Be Alert for Old School Liberalism

Following the election, the Huffington Post published an article entitled Goodbye Christian America, Hello True Christianity". I anticipated an article that would either discuss the need for the church to get out of the business of politics and back to preaching the true gospel, or the need for the church to get out of the entertainment and self-help industry and speak of repentance and faith.

After reading the article, I was disappointed.

The article was about Life Center Church and their "Global Neighbor Project" helping orphans and others in HIV-ravaged Lesotho.This is indeed an excellent work, and it's great that the church is now known as the one that helps Aids Orphans and not the one with the big Christmas Pageant.

But the article also raised some concerns.

The primary concern is what the author, Richard Stearns, of World Vision, stated about the mission of the church. He said the mission Jesus gave us was "to show the world a different way to live -- a way that demonstrates the great character of God: his love, his justice, his compassion, his forgiveness and his reconciliation."

Really? The mission is to show the world a different way to live? This is old school, social gospel liberalism at its very best (or worst). But what does the Scripture say?

The mission of Jesus was to atone for the sin of a lost human race by sacrificing his life to satisfy God's wrath and make it possible for man to return to fellowship with Him.  The mission of the church is to preach the gospel of repentance and faith. Along the way we do care for widows and orphans in their need, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, bring health care the sick, but if it stops there then we have really failed in our mission. According to Operation World, the people of Lesotho "were Christianized generations ago, but most were never fully converted." The work to provide care for the needs of Lesotho is a worthy one, but if it is not accompanied by a clear call to repentance and faith then it is not fulfilling the mission of Christ and His church.

A second concern in the article is the different groups who have partnered with the church in this endeavor.  Again, on first glance, this may seem like a good thing. But what does the Scripture say?  

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God."  2 Cor. 6:14-16

The article indicates that partners with the church include the Jewish and gay communities, as well as agencies and organizations that have never been known for their commitment to Biblical Gospel principles. Operation World indicates that a problem in the Lesotho Church is syncretization and compromise. The strange bedfellows involved in this project certainly will not help the church in its pursuit of purity.

James 1:27 tells us "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."  One should  not focus on the first half and ignore the second.

I'm sure many may find these comments to be too critical. Yet, we really can't be too careful when the purity of the gospel and the mission of the church is at stake. Our nation today is reaping the fruits of the failure of the church to preach the true gospel and whole counsel of God.  We need to be discerning about what we see, read and hear, and always measure it against ":What does the Scripture say?"