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7/20/2014Dr. Daniel AmenPsychiatristColossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeDr. Daniel Amen claims, in discussing his book, ChangeYour Brain, Change Your Life, on a PBS program, thatgetting a brain scan would enable a person to beginpreventing Alzheimer’s Disease.Response:No such medical prevention exists today in themainstream of medicine that asserts you can prevent A.D.This claim of certitude is based merely on what someresearchers believe might be some factors whichcontribute to A.D. but certainly not as a means to preventA.D. (From Salon.com)20

7/20/2014Dr. Mark HymanThe creator of The UltraSimple Diet and Founder of TheUltraWellness CenterColossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBefore I could change the channel, I heard Dr.Hyman make the following comments: “The way wethink about disease, mental illness, and our brainaging, actually has nothing, nothing to do with howour body actually works The way we think aboutdisease is all wrong the name of the disease tellsus nothing about the real reason or the causes ofthem. Diseases don’t exist.” (From Salon.com)21

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeResponse:Medical professionals have regularly successfullytreated and cured diseases for quite some time now.For a doctor to claim that current medicine’sapproach toward disease is, “all wrong”, is to placehimself not only far outside even the most basicunderstanding of medicine, but to place himself inthe circle of quackery among medical professionals.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of Life(All claims from Danielplan.com)Claim:“God has given you the gift of your body, and it comeswith an owner’s manual — the Bible. In it are all theinstructions you need to take care of yourself and live along life.”22

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBiblical Response:Historically this is not the view of the believingcommunity with regard the purpose of the Bible. Theorthodox confession is that the Bible is the revelation ofGod to mankind and of God’s redemption of man inChrist.While the Bible does contain information on many topicsincluding the human body, it is and never has beenviewed as a manual for biological health, rather forspiritual health.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:“The Daniel Plan is not just another "diet". It's ahealthy lifestyle based on the Old Testament story ofDaniel, who rejected the king's rich food in order tohonor God's best for him and his friends. Daniel wasa young Israelite carried into captivity when theBabylonians invaded Israel. The Babylonian king,Nebuchadnezzar, decided to train the best and thebrightest of these captives so they could be placed inpositions of authority within the government.”23

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of Life“Daniel’s request was not about a diet plan; rather,he understood God wanted him to live a healthylifestyle so he could serve God no matter where hewas located. Healthy living requires faith as thefoundation, trusting that God’s way is the best way,while following his prescription for your health.”At the end of the ten days they looked healthier andbetter nourished than any of the young men whoate the royal food. So the guard took away theirchoice food and the wine they were to drink andgave them vegetables instead. Daniel 1:15‐16Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBiblical Response:Rick Warren and his co‐authors claim that Daniel didwhat he did because he understood “God wanted him tolive a healthy lifestyle so he could serve God no matterwhere he was located”. But what does the Bible say:Daniel 1:8 (ESV)But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himselfwith the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank.Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allowhim not to defile himself.24

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeThe issue wasn’t with a healthy diet but that ofobeying God with regard to what God has prescribedfor the Hebrews which included some forbiddenfood and types of wine which were being offered.Leviticus 11:4‐20Proverbs 23:1‐3, 31‐35Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBeth Moore25

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:". to beg to differ with people that are ten timessmarter than I am. But I want to say to you I seesomething different than that. I see God doingsomething huge in the body of Christ. I do not knowwhy I have had the privilege to get to travel around,see one church after another.one group of believersafter another, interdenominationally, all over thiscountry, but I have gotten to see something that Ithink is huge. And I'll also suggest to you I am not theonly one.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeAnd tonight I'm going to do my absolute best to illustrateto you something that God showed me out on that backporch. He put a picture.I've explained to you before I ama very visual person.so He speaks to me very often ofputting a picture in my head. And it was as if I was raisedup looking down on a community, as I saw the church inthat particular dimension‐ certainly not all dimensions,not even in many, but in what we will discuss tonight, thechurch, as Jesus sees it, in a particular dimension."(From: the‐end‐time.blogspot.com)26

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBiblical Response:Her claim of a special revelation and unique visions iscontrary to the view that Scripture is the completecanon of God to mankind until the return of Christ.As well and more specifically, it opposes the directstatement of Hebrews 1:1‐2:God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in theprophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in theselast days has spoken to us in His Son, whom Heappointed heir of all things, through whom also Hemade the world.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBeth Moore is a very popular and broadly acceptedteacher among Evangelicals and particularly the SouthernBaptist Convention. Her appeal is based, much like that ofJoyce Meyer, on resolving self‐esteem issues and usingScripture in a convoluted manner in order to superimposeonto texts, the objective of applying it for an egotisticalneed and not for a spiritual need.This does not mean she is always wrong but her error is sograve that it presents a danger and certainly will leadmany into an incorrect belief and practice in many areas.27

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeTim KellerColossians: The Mystery and Meaning of Life28

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeTim Keller is the Co‐Founder of The Gospel Coalition andPastor of Redeemer Church in New York (PCA). He is, byvirtue of his denomination, considered a historic andconfessing Protestant, in agreement with the WestminsterConfession of Faith.In reality, Mr. Keller promotes a theology which issubstantially mixed with humanistic ideology and liberaltheology His book, Generous Justice, makes the followingclaim:(from Gospelmasquerade.com)Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:“the primary purpose of salvation is – culturalrenewal – to make this world a better place.”29

