Tuesday, February 3, 2015

American Evangelicalism: Where Bad Things Happen



What I Believe about American Evangelicalism

I believe American Evangelicalism is a Christ-less religious system that creates myriad false converts and is used by Satan to deceive the lost and to lead astray, as if it were possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24). The children of a generation ago raised on Foosball, Pizza, emotionalism, bad teaching from untrained, unqualified man-cubs, and a sinner's prayer every Tuesday night for reassurance are today's American Evangelical pastors. And the state of American Evangelicalism isn't sliding, but is free-falling, from bad to worse.

I hate American Evangelicalism. I love American Evangelicals.

I shudder and my heart breaks at the thought of the untold masses, boasting of membership in American Evangelical churches, who will stand (or who have already stood) before Christ, rubbing their hands together, just waiting to receive their condo in the sky, only to hear Jesus say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23). False converts who made false commitments to a false Jesus represented in a false gospel, which was presented by a false pastor. American Evangelicalism, as a system, is false.

I hate American Evangelicalism. I love American Evangelicals.

While American Evangelicalism is not Christian, there most certainly are Christians within this demonic system--both solid churches that are included in the definition of "evangelical" and remnants of God's people in churches that are not His. When I speak of American Evangelicalism, I am not speaking about the Bride of Christ. While not yet fully sanctified, she is beautiful and she is cherished by the Bridegroom. Shame on and warning to anyone who mocks the Bride of Christ--the true Church.

I have not received any new revelation from God about being a very outspoken critic of American Evangelicalism. While some may think I rant on my keyboard while wearing a camel hair kilt, with honey dripping from my goatee (can't quite get passed the crunch of the locust), I don't. I know I am not a lone voice crying in the American Evangelical wilderness. I know there are many brothers and sisters in Christ who agree with me. But, even so, a minority we make. I believe the genuine Body of Christ is much smaller than I or anyone else realize. It is certainly smaller than American Evangelicalism would have the world believe.

Last night, American Evangelicalism, that reoccurring bur under my saddle, got me thinking.....and tweeting.


American Evangelicalism: Where Bad Things Happen.

American Evangelicalism.....

Where everyone's will is free.....except God's.

Where Katy Perry's Half-Time Show is an acceptable form of worship.

Where any man (or woman) can be a pastor.....no qualifications needed.

Where a pastor's "spiritual vision" can be 20/200, but he'll still get the keys to the family car.

Where more biblical titles can be found in Barnes & Noble than in the church bookstore.

Where vacationaries are called missionaries and they actually believe they're reaching the world for Jesus.

Where pastors, maybe struggling with porn themselves (according to published statistics), see "50 Shades of Gray" as an opportunity to draw a crowd.

Where you can find Joyce Meyer's and John MacArthur's study bibles on the same shelf, in the Christian bookstore.

Where calling people to the stadium floor, getting them to repeat a prayer, and then welcoming them to the family of God on the Jumbo-Tron is seen as biblical.

Where 80-90% of the people's giving go to staff salaries and facility upkeep, while missionaries beg and starve.

Where elders pray about how they can remove the cross from the church logo and remove church from the church name.

Where CRU exists. Nuff said.

Where church and ministry leaders can be found on the local crime blotter, but will be "restored" to ministry in a matter of weeks.

Where bibles are optional (from pulpit to pew) on Sunday morning, but coffee is not.

Where the first song on Sunday morning isn't really a call to worship, but a stall tactic to accommodate late arrivals.

Where Bill Johnson, Joel Osteen, Mark Driscoll, Russell Moore, and the Pope can all coexist. And it's seen as a good thing.

Where some pastor will replicate Katy Perry Liger Zoid ride to make his entrance on a Sunday morning.

Where a pastor can boast about how little time he spent preparing his sermon and his people will smile.

Where pastors have their own lines of clothing.

Where, for many pastors, "B" stands for "Bentley," not "Bible."

Where the Message and the New Living Translation are considered viable options for deeper study and the Purpose Driven Life is considered deep theological reading.

