Are our leaders wimping out?

... and in doing so producing wimpy believers unwilling and unable to contend for the Faith?

... exhorting you that you should earnestly contend for the faith

which was once delivered unto all believers ~ Jude 3

Are some of our leaders wimping out, compromising important doctrines of the Faith in an effort to keep the boat from rocking? The answer is "Yes." Clearly not all leaders, however, far more than anyone could have guessed just a few years ago! The most recent example: Pastor Rick Cole of Capital Christian Center, a church at one time overseen by Rick's father, the late Glen Cole, one of the most revered and respected pastors in northern California. Pastor Glen and I worked on several important projects together - including (1) a large 1990 prophecy conference we put together at Capital Christian Center and (2) the "Rogue River Fellowship" under the leadership of the late Pastor Ray Stedman (Press this link). There's no doubt that Pastor Rick has been championing "emergent church" values for the last several years. What exactly he's been touting is made clear in an article published in the Sacramento Bee on Sunday, July 13, 2014. Two matters to keep in mind: (1) it's an interview and, therefore, no one is putting words in his mouth; he's speaking for himself; and (2) it's recent. The entire article can be read by pressing this link. Simply reading the article should make clear Pastor Rick's flirtation with "emergent church" values; however, to underscore that threat, I've commented on several quotes included in it.

Concerning common ground with other faiths,

this is Pastor Rick's comment - a direct quote:

"I know the Quran is a great source of wisdom in understanding who God is. We share four of the five pillars of Islam: there is only one God; daily prayers; give to the poor and help the hurting; and fasting, self-control and self discipline."

Comment:

It should be obvious that it's not what we share in common, but what we don't share in common that's all important: that Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Godhead and that redemption is found him alone - "for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12)." Searching for common ground upon which to build friendship can be a laudable objective; however, it's not our friendship that persons of other faiths need the most from us, it's the gospel. That alone will save them. Nothing else! Let's be honest: to play up the so-called common features of our respective faiths inevitably plays down the utter importance of the features that separate us. And, once again, it's the features that separate us that are all important - and in the end will determine our eternal fate.

But that's not all! How can an evangelical pastor lend any credibility at all to the Quran, calling it a "source of wisdom and understanding" concerning the nature of God - and not just that, but a "great source of wisdom and understanding?" How is that possible? At the risk of seeming insensitive and impolitic, the Quran is a work of the devil - plain and simple. Past generations of evangelical leaders had no problem saying that. What's happened? It's that many evangelical leaders are desperately searching for a means of avoiding the hostility that holding to the faith in these troubling times inevitably spawns. Our leaders need to be drawn from a much sterner mold.

Concerning homosexuality,
this is Pastor Rick's comment - a direct quote:

"It (meaning Pastor Rick's changed perspective on homosexuality) is something I've grown into the last five or six years. Life is a journey, and we should always be learning and growing along the way. It's OK to have strong beliefs and convictions, but when we make that the only message, it becomes a dividing line that doesn't help us build community with others who don't see things quite the way we do. I had a revelation that God wants us to find ways to love people and not separate them. God's heart of love for each of us is equal. Homosexuality's still a complex subject and can cause some to be judgmental. I can maintain convictions but don't have to impose those convictions on people who don't share them."

Comment:

"Life is a journey and we should always be learning and growing along the way!" Note the emphasis on change. Change is what postmodern relativism celebrates and extols. Change for its own sake. It's a mark of intellectual respectability. For a postmodernist, nothing is more terrifying than being trapped by intellectual constraints that won't bend. The wording here is almost word for word what Rob Bell and Brian Mclaren use to preface all their lectures, articles, and books. (For Rob Bell, press this link; for Brian Mclaren, press this link.)

No one disagrees that changes in our understanding and perspective of scriptural truth occur over the course of a life-time - and to highlight that is little more than a red herring: it leads believers to overlook the more important fact that the Bible consists of a core set of beliefs that are not subject to change; that are by and large immutable; beliefs we're told to "contend earnestly for" (Jude 3), resisting any attempt to alter or modify them; beliefs that define what it means to be faithful on the one hand and unfaithful on the other.

One of those core beliefs is that Jesus Christ is first and foremost a savior. To save us from what? From the penalty of sin! As obvious as that seems, it's implications are being lost sight of - that sin is what salvation is all about; that to play down the gravity of sin or to redefine either its nature or the many specific examples of sin cited in the Bible (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9) is to undermine the true meaning of Christ as Savior. That's precisely what's at issue in the struggle over homosexuality. And it's what Pastor Rick Cole seems to have lost sight of.

But homosexuality is only one example of sins that are being played down by "emergent church" leaders. Other sins are also being redefined - to the point that the truly egregious nature of sin is being trivialized and disregarded. Is it any wonder that over the last thirty years or so, it's Christ as Friend who's been highlighted, not Christ as Savior? And that means we're losing the true meaning and significance of the Christian Faith?

Pastor Rick goes on to underscore the need to build community with men and women of other faiths - especially the leaders of other faiths. And, yes, the Bible speaks often of "building community." But it's the community of faith that the Bible encourages us to pursue. None other. It's not possible to build genuine community with the unsaved. It's a truth Paul stresses to the point of warning believers against marrying anyone who's not "of the faith" (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Pastor Rick warns us against establishing dividing lines between ourselves and the adherents of other faiths - implying that division is an evil that needs always to be jettisoned. But that's not what Jesus teaches. He clearly warns us that becoming his disciple will inevitably cause division (Matthew 10:35). Let's be honest: the gospel itself causes division. Division always follows in the wake of the gospel. And if the gospel we're preaching doesn't cause division, we should question its authenticity. The chances are good that we've watered it down to the point that it's no longer genuine.

And that brings us to Pastor Rick's remark, "God wants us to find ways to love people and not separate them." But proving our love for the unsaved by tearing down walls of separation misses the mark altogether. God's love of mankind is proven by the Cross - which, however, if not embraced will reveal the other side of God: his wrath arising from his holiness. And that's a truth the unsaved will never embrace with equanimity. But unless we make that an integral part of the gospel message we preach, what we preach will never be real. Could it be that's why the evangelical church has not grown over the last thirty years - that we've been preaching a gospel that's not real - that lacks power?

Two more points that Pastor Rick stresses in the interview: that (1) homosexuality is a complex issue and (2) we should never impose our convictions on others. It's hard for me to fathom how any evangelical pastor could possibly lend credibility to either of these points.

To say that homosexuality is a complex subject is nothing more than another of Pastor Rick's red herrings. It's not complex at all. It's very plainly declared in both the Old and the New Testaments. (Press here for five articles I've written to make clear why homosexuality is proscribed). It's not that it's a complex issue; it's that teaching against homosexuality stirs up so much animosity and rage.

And, finally, Pastor Rick's last point: that we should avoid imposing our convictions on others who don't share them. Good grief! So much for the gospel! I can't begin to tell you how many persons I've pursued over the years for Christ who have thought me rude and intrusive - bent on imposing my convictions on them; and, yet, how many of them over the years have repented and have been saved - and have returned to thank me for not giving up on them

Summary: We live in a culture that extols diversity and tolerance. And inevitably that means any faith (1) claiming exclusive legitimacy for itself and denying that same legitimacy to all other faiths and (2) highlights the gravity of sin runs the risk of exposing its adherents to ridicule - and, increasingly, to outright persecution. But that's the Christian Faith! And to go out of our way to avoid the hostility that's becoming an ever more salient feature of our culture is to abandon our faith.

Once again ...

Are our leaders wimping out?

... and in doing so producing wimpy believers unwilling and unable to contend for the Faith?

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