Sunday, December 27, 2009

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly - Stand Firm

Colossians 3:12-17

"As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a compaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing paslms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. "

Ephesians 5:1,2  "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;  and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Book Review - O God - Oprah Spirituality

Due to our amazon Stand Firm in the Faith book reviews website has mysteriously been found missing from under the listings for Stand Firm in the Faith, (which has been there for years)  we are posting our review here until the problem can be resolved.
Posted: 11/6/09 in our book reviews -

A book that has a unique apologetic approach to addressing the Spirituality that is promoted by Oprah Winfrey and her many guests she's had over the years. The book is a dialogue of two women that are huge fans of Oprah and their journey to find the truth.

Pantheism and Eastern Spirituality has been steadily rising in the West, thanks in part to Oprah, and many of her guests, friends and book club books she promotes through her TV shows. New Age spiritualists keep coming with every New Season, promoting a new age spirituality and pluralism that many may not truly know what is being served up theologically and why these teachings are not consistent and contradict Christianity. If you are unfamiliar with how Oprah and her guests beliefs differ from orthodox Christian beliefs this book will give you some basics on the theology and doctrines being taught and how to Stand Firm in the Faith and discern the differences.

Books and Authors such as "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne's, James Ray, Elizabeth Gilbert author of "Eat,Pray,Love, Echhart Tolle author of "A New Earth", and Marianne Williamson, and others, literally were skyrocketed to fame with appearances on the Oprah Show, and their book sales are in the millions.

Oprah draws millions of followers due to her likeable personality, her generosity and down-to-earth charm. With it being reported in the news today of Oprah's possible consideration of a move of her program to Los Angeles, she may have more influence then ever. This is a good book to give to a friend that may be dabbling with New Age spirituality. There are also discussion questions in the back of the book which makes it great for study groups. After reading the book, there could not be enough said about discerning what Oprah Winfrey and her guests are promoting, and it is consistent with what the teaching found in Scripture says to do: 1 John 4:1 "Beloved do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Competition and the Sin of Pride

Competition and the Sin of Pride

As Christians, we are not to be competing against each other, and belittling another Christian, (but we are to be supportive and help each other as we live out our lives by Faith in Christ in living the Christian life. The Apostle Paul gives this instruction as to how we can stand firm in the Faith with the same mind and purpose:

Phil 1:27 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worth of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

Believers are to build each other up, encouraging each other to grow in the faith and flourish in our spiritual gifts as we serve the Lord, supporting one another, and having a sincere love for one another, not only in words but in actions. (Phil 2:1-5, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and compassion make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important then yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Having this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”)

But, when a Christian become competitive, challenging, and seeks to discredit another Christian’s witness, and work in ministry, this is due to selfish ambition and wrong motives that are driven by fleshly desires wanting to be seen as more important then others. These characteristics can be the fruit of Envy and Pride, they are called “the deeds of the flesh” in Gal. 5:19-21.

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

This behavior is not the fruit of the Spirit and can causes great harm, not only to the cause of Christ, but can also damage and destroy precious relationships. Why would someone who professes to be a Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, and the love of God, want to do that?

Competition that has wrong-hearted motives can be common in the body of Christ, and is a painful reality that can be a menace to fellow believers and can cause faithful Christians to stumble, if it is not discerned and properly dealt with. Those who take this too lightly should not. What fate did Jesus warn about--to those who deliberately and knowingly, and cause a fellow Christian (male or female) to stumble:

Matthew 18:6 “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Christ gave us the example of what our attitude should be (one of humility) and how we should treat one another. It is obvious that from the content of the Scriptures, our Lord is not talking about little children (physically or by age of a person) but He is talking about “Spiritual children” Christians. Jesus is speaking about moral and spiritual stumbling, that is sinning. The word “stumble” means “to cause to fall”. The Lord is speaking about “enticing, trapping, or influencing a believer in anyway that leads him into sin, or in anyway that makes it easier for him to sin.” When a person (believer or unbeliever) mistreats a Christian he mistreats Christ.

Competition becomes corrupt when a person holds an attitude of superiority over others and becomes contentious. This in turn can lead to actions of pride, jealousy, anger, and bitterness, when someone’s focus is on ‘out-doing’ another person, to defeat a brother or sister in Christ, the one they are competing against, rather then keeping their intention with right motives -- which is Christ-centered for God’s glory.

Competition can often lead to comparing yourself with others. There is a failure in the person competing to see that everyone has the same worth in God’s eyes. We are to help each other in our walk in Christ, look out for each other, not to be stumbling blocks, but to build each other up.

The Bible has many passages warning of how destructive pride can be because it has so much power to damage our relationships with others and if left unchecked eventually with God. Competing in the wrong way can create a foothold for envy, pride and jealousy. Pride can lead to a harden heart towards others, blinding the person to their own faults, and causing a person to become insensitive and completely disregard another persons feelings. Eventually, pride can harden your heart towards God.

Daniel 5:20  “But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him.”

Although doing our best is what we all should strive for, but being competitive to the point when it turns demeaning, bloodthirsty, and aggressive, and using that to passing judgment on a person’s salvation or worth in the body of Christ, clearly is sinning and does not align with what the Bible says about Christian conduct or the moral character that is expected of a Christian. That kind of Competing - to prove your superiority is wrong, and will disrupt and damage your relationships resulting in a loss of trust, and will if not corrected, cause a person to become envious and think they are entitled to something that someone else has. They may resort to acting in manipulative ways to get whatever it is they want. If this is happening, then our motives are wrong, and we are at risk of becoming proud. (Phil 1:15-17). It can also lead to self-deception. (Jeremiah 49:16). If you are practicing these behaviors, repent, pray, ask God to change your heart, and turn away from them, correct what is wrong, be reconciled with those you‘ve hurt, give trust time to build, instead of expecting it, and put on the fruits of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. “

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Discernment Ministry A Biblical Defense

Stand Firm in the Faith has been given permission by Pastor Gary E. Gilley to reproduce his recent Article: “Discernment Ministry A Biblical Defense”, from the October 2009 “Think on these things” newsletter.  It is important that each Christian knows, not only what they believe and why they believe it, but also to Stand Firm on the teachings found in Scripture and be ready and equipped for the defense of the gospel. Jude 3 Pastor Gary Gilley has not only written an article that explains what discernment is and how to properly do it, but also why it is biblical to do so.



Discernment Ministry 
A Biblical Defense
By Gary Gilley

We live in an environment in which it is most difficult to stand for the faith. Not only will those who attempt to be on the front lines of discernment face the guns of those in opposition, but they may be hit by “friendly fire” as well. For example: I recently wrote what I thought was a rather innocuous article expressing a high view of Scripture including a belief in its sufficiency. I was nevertheless surprised to receive a quick e-mail rebuke by a pastor who also claimed to believe in the inerrancy, authority and sufficiency of the Bible and who ultimately accused me of taking what he called a “biblical charismatic” view. When I inquired as to how that could be since I believe God speaks to us today only through Scripture and charismatics believe God speaks through means beyond the written Word, he did not reply. I did not mean to imply to this pastor that I reject general revelation in which “the heavens are telling of the glory of God…” (Ps 19:1-6), but that specific, authoritative revelation for this church age is confined to the Old and New Testaments. God is not adding new revelation or inspired texts to supplement the canon of Scripture. I believe that such revelations are unnecessary today because God has promised that the Scriptures are adequate [to] equip [us] for every good work” (2 Tim 3:17). Our task is not to seek “fresh communication” from God, either in the form of prophecies or tongues (as most charismatics do) or through our inner feelings and hunches (as many non-charismatic evangelicals do), but to rely on the “sure word of prophecy” (2 Pet 1:19), the Holy Scriptures. This understanding leads us to be followers of Christ who are “diligent to present [our] selves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:14). Our assignment is not to search for secret communication from God but to observe and live out the inspired text, and that text can be trusted to reveal God’s will in all matters “pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3).



But even at the risk of being misunderstood by those in our own camp, one of our privileges in light of this understanding of revelation is to examine all ideas, teachings, and thoughts through the lens of Scripture. The apostle Paul modeled this approach for us when he wrote, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Since much, if not most, of the ideas, worldviews, and philosophies that we encounter in a fallen world would be in competition with truth, we are obligated to take all of these things and run them through the grid of Scripture. Those ideas which make it through this biblical grid intact can be embraced, for by God’s grace mankind is enabled to end up on the right side of truth. But those ideas that lack biblical foundation must be disposed of as “lofty thing[s] raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5).

