This week on Hidden Headlines I deal with danger.
First off, I describe in detail Nancy Pelosi’s Equality Act. This legislation, if passed, will rob youngsters of the opportunity to inhabit the bodies given to them by God.
It’s sickening.
Additionally, I tackle other stories from this week on my blog, like how the church is unable to reach young people, Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley’s “unhitching” of the 10 Commandments, and Wheaton College is melting with Millennial snowflakes.
Wake up, friends. Nancy Pelosi may be a Catholic, but she’s no Christian. I’m not judging where she’ll spend eternity, I’m just saying her actions are NOT in keeping with the teachings found in the Bible.
What the Speaker of the House is into is not only sickening, but unholy.
Here’s the story: last year in Ohio, a judge removed a biological girl from her parents’ custody after they declined to help her “transition” to male with testosterone supplements. The Cincinnati Children’s gender clinic [God, help us] recommended these treatments for gender dysphoria (the condition of being distressed with one’s biological sex).
When the girl’s parents wanted to treat her with counseling instead, the county prosecutor charged them with abuse, while transgender activists and pro-trans medical doctors compared their decision to denying treatment for cancer patients.
All of this took place at the state level, without federal legislation.
But now, one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s top legislative priorities, the Equality Act, politicizes the medical and psychological treatment of gender dysphoria and will lead to more prosecutions against parents who refuse to aid in the unnatural sexual transformation of their children (which includes as a side effect, sterility). As more doctors will recommend that children take puberty blockers at age 11, cross-sex hormones at 16, and undergo “sex-reassignment” surgeries at 18. Parents who resist could face charges of child abuse and lose custody of their children.
The tragedy in Ohio could be repeated in families across America.
Some states, like California, have already passed laws similar to Pelosi’s Equality Act. Transgender activists have sued Catholic hospitals for “discrimination” on the basis of gender identity because they wouldn’t perform sex-change surgeries for patients with gender dysphoria. It’s also illegal for a state licensed psychological therapist to council a person who is questioning their sexuality.
The transgender movement is the devil’s way of robbing boys, girls, men, and women of their God-given, divinely created, identity.
Interestingly, for now the American Psychological Association’s manual of mental disorders classifies gender dysphoria as a mental illness. Research shows that 75 to 95 percent of children with gender dysphoria who go through puberty without any transgender treatments eventually become comfortable with their bodies.
Expect that classification to be scrubbed from the record very soon.
Andy Stanley leads a huge Christian church in Atlanta and, following in the footsteps of his father, Charles Stanley, has become a very popular author as well. However, unlike his dad, Andy has put forth some controversial theological opinions that, I believe, rob Christians of their rich spiritual heritage, and perhaps much worse.
His theology could also enable one who’s faith is immature, or yet to be developed, to fall away from their relationship with Jesus.
Or, worse still, could foment anti-semitism.
No, I’m not doubting brother Andy’s salvation or walk with the Lord. In fact, I’ve utilized one of his books for the creation of an evangelical curriculum my wife and I periodically use for new/non believers (I added quite a bit of “Old Testament” to enrich the study).
Here’s the story: in a response to the growing opposition to Ten Commandment monuments in the United States, Andy Stanley told Relevant Magazine, “[I]f we’re going to create a monument to stand as a testament to our faith, shouldn’t it at least be a monument of something that actually applies to us?”
“Participants in the new covenant (that’s Christians) are not required to obey any of the commandments found in the first part of their Bibles,” Stanley wrote. “Participants in the new covenant are expected to obey the single command Jesus issued as part of his new covenant: as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Stanley went on to argue that the single commandment, to love God and others, is “a replacement for everything in the existing list. Including the big ten.”
He then posed another question: “Dear Christian reader: Why? Why? Why would we even be tempted to reach back beyond the cross to borrow from a covenant that was temporary and inferior to the covenant established for us at Calvary?”
Stanley also claims that when Jesus became the living sacrifice, many old rules went away, the Ten Commandments included.
“The new covenant replaced the old one. The covenant established by Jesus retired the covenant God established with the nation of Israel. This is why most Christians don’t mind a little bacon with their eggs,” Stanley said.
What Stanley is describing is often called, “replacement theology.” I believe such a take on God’s word is robbing innocent Christians of fully comprehending the magnificent character of God. I also believe when Christian pastors avoid teaching from the “Old Testament” they are setting up new believers for potential failure.
Allow me to briefly explain.
When religious Jewish people come to acknowledge that Yeshua (Jesus) is Messiah, suddenly their eyes are opened to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
As a result of this abiding faith in the totality of the scriptures, you don’t meet many Jews who come to follow Messiah, only to fall away. Sadly, I’ve watched countless gentiles “accept Jesus as Lord,” and in time go back to their former ways as if nothing ever happened.
Perhaps if they had a regular diet of both the “Old” and “New” Testaments, their newfound faith would have stood the test of time?
Last year Stanley sparked controversy when he preached a sermon series calling on Christians to “unhitch” their faith from the Old Testament. That’s what many refer to as “replacement theology”—the idea that the Church has replaced biblical Israel and that God’s promises to Israel as a nation and the Jews as a people are essentially over.
