Cacophony of Spiritual Goo

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ. Based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said,.

�But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King. Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Studio Chitchat, Weather, and Show Logistics

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, my name is Mike Abendroth, and I am here in the studio and there is a snow squall that comes up, a veritable squall. I don�t know the definitions of squalls, but it sounds impressive.

Wind up to about 40 miles an hour here today, does that count for squalls? I guess you could probably type it in right now, squall. If you would like to order a sexual fidelity, you can do that online at nocompromiseradio .com.

I was encouraged the other day, there�s a church in California, that�s encouraging. They ordered 100 copies of Sexual Fidelity, No Compromise, and they had a men�s retreat on men�s purity, and they gave a copy out to each person, each man, each humanoid.

That�s 100 copies. So if I just have the church buy a bunch more, I don�t think I�m that many short of getting on the New York Times bestsellers list. So that is only online at nocompromiseradio .com, but the rest of the books you can get on Amazon.

I guess you can get Kindle, Sexual Fidelity, on Amazon as well, but we�re kind of switching over to Amazon that I don�t have to pack and ship and do those kind of things. If you have a question, info at nocompromiseradio .com.

If you have a donation, mike at nocompromiseradio .com. If you have something crazy, henno at nocompromiseradio .com. I don�t feel too badly today. I feel a little more awake than normal, just a little chilly, that�s all.

We also will be going to Germany. At least I hope to go. I don�t have a lot of people signed up. So if you want to sign up, make it happen so I can confirm it. May 20th through 30th, nocompromiseradio .com via livingpassagesprobably .com.

I have a funny book in front of me today. The Use of the Bible in Preaching, Reginald H. Fuller. Okay, what else would you use? The use of the Bible in preaching. Let�s see what it says on the inside.

Fortress Press, Philadelphia. Must be some Lutheran deal, maybe. Has the Bible lost its authority? Exegesis, what and how? From exegesis to preaching, putting it into practice. Those are the four chapters.

Well, you know what? It doesn�t really sound too bad. Exegesis. Uh-oh, there�s a Luther quote. It must be Lutheran. All right. Well, what else do I have here in front of me? I have 77 Habits of Highly Ineffective Christians.

I�ve done some of these before. This book by Chris Fabry, it�s almost like it�s kind of a fun no-co book. For instance, in this book of 77 Habits of Highly Ineffective Christians, maybe it�s called Fabry, for breeds.

He is host of Open Line. I don�t really know Open Line. I do know I�m going to be on Wretched Radio soon. I guess it�s already in the past tense now. It was such a good show. It was one of the highest rated shows.

I had some medical tests done a while ago. Man, the fall is a bear, isn�t it? Yikes. Ouch. I guess I�m alive still. Still alive. We�ll see. We�ll see what the test results say. Habit number 61, if you�d like to be a highly ineffective Christian.

What Christianese Is and Why It Can Be Empty

Speak Christianese. As you can tell from this book, hiding your faith under a bushel is a great way to remain mediocre. What are the Christianese phrases? He did say Christianese is a rare language that those in the in-club know.

Quote, if you learn to master its usage, you will feel like you�re a part of the inner circle of the righteous, whether you are or not. It�s easy to mistake the real thing for a counterfeit when listening to Christianese.

I�m turning Christianese. I�m really turning Christianese. I think so. Remember that band? What�s that band�s name? I�m turning Japanese. I really think so by The Vapors. Remember that? I think Bruce Foxton was the producer early on.

Bruce Foxton was the bass player in what band? The Jam. A few favorite phrases of the language. This is Christianese according to this guy. Okay. What�s this post-it thing? I�ll recall. Nope. Okay. Number one, born again.

That�s Christianese. We�re not starting off very well. I�m not really liking this too much. Christianese. Now, technically, to be born from above is used by Jesus in John 3. Regeneration, of course, is used additionally in Titus chapter 3.

Correct? Right? I think you�re going to find that word regeneration in Matthew 19 just before the parable in chapter 20 of The Workers. But is it really Christianese? Is it Christianese to use Bible words?

Now, if you want to explain something, you know, you�re born the first time physically, and now you need to be born the second time spiritually from above. You can�t bury yourself just like you couldn�t do it the natural way.

