It's a tragedy of declining church attendance in the mainline churches in
the last 60 years.
Many churches, once vibrant communities of Christ-believing
and proclaiming members have become beacons for social justice messages devoid of the Spirit.
What is noticeable in these old denominations are the lack of young families with children attending. Many of these dwindling congregations consist of elderly and single middle-aged people.
Your comment 'ecumenical pageantry' is so true. The truth is replaced with symbols and rote rituals but the substance of a vital life in the Spirit is gone.
One of the better discussions of Machen’s fabulous book that I have read. It is amazing that one can read it and feel that it was written in our times. My oath was not totally unlike yours. By God’s grace I landed in better churches by my mid-thirties. It was as though I was born again a second time suddenly understanding what the Bible as a whole was all about. Like you I had thought doctrine md creeds were dull and my first visits to these new churches made me wonder if all this “liturgy” and creeds were not healthy but Roman Catholic. As I visited a United Reformed church I asked the elder why they had all those elements in each worship service. He told me that as faithful as a pastor might be he is only human and may not preach the pure gospel each service, so they build “guilt, grace and gratitude” (the gospel) into the service. I discovered the wonderful Heidelberg Catechism that you quoted. And later I would delve into the rich confessions on the Presbyterian tradition, which are agreed with. The result has been a richer understanding of scripture and a steady assurance of. Machen’s book eventually came along and helped me get a better understanding of what I had experienced in my first Christian experiences as a teen and young adult. May God be pleased to reform and revive his church in America.
Paul lamented the churches he'd nurtured were already succumbing to "the mystery of iniquity". Christ usefully observes that those who fall short of the meticulous observance of the scribes and Pharisees are hopelessly damned. Conservative Christianity's doctrines may be closer to the truth than that of the liberals, but then no one is saved by doctrines even if they are sound and biblical. All of Christianity is destroyed through a lack of knowledge of God's will through a bewildering inability to rightly divide the word.
Thank you for your excellent article! They do not have eyes to see or ears to hear because they loved not the Truth. God is Truth and Satan is Lies.
"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:10-12
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." 1 Tim. 4:1-3
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith." 2 Tim 3:1-8
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Well said.
It's a tragedy of declining church attendance in the mainline churches in
the last 60 years.
Many churches, once vibrant communities of Christ-believing
and proclaiming members have become beacons for social justice messages devoid of the Spirit.
What is noticeable in these old denominations are the lack of young families with children attending. Many of these dwindling congregations consist of elderly and single middle-aged people.
Your comment 'ecumenical pageantry' is so true. The truth is replaced with symbols and rote rituals but the substance of a vital life in the Spirit is gone.
I almost didn't read this. So glad I did. Very interesting, thanks.
One of the better discussions of Machen’s fabulous book that I have read. It is amazing that one can read it and feel that it was written in our times. My oath was not totally unlike yours. By God’s grace I landed in better churches by my mid-thirties. It was as though I was born again a second time suddenly understanding what the Bible as a whole was all about. Like you I had thought doctrine md creeds were dull and my first visits to these new churches made me wonder if all this “liturgy” and creeds were not healthy but Roman Catholic. As I visited a United Reformed church I asked the elder why they had all those elements in each worship service. He told me that as faithful as a pastor might be he is only human and may not preach the pure gospel each service, so they build “guilt, grace and gratitude” (the gospel) into the service. I discovered the wonderful Heidelberg Catechism that you quoted. And later I would delve into the rich confessions on the Presbyterian tradition, which are agreed with. The result has been a richer understanding of scripture and a steady assurance of. Machen’s book eventually came along and helped me get a better understanding of what I had experienced in my first Christian experiences as a teen and young adult. May God be pleased to reform and revive his church in America.
Paul lamented the churches he'd nurtured were already succumbing to "the mystery of iniquity". Christ usefully observes that those who fall short of the meticulous observance of the scribes and Pharisees are hopelessly damned. Conservative Christianity's doctrines may be closer to the truth than that of the liberals, but then no one is saved by doctrines even if they are sound and biblical. All of Christianity is destroyed through a lack of knowledge of God's will through a bewildering inability to rightly divide the word.
Are you the entity that used to be known as "Bionic Mosquito"?
Thank you for your excellent article! They do not have eyes to see or ears to hear because they loved not the Truth. God is Truth and Satan is Lies.
"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:10-12
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." 1 Tim. 4:1-3
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith." 2 Tim 3:1-8
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
https://www.eaec.org/The-Hidden-History-of-the-Antichrist--Summary-of-Lucifer-and-the-Kabbalistic-Jews--Teresa-Hillebrandt.pdf
Thanks, Ashely, for sharing your discernment and loving trust in God's Word.
If we forget about God, we cannot complain about the world.
https://risingdawn360.substack.com/p/good-people-you-dont-get-to-have your sane world without Christ
monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/machen/Christianity and Liberalism - J. Gresham Machen.pdf