For these reasons, one of the qualifications for an elder is that he understand the Scriptures well so that he can both “exhort in sound doctrine” and “refute those who contradict” sound doctrine (Titus 1:9). A pastor or elder is not equipped to lead the church of Christ because he makes an excellent CEO, has a MBA, knows how to win and influence people or has a sunny personality - although none of these things rule him out either. But the Holy Spirit did not mention any of these criteria when laying out the requirements for church leaders, although an intimidating list of personal and spiritual qualifications is given (Titus 1:5-8; 1 Tim 3:1-7). Instead the Spirit focused on the need for elders to know biblical truth and be able to communicate and defend it against false doctrines and teachers.



Unfortunately for the Christian leader in the twenty-first century, what God considers essential many consider optional at best and often a real detriment to what is considered “ministry.” Rare is the church today that attracts large crowds because of the careful, systematic teaching of the Word. People will flock to churches with great professional level music (of almost any genre), but sound doctrine holds little attraction for most Christians. Yet, it is sound doctrine that God mandates. Lives are not changed by programs and entertainment; they are transformed by the renewing of our minds which can only come about through exposure to the truth of God’s Word (Rom 12:2).

If the teaching of sound doctrine is unappetizing to many, to expose false doctrine is utterly repulsive. Discernment is considered unnecessary, unwanted, and down-right mean-spirited in a relativistic age. To spend even a small fraction of time critiquing false teachings (as our Lord directs us to do ) is to invite charges of negativism, division and worse. Yet we must decide whether we want to please the Lord or men and, since the Lord commands us to “refute those who contradict” sound doctrine, we have no choice. This is not to say that we spend the bulk of our teaching time on issues that don’t measure up to Scripture; for to do so would throw us out of balance very quickly. I believe that the vast majority of teaching from the pulpit and other forums within the church should be “exhortation in sound doctrine.” But we must be willing to handle issues that threaten the spiritual health of the body of Christ, and we must not shy away from teaching on such subjects as we work through the Scriptures.

Sadly, in our pluralistic, postmodern age, even gracious critique is often viewed as negative and critical. Why not tolerate the theological and philosophical views of others, even if those views are seriously flawed and unbiblical? After all, since we are brothers and sisters in Christ, aren’t we just airing our dirty laundry in public? This short paper is for the purpose of showing the necessity of biblical discernment and critique and to respond to those who disapprove.


The Necessity

As we survey the Word of God it is impossible to miss the prominent place that God places on truth and the deep concern that our Lord has when His people err in doctrine or in living. The Old Testament is permeated with calls to live on the basis of God’s truth and warnings about those who stray and teach anything else. For example the heartbeat of God is evident in Jeremiah 23,

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the    Lord… “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord…The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth…Behold I am against those who have prophesied false dreams…I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit…” (vv.1,16,28,32).


Earlier God revealed the double-edged problem facing Judah when He had Jeremiah prophesy, “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” (5:30,31). Not only were the prophets, priests and Kings leading the sheep astray, but the people loved it. Rather than being appalled by the falsehoods pouring out of the mouths of their leaders, the people of Israel gravitated toward their teachings, no doubt because it was already in line with what they wanted to hear and how they wanted to live. But the Lord cautions, “What will you do at the end of it?” That is, after these false teachings have robbed you of true life found in God, after they have brought you into bondage instead of freedom, after they have lead to counterfeit living rather than authenticity - what will you do then? Such is the true consequence of counterfeit theology.

When we come to the Gospels we find that Jesus continued this theme, being very clear about the danger of false teaching. In Matthew 16:6 Jesus warns His disciples, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Later the disciples “understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (16:12). And just in case anyone thought that Jesus always preached a meek and mild, positive and upbeat message, I would invite them to read Matthew 23:13-36. There the Lord pronounced eight “woes” on the Pharisees, repeatedly calling them things like hypocrites, blind guides, fools, sons of hell, whitewashed tombs, serpents and brood of vipers. It is hard to miss Jesus’ righteous anger toward those who taught lies in the name of His Father.

The book of Acts, chapter twenty, verses twenty-seven through thirty-two speaks of wolves, often coming from within the church, who will do great harm to the flock. Paul could not have been more passionate when he wrote, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (v. 28). But caution was not enough; the true safeguard is found in verse32, “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Exhortation and warning are both vital parts of proper care for the sheep.

Even a superficial reading of the New Testament epistles reveals that large portions were written to combat false teachings of various kinds. Some of the more direct passages include:

  • Jude 3-4 and 2 Peter 2 both exhort us to contend earnestly for the faith against those who would distort it.


  • Galatians 1:6-9 pronounces a curse on those who pervert the gospel. One of the strongest admonishments in all of Scripture is reserved for those who offer a different gospel from the one Paul had given the Galatians. Paul wishes these false teachers to be accursed --that is, damned for propagating their false gospel. Perhaps only the final warning found in Scripture rivals this one. In Revelation 22:18-19
John warns anyone who dares add to or subtract from the prophecy of the book of Revelation will have added to him the plagues written in the book.

But in addition to these direct statements, the epistles devote much attention to areas of false teaching and living. The Corinthians misunderstood the sign gifts and tolerated numerous sins in the congregation; the Galatians twisted the gospel; the Colossians were replacing godly wisdom with human philosophy; the Thessalonians had been discouraged with bogus claims about the end times. Timothy had to battle “strange doctrines” and “myths” the letter to the Hebrews was written to combat a movement back to the old Covenant, and on we go. To ignore thee cautionary themes is to ignore much of the New Testament, which is perhaps why topical preaching has virtually replaced expositional preaching in most pulpits today.

The goal of exhorting in sound doctrine and refuting false teaching (Titus 1:9) is not to develop critical and negative people who are looking under every rock for someone who has slipped up. Rather it is to “equip the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12) and thus leading God’s saints to maturity (Heb 5:11-14). I believe the apostle John reflects the heart of God when he tells us that he has no greater joy than to hear of his spiritual children walking in the truth ( 3 John 4).


Objections to Discernment

Despite the clear mandate given throughout the Scriptures concerning the necessity for biblical discernment and critique, most continue to be critical of the whole concept. Ironically, those who preach most tenaciously the need for tolerance and themselves intolerant of those who seek to faithfully follow God’s directives in this matter. Let’s briefly identify and analyze some of the most common objections often heard protesting the need for discernment:

1. What right do we have to judge others?

Answer: Some claim that the best known verse of Scripture in America is Mathew 7:1, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged,” Most who recite this command do so without the advantage of having ever read it in context. If they were to do so they would see that the Lord is not calling a moratorium on examining the lives and teachings of others; He simply wants us to do it the correct way. The Lord tells us to first judge ourselves. When that has been done properly we are in a position to help others with their sins and false beliefs (Matt. 7:1-5). In verse five Jesus is recorded as saying, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Far from telling us not to be concerned about the life of our brother, Jesus demands that we get involved -- not as self-righteous hypocrites but as those who recognize their own sins and weaknesses and have honestly confessed and dealt with them first. Later, in the same context, Jesus continues by telling us to beware of false teachers and examine their fruit (7:15-16)--which would be a reference to both their lives and their teachings. Rather than ignoring “false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (v. 15), we are to watch out for them and examine the product of their doctrine and lives (vv. 16-23). We are to do so in order to avoid being deceived by them and living false lives ourselves.

2. Aren’t you following in the footsteps of the Pharisees?

Those who recognize the importance of discernment are accused of being Pharisees by clinging to the letter of the Law but missing its spirit. The idea behind this accusation is that any who dare critique the beliefs of others are following in the footsteps of the Pharisees. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day, we are told, loved the Word of God, were serious students of the Old Testament and sought to wrap their lives around God’s truth. The problem was that they became legalists who followed the letter but missed the real point of spiritual transformation. They kept all the rules by concentrating on outward appearance and show, while having no true relationship with God. The modern disciples of the Pharisees are inevitably slated to be those who cling most robustly to the Scriptures. The more one seeks to be a “biblical” Christian (a person of “the Book”), living out his life according to the teachings of the Word, the more that one is likely to be accursed of being a Pharisee.


