Faith, Current Events
Veritéetfeu
Should Christians "Beg Off” Alistair Begg?

With more than 50 years of faithful preaching of the Scriptures and zero public scandals, Pastor Begg had certainly earned my unofficial designation as a “solid” celebrity pastor. However, his recent handling of a cultural matter countered a Biblical worldview, and this was not at all consistent with the reputation that has long preceded him. 

Which begs the question that many have raised in recent weeks: What are we, as Believers, now to do with Alistair Begg?

Should Christians "Beg Off” Alistair Begg?
Faith, Pop Culture
Veritéetfeu
Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Christian ...

Since publishing the original SITMAC series in 2018, I’ve received several requests to write another installment. Admittedly, I didn’t believe one would be necessary because, as my logic went, by exposing the up and coming protégés of the old guard (see Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, etc), it should be easy to sniff out other false and extremely problematic preachers and pastors by association. Those birds all seemed to flock together, so writing about yet another member of their coop felt redundant. 

What I didn’t consider at the time, however, was the role social media was beginning to play in platforming charlatans who don’t necessarily have ties to the old guard. I also didn’t consider how, thanks to social media, false teachers and problematic brothers (and sisters) no longer need a pulpit or a local church to sow error and confusion before a mass of God’s people.

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Christian Influencers to Leave in 2023
Faith, Current Events, Celebrity Conversion
Veritéetfeu
Kat Von D Got Baptized, But…

Prior to episode 902 of the Relatable Podcast with Allie Beth Stuckey, I had extremely little knowledge of Kat Von D.

I’ve certainly heard her name in passing as I’ve consumed pop culture news over the years. In recent weeks, for example, I’d seen various headlines reporting on her recent baptism into Christianity. So, indeed, I’ve definitely heard of her. 

Yet, I’m embarrassed to admit that I was so unfamiliar with her claims to fame and professional résumé that I initially confused her with the burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. In my defense, both women do have “Von” in their names; they’re both undeniably gorgeous, fair-skinned brunettes who often rock a bold, red lip; and they are both closely associated with Marilyn Manson. 

Kat Von D Got Baptized, But…
Podcast Episode, Christian Living, Relationships
Veritéetfeu
S4E1: Married Single Mothers?

In the premiere episode of Season 4 of Truth + Fire: The Podcast, host Veritéetfeu tackles "married single motherhood", a parenting phenomenon where married mothers take on the sole responsibility to care for their children. But is this practically beneficial for the mother, the father or their children? More importantly, is it Biblical?

S4E1: Married Single Mothers?
Faith, Christian Living
Veritéetfeu
If You Don't Want Kids, You Shouldn't Get ...

While browsing through Twitter the other day, I happened upon an interesting post from one of my favorite Christian writers, Samuel Sey. 

In it, he declared: 

“If a woman doesn’t want to be a mother, she shouldn’t be a wife. My dude, stay away from her.”

Founder and blogger at slowtowrite.com and contributing writer for various other outlets, Sam has done well to pen prolific thought pieces on the state of our culture, and he always endeavors to do so through a Biblical worldview. We also share a platform at Pyrolithos Foundation, where we each publish articles that address cultural issues from a Biblically-conservative perspective. In other words, Sam and I are on the same team; he is indeed my brother in the Lord; and, in most instances, I agree with his commentary. 

Yet, admittedly, I found his tweet to be a bit provocative and potentially discouraging.  

If You Don't Want Kids, You Shouldn't Get Married...?

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid Devon Franklin in 2018!

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid Devon Franklin in 2018!

