I received a request from someone the other day that I look at this statement of faith http://faithevlutheran.net/1932statement.php and give my opinion. The statement comes from what appears to be a fairly conservative Lutheran church. What follows is my reply to my friend with an assessment of Lutheranism from the scriptures.
"I looked at the statement from your friend’s church. The first “flag” that I would point out is the obvious: it is Lutheran. Luther came out the door of Roman Catholicism, but he never got off the porch. Lutherans (or Episcopalians, depending on who’s telling the joke) are Roman Catholics who flunked Latin! Seriously, you will find Lutheranism very similar in many ways to Catholicism. Look at the picture on the church’s website and you will notice all the religious decorations and crosses and drapes and the catholic “IHS” up over the platform.
Lutheranism has a priesthood and a system of sacramental salvation, just like the catholic system. I noticed that this church is independent of the synod, which is a good thing, but I’m not sure how that would work, since Lutheranism is a hierarchical system. They also say that their statement hearkens back to the “by-gone days of orthodoxy” of the Missouri synod. I suspect that what they are attempting to do is re-capture the by-gone days of evangelical fundamentalism, which was at its height back in the 30’s when this statement was written. Those were the days when “fundamentalists” of every denomination were joining together to try to stave off the modernist assault on the authority of scripture, the blood atonement, the virgin birth of Christ, the deity of Christ, etc. The problem with the movement was the ecumenical idea that we can unite around the “five fundamentals” and not divide over the “non-essentials;” the “non-essentials” usually being baptism, the Lord’s Supper, church polity, etc. These are certainly not non-essentials, as the Anabaptists who were persecuted under Luther during the reformation because of these very doctrines would surely testify!
As for the statement itself, it claims that scripture is the sole authority for doctrine, but as you read further you find doctrines that are contrary to scripture. I appreciate their stance against what we term today as “hyper-calvinism,” but they still maintain the reformed doctrines that Calvin and Luther systematized. Their position on salvation by grace through faith is biblical, but then they kick the legs out from under it in the section titled “Of the Means of Grace,” by sacramentalism.
For instance, it says “…we hold with Scripture that God offers and communicates to men the spiritual blessings purchased by Christ, namely, the forgiveness of sins and the treasures and gifts connected therewith, only through the external means of grace ordained by Him. These means of grace are the Word of the Gospel, in every form in which it is brought to man, and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and of the Lord's Supper.” So, according to this Lutheran doctrinal statement, “God offers and communicates to men…the forgiveness of sins…only through the external means of grace…the Word of the Gospel…and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and of the Lord’s Supper.” They very clearly add to the word of God and to the finished work of Christ by adding sacraments to salvation!
It goes on to say: Baptism, too, is applied for the remission of sins and is therefore a washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Acts 2:38; 22:16; Titus 3:5. Likewise the object of the Lord's Supper, that is, of the ministration of the body and blood of Christ, is none other than the communication and sealing of the forgiveness of sins, as the words declare: "Given for you," and "Shed for you for the remission of sins," Luke 22:19, 20; Matthew 26:28, and "This cup is the New Testament in My blood," I Corinthians 11:23; Jeremiah 31:31-34 ("New Covenant").
I’m sorry, but if you are trusting in baptism for the remission of your sins, you are still lost in your sins, whether you are a Lutheran or a Baptist! The reference to the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost is a quotation from Titus chapter 3, which if you read in context says absolutely NOTHING about baptism! It is referring to the spiritual transaction that takes place when the Holy Spirit regenerates the believing sinner and applies the blood of Christ’s atonement. It is what we refer to as being “born again.” The other scriptures cited are used out of context to back up their contention that baptism washes away sin and regenerates. This is one of the core errors of reformed doctrine. This is at the heart of the division between catholics/protestants and baptists: does baptism symbolize washing with water, or burial with dirt? The New Testament clearly sets forth baptism as a purely symbolic act of obedience to the command of Christ, picturing His death, burial and resurrection; to be done by immersion upon a person who is consciously able to profess faith in Christ, under the authority of a scriptural New Testament church; never by sprinkling, never upon an infant or young child, and no unscriptural church has any authority to baptize.
Likewise, if you are looking to the Lord’s Supper to “communicate and seal the forgiveness of sins” you are looking in the wrong direction! Lutherans (and other protestants) have a twisted view of the Lord’s Supper, very similar to Roman Catholicism. Whereas the Catholics believe in transubstantiation, Lutherans believe in consubstantiation. The difference is that Catholics believe that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. Lutherans believe that the bread and wine possess the spiritual presence of Christ. Again, the scripture quotes and references are not complete quotes and are taken out of context. “Given for you” was a reference by Christ to His actual body which would be hung on the cross, but the rest of the verse was omitted. It actually says (Luke 22:19) And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
“Shed for you” was a reference by Christ to His actual blood shed on the cross for our sins. The entire verse says “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Obviously these things were literal bread and juice (not alcoholic wine). Jesus was standing there talking to the disciples. There was no presence either literal or spiritual of the body and blood of Christ in those things, as He was literally there at the time. By His own command, the Lord’s Supper is done “in remembrance;” it is a symbolic memorial of Christ’s death on the cross. This is borne out by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 11:23-26:
23For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.
The Lord’s Supper is to be done “in remembrance;” as a memorial to “shew the Lord’s death till he come.”