Answer: While many believe that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their literalness and their strict adherence to the Old Testament Law, a careful examination of the Gospels reveals that Jesus never spoke against these things as such. He certainly condemned them for their hypocrisy as we see in Matthew 23. But hypocrisy has nothing to do with love and devotion to the Scriptures and everything to do with sham. These men were reprimanded by Jesus because they knew the Word but did not live what they knew. They were men of pretense. They were posers.

But Jesus reserved his strongest rebuke for the Pharisees because they added to the Scriptures. In Matthew 15 Jesus asks them, “Why do yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” After giving them a concrete example Jesus then goes on to state, “By this you invalidate the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” He then calls them hypocrites and accuses them of “teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (vv. 3-9). Based upon Jesus’ words I would contend that the real Pharisees today are not the those who insist on following Scripture but those who add to the Scriptures. It is those who dismiss the commandments of God and replace or supplement them with their own precepts who are living out the legacy of the Pharisees.

By this definition, based on the words of Jesus Himself, it is not those who believe in the sufficiency of Scripture and seek to live their lives within its boundaries who are Pharisees, but those who believe the Bible is inadequate and must be enhanced with men’s traditions, philosophies, and ideas who are the real Pharisees.

3. Aren’t you simply trying to prove yourself superior?

To challenge the teachings of others implies that one thinks he has all the answers, or that his view is the only correct one. His attitude appears arrogant.

Answer: A common criticism cast at those who “dare” to publicly discuss the teachings of others goes to the issue of motive. Surely, some think, the only reason anyone would take such action is to try to prove himself superior. But when some tried to attack Paul’s motives he made it clear that none of them was in a position to know the motives of others. He tells the Corinthians to stop “passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Cor. 4:5). It is wrong to judge the hearts of others; we must leave such work to God. Therefore those who insist on trying to expose others’ motives end up doing nothing more than disobeying God.

4. Aren’t you assuming everyone else is wrong and you have the only correct answer?

Answer: First, we all must humbly admit that none of us has an inside track to the thoughts of God. There is no esoteric knowledge for a special class of elites. Everything that God has communicated is there to read and analyze by every child of God. Next, we must understand that our views (what we think) are unimportant ; what matters is God’s view. We are not to spout our opinion but to carefully study the Scriptures and then shine its light on the teachings of ourselves and others. Therefore, it is our obligation to scrutinize God’s Word and “cut it straight” (2 Tim 2:15) so that we are able to teach the Lord’s truth (2 Tim 2:2) which is able to equip for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). This is to be done not to appear superior but to humbly aid in the spiritual life and growth of one another.


5. The flip side to the above objection is that by challenging the teachings of others we are judging their motives.

Answer: As was mentioned in regard to the last objection, it is not within our ability to judge motives since we cannot read men’s hearts (1 Cor 4:4-5). We are, however, called to examine their lives (Matt 7:15-16) and their teachings (Matt 16:6, 12); we leave their motives to God.


6. Critique of the beliefs of others simply is unacceptable in our postmodern era. Even benign assessment is viewed as intolerant and mean-spirited.

Answer: God’s truth has never been accepted by unbelievers in any age; this age is no different. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 we learn that the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but it is the power of God for those being saved. Nor should Christians capitulate to the whims of secular worldview. When the Corinthian believers seemed to hunger for some meaty Greek wisdom to be mixed with New Testament theology Paul refused to accommodate them; he preached the simplicity of Jesus Christ in order that their faith would rest in the power of God, not in the wisdom of men (1 Cor 2:1-5). We make a fatal mistake when we begin to adjust our teachings and methods to appease the sensitivities of the spiritually dead and spiritually compromised. It should be the Scriptures that determine our methods and message, not those who do not know Christ or His ways.


7. A discernment ministry will turn people into critical cynics.

Answer: While this is a danger, the focus of our lives and ministries should be on the greatness of God and His wonderful truth. We must be careful that we do not deteriorate into people who are looking for error under every rock or for something about which to complain. Even in our discernment we are “to do all things without grumbling or disputing” (Phil 2:14). And we must take seriously Paul’s admonition to Timothy to not get tangled up in useless arguments and speculations (e.g. 1 Tim 1:4). At the same time it is impossible to really love something (God’s truth) and not want to defend it (Jude 3). And we must not allow the criticism of those who refuse to obey God to pressure us into living unbiblical.


Conclusion:

Past generations of Christian leaders have seen the importance of defending the faith. For example, J. Gresham Machen made a great observation at the height of the Modernist-Fundamentalist battle in the early 1900’s: “What is today a matter of academic speculation begins tomorrow to move armies and pull down empires.” (1) Early Church Father Irenaeus wrote in Against Heresies,

Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced (ridiculous as the expression may seem) more true than the truth itself. (2)

Princetonian theologian B.B. Warfield commented,

The chief dangers to Christianity do not come from the anti-Christian systems. Mohammedanism has never made inroads upon Christianity save by the sword. Nobody fears that Christianity will be swallowed up by Buddhism. It is corrupt forms of Christianity itself which menace from time to time the life of Christianity. Why make much of minor points of difference between those who serve the one Christ? Because a pure gospel is worth preserving; and it is not only worth preserving, but is logically (and logic will always work itself out into history) the only saving gospel. (3)

And Thomas Oden offers this word of wisdom:

Although I concede that there are other tasks more important than the exposure of heresy, I warn: if there is no immune system to resist heresy, there will soon be nothing but the teeming infestation of heresy. (4)


These men understood as we must today, that the “faith once for all delivered to the saints” is worth defending. We must not allow the objections of those who lack the courage or the insight to fight for truth to cause us to cower from this important God-given obligation.


1. George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture, (New York, Oxford University Press: 1980) p. 137.

2. As quoted in Richard Mayhue, “A Biblical Call to Pastoral Vigilance”, The Master’s Seminary Journal Volume 7, No 1, p. 49.

3. As quoted in Iain H. Murray, Evangelicalism Divided (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust 2000), p. X.

4. As quoted in Larry Pettegrew, “Evangelicalism, Paradigms, and the Emerging Church”, The Master’s Seminary Journal Volume 17, No 2, p. 175.


Your Questions & Comments

If you have questions or comments that you would like to submit, you may do so by e-mailing us at:





Quotes
_____________________________________________________________


The love of Christ has no border; it has no shore; it has no bottom. The love of Christ is boundless; it is bottomless; it is infinite; it is divine. That it passeth knowledge is the greatest thing that ever was said, or could be said, about it…We shall come to the shore, we shall strike the bottom of every other love; but never of the love of Christ!

Alexander Whyte


If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

Charles H. Spurgeon


One of the most terrible indices of how far a people have strayed from righteousness is the degree to which they can no longer perceive their own guilt.
D.A. Carson


You can visit Gary Gilley’s website at: http://www.svchapel.org/  There you will find helpful articles, book reviews, and also books written by Pastor Gilley that you can order.


Monday, July 20, 2009

Watchman Fellowship Profile on "The Occult"

Did you know? Occult "Paganism is now the 7th largest organized religion in the US ? Why is the occult now poised to have an impact on every family in America? Will someone you love be influenced by Wicca, Psychics, or Magick? The possibility might be more likely then you think.

1 Peter 3:15
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
As the influences of the Occult has become more pervasive in our culture, it is imperative for the Christian to be well equipped, not only spiritually, as we are instructed from Ephanians 6:10-17, but also intellectually, to be able to stand firmly in the faith. Always remembering that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and we must put on the full armor of God so that we will be able to Stand Firm in the faith.
** (Stand Firm in the Faith has been given permission to reproduce the letter by James Walker of Watchman Fellowship.) Also, there is No relation to this blog's writers and Allison DuBois who is mentioned in the letter.)



August 29, 2008

Dear Friends,
The math does not look good. Odds are, someone very close to you-your daughter, your brother, your best friend, or a coworker will become deeply involved with the occult. And if your family member or friend is younger (ages 18-35), the danger is much higher. I want to encourage you to make copies of the Profile and give them to every Christian you know. Why?


Occult practices such as psychics, communication with the dead, astrology, and Wicca (witchcraft) are no longer seen as "kooky." Boosted by an incredible public relations makeover, the occult has now become part of our cultural mainstream. The occult is now attracting a growing number of well-educated and affluent devotees, including many coming from traditional Christian homes. Most of us never saw this coming.


Thirty years ago, most experts predicted that America was becoming a secular nation. They thought that by now--- the early 21st Century, most Americans would either be Christians, believing in Jesus, or they would be atheists, believing in nothing at all. Well...the experts were wrong! It seems that as our country slowly drifts away from traditional Christian faith, we are not seeing the huge "revival" in secular humanism and atheism that was predicted. When people stop believing the Bible, they don't believe nothing -they believe everything!

