The Need to Address Alternative and New Religious Movements

Paul encourages the Philippians believers to rejoice in the Lord.  To rejoice in the Lord is to know that we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by telling others of our "newfound" faith in Christ.  There is always a threat by others within the Church today whose primary goal and objective is to rob believers of their relationship with Jesus Christ through man-made rules and regulations (Phil. 3:1b).  Legalism, moral plank, and Christian perfectionism is at the heart of spiritual apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1).  The outcome of apostasy is to destroyed the true faith and to ruin the moral lives of God's people.  There are many professing believers despite of the truth of God's Word they will persist in such doctrinal error so as to reveal what they really believe and who they are (Matt. 7:15-ff).      The apostle Paul also warns the Philippians believers by saying: "Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh (Phil. 3:2).  Paul t

The issue of tongues have been greatly misunderstood by the church today! There are many within both Charismatic and Pentecostal circles who believe that "speaking in tongues" is apart of the believers salvation experience (Acts 19:1).  There is no where that gives indication in the Bible that teach that Christ's death on the cross provides such a second work of grace:  that of speaking in tongues as part of the Christian salvation experience.  If in fact speaking in tongues is apart of the believer's salvation experience than the purpose by which Christ died for our sins is insufficient in securing our salvation.  Christ's death on the cross provided salvation by which a person can be saved from the guilt and penalty of sin (Rom. 6:23).    Throughout this article I will begin to lay the foundation as to how it is important to rightly divide God's Word of truth as to (1) comparing scripture with scripture. (2) the historical context of scripture. (3) the g

Just on today I was listening to a local Radio station by which the Host asked the question, "Is Jesus Black? Or Is this Jesus the Image of a Caucasian of the White European Race?"  What was the image of this Jesus? What Did He Look Like?  Even though it "appears" that there is an interest in the historical Jesus of the Bible but it is a way to to convince others that the Jesus of scripture is not the Savior of the world (contrast, Jn. 3:16, 17).  The history of liberation theology believe in a "Black" Jesus whose purpose is to deliver Black folks from the tyranny and oppression of White domination that have given our forefathers in slavery a "image" of a "White" Jesus by which they are to be in subjugation to white rule and domination.  The historical Jesus of the Bible along with Christianity was taught to our forefathers of slavery that He is the God of the oppress and subservient.  In so many words the whole idea about Christianit

Part 2 of my wife's video in sharing her testimony as being a "former" member of The Church of God in Christ for 16 years. Even though the video is 37:44 as lengthy but she gives a detail description of the belief and practice of this Bible-based sect that claim to be Christian, but are controversial and questionable in nature. The Church of God in Christ is the largest Black Pentecostal denomination worldwide and has as it membership 4.3 million whose distinctive doctrines: that of holiness and sanctification.  It is "literal" in its interpretation of the Bible but are strict as to its dress and moral code.  It is also legalistic at its core teaching by which "speaking" in tongues is subsequential to the believer's salvation experience (Acts 2:1, 2ff).  The leadership of this strict Holiness sect are ill-advised as to their reading and interpretation of the Bible by which my wife was not properly taught. By the grace of God she have experience t

People today have different meanings of salvation. For example just recently on CNN it was reported that there was a 17 year old Laquan McDonald that was shot 17 times by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke as I watched the video.  What I see in the video was that Laquan McDonald as he was walking pulled out a 3 inch pocket knife by which the teenager did not pose any threat to the officers by which he kept walking away from other police officers by which Officer Van Dyke shot the first few shots by which the teenager fell to the ground and from that point there were a dozen more bullets that shot through the body of this young man by which I saw gun shot smoke riddle through his helpless body. There were different law enforcement officers on CNN who says that the officer Van Dyke as well as his fellow officers was in imminent danger simply because of the fact that Laquan McDonald "appears" to have approach them by which it was necessary for the officer to use deadly forc

There are so many believers who are "spiritually" handicapped in their own personal and spiritual walk with the Lord.  The reason for such is their lack of the knowledge in the Person of God in Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).  Instead the church have been made to believe that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is not enough to possess such knowledge, but "knowledge" that transcend beyond what is revealed in scripture.  Jesus Christ is the fount of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Col. 1:9).  In order to know God's will is embedded in scripture through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives (v. 9).  The Holy Spirit is divine Truth by which God have disclosed everything we need to know through the revelation of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:15, 16).  God is the Author of scripture by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Scripture is complete without any further revelation or revelation of the spirit (2 Pet. 1:19

