Apologetics for the Masses #518 - Mike Gendron Asks: What Is Your Authority For Truth?

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Topic

Mike Gendron, in his most recent newsletter asks: "What is your authority for truth?" Right question...but what about his answer?

General Comments

Hey folks,

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Introduction

As I was contemplating what this week's newsletter topic could be, what should pop up in my email inbox but a newsletter from our ol' buddy and pal - Mike Gendron. The title of his newsletter is: "What Is Your Authority For Truth?" For once, Mike was asking the right question; although, his answer to that question leaves a lot to be desired. But, at least he recognizes that the question of authority is THE central question of Christianity. Everything we do in apologetics/evangelization comes back to that question...the question of authority. The answer to that question, for a Christian, determines whether you will wander on the borders of truth, misled by the various false doctrines and dogmas of this or that Protestant denomination, or if you will embrace the fullness of the truth of the Church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit.

So, this week I'm going to offer an analysis of Mike's newsletter and demonstrate where he falls short in answering his own question. First, the section on authority from his newsletter in its entirety, and then repeated but with my comments interspersed. After reading the part from his newsletter, ask yourself how you would respond to what he says. What are the flaws in his reasoning? Where did he get it wrong? And so on...

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Mike Gendron Newsletter

What Is Your Authority For Truth?
One of the most important decisions anyone makes in this life is choosing which authority to trust for their eternal destiny. We can be wrong about a lot of things in this life and still survive, but if we are wrong about which authority to trust for our life after death, we will pay for that mistake for all eternity. As ambassadors for Christ, we must ask people if they have a reliable source for discerning truth from error. One of the most important questions we can ask as we evangelize the lost is, "What is your authority for truth?" Then we can ask them to consider a couple more questions. "Has that authority ever been wrong before?" "Can that authority ever mislead or deceive you?"

Every Religion Has an Authority

God Has Left Us Only One Infallible Source for Truth

Test Everything with the Authority of Scripture

No other source for truth can accomplish everything that Scripture does. The infallible Word of God brings conviction, gives wisdom, produces faith, refutes error, and can be used as a sword to slay the devil's lies. For those who repent and believe Scripture, it converts our soul, sets us free, reproves and corrects error, sanctifies and equips us for every good work. Therefore, we must use it to test the veracity of all of the following:

The teachings of men (Acts 17:11)
Religious traditions (Mark 7:7-13)
All the spirits (1 John 4:1)
Church fathers (Acts 20:29-31)
Wisdom of men (1 Cor. 2:5)
Our own understanding (Prov. 3:5)

When anyone is earnestly searching for the truth, they should look to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the personification of truth (John 14:6), and His Word is truth (John 17:17). He came into this world to testify to the truth and everyone who is of the truth hears His voice (John 18:37). Therefore, a wise person will look to Scripture as their supreme authority for truth because Scripture is what God says, while religion is what man says God says.

--------------------------------------------------------------

My Comments
Mike is asking the right question here. The question of authority is the fundamental question underlying all disputes in regard to truth, at least, with regard to the truth of the religious doctrine and dogma of those who call themselves "Christian", if not indeed to all disputes regarding religious truth, Christian or otherwise. And, if you are trusting the wrong authority for matters pertaining to your eternal salvation, it could cost you dearly.

Gendron

Every Religion Has an Authority

Since every religion has an authority, and every person has an opinion, we need to ask people about their source for truth when we share the Gospel. Some will say their authority is a person, a book, a religion, a spirit, or their own understanding. Some will say they rely on their popes, rabbis, religious leaders, religious traditions, human reasoning, church history, church fathers, or Google. Any of these sources might be right some of the time, but there is only one source that is right all the time. Our holy and omniscient God has never been wrong, and He has given us His Word as our only infallible source for truth. Scripture's supreme authority is established by its divine origin. There is no higher authority than our almighty God and creator.

My Comments
Again, I agree with Mike in regard to there being "no higher authority than our almighty God and creator". I do, however, have a question for Mike, and that is: How do you know Scripture has a "divine origin"? Who told you it does? What infallible authority do you rely upon to know that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, Word of God? That it is "God-breathed"? If he answers that the Scripture is his authority for believing that Scripture is the inspired, inerrant, Word of God, then that presents a couple of major problems for him, which I will get into in my next section of comments.

