Public Service Announcement: The God In The New Movie 'War Room' Is Not The God Of The Bible!
I know writing this likely won't change anything (it will probably only make things worse!), I know it's not up to me or within my power to change his mind about certain things (that work belongs to God Himself), and I know there's nothing more I can do for him except continue to pray (very ironic given the subject of this post!).
Even so, this is PRECISELY the reason why we need to continue to give a bold confession whenever "Charismania" rears its ugly, poisonous, deceptive, and destructive head! If not for him, then for others like him whether you personally know people like this in your life or not.
I saw that someone had commented on his Facebook page about the new movie "War Room" and his unexpected reaction at the end of the movie.
Here's what they had to say...
I encourage all to go see this amazing, inspiring movie. It sold out every show the first weekend at Transit Regal. Pat and I went Friday night and at the end no one moved. Credits scrolling.... Complete silence and a young man stands and invites us all to stand an pray together. EVERYONE stood and prayed for our families, cities, country and more. Then another lady started praying out loud for our babies and the schools. Everyone clapped and said, "Amen." It was the greatest feeling..... The best part is that the young guy who stood up first was our sons' friend, Micah James!! Thanks for obeying the Holy Spirit Micah! I love it..... To God be All the Glory.
There are so many things we could say about that and why it's concerning.
"Oh, come on, Jeff! What's your problem!?! You really have a problem with this? All the guy did was stand up and lead everyone in prayer! How in the world are you going to spin that and turn a positive into a negative? Get a life!"
Where should I start?
-- Theology of Glory!
-- Is it really an "amazing, inspiring movie" as described?
-- Theology of Glory!
-- Are we supposed to conclude that the Lord is pleased with this movie based on its popularity and Box Office receipts? I know a guy named Rick Warren and another named Joel Osteen who are wildly popular too who are anything but Biblical in what they believe, teach, and confess! Besides, if that's the standard, then wouldn't we have to conclude that Jesus Christ's own ministry on earth was a complete and utter failure then?
-- Theology of Glory!
-- Is our faith (and the measure of the genuineness of that faith) measured by our own subjective circumstances, experiences, and feelings to the point where if we can't positively say "it was the greatest feeling" then it might now be all that real or true to begin with?
-- Theology of Glory!
-- How do we know that this Micah James obeyed the Holy Spirit? Does that mean that those of us who never stood up in a movie theater at the end when the credits were rolling are somehow guilty of disobeying the Holy Spirit? Where does it say in the Bible that we are supposed to even do this sort of thing?
-- Theology of Glory!
Do you understand what I'm getting at here? Do you see what I mean? Do you realize why this is very dangerous? Of course, a layman and non-Pastor like me who raises any concerns about this sort of thing is considered the enemy.
Truth is, however, the God in the new movie "War Room" is not the God of the Bible (to borrow a quote from Pastor Joseph Abrahamson), and that should concern any Christian.
Issues, Etc. sat down with Pastor Joseph Abrahamson to review this movie. I strongly encourage you to listen to it and then share it far and wide to try and counter the tide of ear-tickling theology that is entirely unfaithful.
AUDIO: Movie Review For "War Room"
There was more Biblical truth in that 19-minute sound byte than there is in the entire movie itself!
In a Lutheran layman's terms, we need to stop embracing this "Theology of Glory" (a.k.a. "Theology of Man") all the time and start embracing all the extra nos stuff that rightfully gives Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, all the glory, honor, and praise.
NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just a regular Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism almost 2 years ago now. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Also, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran basics was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical, because we now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean! haha!). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm experiencing and/or studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!
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Hello Lutheran Layman!
ReplyDeleteI hope and pray events in your life are well! You input into the Lutheran and Christian community is greatly missed, as are you! You are in my prayers and I am hoping you will begin again to write and share in your webpage!
Thank you for all your educational materials and comments!
I hope you will be back very soon!
In Christ,
Greg - A Lutheran in Denver