Where.....oh, just fill in the blank. Whatever the world is doing, American Evangelical is doing, but with less talent.

Yes, sadly, the list could go on and on and on. But I think (I hope) you get the point. American Evangelism is where bad things happen.

I believe American Evangelicalism is the largest mission field in the United States. And it is one of the toughest fields in which to labor, for everyone believes they are already saved. So, until American Evangelicalism ceases to exist in its present ungodly form, or the Lord takes me home--whichever comes first--I will keep banging the drum. I will keep warning Christians and non-Christians away from the spiritually dead vortex of American Evangelicalism. I don't want to see another life sucked into the dangerous, whirling, contaminated water that only poses as Christianity.

4 comments:

  1. My firm belief is that we need to stop playing coy when it comes to the doctrines of grace. The American church is so corrupt because it is a Pelagian church at heart. We must boldly preach the Gospel-- not the "gospel" of prosperity, or the self-righteous gospel of hypocrites, where it is about what we have to do for God-- but, instead, the true gospel, the gospel that is about what Christ has done for us.

    We must preach this boldly, gladly to the point of division, the way we would stand up for the Trinity. It must be our defining doctrine, a point of contention, not something to put to the background in favor of joint evangelism. It ought to be a sword between mother and father, between pastors and congregations, between neighbor and neighbor. The Pelagian doctrine, and its child Arminianism, is not the Gospel! It is a dreadful lie, a barrier, a spring of error leading to compounding errors, errors layered on each other. Why should we welcome Arminians as our equals, other "evangelists" preaching the Gospel when they do not know the fundamentals of Christianity? Why should we walk peacefully with them (and rarely are they at peace with us, instead making the doctrines of grace a byword) when what they teach destroys the foundation of our religion? (And grace is certainly the ground on which we walk, and the air in our lungs, and the ladder to heaven.) An Arminian preacher is like a man trying to do high level kung-fu who doesn't even know how to throw a punch! Worse, he is likely a corpse to begin with, more often than not. While his preaching might bring a person to Christ--- it is about as effective as a Catholic's preaching, likely bringing him into the same set of errors and struggles that the true Christian will inevitably have to break with, or else experience much suffering. (I speak from experience, having been converted by Pentecostals/Charismatics, a pack of Pelagian hell hounds who drove me to despair because I couldn't perform their miracles, wouldn't listen to their dictates, stopped believing in their prophecies. But what they did for evil, God meant for good.)

    This is not to say that there aren't Christians who are Arminians-- very few of us in this modern and fallen age ever start out Calvinists!-- but I honestly believe that the root of the problem we are facing is the age-old one: works righteousness, in its myriad of forms. It ought to be the target of our warfare, even if it makes co-existence (in the same churches, or on the mission field) with Arminians impossible.

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  2. Where church attenders don't speak out against the "establishment" for fear of losing friends over losing God.

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  3. Thank you for this article. God has called me to something similar, now 8.5 years actively sharing similar messages on the internet... posting what the Lord Jesus teaches me each day through his word from my quiet times with him. So, I feel your passion. Sue Love

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  4. Listened to your podcast on your take on American Evangelicalism, where you went through this list on the air. I appreciate your witnessing for Christ and all you do and agree with much of what you said. However, I do disagree on your criticism of Greg Laurie and his Harvest Crusades. Maybe you could clarify things for me. You accused him of creating many false converts by the methods he uses, such as having people come forward and repeat the sinners prayer, etc. And even he will acknowledge that not all those who come forward will truly commit their lives to Christ. But what about the many who have truly come to Christ at his Harvest Crusades? Many have made serious commitments at his crusades. I know a couple of guys you used to work with have said they came to Christ at a Harvest Crusade, I'm talking about Mark Spence and EZ of Living Waters, I've heard both of them say that's where they came to Christ. And there are many others I could name as well who made serious commitments as a result of attending a Greg Laurie event. So, I guess I'm a bit perplexed as to what you were calling him out for. I've heard him speak and give invitations many times, and he stresses repentance and committing your life to Christ.

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