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The Church's Need for Polemics in the Postmodern World
We live in very treacherous times and we must be pro-active in resisting doctrinal error. The Lord will hold His people accountable to guard the faith, especially those who are in leadership positions. Spiritual warfare is essentially ideological. Therefore, let us "gird up the loins of our minds," and arm ourselves with the truth of the Word of God that we may overcome the multitude of false doctrines that are leading so many into spiritual bondage and confusion. Use this research simply as a beginning point in your study. Many other sources are listed in the bibliography. One book that is very similar to what I have covered is Dr. John MacArthur's book Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern. Read this book for greater expansion on some of the ideas covered here. You may order it from Grace Book Service by calling 1-800-472-2315. Another helpful book is Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church by Ernest D. Pickering. This book is helpful in applying the biblical doctrine of separation from error and proponents of error and is available from Regular Baptist Press by calling 1-800-727-4440. Faithfulness to God will cost you in this life, but the reward of obedience is far more worth any inconvenience or trials in this life. Let me know your thoughts on this issue. We need to encourage each other to be faithful to the Word of God and I look forward to hearing from you and any questions or comments you may have.
In the battle,
2. THE RISE AND INFLUENCE OF POSTMODERNISM
3. THE LOST ART OF POLEMICS
4. CURRENT CHALLENGES TO THE CHURCH
5. RECOVERING A POLEMICAL STAND IN THE POSTMODERN WORLD 6. CONCLUSION
NOTES
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.1 These words from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, written over nineteen hundred years ago, are appropriate for the church of Jesus Christ as the twentieth century draws to a close. The current culture has experienced a paradigm shift from modernism to postmodernism. Truth is dead and intellectual anarchy reigns. Experience and power are what people are seeking in postmodernity, and the church is not unaffected. Christians have been influenced by postmodern culture more than they have influenced the culture. In resistance to modernism, evangelical Christians created their own Christian subculture. But now they are letting their guard down and the Christian subculture is looking more and more like a microcosm of the larger secular culture. Postmodernism has brought society from an age of reason to an age of relativism. The only thing postmodernists cannot tolerate is intolerance. The only absolute truth they believe is that there is no absolute truth. People create their own "truth" and all "truths" are equally valid. The result of all these equally valid "truths" is known as pluralism. The influence of postmodernism can be seen in the church in various areas and to varying degrees. One area is theology. Theology has classically been made up of three major branches: dogmatics, ethics, and apologetics/polemics. The fact that the average Christian, and minister, does not know what these words mean illustrates the point all the more. Dogmatics is the study of Christian doctrine or theology. Dogma is that which is considered absolute truth. The postmodern attitude toward dogma is seen in the bumper sticker that reads, "My karma ran over my dogma." Dogmatics, or doctrine, is not popular because truth is not popular anymore. While 88 percent of those in evangelical churches say the Bible is the infallible Word of God, 53 percent also say there is no such thing as absolute truth!2 Ethics is the study of moral values and practices. It is the application of dogmatics. Apologetics is defending Christian truth before unbelievers. If Christians do not believe in absolute truth, then it is no wonder that they do not engage in apologetics. Polemics is defending Christian truth within the professing church. In order to strengthen itself against the negative influences of postmodernism, a renewed interest in doctrine is needed by the church. The Apostle Peter wrote, "For the time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"3 The most neglected branch of theology is polemics. The reason is because of the rise of tolerance in the church. The growing attitude of tolerance among Christians today is seen in the downplay of doctrine for the sake of unity. This position used to be considered repulsive by evangelicals who resisted ecumenism and groups like the World Council of Churches. But now the spirit of the ecumenical movement is back and can be seen in groups like Promise Keepers which is committed to interdenominational unity even with the Roman Catholic Church.4
Postmodern thought is a rejection of absolute, objective truth. Today's church needs polemics to resist the influence of postmodernism which undermines the gospel and the authority of Scripture. The following chapters will bring broader coverage of postmodernism, polemics, examples of the need for polemics, and how to use polemics to resist postmodernism.