You can�t do it in a spiritual way to be born from above, to be born again. I don�t really even think that�s Christianese. I think that�s unfair to say. I think that�s inappropriate. So I think if you�re talking to people these days and let�s say you�re talking to the Harvard Law School and there are a bunch of unbelievers and you�re giving a message, what is Christianity and is it relevant in the legal age?

I would say things like �that is to say� or in other words, what I mean by that is I would make definitions, but I�m not going to abandon Christianese because it�s Bible-ese. I�m turning Bible-ese. I really think so.

Number two, a real blessing in my life. That�s the Christianese. Oh, I can�t understand you. You�re part of the in-club. This is the in-club. You�re using words like �you�re a real blessing to me. Pretty much even pagans talk that way.

At least 200 years ago, 300 years ago, I�m reading a book about Cotton Mather, the English Puritan that comes over here to the United States. Well, he didn�t, but his family did. The Cotton family and the Mather family and so this kid�s named Cotton Mather.

If he just would have been a cessationist, the whole witch trial thing would have been a non-starter. It�s fascinating to me to watch this young man through the eyes of the biographer, Bianca Jagger.

I really like the book. I think it�s written by Ken Silverman. I don�t know if he proclaims even to be an evangelical. He�s written other books about Edgar Allan Poe and Eli Whitney or something else like that.

But I�m fascinated because I�m learning about Boston and what happened in the 1600s. How does this relate to Christianese? You�re a real blessing in my life. That book�s been a real blessing in my life.

I�m sure the unbelievers don�t know what I�m talking about when I talk that way. �Ask Jesus into my heart. That�s Christianese. Now, I finally agree with the author, Chris. Chris, I think, is on to something here.

�Ask Jesus into my heart. Now, if something�s from the Bible, I don�t think that�s Christianese. I think we could explain it. What is reconciliation? What is redemption? We can talk about those things even though the world understands irreconcilable differences and reconciliation.

They understand redemption with S and H green stamps and now cans for five cents down at the redemption center and even back to the, I think, wasn�t roots redone recently? I think it might have been. We understand those things.

But �I ask Jesus into my heart. Now, you�re to believe with your heart. I understand that in Romans 10. But �ask Jesus into my heart. I think we�re going the wrong way. I think I even have a song here in front of me.

I have decided to follow Jesus. Though none go with me, I still will follow. That�s not it. We are climbing, climbing Jacob�s ladder, soldiers of the cross. That�s not it. There�s room at the cross for you.

That�s not it. For those tears I died come to the water. That sounds like a modest Yahoo song. He lives. Oh, there it is. Okay. I have the preferred songs, not the unpreferred songs, but the story of preferred songs.

This is from the preferred risk group, Americans, non-drinkers insurance. Okay. Truth be told, it is a Thursday. My son gets home tomorrow from California, and it�s going to be a big day in the house, and everything just has to be just so, you could imagine.

We�re excited about that. Three daughters live with me now, but the son�s coming home, and so all of us, mom, dad, daughters are excited, except for the girl that�s got to move out of her room for a while to give up the room for Luke.

Covenant of Works and the Original State of Man

Well, I said to myself, �Self, you need to do four shows today, and I�ve been putting it off. Finally, I just thought, I�ll sit down and see what happens. I had Berkhoff in front of me, and I was going to talk about, it�s open to covenant of works, and what is the covenant of works, and what about this probationary command, and what did the church fathers say, what�s an intended covenant, what would the dispensational say, what�s a status ingratiatus, all that kind of stuff, right?

Original state of man. That would have been compelling. But I sat down here, I just looked around. I have all kinds of books in front of me. Okay, some of my own books and some other books. There�s a picture of Joel Osteen here smiling at me.

There�s a couple of new things that we�re going to unveil on other shows. I thought, what should I do? So then we pick up this book. Now we�re on to �Since Jesus Came into My Heart. We�re talking about Christianese.

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. I have light in my soul for which long I had sought since Jesus came into my heart. I have ceased from my wandering, it�s got a little apostrophe there, and going astray since Jesus came into my heart.

And my sins, which were many, were all washed away since Jesus came into my heart. I�m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure since Jesus came into my heart, and no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure since Jesus came into my heart.

