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CHURCH
MEMBERSHIP COVENANTS - Paul Proctor - August 23, 2002 -
NewsWithViews.com
Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in
Lake Forest, California recently came out with an article in the Baptist
Press recommending pastors and congregations adopt church membership
covenants as a way of compelling their flock to become more involved in
and committed to the ministry of their church. Although, on the surface
such covenants might seem practical, here’s what Jesus Christ had to say
about making covenants with men.
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them
of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the
Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, SWEAR NOT AT ALL; neither by heaven;
for it is God's throne: "- Matthew 5:33-34 (emphasis added).
In Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, he makes the
following point:
"The worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths;
the better they are, the less there is need for them."
When a church becomes dependent upon carnal
mechanisms for spiritual motivation rather than the power and conviction
of the Holy Spirit, contracts become fashionable among frustrated pastors
who find it necessary to coerce members into carrying out the church’s
ministry. Those who are led by the Spirit of God don’t need to sign on
some dotted line guaranteeing their faithfulness. Those who aren’t led by
the Spirit have no business in a Christian ministry to begin with. We
don’t sign contracts guaranteeing our commitment to Christ for our
salvation. So, why is it now necessary to sign a contract guaranteeing our
commitment to serve in His church? Because faith isn’t required, that’s
why. It’s only when you set out to fill your church with the faith-LESS
that guarantees become necessary.
Saddleback, one of the "cue ball" churches in the
purpose-driven/seeker-sensitive/church growth movement has been at the
forefront of promoting unbiblical ideas like this over the past decade
along with Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.
Under the banner of Christ these "men of faith" rely on marketing
strategies, polls, opinions, experimentation, psychology, consensus,
compromise, consultants and "worshiptainment" to draw and hold large
numbers of "unchurched" people into their "worship centers" each week to
"get connected" with their "felt needs" and finances. In spite of the fact
that such things have little or nothing to do with repentance and faith in
Jesus Christ, church growth gurus like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels have
marketed all sorts of psychological contraptions to the Body of Christ
through their member associations, leadership conferences and self-help
books like "The Purpose Driven Church" and "Honest To God" as biblically
acceptable ways of "doing church".
Let me begin by stating upfront that Jesus Christ
never commissioned His followers to go out into the world and "church"
lost people. Nowhere in scripture will you find the Lord or any of His
Apostles attempting to lure and entice the lost into the first century
church. That was NEVER our Lord’s intention. The church was created WITH
and FOR the REDEEMEND ONLY -- not for the faithless, rebellious and
unrepentant. It only became the primary place for the lost to hear the
Gospel preached because church members throughout the 20th century
couldn’t maintain enough faith and courage to talk about Jesus Christ
outside the church sanctuary. So, for decades now, instead of Christians
inviting the lost to Christ with an open Bible, a convicting Spirit and a
working knowledge of scripture, we’ve been inviting them to church instead
to hear our pastor do what we ourselves should have been doing all along.
Imagine what would become of our military if recruiters bribed civilian
passersby into putting on a uniform, taking a loaded gun and boarding the
next plane to Iraq to fight Saddam Hussein and his minions over in
Baghdad. Bribing the lost into spiritual service armed with little more
than human wisdom, strength and talent to battle Satan and his demons on
the streets of America is just as ridiculous and destructive. To say it
defeats the purpose of the church would be a gross understatement.
Ultimately, church attendance, membership, personal sacrifice and service
should be the RESULT of one’s salvation, not a means to obtaining it. If
it becomes the latter, it eventually corrupts, confuses and degrades the
church as a whole and undermines its divine purpose.
Because of a growing scriptural ignorance among
today’s believers, many dumbed-down Christians from the church growth
movement (CGM) simply take the misguided word of pop culture pontificators
like Warren and Hybels as gospel and embrace their Christian-flavored
psychobabble without ever opening their bibles to investigate its
legitimacy.
My focus today, however, is primarily on pastor
Warren’s Church Membership Covenant concept. He includes this covenant in
the following Baptist Press article for readers to consider as a useful
instrument for today’s church.
