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Calgary Bus Ad Campaign: Your Feedback(Related feedback is posted here. When offering feedback please refer to the topic in your email. Note that your feedback will be posted anonymously unless you ask to have your name and/or email address included. If you do not want your comments posted, type "DO NOT POST" in your text.)
Sender: J4 Title: StandForGod.Org - Props Date: Tue 07/04/2009 12:16 PM
Right on my Brother Listen to -A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Fortress 144) Brian Doerkson He is my loving God and my fortress, Praise be to the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, How do we get involved?
Sender: SFG.Org Title: RE J4:StandForGod.Org - Props Date: Tue 07/04/2009 11:08 PM Praise God. Yes, He is a mighty fortress. You might consider joining the Organization. A simple first step of support is to order a free car bumper sticker to promote this witness. What city are you in? Peace and Grace in Christ
Sender: G13 Title: StandForGod.Org: Bus Ads Date: Sat 11/04/2009 7:58 AM
I've noticed your bus ads and thought I'd check your web page. I am a born again believer and wanted to encourage you to keep up the good work.
Sender: SFG.Org Title: RE G13: StandForGod.Org: Bus Ads Date: Tue 14/04/2009 4:35 AM
Thank you for the feedback. Please pass the website URL onto others and pray that great good for the Kingdom might come from this campaign and the ardent witness of born again believers. Peace and Grace in Christ
Sender: G13 Title: StandForGod.Org: Bus Ads Date: Tue 14/04/2009 7:49 AM
Are you guys associated with any particular denomination?
Sender: SFG.Org Title: RE G13: StandForGod.Org: Bus Ads Date: Fri 17/04/2009 4:38 AM
No. Neither are we interested in starting another denomination. One of the StandForGod.Org goals is to stand against religious liberalism where ever it occurs. Peace and Grace in Christ
Sender: G13 Title: StandForGod.Org: Bus Ads Date: Fri 17/04/2009 5:27 AM
I like that... Our background is from a non-descript group in Ontario that simply went by the name assembly - sometimes referred to as Plymouth Brethren because it had its beginnings in Plymouth, England. We had a weekly breaking of bread service every week where men would share as they felt led. That was followed by a family Bible time where different men every week would share the Gospel. No name, no paid leadership, just a group of people praising and worshipping.
Sender: J1 Title: StandForGod.Org: Necessary Date: Wed 15/04/2009 12:25 AM
I'm a Christian, but is this really necessary? I'm all for freedom of speech. The atheists have their bus ads, the United Church has theirs. You have yours. Is it really necessary to have a website that spreads hate? The other two don't.
We as Christians are not supposed to hate. We are supposed to love each other. What's wrong with letting people live their life the way they choose? God accepts everybody for who they are. Their is even a place in heaven for the people who don't follow the bible.
The fact that you won't affiliate yourselves with anything is also bothersome to me. You make the statements you make on this website, but will no where state who you are? Are you ashamed of what you are saying? Do you fear what people will think of you? What God will think of you?
I would really appreciate an answer to these questions, as I'm having a hard time understanding why you are spreading so much hate?
Sender: SFG.Org Title: RE J1: StandForGod.Org: Necessary Date: Fri 17/04/2009 4:33 AM
Thank you very much for your feedback.
Under current circumstances it may take the coming weekend to attempt to appropriately respond to your comments and concerns. In the mean time, could you please review the Christian Worldview described on the StandForGod.Org website (See top header bar on the home page) and indicate in general what statements of belief you agree with or disagree with, and why. Knowing more specifically what it is that you hold to be "the Gospel truth" will be helpful in better understanding what you see as apparently hateful.
Most would agree that Christians are not to condone falsehood, untruths or sinful conduct. Our God is a Holy God of truth. On this basis it is not "hateful" to stand for traditional Christian beliefs; nor should one try to make the case that religious liberals are hateful of orthodox Christians because they disagree with them.
Let's focus on establishing what beliefs we share and identify the areas of disagreement. Of course if one adheres to the notion that "anything goes" this will not be possible. But, God is not indifferent, not neutral.
Looking forward to a sincere dialogue.
Peace and Grace in Jesus Christ.