Gendron

God Has Left Us Only One Infallible Source for Truth

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). In other words, Scripture is our supreme authority for knowing truth and correcting all that opposes it. Every word was breathed out by God, who cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). Because of this, His inerrant Word must be the standard by which we discern truth from error (1 John 4:6). We also know that Scripture is sufficient to function as the sole infallible rule of faith, because it does not refer us to any other rule of faith. Everything we must know, understand, and believe for our salvation is found in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:14-16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Therefore, after considering any other source for truth, we must ask, "But what does the Scripture say?" (Gal. 4:30).

My Comments
Okay, if God has left us "only one infallible source for truth," then that leaves Mike Gendron with a couple of problems that he has to contend with:

First, Scripture cannot bear witness to itself. Scripture is the Word of God, right? Jesus is also known as the Word of God, right? Well, the Word of God (Jesus), says in the Word of God (Scripture), that, "If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true," (John 5:31). The Word of God says that the Word of God cannot bear witness to itself. Doesn't the Koran say it's the Word of God? So why doesn't Gendron believe that it is? Can it not bear witness to itself? Can we not say that the Koran "is sufficient to function as the sole infallible rule of faith, because it does not refer us to any other rule of faith"? If not, why not?  What's the difference? What if I claimed that everything I write in this newsletter is the Word of God? By what authority does Mike Gendron dismiss my claim? Can what I write in my newsletter not bear witness to itself? If not, why not? Do you see his problem here?

Secondly, going back one step farther in regard to the Bible, how does Mike Gendron even know which books of the Bible are actually supposed to be in the Bible? I mean, where does the Gospel of Mark say, "This gospel is the inspired, inerrant, Word of God?" Where does the Letter to the Hebrews say, "This letter is the inspired, inerrant, Word of God?" He quotes 2 Tim 3:16 which says that all Scripture is inspired; yet, the Bible does not give a list of books that are indeed inspired Scripture. And, even if it did, so what?! (See the above paragraph.) If the Bible is the only "infallible" source for truth, according to Mike, then is he not admitting that he is relying on some fallible source, outside of Scripture, in order to know what books do and do not constitute the Bible? After all, there is no list - in the Bible - of which books should be, IN the Bible! But, he makes the claim: " Everything we must know, understand, and believe for our salvation is found in Scripture."  If that's true, Mike, then - once more - where in the Bible is the list of books that should be in the Bible?! Is the canon of Scripture not something we must know for our salvation?  Again, if the Bible alone is your sole source of infallible truth, then how the heck do you have a Bible in the first place?! And how do you know it's the inspired Word of God? There are inherent contradictions in his statements and beliefs. So, let's ask him his own question: "What does the Scripture say," Mike, about which books should or should not be in the Scripture?

Furthermore, notice how he plays fast and loose with his interpretations - his private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretations - of Scripture? Get out your Bible and read 1 John 4:6. "We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." John is essentially saying that whoever listens to him, and the others who are "of God," will be able to discern truth from error. It seems to me that he's saying to listen to those, such as he, who have authority in the Church and by doing so, you will be able to discern truth from error.

How does Gendron interpret this verse? He interprets it to say, "[The Bible] must be the standard by which we discern truth from error."  Uhmm...wait a minute. Where exactly is it that 1 John 4:6 mentions each individual reading the Bible...the Word of God...on their own to "discern truth from error"? "The standard," for discerning truth from error, as found in 1 John 4:6, is not the Scripture, rather it is listening to those who are "of God". It says it pretty plainly. The teaching of the leaders of the Church is the standard here. I'm not saying Scripture isn't also the standard, but the problem is, you can't really say the Bible is the standard if by that you mean every individual gets to read the Bible on their own and interpret it for themselves so as to decide what is or is not "the truth". The "standard" for discerning truth from error in that case, then becomes any given individual's fallible interpretation of the "infallible" Word of God, not the Word of God itself. That's why I always say that Protestants do not believe in Sola Scriptura; rather, they believe in Sola [My Fallible Interpretation of] Scripture.

