It is a strange sort of thing to observe the hermeneutics of Richard Mayhue. I do not wish to be disrespectful but it appears to be akin to childish naiveté. I wish I could say “child-like” but somewhere along the way of life, that seems to have been choked out. The innocent belief of a child has been replaced with the cold, austere and gray-filled skies of an “adult.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, Alarmed by the Voice of Jack Deere, apostolic period, argument from silence, Balaam, cessationism, David Hume, experientialism, faulty exegesis, gifts of the Spirit, hermeneutics, Jack Deere, Miracles, period of open canon, Revelation 13:8, Richard Mayhue, subjectivism, supernatural, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Surprised by the Voice of God, syllogism, virgin birth, voice of God
Mayhue continues his examination of Deere’s logic with the assertion that 21st century believers do not share in the same version of the Holy Spirit that was given in the 1st century. He assigns the guilty verdict to Deere because he assumes that the demonstration of power by the Holy Spirit was for a different purpose. Mayhue assumes his own assumptions to be true and fails to make his case. His reasoning takes on the appearance of philosophical/theological wisdom but does not follow with any sort of example as to what he is referring and as a result, drops a blanket statement with nothing to cover it. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Alarmed by the Voice of Jack Deere, apostolic period, argument from silence, Buddha, celibacy, cessationism, Christophany, Dallas Willard, de-mythologization, gifts of the Spirit, Gnosticism, Hindustani, Jack Deere, Krishna, Miracles, Neognosticism, Norman Geisler, period of open canon, Richard Mayhue, Scots Worthies, subjectivism, Sundar Singh, supernatural, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Surprised by the Voice of God, The Divine Conspiracy, voice of God
It is somewhat of an odd argument to dismiss the validity of any theological claim based on the strangeness of an individual in question. I say this because of Mayhue’s claim that Deere’s association with Paul Cain and William Branham is enough to admonish believers about the “theological company he keeps.” Again, I would have to agree that not everything that they did was in perfect keeping with the scriptures but I would still follow up this argument by another appeal to logic. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Alarmed by the Voice of Jack Deere, apostolic period, cessationism, de-mythologization, gifts of the Spirit, Gnosticism, Jack Deere, Miracles, Neognosticism, Paul Cain, period of open canon, Richard Mayhue, subjectivism, supernatural, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Surprised by the Voice of God, test the spirits
If one is attempting to form a relationship with God beyond the static one-sided world of simply reading the scriptures and offering up prayers with no spiritual reciprocation from the spiritual God that is being addressed, then it is necessary to trim back the nearsighted criticisms of the heresy hunters at large. One such heresy hunter is Richard L. Mayhue, who has argued in seemingly persuasive manner against modern day supernatural workings of God, spiritual gifts, etc. in Jack Deere’s books, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit and Surprised by the Voice of God. This will be the first installment in a series of parts that I will deliver. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 John 4:1, 2 Kings 6:1-7, Acts 17:11, Alarmed by the Voice of Jack Deere, Balaam, C.S. Lewis, cessationism, de-mythologization, Dostoevsky, French Enlightenment, G.K. Chesterton, gifts of the Spirit, Gnosticism, Jack Deere, Miracles, Neognosticism, Numbers 22:28, Paul Cain, Richard Mayhue, subjectivism, supernatural, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Surprised by the Voice of God, test the spirits, The Jesus I Never Knew, Tolstoy, virgin birth
Happiness has been the subject of much scrutiny and debate for centuries. It seems like everyone under the sun has tackled this subject with little or no progress in curing this perennial malady of the human condition. Either it has gone from one extreme to another or the Voice in the balance has been drowned out by the noise of the former. However, it can be found, I tell you, it can! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes 2:4-9, experiencing God, finding happiness, God, God living, happiness, hearing God, intimacy with God, Jesus Christ, Knowing God, life of God, Matthew 5:17, personal relationship with God, pursuit of happiness, relationship with God, seeking God, Solomon, stoicism, walk with God, walking with God