"Wither is God," he [the madman] cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him--you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon?...Are we not straying through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breathe of an empty space? ...Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, the murderers of all murderers, comfort ourselves? ...I come too early," he said then; "my time has not come yet. This tremendous event is still on its way, still wandering--it has not yet reached the ears of man."1 The strangely prophetic words of Friedrich Nietzsche, written over a hundred years ago, have now reached the "ears of man." In the words of James Sire, "The acknowledgment of the death of God is the beginning of postmodern wisdom."2 But the beginning of postmodern wisdom is the end of wisdom. Defining postmodernism is difficult; to do so will require some background. Five major philosophical ontologies or worldviews exist. Ontology answers the question: What is reality? Before the modern era the three major ontologies were idealism, naturalism, and realism. Proponents of these three ontologies believe that there is an essential reality. That is, reality can be defined as to its essence and thus objective truth exists. Idealists such as Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, and Brightman believed that the essence of reality is immaterial ideas, forms, essences, that transcend the material world which is but a copy or a transient shadow of the really real. Naturalists such as Thales, Hobbes, Newton, Marx, and Sagan believed reality is defined by the natural, sensible world. Realists such as Aristotle and Aquinas believed reality is both material (physical) and immaterial (spiritual). The modern era witnessed the development of the next two ontologies, pragmatism and existentialism, which believe that no essential reality exists (more specifically that ontology is unnecessary and misguided, respectively) and thus no objective truth. Pragmatists such as James and Dewey believed that reality is what works in empirical (physical) experience. Existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre believed that reality is chosen by the individual. That means, basically, that reality is whatever the individual wants it to be. Individuals must create their own meaning because life does not come with any meaning in itself. Premodern thought, governed largely by theism (the worldview centered on God as defining reality), addressed what is there (ontology). Modern thought, governed by Enlightenment naturalism, addressed how to know what is there (epistemology). Postmodern thought, governed by pragmatism and existentialism, addresses how language functions to construct meaning itself. In other words, a shift has taken place in "first things" from being to knowing to constructing meaning.3
James Sire shed additional light on the shift from premodern to modern to postmodern thinking: Two major shifts in perspective have occurred over the past centuries: one is the move from the "premodern" (characteristic of the Western world prior to the seventeenth century)to the "modern" (beginning with Descartes [1596-1650]); the second is the move from the "modern" to the "postmodern" (whose first major exponent was Friedrich Nietzsche in the last quarter of the nineteenth century). Take the following as an example of these shifts. . . . There has been a movement from (1) a "premodern" concern for a just society based on revelation from a just God to (2) a "modern" attempt to use universal reason as the guide to justice to (3) a "postmodern" despair of any universal standard for justice. Society then moves from medieval hierarchy to Enlightenment democracy to postmodern anarchy.4
Postmodernism has its roots in modernism which began in the 1700s with the Enlightenment. Rene Descartes is seen as the first modern philosopher. Gene Edward Veith observed, In the 1700s the progress of science accelerated so rapidly that it seemed as if science could explain everything. . . . This age of reason, scientific discovery, and human autonomy is termed the Enlightenment. Its thinkers embraced classicism with its order and rationality (although their version of classicism neglected the supernaturalism of Plato and Aristotle). However, they lumped Christianity together with paganism as outdated superstitions. Reason alone, so they thought, may now replace the reliance on the supernatural born out of the ignorance of ‘unenlightened' times.5 So with the Enlightenment man became the center of the universe rather than God. The modern era left little or no meaning in life. In order to overcome this Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) developed his philosophy of existentialism. He called for living by faith, not reason. David Breese summarized, "He [Kierkegaard] had the problem of involvement in dead religion. He went to the Danish Church in Denmark, a cold brownstone place, but he wasn't satisfied. So he began to think -- ‘Reality is not something outside ourselves. Truth is not something objective. Reality is within ourselves. Reality is an encounter, reality is involvement, reality, is what happens to you, and if it doesn't happen to you, forget it. It's not true.' He is what we call a subjectivist, actually a super-subjectivist."6 On the heels of Kierkegaard came Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), the philosopher whose words began this chapter. Nietzsche realized that the people of Europe lived as though God were dead, so he made atheism the cornerstone of his existential philosophy. The news that "God is dead" has now reached the "ears of man."
James Sire characterized postmodernism as follows: (1) There has been a shift in "first things" from being to knowing to constructing meaning. . . . (2) The truth about the reality is forever hidden from us. All we can do is tell stories [narratives]. . . . (3) All narratives mask a play for power. Any one narrative used as a metanarrative is oppressive. . . . (4) Human beings make themselves who they are by the languages they construct about themselves. . . . (5) Ethics, like knowledge, is a linguistic construct. Social good is whatever society takes it to be. . . . (6) The cutting edge of culture is literary theory.7 Postmodern thought has greatly influenced contemporary culture. The hallmark of postmodern thought is the death of truth. Don Matzat noted, "The only absolute truth that exists in the postmodern mentality is that there is no such thing as absolute truth, and as far as the postmodern scholar is concerned, that is absolutely true."8 The self-contradiction is obvious but the postmodernist is not concerned with logic or truth. Everyone has his or her own "truth" and the height of arrogance is to say that one's "truth" is actually the truth. Nothing frightens the postmodernists more than a "fundamentalist" claim to absolute truth which they view as nothing more than an attempt to oppress those who disagree. So with the rise of postmodernism came ideas such as political correctness, tolerance, moral relativism, multiculturalism, new age spirituality, religious syncretism, empowerment of minorities, denigration of white European males, and homosexual rights. Every area of society has been touched by postmodernism. Health care, literature, education, history, psychotherapy, law, science, and religion are all mutating under the influence of postmodernism.9
Because of their claim to an exclusive metanarrative (worldview), conservative, Bible- believing Christians are alone in being exempt from society's tolerance. Christians are not only ignored by the popular culture, they are increasingly singled out for ridicule and outright bashing by the kinder, gentler postmodernists. The postmodernist's "tolerance" masks the reality of an underhanded power play. However, the Christian church has not escaped the influence of postmodernism.