The other obvious doctrinal error is their condemnation of “millennialism.” This gets at one of the other core errors of reformed theology, namely, using the allegorical method to explain away bible prophecy. I believe that Christ will one day rule the earth for a literal 1000 years simply because the bible clearly says that He will. Read Revelation chapter 20; it is only 15 verses long, but the first 10 deal explicitly with Christ’s 1000 years reign. I won’t take time to go any deeper, but I think you get the picture.
My counsel is to avoid Lutheranism in all its forms. Luther started his church some 1500 years after Christ started His church. The church of Jesus Christ existed since it was founded by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, and it was alive and well in Luther’s day. What Luther needed to do was to seek out these godly Anabaptists who held to scriptural salvation and scriptural church ordinances (not sacraments) and scriptural church polity, and instead of persecuting them, join them.
It was good to hear from you! Again, I apologize that it has taken me several days to reply. I hope this helps."
Bro. Marty
Monday, January 4, 2010
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Muslim Demographics
This video is eye-opening! Would to God that Bible believing Christians would quit limiting the size of their families and allow God to give them the children He desires to give them! Psalm 127:3-5 Psalm 128:1-5
Friday, August 28, 2009
The True Meaning of the Second Amendment
Wow! I ran across a letter I had written to the editor of the Chattanooga Times on the 23rd of October, 1994, and I still agree with myself! That's a good thing! As people mature and especially (as in my case) you go from being a nominal "Christian" to being a born-again Christian, your way of looking at things changes over time, and you find that opinions you held years ago, you don't always agree with now. Following is the text of the letter (which, best I remember the paper printed in a much abbreviated form), which was written in response to a letter from someone from the anti-gun position.
To the Editor:
The following is in response to WHM III (Times, 22 Oct 94). Obviously Mr. M hasn't done his homework on the Second Amendment. The Constitution doesn't read "well-maintained," or "well-disciplined" as stated. It reads "well-regulated," which in the vernacular of the day meant, "well-trained." "...to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them..." (Richard Henry Lee)
The framers of the Constitution knew all too well that a powerful central government prefers unarmed peasants. The 2nd Amendment right to hunt or defend oneself is secondary to giving the citizenry the means to defend themselves against corrupt government. "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive." (Noah Webster
Mr. M also suggests rather sarcastically, that we have no right to military type weapons, and that his neighbor possessing weapons violates his rights. "Who are the militia? Are they nor ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of the American...The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." (Tench Coxe)
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." (Benjamin Franklin)
These words are not mine, but those of the men who wrote the Constitution. I hope you are right when you say government will never come for our guns, Mr. M. You obviously trust bureaucrats to tread lightly on your rights far more than our Founding Fathers.
Marty Tate
p.s. If I remember correctly the quotes used were taken from a book titled "That Every Man be Armed" by attorney Stephen Halbrook.
To the Editor:
The following is in response to WHM III (Times, 22 Oct 94). Obviously Mr. M hasn't done his homework on the Second Amendment. The Constitution doesn't read "well-maintained," or "well-disciplined" as stated. It reads "well-regulated," which in the vernacular of the day meant, "well-trained." "...to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them..." (Richard Henry Lee)
The framers of the Constitution knew all too well that a powerful central government prefers unarmed peasants. The 2nd Amendment right to hunt or defend oneself is secondary to giving the citizenry the means to defend themselves against corrupt government. "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive." (Noah Webster
Mr. M also suggests rather sarcastically, that we have no right to military type weapons, and that his neighbor possessing weapons violates his rights. "Who are the militia? Are they nor ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of the American...The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." (Tench Coxe)
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." (Benjamin Franklin)
These words are not mine, but those of the men who wrote the Constitution. I hope you are right when you say government will never come for our guns, Mr. M. You obviously trust bureaucrats to tread lightly on your rights far more than our Founding Fathers.
Marty Tate
p.s. If I remember correctly the quotes used were taken from a book titled "That Every Man be Armed" by attorney Stephen Halbrook.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Perilous Times
It's been several days since I've really kept up with any news, so I had a few minutes to sit down and go through the backlog in my inbox and read a few articles. Lot's of interesting stuff in there!
Some of the best news I've found is that U.S. citizens are actually starting to act like free men again! As an aside, in that last sentence I almost used the unwieldy sounding "free men and women" that most folks succumb to these days in order to be considered "inclusive" or "politically correct." Let's stop this nonsense! Let the feminists wet their pants-suits if they want, when I learned English grammar many years ago, we were taught that when a generic reference to "mankind" (notice I didn't say "humankind") was used, it was grammatically correct to use the masculine term. But I digress...
Americans are starting to stand on their hind legs again and say to their government "No Further!" Woe to the member of Congress who has the guts to hold a town-hall type meeting! Ordinary citizens, who are sick and tired of having communism shoved down their throats via the take-over of the health care system, are showing up in droves at these town-hall meetings and shouting down their Congress-critter! Gadsden Flags emblazoned with "Don't Tread on Me" are all the rage at these events! Shoot, I've even got one flying outside my place of business!
But the greatest thing I've seen out of these protests so far has taken place in Arizona: people openly carrying guns. Arizona is an open carry state (may their tribe increase), and folks have been seen at Obama events with ARs slung across their shoulders! In this short video, two liberal CNN bed-wetters wring their hands over free men carrying weapons! One of them astutely notes that none of the weapons "went off." Well, duh...It is mechanically impossible for one of these weapons to just "go off." The guy does admit that it is the first time he's ever been that close (within a couple of feet) to an actual AR 15! This poor fellow is probably in his 40's! Probably town-bred...
