Category: New Age

The Real Cause Behind the Crisis at Willow Creek

by Stand Up For The Truth | Sep 20, 2018 | Artificial Intelligence, Beliefs, Christianity, Cults, Culture & Morality, Emergent Church, False Teaching, Globalism, Humanism, New Age, Podcast, Transhumanism, Universalism, Worldview | 1 |

When you are suffering from the flu, feverish with a soar throat and body aches, are these symptoms the cause of the flu or are they the effects of the flu? They are of course the effects of a virus (the true cause) that has invaded your body leading to physical illness and mild suffering. When you treat the cause you get to the root of the problem; but treating effects will not lead to a cure.

Why bring this up? It’s a key to understanding the latest crisis at Willow Creek Church. The sexual assault scandal involving former Pastor Bill Hybels and several women has led to the Elder Board announcing their resignation. A consulting team has been brought in for damage control and a reorganization plan—you know just like secular businesses and corporations do when facing an internal or PR crisis. But is the sexual scandal the cause of Willow Creek’s crisis or the effects? The fallout is an effect – and in segment 2 we will address the true cause.

In the first segment, Mike and David talk with Carl Teichrib about his upcoming book, “Game of Gods” where he did boots on the ground’ research at Burning Man festival. Carl documents the strange, popular movement combining earth worship, pagan rituals, anarchy and spiritual oneness—all under the guise of “radical tolerance.” And while it might be easy to dismiss what you will hear by calling 80,000 followers goofy nuts, could it be part of Satan’s master plan for the world to worship Anti-Christ?

A Confused Generation Wandering From God

by Stand Up For The Truth | Jul 24, 2018 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Church Leadership, Culture & Morality, Education, Entertainment, False Teaching, Leadership, New Age, Podcast, Progressive Christianity, Social Justice, Steven Furtick, Universalism | 0 |

The statistics are clear and frightening: Between 70-80% of young professing Christians walk away from their Christian upbringing as they enter College. There are certainly many factors that play into this sad situation: Public Education; a media sold out to humanism and godlessness; Hollywood and an entertainment industry appealing to sex and violence. So what can we as committed Christians do about it?

This morning we continue our look at the sad story of Michael and Lisa Gungor, once rising stars in Christian music until Michael renounced his belief in God and the Bible. They were living a lie. They admitted many times they felt they couldn’t even read God’s word anymore. Lisa says that one of the reasons they strayed into doubt and unbelief was they were afraid to ask questions at church and admit their doubts.

Dave Wager of Silver Birch Ranch and Nicolet Bible Institute has been a teacher for more than 35 years and he shares his thoughts as to how we can reach young people and address their questions.

A Biblical Look At Spiritual Warfare

by Stand Up For The Truth | Jun 4, 2018 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Dominionism, Evangelism, False Teaching, Gospel, New Age, Podcast, Spiritual Warfare | 0 |

A few years ago I received a phone call from someone asking for prayer because he thought Satan was really attacking him. When I asked what was going on he told me his boss was threatening to fire him because he had received three speeding tickets while driving one of the company’s trucks. I lovingly told him it was not Satan attacking him, but rather his own careless decisions that were leading to problems.

Sometimes we want to blame spiritual warfare for consequences to our own stupid decisions. But it is equally dangerous to underestimate the actual spiritual warfare the Bible warns us about which is the majority of modern Christians. Satan and warfare is real and God has much to say about it.

Elijah Abraham of Living oasis Ministries joins us to take a biblical look at spiritual warfare and our role in the battle as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Influence of Ann Voskamp

by Stand Up For The Truth | Feb 13, 2018 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Book Reviews, Christianity, Church Leadership, Emergent Church, Evangelism, Gospel, New Age, Podcast, Salvation | 0 |

Ann Voskamp is a New York Times best-selling author with a large following among Christians, particularly Christian women. Many have said her books about pain and brokenness have helped them connect in a deeper way with God.

