Church Weekly for 16 March 2008
My dear readers,
1. “Warning the flock of God”
Pastors need to “… feed the flock of God …” with wholesome spiritual food (1 Pet 5:2 ) as well as teach them to feed themselves, “… as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet 2:2 ).
Feeding must go hand in hand with warning. The Apostle Peter, ever mindful of our Lord’s words, “Feed my lambs … feed my sheep,” also warned, “… that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts …” making fun of the doctrine of our Lord’s return (2 Pet 3:3 , 4 ).
Likewise, the Apostle Paul said to the Elders of the Ephesian Church: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29-31 ).
2. RICK WARREN SAYS EVANGELICALS AND LIBERALS ARE ON THE SAME TEAM
Friday Church News Notes
Speaking January 27 at the Washington National Cathedral, Rick Warren said that evangelicals and liberals “need to be on the same team because we share the same Saviour.” He said that the churches need both a social gospel and a gospel of personal salvation, adding, “And mainline protestant and evangelical--we need both wings.”
Either the man is grossly ignorant of what is taught in the “mainline churches” or he simply cares nothing whatsoever about doctrinal heresy. The Washington National Cathedral is a member of the Episcopal Church in America, one of the world’s most liberal denominations.
In 1960, Episcopalian Bishop James Pike said the doctrine of the Trinity is “outdated, incomprehensible and nonessential” (The Christian Century, Dec. 21, 1960). In 1963, Episcopal theologian Paul van Buren started the God-is-dead movement with the publication of his book The Secular Meaning of the Gospel.
In 1967, after heresy charges were brought against James Pike, the Episcopal Church adopted a resolution declaring that all heresy was out of date. In 1976, John Spong was ordained as the bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Newark, New Jersey, even though he denied practically every doctrine of the Christian faith. By 1991, at least 50 practicing homosexuals had been ordained to the Episcopal priesthood.
In his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, John Spong said the apostle Paul was “a self hating, repressed homosexual.” In 1998, Spong said, “I would choose to loathe rather than to worship a deity who required the sacrifice of his son” (Christianity Today, June 15, 1998).
In April 2003, Episcopal bishop Charles Bennison said that Jesus Christ was a sinner (Worthy News, April 14, 2003). Many Episcopalians have left the Episcopal Church in recent years at the cost of losing their pensions and property, but Southern Baptist pastor Rick Warren thinks we need it! Friends, beware of this man. - CN February 1, 2008
3. RICK WARREN TELLS PASTORS TO GET RID OF TROUBLEMAKERS
Friday Church News Notes, December 7, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org
In the November 14 issue of his Ministry Toolbox, Rick Warren told pastors to get rid of troublemakers. He begins with the erroneous statement that the Bible “talks more about the unity of the church than it does about either heaven or hell.” In fact, the Bible speaks more about heaven and hell than about unity and it speaks far more about the importance of sound doctrine and practice and separation from error than it does about unity.
Warren makes no distinction between trouble that comes because of heresy and self-will and trouble that comes because of the truth. God’s people are nowhere instructed to blindly follow pastors or to accept a “unity” based on anything other than the truth. They have an obligation before God to “prove all things” (1 Thess. 5:21 ) and to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3 ).
In a fashion that is one of his fearful trademarks, Warren lifts Scripture out of context to prove his point. First he uses 2 Timothy 2:23-26 , which only deals with how to handle “foolish and unlearned questions” asked by those who are in the snare of the devil. It has nothing to do with legitimate biblical questions asked by sincere Christians who care about God’s Word. Next he uses 2 Timothy 2:14 , which is a warning about striving about “words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.” Again, this is a warning about false teaching, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with sincere biblical challenges.
He also uses Titus 2:15 , which is an exhortation to preachers to be bold in preaching the truth but which says absolutely nothing about kicking people out of the church because they love the truth. He also uses Titus 3:1 , which is an exhortation to be subject to the authorities that God has put in this world, but by comparing Scripture with Scripture we know that it does not entail blind submission (i.e., Acts 5:29 ).
Finally Warren uses Titus 3:10-11 , which contains instruction about how to deal with heretics or false teachers who are causing division on the basis of their heresies. It has nothing whatsoever to do with those in the church who love the truth and who are sincerely trying to be faithful to the Bible.
Rick Warren is the heretic who is causing divisions among God’s people through heresies. It is he that should be rejected. The fact that his Southern Baptist Convention keeps its mouth shut in the face of his heresies is irrefutable evidence that it is deeply compromised and is not faithful to God’s Word. – CN 17 Dec 07
Lovingly in the Lord
Dr SH Tow, Senior Pastor