GUEST: PASTOR JAMES COATES, co-author, God vs. Government

Persecution, imprisonment, and murder of Christians is nothing new. The gospels recount the crucifixion of Christ and the book of Acts chronicles the threats, beatings, jailings, and stonings of first century Christians.

Today is no different for believers in Communist China or North Korea, where Christians defy government edicts and gather secretly. In some Islamic countries, Christians are jailed and martyred for refusing to keep silent about the gospel.

In countries like the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand that were founded on Christian values with guaranteed individual liberties, the state has generally allowed citizens to pursue their faith.

That changed about a decade ago when the homosexual movement began prosecuting Christians for refusing to participate in“same-sex” so-called weddings. It was a shock when Christians lost their baking or photography business or were fined for following their biblical beliefs.

But the God-haters wouldn’t stop there. With Covid came a new opportunity to silence and persecute Christians, as government-mandated restrictions and closures of churches in the name of “community health and safety”.

Most pastors and churches “compiled”, but some, like GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta where James Coates pastors, understood the Biblical command for churches to “not forsake our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25).

Alberta’s governing authorities couldn’t allow GraceLife to defy their order and so Pastor James was arrested and imprisoned. For what? For continuing to gather as a church in obedience to God’s Word.

Pastor James Coates joins us on The Christian Worldview to explain what happened and to exhort Christians to obey God when government tries to usurp the authority that God gave to the church.

GUESTS:

James Macpherson, columnist, The Spectator Australia
Megan Basham, reporter, The Daily Wire

Over the last year, reports have been coming out of Australia that the country formerly known for its happy-go-lucky “G’day, mate!” disposition has slid into authoritarian beast mode in its response to Covid. The government’s heavy-handed mask and vaccine mandates, quarantine centers, travel strictures, and protest suppression, cheered on by the media, left many to question, “What’s up Down Under?”

So when the No. 1 tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, arrived in Australia last month to compete in the Australian Open, an inevitable showdown occurred…but not on a tennis court. The issue was that Djokovic was unvaccinated but had received an exemption from the Victoria state government to enter the country, at least in part because he had recently overcome the virus.

Djokovic was detained upon arrival and quarantined for days while a legal battle ensued. The media spotlight from around the world was white-hot. Would one man who posed little-to-no health threat to anyone be allowed to stay? Sure to form, the federal government said no, deporting him “on health and good order grounds”.

The draconian repression of individual liberties taking place in Australia, Canada, Europe, and yes, America, should be concerning to Christians. While the faith will never be extinguished through government oppression—in fact, it often grows through it—every believer has the God-given desire to speak and live God’s truth in freedom.

James Macpherson, a columnist for The Spectator Australia, will join us from Sydney, Australia to discuss what is taking place in Australia.

Then Megan Basham, reporter for The Daily Wire, will join us to discuss how the most notable Christian leaders in America are willingly using their platforms to advance debunked Covid propaganda from government officials like Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health and a professing Evangelical.

GUEST: JON HARRIS, author, Social Justice Goes to Church

In the previous two programs, we have been examining the pervasive and pernicious nature of the social justice movement into Evangelicalism. Once-trusted pastors, churches, denominations, para-organizations, colleges, and seminaries have been taken captive by what Paul described in Galatians 1:6-7, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”

So how does the social justice movement distort the gospel and sound doctrine? That really is the key question, for God’s Word is the standard by which we must judge all things.

Is social justice—rectifying alleged societal and ecclesiastical injustices against black, women, and homosexuals—really a “gospel issue”, especially when the means of achieving “equity” requires one group to be favored over another?

Jon Harris, author of Christianity and Social Justice and Social Justice Goes To Church and the host of Conversations that Matter podcast, joins us to examine the errors of social justice advocates. Jon is featured in Enemies Within The Church, a two-hour documentary film on how social justice ideology has infiltrated Evangelicalism.

GUEST: MICHAEL O’FALLON, Founder, Sovereign Nations

Everywhere you look—government, education, media, entertainment, corporate America, and yes, the evangelical church—a toxic ideology has seeped in and overtaken the country.

