The church is always at risk of being undermined by another gospel:
Sadly, not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one. While all true Christians should seek for unity where possible, and allow for various differences on some less important issues, there can be no unity with those who end up denying the Christian faith in various ways.
We are seeing this occurring increasingly at the present moment, and we have seen it occur before. Theological liberalism has been around for a while now, and today we see it more and more being brought into what are supposed to be evangelical, Bible-believing churches.
Today we have what are called “progressive” Christians, various social justice warriors, and woke religious leftists. They are doing much the same as the older theological liberals did a century ago. I have spoken before about how radically different these groups are from biblical Christianity. It is not just a rather heterodox gospel – it is another gospel.
The Apostle Paul of course warned us about those who would preach another gospel, and proclaim another Jesus (see for example 2 Corinthians 11:4). We see this happening quite a lot today in the evangelical world. Many on the left have decided that religious conservatives such as myself are somehow the enemy, and our views must be directly challenged.
A recent bunfight about all this in the Australian social media made all this rather clear. During the heated discussion, there were some who tried to say that we just need to all get along, and that we are really all on the same side. A friend of mine who was at the centre of this debate rightly replied by stating that we are not actually all on the same side.
There are those who really have been running with another gospel. As with the older liberals, the new leftists happily use biblical terminology, but strip the words and concepts of their biblical content, and replace them with various leftist agenda items.
A key figure that I often appeal to in this regard is J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937). He was a leading light in standing up for biblical Christianity, showing conclusively how liberal theology is NOT in any way similar to it. His major volume on all this was the 1923 book, Christianity and Liberalism.
I have often quoted from that book. Let me again repeat a few notable passages, all from his introductory chapter:
“In the sphere of religion, in particular, the present time is a time of conflict; the great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology. This modern non-redemptive religion is called ‘modernism’ or ‘liberalism’.”
“But manifold as are the forms in which the movement appears, the root of the movement is one; the many varieties of modern liberal religion are rooted in naturalism, that is, in the denial of any entrance of the creative power of God.”
“[W]hat the liberal theologian has retained after abandoning to the enemy one Christian doctrine after another is not Christianity at all, but a religion which is so entirely different from Christianity as to belong in a distinct category.”
“[D]espite the liberal use of traditional phraseology modern liberalism is not only a different religion from Christianity but belongs in a totally different class of religions.”
“[L]iberalism in the modern Church represents a return to an un-Christian and sub-Christian form of the religious life.”
As I say, we see the same battles taking place today. But instead of liberalism taking over the mainstream denominations of last century, we now have radicalism attempting to take over evangelical churches and denominations.
Many others have been warning about this worrying trend. One brand new piece on this just appeared today which is worth sharing from. It concerns Egyptian-American Michael Youssef, the 72-year-old pastor of a major church in Atlanta, Georgia.
The piece features an interview with him, and is entitled “’Woke’ culture creeping into evangelical church is ‘deadly’ for the Gospel of Christ”. His message is based on his new book, Hope for This Present Crisis: The Seven-Step Path to Restoring a World Gone Mad. Here is part of the interview:
Hope for This Present Crisis: The Seven-Step Path to Restoring a World Gone Madby Youssef, Michael (Author)
[He] recalled how, as an Episcopal priest in the 1980s, he watched with dismay as the mainline Episcopal denomination slowly moved away from biblical principles, eventually voting to approve same-sex marriage in the denomination. But in recent years, Youssef told CP that he’s seen the same subtle bend toward leftist ideology slowly permeating the wider evangelical church.
“Those same battles that I fought in the mainline denominations are now invading the evangelical churches,” he said. “It’s the same arguments, the same lingo, and the same words repeating themselves with such precision I am deeply, deeply concerned.” According to Youssef, who also founded the Leading The Way television ministry, more and more pastors are “falling into the trap” of woke culture because it’s “popular and appeals to the flesh.”
“Bowing to woke culture allows you to avoid rejection by culture and society,” he said. “It’s a very, very popular message that is now being preached from many evangelical pulpits; traditionally Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching churches. We have gone so far that it just grieves me to the point that I literally sometimes just weep tears.”
“I’ve always believed, as goes the pulpit, so goes the pew. As goes the pew, so goes the culture,” he continued. “As a pastor, I put the full blame on us, right in our laps, because we want to be liked, loved, and followed on social media by millions of people. Pastors are the culprits. We need to be about Jesus, not about being liked, because that is deadly as far as the Gospel of Jesus Christ is concerned.”
The interview continues:
His heart, he told CP, is especially burdened for young pastors and ministry leaders who are tempted to waver from biblical truth amid societal pressure. “Young pastors must realize that this is a deception. It’s very subtle and very clever, but it’s a deception nonetheless,” he continued. “And that is the burden that God laid on my heart to such a point I just couldn’t sleep. I had to address it. I believe people are in a state of confusion and need a clear word from Scripture.”