But Voskamp is not without her critics. Some believe her writings promote unbiblical mysticism and emergent theology.

Pastor Mike Abendroth joins us this morning to discuss Voskamp’s books and influence, along with continuing our discussion from last month on challenges facing the Christian Church in America. Today we focus on the gospel that is often presented in churches these days. Is it the one, true gospel and consistent with God’s Word? Or a dangerous path away from God?

Your Comments & Questions

by Stand Up For The Truth | Jan 26, 2018 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Church Leadership, Cults, Discrimination, Education, Evangelism, False Teaching, homosexuality, Islam, Liberalism, Listener Questions, New Age, Podcast, Prophecy, Prosperity Gospel, Religious Freedom, Word Faith Movement | 0 |

Good morning Christians…it’s Friday! OK, apologies to our more seasoned listeners who know that is a knockoff of the late Paul Harvey’s Friday radio greeting. But we really do love Fridays here at Stand Up For the Truth because we turn the show’s topics over to you. Your questions and comments are the focus and here are some of the things we’ll be discussing today:

Advice on starting a home church
Reconciling salvation by grace and the fruit of our works in the teachings of the Bible
“Little gods” theology espoused by many word faith preachers
The New Age promoted at your local YMCA
What to do when your boss asks you to stop reading your Bible during lunch hour bc some are offended
The Mark of the Beast in the book of Revelation; voluntary or forced?
Why do so few liberals speak up against Islam?
And an angry letter from a (Christian?) listener who says to “judge ye not” but claims there is a special place in hell for Christian conservatives who call out the sin of homosexuality and lesbianism.

Alice Bailey, the UN, and the New World Order

by Stand Up For The Truth | Jan 8, 2018 | Abortion, Beliefs, Christianity, Culture & Morality, Discrimination, Dominionism, Education, Environmentalism, Globalism, Government, Humanism, Islam, Israel, New Age, Podcast | 0 |

Last week, the United Nations condemned the United States for daring to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, even though this has been an historic fact going back thousands of years. And while one reason behind the UN decision was Muslim nations now dominate the UN general Assembly, could there be another reason behind this decision? Historically, how has the UN resisted the Judeo-Christian faith?

Most people just think the United Nations is a gathering of countries to talk about world concerns and hopefully avoid war. The truth is there is much more going on behind the scenes at the UN and to understand it we must know its history and the philosophies of the people instrumental in starting it. One such person is Alice Bailey; we will look at her background, beliefs, agenda, and influence. Bailey was one of the first to use the term, “New Age” and she and husband, Foster Bailey were Free Masons who founded the Lucifer Publishing Company in 1922, now referred to as the “Lucis Trust.”

In our first segment today, we check in with Counter Culture Mom, Tina Marie Griffin. Tina will be speaking at the annual Education Policy Conference taking place in St. Louis, MO Jan. 25-27, along with David Kupelian, Jesse Waters, Michelle Bachmann, Michael Medved, Brigitte Gabriel, Kevin Jackson, Sam Sorbo, and others.

Seduced by Scientology: Deceptions of One Man’s Fiction

by David Fiorazo | Nov 28, 2017 | Cults, False Teaching, Humanism, New Age, Salvation | 0 |

Scientology is a religious system of beliefs and practices based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training. A variation of religious humanism, the Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard (LRH). He initially developed a program of ideas called Dianetics and wrote a book about it in 1950.

Scientology claims it alone “brings man to total freedom and truth,” which we know is a lie.

…Any false teaching in conflict with the Bible is an attempt to redefine the truth of God and Jesus Himself.

Should Christians Participate in Halloween?

