I had an aunt who could not pronounce "aluminum." To hear her try brought laughter from us all when we were kids. She joined in the fun, and I too struggle with the pronunciation of some words, like "ecumenicalism", which may be a good thing, because that word is a bad thing. Webster may define it as the idea of promoting Christian unity around the world, but history proves it to be the idea of perverting Christian doctrine around the world. It is the Rodney King approach to breaking down the walls of denominationalism--"Why can't we all just get along?" It is the big World Council of Churches campfire where all hold hands and sway back and forth to the singing of "Kum Ba Ya."
Conservatives fought tooth and nail the liberal ecumenicalism that swept over the American church landscape like a tidal wave through much of the 20th century. It was a necessary fight, because as much as Jesus wants unity in His body of believers, unity can never be achieved at the sacrifice of truth. (John 17:17) In Daniel's great confessional prayer on behalf of his fellow Jews, he says "we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and giving attention to your truth." (Dan 9:13) Of all the things we can think of what Jesus could have said to Pilate for His reason to coming to earth, He made it abundantly clear when He announced, "for this reason I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me." (John 18:37) Every person in the pulpit needs to heed the words of the veteran pastor Paul to the rookie Timothy, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Tim. 4:16)
As we told the liberals back then and as we must tell ourselves today, truth is not a bargaining chip. Negotiations, give-and-take deliberations, deal making, and hammered-out compromise may suit the corporate boardroom and the halls of Congress at times, but God's truth is not up for negotiation anywhere anytime by anyone. Even if I had no problem rolling the word "ecumenicalism" off my lips, I sure don't want to subscribe to any part of it. Deal or no deal? It should be "no deal" for any of us who are followers of the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Pretty soon, though, what once was their problem can become our problem. A new ecumenicalism has resurfaced in recent years, and it has reappeared in many forms. What makes this different breed of ecumenicalism so insidious and hard to detect is that it is OUR OWN home-grown ecumenicalism. What I say may not endear me to many people, but I am convinced there is a word of caution that needs to be sounded forth before the conservatives among us imbibe too much from the intoxicating beverage of this "new and improved" brand of ecumenicalism.
As like probably everyone who reads this, I am deeply troubled and very dissatisfied with the current direction our country is taking under this present administration in our nation's capitol. I am a theological conservative and a political conservative as well. Christians should be involved and not sit idly by on the sidelines. We should pray for our leaders, pray for our country, and pray for ourselves. If the apostle Paul was writing Romans 13 under the auspices of our kind of government and not Nero's in Rome, I am sure he would tell us believers to be informed where the candidates stand on the issues and don't stay home on election day.
The liberal ecumenical movement was wrapped around a certain political agenda and ideology, be it solving world hunger and eliminating hunger through social programs, or reducing overpopulation and pollution around the world, or combating AIDS with the free distribution of condoms, to fighting global warming of today. The tag "social gospel" has been given to this reduction and seduction of biblical Christianity. It is far more social, as in social-ism, than it is gospel. As I stated earlier, conservative Christians in the evangelical community locked horns with this big swing to the left. The gospel was at stake, and the gospel is always worth living for, fighting for, and dying for.
Guess what has happened? What once was public enemy number one among conservative Christians has become the darling among conservative Christians. The new ecumenical movement is wrapped around a certain political agenda and ideology, although now it is our own political agenda and ideology, which of course makes it so much better and okay, so we think. If we can talk more glowingly about Sarah than the Savior, exactly what does that say about us? If we think a certain political candidate is the salvation of our city, state or nation, what does that say about us exactly? If we know the hot-button issues of our day more than we know all the precious doctrines taught in the book of Romans, then what does that say about us? If we find it much easier to speak about political matters and candidates to strangers than we do about the Lord Jesus Christ, then what makes our ecumenicalism any different or better than the liberal variety?
Glenn Beck may be an outstanding political commentator, but he is a Mormon. Sean Hannity may be a detailed analyst of the ins and outs of our nation's politics, but he is a devout Catholic. Rush Limbaugh may be number one radio personality in America, but his attendance of church is non-existent, and he recently married wife number four. Just last year Jerry Falwell's college in Virginia had a Mormon speak at their school's commencement. If a liberal religious school had invited an ordained homosexual minister come speak at its school, we would roll our eyes in disgust and speak out in protest. But when Mr. Beck spoke at Liberty University, hardly a word was said or a body movement made. You know why? Because it is OUR ecumenicalism at work, and that makes everything A-OK. When it is THEIRS, we have our guns ablazing. At one time when he was alive Mr. Falwell was leading the charge against liberal ecumenicalism. Times have changed, and so has the brand of ecumenicalism.
