The Sin of Denominational Pride

Ok, I want to be very careful here, so let me start with a disclaimer. I am not against anyone who considers themselves a part of a denomination. I am not against being convinced of certain distinctions or taking a stand based on convictions. If you consider yourself a Baptist, Presby, CMA, whatever, and have your reasons for that association, my beef is NOT with you. I am writing specifically about the need of some to trumpet our “roots” in what seems to me a prideful and non Christ-like spirit.

I have decided not to highlight publications to keep this post from seeming like an attack on an institution or person, which it is not. However, I have recently read articles and been directed to websites that are dedicated to trumpeting the idea that we as “Baptists” are the real deal. You won’t need to look far to find a ton of this material. We were never part of the Catholic church “bless Gawd,” we aren’t Protestants, we ALWAYS stood against error! Do we even think through what we say? First of all, we didn’t do jack squat. We have been saved by the grace of God!!! We deserve to be in hell! We somehow have something to boast in because someone somewhere supposedly stood for truth? Lord, have mercy! There is in statements like this a thinly veiled disdain for these “lowly Protestants” who were foolish enough to be a part of the Great Harlot and who “prostituted” themselves with her while we have remained pure (and humble.) Those poor “Protestants,” they’re the red-headed step-children in the family of God. If they only would have had it together like us “Baptists.” Do I need to continue with the sarcasm to show the sheer stupidity of such statements? Of course, Baptist “martyrs” are to be held in higher esteem than run of the mill martyrs who died for Christ. Let me get this straight… do we really think there is more than one team? For crying out loud! NONSENSE!!!!

For the sake of argument here, let’s take for granted that the whole “Trail of Blood” thing has validity (and I do NOT concede that.) How stupid to think that somehow the actions of people hundreds of years ago should be something for me to boast about. The “Johny come latelys” to the truth aren’t as special or important. We need to continually remind ourselves and others that we Baptists are “special.” I think you get the point. It’s sick! It’s wicked, that’s what it is!

Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

I Corinthians 3:3-9
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

“It’s not about pride, Tony, it’s about honoring what these people lived and died for…”
Really? Let me be honest. If any of them died for the sake of the word “Baptist” or a denomination, they are unworthy of honor in the first place. If they died for Christ, then HE deserves the glory, not a denomination.

This has been percolating in my heart for a while now. I think these attitudes are wicked. I think it makes God sick!!! He isn’t building one church and a whole bunch of other sub-churches, he is building ONE body! It’s not about my denominational name; it’s about HIS name!

Final disclaimer… I am NOT advocating INTER-DENOMINATIONALISM or the idea of setting aside truth for the sake of unity. I have NO problem however with a mentality that is very non denominational. We stand for truth, but we do so humbly, without a feeling of superiority and without the need to constantly be highlighting great “Baptists” of the past, as opposed to a great Savior!!!

Hidden in Him!
Tony!

Dr. Master's Priorities -- ok...

Ok, I’m completely perplexed! I’ve seen and read it all now. I do not seek to be ugly in this post, perhaps someone can explain this to me. I just looked over this month’s copy of my Alma Matter’s publication, The Baptist Vision, and had a couple of things jump out at me. One, is that Peter Masters, the Calvinist Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle is listed as an Editor of the Baptist Vision. That’s cool, I can handle that, in fact I can applaud the fact that brethren can choose to agree to disagree and still seek to honor Christ. I happen to know that Calvinist leaning students at Crown aren’t treated with the same deference reserved for Dr. Masters. Recently, it has been affirmed again at Crown that Calvinism is not a welcome teaching, which is obviously their prerogative. Again, this begs the question of what Dr. Masters is doing as an editor of the Baptist Vision, but that is really not the point of this post.

On page 9 of the Baptist Vision Dr. Masters has some comments on Spurgeon’s sermon on “The present financial crisis.” Allow me to reproduce his final paragraph.

“A parallel spiritual situation is the policy of many evangelical (and reformed) leaders who are building churches on a foundation of entertainment, contemporary worship and worldly lifestyles. The reputations of such churches (including reformed mega-churches in the USA) will collapse horribly in the coming years, just as the churches of the big names of nineteenth-century evangelical compromise collapsed to liberalism.”

