I wanted to write a quick post about the main issues that I believe are currently threatening the Church and the purity, truth, and transformative power of the gospel.
(in no particular order):
The watered-down gospel
Hyper-emotionalism, mysticism
Critical race theory, the social justice agenda, liberation theology
Progressive Christianity / ”de-construction”
Nominal Christianity
Consequences: These issues at best stunt spiritual growth (sanctification) by keeping us as infant Christians, and at worst create a false sense of assurance of salvation without true repentance and faith in Jesus and discipleship (and may lead others astray as well).
Solution:
Read and study the Bible. The more we study the Scriptures, the more we will be able to identify and avoid false gospels and heresies.
Pray for wisdom and understanding.
James 1:5 says
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
I believe that these 5 all stem from biblical illiteracy and a low view of God.
NOTE:
I decided to exclude what I would consider more obvious heresies/issues: the prosperity gospel (Joel Olsteen) and word of faith (fake healings, Benny Hinn, etc). To learn more about those, watch the first American Gospel documentary (Christ Alone).
Some of these overlap. For example: progressive christianity is usually paired with social justice/liberation theology and a watered down gospel that does not address sin and focuses on society, equity, and feel-good messages that may (or may not) be helpful temporarily but aren’t spiritual.
I will now include a few notes on each:
The watered down gospel
Some good intentions:
God is loving, welcoming, community-focused (but not at the expense of his wrath, judgment, and individual focus for salvation)
We should share faith with unbelievers, the Church is not for them but they should not feel unwelcome by our conduct. Only the gospel should be offensive to them
What does it look like?
You will notice they avoid preaching/speaking about sin, hell, and judgment
Jesus is mentioned and the gospel is occasionally shared, but it’s emphasis is on “living life to the fullest”, healing your “brokenness”, being “authentic”, and emphasizing being a “seeker-friendly” church
For example, while we are broken and suffer, these terms don’t go far enough. In reality we are depraved sinners. We have rebelled against God:
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 3:10-12)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
“Hipster Jesus” - this new cool trendy depiction of Jesus who does not judge and compliments and empowers you (See this episode of Relatable)
Their sermons are more like a motivational speech with a few Christian terms sprinkled in
Me-ology: focus on ourselves instead of on God, especially prominent in women’s ministries and Bible studies
Eisegesis not exegesis (inferring your own meaning into the text)
Love is sentimental
The gospel of ‘niceness’, inability to receive or give loving conviction, accountability, tough love based on truth
Surface-level church, community, and friendships
Rarely preach on the Old Testament / harder passages of the bible
Little sacrifice, looks very similar to non-Christian community, social-hour fellowship only/primarily
Buzzwords / popular concepts / red flags:
Self-love
The enneagram
Devotional-only Bible studies
Topical only sermons
Just be nice
Seeker-friendly church
Stop being judgmental, critical
Consequences:
Immaturity
Slow or no sanctification
May be a nominal Christian (see issue #5)
Suggested reading/listening:
BOOK: Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World (John MacArthur)
BOOK: You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay): Escaping the Toxic culture of Self-Love (Allie Stuckey)
BIBLE STUDIES: Jen Wilkin bible studies
Article: “‘Broken,’ ‘Authentic,’ ‘Surrender’: The Problem of Christian Jargon” Gospel Coalition https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/broken-authentic-surrender-problem-christian-jargon/
BOOK: Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and prayer requests, Melissa Kruger (book)
“Belief in God changes everything. We begin to realize that the bedrock of our contentment isn’t the goodness of our day but the goodness of our God.”
Alisa Childers, Biblical Judgment in a “Don’t Judge Me” World article
The Harm of Seeker Friendly Churches, Paul Washer (3 minute video)
Article: Why I Abandoned Seeker Church, Paul Carter, The Gospel Coalition
Convicting scriptures:
Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Ephesians 3:14-19 — For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Pray for:
a desire to hear the true Word preached, to grow in holiness and maturity, to find true community, a Church family, and deep friendships that glorify God
a desire and obedience to His Word
Quote:
“Let the pure gospel go forth in all its lion-like majesty, and it will soon clear its own way and ease itself of its adversaries.” – Charles Spurgeon
Hyper-Emotionalism, mysticism, NAR
Good intentions:
The Holy Spirit is real, but he is a person
God can and does heal people
Emotions do have a place in the Christian life
What does it look like?
