Vince Kuipers's Page

Some thoughts on the Saddleback Forum
August 20th, 2008
Source http://www.irishcalvinist.com/?p=1569

After watching the Saddleback Forum on Saturday night I have been wanting to write a bit and interact with what I saw, however, time has not permitted it. I do feel somewhat of a blogging obligation since I suggested questions on Friday.

What I am going to do is look at the three characters in the forum, Obama, McCain, and Warren.

First, Rick Warren. I have been openly critical of Rick Warren’s ministry, particularly his articulation (or lack thereof) of the gospel (see here, here, and here.) My expectations for this evening were extremely low for Warren. I maintained that he would be professional and likable, however, I envisioned him putting the ball on the tee rather than bringing any heat on the inside half of the plate.

I was pleasantly surprised. Warren asked about the candidates’, “Greatest moral failure”, their view on “When infants get human rights”, “What it means (to them) to follow Jesus” and “If evil exists and how to confront it.”

I did not expect him to ask unambiguous questions that demanded thoughtful clarity, but I feel, he delivered. He of course did not ask all the questions that I would have liked, however, he did ask some very important questions. So, for the first time ever on this blog or in my life, I have to give props to Rick Warren. (I should note that my props are restricted to his ability to land this forum in the first place, and then to interview presidential candidates with candor and clarity.)

Second, Barack Obama. Did anyone else notice that it looked like he got grey highlights? I know McCain is old enough to be his dad and Obama has been criticized for his inexperience, but to mix in some ‘grey-lights’ seemed like overkill. Perhaps at the next debate he’ll wear a pillow under his suit so as to connect with the more ‘portly’ in our populace. Ok..back to the review…Obama is just a likable guy. He continues to come across as someone who you could talk with and who would listen to you. He revealed his own emotional ties to his family. He disclosed that he used drugs. He also said it was ok to change your mind on issues, provided it was for the better.

I felt though, that the more he talked about “his faith” the more he came across as a classic liberal (and the more uncomfortable I got). For example, when talking about marriage, “God’s in the mix.”

When asked about the problem of evil, he talked mostly about social issues facing America. As far as on an international scale he spoke of Darfur. He spoke of having humility when confronting it, but did not define it or even point to the violent manifestations of evil that face us daily, let alone provide a strategy for combating it. If you are the president of the world’s superpower in the 21st Century evil does not have to be tattooed on your forearm, but it better be in your purview. As an American presidential candidate, to speak of evil without speaking of terrorism is extremely shortsighted and a significant gaffe.


I found Obama’s answer to the abortion question very troubling:

Warren: …..at what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?

OBAMA: “Well, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.”

This is simply unacceptable for me. Obama did show his hand though in a follow up:

One of the things that I’ve always said is that on this particular issue, if you believe that life begins at conception, then — and you are consistent in that belief, then I can’t argue with you on that, because that is a core issue of faith for you.

We need a president that is consistent in helping those who are oppressed and weak. It painfully inconsistent to rally help to those who are being slaughtered in other countries while claiming ignorance and religious neutrality on the holocost going on in this country. These moral contradictions are fundamental to the Obama worldview and are worth serious consideration and discussion when we are talking about electing a president who can rationalize and harmonize such perpendicular realities.

Third, John McCain. First of all, McCain looked like he had chugged down 3 or 4 Monster Energy drinks before he came out; the guy was bouncing around and smiling like a kid who just took a long pull of helium. He was no doubt ready to go and it showed.

One thing that you noticed immediately was that he answered the questions quickly. When asked when babies get human rights, he quickly said, “Conception.”

On the question of evil he said,

WARREN: How about the issue of evil. I asked this of your rival, in the previous debate. Does evil exist and, if so, should ignore it, negotiate it with it, contain it or defeat it?

MCCAIN: Defeat it. A couple of points. One, if I’m president of the United States, my friends, if I have to follow him to the gates of hell, I will get bin Laden and bring him to justice. I will do that. And I know how to do that. I will get that done. (APPLAUSE). No one, no one should be allowed to take thousands of American — innocent American lives.

You kind of get the feeling that McCain has actually seen evil, not just heard about it.

Then he gave a tangible example:

Not long ago in Baghdad, al Qaeda took two young women who were mentally disabled, and put suicide vests on them, sent them into a marketplace and, by remote control, detonated those suicide vests. If that isn’t evil, you have to tell me what is. And we’re going to defeat this evil. And the central battleground according to David Petraeus and Osama bin Laden is the battle, is Baghdad, Mosul, Basra and Iraq and we are winning and succeeding and our troops will come home with honor and with victory and not in defeat. And that’s what’s happening.

McCain’s energy and passion reminded me of Ronald Regean (whom he did not fail to align himself with several times during the debate). He did not come across as old as he has been portrayed.

Here are my final thoughts: I felt like I got to know the candidates better and was aided in making an informed decision. I truly find it remarkable that these two men, who have such a different worldview, are the final guys vying for the keys to the American Suburban. Obama did not seem like a president, McCain did not seem like a senator, and Warren did not seem like a pastor. Or in another way, Warren came across like a news guy, Obama like a junior senator, and McCain like a veteran

Source: http://www.scripturezealot.com/2008/08/15/mark-driscoll-on-charles-spurgeon/

I’ve read quite a few things that Charles Spurgeon wrote, like the Morning and Evening devotionals, some of his sermons, some of the Treasury of David etc. but not a lot about him other than little snippets here and there.

Mark Driscoll wrote four blog posts about Charles Spurgeon. This gives a good overview of Spurgeon’s life and person (in addition to learning about how Mark Driscoll wants to be like Spurgeon). See the fourth post here and you can follow the links to start with the first post.

Not that anyone would care, but here are my favorite parts. Many of his characteristics go against the grain of the stereotypical Calvinistic Baptist, even for his time, which is refreshing.

In his day, it was widely agreed that Spurgeon had the finest collection of Puritan literature in the entire world. Also included in his personal library were volumes of literature, theology, religion, travel, biography, science, hymnody, history, and humor. Following Spurgeon’s death, his library was distributed among family members. Today, the 6,750 volumes that remained have been preserved in his memory.

Occasionally when Spurgeon prayed over the sick they were healed and many believed he had the gift of healing.

Spurgeon viewed pleasure as a gift from God and did not gravitate toward Gnosticism or asceticism in the practice of the spiritual disciplines. Rather, he enjoyed his freedom in Christ to its fullest. Though scandalous to many, he drank beer, wine, and brandy. Further, after a visiting pastor proclaimed the evils of smoking to Spurgeon’s church, he simply replied, ‘I shall go home and smoke the best cigar I have got to the glory of God.’

Among my favorite Spurgeon quips is his statement that he loved church committees and believed the ideal committee consisted of three people, two of whom stayed home.

The hyper-Calvinists in his day disdained Spurgeon for his passion for lost people to meet Jesus and his continual offering of the gospel of grace to the masses, which led to the baptism of 14,692 converts during his ministry. Despite much mean-spirited opposition, Spurgeon never shied away from calling all people to repentance and used unconventional means, such as meeting in a public theater (not a church) and preaching from a stage (not a raised pulpit), in an effort to be more culturally relevant with his ministry style.

What has come to be known as the Downgrade Controversy ultimately led to Spurgeon being kicked out of his own Baptist denomination for his unwillingness to stop teaching such things as eternal torment in a literal hell, the literal truthfulness of Scripture, a literal creation by God, and the perfection and divine inspiration of Scripture.

What Do We Mean By Egalitarianism?

Brent Nelson
August 19, 2008

In an effort to help clarify the viewpoints at play in the gender debate, I offer a definition of terms that carry so much of the meaning cargo: complementarian and egalitarian. Complementarianism is the idea that both sexes are made in the image of God and are thus fully equal in value, yet very different in role as is taught in Scripture. Biblical manhood encompasses a loving, humble disposition to lead. Biblical womanhood involves a wise, submissive disposition to honor the servant leadership of worthy men.

The counterpoint perspective to this view is Christian egalitarianism. It is held by those who "believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all ethnicities and all economic classes, based on the teachings of scripture as reflected in Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Most egalitarians hold that all people are equal before God, have equal responsibility to use their gifts, and are called to roles and ministries without regard to class, gender, or race.

Egalitarians hold that God's created order to not only bestow an equality of essence and value to men and women, but a similarity of function as well. They teach that it was the entrance of sin into the world that introduced an illegitimate hierarchy into the relationships between men and women. Men, because of sin, take on a disposition of dominance and women, because of sin, take on a disposition of subservience. Value and function are both skewed by sin, in their view, and therefore the redemptive Gospel of Jesus Christ must include a restoration to equity in both value and function.

At CBMW we recognize that in some sense all careful Bible readers will see an element of truth in the egalitarian position. Because of verses like Galatians 3:28 quoted above and many others, we know that God loves men and women equally, that they are depraved and in need of grace equally, and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and promised His presence in heaven equally. To make that truth plain has been historically needful and remains so today.

