Ohio Congregationalist to be on the Internet
Phillip Ross
At the direction of the last meeting the Editor has been working to make the Ohio Congregationalist available on the Internet. In addition, this issue is being emailed to those for whom we have an email address. The emailed version will be in a zipped .pdf format for universal accessibility. The entire issue will also be on the Internet.
The website will facilitate communication among our members, which should make our fellowship more active and vital.
Please send your email address to Marshall Pierson at [email excluded].
Another Gospel: A Look at Liberal Fallacies
Lee Duigon
In addition to the consecration of a homosexual bishop, what else have liberal churchmen done for us lately?
This issue matters because it has to do with the clergy's role in bringing God's people to Christ. If the shepherds fail to do their duty, the sheep may be delivered to the wolves.
God spoke through the prophet Hosea, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge … thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hos. 4:6). And through Jeremiah 28:15, "The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie."
This is the sin of the liberal clergy. They destroy the people's knowledge of God's Word and make them trust in a lie. Liberal theology—when it's not dumbed down to the point where "theology" becomes too grand a word for it—rests on four toxic fallacies.
Disdain for Scripture
Orthodox Christians see the Bible as God's Word, literally. Liberals have a name for this attitude. They call it "Bibliolatry."
As Episcopal Bishop John Spong puts it in his 1998 book Why Christianity Must Change or Die , "But let it be clearly stated, the Gospels are not in any literal sense holy, they are not accurate, and they are not to be confused with reality." Spong decries "these so-called laws of God" and says "the excessive claims made for the Holy Scripture in general, which involve the assertion that the Bible is somehow ‘the inerrant word of God,' are today indefensible …"¹
The errant bishop has plenty of company. Thomas D'Alessio, media relations director for the United Methodist Church's Wisconsin Conference, said in an interview recently, "Scripture is many voices, many schools of thought. That's the first thing I learned in seminary. I find no single unifying voice in Scripture."²
Certainly not the voice of God.
"The Bible does not give us a clear, lucid teaching that we can apply straightforwardly to our own lives," speaks another liberal voice, Karen Armstrong. It is "impossible to find a clear theology in its pages," she writes, and there is "no moral consensus" in Scripture: "Even God's behavior occasionally leaves something to be desired."³
There's no escaping liberals. A best-selling A&E video, part of the popular "Biography" series, is "Jesus: His Life." Those who innocently turn to this video because they want to know Jesus better will pick up a lot of chaff along with the wheat. Featured prominently among the "authorities" discussing the life of Jesus is John Dominic Crossan, who informs viewers that the gospel accounts of Christ's trial are pure propaganda. Christ never appeared before the Sanhedrin, Crossan says, and certainly never before Pontius Pilate (thus making not only Scripture, but also the Apostles' Creed, a lie). Crossan is identified simply as a professor at DePaul University. The producers of the video either did not know, or else sought to conceal, that Crossan is a leading member of the Jesus Seminar, a group which also denies Christ's resurrection—and His divinity. The unsuspecting viewer doesn't realize that his thirst for Christ is being ministered to with a drink laced with poison.
The Inclusion Fallacy
The trouble with liberal Christians trying to be "inclusive," said Dr. Joseph Stowell, president of the Moody Bible Institute, is that they wind up excluding Jesus.4
In the wake of September 11, Dr. Stowell attended the annual Chicago Leadership Prayer Breakfast. "For the first time (in 14 years), I didn't hear the name of Jesus once," he said.
The main speaker, a prominent New York City clergyman, whom Dr. Stowell didn't wish to identify by name, told the gathering, "God speaks through everybody, not just through our own tradition (Christianity) … What we must do now in America is give up these traditions that divide us and find ourselves unified under the umbrella of God … It's time for us to give up our traditions so that we can be one."
"He was asking me to give up Jesus," Dr. Stowell said. "God is in, but Jesus is out."
How can Jesus be "out"? In John 14:6, Jesus Himself tells us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
But as Spong-Bob Squarepants and his liberal cohorts would reply, that's only Scripture, and Scripture isn't true. The thought that Jesus Christ might be the one and only way to the Father gives liberals fits. If Jesus is the only way, then all who don't believe in Him are going the wrong way—and that's not "inclusive."