I am not suggesting that Christians should not listen to Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, Fox News, Newsmax, or any other conservative source of information. I tend to agree most of the time from what I glean from those various sources. I am only issuing a strong word of caution--if the liberals can be guilty of putting a political agenda ahead of the gospel, can we conservative Christians not make the same sort of mistake? The GOP does not stand for God's Own Party, and the gospel is still the only hope for us. The gospel is always worth living for and fighting for, even if we have to fight for it within our own camp. God may be using elements of the tea party movement today to awaken Americans to an understanding of our Constitution and heritage, but in the final analysis, the tea party movement can not save Americans from their sin any more than the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, President Obama, or any other element of the left wing movement in our land.
This new ecumenicalism did not just spring up within the past year or so; it was alive and well in the 1970s and 1980s. Anybody out there remember the Moral Majority? With that name in place, the Pharisees could have easily joined that group. Need I remind you who Jesus' chief antagonists were? God always seems to do His best job when it is only a faithful godly minority, a remnant, a Gideon, a David, a Daniel, an Elijah, a Jeremiah, a John the Baptist.
While in the highly charged election year when it is becoming increasingly fashionable for churches, Christians and pastors to align themselves with certain political candidates, we need to take a quick refresher course in history. It was Constantine that legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire, and it became its official religion. No more persecution and nothing more to fear by Christians finally. Good news, right? Not a chance. History confirms that the marriage between state politics and the church was the beginning of the church's demise. The church lost its message and witness, and to be "Christian" or a "church member" was just a necessary step one must take up the political ladder.
In more recent times, Ronald Reagan has been hailed as the greatest president in our lifetime by the new brand of ecumenicalism. This is not to denigrate his presidency or his accomplishments, but do you know that President Reagan was the President that established political ties with the Vatican, that he was the President that nominated Sandra Day O'Connor, whom proved to be bust on the bench in her pro-abortion votes, and that he advocated a plan of amnesty for illegal immigrants? This is the danger we face when we become too closely identified with any political candidate and when we hitch our wagon to any political star, so that we lose impartial judgment in the process.
Billy Graham was a man in the latter part of his ministry that was given to both brands of ecumenicalism. This was by his own admission, and it was his design in the organization of his crusades. Even Billy Graham had to learn the lesson the hard way during the Nixon years. Mr. Graham closely cozied up to a sitting president probably unlike any other religious figure in our nation's history had done prior to the Nixon presidency. When Watergate became full-blown and after the release of the audio tapes that had President Nixon using every sort of vulgarity and profanity, Mr. Graham was deeply embarrassed and tarnished somewhat by that disclosure. From that moment on, Billy Graham had said in numerous interviews that we would never make that mistake again of becoming too attached to any one office holder.
Politicians can disappoint us. They can let us down big time. Some of the worst cases of marital infidelity and political corruption have come from the conservative side of the political aisle. Jesus will never disappoint us; He will never embarrass us; He will never let us down; He will never become something He is not. And He owns no political favors. And He can not be bought. And His truth is not up for sell to the highest political contributor. Let us not drape the American flag, a donkey or an elephant around the cross of Jesus Christ. The universal, international gospel needs no props or embellishments, which only take away from its glory anyway.
I am eager and ready to go to the polls on primary day here on July 27, and I have four registered voters now in my household. It is an American privilege we should never take for granted. If my choice of candidates win or lose on primary day or come November, there is one thing any of us can not afford to lose, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ usurped by any political platform or movement. As Vance Havner was fond of saying, "The parents of Jesus lost Jesus at church one time, and they were not the last people to lose Jesus at church." Well, we can lose Jesus at a political rally as well.
It's not worth losing Jesus anywhere, even if our slate of candidates come out on top. Beware of any ecumenical movement, liberal or conservative, where Jesus gets lost in the crowd and commotion.
Yours in Christ,
Chris
P.S. I am still planning on writing about "Gog and Magog I--Before There was Hitler, There was Haman."
