Wednesday, June 12, 2002
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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 |
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Yesterday's dangers still applicable By JOHN HATCHER William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, at one point in his ministry, enumerated six dangers of the 20th Century in relationship to the church and her mission. Upon reading these six dangers, I believe they are as apt today as then. The first danger is religion without the Holy Spirit. Someone noted to me that the whole "church thing" could be done Sunday after Sunday without the Holy Spirit. Any church could be a well-oiled machine that drones on with singers singing, committees meeting, and preachers orating all without the Holy Spirit. Of course, the tragedy is that without the Holy Spirit, nothing eternal takes place. Further, a church's size may not be indicative of the Holy Spirit, but maybe just good organization. The second danger listed by Booth is Christianity without Christ. Without the virgin birth of Jesus, his sacrificial death on a cross, and his resurrection from the dead, Christianity is bankrupt. And yet, there are those who wish to take the cross out of the church because it is offensive. Plus, they don't want to sing hymns that talk about the blood of Jesus for fear it might upset someone off the street. And more, there are some "Christians" content to speak of a resurrection without a body. The third danger is forgiveness without repentance. I, along with fellow pastors, am serving in a day of easy forgiveness. We talk big about God's love, grace, acceptance, and forgiveness. Hardly, however, do we speak of the requirement to repent. Repentance is often resisted because it requires honesty and transparency. Funny thing: one of last messages of Old Testament was "repent." John the Baptist came preaching and he shouted, "repent." Then, Jesus came preaching and said it again, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Failure to repent keeps times of refreshing from the church. The fourth danger is salvation without regeneration. Nicodemus was confused about this. He thought he was saved, but Jesus said, "You must be born again." Born again means to be regenerated. Christianity is not a philosophy that one adopts or a set of rules that one decides to follow. Christianity is all about having a whole new beginning so much so it's like being born all over again. A large percentage of church going Christians has never experienced regeneration. Therefore, their faith is a dead faith. The fifth danger even in the 21st Century is politics without God. The church is often silent when it needs to be vocal. Politics can become totally corrupt when God is left out. As Americans we believe in the separation of church and state. But, we conservative evangelicals don't believe in the separation of God and government. The church's silence in the last half of the 20th Century is our embarrassment today. We said nothing when African-Americans were being hosed down in Birmingham. We said nothing when Madelyn O'Hare was winding her wickedness through the courts. We said nothing when Roe vs. Wade was in the process of promulgation becoming the law of the land to kill innocent babies before their first breath. The final danger of the 20th Century as Booth saw it was a heaven without a hell. I personally hear it all the time. God is a god of love and therefore he would never send anyone to hell. Listen, God never sends anyone to hell. Hell is the consequence of decisions we make here on earth as we are confronted with the truth. Hell, in a large measure, represents the integrity of God. He says, "Today you decide: the world or me." If there is no hell, then the decision we are asked to make is pointless and it's all a big joke. Universalism is taught and even in some local churches. They say, "Everybody will eventually go to heaven. There is no hell. Since there is no hell and no true consequences of my behavior and beliefs, I can do whatever I please to do and believe whatever I please to believe." Ha! As William Booth prophesied these things, his hope was that people would see the truth and turn back to God and the world would begin to experience a genuine revival. Why don't you and I take a spiritual inventory. Would we find a case for revival?
The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community
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