NAZNET: NAZARENE GEN SUPTS VS. EMERGENT CHURCH ANTI-BIBLE POSITIONS

J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Church of the Nazarene General Superintendent Dr. Jerry Porter states: “We do not endorse those ‘emergent churches’ or leaders who are not orthodox in their theology.”

 
That is what NazNet needs to hear clearly.

 
NazNet, claiming to be “friend” to the Church of the Nazarene, is aglow frequently with heresies, one of the most blatant being questioning the inerrancy of Scripture.

 
Moderators Hans Deventer and Scott Cundiff do not hold to the infallible Bible.

 
NazNet founder/owner permits their positions to hold forth.

 
There are many young readers on NazNet who have been swept into this heretical mindset. Yet now the leaders of the holiness church have spoken clearly.

 
Dr. Porter has pronounced that the Church of the Nazarene is on the side of an “orthodox” acceptance of the Word of God. Will NazNet listen to this or will the site continue to champion leftist stances?

 
Time will tell.

 
Read EMERGENT CHURCH: NAZARENE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENTS SET NAZNET STRAIGHT  at  [url=https://zenithmax.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/emergent-church-nazarene-general-superintendents-set-naznet-straight/]https://zenithmax.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/emergent-church-nazarene-general-superintendents-set-naznet-straight/[/url]

NAZNET NOT A CHURCH?

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

NazNet Moderator Hans Deventer: “NazNet is an online forum, it’s not a church.”

Incorrect.

NazNet appears as an “online forum.” But in reality when checking out its base line on theology, it acts like a church.

NazNet presents its own doctrines, such, for instance, being Deventer’s belief statements. They include that there is no eternal torment in hell as Christ informs. Instead, Deventer states that the unsaved are zapped via “annihilation.”

Now Deventer right there puts forth a churchly faith statement as churches do. Consequently, Deventer is not only holding forth on an “online forum” but pitting his “doctrines” against the holiness Church of the Nazarene, the latter posted on NazNet as being friends with NazNet.

Further, Deventer and fellow Moderator Scott Cudliff state doctrinal beliefs thusly: the Bible has errors in it. Yes. That’s what they hold faith in. It is not the infallible inerrant Word of God, a divine who knows how to reveal without flaw.

When these two Moderators give forth with that kind of theology, they are not in keeping with the Church of the Nazarene. In fact, they become theological enemies to Nazarenes. That evangelical Protestant denomination believes deity is equipped to tell His own proclamations flawlessly.

As one reads through NazNet, the unmistakable conclusion reached is that Founder and Moderator Dave McClung definitely pits his site against the Church of the Nazarene.

He is forming his own competitive Internet-church to the Church of the Nazarene. If the Nazarene General Superintendents don’t confront this head-on, they are not fulfilling their responsibilities.

In addition, Deventer doctrinally proclaims his belief that “eternal life” as defined by Christ is not everlasting. That poses the question as to whether Deventer has any acumen by which to define terms understood by others as meaning what they mean.

Just importantly, this kind of heresy weave throughout NazNet would put that site in the form of a church. It is a church without buildings. But it does have officialdom and creeds. It does have means by which to communicate those creeds.

So NazNet preaches that heaven is not without end. Hell is not eternal torment. The Scriptures are not reliable.

But there is more: Deventer teaches that infant baptism is divinely approved accurate, more so than adult believers’ baptism. The New Testament states just the opposite; but who cares? We have Deventer.

So now NazNet has its own definition of a sacrament. That surely does move into the churchly venue.

Will the Church of the Nazarene leadership own up to this opposing “church”, doing so as to state publicly that the denomination disavows any “friendly tie” to NazNet? NazNet delights in repeatedly claiming to be Nazarene-friendly. Oh yes, very much so.

Will Nazarenes realize that when reading NazNet they are being drawn into a church as defined by the site’s own doctrinal statements?

Further, a former Moderator Chaplain Barbara Moulton even went so far as to inform me about her position on a moral issue. It was homosexuality.

She, a chaplain, stated she would not witness to the scriptural position on the topic, that is, she would not support God’s stance in public. In other words, she would play coward at that juncture.

I then would take that as a churchly position taken by one of NazNet’s top names, though now she has bowed out of the site, per Dave McClung absenting her from the masthead and also his latest post of “Making NazNet an even friendlier place”.

Read more at NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/

NAZNET MODERATOR HANS DEVENTER: NAZARENES GOOFED ON DEFINITION OF HELL

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

NazNet website Founder/Moderator Dave McClung makes this statement at the site’s outset:

“NazNet is proud to be a loyal supporter of the denomination and its world wide mission — to respond to the Great Commission of Christ ‘to make Christ-like disciples in the nations.’ This is a Nazarene friendly site and our purpose is: ‘building community among Nazarenes and friends.’”

Not so. In fact, far far from it.

