The Wild Boar News

Good Evening. A Puritan’s Mind brings you The Wild Boar News Podcast from Sunny South Florida. Welcome, I’m Dr.Matthew McMahon.

This just in –

“The Good News...In South Florida” is a magazine that is published by Calvary Chapel of South Florida. Calvary Chapel is a theologically deviant church movement (certainly not a church though they would like to think so) that was started by Chuck Smith, self proclaimed pastor and blatantly purporting the condemned and heretical theological system called Arminian, wrapped up in the Antinomianism of Dispensational theology. With such theological systems behind his belt, he has duped and exposed millions of people who are connected with the Calvary movement, and over the last five years the paper“The Good News” has become a ministry, so they say, of Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale – a movement that has followed the same heretical theology of Smith, and much of the mega trends that occur under the watchful eye of their false teacher, Bob Coy. One can find in the “Good News” newspaper all manner of charismatic, Arminian and Dispensational teaching, even teachings that are linked with Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other cultic ideas. Though the paper boasts in that the “Editor-in- Chief” is (and I quote) “God the Father”, it seems that the connection to the Word of God has been all but lost. They even make mention that their “ecumenical” newspaper quotes only the New Living Translation of the Bible, which is really a corruption of the Word of God, and a watering down of the essential message of the Scriptures to suit modernism.

The Good News boasts that it is (quote) “not responsible for the practices of any advertiser.” This makes collecting funds to keep the paper going to its distribution of 75,000 easy, since, though any ad may be rejected, the Good News is not responsible for businesses that may say one thing, but devise something else in their day to day business. But we do not need poor advertisement to see the heretical theology that the Good News purports and distributes. Instead, all we need to do is read through the front page, and their attempts at journalism. We do not even need to read or come into contact with the advertisers to find the propagation of heretical theology, all we need to do is read their headlines, and their stories.

Headline, May 2006 edition of the Good News – PK (Promise Keepers) comes to South Florida: Revival for men who “hate church,” By Linda Hahn. Hahn says that Promise Keepers is America’s largest parachurch men’s ministry, and she is right. She says, “The organization hopes to meet the needs of men across America, hosting events in 19 cities and reaching 170,000 men for Jesus, while equipping leaders to serve the church body.” Its theme this year is “Unleashing the Raw Power of Your heart.”

Where do we turn for good theological news? Well, the Good News wants you to turn to their paper that boasts in heretical teaching. What are the front-page headlines? Promise Keepers is coming to town to find all the men in South Florida who hate God, and don’t go to church. Yes, south Florida needs a remedy, but founder Bill McCartney (former head football coach of the University of Colorado Boulder) is not the answer, but part of the problem. Christianity does not need a football coach propagating conferences that hold as much theological significance for a Mormon as they do anyone else. Their watered-down attempts at making Christianity fun and relevant, have backfired, for God will hold them in judgment for corrupting the good news of the Scriptures. Rather, South Florida needs true, biblical pastors and theologians who know their bibles well enough to protect their church from the nonsense of the Promise Keeper movement that is simply an ecumenical trend to reach men in the nation with an anti-biblical message that draws them in, rather than a biblical message that will press them to sit under godly preaching. Yes, men hate church. But they hate church because movements like Promise Keepers are attempting new fangled, anti-Christian means to gather men in under the guise of entertainment. Mr. McCatrtney had thrilled thousands as coach of the University of Colorado football team, and there he unleashed the raw power of football athletes. But the Gospel is not football, its not entertainment, its not a sport. Promise Keepers boasts that they are going to “Unleash the Raw power of Your heart” in this year’s conference. Well, according to Scripture, men’s hearts are wicked. (Read Genesis 6:5) If that power is continued to be unleashed, then Promise Keepers is simply aiding and abetting rebellion against God.

As a result of the headline article, and the coming of PK, the local Calvary Chapel Ft Lauderdale is “mobilizing men to gear up” for the conference. Should this place us at ease? No. Rather, it should scare us. Following much of the mega church’s movement in assimilation of people, whether they are educated in the things of God or not, or even converted, Curtis Copeland who is a leader at Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale in one of their men’s “small groups” says “Yes, there is a global discontentment among men about the overall structure of “church.” But God is stirring up the hearts of men to serve Him with fierce passion, He is calling them to use their sometimes overlooked talents to focus on pursuing the core purpose of any good man: deliver the Gospel, until the whole world hears.” This kind of blatant militancy against the Regulative Principle of Worship, and the commands and statutes of God in the Bible, are what makes Calvary Chapel grow, and what makes their newspaper, accommodating to the reader. Certainly, delivering the Gospel is a noble effort, but Curtis is deceived, for men who hate church are not those who should go out to bring the Gospel. Rather, qualified, trained and educated pastors that are sent by Christ are the ones commissioned to bring the Gospel of Peace.

When my home church witnesses for the Gospel, we tell people they are depraved, fallen in Adam, and hell bound, where, at any moment God could call them to His throne for judgment unless they repent. As Edwards preached, they are hanging by a thread over the pit of hell, and their thread is ready to snap at any moment. God is holy, they are not. They hate church because they hate God. Not because they are misunderstood, or have overlooked talents that need to be used to make them feel like part of something. God is on His holy Throne, and Christ, unleashing the wrath of the Lamb upon the hearts, minds an souls of those who hate him and the Gospel, will stand in judgment unless God, by His sovereign power, regenerates their heart, and plants a new life principle in them. God has promised to save His elect, for he is the Great Promise Keeper Himself.

How does Promise Keeper’s keep men coming to their rallies (for a hefty cost)? The Good News newspaper says, “The Promise Keeper’s slogan for 2006 sums up the thoughts of many Christian men in South Florida: “It is not learning about how to be a nicer guy. Its about becoming the powerful man God designed you to be…and when the power of God in you is unleashed…the adventure truly begins.” What“it” they are speaking about? What Christian men are theyspeaking about? Do they mean the men who hate church whogo to Calvary Chapel small groups? It sounds as thoughthey are writing a promo for a movie trailer. But we mustadmit, Promise Keepers is right in that men are looking fora new adventure. But they are not looking for God. Eithermen will turn to God through Christ in realizing theirdepravity and wickedness if God grants them repentance, orthey will turn to Promise Keepers and the theology of theGood News Newspaper and Calvary Chapel which his really,and eternally, bad news for them all.

This is Dr. Matthew McMahon signing off.

Posted by Rich on Sunday, May 07, 2006 at 9:00 AM | Permalink