However, the question that must be considered is this: is it possible that hierarchy is not inherently sinful, but woven throughout creation before sin entered into the world—even seen in God's Trinitarian nature? The Bible reveals a beautiful hierarchy between men and women, the old and young, parents and children even among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In each of these examples no superiority or inferiority exists. None is valued above the other. Yet mysteriously, the difference between the persons highlights their unified beauty.

These definitions are far from mere abstractions, but influential in the lives of real people, as we'll see in tomorrow's post.

What Do We Mean By Egalitarianism?

Brent Nelson
August 19, 2008

In an effort to help clarify the viewpoints at play in the gender debate, I offer a definition of terms that carry so much of the meaning cargo: complementarian and egalitarian. Complementarianism is the idea that both sexes are made in the image of God and are thus fully equal in value, yet very different in role as is taught in Scripture. Biblical manhood encompasses a loving, humble disposition to lead. Biblical womanhood involves a wise, submissive disposition to honor the servant leadership of worthy men.

The counterpoint perspective to this view is Christian egalitarianism. It is held by those who "believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all ethnicities and all economic classes, based on the teachings of scripture as reflected in Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Most egalitarians hold that all people are equal before God, have equal responsibility to use their gifts, and are called to roles and ministries without regard to class, gender, or race.

Egalitarians hold that God's created order to not only bestow an equality of essence and value to men and women, but a similarity of function as well. They teach that it was the entrance of sin into the world that introduced an illegitimate hierarchy into the relationships between men and women. Men, because of sin, take on a disposition of dominance and women, because of sin, take on a disposition of subservience. Value and function are both skewed by sin, in their view, and therefore the redemptive Gospel of Jesus Christ must include a restoration to equity in both value and function.

At CBMW we recognize that in some sense all careful Bible readers will see an element of truth in the egalitarian position. Because of verses like Galatians 3:28 quoted above and many others, we know that God loves men and women equally, that they are depraved and in need of grace equally, and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and promised His presence in heaven equally. To make that truth plain has been historically needful and remains so today.

However, the question that must be considered is this: is it possible that hierarchy is not inherently sinful, but woven throughout creation before sin entered into the world—even seen in God's Trinitarian nature? The Bible reveals a beautiful hierarchy between men and women, the old and young, parents and children even among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In each of these examples no superiority or inferiority exists. None is valued above the other. Yet mysteriously, the difference between the persons highlights their unified beauty.

These definitions are far from mere abstractions, but influential in the lives of real people, as we'll see in tomorrow's post.

RICK WARREN AND THE SADDLEBACK FAITH FORUM - POWERFUL AND REVEALING
...Obama was aestival; McCain was Presidential

Source: http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/2008/08/rick-warren-and-saddleback-faith-forum.html

In some past posts I have been very critical of Rick Warren for aspects of his Purpose Driven Life campaign; his environmental climate initiative, thinking he can cure world hunger, his convoluted 2006 conference on AIDS, and his more pragmatic approach to evangelism. BUT, when he gets it right I am not afraid to say so; and this past Saturday night he really got it right!

Rick Warren was absolutely brilliant. He was lucid, inviting and incisive in how he worded the questions; probed in follow up inquiries; and he kept the evening civil, uniform, and on point. I agree with Charles Krauthammer that this was the best political forum of two Presidential candidates that I have ever witnessed in any venue in recent American politics. The voters on both sides of the aisle were given an honest view of each candidate. I also appreciated that Warren allowed each candidate the freedom to express their convictions without he as the moderator coloring their respective ideological platforms to suit his own political views on the same issues he was asking. MSNBC and CNN and FOXNEWS are you observing?

My conclusion of the faith forum outcome? McCain knocked it out of the park (which I wasn't prepared for) and Obama was more the empty suit than I ever could have imagined. This was a clear case of truth over nuance. McCain was commanding, Obama was conversational; McCain was Presidential, Obama was post-modern; McCain knew the issues, Obama needed his TelePrompTer.

This post could be one of the longest I have ever written. But for the sake of time and thoughtfulness for you the loyal and discerning reader at COT, I have chosen instead to feature below two video segments from the faith forum - one from each candidate. And if you missed this forum, here is the transcript for your further perusal.

Be sure to VOTE; but then accept the results from the only true Sovereign God who is the One who will set men in places of power and leadership over the affairs of men for His own purpose and glory. Amen?

The Cross Waves Higher Than the Flag
Steve
Romans 13; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13ff

Obama was nuanced, postmodern and charming



McCain was straightforward, commanding and Presidential

Why do we use the term Complementarian?
http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/Why-do-we-use-the-term-Complementarian

August 18, 2008

What do we mean by the term complementarian?
We're glad you asked.

In an issue as important as God's design for men and women, defining the terms is critical to clarifying opposing positions. For some who may yet be undecided in these matters, such clarity might be the means of resolving the matter in a way that increases their joy in God's design and thereby brings him glory.

The term complementarian was coined by Wayne Grudem and the other founders of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood to capture the Bible's teaching on the equal value, but different functions of men and women in God's created order. God designed both women and men to be fully human and therefore fully equal. At the same time both reflect God's image in very different ways, such that neither is sufficient to portray fully the magnificence of God. The sexes complement each other.

For instance, we see this idea of complementarity in Ephesians 5:21 and its application to human marriage. There Paul says we all are to be "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." He goes on to show how the way a wife should submit is markedly different from the way a husband should submit. A wife's submission chiefly means respect for her husband's Christ-like leadership (v.22). On the other hand, a husband's submission chiefly finds expression in that very sacrificial, loving leadership (v.25). Christ, as the husband of the Church, submitted himself in sacrificial love to the Church. And the Church, as Christ's Bride, submits to his humble, loving leadership over her. This is biblical complementarity in action.

Another term that helps to fill out the complementarian position is patriarchy. Often this term is used pejoratively. However, when it is used in its biblical sense, referring to God's loving fatherhood over us, we strongly embrace it. Any humble, loving headship that an earthly father exerts, he does so reflecting God, our heavenly Father. This is an important definition to clarify, because we reject any notion of patriarchy that says a husband is superior to his wife, or rules women by virtue of his ancestry.

Sometimes the complementarian view is confused with the traditionalist view. That is an unfortunate mistake. Traditionalists are those who stand to benefit from keeping things just as they are: status quo. Traditionalism often arises out of a self-serving slothfulness that sees no need to do the hard and humble work of cultural challenge and biblical exegesis. There are traditionalists on both sides of the gender debate. We reject this view and are pleased to find that many of our counterparts in the evangelical egalitarian position do as well. The only traditions we seek to uphold are those biblical ones of which the Apostle Paul speaks in II Thessalonians 2:15, "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."

If you would like to know more about the complementarian position you may wish to read Piper and Grudem's Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood or this helpful Summary by Dr. Bruce Ware on the two key terms in the gender debate. Tomorrow, I will take a look at the meaning of the counterpoint position evangelical egalitarianism.

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Prophecy and Signs and Wonders
by Frank Turk

Before we get started here, it behoves me to remind all of you -- and there's no gracious way to say this, so here it comes -- that Dan told you so twice. And what really polishes the apple there is that, as some astute commenters have almost noted, somehow we're the ones who don't claim to be prophets who get a spontaneous word from God, and the folks who are very ardent and urgent to claim "prophets" and "apostles", well, missed it. By a lot.

We'll get to that, because I have a veritable laundry list of stuff I want to get through on this today, but let's start off by being fair: if you type the search "bentley site:charismamag.com", on the second or third page of that search you'll see that in the reader forums at Charisma, many readers there were plainly distancing themselves from Bentley, plainly denouncing him as a fraud. It just seems that the editorial staff of Charisma couldn't find a way to sort of harness the spirit there and find out, one way or the other, if the critics had a foot to stand on -- biblical, pneumatological, podiatrical or otherwise.

So what's to learn from this? I mean, what's the take-away, given the context that I have opened this can of worms by linking Dr. Piper's response to these events?

Here's my first suggestion -- and it's to people like John Piper and C. J. Mahaney for whom, frankly, I have the highest level of respect and from whom I have frankly learned more than I could list: you can't publish essays like this one after the fact, well after the next ridiculous charismatic fraud has exposed himself as a profiteer toward God's Gospel, and not face the question, "How did you not see this coming?"

I wholly affirm what Dr. Piper said here:

Discernment is not created in God’s people by brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance. It is created by biblical truth and the application of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds. When that happens, then the brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance will have the strong fiber of the full counsel of God in them. They will be profoundly Christian and not merely religious and emotional and psychological.
And if anyone asked me -- anyone, at any time, in any circumstance -- whether I thought men like Dr. Piper and C.J. grasped and taught biblical truth, and thereby were broken, humble, repentant, I'd say "yes" with no qualifiers.

