Consider the Context

In order to clarify what Jesus meant by His statement, McLaren correctly suggests that we must consider the context in which the statement was made. He says:

“One of the most basic and widely-accepted principles of biblical interpretation says that to interpret a text out of context is a pretext. In other words, if you pull a verse out of its setting, you may unwittingly (or intentionally) twist it to make it say things it was never intended to say.”1

Of course, considering the context does not guarantee that one will, as a result of studying the context, interpret a passage correctly. In fact, if McLaren is wrong in his understanding of the passage, he could equally be wrong in his understanding of the context. The various aspects of context must also be interpreted, and if you start from the wrong assumptions, you are certainly likely to end in the wrong place. Be that as it may, McLaren contends that Jn. 14:6 is often: (more…)

A Question Most Asked

It is rare that Brian McLaren directly answers questions which may shed light on whether he is orthodox or heretical in the essentials of the faith. His article reading of Jn. 14:6 is a case in point.

For purposes of clarity, I will reproduce the verse in a word-for-word translation in the following table. For ease of reference, I have included the definite articles with the nouns to which they are connected.

Table #1: Jn. 14:6

The context of this statement is the dialogue between Jesus and His disciples in the upper room preceding His crucifixion. Jesus is preparing the disciples for the fact that He will be leaving them for a while. (more…)

When I was a new believer, the church Joy and I attended was very concerned about sound doctrine. I am still thankful today for the foundation they gave me in the Scriptures, and I draw on that regularly. I grew up as an atheist and many if not most of our friends and acquaintances at that time were non-believers. Early on, our ministry was largely outside the church, where non-believers are generally to be found. The area we lived in seemed ripe for evangelism and this little doctrinally sound church was right in the heart of it! I found, however, that I often met with resistance when I raised the issue of reaching the surrounding neighborhood with the gospel of Christ. It wasn’t that they did not careabout reaching the lost, and would happily welcome any lost people into the church, but they seemed to have plenty of ready excuses for not taking the message “out there.” It struck me that they were much like the 10 spies in Numbers 13:32-33: (more…)

Over the last few weeks we have had a number of requests about information on Todd Bentley and what is happening in Lakeland, FL. Of special concern are his claims that God told him to , kick elderly women in the face, body tackle people, beat a women’s legs on the platform like baseball bats, leg drop pastors and the like. I was very glad to see our friend Bill Randles write My People Love It So… Why There Must Be Yet Another Mystical Revival, and his piece, Todd Bentley - The New Simon Magus. You see, Pastor Bill is ordained in and pastors an Assembly of God church. No one can really say he is opposed to the Pentecostal and Charismatic views, theology and practice. He is however, very opposed to false teachers. The title of his first article, “My People Love It So…” particularly caught my attention because I think it also has application to other issues in the church.

Pastor Randles’ title comes from Jeremiah 5:31 but I will quote it starting with verse 30:

An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?

This is a picture of people run amok. It is also an apt description for the cry-baby boomer generation. Victor Davis Hanson describes how the cry-baby boomer generation solves problems in ,All About Me. Frankly, I am not all that surprised when non-Christians (more…)