14Jan 2025 by Post

Who’s Teaching Happy Lies? with Melissa Dougherty

Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Dr. Frank Turek, False Teachers, Happy Lies, Melissa Dougherty, morality, philosophy, Podcast, religion, Teacher, theology
In last week’s episode, Melissa Dougherty, author of the brand-new book, ‘Happy Lies‘, joined Frank to discuss the foundational beliefs of the New Thought movement and how its theology has misled many well-meaning Christians. This week, Melissa is back to dig even deeper into the surprising and troubling connections between New Thought and the Word of Faith movement and to share names of specific teachers of this false doctrine. Tune in as they answer questions like: How did the “seeker-friendly” church model begin and why doesn’t it work long-term? Does Joel Osteen believe that we’re “little gods”? Is it ok to name false teachers? How can New Thought and Word of Faith potentially shipwreck your faith? Would Jesus and the Apostles agree with these teachings? You definitely don’t want to miss…
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10Jan 2025 by Post

Are You Believing Happy Lies? with Melissa Dougherty

Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Church, Dr. Frank Turek, Happy Lies, Melissa Dougherty, morality, New Age, philosophy, Podcast, religion, theology
Is the Bible just about encouragement, living “your truth,” seeking personal happiness, finding your identity, and manifesting your desires? This self-centered perspective has quietly crept into the minds of many well-meaning Christians who are influenced by cultural lies that have been disguised as spiritual truths. But what are some of these “happy lies” you might unknowingly believe as a Christian and how can you correct them? In this week’s podcast, Frank welcomes our good friend, author, and Christian YouTuber, Melissa Dougherty, to discuss her brand new book, ‘Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World‘. Together, they’ll dive into the beliefs of the New Thought movement and its profound (yet often unnoticed) impact on the modern Church. During their conversation, Frank and Melissa will tackle questions like: What is…
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08Jan 2024 by Post

What Does it Mean to be “Legalistic?”

Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, King James Only, Legalism, Melissa Dougherty, Sola Gracia, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Works-based salvation
Legalism. What do you think of when you hear this word? Some people might think of someone who is a stick in the mud. Maybe even someone who relies on the Bible too much instead of following their hearts. Some might think of a strict religion with lots of rules. Others say it’s a “spirit” of criticism and division. I believe one of the best ways to define legalism is as follows: Legalism entails the establishment of man-made rules and traditions as the benchmark for what is considered holy and right. This is precisely what the Pharisees did, imposing an unattainable burden where almost every action and word is deemed wrong and sinful by these standards. For example, I remember someone giving me an earful when I decided to place…
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18Dec 2023 by Post

Is Christmas Pagan?

3. Are Miracles Possible?, Apologetics, Christianity, Christmas, Culture, faith, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Melissa Dougherty, Miracle of Christmas, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth
Tree decorating. Repetitive Christmas music on the radio. Sleigh bells ringing. Chestnuts burning. (Like, what does this even mean? Do people actually do this?) And the incessant cyber throat-punching over Christians who celebrate Christmas are actually celebrating an evil pagan holiday. Ah… it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is that magical time of the year again, full of bright lights, joyful music, and the warm and fuzzy feelings of family and gift-giving. But every so often, you might hear a claim tossed around that Christmas is rooted in pagan traditions. There are many people, especially online, who take this time of year very personally and feel the need to remind Christians that we are, indeed, participating in a pagan holiday. This can be very confusing for some…
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25Aug 2023 by Post

Shining a Light on the New Age Deception | with Melissa Dougherty

AFR, Apologetics, app, CIA, cross examined, cross examined official podcast, faith, Frank Turek, God, google play, iTunes, Jesus Christ, Melissa Dougherty, Podcast, Progressive Christianity, Radio, Spotify, stitcher, truth, Weekly Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Email | TuneIn | RSS Does the New Age movement offer a “higher level” of Christianity? Often used interchangeably, New Age and New Thought have appealed to the masses, both in secular society as well as within Christian churches. If New Age practices have somehow managed to creep into your church, can you identify them? Who better to ask about the New Age than someone who actually practiced it? This week, Frank sits down with ex New-Ager, CrossExamined Apologist Team (CAT) member and YouTube phenom, Melissa Dougherty, to talk about some of the key aspects of New Age philosophy, how it rose to popularity in America, and how it’s impacting the American Church. As Melissa shares…
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15Aug 2023 by Post