In my recent book, The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality, (1) I discussed the amazing resurgence of contemporary occultism:

There is also widespread interest in the occult as reflected by popular TV programs such as NBC's Medium. The drama is reportedly based on the true-life psychic, Allison DuBois, who allegedly makes contact with the dead. In 2006, John Edward Cross Country was launched on the WE network as a sequel to Edward's earlier show, Crossing Over, and best-selling book by the same title featuring alleged psychic communication with the dead. CBS has also joined the party with the hit series Ghost Whisperer, which stars, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

The country's fascination with the occult and witchcraft goes far beyond television programming, reaching into the core beliefs of millions of Americans. A 2003 Harris poll reveals that almost one in three Americans (31 percent) now believe in Astrology, an ancient, occult divination practice going back to biblical times (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). More telling in the Harris survey is the age demographic. When polling younger Americans (ages 25-29) belief in Astrology jumps to an unprecedented 43 percent. (2)
The growing impact of the occult can also be measured by comparing its sheer number with those of other religions. Based on research conducted at the Graduate School of the City University of New York by sociologists Barry A. Kosmin and Seymour P. Lauchman, Paganism (as represented by Wiccans, Pagans, and Druids) now ranks as the seventh largest organized religion in America with an estimated 433,267 adherents as of 2004. (3)
Jesus said, "Beware of false Prophets..Every Christian in America needs to be brief on the roots of occultism and its current impact on our culture. More importantly, every generation of believers needs to be reminded of what the scriptures teach about the occult. Jesus said "Beware of false prophets..." (Matt. 7:15). We can't "beware" unless we are first "aware." That's why I've written the profile.I want to encourage you to pass out copies to everyone in your Sunday School clsss, Bible study, or home fellowship group. This issue will touch every Christian you know-either directly or indirectly. ( You can receive the profile by contacting Watchman Fellowship - http://www.watchman.org/ or P.O. Box 13340, Arlington, TX. 76094
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Prayer Requests!
I want to thank each of you who prayed for us and/or supported us financially through the summer. We have survived the summer but we still have a significant budget deficit we need to make up quickly. We really need the Lord to touch the hearts of more partners who believe in our mission and are willing to stand with us. I want to encourage you to make a fiancial donation. Please consider becoming a monthly support partner in our work. Finally, I am teaching a course this semester, New Age Spirituality and the Occult, at Criswell College in Dallas. I am having an unusual guest come in the class to speak to our students and take questions. He is a Wiccan high priest and the author of a popular book on witchcraft. I have had several interesting and productive conversations with him in the past. Please pray that the Lord would guide my students and me in our questions and use our dialogue to touch him with the truth of the gospel of grace.
Yours in Christ,
James K. Walker, President
1. James K. Walker, The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality, (Eugene, Or. Harvest House Publishers, 2007) pp. 7-8
2. "The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans 2003," [Online] URL http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=359.
3. Top Ten ORGANIZED Religions in the United States 2001" (with updated 2004 estimates) [Online] URL http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.htm#Pew_branches.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

CARM STANDS FIRM with the Author of 'The Shack'

When our Faith is resting on the whole Word of God, and we trust and have confidence in God's Word, we will be prepared for the battle, and will stand firm in the faith till the end. When our commitment to Christ is strong, and we seek after righteousness, we can stand firm in the knowledge of God's Word, for it is our armor, our shield, our helmet and sword, our belt, and our breastplate, and the shoes, in the battle, no matter what the circumstances may be. Ephesians 6:14-17.
Last night we heard an excellent interview with the Author Paul Young about his runaway best selling book 'The Shack', with radio host Matt Slick - from Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. This interview is available to hear, that is, as long as it stays available on the CARM website -radio interviews. This is an excellent opportunity to hear the Author himself (Paul Young) explain his book in the context of it's theological meaning, as the radio host - Matt Slick presents a biblical and apologetic response to the concerns that have been raised about the book's influence, meaning and content. It is a 58 minute interview that is well worth listening to in it's entirety.
Visit CARM and hear the radio interview here:
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Monday, June 8, 2009

By Prayer and the Holy Spirit - Stand Firm

The Apostle Paul wrote: "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." 2 Thessalonians 2:15
This was an exhortation from Paul to the Thessalonians to not be weak in their faith. He urges them to Stand Firm, and to keep a tight grip on the 'Truth' they had been taught. Paul's mention of 'Tradition' was not talking about extra-biblical traditions that were ecclesiastical (priestly or religious). But, they were to stand firm and hold fast to what God had said, and to the written Scriptures, and stand firm in what Paul had said and taught by his teachings and writings. The Greek word translation for 'Traditions' literally means 'things handed down' and refers to divine revelation.
Remember also what Jesus said in John 15:7,8 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." God's Word and prayer working together does produces fruitful lives for Christ and proves we belong to Him.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:2 "Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you."
He warns believers in 2 Thess 3:6 "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us."
More instruction from the bible that tell us to hold fast and stand firm in the faith:
1 Timothy 6:20-21 "O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoid worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith."

2 Timothy 1:13,14 "Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you."
So, to Stand Firm in the Faith, is not something done of yourself. We are empowered to stand firm by the Holy Spirit by holding fast to sound words, (those found in Scripture) standing firm on the revealed truths in God's Word. We are also 'warned' to guard, through the Holy Spirit this treasure which has been entrusted to us.
Further on in the passages in 2 Thessalonians we are instructed to pray, because we can not obey what Paul is saying in our own strength. We need to be dependent on God's power to stand firm. It is only by God's mighty power that we are able to stand firm in the faith. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are empowered to stand strong. So hold firmly your spiritual ground. Know God's truth from His word. And pray always.
Colossians 1:29 "For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."
As we wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to return, we must stay strong and Stand Firm, not be weak. Do not be weakened by this world. We must draw our strength from Him. We must Stand Firm and guard the truths He has entrusted to us by the power of the Holy Spirit and in prayer. We must be alert and watchful in our walk (our lives) and stand firm in the faith (what we believe) so we are not distracted and deceived by false teachings.
Be watchful that we do not become unbelieving, unfaithful, and insecure about our faith. Pray always. God is true to His promises. Our salvation is in Him. God loves us and has redeemed us. We must continue to stand firm and be courageous in our troubles and in our lack, and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus in anticipation of His return. Be strong,.... Stand firm in the faith.
Remember daily Titus 2:11-14 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."
Titus 2:15 "These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you."
Be Strong, Stand Firm in the Faith.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Stand Firm and Discern the Shack

Stand Firm in the Faith - has been given permission by Midwest Christian Outreach to share this article from their Journal Vol. 15 No. 1. (Don and Joy Veinot are Co-Founders of Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. - national Apologetics Ministry and mission to New Religious Movements. (In Ministry since. 1987)
Discernment and The Shack by Gino geraci - Vol. 15 No. 1











The Shack Has generated countless comments, endless reviews, and more criticism than a presidential candidate. Long ago in his book A Call to Discernment, Dr. Jay Adams noted Christian apologist and pioneer biblical counselor, used a brilliant illustration from conservative political philosopher William F. Buckley’s book The Jeweler’s Eye:

The title is, of course, a calculated effrontery, the relic of an impromptu answer I gave once to a tenacious young interviewer who, toward the end of a very long session, asked me what opinion did I have of myself. I replied that I thought of myself as a perfectly average middle-aged American, with however, a jeweler’s eye for political truths… The jeweler knows value; that is his trade. (1)

Dr. Adams rightly pointed out that Buckley was speaking of discernment. The jeweler rightly distinguishes a common stone from a precious gem, the right mineral from the matrix and mineral, the flawed from the truly valuable. The jeweler looks at the stone and asks the questions: “What is this?” Is it valuable?” “How can it be cut in such a way to enhance beauty and create value?” Individuals in discernment ministry--people with a jeweler’s eye for historical biblical Christianity and theological truth--have stared long and hard into the rough crystal people call The Shack, by William P. Young. It looks like a diamond, but it is not; it is common quartz crystal filled with inclusions and cracks that mar whatever value it may even have had as costume jewelry.

I am an average Christian with a jeweler’s eye for biblical truth. An interesting crystal may fool a child, but it will not fool a person who handles precious stones for a living. There is a large dark spot in Young’s work of fiction; a crack runs through it; a flaw so profound that it renders the stone useless rather than priceless.

