I received this quote from a reader. I will post it because it is a powerful and well articulated description of the current scene in the missionary movement. The sad thing is many of these false teachers are leaders in our churches. They have gained a hearing because of the characteristics expressed in this quote. They have authored books read by thousands and have influenced the missionary movement unchallenged. It is time to turn the tide. Please all you who resonate with these sentiments, come out of the closet. Write us and we will put you on a network list to receive invitations for conferences and to participate in discussions if you like. (formatting mine)
“”Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine peculiarly, dangerous:
There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error:
their ‘earnestness’ makes many think they must be right.
There is a great appearance of learning…
many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides. ….
many like to prove their independence of judgment, by believing novelties.
There is a wide-spread desire to appear charitable and liberal-minded….
There is a quantity of half-truth taught by the modern false teachers:
they are incessantly using Scriptural terms and phrases in an unscriptural sense.
There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly, and earnestly,
and a determination to forget that Satan is often ‘transformed into an angel of light.’ (2 Corinthians 2:14)
There is a wide-spread ‘gullibility’ among professing Christians:
every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed,
and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man.
—JC Ryle, (1816-1900.) “A Warning to the Churches”
6 Responses to Warning to the churches
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Markomus, you state that this statement could apply to anything- and therefore you shrug off the warning. When we evaluate the value of words–we need to always consider the source. JC Ryle’s comments are a self-fulfilling prophecy as we look at history. So also is the Proverb (14:12) you quoted. Your words and my words- well, that’s another story.
This could apply to many things and therefore says nothing. It’s as bad as, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” The speaker is ALWAYS the one who is in the right and the person to whom he/she is speaking is in error.
What a waste of space.
In reference to the incarnation Kierkegaard wrote, “…but love does not alter the beloved, it alters itself” (Philosophical Fragments 26). This speaks to the crux of the matter: their is no love in the teaching of error. Instead of affirming and serving biblical truth they insist we change to affirm their “truth”.
[...] Agenda: Spread by the Church by Joie Pirkey of Shouts of Joy Ministries I am part of the Biblical Missiological Group which has members from around the world, most of whom are scholars in the Islamic Studies field [...]
I thought I was reading about people I knew, including some missionaries. And then I saw the date. What a surprise! Things don’t change much with the devil, do they?
Amazing and positive article! I’m so glad that in this day of ‘new’ strategies, that there are people who believe in God’s strategy, His Word, and His Gospel, and glorifying Him by showing, giving, and displaying these three to the lost.
We often get tied up in our strategies, our eloquence, and our good news, trying to puff ourselves up.