"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."1 This passage of Scripture from Jude, along with dozens of others, provides the biblical basis for what is called polemics. Polemics is defending the truth against error. It deals with refuting false doctrine in the church. The dictionary definition of polemic is, "1. A controversy or argument, especially one that is a refutation of or an attack upon a specified opinion, doctrine, or the like. 2. Plural. a. The art or practice of argumentation or controversy. b. The practice of theological controversy to refute errors of doctrine."2 It is easy to see why polemics is not popular in postmodernity. Most people, including Christians, have disdain for the "negative" words found in the definition: controversy, argument, attack, refute, errors, doctrine. The nature of polemics assumes that truth and error actually exist, and that they are important enough to fight for. It is hard to believe that a chair of Didactic and Polemic Theology existed at Princeton Theological Seminary. B.B. Warfield held this position from 1887 until his death in 1921. Michael Horton noted, "Warfield was an example of what has become a dying breed in this century: a defender of truth at all costs, regardless of its unpopularity with either liberals or conservatives."3 Horton further observed, "There was a time, of course, when every theologian, whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, was a polemicist. Later, polemics became merely a distinct position on a theological faculty. Finally, it disappeared altogether in a spirit of congenial tolerance."4
Where did the idea come from that Christians should just present the gospel without refuting error? It certainly did not come from the Scriptures or the leaders in church history. Horton explained it well: The church was born in doctrinal debate. It fought its way to dominance through centuries of arguments over doctrinal detail. The Reformation was a controversy between two different gospels. The Great Awakening was in part the result of the controversial and polemical defense of the grace of God and human inability. John Newton not only gave us "Amazing Grace," but polemical attacks on Arminian legalism in his day. Luther and Calvin not only wrote heated polemics against the Church of Rome, but against the "enthusiasts" whom we would know today as Pentecostals. But let us go back further. Where would we be without the polemics of Athanasius? And yet he was accused by Arians--that is, those who denied Christ's divinity (and this was in some regions the majority view)--as a divisive person. Thank God that Irenaeus preferred truth to tolerance when he drove Gnosticism out of the church. It seems that the church has forgotten that it is the "pillar and ground of the truth."6 The church, in large measure, has lost its will to discern between truth and error. John MacArthur stated, "Discernment demands that we should hold biblical convictions with the most fervent tenacity. Titus 1:9 says a basic requirement for every elder is that he be the kind of man who ‘[holds] fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.' It is thus mandated by God that we take issue with error. We must refute those who contradict, or we do not fulfill our divine calling."7 If one fails to love the truth, one fails to love God; or as Gordon Clark wrote, "Since God is truth, a contempt for truth is equally a contempt for God."8
Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote decades ago: Disapproval of polemics in the Christian Church is a very serious matter. But that is the attitude of the age in which we live. The prevailing idea today in many circles is not to bother about these things. As long as we are all Christians, anyhow, somehow, all is well. Do not let us argue about doctrine, let us all be Christians together and talk about the love of God. That is really the whole basis of ecumenicity. Unfortunately, that same attitude is creeping into evangelical circles also and many say that we must not be too precise about these things. . . . If you hold that view you are criticizing the Apostle Paul, you are saying that he was wrong, and at the same time you are criticizing the Scriptures. The Scriptures argue and debate and dispute; they are full of polemics.9
People today want to cast everything into varying shades of gray. The truth is that far more things are black-and-white issues. Nowhere can this fact be more clearly seen than in the Scriptures. Jay Adams called this the principle of antithesis. In the Bible, where antithesis is so important, discernment--the ability to distinguish God's thoughts and God's ways from all others--is essential. Indeed, God says that "the wise in heart will be called discerning" (Proverbs 16:21). Adams suggested that "people who study the Bible in depth develop antithetical mindsets: they think in terms of contrasts or opposites."11 How different this antithetical thinking is from the thinking of postmodernism which claims truth is a fuzzy gray with no center. Also, how different it is from the attitude of Evangelical Christians who want to only present biblical truth in positive terms but never point out error and especially never point out proponents of error. The name for this type of Christianity is called New Evangelicalism. In the simplest of terms, "the heart of New Evangelicalism is this: It is a repudiation of the negative aspects of biblical Christianity."12 New Evangelicalism has its origins in leaders like Harold Ockenga and Billy Graham. Its main voice has been the magazine Christianity Today and its main organization has been the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Another way of identifying New Evangelicalism is its mood of neutralism. "New Evangelicalism is a philosophy, but it is also a mood. In his discerning book on Evangelicalism, subtitled New Neutralism, William Ashbrook notes: ‘[New Evangelicalism] might more properly be labeled The New Neutralism. It seeks neutral ground, being neither fish nor fowl, neither right nor left, neither for nor against--it stands between!' (p. 2). . . . New Evangelicalism can be identified by the following terms: Soft, cautious, hesitant, tolerant, pragmatic, accommodating, flexible, non-controversial, non-offensive, non-passionate, non-dogmatic."13 New Evangelicalism is the prevailing ideology among Evangelicals today. Its major premise is a repudiation of separatism in favor of infiltration.
In order to better understand the decline of polemics, an understanding of New Evangelicalism is needed.14 If polemics died with modernism, New Evangelicalism nailed the coffin and buried it. However, as has been shown, this is not the biblical position.
The combination of postmodern thought raging against truth and the church relinquishing her responsibility for polemics to guard truth requires an intentional and diligent effort on the part of the church to reclaim a polemical stand for truth. Without a soon recovered love for the truth by the church, Christianity faces a severe crisis; a crisis of losing biblical truth and ministry by following the influence of an ungodly culture. Indeed, this crisis is already in progress and has been addressed in many recent books.1 The following is just a few examples of the church's crisis over truth.
