Safeguarding the Truth- Understanding the Bible Theologically

by Roger Hahn
from
Holiness Today Magazine

On a recent trip I entered a city filled with billboards and posters advertising religious events. One especially caught my eye. The bright red headline screamed, "Rapture or Rupture: Your Choice!" It included the time and place of teaching on biblical prophecy. I was intrigued. I realize the rapture is often taught in the context of biblical prophecy. But though I know what "rupture" means, I had no idea what that conference on biblical prophecy would teach. That poster highlights a problem between Christian faith and our Scriptures, the Bible. Faithfully confessing the inspiration and the authority of Scripture does not protect us from the questions that rise from its interpretation. How we receive, understand, and interpret the words of Scripture is as critical to its purpose as the divine inspiration that sends it our way. Lessons from Church History From early days, the community of faith has dealt with the problem of how we interpret Scripture. After noting that Paul's letters contain "things difficult to understand," Peter basically declares in 2 Peter 3:16, "The unlearned and unstable distort these things, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."¹ By the end of the second century the church became embroiled in controversy over how to interpret Scripture. Not only does the devil quote and misinterpret Scripture, so do false teachers. The second and third century battles with heretics on both the right and the left of the church's teachings were over the Bible's correct interpretation. The primary weapon the church developed in these battles came to be called the rule of faith. The rule of faith summarized the theological truths that all orthodox teachers taught from the days of the apostles. Individual authors from the second and third centuries did not give identical expression to the rule of faith, but certain themes were common. The rule of faith included a belief in the Trinity, emphasized Jesus' incarnation, affirmed the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and confessed the hope of a physical resurrection at the end of time. Interpretations of Scripture that undermined these teachings were declared illegitimate and were not accepted in the Church. Some might see the rule of faith as the first step of a journey toward using Church tradition, instead of the Bible, to determine the Christian faith. However, many times in history the Church has found it necessary to turn to the rule of faith to remind us of the boundaries protecting Scripture interpretation. John Wesley called this theological core of the Bible the analogy of faith. He once defined that analogy of faith as "the connected chain of scripture truths, and their relation to each other-namely, the natural corruption of man; justification by faith; the new birth; inward and outward holiness."² Perhaps we live in a period of history when we need to revive this understanding of a theological core that must stand at the heart of interpreting Scripture.

The Problem We Face Today thousands of Bible studies and Sunday School classes ask their members, "What does this passage mean to you?" Questions like this invite the private interpretation of Scripture forbidden in 2 Peter 1:20. It indicates that we need to rediscover the theological core that guides correct interpretation of the Bible. When biblical illiteracy is as rampant as it is today and the Bible is twisted to support every conceivable pattern of sin and self-centeredness, we need to revive an understanding of the theological core of the Bible. Not only do we need a theological interpretation of Scripture, Church experience also shows that we must live with a tension between different ways of understanding the Bible. Some describe that tension as a polarity between literal and allegorical (or figurative) interpretation. Others say it is a tension between historical and literary interpretations of Scripture. A person might even describe it as a spectrum from too little to too much theology as the guiding principle of interpretation. The truth is that the Bible is both a theological and a historical book.

The Theological Aspects of the Bible The Bible is a theological book. It is not designed to provide us with data about ancient history. Its purpose is to show us the way to heaven, as John Wesley put it. Its function is to reveal "the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation,"³ as Article IV of the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene states. This means we must interpret Scripture from a theological angle. We must put together what the Bible teaches about God, about humankind, about sin, about salvation, about Christ and the Holy Spirit, about the Church, and about the end of time. This requires a constant process of moving from individual passages to the overarching biblical truths. It also requires applying those great truths as we interpret individual passages. This means Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. Passages where truth is clear are the resources we turn to when we are trying to understand passages where the message seems uncertain. What we learn from those unambiguous passages is the theological core of Scripture, often summarized in the Church's creed and articles of faith. Part of what this theological interpretation of Scripture means is that we interpret Scripture from its center to our concerns. Much of the faulty reading of the Bible arises from people who come to it with their questions and issues of life as the determining factor. When you want to justify a lifestyle, defend a political agenda, or want a guide to personal success, you will fairly easily find scriptures that will say what you want to hear. But when you start with what the Bible says about God, sin, and salvation and work your way from those central truths to their application in your life the outcome is quite different.