Yes, in fact: heroes of the faith. In their way, they have stood up against the trend to remove the cross from the church, seeking to turn the people who bear the name of Jesus toward their God rather than the TV, the movie theater, and the internet. That's what they do.

Somehow the false idol of entertainment can be identified in every other place and spoken against in no uncertain terms, but when a Todd Bentley starts actively deceiving people under the cover of signs and wonders, it seems the credible advocates of the "continualist" view always -- always -- adopt a wait-and-see approach to these quacks who are simply tempting the hurting and the gullible away from the faith and toward a sideshow profit center.

Seriously: how is it possible that "60 Minutes" knew more about Todd Bentley -- and were more willing to get him on the record -- than Charisma magazine? Doesn't Charisma have more to lose by doing what it did -- namely, giving Bentley a free pass for almost 5 years until his ship came in and then crashed into the dock? They had to know -- tracking him as a Canadian Evangelist since at least 2003 -- what he was teaching and how he was developing. How could they not know? And how could they not, frankly, denounce him -- or at least call him to be accountable for what, in hindsight, J. Lee Grady called plainly, "cultic manipulation at its worst".

Dr. Piper is welcome, in my view, to defend his position on the continuation of the gifts as he sees fit (I have a whole other series of post on that matter coming). But, unfortunately, this last article of his glosses over the abuses and overlooks the lack of discernment in those with whom he, apparently, agrees with on this matter for the sake of fronting a minor apologetic on the matter rather than plainly denouncing a fraud.

This does not diminish my admiration for Dr. Piper or Desiring God Ministries. This simply underscores the real lack of engagement by serious people about these matters which require biblical truth and the application of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds to discern before the name of Christ and the power of His Gospel is denigrated.

Todd Bentley has denigrated the church -- to outsiders and to the many whom he deceived. Nobody needed a dream from an angel to see this one coming -- yet nobody but crackpots like Dan and myself and Phil said anything about it. Unless those who are actually committed to the charismatic/pentecostal vision can themselves discern the wheat from the chaff, that movement will be consistently plagued by this sort of folk revivalism, substatiation of "elmer Gantry" stereotypes, and the discrediting the most important message in the history of the world.

God be with you this weekend as you go to the Lord's House on the Lord's day to be with the Lord's people. He is with you when you gather and listen to His word and take His ordinances.

From the Board of Directors of Heretic Todd Bentley

We wish to thank all of our friends and partners for the overwhelming flood of support and compassion we have received as a ministry on behalf of Todd and Shonnah Bentley. The many phone calls and emails of concern from people who genuinely love the Bentleys and Fresh Fire Ministries have been a great encouragement to all of us here during these past few days. In particular, the rallying of support and prayer for Todd and Shonnah by prominent leaders within the Body of Christ has been a beautiful indicator of the maturity and grace the Lord is bringing to his Bride.

We wish to acknowledge, however, that since our last statement from the Fresh Fire Board of Directors, we have discovered new information revealing that Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff. In light of this new information and in consultation with his leaders and advisors, Todd Bentley has agreed to step down from his position on the Board of Directors and to refrain from all public ministry for a season to receive counsel in his personal life.

On behalf of the Fresh Fire leadership and the Board of Directors we wish to apologize to our friends and partners and to the larger body of Christ and to ask for your forgiveness. We are truly sorry for the pain many of you must feel and so regret that in the midst of great revival, the enemy has found a way into our camp. To those who have stood by us, we wish to thank you for what in many cases has been years of support. Thank you for your financial giving towards the vision of this ministry, and thank you especially for your prayers. For those of our partners, friends and supporters who may be struggling with the recent disclosures and finding continued support of this ministry in conflict with either conscience or conviction, we release and bless you with all our hearts and trust that God will redeem in your hearts the good that He has accomplished in your lives through this ministry. It is our sincerest hope and prayer that the Lord bless you and bring you into your fullest destiny in Him.

When this ministry was initially birthed in May of 1998, Todd had but one simple desire in his heart – to see the world come to know Jesus. Now, only 10 years later, Fresh Fire Ministries has grown to become a Resource Center that is literally reaching out to all the corners of the Earth. There have been dozens of associate ministries, scores of interns and hundreds of graduates from the Supernatural Training Center. Over 60 nations have received a combined total of more than five million dollars in humanitarian aid and we have seen well over one million conversions for Jesus Christ.

And so, the question can well be asked... where do we go from here? It is true that we are deeply saddened by these recent events, but it hasn’t shaken our faith in either God or His goodness towards us and with the help of wise and compassionate leaders within the body, we will do everything within our power to see our brother and sister healed and restored.

As a ministry, we can not forsake the vision and heartbeat upon which Todd Bentley founded Fresh Fire Ministries which is simply this:

Matthew 10:7-8
And as you go, Preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
While Todd and Shonnah each go through the necessary steps towards restoration and wholeness, we are compelled, with the resources with which God has entrusted us, to continue to spread God’s love and power all over the world.

There are many noble activities and endeavors in which Fresh Fire Ministries is involved, initiated by Todd, and to which we are still committed. We have the Supernatural Training Centre, our school of ministry, already in it’s fourth full year and with more than 50 students already enrolled we’re believing for an amazing year of biblical instruction, practical application and encounters with the presence of God. Many mature and gifted speakers and associates, graduated interns and teachers filled brim-full with the DNA and fire of this ministry are ready to pour revelation and passion into the hungry hearts of this coming year’s student body.

We will continue to host conferences in our region with speakers and worship leaders from around the nation whose message and mandates resonate with the vision and heart of Fresh Fire Ministries. In addition, we are committed to supporting the growing “OutPourings” across North America and around the world with our Associates, with encouragement and prayer support. In Todd’s own words, “What God is doing is bigger than one man”, and we now have a golden opportunity as the Body of Christ to pick up the baton and to run with perseverance for His glory.

Our missions department is progressing, as previously mentioned, with our major African crusade. With close to 100 team members in attendance, excitement is beginning to build and team members have responded that they are still believing God for the most amazing missions trip ever! Our Uganda Jesus Village in Kampala is forging ahead with the recent acquisition of 35 acres of land 30 minutes drive from our present location. Two of the 15 homes planned for the property are nearing completion, and the expanded village, when finished, will house almost 150 orphans rescued from war torn northern Uganda.

So whether in our Children’s Home in Africa, in our Supernatural Training Centre in British Columbia, in the revival meetings and outpourings spreading around the globe, or in taking teams to minister compassion and practical assistance to the poor in the far corners of the Earth, we have been and still are committed to bringing love, hope and a demonstration of the saving, healing, delivering power of the Gospel to a world in need.

Thank you all once again for your prayers and support. We bless each and every one of you in whatever decision you must make. Please know that our heart in all of this is to see the name of the Lord vindicated, and we take great encouragement from Psalm 23 and the Lord’s promise that He will “lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Together we look to the mercy and wisdom of our loving Father and we remain as ever, your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Fresh Fire Board of Directors



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Test Revival with Doctrine
August 14, 2008 By: John Piper
Category: Commentary

Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma, one of the main charismatic magazines, has written a lament and critique of the Lakeland “revival” which is now in a tailspin over the leader's announced separation from his wife. Grady’s summons to pray for the church and our nation is right, and among his commendable questions and observations are these:

"Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It’s way past time for us to grow up."

"True revival will be accompanied by brokenness, humility, reverence and repentance—not the arrogance, showmanship and empty hype that often was on display in Lakeland."

"A prominent Pentecostal evangelist called me this week after Bentley’s news hit the fan. He said to me: “I’m now convinced that a large segment of the charismatic church will follow the anti-Christ when he shows up because they have no discernment.” Ouch. Hopefully we’ll learn our lesson this time and apply the necessary caution when an imposter shows up."
Charismatics will not be the only ones who follow the Antichrist when he rises. So will the mass of those who today in thousands of evangelical churches belittle the truth of biblical doctrine as God’s agent to set us free (John 8:32).

Discernment is not created in God’s people by brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance. It is created by biblical truth and the application of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds. When that happens, then the brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance will have the strong fiber of the full counsel of God in them. They will be profoundly Christian and not merely religious and emotional and psychological.

The common denominator of those who follow the Antichrist will not be “charismatic.” It will be, as Paul says, “they refused to love the truth.”

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Our test for every Lakeland that comes along should first be doctrinal and expositional. Is this awakening carried along by a “love for the truth” and a passion to hear the whole counsel of God proclaimed?

August 15, 2008

The EU Observer reports: “The US and Poland have agreed to put part of a US global missile shield and new anti-aircraft defenses on Polish soil, in a move further aggravating east-west relations amid the fallout from Russia's incursion into Georgia.

The deal - initialled in Warsaw on Thursday (14 August), but still subject to negotiation on ‘technical details’ - will see 10 long-range Interceptor missiles installed on the Baltic Sea coast by 2012 to help defend the US and Europe against attacks from ‘rogue states.’