Consumerism. In an article which appeared in Christianity Today in November 1992, Charles Colson cataloged some of the attitudes that are prevailing in the postmodern church.2 In the article, titled "Welcome to McChurch," Colson noted the shift among church goers from seeking God to seeking self. Colson wrote, Even secular observers have noted how this demand for "feel better" religion is affecting church life and practice. A 1990 Newsweek cover story heralded the dramatic religious resurgence among the nation's baby boomers. But "unlike earlier religious revivals," the study noted, "the aim this time (apart from born-again traditionalists of all faiths) is support, not salvation, help rather than holiness, a circle of spiritual equals rather than an authoritative church or guide. A group affirmation of self is at the top of the agenda, which is why some of the least demanding churches are now in the greatest demand."3 People now approach the church as consumers, just like everything else in life. Consumerism is one of the results of pragmatism which, along with existentialism, is the philosophy driving postmodern thought. William James, one of the philosophers of pragmatism, said, "Truth's verification is its cash value in experiential terms."4 Religious content is losing relevance as people more and more desire to have their "felt needs" met. People now want a religion that "works," or that they can use to make them happy. So in order to get people into the church, church leaders are willing to give them what they want. The name for this movement in Christianity is the Church Growth Movement. The new model for the church is the marketplace;5 the church is established along the lines of a business, the pastor functions as the CEO, and the target group is the customer base. The church is less theocentric and more anthropocentric. John D. Hannah has noted, "To parrot David Wells's judgement of the church at large, and I have in mind the evangelical one, theology is fast becoming ‘an embarrassing encumbrance.' The doctrine of the utter otherness, or holiness, of God has been replaced by the idol of the moral self. God is slick and slack, happiness is the opposite of righteousness, sin is self-defeating behavior, morality is a trade-off of private interests, worship is entertainment, and the ‘church is a mall in which the religious, their pockets filled with the coinage of need, do their business.'"6 Consumerism is most prominent in American megachurches which provide a string of ministries designed to meet the felt-needs of various special interest groups. Bruce Shelley and Marshall Shelley have written, "These churches are able to pack large numbers of people into an auditorium to participate in a single service of worship, but the audience is no longer united by the shared beliefs summarized in a denominational covenant. Many are attracted by some specific ministry of the church: care for mothers of preschoolers, support for single parents, financial counseling and others. The denominational or generic name over the door seems to be irrelevant. Under the shelter of the congregation's umbrella, deeper commitments are expressed in the diverse special interest groups sponsored by the congregation."7
Consumerism is also dangerous to the church because of its effect on theology. Millard J Erickson has expressed well this sentiment as it relates to the disappearance of evangelical theology: This disappearance of theology can be seen in two realms: the actual life of evangelicals and evangelical ministry. Evangelical piety has become very internalized, very privatized, a development that reflects the broader psychology of our day. At one time happiness was considered by evangelicals to be a by-product of right behavior. Now happiness has become the main goal of concern and activity. This experience of feeling good has increasingly become the object of much evangelical activity. This has enabled it to be very successful, for the consumer mentality simply is not hospitable to the habits of reflection and judgment required to frame and defend orthodox belief. Wells shows the parallels between the message of Robert Schuller and that of Harry Emerson Fosdick. He says that the psychologizing of life undercuts historic Christianity at three points: (1) it assumes the perfectibility of human nature, contrary to the Christian gospel; (2) it undermines the desire and capacity to think, thus making theology impossible; (3) it severs interest in the outside world, sacrificing culture for self. Consumerism undermines the gospel and the authority of Scripture by promoting self over the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To be faithful to the Lord, the church must draw its message, mandates, and direction from Scripture, not from the culture. God is at the center of the universe, not man. Counterfeit Revival. The Counterfeit Revival is a movement that is prevalent among Charismatic Christians, most notably in churches like the Toronto Airport Vineyard in Toronto, Canada and the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida. Revival is on the lips of Christian leaders worldwide. However, it is not a revival of biblical truth. It is, in fact, not really a revival of anything Christian, but a new movement. In the words of Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute, it is a new movement based on the "F-L-E-S-H".9 Hank Hanegraaff has researched this so-called revival in-depth. His book, Counterfeit Revival, uses the acronym F-L-E-S-H to make the material in his book memorable and to distinguish the work of the Spirit from the counterfeit work of the FLESH. Each letter corresponds to a characteristic of the Counterfeit Revival. The "F" stands for fabrications, fantasies, and frauds. Hanegraaff documents how the leaders of the Counterfeit Revival are steeped in deception. Many of their followers have become disillusioned and unable to trust God or those who claim to represent him. Genuine revival always rests firmly of the foundation of faith and facts. The "L" is for lying signs and wonders. However, genuine revival always finds its genesis in the Living Word. The "E" is for endtime restorationism, the belief that at the end of the age God will restore supernatural signs, "super apostles, and prophets." Genuine revival is predicated on earnest repentance. The "S" is for slain in the spirit, or falling backwards onto the floor as an alleged manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Genuine revival is focused on salvation and sanctification of the Spirit. The "H" is for hypnotism. Whether they are referred to as Hindu gurus or Holy Ghost bartenders, the methods they employ have much in common. They all work subjects into altered states of consciousness, use peer pressure to conform them to predictable patterns, depend heavily on arousing people's expectations, and abuse the power of suggestion to make subjects willing to accept virtually anything that enters their minds. Leaders of genuine revival enlighten disciples through Holy Scripture. While multitudes clamor for a massive revival, what the body of Christ desperately needs is a mighty reformation. A sampling of the Counterfeit Revival leaders includes the names of Jack Deere, John Arnott, John Wimber, Rick Joiner, John Kilpatrick, Rodney Howard Browne, Wes Campbell, Paul Cain, Randy Clark, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, and Benny Hinn. The Counterfeit Revival undermines the gospel and the authority of Scripture by deceiving its followers through socio-psychological manipulation that emphasizes feelings, fantasy, and esoteric revelation over faith, fact, and reason. Room does not permit in-depth discussion of the Counterfeit Revival here, but the reader is encouraged to examine Hanegraaff's book and other sources.10
