By Marsha West
By far the biggest obstacle the visible Church faces is the infiltration of progressive activists, many of whom are renowned pastors, authors, conference speakers, evangelists, missionaries, musicians, televangelists, radio hosts, podcasters, seminary presidents and CEOs. As of late, even some of our most beloved evangelical leaders have departed conservativism and morphed into theological progressives. In other words, they’re woke.
The extent the woke movement has impacted our leaders varies. But the truth is that a growing number of “Christian” notables have gone off the reservation. As a result, false doctrine abounds in fiction and non-fiction books as well as movies. Many dangerous books have become best-sellers. This includes Bibles, devotionals and Bible studies. Books and DVDs of this nature are easily purchased through Amazon, online booksellers and through so-called Christian publishers. Sadly, a number of these, with all their unorthodox teaching, end up on the shelves of church libraries. Moreover, so-called Christian television hosts and YouTube influencers promote their guests’ merchandise that contain unbiblical teaching—even outright lies—and fear confronting the person even when it’s obvious that he/she is either overstating a situation or telling a big fat lie.
So – before purchasing a book, a DVD or seeing a faith-based movie, follow in the Berean’s footsteps and do some research! (Acts:17:11) Don’t be one of those professing believers who, in their ignorance, promote the worst sort of heresy imaginable. This includes Christians who promote an unbiblical woke agenda! God is pleased when His people do their homework.
Doing My Homework
I like to be apprised of what’s going on in my own neighborhood, so I recently visited three church websites. On church #1 I spotted a “Bible study” for women written by notorious false teacher Christine Caine and another by Beth Moore. Church #2 (supposedly conservative) recommends books by “befallen church-bully” pastor Mark Driscoll and woke pastor Matt Chandler who was disciplined for “course joking” with a woman not his wife. Lastly, a “Reformed” church site advertises Alpha for members who sign up for it. That same church’s pastor also recommends Catholic contemplative heretic Henri Nouwen’s books to his sheep.
Listen to 1 Tim. 4:1-3:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
Own Up To Introducing Evil
Over the years I have written about the Christian Right and the leaderships’ inclination toward ecumenism. Everything has already been said by me and many other conservatives who saw what was happening. Back in the 1960s Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer asked, “What is the use of evangelicalism seeming to get larger and larger if sufficient numbers under the name evangelical no longer hold to that which makes evangelicalism evangelical?”
Since no one has been listening. it’s imperative to keep clanging the warning bell hoping that Bible believers will wake up, smell the wolves, and banish this evil from the mainstream.
No doubt that much of the moral decay in America can be traced to the godless ideologues of secular progressivism. However, in their zeal to “Reclaim America for Christ” some well-intentioned conservative pro-family organizations have introduced evil into the visible Church. I’m speaking of the “Religious Right” that became influential in the 1970s, later labeled the “Christian Right.” Ironically, in order to bring society back to its Judeo-Christian roots, conservative Christian organizations such as the Moral Majority, Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, American Family Association, the Family Research Council to name a few as well as parachurch ministries have invited heretics and cultists into the forefront of the movement.
Some of the names you may recognize from the past are Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, Adrian Rogers, Pat Robertson and Tim LaHaye, all of whom are deceased. In their zeal to defeat the secular humanist anti-God agenda, these and many more contemporary Christian Right leaders chose to unite (do business) with those who are self-professed Christians even though they don’t abide by the teachings in the Bible. One example of this type of alliance is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) which is a theological cult that often enjoins with legitimate Christian organizations and their leaders to achieve common goals.
We rarely hear “Christian Right” used anymore. Why? Because the left-media recently labeled Americans who take a politically conservative stance “Christian nationalists.”
“Critics will often claim “Christian nationalism” when there is the slightest connection between a person’s faith and his or her political or social views. From that perspective, any desire to see laws reflecting godly morality or protecting Christian expressions of faith in public life is invalid nationalism and should be rejected.” (Source)
It’s important to understand that progressives oppose Bible believing Christians, therefore they often use the catch-all epithet “Christian nationalist” to bludgeon them with. What leftist ideologues show no interest in reporting is that there’s an ongoing debate between Christian nationalists and non-Christian nationalists who vehemently disagree on what exactly a Christian nationalist is. Some speculate that the reason progressives fear Christian nationalism is for the reason that “if there’s a higher authority than the state then the state ceases to be God.”
Attempting to further define this movement will take me off the beaten track, so I’ve provided a research link below.
