Two New Books On Biblicism

The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture

By Christian Smith

Product Description (Amazon)

Biblicism, an approach to the Bible common among some American evangelicals, emphasizes together the Bible's exclusive authority, infallibility, clarity, self-sufficiency, internal consistency, self-evident meaning, and universal applicability. Acclaimed sociologist Christian Smith argues that this approach is misguided and unable to live up to its own claims. If evangelical biblicism worked as its proponents say it should, there would not be the vast variety of interpretive differences that biblicists themselves reach when they actually read and interpret the Bible.

Smith describes the assumptions, beliefs, and practices of evangelical biblicism and sets it in historical, sociological, and philosophical context. He explains why it is an impossible approach to the Bible as an authority and provides constructive alternative approaches to help evangelicals be more honest and faithful in reading the Bible. Far from challenging the inspiration and authority of Scripture, Smith critiques a particular rendering of it, encouraging evangelicals to seek a more responsible, coherent, and defensible approach to biblical authority.

From the Inside Flap

"Many books have been written either defending or detracting from an evangelical view of the Bible. Christian Smith, as a trained sociologist, offers a much-needed perspective: explaining evangelical biblicism as a sociological phenomenon. Smith demonstrates, respectfully but critically, that the type of biblicism that often characterizes evangelicalism cannot account for how scripture itself behaves. Biblicism is retained, however, because of its sociological value for 'maintaining safe identity boundaries.' Smith's analysis of the problem of biblicism and his offer of a way forward are important contributions to the current developments surrounding evangelicalism and the Bible."--Peter Enns, author, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament

"Christian Smith plainly says what so many others have been thinking or implying for some time--namely, that many strands of evangelicalism believe things about the Bible and theology that are simply impossible. Smith exposes the scholastic alchemy that holds this fragile theological edifice together and helps us understand that serious damage is done to the church and its witness when we perpetuate the errors of biblicism."--Kenton L. Sparks, Eastern University

"Smith vigorously presents a compelling possibility: The Bible could be more alive, the church could be more unified, those of us who care deeply about scripture could be less fearful about some collapse of authority and more honest about what is actually in the Bible if we simply began to listen with more humility and openness to what it is God seems most concerned to reveal. A great book for this time in the life of evangelicalism."--Debbie Blue, pastor, House of Mercy; author, Sensual Orthodoxy and From Stone to Living Word

 

 Confessions of a Bible Thumper:
My Homebrewed Quest for a Reasoned Faith


Whether you are a restless evangelical or consider yourself spiritual-but-not religious, you'll enjoy this spiritual memoir and vision for progressive Christianity. Michael Camp was on a tenacious quest for a vibrant and reasonable faith in God. Thinking he found it among evangelicals, he eventually faced deepening doubts and uncovered eight startling discoveries that turned conservative Christian theology on its head—and himself into a heretic among his peers.

Without running into the arms of angry atheists or throwing the baby out with the baptismal bathwater, Camp reveals a vision for an open, broad-minded faith in Christ, ironically based on a fair exegetical reading of the Bible and the history of the early church. His conclusions are eye opening, yet rarely stereotypical.

 

You can read an excerpt here:  Pub Theology

 

 

*WARNING: Camp’s heresies are hard to detect. He critiques
both religious and secular dogma. He actually thinks for himself.
What a concept. While deploring the Religious Right, he
is also known to good-naturely mock Richard Dawkins fans
who buy A-is-for-Atheist pins and is sympathetic to intelligent
design theory. Besides Jesus (and gay activist Mel White and
author Frank Schaeffer), one of his heroes is another brand of
atheist—Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali champion of Muslim women’s
rights. Go figure. (Hint: she’s better looking than Dawkins).
Then go read his screeds and forthcoming book.

The Happy Heretic

Esteemed LCG Scientist Speaks Out

Who knew LCG had any scientists in their midst.  Take a guess as to who one of these scientists are.  It is none other than our esteemed Chiro/naturo/Eschatology-wizard/2012 authority/Author Bob Thiel!