Youssef, who was born on the African continent, said that one example of bowing to woke culture is the increased popularity of Critical Race Theory, even in the Church. The theory utilizes race as the lens through which every area of life is examined, categorizing everyone into oppressor and oppressed groups.
“It’s a very Marxist ideology that people are taking very seriously,” he said. “The idea of the oppressed and the oppressors is not that simple. Now we have private Christian schools here in Atlanta where white children are apologizing to black kids. Apologizing for what? They are innocent; they haven’t done anything. It’s crazy; it’s just going insane.”
The pastor identified several “signs” a pastor is abandoning biblical truth, from failing to preach the whole Word of God to bowing toward moral relativism and demonstrating hesitation to “offend” anyone. “If someone is saying, ‘There are many ways to God, you run out of there as fast as you can,” he said. “If they say, ‘We need to ditch the Old Testament,’ you need to run out of there as fast as you can. Because the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the inspired Word of God.”
Amen brother. I am glad that some are speaking out. Just as vital voices like Machen were needed a hundred years ago to take on the main challenges to the gospel, so too today we need brave Christians willing to stand up and challenge the inroads of various forms of destructive liberalism which is eroding the core of the Christian faith.
Thank you Michael for taking a stand. Who else will stand up and be counted?
28 Replies to “No, We Are Not All On the Same Side”
Me.
That’s one, Adrian!
The wretchedness of this wolf in sheep’s clothing “christianity” was also described by Pope Pius X in 1907 (PASCENDI DOMINICI GREGIS, ON THE DOCTRINES OF THE MODERNISTS). Yes, they thoroughly reject any objective evidence of God, “any entrance of the creative power of God.” As Pius X said, “Nor indeed will he err in accounting them the most pernicious of all the adversaries of the Church.”
I pray for him, and you Bill, there are other good men who will not bow down to save themselves from attacks. We have been warned about the great falling away.
Blessing Bill.
ME! I’m sick to death of “woke” culture.
Me too, Bill.
I particularly like that saying of Michael Youssef’s that you quote:
“As goes the pulpit, so goes the pew. As goes the pew, so goes the culture.”
Sadly ‘progressive Christianity’ is invariably intolerant of conservative believers – embracing everything except those who honour God’s Word.
We would all be wise to soberly keep in the front of our minds our Lord’s assertion: “Not all who call Me Lord, Lord . . “
Unfortunately too many would rather be popular than faithful to the word of God. Jesus said they hated him, so don’t be surprised if the world hates us.
If we are being faithful to God, we should expect opposition.
Quite so Ken.
This is about applying for jobs. An applicant should be chosen on merit. They should not be chosen on skin colour, gender, age or anything that is not relevant to the duties involved. This woke nonsense will give jobs to people based on skin colour or some woke criteria. There are actually practising racism. Whether the racism is pro-black or pro-white it is still racism.
Thank You for someone speaking sense and sensibility.
Glad to hear Michael’s voice and opinions on ‘woke culture’ and ‘critical race theory’.
That’s interesting that this would be your topic for today. Just last night, as a small group of friends and fellow believers, we were discussing just this thing as a youth leader in a local church was sent packing after his teaching on BLM , wokeness, and white privilege. Unfortunately, it sounds like he wasn’t alone in his beliefs and what was once the “go-to” local congregation for solid Bible teaching is now on shaky ground. Matthew 24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. I understand that these verses are referring to the 70th week but we may be in week 69.9
Thank you for speaking truth, quoting truth, and encouraging me to hold fast to the Truth!
Would love to hear your thoughts about our brothers and sisters who are falling into this – how can we reach out to them and call them back to the core of the Gospel? Are they in danger of hell? I know it depends on the extent of their beliefs if they’ve really sold out to the deception of the devil… but I want to find ways to bring them back.
We just left a church after speaking up many times in the past few years about their drifting away from the Gospel, being sucked into racial reconciliation and mediocre stands on abortion, etc. We love these people but the pastor continued to defend his position and we couldn’t support it. We left and spoke to many people as to why we felt we couldn’t stay – 95% of them have exactly the same concerns but don’t feel they can leave because they love being with the congregation. Aargh!
Thanks Belinda. You ask some good questions. I may write a piece on this. Short answer: if people reject core biblical teachings, then they do put themselves outside of biblical Christianity and may indicate by this that they are not really Christians. I have written about if we should stay and fight in such churches, or leave. See here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2008/10/03/when-churches-go-bad/
Bill, I’m afraid that all too few Evangelicals are aware of how far they have gone. Your call back to the Biblical foundations of our faith may leave you a little lonely but my prayer is for your encouragement from God Himself! Light is so much more helpful as things around get darker. I can’t say it often enough. Thank you!
Thanks Charles.
