On April 24, 2021

NOTES AND RUMINATIONS ON ICHABOD: THE SEARCH FOR GOD’S GLORY IN AMERICA’S SPIRITUAL WILDERNESS Part II

PART II: “Lessons from the Seminary”

SCRIPTURE: “For our appeal [in preaching] does not [originate] from delusion or error or impure purpose or motive, nor in fraud or deceit … For as you well know, we never resorted either to words of flattery or to any cloak to conceal greedy motives or pretexts for gain, [as] God is our witness.” – 1 THESSALONIANS 2:3, 5, AMPC

SEMINARY VISION. “Dig deep into Scripture and study the powerful themes and messages in God’s Word through Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity. You will learn practical, in-demand skills from experienced ministry professionals, study under acclaimed theologians, and network with pastors and ministers around the world.” – LIBERTY UNIVERSITY, “Online School of Divinity Programs,” ret. April 19, 2012

Selah.

QUOTATIONS

PRIDE. “Truth seduces us very easily into a kind of joy of possession: I have comprehended this and that, learned it, understood it. Knowledge is power. I am therefore more than the other man who does not know this and that. I have greater possibilities and also greater temptations. Anyone who deals with Truth – as we Theologians certainly do – succumbs all too easily to the psychology of the possessor. But Love is the opposite of the will to possess. It is self-giving. It boasteth not itself, but humbleth itself.” – HELMUT THIELICKE, ‘A Little Exercise for Young Theologians,’ 1962; edited; cf. 2 Corinthians 12:7 (Paul’s thorn)

PREJUDICE. “One of the most amazing and perplexing features of mainstream Christianity is that Seminarians who learn the ‘Historical-Critical Method’ in their Bible classes appear to forget all about it when it comes time for them to be pastors. They are taught critical approaches to Scripture, they learn about the discrepancies and contradictions, they discover all sorts of historical errors and mistakes, they come to realize that it is difficult to know whether Moses existed or what Jesus actually said and did, they find that there are other books that were at one time considered Canonical but that ultimately did not become part of Scripture (for example, ‘other’ gospels and apocalypses), they come to recognize that a good number of the books of the Bible are pseudonymous (for example, written in the name of an apostle by someone else), that in fact we don’t have the original copies of any of the Biblical books but only copies made centuries later, all of which have been altered.” – BART D. EHRMAN, ‘Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible & Why We Don’t Know About Them,’ 2010; edited; cf. Colossians 2:8 (Philosophies of men)

PROPENSITY. “There are things you cannot know without Suffering. God has special tutorials in Tribulation for his shepherds. Do not begrudge the Seminars of Suffering. His aim is to make you, like Jesus, a sympathetic shepherd. It’s scary. Paul prayed that he would share Christ’s Sufferings and become like him in his death (Phil. 3:10). God answered him. He was forsaken at his last trial (2 Timothy 4:16), and the Romans took him out. ‘We are not playing games.’” – DAVID MATHIS, ‘How to Stay Christian in Seminary,’ 2014; edited; cf. Revelation 12:11 (Unto death)

Selah.

FIRST THOUGHTS

As I pondered the Assault on our Churches by the forces of compromise, intimidation, political fervor and much worse, I was reminded of my predilection for searching out ‘The Roots’ of some idea or phenomenon. In all that surmise, I stumbled upon the obvious.

Our Pulpits are populated with SEMINARIANS trained and officially certified Pastors who study hard to become qualified to preach the Word of God. But just what are they actually being ‘Taught’ in Seminary about Jesus Christ, that they bring to our spiritual dinner tables each Sunday as ‘The Gospel’?

DEFINITION & HISTORY. “Seminary comes from the Latin word ‘Seminarium,’ meaning ‘plant nursery,’ which can be interpreted as, ‘breeding ground.’ Like a Greenhouse that provides ideal conditions for seeds to grow into hearty plants, a Seminary was first a place for young men to become Priests.”

So let’s briefly review the ‘Development of the American Seminary’ over the years, for better understanding of the sorts of ‘Plants’ Seminaries have cultivated.