The pact will also see one US-controlled unit of 96 short-range Patriot missiles accompanied by 110 US soldiers moved from Germany to Poland. And it contains a clause obliging US military support in the event of attack by a third party, governed by a process which is faster than the NATO solidarity clause.

‘The Poles do not want to be in alliances in which assistance comes at some point later - it is no good when assistance comes to dead people,’ Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said on Polish TV. ‘Poland wants to be in alliances where assistance comes in the very first hours of - knock on wood - any possible conflict.’

The Polish foreign minister and White House spokesmen denied that the breakthrough, which comes after 18 months of talks, was connected to Russia's attack on Georgia last week. But the Polish defence minister, Bogdan Klich, and US officials made the link.

‘Above all, it seems that the Americans changed their opinion as a result of the situation in the Caucasus,’ Mr. Klich said in Polish daily Dziennik. The Georgia conflict ‘pushed the Poles, to be very frank,’ a US official told the Wall Street Journal. ‘It sends a signal to Moscow that people are not going to be intimidated.’

The US missile deal had an instant impact on already fragile Polish-Russian relations, with Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, cancelling a scheduled trip to Warsaw in September as soon as media reported the initialling ceremony would take place.

Russia says the Polish missile base is designed to help neutralise its nuclear arsenal, instead of rockets from states such as Iran or North Korea…”

US AND POLAND INK MISSILE DEAL, RATTLING RUSSIA

August 15, 2008

The EU Observer reports: “The US and Poland have agreed to put part of a US global missile shield and new anti-aircraft defenses on Polish soil, in a move further aggravating east-west relations amid the fallout from Russia's incursion into Georgia.

The deal - initialled in Warsaw on Thursday (14 August), but still subject to negotiation on ‘technical details’ - will see 10 long-range Interceptor missiles installed on the Baltic Sea coast by 2012 to help defend the US and Europe against attacks from ‘rogue states.’

The pact will also see one US-controlled unit of 96 short-range Patriot missiles accompanied by 110 US soldiers moved from Germany to Poland. And it contains a clause obliging US military support in the event of attack by a third party, governed by a process which is faster than the NATO solidarity clause.

‘The Poles do not want to be in alliances in which assistance comes at some point later - it is no good when assistance comes to dead people,’ Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said on Polish TV. ‘Poland wants to be in alliances where assistance comes in the very first hours of - knock on wood - any possible conflict.’

The Polish foreign minister and White House spokesmen denied that the breakthrough, which comes after 18 months of talks, was connected to Russia's attack on Georgia last week. But the Polish defence minister, Bogdan Klich, and US officials made the link.

‘Above all, it seems that the Americans changed their opinion as a result of the situation in the Caucasus,’ Mr. Klich said in Polish daily Dziennik. The Georgia conflict ‘pushed the Poles, to be very frank,’ a US official told the Wall Street Journal. ‘It sends a signal to Moscow that people are not going to be intimidated.’

The US missile deal had an instant impact on already fragile Polish-Russian relations, with Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, cancelling a scheduled trip to Warsaw in September as soon as media reported the initialling ceremony would take place.

Russia says the Polish missile base is designed to help neutralise its nuclear arsenal, instead of rockets from states such as Iran or North Korea…”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion

Todd Bentley’s announcement that his marriage is ending has thrown our movement into a tailspin—and questions need to be answered.

Evangelist Todd Bentley had heralded the Lakeland revival as the greatest Pentecostal outpouring since Azusa Street. From his stage in a gigantic tent in Florida, Bentley preached to thousands, bringing many of them to the stage for prayer. Many claimed to be healed of deafness, blindness, heart problems, depression and dozens of other conditions in the Lakeland services, which ran for more than 100 consecutive nights. Bentley announced confidently that dozens of people had been raised from the dead during the revival.

But this week, a few days after the Canadian preacher announced the end of his visits to Lakeland, he told his staff that his marriage is ending. Without blaming the pace of the revival for Bentley’s personal problems, his board released a public statement saying that he and his wife, Shonnah, are separating. The news shocked Bentley’s adoring fans and saddened those who have questioned his credibility since the Lakeland movement erupted in early April.

I’m sad. I’m disappointed. And I’m angry. Here are few of my many, many questions about this fiasco:

Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world to rally behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the beginning?

To put it bluntly, we’re just plain gullible.

From the first week of the Lakeland revival, many discerning Christians raised questions about Bentley’s beliefs and practices. They felt uneasy when he said he talked to an angel in his hotel room. They sensed something amiss when he wore a T-shirt with a skeleton on it. They wondered why a man of God would cover himself with tattoos. They were horrified when they heard him describe how he tackled a man and knocked his tooth out during prayer.

But among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear: “This is God. Don’t question.” So before we could all say, “Sheeka Boomba” (as Bentley often prayed from his pulpit), many people went home, prayed for people and shoved them to the floor with reckless abandon, Bentley-style.

I blame this lack of discernment, partly, on raw zeal for God. We’re spiritually hungry—which can be a good thing. But sometimes, hungry people will eat anything.

Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It’s way past time for us to grow up.

Why didn’t anyone in Lakeland denounce the favorable comments Bentley made about William Branham?

This one baffles me. Branham embraced horrible deception near the end of his ministry, before he died in 1965. He claimed that he was the reincarnation of Elijah—and his strange doctrines are still embraced by a cultlike following today. When Bentley announced to the world that the same angel that ushered in the 1950s healing revival had come to Lakeland, the entire audience should have run for the exits.

Why didn’t anyone correct this error from the pulpit? Godly leaders are supposed to protect the sheep from heresy, not spoon feed deception to them. Only God knows how far this poison traveled from Lakeland to take root elsewhere. May God forgive us for allowing His Word to be so flippantly contaminated.

A prominent Pentecostal evangelist called me this week after Bentley’s news hit the fan. He said to me: “I’m now convinced that a large segment of the charismatic church will follow the anti-Christ when he shows up because they have no discernment.” Ouch. Hopefully we’ll learn our lesson this time and apply the necessary caution when an imposter shows up.

Why did God TV tell people that “any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic”?

This ridiculous statement was actually made on one of God TV’s pre-shows. In fact, the network’s hosts also warned listeners that if they listened to criticism of Bentley, they could lose their healings.

This is cultic manipulation at its worst. The Bible tells us that the Bereans were noble believers because they studied the Scriptures daily “to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11, NASB). Yet in the case of Lakeland, honest intellectual inquiry was viewed as a sign of weakness. People were expected to jump first and then open their eyes.

Just because we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit does not mean we check our brains at the church door. We are commanded to test the spirits. Jesus wants us to love Him with our hearts and our minds.

Because of the Lakeland scandal, there may be large numbers of people who feel they’ve been burned by Bentley. Some may give up on church and join the growing ranks of bitter, disenfranchised Christians. Others may suffer total spiritual shipwreck. This could have been avoided if leaders had been more vocal about their objections and urged people to evaluate spiritual experiences through the filter of God’s Word.

Why did a group of respected ministers lay hands on Bentley on June 23 and publicly ordain him? Did they know of his personal problems?

This controversial ceremony was organized by Peter Wagner, who felt that one of Bentley’s greatest needs was proper spiritual covering. He asked California pastors Che Ahn and Bill Johnson, along with Canadian pastor John Arnott, to lay hands on Bentley and bring him under their care.

Bentley certainly needs such covering. No one in ministry today should be out on their own, living in isolation without checks, balances and wise counsel. It was commendable that Wagner reached out to Bentley and that Bentley acknowledged his need for spiritual fathers by agreeing to submit to the process. The question remains, however, whether it was wise to commend Bentley during a televised commissioning service that at times seemed more like a king’s coronation.

In hindsight, we can all see that it would have been better to take Bentley into a back room and talk about his personal issues.

The Bible tells us that ordination of a minister is a sober responsibility. Paul wrote: “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others” (1 Tim. 5:22). We might be tempted to rush the process, but the apostle warned against fast-tracking ordination—and he said that those who commission a minister who is not ready for the job will bear some of the blame for his failures.

I trust that Wagner, Ahn, Johnson and Arnott didn’t know of Bentley’s problems before they ordained him. I am sure they are saddened by the events of this week and are reaching out to Bentley and his wife to promote healing and restoration. But I believe that they, along with Bentley and the owners of God TV, owe the body of Christ a forthright, public apology for thrusting Bentley’s ministry into the spotlight prematurely. (Perhaps such an apology should be aired on God TV.)

Can anything good come out of this?

That depends on how people respond. If the men assigned to oversee Bentley offer loving but firm correction, and if Bentley responds humbly to the process by stepping out of ministry for a season of rehabilitation, we could witness a healthy case of church discipline play out the way it is supposed to. If all those who were so eager to promote Bentley now rush just as fast to repent for their errors in judgment, then the rest of us could breathe a huge sigh of relief—and the credibility of our movement could be restored.

