Over the many years of my ministry I have enthusiastically and sometimes aggressively supported such causes as the pro-life movement, the defense of traditional marriage, and religious liberty as part of my expression of the Christian faith I hold and my obedience to Christ. Time and treasure have been spent on all these issues and others as well. There is no doubt in my mind that the Christian and the Church should be animated and proactive on these and other issues as an outgrowth of our commitment and obedience to the Savior who purchased us with His precious blood on the cross of Calvary.
In 1994, Franky Schaeffer, in his book; “Bad News For Modern Man – An Agenda For Christian Activism” called for “An Ecumenicism of Orthodoxy” where religious groups united around what he called “an ecumenism … based upon what we agree to be the essence of Christian faith, including an orthodoxy of belief in social concerns and priorities.”[1] But just what is this “essence of Christian faith?” It does not take long to see that Franky is arguing for a coalition of belligerents that would include the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in cooperation with Evangelicals[2].
Continue reading ‘The Manhattan Declaration “Why I can’t support the Declaration”’
Not long ago I was out on visitation to visit a family who had recently visited the church. But before I went out I used “Google Earth” to locate the address and print out a map. I even went so far as to zoom in on the earth map to get an idea of what their house looked like. I was confident I knew where to go and had the right address. That night it was raining and seemed especially dark. But I was sure that between my research, printed directions, and GPS navigation I would find the right address. I was really proud of myself for thinking ahead as I headed out that evening. I just knew I would find the address and arrive on time for my visit with the new family. All was going well until I came within striking distance of success. As I was approaching their house, in the rain, I miss read a street sign and turned down the wrong street. Even my GPS could not help at this point because I was so close. But the house at the address I pulled up to didn’t look anything like the picture I had seen on “Google Earth.” I was now a bit confused but proceeded to get out of my car and walk up the drive way for the visit. Part way up my doubts grew stronger so I turned around and walked back down the driveway and up to the street corner to double check the street address. I was on the wrong street! The street I needed was a couple hundred feet away.
“It is as much a crime to disturb the peace when truth prevails as it is to keep the peace when truth is violated. There is therefore a time in which peace is justified and another time when it is not justifiable. For it is written that there is a time for peace and a time for war and it is the law of truth that distinguishes the two. But at no time is there a time for truth and a time for error, for it is written that God’s truth shall abide forever. That is why Christ has said that He has come to bring peace and at the same time that He has come to bring the sword. But He does not say that He has come to bring both the truth and falsehood.”
There seems to be two extremes that run through broader evangelicalism. One that is strident and will argue over any deviation of theology or methodology and the other extreme that sees little value in strongly held doctrine and a view of methodology that is purely pragmatic – if it works, then it’s OK. Whether it’s fundamentalism, seeker driven, emergent, or much of mainline evangelicalism, finding when and where to draw the line in the sand, knowing where to take a stand is an issue that is absolutely necessary to know if we are to “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.” Just where is that line? To even raise the question for many is offensive. But it must be asked and it certainly needs an answer.
Galatians 5:11 ( NKJV ) And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
I recently read Four Views on Hell and reviewed it for school. I have posted the review below. This is an interesting book and useful for almost anyone. Read below…
“…we must not only try to evaluate the accuracy of the emerging church’s cultural analysis, but also the extent to which its proposals spring from, or can at least be squared with, the Scriptures. To put the matter differently: Is there at least some danger that what is being advocated is not so much a new kind of Christian in a new emerging church, but a church that is so submerging itself in the culture that it risks hopeless compromise?” ~ D. A. Carson, “Becoming Conversant With The Emerging Church” pg.45
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