True Discernment

My pastor said he wouldn’t join or sign the “Call to Come Out and Be Found Faithful” because he was an evangelical and wouldn’t separate himself from that label. The problem with his position is that evangelicalism now has two camps: those who would join with ecumenical, Catholic mysticism and those who refuse to join. Whether we like it or not, we are no longer a unified group of believers.

Just today the division was apparent in the Calvary Chapel churches as they separated into the Calvary Chapel Global Network and the Calvary Chapel Association. The separation that had already happened in their hearts became more apparent when Pastor Dwight Douville of Calvary Chapel Appleton penned his concerns about many things, among them the Cathangelicalism he began to see being manifested in Calvary Chapel churches.

At what point will all evangelical denominations have to make similar decisions? Every denomination has been tainted with those who are pursuing the ecumenical, Catholic, mystical Jesus. While I’m happy that Calvary Chapel has taken a stand and made a differentiation between the two groups in their association, I wonder if any other denominations will follow suit. The battle for the purity of the Gospel is real. Cathangelicalism has infiltrated nearly every denomination of evangelicals. 

This means that a pastor like mine can no longer say, “I am an evangelical and I won’t separate.” He must recognize that “evangelical” no longer means what it used to mean. In fact, my pastor IS pursuing Catholic mysticism. He promotes Pete Scazzero’s book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, (which is filled with Catholic mystics such as Ignatious of Loyola) and believes we need to be “bridge builders” with the Catholics. He also seeks the “Manifest Presence” of Jesus and is trying to lead the congregation into this pursuit.

The sad thing is that most of the congregation doesn’t even see any danger in what he’s promoting. They have no idea that they are being introduced to “another Jesus” and “another Gospel” because everything he says is shrouded in terms like “grace” and he gives sermons that are based on sections of scripture.

I can’t believe that the Lord has allowed one of these pastors to come to my small town and function right before my very eyes. But how will the little lambs throughout our evangelical churches, who love Jesus, even know there is a difference unless there’s a blatant separation? Unless a huge spotlight exposes the truth?

I would like to see faithful pastors and leaders call for a meeting to declare their concerns and take a stand against this influx of apostasy. There needs to be a shaking so that believers will know there are differences in the evangelical camp. They need to know there is DANGER.

I appreciate the stand that the Calvary Chapel Association has taken against Brian Broderson’s Calvary Chapel Global Network, but the entire evangelical community needs to take a similar stand. If most of the evangelical churches are going the way of Cathangelicalism, then a faithful remnant HAS to come out from among them and be separate. If we refuse to take a stand and the Gospel is corrupted (as it was for a thousand years during the Dark Ages), how will we be judged by history? How will Jesus judge us?