1985

The present, gross state of apostasy amongst America's churches didn't happen overnight. Many years ago, evil seeds of false doctrine and antichristian policies were sown not in the world, as such, but amongst various organizations and institutions that were in positions to powerfully influence the 'culture' of the Church-at-large. Those seeds have taken some time to sprout and grow; at length, they have brought forth their deadly fruit to tempt and to poison the minds and hearts of many souls professing Christ.

 

It is now possible to look back a few years in order to discern when, how--and, importantly, by whom those seeds of apostasy were sown. Recently, I discovered a long-buried treasure (thanks to Jackie Alnor's website http://www.apostacyalert.org). Nearly thirty years ago, in 1985, the then-rapidly growing (and supposedly Christian) television network Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), hosted--for the first and only time (as far as I could learn), the very well known Christian author and teacher Dr. Walter Martin. Martin (d. 1989) was best known for his now-classic book titled Kingdom of the Cults. He was an expert not only in the realm of pseudo-Christian cults but also, necessarily, in the field of Christian apologetics (Biblical defense of the Christian faith).

Here is the link to the video (Part 1of 5) of Martin's 1985 LIVE interview on TBN:
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4-DFSFBeT8

Neither Dr. Martin nor his somewhat agreeable host on that program were ever invited back to appear on TBN. ((If you will watch at least the first two or three parts (videos) of that program, you will understand that Dr. Martin spoke the truth much too plainly, for TBN's purposes.))

Not only was Dr. Martin never invited back to TBN, but his taped interview was never rebroadcast by TBN--contrary to TBN's ordinary practices; nor, reportedly, were tapes of Martin's interview afterward available for purchase from TBN. In other words, Martin was SCRUBBED.

1985. Almost thirty years ago: while still in its early development, TBN's owners were evidently even then aggressively, purposefully resisting the Truth.  Though, perhaps, it was not so obvious at that time, nevertheless, TBN's departure from the truth (apostacy) is abundantly obvious today.

But where are the pastors and other Christian leaders who even at this time--30 years since 1985--will boldly stand up and expose the darkness that is TBN with its pack of wolves in sheep's clothing?  The Holy Ghost, in the book of Jude, urges Christians that we must "earnestly contend for the faith", that is to say , that we must be willing to do spiritual battle in the arena of ideas, to defend the truth of the gospel.

Christians who are complacent concerning the truth are complicit with the devil.