A controversial movie gets a lot of guff from many different corners… and “Expelled!” is no exception. In this article in the Christian Post, he reveals the truth about the mis-information:

Myths about ‘Expelled’

“If you have heard of the new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, opening April 18, chances are you have heard all kinds of distortions and myths about it. So let me set the record straight about some of the most common myths.

Myth #1: Darwinists interviewed for this film were tricked into participating.

Not so. Each scientist interviewed for Expelled, on both sides of the evolution debate, knew who would do the interview and what it was for. Each of them signed a release, allowing the producers to use the footage of their interviews.

Myth #2: The film is anti-science.

Wrong again. Many distinguished scientists were interviewed for this film and given the chance to express their views. Just like their Darwinist counterparts, the advocates of intelligent design and their supporters who are interviewed are there to talk about science, not to dismiss it. These are people like Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne; Oxford mathematician and philosopher John Lennox; journalist Pamela Winnick, who has received hate mail for covering the issue; and biologist Caroline Crocker, who was fired from George Mason University for discussing intelligent design in the classroom. Some of them are religious believers; some are not. But what they share is a commitment to science and the unfettered pursuit of truth. Expelled is not anti-science; it is anti-censorship.

Myth #3: Ben Stein, the actor and writer who hosts the movie, has lost his mind.

Bringing up this very issue in a conference call, Stein quipped that he probably has, ‘but it was a long time ago . . . probably sometime around 1958.’ Well, I have known Stein well for years, and he is as bright as a button and anything but out of his mind. On a serious note, Stein and his film’s producers explained that the mud that people are flinging at him is just one small example of what happens to people who question Darwinian orthodoxy. The original idea for Expelled, said co-producer and software engineer Walt Ruloff, came to him when he was working on a project with a group of biotechnologists and learned ‘that there was a whole series of questions that could not be asked.’

The prevailing ideology among many scientists—it turned out—he concluded, was keep your mouth shut, take the research money, and publish only the data that fits with ‘the party line.’ The issue that concerns Ruloff and the others behind Expelled is whether the scientific establishment in this country is going to allow genuine ‘freedom of inquiry,’ or simply shut up—and slander—those who do not toe the line.

Given all this, Ben Stein states, ‘As long as the cause is right, I’m happy to be in an uphill struggle.’

Myth #4: Popular author and atheist Richard Dawkins tells Ben Stein in this film that there could have been a designer of life on earth, but it would have had to have been ‘a higher intelligence’ that had itself evolved ‘to a very high level . . . and seeded some form of life on this planet.’

Well, actually . . . that one is not a myth. He really did say it—striking admission, though it is.

So, I urge you to go see Expelled when it opens at a theater near you. Believe me, in this case the truth really is stranger—and more compelling—than any fiction the film’s detractors could possibly dream up.”

Here’s a movie teaser for you… what if science, that claims to be open-minded to any hypothesis, black-listed one point of view? Impossible, you say? Watch Ben Stein’s new movie, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” and see it happen before your eyes! Watch the trailer for the movie at the link below:

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

“By it’s April 18th national release, EXPELLED producers know that a minimum of 900 US theaters will screen the satirical documentary, making it one of the widest documentary releases in US film history. Film distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures has estimated that 1,000 screens will be booked by opening day.”

I warn you about bad movies, so it is only fair that I recommend one once in a while. I loved the Chronicles of Narnia… and I am looking forward to the next installment with the story of Price Caspian. Check out the story here:

Return to Narnia

“In about a month, Hollywood will bring the second book of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia to the silver screen. And whether you are a parent introducing your kids to Narnia for the first time, or looking for an excuse to recapture the magical wonder of your own childhood, it is a good time to dust off a copy of Prince Caspian. While you will not find the spiritual lessons in Prince Caspian quite as obvious as those you remember from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you will find plenty of profound truths about the Christian faith—delivered in a way that only the master, C. S. Lewis, could do. The saga of Prince Caspian unfolds in a world hundreds of years removed from the Narnia of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In this age into which the Pevensie children are suddenly thrust, the evil King Miraz reigns and only a remnant of people actually believe those childish stories of Aslan, the Stone Table, and a time when animals talked. Like Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, we enter a world of skepticism that is very much like our own. Let’s just say that the best-selling books in Miraz’s kingdom could easily have been titled The Aslan Delusion and Aslan Is Not Great. Like our children, young Caspian grows up in an age when most people say, ‘Who actually believes in Aslan nowadays?’ As in the previous stories of Narnia, a cosmic battle between good and evil continues to rage. But unlike the direct head-to-head conflict between Aslan and the White Witch, the conflict in Prince Caspian is being waged between the followers of the opposing powers. On this cosmic stage, individual faith is tested. Will Prince Caspian believe in the stories of Narnia? Will Lucy follow what she believes to be Aslan? Here is something with which Christians today can certainly relate. It is one thing to be among the first witnesses who exult in the risen Christ. It is quite another to act out of faith when the stories of His witnesses are so many centuries removed from our world. As Jesus told doubting Thomas, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed’ (John 20:29). This is our world, and this is the world of Caspian, as well. In this tale, as much as we learn about faith and doubt, there is also much to learn about the nature of Jesus. As Leland Ryken and Marjorie Mead put in the newly released, A Reader’s Guide to Caspian, what Aslan is like is the ‘primary theological question of Prince Caspian.’ And in it we find several answers that apply to our own Christian walk.”

