My respect for Alisa Childers continues to grow. First, I read Another Gospel. Recently, I highly recommended her book, The Deconstruction of Christianity. I hope to listen to Live Your Truth on Hoopla sometime soon. In the meantime, I've been listening to several of her podcast episodes and want to mention these here.
I believe Alisa is a solid, Bible-following, Christian. What's more, she is a mouthpiece to the masses. Many see and hear her apologetics for the faith. May they think deeply about what she has to say and may they trust the solid foundation of God's Word. The Bible is our map for navigating this life. Moreover, this life continues to ratchet up in intensity toward the end times. Evil multiplies. Division threatens. The time is ripe for an Antichrist to appear, convincing many that he is going to save them from the plight of our world.
While I'm probably more skeptical than Alisa about the whole Charlie Kirk assassination, I value her insights and her take on what she experienced. I fear the young man accused of this crime will supposedly commit suicide, because the powers that be do not want him to take the stand and come to trial. There is a depth of deception going on and many people swallow lies with relish. This was a far more orchestrated event than the media wants us to believe. I have my own opinions about who is responsible. I fear some reactions are mere performances. Yet, again, I appreciate Alisa's thoughts and views.
The first podcast I will mention is one titled "Revival is Here... Thoughts About the Charlie Kirk Memorial."
She clearly articulates the clash of worldviews in our society. Those with the pervasive ideology of the oppressed versus the oppressors seek revolution and call words "violence," to the end that "violence" appears justified. We need to be discerning. We need to arm ourselves with the inerrant Word of God. As Alisa points out, "When the church is silent, darkness has a free pass." Like Alisa, I'm convicted by my timidity and cowardice.
I appreciated her 5 undeniable facts about the memorial service. She cites, 1) the gospel was preached with boldness and clarity, 2) God is doing significant things in hearts, 3) the crowd was diverse, including some with false motives and unchristian perspectives, 4) some bad theology was spoken, and 5) some good theology was spoken. I loved her point that true revival comes with true repentance. Moreover, I want to be one who welcomes new believers, even if the externals still reek of their past ways.
I also watched a very convicting episode on 3rd Wayism versus NAR: Errors Threatening the Church. I had never heard of 3rd Wayism, but I fear I've been guilty. In my book club, I tend to stay silent because I don't want to ruffle feathers. I don't want to turn others off before I even get a chance to share the gospel. My typical excuse is, "I don't do politics. I'm the most a-political person ever." Now, that's true. I'm very a-political. I don't side with either party. Nor do I believe that politics will ever solve the world's problems because our problem is not a government problem, but rather a heart problem. We need our hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh. We need full submission to God, not to government. How tempting to withdraw from that arena altogether and sit back in silence! No one likes to disturb the status quo or buck the current.
Alisa's argument emphasizes the importance of razer-sharp discernment that calls out false gospels. Our politics stem from our Biblical theology. In my goal to obey His Word alone, I don't want to shy away from proclaiming the light amid the darkness. How I pray God might give me the courage and boldness to stand firm on His principles! My goal should be to drive every argument into submission under the Word of God. Uncomfortable though it makes me, silence can be complicity.
Finally, I watched another convicting episode, from 2 years ago, featuring an interview with Tim Challies. Challies is a Canadian Reformed Baptist theologian, pastor, blogger, and author. The episode outlines 4 heretical books to remove from your church library. Since I read extensively and write book reviews, this subject is essential. Oh, how I need discernment in my reading! I try to read a wide variety of books, and will not pass by a book simply because it doesn't fit my ideology. Yet, I want to review books as held up to the Bible, with the Bible informing my reaction to the book.
So, what were the 4 books to avoid? I've read all but the first. Most of the problems with these books come from the tendency to re-create God in our own image. It reminds me of a quote I saw in a Brennan Manning book recently. Blaise Pascal said, "God made man in his own image and man returned the compliment." 1) Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. She claims Jesus came and gave her the words directly, yet when held against Christ in the Bible, these words read more like those of a young woman much like the author. 2) The Shack, by William P. Young, is a book I read and reviewed without discerning the errors until much later. Young's fictional re-creation of the holy trinity does not reflect the way they are painted in God's Word. While it was a feel-good book, and a book I could relate to, it departs from the good book. 3) The Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren. I think our Bible study in Illinois read and worked through this book. Challies argues that the book encourages pragmatism. Change your church to be what the people want, rather than change the people to be what God wants.
The fourth is a category of books, rather than a single book. Challies calls them "journey to heaven books." I have read several of these and may have to go back to re-read my reviews. Perhaps I read without the level of discernment I should have had. These would include Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven and Todd Burpo's Heaven is for Real. I think what appealed to me most from Burpo's book was the conception, which is probably true, of reuniting with our deceased children. Since I lost a baby to miscarriage, I felt great comfort in reading that book.
In all of this, the primary call is for discernment in this current climate of our world. We are called to stand firm on God's Word. God wants us to shine a light on the works of darkness. Even in my own family relations, I am called by God to identify and confront false gospels. May we be faithful! May we lean into the Holy Spirit for wisdom in discernment! He alone is our guide and our savior in this fallen world.
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