Psych professor claims God lacked Mary’s ‘consent’

December 6, 2018 — WND.com reports: “A Twitter user who profiles himself as an associate professor of clinical psychology and sexuality studies from Minnesota and lists interests as ‘cats’ and ‘Poe’ tried to apply the contemporary ‘#MeToo’ movement to the New Testament story of the virgin birth.

Eric Sprankle claimed the ‘virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen.’

‘There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario,’ he said.

‘Happy holidays,’ Sprankle wrote.

Sprankle refused to cede the point when other Twitter users pointed out to him that the Bible, in Luke, ‘states clearly that the angel communicated God’s plan for Mary and in verse 38 she agreed. Whether you believe or disbelieve, it helps if you actually read the text.’

‘The biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying ‘no’ negates her ‘yes.’ To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst,’ he added…”  (What utter nonsense.  The prophecy of a virgin giving birth to the Messiah had been around for centuries – Micah 5:2 states: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”   “From everlasting” literally means from the days of eternity, – the Messiah has eternally existed.  Isaiah 7:14 states: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  And that passage would have been passed down from generation to generation, it is not inconceivable that Mary’s mother would have passed that prophecy on to Mary.  Mary herself said to Gabriel: “…Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word…” – Luke 1:38.)

‘No mention of Jesus in history,’ claims Pakistan prime minister

December 2, 2018 — WND.com reports: “The prime minister of Pakistan, a tenuous U.S. ally, contends Jesus was not a historical figure, reports Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

The Middle East Media Research Institute reported Prime Minister Imran Kahn made the assertion in a speech on the day marked as the birthday of Muhammad.

Khan also lobbied for a worldwide law that would protect Islam from any criticism.

The prime minister said there is little mention of prophets of Allah other than Muhammad, and there is ‘no mention of Jesus in history.’

‘Moses is mentioned, but there is no mention of Jesus in history,’ he said. ‘But the entire life of Muhammad, who was Allah’s last prophet, is part of history.’…”  (No mention of Jesus in history?  The web site BeThinking.org has an article entitled “Ancient Evidence from Jesus from Non-Christian Sources at: https://www.bethinking.org/jesus/ancient-evidence-for-jesus-from-non-christian-sources#_edn5 and they list the following:

Evidence from Tacitus: “Nero fastened the guilt … on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of … Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome…” 

Evidence from Pliny the Younger: “They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food – but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.” 

Evidence from Josephus: “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he … wrought surprising feats…. He was the Christ. When Pilate …condemned him to be crucified, those who had . . . come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared … restored to life…. And the tribe of Christians … has … not disappeared.”

Evidence from the Babylonian Talmud: “On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald … cried, “He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy.” [Regarding the statement about the cry of the herald, this article states that it may be what the Jewish leaders were planning to do, but Rome’s involvement changed those plans.]

Evidence from Lucian: “The Christians … worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account…. [It] was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws.”)

Board members quit over college’s ‘drift’ from Christian orthodoxy

December 4, 2018 — WND.com reports: “Two members of the board of trustees of a major evangelical Christian liberal arts university have resigned, contending the institution has ‘drifted’ from its foundation and mission, and now is at odds with its written policies, statement of faith and the Bible itself.

Raleigh Washington, a prominent pastor known for his leadership of the Promise Keepers men’s movement, and Dave Dias, a Sacramento-area business executive, submitted letters of resignation on Wednesday to the board of trustees of Azusa Pacific University in Southern California.

The two board members spoke to WND after explaining in their letters why they could no longer serve.

Washington, a trustee for 15 years, wrote that he had constantly confronted the board over the previous six years with abundant evidence that the administration and a substantial portion of the faculty were promoting a progressive ideology that clashed with the institution’s statement of faith and core principles.

He charged that the board has failed in its responsibility to hold leadership accountable and has become ‘complicit in this disobedient behavior.’…” (Thank God for these two men who have taken this stand “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;   Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” – II Timothy 4:1-5.)