"Brethren, the time is short." 1 Cor. 7:2929But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; (1 Corinthians 7:29). The coming of the Lord is at hand. This is the only solution for the multitudinous problems facing Christians in the great profession of Christianity. (There are, however, sufficient instructions for us in the Word of God to direct our pathways until that moment comes.) Iniquity is abounding, and Christ's lambs and sheep are impoverished; nevertheless building of edifices, supposedly in the honor of Christ and for His service, goes on at an unequaled rate. Apostasy abounds, while the march that will end in the formation of Babylon the Great accelerates.
In our April, May, and June issues we mentioned the great flood of ecumenical sentiment in Protestantism, the apostasy within it, Rome's interest in union, and her increasing apostasy. Now some of the suggestions made by Dr. Eugene Carson Blake concerning union are coming to pass. He proposed that the Episcopal Church in the United States combine with the Methodist, and his United Presbyterian, and the United Church of Christ. Then the United Presbyterian General Assembly voted to support Dr. Blake's proposal for interdenominational merger. The Episcopal Unity Commission announced it would submit to their Detroit convention in September a resolution calling for discussion of the merger that would bring together about 18 million "Christians."
The merger of the Congregational Christian Churches (itself a merger of the Congregational and Christian Churches) with the Evangelical and Reformed Church into the United Church of Christ was held up for some years by suits in the civil courts to block it; but with the dismissal of the court action by a U.S. district court, the culmination of 21 years of negotiation was reached. This brought together 6,422 congregations with 2 million members. The delegates came together in a manner that suggested something akin to the Israelites' shouting "so that the earth rang again" when the ark of God came into their camp (1 Sam. 4:55And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. (1 Samuel 4:5)). According to Newsweek, July 17, 1961, the jubilant delegates burst into song, singing, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." The Israelites, on that occasion, learned to their sorrow that things are not always what they seem to be; and God allowed the ark to be taken by the Philistines.
The president of the new United Church, Dr. Ben Mohr Herbster, commented:
"If the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, with all the differences of background, polity and traditions could come together and demonstrate such a spirited unity as is evident here, there are few if any Christian denominations that cannot take such a step."-Time. July 14, 1961.
Then the new General Synod in its first meeting invited the Disciples of Christ to join them. This further union would give the union 4 million members in 14,000 congregations. But nowhere is any mention in such news of faithfulness to the Word of God. or a staunch stand for the basic truths of Christianity. Statistics, wealth, members, and sentiment seem to be the guiding factors.
Next, the Disciples of Christ immediately responded and suggested to. start conferences in a few weeks to work toward that merger.
Nor is this all that happened to emphasize the sentiment of the day. The delegates voted to respond to Dr. Blake's proposal for union with the Presbyterians, Methodists, and Episcopalians.
And then President Herbster said:
"We promised in the beginning to be not only a united church but a uniting church."-Time.
The trend is so marked, and the pace so fast, that elderly Christians who know the mind of God concerning things to come, and who have been looking for the Lord to come, scarcely expected to see these developments before that time. Things that are taking place before our eyes in Christendom are so marked, as leading up to the great world-church which will be cast into great tribulation, that the blessed moment of our departure to be with Christ must he right at the door. Let us then take courage and press on in faithful allegiance to our absent Lord, while warning sinners-religious or irreligious-to flee from the wrath to come. Jonah had a simple warning message from which he was not to deviate to please Ninevite sinners. He had a very short sermon-"the preaching that I bid thee"-"yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
We might add that the United Church delegates then launched into world affairs with pronouncements on various subjects, even to urging of United States' recognition of Red China and its inclusion in the United Nations. Thus the seeds of that which will in the end completely destroy the world-church-Babylon the Great-are being sown with the new plants.
On the other side of the globe the currents are the same. The Church of Scotland-the home of John Knox-threw its caution and suspicion of the Roman Catholic Church aside, and directed its moderator to visit the Pope next spring when he journeys to Rome. Here is a report showing the state:
" 'For too long', said the Rev. Dr. Roy Sanderson of Glasgow, `the separated churches-our own among them-have sought to defend themselves smugly behind ecclesiastical curtains. Today the curtains are being parted, little by little.' Hailing the ecumenical leadership given by Pope John XXIII and the retiring [now retired] Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Dr. Sanderson added that a summit meeting between the Roman Catholic and the Scottish Church would he an 'example and symbol of hope to the world.' "-Newsweek, June 12, 1961.
There was opposition from some of the gathered clergymen, but Newsweek says:
"The angry debate was drowned in prolonged applause, though, as the assembly firmly approved Dr. Sanderson's motion."
And so the tide increases! If the real believers in the Lord Jesus were removed today by the Lord's coming, then lifeless, empty profession would swarm into the folds of Rome. Everything is ready for the formation of "Babylon the Great." Then the great edifices, the liturgy, and all the accouterments of religion, which today abound, will lull the doomed profession into a stupor until destruction comes upon them.
