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- Written by: Rex M. Rogers
I used to think today’s version of the Scripture’s “false prophets” were just shyster preachers. But the Devil is more subtle. Think about it. Who do we watch, and to whom do we listen? Who are the most influential purveyors of false ideas in American culture today?
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #5 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
Every day, present-day “false prophets” intentionally and effectively attack the core beliefs and values of the Christian Church and American culture.
This is a growing existential threat, for Judeo-Christian values no longer provide a “sacred canopy” over American culture. Historic, foundational biblical values are no longer ascendant, respected, or even referenced by a vast cross-section of society.
So false prophets now practice their craft with little resistance.
The New Testament contains many admonishments about individuals who (2 Peter 2), motivated by greed or arrogance, attempt to speak for God, (Jude 4).
The Apostle Peter also cites “false teachers,” who propagate “destructive heresies.” Peter warned us these are people who ‘will bring the way of truth into disrepute and…will exploit you with stories they have made up” (2 Peter 2:1-3).
Scripture says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves,” (Matthew 7:15-16)
False prophets are people who speak untruth while at times claiming they speak for God and his Word.
Present-day false prophets—wolves in sheep’s clothing—are thriving. They promote ideas, philosophies, and ideologies contradictory to biblical teaching, antithetical to Christianity, subversive to the Church, and destructive to a free culture.
Present-day false prophets are exercising considerable influence
--in public schools --on university campuses
--on political stages
--in media entertainment
–through social media
--via bestsellers
--in corporate training sessions
--in government
--even in the US military.
Some false prophets are what’s now called, “online influencers,” people operating lucrative websites, video channels, or social media sites, marketing lies, especially to young people.
Who are these false prophets? Well, they can be intellectuals/professors, politicians, activists, or celebrities.
Present-day false prophets market political correctness, woke cancel culture, open hostility to a biblical worldview of law, order, and justice. They tout grand nihilistic ideologies and economic or racial determinism. They celebrate rebellion in the name of absolute freedom. They promote tribalistic identity politics and a culture of fear, and they sow chaos, madness, division, and discord, for these conditions are their path to power.
Present-day false prophets are active every day in the nation’s schools from kindergarten through graduate university, promoting anti-biblical views of human sexuality, sharing ideas with grade schoolers that are so perverse I haven’t stated them in this podcast.
Present-day false prophets use critical race theory to teach reductionist racial division, animosity, and victimhood. Some promote racism in the name of “anti-racism.”
Among entertainment celebrities, false prophets present selfie-dominated hedonism, i.e., wear fewer clothes with each Instagram picture, hop in and out of intimate relationships, and live for self-gratification, as demonstrated in their latest TikTok video.
The message many celebrity-false prophets offer is the sexual revolution and materialism writ large. It’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
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False prophets believe in no truth, no right and wrong. But their “no truth” philosophy has practical consequences:
- If no truth > no life-changing Word,
- No truth > no Holy God,
- No truth > no law and order, no justice = only lawless riots, crime,
- No truth > no sin = only a non-judgmental anything goes, all problems are psychological, therapeutic, So there is no forgiveness, no remedy, no hope,
- No truth > no freedom = no inalienable human rights…that leaves only power.
The battle today is not between Republicans and Democrats.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans are ultimately or sufficiently committed to lasting objective ideals. They are about power too.
Consequently, neither Party’s politicians—at least most of them—are positioned to put up much resistance, so neither Party is going to slow the influence of present-day false prophets.
In fact, our challenge today is spiritual not political, and there are no political solutions to spiritual problems.
The battle today is between a morally relativistic, humanistic vision of society that acknowledges no truth versus an historic Judeo-Christian vision of society that acknowledges the Sovereign Creator God of the Bible.
I don’t know if we are yet in the “end times” the Bible talks about, though some believers, including my Mother, believe that we are and she may be correct.
But either way, these are dark days, and our days are likely to get darker, but we need not despair.
God is not surprised by 21st Century issues any more than he was surprised when Lincoln prayed in the White House during the Civil War.
Present-day false prophets—celebrities, influencers, ideologues—may challenge the Church, they may enjoy a season of cultural success, but the end of their false ideas is certain, for God is still God.
Pastor John Piper said, “The shape of error is always changing. You can’t preach enough negative sermons to stay ahead of it. And you don’t have to. The best protection against the darkness of error is the light of truth.”
The best way to respond to untruth is with the truth that sets us free (John 8:32):
How do we do this?
- Discerning truth from error (Phil. 1:8-9).
- Speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
- Being ready always to give an answer (1 Pet. 3:15).
- Participating in a ministry of reconciliation (1 Cor. 15:11-21).