The Historical Context of the Scriptures We should also remember that the Bible is a historical book. Its great narrative is set on the stage of human history. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans mentioned in the pages of the Bible are the same people we discover on the pages of ancient history and in the work of archaeologists. At the heart of the New Testament is the truth that the Word became flesh and lived in a real place at a real time dealing with real people. This means the theological truths of Scripture need to be understood and grounded in careful historical study. This balance of theological and historical interpretation of Scripture was first affirmed in the second and third centuries by the rule of faith. This need for a balance of theological and historical study of Scripture points us toward another important truth. There is also a proper balance between private and corporate study and interpretation of the Bible. If we never read or study the Bible privately, we are not likely to seek to conform our life to its teaching. On the other hand, if we only study the Bible privately we rob ourselves of the wisdom of the Church, both in its present rich diversity and in its historical sense of center. The Church has been the primary guardian of the theological core of the Scriptures. However, we will probably not adhere to that core if we do not participate in the corporate interpretation of Scripture through its preaching and teaching in the Church. During the past two hundred years many people have tried to separate the Bible and theology. Some have expressed the separation as a desire for the simple truths of Scripture without the complexity of theology and its arguments. We must reject this appeal to separate the Bible and theology. The two are inextricably intertwined and we can never understand one without the other. Roger L. Hahn is dean of the faculty and professor of New Testament at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. ¹All Scripture translations are by the author. ²Sermon 116 (Paragraph 6), Wesley J. (2000). The Works of John Wesley: Sermons (electronic ed.). Albany, OR: Ages Software. ³Article IV, Manual, Church of the Nazarene. May/June 2006 Holiness Today

God Never Changes...He Still Heals Today!

I am so elated I can hardly type this note. I just got a call and my good assistant DS, Rev. Bob England, told me he got a call from his medical doctor tonight (September 20, 2010) about 9:00 P.M. and Dr. Smith told him quote, “Bob, we have a miracle here, the pathology report came back and you DO NOT have cancer!”

Wow! This is a divine miracle. I was there about six weeks ago in the doctor’s office with Br. Bob and his wife Vivian, when the same doctor told him in no uncertain terms, “I just studied your case and you have very aggressive cancer and it is in the last stages. We need to operate as soon as possible.”

Pastor Bob got a second opinion about his medical condition and the second specialist agreed that Pastor Bob had cancer but wanted another biopsy done to see for sure how to do the best treatment. So, when the second biopsy came back clear it is indeed a miracle!

We will be rejoicing about this for months and years to come. Praise God! All across the district and only the Lord knows where else people have been praying for my brother in the Lord.

Dr. Mark Eckart

Chandler Holiness Camp 2010

Upcoming Chandler Holiness Campmeeting

Please be in prayer for upcoming Chandler Interdenominational Holiness Camp. Rev Russel Coffee will be the Evangelist and the Mike Bell Family will lead singing and provide special music. Camp will be help August 1-8, 2010 Prayer Night Sunday at 6:00PM Missionary Night Monday at 7:00PM Rev. Russel Coffee Tuesday thru Sunday Evening 7:00PM nightly 6:00PM Sunday If the weather is unbearable at meeting time we will move to adjacent air-conditioned Chandler Church of the Nazarene.

Camp Board of Trustees

• Rev. Dennis King/ President
• Rev. Keith Kiper /1st Vice-president
• Rev. Robert Buchanan/ 2nd Vice-president
• Jeani Lutz /Secretary
• Jacquita Daugherty /Treasurer

• Rev. Allen Adams
• Rev. Ed Ames
• Rev. Kenton Daugherty
• Susan Ice
• Bill Johnson
• Jeff Knirs
• Caleb Konopka
• Keith Lochmueller
• Wanda McGuin

Tertullian on Jeremiah and the Life of the Unborn

Tertullian on Jeremiah and the Life of the Unborn

Dr. Todd A. Stepp OSL
www.wesleyananglican.blogspot.com

The upcoming Old Testament lection comes from Jeremiah 1:4-10. In my study, I found the comments of Tertullian of Carthage (late 2nd/early 3rd centuries) on verse five to be very interesting in relationship to the issue of abortion.

