Piper on Prosperity Preaching

I've posted several times on Joel Osteen and his false teaching. John Piper explains why this teaching is so devious. I would stronlgy encourage you to read this brief article to understand why I despise the preaching of Osteen and those like him. Read it here.

Gospel Tracts

I have always been concerned about the nature of gospel tracts. I find it very disgusting to see cartoons present a weak or "scary" gospel instead of the Christ-centered good news that the New Testament presents. In addition, most tracts that I've come across have several things in common (please remember these are generalities and do not necessarily apply to all tracts):

1. Weak theology (as already mentioned) -- Salvation is presented as something less glorious than the accomplishment of the redemption of God's people at an infinite cost. Mankind is made out to be the "diamond in the rough" that God just couldn't do without instead of the biblical concept that man is born in sin and deserves nothing from God.

2. Deceptive hooks -- Many tracts use deceptive hooks to get people to read. Some are meant to be left at a restaurant and say, "Your tip is inside" (or something like that). Others say something such as, "Free gift inside." The sad thing is that people often leave these tracts on the table after their meal at a restaurant...without a decent tip!

3. Pray this prayer -- This is one of my pet peaves. Tracts almost always include a "pray this prayer section." Why is that such a big deal to me? It's not in the Bible! Sola fide, not sola prayer! My hope for eternity does not rest in a prayer I prayed. In fact, we are never even told in Scripture that we must "pray a prayer" in order to become right with God. Yet nearly every tract I've ever seen includes a "pray this prayer" section at the end.

All that to say, I have good news! Erik just posted this week over at Irish Calvinist several good free tracts. You can download the front (picture) and back (text) and have them printed at your local FedEx Kinko's (shameless plug for my employer!).

Be sure to check out these theologically sound gospel tracts. They present the gospel in terms of the crucified and risen Christ. It's not a "I'm scared of hell, so I'll pray this prayer" kind of tract. It's a "I've offended a holy God and Jesus is my only hope for a restored relationship with him" kind of tract. Christ is exalted, and faith--not merely a prayer--is the goal. These are good!

Benny Hinn -- Christianity's Fraud Maker

I have had Benny Hinn on my mind for several weeks now, but I have refrained from writing about him. Here's why I have not written about Hinn so far:

1. I thought there was no way people could actually be fooled by Hinn's claims

2. I could not write in a good attitude; he makes me very angry.

I would strongly encourage you to watch the following video for some brief insights into why Benny Hinn upsets me so much. It's about 10 minutes long.

Watch it here. (I'm working on embedding a YouTube version, but this link will do for now.)

If you have about 45 minutes to invest, check out this special done by a Canadian news agency.

Now for the kicker, here is "Pastor Benny's" latest trick: Let's see if I can raise $6 million for my new private jet that I need to do the ministry. Read his letter here.

Humpty Dumpty

Tom Ascol at the Founders Blog writes a good post on Nelson Price's Humpty Dumpty theology. It's amusing...and sad.

The basic idea is that Price turns terminology on its head in order to make his point. This isn't new, but it's time to start calling people out on it.

Calvinism can't be redefined and then refuted. It doesn't work that way.



Read it here.

More Osteen Goodies

This is great! You've got to see the new Joel Osteen board game! Tim Challies writes a great review. Check it out: http://www.challies.com/archives/002199.php