By Dr. Bill Gordon 9/28/10 I received an inquiry from a website visitor who questioned one of the claims I made in my article on the Trinity.

by Tal Davis, 9/23/10

One of the most troubling aspects of historic Christian theology to many people in other religions, or with no religion, is the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.  This is especially true for followers of Islam, Judaism,  Unitarianism,  Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostalism.  Theologians from these faiths have argued that the Trinity is either a pagan concept imposed on Christianity or a form of tri-theism and thus a violation of the commandment to worship only the one true God (egs. Allah or Jehovah).

By Bill Gordon

Did Jesus accommodate Himself to the false beliefs of His day?

Biblical critics often claim that Jesus accommodated Himself to the primitive beliefs and myths of the ancient world. Liberal scholars have a long tradition of advocating this accommodation theory. The scriptural evidence, however, indicates that Jesus did not accommodate Himself to the false views of His culture.

This issue is an important question for Christians. For how can Jesus be God if He made false statements? The Bible teaches in Hebrews 6:18 that God cannot tell an untruth. Also, Christian theology insists that error is contrary to the nature of God.

Date: 6/24/2010

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville Florida planned a public burning of the Koran on September 11th to commemorate the anniversary of the Muslim terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York City. The event is called the "International Burn a Koran Day."  There is even a Facebook page with over 8,500 who "like" the page. General David Petraeus has made a plea to stop this public torching of the Koran saying,  "It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan."

One of the most troubling aspects of historical Christian theology to many people in other religions, or with no religion, is the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. This is especially true for followers of Islam, Judaism, Unitarianism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostalism. Theologians from these faiths have argued that the Trinity is either a pagan concept imposed on Christianity or a form of tri-theism and thus a violation of the commandment to worship only the one true God (egs. Allah or Jehovah).

By Bill Gordon

The question was recently asked, "Why does the Apostle Paul command Timothy to drink a little wine?" 

This admonition is found in 1 Timothy 5:23. Paul writes to Timothy, No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.¹

The cultural context of this passage helps us understand why Paul wrote this to Timothy. In ancient times, water safe to drink was difficult to find. Water was often contaminated with pathogens that would make people sick and sometimes result in death. Even today, tainted water kills many people each year. According to the World Health Organization, unsafe water "continues to pose a major threat to human health."² 

By Bill Gordon 

Someone recently wrote asking, “What is original sin?”

Definitions

The phrase original sin does not occur in the Bible. It was first used by Augustine, a theologian of the early Christian church. Augustine lived about A.D. 354 to A.D. 430. He defined original sin as “selfish desire.”

John Calvin described original sin as a“hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature, extending to all the parts of the soul, which first makes us obnoxious to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which in Scripture are termed works of the flesh.Charles Ryrie defined original sin as “that sinful state into which all people are born.”

By Tal Davis

Recently I was asked by an inquirer what Southern Baptists believe about salvation. Specifically she wanted to know what we believe the Bible teaches regarding the necessity of repentance for salvation. 

Perhaps an illustration will help.  A few years ago I was driving merrily down a remote interstate highway on my way to a speaking engagement.  I suddenly realized I was heading in the wrong direction. Realizing my mistake, I felt a slight tightness in my stomach as I did not want to be late.

By Bill Gordon

I was asked by a non-believer if God could kill Himself because we say He is immortal and He can do anything. How would you answer that?  The simple answer is no, God cannot kill Himself. Let me explain why.

By Tal Davis

Morpheus opens his hand and shows Neo two pills. “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”

“Do not try to bend the spoon; that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth… There is no spoon. Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.” So says the young boy to the awed Neo as he effortlessly seems to bend a spoon by his thoughts alone. 

Some of you will recognize this dialog from the popular movie The Matrix.   It is, of course, science fiction, but, in a way, it illustrates the worldview of the Church of Christ, Scientist, better known as Christian Science (CS).

