The above link is to a very interesting article posted on the Christian Index. Though I wholeheartedly agree the SBC is in its death and the stench of decay can no longer be masked with our churches Glade Plugins hidden behind our silk roses, I see the thesis of this argument as the other side of the coin that is killing it.
In considering social justice, which many in the conservative branches of Evangelicalism see as a catch all watch word for the new liberalism, I would ask you to see if Social Justice is any different from Conservative Politics. In a desire to want to do what is right and have a group fall into line the Social Justice Warriors have become militant and taken to recruiting. This is no different than Evangelicals championing causes through Conservative Politics in an effort to fulfil the righteousness that they see fit. It is all a system of social engineering through governance that is all corrupt because the heart is corrupt. Change the heart and the world will change.
In the Social Gospel, many will say that the church should not engage in such things. Pishh Posh. I would say that if anyone is without clothes or daily food and we say, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed.” Well like James said it. You are the smell of death. The full blame for the social system we have in this country can be laid at the feet of the Church. When the depression hit, the one force large enough to do anything about suffering, starvation, medical care, care for widows, care for orphans, and myriad other maladies was the Church. Through callousness and indifference we allowed our fellow man to suffer and when called we failed to act. So, FDR sprang forward with his New Deal. We lament the cost of social programs, but it is the unfortunate consequence of a Church who loves its wealth more than sinners.
The feminist movement is dangerous. It is a plot of the Devil to ensnare the mind of women who have been mistreated or those who love women who have been mistreated. It’s evils are exactly the same as all other evils that put one person over another and cry out for their rights. Truth is, we have no one to thank but ourselves. If we were truly living the principles of Jesus teaching as found in Matthew 20:16, feminism would not touch the church as it has. Out of our refusal to stand against the mistreatment of women we have allowed this to come into our churches. No one would fault a man for attempting to protect himself against injustice, battery, or death. So maybe we should look at the feminist movement as their attempt to do that as sinful as it is.
Tolerance has abounded in the church for centuries and it continues with much vigor. I agree we have dead and lifeless men preaching the Gospel. Time and again I have seen preachers refuse to acknowledge the sin in their own pulpit while claiming the world is the sinfulness that is destroying the moral fabric of the world. The moral fabric of the world has been ripped beyond repair since Adam and Eve sinned. We must no longer allow sin to overcome our churches. We must call out gossip, slander, lust, adultery, child abuse, spouse abuse, thievery, lying, and pride when we see it rise in our church. To preach against LBGT but to skirt any other sin is death.
We then arrive to Nationalism. When I look through the fruits of the Spirit or the good vices in Colossians 3:12, I see a strange absence of the words loyalty, pride, nationalism, identity, or patriotism. I am sure this will ruffle some SBC feathers, but I am a citizen of the Kingdom. I will only serve one master. Nationalism is a vice of excess and I will not submit myself to it or anything else. I will give respect to the V.P. or the President, but I also give respect to the House and Senate Minority Leaders, soldiers I see, children who come to my church, and homeless people I come into contact with. I treat them all the same and pray for all who need it and will use every opportunity I get to tell them the Gospel so that they can also become citizens of the Kingdom of God and no longer be trapped in their sin.
Yes there is death in the SBC. The prognosis is bad, but the Church will live on. We must preach Christ crucified to sinners who love their sin and are going to Hell. We must call believers to lives dedicated to holiness and mercy, and in doing so we speak life into death. This will bring revival.
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