly defined rules of right and wrong. A word to the wise: wicca, the Old English word for witch, is the root word for WICKED.

How can Christians, Christian parents, and even Christian pastors (I’ve met two), endorse the Harry Potter stories? The Word of God clearly condemns witchcraft as a real life sin:

Deuteronomy 18:10-12: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.”

1 Samuel 15:23: “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”

God’s prohibition of witchcraft carries over into the New Testament as well:

Galatians 5:19-21 lists witchcraft as a damnable sin that leads to Hell: “The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Revelation 21:8 says that those who practice the magic arts (such as Wiccans), will burn in the lake of fire forever: “The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”

It is no surprise to me that this exposé film provides evidence that there are other books written in favor of Harry Potter for kids to get at the bookstore, or the school library, which provide links to real life Wiccan websites! The video concludes with several e-mails from middle school age kids about how they too would like to become wizards and witches, and wish they could go to Hogwart’s wizard school too. Now, I understand there are always going to be Christians who say Harry Potter is “just fantasy, not reality”:–but WICCA IS REALITY; its a real life pagan cult that is gaining popularity, because these wicked Harry Potter stories have stimulated interest among young people to dabble in the occult and become demon-possessed, anti-Christian, and mentally ill. As disgusting as the religion of Wicca is, its sickening to think these books are being pushed in our public schools; in a way its no different than the Goosebumps or Scary Stories books were for me, when I was in elementary school (which I now regret reading):–but in a way it is: in those books, scary demonic concepts were present, but in these Harry Potter books, witchcraft and Wicca-like concepts are glorified over and over and over! They are designed to seduce children into the occult, no doubt. These books are inspired by the devil. They are evil books and movies; and should be utterly rejected, destroyed, preached against, and entirely hated by Christians without reservation. But sadly, that’s not the case for the most part. Destiny Image Publishers, the popular charismatic publisher, has only one book that even mentions it (thankfully critically): Steve Wohlberg’s Exposing Harry Potter and Witchcraft (2005); Tyndale House Publishers, long held to be conservative evangelical, has a supportive book: John Granger’s Looking for God in Harry Potter (2004)–unbelievable!; but then you have the extremely supportive book by the liberal Christian publisher Westminster John Knox Press: Connie Neal’s The Gospel According to Harry Potter (2008)–blasphemous! Granger’s book is the most popular.

Nothing but the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of justification by faith in the cross, and sanctification by obedience to the Word of God, can set these kids free the devil’s grasp! Add to that a real encounter with the presence of the Holy Spirit in worship! O God! Show your power in this, my generation! J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books is surprisingly not a Wiccan, so it seems; she claims to be a member of the Scottish branch of the Church of England; but since the Anglican Communion now supports gay priests, this is no evidence of Biblical Christianity; being a member of a heretical church, Rowling has to be thrown into the category of a heretic at the least, and at the worst, to be called a witch in spirit. REPENT J. K.! It may be that God will even have mercy on you for this great sin! Matthew 18:6: “If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in Me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Jesus said that.

Based on Ephesians 4:17-5:21 and William Law’s The Absolute Unlawfulness of the Stage Entertainment.

In my mind, there are three aspects in the evaluation of a church model that are critical for my stamp of approval for an “ideal church”; not a “perfect church” as the so often cop-out cliché is used, but an ideal one.

1. The Pastor.

2. The Good Works.

3. The Koinonia.

These three aspects are what I will use to evaluate my vision of what an ideal Pentecostal church would look like.

1. The Pastor. Without the pastor having a holy life, in pursuit of God, and living in separation from the world, with its sexual and profane movies and TV programs, with its endless intellectual excuses for carnal behavior, and countless diversions; without a pastor that studies the Bible, teaches and preaches the Bible and the New Testament gospel, there can be no church. It starts with the pastor. He determines the spiritual climate of his church–and him alone! Church members might cause trouble at times, but the pastor is the spiritual thermostat. He is the one at fault if lukewarmness enters the church. It is all his fault if this happens. The pastor must constantly have a steady stream of Puritan, Reformed, and Wesleyan books in the pipeline. He should be ever increasing in his understanding and personal application of New Testament sanctification; and preach what he practices, with heart searching and heart rending precision. He should avoid preaching against no sin; and avoid no subject that would contribute to the deliverance of his hearers. First and foremost, he must be a Gospel preacher; he should know the book of Romans inside and out; Justification and Sanctification should be his theological strong suites, and soteriology; he should always be pointing many to righteousness! Read Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor, Charles Finney’s Lectures on Revivals of Religion, John MacArthur’s Pastoral Ministry, Iain Murray’s John MacArthur, Thomas Oden’s Pastoral Theology, Carol Wimber’s John Wimber, and Gary Wilkerson’s David Wilkerson.

