The People’s Forum
by H arlin J. R oper , Pastor Scofield Memorial Church
O N F eb . 10,1967, an eight- day annual meeting of the Chris tian Education Division of the National Council of Churches be gan in Dallas. It was attended by about 1,000 church education leaders from 40 denominations. Among the notables invited as speakers were Bishop James A. Pike and Malcolm Boyd. What a spectacle for Christians to be hold! I have no sympathy for the Communists with their atheistic ideologies, but I do greatly ad mire their consistent loyalty to the standards of the party and their opposition to the enemies of their cause. If a like consistency could be observed among the Na tional Council of Churches lead ers, we would have more respect for them. Gaining an affluent live lihood from the Christian church, they make fast bed-fellows of the “ enemies o f the cross” and exalt them to a place of national lead ership. Fifty years ago no one dreamed that church leaders would soon welcome into their ranks ecclesiastical turn -coats who had repudiated their ordina tion vows and openly denied the cardinal doctrines upon which their church was built. While this apostasy in the church does not surprise any student of the pro phetic Scriptures, we confess shock at the swiftness with which it has developed. The doctrinal de fection and “ situational morality” that these men encourage are nauseating to any sensitive Christian, and yet few protests have been offered against this week of religious burlesque. In the last decade no two men have been more destruc
tive o f Bible purity in doctrine and morals than Bishop Pike and Hugh Hefner, “a personal friend of Malcolm Boyd.” According to a newspaper re port of February 14, 1967, Mal colm Boyd will be featured in the April issue of “ Playboy Maga zine.” It is not at all complimen tary to be mentioned favorably by this magazine, which boldly promotes the theory that sex re lations outside marriage are not wrong, so long as there is mutual consent and no one gets hurt. Malcolm Boyd stated from the Dallas platform , “ I can’t yet bring myself to say Jesus Christ.” Bishop Pike has said, “ I’ve jetti soned the Trinity, the v irg in birth, and the incarnation.” Keep in mind that these two defectors, Bishop Pike and Mal colm Boyd, were presented by church leaders. The history, doc trines, and judgment of all false teachers are accurately pre-writ- ten by the Apostle Paul, Peter, and Jude, in such phrases as ‘trai tors — reprobates concerning the faith — enemies of the cross — false teachers who bring in dam nable heresies — denying the Lord that brought them — for saken the right way — servants of corruption — wells without water — beguiling unstable souls — cursed children — wandering stars — sensual — having not the Spirit — whose damnation slum- bereth not.” Only a few years past, preach ers were being tried for heresy when they questioned the cardi nal doctrines; now they are in vited into the pulpits, elected to places of leadership, publicized as experts, and recommended to
our young people as exemplary. Such favorable recognition of apostasy must cause the angels to weep, and we wonder how much further God will allow ec clesiastical unbelief to progress before His awful hand of judg ment falls. There is only one thing more shocking than the action of these National Council o f Churches leaders, and that is the utter in difference with which their defec tion has been accepted by the lay men in our churches. Nothing will ever halt the treacherous sell-out by the Council leaders except a wholesale revolt by evangelical laymen. When the funds from in dividuals and foundations stop pouring into their coffers, it may have a restraining effect. Con ceivably this may happen; prob ably it will not. Tragically accurate was the re mark of a liberal church leader many months ago that “ the great majority of laymen in our church are still fundamental in their be liefs, but their loyalty to a de nominational name will guarantee our success.” Because their fa thers and grandfathers went to heaven through a once-evangeli- cal sound testimony, multitudes today are complacently watching their children and grandchildren go to hell carrying the same ban ner, little recognizing that the au thoritative inerrant Word of the Living God is being boldly re placed by the “ situational moral ity” and “ doctrinal relevancy” of religious traitors. (Reprinted from The Dallas Times Herald, issue o f March 7, 1967.) H b |
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