General Assembly 2013: Death Of The Church of the Nazarene, Or Repentance?
A warning to those who are leading the Church of the Nazarene astray: you need not fear those of us who are trying to wake up the church. You ought to fear a Holy God whose wrath will come down on those who reject Him and who are leading the sheep astray.
When I think of apostate denominations, I think of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, which just recently elected its first openly homosexual bishop. It has long been an apostate church. Another apostate group is the Presbyterian Church (USA), which among other things, continues to accept practicing homosexuals as members in good standing who can also participate in the Lord’s Supper; and also the church is okay with ordaining celibate gays. The apostate Episcopalian Church appointed Eugene Robinson in 2003 as its first openly gay bishop. The Metropolitan Community Church is a homosexual denomination. There are many more, but there is a pattern that one of their failings always involves - the question of homosexuality, which has been clearly answered in Holy Scripture.
As a lifelong Nazarene, I have been watching closely for four years what is going on in the churches and the universities. What I and other Nazarenes have seen leads us to believe that the Church of the Nazarene is moving down the road of apostasy as hard and as fast these others. And one of the issues that could be its downfall is the same issue that has helped destroy the aforementioned denominations. There are many other problems: the emergent church, spiritual formation (contemplative mysticism), open theism, process theology, evolution, the G-12 movement (Master’s Plan), extreme environmentalism, social justice, ecumenicalism, hyper-pentecostalism, dominion theology. Now, add acceptance of homosexuality to the list of what is creeping in - one church, one pastor, one university at a time.
The Church of the Nazarene will hold its General Assembly from June 19-27, in Indianapolis, IN, with about 35,000 Nazarenes attending from around the world. Worship services will be held; dozens of workshops conducted; resolutions will be passed and voted down; and new leaders will be appointed, including at least two new General Superintendents. Many Nazarenes will be hopeful and celebratory; but many others are grieving. Quite a few have left the denomination, and it is possible many will leave after this Assembly ends. Much will depend on what happens.
We have documented the many concerns regarding homosexuality in the denomination, including the universities. Point Loma Nazarene University with its former student chaplain who came out as a homosexual at the school, and its LGBT group; the welcoming of Soulforce, a radical pro-gay group, at Northwest Nazarene, Southern Nazarene University, Mid-America Nazarene, and Trevecca Nazarene University; an LGBT support group, called “Love Of God Bringing Triumph” approved by the administration of Eastern Nazarene College. I also wrote on how Corey McPherson, the chaplain at ENC, preached a message last year in chapel (Homosexuality: What Does God Think?) that one would think would warrant his removal by the leadership. Among the things he was proud of was when his church got together with a homosexual pastor and his congregation to worship together and take communion. That is an abomination. You can read the entire transcript of this message, along with comments from a Nazarene pastor, here.
Something related to General Assembly that was said by Corey McPherson in his message is the following:
"
This afternoon, the chaplains from the Nazarene schools will be gathering together for our development sessions and we will be working on a proposal to submit to the General Assembly of the Church of Nazarene next year to change the wording and statement of the wrath of God and other changes in the statement in our manual. We’re not changing the theological stance but the wording behind it must change. We will submit it to the church and hopefully it will [bring] it to vote next year.
"
It remains to be seen if this is submitted, but it is troubling that the chaplains of the Nazarene schools could be planning to go against God’s word and water down what Scripture clearly tells us will happen to those who reject God and live in unrepentant sin. What else are the Nazarene college chaplains teaching the students?
So, the idea of affirming homosexuality as compatible with Christian living is making headway in the Church of the Nazarene. Thanks to heretics such as Rob Bell, who revealed his approval of gay marriage, as well as others such as Brian McLaren, Nazarene pastors are following suit and defending people who promote such foolish thinking. There is no biblical conviction in their words, but instead they sound like the secular world of today with its politically charged promotion of and demand for complete acceptance of homosexuality.
Proposed Resolutions At The Assembly
God’s word never changes, but in the fickle lives of humans, there is constant changing of positions and doctrinal statements. Dozens of resolutions have been submitted for consideration, and the passage or rejection of some of these could be a further indication of the spiritual direction of the church. Two resolutions (CA-701 and CA-703) by the North Florida District make a powerful statement to clarify the biblical position on homosexuality, which would effectively push back at those who want to water down the biblical view of homosexuality to one of “affirmation” and “acceptance.” In a section of document CA-703, the authors rightly state that “the Christian church has been invaded, the authority of Scripture has been challenged, and the laws that govern our civilization are being overturned by the world-wide homosexual community that wants nothing less than the complete acceptance and normalcy of homosexual behavior.”
Another resolution from the Tennessee District (CA-712) fights back against the dangerous ideology of process theology, a heresy which teaches that God learns from His mistakes. Will it pass, or will it be rejected in deference to false teachers such as Tom Oord who also promote open theism and theistic evolution?
Resolution JUD-815 proposes amending the Manual to include new language regarding infant baptism. It is interesting to note that the Church of the Nazarene has traditionally performed infant dedications, rather than baptism. This could be a result of the Roman Catholicization that has been happening in the church, from emphases on Lenten season, to Ashes To Fire, to prayer rooms, prayer labyrinths, and retreats to Roman Catholic monasteries.
Resolution SR-752 proposes a theology conference, at a cost of about $14,000, to discuss redefining the meaning of the doctrine of atonement.
