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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

God's People: Wake UP!!!!!

This article is a little old, but I thought it was a good example of how the truth about fallen leaders in Evangelical and Fundamentalist churches is not covered up, but discussed openly and fervently so as to avoid having it happen again.

Evangelicalism: Reformation or Self-Destruction
by Ingrid Schlueter

At the opening of Shakespeare's Macbeth, three witches stand on the moor, mixing their nasty brew and muttering incantations while the thunder crashes and the lightning flashes. The scene is used to portend evil, as the consequences of raw ambition are about to come to deadly fruition for a hapless king. If Shakespeare was around today to write a play based on the Ted Haggard saga in Colorado Springs this week, the lightning would certainly be flashing and the thunder would be crashing to portend evil for evangelicals. There is a whiff of sulfur in the air as yet another evangelical leader, this time an immensely influential one, makes headlines blaring words like, “gay”, “prostitute” and “drugs”. The information continues to change as the hourly news cycle turns over. A short time ago it was an allegation and an outright denial. Family values organizations were using terms like “leftist smear job” and “character assassination”. Now there is an admission by Rev. Haggard that he contacted a gay prostitute for a massage and some methamphetamine. The family values groups are growing quieter.

Colorado Springs has had its share of gay church follies this week. Earlier, another evangelical pastor across town from Rev. Haggard's church stepped down after announcing to his congregation that he is actually, “gay”. A more unlikely word to describe this would be difficult to find. Congregations facing these situations are being ripped apart, believers disillusioned, the followers of Christ mocked and ridiculed by the world and the foundation of Christian claims to moral authority shattered. So what went wrong here? How did one of the nation's most visible pastors and outspoken defenders of biblical marriage end up with a gay prostitute, at the very least, for a massage? How does a spiritual leader with all of the years of ministry and presumably, Bible study behind him, end up telling the world's media that he bought meth from a gay hooker because he was “curious”, as though he was an unsaved adolescent, and not a very bright one at that?

Evangelicalism is where medieval Roman Catholicism was just before that portentous day when Dr. Luther pounded his Theses to the castle church door at Wittenburg. Like Rome, today's evangelical Christianity has become about political and temporal power. Similarly, systems and methods have replaced confidence in the Gospel. Church growth and marketing courses now trump Bible classes at many seminaries across the country. Like the Roman church, the gathering in of money to build bigger and better church edifices is a top priority. In place of medieval church relics and idols, we now have media celebrities and icons to follow after. Rather than do the painstaking and difficult work of daily ministering to a lowly flock, pastors today style themselves after the aforementioned celebrities, lusting after their power and their influence and craving what they believe is “success”. Now the slick, polished icons are falling and nobody seems to know what to do. The church as a conservative political task force is faltering.There is confusion in the ranks. Nobody seems to know what they are supposed to be doing anymore.

What is needed is a clear Biblical voice in this hour. We are in desperate need of a second reformation; not one that is based on some leader's 5 points of this or 40 days of that, but a reformation based on a return to the love of God's authoritative Word. This reformation would see preachers on their knees before God repenting for personal ambition and desire for worldly success and then rising in their pulpits to declare the whole counsel of God without fear or favor. We need a new generation, sick of man made schemes, political ambitions and mass media dreams, a generation that has been taught to love the Lord God more than anything the world has to offer and that desires to be a called out people, to glorify God and to shun what is not of Him. Then God will honor His people with His presence, the dross and corruption will be cleaned out of the church, and she will be fit for true service.

I received a press release this morning imploring Christians to take part in a Washington prayer vigil for the elections. What is really needed first is a prayer vigil for the state of Christ's church. Until we clean up the house of the Lord, who wins the elections is irrelevant. If we can't run our own lives and churches with integrity, we as Christians have nothing to tell the world. Judgment begins at the house of God. That thought should sober us all.

4 comments:

Jennifer C. Valerie said...

Wow! Is God speaking or what? The Lord has been strongly impressing the hearts of my husband and I regarding this issue and it has been a matter of fervent prayer for a while. Then last night when he came home he showed me an excerpt from a book that the senior pastor had photocopied to give to him. It ran along the very same lines. And then here I am reading this post of yours about the same thing. God is definitely speaking and we would do well do heed and make sure that we are being the church God has called us to be. It starts with each individual and I am so at His feet right now just begging Him to continue to show me what my responsibility is that I can play the part He ordained for me to play and by example and much fervent prayer for my brothers and sisters in Christ, change will be effected. Thank you Amy for posting this. It was the Lord who prompted you to do this and it was confirmation for me that my husband and I are on the right track. God richly bless you my sister. Continue to obey Him.
Love
Jen
P.S. My meal portion is twice the size that you saw. But I do refrain from alot of the "normal" food that people eat these days like fried food, Mc Donalds, Kentucky etc. I eat them only occasionally. The rest of the time it is more on the healthy side thanks to my husband.

~Bren~ said...

In your foster/adopt situations have you ever dealt with reactive attachment disorder?

motherofmany said...

Yes! IN fact, that si what was thrown around as far as a labelf or the middle girl, but we also refused to continue taking them to cousneling because it was so humanistic. I really like the lady we were seeing for this child, but We just couldn't in good consious go along with the ideas if man when we knew that God was the only answer. Unfortunately there were no nouthetic sounselors around here (there still aren't excepot those of us in training) so we just let God lead us, and despite the fact that we still struggle, there has been progress!

~Bren~ said...

My Charlotte struggles with RAD and I found the same problem with therapy. They left God out completely and I felt since most of her issues revolve around ritualistic abuse and Satan worship, we NEEDED God to be first and foremost in her recovery. No more counselors (after 11 of them refused to include God) and now though we are seeing great improvements, I have sought out Bryan Post to help...He is a born again believer who suffered from rad himself. I have NO idea if this is going to help or if I will even use it...depending on the foundation it uses. I had just wondered if you had any ideas. Thanks!! Blessings!