Taken largely from DR. GARY S. GREIG, Vice President for Content, Bible and Theology for Gospel Light Publications and Regal Books and an adjunct faculty mentor of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. His piece is titled, “The History of Seminary Education and Theological Accreditation, June 10, 1999; edited

THE REFORMATION: 16^TH CENTURY. “The Revival God sent in the Reformation was born in an Academic Setting. The initial base of the Reformation was a University, and one of its first fruits was a ‘curricular revision,’ increasing the emphasis on Greek and Hebrew in the curriculum. The Evangelical Reformers [Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli, Calvin] formed their New Doctrines in the give and take of academic debate, and the classroom lecture was the first medium they used to spread their message: ‘If people would only read the Word, preferably in the original languages, they might learn the truth.’ In villages throughout Protestant lands for centuries to come, the Clergyman would be the best educated citizen and education would be a key to his authority.”

SCHOLASTIC FOCUS. “Unfortunately, the scholastic, Academic Framework that God used to bring Revival to the Church in the Reformation became a scholastic bottleneck that Choked the Life of God from Seminaries and Seminarians. Seminary Leaders became enamored with scholarship more than practical ministry training. The scholarly aspects of Theology fascinated the founders of theological schools. The purpose of the Seminary’s residence requirement was to train students to be ‘Gentlemen Theologians.’ Pastors believe Seminary Professors do not understand their need for ministry skills or mentors. Professors often view Pastors and the Church as ‘Anti-intellectual.’ Seminaries often turn a deaf ear to the needs of the local church and arrogantly defend scholarly education.”

ACCREDITATION TYRANNY. “The scholastic bottleneck and the structural irreformability of Seminary programs, curricula, and faculty are reinforced by Theological Accreditation, which assumes all the values of traditional theological education. More problematic for the Church, Seminaries are ‘accountable’ to accrediting associations, like the Association of Theological Schools, rather than to the churches for which they are educating leaders. ‘Authority for the Seminary rests in the control of accreditation associations.’ Evaluation is built around the shrouds of academic freedom and tenure as defined by their peers in the accreditation process. It was later assumed as the Seminary Movement progressed that it was assumed that the ‘Bachelor of Divinity’ degree for future pastors should represent a ‘standard of scholarship,’ not a Standard of Ministry Effectiveness. There was even open hostility in some of early ATS leaders to concerns for practical ministry training.”

THE EARLY CHURCH MODEL. Apostolic teaching and training in the Early Church was brought to Local Church leaders, not the reverse. Local Church leaders of the Early Church did not go to cloistered academies of theological training, as is the case with Modern Seminary Education. They either received training and instruction from local Church leaders, from Apostolic teams traveling to their church, or from traveling with itinerant apostles and their apostolic teams (as Silas, Timothy, Priscilla and Aquila, Trophimus, Erastus, and others did: e.g., Acts 18:2, 5, 18; II Timothy 4:20; many other passages could be cited) … Hebrews 6:1-2 lists elementary teachings taught to new believers in the Early Church: Repentance from acts that lead to death, faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. These topics display a ‘Balance’ between Practical and Theological Teaching.

CONCLUSION: ‘God wants back into the Classroom and all Events where His leaders are being trained! The Holy Spirit wants to lead His people into ALL TRUTH again. He has been pushed out of the Seminary classroom long enough!’”

DK’S SUMMATION. What I see in the Church today, as Dr. Greig observed, is a stark ‘Marginalization of Jesus Christ’ in favor of either Human Intellectuality or Material Gain. This means that depending on the denomination and size of the congregations, we are Instructed by either “Professors” or “Populists,” with virtually nothing in between. ‘Professors’ can’t or won’t minister. ‘Populists’ can’t or won’t read and think.

THE RESULT. An American Church led by either ‘The Academics,’ or the ‘The Ordinaries,’ translating into a Church Doctrinally Unprepared for The Last Times.

More specifically, almost none are trained in the APPLICATION of the Scriptures to the Current Social Conditions and Crises we all face – as with the Blacked Robe Regiment in the Revolutionary Era, or the Abolitionists in the Civil War Era.

ILLUSTRATION. Here is one example of what is Absent in today’s Church.