By Bill Gordon

In the King James Version, Matthew 18:11 reads: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Modern translations of the Bible do not include this verse. For example, both the New International Version and the English Standard Version skip this passage. The Revised Standard Version contains a footnote indicating that this passage is "not found in the earliest and best Greek manuscripts."Bruce Metzger, in his book A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, writes that there is little doubt that the words of verse eleven "are spurious here, being absent from the earliest witnesses representing several textual types (Alexandrian, Egyptian, Antiochian), and manifestly borrowed by copyists from Luke 19:10." This means that the words of Matthew 18:11 almost certainly do not belong in the Gospel of Matthew.

By Tal Davis

For several decades the Church of Scientology and the Saint Petersburg (Fla.) Times newspaper have waged a war of words over that bizarre church’s activities in and around the Tampa Bay, Florida, area. The battle has especially focused on the esteemed newspaper’s investigations of the church’s practices and its growing influence in the nearby city of Clearwater. Scientology’s “Flag Land Base” headquarters is located in an ever expanding complex of buildings in that city’s beautiful bayside downtown district.

By Tal Davis

Oral Roberts was a man way ahead of his time. When television was still in its infancy, he recognized the power of the new media. I recall as a young boy, in the late 50s, watching films of Roberts’ healing services on Sunday afternoons. The shows would feature Roberts delivering a short message followed by selected scenes of him praying for the sick and lame in his healing lines. I thought his dramatic style was a little funny, as did many of my friends. 

By Tal Davis

^“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:38a-NIV). 

"A farmer went out to sow his seed…Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13: 3b, 8-NIV)

These and other passages clearly teach us that if we give our money liberally and faithfully to “God anointed” ministries then Jesus promises to give back to us multiple times what we gave. Right?  It is if you believe the message of the growing number of advocates of the doctrine of “Seed-Faith”. This concept is advocated in one form or another by numerous Word-Faith television preachers and is the premise of nearly all their on-air teaching and fund-raising. 

By Tal Davis

Since the time of Joseph Smith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has taught that all humans are literal sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. It asserts we were the literal offspring of God in a pre-earth state before we were born of earthly parents on earth. 

It has been known for some time that Freemasonry would play a prominent role in the plot of Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol. What was not known, until the book came out, was that Brown would reveal some of the secrets of Freemasonry to his readers.

The Denver Postrecently published an article about St. George's Episcopal Church. The church is shutting its doors. A major reason behind the closing is the Episcopal denomination’s acceptance of openly homosexual clergy. The article indicates that St. George's is only the latest Episcopal church in Colorado to shut down because of the ordination of homosexual priests.

“The lack of money is the root of all evil.” 

“The best thing you can do for the poor is not be one of them.” 

Interesting quotes, huh? They are both attributed to Rev. Fredrick J. Eikerenkoetter II, better known as Rev. Ike, who died on July 28th at the age of 74 after a lengthy illness. I first researched Rev. Ike about twenty years ago when he was at the peak of his popularity. We received a lot of questions about his theology and message. It was obvious he was proclaiming some sort of prosperity gospel (as the above quotes attest). I was a bit surprised; however, to learn that the source of his “get rich” message was an old abhorrent doctrine called New Thought. 

By Tal Davis

I must admit that my experience with the Episcopal Church is limited. When I was in high school and college I had friends who were Episcopalians and I even once attended an Episcopal weekend youth retreat (now that was an interesting experience). Anyway, that was long ago and in a galaxy far away, but in the intervening years I haven’t had much exposure to Episcopal churches except what I read in the press.

