"Fake News" & "Fake Theology" Part 3
In this last post on the matter of “fake news” and its
comparison to “fake theology” (Part 1, Part 2), I would like for us to consider
what impact that “fake theology” ultimately has on a church. When Murray takes an interlude in one of his
chapters about truth, he wrote that truth has a tendency to create trouble. The trouble the comes with biblical truth is
that it demands something of every person—a demand to yield desires and their
desired identity to what God is calling for.
In fact, John captured the words of Jesus when he said, “everyone who is
of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
“Fake theology” will never make such a vigilant, sobering call because
it CAN’T!!!! “Fake theology” is literally the opposite
of what God has spoken and even demanded of this fallen world of mankind. The curse of sin is death and yet “fake
theology” wouldn’t dare to tell anyone that even if they were to ask the
question as to what the penalty of death really was. “Fake theology” leaves a lot of casualties
and spiritual fatalities in its wake.
What I have been keenly aware of is the fact that for the most part, the
results of “fake theology” flies under the radar for several years before its
effects are seen in the veering away from biblical truth and standards that
have been forsaken. The Emerging Church (Part 2) seems so far removed from us at this point and some may not even remember the
foothold it gained in a group of pastors not too much younger than I am more
than a decade ago. I had some
acquaintances who bought into it completely and their lives and ministries are
either entirely shipwrecked or they have become enemies of the cross as Paul
described them. But the real problem is
the “fake theology” that the EC managed to weave into the church that has now become
very dominant in the thoughts of far too many Millennials. The all-inclusiveness they were pushing in
areas of doctrine, questioning the authority/inerrancy of Scripture, “lifestyle”
differences, and social action has created so much chaos in the minds of people
that biblical truth bounces off of their hardened hearts as they cry out for
their particular social or political cause.
I would briefly mention some simple ways for “fake theology”
to be overcome in the local church. The
first matter that has to be established is the clarity of the gospel
message. No matter what segment of the world
that people come from, they must be born again (John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38). This message will have to be repeated over and
over again just as the apostles in the 1st century did. There aren’t any alternatives! Therefore, for those who are building
kingdoms on the sand, I warn you there is a storm coming and you will not
survive it without the right foundation.
We have to get the gospel right and know that a sinner’s prayer is not
sufficient, creeds and councils that arose after the 1st century
aren’t sufficient, association with the church will not cut it, and moralism
will not regenerate a sinner either. So,
getting the gospel right is a great priority.
For those who do have the gospel message right, you may be required to
put up some blinders and ignore the folly that is passing for the “authentic”
in some circles of the country. One of the
disclaimers that is being said by some touting another gospel is that the “elders”
taught this particular brand of theology.
Friends, you have to get to the place that your theology is Word-driven
and not some paternalistic philosophy that has a very weak hermeneutic of
hopeful wishes about the final place of some dead historical figure who
basically is saved by their own moralistic ventures.
Another matter to overcome “fake theology” is to trust in the
plan that God has for building his church and not falling for some pragmatic
get-growth-quick scheme. Man’s solutions
for church growth builds moralistic social gatherings and spiritual country
clubs that would rival the hometown Kiwanis or the Lion’s Club instead of a
vibrant spiritual congregation that honors God and holds His Word as a high
priority. Such programs can easily
become seedbeds for false teachers to thrive in and for apostolic truth and lifestyle
to be destroyed in. I cannot reiterate
to you that our greatest authority is not the emotional babblings of a “prophet”
but rather the focused adherence to the Acts 2:42 plan that the early church
followed. I can remember something one
of my elders told me more than a decade ago, Brother John Harrell said, “It’s going
to take you your entire life to build that church in Dothan.” Settle in for the long haul and preach your
way through the Bible, pray for your church, and see converts and disciples
made for the kingdom. You probably won’t
get any accolades for the slow Crock-pot growth plan but you will build a solid
apostolic church.
“Fake theology” will be overcome when men of God unswervingly
speak the truth, teach the church how to be discerning, and have a commitment
to sanctification (personal holiness) in their own lives as well as modeling it
for the church. Commit to playing the
long game and not the spasmodic schizophrenia of this program or that plan or
this preacher/evangelist/teacher jumpstarting the local church. This will mean that you have to know who you
are working for—Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church. We are looking through the glass darkly, the foggy
mirror, and we don’t know all the details of God’s plan and how He is working through
us but we do need to have confidence that ultimately all will turn out exactly
as He intended. So be faithful even if
it seems slow.
“Fake theology” will find little traction if those who are
called to the ministry will figure out what they are supposed to do. Be careful that you not forget Paul’s
instruction about what defined the kingdom of God in Romans 14:17. This is a
huge dilemma for those of us who are in America heavily influenced by our
materialistic society. Paul was clear
that the kingdom was righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit not meat
and drink. The Roman society which
uniquely still has an effect on our Western thought patterns believed that only
what you could get your hands on really mattered. Paul spoke otherwise to the pressured,
persecuted Christians in Rome by reminding them that there was a day on the
horizon when all the materialistic will pass away and our eternal souls will be
free from this dark world. The American ministry
has turned its eyes too much toward money, square footage, gadgets, clothes,
and a host of other trinkets as ministry success. That kind of mentality breeds “fake theology”
because it forces us to have to compromise certainties of Scripture to pay for
a lifestyle that loves to pamper itself or to keep the doors open for a
facility. Too many have the thought in
the back of their mind as to what might happen if they visit the hard truths of
the Word from a pulpit on the weekend or from a lectern during the mid-week
service. If you are willing to keep the
thought in mind that there will be a day when you will have to give an account for
your ministry, those things have a way of disappearing in the rear-view
mirror. Stay faithful will the proclamation
of the true gospel!
Thanks for reading. . .
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