Called “critical theory” or “social justice” or “woke-ism”, the ideology casts whites, males, Christians, and heterosexuals as oppressors and their opposites as victims in need of liberation, justice, and equity. The “system” must be blown up and rebuilt.

It’s not surprising when non-Christians believe and propagate these lies but it’s another story when Evangelical leaders and churches become “allies” in the social justice movement. You might hear something like “church boards need to diversify” or “seminaries need books from BIPOC authors” (Black Indigenous People of Color) and not just from a “white perspective”.

The social justice movement has become so pervasive so quickly that it seems like there’s a coordinated effort to transform Evangelical Christianity.

Michael O’Fallon, the founder of Sovereign Nations and a featured guest in the Enemies Within: The Church documentary, joins us on The Christian Worldview to explain how the social justice movement began and who is behind it.

GUEST: CARY GORDON, Pastor and Executive Producer, Enemies Within The Church

As first century churches were established by followers of Christ, it didn’t take long for false teachings to creep in through people with persuasive personalities and ideologies. In response, Paul and others needed to constantly point out to churches what misrepresented God and His Word to keep professing Christians from going astray.

Paul wrote, “…mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17).

Today, a tidal wave of false teaching has flooded evangelical churches, seminaries, colleges, schools and bookstores. Some of the most notable evangelical leaders are propagating a Christian-sounding version of Critical Theory, known colloquially as Woke-ism. This is the false idea that oppressive “systemic injustice”—by whites toward blacks, men toward women, heterosexuals toward homosexuals—is the rule and reason for the ills that afflict the nation and church and therefore “equity” or “social justice” must be enacted.

A new documentary film entitled Enemies Within the Church shows just how insidious, pervasive, and destructive Woke-ism has become and who the main proponents are. Pastor Cary Gordon, the executive producer of the film, joins us on The Christian Worldview to warn believers and call the church to stand against this.

GUEST: ANDREW DeBARTOLO, Pastor and Project Manager for Liberty Coalition Canada

When Daniel and his friends faced King Nebuchadnezzar’s ultimatum that they fall down and worship the king’s golden idol or be thrown into a blazing furnace, this was their reply:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

With the recent passage of Bill C-4 in Canada banning “conversion therapy”—defined as “a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual”—pastors and Christians now face a similar choice to obey government or God, who is mighty to save all who live in sexual rebellion against His design.

This weekend on The Christian Worldview, Canadian pastor Andrew DeBartolo joins us to describe the situation and to call American pastors to stand in solidarity by preaching on Biblical sexual morality on Sunday, January 16.

GUEST: PAUL TWISS, Instructor of Bible Exposition, The Master’s Seminary

Many Christians begin a new year with the goal of reading through the entire Bible. It is an excellent and attainable endeavor, one that will help the believer better understand God and His purposes. Since “all Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16), the one who reads through the Bible is hearing directly from God on a daily basis!

That being said, the Bible is a big book, written by 40 authors on three continents in three languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) over a span of 1500 years. Grasping how the history, culture, narratives, poetry, and prophecy of the the Old Testament form one cohesive revelation with the gospels, history, culture, letters, and prophecy of the New Testament can be challenging.

Which is why we have asked Paul Twiss, pastor and instructor of Bible exposition at The Master’s Seminary, to join us on The Christian Worldview. Paul has created a handful of short videos entitled “Everyday Theologian” to help Christians accurately interpret the various parts of Scripture.

We will also discuss the call for pastors to preach on Biblical sexual morality on Sunday, January 16 in light of the new law in Canada that will criminalize those who preach/speak about God’s clear design for sex and gender.

Finally, thank you to so many of you who generously supported the ministry of The Christian Worldview at the end of 2021. You embolden us to keep standing firm on God’s Word and the gospel!

> > Read Through the Bible Reading Plans

** Rebroadcast of previously aired program 05/01/2021 **

GUEST: Ken Ham, author, Founder and President, Answers in Genesis

Last week in part 1 of an interview with Ken Ham, founder and president of Answers in Genesis, we discussed a large segment of the American populous that has become aggressive in its opposition to God and His Word. This necessitates that Christ-followers stand firm on biblical truth and train our children to do the same.