And here is a note which shows the clever way in which ecumenicalism is aiming to carry the Christians in denominational folds who are fearful that all is not well in the welding together of anything that even nominally bears the name of Christ.
Prior to the completion of the United Church merger, Dr. James E. Wagner, president of the Evangelical and Reformed Church called on the National Council of Churches for a series of "quiet, unpublicized, prayerful consultations aimed at restoring confidence and communication between what he defined as 'classical orthodoxy' and more 'liberal orthodoxy.' "-Eternity, July, 1961.
Note the words, "quiet, unpublicized, prayerful." Is not this a bid for keeping the bait hidden from those for whom it is intended? And how was this to be done? He explained:
"Let our publications be so clearly grounded in the Bible and in biblical faith, so patiently interspersed with pertinent Bible references, that he who runs may read and the wayfaring man, though a fool, may readily discern that we are no less 'people of the Book' than are those who so stridently claim that they are, and they alone."-Eternity, July, 1961.
Scripture quotations are to be used to convince any sincere doubters that there is divine warrant for preparing for the world church. Is this a part of what we read in 2 Timothy about the last days, when people will heap up teachers because they have itching ears and wish to hear pleasing things? Or is this the temper of the Israelites of old who said to the prophets, "Speak unto us smooth things"? (Isa. 30:1010Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: (Isaiah 30:10).)
Some of our readers may think that the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury may have resulted from disapproval of his visit to the Pope late last year, but this apparently is not so. The new Archbishop, Dr. Arthur Michael Ramsey, is also "deeply concerned with the prospects of Christian unity and he is currently giving short radio talks on the subject."-Newsweek, Jan. 30, 1961.
Another indication of the latest trend in England is that the new archbishop said that it would not do to campaign for "disestablishment"-separation of church and state-but that he wished the church would be so annoying that the state would take the action to separate them. This would further rather than hinder the Church of England's going over to Rome. But there is not much vitality in the Church of England when of 53 million people in Britain, of which 27 million have been baptized by it, less than 3 million are enrolled on the parish rolls.
When the World Council of Churches convenes their third assembly in New Delhi, India, in November, they will have more than the admission of the Russian Orthodox Church to consider. Another eight churches have submitted applications, two of which are Pentecostals in Chile. This just points up a little more of the world-wide scope of the clamor for union.
And, significantly, the Roman Catholic Church has agreed to send six observers to the W.C.C. world conference. They are definitely interested, but they need not be anxious; for, as we pointed out before, they have but to bide their time, and the ripe fruit will fall into their hands.
As the real, vital Christianity loses ground, the Word of God is no longer the sole arbiter of either truth or conduct; liturgy has moved into the churches increasingly, so that the members are moved to religious feelings by many inventions of men, and some of the things of Judaism which had an appeal for men in the flesh.
A certain man who had been in the armed forces returned home to find his home church had changed during his absence. He wrote to Eternity Magazine as follows:
"I discover that my home church has become very liturgical. Prayers are read out of a book, the congregation confesses in unison and absolution is granted by the minister. I would appreciate your opinion since I am greatly disturbed by this."
Dr. Herbert Henry Ehrenstein answered his question, and we quote in part:
"There is nothing wrong with the use of printed prayers or a liturgy, provided that the minister's performance and the congregation's entrance into it are not perfunctory and matter-of-fact. A liturgical service can be a beautiful act of worship if participated in with a proper spirit.... Any type of service can meet a real need..."-Eternity, July, 1961, p. 38.
Now, Christian reader, where is the warrant in Scripture for reading printed prayers? The Pharisee could have had one when he prayed with himself; but the publican certainly had none when he said, "God be merciful to me a [the] sinner." Luke 18:1313And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. (Luke 18:13).
Some may cite the so-called Lord's prayer to bolster such a thought as having printed prayers; but that was a disciples' prayer, and was suited to their present state, not to Christians. Full forgiveness was not known in it; it was not asked in the name of the Lord Jesus; nor was it by the Spirit. Is reading a prayer, "praying in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 2020But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, (Jude 20))? Or is a formulary of religious service, worshiping God "by the Spirit" (Phil. 3:33For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3))? The woman of Samaria (John 43He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. (John 4:3)) could refer to the liturgy of the temple, or even to that of Mount Gerizim; but the Lord told her that those who worship God must do so in spirit and in truth. A Jew of old did not need new birth to enjoy embellishments of the temple and its carnal service; nor does a person today need new birth to have a religious awe come over him by the grandeur of form and ceremony. But God seeks worshipers who worship "in spirit and in truth."
Now another word about Protestantism's open and avowed departure from the faith-its apostasy. The Princeton Theological Seminary graduates heard Harvard Divinity School's dean, Dr. Samuel Howard Miller, say:
"Christianity may be at death's door, and that its spiritual legacy is more likely to push it through the door than the atheism of the present."-Time, June 16, 1961.
