Two Slippery Slopes

Dear Editor,

I must agree in part with the warnings to avoid the slippery slope to compromise as published in the March 7 edition of the Trumpet. False teachers abound, and they have been with us since the first century. Scripture warns us to expect them, discern them, and counter their lies with the Truth. Furthermore, we are admonished throughout the Bible to be a separate and holy people, to flee immorality, to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, and to worship God in spirit and in truth. There are too many in our day, and in days gone by, who are led astray by the Pied Piper whistling the tune of a convenient gospel that demands no repentence and worships the feelings of men rather than the Holy Person of God. Those who preach and follow the Gospel of Self pray to a Grandfather in Heaven who only wants to give out candy and overlook sin rather than the Father in Heaven who loves His own too much to allow us to persist in our selfishness and pride. The airwaves, bookstores, and all too many auditoriums are packed with such as these. God forbid that our churches would fail to identify and weed out this poison should it arise in our midst.

But there is another slippery slope of which we must be equally cautious, and that is the failure to discern true doctrinal error from mere differences in style, preference, or opinion. It is intellectually dishonest to throw "anything new" into the same package with real heresies and immorality, label it "The Contemporary Movement," and proceed to use that as a platform from which to demand that things be done one's own way. The newness of a thing does not necessarily relate to its being true or false. Too many of us fall into the trap of believing that our way of doing things is the only "right" way to go about it - when in many cases the Bible may be silent on the matter. Too many times we choose to become offended when someone from another generation or another culture sincerely worships God in a manner that is not exactly like our own. Too many times we choose to become defensive when our traditions are challenged. Too many times we grasp for scriptures out of context in desperate attempts to build up our moral high ground. Too many times Christian brothers who honestly name the Name of Jesus Christ fight each other until they're out of breath over trivial issues such as schedules, music styles, and labels. All this at the expense of Christian fellowship, unity, and love. All this at the expense of time, energy, and resources that could be used to fight a real fight, win souls, and change lives. All this at the expense of the good Name of our Savior - to whom we must be an embarassment sometimes.

Some seem convinced that the Old Hymns and the Old Ways are outdated and irrelevant. Others seem convicted that anything except the Old Hymns and the Old Ways are heresy. Ironically, many newer songs are taken directly from the Psalms, which are thousands of years old, while many of the Old Hymns are less than 200 years old. One has to wonder what Christians sang for the previous 1800 years of Church history. Charitable and discerning believers will see that God can be honored and people can be edified by both the Old and the New.

Let me be clear: We must never water down the gospel for any reason. We must never wink at immorality. We must never tolerate teaching that makes God something other than the eternal, holy, sovereign, righteous creator of all things that He is. We must never allow Jesus Christ to be relegated to legend or myth. We must never deny that the Holy Bible is God's inerrant Word. We must never worship God with empty and meaningless words or chants. These (among others) are hills we must die on.

But we must never condemn our brothers in Christ for sincerely and properly praising God with songs that are two years old instead of two hundred years old. We must never pass judgment on one who prefers a piano and organ to a guitar and drum. To do so is to elevate our own preferences to the level of Holy Truth. Jesus had a word for us when we do that: "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘ This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

I urge each reader to prayerfully consider whether he is fighting for the Truth or merely for Tradition. I beg you not to destroy your church, your family, and this association over battles that need not be fought. Let us instead purpose together to serve the Lord with gladness and enter His courts with praise. We have it on good authority that the gates of Hell itself cannot withstand us.

Sincerely,

Jeff McFarland

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This is a repository of my thoughts on more serious matters.