Spiritual Abuse. Ken Blue explained spiritual abuse as what "happens when a leader with spiritual authority uses that authority to coerce, control, or exploit a follower, thus causing spiritual wounds."11 Spiritual abuse is something of a secret sin of the church. It happens often but is not very often talked about. However, the damage it causes is severe. Ron Enroth has written: Unlike physical abuse that often results in bruised bodies, spiritual and pastoral abuse leaves scars on the psyche and soul. It is inflicted by persons who are accorded respect and honor in our society by virtue of their role as religious leaders and models of spiritual authority. They base that authority on the Bible, the Word of God, and see themselves as shepherds with a sacred trust. But when they violate that trust, when they abuse their authority, and when they misuse ecclesiastical power to control and manipulate the flock, the results can be catastrophic. The perversion of power that we see in abusive churches disrupts and divides families, fosters an unhealthy dependence of members on the leadership, and creates, ultimately, spiritual confusion in the lives of victims.12 Characteristics of spiritual abuse are legalism, authoritarian leadership, manipulation, excessive discipline, and spiritual intimidation. One good example of a spiritually abusive group is the International Churches of Christ (formerly known as the "Boston Movement").13 The ICC's ten percent-plus annual growth rate places it among the fastest-growing religious groups in North America. Nearly 12,000 attend regular Sunday services at the L.A. Sports Arena. The ICC claims to be the only true church and that discipleship is a "necessary part of the process of salvation."14 People who have left the group claim that excessive control is exercised over members. According to one researcher, "it is common for some leaders to exert a strong influence on their disciples' choices for everything from which college courses to take to the right marriage partner. ‘They advised me on every aspect of my life–when to go to bed, where to work, whom to date, whether to go on vacation,' former member Kim says."15 The group is very active on university campuses and practices "love bombing." They will be very cordial and pleasant when recruiting, but once in the group leaving is hard to do. Another former member said, "They teach that if you leave the church, you're leaving God."16 Spiritual abuse undermines the gospel and the authority of Scripture through legalism rather than grace in spiritual life and oppressing people while supposedly representing Christ. Evangelicals and Catholics Together. Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) is a movement led by Chuck Colson, representing Evangelicals, and Richard John Neuhaus, representing Roman Catholics, to form "common convictions about Christian faith and mission."17 The first document, entitled "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium," was published in 1994. The document states that "Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ."18 On this foundation the ECT drafters and signatories desire to unify Evangelicals and Catholics to witness for the gospel together and fight the culture war together. The drafters included Charles Colson, Kent Hill, Richard Land, Larry Lewis, Jesse Miranda, Brian O'Connell, and John White among the Evangelicals. After controversy, Southern Baptists Richard Land and Larry Lewis removed their names from the list of signatories which included Bill Bright, Os Guiness, William Frey, Richard Mouw, Mark Knoll, Thomas Oden, J.I. Packer, Pat Robertson, and John Rodgers among the Evangelicals. A second document has since been published, along with a commentary article by Timothy George, entitled "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Gift of Salvation."19 The signatories of this document include the same as the previous but also added to the list were Gerald Bray, Harold O.J. Brown, Timothy George, Max Lucado, T.M. Moore, Timothy Phillips, and John Woodbridge for the Evangelicals. "The Gift of Salvation" was written to address "two important topics of perceived ambiguity in ECT: the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the biblical mandate for world missions and world evangelization."20 Again the signers of ECT have stated that they express "a common faith in Christ and so to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters in Christ."21 By simply claiming belief in justification by faith the Catholic signers, along with the Evangelicals, have stated that "what we here affirm is in agreement with what the Reformation traditions have meant by justification by faith alone (sola fide)."22 And still the Catholics signers can state that they are, "...Catholics who are conscientiously faithful to the teaching of the Catholic Church..."23 The teaching of the Reformation and that of the Catholic Church are in great disagreement about justification. This type of inconsistency and intellectual dishonesty demands a polemical response from both Evangelicals who believe the Bible and Catholics who believe the teaching of their Church. ECT undermines the gospel and the authority of Scripture by compromising truth and destroying a true gospel witness to millions of lost Catholics for the sake of ecumenical unity.
Consumerism, the Counterfeit Revival, spiritual abuse, and Evangelicals and Catholics Together are but four challenges that require a strong polemical voice to reprove their error and warn other believers of the danger to their spiritual health and testimony. The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:11, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose [or reprove] them" (NKJV). Just how to do that is the focus of the next chapter.