I mean Gendron just provided us with a perfect example of someone intepreting the Bible in such a way as to support his predetermined position as opposed to what the Bible actually says. The Word of God, in 1 John 4:6, says the spirit of truth is discerned from the spirit of error by "listening" to those who are "of God". Presumably John and the other leaders of the Church. The Word of Gendron, in 1 John 4:6, says the spirit of truth is discerned from the spirit of error by each individual "reading" the Bible for themselves. Listening or reading...which is it, Mike? What does the Word of God actually say?

I'll give a few other examples of Gendron's private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretations of Scripture - the Word of Gendron - which bolster his predetermined doctrines, but which seem to badly diverge from the Word of God (these are not from this latest newsletter of his):

1) Gendron claims that, in Acts 4:12, Peter teaches salvation by faith alone. Here is what Acts 4:12 actually says, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Sorry, but I don't see anywhere in this verse where salvation by "faith alone" is mentioned. It says we are saved by Jesus Christ alone, but it doesn't say we are saved by "faith alone" in Jesus Christ. The word "faith" isn't there; the word "believe" isn't there. The word "alone" isn't there, either, but it's definitely talking about Jesus alone as the one in Whom we have salvation. But it definitely does not say salvation by faith alone.

2) He believes 1 Tim 4:3, which talks about those in "later times" who "forbid marriage", is really talking about those in later times who will "forbid priests to marry". A reference, of course, at least in his mind, to the Catholic Church. But, again, nowhere does the verse say anything about specifically forbidding priests to marry. Yet, that's how he interprets it.

3) Rom 2:6-7 states that God will render "eternal life" unto those who do good works. It's a pretty direct statement. Gendron interprets that passage to mean something along the lines of God will give those who do good works a higher place in Heaven, or something like that. But that's not what the plain words of the passage actually say. The problem is, the plain words of the Word of God do not support the Word of Gendron in this instance, so the plain words of the Word of God have to be 'splained away. "Well, that's what it says, but what that means is..."

4) John 6:51-58 has Jesus telling us over and over again that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life. Gendron interprets that passage to symbolically be saying we are saved by faith alone. Nowhere in that passage is salvation by faith alone mentioned...directly or indirectly.  "Well, that's what it says, but what that means is..."

And there are many more such examples I could give. All of which is to say, Mike Gendron does not believe in the Word of God. Mike Gendron believes in the Word of Gendron - his private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretation of the Word of God.

Gendron

Test Everything with the Authority of Scripture

The teachings of men (Acts 17:11)
Religious traditions (Mark 7:7-13)
All the spirits (1 John 4:1)
Church fathers (Acts 20:29-31)
Wisdom of men (1 Cor. 2:5)
Our own understanding (Prov. 3:5)

My Comments
Actually, what Mike Gendron is saying here, is this: "For those who repent and believe [my private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretation of] Scripture, it converts our soul, sets us free, reproves and corrects error, sanctifies and equips us for every good work. Therefore, we must use it [my private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretation of Scripture] to test the veracity of all of the following..."

Why do I contend that is what he is truly saying? Because I read Scripture. All of you read Scripture. The Catholic Church reads Scripture. Yet our interpretation of Scripture differs from Mike Gendron's interpretation of Scripture. I have no disagreement...none!...with Scripture. Neither do you. Neither does the Catholic Church. What we do have disagreement with, is Mike Gendron's private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretation of Scripture. The Catholic Church believes 100% in the Word of God; it does not believe, however, in the Word of Gendron. The Word of Gendron does not equal the Word of God, no matter how much Mike Gendron believes it does.

