WORD-FM in Pittsburgh Fires Marty Minto (UPDATE!)

04/14/2005 - James White

   Some of you will remember the name Marty Minto. I was filling in for Marty when I interviewed Dave Hunt in 2000 regarding Calvinism. I was on Marty's show many times. In fact, it was a debate on Marty's show on KPXQ here in Phoenix that eventually led to the writing of The Same Sex Controversy. Marty left the area three or four years ago, and is pastoring out in Pennsylvania, but he also went to work at WORD FM hosting another talk program.
   I hope I had a positive influence on Marty. At least in one area it seems I did. Check this link out. WORD FM, a Salem Radio Network station, let Marty go after he raised the issue of whether the Pope went to heaven! What an amazing thing! I mean, good grief, Roman Catholic theology itself raises that question, but so-called "evangelicalism" cannot even allow the question to be raised, let alone discussed in a meaningful fashion! What an incredible insight into just how far "evangelicalism" has fallen from the evangel! More on this soon, as I'm really trying to get hold of Marty to invite him to be with me on the DL. I would love to talk to the folks who fired him as well, but I sorta doubt that is going to happen.
   UPDATE! As of 3pm EDT, Marty Minto is scheduled to join me on the DL this evening. He is, as you can imagine, a bit busy today doing interviews, but I have known Marty for years, and more than once dropped what I was doing to join him in studio, so I'm hoping not to get trumped by Nightline or something. :-) 877-753-3341 is the toll free number to call to talk to Marty and myself. It will be fun to have him on the other end of the microphone, so to speak, having been interviewed by him so many times! Be listening this afternoon/evening, 7pm EDT, 4pm PDT (and, of course, 4pm MST, the only time that doesn't change!).

10:13:35 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -

Quick Update: Marty Minto Rescheduled

04/14/2005 - James White

I sort of expected this would happen, and in fact, I'm happy it has, in a sense. Marty has been swamped with requests for interviews, and is driving to do a television interview even now, so he won't be able to join us on the DL until next Tuesday morning. Pray for him as he has a unique opportunity to speak to an important issue. I will be addressing the topic anyway and taking your calls.

15:29:15 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -

White Smoke and Marty Minto

04/19/2005 - James White

   Joseph Ratzinger, the chief theologian of the Roman Church, architect of the central document of Vatican II, the man behind so much of the theological documents of John Paul II, has been elected Pope, taking the name of Benedict XVI. Surely, the election of Ratzinger, at age 78, follows the normal "routine," and signals a "staying of the course" theologically.
   We likewise pressed on with the DL and had Marty Minto as our guest, and then discussed Ratzinger's elevation to the pontificate. Here's the program.
   Oh, and thank you to the 14,753.7 people (I'll let you figure it out) who sent me the reference to the Luther quote, which is, "Luther's Works. Weimar Edition. Briefwechsel [Correspondence], vol. 3, pp. 81f." Now I can put that on my quotation and feel good. Man I have a lot of net geeks reading this blog. :-) Geeks unite!
   And Also...Robert Lopez, a Roman Catholic who had written to me after the death of the Pope, just wrote to me:

Like I said before, here is just another proof.......On the day you planned to have Marty Minto on your radio show so you can use the poor guy for your own selfish motives to promote your false gospel, our Lord again puts another world wide event in your way, another road block, another brick wall, all to bring glory, praise and honor to the one and only true Church on this earth, the Roman Catholic Church...

Mr. Lopez: and as I told you then, God's work goes on, no matter who is elected to the position of "Bishop of Rome." Yes, we will still have our program; I have no "selfish motives" for the program, it addresses a real and important issue; given that you yourself have not even tried to address the gospel with me, and have provided no response to the full explications we have provided, I can only give your accusation against the gospel the weight it deserves (which is none); and as to glory, praise and honor, I will stay with the saints and give all of that to God alone. Unlike you, I am not giving divine titles to a sinful human being today, Mr. Lopez. You should consider this fact.

09:08:16 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -

A Wild DL Today

04/14/2005 - James White

Wow, well, what do you do when you start the program and your microphone doesn't work? Well, in the radio world, you panic, and play music, and run commercials, and stuff like that. When you are doing a webcast you go, "Woops, folks, hold on, let's try this again." And then you play around with your connections, discover that the phantom power has failed on channel 1, move your microphone somewhere else, check to make sure it works, and fire her up again, just about five minutes late. Easy!
So I start off on the Marty Minto situation, and yes, I started preaching about the gospel being thrown out again, and how I saw books on John Paul II on sale at the register at Berean today, and other related things, and then the calls came in. One fairly long call with a Seventh Day Adventist that is very educational, then shorter calls thereafter, all good. Here's the program.

17:43:03 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -

Some More on the WORD-FM/Salem Firing of Marty Minto

04/15/2005 - James White

   Ask if Rome's gospel is biblical and what happens to you on certain radio networks? Well, we've found out. I imagine Marty would have gotten away with it if he had done just one program, but as I've discovered, in essence, if you believe Romans 1:16 is true; and if you believe Galatians condemns false gospels, and if you think it is a really bad thing for an apostle to tell you, "Christ will be of no benefit to you," then the combined viewpoint of Rome and the majority of pseudo-evangelicalism is, "Shut up!" "Keep it to yourself!" "We don't want to hear it!" The Church has become Protestants (what a silly word to keep using) and Rome. That is what you must now believe to be "loving and kind."
   First, Jason Engwer has posted some interesting information about this situation at the NTRMIN web board. Here's the link. I'll be asking Marty about this stuff next week, Lord willing.
   Secondly, hearing the WORD-FM folks talking about the "whole church" and "all Christians" made me think about a distinction Rome itself makes (and about which, I assume, most radio station managers are ignorant). While we as "separated brethren" (to use the post-Vatican II lingo) can be considered "Christians" due to our baptism, our churches are not truly churches. That seems to miss the attention of most. There is no equality here. Rome is the Church. We are "communities" or, when certain bodies are referred to, Churches, but only in so far as we mirror elements of Rome. Rome is the Mother. The wonderfully fuzzy ecumenical feeling that says "let's just all get together" does not seem to understand that for Rome, we can indeed get together: in Rome. Think that is just old-time Catholicism? Ut Unum Sint from May of 1995 says this: ...
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00:44:00 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -

