Sunday, May 13, 2012

The failure of conservatism in apostate denominations

In a conference I attended some time ago, there were some conservative PC(USA) people, who may have been from Fuller Seminary, present. For some reason I was present in a conversation where remarks were made about the denomination. It seems that while the leadership of the denomination is extremely liberal, the assertion is made that they could not offend the conservatives in the denomination who it seems pastor growing congregations, while churches pastored by the liberals are small and dying.

This came to my mind as I read this post by Rachel Miller. Following the link provided, we can see what this Fellowship of Presbyterians is about. It is interesting to note their stance on ministry, where they state:

Egalitarian Ministry: We believe in unleashing the ministry gifts of women, men, and every ethnic group.

It is highly likely that these "conservatives" are Barthians, especially as they omit inerrancy from their values. The key point to make is that these people are hardly conservatives. They are "conservatives" only when compared to the loony left wing of the apostate PC(USA).

A little leaven leavens the whole loaf. By continuing to stay unequally yoked in the PC(USA), these "conservatives" have paid a high price. Their witness for Christ is sullied; by their identification with false teachers, they have dragged the Name of Christ through the mud. They have confused their congregations at worst about what is truth and what is mere difference in opinion, and at best have installed in their congregations a latitudinarian attitude towards sound doctrine (if it wasn't present there already).

Lastly, false doctrine have infiltrated these compromising churches, with their embrace of egalitarianism and Barthianism. So much for standing firm for Christ it seems.

By choosing to implement some form of separation now due to the immorality of promoting homosexuality at the highest level, while not doing so due to the entrance of false doctrine, shows their inverted notion of biblical priority, which places theology above praxis although both are important. It's straining a gnat and swallowing a camel. Having compromised biblical teaching, they are hypocritical for trying to take a stand on biblical ethics.

We may be tempted to rejoice that more people are separating from the liberals. But what's the point if they continue to harbor false doctrine? What's the point of affirming morality while denigrating theology? Hell is full of moral people after all!

We should continue to call these "conservatives" to full repentance, not affirm them only when they merely reject one shibboleth. There is more hope for a person who believes the truth and struggles with homosexuality, than for a person who believes error and is a properly functioning human. The break of these "conservatives" with the liberals smack of self-righteous moralism more than any real stand for the Bible, and I wouldn't be surprised if the liberals think of them that way (obviously for other reasons than me). If they really want to stand for the faith, let them stand for ALL of Scripture, not just the ones they like.

No comments: