Monday, February 26, 2007

Charismatic defense, Ted Haggerd and Chalcdeon

Chalcedon takes a hard line.

Nov 3: They attack the Charismatic right for being too soft on homosexual leaders. They list: Paul Cain, Roberts Liardon, Paul Crouch, and Ted Haggard. Arguing (in essence) the problem is systematic to the movement.

Nov 10: An explicit call for immediate excommunication.
"I have no compassion for Haggard. I have no compassion for the delusional church members either who cannot discern between good and evil. I do not have a compassion for his wife who should have clearly known her husband was "up to something." Believe me, wives know.

The only party deserving compassion are Haggard's children....

Haggard did not "fall" into immorality. He jumped with both feet. Using such descriptives as "fall" and "struggle" are heinous attempts at whitewashing this grotesque offense against God. The woman who wrote me is part of the problem as she is prepared to coddle a man who must be turned over to Satan (1 Cor. 5:5).... put him out of the church lest a worse thing fall upon both him and you." Your coddling of his wickedness is causing the heathen to blaspheme the name of our Lord even more...Haggard didn't want restoration. He wanted anal sex along with crystal meth to enhance the experience"
Nov 15: Defends the position for judgment and continues
"Deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (I Cor. 5:5). You see, this is restoration. The only type of restoration for such extreme criminality.'
Nov 16: Greg Bahson continues the theme:
We are without chastisement, and therefore, we are an assembly of bastards. We act as if we have no father because we live like those without discipline. We are unruly, disobedient children that do not share in His holiness. We sleep soundly in a bed of transgression and welcome sodomites as our bedmates.

America is a nation under judgment, and rightfully so. The insanity of the Religious Right, the corporatism and homosexuality of the GOP, and the added perversions of Christian leaders are all clear indicators that mainstream evangelicals are identified with the wrong groups. Granted, a whole host of them have not bowed their knees to Baal, but their silence is deafening.
Nov 21: Chris Ortiz states he believes the evangelical movement itself is becoming apostate because of their liberalism:
For a number of years now I've been persuaded that without restraint the modern evangelical/charismatic church is in danger of eventual apostasy within its multiple factions. After reading Article 29 of the Belgic Confession, I saw disturbing parallels:
As for the false church, it assigns more authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God;
It does not want to subject itself to the yoke of Christ;
It does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in His Word;
It rather adds to them or subtracts from them as it pleases;
It bases itself on men, more than on Jesus Christ;
It persecutes those who live holy lives according to the Word of God and who rebuke it for its faults, greed, and idolatry.


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OK so this is an attack on the hard right from the harder right. However, what this presents for defendants is an interesting list of people.
  1. Everyone in the list is a minister
  2. Everyone in the list is an important minister and a leader of tens of thousands
  3. Everyone was married with children at the time of their sins
  4. None of these people were excommunicated
I think this list might be a good one for a fairness defense for people from Charismatic groups. None of the kids that are getting excommunicated rise to this level. Either homosexuality is a serious sin and Chalcedon is right or the churches by excommunicating kids while doing nothing to leaders is proving that their interests are not in bringing sinners to repentance but rather in proving their righteousness by condemning the helpless. Of course they also mention Jimmy Swaggart who had 2 separate major sex scandals (as well as wrongful termination issues).

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