John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Let’s think a moment about what JESUS said here. “…No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” Another way to state that is… “No one can come to God… EXCEPT THROUGH ME!” This puts a lie to the notion that “there are many ways to God.” I didn’t say that. Jesus said that. Take it up with Him, if you dare! I wouldn’t, if I were you. Jesus knows what He is talking about… if anyone knows He does!

Bottom line is… from a national perspective, you CAN believe ANYTHING that you want to. But, from God’s perspective, you MUST believe certain things. For instance, you MUST believe that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Saviour… you MUST believe that God raised Jesus from the dead LITERALLY!

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

So what of the fact that Barack Obama said this past week, right here in Greensboro, that you can get to God through many ways? Sorry, Barack… it just isn’t so.

Obama Suggests Jesus Christ Not the Only Way to Heaven

“Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that Jesus Christ is not the only way to heaven during a campaign event in North Carolina. While answering a question about his Christian faith, Obama said he believes that Jesus Christ died for his sins and through God’s grace and mercy he could have ‘everlasting life,’ according to the Los Angeles Times. But he also believes Jews and Muslims and non-believers who live moral lives are as much ‘children of God’ as he is, according to The Associated Press. As an example, he spoke about his late mother who was ‘not a believer.’ ‘[S]he was the kindest, most decent, generous person that I have ever known,’ Obama said, according to the Times. ‘I’m sure she is in heaven, even though she may not have subscribed to everything that I subscribe to.’ Obama’s response came amid the recent controversy surrounding his former Chicago pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who made inflammatory remarks about race and America in sermons he delivered many years ago.”

I hope that Obama’s mother received Jesus before she died… but, if she didn’t… no amount of wishful thinking will get her there. It is not for no reason that Jesus said, “Ye must be born again!” (John 3:7)

Not that you wouldn’t expect that… but, needless-to-say the “theology” of this film is highly skewed! The Bible is very clear about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, life on earth, death, burial, and resurrection… but a new Muslim created film about Jesus re-writes the Biblical account.

Muslim’s Cross-Less Jesus Film Draws Mixed Reactions

“A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed reactions from the Christian community over its claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by Judas Iscariot. ‘The Messiah’ – written, produced and directed by Iranian filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh – was filmed in the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iranian actors to portray how Muslims understand the life of Jesus based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the Christian Bible and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears. The movie features two endings – the Muslim and Christian version of Jesus and the cross – and has won an award at Rome’s Religion Today Film Festival for generating interfaith dialogue. Dr. Emir Caner, dean of the College at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a former devout Muslim, recommends Christians to view both versions of the crucifixion account and ask themselves several questions:

• When was Jesus replaced, according to the Qur’an?
• Why did the disciples not recognize that the man they were following was replaced before the cross
• Why did the mother of Christ not recognize that her son was not present on the Cross
• What was the alleged purpose of Allah in deceiving the crowd, including the disciples and Mary, into thinking Christ was being crucified

Or, in my opinion, you could just skip the whole thing, and go read what happened for yourself in God’s Holy Word directly… say, in Matthew, Mark, Luke or the Book of John! The Bible is not just AN account of what happened, it is THE account of what happened… you can not pick and choose, and re-write history. The account in the Bible of Jesus is not a “cunningly devised fable” that you can re-tell anyway that you like.

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2 Peter 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Today we celebrate Jesus’ literal resurrection bodily from the dead. He did not “swoon” on the cross (in other words, not really die.) He was not replaced by Judas (as the Muslims teach,) His body wasn’t stolen by His disciples… no, Jesus was supernaturally raised from the dead! He now lives eternally at the right hand of the Father God, making intercession for us! (Romans 8:34)

You may say, “Aw come on, Dr. Bill! You don’t REALLY believe that do you?” If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be a Christian! Check out these scriptures:

Romans 10:8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;”
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:11 “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Note verse 9, “…and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” So, we could say it this way, without changing any meaning… if you don’t believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, then you aren’t saved! I didn’t say this… a simple reading of the above verses indicate this!

So, don’t let liberal theologians steal your faith! Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, receive and confess Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour! And then testify of your doing so… write me, and let me know that you have done so!

The article I have linked to below is interesting. It posits that there is a bias in the mainstream media toward reporting about atheism in America. We certainly don’t see favorable mainstream media stories about Christianity. What is going on? Do they have an agenda? You decide.

