Jehovah's Non-witnesses

In the past there was a time when I knew about a dozen Jehovah's Witnesses. This took place over a number of years, so I learned a thing or two.

They are much like the Emergents. Similar to orthodox Christians, and unlike Emergents, they emphasize absolute truth. But there is something very keen and very pointed that they share with the Emergents.

Both Emergents and JW's hate orthodox Christians or orthodox Christianity, at least. And both have become very adept at enumerating the faults of the orthodox and they see the orthodox as a bit unlearned or stupid. One thing I learned from my old JW friends is that in their church services (Kingdom Hall services) much time is spent on teaching and learning apologetics against the Trinity and orthodoxy in general.

There are three differences, though, that could give us pause to think.

First, unlike the Emergents, JW's will be courteous when debating and will always deal with the issues. They never lie to "win" an argument. They are wrong, but they really believe it. And while they will disengage from an argument, they will do so politely and without disparaging their opponent.

Second, because JW's believe in aboslute truth, they teach ethics other than just the admonishment "don't judge." That will never be true of the Emergent, despite the Emergents' claim to give more emphasis to deeds, not creeds. (Look for an upcoming post titled "The Deeds-not Creeds Creed.")

Third, because the JW's believe in absolute truth, they are out witnessing to their faith every weekend. And, as one would expect, because truth is of little importance to the Emergents, they have nothing much to witness about. They settle for being "missional" whatever that means this week.

The BIG question is this: If you are an orthodox Christian, bearer of the gospel truth, do your neighbors know?

In Christ,
Phil Perkins. PS--Isn't "Deeds, not Creeds" a...uuuhhh...eerrr...uumm...watchacallit...oh, yeah--a creed?

Spurgeon and The Emergent

Here is a quote from Spurgeon. It seems even in his day there were people who sought to be teachers who had little or no knowledge, but loved to talk and talk and talk. The second paragraph is scrumptiously pithy.

There is something so enticing and yet so flimsy in the modern theological school,that I feel constrained to warn you constantly against it.

Its mystery is absurdity, and its depth is pompous ignorance. There is no theology in it; it is a futile device to conceal the want of theological knowledge.

A man with an education that may be complete in every department except that in which he should excel, stands up and would teach Christians that all they have learned at the feet of Paul has been a mistake, that a new theology has been discovered, that the old phrases which we have used are out of date, the old creeds broken up.Well, what shall we do to this wiseacre and his fellow sages? Serve them, wherever you meet them or their disciples, as Job did Zophar: laugh at them, dash their language to pieces, and remind them that the best things they tell us are only what the fishes of the sea, or the fowls of the air, knew before them, and that their grandest discoveries are but platitudes which every child has known before, or else they are heresies that ought to be scouted from the earth.

I found this quote posted by Phil Johnson who applied it to the New Perspective at http://teampyro.blogspot.com/.

Trusting the truth of Christ,
Phil Perkins.

Greg Koukl Destroys Emergent Denial of Propositional Truth With Laughter and Logic

Here is the funniest, and yet one of the best, arguments against those who try to lie their way out of biblical commands (like, say, Emergents) by saying "truth is a person, not a proposition" I have ever seen or heard. I will be committing this one to memory and using it until my lips fall off. Find it here: http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6869 Specifically, go the the third and fourth paragraphs.

Hilariously in Christ,
Phil Perkins.

Memory Lane and Another Praise

Remember how I asked you to remember David Sherwood? (Haven't heard from him yet.) Well here's another blast from the past and it is another really angry Emergent. If you go way back to April 29, 2006 in the archives you will find a post called "John O'Keefe Line by Lie." It was about this fellow in Billings with a fake ordination from an internet mail order company. I busted him in public on his own blog. He then got mad and got John O'Keefe (an Emergent mucky-muck from North Carolina) to contact the school where I teach and complain about how awful I was to uncover the fraudulent rev. Real men, these Emergents. Tellin' mommy on YOOOUUU!

Praise Part: When visiting theooze.com earlier today to research Spencer Burke, I accidentally learned that O'Keefe, who glorifies homosexuality, Communism, the drug culture, and still wants to be respected as a Southern Baptist pastor, is looking to move back to California. He evidently is losing his church or something of that sort. Thank God for that.