Church Membership Covenant: Expect What the Bible
Expects http://www.baptistpress.com/bpfeature.asp?ID=676
Consisting of four basic promises it includes twelve
brief clarifications and accompanying scripture references. If agreed to,
it could send an entire church down the road to spiritual defeat whether
the parking lot is full or not.
Note: My brief comments follow each of the various
commitments below in parenthesis to demonstrate the potential for
confusion, deceit and disaster. In the interest of time and space, I did
not include all of the scripture references he listed just the ones that
are problematic by their misapplication.
"(1.) I WILL PROTECT THE UNITY OF MY CHURCH" (Unity
occurs automatically when church members consistently obey scripture not
when they make covenants with men, ignore heresy and accept sinful
behavior.)
-
(a) "...By
acting in love toward other members" (Is love defined here by the CGM as
going along to get along i.e., compromise?)
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(b) "...By
refusing to gossip" (Does that include challenging, questioning or
criticizing any unbiblical teaching or behavior by a pastor, teacher or
staff member?)
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(c) "...By
following the leaders" (Regardless of their error or deceit?)
Warren’s scripture reference:
"Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.
They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so
that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no
advantage to you." - Heb. 13:17
Just as Romans 13 is so often misused today to
persuade us that we should blindly obey those given governmental authority
over us, even if it goes against God’s Word and Will (as tragically
demonstrated by the rise and reign of Adolph Hitler over Germany during WW
II), Hebrews 13 CAN BE and OFTEN IS misused in the same way regarding
leadership and "followship" in the church. Having come from a Willow Creek
member church myself whose pastor regularly deceived and abused his flock
by dedicating much, if not most of his "ministry" time consolidating for
himself a political powerbase from which every decision he made could be
forced upon the church body without question or discussion, I understand
all too well the danger of absolute power. You see -- Rick Warren’s church
membership covenant makes no exception here for errant pastors, staff
members or teachers who disobey or disavow scripture to carry out some
other agenda. This is an open door for corruption, especially in a church
that is scripturally illiterate and emotionally driven.
"(2.) I WILL SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MY CHURCH"
(as defined by whom, the pastor, the church staff or the Word of God?)
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(a) "...By
praying for its growth" (The word its could imply inanimate objects like
bank accounts, credit lines, buildings, property, programs and church
rolls instead the spiritual growth of individual believers.)
-
(b) "...By
inviting the unchurched to attend" (Inviting the lost to attend your
church is NOT the great commission. Inviting them to Christ IS.)
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(c) "...By
warmly welcoming those who visit" (Regardless of their attitude,
behavior or agenda?)
Warren’s scripture reference:
"So, warmly welcome each other INTO THE CHURCH, just
as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified." - Rom.
15:7 (emphasis added)
Using a version of scripture Warren designates as
"LB", (Living Bible?) Warren obligates signers to welcome anybody and
everybody into the church regardless of their reason for being there.
Notice that he never clarifies whether he’s referring to the Body of
Christ, the church building or a worship service. First of all, the two
"Living" translations I found online never used the words "into the
church". So, I don’t know WHERE he came up with that. Maybe there is some
other version called "LB" that I don’t know about. Even still -- if THIS
conveniently edited "version" of scripture is what pastor Warren is using
to justify anybody and everybody being welcomed "into the church", it is
another example of how the Word of God can be twisted into saying what
someone needs it to say at any given time. Using the King James Version,
you can clearly see that Paul was instructing Christians to "...receive ye
one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God" -- (whether
circumcised or not) God is not glorified by the lost and unrepentant. So,
Paul is obviously instructing us here to receive anyone redeemed by the
blood of Christ not just anybody and everybody regardless of their
spiritual condition or position. Even though welcoming the lost to worship
with you might be entirely appropriate for purposes of them hearing the
Gospel preached, there is no command here to receive the faithless and
unrepentant as you would a brother or sister in Christ. This is how the
Hegelian Dialectic is carried out in the Apostate church today; to
water-down the gospel message, create fellowship between good and evil
(redeemed and lost) and grieve the Holy Spirit. Thesis (saved) +
antithesis (lost) = synthesis (Apostate Church) Remember all it takes is a
little leaven. (1st Corinthians 5)
"The Master said to the servant, 'Go out to the roads
and country lanes, and urge the people there to come so my house will be
full." - Luke 14:23 (NCV).
