The Christian Worldview

GUEST: JOEL BEEKE, host, PURITAN documentaryIn 2000 years of church history, the two most prominent eras for the propagation of sound doctrine were in the first century when the apostles of Christ took the gospel across the Roman Empire and then in the 1500s and 1600s when the Protestant Reformation took place.But as always, Satan, along with those who knowingly or unknowingly are used by him, attack and undermine anything that accurately represents God and His word.In the mid-1500s in England, just 40 or so years after Roman Catholic monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses for church reform on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany (Oct. 31, 1517), a group of devout Christians known as the Puritans emerged. Some Puritans worked within the Protestant Church of England to “purify” it from the influence of Roman Catholicism and the British monarchs while other Puritans separated from the state church, suffering persecution, dispersion, and martyrdom.The Puritans—men like John Bunyan, John Winthrop, Samual Rutherford, William Perkins, John Foxe, and others—were marked by everything the current-day mainstream Evangelical movement is not—a high and holy view of God, the absolute authority of God’s Word on all matters of life and faith, an accurate proclamation of the gospel, and a deep commitment to personal sanctification. Put another way, the Puritans were laser-focused on a precise understanding of God and applying His word to every area of life.This week and next in the lead-up to the commemoration of Reformation Day (Oct. 31, 1517) and Thanksgiving (i.e. the America Pilgrims were a branch of the Puritans), we will be joined by a man who is an expert on the Puritans—Joel Beeke. Joel is president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, minister of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also the host of the excellent documentary film, PURITAN: All of Life to the Glory of God.There is a lot for Christians and churches today to learn and apply from the Puritans and so we hope you are able to join us for this two-part series.--------------Related Resource:  Puritan Collector's Edition DVD

GUEST: SOEREN KERN, Christian Geopolitical AnalystAs Jesus pointed to the temple, He told His disciples, “Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”Just as Jesus predicted, the temple was torn down and destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans. But the question the disciples then asked is the same one Christians are asking today: “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”Jesus called Christians to discern the times to be ready for His return. That is what we aim to do on this week’s program with our guest, geopolitical analyst Soeren Kern. Soeren will offer insight from a biblical perspective on some of the most significant issues and events, such as Covid, the Russian war against Ukraine, updates from Israel and the Middle East, and the influence of China.We’ll go around the world, knowing that God is in perfect control of what appears to be an out of control world.Related Resources:Rob Roos: Vaccine never tested on preventing transmission

There are many pressing issues in the world right now, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Ian which decimated areas and lives along the west coast of Florida or the sabotage of the undersea Nord Stream pipelines which transport natural gas from Russia to Germany.No matter the current event, the most important issue is always how sinful man can be reconciled to Holy God.We are living in an era of our nation where God-rejection is rushing forward at an alarming rate. The statistics (such as The State of Theology that we covered last week) show that the nation, and particularly the younger generation, is turning away from Christ and Christianity. Many of our civil authorities lead the way in suppressing the truth and advocating for sin.So what should the Christian response be to this God rejection? Evangelicals have widely different answers to this question. Most want to soften the sharp edges of the faith and present the faith as “what we are for rather than what we’re against.” And they would define what we are for as “radical love, compassion, and forgiveness.” This sums up the “He Gets Us” campaign that we will discuss today.And there is a small minority of believers, who despite what the market researchers say, know that they must faithfully proclaim all of God’s Word, trusting in His Holy Spirit (instead of human reasoning) to change people’s hearts. This sums up John MacArthur’s "An Open Letter to CA Governor Gavin Newsom", which we will also discuss today.

GUEST: Dr. Stephen Nichols, Ligonier MinistriesTheology is defined as “the study of the nature of God and religious beliefs.” So “what do Americans believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible?”That is how Ligonier Ministries frames The State of Theology survey that they and LifeWay Research partner together to produce every two years.If you’re a Christian and are paying attention to the shift away from God and Scripture that has taken place in our country over the past 75 years, you won’t be surprised to learn that Americans have an unbiblical, syncretistic worldview, which is a mix of flawed human reasoning and remnants of religious moralism borrowed from Christianity.The survey made 35 theological statements to over 3,000 respondents of differing backgrounds and regions. Respondents could answer “strongly agree, somewhat agree, not sure, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree”.Here are a few examples of the theological statements in the survey:“God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”(67% agreed with this falsehood, as did 56% of Evangelicals).“Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”(53% agreed with this lie, as did 43% of professing Evangelicals)“The Bible has the authority to tell us what we must do.”(52% overall agreed, with 94% of Evangelicals agreeing…thankfully)Dr. Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries and president of Reformation Bible College, joins us on The Christian Worldview to discuss The State of Theology survey for 2022.

Billy Graham was the most well-known Evangelical Christian of the 20th Century. He led a parachurch ministry called the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association which hosted (and still hosts) large events all over the world, preaching the gospel to tens of thousands of people or more at a time.Recently on The Christian Worldview radio program, pastor Travis Allen of Grace Church in Greeley, CO joined us to discuss a sermon series he had given at a conference on the drift of Evangelicalism. which has become a wide umbrella term that includes theological conservatives, liberals, charismatics, social justice advocates, “gay Christians”, female pastors, and more.Pastor Allen commented how decisions by the most prominent Evangelical—Billy Graham—with regard to ecumenism (cooperation across denominations) and the rise of the parachurch (Christian organizations independent of the local church), contributed greatly to where Evangelicalism is today.This weekend, we’ll dive a bit deeper into the ministry of Billy Graham and its ramifications, learning from what was done right and wrong, using Scripture as a measuring rod.Related Resource:Evangelicalism Divided by Iain Murray