- Praying for grace and unity in the Church (Eph 4:1-16).
Well, we’ll see you again soon. For more Christian commentary, be sure to subscribe to this podcast, Discerning What Is Best, or check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2022
*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.
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- Written by: Rex M. Rogers
Our culture long since discarded the idea of objective truth, i.e., something is true or false no matter our feelings about it. I’ve understood this for a long time.
What did not occur to me until recently is that loss of truth brings with it loss of trust. If there is no knowable truth, just uncertainty, truth claims, lies and falsehoods, then what or who can you trust?
This introduces another level of dysfunction. You carry Who can I trust? into every interaction: Is this news fake, Is this business dishonest, Are these election results valid, Is this health info correct? Then we get litigiousness, lawlessness, even an inability to engage in bona fide relationships because, well, no one is trustworthy.
At best, we muddle through.
At worst, some fall into anxiety, disillusion, alienation, anomie, hopelessness. It’s why there’s so much talk today about mental health, even among gifted, wealthy young athletes, and especially among youth. Kids are committing suicide because their lives have lost meaning.
Truth and trust are not just philosopher topics. Their loss affects us every day.
But there is a remedy. Read your pennies: “In God We Trust.”
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2021
*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.
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The Nashville bomber, who damaged 41 buildings and injured 3 people, reportedly believes shape shifting, blood-sucking reptilian humanoids are invading earth to control the human race. He apparently thinks these lizard aliens hang out in the local park.
Some of the Capitol Building invaders, damaging the seat of democracy and causing the injury or death of 5 people, were adherents of QAnon, a collection of conspiracy theories arguing an underground cabal of Satan-worshipping, pedophile, liberal elites control everything globally, including the deep state clandestinely running the US government, funded by their human trafficking sex ring.
It is said that truth is the first casualty of war. Now it is a casualty of peace. American culture has been jettisoning belief in truth, i.e. moral absolutes, since at least the 1960s. “Post-truth” and “truthiness” are now part of our vocabulary.
When truth disappears, there’s nothing left but superstition, fakery, myth, talking points based on emotion not evidence, and outright paganism.
American culture and many of its leaders have been seduced by the dark side and are now sadly the victim of our own unforced errors, self-inflicted wounds, bad choices. Satan, the father of lies, is having a field day. How else can we explain lizard people?
This is not simply a problem of the Left but also the Right, not a problem unique to one party but not the other. Hypocrisy is rampant across the board.
So, “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).
Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Focus upon this, test what you hear, think critically not emotionally, learn and use a Christian worldview to critique every political leaders’ values, statements, and actions, do not look to government or politicians as your source of hope, do not mistake your politics for your faith.
Our Christian friends in the Middle East and North Africa have lived for decades in countries and cultures where government is not friendly to them. They put their faith in providence not politicians and politics. We can learn from them.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2021
*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.
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© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2020
*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.
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A 2:23 min video I recently recorded with Manna Media, thinking about our culture's battle against the idea of truth...and now the consequences. I've lived this experience in "my day." Still am. Some of you have lived it too and will recognize the trends.
Scripture says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31, NIV).
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2019
*This video may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.
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- Written by: Rex M. Rogers
Since at least Dr. Francis A Schaeffer’s work and others in the 1970s, philosophers have warned us about moral relativism, the idea there is no right or wrong. This view sounded good to a culture that wished to throw off all restraints, especially sexual.
But now into the 21stCentury we’re plagued by division, crudeness, lack of integrity and character in “leadership,” declining free speech, pornography, narcotics, racism, sexual harassment or assault, random shootings, alienation from not just politics but from the country itself (Celebrities vie for news saying they want to move to Canada), rancor and the new “hater” phenomenon...the list goes on.
None of this is a surprise. An emerging social dystopia is a direct result of a people deciding there’s no difference between right vs wrong and though many still say they believe in God most do not see how this is relevant to their everyday lives. We’re now grasping at any belief, even entirely irrational ones like an inability to define man vs woman, or politicians voting not to protect born-alive babies.
We’ve lost what scholars call our “sacred canopy,” which until the 1960s was a “Judeo-Christian consensus” about how society could operate freely and justly. Now we have a mishmash secularism and weak religion, but what we need is a revival of the idea of objective truth, and individual responsibility and accountability. Without this renewal of belief in truth, our mooring, centrifugal forces in our culture will continue to spin toward irrationality.
This is not an encouraging prognosis. Yet God is still there. He is still the definition of Truth, Love, Mercy, Justice.
Revival does not begin with the non-churched, “…judgment begins with God’s household” (1 Peter 4:17). Speaking truth to culture begins with us, the individual Christian believer and the Church.
Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2019
*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attributionstatement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events atwww.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with meat www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.