Now for the Pentecostal aspect. Sure the praise and worship would be heartfelt, sincere, in Spirit and in truth, concentrated, often with closed eyes, and raised hands, and loud cymbals (Ps. 150). But read Frank Bartleman’s Azusa Street. The Pentecostal pastor would imitate William J. Seymour. He would facilitate “Holy Ghost meetings” where spiritually hungry people could seek and pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Also, there would be times of prayer for healing and deliverance (see John Wimber’s Power Healing, aka “ministry time”). It wouldn’t just be the pastor either (1 Cor. 14:26). He would see himself like Elijah, raising up a school or church of prophets, seers, and prophetesses. He wouldn’t just be a preacher, he’d also be a facilitator for the miraculous gifts among others present. He would, like Wesley, give opportunities for training lay preachers, in the pulpit and in the streets. In a word, he would be a revivalist, a prophet, a man of God, and live above approach inasmuch as it is possible, God helping him. Read Donald Gee’s Concerning Spiritual Gifts, Stanley Frodsham’s Smith Wigglesworth, and Larry Martin’s “The Azusa Street Library.”

2. The Good Works. Matthew 25:31-46 on the judgment of the sheep and the goats, would play a big role in the church’s sense of mission and good works. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, quenching the thirsty, visiting those who are sick or in prison, and harboring the homeless:–these would occupy the church’s calendar of events; and most definitely not those popular “bless me club” events which have no support in the Bible. The Great Commission would be fulfilled by street meetings, small and large; and also, through other innovative evangelistic ideas, so long as there is no conflict with Scripture; and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly being preached. Praying for the sick would be implemented in public. Read George Railton’s The Authoritative Life of William Booth and Thomas Oden’s The Good Works Reader.

3. The Koinonia. Genuine, authentic, godly, holy Christian friendships cannot grow if the pastor is authoritarian (Acts 2:42). The pastor must embody a loving, godly friendliness (koinonia) in order for the gift to spread to others in the church. Koinonia is contagious, but again, this rests on the pastor’s attitude towards others in the church. If he just preaches against their sins on Sunday, rather than targeting society’s sins (out there), then its going to hurt them, and they will feel more and more distant from him. Secondly, if the pastor has a “pastor’s mystique” idea that he’s operating with–that’s not good. He must be more friendly than everyone else (but not in a fake way); he has to be himself, and just not put on a front. He must be the same person on Sunday that he is on Tuesday evening with his family. Read David Johnson’s The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.

In 2013, John MacArthur published a book and conference on the theme of Strange Fire, a designation he applies to the charismatic movement. I am a Wesleyan Pentecostal; and this is my response to his Reformed cessationist conference.

Introduction
Response to Session 1 (Worship) – 24:40
Response to Session 2 (Healing) – 1:09:00
Response to Session 3 (Calvin) – 1:14:40
Response to Session 4 (Africa) – 1:20:38
Response to Session 5 (Discernment) – 1:21:26
Response to Session 6 (Cessationism) – 1:33:35
Response to Session 7 (Scripture) – 1:45:55
Response to Session 8 (Africa) – 1:50:56
Response to Session 9 (Conclusion) – 1:52:04

Originally from here.

Question: “Should a Christian go to movies? Is watching a movie a sin?”

Answer: For a Christian, the question is not so much “is watching this movie a sin?” but “is this something that Jesus would want me to do?” The Bible tells us that many things are permitted, but not all things are beneficial or constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23). It also says that whatever we say or do (or watch) should be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are to set our minds on things that are noble and pure (Philippians 4:8). If—and this is a big if—we can watch a movie or TV program that contains questionable content AND still be in agreement with these commands from the Bible, then it’s hard to see a wrong in this.

The danger lies in (1) how what we are watching affects our heart and (2) how it affects others. For ourselves, if the scene we see brings a feeling of lust, anger, or hatred, then we have sinned (Matthew 5:22, 28), and we must do whatever we can to avoid that happening again. Often that means not watching that type of movie/scene again. Also, it can be a stumbling block to someone who is struggling with a habit or behavior that is coming between him and God (1 Corinthians 10:25-33; Romans 14:13). As members of the body of Christ, we are to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14) and a holy example of what God has done in our lives (1 Peter 2:11-12). If we are seen by others going into an “R”-rated movie, it could send the wrong message to them—that we enjoy and/or condone illicit sex and violence. That is not conducive to being a light in a dark world.