By Bill Gordon

The Interior Ministry of Germany has discovered more Muslims living in the country than was previously suspected. A new survey conducted by the German government has determined that there are about four million Muslims living in the country. According to this survey, about five percent of the German population is Islamic.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha…Stayin’ Alive!” We all remember John Travolta strutting down the street and dancing to that catchy tune so many years ago. Of course, he has danced to another tune for many years as well. Travolta, along with his Hollywood buddies Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman, the late Isaac Hayes, and others, for decades has followed the siren song of the Church of Scientology and its founder, famed Science Fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

By Bill Gordon

A UFO group called the Raelians recently announced that they plan to build an UFOland in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raelians believe that human beings were created by extraterrestrials. The group was begun in 1973 by Claude Vorilhon, a French reporter for a racing magazine. Vorilhon, who now calls himself Rael, claims that life forms from an UFO contacted him and told him that humans were created by scientists from another planet.

There is an old proverb which says, "Any excuse is good enough when you already want to do something." The truth of this adage was demonstrated recently when Egypt ordered the killing of almost a half million pigs on April 29, 2009.

I never thought I would or could ever see a Bible more biased in its translation than the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. I was wrong. Recently I obtained a copy of The Clear Word–An Expanded Paraphrase to Build Strong Faith and Nurture Spiritual Growth by Jack J. Blanco, Th. D. (Hagerstown MD: The Clear Word, 2006). It apparently was first published about fifteen years ago by Review and Herald Publishing, the official publishing house of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church.  It is still available on their website bookstore.  

By Bill Gordon

A response to Jamie who posted a question to one of Bill Gordon's previous blogs concerning which Church he should join.

It is my belief that the most important issue is not church membership. What is important is do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

A friend recently wrote to me asking the following question: “My sister has been into New Age for many years. When I first became a Christian I tried to witness to my sister, but she became upset and would not speak to me for several years. Do you have any suggestions on how I can share the gospel with her in a way that will not offend her?” [Question changed to protect identity]

By Tal Davis

Have you heard? John Hunt has renounced Christianity and has been “De-Baptized” !   No…not Johnny Hunt (pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock GA and President of the Southern Baptist Convention). Heaven forbid.  This John Hunt is one of thousands of Brits who, according to Time magazine online (April 14, 2009), have joined the latest European fad: getting “de-baptized”. 

Several weeks ago I wrote about some Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) who were claiming that according to the TV show Jeopardy! the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is the most accurate translation of the Bible. In my article, I expressed extreme skepticism over the truthfulness of this claim. I therefore sent a letter to the Jeopardy! television show asking them to either confirm or deny this claim. Continue reading to view their answer.

By Tal Davis

In early March results of the American Religious Identity Survey (ARIS 2008) were released. The survey was conducted by Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College of Hartford, Connecticut. Their results were based on random phone calls in the 48 contiguous United States where they spoke to more than 54,000 willing respondents in either English or Spanish. The primary question they asked was simple and open-ended: “What is your religion, if any?” The researchers then compared the 2008 results to earlier surveys made in 1990 and 2001. 

The results demonstrated several significant trends that impact how evangelical Christian leaders plan evangelism strategies and how we disciple new converts and teach our children. Check out this blog for a few of the main highlights of the survey.

By Bill Gordon

A pastor in Florida called and mentioned that some Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) recently knocked on his door. There is nothing unusual with JWs coming by the house. They spent about 120 million hours going door-to-door in 2008.

What was remarkable about their visit was a claim they made. They asserted that the television game show JEOPARDY! once asked what is the most accurate translation of the Bible. According to the JWs, the correct answer was the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

I can understand the JWs claiming that the New World Translation is the most accurate translation of the Bible. It is their official translation. What I cannot comprehend is why JEOPARDY! would want to get involved in this controversy.

February 12 marked the 200^th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birthday. Secular culture’s use of Darwinian ideas has gone far beyond the initial request for equal time and has resulted in an academic fascism that prohibits even criticisms of Darwinism.

By Tal Davis

Open Doors is an international Christian ministry founded by renowned Dutch Bible smuggler Brother Andrew. The organization monitors persecution of Christians around the world and recently released its 2009 “World Watch List” of the 50 worst offending nations.