This scripture reference Warren provides for his
second of four commitments is grossly misused. "My house" as it is used
here refers to the Kingdom of God, which can only involve the redeemed.
Jesus was not commanding us here to fill our church’s "worship center"
with the lost. He made it perfectly clear at the beginning of His parable
in verse 15 that He was talking about "the Kingdom of God" (Heaven) not a
church building on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, those whose "Christian
faith" is grounded in group-think and emotion instead of the Word of God
don’t recognize heresy when it’s staring them in the face. What’s more --
this particular error (instructing believers to essentially fill the
church with anybody any way they can) is the driving philosophy behind the
entire seeker-sensitive church growth movement, a philosophy that I
believe reveals its spiritual illegitimacy.
"(3.) I WILL SERVE THE MINISTRY OF MY CHURCH" (Just
what is your church’s ministry becoming a wealthy and entertaining
mega-church or serving God by obeying His Word?)
-
(a) "...By
discovering my gifts and talents" (The bible does not teach
self-discovery or encourage the use of human talent to grow a church.)
-
(b) "...By
being equipped to serve by my pastors" (Even if they are following the
flesh and the devil?)
-
(c) "...By
developing a servant's heart" (The phrase servant’s heart is an
ambiguous CGM term which could imply one’s cooperation with and
dedication to some other agenda whether biblical or not. Again, another
open door for evil to enter and corrupt.)
"(4.) I WILL SUPPORT THE TESTIMONY OF MY CHURCH"
(Even if it strays from the truth?)
-
(a) "...By
attending faithfully" (Faithfully attending what?)
-
(b) "...By
living a godly life" (Undefined -- ambiguous)
-
(c) "...By
giving regularly" (Again, undefined ambiguous).
The bottom line is this: Once you’ve signed a church
membership covenant and boarded the CGM train -- you’re committed to its
destination, even if it changes direction somewhere along the way. This is
why Jesus commands us in Matthew 5:33-34 to not make oaths with men
because when it’s all said and done we might find ourselves following the
wrong god.
"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth
in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord
" (Jeremiah 17:5)
© 2002 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 News With Views, he extols the wisdom and truths of
scripture through commentary and insight on cultural trends and current
events. His articles appear regularly on a variety of news and opinion
sites across the internet and in print. Paul may be reached at watchman@usa.com.
Crusading to keep kids clueless
- Michelle Malkin (archive)
- August 23, 2002 - ©2002 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
The public education monopoly can't
stand the thought of "unqualified" parents teaching their own children.
That is why they are cracking down on
home schooling, even as a new study shows that thousands of public school
teachers themselves are shamefully unqualified to educate the nation's
students.
In California, the state's hostile
education department is tightening the screws on enterprising parents who
have taken the initiative and turned their family rooms into classrooms.
State Deputy Superintendent Joanne Mendoza wrote in a July 16 memo to all
school employees that without official teaching credentials, these parents
no longer can file required paperwork that would authorize them to home
school their children.
Thus, Mendoza concludes,
home-schooled children not attending public schools would be considered
"truant" by local school districts -- making their parents vulnerable to
arrest and criminal charges.
The education department's Nanny
State view is that parents may be allowed by the government to
"supplement" their own children's education with tutoring at home, but
"not substitute the education with uncredentialed home instruction." Local
districts are following the cue. Sonoma County and San Diego school
officials are distributing memos that declare home schooling illegal.