There�s a light in the valley of death now for me since Jesus came into my heart, and the gates of the city beyond I can see since Jesus came into my heart. I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know, since Jesus came into my heart.

And I�m happy, so happy, as onward I go since Jesus came into my heart. Chorus, any guesses? This is published by the Road Heaver Company, used by permission. Since Jesus came into my heart, since Jesus came into my heart, floods of joy are my soul like the sea billows roll since Jesus came into my heart.

Or as we say in New England, since Jesus came into my hat. This is one of the preferred risk hymns. So we have a copyright 1977 Minneapolis temperance movement insurance company that publishes hymns that are Armenian and full of Christianese.

Alcohol is the worst single killer on our highways. Now, I�m not joking about that. This is in the little hymnal here. Why should non-drinkers help pay for the accidents of those who drink? Why not offer insurance for non-drinkers only?

Such were the thoughts more than 30 years ago of William N. Plymouth, insurance executive and a temperance leader since his high school days. His thoughts were turned into action, and the Preferred Risk Mutual Insurance Company was formed to provide insurance service and protection for non-drinking drivers only.

America�s first total abstainers auto insurance company. That principle, insuring non-drinkers only, has been basic to the company�s growth as more people have been served with more insurance protection.

Preferred Risk Mutual has grown from three employees to more than 1 ,000 employees and over 1 ,600 agents serving policyholders in most of the continental United States. Preferred Risk Mutual has grown and now, in addition to auto insurance, also provides insurance for homes and churches.

And through her sister company, its sister company, Preferred Risk Life, life insurance for non-drinkers only. If you are a non-drinker, you belong with Preferred Risk Group. Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines, Iowa.

I learned how to climb telephone poles in Des Moines, Iowa. Preferred Risk Insurance, auto, church, home, life now protects and serves nearly one-half million non-drinkers in America today, bound together by their confidence in preferred risk and their mutual conviction that total abstinence is best for living.

If you are a non-drinker, a total bold, it says in the totals in bold there, total abstainer from all bold use of alcoholic beverages, the occasional social drinker is not eligible. We invite you to investigate and ensure with us.

Write us for information. There's no obligation for you and we will welcome assurance that you too are a non-drinker. Now, it says here in the bottom, it's got a little scissors cutting area. You're supposed to cut this out.

Tell me more. I'm interested in the company. Auto check, home check, life check, church check. And then here's the interesting part before you fill out your name and address and return it to West Des Moines.

I have not had a blank in the past blank years. Of course, I'm not swearing. You would think it said I've not had a drink in the past blank years, but it says I've not had an accident in the past blank years.

Total abstinence is best for living. Now, what if I've had some NyQuil? Would that count? Do they have non-alcoholic NyQuil? What if I gargled with my Listerine 80 alcohol and there's a little trickle that went down my throat?

Kids interrupted me and I swallowed some. You know, people drink Listerine because it's got alcohol in it. Man, that's talking about the hair of the dog. Man, ouch. What if it was communion wine? Then what?

Is the owner of this company Mr. Welch, the Methodist pastor? I don't think so. All right, see how this goes here on No Compromise Radio. We've gone from Christianese to preferred risk and now Titor stuff.

Alcohol, Food, Sex, and Guns Are Not the Problem

Remember, folks, we will talk about this and have on other shows. Guns aren't the problem. Food isn't the problem. Sex isn't the problem. Alcohol isn't the problem. It's what the human heart does with it, does with those things.

Is that correct? That's correct. And please, don't say to me, if you're going to try to prove your point on total abstinence as required by biblical law. You could say it's your conviction. Fine with that.

But don't say to me, you know what? Alcohol has caused a lot of problems. Therefore, it must be bad. Because there's a lot of gluttony going on out there and food has caused a lot of problems. Therefore, it must be bad.

And by the way, there's been a lot of sexual deviant things out in the world and rape and incest and all kinds of horrible things. Therefore, sex must be bad. See how you don't want to go there? Guns have murdered people when they've been put in the hands of a killer, but guns have protected people and killed murderers in the hands of a good person.

Good, a law-abiding citizen. I mean, in the eyes of the law, not the eyes of the Lord. You just don't want to go there, right? You don't want to read Psalm 104 and go, I kind of need to redo this. Christianese.