Part of this desire to be liked is our skewed perception of success. We have been led to believe numbers=success so the bigger your flock the more successful you are and the more successful you are the more God is pleased with you. (this is NOT a business we do NOT need a business model to run our churches) And we have been told that to be successful we must be liked we must do what the people want give them some razzle dazzle and showmanship. Become like the world and you’ll be just a beloved as anything the world has. If numbers equaled God favor Joel Osteen would be the blessed preacher out there! But I contend God is happier with the true and faithful pastor with a flock of only TEN than the feckless carnival barker of THOUSANDS!!!!!! (Step right and get salvation, watch the worldly entertainers in Christian clothes, see the wolves that appear to be sheep, and look in the comforting mirror to see Jesus looks just like you) We can truly only have love from ONE place so let it be that God love us and the world hates us than the other way around.
I have no doubt that your, and others’, assessment that this is the separating of the wheat from the tares and the sheep from the goats is correct.
Just as many ancient Hebrews treated their atonement as a licence to sin and were accordingly cut off so will these people be shown to not only be licentious and iniquitous but also idolatrous in that they claim to know better than God what sin is.
They are defiling God’s Holy Temple and Jesus, Peter, John, James (Jacob) and Paul were all clear that, in doing so, they will be cut off from God’s covering of sacrifice just as God eventually stopped accepting the Jew’s atonement because they were unrepentant. Justice demands that the principle is the same for Christians as it was demonstrated to be for the Jews.
In the 1930s, here in America during the Depression, Communist infiltrators began working their way into the liberal churches seeking to mesh their Marxist objectives with Christian verbiage and teachings, knowing full well that the religious sympathies could be turned out of concern for the poor, etc. Of course these people were all atheists, and had no interest in Christ or the Gospel at all. But it did the trick, and now not one left-wing Christian in a thousand even knows where his theology came from.
Quite right Vince.
Great comment Bill.
‘There is no future for liberal Christianity because it just listens to the culture and has nothing to contribute. It allows itself to be led around by the nose, while ruining churches and robbing the world of the Gospel.’
– (Clarke Pinnock’s rebuttal of John Hick’s case for Religious Pluralism. Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralist World, 1995).
Thanks Rod. Yes the earlier Pinnock was a great youngish Christian apologist. But in his later years he became a gung-ho Open Theism proponent. I prefer the earlier Clark!
Thanks Bill for another accurate, insightful article.
I have discovered that some of my once Christian friends – have now taken this path.
From theistic evolution to new age deception and LGBTI endorsement by a pastor I know it is saddening.
There are days we can feel quite alone.
On the upside I see others wanting to move forward with proclaiming the truth, many who I have never met in person that share the same heart.
We will prevail and by God’s grace overcome.
Thanks Mark.
Mr. Muehlenberg, You have held the line as few others – defending Biblical Faith against cultural erosion and infection. We can always count on you for a strong solid argument and reasoning.
Many thanks Georgia.
Truth is the truth no matter how many wolves in sheep’s clothing infiltrate the church.
Me.
That’s one, Adrian!
The wretchedness of this wolf in sheep’s clothing “christianity” was also described by Pope Pius X in 1907 (PASCENDI DOMINICI GREGIS, ON THE DOCTRINES OF THE MODERNISTS). Yes, they thoroughly reject any objective evidence of God, “any entrance of the creative power of God.” As Pius X said, “Nor indeed will he err in accounting them the most pernicious of all the adversaries of the Church.”
I pray for him, and you Bill, there are other good men who will not bow down to save themselves from attacks. We have been warned about the great falling away.
Blessing Bill.
ME! I’m sick to death of “woke” culture.
Me too, Bill.
I particularly like that saying of Michael Youssef’s that you quote:
“As goes the pulpit, so goes the pew. As goes the pew, so goes the culture.”
Sorry for being slightly off-topic but then again, this is about taking a stand:
https://citizengo.org/en-au/fm/200936-stop-radical-push-abortion-gender-ideology-and-sexualization-children-un-csw65
Sadly ‘progressive Christianity’ is invariably intolerant of conservative believers – embracing everything except those who honour God’s Word.
We would all be wise to soberly keep in the front of our minds our Lord’s assertion: “Not all who call Me Lord, Lord . . “
Unfortunately too many would rather be popular than faithful to the word of God. Jesus said they hated him, so don’t be surprised if the world hates us.
If we are being faithful to God, we should expect opposition.
Quite so Ken.
This is about applying for jobs. An applicant should be chosen on merit. They should not be chosen on skin colour, gender, age or anything that is not relevant to the duties involved. This woke nonsense will give jobs to people based on skin colour or some woke criteria. There are actually practising racism. Whether the racism is pro-black or pro-white it is still racism.
Thank You for someone speaking sense and sensibility.
