{"id":66526,"date":"2021-04-05T11:46:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T16:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=66526"},"modified":"2021-04-05T11:55:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T16:55:30","slug":"66526","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=66526","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A philosophical and psychological test Jim had me take many years ago was not all that revealing when it indicated my level of &#8216;compassion&#8217; was lower than most other people&#8217;s. So, excuse me when I say that I hope the &#8216;Reverend&#8217; Warnock actually believes this and puts his faith of salvation in his own works.<br \/>\nAnd yes, I figure you all understand <em>exactly<\/em> what I mean by that.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/news-and-politics\/tyler-o-neil\/2021\/04\/05\/the-right-rev-sen-warnock-preaches-damnable-heresy-on-easter-n1437389\">Sen. Warnock \u2014 a PASTOR \u2014 Preaches Damnable Heresy on Easter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>On Easter Sunday, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) \u2014 pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the same church Martin Luther King, Jr. pastored \u2014 tweeted a message that subverted the gospel of Christianity and preached utter heresy, rejected by Christian churches for more than a millennium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves,\u201d Warnock tweeted.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1437406\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1437406\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1437406\" src=\"https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/image0-2-337x730.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 337px) 100vw, 337px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/image0-2-337x730.png 337w, https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/image0-2-1110x2404.png 1110w, https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/image0-2-730x1581.png 730w, https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/image0-2.png 1125w\" alt=\"Warnock Easter Jesus\" width=\"337\" height=\"730\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1437406\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Twitter screenshot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The senator received swift backlash for this heretical message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a false gospel and heresy. We cannot save ourselves. The absolute truth and only meaning of Easter that matters is the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we must accept Him as Lord and Savior. Read Romans, \u2018Reverend\u2019 Warnock,\u201d constitutional law attorney and former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis responded.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1378788407414038538&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fnews-and-politics%2Ftyler-o-neil%2F2021%2F04%2F05%2Fthe-right-rev-sen-warnock-preaches-damnable-heresy-on-easter-n1437389&amp;siteScreenName=PJMedia_com&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1378788407414038538\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Indeed, Warnock\u2019s statement is damnable heresy, and it is particularly tragic to see such heresy from a pastor of Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s church.<\/p>\n<p>First, Easter is significant primarily\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/faith\/tyler-o-neil\/2017\/04\/13\/the-resurrection-of-jesus-christ-is-the-most-important-event-in-history-n97851\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>because<\/em>\u00a0of the Resurrection<\/a> of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is the centerpiece of Christianity.<\/p>\n<p>In the words of St. Paul, \u201cAnd if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that\u00a0he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and\u00a0you are still in your sins. Then those also who\u00a0have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only,\u00a0we are of all people most to be pitied\u201d (I Corinthians 15:14-19).<\/p>\n<p>The Resurrection of Jesus flipped the world on its head. This event transformed disciples who had rejected Jesus on Good Friday into preachers who would die gruesome deaths standing by their message. That transformation arguably sparked an astounding movement toward individual freedom, since Christianity has been the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/faith\/tyler-o-neil\/2017\/04\/13\/the-resurrection-of-jesus-christ-is-the-most-important-event-in-history-n97851\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">driving force behind<\/a>\u00a0limited government, science, universities, capitalism, the abolition of slavery, medicine, organized charities, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Christianity stands or falls on the Resurrection, and so much of the modern blessings we enjoy trace back to Christianity.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the worst aspect of Warnock\u2019s tweet came in the second statement: \u201cthrough a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.\u201d Non-Christians may accept this statement, but Christians certainly must reject it. In fact, Christians have been rejecting it for more than 1,000 years.<\/p>\n<p>In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul made clear that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are spiritually \u201cdead,\u201d separated from the Creator of the Universe and the Source of ultimate joy by their own rebellion. The only solution to this horrible condition is the grace of God, not works that people can do to achieve salvation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, lest any man should boast,\u201d Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9.