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What'cha Going To Believe?

Well, I guess it's about time for me to get on my annual soapbox about the liberal theologies that are pervading our seminaries, pulpits, and churches. For those of you who know me, you know that I am a conservative -- socially, politically, and theologically. I guess if you were to try to put a label on me I would be one of those right-wing fundamentalist wackos who are constantly derided by the liberal politicians. What is a right-wing fundamentalist wacko? As I define it, it is a person who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible, who believes that the Bible is the Word of God, who believes that Jesus was a man who was also fully God, that Jesus performed miracles and that His coming was foretold in the Old Testament by the Prophets. A person who believes that Jesus died on the cross for the atonement for our sins and who rose from the dead on the third day to prove He had conquered sin and death. A person who believes in the mercy and grace of God and who believes that the Holy Spirit has the power to redeem any circumstance. A person who believes that God is still working in the lives of men and who still has His hand in the nations.

That said, let me define for you what I call liberal theology. I am basing this understanding on the texts that are required reading at one of our nation's top Methodist seminaries and based on the theology I see espoused in cases such as the Karen Damman trial in the Pacific Northwest. A liberal is a person who believes in God, or at least a concept of God, but who thinks the power of goodness lies ultimately in the heart of man. A liberal is a person who denies the supernatural, and tries to come up with a natural explanation for every supernatural occurrence in the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament. Some liberals go so far as to deny the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth, and the resurrection. Liberals tend to view the Bible as a living document, but their definition is different from mine. Living, for them, means evolving and changing to reflect the current culture.

So, getting back to the title of this post, "what are you going to believe?" Who fills your pulpit? At this time of the year, we are seeing the appointments being set for the churches in the south Georgia Conference. Has anyone in the church ever sat down with a new pastor and asked them what their theology is? Has anyone even questioned whether their new leader was going to teach the Bible in a conservative, literal fashion or whether they were going to preach based on a more liberal understanding? What are you going to believe?

I believe that all teaching and preaching in churches should line up with the testimony of the Holy Bible. As the apostle Paul puts it, if anyone, whether it is a person or angels, preach or teach anything different from the gospel message put forth in scripture, then they are not to be believed or followed. Test all things by the Word of God. If you do that, you will see where liberal theologies begin to fail, and you will find yourself standing on the rock of the Word. Don't believe every word that you hear or every teaching that you hear just because the person saying it claims to be a man or woman of God.