“The Black Robed Regiment was the name that the British placed on the courageous and patriotic American clergy during the Founding Era (a backhanded reference to the black robes they wore). [1] Significantly, the British blamed the Black Regiment for American Independence, [2] and rightfully so, for modern historians have documented that: ‘There is not a right asserted in the Declaration of Independence which had not been discussed by the New England clergy before 1763.’” – EDITORS, “History of the Black Robe Regiment,” ‘National Black Robe Regiment,’ 2020; edited

LUTHER REDUX. “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.” – MARTIN LUTHER, D. Martin Luther’s Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe (Weimarer Ausgabe): [3. Band] Briefwechsel, Ed., 1933, pp. 81-82

Consequently, American Christians are left with a type of ‘CULTURAL MONASTICISM,’ in which we are taught: ‘Stay inside our little Christian Bubble, so we don’t get caught up in worldly controversies.’ Sounds right, but it does not feel like The Gospel, beloved. It in fact, is not Him! – cf. George Barna, August 2014

THE GREAT COMMISSION

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 28:19-20, Amplified Classic Edition

My reason for going here is that I am convinced that our Churches are not making ‘ ‘True Disciples’ of Jesus Christ. Not sure what to call what sorts of “Plants” we are growing, but their core characteristic seems to be, ‘Inoffensive at any cost.’

Nothing could be further from the Truth, beloved. Consider:

“But the [unbelieving] Jews became jealous [at Paul’s preaching], and taking along some thugs from [the lowlifes in] the market place, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and then attacking Jason’s house tried to bring Paul and Silas out to the people. But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too; and Jason has welcomed them [into his house and protected them]! And they all are saying things contrary to the decrees of Caesar, [actually] claiming that there is another king, Jesus.’ They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. And when they had taken security (bail) from Jason and the others, they let them go.” – ACTS 17;5-9, AMP

Sound like any Church you know, today? Right. So, to business.

FOLLOW ME: 8 QUALITIES OF A TRUE DISCIPLE. I came across this excellent piece by a Pastor-Teacher named, PETER WETENDORF. Couldn’t find much about him online, save for a superb Doctrinal Statement that issues straight from the Scripture and the Creeds. – ‘C Bar N Ministries,’ ret. April 22, 2021; Ref. MATTHEW 16:24-27

DOESN’T LIVE FOR THEMSELVES. “The first quality that Jesus mentions is that a true disciple ‘Denies himself’ (v. 24). If someone wants to follow Jesus, they must have a willingness to Surrender personal hopes, dreams, and desires. You cannot follow Christ if you come to Him with your own agenda.”

INDULGES IN SACRIFICIAL LIVING. “Secondly, Jesus tells us that true disciples ‘Take up their cross’ (v. 24). Jesus knew that He had come to eventually take up His own Cross in order to save sinners, but He also knew that if someone wanted to follow Him, then they must follow Him into a life of sacrificing their own lives in order to enter into Christ’s life. A True Disciple, then, is someone who consistently lives with the mindset that the true life they have in Christ is worth the loss of the earthly life they had without Him.”

SINCERELY FOLLOWS CHRIST. “As True Disciples answer Jesus’ call to lay themselves and their own lives down, they also must step up and answer the call to Pledge their Allegiance to Christ—‘Follow Me’ (v. 24). Once True Disciples have made the decision to Surrender themselves and live sacrificially, their hearts are then ready to obediently follow Christ.”

COMMITS TO GOD’S INVERTED VIEW OF LIFE. “Anyone who wants to be a True Disciple of Jesus must realize that most of His ways and plans for our lives are Counterintuitive to how people would naturally live their lives without His intervention. For instance, Jesus says in the Text that if you seek self-preservation, you will perish, but if you are willing to surrender your right to self-preserve in light of who Jesus is, then He will be the one to preserve you and give you ‘True Life’ (v. 25). This way of thinking is very Inverted to the way we naturally think, so a True Disciple must commit himself to believing Jesus’ Words to be True.”

INVESTS IN THINGS THAT MATTER. “Every quality Jesus has listed so far has provided a ‘Radical Calling’ for people who want to be True Disciples, and Jesus does not slow down in verse 26 when He challenges those would-be disciples to consider His claim that there is literally nothing in the world, nor the sum of any or all things in the world, that compares to the value of the Salvation of a human soul. True Disciples have an ability to ‘discern’ the difference in value between Material possessions and the Salvation of human souls and they then invest all that they have accordingly.”

PERCEIVES DECEPTION AS REAL. “Similar to the previous quality, Jesus mentions further in verse 26 that it is possible for people to ‘Give away’ (or ‘forfeit’ gaining) salvation for their soul in order to receive something they perceive as greater than salvation. But what can be of more worth than salvation? The True Disciple of Jesus Christ realizes that there are forces at work that are trying to deceive them as to what is most valuable in life and, because they are True Disciples, they are able to stand strong in the face of deceptive temptations.”