<\/p>\n<p>Warnock was far from the first to suggest that people could \u201csave themselves\u201d through good works. The heretical priest Pelagius taught that human beings are born without sin and that it was possible for people to achieve salvation through works without the grace of Jesus Christ. In 418, the Council of Carthage condemned this heresy in the strongest of terms, yet Warnock preached a form of Pelagianism on Easter.<\/p>\n<p>So, where did Warnock get the idea that he should share outright heresy on Easter? The senator earned three degrees \u2014 master of divinity, master of philosophy, and doctor of philosophy \u2014 from Union Theological Seminary, the bastion of \u201cprogressive\u201d Christian scholarship. Union has a powerful influence on the mainline Christian denominations, and it is partially responsible for the fact that mainline Christianity has long drifted to the Left, and away from the doctrine of the Resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>As\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/conservmillen\/status\/1378833300324749313\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Allie Beth Stuckey explained<\/a>, \u201cas an advocate of Liberation Theology, [Warnock] views Jesus as an example of political activism, not as King &amp; Conqueror of sin &amp; death.\u201d In Liberation Theology, \u201cJesus\/Christianity is a means to their political and social activist ends, which they like to categorize as \u2018helping others.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWarnock\u2019s \u2018Christianity\u2019 is that of social justice moralism, wherein Jesus is a mascot for his left-wing causes and beliefs &amp; righteousness is earned via wokeness,\u201d Stuckey added. \u201cIt\u2019s the same view as Ibram X Kendi: Jesus is not a savior but a \u2018liberator\u2019\u2013and not from sin, but from \u2018systems.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For this and other reasons, Warnock was not even the first Democrat to recently preach a form of Pelagianism. Back in 2019, then-Mayor\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pjmedia.com\/election\/tyler-o-neil\/2019\/11\/21\/pete-buttigieg-twists-christianity-salvation-depends-on-being-useful-n43172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pete Buttigieg declared<\/a>\u00a0that his faith says \u201csalvation has to do with how I make myself useful to those who have been excluded, marginalized, and cast aside and oppressed in society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Warnock may have intended his heretical tweet to be \u201cinclusive\u201d of non-Christians on Easter, but in doing so, he excluded the gospel of Christianity.<\/p>\n<p>While Warnock deleted his tweet,\u00a0some on the Left came to his defense, condemning Ellis for calling a spade a spade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry, but what are your credentials to debate theology with an actual pastor??? Defending Donald Trump, the golden idol of the right, as he lied to his supporters to further a grift on them?\u201d MSNBC host Joy Reid asked Ellis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m an actual Christian,\u201d Ellis replied.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1378927590518386690&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fnews-and-politics%2Ftyler-o-neil%2F2021%2F04%2F05%2Fthe-right-rev-sen-warnock-preaches-damnable-heresy-on-easter-n1437389&amp;siteScreenName=PJMedia_com&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1378927590518386690\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another MSNBC host, Mehdi Hasan, attacked Ellis for questioning Warnock\u2019s credentials after supporting Trump, who \u201cdeclared himself \u2018the Chosen one\u2019 and the \u2018second coming\u2019 of Jesus.\u201d Yet the former president did not declare\u00a0<em>himself<\/em>\u00a0the \u201cChosen one\u201d or the \u201csecond coming of God.\u201d He merely\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/trump-tweets-claim-that-hes-like-the-king-of-israel-and-the-second-coming-of-god-2019-08-21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared a statement<\/a>\u00a0from Wayne Allyn Root claiming that \u201cthe Jewish people in Israel love him like he\u2019s the King of Israel. They love him like he is the second coming of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hasan attacked Ellis for \u201cquestioning the Christian credentials and beliefs of a black pastor. \u2018Reverend\u2019? Shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrying to make this about race simply because he\u2019s black is shameful. What matters is his heresy, not the color of his skin,\u201d Ellis replied.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1378859330313756676&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fnews-and-politics%2Ftyler-o-neil%2F2021%2F04%2F05%2Fthe-right-rev-sen-warnock-preaches-damnable-heresy-on-easter-n1437389&amp;siteScreenName=PJMedia_com&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1378859330313756676\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the heresy has nothing to do with Warnock\u2019s race and everything to do with the claim that human beings can save themselves. Pelagianism does not cease to be Pelagianism when a black person or a liberal champions it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A philosophical and psychological test Jim had me take many years ago was not all that revealing when it indicated my level of &#8216;compassion&#8217; was lower than most other people&#8217;s. So, excuse me when I say that I hope the &#8216;Reverend&#8217; Warnock actually believes this and puts his faith of salvation in his own works. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=66526\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deceit","category-enemies-foreign-domestic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66526"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66527,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66526\/revisions\/66527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}