Friday, May 13, 2011

Pitting Jesus Against Scripture



It is not a new tactic. Liberal theologians and denominations tend to separate Jesus (as they choose to understand him) from the rest of Scripture. And so if there is anything in Scripture which they believe is out of step with Jesus then they will dismiss that portion of Scripture.

Needless to say this tendency has been disastrous. It has led to the gutting of the Bible, the Gospel, and the missionary impulse. It also leads to sexual licence. Wherever there is theological liberalism the boundaries of biblical sexual ethics will be moved.

In a sad but unsurprising move, the Twin Cities Minnesota presbytery of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) has voted to ordain practicing homosexuals.

Al Mohler comments:




The Presbyterian Church (USA) now joins the Episcopal Church (US), the United Church of Christ, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in ordaining openly homosexual candidates to the ministry.

Both sides in this controversy understand the meaning of the decision. While this action deals specifically with ordination standards, it is really about the larger issue of homosexuality. Most observers expect that the decision to allow same-sex marriages will follow closely.

But even beyond the specific issue of homosexuality, the church faced two of the most fundamental questions of Christian theology — the authority of the Bible and the Lordship of Christ. In making this change, the church clearly affirms that one may submit to the Lordship of Christ without submitting to the clear teachings of Scripture.

That is a fundamental error that leaves this denomination now in the implausible position of claiming to affirm the Lordship of Christ while subverting the authority of Scripture. The removal of the constitutional language about marriage and chastity, coupled with the removal of the language about repentance from what Scripture identifies as sin, effectively means that candidates and presbyteries may defy Scripture while claiming to follow Christ.

Clearly, this action could not have happened without this denomination having abandoned any required belief in the full authority, inspiration, and truthfulness of the Bible long ago. This most recent decision sets the stage for the total capitulation of this church to the normalization of homosexuality — an act of open defiance against the Scriptures.

Read the entire article HERE.

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