I still believe that God desires to visit our nation in supernatural power. I know He wants to heal multitudes, and I will continue praying for a healing revival to sweep across the United States. But we must contend for the genuine, not an imitation. True revival will be accompanied by brokenness, humility, reverence and repentance—not the arrogance, showmanship and empty hype that often was on display in Lakeland.

We are weathering an unprecedented season of moral failure and spiritual compromise in our nation today. I urge everyone in the charismatic world to pray for Bentley; his wife, Shonnah; his three young children; Bentley’s ministry staff; and the men and women who serve as his counselors and advisers. Let’s pray that God will turn this embarrassing debacle into an opportunity for miraculous restoration.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. To read Charisma’s news story on Todd Bentley’s recent announcement, click here.


Todd Bentley, Wife Separating

The leader of the 'Lakeland Outpouring' is leaving Florida and will reportedly receive counseling.
Todd Bentley, Wife Separating
[08.12.08] In a stunning revelation by his ministry today it was announced that evangelist Todd Bentley, who has led nonstop revival meetings in Lakeland, Fla., since April 2, is separating from his wife, Shonnah, due to “significant friction in their relationship.”

The board of directors at Bentley’s Fresh Fire Ministries released a statement Tuesday afternoon that praised the “outpouring” in Lakeland led by Bentley, but also acknowledged “an atmosphere of fatigue and stress” that more than 100 daily meetings had created, which “exacerbated existing issues in [Bentley’s marriage].”

Though the “outpouring” came with the “blessing and the burden of exponential increases,” the board of directors stressed in the letter that the meetings were not to blame for the break up of Bentley’s marriage. They expressed hope for restoration, but neither promised nor guaranteed it—instead focusing on “growing the Global Outpourings” that have spread via the Internet and GOD TV. “We know that many of you will have questions, for most of which we presently have no answers,” the board members stated.

Bentley has spent most of the last four months away from his home in Abbottsford, B.C., where his wife and three children reside. Shonnah Bentley has flown to Lakeland and has appeared on stage with her husband periodically. The statement released by Fresh Fire Ministries on Tuesday emphasized the separation was not due to infidelity by either spouse.

Stephen Strader, senior pastor at Ignited Church where Bentley’s revival was first sparked, told Charisma the separation was for “a period of time while they both continue to receive counseling.”

Lynn Breidenbach, who until yesterday was a spokesperson on Bentley’s staff, told Charisma on Monday that she had no knowledge of any impending separation between Bentley and his wife and that rumors of such a separation received by Charisma were apparently false. However, according to the Lakeland Ledger, Bentley called a staff meeting later on Monday and acknowledged his plans to separate from his wife.

Bentley did not respond to Charisma’s request for comment. At press time, members of the Revival Alliance, a group made up of prominent charismatic ministers who ordained Bentley as an evangelist in the Lakeland meetings in June, had not yet commented.

According to Strader, Bentley turned over the spiritual authority of the meetings to him last Wednesday—more than two weeks earlier than the August 23 date announced earlier this month. Strader said Bentley’s official departure will occur during this Wednesday night’s meeting in Lakeland, when Bentley is scheduled to thank the crowd, while also “commissioning his interns” to continue the revival. —Paul Steven Ghiringhelli

FAITH UNDONE
the emerging church - a new reformation or an end-time deception by Roger Oakland

Published by Lighthouse Trails

Book Information: ISBN: 978-0-9791315-1-6264 Pages Retail $12.95

Note from Author:

In the not-too-distant future, most evangelical pastors will have to decide whether to support or reject the spirituality behind the emerging church. If this movement continues unfolding at the present pace, mainstream Christianity will be completely restructured, and the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ will be considered obsolete. If I believed for one minute that this movement was just another passing whim or the discontent rumblings that so often occur with young people as they search for answers to life, I would never have written this book.
But sad to say, the emerging church is far more than a fleeting fad and much more than the complaints of a group of young leaders. It is indeed a new way of being Christian and its objective is to usher in a new reformation throughout the world.
Those who refuse to embrace this direction will be considered spiritual oddballs that are hindering a unified one-world spirituality that is promoted as the answer for peace and that is prophesied about in the Bible. I know these sound like preposterous concerns. How could a movement that seems so unorganized and mismanaged do so much damage? The answer to that is the reason I wrote this book. For behind this new kind of worship, this new kind of church is a strategic apostasy and maneuver by the prince of this world, the enemy of our souls, to literally take apart the faith of millions—it will be nothing less than faith undone.

Chapter by Chapter Overview

1. A New Kind of Church
Leaders of the emerging church say drastic changes must take place because the church can no longer be effective with old ways and an old church. We need a new kind of Christianity if we are going to make a difference in people’s lives and the world around us. But just what is this new kind of Christianity?

2. The Birth of the Emerging Church
Contrary to what many believe, the current emerging church movement was not initiated by a group of disillusioned young people. In reality, the movement was largely the inspiration of a successful business guru whose ideas on an emerging church were catapulted into existence by other successful businessmen, and thus it became the influential religious force it is today. Backed by multi-million dollar corporations and entities, its very core has been influenced dramatically by those with mystical affinities.

3. A “New” Faith for the 21st Century
The Word of God is under attack. According to emerging church leaders, the Bible is not so much for truth and doctrine as it is for hopes, ideas, and participation. In other words, don’t use the Bible as a means of theology or absolute truth and standards by which to live; rather than the Bible molding the Christian’s life, let the Christian’s life mold the Bible.

4. Riding the Emerging Church Wave
How far is this new kind of church willing to go to reach its objective? Emerging church proponents say there is a new wave taking place and we have to hop on. The wave is a Vintage Christianity, which in reality is an experience-based religion. Experiences must be implemented in order to attract both Christians and non-Christians alike; we must appeal to this postmodern generation with its hunger for experience, rituals, and mysticism.

5. Ancient-Future Worship
The emerging church embraces multi-sensory worship. While many are bewildered why their churches are darkening their sanctuaries, setting up prayer stations with candles, incense, and icons, the promoters of the emerging church movement say they know exactly what they are doing by practicing mysticism through music, rituals, and worship and offering stimulating images for a spiritual experience. Leaders of the emerging church say the ideas and beliefs of the early church fathers (100 AD to 600AD) are important and these teachings from the past will bring spiritual transformation and success to churches in the 21st century.

6. When West Meets East
Contemplative spirituality (i.e., mysticism) is to the emerging church what the wind is to a sail boat. Without it, there is no momentum, and it is woven into the very fabric of the emerging church’s ambience. In order to understand why this is so important, we must first understand the dynamics of contemplative spirituality.

7. Monks, Mystics, and the Ancient Wisdom
The emerging church is embracing contemplative spirituality and what is called the ancient wisdom. While appearing to be Christian because of the altered terminology, in actuality, it is occult based and New Age.

8. The Evangelization of Eucharistic Adoration
The Roman Catholic Church has a plan to establish the Kingdom of God here on Earth and win the world to the Roman Catholic Jesus—the Eucharistic Christ. It is believed the “triumph of the Eucharist” will be accomplished when the world (including the separated brethren) come under the rule and reign of Rome and the Eucharistic Jesus. The presence of “Christ” in the Eucharist is the second coming, Roman Catholic style. The emerging church is a bridge to Rome.

9. The Kingdom of God on Earth
The Bible says that Jesus Christ will establish His kingdom when He returns to Earth. But today a theology called Kingdom Now or Dominionism is permeating the walls of Christianity, and the emerging church movement is taking this heretical belief full speed into the next generation. With the idea that the church can establish the Kingdom of God before Christ returns and essentially turn our world into a Christian world, this belief system has literally changed the way countless Christians view the world and go about their Christian living. What most of them don’t realize is this Kingdom of God on Earth mindset is an all out effort by Satan to merge together the religions of the world and thus negate the gospel message.

10. The Undoing of Faith
The fruit of the emerging church includes: changes in views on sexuality (homosexuality acceptance and tantra, a mixture of mysticism and sex), the desire by emerging leaders to stop identifying with Christianity, eradicating the gap between good and evil (the very goal of Satan’s religion, the New Age), and developing a new missiology which says keep your own religion, just add Jesus. This truly is the undoing of Christian faith.

11. A Slaughterhouse Religion?
If someone said that emerging church leaders don’t like the Cross, many would cry out, “Yes, they do. I’ve heard them talk about Jesus and the Cross.” But while this may be true, there is an underlying theme building momentum in the emerging church that says, “Jesus going to the Cross was an example of sacrifice and service that we should follow. But the idea that God would send His Son to a violent death for the sins of mankind—well that is not who God is. He would never do that!” This mindset negates the very atonement on which biblical Christianity rests.

12. A New Reformation?
Faith Undone shows that the nature of the emerging church’s new reformation is anything but new, and when it comes to pass could bear violence and persecution on those who defend the Bible as the true and literal Word of God. This is a heavy chapter that will zero in on what this new emerging reformation will look like.