Ranked number one, to no one’s surprise, was perennial communist champion the “Democratic” People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK- North Korea). The DPRK was first led by “Great Leader” Kim Il-sung (1912 – 1994) and now is ruled by his son , “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il (b. 1941 or 1942). The staunchly Stalinist dictatorship for more than sixty years has sought to eliminate any and all forms of religion, especially Christianity.  Several other remnant Communist states also remain on the list including Laos, Viet Nam, China, and Cuba.

By Bill Gordon

According to an article by Deena Guzder, 11-year-old Kara Neumann died of diabetes on Easter Sunday of 2008. Her parents were members of an internet church called Unleavened Bread Ministries.

I am not going to discuss the legal issues that now face Kara’s parents. I am a theologian, not an attorney. I do, however, want to look at the faulty biblical interpretation that leads some parents to avoid medical treatment.

By Tal Davis

The Bible warns in numerous places to beware of false teachers and false prophets. For example, Deuteronomy 18: 21-22 (HCSB) states, “But the prophet who dares to speak in My name a message I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet must die. You may say to yourself, 'How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken?'  When a prophet speaks in theLord’s name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message theLordhas not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” 

Anyone who has studied the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) with any depth is aware of the emphasis Mormons place on praying for a personal “testimony”. This “testimony” is a subjective feeling they claim to have that confirms the truth of their faith. They used to refer to it as a “burning in the bosom”. It is still the primary basis for validation of their faith. Consider this statement from the LDS website Q&A section in answer to the question, “How can I know this is true”.

By Bill Gordon

PaperMag.com recently reported actress Bijou Phillips’ criticisms of modern psychotherapy. According to the article, Phillips, who is a Scientologist, gave a lengthy lecture on the dangers of taking medication for depression or anxiety.

By Tal Davis

I recently read a column by one of my favorite columnists, Cal Thomas. In the column (“Think Globally; Act Globally?” World Jewish Review, 11 Dec. 2008), Thomas skeptically recites some of the common and more colorful world conspiracy theories that many people are convinced are true. Some even stake their lives and reputations on their existence. Many have written bestselling books espousing their theories.

By Mike Licona

Who would ever have thought that textual criticism (that is, the study of ancient manuscripts of the New Testament) would become a topic discussed in the workplace and that a book written by a scholar of textual criticism would become a best seller? Bart Ehrman’s bookMisquoting Jesushas brought the topic to an unprecedented level of visibility. At a time when the majority of scholars believed that the NA27 Greek New Testament represents a virtually pure rendition of what was originally written, Ehrman challenges that conclusion and contends that we will never know what was originally written.

By Bill Gordon

Jesus warned his followers that a time would come when a large number of false prophets would appear (Matthew 24:11-12). While many false prophets establish a cult to spread their false teachings, some remain in the church and mislead many Christians.

A United States federal appeals court recently upheld the conviction of creationist Kent Hovind. Hovind was the founder of the Dr. Dino web site and the Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola. Hovind was not convicted of teaching creationism, but for not paying his taxes.

By Mike Licona

In the recent movie Religulous, comedian Bill Maher portrays the religious in general and Christians in particular of being gullible. At one point in the movie, he speaks with Steve Berg, a Jew for Jesus, and implies that Berg holds an inconsistency because he does not believe in a Santa Claus who can deliver so many toys in a brief period of time while holding that God can hear and answer millions of prayers being uttered simultaneously. But is this a good analogy?

By Tal Davis

Recently we have received emails from various individuals commenting on articles in our 4truth.net website challenging our positions and asserting that theirs is the one true church. They argue that their church organization is the exclusive ecclesiological institution Jesus Himself founded and all others are fraudulent or inferior. Oddly, all of these “true” groups imply that we Baptists are a false church, yet they criticize us as being too harsh or critical of them in our material. 

By Tal Davis

Recently we received an email from a man concerned about someone he knows who is a Christian but claims to have the ability to sense the presence of and communicate with dead spirits (a la The Sixth Sense, only on a less dramatic scale). His friend is supposedly studying the phenomenon scientifically and is convinced it is valid. The inquirer wanted to know how I thought Christians should respond to these claims.