Dr. Miller then went on to state the great impasses of the present world with which religion seems unable to cope. True these things are great, and religion as such is sterile; but the facts are that man has departed further and further from God. He does not want God, nor know Him. Dr. Miller's remarks demonstrate these facts. Dr. Miller further said:
"If religion cannot illuminate these three [which he named] dark areas of modern life, 'it should get out of the way so that men will not be tripped by its frumpery or fooled by its solemnity. There is serious work to be done, lest the world descend into darkness deeper than we have ever known before'."
Think of a graduating class of men, destined to lead the world religiously, being sent out with such instruction. Now to follow Dr. Miller further:
"If atheism marks the honest recognition of insufficient representations in the light of new dimensions of reality, then atheism is not by itself an irreligious stance. It is a movement of the spirit by which religion itself may be saved from itself."-Time.
Truly the wise men of the world are dismayed, they have rejected the word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them (Jer. 8:99The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them? (Jeremiah 8:9))? The exigencies of the present are great indeed; and none of the world's religions, not even of the devitalized Christianity, has the solution for the present distress. Nor can Dr. Miller's idea of atheism come to the rescue. The only solution would be the course followed by Nineveh in the days of Jonah-repentance before God, but perhaps it is even too late for that. Judgment is on the way. Escape is only possible for individuals who repent and accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, retiring at this time from Union Theological Seminary, spoke in a similar vein:
"The insecurities of our age strongly tempt this generation... into any kind of storm cellar of religious security, whether this be Biblicism of eschatological irresponsibility... -an end-of-the world insistence on Christian detachment from society."-Time, June 6,1960.
Another great mind which has wound up in the morass is that of Harvard's great theologian, Paul Tillich. Let us note:
"Faith, according to Tillich, is not belief in God, but 'ultimate concern.' Hence an atheist is a believer, too, unless he is wholly indifferent to the ultimate questions. Doubt is an inevitable part of faith. Sin is not something one commits, but a state of 'estrangement' from one's true self.... The religious man can 'fearlessly look at the vanity of religion.' Tillich can rejoice with Nietzsche that 'God is dead'-the God of theism-and write of looking beyond him to 'the God above God.' "—Time, March 16, 1959.
So much for his blasphemy! But God is NOT mocked, and Professor Tillich and all of his kind will find that out to their eternal loss and damnation. This, Christian reader, is the character of Protestant apostasy which will drown men in destruction and perdition. The road to hell is paved by high sounding phrases and commendations of "great minds" and "great thinkers." The human mind apart from the grace of God is at enmity with God; and all its reasonings only exalt man for the present to debase him to hell in the end. Is there any wonder that what is known as Christian religion has no relevancy to the present turbulence? The only way that this world will ever be made suitable for Christ's kingdom and righteous rule is to have it first cleansed by His unsparing judgments. They are dreadful to contemplate.
But is Roman Catholicism far behind in its apostasy? This same issue of Time that sets forth the great Tillich's daring unbelief and disregard for the God in whose hand his breath is, quotes a noted Catholic theologian, Gustave Weigel, a Jesuit, as saying:
"The sustained brilliance of Tillich is amazing, and his incredibly wide knowledge matches his brilliance. Any witness of the Protestant reality looks for someone to give a unified meaning to the whole thing. I believe I have found that man [in] Professor Paul Tillich."
Such commendation of a rank unbeliever coming from a Catholic source puts Catholic orthodoxy on the same low level of Protestant apostasy.
God's judgment fell on proud, boastful, arrogant Babylon in the past; on the Assyrian Empire, on Egypt, on Greece, and on the great Roman Empire of the past. He judged Israel in His righteous indignation. Shall the Western world escape? shall Christendom, with more advantages than any other people, go unscathed? No. No portion of the world has ever received such terrible outpouring of divine wrath as apostate Christendom will. And everything points up its imminence. The only thing we are sure will come first, is for the Lord to call His blood-bought people home to the Father's house.
The New English Bible, published by Oxford and Cambridge Bible houses, is chiefly the product of the ecumenical-minded denominations of Great Britain. Its deference to Romish doctrine in the New Testament (already available) makes it a congenial partner to British ecumenicalism. The Revised Standard Version in the United States is owned by the National Council of Churches, the ecumenical leaders here. We also understand that another new version is in the process of preparation by Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish scholars. This is to be made acceptable to all three groups. What a conglomeration of equivocation, adulteration, and perversion that will have to be. With that announced goal, exactitude and faithfulness to the inspired Book will of necessity be given up. According to a report in the U.S. News & World Report of last October 31, the publication will be in 30 paperback volumes, which are to begin circulation in January, 1962. Well did a godly man of a century ago say: "If a man had the governing of this world he could not endure its wickedness for a single day." 0 the patience and forbearance of God! But the time of His grace is fast running out.
We purpose, the Lord willing, to combine the April, May, June, and August editorials into a pamphlet on ecumenicalism.