Churches Going off the Rails

Almost no denomination has escaped the culture war fight that is so prominent in modern society. What we see going on in society’s various institutions (education, the news media, politics, business, arts and entertainment, family), is also being reflected in the Christian community.

Typically the division that has played out in Christian circles has been a battle between two different ways of approaching theology. One side is determined to stay faithful to the teachings of the Bible, while the other is bent on adapting the church to the sentiments of modern society.

The most recent example of this is what we see playing out among Methodists. An entirely new Methodist denomination has recently been formed to get out from under the increasingly non-biblical tendencies of the United Methodist Church. This is not meant to pick on them particularly, as essentially the same thing has happened with the Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, Episcopalians, and many other smaller groups. As the happenings with the United Methodists are the most recent, the changes that are going on there are most visible in the news.

The Upper Room is a part of the Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church. It is most well known for its daily devotional booklet called The Upper Room, but its reach goes far beyond that to include other publications, programs, and prayer support.

One of its arms is Upper Room Books – a publishing imprint of The Upper Room. Besides publishing books, they produce a daily blog called New Every Morning. These devotional offerings consist of excerpts from some of the books they publish, and are used as a way of promoting them. (https://upperroombooks.com/neweverymorning)

Recently, they used Where We Meet: A Lenten Study of Systems, Stories, and Hope, as the basis for their morning devotions. Selected excerpts of several of the reflections from this book illustrate just how the United Methodist Church has deviated from biblical theology.

Today's Reflection - Diversity - 2/14/24

Diversity isn’t merely a concept; it drives discipleship. When we cultivate diverse community, we become more complete individuals because we discover our kinship with people who are different from us.

Furthermore, diversity is a challenge to the empire. It is a challenge to the structures of power and oppression that Jesus aimed to dismantle. These structures thrive on favoritism, with a consolidated privileged group exploiting a defined underclass to maintain their power and provide comfort for the privileged. When we foster diverse communities, we dispel the myth that there is one right way of doing things, and we amplify voices that the empire has long silenced.

Erroneous teaching: God’s purpose for man is not to raise up the “oppressed” of this world and defeat the “powerful,” but to overcome sin in the lives of individuals. Also, Jesus did not aim to dismantle structures of power and oppression. His purpose was spiritual, not political.

Today's Reflection - Repentance - 2/16/24

Repentance begins by centering the stories of people on the margins. Holy work always starts with listening, but it never stops there. It entails believing that experiences different from our own are equally valid. Stories awaken our awareness and invite us to acknowledge the impact of historical injustices, harm, and oppression. This allows us to take responsibility for the barriers these actions have created for some and the advantages that they’ve provided to others. Repentance requires us to remain open-minded, humble, and alert to the unjust systems that are at play. It means that when we uncover areas of ignorance or indifference, we take action to correct them.

Erroneous teaching: Repentance is not centered in the stories of people on the margins, but in the sinful heart of individuals. Thus, correcting problems in the world is not first and foremost a matter of taking action to correct society’s ills, but of putting our hearts in right relation to God.

Today's Reflection - Power - 2/17/24

During this Lenten season, let us actively engage in ongoing self-reflection and examine our attitudes and assumptions about power. May we align ourselves with the teachings of Jesus, acknowledging that true power resides in qualities like empathy, humility, and vulnerability. Let us actively resist the allure of the empire, which entices us to adopt oppressive narratives of colonization, offering a vision of success that ultimately brings only pain and brokenness.

Erroneous teaching: Jesus’ purpose in his human life was not to break down the temporal power structures in society. It was to share how individuals could enter into a personal relationship with God.

Is it True?

Sadly, the theology these reflections are based upon does not come from the Bible. It is based on naturalistic Marxist philosophy. Rather than interpret the Bible using biblical worldview beliefs, it begins with Marxist philosophy and reads that into the biblical text. That kind of hermeneutical (interpretive) approach will never expose truth, but will only mislead those who are unable, or unwilling, to search out the truth in the biblical text for themselves. This does not mean Christians are to ignore the injustices in society, but Christian actions are a result of changed hearts, not of arbitrary efforts to promote utopia on earth. 

The reason so many churches are going off the rails is because they are looking to relativistic human philosophy to justify their own human desires, rather than to the actual source of truth itself. Reasoning that jettisons God’s revelation of Himself and His ways are ultimately doomed to fail, and will take everyone with it who walks that path.

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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