He writes:

As a scientist, I have long known that proponents of evolution treat the subject more like a religious view than a scientific theory. This is somewhat also what the Ben Stein movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed revealed (see Ben Stein’s Expelled).

Which was?

Scientists who challenge too many claims associated with evolution are shunned by many academic institutions, as there is a tremendous amount of pressure at most “leading” academic institutions to squelch research that is not in support of evolution because it will affect their beliefs.

Evolution, as the explanation for the origin of life, is unscientific and false. It also requires students to accept a belief that violates other known laws of biological science, and it develops a scoffer’s attitude towards truth.

Perhaps I should add that when the world does not end in 2012, around December 22, 2012 I expect scoffers to abound related to prophecy (2 Peter 2-3).

This was all in response to a LCG article on the Tomorrow's World web site The Real God: Proofs and Promises, by Doug Winnail.  I had Winnail as a biology teacher while a student at Embarrassing College.  Talk about one INCREDIBLY boring man!


Winnail writes:

It may come as a shock to you, but our modern, sophisticated, well-educated world has been deceived when it comes to life's biggest questions! The truth about the real God has been perverted and suppressed—not just by atheistic philosophers and secular scientists, but by misguided theologians! This may sound like an outrageous statement, but it is exactly what the Bible revealed would happen, and it is verified by historical facts, as we will see in this booklet.

Winnail needs to look no further than LCG to find "misguided theologians!"  LCG is filled with theologically bankrupt "theologians."  I cannot call them real theologians because none of them have any real degrees in theology..

Winnail continues:

Today, many practice a superficial "consumer Christianity" or "cafeteria religion"—that is, people pick and choose what religious tenets they wish to believe and reject those teachings that do not appeal to their interests. For many people, religious beliefs are often personal, vague, generalized and casual. Levels of confidence and conviction are often rather low. Doctrinal specifics are usually fuzzy. Each person tends to believe what seems to be right in his or her own eyes. This is part of the legacy of the Protestant Reformation—where the individual, not the church or the Bible—becomes the sole authority (ibid., pp. 61–62). As one teenager responded when asked by a reporter about what she thought about God: "God is everywhere. God is in me. I am God." These are, as we shall see, sadly misinformed opinions!

Well if that's not calling the kettle black I don't know what is!  Look at the people who picked and chose what they wanted to believe when they helped for GCG (while on WCG payroll) so that Lord Meredith could move into his new church after WCG had finished defending him in court for his flapping loud mouth.

Doctrinal specifies have changed so many times in LCG it would take numerous posts to list them all.  Like all the various harlot daughters of the great mother church - WCG- LCG looks outside the Bible for much of it's authority.

Check out the article above if you want to read all about the evils of evolution and to be astounded at the awesomeness of LCG's mind boggling knowledge.

COGWA Using It's Own Church Members To Audit It's Books

COGWA has apparently chosen  McNeely and McNeely as it's auditors over it's church accounts. Melton McNeely is  a member of COGWA.

You can see his name listed here on those who left UCG: http://ambassadorreports.blogspot.com/2011/01/ucg-v-cogawa-war-update.html (about 40th elder down)

The Journal also mentions McNeely in 2004  http://www.thejournal.org/issues/issue94/ucgbsndy.html  Melton McNeely of UCG from Hawkins TX (where this auditing firm is also located).

You would  think they would have learned a lesson from having Stan Rader as a church auditor and the mess that it caused .  But no.  The COG's seem to conveniently be able to forget the past because they think they are far more enlightened today.

You Are All A Bunch of God-Hating Functionally Constipated Sleepy Sheepie Nicolatanes!!!!

For all of you that have dared to disagree with Apostle Malm, one of his acolytes has this to say about you!

COMMENT: In reply to your detractors, who pose the “who do you think you are…” challenges, we should see their contempt as exposing the defective orientation that it is.

It reflects the God-hated Nicolaitane condition, which allows only those ‘ordained’ to be authorized to speak in any capacity.

No, in fact, the general membership are obligated, and may we say ‘commanded’, to speak out and speak often among themselves. Malachi 3:16-18 says it as well as anything could. It is our acceptance of the “only the ministry can speak / if anyone speaks, he’s making himself out to be a minister”  mentality that exposes our biblical misalignment on this matter.
Not only does our ‘ministry’ impose that prohibition, but our membership seems also trained to have that same reaction.