Jeremiah 1:5 quotes God as saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (NRSV).

Tertullian comments: "The embryo therefore becomes a human being in the womb from the moment that its form is completed. The law of Moses, indeed, punishes with due penalties the one who shall cause an abortion, inasmuch as there exists already the rudiment of human being that has imputed to it even now the condition of life and death, since it is already liable to the issues of both, although, by living still in the mother, it for the most part shares its own state with the mother" (One the Soul 37. As found in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT XII).

One might ask what Tertullian means by "the moment that its form is completed" (emphasis, mine). One could argue from the remainder of his comments that one need not think in literal terms of absolute completion of form; that, instead, it could be argued that Tertullian would accept the "completion" of conception, i.e., once a human being has been formed in terms of conception. However one may answer that question, it is clear that his comments refer to one (in this case, Jeremiah) who is not yet born.

What I find of interest in this passage, along with the story of the blessed virgin Mary's visit to Elizabeth, is how God is actively at work in and through those (i.e., Jeremiah, John & Jesus), who had not yet been born.

In Jeremiah's case, God knew him even before he was formed in the womb, and before he was born, God consecrated/sanctified him and appointed him to be a prophet.

In John's case, he is filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born (cf., Luke 1:15), and he actually prophesies prior to his birth (by virtue of his "leap[ing] for joy," and through the words of his mother), as one sees in Luke 1:41-45.

In addition to whatever weight these passages might add to the argument that infants are proper candidates for baptism, they certainly support those churches (like the Church of the Nazarene) that take a stand for life.

Do we Dare?
by Jamie Friedrich
Missionary to Uganda
www.wgm.org/friedrich

The needs around us are so great. The 5:00 news is quick to tell us everything that is wrong with our world. We are bombarded for 30 minutes about economic woes, corrupt leaders, war across borders, and unemployment. Depending on where you live, even the sports segment can break your heart. And the thing that gets me is that after all this, at the close of the newscast, we are told to “Have a good night.”

As I prepare to move to Uganda, there are many issues that are heart-breaking and seem insurmountable. But in the midst of them, I am challenged to choose to believe that God is still a God who is full of compassion and mercy, doubtless intending to work everything together for good. This is the only way to avoid living defeated in the midst of hard times.

In John 4:50, a man came to Jesus, pleading for his son, who was close to death. Upon hearing his plea, Jesus replies, “You may go. Your son will live.” And with that, the man “took Jesus at his word and departed.” No questions. No more pleading. He chose to believe that what Jesus said had come to pass. And he did not receive confirmation until the next day. The man dared to believe that Jesus’ word was enough. He dared to believe Jesus had to power to do what he said.

This particular newsletter focuses on prayer. You will find specific things to pray for. And as you pray, I wonder if you, like the man in John 4, will dare to take Jesus at his word.

Will you dare to believe that He is still able to heal the sick, redeem broken lives, and bring light to darkness? Will you dare to believe it in your own life as well?

Jamie was our missionary speaker at Chandler Camp this year.You can find her blog link in the left hand column of this blog, or click on the World Gospel Missions link under her name at the top of this post for more info. She would appreciate your support. God bless,keith 1 Cor 13...Maranantha!

My Blessing
by Geraldine Neighbors
Boonville Wesleyan Church

Lord, you blessed me with three wonderful boys,

and a darling little girl.

Now what more could a mother want,

In this old sinful world.

But I cried and prayed to you dear Lord,

And asked, "How can this be?"

My little girl can't speak a word,

Why did this happen to me?

Then I prayed and asked you Lord,

To help my baby talk.

But, I looked around me in this old world,

And said, "Thank you Lord. my baby can walk."

Here's a child with twisted legs,

She will never run and play.

This little girl will never hear,

Or see the light of day.

My baby can't say "Mommy, I love you"

And if she does it will be your touch.

But you gave her two loving arms,

Sparkling eyes, and a smile that can say so much.

Dear Lord I'm not asking you

to take my burden away.

I just Thank You Lord, and ask you,

To help us from day to day.

Poem submitted by Renee Lunenburg.
Renee is active
in the ministries at Boonville Wesleyan &
also has a music ministry of her own.

