Unity in the church - is doctrine the standard?

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

For far too many, Christian unity means standardless ecumenicism and compromise. The watered-down Church, unable to articulate its own principles any longer, opens its doors to every sort of pop culture idea, preferring "relevance" to the Gospel, accommodation to righteousness, and conciliation to truth. This results in churches and denominations embracing anti-biblical doctrines and politically leftist ideas like social justice, abortion, and critical race theory; or heresies like reducing Jesus to nothing more than a great teacher, eliminating any mention of sin, or turning God into an absentee landlord.

On the other side of the coin, there are Christians for whom unity is possible only of those who belong to a narrow, exclusive club comprised of those who share exacting beliefs. They create a long and detailed list of doctrines for which there must be lock-step agreement before any fellowship with another Christian is permitted.

These "Doctrinal Police" create workarounds to justify their separation, the most common of which is their claim that embracing a different doctrine is gross heresy, making the person not a Christian. That is, if someone believes something different, they are not saved and not entitled to consideration. they are not even deserving of prayer.

Religion Gone Wrong, Be Ye Not Deceived. - By Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Rev. Wade has become a fixture in these pages as we have repeatedly examined this vociferous member of the Doctrinal Police. He is a false teacher, with little thought given to matters of faith and doctrine. 

Below is a very old article written by someone named Anthony Wade. We think it is the same person as our nemesis. Here's our evidence:

• It is written in Rev. Wade's style
• It is full of undocumented claims and misused Scripture
• It consists of stream-of-consciousness writing frequently absent paragraph breaks
• The original typeface and formatting is the same as Rev. Wade's website
• This writer shares similar political views, although Rev. Wade attempts to cloak them while this Anthony Wade is direct and unashamed
• The below article blasts the "religious right," a common theme for Rev. Wade as well.

Our concern here is that Rev. Anthony Wade's contemporary articles are frequently found on conservative/reformed Christian websites as if he were an astute defender of the True Faith. He's not. He's not only a bomb-thrower, he's no ally of the conservative church

His presentations are so grievous that we have found cause to give him his own label.
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The Definitive Examination of Morality, Voting and Sin - By Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Perhaps regular readers are tiring of the bomb-throwing Rev. Wade, but we feel compelled to continue to point out this man's many egregious errors. He cannot be trusted as a Bible teacher. 

We will continue to count the number of words Rev. Wade expends in his "devotionals." In this case, 2464 words without a single Bible reference or quote. 2464 words without a single explanation of a biblical principle. 2464 words without any spiritual precept or information that edifies the reader.

Implied in Rev. Wade's presentation is the idea that a Christian should not be engaged in politics, that the world is corrupt, and that it isn't possible to vote morally. This of course is nonsense. 

Jesus constantly engaged the ruling power of the day, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. He condemned their unrighteousness and continually corrected them regarding their political and doctrinal shortcomings. Paul opposed the ruling powers, even to the point of embarrassing them by appealing to his Roman citizenship (Ac. 16). Peter walked right out of a prison (Ac. 12) when the angel freed him from his chains, with nary a mention of his violation of the law. Herod tried to track him down, and eventually the guards were executed.

There is nothing in the Bible that speaks to not being involved in politics. Paul only deals with avoiding those in the church who live debased lives: 1Co. 5:9-11: 

I have written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

We do not regard politics as the method of our warfare: 2Co. 10:2-3 

I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be towards some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 

Note that this does not exclude our involvement in the world, it speaks to how we engage it.

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Is Beth Moore Possessed? - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Ms. Prata makes another appearance in our blog, again attempting to explain things in the Bible. As usual, her presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

We should note that we do not intend to defend Beth Moore, we are examining the author's assertions.

Lastly, we note that the author can't manage to quote a single Scripture.

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What about tithing?

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

Introduction

Much has been written about the tithe and its applicability. Some would say the tithe is exactly how much we should give. Others say the tithe is the baseline, and we should be generous above this level. Still others say that there is no tithe at all for the Christian, that everything belongs to God and we should act accordingly.

We do not intend an in-depth study, but rather an overview of important concepts.

We believe that the one of the primary moral responsibilities of the Christian is to obey God's commands to give to the poor. For example,

Le. 19:10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

Ps. 82:3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Lk. 14:13-14: But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

Ac. 10:4 ...Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

Ga. 2:10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

It is clearly a duty of God's people to help the poor, the widow, and the oppressed. The issue becomes, to what degree, what process, and to whom should we do this?

Help! I’m Struggling with the Doctrine of Predestination - by Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Astonishingly, the authors barely manage to quote Scripture. In fact, we must plow through 2/3 of this before we come to our first Scriptures, 3 partial snippets.