A few decades ago, Christian Right (CR) leaders convinced many evangelicals that if we can just change the system, we’ll be able to influence human behavior and restore some moral sanity to this country. To achieve this lofty goal, they pressed conservative people of faith to become engaged in the culture war. Evangelicals were urged to cast their vote and they did, in large numbers.
The CR has not backed off their agenda, not by a long shot. In fact, CR organizations remain intact and are powerful. They haven’t ceased pleading with conservatives to become involved in politics at state and local levels…to participate in special interest groups…pay close attention to what institutions of higher learning and K-12 public schools are teaching because America’s education systems at all levels have been commandeered by leftists. Parents should know what their beloved children are being taught so they must be involved. CR groups also suggest conservatives take part in lawful demonstrations and publicly held events. And if they wish to play a larger role in influencing public policy and promote an agenda such as MAGA, We the People must prevail.
One Nation Under God
In Psalm 24:1, God makes it clear who’s running the show: “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” Therefore “both the state and the church are under God,” reminds R.C. Sproul. He continues:
The state is not sovereign; the state never has the right to do wrong. The state is always under the authority of God. God institutes government, God ordains government, and God will judge government. He holds government and all other institutions in our society responsible for doing what is right.
Later Sproul remarks:
God tells me as a Christian to pay my bills on time. He tells me not to use false weights and balances in my business. I think that it’s perfectly appropriate to recommend that the state have sound currency and not destroy the weights and balances of our society, to have honorable contracts and to do what is right. In other words, in those spheres of ethics that are right for all people, I believe it is a Christian’s responsibility to remind the state to stand for what is right.
An important reason Christians should become involved in politics is to see that the state does what is right for the individual. Another reason is to help liberate those who are being economically enslaved by the government and by those power-hungry wicked people controlling it. Believers must speak out because they speak with the authority of God, which is revealed in the scriptures.
When The Devil Comes A Knockin’…
… I can visualize times when the only way to make plain the seriousness of what is involved in regard to a service or an activity where the gospel is going to be preached is not to accept an official part if men whose doctrine is known to be an enemy are going to be invited to participate officially. In an age of relativity, the practice of truth when it is costly is the only way to cause the world to take seriously our protestations concerning truth. –Francis A. Schaeffer
As alluded to above, to help further their political agenda, the Christian Coalition thrust evangelicals into ecumenism/syncretism by merging them with Catholics, Jews, Muslims, New Agers, false teachers and those who are caught up in theological cults. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone when CR leadership shares a stage with Progressive (Social Justice) “Christians” as well as radical fringe groups such as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) self-proclaimed “apostles” and “prophets” and the Word-faith/health-wealth/prosperity gospel wolves.
For decades discernment bloggers and Christian apologists, who study the cults, the occult and aberrant movements, have implored Evangelicals to flee from anyone who fails to faithfully exposit Scripture.
Why do Christians join hands to pray with rank heretics, apostates and pagans and beseech the Almighty to “save America,” or “save the lives of the unborn”? You’ll be disappointed to learn that,
The scriptures speak of God the Holy Spirit residing within all who believe in the Son of God. The Spirit guides, instructs and empowers believers (John 14:16-17). As well, the “Spirit of truth” confirms everything about Jesus (John 15:26). The unregenerate (unsaved) person is not Spirit filled. God does not hear anyone’s prayer unless it is put into words by the Holy Spirit. So if we want our prayers to be heard and answered we must pray to the right God. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). (Source)
Before I move on it’s worth noting that there is a deep chasm between solid evangelical organizations and the aforementioned groups such as NAR and Word of Faith. Differences are much broader and more substantive than just a couple of non-essentials over which we should not divide. What is being taught by these groups is undiluted heresy. And most of those who teach it are fully aware of that because they’ve been warned that their teaching is heretical. Short digression: Many years ago, I tuned in to the Bible Answer Man (BAM) broadcast and heard two men explaining the dangers of word-faith beliefs – that was prior to NAR sinking its talons into the visible Church. So I tuned in daily and became a devoted listener for two decades. On Fridays BAM played tapes of its deceased founder, Dr. Walter Martin. I recall hearing Dr. Martin lambasting wolves like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul and Jan Crouch (TBN) and many others. Because of their false teaching those heretics have delivered millions of people straight to the gates of hell….and I was one of them. Those wolves almost had me, until I read Kingdom of the Cults, Counterfeit Revival, and books Doug Groothuis wrote on the New Age Movement that opened my eyes and led me to the truth. It was because of these faithful men of God that I came to understand that I had been dabbling in Gnosticism! I’m thankful to God for Dr. Martin, for the old BAM crew, Dr. Groothuis and all the fearless “heresy hunters” who stood their ground and dared to report on counterfeit Christianity, some of them to their dying day.
