Church Misgivings
(What follows has been given to us by a couple [a retired pastor and his wife] who settled in a certain local church in the UK. To their dismay, it became clear that certain trends were happening of which they were unaware in the beginning. It tells the “inside story” of their ineffective attempt to alert a church to its unconscious departure from the implications of the Reformed Faith, to which it claims to adhere! It silently questions whether it is enough to pin a doctrinal “Confession” to one’s church and then proceed in a manner typical of churches with a “user-friendly” approach to making the Gospel palatable to the modern world. We suspect this will resonate with many of our readers, and it is a reminder to pray that God would visit us with true reformation and revival in these days. The submission below was presented to the elders of the church. – Ed)
This submission follows a reminder we received to sign up to the new Church Directory. We have now signed as Friends of the Church although, as mentioned to an elder, we were hesitant due to misgivings about the direction the church has been going since we first settled in the area 12 years ago.
We appreciate that many good things are done by the church, so the issues we raise are not from a critical spirit and equally apply to numerous other evangelical churches of our day. But we do have concerns, and they surface now because we are told that the elders are keen to listen and be faithful to God’s word. Needless to say, our experience of the church is limited, but it is sufficient to form an estimate of its stance respecting issues within the churches of our day.
Services
To begin with, the way services are conducted does not infuse a sense of God’s presence, or even of a personal God. In the main, leaders read their prayers – some adding hand gestures with an incongruous downward gaze. This is extraordinary, especially if the speaker shows an unhindered flow of spontaneous words as soon as the prayer is over. Now, it is unnatural to address a person by reading words previously written elsewhere. So, when we address God in this way, it is unlikely to convince unbelievers that He is a living and present reality. In short, the feeling of access in Christ to a holy God, present among His people, is entirely absent. Indeed, the services resemble a line-up of items and liturgical prayers, rather than an uninterrupted session of worship to the living God.
Evangelism
We also question the use of what some would call “worldly bait” to attract people to hear the Gospel. We have never attended an evangelistic “murder mystery,” but it is difficult to imagine the Apostle Paul doing so, or using such a method himself! Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts, but how can He honour such an approach? There are limits to becoming “all things to all men,”[1] which is why many adopt a Regulative Principle controlling what is, and what is not acceptable church practice. Be that as it may, things are done at such a pace in the church, and modern-day pressures are so great, that we doubt if church officers even have time for their families, let alone opportunity to properly weigh such issues. This matter of haste was brought home to us when, back from ministry abroad, I (the retired pastor) was asked by an elder how I had got on. Before I could return an answer, the person was gone!
Hymns
As we see it, old hymns have not reached their “sell-by” date. The New Testament letters are intended for believers, and many so-called “traditional” hymns incorporate their profound practical and spiritual teaching. They are written by men and women of exceptional Christian character and supply a wealth of understanding and experience not matched in modern hymnology. On that bedrock, young believers in the past were able to face life’s pressures and trials. A large number of older hymns are neglected these days, to the point where they are effectively binned. It’s only a matter of time before their poetic presentation of every aspect of Christian Life is entirely forgotten. They are needed today for Christian sanctification. It only takes a few words from a leader to explain an archaic word or phrase. “Praise!”[2] in our view, is a bad choice of hymnbook!
Music
Regarding music in worship, we are not against music for keeping the congregation in tune. But a simple keyboard would suffice since displaying musicians with their instruments is an unnecessary distraction. Our forebears were very sensitive about introducing instruments into worship – Spurgeon never had them. And even when they were introduced, organists were obscured by a curtain. For a penetrating article on this subject, read that by Iain Murray, co-founder of the Banner of Truth Trust.[3]
Preaching
It was once said that people were drawn to the church by its preaching. Today the preaching is done by others, but we query if what was said then was entirely true, or is true now. There are those who, like us, attend for other reasons. And the maxim “a crowd draws a crowd” is never more true than with young people. Without doubt, every effort is made to win souls for Christ, but without wholesome preaching and teaching, Christ’s new-born babes will never reach manhood. New believers are susceptible to false teaching as well as worldliness, yet there is a lack of warning in the church’s ministry. Satan is no less active now than he was when Paul said: “by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”[4] He was tearful — he was serious about the threat! Church History indicates that churches slide imperceptibly into error. Their deviation from the truth is rarely noticed until men like Spurgeon boldly expose their faults, as he did during the Baptist Downgrade Controversy.
Finally
From the foregoing, it is evident that we have many misgivings about the current direction of the church. But, as we said at the outset, they do not flow from a critical spirit. They simply explain why we were hesitant to join the Church Directory, and our mention of them now may help to promote thoughtful consideration of the issues. Our remaining concerns are about the relationship between the church and other church bodies. We have included this as an appendix.
APPENDIX
Contending For Truth
A local church should not be so engrossed in its own affairs as to neglect its duty to pass the Gospel on, intact, to future generations. Christ’s Church is the “pillar of the truth”[5] and the custodian of everything delivered to us in Scripture. We are to contend earnestly for that truth[6] and hold it fast until our Saviour comes.[7] But we question whether the church is sufficiently doing this.