Final Thoughts on Camp Meeting 2009

Another Camp Meeting has come and gone. I hope everyone was encouraged and blessed at the meetings as I was this past week. I don't have total figures for the entire week, but we had 87 in attendance on Sunday night. We welcome Chandler General Baptist Church to our camp this year. Please remember our Camp in your prayers throughout the coming year. Rev. Russel Coffee is scheduled for 2010 and the Johnny Blair family for 2011. Stay tuned for future events throughout the year. A special thank-you goes out from myself and the camp board to all who helped and participated to make 2009 a great and uplifting meeting...keith 1 Cor 13

Rev. Bob England This Year's Camp Evangelist

Rev. Bob England This Year's Camp Evangelist

Rev. Bob L. England will be the evangelist for this year's Chandler Interdenominational Holiness Camp in August of this year.Special music will be provided nightly by our member churches. This camp has a history dating back several decades. The camp has a history as an outdoor camp, with services being held inside at Chandler Church of the Nazarene adjacent to the campground when temperatures get into the unbearable range. Wesleyan, Nazarene, and Free Methodist churches have participated over the years. This year, at our spring indoor camp, we welcomed Faith Free Will Baptist Church of Chandler, Indiana. We hope to see them again in August of this year.

Rev. England or Bro. Bob to those who know him is currently pastoring at Paoli Wesleyan Church, and is currently serving as Assistant District Superintendant for the Indiana South District of The Wesleyan church. He also coordinates the ministerial training and seminars for the district. He also conducts revivals and campmeetings in his spare time.
He has pastored churches throughout southern Indiana including Boonville. He and his wife Vivian reside in the rural Paoli area. You can read his personal testimony by clicking here: www.indianasouth.org/bob_england_testimony.html Last year we had an indoor campmeeting in the spring, a youth camp coordinated by Kaleb Kanopta and others at Chandler Nazarene Church, a Camp member. We hope to do so again this year. I will be posting more information as it becomes available...keith 1 Cor 13

Are We a Christian nation?-You Decide!

Birthday Celebration!

Birthday Celebration!

Just a quick note to say, "Happy 306th Birthday" to John Wesley! - Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 to the Rev'd. Samuel & Susanna Wesley. He was either the 13th or 14th of their children; no one is quite sure. In any case, he was only the seventh to survive the first year of life. Oddly, he was the third Wesley child to be named "John" (the previous two had died). (cf. The Elusive Mr. Wesley, Vol. 1, Heitzenrater).

(From Rev. Dr. Todd Stepp's blog http://wesleyananglican.blogspot.com)

Weekly Commentary-How much is a Life Worth?
by Keith Kiper/from"The Circuit Rider"
A comparison was made last Monday between the assassination of Martin Luther King and the murder of late-term abortion provider Dr. George. Tiller has one relative of the slain civil rights leader outraged. Dr. Alveda King, a notable pro-life advocate and Martin Luther King's niece, lashed out to The Washington Times about comments made by Dr. Tiller's friend and colleague, Dr. LeRoy Carhart. What's next? Comparing Adolf Hitler with Abraham Lincoln? Martin Luther King, Jr. campaigned for equal rights for African- Americans. Surprising to some, the greatest resistance came from the Democratic Party who resisted anti-lynching and other laws until the mid 60's when Lyndon Johnson had to reach to the Republican Party for enough votes to pass his famous Civil Rights legislation. (Hard to believe,Click here to read in Democrat's and Republican's own words) This in ironic, considering that some African-Americans would not even consider EVER voting Republican.

I realize that no party or candidate is perfect, and as some would say, "I just vote for the man."
However, in this day of lobbyists and political party payoffs, there are only a few good men (and women) left. After all, we have seen some of the "Blue Dogs" turn yellow for Nancy Pelosi in recent weeks. Back to the Tiller/King comparison. Tiller snuffed out the life , by his own admission, of some 60,000 lives, more than the entire Viet Nam war. He often used the mental health exception as a ruse for his "practice." Dr. King risked his own life to better the lives of others. Not much similarity or sacrifice there. Tiller and others have made millions with the government sanctioned practice of infanticide. A large percentage of the abortions were performed on African-American women. Some would consider this to be a modern form of racism. We live in a day and age when there seem to some to be a lot of gray areas. They probably haven't read the same Bible I have read. Look at what 2 Peter Chapter two has to say,
"Many will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words..."2 Peter 2,3 (NASB)

I don't write these commentaries in an effort to promote or condemn a particular political party. Unfortunately, there are more differences than there used to be. A Christian should pray about this and seek God's guidance. Galations tells us,"It is fine to be zealous as long as the purpose is good."Jesus commands us to shed light where there is darkness. As John wesley said about slavery, we can apply to the sanctity of life,"Where in the justice of inflicting the severist of evils on those who have done us no wrong?" There are many resources available. Just check out the left hand column of this blog. What do you think? Your comments and differing points of view are always welcome and will not be criticized here. I'll close with Father Frank Pavone's Prayer for Life.


Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by
the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the Pro-Life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Here we Stand; we can do no Other...

Ken Ham www.answersingenesis.org

This month, we released an eye-opening new book (see the cover at right) that we ask you to symbolically nail on the door of churches, Christian colleges, and seminaries across America.

From your history classes, you may recall that in 1517, a young monk, Martin Luther, boldly nailed 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. He was calling the church back to the authority of the Bible and away from the opinions and traditions of fallible man.

Four years later, Luther stood before the emperor, princes, and others in the Bishop’s Palace in Worms, Germany, where he was told to recant his theses and books. The next day, after a long night of prayer and counsel, Luther famously replied that he would not recant unless it could be shown from the Scriptures that he was in error. He is then reported to have said:

Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.

This month marks a milestone in the Answers in Genesis ministry. In the book Already Gone, you will learn about a major research study that we believe could help lead to a revolution—another reformation, if you will—for a desperately needed transformation of the church in America.

For years, we have been challenging the church to stand without compromise on the authority of God’s Word, beginning in Genesis. We have insisted that Christians should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11: “They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

Similarly, we have been encouraging Christians to be like Martin Luther, who stood before the authorities of his day and insisted that we judge our beliefs against the absolute authority of the Word of God—regardless of what the majority might say (e.g., scientists of today who hold to evolution and millions of years).

In this newsletter and in my lectures over the years, I have insisted that Christians who compromise by accepting the idea of an earth supposedly millions of years old (or who are indifferent to whether or not that is even a problem) have greatly contributed to the decline of the church and its influence. Most churches lack apologetics teaching for their young people (and their adults, for that matter). As a result, a very significant number of young people are leaving the church—and thus the decline of the influence of Christianity in this nation continues.

To help understand why millions of young adults have already left the church of their youth, a generous supporter of Answers in Genesis offered to fund a major research effort through America’s Research Group. (ARG is headed by the highly respected secular market researcher Britt Beemer, a frequent guest on national TV news programs.)

Britt’s company composed survey questions to find out why so many young adults are being lost from the church . . . plus why Christians are not having the influence on the culture that they once had (and thus why we are ultimately losing the “culture war” in America).

The results will shock you—and shock the church as a whole.

For example, our national survey discovered that children who grew up in evangelical homes are being “lost” from the church as early as elementary school, not primarily in college (as most might expect). Furthermore—in one of the biggest and most distressing surprises of the research—something you might call the “Sunday school syndrome” is contributing to the epidemic!

Already Gone is an alarming wake-up call for the church, because it reports on Britt Beemer’s research and shows how church programs and approaches to Christian education are failing—and thus millions of our young people are leaving the church. While the research statistics reveal the root issues of a huge problem, Already Gone shows how to fight back and reclaim our families, our churches, and our society for biblical truths.

I urge you to read the book and absorb its findings, and please encourage many others to do so as well. (By the way, it is a “quick read.”) And then I plead with you not to stop there. I believe that once you understand what the researchers have uncovered, you will be motivated to symbolically nail Already Gone on the doors of churches and Christian organizations. We need many “Luthers”—many Answers in Genesis supporters—nailing this book on church doors throughout America.

As we finished writing this book, I knew that it could bring a tidal wave of disbelief and frustration from those who don’t want to accept its findings. But I couldn’t help but exclaim from the bottom of my heart:

Here we stand; we can do no other.

May God help us reach the church with a crucial message of reformation—and may God raise up generations in the church who will stand on His Word and be the salt and light that this culture so desperately needs.

Please pray with me, that through resources like Already Gone, we’ll see a new reformation in the American church.