Just So You’ll Know…
Word-faith advocates hold to “positive confession” which is a belief that is firmly rooted in the metaphysical cults. People in this movement hold that faith works like a mighty power or force (faith is a force). Kenneth Hagin, who made the word-faith movement what it is today, told a story where Jesus came to him, stood about 3 feet away, and after a discussion on various subjects, told him to get a paper and pencil and write down 1,2,3,4. Jesus then allegedly said “if anybody, anywhere, will take these four steps or put these four principles into operation, he will always receive whatever he wants from Me or from God the Father.” That includes whatever you want financially. The formula is simply: “Say it, Do it, Receive it, and Tell it.” This final step might be considered the Faith movement’s outreach program. (Source)
I’ll say it one more time, despite what the Bible says in I Corinthians 10:20-21, Christian conservative leaders have no problem uniting with “apostles” and “prophets” who hold leadership positions in the NAR cult, as they attempt to save America from the ravages of leftist wingnuts. This begs the question: Why is the clergy not making a concerted effort to “Save the Bride of Christ” from wolves in sheep’s clothing who are feeding on Christ’s beloved?
But no. Instead of doing what’s right in God’s eyes, by their silence Church leadership has helped a host of heretics and cultists gain credibility not only with evangelicals but also with Catholics and the conservative media, politicians, entertainers….and big time with Donald Trump. Partnering with the wicked is unacceptable for the reasons that: (1) God opposes the wicked; (2) The wicked should not be given a platform — especially when the platform is provided by so-called Christian leaders and influencers!
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works (2 John 1:9-11).
Let that sink in.
Conservatives are looking for a way back to a time when Americans knew the difference between right and wrong, before our country started down the road to socialism, before she took a nosedive into the pit of moral anarchy. There are a lot of ways to “Make America Great Again,” but for the committed Christian the most important thing is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost (Rom 1:15-7). People will never change unless hearts and minds are changed.
One thing’s for certain. Someone’s values are going to prevail in America. Will it be godless secular humanist/moral relativistic values of the Left we’re seeing today? Or the solid moral values our Founders gleaned from the Bible?
Presently, the Left (progressives/liberals) is winning the culture war – which means conservatives are losing. They’re winning through the courts, when left-leaning judges rule in their favor; through elected officials who pass laws that line up with the Democrat party’s socialist agenda; and through bullying and fear mongering. The Democrat’s agenda has the full support of the entertainment industry as well as the left-media. They’re also winning because very few believers even know what a biblical worldview is, nor does it concern them. In recent years the visible Church has adopted a worldview that doesn’t comport with the Word of God. To say progressives are thumbing their nose at God is putting it mildly.
How did this happen?
My finger is pointed squarely at Church leadership for the reason that many of them have failed to equip the Body of Christ with a worldview gleaned from Scripture. But what’s even more troubling is that in many churches the true Gospel is rarely preached. In our post-Christian world, so-called ministers of God who once sailed on the tried-and-true gospel ship Evangelical have fallen overboard into shark infested waters. To survive, some of them climbed into the leaky pirate ship Woke. Crew members welcomed them aboard then warned them not to rock the boat. Other survivors boarded the cruise ship Man Pleaser where hip cool ministers of god(dess) joyfully raise the rainbow colors. To attract the unchurched sermons are culturally relevant, worship songs contemporary, earplugs readily available. When people debark from this ship, they leave feeling good about god(dess). But more importantly, they leave feeling love for themselves.
I’ll close with this reminder from Mike Riccardi:
Though the motive is almost always pure—that is, to influence the enemies of the Gospel to be swayed from their opinions and embrace the Gospel—when you blur the lines between belief and unbelief, it always works in the opposite direction. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” You might think, “Oh, I’m just partnering with them so that I can minister to them and so that they can get saved!” But Paul says, “No, don’t be deceived! Good morals do not reform bad company; bad company corrupts good morals.”
Research
What is Christian nationalism?
Watch Out–Apostasy Alert! — Naming names
Related
‘The Return’ – Jonathan Cahn’s Upcoming Prayer Event Produced By Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing by Marsha West
Evangelicalism Has Been Hijacked By ‘Woke’ Elitist Progressive ‘Christians’ by Marsha West
Media address NAR and dominionist denialism — ChurchWatch Central
How Is the Trinity Involved in Our Prayers? by Jonathan Landry Cruse
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Copyright by Marsha West, May 2024