Franklin, famously wed to actress Meagan Good, is a Hollywood executive, author, and ordained minister. Getting his start in entertainment as an unpaid intern for Will Smith, Franklin has since climbed the ranks, building an extensive filmography along the way. His works include, but are not limited to, faith-based films such as Heaven is For Real, Not Easily Broken, Miracles from Heaven and, most recently, The Star Movie.  In his latest book, The Hollywood Commandments: Spiritual Guide to Secular Success Franklin attributes his Hollywood success to his ability to find a happy middle ground between living by secular and spiritual principles. “Too often, some people are too spiritual and they don’t recognize the value of the secular, and some people are secular and don’t recognize the value of the spiritual. And what I realize is I believe success is a combination of both,” Franklin said in a recent interview with the Breakfast Club. Franklin also argues it is possible to be wildly successful in the secular world without losing one’s faith. In fact, he says God told him to write The Hollywood Commandments to teach the Body of Christ how to be successful. Telling a crowd during one of his preaching engagements, “After 20 years of tremendous favor, God said, ‘DeVon. I want you to teach what you’ve learned in Hollywood to My people.’”

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid John Gray in 2018!

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid John Gray in 2018!

An associate pastor at Lakewood Church, Gray has served under Joel Osteen's leadership for more than five years. However, it was recently announced that Gray will be relocating this year to begin his new role as senior pastor of Redemption Church in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Gray’s personality is charming and unassuming. His preaching style is lively, often incorporating comedy, singing, dancing, and random references to popular secular music. He's so relevant and entertaining that, if you're not careful, you won't even notice he's uttering all manner of doctrinal errors and theological confusion.  Gray, who tends to preach around the truth, will make mention of Jesus by name, and he may even speak of our need for the Gospel, but he never quite gets around to actually teaching it. He also offers up a wealth of spiritual platitudes and often inserts misapplied scriptures that his teaching actually sounds meaty to the undiscerning. But, ultimately, his speech is filled with empty words and his disturbingly odd (if not outright demonic) take on God's word.

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid Carl Lentz in 2018

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid Carl Lentz in 2018

Lentz is not your papa’s preacher. He's not a preacher of God's Word, either. Lentz repeatedly compromises for the culture, often shrouding the truth in confusion and ambiguity to placate (lukewarm) Believers and non-believers alike. To avoid stepping on toes with the truth, Lentz simply opts to tiptoe around it to remain in good graces with the cool kids.  He is the “spiritual guide” to celebrities like Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and more. His approach to pastoring isn’t to shepherd his flock per the requirements of 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1 (especially Titus 1:9). Instead, Lentz is more of a well-groomed bro who will pray and take shots with you.  Whenever asked his views on sin, Lentz is known to give a lukewarm response, failing to answer the question head on and claiming that it isn’t his job to call sin for what it is. Rather, he says, his focus is more on getting to know people personally that he might deal with those matters on a case-by-case basis, behind closed doors.

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid Steven Furtick in 2018!

Something in the Milk Ain't Clean: Avoid Steven Furtick in 2018!

Furtick is charismatic in the pulpit, and he is eager to share his desire to reach the lost. But he seems to believe that once the lost are “found” his work is done. “If you know Jesus Christ, I’m sorry to break it to you, this church is not for you,” Furtick says. This applies even if you’ve only known Christ for as little as a week.  “Last week was the last week that Elevation Church existed for you,” Furtick declares.  

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What about Zac Posen?: Why Attacking Jack Phillips Isn't Fair

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What about Zac Posen?: Why Attacking Jack Phillips Isn't Fair

Many Americans are having a hard time grasping why Christian baker Jack Phillips declined to make a custom cake for a gay wedding.  One would think the conflict is obvious, but there are many who seem to be appalled, if not downright enraged, by Mr. Phillips and his position. There's been very little attempt to view his position with care and understanding. Instead, there have been tweets, Facebook posts, thought pieces and political pundits seemingly committed to dragging the man through the mud. They say Mr. Phillips wasn't motivated by sincerely-held convictions to decline to make the cake.  They say he was motivated by "bigotry"! They say he was motivated by "hate"!

I say that is malarkey.

I say, those who desire to malign Mr. Phillip’s convictions aren’t only being grossly disingenuous, they're being wholly hypocritical.

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What the Church MUST Do to Address #ChurchToo

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What the Church MUST Do to Address #ChurchToo

#ChurchToo is now trending.