The funniest thing I've seen in a while is this video of Dr. James David Manning, in which he rails against the "long-legged mack daddy" in the White House, and prays for the success of white people in the eventuality that get tired enough of being "pushed around" and rise up.
Speaking of health care...in this confidence inspiring piece, it has come to light that Bayer (you know, the aspirin people) has been caught selling AIDS tainted blood overseas, with the tacit approval of the FDA! Makes you want to line up for your swine-flu stick, don't it?
On a more somber note, the financial recovery that is being ballyhooed from the rooftops is most likely still-born. As noted in a previous post the real economists who have been successfully predicting downturns for many years are still saying that this "recovery" is due to nothing more that a trillion dollars worth of "stimulus" (read: inflation). One pointed out (and I can't remember who said it, but I'm sure that it came from someone over at lewrockwell.com) that when the stock market crashed in 1929, it actually "bounced," meaning it rose in the short term but continued its downward spiral until it hit bottom in 1932, three years later! According to this article "Trends analyst Gerald Celente, founder of The Trends Research Institute and publisher of The Trends Journal, built his reputation by accurately predicting the 1987 stock market crash, the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the “Panic of ’08.” He has attracted both attention and ire in recent months with his increasingly dire projections, which he titled as “Obamageddon.”
Mr. Celente is predicting “Food riots, tax protests, farmer rebellions, student revolts, squatter digins, homeless uprisings, tent cities, ghost malls, general strikes, bossnappings, kidnappings, industrial saboteurs, gang warfare, mob rule, terror” by 2012 in the latest edition of The Trends Journal." Alarmist? Anybody's guess, but given his track record in the forecasting department, I think we ignore him at our peril.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." 2 Timothy 3:1
Some of the best news I've found is that U.S. citizens are actually starting to act like free men again! As an aside, in that last sentence I almost used the unwieldy sounding "free men and women" that most folks succumb to these days in order to be considered "inclusive" or "politically correct." Let's stop this nonsense! Let the feminists wet their pants-suits if they want, when I learned English grammar many years ago, we were taught that when a generic reference to "mankind" (notice I didn't say "humankind") was used, it was grammatically correct to use the masculine term. But I digress...
Americans are starting to stand on their hind legs again and say to their government "No Further!" Woe to the member of Congress who has the guts to hold a town-hall type meeting! Ordinary citizens, who are sick and tired of having communism shoved down their throats via the take-over of the health care system, are showing up in droves at these town-hall meetings and shouting down their Congress-critter! Gadsden Flags emblazoned with "Don't Tread on Me" are all the rage at these events! Shoot, I've even got one flying outside my place of business!
But the greatest thing I've seen out of these protests so far has taken place in Arizona: people openly carrying guns. Arizona is an open carry state (may their tribe increase), and folks have been seen at Obama events with ARs slung across their shoulders! In this short video, two liberal CNN bed-wetters wring their hands over free men carrying weapons! One of them astutely notes that none of the weapons "went off." Well, duh...It is mechanically impossible for one of these weapons to just "go off." The guy does admit that it is the first time he's ever been that close (within a couple of feet) to an actual AR 15! This poor fellow is probably in his 40's! Probably town-bred...
The funniest thing I've seen in a while is this video of Dr. James David Manning, in which he rails against the "long-legged mack daddy" in the White House, and prays for the success of white people in the eventuality that get tired enough of being "pushed around" and rise up.
Speaking of health care...in this confidence inspiring piece, it has come to light that Bayer (you know, the aspirin people) has been caught selling AIDS tainted blood overseas, with the tacit approval of the FDA! Makes you want to line up for your swine-flu stick, don't it?
On a more somber note, the financial recovery that is being ballyhooed from the rooftops is most likely still-born. As noted in a previous post the real economists who have been successfully predicting downturns for many years are still saying that this "recovery" is due to nothing more that a trillion dollars worth of "stimulus" (read: inflation). One pointed out (and I can't remember who said it, but I'm sure that it came from someone over at lewrockwell.com) that when the stock market crashed in 1929, it actually "bounced," meaning it rose in the short term but continued its downward spiral until it hit bottom in 1932, three years later! According to this article "Trends analyst Gerald Celente, founder of The Trends Research Institute and publisher of The Trends Journal, built his reputation by accurately predicting the 1987 stock market crash, the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the “Panic of ’08.” He has attracted both attention and ire in recent months with his increasingly dire projections, which he titled as “Obamageddon.”
Mr. Celente is predicting “Food riots, tax protests, farmer rebellions, student revolts, squatter digins, homeless uprisings, tent cities, ghost malls, general strikes, bossnappings, kidnappings, industrial saboteurs, gang warfare, mob rule, terror” by 2012 in the latest edition of The Trends Journal." Alarmist? Anybody's guess, but given his track record in the forecasting department, I think we ignore him at our peril.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." 2 Timothy 3:1
Monday, August 10, 2009
Yes Virginia, There is an IRS State Church
By Greg Dixon
Because Christmas comes every year, sooner or later most will hear the phrase made famous by Francis P. Church, Editor of the NY Sun in 1897, “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” I’m sure the eight year old Virginia O’Hanlon who had written Church and told him that she would believe in Santa if she could read it in the pages of the Sun found out at some point that Santa was a myth, but most of the preachers and church folks in America still haven’t figured out that, its not a myth, there is an IRS State Church in America even though the IRS has spelled it out loud and clear in two publications – 1828 tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations and IRS Publication 557. Publication 1828 has become the veritable Bible that accountants, lawyers, courts and tax preparers use on a daily basis. Its language is very bold and clear.