Mike Gendron tells me that I have been brainwashed by the Catholic Church. That, as a Catholic, I simply accept, without any investigation, whatsoever, what the Catholic Church believes and teaches. That I don't have a mind of my own. That, if I would only read the Bible with an open mind, I would see the many errors of the Catholic Church. Yet, I left the Catholic Church when I went off to college and I didn't believe a lot of what it believed and taught. It was only after being out of the Church for some 13 years that I came back and began to accept and believe what the Church taught. And what was it that made me accept and believe what the Church taught? Was it a computer chip implanted in my brain at my Baptism as an infant? Nope. It was, primarily, reading the Bible (along with the witness of history, simple logic, and some plain ol' common sense). I did not accept what the Catholic Church taught simply because the Catholic Church taught it. I came to accept what the Catholic Church taught because the Bible convinced me of it. What the Catholic Church teaches and what the Bible teaches - they are one and the same. So Gendron cannot use such arguments with me.

I have conversed with Gendron on multiple occasions over the years. Always, always, always I am told that I don't go by the Bible. Yet, I will read very clear and unambiguous passages from Scripture, and interpret them for myself, and if my interpretation of this or that passage is different than Gendron's interpretation of this or that passage, well...guess what? My interpretation is apparently wrong...according to the Word of Gendron. So, Mike Gendron advocates reading the Bible on your own to come to the knowledge of the truth; I have done that and continue to do that; yet, Mike Gendron tells me I haven't come to the knowledge of the truth. Why? Because I do not accept his fallible interpretations of the Bible. Which means, I have to be wrong. By what authority does he make that claim? By the authority of the Word of Gendron...by the authority of Mike Gendron's private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretation of Scripture.

Gendron
When anyone is earnestly searching for the truth, they should look to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the personification of truth (John 14:6), and His Word is truth (John 17:17). He came into this world to testify to the truth and everyone who is of the truth hears His voice (John 18:37). Therefore, a wise person will look to Scripture as their supreme authority for truth because Scripture is what God says, while religion is what man says God says.

My Comments
Going by his own words here, I can only conclude that Mike Gendron is not "earnestly searching for the truth". Mike Gendron says he goes by the Word of God. So, if I ask him what Jesus was once asked: "What good deed must I do in order to have eternal life?" (Matt 19:16), would Gendron answer as Jesus answered? "If you would enter life, keep the Commandments." (Matt 16:17). No, he would not. Gendron would answer, "If you would enter life, you don't need to do any good deeds, just accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and you will be saved."

Would Mike Gendron agree that one needs to be holy in order to see Jesus Christ as the Word of God says?" (Heb 12:14). Not if he believes in Sola Fide. Would Mike Gendron agree that one must forgive the sins others have committed against you in order to have your sins forgiven and thus be saved? (Matt 6:14-15). Not if he believes in Sola Fide. Would Mike Gendron agree that God will render eternal life, or eternal wrath, according to a man's works? (Rom 2:6-7). Not if he believes in Sola Fide. Would Mike Gendron agree that in order to follow Jesus, one must deny himself and take up his cross daily? (Luke 9:23). Not if he believes in Sola Fide. And on and on and on I could go.

Furthermore, I know Gendron is not "earnestly searching for the truth" because I have shown, over the last several years, that he is all too willing to tell lies about the Catholic Church. Lie after lie I have pointed out from his writings and his videos. Yet, even after I have pointed them out, he refuses to renounce them and continues to perpetrate them. Is that a man of God? Is that a man "earnestly searching for the truth"? I think not.

And Gendron has still not responded to my questions about the amazing coincidence of him leaving the Catholic Church in the same year that he got remarried after being divorced from his first wife two years earlier. Yet, he says he left the Church because he started reading the Bible and saw all the errors of the Catholic Church. Uh huh. No, no...it wasn't because of his divorce and remarriage. It wasn't because the Catholic Church took the Word of God to heart - "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery," (Luke 16:18) - and would not allow his remarriage. No, of course that had nothing to do with him leaving the Church in the same year he remarried.

In Summary
Mike Gendron asks the question: "What is your authority for truth?" Unfortunately for him, his answer to that question is, "My private, fallible, non-authoritative interpretation of the Word of God." Gendron would rather trust unto his own understanding than that of the Church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. In so doing, he is leading not only himself astray, but many others as well. And, for that, there will be a very high price to pay if he does not repent of the error of his ways. He needs a lot of prayer.

Closing Comments

I hope all of you have a great week! Please keep the Bible Christian Society in your prayers and rest assured that we will continue to keep you in ours.

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