The Ballestero Blog

The New Math Of Pentecost

When the Russians sent up Sputnik, American educators panicked. The National Science Foundation was expanded in 1957 to promote changes in science and math beginning with the Middle Schools.

The main thrust was to switch from the teacher, “instructing” the student”. Now, the pupils were encouraged to “discover” on their own. No more student recitations were necessary. The New Math was born.

• Teachers didn’t like it and the parents were up in arms.
• Books began to hit the shelves decrying the changes found in the new math.

Morris Kline, in Why Johnny Can’t Add: The Failure of the New Math, wrote that “with near perfect regularity, [teachers] applaud the return to tradition content [and] instructional methods, and higher standards of student performance.”

Wikipedia wrote:

Parents were concerned that they did not understand what their children were learning and could not help them with their studies. In the end it was concluded that the experiment was not working, and New Math fell out of favor before the end of the decade, though it continued to be taught for years thereafter in some school districts.

• Why the need to change from the old Arithmetic to the New Math?
• What was to be gained?
• Was the change because one generation didn’t like the answers they got from the older generation?
• What it because they were sick of be told what the answers were to the problems and wanted to discover them for themselves?
• Arithmetic is about numbers, and New math is about concepts.

The basic difference between the new math and the old arithmetic might be explained this way.

1962: (Arithmetic) A farmer sells a load of hay for $150. His cost in raising the hay is 2/3 of this price. What is his profit?

1972 (Arithmetic): A farmer sells a load of hay for $150. His cost of raising the hay is $100. What is his profit?

1977 (New Math): A farmer exchanges a set H of hay for a set M of money. The cardinality of set M is 150 and each element is worth $1.

• (a) Make 150 dots representing the elements of the set M
• (b) The set C representing costs of production contains 50 fewer points than set M. Represent the set C as a subset of the set M.
• (c) What is the cardinality of the set P of profits?

1990 (Dumbed-down math): A farmer sells a load of hay for $150. His cost of production is $100 and his profit is $50. Underline the number 50.

2010 (New Math): By cutting down a field full of hay, a farmer makes $50.

• (a) What do you think of this way of making money?
• (b) How will the birds and animals be affected?
• (c) Draw a picture of the field, as you’d like it to look.

Some Americans felt we were falling so far behind in the Space Race, so we had to do something to catch up. Evidently, (they thought) the old way isn’t working. So they changed. It took many years to realize their reaction to the problem only made things get worse.

How Does This Math History Lesson Apply To Pentecost? 

To the older generation, looks at it this way…

The New Math Concept Of Not Wanting To Be Taught, Is Deeply Embedded In This Newest Generation Of Pentecost.

They freely flaunt words like, “relationship.” At they same time, they scorn the words, “commandments” and “rules”.

• They say they love the Lord; but they just don’t want to be bogged down with any rules.
• The New Math people do not welcome standards. They resent being told “NO”.

The New Math of Pentecost Says, “Every Time Jesus Met A Hurting Person He Chose A Relationship, Over Rules & Regulations.”

Really? Every Time?

• Jesus once said, “You are of your father the devil.”  How did that relationship turn out?
• He called some, “Hypocrites? Did that hurt the relationship?
• He turned over the tables and drove them out of the Temple for turning His House of Prayer into a den of thieves? He made a whip and thrashed it at the people? Really now, does that sound like a normal relationship?
• Why would Jesus do that? Could it be those Jews were doing something wrong? Surely not.

A relationship with Jesus begins with our accepting His ways, not Him accepting ours.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

There cannot be ANY Relationship with God without Obeying His Commandments.

Brothers and Sisters, we MUST have a relationship with God. It’s imperative. It’s necessary. It’s extremely important.

• But if we do not obey His word, we have NO relationship.
• If you receive correction, you’ve just proved your sonship.
• And if you resented and rejected correction, you showed who you really are.

Hebrews 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

• What kind of relationship can we have with Him if we don’t want to do what He wants us to do?
• What kind of relationship can we have with Him if we reject His correction?
• Can you figure that out with your New Math?