Why God Can’t Be the Universe

2. Does God Exist?, eastern religion, Melissa Dougherty, mysticism, Panentheism, pantheism, Parmenides, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Thomas Aquinas, universe, World Religions
Most people believe in God. The question is, which God? Who is this God? Is He personal? Impersonal? An “it”? A vague source or amorphous energy? It’s important to think this through because if God exists, then there are spiritual ramifications for this. Christians understand God to be personal. They’re not pantheists or panentheists where God is equal or a part of His creation, but that He’s separate yet still personal with His creation. In other words, the Christian God is above His creation, not equal to it. There’s a difference between God and what He has created. Many Christian theologians and philosophers believe this isn’t only biblical but logical. Let’s look at a few of these arguments. It’s pronounced parh-MEN-i-deez Let’s start with Parmenides, a 6th-century Greek philosopher who’s…
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03Jul 2023 by Post

A Trendy New Breathing and Meditation Technique… and it’s Odd.

cultural apologetics, Culture CrossExamined, idolatry, meditative breathing, Melissa Dougherty, mysticism, New Age, spirituality, Theology and Christian Apologetics, witality breathwork, World Religions
I was scrolling through the Gram one day, and since I look up a lot of New Age things, the almighty algorithm put in front of my face something it thought I would enjoy. My eyes fell upon people rolling around, screaming, laughing hysterically, crying, convulsing, and rocking back and forth. I, no kidding, thought I was watching something from a Holy Spirit night at Bethel Church or something. It took me a hot second to realize that I was looking at a growing trend called Witality Breathwork. Growing Trend As time went on, I saw this strange practice pop up all over America, including in my own hometown. Immediately, I wanted to investigate, so I looked into actually going to the conference to observe, so I emailed them asking…
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29May 2023 by Post

What Does it Mean That “God Won’t Let You Down?”

3. Are Miracles Possible?, cultural apologetics, does God always heal, existential problem of evil, God won't let you down, Melissa Dougherty, Problem of Evil, problem of suffering, Progressive Christianity, Suffering, Theology and Christian Apologetics
We often hear in popular Christian songs and from pulpits that “God is never gonna let me down!” or “God hasn’t failed me yet!” Besides the tragedy of grammar (I mean, how does God not fail you yet?), what does that mean? What does the Bible actually say about this? Does God actually make all things possible for you? What does it mean when people say that He won’t fail you (yet) or let you down? What DOESN’T it mean? First, I want to say what it isn’t. This does not mean that we expect or demand God to do what we think He should do. It doesn’t mean that God is required to give you what you’re having all the faith in the world for. This might be hard…
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24Apr 2023 by Post

Jesus Wasn’t a Refugee

cultural apologetics, Culture CrossExamined, he gets us, https://www.melissadougherty.co/, Jesus Christ, Melissa Dougherty, Progressive Christianity, Refugee, Refugee Jesus
It seems that every few years, Christians must deal with a new cultural narrative about who Jesus is and what He came to do. Contextualizing turns into syncretism. Jesus’s name is mixed in with the “gods” of the people. Suddenly we have different versions of Jesus made to fit contemporary expectations, more palatable to the masses. White Jesus. Hippie Jesus. Activist Jesus. And now, refugee Jesus. Let me be clear: I think people’s intentions can be pure. People are trying to do the right thing bringing Jesus to our level. But making God in our own image or in the image of the culture has long-term ramifications that don’t end well and muddle the identity of Jesus and the Gospel. Forget that He was a monotheistic Jewish Middle Easterner, following…
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16Feb 2023 by Post

¿Nacemos todos siendo hijos de Dios?

Apologética, Cristianismo, Español, hijos de Dios, Melissa Dougherty
Por Melissa Dougherty Muchos creen que todos los seres humanos nacen siendo hijos de Dios. ¿No es verdad? Quiero indagar qué dice la Biblia acerca de esta hermosa verdad teológica. Muchos creen que todos los seres humanos nacen siendo hijos de Dios. ¿No es verdad? Quiero indagar qué dice la Biblia acerca de esta hermosa verdad teológica. Alerta de spoiler —Es cierto.Pero de acuerdo a lo que dice la Biblia no nacemos siendo hijos de Dios. La creencia de que todos somos hijos de Dios no tiene sustento bíblico y ha generado muchos errores teológicos. Las Escrituras nos muestran que todos somos creados por Dios, pero nos convertimos en hijos de Dios a través de la adopción espiritual. No obstante, al nacer todos tenemos la imagen de Dios. Todos los…
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