Tozer argues that the innovative "new" Church has been overtaken and held hostage by spiritually impotent theologians who have opened the door to the spirit of Babylon which now controls the Church and has created a situation where it worships on twin altars of marketing and publicity and is dominated by cults:
1. The Cult of Imitation: Christians imitate what is seen outside of the Church, " a characteristic of immaturity" resulting in our secular pagan rock 'n roll dominated media and blue-jeans obsessed 'fashion' industry setting the standards for the Church:
"There was a time," said Tozer, "when the Church set the standard for music (and) the world imitated the Church. Men like Beethoven, Mozart and Handel set the whole world singing, and the focus of their music was the church." Now the Church imitates the world's rock music, "We offer this 'swine' on the altar of Jehovah. What blasphemy. We have so much more to offer God (but now we import) the culture around us (this) is the sad reality of today's Christian." (pp. 28-29)
2. The Cult of Entertainment: Today the Church cannot survive without a heavy dose of entertainment. It is a culture of fun, fun, and more fun. Plays, jokes, and other adolescent speech and behavior has replaced worship:
"What this generation of Christians needs is not religious entertainment to satisfy carnal appetites (but) biblically based literature that challenges and stirs the soul to deeper appreciation of God and Christ and the whole plan of salvation. It is true that what we feed is what grows. If we feed the carnal nature and its appetite, that will be the overpowering aspect of our life. If we feed the spiritual, our appetite for the things of God will grow." (pp. 18, 30-31)
3. The Cult of Celebrity: Today celebrity church growth gurus mesmerize pastors with their latest seductive church growth schemes, celebrity 'feel-good' preachers' dazzle and delight carnal Christians with theologically empty messages while rock-star praise worship leaders enflame passions, deafen ears, benumb minds and set bodies in motion:
"We swoon over celebrity. Whatever they say, we accept as important....even if it goes contrary to plain biblical teaching. St. Ignatius said, 'Apart from Him, let nothing dazzle you." But we allow "everything but 'Him' to dazzle us these days. We have become rather bored with God and the truths of Scripture." (p. 31)
Where in the past, Christians entered into the presence of God with a great sense of overwhelming reverence and great thoughts stimulated them to the highest passions their minds and feelings could stand, today's 'new' Christians are irreverent, over-stimulated fleshy creatures addicted to technology (to entertain, bemuse and do their thinking, spelling, etc.), as well as,
"....all of the activities and pleasures of the world. Whatever is stimulating to the average person out in the world is so to far to many!!
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial....between the temple of God and idols?" (2 Cor. 6:15-16) or between "the lord's table and the table of demons?" (1 Cor. 1021)
Like its' modern "new" evangelical counterpart that seeks to grow the church and save souls by accommodating the faith to the felt-needs of our paganized seeker-sensitive culture, ancient Gnosticism similarly attempted to incorporate the seeker-sensitive spirituality of the Greeks into Christianity. In his book, "The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back," Dr. Peter Jones, writes that the resulting perversion, 'Christian Gnosticism,' is a form of mystical Christian spirituality blended together with paganism. (p.6)
Speaking of the worldly evangelical church, Tozer said he hears Jesus saying,
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matt. 23:37)
By whatever name it markets itself, "new" evangelicalism suffers from the curse of worldliness and the person of discernment who sees this condition,
"...is written off as being somewhat fanatical. But the day is coming when the house will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God left among them." (p. 14)
These are the days of testing, of shaking that will become more pronounced, thus Tozer warns "new" evangelicals to "wake up," to take heed, for if you are settling back,
"... snuggling into your...chair and resting in your faith in John 3:16 and the fact that you have accepted Jesus Christ, you had better watch yourself. Take heed, lest you...be found wanting. (2 Tim. 3:5-7) Take heed of your own heart, lest when all is said and done, you have become tied in with the world." (p. 15)
No comments:
Post a Comment