Mark 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

The New Math of Pentecost Says, “Rules & Regulations Have Nothing To Do With Sin.”

What is considered sin today anyway? What? Name it? Not much. Adultery? Fornication? Don’t make me laugh. Like you, I can read some Pentecostal’s Facebook pages too. There are some that openly flaunt the fact that they are in a Domestic Relationship. Yet they still go to church. Yes, they have a relationship, with God and they also have a relationship with who ever else is willing to have one.

• How many “Spirit filled” women in your church wear slacks?
• How many cut their hair?
• How many wear make up?
• How many have on more jewelry than a Dillard’s Christmas tree?

How many of these still feel they have a true Relationship with Jesus?

If rules have nothing to do with sin, then how do you know when you have done something wrong? Or is there any… ‘wrong’ anymore?

The New Math Of Pentecost dislikes the concept of being told anything. They desire to discover the things of God on their own. If they are not convicted, then it must not be wrong.

The New Math of Pentecost Says, “Rules Can’t Save You.”

They don’t have to give up much to live for God, since they they’ve been studying this “New Math of Pentecost Doctrine.”

Every Jake-leg in Pentecost now knows more than their pastor about the things of God. They’ll argue with him. They look for every scripture they can twist, to get out of living like a Holy Ghost filled person should. They are quicker to take what some compromiser on the Internet has to say about Salvation, than their own pastor.

New Math believers resent being told anything by a preacher, but they have no reservations about getting on Facebook and hollering at the top of their voice to all who will listen, saying that “Rules” are not necessary.

• They don’t want to be told. They just want to tell.
• Evidently, their condemnation makes them defensive.
• Rebellion, is what this whole thing boils down to.

The New Math of Pentecost Says: You Can Have A Relationship With God, Without Rules

My friend, Pastor Kenneth Bow said it well:

•  “The Ten Commandments represent the two great relationships in man’s world.
  
• The first four commandments are about man toward God.
  
• The second six commandments are all about how to exist with our fellow-man.
  
• To love God and to love our fellow-man is the basis for the Ten Commandments. It provides the foundation for all man’s relationships.”
  

The Kenneth Bow Blog

http://kennethbow.com/2011/07/12/the-ten-commandments-2/

New Math? What Answers Did It Change?

• Tithe is still 10%
• Holiness is still required, no matter how hard you try to get around it.
• God’s Word hasn’t changed for this generation.
• He is still going to require of this generation, what he has always required… Being separated from the world. Not just separated from the world, but separated unto Him.
• It is still Holiness or Hell.
• The Bible didn’t change, just because you did.
• Well, one thing it did change. It seems, most New Math “teachers” don’t even own a suit. They dress very causal in the pulpit.

Man’s Interest In New Math Was Prophesied In The Bible

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

The New Math of Pentecost Proudly Proclaims That To Win The Lost:

• We should not teach Standards at our church.
• We should not teach, we should let you discover convictions on your own.
• We should not teach standards. It is easier to win the lost by dressing like them.
• We should not teach against Women to cutting their hair.
• We should not teach against Women wearing man’s apparel.
• We should not teach against wearing shorts in public.
• We should not teach against women’s low necklines and tight clothes.
• We should not teach against mixed swimming.
• We should not teach against Hollywood.

These New Math folks don’t want an old-time preacher to preach where they are living. They have a negative reaction to any Holiness preaching.

Why Don’t They Want To Be Told?

They are like a toddler about to do something Mommy already told them not to do. Then turning to their parent say, “Don’t you tell me don’t.”

Americans doing the New Math finally figured out that it was a mistake, and they quit.

Those doing the New Math of Pentecost may not be so fortunate. They may not find out they were doing it wrong until they get to the Judgment.

One thing for sure, you can’t tell them that. They want to find out for themselves.

*My personal thanks to Bro. Bow for making me think about the New Math, and how it applies to Pentecostals today.