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Monday, October 22, 2007

Some Things Never Change

oday, I read an interesting article on one of the sites that I frequent. It talked about "authenticity", showmanship and half truths that are taught by todays "modern teachers". It admonished us to check all things with the Bible, which is the inerrant Word of God and the final arbiter on issues of man, God and the like.

I invite you to read it for yourself. Please read all the way to the end :)

Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine peculiarly dangerous. There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error: their "earnestness" makes many think they must be right. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge: many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides. There is a general tendency to free thought and free inquiry in these latter days: many like to prove their independence of judgment, by believing novelties. There is a wide-spread desire to appear charitable and liberal-minded: many seem half ashamed of saying that anybody can be in the wrong. There is a quantity of half-truth taught by the modern false teachers: they are incessantly using Scriptural terms and phrases in an unscriptural sense. There is a morbid craving in the public mind for a more sensuous, ceremonial, sensational, showy worship: men are impatient of inward, invisible heart-work. There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly, and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself "as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). There is a wide-spread "gullibility" among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man. All these things are peculiar symptoms of our times. I defy any observing person to deny them. They tend to make the assaults of false doctrine in our day peculiarly dangerous. They make it more than ever needful to cry aloud, "Do not be carried away!"

If any one should ask me, What is the best safeguard against false
doctrine?--I answer in one word, "The Bible: the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied." We must go back to the old prescription of our Master: "Diligently study the Scriptures" (John 5:39).

It's interesting to me that this so accurately describes the state of some of our churches today. What is especially interesting is that it is from All Kinds of Strange Teachings by J.C. Ryle, who lived from 1816-1900.

1 comment:

Diana said...

It is interesting that over 100 years ago people were being warned of the same things people are being warned about today. The churches that have no rspect or reverance for God's Word.

It is completely foolish of some not to see it. If their Bible is read and understood, not one preacher out their would be teaching the half truth Gospel that they are.

The magnitutde of what they teach should weigh so heaily on their soul that they should have awareness in what they teach. Instead they are playing with the fire because they water down the validity of the words written in the Book. Churches feed the "it's all about me" syndrome.

We need to have bookstores, coffee bars,air hockey, xbox games, bands etc I have even heard of McDonalds in some churches.
What it equals is stimulation overload. Let's divert attention from the reason we are "supposed" to be here, so they leave with only half the truth(which is still a lie)and they will think they got 'the est of the story."
Preachers want to make sure they never once get called out for biblical correctness, and those who do question it, get quietly shuffled out a different exit so the boat looks as if it were never rocked.