Sender: SFG.Org Title: RE J1: StandForGod.Org: Bus Ads Date: Sat 11/04/2009 7:58 AM
Thank you for your comments and questions. You wrote: "I would really appreciate an answer to these questions, as I'm having a hard time understanding why you are spreading so much hate?" I pray that this response may be helpful and become the start of a worthwhile dialogue. To best address all of your points, I have structured this email into six discussion topics.
1 - You wrote: "I'm a Christian, but is this really necessary?"
The New Testament has many warnings against following false doctrines and teachings. The criterion one uses to distinguish authentic Christianity from the counterfeit is hugely important. In the First Century, the Early Church was threatened by a heretical religious sect called Gnostics. What made Gnosticism more threatening than the many other belief systems was the sect's claim to be Christian. See the article "A Comparative Analysis of Gnostic and United Church Theologies" for a summary of Gnostic beliefs and how the Early Church dealt with the challenge this heresy presented. In brief, a key defence against Gnosticism was the gradual formation of the New Testament canon. The controversy with the Gnostics gave sharp impetus to control the authentic tradition which a written document possessed and which oral tradition did not. The contemporary version of this defence is to hold to the authority of the Bible over abject revisionism. Another weapon against heresy was the development of "Rule of Faith," a title used to mean a short summary of the main revelatory events of the redemptive process. The crux of the creed for polemical purposes lies in the assertion of the unity of the divine plan from Old Testament to New. Gnostic heretics did not believe in the God detailed in the Old Testament and with their low valuation of the Old Testament, were not interested in the fulfillment of prophecy. [Today Christian creedal statements still have the value of anchoring the faith of adherents and exposing heterodoxy, although the traditional creeds need to be augmented in detail to counteract current challenges from religious liberalism.]
2 - You wrote: "I'm all for freedom of speech. The atheists have their bus ads, the United Church has theirs. You have yours. Is it really necessary to have a website that spreads hate? The other two don't."
American Poet Robert Frost once said: "A liberal is a man too broad minded to take his own side in a quarrel." In the charged and contradictory circumstances that we find ourselves - liberal versus orthodox belief systems; counterfeit versus authentic Christian theologies - simply stating one's viewpoint without engaging opposing arguments is not particularly helpful. There is nothing said in the website that is different or in contradiction to the traditional Christian perspective, which has been sustained by billions of believers for more than two millennium; yet you label this articulated Christian perspective as "hateful." Yes the website is a comprehensive challenge to religious liberalism, but surely the Holy Spirit is not double-minded - burdening some to religious liberalism and others to traditional orthodoxy. Both positions cannot be true. Is it not a legitimate and worthy cause to defend God's revelation when the eternal destiny of fellow human beings rests in the balance? What specifically do you find "hateful"? Is there information that you contend is misleading or inaccurate on the website?
3 - You wrote: "We as Christians are not supposed to hate. We are supposed to love each other. What's wrong with letting people live their life the way they choose? God is not indifferent to how people think and act. Please explain your thinking, if you believe "anything goes." According to scripture not everyone who says "Lord Lord" will enter the Kingdom (Matthew 7:21-22). There are self-professed "Christians" who: (1) deny the Trinity; (2) deny the Bible is the Word of God and the final authority on matters of faith; (3) deny the divinity of Jesus Christ; (4) deny that Jesus Christ is the only way of redemption; (5) deny original sin; (6) deny judgment; (7) believe that all will be saved; (8) condone premarital, extra-marital and homosexual sex; (9) declare no normative theology; (10) condone abortion as a backup procedure for failed contraception; and (11) perform same-sex marriages? More regrettable, these self-professed "Christians," who are "doing their own thing," proselytize their false beliefs to the public at the expense of the truth, social morality and saved souls. The StandForGod.Org defence of traditional Christianity is not hateful. Witnessing to what one believes to be the authentic Word of God and against what one believes are false teachings is a proper act of reverence to Christ and genuine act of love towards our fellow human beings.
4 - You wrote: "God accepts everybody for who they are. There is even a place in heaven for the people who don't follow the bible."
What is your basis for making these assertions? Scripture is full of references that contradict your statements. The following brief description of the death of Jesus Christ (well established in pagan records and chronicled in Scripture) is one example overturning your line of thinking:
Two other men, both criminals, were also executed with Jesus - one on His left and one on His right. Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at Him. They said, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, when Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" By now the sun stopped shining. Jesus called out, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). When He said this He breathed His last.
