As Christians what are we to think of the occult? What should our attitude be concerning witchcraft, magick, and sorcery? Are we to be concerned about ghosts and vampires? What about fortunetelling, seances, astrology and the like? Many people do not realize that the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about the world of the occult. Check out this review of Scriptural teaching on the world of the Occult.
It is not uncommon for a cult to go through various phases of development. Since the beliefs and practices of a cult are usually based on the teachings of the founder/leader, these can change on the whims of the leader himself. This group is a perfect example of this tendency. The group was originally called the Children of God, then it became The Family of Love, then The Family, and now it is called The Family International (TFI). Along with the name changes have come several changes in doctrine and practice. Continue reading
“What is the sound of one hand clapping?” “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear, does it make a sound?” Ever hear these odd questions? We usually think of them as silly, humorous, even nonsensical statements. What most people don’t realize is that these are genuine expressions of Zen Buddhist belief. Called koans, these questions are meant to cause a person to go outside rational thought and experience an intuitive understanding of reality. This flash of spiritual perception, called satori, is the goal of the Zen practitioner. Zen teaches that enlightenment is not basically a matter of belief, or intellectual comprehension. Instead, it is a non-rational experience of the divine, of recognizing one’s own identity with “the all.” It is emptying the mind of thought so that a person comes into an immediate perception of ultimate truth. One man defined Zen practice as “concentration with an empty mind.” Continue reading
In 1972, while at the University of Florida, Kip McKean was converted through a Church of Christ ministry called Campus Advance. This ministry was an outreach of the Crossroads Church of Christ in Gainesville, FL. McKean felt called to the ministry, and served in a number of Church of Christ congregations in Florida. In 1979 he received an invitation to become pastor of the Lexington Church of Christ, outside of Boston. He accepted the invitation. This small congregation of about 30 members grew to over 300 people in less than two years. McKean renamed the church the Boston Church of Christ. Later this was changed to the International Church of Christ. The ICOC officially broke from the parent Church of Christ group in 1993. Continue reading
You may have seen them in airports, or dancing through streets of a major city. They have stopped you to ask for money, or to sell you one of their magazines. They are easily recognizable by their shaved heads, robes, and their incessant chanting: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. They are popularly known as Hare Krishnas, but officially members of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). ISKCON was brought to the United States in the 1960’s by a Hindu Swami called A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. Prabhupada was a convert to a Hindu sect that focused on the Lord Krishna as the chief deity. Continue reading
TRUTH BUILDERS MINISTRIES 