13. Or An End-Time Deception
The Bible says that in the last days Satan will deceive the whole world with doctrines of demons and seducing spirits. The question must be asked, is the emerging church spirituality part of this great falling away? And just what are the earmarks of a church that has become part of this end-time deception?

I am reading this book as well right now, looks interesting however I am sure I am not going to agree with everything the author has to say however overall looks like he has some valid points to make.

Order today from Amazon for $10.11
http://www.revivalschool.com/

Video with Leonard Ravenhill speaking truth about Revival

An Insider's Warning.. Are Todd Bentley & the Florida Healing Revival for real?
What about Gold Dust & Laughing Revivals?
How do we tell the false from the true?

Product Description

Andrew Strom is founder of RevivalSchool.com and the international REVIVAL List. He was involved for 11 years in the same Prophetic movement as Todd Bentley - until he quit in anguish over the unbiblical and bizarre things going on in that movement. As an insider, Andrew questions a lot of the 'angels', the gold dust, and "revivals" like the one in Florida. Read the FACTS to find out why. What is real Revival? And how do we tell the true from the false? The answers are found in this provocative book. From the reviews: "This is not for the faint hearted... Andrew Strom doesn't pull any punches... a powerful testimony." - D. Parker, USA. "I could not put it down..." - R. Hollingshead, USA. "A MUST READ!!" - Lu Ann Sheeder, USA. "This book left me in tears, weeping for a restoration of the true gospel and with such a yearning to see real revival." - S. Savage, Amazon.com Reviews.

Reviews from Readers.

This book is must reading by all Christians BEFORE they get involved in any "revival" movement. It is well-written, well-researched and provides a historical context to better understand the workings of God through "revivals". If any movement if of God, it will surely stand the test of time and it's "true fruit" will become evident as the "hype" dissipates. We are told to try, test and hold fast to that which is good AS WELL as not quench the Spirit. It is dangerous to assume every manifestation is from the Holy Spirit without a guide to measure it's authenticity. The Bible warns us to be careful and wise because the enemy will do anything to mislead, even sending angels claiming to bring us messages from God (Galations 1:8). As I understand Scripture, the role of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus, convict the world of sin and to convey the things of God to His children (John 16:5-15). Therefore, if any true move of God should be identified by these characteristics and that is exactly what I hear Andrew saying in His book. So my question is this: What is the true fruit of this current "revival"? Is there conviction and repentence from sin? Is there an emphasis on the character and holiness of God? Is there an increased love for reading and knowing God's Word? Is there teaching about dying to self, picking up the cross and following Jesus? I've experienced the moving of the Spirit and while His work is not always predictable, the end result is always the same and that is growth and maturity in Christ. These are not attacking questions, but sensible ones that should be easy to answer. I often hear people involved defensively say "look at the fruit" when questioned. When I look closely however, the only fruit I see is that which testifies of their experience, not of Jesus and that concerns me. Rather than love, joy, peace, kindness, longsuffering, etc. that would testify of Jesus, I'm seeing hyperactivity, emotionalism, disrespect and propagation of bizarre and unbiblical teachings that are borderline at best and dangerous at worst. Frankly, that sort of "fruit" doesn't reflect the heart of God or a very strong position... Subjectively, as a sheep in God's flock, I'm on alert because try as I might, I can't hear or see the Shepherd's voice in all the confusion and mayhem... I hear Andrew Strom's heart as one of concern for those who are being led down a path that has potential for ruin if they continue to pursue experiences and manifestations rather than relationship with their Shepherd. As one that was close to the heart of this movement, I think he speaks with experience. MORE importantly, he speaks from the Word of God and with the Heart of the Father breaking for His children who are being led astray... Therefore, I highly recommend reading this AND testing it's contents for yourself to see if these things are so!

R. Zannini "midnightcry" (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews The author has done a very good job of separating the facts from fiction. A lot of people won't like what he has to say because sometimes the truth hurts. Those that would rather tag this book as being negative and judgmental are the very ones that for which it is written. Anyone that wants to be able to discern wisely the workings of Christ today should read this book. You will gain a greater understanding of the nature of God and be reminded that the Holy Spirit is first and foremost "holy".

This whole Florida "revival" situation is a real dilemma for Christians. Either Andrew is right and Todd Bentley and others are the Pied Pipers, leading men away from the Lord - or Andrew is the one who is misleading people. It is black and white with no middle ground. How do you decide what is right (not who) This could be the biggest wake up call in the history of Christianity. I watched a video of Bentley in action and it was enough for me to doubt. I'd love to believe that the Lord is pouring out his Spirit on people - but compare a healing by Todd with a healing from Jesus. I was on the fence in this matter until today when I read this book. Andrew's is a voice of reason in a storm of controversy. Calling him a self-righteous Pharisee because he reluctantly blows the whistle on a very potential deceptive flank attack of the enemy is a bit extreme. He is not overemotional about this situation but logically lays out the evidence for issuing his warnings. He will not be popular with those with itching ears.

“The true heirs of the King James translators are those who continue their task today, not those who declare it to have been definitively concluded in 1611.”
—Alister McGrath, In the Beginning

The Legacy of the King James Version
The King James Version (KJV) was the standard Bible used by the English-speaking world for almost four centuries. It was the one Bible that united the Church, strengthened believers, and brought untold millions of souls to Christ. Its literary beauty helped to shape the English language more than any other printed work before or since. Adults and children studied it and committed its verses to memory. It is still among the top-selling Bibles on current bestseller lists.

The translators of the KJV understood the value of the English translation work that had been done before their time, and they wisely referred to the earliest English Bible translations, dating back to William Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament, in addition to the manuscripts in their original languages.

With the greatest respect for the KJV and deep gratitude to its translators for their work, the English Standard Version Translation Team endeavored to carry on the KJV’s historic translation legacy in a way that is fresh and compelling for today and that will endure for generations to come.

The ESV and the KJV: A Comparison
The English language has changed over the centuries, and modern readers find the KJV’s archaic words and sentence structures difficult to understand. Throughout the course of the twentieth century, it became clear that Bible readers needed a translation they could easily understand, resulting in a proliferation of Bible translations.

Given the wide variety of translations today, the ESV occupies a unique place in the classic stream of essentially literal translation and careful attention to literary beauty. The result is a highly accurate translation that retains the literary impact of the KJV but that still speaks powerfully for today.

To get a sense of the beauty of the ESV’s language, compare the way the beloved 23rd Psalm is expressed in the ESV and the KJV.

Psalm 23 (KJV) Psalm 23 (ESV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Also compare several translations side-by-side.

A Standard Translation
There was a time when the entire English-speaking world used the King James Version. Every pastor preached from it, every layperson committed the same words to memory. And the impact on culture was enormous.

As the direct descendant of the historic King James Bible, the ESV retains the beauty and majesty of the original languages and the rich theological words of the Bible in English. It is highly readable in a clear, literary style that does not sacrifice depth of meaning for easy reading.

Given this legacy and commitment, the ESV is uniquely positioned to become a true standard, unifying the church and families under the Word of God—around one Bible for preaching and teaching, for family devotions and personal study, for memorizing and daily reading, for young and old.

The Historic Legacy of the ESV
The ESV stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526; marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 (RSV). In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression.

The words and phrases of the ESV grow out of the Tyndale-King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for the ESV text. Archaic language was brought to current usage and significant corrections were made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, the translators’ goal was to retain the depth of meaning and enduring language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of the church over the last four centuries.

Timeline

1456 Johannes Gutenberg produces the first printed Bible, which is in Latin.

1526 William Tyndale publishes the first complete edition of the English New Testament.

1530 Tyndale publishes the Pentateuch in English.

1535 Tyndale is arrested in Antwerp by papal authorities and imprisoned near Brussels.

1535 Tyndale’s associate, Miles Coverdale, finishes Tyndale’s work and publishes the first complete translation of the Bible and the Apocrypha in English.

1536 Tyndale is executed for his translation work.

1537-1568 Other English Bibles are published—including Matthew’s Bible (1537), the Great Bible (1539), and the Bishops’ Bible (1568)—all of which relied heavily on Tyndale (and the completed edition of Coverdale’s Bible).

1604 King James assembles ten of his senior bishops at the Hampton Court Conference, where the decision is made to publish a new English translation of the Bible.

1611 The King James Bible is published; the extensive influence of Tyndale’s work is evident in this new translation.

1881-1885 The King James Bible is revised and published as the Revised Version (RV) in England.

1901 The American Standard Version (ASV) is published in America. Except for a small number of changes, the ASV is essentially the same as the RV published in England about 20 years earlier.

1946-1952 Revised Standard Version is published.

1998 The Good News/Crossway Board of Directors votes unanimously at the Annual Meeting to authorize the translation work and publication of the ESV.

2001 The English Standard Version is published. It is the first Bible ever to be published simultaneously in print and electronic media.

