An important documentary/movie is scheduled for release in the near future entitled, Enemies Within the Church, conceived by a good friend, Pastor Cary Gordon of Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, Iowa. To understand the purpose of the film in greater detail you may wish to watch a sneak peek at http://enemieswithinthechurch.com . The synopsis of the film is to produce the evidence which will expose and critique the burgeoning problem of heresy, false teaching, and error being disseminated through the Church. It will bring “light” to an agenda which should be of concern to every faithful Christian. This evidence, by its very nature, will expose teachers, pastors, and ministries which have embraced this heterodoxy, many of whom are incredibly popular and influential. It’s a documentary that needs to be done.
However, before it’s release I can already hear the sounds from the social media world crying, “Foul! This is unloving, uncharitable, and judgmental! You didn’t follow Matthew 18. You didn’t approach these ministries privately. You are straining at gnats and taking things out of context”; ostensibly attempting to undermine the analysis by suggesting an inappropriate process was used to bring correction to what growing numbers see as a virus.
Pastor Cary is perfectly capable of bringing any defense to these objections, but I thought for the sake of time and review I might wade into the concept of how ministers and ministries are to be corrected in the 21st century. The truth is that the Internet, technology and social media have opened a can of unfiltered dissemination of information which has produced both blessing and curse.
Let’s start with acknowledging the blessing of being connected globally with the touch of an app or an email. No one will deny that the ability to share information with expanded audiences has increased exponentially in the last 20 years. An unknown singer or musician can produce their own Facebook LIVE video and it goes viral and suddenly they are an artistic superstar and household name. People are producing podcasts and social media commentary sites which are opening doors to relatively unknown people to become national media network analysts. Opportunity abounds through this technological medium and the Church has seized it’s possibilities as well to proclaim the truth found only in the Scriptures. An insignificant pastor in Arkansas can literally preach the Gospel to a group in Central Asia. That is pretty amazing when you think about it. The outreach and mission possibilities are endless. The ability to train and disciple believers can be taken to a whole new level. All of this, used rightly, is a tremendous blessing and advantage to the work of the ministry. The curse is, for all the freedom the Internet provides to do good, it is equally free to disseminate the bad. Orthodoxy and heresy can be distributed with equal vitality. Preachers you would never allow in your pulpit can now disciple your sheep with simply an all access app. There was a day when heresy had to work significantly harder to gain a foothold in an orthodox, Christian church. Today, popular ministers can go viral with their instruction within 24 hours…and there is little that can be done about it.
The question becomes, how do I, as an orthodox, Bible-believing, engaged shepherd with a congregation of sheep who look to me for guidance, address obvious error in a biblical way? How do I challenge pop-theology which is grossly unorthodox? How do I confront national media ministers who influence my congregation (as well as the general church culture) with their error when there is no chance in Gehenna of my email getting through to have a conversation, much less a personal meeting to Matthew 18 them? No one wants a social media war. No one wants to appear cranky, cantankerous, or as a curmudgeon. But why do highly visible ministries get to access my congregation with their (erroneous) theology and without my permission due to their social media presence; yet expect me (as a pastor) to leap through impossible hoops to fulfill a biblical precept which may (or may not) apply to this situation?
There is the conundrum…
Error gets to flow freely…
Correction…not so much…
Let me be clear that I am not looking for a way to escape a biblical method of confrontation or correction. If the Bible presents to me a path of appropriate critique, then I am bound to pursue it no matter the personal difficulty. However, I have come to the conclusion that in this day of social media influence, the response to error is not necessarily restricted to a Matthew 18 approach. Hence, the validity of the documentary/movie, Enemies Within the Church. There comes a moment when publicly released error and heresy must be responded to by publicly released correction and rebuke. As I sit here and type, I cannot think of a moment where Jesus pulled a religious leader off to the side and said, “Hey, can I talk to you privately about your twisting of Scripture?” I never recall Jesus holding back a deserved rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees. In fact, the lengthy chapter of rebuke in Matthew 23 (pointed at the scribes and Pharisees) begins with the verse, “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying…” In other words, He was nailing them in the most public of ways.
We see similar moments all through history, perhaps most notably the nailing of the 95 Theses by Martin Luther outlining in detail the abuses and errors of the Papacy and the Church of the 16th century. The location of the nailing (no pun intended) was on the door at Wittenburg Chapel which was intended for public view and consumption. Quickly, the theses were printed and distributed all across Europe beginning what we know today as the Reformation. Anyone who knows anything about Luther recognizes that his use of epithets and sarcasm towards the Catholic hierarchy of his day was acerbic. I’m not suggesting that Luther was always in bounds with regards to his speech and critique. He himself admitted to his quick temper and voice on occasion. I am suggesting that there is ample illustration from the Scripture and history that now is the time for the errors of our age to be exposed.
I, for one, am excited to see what Pastor Gordon and his creative team are preparing to release for our benefit and instruction. For those that have watched his excellent animation, http://stepstopoliticalepiphany.com, already know that this current project will be insightful and accessible.
It’s time for another reformation in America. I can almost say across the board that every significant institution we uphold as vital in America is in desperate need of an overhaul. I am convinced that until that reformation wind blows first through the Church, it is unlikely that any other institution will find the rudder it needs to get back on track. I encourage you to support this endeavor and see it as a work of the Holy Spirit to awaken our spirit’s need for discernment and truth. As Melanchton reminded the congregation who gathered to honor the deceased Martin Luther by saying, “(paraphrased) Some express a suspicion that Luther was too severe in his critiques. I quote Erasmus by saying, ‘Because of the magnitude of disorders in this current age, God has sent us a violent physician.'”
This movie just may be the medicine the doctor ordered for the Church of our day.
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