The theme of this series has been that the modern American church has mistakenly sought to accomplish its mission through the attainment of cultural relevance by introduction of man’s ideas and methods and abandonment of unchanging biblical truth and authority in order to make the church acceptable to a culture that no longer deems itself fallen. This abandonment of biblical truth and authority takes three forms within the modern church. The first expression of the quest for cultural relevance was discussed in Part II – Chasing the world by compromising the message of God’s Word. In Part III, we shall discuss the second method used by many in the church to achieve cultural relevance.
Mixing light with darkness
Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God… [2 Corinthians 6:14-16a. RSV]
Matthew Henry’s 300 year old commentary gives additional insight into the Apostle Paul’s words of cautioned to the Corinthians.
It is wrong for good people to join in affinity [kinship or relationship] with the wicked and profane. There is more danger that the bad will damage the good than hope that the good will benefit the bad. We should not yoke ourselves in friendship with wicked men and unbelievers. We should never choose them for our bosom-friends. Much less should we join in religious communion with them. It is a very great absurdity. Believers are made light in the Lord, but unbelievers are in darkness; and what comfortable communion cans these have together?[1]
There are numerous examples of churches that attempt to find common ground with anti-Christian secular organizations and false religions which contradict biblical commandments. When ministers, ministries, and churches mix the light with darkness, they effectively have disobeyed God’s word and bring reproach on their ministry and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Three examples are discussed below.
The Episcopal Church hosted a Muslim prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D. C on November 14, 2014. The Muslim’s Friday call to prayer (a “Jummah”) was hosted by the Rev. Canon Gina Campbell, pastor of the cathedral, and Ebrahim Rasool, a Muslim and the South African ambassador to the U.S., , in cooperation with various Muslim societies and organizations and The Nation’s Mosque. In response to widespread criticism of the event by many Christian leaders including Dr. Franklin Graham, Reverend Campbell stated the National Cathedral was a
…place of prayer for all people. Let us stretch our hearts and let us seek to deepen mercy for we worship the same God…We here at the cathedral have embraced a steep challenge to grow in our identity as a house for people. This prayer marks a historic moment. This prayer symbolizes a grand hope for our community. As we get to know each other, more bridges are built and there is less room for hate and prejudice to come between us.[2]
Campbell is profoundly wrong in three ways. First, Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God. Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus, but “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.’” [John 14:6. RSV] Second, the National Cathedral is not a house of prayer for all people but a building to house His people “…who are called by my name…” [2 Chronicles 7:14. RSV] Third, as Matthew Henry wrote, religious communion between the light and darkness is a great absurdity, not bridge building as Reverend Campbell would have us believe.
World Vision is one of America’s largest Christian charities. The organization’s president, Richard Stearns, said that change is a symbol of Christian ‘unity’ not ‘compromise.’ He was referring to the decision of World Vision’s American board that the organization would no longer require its more than 1,100 employees to restrict their sexual activity to marriage between one man and one woman. Stearns said that abstinence outside of marriage remains a rule, but a policy change announced March 24, 2014 permitted gay Christians in legal same-sex marriages to be employed at one of America’s largest Christian charities.[3] One wonders how Stearns’ erroneous assumption that practicing homosexuals can be Christian as long as the couple entered into a same-sex marriage can be made compatible with the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans in which he addressed the sin of homosexuality. [See: Romans 1:18, 24-27] The decision disturbed Christians everywhere, and such was the backlash that World Vision’s board reversed their decision two days later. But the damage was done. For many people it forever gave cultural legitimacy to same-sex marriage and homosexuality. The gospel message was compromised by linking darkness with the light.
Rick Warren is considered one of America’s leading pastors. His and his church’s outreach to the Islamic religion is another example of mixing light with darkness. On July 4, 2009, he spoke to a crowd of 8000 Muslims at the nation’s capitol during the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America. His message was that Muslims and Christians can work together for the common good without compromising their respective convictions. He defended himself by saying, “I am not interested in interfaith dialogue but interfaith projects.”[4] In 2011 Warren invited Muslims to share Christmas dinner with the members of his church. At the dinner Warren and the leader of a Los Angeles mosque introduced King’s Way as “a path to end the 1,400 years of misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians.” The document outlined points of agreement between Christianity and Islam and was to be centered on friendship, peace, and shared social projects. The mosque’s leader of religious affairs stated that, “We agreed we wouldn’t try to evangelize each other. We’d witness to each other but it would be out of ‘Love Thy Neighbor,’ not focused on conversion.”[5]
But in light of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians with which we began this article, how can Christians find common ground with false religions and join in interfaith projects (especially with Islam in whose name hundreds of thousands of Christians have been and are being killed)? For those who would make a distinction between the so-called radical Muslims and moderate Muslims (as our government has repeatedly done), the differences at the most fundamental level are meaningless for they all read the same Quran and worship the same Allah.
In spite of his other worthy activities, Warren’s ministry has sent mixed signals as to its total fidelity to the biblical standard. He has mixed the light with darkness and brought great harm and disunity to the Christian church, weakened the authority of the Bible, and gave legitimacy to a false religion.
Here we must clarify the difference between being mismatched with unbelievers and Christ’s command to make disciples. Where possible, Christians and the church should reach out to individual non-believers with love and kindness in hopes of a sharing the truth of the message of Jesus Christ. Further, the Christian church is not prohibited from working with government and private non-Christian organizations in worthy causes, activities, and programs (e.g., foster care, disaster relief, adoption, provision for the poor). However, the church cannot join with other organizations and those parts of our government that actively promote goals, programs, and activities that stand in opposition to God’s word (e.g., abortion, same-sex marriage).
In Part IV, we shall examine a third expression of the American church’s quest for cultural relevance – nonjudgmental love as a substitute for repentance and tuning from sin.
Larry G. Johnson
Sources:
[1] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Dr. Wilbur M. Smith, Ed., (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1961), p. 1832.
[2] John Blosser, “Franklin Graham slams Muslim service at National Cathedral,” Newsmax, November 17, 2014.
http://www.newsmax.com/US/Franklin-Graham-Billy-Graham-Muslims-Washington-National-Cathedral/2014/11/17/id/607906/ (accessed December 25, 2014).
[3] Celeste Gracey and Jeremy Weber, “World Vision: Why We’re Hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages,” Christianity Today, March 24, 2014. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/march-web-only/world-vision-why-hiring-gay-christians-same-sex-marriage.html?start=1(accessed December 5, 2014).
[4] Michelle A. Vu, “Rick Warren to Muslims: Talk is Cheap, Let’s Work Together,” The Christian Post, July 5, 2009. http://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-to-muslims-talk-is-cheap-let-s-work-together-39543/ (accessed December 5, 2014).
[5] Jim Hinch, “Rick Warren builds bridge to Muslims,” Orange County Register, August 21, 2013. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/muslims-341669-warren-saddleback.html (accessed December 5, 2014).