Pentecost Sunday
Rev'd Dr. Todd A. Stepp
Grace Church of the Nazarene
Evansville,Indiana
http://wesleyananglican.blogspot.com


This past Sunday the Church celebrated the culmination of the great fifty days, the conclusion of the Easter season, the outpouring of the promise of the Father, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church. - John the Baptizer had declared concerning Jesus, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, NRSV). Jesus assured the disciples that it would be to their advantage that He would ascend to the Father, because, in doing so, He would send the Holy Spirit (the Advocate/Comforter/Counselor/Helper - parakletos ) to them (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit would teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus had said to them (14:26), and the Holy Spirit would "prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement (16:8). Further, Jesus told the apostles, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NRSV). On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples saw the fulfillment of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit as told by John the Baptizer and the Lord Jesus, as well as the prophet Joel. It is that same outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we enter into by faith and through our baptism, for St. Paul declares, "For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . ." (1 Cor. 12:13, NRSV).* Pentecost is one of the major feast days of the Church, and it should be a great day of celebration for those of us in the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition. - I recall a conversation a number of years back with a Presbyterian (USA) pastor. He confessed, he really didn't know what to do with Pentecost. Now, I do not mean to imply that such is the case for all, or even a majority of Presbyterians. I don't know. However, Nazarenes, whether espousing a 19th century or a classical Wesleyan view (cf. footnote, below) ought to have no problem knowing how to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. You see, one of the main benefits of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the possibility of having our hearts cleansed of sin. - As the prophet Ezekiel foretold, there was coming a day when God would ". . . sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statures and be careful to observe my ordinances" (Ezek. 36:25-27, NRSV). And St. Peter, referring to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the gentiles, argued, "And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us" (Acts 15:8-9). It is this heart cleansing that has been at the heart (no pun intended!) of the Wesleyan & Methodist movement, and especially so for the Holiness branches of Methodism. It has been referred to by Wesley in connection with the Biblical doctrines of Entire Sanctification and Christian Perfection. In fact, the spread of scriptural holiness throughout the land was the stated purpose of Methodism, first by John Wesley in London in 1733, and then in America, at the famous Christmas Conference in Baltimore in 1784 at the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was the commitment to this purpose that gave rise to the 19th century Holiness Movement within Methodism. And Phineas Bresee said of the Church of the Nazarene, that it is ". . . a part of that body of believers raised up to spread sanctified holiness over these lands, and thus that we are a part of that company who are the real successors of John Wesley and the early Methodists" (Nazarene Messenger, July 15, 1909). And so, we Wesleyan Christians have special reasons for joining with our sisters and brother in Christ around the world to rejoice and give thanks to God on Pentecost Sunday for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we seek to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. _____________________________ *At this point, those within the Holiness movement will recognize that I take my stand with John Wesley, the Church of history, and those in the classical Wesleyan theological tradition, rather than those who are more consistent with 19th century interpretations. Those debates within the Holiness Movement can be seen in The Wesleyan Theological Journal between 1973 and 1982. Mark Quanstrom discusses it in A Century of Holiness Theology: The Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Church of the Nazarene, 1905-2004, though his bias toward the 19th century view is apparent in his, not always completely accurate portrayal of members of "The Trevecca Connection."

Posted by The Circuit Rider at 8:22 AM 0 comments

Commentary from CNS News

A Pro-Life ‘Jihad?’
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
By L. Brent Bozell III In the very heart of the pro-life community, there is nothing they wanted less than another shooting of an abortionist. An unhinged vigilante’s shooting of notorious Kansas late-term abortion “provider” George Tiller prompted an avalanche of press releases from pro-life groups denouncing the killing.

Why bother? Let’s face it. The national media had zero interest in spotlighting a pro-life spokesman expressing horror, because let’s face it, they don’t believe it. Instead, as with ABC, they found anonymous citizens on the website Twitter saying “Oh, happy, day. Tiller the baby killer is dead." Another wrote, "God bless the gunman."

It was time for a barrage of liberal mudslinging. Keith Olbermann started his MSNBC program with these words: “A religious jihad by fundamentalist crusaders who believe that murder is justified, their acts of violence having the intended effect of changing behavior. Our fifth story on the Countdown: Not the Taliban, not Hamas, not al Qaeda.”