If you go to his website you will find that he specifically calls out John MaCarthur as one of these poor misguided souls who dabble with compromise in music.

I’m not interested in debating the merits of Dr. Master’s opinions, at least not in this post, and He is more than welcome to them. What blows my mind is that MUSIC STYLES are worth calling out a Pastor by name and predicting his and Piper’s and Mahaney’s churches will collapse horribly because of said musical compromise, even as he as a Calvinist is a co-editor of a quasi-Arminian’s pamphlet. What’s wrong with this picture? Of course, music style is so much more important than what you believe about the Gospel, right?

My only point in this post is that certain side battles are elevated to a level of importance that is almost laughable! When you will call out someone who agrees with you 100% on the Gospel because of his music, while you hold hands with someone you disagree greatly on the Gospel because his music is as boring as yours you have redefined hypocrisy, or at least have some serious issues with your priorities. All of this, of course, is my humble opinion, especially the "boring" part. May God help us make much of what really matters and quit the trivial nonsense!

Hidden in Him!

Tony

End Times Madness

Well, here we are again, another day, another prophecy. If you had not heard, David Wilkerson (think - the Cross and the Switchblade) is out with a very specific prediction of calamity, especially up in my neck of the woods. See it here. I think I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. John Piper's response. What is it with our modern day movement and the lunacy over end-times? I see people SO obsessed with this stuff, and not in a productive way!!! Regardless of your view on Eschatology (mine has changed alot!) isn't it getting old to be continually embarrassed by our own false prophets? Pull out your copy of "88 reasons the rapture will be in 1988" if you're not sure what I'm talking about! (Actually you might want to sell it on the internet as they're fetching a king's ransom!) Or maybe you could clean out your basement from all of the MRE's and water cannisters set aside for Y2k. Seriously, we gotta do a movie that combines the hippies from "Thief in the night" with Kirk Cameron and Mr. T. Now that would be the end-times movie to end all end-times movies! Honestly, can we really make fun of the Jehovah Witnesses' prophecies and failures? Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly, and spare us any more of this lunacy!

In all seriousness, I do believe that God's judgement is being seen in our country and around the world! The response from His people ought to be to seek Him and His kingdom, not to work ourselves up into a frenzy. Some hard times will be good for us!

Hidden in Him!
Tony

Conflicting Causes?

I have been very concerned again recently with how often it seems that those on “my side” say and do the most perplexing things. It seems like the Biblical injunction to be wise as serpents yet harmless as doves is turned on it’s head with no thought given to the consequences before a lost and dying world. The most recent example was a quote I saw from a Pastor who stated how excited he was to celebrate General Robert E. Lee day. The statement was made today (MLK day) and was defended as simply the choice to celebrate a Godly man instead of a “womanizer.”

Frankly, the above statement shocks me. Either the person in question is monumentally stupid, or he’s monumentally stupid. The other option which I wont consider would be blatant racism. We don’t live in a vacuum! The things we say and do have REAL consequences! Why are we picking such absurd battles to fight? The facts are that most of America respects Dr. King (rightly or wrongly) and that he is seen as the “patron saint” of the civil rights movement. This is VISCERALLY personal for multiple millions of Americans. So, let’s suggest replacing that celebration with one for a Confederate General (irrelevant that he was a great Christian, in this context the Civil War is a powder keg) and then defend it as simply honoring a more deserving man. Why is it that we would risk alienating and needlessly hurting SO many people who we would otherwise want to reach for Christ? I digress…

The same thing seems to be happening all around me. I attended a “ One Man One Woman” rally in Trenton and held my placard up high only to lower it and wish I could shrink into the crowd as I heard some of the foolish things said from the platform. The same could be said in the abortion battle, the war against Christmas (as my good friend blogged about) and many other battles we choose to engage in.

I think we need to ask ourselves some serious questions! Do our causes conflict? Am I really willing to expend all of my ammo and slam shut all of my open doors fighting side battles, and not on the MAIN thing? For the sake of the Gospel, let’s pick our battles more carefully!

P.S. The picture is intended as satire. Could it be that in their eyes we look even more stupid?

Hidden in Him,

Tony

Gazing on His beauty or do-do religion?