“The Internal Revenue Code: Section 501(c)(3) describes charitable organizations, INCLUDING CHURCHES and religious organizations, WHICH QUALIFY for exemption from federal income tax and generally are eligible to receive tax deductible contributions.” (Emphasis mine)
The Great Comparison
Toleration – Licensure
IRS State Church Defined
Publication 1828; pg. 1
“CHURCH – Certain characteristics are generally attributed to churches. These attributes of a church have been developed by the IRS and by court decisions. They include a distinct legal existence: Churches and religious organizations may be legally organized …under state law, including as un-incorporated associations, non-profit corporations, corporations sole and charitable trusts.”
Liberty – Non-licensure
U.S. Constitution - First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In reality, each of these guarantees are liberty for public worship, including speech (sermon content inside and outside the building), press (publishing the gospel inside and outside), assembly (worship inside or outside), and to petition for redress of grievances (inside or outside).
However there is no guarantee of religious liberty to the four IRS identified legal entities listed above. They have given up their God given rights for benefits and privileges, i.e. tax-exemptions, tax-deductible gifts and now Faith Based programs. The courts have said many times loud and clear, enter the realm of Caesar, abide by the laws of Caesar. Only court imposed limited freedoms based on the shifting winds of public opinion and federal public policy are available for these IRS State Churches, and believe me, their freedoms are becoming more limited day by day, even including the content of sermons. How many times do we have to say it, the Lord’s churches are not tax exempt but rather non taxable. There is a vast difference.
To find out how we got to such a state as this a little history is necessary. Amazingly even though our Pilgrim fathers escaped England and landed at Plymouth Rock seeking asylum from religious tyranny, it wasn’t long until they had actually founded a State/Church system in Massachusetts that was nearly as repressive against the Baptists, Quakers and other non-conformists as the Anglican State that they had fled from themselves. In the South their “Christian” brothers were also busy establishing State Churches.
On January 11, 1758, the General Assembly, meeting at Savannah (GA), passed a law, making the Church of England the church of the province. In all of the colonies except RI laws were enacted to support an established church by taxes, to compel church attendance, and to forbid the worshipping of dissenting sects. Some type of state church was to be found in all five southern colonies, as well as in three New England provinces: Mass., Conn., and New Hampshire. In S.C. it was the Church of England with support from public funds. In N.C. it was also the church of England from 1732. The Puritans had established a theocracy in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, which was later called Congregational churches, and they persecuted those of different beliefs. But Baptists opposed the concept of a state church.1
This paper is too short to list all of them, but following are a few instances of persecution by these statists among hundreds of examples from the same source.
In the bitter cold winter of 1638, … puritans banned Roger Williams from Massachusetts for his Baptist beliefs and leaving his wife and children he escaped to Rhode Island where he established Providence and it became the citadel for religious liberty in the new land.
The persecution of Baptists continued with unrelenting fury. In 1651 Obadiah Holmes, John Clarke, Witter and others were arrested because they would not subscribe to the doctrine of Congregationalism, i.e. infant baptism. Holmes was beaten until he could not stand. Those who came to his aid were persecuted. Many others were imprisoned and their property confiscated because they would not support the Congregational churches nor pay their pastors salaries.
In Virginia where the Anglican Church was in control things were not much better. That State/Church was as busy persecuting (dissenters) as the Congregationalists in the North.
February 26, 1770, was the beginning of the three-month imprisonment of John Pickett in the Fauquier County, VA Order Book for 1766, pages 242 and 243. Few men in VA. Suffered more persecution than Webber. He was seized in Chesterfield, Co, Dec. 7, 1770 and imprisoned in the Co. jail until March 7, 1771. Seven other Baptist preachers were confined in the same jail which still stands. The Baptists and many others opposed the ratification of the Constitution until a Bill of Rights was secured and it was not an accident that the very first one was a Religious Liberty clause which in reality did not disestablish God as we are being led to believe, but simply declared that there would be no State/Church in the federal jurisdiction. Later as the religious clauses were placed in the various state Bills of Right the state churches were disestablished in the various states, Massachusetts being the last in 1833.
However we have now come full circle and with the permission of Congress and the courts they have now reestablished a State/Church albeit an IRS/State Church in the federal district. This monster is now recognized by the states. For instance, in order for a church to get sales tax exemption at the state level the church has to get a determination letter from the IRS, giving evidence that they fall within one of the above categories of a “legal” existence. They can be the most weird cult like the Babalu’s who sacrifice chickens in downtown Hialeah, FL or even a coven of witches, it makes no difference.
The evidence that we have come full circle is the fact that the various states and the U.S. Justice Department is now protecting this IRS State/Church and persecuting those churches that choose not to be under their “legal” protection. Basically there is little difference between a church and a religious organization in the eyes of the IRS in that both are listed in the IRC under 501 (c) (3) Tax Exempt Organizations. Churches are listed under Exceptions at 501a. Publication 1828 on page 2 says – “Churches that meet the requirements of Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c) (3) are automatically considered exempt, and are not required to apply for and obtain recognition of tax exempt status from the IRS. However, even though churches are generally eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, to qualify for tax exemption, such organizations must meet the following requirements:” In other words the church does not have to file Form 1023 or an annual 990 Form to become and maintain their tax exempt status as a religious organization such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as an example but they still have to meet the same qualifications by meeting the same requirements. If it doesn’t the IRS can take away their tax exemption even though the church never applied in the first place. This is the great deception. It is an automatic exception not an exemption.