By Mike Licona

Comedian Bill Maher is on a crusade against organized religion. Maher believes that a supreme being of some sort exists but that it is nothing like what is being presented by the world religions. During a recent interview, Mike Huckabee asked Maher if he thought any good had resulted from religion.

By Bill Gordon

Recently we were contacted by a man named Nelson. "I have a Bible question I want you to answer," he said. "Why do Christians believe in the Trinity when the Bible clearly teaches that the Father is the only true God?” Nelson then claimed that according to John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6, the Father, not Jesus, is the only true God.  When we asked him what church he attended, Nelson proudly answered, “I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

By Bill Gordon

Back in 1960, Windward Press published a book by Joseph Bayly entitled The Gospel Blimp. The book became a classic Christian comedy. It was later made into a movie and there was even a comic book. There are two observations concerning the Atheistic Bus Campaign slogan that I believe are significant. First, their slogan is not a persuasive endorsement of Atheism. It sounds more like an agnostic bus to me. The phrase “there’s probably not a God” leaves open the possibility that God does exist. Sometimes improbable events happen. Second, the slogan encourages people to “Stop Worrying.”

By Tal Davis

After two years of nonstop political campaigning, the 2008 Presidential election has finally come to an end. Whether or not our favorite candidates won, I think we can all say that we are ready for a break from it all (although in our state of Georgia we still have to vote one more time in a run-off for U.S. Senate).  In any case, it will all fire-up again in about two years.  Candidates, some old and some new, will jockey for positions in the long, seemingly endless, quests for their party’s nomination for the Presidency, Senate, House, and numerous other political offices.

By Bill Gordon

According to an article published by the Catholic News Service, the Vatican has ruled that the word Yahweh “must not ‘be used or pronounced’ in songs and prayers during Catholic Masses.”The new directive was revealed to U.S. bishops in a letter from Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, chairman of the U.S. bishop’s Committee on Divine Worship.According to Bishop Serratelli, the Vatican directive would provide "an opportunity to offer catechesis for the faithful as an encouragement to show reverence for the name of God in daily life, emphasizing the power of language as an act of devotion and worship."

By Tal Davis

Evangelical Christians are naïve, unintelligent, easily led, irrational, anti-scientific, and intolerant, right? If you read some comments on the secular blogs and articles in the mass media you would sure think so.

By Bill Gordon

On September 6, 2008, the Fox News website carried an article about a 17-year-old Pakistani girl who was murdered after successfully getting her marriage annulled in court. It seems that she was forced to marry a 45-year-old man when she was only nine. According to reports, she was murdered in an honor killing by men sent by her parents.

By Tal Davis

The first U.S. Presidential election I can remember was 1960 when Richard Nixon ran against John F. Kennedy (yes… I am that old). One major issue of that campaign was the question of Kennedy’s religion. He was a Roman Catholic at a time when no Roman Catholic had ever been elected President. A Catholic named Al Smith ran in 1928 but lost to Herbert Hoover (Smith may have been gratified given Hoover’s unfortunate fate in the Great Depression). Nonetheless, some people in 1960, as they had in 1928, feared a Catholic President would not be sufficiently independent from the Vatican’s influence (no one thought it odd that Nixon was a non-pacifist Quaker). Unlike Smith, Kennedy overrode that fear and was narrowly elected

By Bill Gordon

Baptist Press, on September 18, ran an article about a new penal code that has been proposed in Iran. The law, if approved, would make it a mandatory capital offense for any Iranian to leave Islam. The article also points out that people are often prosecuted in Iran for “insulting Islam” or for “publishing materials that deviate from Islamic standards.”

Random House recently canceled plans to publish the book, The Jewel of Medina. The book is a romantic novel about A’isha, one of the wives of Muhammad by writer Sherry Jones. Jones claimed that she believed her book could serve as a bridge to help those in the Western society to understand the wives of Muhammad.