Not long ago I had planned to write a blog entry titled “My Kind of Heretics” in which I wanted to express my appreciation that there are still a few false religions out there that aren’t afraid to tell you plainly that they think you believe false doctrine. In our post-modern world where we are taught that it is unloving and intolerant to disagree with people, especially about religion, it is incredibly rare to find people who take their beliefs seriously enough that they will confidently assert that you are in error. Biblically speaking, this is a lamentable situation. In the minds of a large number of people, objective truth has become either a fictional concept, or a reality that is so elusive that any confidence that we know what it is can be nothing but arrogance. Roman Catholics and Mormons used to be characterized by a confident exclusivity. Today, while there are exceptions, these groups are known for their inclusiveness.
But what prompted this reflection, and then almost derailed it, and then brought it back with a new twist, is a church sign that I drive by on a semi-regular basis. Last year I had posted this picture on my previous blog.
This is clear heresy, especially if you know the beliefs that caused them to put this on their sign. They are “Oneness Pentecostals.” They deny both the Trinity and the gospel and can by no means be considered to be within the Christian faith. Well, a couple weeks ago I drove by and saw “THE TRINITY IS FALSE DOCTRINE” placarded on their sign. I had actually seen that there some years ago, but that was before I had a cell phone with a camera. This time I didn’t have an opportunity to stop and take a picture, but I made a mental note to come back and get one later. It was at this time that the title “My Kind of Heretics” popped into my mind. Well, when I did come back later I discovered that the sign had changed.
I still wanted to get the picture, because eternal security is certainly no false doctrine, but the idea of the blog entry didn’t sound nearly as good. As serious of an error as I think a denial of eternal security is, it falls a bit short of heresy. So I took the picture and went on. I did, however, notice that there was an occupied car in the parking lot, and I think they may have seen me taking the picture.
A couple days later I drove by the sign again, and once again it had been changed. But this time the change was nothing like what I would have expected.
Perhaps the fact that some guy stopped and took a picture of their sign caused them to reconsider the dogmatism of their statement. Maybe I had nothing to do with it. Who knows? But in any event, it was a striking change. Now, I must admit that phrasing it as a question is probably more likely to get you a hearing than if you just make dogmatic statements, and so it is often wise to do so. We want people to hear what we have to say, and not just get offended and stop their ears. But we should never be afraid to make those dogmatic statements when we know we are speaking the truth. “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God…” (1 Peter 4:11 NAS95) If this sign had originally been posted as a question, I don’t think I would have suspected that they were succumbing to postmodernism. But the change makes me wonder. Will no one stand on their convictions anymore?
As Christians, we are commanded to take the gospel to everyone. But an important aspect of that is knowing how to speak in a way that those we are speaking to hear what we are saying. If I proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, and the person I’m speaking to hears me proclaiming that my flavor of ice-cream is the best and most satisfying, have I really proclaimed Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected? Postmodernism is pervasive in our culture. It is our responsibility as Christians to reject it, and to refute it whenever we encounter it. This must be done with passion, gentleness, sound reasoning, and reliance on the Spirit. If we seek to do that, the One who is the truth will be honored in our proclamation.