In addition, the authors acknowledge the many doubts and objections to predestination, but never actually addresses and explains why those doubts and objections are wrong. 

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Systemic Racism - Faceborg coversation

A FB friend, Paul, posted this:

Here is a thought provoking read, particularly for my Christian friends. For some reason, we Christians seem to be more resistant to the idea of reparations than our non-believing friends. I fully agree with this article. It's a long read and it stings a bit, but please follow it through to the end.

HEBRAICTHOUGHT.ORG
Should We Repent of Our Grandparents’ Racist Ideology?

Do False Teachers Know they’re False? - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author does not seem to understand the nature of deception. If we are truly dealing with a false teacher, that person is under deception. It's a spiritual condition where the truth is undiscernible. When one is deceived, by definition one doesn't know it. A false teacher doesn't know he's a false teacher.

Further, a false teacher is not simply someone whose doctrines are not perfect. A false teacher has particular characteristics, according to Peter:

• 2Pe. 2:1 They secretly introduce destructive heresies
• 2Pe. 2:2 They bring the way of truth into disrepute.
• 2Pe. 2:3 They will exploit you with stories they have made up. 
• 2Pe. 2:10 They despise authority. They are bold and arrogant.
• 2Pe. 2:12 They blaspheme in matters they do not understand.
• 2Pe. 2:13 They carouse in broad daylight. 
• 2Pe. 2:14 They are adulterous. They are experts in greed.
• 2Pe. 2:15 They have left the straight way.
• 2Pe. 2:18 They are boastful. They entice people.  
• 2Pe. 2:19 They promise freedom, but they are slaves of depravity.

Note how intensely sinful a false teacher is. This kind of person is not simply a pastor you disagree with, or a church that engages in practices you don't like or think are unbiblical. It's not even a matter of doctrinal disagreement. No, a false teacher is easily distinguished by his licentious lifestyle and blatant blasphemy. 

And we note that a person teaching a different doctrine than what you believe may be right, and it's you that needs to change. 

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The importance of elders (old people)

We have been noticing a sort of inversion moving through the Church. Both the Bible and  the longstanding tradition of the Church has been to elevate and give heed to the older, wiser men and women of the Church. This, however, has been gradually changing, where more and more the youth is the face of the Church. Consider these worship teams:

Hillsong Music is a Gateway Drug to Apostasy, Your Church is Dealing it to You - By JEFF MAPLES

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Mr. Maples appears from time to time in this blog. His comments are invariably hyperbolic, lacking biblical insight, and incendiary. 

We should note our intent is not to defend Hillsongs or Catholic doctrine, but rather we shall examine the author's statements.

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The answer is always more government - excerpt, Vox Day

Found here. Vox Day writes with his customary stark brilliance.

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...Day after day, in broadcast after broadcast and newspaper after newspaper, it infests American homes and spreads disease by forcing the American people to submit to its deluge of its pro-government propaganda. This is the case at every level, local, state and federal, and in those very rare cases when the coverage is negative, it is almost invariably focused on criticizing the government concerned for failing to act in an appropriately expansive manner. One will wait in vain to hear washingtonia suggest that any matter, public or private, is not an appropriate concern of government.

When people hear us talk of casting the mighty from their thrones... FB meme

Posted by a FB friend:

Transcript: When people hear us talk of casting the mighty from their thrones and raising the lowly... of filling the hungry with good things while sending the rich away empty...

Inevitably, some will say, "That sounds like socialism."

But we remind them... it is the Gospel of Luke.

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This is a textbook example of the left's biblical illiteracy. Or perhaps, their diabolical desire to give biblical cover to their political aims. Either way, we shall not allow this false teaching to go unexamined.

We Don’t Need Revival - by J. Brandon Meeks

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author does his best to mock, belittle, and negate those who long for a move of God in the church and salvation for the lost. In addition, the author discusses no Scripture, though he does manage to quote snippets of a number of unattributed Scriptures.

We also note that the author does his best to misrepresent what people mean by revival, a manner that is smug and sarcastic. This is conduct unbecoming to a teacher of the Bible.

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“We need revival.” ~The Teeming Masses

This phrase, ubiquitous among broad evangelicals, has transmogrified from banal cliche to axiomatic mantra. (The very fact that the author would label revival as banal is telling.)

Hillsong’s Carl Lentz: They Killed Jesus Because He Wasn’t Interested in Rules and ‘All that Fancy Stuff You Do’ - by Staff Writer

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Protestia (Pulpit and Pen) once again comes after Carl Lentz for some pretty innocuous things. We freely admit that Lentz's presentation is unsophisticated, but he is not in error. 

We should note that our intent is not to defend Lentz, but to evaluate the author's presentation.