It is the demands of the IRS that a true Church of Christ cannot meet. There are six in all.
1. It must have a “distinct legal existence”. The state is not its creator but Christ.
2. It must be organized as an exempt organization. A church is not an organization but a divine organism, the body of Christ.
3. It must be operated as an exempt organization. “…for religious, educational, scientific, or other charitable purposes.” The Lord’s church is not a “Public Charity” equal to the United Fund or UNESCO but a divine institution for the propagation of the gospel of Christ to lost sinners and the discipling of believers.
4. “Net earnings may not inure to the benefit of any private individual.” The Lord’s Church is not a business that earns profits and pays salaries to employees but only has those who serve as true minister shepherds and not hirelings.
5. “No substantial part of its activity may be attempting to influence legislation,” The Lord’s church must not submit its records nor report its activities to the IRS.
6. “The organization may not intervene in political campaigns,” The Lords church cannot be silenced from speaking out on the things that effect society.
Because churches have refused to bow down and accept this imprimatur from the IRS and take this tax exempt legal identity from the IRS they are now experiencing persecution at the state and federal level. Following are some examples.
In the past few years a church has been raided, sold and bull dozed down because it refused relinquish its core doctrine of the Lordship of Christ and become a tax collector and payer for the IRS. A pastor is presently serving a ten year sentence and his wife one year for a made up “crime” involving the complexity of the tax laws regarding a Christian ministry. A boy’s home in Ft. Worth, Texas was closed because the church did not seek licensure from the State. Christian schools have been closed because they did not seek accreditation from the state. Innumerable street preachers have been arrested for preaching without a license. The same is true of abortion protestors. A Church in a Western state is being threatened with fines because they do not have a permit to put up a sign displaying the 10 Commandments on their own land and also displaying the name of their church on the front of their building. Just recently home bible studies have been raided in San Diego and Phoenix. Preachers are now required to register in some states to perform marriages and one has been jailed in one mid-west state for using a marriage covenant instead. FBI agents have already questioned preachers in Illinois and California about sermons deemed harmful to the government, one dealt with abortion and the other with the Iraq war. This was even before the federal hate crime law has passed that is going through Congress at this time which can make criminals of the preachers in America over the sodomy issue as they have in Canada and Sweden. These are just a few examples, we could give many more.
I am the National Director of the Biblical Law Center. The Law Center is not only trying to alert pastors and church leaders as to the problems but also is trying to give practical solutions. The Law Center helps churches to organize and reorganize in a way to take advantage of their First Amendment guarantees and the religious liberty clauses of the various states so that they will not lose their First Amendment guarantees as “legal” entities but rather begin operating under God as lawful congregations, the Lord’s biblical New Testament churches, enjoying all of their God given rights intended by our founding fathers. The lamp of liberty is barely flickering. If there is not a mighty awakening among the pastors and churches of our land to get out of this 501 (c) (3) Covenant of Death it will be too late forever. May God be pleased to have mercy upon us is our prayer.
We can be contacted at the Biblical Law Center: drgregdixon@earthlink.net or if you would like to receive The Trumpet, the voice of the unregistered church movement in America send an e mail to the same address.
__________________
1 This Day in Baptist History – BJU Press
Because Christmas comes every year, sooner or later most will hear the phrase made famous by Francis P. Church, Editor of the NY Sun in 1897, “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” I’m sure the eight year old Virginia O’Hanlon who had written Church and told him that she would believe in Santa if she could read it in the pages of the Sun found out at some point that Santa was a myth, but most of the preachers and church folks in America still haven’t figured out that, its not a myth, there is an IRS State Church in America even though the IRS has spelled it out loud and clear in two publications – 1828 tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations and IRS Publication 557. Publication 1828 has become the veritable Bible that accountants, lawyers, courts and tax preparers use on a daily basis. Its language is very bold and clear.
“The Internal Revenue Code: Section 501(c)(3) describes charitable organizations, INCLUDING CHURCHES and religious organizations, WHICH QUALIFY for exemption from federal income tax and generally are eligible to receive tax deductible contributions.” (Emphasis mine)
The Great Comparison
Toleration – Licensure
IRS State Church Defined
Publication 1828; pg. 1
“CHURCH – Certain characteristics are generally attributed to churches. These attributes of a church have been developed by the IRS and by court decisions. They include a distinct legal existence: Churches and religious organizations may be legally organized …under state law, including as un-incorporated associations, non-profit corporations, corporations sole and charitable trusts.”
Liberty – Non-licensure
U.S. Constitution - First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In reality, each of these guarantees are liberty for public worship, including speech (sermon content inside and outside the building), press (publishing the gospel inside and outside), assembly (worship inside or outside), and to petition for redress of grievances (inside or outside).
However there is no guarantee of religious liberty to the four IRS identified legal entities listed above. They have given up their God given rights for benefits and privileges, i.e. tax-exemptions, tax-deductible gifts and now Faith Based programs. The courts have said many times loud and clear, enter the realm of Caesar, abide by the laws of Caesar. Only court imposed limited freedoms based on the shifting winds of public opinion and federal public policy are available for these IRS State Churches, and believe me, their freedoms are becoming more limited day by day, even including the content of sermons. How many times do we have to say it, the Lord’s churches are not tax exempt but rather non taxable. There is a vast difference.