He was referring to conservative politicians and bloggers and the Fox News Channel. Olbermann insisted there was a “straight line” of culpability from Fox News to the Tiller shooter.

He played clips of O’Reilly disparaging Tiller: “For 5,000 dollars, Tiller, the baby killer, as some call him, will perform a late-term abortion for just about any reason.” And: “Tiller the baby killer out in Kansas, acquitted. Acquitted today of murdering babies. There’s got to be a special place in hell for this guy.”

Olbermann was so offended he called for a boycott of businesses that allow a Fox News infection in public.

“Don’t write a letter, don’t make a threat, just get up and explain, if they will not change the channel,” he exclaimed, “leave the place and say calmly why it is you are taking your business elsewhere. If you know a viewer of that channel, show them this tape, or just the tape of the attacks on Dr. Tiller that set the stage for his assassination.

“Fox News Channel will never restrain itself from incitement to murder and terrorism, not until its profits begin to decline, when its growth stops. So not so much a boycott here as a quarantine, because this has got to stop.”

The Tiller assassination? Olbermann insisted that the mere act of denouncing Tiller as a killer of babies – as if he were instead removing tumors – is an invitation to terrorism and murder. This was not a call for moderation by the pro-life movement, but for rhetorical surrender.

The media demanded that pro-lifers stop defining abortion as the ending of a human life. Such a definition was so raw and emotional that it somehow disfigured the “truth” that this is merely a woman-saving health procedure that was not only legal, but commendable.

While they pawed through Twitter looking for anti-Tiller “hate speech,” liberal journalists expressed no distaste for the revoltingly gilded rhetoric in praise of this monster.

In the Washington Times, reporter Julia Duin found the “Very Reverend” Katharine Ragsdale of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts to express how the “choice” advocates felt.

"This is about the loss of a man who was a saint and a martyr," she said in an interview. "He was a prayerful man who put his life at risk to protect others and died for it.”

Over on National Public Radio, “Talk of the Nation” host Neal Conan was hoping the polls would tilt back to the left: “There was a recent Gallup poll that suggested that opinion on abortion had actually shifted in this country toward the pro-life side, sort of, outside of the context of Kansas in – on the national level – there might be some concern that if the pro-life movement is associated with vigilante tactics like this, again, that could cut in to those gains.”

His guest, Wichita Eagle reporter Dion Lefler, agreed: “Yeah. I think that it could. I mean, you know, every time there's an incident like this, I mean, you will – one prominent pro-life person here in town told me that he thought that if this guy is linked to the movement then it's going to set them back 20 years.”

That’s exactly what the pro-abortion media would love to accomplish. They’re willing to smear the pro-life movement with the mud of the militia movement or al-Qaeda if it will enable their cause. There is no extreme, and no mainstream. There is only a ghastly, murderous blur.

George Tiller was a monster who personally murdered 60,000 babies. May God have mercy on his soul.

Outspoken Christian Wins American Idol As "Underdog"

Outspoken Christian Wins American Idol As "Underdog"

Submitted by Trevor:

The 2009 season of FOX broadcasting's "American Idol" had it's share of open and honest Christians who shared their faith as much as possible. Not known to many viewers is the fact that two contestants held joint-bible studies and even converted people to Christ.

Kris Allen and Danny Gokey both have strong connection to their faith but it was Kris who overcame the odds set by media-hype that fellow contestant Adam Lambert would be the winner. However the millions of Christians who prayed and organized online prayer groups asking for God to intervene would have the final say.

"It wasn't about asking God to make sure he won" says a Kris Allen fan. "It's about showing America conservative principals are still very much alive"

Even with the increasing liberal tide the country seams to be taking through the media has not taken over "American Idol". Over the past eight seasons 7 out of the 8 winners have in some form openly shared their faith and held bible study.

Kris Allen shows that someone in their 20's can be traditional and conservative in today's every increasing liberal world. At the age of 23 he has been married for a few years and is active with his church community.

This year turned out to be one of the closest years where even Simon Cowell considered the "head-judge" couldn't predict the turn out. Kris Allen's debut single hits radio airwaves tomorrow (May 21) titled "No Boundaries" which has also been arranged to be pick up by many contemporary Christian radio stations.

Here is the video:

Posted by CyberPastor at 1:46 AM