LIVES IN VIEW OF CHRIST’S RETURN. “In a world full of brokenness, evil, and suffering, all people, whether they follow Christ or not, are looking for the Light of Hope to come from somewhere or someone. Those who are not True Disciples of Jesus Christ will spend their days searching for hope in many things, even good things at times, but eventually the hopes that all things on earth promise to us fade. The True Disciple, however, knows that they have a Hope that will prove its power on the day it is revealed—’the Hope of Christ’s Return.’ True Disciples have a quality of Hopefulness because they know their Savior is coming back.”

EXPECTS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. “One of the ways people who live under the Power of Deception justify their life and decisions is by claiming that they will not be held accountable by a moral superior at the end of their life. True Disciples of Jesus Christ, however, believe that not only is ‘the Son of Man going to Come” (v. 27), but when He does, He will ‘Repay each person according to what He has done’ (v. 27).”

DK’S TAKE. I love this list. After reviewing a dozen or so similar articles, this one struck me as ‘Real.’ This ministry heads up a Montana Wilderness School of the Bible lasting one year, and their Credo is borrowed from D.L. MOODY:

“I never saw a fruit-bearing Christian who was not a student of the Bible.” Selah.

ROOTS OF THE CRISIS OF DOCTRINE

I had originally envisioned a review of the several leading ‘Doctrines of Demons’ in this section, but settled on the ONE THEOLOGICAL SYSTEM IN THREE STAGES that has don’t more damage to both the Evangelical and Spirit Filled Church in the last 40 years or so, than any other I have ever reviewed.

As Introduction, I worked with the author of an exceptional book on this vital subject while at Liberty University, DR. THOMAS ICE. His work is entitled, ‘Dominion Theology: Blessing or Curse?’, with H. WAYNE HOUSE, (1988); I will borrow heavily from this excellent work in what follows.

ONE: WHAT IS RECONSTRUCTIONISM? “The Puritans wanted a government that would adhere rigidly to the Civil Code of the Old Testament, thereby creating a Model of the Kingdom of God on earth for all the world to see. They failed in their attempt. The reasons for the Puritan’s failure are not relevant here, but their effort to build a Christian Society are. It is being imitated by a small and increasingly influential group of persons who believe that only through the establishment and enforcement of Old Testament Civil Law can America – and the world – be ‘Saved’ from destruction. Calling themselves ‘Christian Reconstructionists,’ they propose to institute a Theocratic Government in America, and they are gaining support in some elements of the Evangelical Community” (pp. 15-16).

Pioneered by Calvinist philosopher, historian and theologian, ROUSAS JOHN (RJ) RUSHDOONY, he is considered to be the veritable Father of the Christian Right. His landmark contribution to the Movement was, ‘The Institutes of Biblical Law,’ published in 1973.

I had early introduction to it at Regent University in the 1980s under the mentorship of HERBERT W. TITUS, then Dean of the Law School, and my personal supervisor while developing the Institute of Public Affairs Journalism graduate program for CBN President Pat Robertson and Regent University President, Richard Gottier.

ITS IMPACT remained with me for at least 25 years. Though I never became a card-carrying Reconstructionist, I was heavily involved in the Politics of the Christian Right in the campaigns of Ronald Reagan, George Allen, and local mayoral contests in Chesapeake, Virginia, during that time.

Then came the Severe Populism of Donald Trump.

And in five short years, all my former presuppositions and preferences for Christian Politics dissolved in the blistering sun of his insidious Alt Right Nationalism. A Movement which I unswervingly consider to be nothing less than the ‘Modern Fascism’ defined by British historian ARISTOTLE KALLIS as:

“An idiosyncratic and extreme variant of Hyper-Nationalism, essentially rooted in (albeit not constrained by) the Radical Nationalist Tradition of each country.” – cf. “When Fascism Became Mainstream: The Challenge of Extremism in Times of Crisis,” ‘Journal of Comparative Fascist Studies,’ 4, 2015, 1-24 (lead article)

From all this Historic Ideological Syncretism (joining Christianity to Nationalism), came today’s Heretical Assault upon the Christian Canon that is currently laying waste thousands of American churches, even as I type these words.

TWO: THE APOSTOLIC-PROPHETIC MOVEMENT (AP). Make that read: ‘The New Reconstructionists,’ so far as I am concerned. ‘Wikipedia’ offers an excellent Introduction to this now widespread and doctrinally destructive Movement.