Resolution MED-500 proposes the establishment of a new College of Theologians, which would have much influence in deciding theological matters for the church. If successfully passed, this could spell disaster for the church, depending on who is chosen to be on this select group.
There are other resolutions, some innocuous compared to others, but others will be of great importance in reflecting the “emerging” theological re-birth of a denomination that has always emphasized “holiness unto the Lord.” The full set of resolutions can be viewed here.
The Forgotten Resolution: The Inerrancy Of Scripture
We have great concerns for a resolution that does not appear to be listed, which is now four years old.
At General Assembly in 2009, the following amendment submitted by the Southwest Indiana District failed to be voted on, and instead was referred to the Board of General Superintendents for further study. The recommended change is highlighted in bold:
RESOLVED that Manual paragraph 4 be amended as follows:
IV. The Holy Scriptures
4. We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, [inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation] inerrant throughout, and the supreme authority on everything the Scriptures teach so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.
(Luke 24:44-47; John 10:35; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
IV. The Holy Scriptures
4. We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, [inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation] inerrant throughout, and the supreme authority on everything the Scriptures teach so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.
(Luke 24:44-47; John 10:35; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Where is this now? Why has this not been re-submitted? Is there a reluctance to strengthen this statement by acknowledging the inerrancy of God’s Word? Is the district from Southwest Indiana and other Nazarenes being ignored? Are the General Superintendents hoping that this all goes away after they committed this to four years of study? Is this resolution going to be re-presented for consideration and vote, as it should?
The answer could simply be that the leadership of the church does not believe in the whole of Scripture as being infallible, but only partially inerrant. What a tragedy if that is the case. But these leaders, who are responsible for the doctrine of the church, have a duty to respond this year to this question. If they don’t, it would be total neglect and dereliction of duty on their part.
Final Thoughts
From what many of us have seen, and from the lack of meaningful leadership action to stem the tide, we do not hold out much hope for the denomination as an organization. That does not mean I am saying it is absolutely lost. Yet it looks like that to many Nazarenes, barring a work of God in the hearts of the leaders and the people who know what is going on. There are Nazarenes sitting around for the last four years who don't like the false teachings going on, but are sitting in their pews totally asleep - by choice.
We see most likely a continued move down the apostasy road, with "pockets of resistance" in the form of individual churches trying to resist their district's attempts at indoctrinating them with emergent heresies. More pastors will be punished for their opposition, as has already happened. As in one prospective pastor’s case in the New England District, ordination will be denied because of taking a stand that you believe in biblical inerrancy. Yet, if you believe in evolution and that Adam did not exist, you may have no problem. Trouble-making pastors may also see their churches closed and merged with other churches.
Then there are districts such as North Florida, and others, whose leadership is strong - at the moment. What happens when the leadership changes, and an emergent D.S. comes in? What happens when a strong church's pastor retires, and the replacement is straight out of NTS and is a heretic in sheep's clothing? What then? We have received reports regarding large churches whose attendance has plummeted because of the introduction of emergent heresies.
A warning to those who are leading the Church of the Nazarene astray: you need not fear those of us who are trying to wake up the church. You ought to fear a Holy God whose wrath will eventually come down on those who reject Him and who are leading the sheep astray. The Bible has clearly called faithful Christians to not only preach the Gospel but to also bring to the light for all to see the evil deeds and teachings of the false teachers. The call from us to the leaders is to come to repentance before it is too late. And if the leaders do not repent and do not unambiguously reject all these false teachings, then separation must occur, and Bible-believing Nazarenes must not stay in the denomination out of a misguided loyalty.
We see most likely a continued move down the apostasy road, with "pockets of resistance" in the form of individual churches trying to resist their district's attempts at indoctrinating them with emergent heresies. More pastors will be punished for their opposition, as has already happened. As in one prospective pastor’s case in the New England District, ordination will be denied because of taking a stand that you believe in biblical inerrancy. Yet, if you believe in evolution and that Adam did not exist, you may have no problem. Trouble-making pastors may also see their churches closed and merged with other churches.
Then there are districts such as North Florida, and others, whose leadership is strong - at the moment. What happens when the leadership changes, and an emergent D.S. comes in? What happens when a strong church's pastor retires, and the replacement is straight out of NTS and is a heretic in sheep's clothing? What then? We have received reports regarding large churches whose attendance has plummeted because of the introduction of emergent heresies.
A warning to those who are leading the Church of the Nazarene astray: you need not fear those of us who are trying to wake up the church. You ought to fear a Holy God whose wrath will eventually come down on those who reject Him and who are leading the sheep astray. The Bible has clearly called faithful Christians to not only preach the Gospel but to also bring to the light for all to see the evil deeds and teachings of the false teachers. The call from us to the leaders is to come to repentance before it is too late. And if the leaders do not repent and do not unambiguously reject all these false teachings, then separation must occur, and Bible-believing Nazarenes must not stay in the denomination out of a misguided loyalty.
There will most likely be the many individuals and families who will leave the denomination for lack of a decent Bible-believing Nazarene church in the area. However you look at this, it does not look like a bright future for the Nazarene denomination. The leadership may declare a bright future at the end of this General Assembly and may declare that God is blessing the Church of the Nazarene. But apostasy, in God's eyes, is not the plan He has for us.
We’ll have to wait and see, but time is running out.
Related Articles:
Original link to the resolutions: https://sp.nazarene.org/gar/
Manny Silva
Stand For Truth Ministries
"The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." Psalm 119:160
Blogging at www.reformednazarene.
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