Stanley said his words had been taken out of context.
However, after reading Stanley’s most recent book, Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World, Ryan Lambert, a Messianic Jewish teacher and outreach director for First Fruits of Zion (FFOZ) ministry based in Jerusalem and Atlanta, wrote, “My concerns that had been raised during Pastor Andy’s sermon series were not only confirmed but significantly increased.”
By avoiding the rich teachings found the “Old Testament,” I believe that Andy Stanley (and perhaps others) are feeding their flocks an unbalanced spiritual diet. It’s like serving up a delicious desert without a healthful meal beforehand.
Finally, consider this: those who wrote the “New Testament” had only the Jewish scriptures as their point of reference to the truth.
My prayer is that Andy Stanley has a moment of clarity and recants this reckless replacement theology. I’ve tweeted this post out and am hoping Andy will see it and respond.
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that humans’ dependence on modern technology will result in the coming of the Antichrist (I’ll explain more about the Antichrist figure in a moment–it will be a real person).
In an interview with Russian state media, Patriarch Kirill explained he does not entirely oppose electronic gadgets, but warned against “falling into slavery” to smartphones.
Patriarch Kirill said that the collection of user data including “location, interests and fears” will make it possible for humans to be controlled by external forces. “Control from a single point is a harbinger of the coming of the Antichrist,” Kirill told the state-run Rossia-1 TV network. “The Antichrist is a personality that will be at the head of the world wide web controlling the entire human race. Thus, the structure itself presents a danger,” he said.
First and foremost, anyone reading this will agree, younger people–particularly those of the Millennial generation–are often extremely attached to the cellphones to the point where hanging out with friends involves less inter-personal verbal communication, and more staring, mouth agape, at an electronic device.
According to a research paper in the December issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, lessening Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat use can lower loneliness and depression.
University of Pennsylvania psychologist Melissa G. Hunt led the study, which surveyed 143 Penn students. Hunt said social media platforms give “the illusion of connectedness and not true connectedness,” adding, “It is a little ironic that reducing your use of social media actually makes you feel less lonely.”
I would add, constant time on a device gazing at photos of self and others as a dominant form of communication, information, and education will help make users stupid and unable to hear the voice of God.
The Bible says, in Psalm 19:1-4,
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world
In other words, the Creator of the universe is SCREAMING for our attention via the earth, sky, and heavens.
As for the Antichrist, we read in First John 2:18 – “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” The specific term antichrist is used seven times in Scripture, twice here in 1 John 2:18 and also in 1 John 2:22; 4:3; and twice 2 John 7.
The meaning of the term antichrist is simply “against Christ.” As the apostle John records in First and Second John, an antichrist will deny the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22), does not acknowledge Jesus (1 John 4:3), and denies that Jesus came in the flesh (2 John 1:7). There have been many “antichrists,” in the past, as 1 John 2:18 states.
But also to come is the Antichrist.
Most Bible prophecy/eschatology experts believe the Antichrist will be the ultimate embodiment of what it means to be against Messiah. In the end times/last hour, a man will arise to oppose Messiah and His followers more than anyone else in history. Likely claiming to be the true Messiah, the Antichrist will directly used by Satan to seek world domination and will attempt to destroy all followers of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and the nation of Israel.
Though we are saved by the atoning blood of Messiah, and are born again through faith in Him, we are still living in the world where Satan rules.
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one,” 1 John 5:19)
Therefore, Satan is called, the Ruler of the air.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient,” Ephesians 2:1-2).
Satan is always moving about the air and working in the hearts of men to commit sinful things. The majority of this world population is following Satan or Satan is at work in their life. The air itself is polluted with sins created by the works of Satan. Satan will continue to work until Messiah comes back again to defeat him (see Revelation 19:11-21).
As for those electronic devices which are capable of pulling photos and videos out of thin air–while it is amazing technology I believe the “Ruler of the air” is using this smart technology as a way to dumb-down the masses as he prepares to hoodwink the entire world.
Seriously. If you watch the first 4-minutes of the trailer I’ve post below, you will stop everything to watch the remaining 15-minutes.
This is the pilot for the first-ever multi-season TV series about Jesus’ life, entitled, “The Chosen.” It is also the most crowdfunded film project ever, surpassing $5 million in investor pledges.
“We’re proud to let you know ‘The Chosen’ is now the No. 1 crowd-funded media project of all time,” said an announcement emailed to supporters last week.
“If you look at the public information available of the top crowd-funded film/TV projects of all time, ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’s reboot has been No. 1 at $5.7 million. And even though all the projects on the list had huge fan bases before they started, we (again, not all of us) somehow believed we could raise much more,” the announcement added.
The first episode, “The Shepherd: A Story of the First Christmas,” was released during the holidays in 2017. The pilot, which can be watched on the video streaming service VidAngel and other platforms, has been used to help raise over $6 million of the $13 million goal.
Check it out. It’s incredibly well done!