The minds of many Protestant Church goers have been undergoing a thorough brain-washing for many years, so that there is no longer a simple faith in miracles and the super-natural. Among the unmistakable signs of our times is the sign of pretended godliness, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof . . . (2 Timothy 3:5). Paul warned the young preacher Timothy that perilous times were ahead. Today the Church finds herself amidst perilous times. In religion there is an appearance without the reality, a program without spiritual life, an attitude of piety without the power of God. Formalism, ritualism, and sacramentalism are substitutes for the real exper ience of regeneration. Much formal religion is increasing, but the power which energizes the Christian for holy living and a good witness for Christ is missing. In all of this we have the grand design of things to come. The religions of the world are slowly being brought together as never before. And to think that all of this hodge-podge of philosophical and humanitarian vaporizing is called Christianity! WHAT ATT ITUDE SHOULD THE CHRISTIAN TAKE? Religion as a form without the real Force is a farce. For myself I am convinced that no true evangelical Christian can become a part of man’s ecumenical church in view of the religious trends of our times. I must reject all proposals to become affiliated with a single world church. Following are some of my reasons: First, the Bible unreservedly repudiates the Roman Catholic concept of an ecumenical church under the rule of a Pope. The Lord Jesus Christ said, And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ (Matthew 23:9,10). Now these words from Christ do not mean that Christians are not to show the proper esteem for God’s servants. To the contrary the Bible says, And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves (1 Thessalonians 5:12,13). But we must exercise care lest we allow the leaders of religion, and even within the true Church, to come between Christ and us. No man is infallible. No man can forgive sins. No man should be called “ father,” or submitted to as a master over us in matters pertaining to religion. The minister, rabbi, priest, or pope may have a gift which can enrich others, but he has no authority. Only Christ can impart and sustain spiritual life, and He only is the Christian’s Master. He said, Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am (John 13:13). Second, the ecumenical leaders in Protestantism have as their representatives men who deny the basic and essential doctrines of our historic Christian faith. Take as an example the inspiration of the Scriptures. Since the appearance of Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick’s book in the year 1924, under the title The Modern Use of the Bible, to the neo-orthodoxy of our day, the time-honored Biblical view of inspiration has had no place in the thinking of many leaders in Protestantism. Some men tell us that the modernism which to a large extent char acterized Fosdick’s book, is out of date. Don’t believe such statements. Fosdick’s destructive teaching is still with us. Some men refer to it as “neo-orthodoxy.” Call it what you will, but I prefer to keep it in the category of mod-
The Prophetic Significance of Pope John's Appeal (cont.) falling away,” or “ the apostasy,” mentioned in verse 3. Our age will not end in a converted world, but rather in a departure from Christian doctrine and deportment. The failure in men’s belief is the cause of the failure in their behaviour. Read First Timothy 4:1-3 and Second Timothy 3:1-8, where Paul, speaking prophetically by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, presents a vivid picture of the spiritual and moral decline of the “ latter times.” Many of these prophecies are being fulfilled before our eyes, so that we dare conclude that extensive preparations are being made for the appearance of the “man of sin.” And who is the “man of sin?” It is he “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The apostasy is the forerunner of Antichrist, and the doctrine of Antichrist denies Christ the sole right to receive men’s worship. The doctrine of Antichrist is that man is God. This damnable doctrine of the divinity of man is becoming increasingly popular in Romanism and Protestantism. Mariolatry has ascended to new heights in Romanism, and in Protestantism a new emphasis is being placed upon the divine eminence in man. The Christian must realize that his is a heavenly hope, and that he is not to be occupied with man’s ecumenical church on earth. Much so-called allegiance to Christ in our day is a pretence, and after the true Church of Christ has been caught away to be with Him, the vast throng of professors will throw off their pretended devotion to God’s Son, and man’s ecumenical church will rise to its zenith. If this writer interprets the Scriptures correctly, the present attempts to form an ecumenical church are but preparing the way for the devil’s church which will show its full strength under the leadership of a man over whom sin will have absolute dominion. He will come as a substitute in the place of Christ, and vast numbers of people who rejected Christ will follow and worship him. Does all of this sound far-fetched to you? If it does, then read carefully what Dr. Ralph Barton Perry wrote in his work, One World in the Making. What we now need is the adoption of a religion of humanity, that we might have a humanity of religion. The essence of a universal religion is its equal and undiscriminating appeal to all the nations and races of earth, or to all men, regardless of their nationality or race. Its god is a god of all mankind. Its offer of salvation is addressed to the shortcomings and hopes which all men have in common. Its teach ings are based on the common experiences of life and death, so that every man may verify them for himself. The Christian gospel of regeneration, the Buddhist doctrine of recurrent desire and its conquest through self-denial, and the more homely wisdom of Confucianism are all universal. (Quoted from World Crises and the Prophetic Scriptures by Wilbur M. Smith.) For many years modernism has been preparing the way for this humanity-centered world religion. The development of human personality, the promotion of human abilities, and the advancement of human welfare, as the basic objectives of life, have constituted the message of many men within Christendom for the past half century. It has been estimated that 60 per cent of the Protestants throughout the world are in favor of “ One United Protestant Church.” W ill such a union be weak or strong doctrinally? The foundations have been laid already for a World Church that will find no room in its doctrinal statement for the Virgin Birth, Vicarious Atone ment and Victorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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