NazNet undercuts Church of the Nazarene historic theology. One of the site’s prime voices is Moderator Hans Deventer, unfortunately.

McClung should absent Deventer from any posts on the site if McClung wants to be honest in his opening statement of support for the Church of the Nazarene.

Deventer propagates heresies that will never be acceptable to Wesleyan holiness teachings of the Church of that Nazarene, that is, unless this denomination transgresses its spiritual journey in disobeying God. And that in fact is happening as I type. If it continues, the Church of the Nazarene will implode under God’s wrath.

For example, NazNet reader Ian Gentles states to Deventer: “I believe in eternal torment. Oh trust me, I don’t like it, but I believe it. Can the church have misunderstood all these centuries?”

Deventer answers: “THE church has had different opinions, and THE church has never felt the need to express itself in the early creeds on this topic. Hence, it is an issue where differences of opinion are allowed.”

Gentles responds: “Did the Nazarene church misunderstand?”

Deventer says: “Yes. Hey, we can’t have everything right, can we?”

Gentles continues: “Did i misunderstand the Bible?”

Deventer again: “Yes.”

Yes?

Gentles states he believes the biblical Christ’s teaching regarding eternal torment being just that.

Deventer redirects him to the “truth according to Deventer.” Sadly Deventer does this repeatedly throughout the site.

Deventer tenaciously believes in infant baptism, contrary to the traditional Nazarene infant dedication and adult believers’ baptism.

Deventer teaches that there is no “eternal torment.” Deventer states that “annihilation” is the proper reality.

Deventer teaches that there is no such entity as “eternal life.” “Eternal” is not meant to be everlasting but merely the content, not duration for the saved.

Deventer does not hold that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God. He believes that the more doubt one holds to, the more one comes upon truth. Moderator Scott Cundiff agrees. NazNet Founder Dave McClung does nothing to correct these heresies.

I emailed Deventer regarding his misuse of Scripture. His email to me let me know that I am his “enemy.”

If am his enemy, I am God’s friend. Deventer destroys the biblical truth; I support biblical truth.

Deventer seemingly has no fear of appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ for he writes his own holy writ by flying by the seat of his pants.

That’s actually not the way to carry out biblical research, especially for the benefit of inquirers on a site that advertises itself as friend to Nazarenes.

What say, McClung?

Read more: NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/

NAZNET UNDERCUTS THE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

That is correct.

Site overseers such as NazNet Manager Scott Cudliff and Moderator Hans Deventer champion those who doubt the Bible as a reliable revelation from the Christian God. (See footnote for further detail at NAZNET DISTORTS http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/ .)

Yet the Bible states in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto good works.”

“All Scripture. . .is profitable for doctrine. . .”

When God inspired those words, He meant it. Not just what is convenient Scripture or that which is pleasant to you, but all Scripture. Not just what liberals pronounce as condoned, but all Scripture. That means from Genesis to Revelation, all Scripture is God’s infallible communication.

Does NazNet’s deity have flawed communication skills? Obviously, for Cudliff and Deventer applaud same. NazNet Founder and Moderator Dave McClung must go along with this heresy for he never disciplines his overseers or counters their anti-God views.

By the way, McClung is not a theologian. He is a successful businessman.

Why then does he found and head a primarily religious site, advertising it as Church of the Nazarene-friendly? He is not doctrinally astute. He is not theologically trained. Yet he is forming a seminary-on-Internet and Internet competitive “denomination” against the holiness Nazarene history.

McClung delights in his ego aggrandizement in watching particularly the young follow his Pied Piper musical dance into God’s wrath. McClung is proud. He is conceited. That is why he has molded this NazNet grouse that entices the unknowing into his dark web.

Yet all along he boasts that NazNet is a support system for the Wesleyan holiness Church of the Nazarene. It is just the opposite.

For instance, Cudliff states on NazNet that he is mesmerized by C. S. Cowles’ address regarding the emerging church. In that address, Cowles esteems a liberal theologian who destroys faith in the Bible for ongoing doubt.

Cudliff lifts high that quote from Cowles and states for the world to read that such an heretical view encourages Cudliff’s “Wesleyan perspective.”

That is a lie. It cannot be. Cowles’ quote has nothing to do with endorsing Wesleyan theology and the holiness interpretation of the Word. In fact, that quote enables atheism, not Wesleyan doctrine.

Time and again, such deceit weaves its way through the discussion slides on NazNet. There is much there that is cotton candy; but there is enough to damn. And McClung knows that; but he is so enthralled with his own ego enlargement by this site that he continues to “gospel” lies.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. . .”

That includes the flood in Noah’s day. That flood is scuttled by Cowles and thereby by Cudliff by the latter’s own confession on NazNet.

That divine inspiration includes the slaying of various peoples in the Old Testament period. Such is submerged by Cowles and therby Cudliff.

