On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his infamous list of 95 Theses to the doors of Wittenberg, Germany Churches. The document was a list of 95 thoughts about Christianity and an invitation for Catholic clergy to debate any or all of the propositions listed. The document attacked papal abuses and the sale of indulgences. In the following months, it was copied and widely circulated throughout Europe. Indulgences were offered by the Catholic Church, usually for money, to guarantee the remission of sin. In other words, for a certain sum of money, you could buy for yourself or a loved one a free get-out-of-hell card, without the need for genuine repentance. Luther claimed the sale of indulgences was unbiblical, challenging the authority of the Pope. In July 1520, Pope Leo X decided that Luther’s propositions were heretical and gave him four months to recant. Luther refused and soon after he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. In May 1521, the Diet of Worms declared Luther an outlaw and required his arrest. It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter. It also went so far as to permit anyone to kill Luther without legal consequences. (He survived, dying of natural causes in 1546.) As time went on, the controversy split the church, with people who sided with Luther leaving Catholicism to join many of the new Protestant denominations we have today. Now, 507 years later, we again find ourselves at another turning point. This time, Evangelical and Fundamental Christians are increasingly finding themselves at odds with each other. Until a few years ago, the term “Evangelical Christian” described anyone who believed in and followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, emphasized personal faith, and accepted the practice of spreading the Gospel around the world. Sadly, that is no longer the case. In 2024, much of popular modern Evangelicalism (AKA “Neo Evangelicalism”) has come to represent a skewed and unbiblical worldview that includes the endorsement of women pastors, the tacit approval of unrepentant homosexuality, and easy believism that ignores the need for true repentance. One specific case in point is this past week’s statement by well-known Evangelical preacher Alistair Begg. Begg said that Christians should not only attend same-sex or transgender weddings but buy them a gift as well. Why? So, they won’t think you are one of those “horribly judgmental Christians who push people away from the church and God”. Begg essentially declared that it is more important to be nice rather than telling someone the truth in love (that such a union is sinful). Since then, Begg has regrettably doubled down on his pronouncement. Last Sunday, Begg told his congregation that he was only trying to be compassionate. Since when is it compassionate to affirm what God hates?
When one attends a wedding, they do it to witness the bride and groom exchange vows and to speak or not when asked the traditional question… “Is there anyone here who knows any reason why this man and this woman should not be joined in marriage?” It is NOT the same as Christ eating with sinners. (Matthew 9-12) It is far better to be forsaken by family and friends than to be forsaken by Christ. Sadly, Begg is not alone... many others, including some in the Southern Baptist Convention, Gay Christian movements like Revoice, The Gospel Coalition, and increasing numbers of local churches are proclaiming a worldly message of tolerance and are more than willing to fellowship with and share the stage or pulpit with people who share such unbiblical opinions. They are teaching things that God hates as good and acceptable... Their defense? They claim that such things are a Romans 14 matter of conscience... and therefore a secondary issue. These days, mainstream Evangelicalism seems to be hellbent on making everything an issue of conscience, blurring Biblical truth, and tolerating way too many false teachers the likes of Beth Moore, Jackie Hill Perry, Christine Caine, Kenneth Copeland, Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, T.D. Jakes, and Joel Osteen. Or apostate churches like Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation. Mainstream Evangelicalism is fast becoming increasingly worldly and now stands in stark contrast to fundamental Christianity by inviting false teachers, their books, and videos into their churches. In contrast, Fundamentalists seek to guard the truth of Scripture and defend the Christian faith, which was “once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Fundamentalism holds that the Bible is literally true and free from all contradiction and that salvation is obtained only through God’s grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Unity in true doctrine is paramount to Fundamentalists and never a matter of conscience or opinion. (1 Timothy 1:3-4) To further illustrate this growing divide, 38% of white Evangelicals now approve of same-sex marriage, and 27% of white Evangelicals now say that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Source Fundamentalists are beginning to leave churches that don’t teach the whole counsel of God, don’t equip the saints, and fail to defend the faith. They are distressed by churches that preach “God is love” easy believism without true repentance. They are rejecting churches that are ashamed to proclaim the gospel of Christ. They are disgusted by fluffy, be nice, and don’t make waves sermons. They properly believe that BLM, CRT, and women pastors have no place in the church. They want nothing to do with pastors who are sliding down the slippery slope of tolerance, approval, celebration, and participation in sinful activities... particularly that of Queer Theory. And several prominent mainstream Evangelicals, particularly those on the left, are increasingly critical of them for it. In response, they are moving to other more Biblically based churches, some driving more than an hour on Sundays to attend services. Others are staying home and watching teachers like John MacArthur, Justin Peters, Voddie Baucham, Amir Tsarfati, Paul Washer, Tom Pennington, Steven J. Lawson, and others online. Are those Fundamentalists wrong? Where do you stand on this issue? If you are enjoying our posts, help us cover the expense of this blog by buying us a coffee!
|
Posts