Hyper emotionalism/spiritualism/mysticism
High emphasis on feelings and feel-good preaching, again little speaking of sin
Views and refers to the Holy Spirit in a way different from the biblical depiction (See “the Personality of the Holy Ghost” by Charles Spurgeon)
“We are so much accustomed to talk about the influence of the Holy Ghost and his sacred operations and graces, that we are apt to forget that the Holy Spirit is truly and actually a person—that he is a subsistence—an existence; or, as we Trinitarians usually say, one person in the essence of the Godhead. I am afraid that, though we do not know it, we have acquired the habit of regarding the Holy Ghost as an emanation flowing from the Father and the Son, but not as being actually a person himself.”
Concert style worship services - flashing lights, backup dancers, focus on the performance
Little differentiation between our flesh and new spirit in christ (Read Romans 8)
Buzzwords / popular concepts / red flags:
“new revelations”, modern-day prophets
In the story of David and Goliath - painting us as David and Goliath as whatever obstacle we face
“God told me” / “Hearing from God” - saying things that go against scripture
Best selling devotional: “Jesus Calling”
“God broke the law for love” (Steven Furtick) / other statements to that affect (disregarding the law)
Examples:
NAR: The New Apostolic Reformation
Elevation Church, Hillsong Church
Celebrity pastors
Consequences
Little or no repentance
Inaccurate view of self
Lack of understanding about the role of the law
Suggested reading, listening:
See Reagan Scott’s recent instagram highlight on Elevation church
“The Personality of the Holy Ghost” by Charles Spurgeon
Christ the Cure: Emotions and the Christian life
Doreen Virtue’s testimony Relatable
Sheologians podcast: “Beautiful emotions”
Sermon: “The Wounded Spirit” by Timothy Keller (one of my favorite sermons)
Article: We Need Both Rules and Relationship with God 5 Questions about the Ten Commandments, Jen Wilkin
Instagram post @mrsjgarwood: Eisegesis vs. exegesis of Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons.”
Pastor Adriel, Core Christianity 5 ways God might be displeased with your worship
“Worship isn’t just an opportunity for us to express our feelings; it is the primary way in which the faith (i.e. the doctrines which define what we believe as Christians) is passed down from one generation to the next. Unbiblical worship teaches people lies about God, and since God mustn’t be misrepresented, our worship must be rooted in his revelation rather than our own innovation.”
Paul said, “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? … all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:23, 40).
5 ways God might be displeased with your worship
1. Your worship isn’t rooted in God’s word, but extra-biblical or unbiblical traditions.
2. You worship God while being unreconciled with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
3. Your worship respects persons and doesn’t make room for the poor.
4. Your worship confuses and scares non-Christians.
5. Your worship minimizes the things that God values for his people.
Convicting scriptures:
Jeremiah 17:9 — The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Matthew 5:17 — Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Pray for:
A desire to know God as He has revealed himself in the scriptures
True repentance and revealing of sin
An understanding of emotions, relationship, and rules
Knowing how God wants to be worshipped, a desire to honor, glorify, and exalt Him above ourselves
Discernment about the spiritual gifts of healing and prophecy
Quotes:
“Preaching the Word must be the very heart of our ministry philosophy. Any other philosophy replaces the voice of God with human wisdom. The preacher’s task is not to be a conduit for human wisdom. He is God’s voice to speak to the congregation. No human message comes with the stamp of divine authority—only the Word of God does…. Moral lectures and motivational talks are no substitute for God’s Word. Why should we proclaim the wisdom of men when we have the privilege of God?”
— John MacArthur
“The psalms give us well-crafted and beautiful words for approaching the God that we worship.” Jen Wilkin
“The psalms are the medicine chest of the human soul.” - Alistair Begg
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God.” - William Temple
“God’s law is beautiful to the believer because it is a reflection of God’s character” - Jen Wilkin
Critical race theory, social justice, liberation theology
Good intentions:
A desire for justice, mercy, and compassion
Mourning with those who mourn
A feeling of injustices in this world
A desire to fight for what is right for the oppressed
Buzzwords / popular concepts / red flags:
White privilege, white guilt
Equity
Lived experience
Anti-racism
“Say their names”
CRT as an analytical tool (the SBC resolution 9)
Black Lives Matter
What is it? What are the issues?
An unbiblical view of race and justice, a current worldly trend of social justice in America
Lack of discernment, naive understanding of race, justice, and policies, influenced by the world
The Black Lives Matter organization is very problematic and should not be supported by Christians (see resources below for more information)
Driven by emotion and genuine compassion but shallow understanding of reality and theology
A Trojan horse for most far-left social justice concepts as defined politically
This is not a particularly new ideology and it has “deep academic background” (as Ben Shapiro explains in episode 1206 of his podcast) and yet most people are not aware of what that is and how harmful it can be.
