Articles
The Dark Side of Denominationalism
I’ve recently finished a book written by Megan Basham entitled Shepherds for Sale. I’m not in the habit of recommending books, but I’ll make an exception for this one. And the reason is that this book opened my eyes to a whole dimension of denominationalism that I wasn’t aware of – at least to the depth that Basham plumbs.
Most of us are aware by studies of church history, by contemporary doctrinal irregularities or by non-Biblical organizational structures, that denominations are edifices of men, not of God. We’ve likely observed certain denominational practices with consternation. We may wonder, “How does religious grunge rock or rap pass for Christian worship?” Or, “How can certain denominations ordain practicing homosexuals in their ministry?” Or, “How can church leaders shamelessly boast about their private jets, Rolex watches, Italian suits and Bentleys?” But there is an even darker side than what appears on the sur-face, a troubling reality that makes one say, “Oh, I get it! Now it all makes sense!” Shepherds for Sale is a true eye-opener.
Basham’s book exposes how much denominational leadership has been subverted by special interest groups that have funneled millions of dollars to them in order to buy influence among their members. Basham tackles the softening of denominations on social and political matters such as climate change, illegal immigration, abortion, Covid protocols, CRT (critical race theory), sexual abuse and the LGBTQ movement. She makes the point with copious research and references that there is a clear money trail linking leftist causes with compromised conservatism.
“An all-out effort is being made to break down this final citadel of orthodoxy (conservative evangelicalism, jj). While the frontal assaults of LGBTQ activists demanding full inclusion have garnered the lion’s share of attention, more transformational efforts are being made by well-known megachurches using their dominance on the evangelical landscape to quietly influence smaller congregations to compromise (SfS 198).
Basham documents an interconnected web of acronym groups who funnel money to megachurches and their ministries such as Atlanta’s North Point, headed by Andy Stanley (son of famed Baptist preacher Charles Stanley), and Southern California’s Saddleback church started years ago by Rick Warren, author of the third best-selling nonfiction book of all time, The Purpose Driven Life (50 million copies). And what do these groups get for their money? A softened message from the most influential pulpits in the evangelical land. And not just from the pulpits – much of this compromised teaching occurs in “backroom” venues such as individual counseling, small groups, teen camps and seminars.
And what messages come out of these evangelical churches, as well as mainstream denominations, especially in relation to LGBTQ issues?
Ø Bible verses condemning homosexuality have been “misinterpreted.”
Ø The nuclear family is a social construct that needs to be dismantled.
Ø Nothing is perverted if engaged in sincerely and with love.
Ø Failing to affirm someone’s feelings is hateful and bigoted.
Ø A loving God wouldn’t allow someone to have overwhelming desires that can’t be lawfully satisfied.
Ø Homosexuality is no different than any other sin and should not be singled out for condemnation.
And so forth … the typical mantras we hear from secular proponents of LGBTQ are now emanating from pulpits across the land. Thousands upon thousands of militant advocates have been trained to infiltrate denominations and challenge their teaching on Biblical sexual purity, and this targeted effort has successfully muted clear, forthright teaching. In summary, Basham notes: “Many pastors … unaware of the boot camp efforts that have been under way for years, have, out of a desire not to appear judgmental or overly focused on one sin to the exclusion of others, been successfully shamed into barely mentioning homosexuality, transgenderism, or the rest of the LGBTQ array. When they do mention it, it is only briefly and in the vaguest terms, so as not to be accused of being unwelcoming or unloving. Given this imbalance in commitment to our respective beliefs, faithful Christians can hardly wonder at the fact that the LGBTQ movement is chewing up ground and claiming new converts as quickly as evangelical churches are meekly ceding the field” (ibid 228).
The main point of this article is to emphasize that the modern, denominational iteration of Christianity is corrupt to its very core. It is a product of the Protestant Reformation which began some 400 years ago, undoubtedly with noble purposes of reforming the Catholic stranglehold on truth and religious power, but it never fully captured the ideal of restoring pure NT Christianity. Four centuries later, the drift away from scriptural authority has become so pronounced that current denominationalism is completely alienated from the true worship, doctrinal integrity, local oversight and humble, personal service that the Lord intended for His church.
Faithful and astute preachers and elders have pointed this out for several generations now but have often been met with accusations of being unkind, narrow-minded, judgmental, etc. But such criticism and ecumenical pabulum against speaking the truth have only served to prop up the façade of denominational Christianity – an unauthorized innovation, a perversion of the true church that Jesus and His apostles originally built. Its counterfeit influence has led astray countless millions of people who were not sufficiently insightful to base their beliefs and practices upon the unadulterated authority of the NT.
To coin a phrase from a prominent podcaster, “faith doesn’t care about your feelings.” That is, when feelings trump Scriptural authority and one no longer respects God’s will, such is a corrupted faith. One may do things that resemble Christianity, but it isn’t truly “the faith.” Only by carefully following God’s word will we “come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” and we will not be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph 4:13-14). In other words, we’ll be able to recognize the fox in the henhouse.