To the Catholic "Scholastic" on PlanetEnvoy

04/16/2005 - James White

Just saw this, wanted to offer a response, and to once again invite "Scholastic" to join us on the Dividing Line. Might not work this Tuesday AM, as we hope to have Marty Minto as our guest, but surely on Thursday. 877-753-3341. Here's the comment:

How many times does James White have to paint caricatures of his Catholic opponents? (As a challenge to White enthusiasts, show me one Catholic opponent that White hasnt portrayed in an extremely negative light)

Easy: Mitch Pacwa. Now, care to answer to the documentation I provided regarding the moderator of the board you are posting on, years ago, at this URL? :-) ...
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20:00:48 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -

Oh My. Dave Hunt on God's Decree (or Lack Thereof)

05/02/2007 - James White

I have been saying often in my review of Steve Gregg's materials that I truly see no consistent reason why Mr. Gregg is not an Open Theist. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he isn't, but the problem is, he really has no consistent reason why he is not. His theology of man's will, and his theology of God's creatorship, relationship to time, etc., is out of balance.
In any case, the May edition of the Berean Call is out. Now, unless I am mistaken, it was the May edition of 2000 that started this whole thing, that is, that I was responding to when I had Dave Hunt on the Marty Minto program to address Calvinism. So what is with May up at the Berean Call, anyway? The glories of Spring get everyone up there all excited about Calvinism or something? The May 2007 version contains the following question and answer:

QUESTION: I’ve read most of What Love Is This? I believe in man’s free will and right of choice. However, when I read Luke 1:13-17, especially verse 15, I cannot reconcile the pre-conception appointment of John with the free will of man. I’m aware that there are other divine appointments of a similar vein; these seem to remove human choice from one’s personal destiny. Your insight would be appreciated.

RESPONSE: Actually, there is nothing in these verses to negate John the Baptist’s free choice. All that is described is God’s call upon his life—the task for which God had chosen him—but he didn’t have to obey it. That was a great honor, for which he was empowered by the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, but he had to be willing.
Nor was this choosing by God to salvation and heaven. John was chosen for a certain task. Of course, he had to become a believer in order to fulfill that task, but that was up to him. The Old Testament prophecies only identify this chosen one by the ministry he would fulfill: “the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD” (Is 40:3); “I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me...[in the spirit of] Elijah the prophet...he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Mal 3:1; 4:5,6).
The messenger, however, is not named. Had John not been willing, God would have raised up someone else. But since God knows the future, He knew that John the Baptist would undertake the mission He would give him. The fact that God knew what John would do does not mean that God caused him to do it, yet that was what Calvin and Luther both insisted upon.
Though chosen of God to be the forerunner for Christ, John had to choose to obey as the Spirit would lead. Remember, Judas was also chosen but rejected his appointed ministry and betrayed the Lord: “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (Jn 6:70).

We are once again faced with the reality that men like Dave Hunt have no reason, outside of their tradition, to refrain from adopting Open Theism. Think about what he is saying here. God can prophecy that John the Baptist will do such and so, but, evidently, God might get that wrong, or, God can only prophesy based upon reverse engineering. That is, as God looks down the corridors of time, He sees that John will do x, y, and z, and that, thankfully, that happens to be what God "wants," so God can prophesy that John will do these things. Of course, the Open Theist then points out the problem: how can God know what a truly free creature will do? If God knows that Dave Hunt is going to order a salad for dinner at his next speaking engagement, is Dave Hunt free to not order a salad? Can God's foreknowledge be falsified? One thing is for certain, these folks cannot seem to accept the idea of a God who actually has a purpose in what takes place. I mean, consider this scenario. John the Baptist had a prophesied purpose in the advent of the Messiah. Evidently, Hunt wants us to believe that all that God had prophesied was that someone would fulfill this role, not John the Baptist in particular. Think about that while reading Jeremiah 1:5 sometime. Or consider this: what if John the Baptist had said no? Would the prophesy to his father now be invalidated? And if it was God's intention "at the fullness of time" to bring the Son into the world, would the "fullness of time" have to wait for a while until God could talk someone else into taking this role? What if God couldn't find anyone? What if everyone kept saying, "Locusts and honey? Desert living? Beheading? No, thanks"? Would the "fullness of time" keep moving back? Think about how many "free creatures" God has to cajole into doing what He wants them to do to arrange any one event. Consider, for example:

"For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur." (Acts 4:27-28)

Since Dave Hunt and company do not believe God's hand and purpose can predestine anything to occur amongst men (evidently His ability to do so is limited to things like earthquakes or floods or the like: nothing that involves the sovereign free wills of men), just what could these verses mean? How could God manage to get Herod and Pontius Pilate to agree on almost anything, let alone act as God wanted them to? Besides, Herod was nuts! Totally unpredictable, even for God! But now lets bring in the others. Let's woo the wills of the Jewish leaders, the Romans, all the myriads of people involved in the betrayal of Jesus, including Judas! Now remember, you can't get 99% of them to go along with your plan! It has to be 100% or it all falls apart! Can you imagine how many "tries" it would take God to get it all right? How many times would Jesus have to become incarnate? You truly have to wonder! ...
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00:01:00 - Category: Reformed Apologetics - Link to this article -