THE APOSTATE CHURCH
A SENSORY CIRCUS
By Paul Proctor
NewsWithViews.com
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?
http://www.persecution.com/editorial/index.cfm?editorialID=10
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 Psycho-Heresy 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 Unholy Alliance -Christianity & The NWO
http://www.rense.com/general20/unholy.htm
The Changing Church
http://www.crossroad.to/News/Church/contents.html
© Paul Proctor, All Rights Reserved
_________________________________________________________________________
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. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for Ether Zone (http://etherzone.com) he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on current events.
Paul's articles can be found on various news and opinion sites across the internet. He can be reached by email at watchman@usa.com
Published in the March 7, 2002 issue of Ether Zone. Copyright © 1997 - 2002 Ether Zone.