As I've said many times before,
there's nothing like stiff competition to bring out the worst in
government. Nowhere does this prove more true than in the battle between
home-schooling parents and public school bureaucrats. More than 1.2
million children now call mom and dad their controlling educational
authorities. Their overwhelming success -- in academic competition, on
national tests, and in college -- poses a mounting threat to the
government-run education monopoly and to the public school teachers'
unions.
Despite abominably low test scores,
enormous waste, unsafe classrooms and administrative incompetence, the
public schools have remained a hallowed and untouchable fixture. How dare
"uncredentialed" parents rise up in revolt? How dare they demand
excellence, discipline, and a curriculum that reflects their values and
love of country?
Mocking home schoolers as fringe
radicals and religious extremists, meddling with their teaching materials,
and forcing them to beg public school officials for permission to educate
their own children wasn't enough to defeat the growing movement. So now
California's educracy has adopted a new motto: If you can't beat 'em,
criminalize 'em.
These bully tactics are bound to
backfire in California and the rest of the country as the public school
system's incompetence continues to be laid bare. As California wages its
war on "unqualified" parents, a new report by the Washington, D.C.-based
Education Trust reported this week that one-fourth of all secondary school
classes are taught by public school teachers untrained in the class
subject. It's a problem that hasn't improved for nearly a decade.
The researchers examined whether
classes in four core subjects -- English, math, science and social studies
-- were assigned to a teacher who lacked a college major or minor in that
field or a related field. Nationally, 24.2 percent of classes were taught
by such unqualified teachers. In California, 27 percent of classes were
taught by the untrained. Twelve states had more than 30 percent of classes
fitting that category. Five states -- Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, New
Mexico and Tennessee -- averaged more than one-third.
Among those hurt the most by this
trend: poor and minority students. In schools that serve mostly poor
students, the study found, nearly twice as many courses are taught by
out-of-field teachers as in schools with few poor students. In schools
that mostly serve minority students, 29 percent of classes were taught by
unqualified teachers, compared with 21 percent for schools that have low
minority enrollments.
Our public schools are filled with
substandard math teachers who never took math in college, French teachers
lecturing about biology, art teachers masquerading as history teachers,
and other instructors who have absolutely no expert knowledge or
intellectual curiosity about the subjects they've been assigned to teach.
This is a system whose first priority is self-preservation of its
tax-subsidized employees, not academic enlightenment of its captive
charges.
And they dare to accuse
home-schooling parents of educational malpractice?
Contact Michelle Malkin |
Read her
biography ©2002 Creators Syndicate,
Inc.
Authority and Force - Timothy D. Terrell August 22, 2002 - Chalcedon
Foundations Report
http://www.chalcedon.edu
Recently, while in church, my
three-year-old daughter began squirming and resisting my wife's attempts
to keep her seated. So I picked the child up and carried her out, while
she gave everyone within earshot a clear indication that this too was
against her will.
Parents are granted the authority to
use force in dealing with their children. In fact, parenting of young
children would be inconceivable without the power to move children, fence
them in, or otherwise physically constrain them. Most orthodox Christians
also recognize, in light of Proverbs 23:13, 14 and other passages, that
corporal punishment is a necessary part of parenting.
The family is one of two spheres of
authority that may use force. The state is given the power of the sword
(Romans 13:4), while the church is limited to non-violent means of
persuasion (Matthew 18:15-18). The individual also may use the sword, as
is clear from Christ's instructions to his disciples in Luke 22:36-38 as
well as other passages.
Limits to Physical Force
The family, state, and individual are
all limited in their use of physical coercion. The family may use force to
protect and discipline children (discipline being a form of protection),
but may never resort to capital punishment. As R. J. Rushdoony observed,
this is why Cain did not receive the death penalty for killing Abel — the
only ones who could have administered the punishment were his parents. An
incorrigible, rebellious child (presumably adult, living in his parents'
household) could be executed for disobedience to his parents, under the
Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 21:19-21), but the parents had to appeal to the
civil government to decide the case and carry out the punishment.
