James MacDonald and T. D. Jakes - the Elephant Room

There's a distinct change in volume, tone, and attitude between James MacDonald's "Humble Pie" blogpost and yesterday's "Not for the Faint of Heart" addendum.

In the earlier post, MacDonald acknowledged his own inconsistency: he knew he should not have "used strong language" to scold others for being harsh in their criticism of the Elephant Room strategy. But in yesterday's post and video, MacDonald casts off restraint and reverts to angry-sounding rhetoric.

Despite their starkly contrasting styles, both statements have one thing in common: MacDonald wishes those with concerns about what he is doing would just shut up. He says it euphemistically: "We are asking that those interested in what we are doing allow the conversations to take place before making final conclusions about their wisdom or helpfulness." But clearly, that plea applies to critics, not to MacDonald himself or to those who support his strategy.

 There are multiple layers of irony in that. MacDonald purports to be championing fearless dialogue with people he says he doesn't necessarily agree with. But there's a distinct and clearly discernible direction to the drift of the "dialogue." It is painfully obvious that MacDonald is not so keen to listen and learn when someone more conservative than he wants to share a perspective.   Keep Reading  >>>

The Law and the Gospel Contrasted

LAW	GOSPEL
THE LAW DEMANDS WHAT WE MUST DO	THE GOSPEL TELLS WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US IN CHRIST
LAW COMMANDS US TO DO SOMETHING	GOSPEL PROMISES WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE
THE LAW IS BASED ON OUR PERFORMANCE	THE GOSPEL IS BASED ON CHRIST'S PERFORMANCE ALONE
LAW KILLS	GOSPEL GIVES LIFE
THE LAW DOES NOT SAVE	THE GOSPEL SAYS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION
LAW SEEKS CONTRITION IN THE HEART ON ACCOUNT OF SIN	THE GOSPEL SEEKS TO AWAKEN FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST
THE LAW PROMISES NOTHING BUT UPON OUR DOING...	. . . THE GOSPEL PROMISES NOTHING BUT UPON CHRIST'S DOING.
THE LAW PROMISES LIFE IF WE OBEY IT IN OUR OWN SELVES ...	. . . THE GOSPEL PROMISES LIFE THROUGH CHRIST'S PERFECT OBEDIENCE IMPUTED TO US BY FAITH.
WHILE THE LAW DECLARES WHAT OBEDIENCE REQUIRES ...	. . . THE GOSPEL PROVIDES THAT OBEDIENCE IN CHRIST ALONE.
THE LAW IS THE MINISTRY OF WRATH, CONDEMNATION AND DEATH ...	. . . THE GOSPEL IS THE MINISTRY OF GRACE, JUSTIFICATION AND LIFE.
FUNCTION OF THE LAW: Serves to bring people under conviction of sin (Rom. 3:20), make them conscious of inability to keep the Law, and become the tutor to lead them to Christ. (Gal. 3:24)	FUNCTION OF THE GOSPEL: It is a clear representation of the way of salvation revealed in Jesus Christ. It calls the sinner to come to Christ in faith and repentance to receive all the blessings of salvation in the present and in the future.
THE LAW BURDENS, THREATENS, AND PROMISES NO FAVOR.	THE GOSPEL COMFORTS BY PROCLAIMING CHRIST WAS SENT BY GOD TO PROCURE OUR ETERNAL LIFE.
WHERE WE FIND THE LAW: IN NATURE ". . . the requirements of the law are written on their hearts" (Romans 2:15)	WHERE WE FIND THE GOSPEL: REVEALED ONLY THROUGH CHRIST & IN HIS WORD (John 1:17)
THE LAW DOES NOT LEAD TO OUR SANCTIFICATION.	SANCTIFICATION MADE POSSIBLE BY CHRIST'S WORK ALONE.
THE LAW IS OUR ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN GOD'S FAVOR BY OUR ACHIEVEMENT.	THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST'S WORK TO OBTAIN FAVOR FOR US THROUGH HIS ACHIEVEMENT.
THE LAW IS THE HEART OF MOST RELIGIONS AND CULTURES.	THE GOSPEL IS FOUND NO WHERE BUT IN CHRIST.
THE LAW NEEDS HUMAN EXPERIENCE TO BE FULFILLED.	THE GOSPEL DEPENDS ON CHRIST'S EXPERIENCE AND NOT ON OURS.