Biblical Separation
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones – affectionately called “The Doctor” – was an example of someone prepared to openly contend for the Gospel. He publicly called on evangelical ministers to leave doctrinally mixed denominations, like the Church of England, and join with others of similar mind – so making a clear distinction between truth and error. His stand is recorded by Basil Howlett in his book “1966 and All That.”[8] The Anglican Church is essentially an ecumenical movement, drawing together a mixture of lethal error and soul-saving truth under the roof of one denomination. So, there is a real case for Evangelicals to leave the Church of England or any other compromising church body. And we should encourage them to do so.[9] The church is affiliated to Affinity, which claims to be a relaunch of the British Evangelical Council. But in our view, Affinity fails to adequately uphold the BEC’s distinctive stand on the importance of biblical separation.[10]
Training Preachers
The Doctor disliked the habit of men from the Free Churches training in Church of England colleges.[11] When such men take up ministerial posts within Independency, it encourages evangelical lecturers to believe they have a worthwhile reason for staying in the Anglican Communion. As it transpires, it was the Doctor’s belief that “preachers are born not made”[12] and we share that conviction. Pastors and elders should have a God-given teaching gift.[13] If it is not present, no amount of training will impart it. This gift is essential, since elders are the church’s watchmen to spot and confront the wolves that threaten Christ’s flock. Hastily appointing elders, without due attention to their teaching gifts is unwise, and we entertain the hope that the church is of the same mind.
The New Calvinism
In conclusion, we fear the church is moving away from Historic Calvinism and edging towards the New Calvinism found in America. See the excellent article by Rev Tom Aicken, “The New Calvinism.”[14]
SUPPLEMENT (sent later)
Summary To Date
As early as March 2018 we submitted a document for consideration by the elders specifying our misgivings about the church. On 11 June we met with two of the elders to discuss the issues raised, and on the 16 September, we received an email “on behalf of the elders” saying that a “summary” of our concerns had been shared at a recent meeting of the eldership and they were “not in agreement.” These were subsequently described as “differences of opinion.” The concluding paragraph amounted to an appeal to think on those things that are praiseworthy in the church.
Comment
Bearing in mind the serious content of our presentation, the time taken to respond signified a rather casual approach to the issues raised. The views expressed were not ours alone, as the footnotes show. The links point to articles written by worthy men in the Evangelical World and should be read as an integral part of our submission.
Regarding the final paragraph of the elder’s response, it is noteworthy that whereas our document freely acknowledges that “many good things are done at the church,” there was not a corresponding appreciation that anything raised by our four-page document had any merit!
Motivation
Our concerns flow from a love for Christ and His truth, and the spiritual wellbeing of friends and family within the church. This was our only reason for remaining Friends of the Church, so it was suggested we speak to the elders about our misgivings and a presentation of some kind was thought to be helpful.
We assumed that all the elders would receive a copy as we had been invited to address our concerns to them. However, one of the elders did not appear to have received it, so we have now sent each of the elders a copy, followed by the present document as a Supplement.
Doctrinal Truth
The theology of the church is secured by its recognition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. But there is an unperceived drift from the truth that has more to do with actions and mannerisms than a specific doctrine. The two, of course, are related for if the way we act contradicts the truths we preach it is equally reprehensible.
This has apparently been acknowledged regarding the murder mystery evenings. But similarly, the laid-back “hands-in-pocket” approach to God in public worship is undignified and dishonours His divine majesty. Malachi 1:8 is relevant: “offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.” Substitute “the Queen’s majesty” for “thy governor” and the application is clear. However fine our words or theology, a person’s deportment can take away any sense of awe for the majestic God we profess to worship.
Finally From the inadequate response to the issues submitted in March, it is clear to us that our concerns for the church have not been properly considered and addressed by the oversight. As genuine Friends of the Church, we have expressed our conviction respecting these matters and have no wish to prolong the issue of our misgivings further.
[1] 1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” See the article in Bible League Quarterly, https://www.bibleleaguetrust.org/all-things-to-all-men/
[2] See the critique in Bible League Quarterly:
[3] https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2010/sensual-worship-a-sign-of-impending-apostasy/
[4] Acts 20:31.
[5] 1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
[6] Jude 3 “it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
[7] Revelation 3:11 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
[8] See Chapter 7, page 57 “1966 And All That” by Basil Howlett.
[9] 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Come out from among them and be separate” (verse 17).
[10] See Bible League Quarterly: https://www.bibleleaguetrust.org/affinity/
[11] See Chapter 13, page 117 “1966 And All That” by Basil Howlett.
[12] See Ibid page 117.
[13] Titus 1:6-9 Elders/overseers must “be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
[14] http://www.freereformedchurchlangley.org/uploads/9/1/2/0/9120526/the_new_calvinism__a_critical_assessment.pdf