The Shack contains subtle and not-so-subtle heresies. The Shack also contains what many Bible scholars would call “aberrant” teaching. Former Professor of Theology at Denver Seminary Dr. Gordon Lewis wrote to me in a private e-mail that: Heresy is a conscious and deliberate rejection of orthodox teaching and the acceptance of contradictory views on the biblically revealed essentials of the Christian faith. (2)
In the category of aberration, Dr. Lewis writes: Unorthodox doctrine leads to aberrant behavior that wanders from the path of right action (ortho-practice) on biblically revealed moral and spiritual essentials of Christian living. Beliefs have consequence(s). [sic] (3)
I am hard-pressed to judge Young’s motives. I cannot determine his reasons for misrepresenting the God of the Bible. In The Shack, Young’s Papa character (God the Father) appears as a large, black woman.

However, I am more than happy to reveal my own motives. If someone reading this review asks: “What is motivating you to write this monograph?” My answer is : I am an ordinary, middle-aged, Christian man who is a pastor, who loves the Lord Jesus, who embraces historical biblical Christianity, who is asked by scores of people: “what do you think of this book?” “What is wrong with this book?” I have no axe to grind or score to settle. If a child finds a piece of glass washed smooth by the ocean’s tide and believes she has found a precious stone--a valuable gem--who am I to rain on her fantasy? But if the child tries to sell me that polished glass as a precious gem or attempts to swallow the glass for reasons that only a child would know; then do I have some kind of responsibility to tell the child her precious tresure is not really valuable or safe to eat?

I am not envious of Young. I must admit a deep sense of concern, because several of my Calvary Chapel pastor friends have read this book and mistaken it for a jewel. Some things are easy to write about. Some themes are timeless and valuable to Christians in every generation. Who doesn’t love devotional literature or priceless fiction saturated with Bible promises with eternal themes? We love the stories of hope; we love the stories filled with the love of God and the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation to God.

The biblical writer Jude certainly desired to write about the theme of “our common salvation” and then stopped and wrote: … I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 1:3)

Jude used the definite article the with the word faith for good reason. The term “the faith” embodies the essentials of Christianity. In their wonderful book Conviction Without Compromise, Dr. Norm Geisler (Dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary) and Dr. Ron Rhodes (Director of Reasoning From The Scriptures) outlines some of the essentials of Christianity and preface their book with the fourth-century church ather Augustine’s oft-repeated dictum:
In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; and in all things charity. (4)

At the top of the list under the “essentials” category, we find: God’s unity; the historic, biblical revelation of the Trinity; Christ’s deity; and Christ’s humanity. Conviction Without Compromise also includes notes about essentials; salvation essentials (the inspiration of the Bible), an interpretation essential--which means, to the authors, the historical-grammatical method of interpreting Scripture. (5)

In Essentials Unity
People who love and/or hate The Shack usually agree with the saying, “in essentials unity,” but they are hard-pressed to ask and answer the question: “Does The Shack compromise the essentials of historic biblical Christianity?” Is this something we should ever care about or fight about?” The Apostle Jude’s admonition “to contend earnestly for the faith” must mean a vigorous defense of the truth and a willingness to divide over the truth rather than unite under the false flag of tolerance or bad theology.

Charles Spurgeon , nineteenth-century pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in London, wrote:
Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right. (6)

What is it about this book that causes otherwise discerning Christians to suspend belief, enter the story, feel spiritually uplifted and encouraged, and speak of God’s love and forgiveness with fresh perspective? The fundamental problem lies in the reader’s inability to tell the difference between what is biblically right and biblically wrong; between what is right and almost right.

Does God love us? The answer is , “Yes.” Does God forgive us in Christ? The answer is, “Yes.” Does the Bible paint a picture of the Godhead where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit carry on like some rowdy cousins, eating like gluttons, making a mess, and playing practical jokes on each other? We believe Jesus is a real human being. But we do not believe Jesus is some cartoon character. I am all about fun. But guess what? God’s ways are not our ways. Is it any wonder that thoughtful people who have read this book and it’s characterization of God have come up with terms like “blasphemous,” sacrilegious,” “loathsome,” and “irreverent?”

Does The Shack misrepresent the God of the Bible and distort, pervert, or mislead the sinner who doesn’t know God or the saint who does know God? Young presents a god who loves and forgives, but he ignores the God Who also judges, Who condemns both sin and sinners on the basis of His perfect Holiness. In my reading of The Shack, the author seems committed to a low, perhaps even disparaging, view of the Scriptures. The author seems quite content to mock the Bible.

In seminary [Mack] had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, property interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that guilt edges. (7)

There is a theme in The Shack: When asked questions about the Bible, characters in the bible, or events in the bible, Young’s Papa character is almost glib and condescending; and the character goes on to explain how things really are.

At GotQuestions.org under, “What is Got Questions.org’s review of The Shack by William P. Young, “ the author wisely notes:

If one is to teach error, it is important to do away with Scripture, either by adding to it (Mormonism), mistranslating it (Jehovah’s Witnesses) or simply mocking it (The Shack and some others in the “emergent church”). (8)

If hard-pressed, both Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses would tell you that they love and honor the Bible--for the Mormons: “as far as it is correctly translated,” (LDS Eighth Article of Faith) and for the Jehovah’s Witnesses: “As everyone knows, there are mistakes in the Bible…” (WATCHTOWER, 04/15/28, P. 126) AND “…the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization [the WTBTS] in mind.” (WATCHTOWER, 10/01/67, p. 587).

What is Young’s view of the Bible? He seems to distance himself from the biblical themes, images, and concepts found in the Bible.

Does The Shack claim to teach about the God of the Bible? Musician/songwriter Michael W. Smith seems to think so when he writes: “My wife and I laughed, cried, and repented of our own lack of faith along the way. THE SHACK will leave you craving for the presence of God.” (9)

The Shack is not really a parable--an earthly story that represents a heavenly truth. The Shack is more of an allegory--an attempt to use literary devices to represent and communicate generalizations and /or truths--in this case alleged truths about God, truths about forgiveness, truths about the nature of pain and suffering.

A Brief Summation of The Shack The Shack seems to be a book people either love or hate. I have not met too many people who have read the book with detached ambivalence. Christian author and blogger Tim Challies rightly points out:

The book is all about the content and about the teaching it contains. The book’s reviews focus not on the quality of the story but on its spiritual and emotional impact. (10)

The Shack has been called a modern parable, Eugene Peterson, author of the very controversial Bible paraphrase The Message, went so far as to write:
This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyon’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good! (11)

Is the book “that good?” Not really. It fails the elementary literature tests (great story, memorable characters, and timeless truths.) Pilgrim’s Progress is a book soaked and saturated in Scriptures and contains timeless biblical themes and truths. Does it not seem that to the “jeweler’s eye,” comparing The Shack with Pilgrim’s Progress is a bit like comparing worthless colored glass beads with precious, costly diamonds?

The Shack’s story revolves around the main character Mack (Mackenzie) Phillips. Mack’s daughter Missy is abducted and killed by a serial killer while on a family vacation. The story painfully unfolds, and we are taken to a shack were evidence of foul play exists. Mack receives a mysterious note from Papa. “Papa” is the affectionate term Mack’s wife uses for God the Father. The pain and tragic loss of their daughter is simply called Mack’s “Great Sadness.”

Through a series of events, Mack finds himself back at the shack--the scene of the crime--and has a supernatural encounter with three figures: Papa, Jesus, and a character called Sarayu. The author has the main character Mack embark on an emotional, psychological and theological journey.

The problem critics have with the book is not simply the journey, but the misrepresentations of God, the Godhead, the Trinity, revelation and forgiveness. The people who have expressed gratitude and joy over the book seem unaffected by its blatant misrepresentations of God; but rather, they sympathize and identify with the character’s fictional journey of pain, understanding, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
One would have to be pretty hard-hearted not to feel some sympathy for a man whose daughter is kidnapped and brutally murdered. Like Job in the Old Testament, Mack goes through a series of questions and answers designed to answer the problems of the presence of evil, the relationship of God to man; and the issues of forgiveness and hope. But unlike Job, Mack does not have an encounter with the God of the Bible.