I have been captivated at the beginning of this year by my need to simplify my Christian life again - return to basics, if you will! The Lord has brought this home for me in several ways, one was on a prayer and fasting day we held at church. It was really cool to sense the Holy Spirit direct us to Psalm 27. As we meditated on it and shared with each other, it was obvious that He was speaking to us. Very specifically, we were riveted on verse 4.

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

What was wild about this was that it was the exact opposite of what I was leaning towards at the start of this year! There is a TON of work to be done! As always, there are incredible needs in the ministry as well as the burden of our church plant. I felt the pressure and the “need” to encourage (push) our people to DO more. In fact, I was strongly leaning towards a theme for the year centered around the idea of “rising up to the task” or some such call to work. I don’t discount the need for more workers and more effort, yet it seemed as if God was calling me to recomputed and be reminded about the goal! THE ACTUAL GOAL!

Think of David… gazing on His beauty… what a picture! You can’t gaze in a hurry! You can’t gaze on His beauty while you busily do things for Him! We’re quickly reminded of Mary and Martha.

What does He really NEED from me? Was He impotent and unable to accomplish His chores, therefore He made me so I could help Him out? Did He not have the angels who could DO things for Him? Why do we so quickly boil the Christian life down to what we DO for Him. We may not actually SAY that, but in practice we so quickly DO that! We allow the Christian life to become “duty” and a check list of what I am accomplishing for Him. Is it possible that in my hurried scampering about He calls me to stop and gaze at his beauty?

Let’s get a definition.

Gaze - to look steadily and intently, as with great curiosity, interest, pleasure, or wonder.

Am I doing that? Do I have the time to do that? Is my life and my service characterized by awe, wonder and pleasure? As a Pastor, even if I am able to push and prod my people to “do” more, if there is no gazing going on has anything really been accomplished? At the end of the day is He going to be in awe of the work of my hands when I had no time to be in awe of HIM? Don’t we get this turned around so quickly?

I am reminded of all the “doing” of my legalistic past - all of the check-lists that were hoisted upon me and that I gladly piled on others. Was God impressed? Was I changed? Was ANYTHING of actual value produced or were we simply impressing each other with our “do-do religion.” Of late I have run across people I grew up with. People who were screamed at, yelled at, pushed and prodded to measure up… and today so many of them couldn’t possibly be further from those “lists.” My heart breaks to survey the landscape littered with broken and hurt people who never knew the pleasure of gazing on His beauty and now have left legalism only to embrace license and even more emptyness. I remember well the emptiness in my relationship with Christ even as I checked of every box on my list. What a joy it was to experience His grace, yet, I can so quickly fall back into that mode! We’re driven by accomplishment, by doing something. It fools us into a greater sense of self-worth. “Surely God must be glad He has me on His team.” “If every one in this church did as much as me…” If you’re honest, you’ve thought it to.

We proclaim boldly that justification is by faith alone, yet in practice we seem to believe that sanctification is by works. II Corinthians 3:18 seems to disagree.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

How does the change come? Beholding/gazing on His face, the Holy Spirit changes us into His image. All of my doing for Him means NOTHING unless it flows from GAZING upon Him. We might all agree with that in theory but in practice we feel we must see results, so we drive ourselves and others into harried little “Marys” and in the process suck the relationship right out of it! If it doesn't FLOW from Him it doesn't please Him! It can't! Is it possible that all of my running around in circles is actually counter-productive?

My church doesn’t need to “do” more, we need to gaze on His beauty. I have this funny feeling that more will actually get accomplished! For those who immediately say… It can’t be that simple, we have to DO something, I present Paul’s arguments in Romans! It IS FAITH alone, however faith that will not remain alone. I submit that a heart that is gazing on His beauty will be moved by His Spirit to DO in His power and for HIS glory! I submit we quickly get it all backwards. Have you been gazing on His beauty of late? He’s pretty awesome!

In His grace

Tony

I'm Grateful!

I have SO much to be grateful for! God's grace on me as a sinner is chief among those things! I am so undeserving and continuosly amazed that He would love me! Why would He chose to use me for anything, much less ministry? Blows my mind! I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and two amazing children. We are two weeks away from our third. I AM BLESSED! As to the topic of this blog... I am blessed that God in His mercy chose to open my eyes to how AMAZING He is, and that He has allowed me to trade in formalism and deadness for a love relationship. He has seen free to free me from the fear of man and fill me with JOY in serving Him! He has blessed me with an amazing church and wonderful friends! You couldn't drag me back with wild horses! I am a BLESSED man!!!

