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these men have turned out to be adulterers, thieves, liars, perverts, and charlatans. (I praise the Lord, on the other hand, that there are fundamental Baptist pastors of who are godly, humble, compassionate, Christ-centered men, and I am privileged to be associated with some of these men.)
Many other large independent Baptist churches have adopted unscriptural New Evangelical church growth philosophies (employing a positive message, adapting contemporary music, letting the people set the standards of living, associating with Promise Keepers and other ecumenical organizations, using a hodgepodge of modern versions, etc.). This, too, does not surprise me. Too many independent Baptist pastors have been consumed with a pragmatic approach to church building. The pragmatist uses whatever method will most effectively achieve the goal of building a large church, regardless of whether or not that method is strictly scriptural or glorifying to Jesus Christ. I see little difference between the independent Baptist who uses carnival gimmickry to build a large church and a New Evangelical who uses a “contemporary service.” Both are unscriptural and neither glorifies Jesus Christ. In light of the pragmatism that has permeated independent Baptist church growth philosophy the past 40 years, it is not surprising that so many today are adopting New Evangelical methodology. Thirty years ago some of the largest churches in the country were independent Baptist; today the largest are New Evangelical and Charismatic. The pragmatist sees that, and jumps on the most successful bandwagon without consideration of the teaching and example of the New Testament Scriptures. His first concern is not truth but numbers, money, and prestige.
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