“The Apostolic-Prophetic Movement (AP Movement) is a Christian [Spiritual-Political] Movement of people who believe that they are restoring elements of what they call the ‘Five-Fold Ministry.’ This Movement is rooted in the Charismatic Movement, seen in Charismatic, Pentecostal and Third-Wave experience. This Movement only holds to one of the Three Ecumenical Creeds, the Nicene Creed, as authoritative and part of what they call ‘Historical Christianity.’ Prophecy is a major part of the group” (April 16, 2021).

Pioneered by such consistently controversial names as PAUL CAIN, BILL HAMON, JOHN ECKHARDT, C. PETER WAGNER, MIKE BICKLE (of “The Kansas City Prophets”) and others, it would later morph into a radically heretical school of thought called, the ‘NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION’ (NAR) Movement, “growing at a rate of 9 million people per year … faster than the world population and Islam. According to one source the coalition includes several hundred apostles, across the US and about 40 nations, international training centers, and prayer warriors’ communication networks … worldwide.”

THREE: THE SEVEN MOUNTAIN MANDATE. Possibly the most vicious assault on contemporary Christian Orthodoxy spreading rapidly by the modern Gnostic heretic, LANCE WALLNAU, is this Movement. Here is how ‘Wikipedia’ summarizes his approach.

“The 5-Fold Ministry was initially restored and applied to the ‘Religion Mountain,’ whereby 5-Fold Ministers were seen to emerge to equip and raise up the saints. However, it is now being restored and becoming more prevalent across the various spectrums of society as well, under the Seven Mountains Mandate. The goal is then to see a righteous, God-fearing people being raised up and functioning effectively across society, beyond the four walls of the church building, who can bring about a manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The promotion of these seven mandates is done by marketplace apostles such as OS HILLMAN and LANCE WALLNAU, who speak extensively across Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. Speaking on Pat Kings Extreme Prophetic TV broadcast, Lance Wall.”

If you find yourselves wanting to spiritually Regurgitate about now, you’d be in very good company. Of such doctrinal sedition, Jesus Christ said: “I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]!” – REVELATION 3:16, AMP

Any questions? I should hope, think and pray not – though I am certain there yet shall be in the days ahead.

THE TEACHING

“For our appeal [in preaching] does not [originate] from delusion or error or impure purpose or motive, nor in fraud or deceit … For as you well know, we never resorted either to words of flattery or to any cloak to conceal greedy motives or pretexts for gain, [as] God is our witness.” – 1 THESSALONIANS 2:3, 5, AMPC

Though this important passage contains much wise instruction for us, the TWO IDEAS I wanted to leave you with are found in what the Apostle clearly noted he avoided at all costs. Which, tragically, we find rife in today’s Church.

WORDS OF FLATTERY. Taken from the Greek term, ‘Kolakeia’ [κολακεία], meaning: “Ingratiation or sycophancy with a view to gaining advantage; flummery; false praise; commendation bestowed for the purpose of gaining favor and influence, or to accomplish some purpose; adulation; obsequiousness; wheedling; commendation which gratifies self-love.”

GREEDY MOTIVES. Here the key Greek word is, ‘Pleonexia’ [πλεονεξία]: “Covetousness, avarice, aggression, desire for advantage; properly, the desire for more (things), i.e., lusting for a greater number of temporal things that go beyond what God determines is eternally best (beyond His preferred-will; inordinately desirous; excessively eager to obtain and possess; directed to money or goods, avaricious.”

COMMENTARY. “The word here rendered ‘Flattering’ – κολακείας ‘kolakeias’ – occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The meaning is, that the Apostle did not deal in the language of adulation; he did not praise them for their beauty, wealth, talent, or accomplishments, and conceal from them the painful truths about their guilt and danger. He stated Simple Truth – not refusing to commend people if Truth would admit of it, and never hesitating to declare his honest convictions about their guilt and danger. One of the principal arts of the Deceiver on all subjects is flattery; and Paul says, that when preaching to the Thessalonians he had carefully avoided it. He now appeals to that fact as a proof of his own integrity. They knew that he had been faithful to their souls … [Neither did he] put on a pretence or appearance of piety for the sake of promoting the schemes of covetousness.” – ALBERT BARNES, ‘Notes on the Old and New Testaments,’ 1847-1885; edited

My Question: How many American Pastor-Leaders today could pass this Two Factor Litmus Test, avoiding both ‘Flattery and Avarice’ in the execution of their call to ministry?

