Posted on 02/06/2014 7:40:31 AM PST by fwdude
Feb 6 2014
The Virtue of Being Suspicious
As contrary as it runs to popular perceptions, Fundamentalists were not fools. In fact, their powers of discernment make contemporary Evangelicals, who have supposedly advanced beyond Fundamentalists’ defense of simple verities, look downright gullible.
Fundamentalists knew they were in a battle, that the church is always being threatened with false teachers and members with “itching ears.” They took the New Testament seriously when its writers charged the early church to be on the lookout for those who would lead God’s flock astray.
Fundamentalists also knew that the greatest danger to the church invariably came from within her ranks. J. Gresham Machen was a great example of such skepticism. In 1926 he wrote:
“Last week it was reported that the churches of America increased their membership by 690,000. Are you encouraged by these figures? I for my part am not encouraged a bit. I have indeed my own grounds for encouragement. . . . But these figures have no place among them. How many of these 690,000 names do you think are really written in the Lamb’s book of life? A small proportion, I fear. Church membership today often means nothing more, as has well been said, than a vague admiration for the moral character of Jesus; the Church in countless communities is little more than a Rotary Club. . . . It will be hard; it will seem impious to timid souls; many will be hurt. But in God’s name let us get rid of shams and have reality at last.”
In a day when Protestants seem to be as easily impressed by smooth-talking television preachers, beautiful liturgies administered by women and gays, or smart popes, we could use Fundamentalist suspicion.
(Excerpt from “A Pastors' and Theologians' Forum on Fundamentalism,” held March/April 2008, 9Marks)
[TBC: What is instructive about this forum is that although a number of liberal pastors contributed short essays to this, they almost without except praised the high regard for Scripture held by Fundamentalists. They summarized their conclusions regarding what can be learned from Fundamentalists, as follows:
1. To contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints ( Jude 3 ).
2. To evangelize.
To insist on the importance of penal substitutionary atonement.
3. To vigilantly guard against false teaching.
4. To work for the moral and doctrinal purity of the church.
5. To separate from those who teach a false gospel.]
Do we have the intestinal fortitude to resist the popular but heretical "welcoming"-at-all-costs insanity that is practiced so ubiquitously today?
“Do we have the intestinal fortitude to resist the popular but heretical “welcoming”-at-all-costs insanity that is practiced so ubiquitously today?”
Yes. Christians will certainly be able to resist that. Those church attendees who aren’t really Christian will not be able to resist the heresy, because they won’t even know it’s heresy.
Fundamentalists get a pretty bad rap, but I’ve considered myself one for a long time. There are certain fundamentals of faith that cannot possibly be compromised, or one cannot possibly be considered a Christian. For example, one cannot deny the power of Christ and still be a Christian. It may be possible that Christ will have mercy on people we don’t expect, but one cannot believe in other routes to Heaven. All routes lead through Christ. That’s a fundamental belief.
You must be washed by the blood of Christ as you knelt at the foot of the cross begging forgiveness for your sinful nature and weeping tears of gratitude for your salvation.
And I have my own theories as to why the "welcoming" philosophy is accepted without question today. Many churches, most especially the "mega-churches," are run like multi-million dollar corporations today. What else are congregants to these churches but "customers?" They violate their own philosophy by turning away good money. Even such a suggestion would elicit confused stares.
There is no true Christian who is not a Fundamentalist.
That many churches which practice these heresies are so devoid of spiritual gifts only goes to show that they are largely devoid of Christians.
Let anyone raise a concern about any of the televangelists today and you get a strong admonition not to touch God’s anointed! Problem is that they are usually self-declared in that anointing, due to greed. I was watching a couple clips from some false teachers and you can see how MAD they become over any mention that they might be a false prophet. The sad thing is this: most of them have been outed years & decades ago, but people continue to pour into these services. What a waste of God’s bountiful gifts! What a waste of one’s life, if you will not accept the truth! Are people who are saved in these services really saved? One has to wonder, because if the Gospel is not clear and is distorted in any way, one’s understanding of salvation is totally skewed.
Don’t be afraid to name names, Shery. These charlatans need to be called out.
Nowadays, one can go by the number of private jets one of them owns. Joyce Meyer comes to mind.
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