Page 439 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

NEW EVANGELICAL

It is also refuted in Mt. 28:20, where Christ taught describes his experiences in an interdenominational youth
that the churches are to teach the believers to observe ministry in the 1950s. Consider an excerpt from this
ALL THINGS whatsoever He has commanded. message:
Second, this is refuted by Paul’s example and teaching. This message, like many, is born out of an experience.
He preached the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). It may be some others are going through similar
He taught Timothy to value all doctrine and not to allow experiences. Therefore, let me recount the one which
ANY false doctrine (1 Ti. 1:3). He further taught brought this message to light. I was brought up as a
Presbyterian. I was saved at a college which was
Timothy to keep all doctrine “without spot” (1 Ti. interdenominational in student body, but was managed
6:13-14). Spots refer to the small things, the seemingly by the Church of the Brethren. From there I went to a
insignificant things. The context of Paul’s instruction in seminary which was not a denominational school, and
1 Ti. 6:14 is an epistle that has as its theme church truth from there to another seminary which was United
(1 Ti. 3:15). In this epistle, we find instruction about Presbyterian. I entered the Baptist pastorate with no
such things as pastoral standards (1 Ti. 3), deacons (1 Baptist training except that which came from reading
Ti. 3), the restriction upon the woman’s work in the of the Scriptures.
church (1 Ti. 2); care for widows (1 Ti. 5), and A f e w y e a r s l a t e r I w a s d r a w n i n t o a n
discipline (1 Ti. 5). These are the very kinds of things interdenominational youth movement and was given
that are typically considered of secondary importance by the leadership of a local Saturday night rally. I
New Evangelicals. cooperated with any who were evangelical, regardless
of their associations. I was advised by top leaders in
Third, we must understand that not all heresies are of the movement to seek the names of outstanding
equal weight as far as destructiveness, but all heresies are modernists for my advisory committee. I didn't do that.
to be opposed. A heresy is a doctrinal error. The word But I did follow advice which led me to send to all
describes the self-will that characterizes such sin. A converts back to the churches of their choice, churches
“heretic” is one who exercises his own will over the I knew to be liberal in some cases. This greatly
Word of God and chooses an error over the truth. The troubled my conscience and I prayed and thought
error can be as serious as denying the deity of Christ or about it.
as seemingly slight as wearing allowing a woman to Another problem connected with this work was the
usurp authority over men. failure on my part to instruct any converts on the
There are “damnable heresies” (2 Pe. 2:1), which are matter of Christian baptism, which in the Scriptures is
the first test of obedience. I felt that I should do this
heresies that affect eternal salvation. To accept a inasmuch as Peter and Paul did it. But how could it be
damnable heresy is to bring upon oneself eternal done when on the committee of the work there were
damnation. The damnable heresy described by Peter close friends who did not believe it? By such an
was that of denying the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle association I had definitely stripped my message and
John also described the doctrine of Christ as a crucial my ministry of important Bible truths which many
doctrine (2 John 9). We see in other passages that called ‘nonessentials.’
damnable heresies are particularly related to the person In the follow-up work it was not convenient to speak of
of Christ, to the gospel, and to the Holy Spirit and thus eternal security in the presence of Christian workers
to the person and nature of God, including such who hated the name of the doctrine. Thus the ministry
doctrines as the Trinity (2 Co. 11:4). was pared down to the gospel, just as if there was
nothing in the Great Commission about baptizing
There are also less destructive heresies. “For there converts and indoctrinating them. I had found the least
must be also heresies among you, that they which are common denominator and I was staying by it. But my
approved may be made manifest among you. When ye conscience had no rest.
come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat Then it was that Acts 20:27 came to mean something
the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before to me. The great apostle had never allowed himself to
other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is be drawn into anything which would limit his message.
drunken” (1 Co. 11:19-21). In this passage Paul was He could say with a clean conscience, ‘I am pure from
referring to errors in the church at Corinth, and in the the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare
immediate context, he describes errors relating to the unto you all the counsel of God.’ Why cannot many say
Lord’s Supper. that today? In my case, and in many other cases, it was
due to a desire to teach a larger audience and to work
That not all heresies have the same consequence with a larger group of Christians.
does not mean that some heresies are to be ignored. Many have been carried away from full obedience by a
Every wind of false doctrine is to be refused (Ep. 4:14). noble-sounding motto which has been applied to
David Nettleton refuted the New Evangelical philosophy Christian work. ‘In essentials unity, in nonessentials
in “A Limited Message or a Limited Fellowship,” which liberty, and in all things charity.’ Some things are not
essential to salvation but they are essential to full

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