Tony

The Kingdom!

There has been a radical shift in my view of the Kingdom of God. I’m not really going in the direction of pre, post or a-mill with this post, though I have found that my view in that area HAS affected the way I see things today. I am more aiming towards how I view the body of Christ in the world today. My background (with the exception of a church or two that I attended) was incredibly strong on the proposition that the LOCAL church is all that really matters. The idea of “universal church” or my term “the Kingdom” were anathema. There were whole sermons preached (screamed) about this. We were fiercely independent. We were on our own, reaching the world for Christ. We were happy for other IFBX churches in other places, but that was about all we could muster even a smile for. Every other church in our town was really considered the enemy. Forget other denominations, heck, we were against most other Baptists! Because they failed to line up with us in some small area we really viewed them with disdain. If it looked like they were “successful” we would attribute it to “compromise” and being all about entertainment with no doctrinal substance. Forget “Bible” churches, “community” churches or other denominations. They were sell-outs, turn-coats, and not worthy to be even considered part of us! We really functioned as if we were on an island! An example that may seem extreme, yet it’s true… There was a church a block from ours that was named “Hilltop Community Church.” We renamed it “Hell-bottom” and it was referred to as this even by the church staff. I do not pretend that most IFB’s would act this way, this was one of the more radical churches I was a part of, yet the same general attitude was present in most churches I was exposed to.

All of that to say that there is such joy where the Lord has me today! I care deeply about core doctrine and I am unwilling to trade it in, yet I see a wide body of Christ, the Kingdom, and I can rejoice with what Christ is doing in so many different places and in different ways! I am THANKFUL that Christ is preached! I have become good friends and an admirer of several men who are Orthodox Presbyterian. I greatly respect the pastor of the local Christian Missionary Alliance and feel they are doing a wonderful work for the Lord in our community. I see HUGE benefits for the idea of being non-denominational as are some of my friends in “Bible” or “Community” churches. There are very good, Gospel preaching Methodist Pastors, I could go on and on! I am THRILLED to be part of the Kingdom! Our base church in Vineland is planting daughter a church in Bridgeton in association with the once hated Southern Baptists, and I’m having lunch on Friday with the Pastor of the local non-denominational church who wants to help us. We are naming the church ‘Emmanuel Bible Church’ though technically we would be “Baptist.” I wouldn’t trade where I am to return to where I was if you offered me the world. I was a paranoid little self-righteous Pharisee, who couldn’t see the beauty of God’s tapestry and the wonderful people who love him ALL around me! I’m so excited to be a part of the Kingdom!!! What is the coolest part of it is being able to be THRILLED when the CMA across town is growing, or when my OPC friend down the street is being blessed by the Lord! THEY are NOT my enemies!!! Praise the LORD for having my eyes opened in this area! You only have to go back about two generations to see most Orthodox Christians considering themselves one in Christ. Praise the Lord He is not building 50 denominations, rather, one KINGDOM!!!

I know that for some of our readers this all seems like stating the obvious, but many more will read these lines and identify fully with a mentality that looks down on EVERYONE! I believe that there are very few things more sickening in the eyes of the Lord than the Phariseeism in some of our circles. I remember the old quote when asked “What would you be if you were not a Baptist?” the cute reply was “I’d be ashamed.” I’m ashamed I EVER said that! Denominational pride is just as wicked as any other form of haughtiness or pride that God hates. We are to boast in Christ alone!!! It’s ALL about HIS Kingdom!

Disclaimer: Before anyone rushes to accuse me of broad-brushing, I would point you back to our permanent disclaimer and reiterate that I am simply describing MY experiences.

YES, there are things worth separating over! No, I’m not advocating throwing off the clear teachings of Scripture. No, I could never consider myself “inter-denominational” but am very comfortable with the idea of being “non-denominational.” I’m sure this wont be enough of a disclaimer, but please don’t read into the above paragraphs more than is actually there. I would gladly address any questions.

Tony