Will Evangelicalism Remain Evangelical?

This very interesting question was posed by something Christopher Catherwood wrote in a chapter on the life and work of Rev. Dr Francis A. Schaeffer.  He was assessing the significance of Schaeffer’s life and ministry, and Schaeffer raised this as a legitimate concern that he had, given the rapidity with which evangelicalism is departing from its only and supreme source, the Holy Scriptures.

That evangelicalism has, traditionally and historically, been based on the teaching of an inerrant Scripture, is accepted, but there is growing evidence to suggest that this is no longer the position held in practice, despite hearty professions otherwise, within large tracts of the church on earth.  It may be regarded as a text Book from which sermons are drawn, but nothing more.  It may even be a convenient 'peg' on which to hang one's own thoughts and to validate one's prejudices and preferred understanding; it may even be the basis of sermons, and that’s good in and of itself.  And this is done by evangelicals and within ‘evangelical’ churches!

But when it comes to putting it into practice, well that’s a different story.  The Bible is not determinative when it comes to the purity of Christ’s Bride, the church.  No, no.  Here another standard operates, that called pragmatism.  If potential church members ‘say’ they are Christians and accept the church’s official teaching, then they are accepted by the elders as Christians.  Later, if they demonstrate that they have absolutely no interest in spiritual things, the elders disempower themselves from taking the appropriate spiritual action out of fear of the consequences in and for the congregation, by submitting themselves to the god of pragmatism.  This, then, becomes their supreme standard by which all things ecclesiastical and spiritual are to be decided.  Some churches call this god The Code.  So Scripture is no longer the infallible guide for the church.  And this is done by evangelicals and within ‘evangelical’ churches!

We see exactly the same when it comes to how God is to be worshipped.  The supreme authority today is, what do the young people want and expect.  The entire worship service is geared to do what the youths find appealing.  The more sensual it is, the better; the more it imitates the world of show business, the happier we are; and the more it appeals to the flesh, the more likely it is that we will attend church regularly.  But Scripture is no longer determinative of worship.  And this position is done by evangelicals and within ‘evangelical’ churches!

The use of worldly gimmicks to attract and retain church attenders is another case where the authority of Scripture is set aside by evangelicals.  We have drama, guest singers (soloists and groups), story-telling (and the more dramatic the better).  We have ministers riding up the church isle on a bike; doing their performance in order to increase the sales of the DVDs; ministers adopting a priestly role at the baptism of covenant children when they take the babies in their arms for the actual baptism.  And on and on it goes.  And this is done by evangelicals and within ‘evangelical’ churches!

Where crises arise within congregations where ministers faithful to the Gospel are being persecuted for their faith, it is not the final authority of Scripture that is called in, but how any decision will impact on the denomination, and how it is seen in the world.  The denomination and its code will determine matters, not the Scriptures, and certainly not the Gospel.  And this is done by evangelicals and within ‘evangelical’ churches!

Unless and until there is divine intervention in the church, we can no longer depend on evangelicals maintaining a sound and biblical evangelicalism within the churches.  They have accepted in practice and de facto the supreme authority of the god called pragmatism over Scripture as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice; the church’s code or law book takes a much more prominent position in church matters over Scripture; what youth culture wants and accepts is what determines how God is to be worshipped, not Scripture; and the use of gimmicks of all kinds are the means used to bring people to faith, not the method and content of the Bible.  And this is done by evangelicals and within ‘evangelical’ churches!

Is there any hope?  Well, there is.  But it does not lie in the professedly evangelical churches!  It lies with God alone, and those who have bound themselves to Him and their consciences to His Word.  All others are play-actors, time-servers, churchmen; and that precludes them being GOD’S MEN!