For Christians to fully appreciate Jesus Christ's death as depicted above, they must believe two pivotal tenets of the faith. The first, is the pre-condition of believing in heaven and hell. Upon death one of the criminals is going with Jesus to "paradise." The other criminal is obviously going somewhere else. Those who do not turn themselves over to Christ, accepting Him as Lord and Savior, do not go to "paradise." The so-called "hell" is the alternative, spiritual state of the ungodly. The Apostle Matthew refers to "the fire of hell" (Matthew 5:22) as the final place of punishment.
The story of the beggar Lazarus is another example contradicting your assertions. The Apostle Luke wrote about a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury everyday. At his gate was a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked the beggar's sores. The time came for their deaths. Angels carried Lazarus to Paradise and the rich man went to torment in hell:
[The rich man called] Father Abraham have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied, ‘Son remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' ‘No, father Abraham,' he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead' (Luke16: 19-31).
Religious liberals have all but smothered the issue of laws, judgment and consequences under some heretical notion that God's infinite and unconditional love assures all a place in Heaven. This "cheap grace" falsehood flies in the face of Biblical revelation. God did not excuse Pharaoh in the time of Moses, nor the mocking criminal at the crucifixion. Scripture tells us He will not receive us other than with a repentant heart and the accepted salvation and lordship of Jesus Christ. For more details see All Are Not Destined to Salvation on the website.
The second, is the pre-condition of believing Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God. Jesus believed he was the Messiah and his actions reflected this. His response to the believing criminal, demonstrates His authority, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Throughout His short life, He consistently conducted Himself as God's divine Son. In numerous verses in the New Testament Christ makes it clear that acceptance of Him for who He is and what He accomplished at the Cross is the only way to the Father (and Heaven).
Since hell exists as the eternal destiny of the "non-elect" (i.e. the unsaved), is it not an act of love to proclaim this truth to the uninformed and misguided, that they might avoid this destiny out of ignorance or deception?
Since God has revealed that the path to salvation is exclusively through Jesus Christ, is it not illogical, if not deceitful, for professed Christians to also assert that there are other equally valid paths to God - Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Islamism etc?
If religious liberals gave a new and non-Christian name for their worldview or line of beliefs (say "Contemporary Gnosticism" or "Multi-Faith Ecumenism") and thereby stopped proselytizing that their beliefs fit within the Christian worldview, StandForGod.Org would have significantly less issue with them. The Organization respects freedom of speech and freedom of religion; but cannot condone the spread of counterfeit theology. Those who deny key tenets of the Christian worldview while claiming to be Christian are tragically deceiving their adherents of the truth and must be challenged through respectful public debate.
5 - You wrote: "The fact that you won't affiliate yourselves with anything is also bothersome to me. You make the statements you make on this website, but will no where state who you are?"
StandForGod.Org has gone to great lengths to research, document through Scripture, and fully explain, key tenets of the "Christian" worldview. Why does this detailed explanation of the Christian belief system not adequately describe "who we are" in Christ? Are believers not called to one Body, one faith, one Spirit in Christ? We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by faith in a denomination or by affiliation with some organization. The Need for StandForGod.Org is documented on the website. Simply stated, the aggregate impact of all the Canadian denominations and church divisions within Canada is a national failure of Christian influence. The Vision and Mission of StandForGod.Org is clear - a call to Christian orthodoxy among all denominations and churches, away from religious liberalism.
6 - You say: "Are you ashamed of what you are saying? Do you fear what people will think of you? What God will think of you?"
This seems a strange line of questioning. It has taken years of research and writing to put this website in place. The Calgary Bus Ad Campaign promotes the Organization through the website address at no little expense. StandForGod.Org, in all its facets, is seen as a calling from God. What more can be said. All readership feedback, whether negative or positive, is welcomed. The goal is to engage believers and non-believers with the authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ, not recruit people to a particular denomination. The fractured state of Canadian Christendom is a sad reality. Adherence to the Gospel truth and the prompting of the One Holy Spirit should bring unity not religious diversity and contradiction.
Once again, thank you for the feedback.
Please review of the Christian worldview found on the StandForGod.Org website. Dialogue on those aspects of the statement of beliefs you agree with and those you do support would be most appreciated.
Peace and Grace in Christ |