Young, in a sermon he delivered at Crossroads Church in Denver, suggested he would like his book made into a movie. I have some ideas and suggestions for the main cast of characters which I have drawn from media and popular culture:

* Mackenzie Allen Phillips: David Duchavney (Fox “Spooky” Mulder from the X-Files)
* Papa: Oprah Winfrey (still struggling with her weight) or Della Reese
* Jesus: Dr. Phil (with an appropriate hair piece and a nose prosthesis’
* Sarayu: Lucy Lui (dressed in gossamer, looking kind of like an Asian fairy), Sarayu is Sancrit for Wind, but its roots means to flow, and it is the name of a river in India.

Years ago, A.W. Tozer (The Christian Missionary and Alliance pastor of the last century) warned of what he called:

a new decalogue adopted by the neo-Christians of our day, the first word of which reads “Thou shalt not disagree,” and a new set of Beatitudes too, which begins “Blessed are they that tolerate everything, for they shall not be made accountable for anything.” (12)

Tozer pointed out:
It is now the accepted thing to talk over religious differences in public with the understanding that no one will try to convert another or point out errors in his belief. Imagine Moses agreeing to take part in a panel discussion with Israel over the golden calf, or Elijah engaging in a gentlemanly dialogue with the prophets of Baal.” (13)

The author of The Shack doesn’t seem to be too interested in addressing the criticisms brought by defenders of historic, biblical Christianity.

What you are about to read is something that Mack and I have struggled with for many months to put into words. It’s a little, well…no, it is a lot on the fantastic side. Whether some parts of it are actually true or not, I won’t be the judge. Suffice it to say that while some things may not be scientifically provable, they can be still true nonetheless. (14)

The author then offers a couple of disclaimers:
…if you happen upon this story and hate it,…Sorry…but it wasn’t primarily written for you. Then again, maybe it was. (15)

What are we to believe or not believe? Was the story written for you or not? If you hate the story, the story is for you; if you love the story, the story is for you (-S+Y and +S=Y?)
And they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:4)’

Cathy Lynn Grossman, of USA Today, writes: “As for critics, he [Young] shakes his head.” Grossman quotes the author of The Shack:
* I don’t want to enter the Ultimate Fighting ring and duke it out in a cage-match with dogmatists. I have no need to knock churches down or pull people out.

* I have a lot of freedom by knowing that you really experience God in relationships. Wherever you are. It’s fluid and dynamic, not cemented into an institution with a concrete foundation.
But it’s not about me. I have everything that matters, a free and open life full of love and empty of all secrets
. (16)

Young claims he has “a free and open life full of love and empty of all secrets.” He leaves me with the impression that he elevates his own personal experience over the revelation of God in the Bible. Is that a problem? I believe the Bible teaches we can experience God in life-giving and life-sustaining relationships. I don’t believe our experience informs our theology, but rather, our theology informs our experience.

Young also makes the claim he doesn’t want “to enter the Ultimate Fighting ring,” but yet, he has challenged historic, biblical Christianity. Musician/songwriter Jim Croce warned in his hit tune from the 70’s : “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape; you don’t spit into the wind; you don’t pull the mask of the Lone Ranger,” If those constitute risky behaviors, how much more is it to misrepresent the Bible’s revelation of God? And there’s the rub. The author doesn’t seem to either know or care that he is misrepresenting the bible’s truth about God. Young has made repeated public comments on radio, television, newspaper, and internet about the critics who he deems are heavily invested in a God Who also encompasses wrath or judgment. Somehow the god of The Shack is mistaken as more kind and more understanding than the God of the Bible. However, justice is not antithetical to kindness.
I have had the privilege of working with law-enforcement officials and their families. In the F.B.I. if you pull a gun on a federal agent, you are pulling a gun on every federal agent. And if follows that when you threaten a marine, you threaten every marine. If you threaten an American citizen, you threaten every American citizen.

When you dismiss the historic,, biblical view of God, Jesus, and the Trinity; when you reject the bible’s clear revelation; when you downplay the Scripture’s teachings at the expense of personal experience, when you redefine the central message of salvation as being something other than the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary (salvation is not psycho-babble, no matter how “good” it sounds); when you redefine redemption; when you portray God in a way inconsistent with the Revelation of God of the bible; when you redefine the roles and hierarchy within the Godhead; when you leave the reader with the impression that you believe in Universalism* but privately or from pulpits affirm the exclusivity of Jesus; you are going to create misunderstandings. And for the person who cares about truth, for the person who sees himself or herself not as some sort of dogmatist, but rather, as a person in love with the revelation of God the revelation God has provided about Himself given in the Bible, The Shack constitutes a threat.
Misrepresentations In The Shack
Young doesn’t seem interested in defending his warped and weird views of God including the nature of the Trinity or his heretical views of patripassianism and subordinationism. These may seem scary terms to some, but a couple of definitions may help.

Patripassianism is a form of modalism--the teaching that there is only one God yet appears in three different modes or manifestations (as opposed to the orthodox teaching that there is only one God Who eternally and equally co-exists in three persons). Patripassianism comes from the Latin, and means the father suffers. The term refers to the teaching that God the Father suffers on the cross as Son--since according to this false view, the two are different modes or manifestations of the same person.
At one point, Mack notices:
…scars in (Papa’s) wrists, like those he now assumed Jesus also had on his, (18) And later Papa says:
When we three spoke ourself [sic] into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human. We also choose to embrace all the limitations that this entailed. Even through we have always been present in this created universe, we now became flesh and blood. (19)

No, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit did not speak themselves into human existence; but rather, only the Son became fully human (John 1:14). The Bible reveals that Jesus is one person with two natures: fully God and Fully human. The Father is not the Son and does not have a human nature; the Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son and does not have and never will have a human nature.
Norm Geisler rightly and soundly points out The Shack contains a heretical view of the Father suffering. Geisler points out that patripassianism was condemned by the Nicene Council (A.D. 325) and the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451). At issue or at stake is the notion that God changes, Dr. Geisler notes:

Suffering is a form of change, and the Bible makes it very clear that God cannot change. “I the LORD change not” (Mal. 3:6). “THERE IS NO SHADOW OF CHANGE WITH Him” (James 1:17). When all else changes, God “remains the same” (Heb. 1:10-12) (20)

Do The Shack and it’s author paint a picture of a God who changes? In what way does God change? The flood gates of heresy open (I.e. open view or neo-theism--the idea that God does not fully know or determine the future). If God can change, then the revelation of the bible is false. If God can change in any way, can God change in every way?

Young’s character has God the Father as well as God the Son “suffering” thus confusing the nature of God:
“Haven’t you seen the wounds on Papa [God the Father] too? “ I didn’t understand them. “How could he ….” for love. He choose the way of the cross…because of love.” (21)

According to Young’s characterization, the way God changes is God changes out of love; God is willing to change, able to change, “to get inside your stuff” (Crossroads Church audio file). If God is willing to change, motivated by love to get inside your stuff, then according to Young, the change God proposes must be good (an improvement in His flawed original plan? ). Right? Wrong. In reality, the nature of God and the plan of God are perfect. If the nature of God changes and/or if the plan of God changes, that is an indictment against the fundamental nature and/or character of God changes is heresy.
For some reason, perhaps for several reasons, those who love The Shack embrace the notion that God, indeed, does change! The Shack offers a shiny, glass pebble of psychological relief for the human heart and invites the reader to embrace a god who changes-so you don’t have to. For those who “love” The Shack, they are invited to embrace a god who allegedly changes-who changes because of (Young’s redefinition of) love in order “to get inside your stuff.”
God doesn’t change! The cross of Jesus does reveal the love of God-the love of an already perfect, unchanging God. Jesus came to die to absorb the wrath of God, to please His heavenly Father, to learn obedience and fulfill God’s perfect plan; to achieve His own Resurrection from the dead. If you think the Bible doesn’t contain enough reasons to declare God’s love, perhaps reading well know Christian author and pastor, John Piper’s book Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die would be helpful. (22)

Young defends his position by appealing to 2 Corinthians 5:19. “That God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself;” with the net result that the reader is left with the impression that Young’s view is some kind of modified form of Universalism. In Young’s faulty analysis and interpretation of 2 Corinthians 5:19, God the Father is literally present (in some unknown way) in Christ-suffering, even experiencing the roman nails, and taking on permanent wounds-visible, tangible, real. But for purposes of discussion, let’s suppose that Young does not mean real, physical, and tangible, but rather, he means in some sense metaphorical or allegorical. Is the net result a God who changes?