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBiblical Response:Clearly Mr. Keller is in conflict with his owndenominational confession, not to mention that ofmost of Evangelicalism and certainly the Bible.Salvation has as its primary purpose, not thebetterment of the world, but the redemption of apeople for God’s purposes. This world certainlybecomes the benefactor of the faithful believer butthat is not the primary purpose of our salvation.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeTim Keller is one of the most prominent andinfluential personalities and Bible teachers inEvangelicalism today. His errant underlying view ofsocial justice and the purpose of our salvation hasmany negative by‐products which are being felt inour churches today as they move away from Christand toward man‐centered reconciliation.30

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeJohn PiperColossians: The Mystery and Meaning of Life31

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeColossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeJohn Piper is the retired Pastor of Bethlehem BaptistChurch in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2013) and influentialpersonality and Bible teacher among Evangelicals sincethe late 1980’s when he authored his flagship book,Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986).Piper, more recently, has become preoccupied with racialreconciliation and racial diversity in the church. Hedevoted his book, Bloodlines (2012) to this theme andcontinues to promote the idea that part of ourreconciliation to God in Christ requires, as a central aim ofsalvation, racial, ethnic or human reconciliation.32

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:Contrary to the Westminster Confession that, “The chiefend of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”Piper asserts:“The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying himforever’.” (Chapter 1, Desiring God)Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBiblical Response:While Lutherans do not use the Westminster Confession,its creation and its statements of faith are the result ofcareful and well‐vetted theological examination. And wecan concur with its main premise from Bible texts.Piper does not explain his alteration other than novelty;that he may introduce his new twist or idea. Nowhere inScripture is enjoying God treated as the primaryfoundation of glorifying God, rather as a by‐product ofspiritual maturity.33

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifePiper takes God from the center of the mission andreplaces him with humanity and humanity’senjoyment.Again, while we may have enjoyment, pleasure isnot the objective, rather, it is God’s redemption of apeople. Hence we are to glorify him and from this,enjoy what he has wrought.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:"Unless a man be born again into a ChristianHedonist he cannot see the kingdom of God" (JohnPiper, Desiring God, page 55)Biblical ResponseJohn Piper has patronizingly added to the Word ofGod in John 3:15. This is a shame.34

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:"Could it be that today the most straightforward biblicalcommand for conversion is not, 'Believe in the Lord,' but,'Delight yourself in the Lord'?" (John Piper, Desiring God,page 55)Biblical Response:No where in the records of Christianity, both Catholic andProtestant as well as Evangelical, has such an absurd anddoctrinally erroneous suggestion been made. It is primafacie error.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeClaim:“Since I love to talk about what is biblical and true andbeautiful and glorious and precious and sweet, this is mytopic. Third, racial and ethnic diversity and harmony arenot overly addressed in our churches and are central tothe aim of the blood work of Christ in ransoming a peoplefor God and a bride for himself”.(From: thegospelcoalition.org – lecture at WestminsterSeminary)35

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeBiblical Response:The construct of the church, the bride of Christ, is aspiritual one, not an anthropological one. The center ofour reconciliation is that of man with or to God. It doesnot have, as its central aim, man’s reconciliation withman, whether it be racial, ethnic, gender‐based, family‐based or nationality based.These are anthropological constructs which are reconciledbased on anthropological protocols, not spiritualprotocols. Nations reconcile with nations based on humantreaties and so forth.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeAs a body, we are not compatible with one anotherbecause our various races, ethnicities, families,nationalities or whatever anthropological groups havebeen reconciled to one another. These are social and/oranthropological constructs which are not resolved norintended to be resolved through the spiritual construct ofus in Christ and Christ in us.36

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeRather, our compatibility with one another is based onChrist and who we are in him, that is, our spiritual DNA.While we may be socially quite incompatible and withoutmuch hope of personal or human reconciliation, in Christ,our shared spiritual realities and doctrine make usspiritually compatible.Our reconciliation to God and our spiritual fellowship withone another as believers is not a replacement norintended to be a replacement, mechanism oraugmentation for personal or human (anthropological)reconciliation.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeComparing with a statement from The HumanistManifesto (‘73):SEVENTH: Religion consists of those actions, purposes,and experiences which are humanly significant. Nothinghuman is alien to the religious. It includes labor, art,science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation‐‐all that isin its degree expressive of intelligently satisfying humanliving. The distinction between the sacred and the secularcan no longer be maintained.37

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeTHIRTEENTH: Religious humanism maintains that allassociations and institutions exist for the fulfillment ofhuman life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation,control, and direction of such associations and institutionswith a view to the enhancement of human life is thepurpose and program of humanism. Certainly religiousinstitutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods,and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidlyas experience allows, in order to function effectively inthe modern world.Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeConclusion:These are but a few of the many ideas and values whichcompete with sound doctrine, both outside and inside thechurch. While no Bible teacher or Pastor is perfect, wecertainly must take notice of everything they teach and beaware of trends.Has the Bible teacher made a careless statement orflagrant one and is it regarding a basic doctrine? Havethey repeated this on other matters? Do they seem topush the envelope?38

7/20/2014Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of LifeThe one thing in common of all of these I covered is thefocus on man or self and less that of Christ to varyingdegrees. May God bless and protect our souls as weearnestly seek the truth.39

7/20/2014 13 Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of Life The Foundation for Inner Peace -A Course in Miracles Colossians: The Mystery and Meaning of Life Deepak Chopra -"When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the