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 26, 2017 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Culture & Morality, Environmentalism, Globalism, Halloween, Humanism, New Age, Podcast, Satanism | 0 |

In our final segment this morning we look at the recently concluded “Global Oneness Summit”–a call to humanity uniting and taking its place as the divine. It is easy or tempting to just dismiss these people as half-baked “earth muffins”; but their influence reaches into media strongholds and moguls like Oprah Winfrey, who partners with the infamous Rob Bell and Pastor T.D. Jakes, giving Winfrey influence in the Christian Church. And the lure of this “oneness movement” thinking of ourselves as gods is consistent with the temptation of Adam and Eve that got us into this mess of sin, decay and death to begin with. One of the organizers and presenters, Matthew Fox, has profound influence within the Emergent Church movement and Red Letter Christians.

Next Tuesday young children dressed in costume will be knocking at our doors with the familiar refrain of “trick or treat” inviting us to give them candy. While the vast majority of children see Halloween as nothing more than an opportunity to fill up on candy, the history and significance of this “holiday” cannot be diminished nor should it be dismissed out of hand.

Kathi McCarty joins us this morning to discuss the history and tradition of Halloween and its direct connection to the occult. Kathi has extensively studied occult and New Age thinking and shares her thoughts about the pros or cons of Christians participating in Halloween, along with looking at how New Age and even the occult itself is infiltrating certain areas of professing Christianity.

Trafficking and Profiting from Hate

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 18, 2017 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Chrislam, Christian Church, Church Leadership, Contextualization, Emergent Church, Evangelism, False Teaching, gender confusion, Gospel, Leaders, LGBTQ, Liberalism, New Age, Podcast, Progressive Christianity, Prophecy, Salvation | 0 |

We have reached a time in America where speaking the truth, no matter how gently done, is called hateful. If you speak out against the facts in the Quran, you hate Muslims. Speak about God’s definition of marriage, and you hate homosexuals. Share what the Bible says about gender being assigned at birth and permanent – even though secular science confirms this truth – and you hate transgenders. Speak up and defend life, and you hate women.

There is big money and power in screaming “hate speech” every time the progressive agenda is challenged or the Bible is referenced out loud. Today, we look at a thought provoking commentary on how the business of hate is consuming our nation.

In our first segment, we check in with Pastor Randy White and continue our discussion on how the Old Testament of the Bible is increasingly overlooked or discarded, even by many professing Christians. Is our growing ignorance of God’s wisdom and proclamations of the Old Testament causing problems in our spiritual growth as Christians and effectiveness as a church?

Celebrating Evil, & Listener Friday!

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 6, 2017 | Beliefs, Christianity, Culture & Morality, False Teaching, Halloween, Humanism, immorality, In the News, Listener Questions, Media Watch, New Age, Podcast, Satanism | 0 |

The City of Manitowoc, Wisconsin kicks off its Windigo Fest tonight. “Windigo” is an American Indian folklore about a cannibalistic monster and evil spirit who allegedly possesses humans and becomes monstrous. There is even a modern medical term associated with it these days called “Windigo Psychosis.” Despite protests and concerns from some citizens, the city is allowing this dark event and some are very concerned the city is opening its arms to demonic presence and influence.

And guess who is kicking off the event? Opening with “some prayers for healing from the evil violence shaking our nation,” is a local Presbyterian pastor. So pastor, you are endorsing and participating in an event that celebrates violence and spiritual possession, while praying against violence in our nation?

We also share your comments and questions from the week, including comments from students who received varying reactions to bringing their bibles to school yesterday, gun control, understanding the liberal mindset, and what to do when your children argue with you about going to church.

Separating Fact from Fiction with Climate Change

by Stand Up For The Truth | Aug 9, 2017 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Creation, Dominionism, Environmentalism, Fake News, Globalism, Media Bias, New Age, Podcast, Social Justice | 0 |

Young people today are very passionate about the subject of climate change. And more often than not they are being indoctrinated with emotional, fear-driven arguments about mankind destroying the planet because of our “carbon footprint.” We should acknowledge and applaud their concern about being good stewards of God’s earth, but how can we help separate fiction from fact? Dr. Cal Beisner of The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation joins us this morning.