Karen Armstrong lards her books with references to Hindu scriptures and ancient pagan mythology. For her there's no difference between the Odyssey and the Bible—it's all "myth and fiction."5
Once you've debunked the Bible, you can no longer find a relevant distinction between believers and nonbelievers. And that means letting everybody in, but throwing Jesus out. He's the only one who doesn't fit.
In Love With the Process
Having disposed of Scripture as the authority, liberals substitute their own political machinations for God's Word. Mr. D'Alessio calls it "realpolitik."
In his scheme of things, what the church teaches its people is decided by "lobbying behind the scenes, applying the parliamentary rules of order better than the other side, and getting the most votes."
If God doesn't speak to us, we only wind up talking to ourselves. We churn up absurdities, such as the Presbyterian Church U. S. A.'s current proposal to repeal fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness as qualifications for ordination to the ministry. Are they planning to ordain Bill Clinton, or Madonna? Or are they just another herd of clueless liberals milling around without divine guidance? If they get the votes, serial adulterers and town sluts won't be disqualified from ordination.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei
A newly ordained Dutch Reformed pastor (name withheld) recently said to me, "Our understanding of Scripture is informed by modern advances in culture, psychology, and the social sciences." So informed, she felt perfectly free to jettison chunks of the Bible, such as Romans 1 and Leviticus 20, that she didn't like. "Those passages aren't relevant anymore," she said. "They were written for another time, another culture. They don't apply to our own."
"This is what happens when you let cultural imperatives trump Scripture," Dr. Stowell said. "Anything goes, as long as it is popular."
This would explain why we see the Chicago Theological Seminary (United Church of Christ) offering scholarships to "self-identified gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered students who have exceptional promise for ministry" (the Gilberto Castañeda Scholarship—see the seminary's website, ctschicago.edu). They don't recognize scriptural authority, they can't "exclude" anyone, anything that gets enough votes becomes the equivalent of Holy Writ, and the voice of the popular culture is the voice of God.
Heaven help us.
Why Bother?
"O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee … for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens … we cannot stand before thee because of this" (Ezra 9:6, 15).
To those of us who love God and try to obey His commandments, it's painful to look into the face of such ingratitude. We hardly know how to react to liberals, whether to be angry or to just go off to some private place and have a belly laugh.
But it's no laughing matter—not when we think of the thousands who have been deceived by these false teachings.
We have a commission from Christ to preach the authentic gospel, and no one needs to hear it more than the congregations of the liberal churches. If we mount a major rescue mission, a serious missionary effort, who knows how many might be saved?
Part of any such mission must include a systematic exposure of liberal lies and fallacies. People need to know they are being lied to, that the gospel they are getting from their pastors is not the authentic gospel of the Bible. The preaching of "another gospel" to unsuspecting congregations has been a problem for the body of Christ since St. Paul encountered it among the Galatians (Gal. 1:6–12). Like Paul, we must not let it go unanswered.
Lee Duigon is a businessman and free lance writer from New Jersey. Reprinted with permission.
Notes
¹John Spong, Why Christianity Must Change or Die : A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile (New York, 1998), 108, 158.
²Thomas D'Alessio, interview by the author, 14 November 2003.
³Karen Armstrong, In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis (New York, 1996), 61, 8.
4Joseph Stowell, interview by the author, 18 November 2003.
5Armstrong, 20.
THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE
Phillip A. Ross
MARIETTA—The definition of terms always determines the shape and conclusion of an argument, case, statement, or policy, assuming that it unfolds logically. Thus, the definition of marriage is the central concern in the debate about so-called "gay" marriage.
However, as soon as the issue is referred to as "gay" marriage its definition is influenced by the preposition "gay." To consider "gay marriage" at all is to assume that there are various types of marriage, "gay marriage" being one of them. But such thinking contradicts common dictionaries, common traditions, common practices, common law, and common sense.
To define a thing requires going to its root or genesis. Where did the thing come from? What is its purpose? What has been its history? And lastly what is the common understanding of the thing in contemporary society?
