This series of 26 lessons
was developed for classroom presentation from the book by David Miller that
should be required reading for every preacher, elder, and Bible school teacher
in the Lord’s church: “Piloting The Strait”. This book is available from a variety of
bookstores, Sain Publications at www.sainpublicans.com as well as from
David Miller at www.apologeticspress.org.
CHANGES IN THE CHURCH
SOURCES OF CHANGE-POLITICS
Jeremiah
Proverbs 16:25 “THERE IS A WAY THAT SEEMETH RIGHT UNTO A
MAN, BUT THE END THEREOF are THE WAYS OF DEATH.”
First of all, let me express one
personal preference: I don’t like the
terms liberal and conservative when applied to brethren in Christ. We are either faithful or unfaithful, sound
or not sound, obedient children of God or living in rebellion. God is neither “liberal” nor “conservative”.
In the first lesson is this series
we pointed out a variety of ways that the changes in our culture during the
past few years are helping to influence the attitudes of the people that are
driving for change in the Lord’s church.
American politics provides us with further proof and many similarities
that should help us understand what is happening in the church and why.
The political arena today has
abandoned right and wrong and turned itself to embrace that which is considered
“politically correct.” More often than
not this turns out to be the private agenda of any group of people who can make
a lot of noise and appear to represent a majority view, whether they do or
not. Even through during the prior
administrations in the 1980’s, when there was a momentary backlash, these liberal
political theories continue to dominate our country. In fact our newest former president was
probably one of the most immoral we’ve ever had and even actions such as lying
were given a more politically correct description.
Probably the most ironic thing about
all this is that the liberal attitudes and viewpoints that are wreaking havoc
on the American political scene are the same liberal attitudes and viewpoints
that are wreaking havoc in the church.
The political liberal and the
religious liberal share much in common.
They also display a smug, holier than thou air toward those who do not
share their views. They look upon us who
do not agree with their thinking as being ignorant, narrow-minded and not
capable of understanding their vastly superior opinions. Opposition and disagreement bring about a
mixture of irrational panic and open hostility that will not even allow a fair
hearing of an opposing position. I can
promise you that if you raise the corner of the sheepskin the wolf in sheep’s
clothing is wearing you’ll generate a snarl and a snap.
There are a number of parallels that
we could draw between the political liberal and the religious liberal; they
mirror and complement each other in many ways.
But let’s consider the following for our purposes:
1.
Political
liberals, in order to replace conservative opponents, call for what they call
“change” and “progress.” Religious
liberals likewise are clamoring for “change”, “renewal”, and for us to “adapt”
and to listen to every “wind of change.”
They have chosen to ignore the fact that God set in place His law,
completed His revelation almost 2000 years ago and nothing has or will
change. They’ve forgotten:
Ephesians
4:14 “THAT WE henceforth BE NO MORE
CHILDREN, TOSSED TO AND FRO, AND CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE, BY
THE SLEIGHT OF MEN, and CUNNING CRAFTINESS, WHEREBY THEY LIE IN WAIT TO DECEIVE;”
2.
The feminist
movement that emerged from the 1960s and progressed through the ERA legislation
in the 1970s has continued; perhaps even increased its political clout in the
1990s and continues into the new century.
More and more of the denominations are ordaining women ministers and
those that already had women priests and preachers now are adding more
percentage wise every day. They choose
to ignore the authority of God:
I
Timothy 2:12-15 “BUT I SUFFER NOT A WOMAN
TO TEACH, NOR TO USURP AUTHORITY OVER THE MAN, BUT TO BE IN SILENCE. FOR ADAM WAS FIRST FORMED, THEN EVE. AND ADAM WAS NOT DECEIVED, BUT THE WOMAN BEING
DECEIVED WAS IN THE TRANSGRESSION. NOTHWITHSTANDING SHE SHALL BE SAVED IN
CHILDBEARING, IF THEY CONTINUE IN FAITH AND CHARITY AND HOLINESS WITH
SOBRIETY.”
3.
Political
liberals have worked overtime to break down public morality. The cry in the 1960s was “free love” and the
“New Morality.” Young people “shacked
up.” The prevailing viewpoint in
politics is that “you can’t legislate morality,”
“don’t impose your own standards upon others.”
Divorce and remarriage for any excuse is commonplace. Religious liberals have aligned themselves
with this sorry state of affairs by ignoring the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 and 19. They have fashioned themselves multiple
opinions on divorce and remarriage, redefined “adultery” and given
encouragement to those living in adultery to continue by their “You’re OK, I’m
OK’ attitude. People today think nothing
of men and women living together and bringing children into the world without
even a semblance of marriage. As
homosexuals continue to push for legal, political and social acceptance they
are gathering a lot of political support, primarily by their ability to make a
noise far beyond the strength of their actual numbers, and, yes sad to say even
in the church there are those who endorse such behavior. As early as 1979, an organization known as “A
Cappella Chorus” was formed in Houston, Texas which claimed to be a
“fellowship” of “gay and lesbian” members of the Houston area church of
Christ.” They also claimed that
additional “Chorus fellowships” had been begun in Los Angeles, Nashville and
Seattle. In the Dallas Morning News
under the date of September 10th, (not sure what year) we find that
the preacher for the Richardson East Church of Christ who does a lot of
counseling to people with AIDS
quoted as follows: “I don’t think we should pursue a pattern of
condemnation. That’s not what Jesus
did” “Many of the people with AIDS who have come to Mr. James have
been gay men. The minister said he does
not believe homosexuality is a sin.” I
wonder if this man’s Bible still contains these words:
Romans 1:25-27 “WHO CHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD INTO A LIE, AND WORSHIPPED AND
SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR, WHO IS BLESSED FOR EVER. AMEN. FOR THIS CAUSE GOD GAVE THEM UP UNTO VILE
AFFECTIONS FOR EVEN THEIR WOMEN DID CHANGE THE NATURAL USE INTO THAT WHICH IS
AGAINST NATURE: AND LIKEWISE ALSO THE MEN, LEAVING THE NATURAL USE OF THE
WOMAN, BURNED IN THEIR LUST ONE TOWARD ANOTHER, MEN WITH MEN WORKING THAT WHICH
IS UNSEEMLY, AND RECEIVING IN THEMSELVES THAT RECOMPENSE OF THEIR ERROR WHICH
WAS MEET.”