The Nicolaitane establishments have done their job well in that department. We were often reminded of the “pray and pay” situation, with the failure to emphasize the obvious, but unspoken follow-up: “you have no say!” It is our failure to use the faculties God has given us that largely accounts for our functionally constipated condition.

The ‘body’ in concert could have prevented many of the apostasies and abuses, but we created way too many ‘sleepy sheepies’!!  We have more liability for our own demise than we choose to admit. The real question is, “who do they imagine THEY are?”

They facilitate a condition that Christ plainly states that He hates (Rev.2:6&15) and frustrate one that He greatly appreciates! (Mal 3:16)

The Apostle Clarifies His Legitimacy, Says Tribulation Will Start Early 2013 and Says He only Has A Year or So to Live

A couple of things from the Apostle today.  He has a new command for the FOT - you are to study Deuteronomy every seven years.

 We have a command to study through the Book of Deuteronomy every seventh year at the Feast of Tabernacles.  Very few COG organizations have ever done that so they do not understand that Deuteronomy is a final warning of the consequences of disobedience and the blessing of obeying God.

The Apostle also seems to have been getting a lot of flak lately about people thinking he is starting a new "church."  He claims he is not, but lays out what he is specifically anointed to to do:

1)   I see myself as providing a wake up call, a kind of early warning, a kind of watchman’s warning that things are finally coming to a head.  It is my purpose and I have always declared that my purpose is to wake people up, to shock  if necessary, but to get people to begin to think, to question, to study diligently, to seek God with all their hearts and to turn to him; in preparation for the trials to come.

I am not trying to start any group; I am trying to wake up ALL the groups!

2)   I honestly believe that we are at the very edge of the hour of trial and that the tribulation of Jacob’s trouble could begin within a very short time.  It is my personal opinion that the final false prophet the abomination, could be set up in Rome as early as mid Sep of 2012, and the tribulation could begin within the following 75 days.

But in order to cover his ass when his prediction fails, which it will, he takes the easy wayy out:

Regardless of whether this does come in 2012 or a year or two later, we can all be properly prepared by turning to our God with whole hearted, zealous, passionate, enthusiasm.

Indeed if this does not come for a very long time, the situation in the COGs still requires a revival of zeal and godliness before our light flickers out and God turns away from us.  We tend to think so very much of ourselves when we are NOTHING unless we are zealous for our Father and our Maker.  God will NOT forsake us, yet we are forsaking HIM by our lack of zeal for him and his ways; and our sins have come between us.

3)   The ongoing situation in the COGs is one of deepening lukewarmness and laxity rather than a revival of zeal for God and his commandments.  This falls directly into the prophecies of Laodicea. 

4)   I am very ill with the end game complications of diabetes which runs in my family; and I do not have more that a year or two left, without a miracle from God.  I have no interest in pleasing any man or organization, my only interest is in pleasing God.  That places me in a position to reach out to ALL the groups and to ALL of God’s people with the wake up call.

5)   I believe that the brethren and elders consist of: A. the deeply converted, B. the lax and lukewarm and C. many tares.  In short ALL the groups are a mix of these three.

6)   I expect that God will send his two prophets to take his faithful and that they shall reveal themselves through meeting the biblical description and shall have the power to remove God’s faithful who will choose to respond to them.  Then my job will be completed.

7)   A small number who have learned to stand on God’s word and not to idolize men, will respond and leave the groups; the groups will remain and they shall be destroyed, for God will destroy the idols of the people.  God will force the decades old spiritual babes to stand on their own spiritual feet.

It is my mission to give the warning; to boldly declare that the Eternal is God and beside him there is NO other!!!

I am trying to wake people up and get them questioning, thinking, proving, studying and turning to our Father with all our hearts in a passionate dedicated zeal for him and his ways.

That is may agenda; I will not lie to anyone.  My agenda is to give an early warning,  to encourage questioning and truth seeking; and that will divide the zealous and faithful from the lax, lukewarm and faithless.