The Apostate Church
- by Paul Proctor
Part 1: A SENSORY CIRCUS
I came across an article recently on the Kjos Ministries web
site that dealt
with the religion of Islam being presented at some of today's Christian
churches across America as a response to the tragic events of September
11th. The example the author gave was Willow Creek Community Church in South
Barrington, Illinois. In his commentary, written for "Voice of the Martyrs", Dr.
Tom White told of a Muslim named Faisal Hammouda who addressed the congregation
at Willow Creek.
HAVE WE SHAMED THE FACE OF JESUS?
The church's pastor, Bill Hybels, is quite accustomed to playing the role of
facilitator when bringing opposing groups together at his church for dialog.
In the fall of 2000 it was an unrepentant Bill Clinton that appeared before
evangelical leaders at Willow Creek to seek their forgiveness and support
before the Democratic Convention. In the spring of 2001 it was a forum of
the world's largest religions gathering at Willow Creek for dialog. The goal
of such meetings is unity and a hope that opposing positions can reach a
consensus of understanding by focusing not on each other's differences but
on each other's similarities and common ground. (thesis + antithesis
=synthesis)...the "Hegelian Dialectic".
What many beguiled believers do not understand about this Muslim's
appearance at Willow Creek is that it is not Islam, the Koran, Mohammed or
even the Gospel of Christ that Bill Hybels is promoting here but a consensus
process developed over two hundred years ago by a transitional Marxist named
Georg William Friedreich Hegel. I doubt very seriously that anyone who hears a
Muslim preach from the pulpit of Willow Creek or any other
seeker-sensitive church will convert to Islam. What many Christians WILL
learn from such meetings is this:
(1) Absolute unity is more important than absolute truth.
(2) Feelings and fellowship are more important than faith and facts.
(3) "Love" is measured not by one's loyalty to Christ and obedience to His
Word but by one's loyalty to the group and conformity to the
consensus.
This system of "group-think" subverts the conscience of each individual and
forces them, through dialog and compromise, to accept the unacceptable for
the "common good". They call it the "Will of God". Historians call it the
Hegelian Dialectic. I call it socialism.
The modus operandi of today's Apostate church consists of members and
prospective members surrendering their personal convictions and absolutes to
the consensus process and compromising those values when necessary to win
the support and approval of the group. (Peer pressure) The real damage to
the church occurs when believers learn that it is "Christ-like" to
accommodate, honor and accept those who reject the Word of God which results in
human relationships taking precedence over one's relationship to Christ.
If you see nothing wrong with this then you may want to
revisit a few
helpful scriptures like John 14:6, 2nd Corinthians 6:14-17 and Matthew
10:34-37 for a better understanding.
When Christians compromise truth to unify with an opposing group (those
claiming a different god, religion, doctrine or belief), casual observers
are left to conclude that there really must not be any difference between
the two. The end result is that all become spiritual casualties deferring to
the will of a facilitator who subtly manipulates the dialog between opposing
positions to achieve a predetermined outcome...a contrived consensus of
which neither party is privy to.
It's all about achieving the unity of a one-world religion, a universal
brotherhood that is fraudulently promoted as "Christian unity" and called
"ecumenism". But beware of ecumenical movements and events like "Promise
Keepers" and "Women of Faith", where, just like Willow Creek, fun, feelings,
fellowship, fabulous music and Freudian psychology are used to teach the global
gospel of "tolerance, diversity and unity"...all in the name of
Jesus. Though appearing to be innocent and spiritually healthy many of
these productions and events actually undermine the gospel by appealing to
the flesh and emotions of attendees using a lot of Christian celebrities,
humor, boisterous music, romantic stories, sentimentality, tears (and
believe it or not) even the visual stimulation of those who come forward to
make "decisions".
You see my friends...it is one's faith that should stir one's feelings and
the Word of God that should stir one's faith, not the other way around. If
your faith becomes dependent upon feelings and emotions triggered by the
stimuli of some staged event, (music, skits, humor, romantic stories,
sentimentality, tears and the excitement of being with crowds and
celebrities) then emotion will always lead the way in your Christian walk.
This excludes the Word of God, deafens the conscience to the Voice of the
Holy Spirit and opens the door to all kinds of satanic deception. The proper
order of these things should be:
(1) Hearing (or reading) the Word...
(2) Then faith...
(3) Then feelings that express that faith through word or deed.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
(Romans
10:17)
If you reverse this process you risk becoming the pawn of every medicine
show that rolls through town.
"Writing for the November-December 1999 issue of PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter,
Debbie Dewart gives her impression of the 1999 Woman of Faith conference in
Anaheim, California, where nearly 20,000 attendees paid $50 each and 1,500 more
paid $25 to watch from overflow areas via television.
She noted that:...'the presentation [by "celebrity" Christian women] was
primarily entertainment directed toward the senses. There was no...intensive
teaching from any text of Scripture, and no mention of sin, repentance, or
man's depravity as presented in the Bible....Instead of sound doctrine,
believers are fed the "junk food" of contemporary psychotherapy, couched in
Christian terminology that deceives the unwary." - The Berean Call
Not only that but once the music stops, the lights go out, the crowd
disperses and the excitement wanes, many will take home with them books and
tapes purchased at these events that are full of humanist doctrine, new-age
philosophy, Freudian psychology, occult practices and socialist ideals that
in reality contradict the Word of God and oppose the very One these
facilitators claim to serve! You cannot understand today's heretical
movements, organizations and the corruption behind them until you detach
yourself from their emotional influence and investigate them objectively
with information and testimonials that their founders, promoters and
supporters do not provide. Simply attending a sensory circus to have a good
time with your friends does not enable the average individual to see what
goes on behind the curtain.
Related Articles:
The People's Church...A Wayward Vessel
http://etherzone.com/2000/proc081800.html
Hegelian Dialectic & The New World Order
http://etherzone.com/2001/proc121101.shtml
The Changing Church
http://www.crossroad.to/News/Church/contents.html
Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and
seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late
1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a
distinctly biblical perspective. Paul Proctor is a writer for the American Reformation
Project and a regular columnist for
Ether Zone.
Paul can be reached by email at
watchman@usa.com