October 22; Is New And Improved Always Better?
MANAGEMENT BY THE BOOK:
365 Daily Bible Verse &
One-Minute Management Lessons For The Busy Faithful

Chapter Ten: Deciding 22 October

Beloved,

do not believe every spirit,

but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,

for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 John 4:1

Pick

“Some of the Bible is absolutely evil.”

Bishop John Spong was waxing eloquent about his book A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith Is Dying and How a New Faith Is Being Born.

The retired Episcopal opinion leader held a position and lectured at Harvard Divinity School. He is still very popular.

Charmaine sat across from him on the small stage. At the time she was teaching Politics and the Family at The University of Virginia and was not about to be lectured to.

Liberals create their own belief system. “Progressives” such as Spong do not hold for Biblical Truth; do not hold for the Divinity of Jesus; do not hold for the Passion of the Christ; do not hold for the Resurrection of Jesus. They discount the Empty Tomb.

“Jesus,” Bishop Spong would say, “did not die for your sins.”

The Bishop was asked what he did believe in and what he teaches when he goes out into the world. He said, “Well, I preach about the God of love, the God of light, the God of being. Who calls you to live, to love and to be. And that’s the God I see in Jesus. That’s why I’m a Christian.”

This is Faith in faithlessness. This is another new god.

Charmaine reminds the Bishop of the Rock of Ages and said, “…he’s still God, and part of the definition of what’s important about God is that he doesn’t change—“

Comedian Bill Maher was the referee/host officiating between Charmaine and John Spong. There was a ruckus audience on hand for the taping of Maher’s long running Politically Incorrect on the ABC network.

The viewers who watched live on set and at home on TV sets were getting a glimpse on the attributes of the Creator. From a main-stream media outlet. Who knew?

John Spong, as the professor, speaking as if from the Harvard faculty lounge,

As soon as you claim you have the truth, you then try to impose it on other people. The dark side of religion comes out of that imposition…[If] I’m a member of the true church or I have the only way to God, then you feel justified in doing terrible things.

Look at what the Christians have done…

Charmaine assertively interjected (televised talk shows being a contact sport), “But look at the fact that Christians were at the forefront of fighting against slavery—“

Spong replied, “There’s a good side, too. There’s no doubt about that–

“– But you’re always writing about the bad things about the
church,” Charmaine said.

Bill Maher asked the eternal tolerant question, “But it’s more than that…isn’t it arrogant as a human being to think you have the answer?” Watch the video here.

As business managers, we must pick and base our standards on Biblical principles and not be susceptible to creative theologies or creative accounting.

Christians are to test every new fad or philosophy against the Scriptural standard. Just as Believers will be skeptical about a new preacher, so should executives question any management gimmick or clever bookkeeping.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

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