When it comes to choosing which religion we will follow, what rarely comes into view is the god, which we will serve when that religion is selected. All too often, the act of choosing a religion is similar to selecting which organized group of followers whom you will spend your time much like the Rotary Club, Tennis Club, Chess Club, the Lion’s Club or even the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of America. They are chosen in like manner based upon how they will service the needs of the chooser. It must have rules and guidelines to follow so that the personal pleasures of the chooser are met with comfort and class. After all, if I am to play a game like chess or tennis, there must be rules whereby I am able to find my enjoyment in defeating my opponent. Even in an institution like the Rotary Club where the motto ‘service above self’ is held in high esteem, this must also service the servicers by serving their need to serve. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 Corinthians 2:4, A Generous Orthodoxy, Ahab, Bombay Riots, Brian McLaren, Buddhism, Coexist Foundation, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Emergent Church, Exodus 18:9-12, Exodus 20:2-3, Exodus 20:5, Hindu, jealousy of God, Jethro, Judeo-Christian, Knowing God, many gods, Mark 12:28-29, Matthew 5:17, Muslim, Nazareth, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, redemption, relationship with God, Satanism, seeking God, Slumdog Millionaire, theology, Wicca
It is easy to venture forth down a path for the truth and end up using the wrong criteria to validate your relationship with God. When you feel as though you are wandering through a desert season in your life, it is tempting to look around for signs of life that are as intangible as an amoeba. It is there but your senses say otherwise. It is the same with God. Sometimes he keeps us in the dark for purposes that extend past the boundaries of our immediate thinking but nonetheless, this will happen and you may feel as though you have been forsaken. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13:2, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 4:16, 2 Peter 1:5-8, discerning the voice of God, Genesis 1:28, gifts of the Spirit, God, God knowing, how to hear from God, I want to know God, James 3:11, John 14:6, John Eldredge, Judges 16:1-3, Knowing God, Luke 10:17-20, Matthew 7:21-23, prophetic dreams and visions, relationship with God, Revelation 13:13, seeking God, sex in Bible, sexuality, spiritual growth, the discipline of spiritual discernment, Wild at Heart, will of God
Have you ever been in a dark forest? A really dark forest? I have and I can tell you that it is a strange feeling when you wave your hand two inches in front of your eyes and cannot see anything at all. Imagine that you are in this forest and an absence of moonlight puts you in such a position where the five senses are rendered as useless and you must now find your way out. Remember the five senses? Sight, touch, hear, smell and taste. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: a priori, atheist, dark forest, existence of God, experiencing God, finding God, five senses, God, hearing God, Holy Spirit, Knowing God, science, unbeliever
If you were like me, a kid growing up in the 70’s, you couldn’t wait for the latest Charlie Brown special to appear on the television. I can remember waiting in eager anticipation for it as though it were the highlight of the day. Now, I am watching it with my own kids. For some strange reason (God?), during a recent special, I had some suspicions about the nature of what I was watching. Charlie Brown as the perennial loser in life, rejected amongst friends, can never do anything right, can’t get the little red-haired girl, can’t kick the football, etc. I was beginning to wonder if Charlie Brown were merely a disguise behind which Schulz was hiding. I was aware of his most recent biography, Schulz and Peanuts, by David Michaelis and checked it out at the local library. Good grief, was that ever a kick to the heart! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Billy Graham, Charles Schulz, Charlie Brown, Christ, Christianity Today, For Better or For Worse, God, Great Pumpkin, pain, wounds
There is an esoteric line in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that has always stuck out to me. It is where Lady Montague asks her nephew Benvolio if he has seen the missing Romeo. He responds,
“A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;
where, underneath the grove of sycamore
that westward rooteth from the city’s side,
so early walking did I see your son…” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ani l'dodi v'dodi li, dampness of the night, experiencing God, God, hearing God, I have taken off my robe— must I put it on again?, I slept but my heart was awake, intimacy with God, Knowing God, lover, lovesick, lovesickness, relationship with God, Romans 2:4, Romeo and Juliet, Song of Solomon, Song of Solomon 5, Song of Songs, Song of Songs 5, Song of Songs 5:2-6, sycamore, walk with God, walking with God