Eternal Approach

Bible churches having been changing their attitude toward truth, doctrine, and the defense of the faith.

That is not a charge that is easy for me to make. Believe it or not, I tend to resist such ideas.

I want to think the best thoughts about those who are in leadership. Not only of local church leadership, but also of those in our Christian universities and seminaries.

To give leaders and teachers the benefit of the doubt.

Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that our churches are consistently, though subtly, switching from proclaiming truth as their first priority to elevating experience, good works, and outward unity as their highest priority.

The “Little Guys” in the Pews

One area I’ve seen this in evidence is with church leadership’s attitude toward blogs, web sites, and social media expressions. Expressions made by the “average” believers in the pews.   

By the average Joe who holds opinions that the church considers “divisive”.

When I first started this EternalApproach.com site, it was with a deep conviction that the things I had to say were greatly needed. That there were truths, that were not being taught in the churches or the mainstream Christian media, that believers needed to know.

I felt the call to get the message out to whomever might need it. Wherever they might be in the world. 

One person who was a great encourager of this idea was Richard Bennett. His site, the BereanBeacon.org, has been very faithful in proclaiming truth. He died a short while back. But I think his site is still going strong. 

He was a former Catholic priest who focused on reaching Catholics with the message of the gospel. To provide critical information to help people recognize and avoid the many Ecumenical and spiritual compromises of our age. And to help people identify the truckload of false teachers that are out there – and to avoid them. 

He was also a champion for individual believers to get out there and use their blogs, websites, and other social media to reach as many people as possible for Christ. 

Don’t You Use That “Tone” With Me!

But I haven’t seen this same concern coming from local church leadership. Instead, there seems to be this disinterest, or even disgust, toward what the average believer is doing on their blogs or other websites to defend the faith.

Instead, leaders ignore, marginalize, and even rebuke the tone, the harshness, or the divisiveness of those who are out there on the web. There is this constant refrain against “tribalism” and other forms of “extremism” from pastors and teachers. 

Supposedly because the tone of the “extremist” Christians is not in line with their own nice, kind, tolerant, inclusive, unifying, and ecumenical church philosophies. Or maybe it’s because these voices “in the wilderness” are beyond their control.  

The Church “Tone” Police

It is very much like how the mainstream media and the general government bureaucracy tries to control the free speech and expressions of dissent coming from Conservatives and Christian people. Because the mainstream powers are determined to control all of the narrative, the reports and the opinions. In order to advance their own causes.

So that, it’s not really about maintaining a fair and equal platform for all to speak their mind; but to shut down anyone who disagrees with them. 

In the same way, churches are trying to control the “tone” of their brothers in Christ.   

Which reminds me of an article by John Piper back in 2011 – published on his Desiring God website. Where he was writing about the tone of preaching and teaching. Where he said, “By ‘tone’ I mean the feel that it has. The spirit it emits. The emotional quality. The affectional tenor. The mood.” 

I’m sorry, but that sounds incredibly wishy-washy to me. It’s a call for people to write and preach with “sweetness and light”. To avoid the necessary offense of the gospel. 

However, I DO understand how my own “tone” can come across as harsh and judgmental at times. And it may even seem so right now.

But that is a very difficult thing to control. Especially, when there are so many problems out there that must be addressed. 

Especially when we live in a very pagan and anti-biblical culture. And even in anti-Biblical church environments – in many cases! Where what is desperately needed is clear and unapologetic declarations of truth.

That often cannot be accomplished without identifying and rebuking popular and influential Christian leaders for their errors. Which are, 99% of the time, the very same authors and mainstream teachers our church leaders are consistently quoting in their sermons. Without even bothering to warn their people of the blatant doctrinal errors of these men!

The word of God commands us to speak the truth clearly for the protection of the church. And to help those who are lost who search for clarity in the salvation message!

But this is not what our church leaders want us to do today. 

They want to control the narrative. And they want to control the tone. 

Content with a Surface “Unity”

Leaders today just don’t seem to care about anything that is not in line with what they are doing. With anything that is not in line with their own programs and style. 

They are just not interested. 

They will, however, embrace just about any mainstream ministry today. Building associations and partnerships with virtually anyone who is doing some good work “in Jesus’ name”.

With little interest in checking beneath the surface to see what their “partners” actually believe. 

Or with anything that is not in line with what Tim Keller, Russell Moore, JD Greear, Andy Stanley, Rick Warren or a host of other Progressive Christian leaders are saying.

With whatever the popular Evangelical line is. 

Living on the Surface of Things

All of this comes across as a kind of arrogance in many of our leaders that seek to silence or ignore those whom they regard as being “not helpful”. And to even rebuke those who won’t conform to the compromises that the churches are making. 

And, unfortunately, many believers today, even the more devoted ones, have given-in to this spirit of compromise. And go along with the things they should oppose; being content to simply live on the surface of things. Avoiding any controversy. 

So that, consequently, they become complicit in advancing the Ecumenical corruption in our churches. 

While marginalizing and rebuking those of us who are trying to fight the good fight. Who are trying to serve the Lord in the midst of the terrible spiritual warfare that is building around us every day. 

The harsh reality is that the leaders in our churches have come from universities, colleges, and seminaries that are very much involved in ecumenical compromise. And who have, consequently, trained our leaders to study the books and follow the philosophies of “Christian” men and women who teach a form of Progressive Christianity. 

Which is simply just a sophisticated form of unbelief. 

Leaving the average believer, who longs to be faithful to the Lord and His word, struggling to simply be heard within a church increasingly concerned with “the tone” instead of the truth.  

Image by Sammy-Sander from Pixabay