The Christian Worldview

“Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you” (2 Peter 1:12). This is Memorial Day Weekend when Americans pause to remember the sacrifice of the members of our military who fought and/or died in wars past and present. Whoever said, “He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it” was exactly right. Forgetfulness is one of the great liabilities of human nature. We think and do the wrong things over and over again because we fail to remember God’s Word or the consequences we or others suffered when we sinned in the past. This is why the Bible is full of exhortations to “remember”. The nation of Israel had many annual feasts so that they would remember God and His goodness. Jesus and His apostles were always “stir[ring] you up by way of reminder” because they knew how easily we forget and get off course. This week on The Christian Worldview, we’ll look at three important things that every Christian needs to remember to have a closer walk with God and to stay on track for the long term. And thank you to the members of our military who have served our country and sacrificed to preserve our way of life.  

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel [of Jesus Christ], for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). The above statement was made by the apostle Paul, a Jewish believer in Jesus Christ. Jews and Christians share much in common: the Jewish Bible is somewhat similar to the Christian Old Testament; Jews and Christians both revere patriarchs and prophets like Abraham, Jacob, David, and Isaiah; and Jews and Christians typically have a love and concern for Israel and her people. But it is on the all-important question of “Who is Jesus Christ?” that Jews and Christians diverge. Jews do not consider Jesus Christ to be who He claimed and was prophesied to be -- their promised Messiah -- while Christians worship Him for who He said He is -- the Son of God and Savior of Man. Is there sound reason and evidence for making the case to Jews that Jesus Christ is their Messiah? Or, as some say, can Jews be right with God without Christ because they are “God’s chosen people”? And does a Jew have to discard his/her ethnicity and become a “Gentile-like Christian” to be a follower of Jesus? Jonathan Bernis, a “Messianic rabbi” (a Jewish believer in Christ) and president of Jewish Voice Ministries, will join us this weekend on The Christian Worldview to answer these questions and to discuss his new book, “A Rabbi Looks at Jesus of Nazareth". If you are Jewish or have a friend who is, this program is for you!

Guest: Dr. Michael Brown, author, A Queer Thing Happened to America “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7). Following the path of the Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran churches and the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church USA voted this week to officially allow homosexual ministers to lead their congregations. One can understand how the God-rejecting world accepts and promotes homosexuality and extra-marital heterosexual immorality, but it’s deeply troubling that a major professing Christian denomination will ordain church leaders who are unrepentant homosexuals and fornicators when the Bible is so clear about this issue. Our culture, and sadly, our churches, have become “corrupted” with sexual immorality. Yet genuine Christians are called to live in this fallen world and be “salt and light” in it. How should true believers respond to what our guest, Dr. Michael Brown, writes in his new book, A Queer Thing Happened to America? And just as important, how can we live a pure life in the midst of this perverse culture? We’ll answer those questions this week on The Christian Worldview Radio Program.

“My son, fear the LORD and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change, for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?” (Proverbs 24:21-22) Project yourself back 75 years ago in America. Would anyone have complained that it was wrong to kill America’s “Enemy Number One”, even if unarmed, during World War II? Would people have questioned whether the Church of England should be marrying a prince who has been living in sin for years with his girlfriend? And what was the perspective on marriage, parenting, and the faith back then as compared to now? Jesus Christ and His Word are the same “yesterday, today, and forever” but the worldview of a nation changes over time. My parents, both in their late 70’s and with nearly 57 years of marriage together, have lived through this change in worldview, from growing up in the 1930‘s to living in 2011 America. They will join us on The Christian Worldview to explain why the nation has changed and what individuals today can do to be grounded in the truth in the midst of changing and turbulent times.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:9. Have you ever been asked or thought about one of those really tough questions in life?  Like, why would God, when He could have stopped it, allow the systematic torture and murder of six million Jews and other “undesirables” by Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany?  Or here’s another one: since God is in control of His creation, did He purposely cause the deaths of tens of thousands of people in “natural disasters” through the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the recent tornadoes in America, and if so, why? Even with the most informed biblical worldview and grounded faith, some things in life are truly hard to understand or explain. But Ray Comfort, evangelist, apologist, and author of a new book entitled, Defender's Guide for Life's Toughest Questions, is one of the best at examining Scripture to answer the really tough ones.

"Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." I Corinthians 15:12-17 How important is the resurrection of Jesus Christ?  What makes this truth meaningful or significant to you personally?  These are the questions we will ask our guests, Minnesota Vikings head coach (and Christian!) Leslie Frazier, comedian Bill Arnold, former linebacker for the MN Vikings Jeff Siemon, and Pastor Dave Gibson, during this weekend's LIVE broadcast from "Arise with the Guys".  

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1-3). I went to hear pastor Rob Bell speak at a church in the Minneapolis area last Monday night.  It was an illuminating evening on many levels (which I’ll share with you this weekend on the radio program) but one thing was abundantly clear: Rob Bell is what the Bible calls a false teacher (2 Peter 2:1). He’s not just a teacher with a few errant beliefs, he’s a false teacher preaching a false gospel that will lead people to hell.  Consider just one quote from “Love Wins”, his wildly popular book that rose to No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list: “A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided, toxic, and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.” (p. viii) The heresy of Rob Bell is not some insignificant, inside-the-church petty squabble.  This topic is the cover story of this week’s Time Magazine with the headline, “What If There Is No Hell? A popular pastor's best-selling book has stirred fierce debate about sin, salvation and judgment.” So what should the Christian response be to Rob Bell and false teachers like him?   Should we just be happy that he’s bringing more people, especially young people, into “Christianity” through his edgy books and videos?  Should we pray for him, be kind, and “not judge”?  Or should we name false teachers by name and expose their heresies?  And what actually qualifies someone for “false teacher status”.  Tune into The Christian Worldview this week..

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). LIVE from the Psalm 119 Conference, St. Louis Park, MN Guests:Todd Friel, host, Wretched Radio and TVPhil Johnson, executive director, Grace to YouJames White, apologist, Alpha and Omega MinistriesMilton Vincent, author, The Gospel Primer If you want to be wildly popular with secular culture, academia, media, and even within many parts of the Christian community, just put forth the unbiblical, heretical notion that God would never send anyone to hell for eternity because eventually His “love wins”. “Love Wins” is precisely the name of the new book by the young, edgy Emerging Church pastor Rob Bell from Grand Rapids, MI.  In fact, his book has become so popular that it has made it all the way to No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list.  The Christian Worldview will be broadcasting LIVE from the Psalm 119 Conference this Saturday morning in St. Louis Park, MN.  Four of the speakers from the conference -- Todd Friel, Phil Johnson, James White, and Milton Vincent -- will all be on the program to discuss universalism and other topics. 

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). “Wait, a second,” the American churchgoer says, “I thought you just gotta have faith in Jesus to be a Christian.”  This may be cultural Christianity’s gospel but it is not the true biblical gospel.  The Bible says there is something more beyond faith to being a genuine Christian.  And what is that?  Works.  So how do we reconcile what James says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24) with what Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)? We’ll discuss how faith integrates with works this week on the radio program and introduce you to a brand new aspect of The Christian Worldview called “FaithWorks Initiative” where you will have the opportunity to put your FAITH to WORK by helping and encouraging our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.  Exciting program ... don’t miss it!

"Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly." Romans 12:6 Last week, Open Bible Hour teacher Dick Johnson explained how every Christian is given one or more spiritual gifts at the time of salvation which are to be used to edify other believers within the body of Christ and to impact non-Christians as well.  Scripture mentions 16 spiritual gifts that can be generally divided into three categories: speaking gifts (5), serving gifts (7), and sign gifts (4).  The purpose of last weekend’s program was to define each of the spiritual gifts so you could identify yours.  If you missed any of the program, be sure to listen here.  You can also take the Spiritual Gift Self-Survey by clicking here. This week, Dick Johnson will join us for Part 2 to answer any questions or comments you have on the topic of spiritual gifts.  We’ll also discuss the oft-debated category of sign gifts, whether the gifts of miracles, healing, tongues, and interpretation of tongues are still in effect today or whether they were for a specific time and purpose in the 1st Century. Discovering and using your spiritual gift is an important but under-discussed topic within the church.  Tune in this week as we complete this two-week series.