So, how do we know for sure whether what we are watching is beneficial? When we become followers of Christ, we are given His Holy Spirit to live in us (Acts 2:38; 2 Timothy 1:14). Jesus tells us that this Spirit will guide us in all truth (John 16:13). One way God’s Spirit guides us is by our conscience (Romans 1:12; 9:1). If your conscience is telling you that what you are watching is wrong, it probably is.

Originally from here.

Now that the video of the Q&A at Advance 09 is available, I can look at it and feel bad all over again. Here’s what I regret, indeed what I have apologized for to the person who asked the question.

The first question to me and Mark Driscoll was, “Piper says get rid of my TV, and Driscoll says buy extra DVRs. How do you reconcile this difference?”

I responded, “Get your sources right. . . . I never said that in my life.”

Almost as soon as it was out of my mouth, I felt: “What a jerk, Piper!” A jerk is a person who nitpicks about the way a question is worded rather than taking the opportunity to address the issue in a serious way. I blew it at multiple levels.

So I was very glad when the person who asked the question wrote to me. I wrote back,

Be totally relieved that YOU did not ask a bad question. I gave a useless and unhelpful, and I think snide, answer and missed a GOLDEN opportunity to make plain the dangers of the triviality you referred to. . . . I don’t know why I snapped about the wording of the question instead of using it for what it was intended for. It was foolish and I think sinful.

So let me see if I can do better now. I can’t give an answer for what Mark means by “buy extra DVRs,” but I can tell you why my advice sounds different. I suspect that Mark and I would not agree on the degree to which the average pastor needs to be movie-savvy in order to be relevant, and the degree to which we should expose ourselves to the world’s entertainment.

I think relevance in preaching hangs very little on watching movies, and I think that much exposure to sensuality, banality, and God-absent entertainment does more to deaden our capacities for joy in Jesus than it does to make us spiritually powerful in the lives of the living dead. Sources of spiritual power—which are what we desperately need—are not in the cinema. You will not want your biographer to write: Prick him and he bleeds movies.

If you want to be relevant, say, for prostitutes, don’t watch a movie with a lot of tumbles in a brothel. Immerse yourself in the gospel, which is tailor-made for prostitutes; then watch Jesus deal with them in the Bible; then go find a prostitute and talk to her. Listen to her, not the movie. Being entertained by sin does not increase compassion for sinners.

There are, perhaps, a few extraordinary men who can watch action-packed, suspenseful, sexually explicit films and come away more godly. But there are not many. And I am certainly not one of them.

I have a high tolerance for violence, high tolerance for bad language [edit:–why? as entertainment? Col. 3:8?], and zero tolerance for nudity. There is a reason for these differences. The violence is make-believe. They don’t really mean those bad words. But that lady is really naked, and I am really watching. And somewhere she has a brokenhearted father.

I’ll put it bluntly. The only nude female body a guy should ever lay his eyes on is his wife’s. The few exceptions include doctors, morticians, and fathers changing diapers. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1). What the eyes see really matters. “Everyone who looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Better to gouge your eye than go to hell (verse 29).

Brothers, that is serious. Really serious. Jesus is violent about this. What we do with our eyes can damn us. One reason is that it is virtually impossible to transition from being entertained by nudity to an act of “beholding the glory of the Lord.” But this means the entire Christian life is threatened by the deadening effects of sexual titillation.

All Christ-exalting transformation comes from “beholding the glory of Christ.” “Beholding the glory of the Lord, [we] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Whatever dulls the eyes of our mind from seeing Christ powerfully and purely is destroying us. There is not one man in a thousand whose spiritual eyes are more readily moved by the beauty of Christ because he has just seen a bare breast with his buddies.

But leave sex aside (as if that were possible for fifteen minutes on TV). It’s the unremitting triviality that makes television so deadly. What we desperately need is help to enlarge our capacities to be moved by the immeasurable glories of Christ. Television takes us almost constantly in the opposite direction, lowering, shrinking, and deadening our capacities for worshiping Christ.

One more smaller concern with TV (besides its addictive tendencies, trivialization of life, and deadening effects): It takes time. I have so many things I want to accomplish in this one short life. Don’t waste your life is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside every day with trembling.

TV consumes more and more time for those who get used to watching it. You start to feel like it belongs. You wonder how you could get along without it. I am jealous for my evenings. There are so many things in life I want to accomplish. I simply could not do what I do if I watched television. So we have never had a TV in 40 years of marriage (except in Germany, to help learn the language). I don’t regret it.

Sorry again, for the bad answer. I hope this helps.