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Managing Expectations - PASTORAL MINISTRY - by KYLE BORG

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This is a very troubling presentation. The author on one hand clearly states the proper leadership of a church as being the elders, then walks it back, mangles it, and confuses it by conflating pastors, evangelists, and apostles. He wants to "manage expectations" regarding pastors, but ends up making it worse.

Our "expectation" is that the church would fully embrace the biblical model of church leadership. 1Pe. 5:1-3: 

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow-elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

The elders are the shepherds are the overseers.)

You can thank Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg...

Found on FB:

Transcript:

Women, if you have a credit card in your own name and your own credit history, if you have leased an apartment or bought property in your name, if you have consented to your own medical treatment, if you played a sport in school, you can thank Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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Carl Lentz: The Point of Christianity is for Pastors to become Unnecessary - by Staff Writer

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Pulpit and Pen has become Protestia in order to sidestep the Faceborg thought police, which we admire. However, their approach to those with whom they disagree has not improved, which is part of the reason why we ended up coining the phrase "scorched-earth discernment."

The author with the cowardly moniker "staff writer" does manage to quote a Scripture, and it is actually a relevant one. This is a cause for our joy, since the doctrinal police so seldom quote or reference Scripture. However, "staff writer" makes no effort to explain the Scripture or describe how Lentz violated it.

We should note that our intent is not to defend Lentz, but rather, examine and critic the content the author's presentation.

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The Possibility of Life Without Money - by Nathan J. Robinson

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The inevitable result of the leftist hatred for wealth is to eliminate money entirely. They think that money itself that is the root of all evil, rather than the love of money. 

But that is only the start. Money represents inequality, power, and undeserved benefits. If money can be taken out of everyone's hands, then a central power would distribute it "equitably" and "fairly." 

The socialist Left wants to take it even farther. If everything is "free," money is not even needed. Everyone would simply go and get whatever they want - sort of like the leftist looters - except without the messy requirement to break windows and burn things.

On the other hand, they love to break windows and burn things. Because their intent is not to solve racism, wealth inequality, homophobia, or any of the other stated desires. No, the unstated reason is to completely dismantle society. These issues aren't the issues, they're simply a means to an end.

Part of the problem socialists ignore is the issue of perceived value. Humans are naturally capitalists, they look to engage relationships for the purpose of exchange. Socialists want to essentially remove value from this exchange. What this necessarily means is that the service that is "free" is now rendered valueless. If a person does not have to give up something of value to receive something of value, then there is no value.

That is why public housing is always in a state of disrepair. Whatever one gets for free has no value, and therefore no financial or emotional investment is at stake. It then does not matter if there is pride of ownership or proper care given. People disdain what they did not have to work for.

Lastly, we note that this is a long, meandering article. We will edit out long passages.
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What Makes the Spiritual Gifts Discussion Different - by Tim Challies

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Mr. Challies does a spectacular job explaining the disconnect each side of the spiritual debate has. We have a few comments, however.

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Will there be a Pre-Trib rapture?

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

Introduction

It seems that end-times prognosticating is once again on the rise as chaos and lawlessness in society seem also to be on the rise. It is good that people are turning to the Bible for answers in these trying times, but our hope is that people would ask the right questions in order to receive the right answers.

In our youth we were quite engaged with speculating on end-times scenarios (eschatology). This was particularly in vogue in the wake of Hal Lindsey's book, Late Great Planet Earth. In the late 80s, a pamphlet called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 was all the rage. Then came the Left Behind series of books and movies.

We have come to a crucial understanding that while studying eschatology has some value, it does not change any aspect of our faith. We are to live holy lives, give to the poor, share our faith, as well as worship, fellowship, and grow in faith, regardless of what eschatology we hold.

This means when we are confronted with those who would explain the end times we go into the transaction with some skepticism. And rightly so, because the prognosticators at times seem confused. Failed predictions abound. Questionable methodology is too common. Every newspaper headline is shoehorned into their end times scenarios, sometimes yielding preposterous interpretations.

Pre-tribbers believe that a collection of scattered Bible references all collate into an intricate, complicated picture of a future period of time where there is a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, followed by a seven year period known as the Great Tribulation where those who are "left behind" after the rapture and a subsequent group of people who become Christians after the rapture will experience the wrath of God, followed by the millennium and culminating in the Last Day.

We shall present an alternative view of the end times, based on the premise that the Last Day is the Last Day, which is the day of the rapture, after the final great tribulation, when Jesus comes on the clouds, gathers His elect, and executes final judgment on the wicked. We also will suggest that the Great Tribulation is the culmination of centuries of tribulation commencing in the first century and lasting until the last day (Acts 2:19-20)

It is a departure, we admit. But with the speculative nature of pre-trib dispensationalism, we are comfortable with advancing our own perspective.