Media Spreading ‘Gospel of Godlessness,’ says Watchdog

A media watchdog says that from broadcast to print, the news media seems to be spreading a ‘gospel of godlessness’ to the American public through its imbalanced coverage of atheism. Only eight percent of Americans are atheist, according The National Cultural Values Survey conducted for the Culture and Media Institute in December 2006. But after noticing the ascendancy of atheism in stories on religion, Media Research Center’s Culture and Media Institute sought to answer whether the news media gave atheism the same degree of scrutiny as Christianity and other faiths. After reviewing stories in 2007 that featured atheism or presented atheist viewpoints, the group found that the media not only gave atheism a more prominent voice in its coverage but also a favorable and even positive report. ‘Whether deliberately or not, the news media did not subject atheism or atheists to the same skepticism to which they subject Christians and Christianity,’ concluded CMI, according to a recent report compiled for Christian Broadcasting Network. ‘By airing unchallenged interviews and predominantly reporting positive-toned features, the news media effectively promoted atheism.’ From the 105 atheist-themed stories that CMI reviewed, eighty percent had a positive tone while 20 percent were neutral. Surprisingly, no feature stories were negative. The report also showed that only 54 percent of atheist-themed stories included a religious counterpoint compared to the 71 percent of the Christian-themed stories that included atheist counterpoints. Of the three leading news magazines – Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News and World Report – reviewed for the report, Newsweek gave the most coverage on atheists, with a little over half of its issues featuring atheism stories or commentaries by atheists.”

I have noticed that some of the social networking news sites that I read occasionally, seem to be emphasizing stories about rejection of God in the culture. These are the last days, and we should expect more of this… but it is sad to see people rejecting the things of God. Mark 7:9 says, “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

This should motivate you to begin to spread the true Word of God! We need to reach the world with the Gospel, not let cults reach people with false doctrines. It goes to show that people are looking for truth (only to be shown error by the cults,) so we need to be out there evangelizing!

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing ‘Churches’ in U.S.

“The two fastest-growing church bodies in the United States and Canada, according to a newly published report, are ones whose beliefs are known to conflict with traditional Christian teaching. Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, regarded by many Christians as cults, reported the largest membership increases in a year, according to the National Council of Churches’ 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses currently rank 25th in size with over 1.06 million members, they reported a 2.25 percent increase in membership since the publication of the 2007 Yearbook. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – also known as the Mormon church – grew 1.56 percent and is listed by the NCC as the fourth largest ‘church.’ Notably, however, both Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormon church are not accepted within many Christian circles as part of the larger Body of Christ over a number of controversial beliefs that the two religions hold. Identification of the former religion as Christian, among other controversies, is debated largely due to their rejection of the Trinity, which most Christians regard as a fundamental doctrine. Latter-day Saints, meanwhile, are often criticized for their belief in ‘divine’ books of scripture, aside from the Bible, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Mormonism was formally listed under ‘cults and sects’ by the Southern Baptist Convention – the largest Protestant denomination in the nation – but was more recently categorized among ‘newly developed religions’ on the North American Mission Board apologetics page. Other bodies in the newly published top 25 largest churches list that reported membership increases include The Catholic Church with a 0.87 percent increase; the Southern Baptist Convention with a 0.22 percent increase; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church with a 0.21 percent rise; and the Assemblies of God with a 0.19 percent growth.”

This song is considered too controversial and “politically incorrect” to play on America’s airwaves… but it is EXACTLY what we need to hear right now!

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

A recent Christian Post article expresses the need for vigilance against “militant atheism.”

2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We need to vigilant to those that would come against the Message of the Gospel, and confidently preach the Word of God to all that we meet!

Apologists Ask Churches to Step Up Response to Militant Atheism

“As more atheist-centered books and movies make their way to mainstream culture, two best-selling Christian apologists are encouraging churches to better equip their congregation to respond to what they call a more outspoken and ‘confident’ atheism. “The arguments are not really new but the ferociousness” with which atheists are lobbing their attacks ‘are coming much stronger,’ Mark Mittelberg, primary author of Becoming a Contagious Christian, said in a teleconference on Tuesday. The teleconference, hosted by Outreach Training, was for pastors who were interested in updating their churches’ apologetics approaches amid an onslaught of pro-atheist books and movies in recent years. Books like Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great have made best-selling lists. Meanwhile, movies like The Da Vinci Code, The Jesus Family Tomb and The Golden Compass have claimed widespread media attention. These books and movies are not just posing challenges to the basic tenets of the Christian faith, according to Mittelberg, but they are also empowering attacks against Christianity. Lee Strobel, author of the best-selling The Case for Christ, agreed with Mittelberg that many Christians are raised to believe in doctrine but are not adequately taught on why their faith is true or how to support their faith with evidence. ‘Churches need to help them reach out to their friends, colleagues and family members with the good news of Christ’ using data that supports the good news as true, said Strobel, a former atheist. The two apologists recommended that pastors become familiar with both books by atheist authors and those by Christian apologists.”