Back in 2009, specifically April 6th 2009, Tim Challies wrote an article entitled Evil as Entertainment, in which he attacked watchbloggers for treating evil as entertainment, and that those who do so find sick, strange delight in all that is evil and ugly. This article precipitated a fuller response in an article from me on the problems of the New Evangelical Calvinism.
Fast forward to 2011 today. The same attacks on "ODMs" (Online Discernment Ministries) in 2009 are now employed against all those who object to the invitation of Sabellian heretic TD Jakes to the Elephant Room. This time however, Tim Challies is on the side of orthodoxy.
What has happened? The fact of the matter is that Challies' blanket attack on "watchbloggers" undermined the entire enterprise of discernment, whether wittingly or unwittingly. I have foreseen this already and that was why I have opposed Challies and that article of his from the beginning at that time. There are of course "watchbloggers" who may fit Challies' portrayal, but that does not mean that we should throw a blanket condemnation on "watchbloggers" in general. The same weapon that Challies utilized is now utilized against him and everyone else on an even more fundamental issue of the Faith — the doctrine of the Trinity.
As I have said then, the way to deal with errant people who treat evil as entertainment is to deal with them specifically, NOT attack all "watchbloggers." The chicken that Challies nurtured has now come home to roost. As back then, so now, those who object to the compromise of the faith are attacked as "discernmentalists" or "discernment bloggers" who "sits in their underwear at home in their mother's basement." The attack on all forms of negativity threw out the baby with the bathwater, and now any form of negativity including the biblical mandate to separate from first order heretics like TD Jakes, who deny a doctrine that even the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox do not, is ridiculed.
The New Calvinist movement carries within itself the seed of its own destruction. If they will not reverse their course, soon they will be no different from the World Council of Churches.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt's very difficult for me to digest "THE LIFE OF CHALLIES" based on reading his blog now and then, just am totally turned off completly.
I read the original article and the comment feed. I'm convinced A-LOT of Christians love the love of God without going deeper into living and seeing through new eyes with total conviction... ie they love the world, still hating all the cross stands for:(
Oh and by the way, Challies does charge for his "members" of his blog via subscription, unlike the free discernment sites of Christian brothers and sisters he chides. Yes, he already has his reward for his following just like Driscoll, Warren, Osteen and on and on the list goes-
The world will soon be engulfed with the seeker model of useless apostate driven hordes from H E L L and the warning of "see I told you so" simply will not register with others because they saw no evil to begin with. Scriptures truth simply do not prick these as a double edge sword with conviction and urgency whatsoever!
In the end I pray for them; and prayers for you to STAND and preach the truth from blog mountain tops as we have to admit their sin is no more than arogance rationalized by conformity to the world.
I imagine a future time that what some say on internet even in America will soon be seen as slanderers of the top shelf thinkers and shut down like apostles of old. Satan is craftier and far more evil than any of these really imagine.
@mrwbbiii:
ReplyDeletethat may be so. Challies is a professioner blogger which means he blogs for a living, so I will not be surprised if he charges for stuff.