Marriage finds its origin in the Bible. Of course, people are free to disregard the Bible, but in doing so they disregard the historic traditions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the foundation of America's legal system (at least its first 200 years). In the United States the combined adherence of these religious traditions represents a very healthy majority opinion, should majority opinions count for anything in America. So, if this majority is to discuss the issue of "gay marriage," they should call it by its biblical and historic name — sodomy.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "sodomy" as "1. anal copulation of one male with another. 2. Anal or oral copulation with a member of the opposite sex. 3. Copulation with an animal." The same dictionary defines "sodomite" as one who engages in sodomy. The long history of sodomy is dark and full of deceit.
To engage in sodomy is to use a thing (sex) in a manner that is contrary to its fundamental purpose (procreation). Sodomy, then, has no social purpose or function. It is simply an activity of personal sexual self-gratification. And consenting adults are free to engage it in the privacy of their own homes, unless they claim biblical fidelity or children are involved.
The purpose of biblical—and, therefore, traditional—marriage, on the other hand, is procreation within families. Thus, the normal product of marriage—family—has been called the cradle of civilization. Children are best raised in healthy families composed of a mother and a father (to provide a balance of normal sexual role models) who have covenanted together in the promise to remain together for life for the sake of the betterment of their children and their society. How does biblical marriage contribute to the betterment of children and society? By modeling normal (procreative) sex roles, representative government and the importance of the integrity of social contracts.
Biblical marriage, however, is not merely a social contract between two people. It involves a contract with God, who forbids sodomy. Similarly, civil marriage (a relatively recent invention) involves a contract with the state. The state is a party involved in civil marriage because the state claims an interest in the welfare of families.
But does the state have an interest in personal sexual self-gratification? Recent court decisions have already redefined the family in an attempt to legitimize sodomy. But what interest does the state have in sodomy, since by definition it cannot produce offspring? Does the state consider sodomy a legitimate form of birth control? Does the pursuit of happiness guarantee the right to engage in sodomy? And if so, why should children be exempt from such a right? Does the state have the right to undermine and destroy traditionally biblically-based families?
Families are biologically related social units. Of course, adoption is a legitimate element of family constitution, but it is the exception rather than the norm. Definitions ought to be based upon norms, while allowing for exceptions, and not based upon exceptions to the norm.
To accept state sanctioned sodomy will drive a serious wedge between biblical government (families) and state government that will have very serious consequences for society because at the point that the state legitimizes (encourages) sodomy the majority of citizens (those claiming adherence to Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and the historic foundation of the American legal system) will find themselves in an irreconcilable disagreement with their own government.
It almost appears that someone's behind-the-scenes strategy is to cause the American people such distress with their government that they will abide the dismantling (or redefining) of the Constitution. Sodomites have always been the political pawns in the game of dismantling nations.
The problem is not the Constitution, but the ongoing failure to abide by it. Similarly, the problem is not the legal definition of marriage, but the failure to abide by it. More broadly, the problem is not the traditional biblical perspective, but the failure to abide by it.
Welcome to the age of American anarchy.
Pete's Post
Dear Christian Colleagues and Friends,
Because of the change in Conference Minister and nine new area representatives, a meeting for all area reps was held this past January 22-24. Twenty one of the twenty three area representatives attended along with the new Conference Minister, Steve Gammon, and regional minister, Carlton Walker. Thursday evening Steve presented his vision for the Conference similar to what we have asked him to do when he comes to speak to us at our winter banquet.
All day Friday was spent in discussions about the vision and future direction the Conference should take. The goal of this all day session was not to arrive at a specific recommendation but to gather a broad range of material to be presented to the directors of the Conference when they meet at annual conference this July.
On Saturday discussions were held about area reps' policies and concerns. Interspersed throughout the sessions were worship, prayer, and a family meal together at the Gammon's home. In the business world they call what we were doing "strategic planning".
Let us pray as we did so often in Minneapolis that in such planning the Holy Spirit will guide our Conference in the will and way that the Lord would have us go.
Even though we were only together for two days, we were able to accomplish our task of narrowing down for presentation to the directors some very significant and vital issues that will serve as a good basis for a mission statement and/or set of Conference-wide goals worth pursuing.