With movements like consumerism, Counterfeit Revivals (Toronto and Pensacola), spiritual abuse (International Churches of Christ), Evangelicals and Catholics Together (Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus), just to name a few, polemics is clearly needed today to keep the church from doctrinal error, apostasy, and the destruction of the lives and souls of people. The gospel and the authority of Scripture are under a massive assault on many fronts. All that the reformers fought for, all that the apostles proclaimed and died for, all that God sent Jesus to the cross for is threatened today by Christians who are concerned with things other than doctrinal purity. The recovery of polemics can bring the church back to its Scriptural message and mission. While revival is on the lips of leaders worldwide, the statistical evidence shows anarchy on the horizon.1 What is needed is not revival but reformation.2 The biblically grounded teaching of John MacArthur can give the church guidance here. MacArthur's teaching is that discernment is needed to distinguish between truth and error. In his book Reckless Faith he wrote, "Does the Scripture tell us how to be discerning? It certainly does. Paul sums up the process in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 [NASB]: ‘Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.' There, in three straightforward commands, he spells out the requirements of a discerning mind."3 But what is the standard by which to judge truth? After he covered the relevant biblical passages, MacArthur concluded, "Therefore, Paul is affirming that the Bible is the only reliable criterion by which believers in this age can evaluate any message claiming to be the truth from God."4 MacArthur explained several ingredients for a recipe for discernment. The ingredients are: (1) desire wisdom; (2) pray for discernment; (3) obey the truth; (4) follow discerning leaders; (5) depend on the Holy Spirit; (6) study the Scriptures; and (7) keep growing.5 One cannot have true spiritual discernment apart from the Bible. The Reformation conviction sola scriptura or Scripture alone must be renewed. This doctrine means the Scriptures alone are authoritative for doctrine and practice. To resist a postmodern approach to the Scriptures, one must approach them as objective universal truth. This idea would seem to be a given, but too often today Christians approach the Bible from an existential or pragmatic perspective. As Michael Horton pointed out, "Scripture alone not only does not mean individualism or subjectivism; it must not be construed as saying that the Bible tells us everything. . . . Scripture is chiefly concerned with the unfolding drama of redemption, from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem, and everything relates to Christ as prophet, priest, and king. . . . That means that the Bible is not principally concerned with organizing our schedule, giving us tips for winning in life and business, or with guiding us into self-fulfillment."6 Yet too often this is where the emphasis lies. People want what is "practical" and "relevant." However, many do not understand that what is eternal is what is ultimately relevant. Accepting the sole authority of the Scriptures, basing the ministry of the church on it, and pointing out errors of those who reject the authority of the Scriptures will not be comfortable or popular; but then, God did not call the church to be comfortable or popular. In many cases people will reject biblical doctrine and continue in error. What is the church to do in such situations? In the Bible, false doctrine is considered a grave sin. The church's apathetic attitude toward false doctrine and false teachers was not shared by Jesus and the apostles. The Bible's strongest warnings are reserved for those engaging in false doctrine. Those who want to uphold the authority of the Scriptures must take this seriously. In Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus provided the formula for dealing with a sinning brother. It deals with personally confronting the person in error with hopes of repentance and restoration. If no repentance takes place, the person is to be dismissed from fellowship in the church and considered an unbeliever. This is the doctrine of separation, a doctrine no longer practiced in most churches. This may seem severe, but that is because the effect of tolerating sin (and false doctrine is sin) in the church is devastating. Other passages dealing with separation are Romans 16: 17-20, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Galatians 1:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, and Titus 3:10-11. Many today despise the doctrine of separation preferring to generate unity, but as Richard Mayhue noted, the Bible places higher priority on doctrinal purity than church unity. Mayhue summarized, "(1) The Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and practice. (2) Doctrinal purity is an essential mark of the church. (3) The New Testament does command separating from doctrinal impurity. These conditions are mandated by New Testament teaching. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that the Bible expressly forbids entering or sustaining ecclesiastical relationships with those who characteristically reject truth and/or habitually persist in doctrinal error."7 The prince of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, in his statement as to why he separated from the London Baptist Association in 1888 wrote, "Complicity with error will take from the best of men the power to enter any successful protest against it. If any body of believers had errorists among them, but were resolute to deal with them in the name of the Lord, all might come right; but confederacies founded upon the principle that all may enter, whatever views they hold, are based upon disloyalty to the truth of God. If truth is optional, error is justifiable."8 Many today are making their doctrinal statements as short and general as possible to include the most amount of people. Some are even saying that doctrinal statements should be done away with altogether and make belief in Jesus the only requirement.9 This position is clearly insufficient since Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses believe in Jesus.
The Bible is clear on this issue, but it rubs against the grain of the times. The church must be courageous and stand on the truth of the Word of God no matter the cost, even if it means separating from those in error. Polemics must be done in love, but it must be done nonetheless.
Postmodernism poses a great challenge to Christianity. The tenents of postmodern thought undermine the gospel and the authority of Scripture by denying the existence of, or at least the ability to know, objective and absolute truth. Postmodernism makes the individual the author of his or her own "truth." Postmodernism is intellectual anarchy and, if left unchallenged, will lead to neo-barbarism. An orderly, just, logical, and humane society is impossible when depraved humanity is permitted to create their own reality. People cannot survive long without truth. Many people realize the vanity of postmodern beliefs, but do not know where to turn for truth. The church may have its greatest opportunity to share the gospel than it ever has since the era of the early church. The Greco-Roman culture of the early church was quite similar to that of postmodernism and the church thrived during that time. However, if the church does not engage in polemics to define the truth within its own ranks, then it will lose the current window of opportunity to bring the gospel to the lost. Failure to recover the authority of Scripture will result in the culture's increased confusion, despair, and disintegration. Society will long for order more than truth and may turn to any source of authority to bring order. This situation could very well be setting the stage for the end-times scenario taught in the Bible. This scenario includes a world ruler (the antichrist) who will lead the world into a global government, economy, and religion. In any case, the church still has a biblical mandate to contend for the truth of the gospel and uphold the authority of the Scriptures. As the professing church continues on its path to apostasy, those who are discerning must draw the line and separate from apostates in order to be faithful to God. Those who choose to be faithful to God will face great opposition and derision by those who desire unity over truth. However, no Christian unity can exist apart from truth. The only unity that the current ecumenical movement has is its unity in disloyalty to truth.