As
I said I wonder if this so-called preacher’s Bible still has these verses in it
or whether he’s taken his penknife like Jehoiakim,
king of
Jeremiah 36:23 “AND IT CAME TO
PASS, that WHEN JEHUDI HAD READ THREE OR FOUR LEAVES, HE CUT IT WITH
THE PENKNIFE, AND CAST it INTO THE FIRE THAT was
ON THE HEARTH, UNTIL ALL THE ROLL WAS CONSUMED IN THE FIRE THAT was
ON THE HEARTH.”
4.
Political
liberals represent themselves as being truly caring and compassionate. Because political conservatives insist on
moral right and wrong, they are painted as intolerant, harsh, cold and
uncaring, unconcerned about the poor and the elderly. Just listen for a little while to the
political rhetoric and this fact should be obvious. The liberal in the church makes the same
claim for himself and levels the same charge against the religious
conservative, or those like us who consider and teach that the New Testament is
Christ’s law, and a pattern for our conduct; calling us “legalistic,”
“mean-spirited,” “unloving,” and “the radical right.” Oh, we have a radical right, binding where
God has not bound, but they are just as far out of God’s bounds as the rank
liberal.
5. The liberal politician demonstrates a lust for
big government, more and more expensive programs and more and more intrusion
into people’s private lives taking more and more control. In the church, religious liberals are behind
the mushrooming staffs of salaried “ministers” with a “senior minister” who
possesses tremendous power over the congregation and its programs. Many times usurping the role of elders and
becoming “Pastors” as in the denominations.
Liberals theorize that progress and growth is generated by the means of
artificial programs, “methodology” and systems management. They have abandoned the idea expressed by the
Holy Spirit through Paul:
I Corinthians 3:5-7 “WHO THEN IS PAUL, AND WHO is APOLLOS, BUT MINISTERS
BY WHOM YE BELIEVED, EVEN AS THE LORD GAVE TO EVERY MAN? I HAVE PLANTED, APOLLOS
WATERED; BUT GOD GAVE THE INCREASE. SO
THEN NEITHER IS HE THAT PLANTETH ANY THING, NEITHER HE THAT WATERETH, BUT GOD
THAT GIVETH THE INCREASE.”
6.
The political
liberal feels that his agenda is just and he is therefore justified in doing
whatever it takes to achieve his objectives.
The end justifies the means whether we can afford it or not. The religious liberal follows the same
practice.
7.
The American
welfare state is rooted in the liberal, even Marxist, idea that everyone,
without regard to their own effort, deserves to receive free handouts from
their government. Much of what they
support in terms of legislation is directed at redistributing our country’s
wealth, an idea rooted in Marxism.
Liberals think that the purpose of government is to support its citizens
and that citizens have a right to
have their physical needs met by the government. God’s instruction recorded by Paul is
ignored:
II Thessalonians 3:10-11
“FOR EVEN WHEN WE WERE WITH YOU, THIS WE COMMANDED YOU, THAT IF ANY WOULD NOT
WORK, NEITHER SHOULD HE EAT. FOR WE HEAR THAT THERE ARE SOME WHICH WALK AMONG YOU DISORDERLY,
WORKING NOT AT ALL, BUT ARE BUSYBODIES.”
8. The political liberal questions the existence
of objective truth and human ability to know what that truth is. Objective standards, measures and rules are
undermined or eliminated. Making
“righteous judgments” or discerning between right and wrong is frowned upon and
even condemned. The religious liberal
follows the same pattern. It is
considered to be more sophisticated, smart and mature to see a large gray area
and less and less black and white.
Taking a strong stand for anything is seen as “dogmatic.” They pride themselves in their lack of
conviction and consider themselves wise if they pretend to see and agree with
all sides of an issue. Those who would
change the church follow the same example.
In fact the only objective “truth” that they see that deserves any real
consideration is that which opposes “us old hidebound conservatives,” “five
steppers,” “legalists,” who insist upon “speaking where the Bible speaks” and
being “silent where the Bible is silent” and taking the Word of God as our only
rule of faith.
But there is a body of absolute,
objective truth and we can know what that truth is:
John 1:1 “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD,
AND THE WORD WAS GOD.”
John 17:16-17 “THEY ARE NOT OF THE
WORLD, EVEN AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD.
SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH.”
John 8:31-32 “THEN SAID JESUS TO THOSE JEWS WHICH BELIEVED ON HIM, IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD, then ARE YE MY DISCIPLES INDEED; AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH
SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.”