Glad to hear Michael’s voice and opinions on ‘woke culture’ and ‘critical race theory’.
That’s interesting that this would be your topic for today. Just last night, as a small group of friends and fellow believers, we were discussing just this thing as a youth leader in a local church was sent packing after his teaching on BLM , wokeness, and white privilege. Unfortunately, it sounds like he wasn’t alone in his beliefs and what was once the “go-to” local congregation for solid Bible teaching is now on shaky ground. Matthew 24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. I understand that these verses are referring to the 70th week but we may be in week 69.9
Thank you for speaking truth, quoting truth, and encouraging me to hold fast to the Truth!
Would love to hear your thoughts about our brothers and sisters who are falling into this – how can we reach out to them and call them back to the core of the Gospel? Are they in danger of hell? I know it depends on the extent of their beliefs if they’ve really sold out to the deception of the devil… but I want to find ways to bring them back.
We just left a church after speaking up many times in the past few years about their drifting away from the Gospel, being sucked into racial reconciliation and mediocre stands on abortion, etc. We love these people but the pastor continued to defend his position and we couldn’t support it. We left and spoke to many people as to why we felt we couldn’t stay – 95% of them have exactly the same concerns but don’t feel they can leave because they love being with the congregation. Aargh!
Thanks Belinda. You ask some good questions. I may write a piece on this. Short answer: if people reject core biblical teachings, then they do put themselves outside of biblical Christianity and may indicate by this that they are not really Christians. I have written about if we should stay and fight in such churches, or leave. See here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2008/10/03/when-churches-go-bad/
Bill, I’m afraid that all too few Evangelicals are aware of how far they have gone. Your call back to the Biblical foundations of our faith may leave you a little lonely but my prayer is for your encouragement from God Himself! Light is so much more helpful as things around get darker. I can’t say it often enough. Thank you!
Thanks Charles.
Part of this desire to be liked is our skewed perception of success. We have been led to believe numbers=success so the bigger your flock the more successful you are and the more successful you are the more God is pleased with you. (this is NOT a business we do NOT need a business model to run our churches) And we have been told that to be successful we must be liked we must do what the people want give them some razzle dazzle and showmanship. Become like the world and you’ll be just a beloved as anything the world has. If numbers equaled God favor Joel Osteen would be the blessed preacher out there! But I contend God is happier with the true and faithful pastor with a flock of only TEN than the feckless carnival barker of THOUSANDS!!!!!! (Step right and get salvation, watch the worldly entertainers in Christian clothes, see the wolves that appear to be sheep, and look in the comforting mirror to see Jesus looks just like you) We can truly only have love from ONE place so let it be that God love us and the world hates us than the other way around.
I have no doubt that your, and others’, assessment that this is the separating of the wheat from the tares and the sheep from the goats is correct.
Just as many ancient Hebrews treated their atonement as a licence to sin and were accordingly cut off so will these people be shown to not only be licentious and iniquitous but also idolatrous in that they claim to know better than God what sin is.
They are defiling God’s Holy Temple and Jesus, Peter, John, James (Jacob) and Paul were all clear that, in doing so, they will be cut off from God’s covering of sacrifice just as God eventually stopped accepting the Jew’s atonement because they were unrepentant. Justice demands that the principle is the same for Christians as it was demonstrated to be for the Jews.
In the 1930s, here in America during the Depression, Communist infiltrators began working their way into the liberal churches seeking to mesh their Marxist objectives with Christian verbiage and teachings, knowing full well that the religious sympathies could be turned out of concern for the poor, etc. Of course these people were all atheists, and had no interest in Christ or the Gospel at all. But it did the trick, and now not one left-wing Christian in a thousand even knows where his theology came from.
Quite right Vince.
Great comment Bill.
‘There is no future for liberal Christianity because it just listens to the culture and has nothing to contribute. It allows itself to be led around by the nose, while ruining churches and robbing the world of the Gospel.’
– (Clarke Pinnock’s rebuttal of John Hick’s case for Religious Pluralism. Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralist World, 1995).
Thanks Rod. Yes the earlier Pinnock was a great youngish Christian apologist. But in his later years he became a gung-ho Open Theism proponent. I prefer the earlier Clark!
Thanks Bill for another accurate, insightful article.
I have discovered that some of my once Christian friends – have now taken this path.
From theistic evolution to new age deception and LGBTI endorsement by a pastor I know it is saddening.
There are days we can feel quite alone.
On the upside I see others wanting to move forward with proclaiming the truth, many who I have never met in person that share the same heart.
We will prevail and by God’s grace overcome.
Thanks Mark.
Mr. Muehlenberg, You have held the line as few others – defending Biblical Faith against cultural erosion and infection. We can always count on you for a strong solid argument and reasoning.
Many thanks Georgia.
Truth is the truth no matter how many wolves in sheep’s clothing infiltrate the church.