Read Cynical Theories to understand where Critical theory came from
Elevates social justice above salvation
While societal justice is important, it is not more important than eternal justice (i.e. affirming that the primary reason Jesus came was to save sinners not liberate the oppressed from worldly bondage, he did both but only one completely and for all) physical vs. spiritual life
Oftentimes the issue with this is the denial of individual human sin and blaming everything on groups or societal things. We can lack a lot of humility when we automatically put people into groups and fail to see individual responsibility
Consequences
Hypocritical advocacy for justice for select people, causes
Sins of partiality, false witness
Warped sense of earthly justice
Misunderstanding and misrepresenting the character of God and the faith
Suggested reading/ listening:
BOOK: Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe by Voddie Baucham
“The antiracist movement has many of the hallmarks of a cult, including staying close enough to the Bible to avoid immediate detection and hiding the fact that it has a new theology and a new glossary of terms that diverge ever-so-slightly from Christian orthodoxy.”
“We are right to pursue justice, peace, and unity (Micah 6:8, Romans 12:18, John 17:20-21).”
BOOK: Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody By Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay
Relatable, Allie Stuckey interviewing Voddie Baucham (Ep. 282)
Instagram: Center for Biblical Unity
Convicting scriptures:
Deuteronomy 16:19-20
You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Exodus 23:1-3
You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Pray for:
Wisdom, clarity, true compassion
Real racial reconciliation
An understanding of justice, mercy, and the bible’s insight into these issues
Being willing to look at data, facts, reasoning, to be discerning with narratives perpetuated by the media, politicians, celebrities, etc
Progressive Christianity (de-construction)
Some good intentions
This does not mean that we should not question anything, we should absolutely ask questions and genuinely seek answers. Why can we believe the bible? Is it reliable? Definitely make sure that you understand what you believe and why
1 Peter 3:15: but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect
Especially regarding church culture, your own experience with churches, - compare everything against the Bible - is it biblical or just tradition/ cultural?
What does it look like?
Progressive Christianity denies foundational truths:
It denies that Jesus was God (his deity)
Denies the resurrection (his power)
Denies that God is both loving and just/wrathful (the fullness of his character)
Elevates social justice above salvation (see issue #3)
It de-emphasizes or contradicts the text of the bible
The bible was breathed out by God / has been translated carefully throughout time to preserve its original meaning, and original text is studied by many people
The bible reveals the foundational truths of our faith, we test any new ideas against the original text of God. Nothing needs to be added or taken away from it.
Progressive Christianity denies the need for salvation /for Jesus to die on the cross
De-emphasizes or denies sin
Speaks of Jesus’ death on the cross as “divine child abuse” (God regarding his son Jesus)
But if Jesus didn’t come to save sinners, we are no longer talking about Christianity. Everything hinges on the cross - without it our faith is pointless.
It becomes just like any other religion or concept of faith - works-based religion
We believe that the Christian essentials to believe are: (in Alisa Childer’s book, Norman Geisler)
Human depravity (I am a sinner)
God’s unity (there is one God)
The necessity of grace (I am saved by grace)
Christ’s deity (Jesus is God)
Christ’s humanity (Jesus was man)
Christ’s atoning death (Jesus died for my sins)
Christ’s bodily resurrection (Jesus rose from the dead)
The necessity of faith (I must believe)
Buzzwords / popular concepts / red flags:
De-constructing
“Cosmic child abuse”
Jesus was a man
The atonement wasn’t necessary
Consequences:
Relative truth rather than God’s truth
Reinterpretation of essential Christian doctrines such as: the deity of Christ, the sacrificial atonement, and the authority of Scripture alone
If you don’t see the need for salvation, then likely you don’t accept it
Creating a God of our own invention
Suggested reading:
BOOK: Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
Watch: American Gospel (part 2): Christ Crucified
“The gospel message of "Christ crucified" has always been offensive. In our culture it is common for preachers to soften the offense of the cross, and the attributes of God that are displayed in the person of work of Jesus Christ. "American Gospel: Christ Crucified" explores how the paths of post-modernism and progressive Christianity lead to a different gospel, and a god created in our own image.”
"But we preach Christ Crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness..." (1 Cor. 1:23)
Convicting scriptures:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Galatians 1:6-8
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Pray for:
A desire to dig into the Word.
Understanding of the harder parts of the Bible
Learning more about who God is
Learning about the reliability of the bible, and Christianity
Nominal Christianity
Buzzwords / popular concepts / red flags:
Doesn’t go to church
“I grew up in the church”
“I’m an easter and Christmas church-goer”
“Church is endlessly boring to me”
“My faith is personal, I don’t need to share it with others”
“I can pray/worship/study scripture alone, what's the point of going to church?"
What does it look like?
