Posted on 03/18/2012 6:59:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
The evangelical church is under constant threat to compromise its reliance on biblical truth. The human desire to be accepted, to not be seen as outside the mainstream, can be overwhelming. But that desire is our weakness, our downfall. It does not always immediately destroy the dam we build to protect the waters of truth, but instead it leads to tiny fissures that grow until destruction is inevitable.
Twenty years ago, I experienced the painful demise of the Episcopal Church, who once was a bastion of biblical truth. It was not a pretty picture. It was a picture painted in the primary colors of relentlessness and deception.
The combination of those elements inevitably led some sincere folks to weariness, and willingness to compromise, and yes, ultimately to surrender. For those who sought peace at any price, conformity over conviction, and popularity over principle, capitulation seemed the easier way out.
The initial compromise, which caused the first cracks in the dike, seemed innocent enough at the time: the ordination of women.
But to truly understand how that initial compromise caused a wave of liberalism to overcome biblical boundaries within the Episcopal Church (and soon by the rest of the mainline denominations), we have to understand the different groups involved.
Sincere followers of Christ made up the first group. They believed in Jesus and the scriptures. To them, the effort to ordain women seemed genuine. But they ultimately bought into the secular argument that the ordination of women was merely an issue of equality, sharing power, responding to new realities, and gaining relevancy with modern culture. Those believers were most troublesome of all. Although they adhered to the secular perspective, no one could accuse them of having departed the faith once delivered.
The second group, which pushed the breached even further, was comprised of people who were religious but biblically illiterate. They followed a simple faith not rooted in history. They were more willing to follow than to think.
The third group was made up of committed liberals, or as I prefer to call them, apostates. That group often worked behind the scenes. They hid in the shadows, preferring to steer the second group forward while putting pressure on the first group. They fueled the secular media with proclamations that the church was hopelessly out of touch with the real world or that the male-dominated church is unwilling to share power with women.
The mediawhich loves to denigrate the church and its leadership for refusing to adhere to a godless cultureused its powerful megaphone to condemn the church. Of course, the media never understood that ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ is not about power. A pastor models himself after Jesus, who did not come to be served, but to serve.
When apostate Christians and agnostics were allowed to set the agenda and define the arguments, the faint of heart self-consciously sought to surrender. Quickly abandoned were Martin Luthers words: Here I stand. I can do no other.
The ordination of women was not the end of the roadnot by any means. Those who had stood up for adherence to biblical standards knew all too well that the push for compromise was merely a prelude to a long hidden agenda: extreme feminism, abortion rights, homosexual advocacy, and the tolerance of all sorts of unsavory practices within the church.
Back then, I watched and wept over the first group; they were my comrades in arms, and they surrendered their birthright for a morsel of peace and acceptability. They surrendered their birthright, and before long, the cracks in the dam led to its massive collapse.
When communities in the Bible rejected the disciples, Jesus instructed his followers to shake the dust off their feet and move on. He did not instruct them to compromise in order to avoid rejection. He told them that rejection would be part of the deal.
Countless followers of Jesus, from those first disciples to todays martyrs, have ultimately given their lives rather than compromise. That same courage is expected of us as well.
1 Timothy 2:12-15 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearingif they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
Not very popular today, but there it is in black and white and Paul even gives the reason behind it; because women are more susceptible to deception than men are.
It is there, but its easy to “not see” the speed limit when you want to speed.
The problem with RCs, is that Scripture is not the supreme authority, nor can is provide doctrinal certitude, but the self-proclaimed assuredly infallible magisterium is (sola ecclessia) presumes that position, although their interpretation of what is infallible and what it means is not assuredly infallible, nor is the sola scripturists interpretation of Scripture.
But rather than the church establishing what Scripture consists of by decree (which Rome did not infallibly, indisputable do until the year Luther died), as helpful as they can be, writings became established as being Divine, like as men of God became established as being such, by their Heavenly qualities and attestation, and conformity to established truth. To the glory of God. “For the kingdom of God is not in word [self-proclamation], but in power. “ (1 Corinthians 4:20)
Let me add a different thought to the discussion. The writer is making a fundamental error in thinking that the demise of Biblical Christianity among the European Protestant churches is a decline in Biblical Christianity. However, Evangelical Christians are growing in number throughout Asia, Africa and in Central and South America. Also, as the European Protestant Churches have declined in America we have seen Biblically centered non-denominational and Pentecostal churches growing.
True, but i think the old time Prots which saw revival would weep at the condition of the modern temple-even the evangelical one. We have lost much.
But have we?
I see the same historical pattern being repeated. Prior to the Reformation we saw the development of a hierarchy, using the power of the State to impose it's will. During this period there were Christians who refused to be a part of the State church, but they were limited in number, until Bibles became easily accessible. However, once Bibles became easy to obtain the deviance of the State church from clear Scriptural teaching became obvious and Christians left that church. Now instead of Christians fleeing a State imposed religious system they are fleeing churches that are clearly not in step with Scripture.
So who is left behind in this process? I think it is those who place to great an affection for an institution, or family tradition. The Christians are reading their Bibles and see how their church has deviated from truth and are leaving. It seems to me it's a long process that keeps being repeated. For me I don't worry to much about these old church bodies. They had the truth and in their arrogance decided they knew better.
Thank you metmom, and others, I wasn’t familiar with this verse.
I just left a very large Southern Baptist church that will not ordain women, but its committees have been taken over by women, to the point that the deacon ministry has been relegated to disbursing benevolence funds.
At its 25 anniversary, one of the founding members cheerfully stated that they wanted a “moderate” Southern Baptist church in the local area. Well, they succeeded.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.