To find out how we got to such a state as this a little history is necessary. Amazingly even though our Pilgrim fathers escaped England and landed at Plymouth Rock seeking asylum from religious tyranny, it wasn’t long until they had actually founded a State/Church system in Massachusetts that was nearly as repressive against the Baptists, Quakers and other non-conformists as the Anglican State that they had fled from themselves. In the South their “Christian” brothers were also busy establishing State Churches.
On January 11, 1758, the General Assembly, meeting at Savannah (GA), passed a law, making the Church of England the church of the province. In all of the colonies except RI laws were enacted to support an established church by taxes, to compel church attendance, and to forbid the worshipping of dissenting sects. Some type of state church was to be found in all five southern colonies, as well as in three New England provinces: Mass., Conn., and New Hampshire. In S.C. it was the Church of England with support from public funds. In N.C. it was also the church of England from 1732. The Puritans had established a theocracy in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, which was later called Congregational churches, and they persecuted those of different beliefs. But Baptists opposed the concept of a state church.1
This paper is too short to list all of them, but following are a few instances of persecution by these statists among hundreds of examples from the same source.
In the bitter cold winter of 1638, … puritans banned Roger Williams from Massachusetts for his Baptist beliefs and leaving his wife and children he escaped to Rhode Island where he established Providence and it became the citadel for religious liberty in the new land.
The persecution of Baptists continued with unrelenting fury. In 1651 Obadiah Holmes, John Clarke, Witter and others were arrested because they would not subscribe to the doctrine of Congregationalism, i.e. infant baptism. Holmes was beaten until he could not stand. Those who came to his aid were persecuted. Many others were imprisoned and their property confiscated because they would not support the Congregational churches nor pay their pastors salaries.
In Virginia where the Anglican Church was in control things were not much better. That State/Church was as busy persecuting (dissenters) as the Congregationalists in the North.
February 26, 1770, was the beginning of the three-month imprisonment of John Pickett in the Fauquier County, VA Order Book for 1766, pages 242 and 243. Few men in VA. Suffered more persecution than Webber. He was seized in Chesterfield, Co, Dec. 7, 1770 and imprisoned in the Co. jail until March 7, 1771. Seven other Baptist preachers were confined in the same jail which still stands. The Baptists and many others opposed the ratification of the Constitution until a Bill of Rights was secured and it was not an accident that the very first one was a Religious Liberty clause which in reality did not disestablish God as we are being led to believe, but simply declared that there would be no State/Church in the federal jurisdiction. Later as the religious clauses were placed in the various state Bills of Right the state churches were disestablished in the various states, Massachusetts being the last in 1833.
However we have now come full circle and with the permission of Congress and the courts they have now reestablished a State/Church albeit an IRS/State Church in the federal district. This monster is now recognized by the states. For instance, in order for a church to get sales tax exemption at the state level the church has to get a determination letter from the IRS, giving evidence that they fall within one of the above categories of a “legal” existence. They can be the most weird cult like the Babalu’s who sacrifice chickens in downtown Hialeah, FL or even a coven of witches, it makes no difference.
The evidence that we have come full circle is the fact that the various states and the U.S. Justice Department is now protecting this IRS State/Church and persecuting those churches that choose not to be under their “legal” protection. Basically there is little difference between a church and a religious organization in the eyes of the IRS in that both are listed in the IRC under 501 (c) (3) Tax Exempt Organizations. Churches are listed under Exceptions at 501a. Publication 1828 on page 2 says – “Churches that meet the requirements of Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c) (3) are automatically considered exempt, and are not required to apply for and obtain recognition of tax exempt status from the IRS. However, even though churches are generally eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, to qualify for tax exemption, such organizations must meet the following requirements:” In other words the church does not have to file Form 1023 or an annual 990 Form to become and maintain their tax exempt status as a religious organization such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as an example but they still have to meet the same qualifications by meeting the same requirements. If it doesn’t the IRS can take away their tax exemption even though the church never applied in the first place. This is the great deception. It is an automatic exception not an exemption.
It is the demands of the IRS that a true Church of Christ cannot meet. There are six in all.
1. It must have a “distinct legal existence”. The state is not its creator but Christ.
2. It must be organized as an exempt organization. A church is not an organization but a divine organism, the body of Christ.
3. It must be operated as an exempt organization. “…for religious, educational, scientific, or other charitable purposes.” The Lord’s church is not a “Public Charity” equal to the United Fund or UNESCO but a divine institution for the propagation of the gospel of Christ to lost sinners and the discipling of believers.
4. “Net earnings may not inure to the benefit of any private individual.” The Lord’s Church is not a business that earns profits and pays salaries to employees but only has those who serve as true minister shepherds and not hirelings.
5. “No substantial part of its activity may be attempting to influence legislation,” The Lord’s church must not submit its records nor report its activities to the IRS.
6. “The organization may not intervene in political campaigns,” The Lords church cannot be silenced from speaking out on the things that effect society.
Because churches have refused to bow down and accept this imprimatur from the IRS and take this tax exempt legal identity from the IRS they are now experiencing persecution at the state and federal level. Following are some examples.