The state also is limited, in that
not all sins fall under its jurisdiction, and the force of punishment must
fit the crime (Exodus 21:23-25). Most of us would object, and rightly so,
if the state were to step in to punish my three-year-old for misbehaving
in church. We would also find it a grievous miscarriage of justice if the
state were to execute someone for underpaying his taxes by $100.
The individual may pick up the sword
in service of the state, in self-defense, or defense of someone under his
authority. For example, if the state is waging a just war, the individual
may use lethal force as an agent of the state. The executioner is, in a
sense, granted a temporary license to kill the person who has committed a
capital crime and has been legally convicted. Apart from a commission from
the state, however, the individual does not have the authority to arrest,
convict, and execute criminals. Vigilantism bypasses the civil government
entirely, rejecting the judicial process commended to us in the Bible
(e.g., Exodus 22:8, 9; Deuteronomy 16:18).
Whenever the individual uses the
sword without the specific authorization of the state, it must be as a
stopgap measure to provide for physical defense when the state is
unavailable. Most crimes are committed without a law enforcement official
present to stop the criminal in the act. It is then entirely appropriate
for an individual to step in and do what the law enforcement official
would do if present. The individual then becomes an implicit agent of the
state. This may mean self-defense or coming to the defense of others who
are being assaulted. The little-used power of citizen's arrest is a formal
acknowledgement of this delegation of authority. Scripture supports this
use of the sword — Exodus 22:2 allowed a homeowner to use lethal force
against a thief breaking in, and the previously cited passage in Luke 22
shows Christ's approval of self-protection. The "turn the other cheek"
passage (Matthew 5:38-42), often cited to support an extreme pacifism,
clearly addresses our reaction to personal insults and inconveniences, and
not serious threats to one's life, family, livelihood, or home.
The individual has not only the
authority, but the duty to use force coercively in certain circumstances.
The individual's duty to use force to discipline and protect pertains
particularly to those under one's authority. As mentioned previously, this
includes the judicious use of milder force by parents as a necessary part
of guiding and disciplining their children. As tempting as it might be, I
cannot step in to administer corporal punishment to a stranger's child
mouthing off in the grocery store. But within the bounds of my own
jurisdiction, I have a duty to intervene with force when necessary. Heads
of household have a responsibility to protect those under their roof. A
husband and father who simply calls the police when an assailant presents
an imminent threat to his family, and fails to physically intervene for
their protection, is as culpable as one who will not provide food for his
household. The city of Kennesaw, Georgia recognized this when, in 1982, it
required each head of household to keep a firearm in the home.1
Thus, the principle that emerges is:
coercive force may not be used by an individual, unless acting for the
benefit of someone under his authority, or authorized to do so by a
government Biblically empowered to use force. A relative, babysitter, or
teacher may therefore, in the parents' absence, coerce a misbehaving child
if the parents cannot be summoned in a timely manner and it can be
reasonably assumed that the parent would want coercion to take place in
that situation. A bystander witnessing a mugging across the street may, in
a policeman's absence, use force to stop the crime and apprehend the
thief.
Tyranny by Absence of Force
What if the state refuses to use the
sword to defend its subjects against violent assaults, and fails to
prosecute criminals? The individual using force to defend himself or
others cannot then be said to act as a law enforcement official would act,
for the civil magistrate has abandoned his protective duties and would in
fact do nothing. A bystander witnessing a mugging across the street could
only watch, for there can be no assumption that one explicitly vested with
state authority would act at all. A government that allows its citizens to
be exposed to the predations of murderers and thieves, ignoring their
pleas for protection, is one that is essentially tyrannical. It is a
passive, rather than an active, tyranny.
Our attitude toward such a government
should be the same as our attitude toward a church that has egregiously
failed to exercise church discipline — we should either work to reform it,
or remove ourselves from under its authority. John Calvin contended that
Christians, as individuals, should be obedient to evil governments where
they do not require sin, but he added that lower magistrates are
responsible to "curb the tyranny of kings."2 Lesser officials may be
effective in changing the government, or leading their people out from
under tyrannical authority. Such themes were picked up by later Calvinists
such as Theodore Beza (De Jure Magisterium), Phillipe du Plessis Mornay (Vindiciae
Contra Tyrannos) and Samuel Rutherford (Lex Rex).