“Prayed the prayer” + no transformation
Doesn’t go or occasionally goes to church
Believes in God, was “raised in the church,” etc who have not personally been transformed, repented, and believed
Comfortable talking vaguely about God, faith, and maybe even Jesus but don’t have an understanding of the true gospel and Jesus’ call to personally receive him as Savior and Lord
Consider themselves a “nice” “good person” (i.e. don’t see their need for a savior, view Christianity as morality)
This may be paired with morality and legalism which makes it very dangerous.
No fruit, lack of a desire to grow
Lack of a desire to submit to the authority of God, and scripture
Little to no reading of the Bible
Or head knowledge of the Bible only, no heart change
"Another thing that I think lulls people into this deception is a failure of self-examination; they never really examine themselves. They get into such a grace concept, that everything is grace and everything is forgiveness that they never really bother to face their sin.” - John MacArthur, Empty Words sermon (linked below)
Some questions to ask yourself (from the gospel coalition article linked below)
Do you love God? In your heart, do you desire to follow Him, worship Him, and obey Him?
Do you love the Bible? Do you enjoy reading the Bible and take nourishment from it?
Do you love living out and sharing the gospel?
Do you enjoy church and draw nourishment from it?
Does the Bible shape your ethics and morals?
Consequences:
No real salvation, dead in sin
Or no or little sanctification
Neglecting the importance of community, not going to church
Spiritual isolation
No mentorship/ discipleship/ accountability (giving and receiving)
Lack of self-awareness, dishonesty
Suggested reading:
Article from the Gospel coalition: “Are You a Nominal Christian? A Diagnostic Test”
Sermon: Empty Words (John MacArthur on Matthew 7:21-23)
“Now the Lord points out the difficulty of entering in the narrow gate right in verses 13 and 14. First of all it says in verse 14, “Few there be that find it.” And the word find is important. It’s difficult to enter the narrow gate because you have to find it, which implies a searching and a looking, and an examining and an effort. It’s as the Old Testament says, “If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.” Nobody just stumbles along and falls into the kingdom of God inadvertently. It’s a searching, and the idea is that it isn’t easily made visible.”
Sermon: The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Sermon: Heaven and Hell by Charles Spurgeon
BOOK: The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“The price we are having to pay today in the shape of the collapse of the organized Church is only the inevitable consequence of our policy of making grace available to all at too low a cost. We gave away the word and sacraments wholesale, we baptized, confirmed, and absolved a whole nation unasked and without condition. Our humanitarian sentiment made us give that which was holy to the scornful and unbelieving. We poured forth unending streams of grace. But the call to follow Jesus in the narrow way was hardly ever heard.”
Knowing God, J. I. Packer
The Reason for God, Tim Keller
Convicting scriptures:
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ephesians 2:1-10
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Pray for:
Saving faith, a new heart / heart change
Seeing and hating your sin, true repentance
Sanctification
A biblical church
Community, accountability
Conclusion / my personal experience:
Remember that we are called to be both salt and light to the world. Many Christians focus on being a light - in the sense of being joyful, nice, welcoming, and kind, but often we do this at the expense of the truth and how we are called to be different from the world.
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We must remember that the truth of the true gospel will be offensive to the world.
I wanted to write this because I have either fallen prey to these issues or seen its devastating effects on fellow believers or unbelievers especially in recent months/ years. I hope that this will not be offensive to you but will encourage a deeper understanding of the faith you hold or the faith that you’re considering. I pray that God will grow us all in wisdom, discernment, compassion, gentleness, and knowledge of His truth.
Personally, God used these resources to deepen my faith over the past 1.5 years (or so): (I have been a Christian for about 9 years, click here to read my post on my testimony).
a questionable Christian book on prayer - that had a few things that didn’t seem right to me but I wasn’t always able to pinpoint all of the issues / and how to refute them
an R.C. Sproul teaching on the tabernacle,
Allie Stuckey’s podcast episodes (on the 5 solas, reformed theology, lies Christian women believe, Hipster Jesus, instagram theology etc.),
Jen Wilkin’s bible study on the book of Genesis (prompted my dive into the Old Testament that always intimidated me, and opened my eyes to a better way to read and study the bible in context)
Daily Grace & Co.’s: Amen bible study (to understand the whole overarching narrative of the bible — from Eden to Eternity)
A biblically-centered church (North Park Presbyterian in San Diego)
A better understanding of God’s attributes,
Reading and really studying the Bible, reading commentaries (love Matthew Henry), and Godly friends who pointed me to Christ
There are so many warnings in the Bible about false gospels and following ideas that go against the Bible and gospel and character of God.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:6-8
Let us listen to warnings like this diligently and not fall prey to weak or unbiblical teaching.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
2 Peter 1:5-9
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts and continue the discussion - feel free to email or message me!
Kaitlyn