Ken recently wrote a book on this subject titled  Will They Stand: Parenting Kids to Face the Giants. (312 pages, hardcover) which includes much personal content on who and what shaped him to have a high view of God and Scripture. The book is our new featured resource for a donation of any amount to The Christian Worldview. You can order online, by phone, or by mail.

In a similar vein, we will also play a portion of a recent sermon by Pastor John MacArthur that describes our nation’s descent into sin and yet the believer’s hope in the midst of it.

Finally, we will touch on whether the government or private businesses can force you to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Be sure to hear the answer to this so you can be informed. (this link has been removed from the external site, we are seeking to find this information and will update the site soon)

We hope you join us this weekend on The Christian Worldview!

On The Christian Worldview radio program, we often use terms like “think Biblically” or “the Bible says” or “Scripture is the basis for truth” or “Jesus Christ and His Word are the same yesterday and today and forever”.

In other words, the Bible, God’s Word, Holy Scripture is the foundation and lens through which we can understand God, the world, and ourselves, discover how to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ, and gain wisdom for how to live in a way that honors God.

If the Bible is this foundational for truth, the question needs to be asked: is the Bible trustworthy? What exactly is this long book of books? What is it about? Who wrote it? What does it mean that it’s inspired by God? What place should it have in our lives and the church?

Pastor Alistair Begg of Parkside Church in Cleveland, OH and the teacher on the Truth for Life radio broadcast recently did a series on “Why Bother with the Bible?”. We will play some portions of these sermons to help us have rock-solid confidence in the truthfulness and sufficiency of Scripture to be the final word on all matters of life and faith.

We will also speak with Jameson Taylor, President of the Center for Political Renewal, and Rob Chambers, Vice President of Policy and Legislative Affairs for American Family Association, about the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case before the U.S. Supreme that some are saying could overturn Roe v. Wade.

GUEST: CAL BEISNER, author, Biblical Foundations for Economics

The government printing and spending trillions of dollars on social programs or paying able-bodied people to not work or taxing the income-producing to fund all manner of “entitlements”—food, health care, housing, education, child care, retirement—have become commonplace in American society.

Three weeks ago (Nov. 13, 2021) in part 1 of our program on economics, Cal Beisner, director of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, defined economics as “moral philosophy applied to man’s marketplace relationships.” In other words, one’s moral worldview will lead to certain economic policies.

For example, the moral judgment that “No one should go hungry in America” or “Everyone deserves a place to live” or “Health care is a human right” results in economic policies that feed, house, and care for people, even if the recipient is unwilling to contribute through work or payment.

And then there’s the view that work is oppressive and unjust, as in the Marxist worldview where the employer is seen as the subjugator of the employee, leading to redistributive policies by government that aim to achieve “equity”. Sound familiar?

GUEST: DR. JERRY NEWCOMBE, producer, The Pilgrims documentary

A small group of biblical Christians known as the the Pilgrims are widely considered to be “the founders of America”.

Numbering only about 400-500 souls, they had fled religious persecution in England to settle in Holland. But after ten years there, they decided on another move across the Atlantic Ocean to an unknown land that would become the United States.

About 50 Pilgrims were on the first vessel called The Mayflower, arriving in modern-day Cape Cod in Massachusetts in November 1620. One year later in November 1621, after a brutal winter in which many of them died, they celebrated a bountiful harvest with local Indians who had helped them in what has become known as the first Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims and their biblical beliefs which led directly to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution 150 years have been mostly forgotten by the majority of our population. “Separation of church and state” is a sacrament of mainstream society today…but it wasn’t to the Pilgrims. They said they came to America “for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

Dr. Jerry Newcombe, producer of the documentary film, The Pilgrims, joins us this Thanksgiving weekend on The Christian Worldview to discuss the Pilgrims’ story and and what they believed and lived by. For in them we have an example for how we can live in our pilgrimage in a contrary world.