We also look at a concerning report that North Korea, led by a man who is undeniably a maniac, now has the full capability to strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Oh, and by the way, it could take less than 40 minutes for a launch from North Korea to strike the heartland of America, and while the U.S. has a missile defense system, it is apparently only reliable about half of the time. How should we respond as Christians to today’s headlines?

Guarding Against Growing Deception

by Stand Up For The Truth | Aug 7, 2017 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Creation, New Age, Podcast, Progressive Christianity, Prophecy | 0 |

Over the past decade we have seen increasing attacks on God’s Word and Jesus permeate media, education, and social media. And if we do not study and understand the Bible we can become easy prey for the deception that is being presented as factual these days.

The Book of Genesis is a foundation for the rest of the Bible, but it clearly has been lied about and attacked. The enemy knows if we doubt Genesis, the truth about creation and the fall of man, that we are prone to his slick lies that we ourselves can become like gods.

Today we are joined by Tim Chaffey of Answers in Genesis and Midwest Apologetics. Tim has written several books and travels the country debunking the lies and misinformation presented about God and His Word. He was also instrumental in the development of Ark Encounter — a life size replica of Noah’s Ark where people experience the truth of God’s Word.

Questions, Comments, and a Call from Angry Listener

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 19, 2018 | Christian Growth, Church Leadership, Creation, culture war, Education, gender confusion, Podcast, Public Schools, Seeker Friendly | 0 |

It’s Friday. There are always so many good questions and comments to get to, so her we go.

My daughter is 16 and wants nothing to do with church anymore, even though we raised her in church, the word, and prayer at home. She claims Christians are hypocrites and I fear she will be lost when she goes off to college.
I hear more Scripture in one hour on your show than I hear in a month coming from our pastor on Sundays.
Other than in Christ, is there any hope for our children and grandchildren to have a good life in such a dark culture driven by a godless, postmodern education system?
I am a “classical liberal” (not modern) but the primary reasons I vote for Republicans is they are pro-life and support free market capitalism.
Over the last several decades, we have been informed of how anti-Christian the progressive public schools are and that our children are being indoctrinated. Why is this not a bigger issue that Christians still send their children to such a hostile environment to be “educated”?
I am disappointed by your statements regarding the Ford/Kavanaugh allegations. You assume Kavanaugh is innocent, I believe Dr. Ford. Three people know the truth: Ford, Kavanaugh, and God.
The left doesn’t even know what “civil” means anymore. Their fruit is the opposite of truth: double-speak, hypocrisy, and often, outright lies.
I am a Christian and have supported the Democrat Party all my life, but cannot do so any longer. They are willing to destroy people to gain power. I was also supporting the killing of innocent children through abortion.
The #MeToo movement is causing many parents to be concerned for their sons in the future. We should raise sons of high moral character and integrity, but what about our daughters? They will be affected by this one-sided movement as well but I believe this should be a two-sided conversation in our society.
From that Barna survey you read, it sounds like many “professing born-again Christians’ are false converts that trusted an empty gospel of life enhancement.
I wish we would rethink denominations within Christianity. They seem to divide and do more damage than good, and often produce “fake Christians” – and impediment to true Christianity.

The Growing Complexity of Freedom of Speech

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 18, 2018 | Apologetics, Beliefs, Christianity, Culture & Morality, Evangelism, Gospel, Government, Podcast, Religious Freedom | 0 |

The constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech and expression used to be a pretty straight forward issue. But with the advent of social media, corporate “branding”, and a society that is easily offended it has become a much more complex issue.

This morning we look at a couple stories that point out the new reality facing us in a society that claims to value freedom of speech but is becoming increasingly intolerant of any view that opposes a humanistic, God-hating agenda.

In our first segment Jay Seegert of The Starting Point Project joins us to discuss the challenges we as believers face in sharing the gospel with people currently blinded to the truth about God. Jay will discuss a common question we hear from people who doubt God’s existence: “If God created the universe, who crated God?”

What is Behind the Modern Liberal Curtain?

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 17, 2018 | Abortion, Apologetics, Christian Church, Church Leadership, Culture & Morality, Education, Emergent Church, False Teaching, gender confusion, Globalism, Homosexual Agenda, LGBTQ, Liberalism, Moral Relativism, Podcast, Progressive Christianity | 0 |

When you watch a movie with great special effects, what you see looks amazing (Buildings exploding, giant dinosaurs, super heroes flying). But when you look behind the curtain so to speak, and see how computer generated imaging produces these effects, the magic wears off and you realize it is all fantasy and illusion.

Today, we look at the hard core progressive movement in our nation and how it is built on contradiction and illusion, but sadly most Americans never take the time to look at what is actually going on or where we are being led. And this same deceit might just be infecting the very church you attend every Sunday.

John Loeffler of Steel on Steel radio is an authority on the real agenda and thought process of the hardcore Left joins us to help us take a peek behind the curtain of illusion that is modern Liberalism.

Quote from John Loeffler:

“Are we going to be a free society with the rights guaranteed under the Constitution of speech and religion and press and property – all of which have been under siege by judicial activism for the last 50 years – or will we go careening forward into some kind of oligarchic, progressive, socialistic dictatorship that we know from countries around the world that always fails with economic and social collapse?”

We discuss the difference between Left and Liberal, the contradictions within the very thinking of progressives, the long-term effects of the transgender movement and gender-fluid conditioning, and the failure of many churches to stand for the inerrancy of Scripture and biblical morality.

A Contrast of Worldviews

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 16, 2018 | Beliefs, Biblical Social Justice, Christianity, Church Leadership, Culture & Morality, Education, gender confusion, LGBTQ, Podcast | 0 |

The Word of God and the ways of this fallen world are in complete contradiction with one another. What God calls “evil” the world thinks of as “good”. A Biblical Worldview gives us eternal hope in spite of all we see around us. The world offers nothing but eventual despair and eternal separation from the One who created and sustains us.

Things are getting so bizarre in the world that as Christians we are often unsure how to react. Do we get angry or look with compassion upon those around us being deceived? Do we just hunker down and cry “maranatha” (lord come quickly)? Or do we stand up and decry the insanity all around us and work to change it?

This morning in our final segments we cover news from the world that covers the gambit from sad to worrisome to quite bizarre. In our first segment we check in with Dr. John Rosemond to discuss biblical parenting vs. the world’s philosophies, and the world’s attempts to convince parents that they have no authority over the decisions their children make.

No Comment or Question Off Limits

by Stand Up For The Truth | Oct 12, 2018 | Abortion, Apologetics, Catholic, Christian Church, Culture & Morality, False Teaching, gender confusion, Government, LGBTQ, Listener Questions, Podcast, Progressive Christianity, Spiritual Warfare | 0 |

So many controversial issues and debates, so little time! Here’s what listeners want to discuss today:

To what level can a Christian be depressed?
How much does our faith play into our emotional and mental health, and how much depends on trusting God?
I know spiritual warfare is real because we are warned many times about it in the New Testament, but to what extent can demons influence Christians?
My strong hunch is that a majority of Americans have bought the lies about Justice Kavanaugh because they no longer think logically.
What do you think the greater problem in most churches is – ignorance in the pulpit or cowardice?
Didn’t know how extensive the Burning Man movement has become. It seems like a combination of New Age, humanism, environmentalism, and a combo of religions: can you please boil this ideology down so it’s easier to understand?
With all the division and spiritual confusion in the church, it’s no wonder many young people want nothing to do with Christianity today.
I’m a newer Christian, could you please explain Replacement Theology? Is it a salvation issue?
Hillsong’s stance on issues such as evolution, homosexuality, and seeker-friendly movement are concerning to the Australian Council of Churches. Hillsong produced some wonderful music, but as a whole they seem to have exchanged traditional, historical Christian doctrines to seek fame and fortune.
I’m a former Catholic and know some good Roman Catholic friends, even though many of their Church doctrines are unbiblical: can a Catholic go to heaven or not?