Let me share this with you. That is Christianese. Did you feel like you're part of the inner circle of the righteous? It's easy to mistake the real thing for a counterfeit when listening to Christianese.

Let me share this with you. So talking about Twitter, let me share this tweet with you. Let me share this GIF with you. What a time of fellowship we had. Boy, that's really, that's serious Christianese there, isn't it?

Jesus is my personal italicized Savior. I think you probably described that one more. The Spirit really spoke to me. Okay. I think that's his best illustration, best example of Christianese. The Spirit really spoke to me and said, man, that girl should be my wife.

The writer says these phrases are harmless in themselves, but when used liberally, they become a cacophony of spiritual goo. Does this guy have an editor? InterVarsity Press, he had to have, 1997. Wow.

Cacophonies of spiritual goo. That's the name of the show today. Do not seek to communicate truth to your audience. Do not seek to understand the message yourself. Seek only how to know the holy lingo and spread it around.

Being able to speak this language will eventually cause you to take for granted the things you are saying. You'll become so proficient in speaking Christianese that it will simply roll off the tongue like an aimless salvo at the firing range.

78 habits of highly ineffective Christians. Bad creative writing. I don't know whether to call this show cacophony of spiritual goo or aimless salvos at the firing range. Oh, oh, excuse me. There's an action point.

Write your testimony using Christianese so your message will become incomprehensible to anyone, but you will really be a blessing to you. That's actually funny. That is actually funny. Well, we're going to have to do some more of these at another time.

Preaching Clearly to Believers and Unbelievers

If you're talking to unbelievers, I think you explain things, as we said earlier in the show. And if you're talking to believers teaching a Sunday school class, if you're going to teach a Bible study, if you're going to preach a sermon, I think you use biblical language and then just explain it, right?

That's what an expositor would do. Excuse me. He would explain what he was saying when you're preaching. And you have new visitors. You have new Christians. You have other folks. You got to pick someplace to preach in terms of comprehension level.

Do you pick kindergarten? The Christian version of kindergarten? Or do you pick college-level classes? You got to pick someplace. I say shoot higher than lower because those who are at a higher maturity level or a higher grade level, if you will, a spiritual goo, like a company of spiritual goo.

Shoe goo. So, you know, when I put shoe goo on my shoe and then don't let it dry all the way, and then it gets all over, that's a cacophony of spiritual shoe goo. Remember that? Goo. That's when we had shoe goo growing up because when you're too poor, you can't go out and buy a new pair of Nikes.

You have to have the goo. You have to goo the Chuck Taylors together. I thought it was a big deal when I made the JV team. Maybe it was the freshman team. And no, I didn't make the freshman team. I made the JV basketball team and I got some Pro-Kids suede.

Now those were nice. I'd like to have some of those. Then when I was in the marching band, they said you need to have white shoes. And I thought white shoes were pretty, I have a word that I was going to use that we'd use back in those days, but it's inappropriate today since I'm a radio host.

I have to be careful now, in my opinion. And so I put white tape over the black stripes. I had white suede Pro-Kids basketball shoes, low tops with black stripes. And I took some white tape, some tape that you would tape your ankles up with, the athletic tape, and put the white tape over the black stripes.

Actually, that was my mother's idea. And then I could be in the marching band. The only problem was I was on the football team and you can't march when you're on the football team. So how do you, during the practice times, you have to practice and then you put the sousaphone down and then go put your helmet on and then you do what?

N-O, 77 highly ineffective Christian habits, author of spiritually correct bedtime stories, Chris Fabry. My name is Mike Abendroth, this is No Compromise Radio. Today we had the veritable cacophony of spiritual goo.

And if you want to write me, you can, info at nocompromiseradio .com. Make sure you tell your friends. That's pretty much what we asked for. It's that time of year again where we ask you to tell your friends to listen to the show.

I haven't looked at the downloads lately, but we've got a bunch of new NoCo 90s coming out. So you go to YouTube, type in No Compromise Radio. There's a bunch of new videos, about 12 we recorded the other night, and we'll release one a week or so with Ben's help, and you will be encouraged.

Just did one on discipleship versus Bible study. Plenty of Bible studies out there. What about discipleship? Mike Abendroth, your host. This is No Compromise Radio, nocompromiseradio .com.