In the past few years a church has been raided, sold and bull dozed down because it refused relinquish its core doctrine of the Lordship of Christ and become a tax collector and payer for the IRS. A pastor is presently serving a ten year sentence and his wife one year for a made up “crime” involving the complexity of the tax laws regarding a Christian ministry. A boy’s home in Ft. Worth, Texas was closed because the church did not seek licensure from the State. Christian schools have been closed because they did not seek accreditation from the state. Innumerable street preachers have been arrested for preaching without a license. The same is true of abortion protestors. A Church in a Western state is being threatened with fines because they do not have a permit to put up a sign displaying the 10 Commandments on their own land and also displaying the name of their church on the front of their building. Just recently home bible studies have been raided in San Diego and Phoenix. Preachers are now required to register in some states to perform marriages and one has been jailed in one mid-west state for using a marriage covenant instead. FBI agents have already questioned preachers in Illinois and California about sermons deemed harmful to the government, one dealt with abortion and the other with the Iraq war. This was even before the federal hate crime law has passed that is going through Congress at this time which can make criminals of the preachers in America over the sodomy issue as they have in Canada and Sweden. These are just a few examples, we could give many more.
I am the National Director of the Biblical Law Center. The Law Center is not only trying to alert pastors and church leaders as to the problems but also is trying to give practical solutions. The Law Center helps churches to organize and reorganize in a way to take advantage of their First Amendment guarantees and the religious liberty clauses of the various states so that they will not lose their First Amendment guarantees as “legal” entities but rather begin operating under God as lawful congregations, the Lord’s biblical New Testament churches, enjoying all of their God given rights intended by our founding fathers. The lamp of liberty is barely flickering. If there is not a mighty awakening among the pastors and churches of our land to get out of this 501 (c) (3) Covenant of Death it will be too late forever. May God be pleased to have mercy upon us is our prayer.
We can be contacted at the Biblical Law Center: drgregdixon@earthlink.net or if you would like to receive The Trumpet, the voice of the unregistered church movement in America send an e mail to the same address.
__________________
1 This Day in Baptist History – BJU Press
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Obamageddon 2012 by Gerald Celente
The same economists (the real ones, not the blatherers you hear on Fox and CNN) that called this recession months, or even years ago are saying that the trouble ain't over! Check this out:
Obamageddon 2012 by Gerald Celente
Shared via AddThis
Empire America is on the verge of collapse. Its social, economic and political systems are failed and failing.
The measures taken by successive governments to save the politically corrupt, morally bankrupt, physically decrepit giant from collapse have served to only hasten its demise. While the decline has been decades in the making, the acceleration of ruinous policies under the current Administration is leading the United States – and much of the world – to the point of no return.
The "green shoots" sighted by Field Marshall Bernanke this past spring were a mirage. The 2010 economic "recovery" predicted by the same experts, authorities and financial boy scouts and cheerleaders who didn't see the economic crisis coming is pure delusion.
By 2012, even those in denial and still clinging to hope will be forced to face the truth. It will be called "Obamageddon" in America. The rest of the world will call it "The Greatest Depression."
July 1, 2009
Gerald Celente is founder and director of The Trends Research Institute, author of Trends 2000 and Trend Tracking (Warner Books), and publisher of The Trends Journal. He has been forecasting trends since 1980, and recently called “The Collapse of ’09.”
Copyright © 2009 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.
Obamageddon 2012 by Gerald Celente
Shared via AddThis
Empire America is on the verge of collapse. Its social, economic and political systems are failed and failing.
The measures taken by successive governments to save the politically corrupt, morally bankrupt, physically decrepit giant from collapse have served to only hasten its demise. While the decline has been decades in the making, the acceleration of ruinous policies under the current Administration is leading the United States – and much of the world – to the point of no return.
The "green shoots" sighted by Field Marshall Bernanke this past spring were a mirage. The 2010 economic "recovery" predicted by the same experts, authorities and financial boy scouts and cheerleaders who didn't see the economic crisis coming is pure delusion.
By 2012, even those in denial and still clinging to hope will be forced to face the truth. It will be called "Obamageddon" in America. The rest of the world will call it "The Greatest Depression."
July 1, 2009
Gerald Celente is founder and director of The Trends Research Institute, author of Trends 2000 and Trend Tracking (Warner Books), and publisher of The Trends Journal. He has been forecasting trends since 1980, and recently called “The Collapse of ’09.”
Copyright © 2009 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Reprobate Republicans
Pastor Matt Trewhella has a very excellent article titled "A Republican-Appointed Supreme Court Gave America Legalized Abortion, Sodomy, And Pornography."
Folks, this is the point I have been trying to make for several years now! When I tell my republican friends that I no longer vote for the "lesser of two evils," this is usually what they counter with: "But we have to elect the republican, because the next president will appoint a supreme court justice." My response is always, "so what!" The court has been made up of a majority of republican appointees for several generations now; I really don't know what the democrats are so worried about! Republican appointees have given us every abominable ruling that has been handed down for the last 50+ years!
Following is Pastor Matt Trewhella's article from yesterday's Covenant News.
A Republican-Appointed Supreme Court Gave America Legalized Abortion, Sodomy, And Pornography
By Pastor Matt Trewhella
The Covenant News ~ June 09, 2009
Obama has nominated a Supreme Court justice. She will in all likelihood turn out to be pro-abortion and pro-homosexual. Obama is rabidly pro-abortion and pro-homosexual, and birds of a feather flock together.
If you were one of those people who could not bring yourself to vote for the lesser-of-two-evils (have you noticed that the lesser-evil gets more evil every four years?) this past November, you are probably hearing from some of your friends right about now saying – "See, I told you to vote for McCain just so Obama couldn't appoint the next Supreme Court justice."