2002 The Good News/Crossway Board of Directors forms a separate not-for-profit organization, The Standard Bible Society (SBS), with the sole purpose of disseminating the English Standard Version Bible worldwide.

2002 The ESV receives the ECPA Gold Medallion award for excellence in Christian publishing in the Bible category.

2002 HarperCollins UK publishes the ESV for distribution throughout England and Europe.

2003 The English Standard Version and the New Chinese Version are published side-by-side in a bilingual parallel Bible available from Worldwide Bible Society for distribution in China and throughout the world.

2004 A worldwide distribution agreement is signed on the 200th anniversary of the British and Foreign Bible Society for distribution of the ESV Bible through national Bible societies around the world.

The ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible was created to help people understand the Bible in a deeper way—to understand the timeless truth of God’s Word as a powerful, compelling, life-changing reality. To accomplish this, the ESV Study Bible combines the best and most recent evangelical Christian scholarship with the highly regarded ESV Bible text. The result is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published—with more than 2,750 pages of extensive, accessible Bible resources.

With completely new notes, maps, illustrations, charts, timelines, and articles, the ESV Study Bible was created by an outstanding team of 93 evangelical Christian scholars and teachers. In addition to the 757,000 words of the ESV Bible itself, the notes and resources of the ESV Study Bible comprise an additional 1.1 million words of insightful explanation and teaching.
Primary Features

* 2,752 pages—equivalent to a 20-volume Bible resource library all in one volume.
* 1.1 million words—written by 93 leading evangelical scholars and teachers.
* 19,500 notes—focusing especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues.
* Over 50 articles—including articles on the Bible’s authority, reliability, and interpretation; on biblical archaeology, theology, worship, prayer, and personal application.
* Over 200 full-color maps—created with the latest digital technology, satellite images, and archaeological research; printed in full color, throughout the Bible.
* 200-plus charts—offering key insights and in-depth analysis in clear, concise outline form; located throughout the Bible.
* 80,000 cross-references—to encourage easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.
* More than 40 new full-color illustrations—including historically accurate reconstructions of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time and throughout the history of Israel, and many more.

Goal, Vision, and Publication

The goal and vision of the ESV Study Bible is, first and foremost, to honor the Lord—in terms of the excellence, beauty, and accuracy of its content and design; and in terms of helping people come to a deeper understanding of the Bible, of the Gospel, and of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry and all receipts from the ESV Study Bible go directly toward the support of this ministry goal around the world.

The publication date for the ESV Study Bible is Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

RC Sproul; The Reformation and the Reformation Study Bible

The following article is from this source;

This English Bible History Article & Timeline is ©2002 by author & editor: John L. Jeffcoat III. Special thanks is also given to Dr. Craig H. Lampe for his valuable contributions to the text. This page may be freely reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, in print or electronically, under the one condition that prominent credit must be given to “WWW.GREATSITE.COM” as the source.

The fascinating story of how we got the Bible in its present form actually starts thousands of years ago, as briefly outlined in our Timeline of Bible Translation History. As a background study, we recommend that you first review our discussion of the Pre-Reformation History of the Bible from 1,400 B.C. to 1,400 A.D., which covers the transmission of the scripture through the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, and the 1,000 years of the Dark & Middle Ages when the Word was trapped in only Latin. Our starting point in this discussion of Bible history, however, is the advent of the scripture in the English language with the “Morning Star of the Reformation”, John Wycliffe.

John Wycliffe

The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff” & “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!

John Hus

One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. The last words of John Hus were that, “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.” Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of Contention (a list of 95 issues of heretical theology and crimes of the Roman Catholic Church) into the church door at Wittenberg. The prophecy of Hus had come true! Martin Luther went on to be the first person to translate and publish the Bible in the commonly-spoken dialect of the German people; a translation more appealing than previous German Biblical translations. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that in that same year, 1517, seven people were burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church for the crime of teaching their children to say the Lord’s Prayer in English rather than Latin.

Johann Gutenberg

Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450's, and the first book to ever be printed was a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany. Gutenberg’s Bibles were surprisingly beautiful, as each leaf Gutenberg printed was later colorfully hand-illuminated. Born as “Johann Gensfleisch” (John Gooseflesh), he preferred to be known as “Johann Gutenberg” (John Beautiful Mountain). Ironically, though he had created what many believe to be the most important invention in history, Gutenberg was a victim of unscrupulous business associates who took control of his business and left him in poverty. Nevertheless, the invention of the movable-type printing press meant that Bibles and books could finally be effectively produced in large quantities in a short period of time. This was essential to the success of the Reformation.

Thomas Linacre

In the 1490’s another Oxford professor, and the personal physician to King Henry the 7th and 8th, Thomas Linacre, decided to learn Greek. After reading the Gospels in Greek, and comparing it to the Latin Vulgate, he wrote in his diary, “Either this (the original Greek) is not the Gospel… or we are not Christians.” The Latin had become so corrupt that it no longer even preserved the message of the Gospel… yet the Church still threatened to kill anyone who read the scripture in any language other than Latin… though Latin was not an original language of the scriptures.

John Colet

In 1496, John Colet, another Oxford professor and the son of the Mayor of London, started reading the New Testament in Greek and translating it into English for his students at Oxford, and later for the public at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. The people were so hungry to hear the Word of God in a language they could understand, that within six months there were 20,000 people packed in the church and at least that many outside trying to get in! (Sadly, while the enormous and beautiful Saint Paul’s Cathedral remains the main church in London today, as of 2003, typical Sunday morning worship attendance is only around 200 people… and most of them are tourists). Fortunately for Colet, he was a powerful man with friends in high places, so he amazingly managed to avoid execution.

Erasmus

In considering the experiences of Linacre and Colet, the great scholar Erasmus was so moved to correct the corrupt Latin Vulgate, that in 1516, with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament. The Latin part was not the corrupt Vulgate, but his own fresh rendering of the text from the more accurate and reliable Greek, which he had managed to collate from a half-dozen partial old Greek New Testament manuscripts he had acquired. This milestone was the first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium… and the first ever to come off a printing press. The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy… and to translate them faithfully into the languages of the common people, whether that be English, German, or any other tongue. No sympathy for this “illegal activity” was to be found from Rome… even as the words of Pope Leo X's declaration that "the fable of Christ was quite profitable to him" continued through the years to infuriate the people of God.

William Tyndale

William Tyndale was the Captain of the Army of Reformers, and was their spiritual leader. Tyndale holds the distinction of being the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language. Tyndale was a true scholar and a genius, so fluent in eight languages that it was said one would think any one of them to be his native tongue. He is frequently referred to as the “Architect of the English Language”, (even more so than William Shakespeare) as so many of the phrases Tyndale coined are still in our language today.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther had a small head-start on Tyndale, as Luther declared his intolerance for the Roman Church’s corruption on Halloween in 1517, by nailing his 95 Theses of Contention to the Wittenberg Church door. Luther, who would be exiled in the months following the Diet of Worms Council in 1521 that was designed to martyr him, would translate the New Testament into German for the first time from the 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus, and publish it in September of 1522. Luther also published a German Pentateuch in 1523, and another edition of the German New Testament in 1529. In the 1530’s he would go on to publish the entire Bible in German.

William Tyndale wanted to use the same 1516 Erasmus text as a source to translate and print the New Testament in English for the first time in history. Tyndale showed up on Luther's doorstep in Germany in 1525, and by year's end had translated the New Testament into English. Tyndale had been forced to flee England, because of the wide-spread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway, causing inquisitors and bounty hunters to be constantly on Tyndale's trail to arrest him and prevent his project. God foiled their plans, and in 1525-1526 the Tyndale New Testament became the first printed edition of the scripture in the English language. Subsequent printings of the Tyndale New Testament in the 1530's were often elaborately illustrated.

They were burned as soon as the Bishop could confiscate them, but copies trickled through and actually ended up in the bedroom of King Henry VIII. The more the King and Bishop resisted its distribution, the more fascinated the public at large became. The church declared it contained thousands of errors as they torched hundreds of New Testaments confiscated by the clergy, while in fact, they burned them because they could find no errors at all. One risked death by burning if caught in mere possession of Tyndale's forbidden books.

Having God's Word available to the public in the language of the common man, English, would have meant disaster to the church. No longer would they control access to the scriptures. If people were able to read the Bible in their own tongue, the church's income and power would crumble. They could not possibly continue to get away with selling indulgences (the forgiveness of sins) or selling the release of loved ones from a church-manufactured "Purgatory". People would begin to challenge the church's authority if the church were exposed as frauds and thieves. The contradictions between what God's Word said, and what the priests taught, would open the public's eyes and the truth would set them free from the grip of fear that the institutional church held. Salvation through faith, not works or donations, would be understood. The need for priests would vanish through the priesthood of all believers. The veneration of church-canonized Saints and Mary would be called into question. The availability of the scriptures in English was the biggest threat imaginable to the wicked church. Neither side would give up without a fight.