During the very period of time that
the state has been failing to act effectively against criminal activity,
the state has sought a monopoly of force. This is amply illustrated by gun
control laws, increasing prosecution of parents who use corporal
punishment to discipline their children, and the recent federal
restrictions on what airline passengers and pilots may carry on board.
This should not be surprising. As R.J. Rushdoony noted:
The goal of the state is the old
pagan and Platonic dream of a monopoly of power. By its claim to
sovereignty and to universal jurisdiction over everything within its
domain, the modern state seeks indeed to be a god walking on earth. The
Biblical faith in a multiplicity of governments under God is denied. The
self-government of the individual, and the governments of the family,
church, school, vocation, and society are all subverted in favor of the
unitary power of the state.3
Tyrant states have effectively
refused to use force when it is appropriate, while at other times they
employ startling violence against people who have done nothing that should
attract forceful intervention by the state. The Christian response to this
should be prompt and emphatic. First, we should remind civil and familial
authorities that all governments are under God and are subject to Biblical
limitations on the use of force. Second, we should teach the duty of using
judicious force within those limitations. Third, we should work vigorously
to end the state's attempts to obtain a monopoly of force. In each of
these efforts, we should remember that the root of tyranny is in the
hearts of men, and it is therefore prayer and faithful preaching that will
have the greatest ultimate impact.
Notes
1. Of course, the overall crime rate
dropped by 89 percent over the next 16 years, and burglaries nearly
disappeared. 2. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book
IV, Chapter 20, Section 31. 3. Rousas J. Rushdoony, Christianity and the
State (Vallecito, CA: Ross House), 1986, p. 160.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy Terrell teaches economics at
a small liberal arts college in South Carolina. In addition, he is
director of the Center for Biblical Law and Economics, on the Internet at
http://www.christ-college.edu/html/cble/ . Dr. Terrell can be
contacted at terrelltd@wofford.edu
.
War On West
Niles - Just might work!
OK, mosquitoes...prepare to be repelled!!!!!
Use Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets...Best thing ever used in
Louisiana.. just wipe on & go...Great for Babies
Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day April
through October . He said it works. He was right. The odor the tablet
gives out through your skin (YOU can not smell it) repels mosquitoes,
black flies, no seeum's, and knat's. It does not work on stinging insects.
Hasn't had a mosquito bit in 33 years. Try it. Every one he has talked
into trying it works on them. Vitimin B-1( Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg.)
Kenn said NPR reports that if you eat bananas, the
mosquitoes like you, something about the banana oil as your body processes
it. (Maybe they need the potassium too- lol) Stop eating bananas for the
summer and the mosquitoes will be much less interested.
This is going to floor you, but one of the best insect
repellents someone found (who is in the woods every day), is Vick's
Vaporub.
Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off a
smell that bugs do not like, so plant some in that garden also to help
ward off bugs without using insecticides.
"Tough guy" Marines who spend a great deal of time "camping
out" say that the very best mosquito repellant you can use is Avon
Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about half and half with alcohol.
Mix your own Repellant: 20 drops Eucalyptus oil; 20 drops
Cedarwood oil; 10 drops Tea Tree oil; 10 drops Geranium oil; 2 oz. carrier
oil (such as Jojoba). Mix together in a 4 oz. container. Apply to skin as
needed avoiding the eye area. Keep out of reach of children. Test on a
small area of skin for sensitivities . Experiment with different
percentages of essential oil
From Sharon: One of the best natural
insect repellants that I've discovered is made from the clear real vanilla
(not the grocery store vanilla extract which is mostly alcohol). This is
the pure vanilla that is sold in Mexico. It's cheap there if you know of
someone that lives there or in the US close to the border. If not, health
food stores usually carry it or can order it for you. I use it half
vanilla and half water and find that it works great for mosquitoes and
ticks, don't know about other insects.
|
free.