God’s Indictment of the Evangelical Church of 21st Century
- 31 August 2018
Below is a point by point attempt to set forth a REASONABLE argument by which this author believes many (NOT ALL) of the constituency of church attending evangelicals fall short of their responsibility to ‘disciple the nations’ as per Matthew 28. I offer it as a summary rationale for my own pilgrimage from the world of independent evangelicalism into what Joe Boot helpfully terms, ‘New Puritanism’ See here!
God is Creator
Darwinism / Naturalism is false
Earth is the theatre of God’s purposes for man
Man is in uniquely commissioned, as God’s vice-regent, to build civilisation and culture to the glory of God
Satan’s purpose is to subvert this goal and build humanistic civilisation (& culture) – e. to the glory of man!
Globalism, relativism, polytheism and multiculturalism dominate contemporary politics
God will destroy man’s ‘Babylonian project’ to make way for His own
All nations of the world are to be made subject to God’s lawful/rightful dominion
This is to occur gradually down through time through the instrumentality of the Church
Nations were held in deception/darkness until Christ
Successive empires have waxed and waned
But the Kingdom of God, having come into the world, grows apace
Abraham commissioned to inaugurate God’s kingdom on the earth
Israel – designated to ‘model’ kingdom righteousness to the nations. Thus, they were brought into solemn ‘league and covenant’ with God
This involved recognising God’s sovereignty in EVERY realm since
Man shall not live by bread alone…. but DESIGNED for total dependence upon God in ALL things
Everything ruined and corrupted by Adam’s Fall is to be redeemed in time in readiness for its absorption into heaven in eternity
Ethical righteousness is determined by God not man
Ethical righteousness is enshrined in God’s Law
God has expressed the EQUITY of His Law in the Mosaic administration
That equity pertains to various realms and particular agendas including (i) interpersonal realm (ii) civil realm (iii) redemptive legislation, i.e. the Church realm (iv) the ban, etc
Jesus’ incarnation, death and resurrection are collectively the hinge upon which all of the history of redemption turns
the authentic ‘Gospel of the kingdom’ is a proclamation of the Lordship of Christ over ALL things and a corresponding call to repentance and faith expressed in covenant with God.
By entering into such a covenant, individuals know peace and forgiveness, etc with the Holy Spirit of God taking up residence in the saint’s heart. The true evidence of regeneration is the acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and lordship over all. Partial commitment to Christ is IMPOSSIBLE.
Local churches, schools, businesses, nations and peoples may pledge themselves in solemn covenant with God. This may involve corporate repentance!
The bible sets forth this comprehensive vision of the full scope of God’s kingdom. It is personal, familial, ecclesiastical, academic, political, economic, international, etc.
The TRUE church of Christ (universal & invisible) consists of saints conscious of this and exists to advance the agenda of proclaiming the ‘crown rights of Jesus Christ’ throughout the created order.
The Church militant (visible today) is not the END (goal). Rather it is the MEANS – the instrumentality through which the Great Commission occurs
Conflict occurs between covenant keepers and covenant breakers. This conflict perennially exists between opposing parties as a perpetual legacy of God’s promise in Eden – “I will put enmity between your seed and the seed of the woman”
The PRINCIPAL manifestation of this antagonism between God’s law (theonomic righteousness) and man’s law (humanistic righteousness) occurs not so much in the interpersonal realm as it does in the civil realm – namely crime and its punishment
All crime is sin; but not all sin is crime
God holds to account nations and societal communities for their prosecution of injustice. Every lack of justice represents injustice.
The passive acceptance of injustice within the civil realm by evangelicals is lamentable and is, in large measure, the grounds for God’s indictment of the contemporary so called “Christian” Church.
Therefore, it may well be an honourable action to take for a God fearing, Christ-loving, disciple to obey Scripture and “Come out from among them and be separate”. Alas, true spiritual fellowship may yet be found beyond the walls of formal institutions many of which function as mere religious clubs. Out there, from the perspective of reluctant cave-dwellers, there are yet 7000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
Happily, until such time as God sees fit to awaken the masses, it is possible to foster helpful & invigorating fellowship via the internet. Group ‘hang-outs’ might be a necessary & edifying way forward to fulfil the oft-recited calumny we New Puritans (…a la Joe Boot!) receive in light of Hebrews 10:25!