You may be feeling bad or even pained in your conscience about this – but don't. Historical fact reveals that you would have gotten nothing different with a Republican-appointed justice. The truth is Obama's nominee has the same values as the majority of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices over the last 40 years.
If you doubt what I am saying, just take a few moments to look at the facts.
1.) The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was given to us a by a majority of Republican-appointed justices. Six of the seven justices which voted in support of Roe v. Wade were appointed by Republican presidents.
2.) Roe v. Wade has been upheld and legalized abortion maintained by a majority of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices for the last 36 years. Since the Roe. v. Wade decision, Republican-appointed justices have always been in the majority by a margin of at least 7-2. Currently, 7 of the 9 justices are Republican-appointed.
3.) The 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case which decriminalized sodomy was given to us by a majority of Republican-appointed justices. Four of the six justices which voted in support of decriminalizing sodomy were appointed by Republican presidents.
4.) Remember also, it was a Republican-appointed majority Court which banned school prayer in the 1962 Engle v. Vitale case, and which opened the floodgates of pornography in the 1973 Miller v. California case.
Every four years, Christian people in this nation are stampeded into voting for the Republican presidential candidate based on the mantra - "whoever is elected President will appoint the next Supreme Court justices!" Republicans insist that we must vote for their presidential candidate in order to insure that liberal justices are not appointed to the Supreme Court.
The historical facts however, show that their assertion is absolutely false. When you look at the facts there is not a lick of difference between Obama's nominee and what we have gotten from the Republicans for the last 40 years.
Until Christians take the Republicans to task for this, nothing will change. The Republicans find legalized abortion too politically advantageous to actually outlaw abortion. How then would they be able to keep the Christians in line?
The truth is our nation finds itself in its current state because the people have turned their backs on God and are living in rebellion to him; the pulpits are full of hirelings and whores; and American Christians have embraced a superficial, narcissistic, man-centered Christianity. No political party can remedy this situation. Only the pure preaching of God's Word calling men to repentance and faith in Christ.
Matt Trewhella is the pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church (http://www.mercyseat.net) and the founder of Missionaries to the Preborn (http://www.missionariestothepreborn.com). He and his wife Clara have eleven children.
Folks, this is the point I have been trying to make for several years now! When I tell my republican friends that I no longer vote for the "lesser of two evils," this is usually what they counter with: "But we have to elect the republican, because the next president will appoint a supreme court justice." My response is always, "so what!" The court has been made up of a majority of republican appointees for several generations now; I really don't know what the democrats are so worried about! Republican appointees have given us every abominable ruling that has been handed down for the last 50+ years!
Following is Pastor Matt Trewhella's article from yesterday's Covenant News.
A Republican-Appointed Supreme Court Gave America Legalized Abortion, Sodomy, And Pornography
By Pastor Matt Trewhella
The Covenant News ~ June 09, 2009
Obama has nominated a Supreme Court justice. She will in all likelihood turn out to be pro-abortion and pro-homosexual. Obama is rabidly pro-abortion and pro-homosexual, and birds of a feather flock together.
If you were one of those people who could not bring yourself to vote for the lesser-of-two-evils (have you noticed that the lesser-evil gets more evil every four years?) this past November, you are probably hearing from some of your friends right about now saying – "See, I told you to vote for McCain just so Obama couldn't appoint the next Supreme Court justice."
You may be feeling bad or even pained in your conscience about this – but don't. Historical fact reveals that you would have gotten nothing different with a Republican-appointed justice. The truth is Obama's nominee has the same values as the majority of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices over the last 40 years.
If you doubt what I am saying, just take a few moments to look at the facts.
1.) The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was given to us a by a majority of Republican-appointed justices. Six of the seven justices which voted in support of Roe v. Wade were appointed by Republican presidents.
2.) Roe v. Wade has been upheld and legalized abortion maintained by a majority of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices for the last 36 years. Since the Roe. v. Wade decision, Republican-appointed justices have always been in the majority by a margin of at least 7-2. Currently, 7 of the 9 justices are Republican-appointed.
3.) The 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case which decriminalized sodomy was given to us by a majority of Republican-appointed justices. Four of the six justices which voted in support of decriminalizing sodomy were appointed by Republican presidents.
4.) Remember also, it was a Republican-appointed majority Court which banned school prayer in the 1962 Engle v. Vitale case, and which opened the floodgates of pornography in the 1973 Miller v. California case.
Every four years, Christian people in this nation are stampeded into voting for the Republican presidential candidate based on the mantra - "whoever is elected President will appoint the next Supreme Court justices!" Republicans insist that we must vote for their presidential candidate in order to insure that liberal justices are not appointed to the Supreme Court.
The historical facts however, show that their assertion is absolutely false. When you look at the facts there is not a lick of difference between Obama's nominee and what we have gotten from the Republicans for the last 40 years.
Until Christians take the Republicans to task for this, nothing will change. The Republicans find legalized abortion too politically advantageous to actually outlaw abortion. How then would they be able to keep the Christians in line?
The truth is our nation finds itself in its current state because the people have turned their backs on God and are living in rebellion to him; the pulpits are full of hirelings and whores; and American Christians have embraced a superficial, narcissistic, man-centered Christianity. No political party can remedy this situation. Only the pure preaching of God's Word calling men to repentance and faith in Christ.
Matt Trewhella is the pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church (http://www.mercyseat.net) and the founder of Missionaries to the Preborn (http://www.missionariestothepreborn.com). He and his wife Clara have eleven children.
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