The Apostle Paul is convinced that God the Father was by means of Jesus’ death on the cross reconciling the world to Himself, and He was not coexisting or taking on an additional nature or experiencing ontological change with Jesus. Tozer writes;
For a moral being to change it would be necessary that the change be in one of three directions. He must go from better to worse or from worse to better; or granted that the moral quality remain stable, he must change within himself, as from immature to mature or from one order of being to another. It should be clear that God can move in none of these directions. His perfections forever rule out any such possibility. (23)
He then continues:
God cannot change for the better. Since He is perfectly holy, He has never been less holy than He is now and can never be holier than He is and has always been. Neither can God change for the worse. Any deterioration within the unspeakably holy nature of God is impossible. Indeed, I believe it impossible even to think of such a thing, for the moment we attempt to do so, the object about which we are thinking is no longer God but something else and someone less than He. The one of whom we are thinking may be a great and awesome creature, but because he is a creature he cannot be the self-existent Creator. (24)

Subordinationism is a heretical teaching proposing that any One of the Trinity is lesser in rank or dignity than others. In contrast, although there is no autonomous Person of the Trinity-none who is God apart from any other Person-yet each Person is autotheos ( “God in and of Himself).
Gender Bender God
Tim Challies cites from Old Testament Theology by Bruce Waltke (one of the leading Old Testament scholars in the world) where Waltke argues that both representation and misrepresentation matter:

God, who is over all, represents himself by masculine names and titles, not feminine ones. He identifies himself as Father, Son, and Spirit, not Parent, Child, and Spirit, not Mother, Daughter, and Spirit. Jesus taught his church to address God as “Father” (Luke 11:2) and to baptize disciples “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). God’s titles and King, not Queen; Lord, not Lady. God, not mortals, has the right to name himself. It is inexcusable hubris and idolatry on the part of mortals to change the images by which the eternal God chooses to represent himself. We cannot change God’s names, titles, or metaphors, without committing idolatry, for we will have re-imagined him in a way other than the metaphors and the incarnation by which he revealed himself. His representations and incarnations are inseparable from his being. (25)

Young has “re-imagined” God in The Shack. What Waltke rightly calls “inexcusable hubris and idolatry” becomes excusable and laughable to Young who presents a god who gives the book’s main character greens that may give him the runs. The inexcusable becomes excusable as Young has the character Papa explain the mystery:

Mackenzie, I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived fro my nature. If I choose to appear [emphasis in the original] to you as a man or woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning. (26)

Theologians concede that God is neither male nor female; but they would be hard-pressed to accept that God communicates his nature by mixing ,metaphorsto help” people “from falling back” into “religious conditioning.” Is the Bible’s revelation of God “religious conditioning or does Young’s god need to “mix metaphors” to promote this product of Young’s own imagination?
Is Young sympathetic to the person who imagines his own failed father as the Heavenly Father; and rather than give God a bum rap, he abandons the biblical revelation of God for a psychological accommodation to help re-imagine a loving God?

Young leaves the reader (at least this reader) with the impression that his father failed him on many levels. Was Young’s father emotionally unavailable, cold, and distant? Does it really help to re-imagine God as a non-threatening black woman to compensate for his own view of God?

Non-Essentials In The Shack
Dr. Albert Mahler
(President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) says; “This book includes undiluted heresy.” # Although I agree with my friend Dr. Mohler, I would also point out the book contains some fairly diluted heresy as well. (27)

The diluted heresies in The Shack remind me of how heroin and cocaine dealers would “stomp” on their products-dilute and divide them--so they could get the most bang for their buck. Heresy in large does can kill the host; but heresy divided and diluted attempts to get the user high without killing the host. The Shack does an excellent job of masking the heresies and all the while giving the reader a psychological buzz by presenting a ”God” filled with unconditional love and short on Judgment.

The popularity of The Shack lies in it’s ability to share some facets of the good news without pointing out the bad news. The cross of Jesus is barely mentioned. A fairly large amount of time is devoted to God’s love and God’s affection, but God’s holiness and righteousness is largely ignored.
The Shack certainly presents Jesus as God and Man. Yet, the Jesus of the Shack embraces the false teaching made popular by John Wimber, and others, that Jesus performed miracles only as a man filled with the Holy Spirit in submission to the Father, thus denying the bible’s teaching of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

He [Jesus] has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything. He has only lived out of his relationship with me [Papa, living in the very same manner that I desire to be in relationship with every human being. He is just to do it to the uttermost-the first to absolutely trust my life within him, the first to believe in my love and my appearance without regard for appearance and consequence. (28)

The author has his (god) character say some things completely inconsistent with the revelation of Scripture. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus, and by Jesus all things consist (see Col1:16-17). Subordinationism reduces the Second Person of the Trinity in rank by implying that His human nature places Him with less glory, dignity, or honor. The Scriptures teach and orthodox Christianity has always affirmed, that the person in the Godhead are equal in essence.

Young makes additional statements that suggest that hierarchy and authority within the Godhead simply don’t exist, and that hierarchy and authority are the result of sin. Once again, Young has his (god) character Papa say: Mackenzie, we have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are in a circle of relationship, not a chain of command or “great chain of being” as your ancestors termed it. What you’re seeing here is relationship without any overlay of power. We don’t need power over the other because ‘we are always looking out for the best. Hierarchy would make no sense among us. (29)

What makes no sense to Young’s character makes perfect sense to the God of the bible. The Scriptures reveal both authority and hierarchy within the Godhead. Jesus is sent by the Father; Jesus obeys the Father; the Holy Spirit obeys both Father and Son (John 14:26; John 15:26). The obedience and submission within the Godhead are not the result of sin, but rather, the revelation of the Scriptures concerning perfect love demonstrated in the way the Father relates to the Son and the way both the Father and the Son relate to the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul writes: But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the lead of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God(1 Cor. 11:3) Paul also warned Timothy:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies, in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” ( 1Timothy 4:1-3) But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7)
Young’s Jesus character informs Mack that Papa and Saayu are: …indeed submitted to one another and have always been so and always will be…In fact, we [read Trinity} are submitted to you [Mack} in the same way. (30)

What? In what way? In a conditional or unconditional way? Why then did Jesus submit Himself to the Father? Why did Jesus say, “Not My will, but Thy will be done?” (Luke 22:42) Does the Bible teach submission to authority in spiritual and family and government matters? What do you think Young means? I believe Young is projecting his own anti-authority sentiments, and that includes Young’s unwillingness to accept the authority of the Bible. According to Young, God is an extreme egalitarian.

Papa asks Mack to forgive the murderer of his daughter, Papa says: Mack, for you to forgive this man is for you to release him to me and allow me to redeem him. (31)

What in the world does that mean? Is God only free to redeem people who have been forgiven by their human victims? Does this mean we can have no expectation of repentance, even through the Bible says, “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents forgive him” (Luke 17:3-5) ? What about the Jesus character saying: I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu.” (32)

However, the true Jesus of the bible says: I am the way, the truth, the life. (John 14:6, emphasis mine) Are there other “ways”-less ways, less then best ways, average ways, next-to-best ways-still possible? Why does the Jesus character hold out the false hope that these might be another way for the reader?

In All things Charity
Challies has an excellent review posted on his web site (www.challies.com) He writes:
Despite the great amount of poor theology, my greatest concern is probably this one: the book has a quietly subversive quality to it. Young seems set on undermining orthodox Christianity. For example, at one point Mack states that, despite years of seminary and years of being a Christian, most of the things taught to him at the shack have never occurred to him before. Later he says, “I understand what you’re saying. I did that for years after seminary. I had the right answers, sometimes, but I didn’t know you. This weekend, sharing life with you has been far more illuminating that any of those answers.

An Idiot’s Guide To Basic Bible Discernment
Robert M. Bowman
, Jr. (Christian author and apologist) wrote an excellent book titled; Orthodoxy and Heresy. There is a chapter in the book titled, “Judging Others-is it Always Wrong?” The chapter begins with a discussion of when judging is wrong. Bowman explains we are to avoid hypocritical judgments. Hypocritical judgments are not bad because they are false-the judgment itself may be true. They are bad because they are given in a spirit of self-righteousness, absent is self-scrutiny. Hypocritical judgments result in judgment for the hypocrite. We are to avoid presumptuous judgments. Bowman rightly points out , “There are some matters on which human beings simply are not competent to judge.” (33) I believe we are not competent to judge if Young is saved or not saved.

