[continued from here and here]
Conservatism
Chief error: Love truth for its intellectual correctness
Withint conservative Christianity and especially Reformed Christianity, there is a rich historical heritage and the abundance of clear biblical truths and principles which were uncovered and preached by great men of God who were used powerfully in various movements such as the Protestant Reformation, the first Great Awakening etc. Nevertheless, there is problem even within those who have such great spirtual blessings with them.
The biblical passage that is most appropriate for such churches is that found in the message to the Church in Ephesus as seen in Rev. 2:1-7.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ (Rev. 2:1-7)
From here, we can see that Jesus is grieved over a church that is orhothodox in all aspects, even exercising church discipline against heretics and seperating from them, and YET losing their first love for Him. What's the point therefore in priding yourself on how orhotodox you are, or how biblical you are especially in being seperate from heretics, when you have lost your first love for Christ? Is God pleased with being right as much as He desires that we love Him? Those who profess love for Christ by holding fast to the doctrines of Scripture and applying them, and yet not truly loving Him, is a hypocrite and is one of those who 'refuse to love the truth', and thus will bring upon them the judgment of God. Didn't the apostasy of the denominations during the modernist/ fundamentalist conflict and earlier in the downgrade controversy taught us something, that the people of God who are willing to tolerate men who taught true doctrines but yet do not truly believe in them themselves would ultimately cause the destruction of the churches? Granted, heretics soon arose who should be excommunicated, but isn't it true that before this even came to pass, that the people lost their love for the truth? Otherwise, how can heretics even enter into the congregation and arose to positions of authority in churches where the people earnestly love Christ and His truth?
Hateful fundamentalism
Chief error: Don't have a love for anything except to be right about the 'truth'
The last movement that I would like to take note here is a minority movement of the fundamentalists who twisted the original fundamentalist movement and became very judgmental of any person who disagree with them regarding anything, no matter how trivial the subject may be. It is to this that the New Evangelical movement may be reacting to, among others, upon which it swung to the other extreme of ecumenism and non-confrontationalism. Such people clearly are not interested in the truth, as they are not obedient to the commands of Christ with regards to such issues. Their state itself is a form of judgment upon them, being a 'refusal to love the truth' in not obeying it in their interaction with others.
Conclusion:
From the analysis of all these various movements, we can see the various manifestations of such an attitude of 'refusing to love the truth', of which both Conservatives and Charismatics, Fundamentalists and New Evangelicals are guilty of. May we therefore as Christians called by God learn how to truly love the truth of God; to treasure the truth of God in our beliefs and actions, and to give all glory to God alone in all that we do.
THE END!
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