Inform Your 'Faith'

    The most lethal danger to the local church is not danger from without; but danger from within. B. B. Warfield wrote extensively about this inauspicious truth. He was acutely aware of the flowering liberalism that had pervaded the citadel of the church abroad during his time. This was especially true within the borders of European evangelicalism as the philosophy of the Enlightenment had made inroads into its theology and praxis. This burgeoning threat posed an imminent threat within Western theology and praxis so much so that it was knocking at its door. Actually, much of that Enlightenment/liberal ideology was already coursing through the corridors of political thought in the  form of such notions as "democratic populism" for example; et al. Warfield was alarmed by this and sought to elevate the church's cognitive awareness of this danger. He was particularly concerned with the threat from within the church though. The danger embodied by interlopers outside the borders of the church was much easier to detect or discern. For Warfield the more immediate and harmful threats were posed by those who were recognized members within the church and by those who already had standing. These were people who had already breached the ranks of church "membership" and were regular practitioners; including clergy. For this reason and amidst this atmosphere he asserted:

    What B. B. Warfield was speaking to was the presence and impact of  "wolves" within (Peter speaks of false teachers and false prophets arising from "among" the people, II Peter 2:1-3) the church who would ravenously tear, shred and mutilate the sheep (see God's characterization of Israel's religious leaders as wolves in Eze. 22:27), around them through the effects of their actions and pontifications as well as the implications of their hidden agendas. This is done through the guise of Christian verbiage and orthodox rhetoric. Of late and recent this has been coined as the "conservative drift." Ministers who fit this mold ostensibly appear to be orthodox and have conceivably accrued some "trust capital."

    However, this is a convincing masquerade used only to lull his/her environs into complacency. Their positions and esteem are used as leverage to infiltrate the minds and hearts of those in the same flock. Their orthodox language serves as a serpentine riddle of sorts to veritably hypnotize his/her prey; much like the Siren's song of Greek mythology. Truth be known though no matter how much you disguise or beautify manure it is still manure. A wolf remains a wolf despite their empirically disguised subterfuge.

   Christ's admonition is just as relevant to our day and to the Church as it was during His epoch.

nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit," (Matt. 7:15-20).

   The operative phrase in this pericope is the one I bolded. Regardless of what the wolf claims to stand for or the alluring usage of orthodox and biblical phraseology the FRUITS of its actions are to be evaluated.  Many a sheep fall prey to the wolf's hollow persona. Persona by definition has the following meanings: 1.) The aspect of a person's character that is presented to or perceived by others.  2.) A role or character adopted by an author or actor. Recall the devil taking on the persona so to speak of the serpent in Genesis 1. Paul also describes false apostles promoting a certain persona. The true apostle opens chapter 11 of II Corinthians by saying, "I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and loving devotion to Christ." He was expressing concern that false apostles had cast a deception over the Corinthians in much the same way the devil did through the serpent. Shortly after Paul describes the characteristics of such malevolent interlopers; otherwise known as wolves.

    Paul provides another characteristic or fruit that wolves, false apostles, false teachers, et cetera engender.  While they disguise themselves as apostles, they are braggadocios. Wolves will invariably boast on what they have done or what they have not done in order to garner veneration and trust. But to whom does their boasting point? Does it promote themselves and magnify their "persona" or does it promote Christ? In the chapter before the one cited above Paul opines, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends," (II Cor. 10:17-18).  

    I was recently engaged in an ordeal that effected the entire congregation I am a member of. During that period of time there was an exchange of emails between myself and another who was afflicting the flock. In that email he documented that he had years of experience, had planted multiple churches, had more years of teaching, had more credentials et cetera. He had compared that with my years of service within the church and that I have had only 2-3 years of seminary training. Here is the exerpt:

"Let me begin by stating unequivacbly that after the passage of 55 years, 30+ years of full time ministry, 20 plus of those years as a years of Pastoral practicioneer, 17 years of service as an academic professor, 3 church plants, and earning a Bachelor and Doctoral degree, please know that I absoluely have acquired more experiential knowledge and wisdom than him. (His) charge that I make that stand is true and without regret. (He) has neither planted or pastored a church, has been ordained by me for a mere 2 years, and only has one year of Seminary training is proof in point. " 

    This tactic and list of accomplishments was used to dissuade others about something he stated in response to a position I had asserted regarding a passage dealing with elders and accusations. There wasn't a repudiation by way of church tradition or biblical scholarship to disprove what I had stated. Just a list of his accolades to get those he sent the email to trust him. I had church tradition and scholarship supporting what I had asserted. Paul associates this practice with false apostles and in so doing says, "when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding," (II Cor. 10:12). Wolves are skilled practitioners of self aggrandizement. This of course is artificial and biblically without merit. If only folk would honestly judge the fruits.

  "By their fruits you will recognize them."

    In order to guard against wolves, the Church needs to look beyond personas and look to fruits. How does the person's actions effect the condition of the flock? Does the minister's demeanor and behavior reflect the portrait of an elder? ( cf. I Peter 5, Titus 1, I Tim. 3). Of course some wolves manifest at different times and under different circumstances though they may have been amongst the church for an extended duration.  As Paul wrote Timothy, "The sins of some men are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later," (I Tim. 5:24).  The true fruits of a wolf may not be palpably noticeable for a duration of time but they will manifest themselves inevitably. Their true identity will surface. Our duty as clerics and laymen is to not simply follow blindly by not dutifully acknowledging what a person is doing because they may have established trust or employ biblical phraseology. Instead, we are to evaluate how they steward that trust and how they use or implement the language of scripture and orthodoxy. If this is ignored blindness is rendered. And as Christ asserts the blind religious elite (Pharisee's and scribes of His day) will lead the blind into a pit, (Matt. 15:14; see also Matt. 23).

Credo ut Intelligam