Bowman also points out that another sort of presumptuous judgment is taking a non-essential matter and making it the litmus test regarding Christian fellowship. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul warns about this by citing the misapplication of dietary restrictions and feast days as matters for Christian fellowship. Does embracing or rejecting the content of Young’s book constitute an essential of the faith?

Bowman then points out in chapter 3, “When Judging is Right.”
Judging truth from error and good from evil.
Judging unrepentant sinners in the church.
Judging teachers of false versions of Christianity
. (34)
Bowman also points out in chapter 6, “It’s Not Always Black or White.”
“It is helpful to speak of religious doctrines which undermine or are in tension with a group’s orthodox beliefs as aberrational or aberrant,. Holding such aberrational views is a serious problem, and those who do so must be considered as being in serious sin and should be treated accordingly. Specifically, those advocating such errors should not be allowed to teach or minister in the church, and those refusing to keep such aberrant views to themselves should be excommunicated.
(35)

He continues and says:
The charge that a person’s or group’s beliefs are aberrational is a serious one that cannot be made easily. It is arguable that at one level any incorrect belief is at tension with or undermines orthodox beliefs. By aberrational, however I am referring only to false beliefs which do serious damage to the integrity of an orthodox confession of faith. (36)

Conclusion One person named Michael Burton posted this in the review section of Amazon.com:
Upon sober reflection, perhaps you will discern that this IS an amazing book and THE book for you if, and only if..
You want to recreate God in your own image;
You find Isaiah’s portrayal of a holy God seated upon His throne to be a disturbing image;
You would prefer to metaphorically cast God the Father as a loving and large black woman named “Papa” Jesus as a laid back and friendly Middle Eastern man, and the Holy Spirit as a calm and cool Asian woman;
You want a God so small that you and she/he/she can just hang out as best buddies;
You regard the Bible as an extremely biased , narrowminded and insufficient revelation of God in leather binding with “guilt edges” (p. 65);
You therefore believe that God talks to people today, and that whatever she or he says to people trumps biblical truth (p.66);
You believe that God is never to be feared (p.90);
You believe that Jesus’ miracles do not affirm Him as God, but prove only “that Jesus is truly human” (p. 99)
You want a God who does not hold people accountable for, nor punishes sin (p. 119);
You want a God who does not demand that you submit to him or her, but one who submits to YOU (p.145)
You want a God who accepts everyone-“Buddhists…Muslims, bankers and bookies-as his or her children no matter what their beliefs or behavior, and that Jesus has “no desire to make them Christian”. (p.223);
You believe that Jesus lied when He warned, “Broad is the road that leads to destruction”. (Matt. 7:13), because in the Shack Jesus says, “Most roads don’t lead anywhere” (p.182)

Young has said he never meant for those quotes in his book to mean he believes in Universalism. He has said his critics are too deeply invested in a God of Judgment to read his book in the spirit in which it was written.

The confusion and misunderstanding might go away if Young would affirm historic, biblical belief. Creedal theology does service a purpose in that we don’t “play telephone” with doctrine. Statements of faith have real value.

One of the great challenges any writer faces is to write in such a way that his core message is understood. What is the core message of The Shack? I have read the book twice-once quickly and once carefully.

The core message of The Shack seems to be; Nearly 2,000 years of historic, biblical Christianity has had it all wrong-well, maybe not all wrong. Yes, there is a God; and that god is a God of unconditional love. Nevertheless, Young contends that God may not be as angry with sin as He has described in His Word-the Bible; and there probably is some sort of universal forgiveness that results in the ultimate redemption of all mankind. Does Young assume the Bible has a lot of great stories, characters, beliefs, concepts, and doctrines; but hey, human experience is at least as important? Yes, the god of the bible reveals Himself in Trinity, but Young’s book presents his Trinity as just a modified form of modalism very similar to that of Oneness Pentecostals. So, if you want genuine and profound healing from trauma and /or abuse and you desire true and lasting answers to life’s deeper questions, The Shack offers more psycho-babble than hope.
Young has fashioned a fictional vehicle to re-create and experience a god (because this god is not the God of revelation, but rather Young’s imagination) who: “…is the ground of all being, dwell in, around and through all things.” (38)

Young confuses a transcendent God-Who is greater than and exists above and independent of creation-with a pantheistic god-a god ho is a part of, but not all of this world.

What does the author really believe about God? What does the author really believe about Universalism? Over and over again we are presented with Young’s character saying the most outrageous things. For example, Papa says to Mack: We [the Trinity] have limited ourselves out of respect for you.” (39)

Really? The Creator-God, limits Himself out of respect for created beings? - limits Himself in order to entertain and engage them? But, the god of the bible refuses to limit Himself, choosing rather to enlighten us by saying; “For My thoughts [are] not your thoughts, Nor [are] your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8) Sarayu (Young’s Holy Spirit character) says to Mack: Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have actual existence… (40)

Is that what the Bible teaches? How did the Jesus of the Bible get it so utterly wrong attributing His temptations in the desert to the evil Devil and speaking to him as well? (See Luke 4:1-13.)

Young’s character Papa bloviates; I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is it’s own punishment, devouring you fro the inside. It is not my purpose to punish it; but to cure it. (41)

We know there are consequences of sin, both temporal and eternal. How does the god of the bible cure sin? Jesus dies on the cross. How does the god of The Shack cure sin? Papa’s statement is that the punishment for sin is the punishment we receive in this life. The punishment in the bible for the unredeemed is a Christ-less eternity in Hell.

The Shack neither visits, nor explains, nor expands the Biblical view of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The God of the Shack doesn’t seem to hate sin (only in as much as it hurts someone in the here and the now); doesn’t require sinners to repent; and fails to explain the nature of conversion or what constitutes Biblical conversion or salvation. The Shack is not a precious gem, but a broken piece of glass that should be labeled: “Harmful if Swallowed”
* Universalism is the false belief that all will be saved. Scripture quotations are from the New King James Versions.

Endnotes:
1. Adam, Jay A Call to Discernment Eugene, OR Harvest House Pub.
2. Lewis, Gordon 2008, Heresy and Abberrat Conduct 8 November. Private emial correspondence with Gino Geraci.
3.lbid
4. Geisler, Norm and Rhondes, Convictions without Compromise Eugene, OR Harvest House Pub. 2008
5. lbid
6. Elliott, Wayne, shack attack - Or a Call to Discernment? [online] http://www.hereiblog.com/
7. http://www.gotquestions.org/The-Shack-review.htm
8. Houndmann, S. Michael , 2008 'What is Got Questions. org's reiew of The Shack by William P. Young? [online] http://gotquestions.org/The-Shack-review.html (accessed on 11 October 2008)
9. Smith, Michael W. back cover of The Shack, Newbury Park, CA ; Wndblown Media, 2007
10. Challies, Tim A Reader's Review of The Shack [online]
11. Peterson, Eurgene back cover of The Shack
12. Tozer, A.W. , Gems from Tozer selections rom the Writings of A.W. Tozer Wing Spread Publishers, 1980 47-48
13. lbid, 47-48
14. Young, op. cit, 12.
15. lbid., 13
16. Grossman, Cathy Lynn 2008 'Shack opens doors but critics call book 'scripturally incorrect' [online] http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-05-28-the-shack-N.htm (accessed on 12 November 2008)
17. Challies, op. cit
18. Young, op.cit., 96
19. lbid,. 99
20. Norman Geisler, http://normgeisler.com/
21. Young, op, cit., 165
22. Piper, John Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, Wheaton, IL. Crossway books 2006
23. Tozer, A.W. The Knowledge of the Holy, HarperCollins Pub. 1961; 49
24. lbid,. 49
25. Challies, op. cit
26. Young op cit , 93
27. Mohler , Dr Albert 2008 Radio Broadcast - Encore Presentation, April 11, 2008 http://www.albertmohler.com/
28. Young, op.cit, 99-100
29. lbid,. 122
30. lbid, 145
31. lbid., 224
32. lbid., 109
33. Bowman, Robert M. Jr. Orthodoxy and Heresy, Grand Rapids; Baker Book House, 1992 - 29-30
34. lbid,. 30-32
35. lbid, 53
36 lbid., 53
37. Burton, Michael , 2007, Customer Review [online] http://www.amazon.com/review/R2lQLK8MCPWZLJ (accessed on 12 November 2008)
38. Young, op. cit., 112
39. lbid . 106
40. lbid 136
41. ibid., 119

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