Another important benefit of the weekend meetings was the coming together, sharing, and getting to know each other better, and the fellowship among the 21 area representatives along with the staff. That is a constant challenge as well as a goal for our East Ohio Region to bring our pastors and people together at regional and special events for worship, fellowship, and spiritual growth. Because of distance or schedule demands, it is easy to become disconnected and remain in "your own world." But again I say we need to try to stay connected with our wider 4C family.
As you read through this newsletter, you will see a variety of opportunities to join the wider fellowship.
As you well know from watching the news and living in a culture that continues to morally decline, Paul's words to put on the full armor of God are as important today as when he said them. There is no question that a spiritual war continues to be waged for the souls of men; but we are not to fight alone!
May we contiinue to pray for and encourage one another and at out best join ranks together for His Kingdom.
Connection
Each month a different area of the 4C is invited to write a lead article for the national 4C newsletter, FORSEE. September 2004 is the Ohio East Region's month, so if you or the church has a special program or event taking place or have recently taken place, here's your chance to have your church event or program shared nationally. A picture and written article of no more than 500 words has to be in the home office by the end of July. Call Pete Parry 216-692-1733 or Carol Wells 651-739-1474.
News From the Trenches
We praise God that Steve Carmany (United Church of Huntington) is back in the pulpit. Steve suffered a heart attack in December, but thanks to immediate medical care that was available, major damage to his heart was avoided. Please continue to keep Steve and his family in your prayers during his time of recovery.
Prayer continues to be requested for John Hood's married daughter, Christy Gemperline. The cancerous brain tumor that had been partially removed continues to grow again. John and his wife, Carol, now living in Howard, Ohio are able to be with Christy more since John retired and lives closer; they need our support. Cards and notes can be sent to: Christy Gemperline, 2747 Quailview, Hilliard, Oh. 43026.
Janet Lippert's father, Arthur Echler, passed away in January. The funeral was in Florida where he lived. Dave Lippert is pastor of Emmanuel Reformed Church in Marion, Ohio.
Our condolences go out to the family, but our hope and comfort is shared with them in knowing that we have new life in Christ. Dave is a 4C pastor and this spring his church is considering making application to join the 4cs.
Congratulations to Rev. Pat Street, pastor of Salem Evangelical Church. Pat received associate standing with the 4Cs and will be officially voted in at annual conference this year. His church has also made application to join the Conference and looks forward to joining this July as well.
Three cheers for First Congregational Church of Lodi; they have called and installed a new pastor, Rev. David Dake. Dave and his wife Nancy have three children: Araenae, Kelsey, and Josiah. Dave has been the pastor of Bethlehem Chapel, a Christian and Missionary Alliance church in Wheeling, W.V. for the past 8 ½ years. (I didn't tell Dave yet, but he is one of our youngest pastors in the Conference at age 38.) We need more young men and women serving in the Conference and welcome the Dakes to a fruitful and long- lasting ministry at Lodi church.
And let's not forget to mention Vermilion Evangelical and Reformed Church. The new pastor, Doug Yost, who succeeded retiring John Hood, is having his vicinage council, March 20, in preparation for his ordination. Some of you have already been asked to serve on the council so keep Doug in your prayers as he prepares for the examination.
Doug also had the good fortune to attend one of the previews of the film, The Passion of Christ, at the Willowcreek Community Church just north of Chicago. The director, Mel Gibson, and lead actor were there to give their Christian testimony to some 5000 clergy in attendance.
After a lengthy search, success in finding two new staff personnel for Penfield Church is accomplished. Rev. Tom Keller has some new professional help. Welcome Chris Reutepohler and Bill Shomo.
Chris is now the full time assistant youth pastor and Bill will do part-time visitation. Chris is a recent Moody Institute graduate and Bill has 30 years pastoral experience. Make sure you say hello to them at the Winter Banquet and to the Dakes as well.Contributions
As a reminder, financial contributions are always welcomed and needed by both the national office and the region. If you or your church can make a contribution, please send regional funds made out to: Ohio 4Cs and mail to:
Rev. Dave Lippert
3620 Ruth Road
Marion, Ohio 43302.
Gammon To Speak at Winter Banquet
Steve Gammon, our new Conference Minister will speak at our Winter Banquet, Friday, March 19 at Malone College. Mark your calendars. Other speaking engagemens are needed for the weekend he will be with us.