Today, there are only two known copies left of Tyndale’s 1525-26 First Edition. Any copies printed prior to 1570 are extremely valuable. Tyndale's flight was an inspiration to freedom-loving Englishmen who drew courage from the 11 years that he was hunted. Books and Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton and sacks of flour. Ironically, Tyndale’s biggest customer was the King’s men, who would buy up every copy available to burn them… and Tyndale used their money to print even more! In the end, Tyndale was caught: betrayed by an Englishman that he had befriended. Tyndale was incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. Tyndale’s last words were, "Oh Lord, open the King of England’s eyes". This prayer would be answered just three years later in 1539, when King Henry VIII finally allowed, and even funded, the printing of an English Bible known as the “Great Bible”. But before that could happen…

Myles Coverdale

Myles Coverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers had remained loyal disciples the last six years of Tyndale's life, and they carried the English Bible project forward and even accelerated it. Coverdale finished translating the Old Testament, and in 1535 he printed the first complete Bible in the English language, making use of Luther's German text and the Latin as sources. Thus, the first complete English Bible was printed on October 4, 1535, and is known as the Coverdale Bible.

John Rogers

John Rogers went on to print the second complete English Bible in 1537. It was, however, the first English Bible translated from the original Biblical languages of Hebrew & Greek. He printed it under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew", (an assumed name that had actually been used by Tyndale at one time) as a considerable part of this Bible was the translation of Tyndale, whose writings had been condemned by the English authorities. It is a composite made up of Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament (1534-1535 edition) and Coverdale's Bible and some of Roger's own translation of the text. It remains known most commonly as the Matthew-Tyndale Bible. It went through a nearly identical second-edition printing in 1549.

Thomas Cranmer

In 1539, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, hired Myles Coverdale at the bequest of King Henry VIII to publish the "Great Bible". It became the first English Bible authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English. It would seem that William Tyndale's last wish had been granted...just three years after his martyrdom. Cranmer's Bible, published by Coverdale, was known as the Great Bible due to its great size: a large pulpit folio measuring over 14 inches tall. Seven editions of this version were printed between April of 1539 and December of 1541.

King Henry VIII

It was not that King Henry VIII had a change of conscience regarding publishing the Bible in English. His motives were more sinister… but the Lord sometimes uses the evil intentions of men to bring about His glory. King Henry VIII had in fact, requested that the Pope permit him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The Pope refused. King Henry responded by marrying his mistress anyway, (later having two of his many wives executed), and thumbing his nose at the Pope by renouncing Roman Catholicism, taking England out from under Rome’s religious control, and declaring himself as the reigning head of State to also be the new head of the Church. This new branch of the Christian Church, neither Roman Catholic nor truly Protestant, became known as the Anglican Church or the Church of England. King Henry acted essentially as its “Pope”. His first act was to further defy the wishes of Rome by funding the printing of the scriptures in English… the first legal English Bible… just for spite.

Queen Mary

The ebb and flow of freedom continued through the 1540's...and into the 1550's. After King Henry VIII, King Edward VI took the throne, and after his death, the reign of Queen “Bloody” Mary was the next obstacle to the printing of the Bible in English. She was possessed in her quest to return England to the Roman Church. In 1555, John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers and Thomas Cranmer were both burned at the stake. Mary went on to burn reformers at the stake by the hundreds for the "crime" of being a Protestant. This era was known as the Marian Exile, and the refugees fled from England with little hope of ever seeing their home or friends again.

John Foxe

In the 1550's, the Church at Geneva, Switzerland, was very sympathetic to the reformer refugees and was one of only a few safe havens for a desperate people. Many of them met in Geneva, led by Myles Coverdale and John Foxe (publisher of the famous Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which is to this day the only exhaustive reference work on the persecution and martyrdom of Early Christians and Protestants from the first century up to the mid-16th century), as well as Thomas Sampson and William Whittingham. There, with the protection of the great theologian John Calvin (author of the most famous theological book ever published, Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion)and John Knox, the great Reformer of the Scottish Church, the Church of Geneva determined to produce a Bible that would educate their families while they continued in exile.

John Calvin

The New Testament was completed in 1557, and the complete Bible was first published in 1560. It became known as the Geneva Bible. Due to a passage in Genesis describing the clothing that God fashioned for Adam and Eve upon expulsion from the Garden of Eden as "Breeches" (an antiquated form of "Britches"), some people referred to the Geneva Bible as the Breeches Bible.

John Knox

The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters, so that referencing specific passages would be easier. Every chapter was also accompanied by extensive marginal notes and references so thorough and complete that the Geneva Bible is also considered the first English "Study Bible". William Shakespeare quotes hundreds of times in his plays from the Geneva translation of the Bible. The Geneva Bible became the Bible of choice for over 100 years of English speaking Christians. Between 1560 and 1644 at least 144 editions of this Bible were published. Examination of the 1611 King James Bible shows clearly that its translators were influenced much more by the Geneva Bible, than by any other source. The Geneva Bible itself retains over 90% of William Tyndale's original English translation. The Geneva in fact, remained more popular than the King James Version until decades after its original release in 1611! The Geneva holds the honor of being the first Bible taken to America, and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims. It is truly the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation.” Strangely, the famous Geneva Bible has been out-of-print since 1644, so the only way to obtain one is to either purchase an original printing of the Geneva Bible, or a less costly facsimile reproduction of the original 1560 Geneva Bible.

With the end of Queen Mary's bloody reign, the reformers could safely return to England. The Anglican Church, now under Queen Elizabeth I, reluctantly tolerated the printing and distribution of Geneva version Bibles in England. The marginal notes, which were vehemently against the institutional Church of the day, did not rest well with the rulers of the day. Another version, one with a less inflammatory tone was desired, and the copies of the Great Bible were getting to be decades old. In 1568, a revision of the Great Bible known as the Bishop's Bible was introduced. Despite 19 editions being printed between 1568 and 1606, this Bible, referred to as the “rough draft of the King James Version”, never gained much of a foothold of popularity among the people. The Geneva may have simply been too much to compete with.

By the 1580's, the Roman Catholic Church saw that it had lost the battle to suppress the will of God: that His Holy Word be available in the English language. In 1582, the Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and decided that if the Bible was to be available in English, they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English translation. And so, using the corrupt and inaccurate Latin Vulgate as the only source text, they went on to publish an English Bible with all the distortions and corruptions that Erasmus had revealed and warned of 75 years earlier. Because it was translated at the Roman Catholic College in the city of Rheims, it was known as the Rheims New Testament (also spelled Rhemes). The Douay Old Testament was translated by the Church of Rome in 1609 at the College in the city of Douay (also spelled Doway & Douai). The combined product is commonly referred to as the "Doway/Rheims" Version. In 1589, Dr. William Fulke of Cambridge published the "Fulke's Refutation", in which he printed in parallel columns the Bishops Version along side the Rheims Version, attempting to show the error and distortion of the Roman Church's corrupt compromise of an English version of the Bible.

King James I

With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Prince James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. The Protestant clergy approached the new King in 1604 and announced their desire for a new translation to replace the Bishop's Bible first printed in 1568. They knew that the Geneva Version had won the hearts of the people because of its excellent scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive commentary. However, they did not want the controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.) Essentially, the leaders of the church desired a Bible for the people, with scriptural references only for word clarification or cross-references.

This "translation to end all translations" (for a while at least) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible had begun. From 1605 to 1606 the scholars engaged in private research. From 1607 to 1609 the work was assembled. In 1610 the work went to press, and in 1611 the first of the huge (16 inch tall) pulpit folios known today as "The 1611 King James Bible" came off the printing press. A typographical discrepancy in Ruth 3:15 rendered a pronoun "He" instead of "She" in that verse in some printings. This caused some of the 1611 First Editions to be known by collectors as "He" Bibles, and others as "She" Bibles. Starting just one year after the huge 1611 pulpit-size King James Bibles were printed and chained to every church pulpit in England; printing then began on the earliest normal-size printings of the King James Bible. These were produced so individuals could have their own personal copy of the Bible.

John Bunyan

The Anglican Church’s King James Bible took decades to overcome the more popular Protestant Church’s Geneva Bible. One of the greatest ironies of history, is that many Protestant Christian churches today embrace the King James Bible exclusively as the “only” legitimate English language translation… yet it is not even a Protestant translation! It was printed to compete with the Protestant Geneva Bible, by authorities who throughout most of history were hostile to Protestants… and killed them. While many Protestants are quick to assign the full blame of persecution to the Roman Catholic Church, it should be noted that even after England broke from Roman Catholicism in the 1500’s, the Church of England (The Anglican Church) continued to persecute Protestants throughout the 1600’s. One famous example of this is John Bunyan, who while in prison for the crime of preaching the Gospel, wrote one of Christian history’s greatest books, Pilgrim’s