Memory Lane Part: When checking this blog this evening, I found something interesting. The fake rev that I busted had been quite adamant. He did not want me to comment on his blog-ever. And he was going to sue, not me , but the school. (Not very smart, to say nothing of disobedient to Scripture.) Well, he has been watching this blog...

and left a link. Hummmm. Does this make you think of words like...oh, let's see here...


DISHONESTY, HIPOCRISY, DECEPTION, OR UNDERHANDEDNESS?

Actually, "EMERGENT" will cover it, I suppose.

Two lessons:
1. The Emergent is really about lying. Really, this is not name-calling. Just give it some time and you will see.

2. The good guys win in the end. Just be patient and keep telling the truth as best you can. The end might be after we die. And the bad guys might kill us, but God will always win.

Thankfully in Christ,
Phil Perkins.

This Should Be Fun

Remember David Sherwood? Well, if I run a post that is critical of someone I try to give them notice so that they can respond. David Sherwood, however, does not have his email on his website as far as I can tell.

Sooo...I submitted this website to be on his blog roll. We'll see what happens.

Stirrin' de pot,
Phil Perkins.

Phil Johnson--Emergent Brothers and Sisters?

I have long believed that the Emergent Obfuscation is not Christian and that most Emergents are not Christians. At least, not the leaders. Phil Johnson has weighed in on that in a blog post linked from the Slice of Laodicea. You can find it here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/08/why-emerging-conversation-is-going.html

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.

The Power of Negative Thinking

This is from the praise department. I have gone into the Bible Book Stores here in Billings in the past and been in despair to see Brian McLaren's books on sale as if he was a brother in Christ and as if his stuff was not outright heresy. Each time I have told the young ladies at the cash register, as politely as possible, that McLaren is a liar. Each time they have been uncomfortably polite in return and promised to look into it and to report this to the owner, Mike Wall. The ladies had to be reticent, as I have usually come in the middle of the day or right after work. I am a welder/machinist, so I am sure I was quite a filthy site. They were probably hoping I wouldn't touch anything. But I appreciate their politeness nonetheless. Their conduct has always been a fine example of Christian love toward me, despite my appearance.

Weeellllll...just yesterday I was in a store next to one of the Bible Book Stores. I went to look for McLaren. To my surprise not one of his books was there. I asked the lady at the register about it. "Oh, no. We don't have him." "Why?" She explained they had concerns about him.

Praise God. And thank you to Mike Wall.

Griping for God,
Phil Perkins.

David Sherwood and Emergent Bile

When I started this blog, I said I would show the readers just how angry and mean the Emergents really are. They say they are all about love. Don't believe it. Read this:

David Sherwood is the pastor of an Emergent congregation in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a shining light in the Emergent Obfuscation. I first encountered his material on John O'Keefe's blog, Ginkworld. O'Keefe featured a story by Sherwood that had as its focus a sympathetic sodomite. Presumably the reader was supposed to adore the sodomite and just hate anyone that disapproved of his sin, because if one hates sodomy, one is a bigot.

Sherwood was also kind enough to include at least one dirty word to describe Christians that disapprove of sodomy.

Here is Sherwood's response to a blog I did on O'Keefe on April 29, 2006, minus a profanity:

did you read the bi-sexual story? Or would you be more comfortable if I called someone a "godly...hypocrite, gossip, or libertine." Was King David "godly" or not? Or both...as most emergents would be willing to embrace. But alas the ethics of most fundamentalists allow for an ends justification of thier means. And thier means is always attack, and assume thier own orthodoxy is the only true one. In looking over the post which referenced my article in it, the complete lack of love in your article is such an abdication of christ-likeness that it makes the whole dialogue [or was it a diatribe?!] frail and perhaps even fraudulent as a voice of a Christian. I am glad jesus used the story of a vile SAMARITAN, and I was glad to use the story of a bi-sexual, and I am even gladder that God can use even the story of your immature tongue and heart in his grand scheme. I hope someday that you are filled with an equal measure of humility to match the venom of your pride.

David Sherwood20 years Pastoring, 2 degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a man who considers his credentials as s--- compared to knowing Christ who see me not through my sins but through his blood. I pray in time...I will see you as he does.

There. Can't you just feel the love?