So far in this series we have learned of corrupted Bible versions, eartickling church “theaters”, flock-fleecing preachers, blab-it-and-grab-it gurus, NAR and circus/WWF Christianity, and in Part VI, the deathly legalism of morguelike churches. Now we leave the glacial religious wastelands of “the frozen chosen” and venture out into the swamps of today’s Church, where the soiled hands of progressivism have touched and ruined the sacred just as they do everything and everyone else they grab hold of. If you have a sensitive stomach, grab a bucket. We are about to open up some theological sewer lines and wade through some spiritual gangrene.
A. The Embracing of Abominations
God hates all sin, regardless of what it is, but there are some sins which seem to particularly anger The Almighty. This is not an opinion; it is in Scripture:
Proverbs 6:16-19: These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.
Matthew 18:5-6, 10: “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea…Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”
Romans 1:24-27: Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Having established Scriptural support for the idea of God’s especial anger toward some sins, I now tell you something of which many of you are aware but still find shocking, and for good reason. There are churches and even entire denominations which have endorsed choices and lifestyles that God calls abominations, in particular homosexuality and in some cases, even abortion. In older days it would have been unthinkable for any professing Christian to approve of such evil, yet it is happening now. More and more people who identify as Christians are expressing support for gay marriage. While there is still considerable opposition to abortion and homosexuality in the more conservative Protestant denominations, such as the Church of God, the Assemblies of God, and the Southern Baptist convention, there is still some support for it even there, and in some denominations, such as the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), for example, a majority of parishioners believe abortion should be legal in at least some cases and also support gay marriage. They are not the only ones, but the fact that any person or group identifying as Christian yet supporting what the Word of God clearly opposes is seriously troubling. It is another sign of these perilous times we are living in, and we must contend for the faith and not give in to such wickedness (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Jude 1:3-4). People bound up in such sins need salvation, deliverance, and healing, not encouragement to continue sinning. Women who have had abortions need to know that forgiveness from God is available. It is not God’s will for rape, incest, or other vile things to happen to people, yet even from such unfortunate unions as these, life sometimes springs forth, and the life of such a child is as precious in the eyes of God as it would be had the child been conceived in a godly marriage. Homosexuality can be forgiven and repented of, and the power of God can set people into a proper sexual orientation.
B. The Invasion of Critical Race Theory and The Social Justice Movement Into the Church
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a Marxist theory with a “progressive” face. The left-leaning mainstream media tries to cover that up or else blame this description on conservatives. Google the article “A Deeper Look at Critical Race Theory – WSJ” and you will find a July 20, 2021, article detailing its poisonous traits—if Big Tech does not erase it from the internet. CRT is Marxist and is a form of reverse discrimination, finding inherent fault in white people. To use a cliché, two wrongs don’t make a right. You wonder what some of the fuel is behind the fires of Black Lives Matter (another reverse discrimination movement), the cry for reparations, and the push to get white people to admit to and apologize for “white privilege”? You can look at CRT as one of the sources. And as sad as it is, this movement is making inroads into churches, even at the seminary level.
CRT has been pulled into a larger movement called the social justice movement. Christianity by its very nature incorporates elements of social justice into its outworking, but remains within Scriptural lines. The social justice movement, like CRT, is more Marxist and thus more Communistic in nature. Since social justice is familiar to believers, a number of them have been duped into believing that CRT and its broader-scale cousin, intersectionality, are good things. Just as CRT focuses on the “disadvantage” of certain races, so intersectionality looks at overlapping systems of “disadvantages” based on race, class, and gender. The lack of spiritual discernment in allowing such godless ideologies into the Church is appalling. We need to be guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, not Marxist theories and movements. Because, again, there are elements of social justice in Christianity, when properly worked out all classes of people will be greeted with and cared for by the love of God. We absolutely should not discriminate against people because of race, gender, or social standing. How do I know? The Bible tells me so. There is a big difference between the God-given roles of men and women, for example, and demonizing one in favor of the other. And so on and so forth. Putting a tuxedo on a pig does not change the animal into something other than a pig. Likewise, all forms of discrimination are discrimination!
C. Progressive Christianity and the Disposal of Sound Doctrine
In touching upon such things as CRT we have spoken about some of those things that are central to a recent movement in Protestantism known as Progressive Christianity. This movement has a strong focus not only on social justice but on environmentalism as well. Personally, I believe the climate is changing, but these changes are much more strongly based on a natural cycle than on manmade pollution. This climate change hype is just smoke and mirrors to conceal a major power grab by global elitists. Whoever controls the natural resources wields tremendous power, as you might imagine. It is almost embarrassing to think that there are Christians who have been sucked into such propaganda. There are believers who feel like we should not be concerned about what is going on in the world and that since we cannot stop what is happening anyway, why bother with it? Ignorance is never bliss, and it is never okay, as this Scripture shows us:
1 Chronicles 12:32: …of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;…
Even if we cannot stop what is going on around us, we can stay away from deception. In these last days everything, potentially, is something the kingdom can and will weaponize not only to keep the lost from being saved but also to drag Christians off course and eventually into destruction. Progressive Christianity is yet another source of erosion of the faith, another demonic tool of deception. It is one of those movements where the inerrancy of the Bible is not believed. In fact, it is questioned whether the Bible is even the literal word of God. This perversion of the faith focuses on societal redemption rather than on the redemption of the individual. Paramount to God is individual redemption, that is, salvation. That is why Jesus Christ came—to die for us so that we can have eternal life. It may be true that God will judge nations and, therefore, societies (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 25:31-46), but regardless of this, salvation always concerns the individual. To neglect or minimize this is to ignore one of the most central tenets of the Christian faith. This we cannot do.
Between all the forces hammering at the Church, a lot of it sadly from within, sound doctrine is being disposed of. So here we are, in the last of the last days. Deception and demonic activity are on the rise. The institutional Church is a caricature of what God intended it to be—if He ever even intended for the Church to be institutional in nature! That the Church can accomplish as much as it does with the shape that it is in is an attestation of the power of God, but that does not mean we should be content with this religious trainwreck.
Well, then, as Christians, what do we do? What can we do? In Part VIII of this series, the conclusion, we will learn some things that we as believers can do to overcome the moral degeneracy that is crippling the Church. Remember this: Throughout history God has always had a remnant of faithful believers (1 Kings 19:18). A good starting point for us is to be true disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:13-16; Luke 14:25-33). By doing so, He will count us as part of His remnant in these last days.