What these liberals do is to transplant their own divine personality mold upon the Bible—mostly sugary sweet deity images. If the Bible does not support that persona, the biblical verses are scrapped. Of course, Psalm 23 is left. And I Corinthians 13. However, the more difficult passages are yanked out as logically and theologically unsound.

However, God has stated: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. . .” It is not there for us to scissor out at our whim. Scripture is not provided for us to critique. It is there by “inspiration of God.” God!

Therefore, if you cannot stomach that God, don’t claim Him.

However, the likes of Cowles, Cudliff, McClung and Deventer want to claim Him to get to heaven; but they disown His ability to give us a responsible revelation. Such hubris. Yet it is there on NazNet while that site witnesses to being a companion to the Church of the Nazarene.

Will the General Superintendents do anything about this?

I don’t know. But I have emailed to them various NazNet samplings to let them know the facts about that site.

If they do nothing, then they have no spines. They are mandated by Christ to tell the truth, defend the truth, and particularly care for the holiness biblical trust of the Church of the Nazarene. Time will tell what they do about such demonic inroads as NazNet.

Some time ago, I wrote about the difficult sections of Scripture in the light of God’s persona. I did not have to slide God off the charts. I instead discovered in the study of those venues that this God I serve is most respectable. It is because of his just and merciful holy nature.

What the rebels such as overseers on NazNet have done is to overweigh God on the love side of His persona and neglect His justice side. One cannot do that.

Holy God is the eternal, perfect balance of justice and mercy. When realizing that truth in both Old and New Testaments, one comes upon a perfect deity, in no need of NazNet’s surgical knives.

Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/

Read BIBLE HARSH PENALTIES & CHRIST’S ETHIC at http://truthinconviction.us/weblog.php?id=P3256

NAZNET REFUSES BIBLICAL STANDARD RE EMERGING CHURCH

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

NazNet highlights the topic on its site. But officially it does not take a biblical stand against the Emerging Church.

Naturally that could not happen, for NazNet settles for an errant Bible. That is, the Word of God is not granted us by a deity who knows how to perfect His communications skills.

Therefore, NazNet sets forth the Emerging Church topic and lets it fly. Relativism counts most.

Why does not a site that boasts on being a friend to the holiness Church of the Nazarene declare biblical convictions concerning Scripture and the bogus Emerging Church?

One, of course, cannot expect that kind of bold declaration from the overseers Founder and Moderator Dave McClung, Moderator Chaplain Barbara Moulton, Moderator Hans Deventer, and Manager Scott Cundiff.

These persons waffle when opportunistic. They are not grounded in biblical insight. They pose as experts concerning biblical faith but in fact they are amateur pied pipers luring the unsuspected reader.

These individuals have created a site that has no sound scriptural base. It is more in league with theological liberals than evangelical, holiness scholarship.

Now here is a biblical definition of the Emerging Church that can be trusted:

Once you proclaim that there are no absolutes, you put yourself outside Christianity.

Christianity is constructed on the biblical absolutes or it’s not Christianity.

There are all kinds of prostitutions of Christianity; but God knows Christianity when He sees it. And when He sees the real thing, it’s based on His absolutes as set forth in divine revelation.

The Emerging Church basically is the throwback to hippies with religion tagging along somehow somewhere.

The Emerging Church won’t say anything absolute about homosexuality or abortion. That means it’s a cowardly conclave that wants more of self than God’s truth.

God’s truth is set forth in Scripture. Regarding homosexual practice, God abhors it. Regarding killing womb babies, God abhors it.

Therefore, when the Emerging Church plays chicken on such ethical concerns, it sides with the dark powers. God is light. The Emerging Church cohabitates with compromise and that lifts it outside the genuine company of believers.

The Emerging Church is a fad. It is a giggle kind of group that is self-centered in that whatever plays best for the constituents is what goes.

Christians are not on Earth to play best for self. Christians are here to live out the inerrant biblical ethic—period.

The Emerging Church boasts of its swing dance group, its happy hour, its hiking clubs and so on and so on. Whatever serves self’s giddy get-up this Friday works for the Emerging Church.

That’s a far cry from biblical commissions to live out holiness, go into all the world to make disciples of Christ, and be separate from worldliness unto God’s impress.

The Emerging Church is touted among some today as The Latest in religious zeal, even at times including the term “evangelical” in its description.

All this is so much untruth in advertising.

This Emerging Church self-based flimflam will dissipate for it has no actual substance. Its little candle will light itself dry. However, while it sputters, it will destroy truth in some quarters and thwart the gospeling of the Earth.

The world is crazy. Yes. And part of that nuthouse stuff is the Emerging Church.

With that, farewell to those who pride themselves on having discovered something new. It’s nothing more than the old hippie bag with a religion of self-preoccupation.

Read NAZNET DISTORTS at http://naznetdistorts.blogspot.com/