Absolutely Anything but the Truth

As I have said many times before, there is not a day that goes but when I am confronted or read about one more attempt to follow anything else but the truth of God’s Word. Whether it is the emerging church movement, the seeker-sensitive movement, the purpose driven movement, or whatever, there is always something.

An article on the website of Family News in Focus carries the headline, “Men are Leaving Churches in Record Numbers”. The story makes the statement that “Statistically more men are unchurched than women and with churches gearing their culture and messages towards women, it’s only speeding the exodus.”

It notes a church in Peoria, Illinois who feels that men are leaving the church, or not attending at all, because the ministry is being directed toward women and men feel left out. (Notice I used the word ”feel” twice here.) So in esssence what they are saying is,if men are going to attend church, so says Mark Doebler, described as one of the leaders of Grove Church, the church is going to have to change to fit the desires of men.

The story states,

“There’s a reputation among men that church is something for women, weirdoes and wimps. It’s not something a real manly-man would do. You walk into the typical church of a hundred, hundred and fifty people, and you’re going to find soft cushiony pews, fresh flowers on the alter, a lace doily on the Communion Table, quilted banners on the walls. Guys are all about mission, they’re about adventure they’re about challenge, and the more you can turn the church culture toward those things, the more you’re going to interest the guys.”

So as I read this, in order for men to come to church the church must change. It must be that the church is wrong, and in turn, this must mean that God is wrong and He must be the One who changes, because it could not possibly be that man has got it all wrong.

This thought, mindset, practice, theology, however it can be described, is heretical and thus totally void of any scriptural foundation. This garbage was made popular by the book series by John Eldridge entitled Wild at Heart. The philosophy promoted by Eldridge is that men were created for adventurous and daring living, and that anything less than that will be boring and unappealing to men. Therefore, if the Gospel is going to be acceptable and appealing to men then it must be accompanied by those things that will challenge them. That is the premise of the book.

Let me tell you, if anyone thinks that living for Christ is not adventurous and challenging has never hosted a Christian talk radio program and confronted unbiblical ideas as seeker-sensitive, or stood on a bust street corner and preached the Gospel to a cynical and angry people. I have been called everything imaginable, including being called the anti-christ; and that came from someone who said they were a Christian.

But seriously, the ridiculous notion that men refuse to come to Christ because there are dollies on the tables and padded banners on the wall is just plain ignorance.

The one revelation that men, women, boys and girls need to come to is that they are sinners bound for hell unless they repent of their sin and by faith submit themselves to Christ. We do not need more programs to try and attract someone. What we really need is to accept the fact that it is NOT about us, but it is about Him, the Lord God. In Malachi 3:6, the Lord declares, “I am the Lord. I change not.”

God’s Word tells us that in the last days, “
perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Men do not need canoes, camping trips, adventure and head coaches instead of pastors. The solution is the same for all people. We are sinners in need of the Savior, period.

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7