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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
At the age of 65 with millions in the bank, Scott Adams has reached a point in his life where he just doesn’t give a hoot!
Creator of the popular, albeit now widely canceled, ‘Dilbert’ comic strip and the author of nine books, Adams has what he calls “[bleep] you money”. During a 2019 interview with VLAD TV, Adams shared that he has four times over the amount of money needed to be financially set for the rest of his days. While he has no desire to quit working, he admitted that with the amount of money he has, he very well could, and he could tell his bosses, or anyone else with financial control over him, exactly how he feels on his way out.
This perhaps explains Adams’ now viral, racist tirade during which he called Black Americans a “hate group”.
The debate over student loan forgiveness has been a surprisingly controversial topic among Americans and Christians alike. In this episode, host Veritéetfeu picks up where her article Student Loan Forgiveness: Considerations for Conservative Christians leaves off to discuss the realities, reactions, and the rhetoric surrounding this topic.
The day the Biden Administration announced its Student Loan Debt Plan, my best friend sent me a text.
“Thoughts?”, it read.
It accompanied an infographic detailing who qualifies for student loan forgiveness and the maximum amount to be forgiven per borrower under the Plan.
My immediate response was, “It ain’t enough,” along with a laugh out loud emoji.
I then went on to express that if this plan would tank the American economy, “I don’t want it.” “For me, if they could just waive the interest, I’d be grateful,” I added.
“I’m glad I went ahead and paid off my loans, with the help of [my husband] of course,” my best friend replied. “I wouldn’t qualify for this program anyway.”
My best friend, a mechanical engineer, paid off her student loans a few years back thanks to an aggressive repayment plan she and her husband, also a mechanical engineer, devised. I saw the sacrifices they made and was there to witness God lovingly “interrupting” their plan along the way with the birth of their children. But, eventually, she would taste the gloriousness that is freedom from student loan debt, and I have continued to praise the Lord on her behalf for that!
My scenario hasn’t been quite the same, but I’ve been nonetheless on my own plight to rid myself of student loan debt.
As current cultural trends and ideological differences seemingly divide Christians along political lines, Host Veriteetfeu is joined by Truth + Fire Subscribers and other special guests to discuss whether these divisions are actually Biblically necessary. Join the discussion live Friday, July 29th at 7PM ET.
Even as we might disagree politically with our progressive friends, I think the average American Christian has done a bang up job of trying to respect their “rights”, under U.S. law, to engage in what we well know are sins against God. For the most part, we really haven’t worked with fierce intention to overturn policies like Roe v. Wade, Obergefell v. Hodges (the 2015 ruling on same sex “marriage”), or other such laws. Instead, we have simply sought to reach the hearts and minds of those who would take advantage of their “right” to engage in those sins. We’ve discussed with them the spiritual and practical implications of their choices, and we have hoped that, in response to the Gospel, they’d come to repentance. Other than that, we’ve tried to mind our business and live quiet lives, all while knowing the days are evil.
I had never read The Roys Report before a couple of days ago, though I had heard of Julie Roys in passing. Both Mrs. Roys and her outlet are often associated with the latest scandal in Christendom. As such, I never felt it necessary to read her content, presuming I might be exposed to more gossip than that which edifies.
So when I learned of her latest piece on John MacArthur, I initially paid it no mind. Yet, after seeing various Believers dissecting and analyzing her report across social media - and some concluding that John MacArthur must resign from Grace Community Church (GCC), I decided to review the report for myself.
Kyle Rittenhouse, who was charged with first-degree intentional murder, first-degree reckless murder and attempted murder, was acquitted this month of all charges. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time he shot and killed two men and injured a third, and he faced a misdemeanor charge for the illegal possession of a firearm by a minor.
However, testimony from Rittenhouse and Gaige Grosskreutz (the surviving witness) along with video evidence from the night of the shooting all presented extremely strong support for Rittenhouse’s claim of self-defense. Moreover, shortly before the trial concluded, Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the weapons charge, as it was not applicable to Rittenhouse under Wisconsin law.
Thanks to the merits of the evidence presented, and some good old fashioned grace and mercy from the Lord, justice prevailed. Rittenhouse is a free young man, and I couldn’t be happier for him!
Yet, even as I celebrate and wholeheartedly agree with the jury’s verdict, I do take particular issue with Rittenhouse for being in his predicament in the first place.