Though those who adhere to truth will be scorned they are in good company. The Old Testaments prophets, the apostles, and even Jesus himself were all persecuted by those who rejected the truth. But Jesus prayed for his people in John 17. He prayed, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."1
Chapter One
1. 2 Tim. 4:1-5 NKJV (New King James Version).
2. George Barna, The Barna Report: What Americans Believe (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1991), 292-294.
3. 1 Pet. 4:17, NKJV.
4. Don Matzat, "Inside Look at the Promise Keepers," Issues, Etc. Journal 2, no.6 (winter 1998): 3-13; Dave Hunt, "Q&A" and "News Alert," The Berean Call (September 1997): 3, 4.
1. Friedrich Nietzsche, "The Madman," Gay Science 125, in The Portable Nietzsche, trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Viking, 1954), 95-96.
2. James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, 3d ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 173.
3. Ibid., 175.
4. Ibid.
5. Gene Edward Veith Jr., Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1995), 32-33.
6. David Breese, Seven Men Who Rule the World From the Grave (Oklahoma City: The Southwest Radio Church, 1980), 20-21.
7. Sire, 175-84.
8. Don Matzat, "Apologetics in a Postmodern Age," Issues, Etc. Journal 2, no. 5 (Fall 1997): 7.
9. Postmodern's influence in these areas in superbly treated in Dennis McCallum, ed., The Death of Truth (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996).
1. Jude 3, NKJV. 2. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language (1976), s.v. "polemic".
3. Michael Horton, "How to Be Polemical (Without Being A Downright Nasty Person)," Modern Reformation 5, no.5 (Sept./Oct. 1996): 4.
4. Ibid., 5.
5. Ibid.
6. 1 Tim. 3:15, NKJV.
7. John F. MacArthur, Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994), 52; Scripture quoted from Tit. 1:9, NASB (New American Standard Bible).
8. Gordon H. Clark, A Christian Philosophy of Education (Jefferson, Md.: Trinity Foundation, 1988), 158; quoted in MacArthur, 44.
9. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 3.20-4.25: Atonement and Justification (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970), 113; quoted in MacArthur, 48.
10. Jay E. Adams, A Call to Discernment (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1987), 31; quoted in MacArthur 49-50.
11. Ibid., 29; quoted in MacArthur, 50.
12. David W. Cloud, "Fundamentalism, Modernism, and New-Evangelicalism (Part III)," O Timothy 12, no. 1 (1995) [database on-line]; available from http://www.whidbey.net/~dcloud/fbns/fundamen3.htm; Internet; accessed 24 October 1997.
13. Ibid.
14. For a comprehensive treatment of New Evangelicalism see John E. Ashbrook, New Neutralism II: Exposing the Gray of Compromise (n.p.: Here I Stand Books, 1992) available for $4.00 from Here I Stand Books 536 Greenside Dr. Painesville, OH 44077 or phone (440) 354-7725.
1. See the bibliography for a sampling of books dealing with the challenges faceing the Evangelical Church.
2. Charles Colson, "Welcome to McChurch," Christianity Today, 9 November 1992, 33-35.
3. Ibid.
4. Michael Horton, Polemics, audiotape of interview by Don Matzat on the radio broadcast Issues, Etc. 5/4/97. Available from Issues, Etc. 1-800-737-0172.
5. Gene Edward Veith, Postmodernism, audiotape of interview by Don Matzat on the radio broadcast Issues, Etc. 10/12/97. Available from Issues, Etc. 1-800-737-0172.
6. John D. Hannah, The Coming Evangelical Crisis: Current Challenges to the Authority of Scripture and the Gospel, ed. John H. Armstrong (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996), 156.
7. Bruce Shelley and Marshall Shelley, The Consumer Church: Can Evangelicals Win the World Without Losing Their Souls? (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 156.
8. Millard J. Erickson, Postmodernizing the Faith: Evangelical Responses to the Challenge of Postmodernism (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 34-35.
9. Hank Hanegraaff, Counterfeit Revival: Looking for God In All the Wrong Places (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1997), 13.
10. Michael G. Moriarity, The New Charismatics: A Concerned Voice Responds to Dangerous New Trends (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992); John F. MacArthur Jr., Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992); on the Internet see www.discernment.org and www.equip.org.
11. Ken Blue, Healing Spiritual Abuse: How to Break Free from Bad Church Experiences (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 12.
12. Ronald M. Enroth, Churches that Abuse: Help for Those Hurt by Legalism, Authoritarian Leadership, Manipulation, Excessive Discipline, and Spiritual Intimidation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 29.
13. Richard N. Ostling, "Keepers of the Flock," Time, 18 May 1992, 62.
14. Randy Frame, "The Cost of Discipleship?" Christianity Today, 1 September 1997, 66.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid., 88.
17. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, eds., Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), xv.
18. Ibid., xvii.
19. Timothy George, "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: A New Initiative," Christianity Today 8 December 1997, 34-36, 38.
20. Ibid., 34-35.
21. Ibid., 35.
22. Ibid., 36.
23. Ibid., 38.
1. Mark Wingfield, "Researcher Barna See Anarchy, Not
Revival, on Horizon," Baptist New Mexican, 23 March 1996, 7.
2. Hank Hanegraaff, Hypnotic Seduction in The Church, audiotape of lecture given in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997. Available from the Christian Research Institute 1-800-443-9797.
3. John F. MacArthur, Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994), 69.
4. Ibid., 76.
5. Ibid., 81-90.
6. Michael Horton, The Coming Evangelical Crisis, ed. John H. Armstrong (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996), 251.
7. Richard Mayhue, "Separation in Ministry Relationships," Voice: An Independent Church Journal 72, no. 5 (September/October 1993): 21.
8. Charles H. Spurgeon, "The Drift of the Times: Sound the Alarm!" The Baptist Challenge 35, no. 3 (March 1995): 16.
9. Gary Cameron, "Truth and Unity," The New Reformation Review 1, no. 5 (August 1993):3 [jounal on-line]; available from http://www.mindspring.com/~krwatson/nrr/0105aug.html; Internet; accessed 21 November 1997.
1. John 17:14-19, NKJV.
Allen, Diogenes. Christian Belief in a Postmodern World: The Full Wealth of Conviction. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989.
Armstrong, John, ed. The Coming Evangelical Crisis. Chicago: Moody Press, 1996.
Ashbrook, John E. New Neutralism: Exposing the Gray of Compromise. n.p: Here I Stand Books, 1992.
________ . Axioms of Separation. n.p.: Here I Stand Books, n.d.
Blue, Ken. Healing Spiritual Abuse: How to Break Free from Bad Church Experiences. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Breese, David. Seven Men Who Rule the World From the Grave. Oklahoma City: Southwest Radio Church, 1980.
Cameron, Gary. "Truth and Unity." The New Reformation Review 1, no. 5 (August 1993): 1-6. Journal on-line. Available from http://www.mindspring.com/~krwatson/nrr/010aug.html.
Cloud, David. "Fundamentalism, Modernism, and New-Evangelicalism." O Timothy 12, no. 1 (1995). Database on-line. Available from http://www.whidbey.net/~dcloud/fbns/fundamental3.htm.
Colson, Charles and Richard John Neuhaus, eds. Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995.
Dobson, Edward. In Search of Unity: An Appeal to Fundamentalists and Evangelicals. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985.
Dockery, David S., ed. The Challenge of Postmodernism: An Evangelical Engagement. Wheaton: BridgePoint (Victor Books), 1995.
Enroth, Ron. Churches That Abuse. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1993.
Erickson, Millard J. The Evangelical Mind and Heart: Perspectives on Theological and Practical Issues. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993.
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Frame, Randy. "The Cost of Discipleship?" Christianity Today 1 September 1997, 64-66, 88.
George, Timothy. "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: A New Initiative." Christianity Today 8 December 1997, 34-38.
Griffiths, Paul J. "Why We Need Interreligious Polemics." First Things 44 (June/July 1994): 31-37. [Journal on-line]. Available from http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9406/griffith.html.
Hanegraaff, Hank. Counterfeit Revival. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1997.
________ . Hypnotic Seduction in the Church, n.d. Christian Research Institute. Cassette.
Horton, Michael Scott, ed. Power Religion: The Selling Out of the Evangelical Church? Chicago: Moody Press, 1992.
________ . Polemics. Issues Etc., 5/4/97A. Cassette.
________ . "How to Be Polemical (Without Being a Downright Nasty Person)." Modern Reformation, September/October 1996, 4-9.
MacArthur, John F. Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994.
________ . Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993.
________ . Charismatic Chaos. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
________ . The Master's Plan for the Church. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991.
Matzat, Don. "Apologetics in a Postmodern Age," Issues, Etc. Journal 2, no 5 (Fall 1997): 3-18.
Mayhue, Richard. "Separation in Ministry Relationships." Voice: An Independent Church Journal 72, no. 5 (September/October 1993): 20-21.
McCallum, Dennis, ed. The Death of Truth. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996.
McDowell, Josh. "Tolerance and Truth." Moody, March/April 1997, 34, 36.
Moriarity, Michael G. The New Charismatics: A Concerned Voice Responds to Dangerous New Trends. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
Price, Keith A. "The Basis for Christian Fellowship." Database on-line. Available from http://www.mindspring.com/%7Emmattison/Fellowship.html.
Shelley, Bruce and Marshall Shelley. The Consumer Church: Can Evangelicals Win the World Without Losing Their Souls? Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992.
Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door: A Basic World View Catalog, 3d ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Spurgeon, Charles. "The Drift of the Times: Sound the Alarm!" The Baptist Challenge 35, no. 3 (March 1995): 11, 16-17.
Toon, Peter. The End of Liberal Theology: Contemporary Challenges to Evangelical Theology. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1995.
Veith, Gene Edward, Jr. Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1995.
________ . Postmodernism. Issues Etc., 10/12/97A. Cassette.
Wells, David F. No Place for Truth, or, Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993.
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