Ten charges against the modern church
By Paul Washer
First position: a practical denial of scripture sufficiency
First, the first accusation: a practical denial of scripture sufficiency, especially in my name, a practical denial of scripture sufficiency.
2 Timothy 3:15 and above says:
“For since you were a child, you know the Sacred Letters, which can make you wise for salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful in teaching, rebuking, correcting, and instructing in righteousness, so that the man of God can be able and fully prepared for all good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
In recent decades, there has been a great battle for scripture inspiration. Now, some of you may not be participating in this battle, but many of us, more liberal denominations, certainly have a battle for the Bible.
However, there is only one problem. When you, as a people, come to believe that the Bible is inspired, you will have fought only half the battle, because the question is not simply whether the Bible is inspired, is that infallible?The great question that follows and to which we must answer: is the Bible enough or do we have to bring all the so-called studies of the social and cultural sciences to know how a church works?This is a big problem.
The social sciences, in my opinion, have taken over the Word of God in such a way that most of us cannot even perceive it; have penetrated so much into our church, our evangelization and our misiology that we can hardly call what we do Christian. Psychology, anthropology and sociology have become the main influences of the Church.
Several years ago, when I was in the seminary, I remember a teacher who entered the room and began drawing footprints on the board, and as he made them walk on the board, he turned to all of us and said precisely this: “Aristotle walks through the corridors of this institution. Be careful, because I hear his steps more clearly than those of the Apostle Paul and the team of inspired men who were with him and even those of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
We have come to believe that a man of God can deal with some small areas of Church life, but when things get difficult, we need to talk to experts in the social fields. It’s an absolute lie. It is said here in the scriptures that the man of God is equipped, fit, prepared for all good deeds.
What does Jerusalem have to do with Rome?And why evangelism and missions and so-called growth strategies for the church?Are they more shaped by anthropologists, sociologists and Wall Street students who align with all cultural trends?
All activities of our Church must be based on the Word of God. All missionary activities must be based on the Word of God.
Our missionary activity, our ecclesiastical activity, everything we do must come from theologians and exegetes, the man who opens his Bible and has only one question: What is your will, O God?
We should not send questionnaires to carnal people to find out what kind of church they want to attend. The Church must be “sensitive to what she seeks,” but the Church must recognize that there is only one “investigator. “His name is God, and if you want to be friends with someone, if you want to welcome someone, settle in to him and his glory, even if you are rejected by all. We are not called to build empires. We are not obliged to exaggerate, we are called to glorify God.
And if you want the Church to be more than just a particular people, then you want something that God does not want.
I want you to listen for a moment, Isaiah, chapter eight. Hear what it says, “When they say to you, consult the necromancers and soothsayers, who gurge and whisper” (Is 8:19). It is a perfect definition, or at least an illustration, of the social sciences and gurus of “Church growth strategies. “And everything else, because every two or three years, all his main theories change. Not only about what a man is or how you repair it, but also about what a church is and how you develop it. Every two or three years, another novelty comes from what your church can do in the eyes of the world.
Recently, one of the most important and recognized experts in Church Growth Strategies said he discovered that he was completely wrong in his entire theory, but instead of going back to the scriptures, kneeling, broken, and crying, he goes in search of another theory.
They do not give clear words. He says here in Isaiah: “Will not people consult their God? Will the dead be consulted for the living? (Isaiah 8:19).
Should we, as men of the Church, as preachers, as pastors, as Christians, go out and spiritually consult the dead, on behalf of all those whom the Holy Spirit has invigorated?Absolutely not.