GUEST: PAUL TWISS, pastor, Former Officer in Royal NavyBy now you know, as most everyone in the world knows, that Queen Elizabeth II has died at age 96 after reigning over Britain and its Commonwealth of nations for 70 years.It would be hard to point to any other person’s death in western civilization over the last 100 years that has commanded more worldwide attention than the Queen’s death. Ten days of mourning and processions will culminate in her funeral on Monday, Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London.Paul Twiss, a citizen of the United Kingdom who now pastors Bethany Bible Church in Thousand Oaks, CA will join us to discuss the life and death—and faith—of Queen Elizabeth. Paul grew up and was educated in England, becoming an officer in the Her Majesty’s Royal Navy where he served as a nuclear engineer in the submarine service.We will also hear part two of the interview with Robert Knight, columnist for the Washington Times, as to why President Biden and the Left have ratcheted up their blame and vilification toward millions of Americans who supported Donald Trump, categorizing them as semi-fascists.

GUESTS:General Michael FlynnRobert Knight, columnistIn contradiction to President Biden’s promise to unify the country after the 2020 election, he and his administration have made the decision to accuse who he calls “MAGA Republicans” (Trump voters) as enemies of the state and the cause of all that ails America. He recently labeled tens of millions of Trump supporters as “semi-fascists” and then gave a fascist-looking and -sounding speech in Philadelphia with blood red lighting and two U.S. Marines behind him, blaming and vilifying those who oppose him.Robert Knight, columnist for The Washington Times, joins us on The Christian Worldview to explain what’s behind this ominous move by the federal government.Also, General Michael Flynn, who served 33 years in the U.S. Army and was U.S. National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, will join us to explain why he and other conservatives are relentlessly attacked and vilified and why we must stand up and speak up for Constitutional freedoms. General Flynn is the keynote speaker at the Citizen’s Council for Health Freedom event on Thu, Sept. 15 in Oakdale, MN (ticket deadline is Sunday, Sept. 11).Before we get to Robert Knight and General Flynn, we have one segment left with Pastor Travis Allen, as we discuss the drift taking place in Evangelicalism and the call to remain faithful in the midst of the compromise.

GUEST: TRAVIS ALLEN, pastor, Grace Church (Greeley, CO)“Evangelical” once meant a Christian who believed in the authority of Scripture and the call to evangelize the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But the devil, so to speak, is in the details of how that has played out over the decades.Today many Evangelical churches and Evangelical para-church organizations—colleges, seminaries, publishing and music industries, camps, conferences, films, evangelism, social work, etc.—form such a wide tent in doctrine and practice as to defy definition, and worse, to dishonor God.This is a bad development. Misrepresenting God and compromising His Word is egregious sin.Paul told Timothy to “accurately handle the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). He didn’t tell Timothy to use creative, man-centered methodology to reach the culture but rather to “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16).Pastor Travis Allen of Grace Church in Greeley, CO joins us this weekend on The Christian Worldview to discuss the need for Evangelical repentance and reformation. He will explain how the Evangelical movement arrived where it is today and what must be done to avoid ending in apostasy.RELATED RESOURCE: You are encouraged to listen to the two messages Pastor Allen preached at the Reforming Evangelicalism Conference:The Need for Evangelical ReformationReforming the Evangelical Pastorate

GUEST: TRAVIS ALLEN, pastor, Grace Church (Greeley, CO)As our society rejects God, so it rejects God’s call for what a man is to be. The biblical call for men to be providers for their home, loving leaders of their wives and children, and strong and courageous in word and deed is misrepresented as “toxic masculinity”, “sexist”, and “patriarchal”. Even when a man offers sound advice and direction, especially to a woman, it’s criticized as “mansplaining.”Add to this the influence of feminism and homosexuality in our culture and the impact is seen all around us today—men who have no idea what God calls them to be.God created men and women of equal value and yet with certain character qualities and roles which are to be more prominent depending on whether male or female. This is a complementary design by God, resulting in joy for us and glory for Him.Travis Allen joins us this weekend on The Christian Worldview radio program to discuss God’s call for men. Travis is pastor of Grace Church in Greeley, CO, married with five children, and served in the U.S. Navy as a member of the SEAL teams. But as you will hear, it’s not one’s ability to fire weapons or fast-rope from a helicopter that makes a godly man but rather allegiance and obedience to Christ and His Word.

GUEST: DR. STEVEN LAWSON, author, New Life in ChristConfusion characterizes our world. Or maybe delusion is the better word, in that people are deluded by others or just self-deluded.There are no shortage of “experts”—politicians, scientists, teachers, professors, writers, speakers, journalists, analysts, commentators, influencers, and yes, Christian leaders—confidently making assertions about all matters of life and faith.So if you’re pondering what is going wrong in the world, you will hear all kinds of responses—“racism, inequality, lack of education, capitalistic greed, moral corruption”—with all manner of proposed solutions, mostly promoting some new government program or law or political candidate.Despite all the talk, confusion and delusion still reign. People don’t know who or what to believe about what’s going on and don’t understand the root cause of the problems.Because all of Scripture is inspired by the holy and perfect God, Christians have a foundation for discerning truth from error, right from wrong, and wisdom from foolishness.Dr. Steven Lawson, president of OnePassion Ministries, expository preacher, and author of New Life in Christ: What Really Happens When You’re Born Again and Why It Matters, joins us this weekend on The Christian Worldview to discuss:What is going on in the world right now?Why has there been division over the issue of “social justice”?What does it mean to be born again?Please join us for this important program.--------------------Related Resource:New Life in Christ: What Really Happens When You’re Born Again and Why It Matters addresses the most important issue—what it means to be born again. This book is for a believer to better understand the gospel of Christ and for a non-believer to understand and believe in Christ. 224 pages, softcover.  Available for a donation of any amount!