Many followers of the Word of Faith movement who are ignorant as to the history of the prosperity gospel as to where it came from.  Also proponents of the prosperity gospel give such vague, but distorted view of the prosperity gospel so as resort to the Bible to support their claim to prosperity (3 John 2). Their are such Faith teachers like Kenneth Copeland for example claim that prosperity is based upon the Bible; not Christian nor the New Age.  Many of cults will insist that they are Christians, but are cults who utilize at will the Bible language of the Bible by which they have radically total different meanings (2 Pet. 3:16, 17).    Throughout this article I will begin to address the historical origins of the prosperity gospel in connection with such Gnostic influence (1 Tim. 6:20).  Their are individuals like Oral Roberts who claim that to have receive the prosperity message via Revelation knowledge (2 Cor. 8:9).  According to 2 Corinthians 8:9 the elder Oral Roberts claim th

   The concept of Faith taught by many within many Faith circles is a worldview; not a biblical concept of faith according to Hebrews 11:6 where it says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must [believe] that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." The biblical concept of Faith is trusting in the God of the Bible through which according to Hebrews 11: 6 make reference to the existence of God (v. 6a).  God is the Designer of the universe by which He created the world (Col. 1:15-17). The theistic God of the Bible is not consist of Faith nor is He a Faith Being subject to spiritual laws by which the Faith movement falsely teach (2 Pet. 2:1).  If in fact the theistic God of the Bible is consist of Faith than who or what become the Object of His faith? If in fact the theistic God of the Bible is dependent upon Something or His faith to create the universe than God cease to be God thereby He is a mere Man.  God

It is so important to do research on alternative and new religious movements. The reason why it is important to study sects and cults is its opposition of traditional religious establishments and the whole of the political government. These are groups and organization whether extreme fundamentalist groups, neo-Nazis, or right wing political organizations that pose such challenge and threat society and human institutions. Just recently I watch on CNN News today concerning two white Nazis whose attempt was to bomb Black churches and to create a race war in the United States as well as the assassination of political officials. The White Nazis attempt to go through with their threat was interrupted by the FBI.  It is a fact that because of racist ideology, curious beliefs, practices, and apocalyptic vision of  self proclaimed Messiah of these dangerous cult groups that at will they will say and do anything that will silence the mouths of its critics as well as religious scholars and auth

Even though there are many books that are written on the Prosperity Gospel, but that many of the books that are written on this subject does not address the history of the prosperity-faith movement from which is it historically connected to such cults as Christian Science, New Thought metaphysics, Religious Science, and Swedonborgianism. Many proponents of the prosperity gospel will contend that it is based upon the Bible, but either ignorant and unaware of the influence of New Thought, Mind-Cure and Harmonalism (1 Tim. 6:20 with Colossian 2:18, 19). I will challenge supporters of the prosperity gospel and followers of the Faith movement especially within the African American Word of Faith movement churches and its own leadership to look outside the scope of the cultural of Faith theology even though "mind-control" plays a integral part in how people read, hear, and see.  Any outside authority, scholars, or critical of the movement's leadership and controversial teachin

It is very important to understand God's written Word!  There are those within the professing church today who attempt to make a distinction between the "written" Word and the "spoken" word as to be spoken within a person's [human] spirit. The written Word is what is reveal already in scripture, but spoken word is what is reveal in a person's [human] spirit as most Gnostics will have the Church to believe. The doctrinal depravity and the depth of Gnostics teaching speaks about the "rehema" word: that of the "revealed" or "spoken" word that only the "true" spirituals can unfold the depth of God's divine mysteries as opposed to the traditional Church that are fleshly who possess such sensory knowledge. Many Gnostics will contend, "The letter kills, but the spirit gives life." The exegetical approach of Gnostics within the professing church today is to look "beyond" the backdrop of a given pa

The consensus within the Church today is that God does speak and continue to speak today through God's Word, but it is within a person's [human] spirit; not through the sensory of man's intellect. If in fact God does speak through that of a person's [human] spirit than what is the basis by which a person judge spiritual truth? It is quite ironic that people today make decision based upon there emotions; not what is good sound judgment. There is a risk in colliding between Reason and Faith. The contention that Reason have nothing to do with Faith nor Faith with Reason. The truth of the matter that Reason and Faith are bedfellow nor do they have a "hate and love" relationship with each other. If anything Reason and Faith compliment each other whereby they cannot work independently with one another. Also it must be pointed out that Reason alone cannot possibly understand the revelation of the Bible without a person's reasoning facilities being illuminate by

There are several traits that characterize faith leaders who are diagnose as having or being on the borderline of such narcissistic personality. Such personality disorders are not admirable, but negative in the most negative of personality traits. What is so disturbing about the cultic leadership "within" the Word-Faith movement what is known as the Positive Confession movement is their hidden chronic illness of such personality traits that are related to narcissism: that of the preoccupation of Self, grandiose of illusion, lack of empathy, and paranoid.     Even though this is a subject that is quite difficult to grasp, but it is important to present a crystal clear picture of the cultic leadership within the Faith movement especially within the context of the African American Word of Faith religion own leadership. Also, even though at times it is not pleasant to address that of this particular issue, but it is necessary so that people are made aware of the personality o