How many indeed.

LAST THOUGHTS

In a stunning note of irony, PASTOR JONATHAN FALWELL, the quieter and more disciplined brother of the frankly contemptible Jerry Falwell, Jr., some years ago organized a Conference in Lynchburg, Virginia, home to both Liberty University and his own, Thomas Road Baptist Church.

The Purpose of the Conference was to discuss some of the greatest stresses of being a Pastor in America. Listen to what he concluded.

“The well-known Pastor stated bluntly, ‘Something is wrong in ministry.’ Citing surveys from such groups as Barna, LifeWay and Acts 29, Falwell lamented that 1,500 pastors walk away from ministry every month because of moral failure, burnout, conflict, discouragement or depression. He was also shocked to find that 80 percent of seminary and Bible school graduates will leave the ministry within their first five years. Part of the problem, he indicated, is trying to make it to the big numbers and most influential lists or aiming for the most Twitter followers.” – LILLIAN KWON, “Measurement of Success in Ministry are Messed Up,” ‘The Christian Post,’ May 18, 2010; edited

FROM SEMINARY TO SANCTUARY. I want to cite a non-scientifically selected statement from the vast ‘Church Growth’ literature to burn into our bones that last point made here concerning the relationship between what our Future Pastors are taught, and what we now see in Today’s American Church.

Read this very, very carefully.

“The Society that [the Early Church] was born into was passionately Pagan. By default, people believed in many gods and called Christians ‘Atheists’ because they didn’t also believe in those gods. As you know, they were even killed for their beliefs. So obviously their beliefs were not what caused the Movement to grow. Instead, take a look at how JOSEPH HELLERMAN describes it in ‘When the Church Was a Family’ [2009] … ‘To arrive at a truly comprehensive explanation for the expansion of Christianity, we must “move beyond Ideology (Beliefs)” and enter into the Social World (behavior) of the early Christians. We must understand how Christians related with one another and with their Pagan neighbors.’” – MICHAEL FLEMING, “The World’s Greatest (and Only) Effective Church Growth Strategy,” ‘2^nd. Man United,’ ret. April 22, 2021; edited

BEYOND IDEOLOGY. Did you catch that, my friends? Let me help: “We must move ‘Beyond Ideology’ (Doctrine!).” Selah. Selah.

The Prophet Amos has something violently opposed to such a Teaching.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord.” – AMOS 8:11, AMPC

Here is Searing Interpretation of this passage by a most venerable theologian, in direct refutation of the monstrosity of a statement by Mr. Fleming.

“Here was a token of God’s highest displeasure. At any time, and most in a time of trouble, a ‘Famine of the Word of God’ is the Heaviest Judgment. To many this is no affliction, yet some will feel it very much, and will travel far to hear a good sermon; they feel the Loss of the mercies others foolishly sin away. But when God visits a Backsliding church, their own plans and endeavours to find out a way of salvation, will stand them in no stead. And the most amiable and zealous would perish, for want of the Water of Life, which Christ only can bestow.” – MATTHEW HENRY, ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

CODA. The best way to finish this Essay is to cite once again DR. FRANCIS SCHAEFFER’S landmark, final work, ‘The Great Evangelical Disaster’ (1984). I close with a full quotation, and leave you to ponder its immense importance, as we prepare for the final installment of this timely Series.

“THE BIBLE is the Weapon which enables us to join with our Lord on the ‘Offensive’ in defeating the spiritual hosts of wickedness. But it must be the Bible as the Word of God in everything it teaches- in matters if Salvation, but just as much where it speaks of History and Science and Morality. If we compromise in any if these areas, we destroy the power of the Word and ourselves in the hands of the enemy …

GOD’S WORD will never pass away, but looking back to the Old Testament and since the time of Christ, with tears we must say that because of a lack of fortitude and faithfulness on the part of God’s people, God’s Word has many times been allowed to be Bent, to conform to the surrounding, passing, changing culture of that moment rather than to stand as the Inerrant Word of God Judging the form of the World Spirit and the surrounding Culture of that moment.

In the name of The Lord Jesus Christ, may our children and grandchildren not say that such can be said about us.”

Ever your servant, DK

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