Taking its cue from social media’s explosive #MeToo campaign, #ChurchToo allows victims of sexual harassment, assault and abuse in a church setting to share their stories. While some are taking this as an opportunity to leave Church, I'd like to offer up a few things the Church MUST do to make things right going forward. 

The Faith of Farrakhan: A Case for Christian Discernment

The Faith of Farrakhan: A Case for Christian Discernment

Saints, I'll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of Farrakhan's ministry through the Nation of Islam (NOI). As most of you know, while he is a world-renowned and respected religious leader, his religion counters Christ. So he’s an automatic “no go” in my book.  But if this man has converted to believe on Christ, I'd be among the first to welcome him with sincere celebration and praising the Lord!

For the past week, a video posted by Louis Farrakahn Ministries Facebook page has made its rounds under the caption “I know my Jesus Lives.” The short clip (less than 1 minute, 30 seconds) appears to show Farrakhan denouncing his NOI teachings, publicly professing his faith in the resurrected Jesus Christ, and it seems he’s confessing that he is believing on Jesus Christ for eternal life. The video has has gotten 1.1 million views at the time of this writing, and most folks in my social media circle, including myself, couldn’t help but let out a shout of praise at the prospect of it after viewing it for ourselves.

IF this is the Lord doing a “Saul-to-Paul” type of conversion in Farrakhan, I say BLESS the LORD!

Nevertheless, there's this little warning from Jesus to take heed that no one deceives us (Matthew 24:4). Let's explore how we do just that. 

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That Ain't the Work of the Lord! Thoughts on the Tasha Cobbs/Nicki Minaj Collab

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That Ain't the Work of the Lord! Thoughts on the Tasha Cobbs/Nicki Minaj Collab

In Tasha's defense, "I'm Getting Ready" (ft. Nicki Minaj) doesn’t actually stray from the prevailing message in today's Gospel music. I read the song's lyrics today and, of course, I really read Nicki's verse. Honestly, I didn't find anything out of the norm.

Unfortunately, however, in most Gospel music today the "norm" is about glorifying SELF! Most Gospel music today, at least most mainstream music coming out of the INDUSTRY, is shrouded not in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (as it is truly revealed in Scripture), but in a "prosperity Gospel". THAT "gospel" makes EVERYTHING about YOU! It milks God for material wealth and health, and it lays claim to "blessings" while altogether neglecting to glorify the "Blesser".

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We Just Lost One: Bye Lecrae

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We Just Lost One: Bye Lecrae

Lecrae is not a Christian rapper. He’s said this time and time again since about 2012. For many in the Church, however, this has been a tough proclamation to grasp. But it’s high time we finally accept it.  It’s time for those of us who have been clinging to him to let him go and instead embrace the fact that Lecrae is free to do and be called whatever he wishes. If removing the “Christian” label from his identity is what he really wants to do, I say we fall all the way back and let him do it. After all, as he once said, “If I was a plumber, I wouldn’t say ‘I’m a Christian plumber’”. Touché! I can totally respect that perspective.

But here’s the thing: Lecrae previously indicated his music wasn’t merely his vocation. He treated it like his ministry. On numerous occasions he claimed his ultimate goal was to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His favorite Bible verse, Romans 1:16, and many of his songs presented him to be one who was unashamed of the Gospel. He said he would tell the world about Jesus EVERYWHERE he’d go. So what does he really mean by, “I’m not a Gospel rapper” and “My music isn’t Christian” when he, himself, once told the Church AND the world:

““That’s why it’s Christ in my rhymes
That’s why it’s Christ all the time
See my whole world is built around Him
He’s the life in my lines”
 

— Lecrae, "Don't Wast Your Life" (2008)

That’s how he introduced himself to us. So, as I prepare to fall back on the kid and officially bid the new Lecrae adieu, I wanted to at least express where many of his original fans are coming from that he might understand why it’s taken us so long to accept his new direction - a direction he might call "growth" yet so many of us discern is regression or "falling away".