Calling Separationists...

Carina, welcome to the forums. Your friend is correct to a degree. We are to stand against false religions, doctrines, etc., and just because your pastor doesn't necessarily say anything from the pulpit in the form of attack, like many Christians would want him to do, your friend included, doesn't mean that your pastor doesn't stand against such things. It only means he didn't put it in his sermon. Your pastor is accountable to God. He's also accountable to the people he represents, and stating flat that Catholicism is anti-God, or Pentecostalism is incorrect in an inflammatory manner when there may be people there of that faith, can be more detrimental than good. There is a way to preach, still get the point across and not be blatantly offensive. Is it possible that your pastor is doing this?

AVL1984

 

Cright,
I'm sure you will get some good advice from the people on the board. One thing I will say is just because your friend can quote scripture it doesen't make him a mature christian or does it makes him correct. I have known people who could quote scripture and they were way out in left field. And had no fruits of the Spirit at all.
It's hard to answer with out details but it sounds like your Pastor may be a Calvinist and maybe your friend is a extreme Fundamentalst. I consider my self a fundamenalist and I believe we do need to be seperate from alot of this liberal junk going on IMO But I don't think it needs to be preached from the alter every Sunday. I think it's more important to preach the truth to study God's word that IMO is the way we mature and grow in the grace of are Lord and Savior Jesus Christ not by allways pointing out the wrongs of every other church. I'm sure others will give you more help and Bible ref.


God Bless

Bob C

 

Awesome first post, start with a bang.

There are several threads in the fundamental Baptist forum on this site that are discussing or have discussed this issue.

One is titled John MacArthur, I think there are a couple others. It is a subject that gets discussed often and usually very passionately.

I know many times these types of labels are put on non-denominational churches, or even Baptist churches that are more contemporary in their style of worship, many times the logic of the argument is, "If the church got to be that big, they must not be speaking the truth, or unbelievers wouldn't be staying there"

This many times could not be further from the truth. I have found several non-denoms that were very balanced and highly separatist from those that were doctrinally unsound. If your church is associating with ministries or denominations that either do not preach the truth of God's Word, or are interpreting certain areas of truth incorrectly, which in many cases would include catholics and charismatics, than your friend is correct, there is a problem with their stand on separation. Billy Graham is an example of one who while his docrtine may be rather orthodox and Evangelical, the ecumenical nature of his practice causes problems. He does not dissociate himself from those who do not preach salvation by faith alone. I don't have my Bible program handy at the moment on this computer, but will look up some of the verses we have discussed on the other threads and I am sure we will get some more input on this.

I would tell you to be even more careful when evaluating churches that practice separation strongly, IMHO, there are probably many more pitfalls in that environment than in any non-denom I have seen.

Especially watch out for Baptists

 

http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/48/680.html?

Heres the link to the thread on John MacArthur, I think it veers off into separation about post # 3

 

Cright,

Your “friend” may not be your friend, and he surely does not sound to me as though he is a friend of the Gospel. Contemporary Baptist doctrine is, on some important points, in direct conflict with the doctrines of the early church. Which teaching is really the correct, Biblical teaching? Even among Baptists, there is a wide range of teachings. The Lutheran church teaches what it does based on a very scholarly view of the Bible, and on many points they believe differently than do Baptists. The same is true of the other main-line denominations.

I was the senior pastor of an interdenominational inner-city church for six years. Our pastoral staff included ministers from several different denominations because we were ministering mostly to Christians who had fallen into very severe sin, and we needed ministers who understood the theological background of those we were ministering to so that we didn’t need to convert them to Baptists before we could communicate with them. And more importantly, we employed the ministers that the Holy Spirit led to us, regardless of their denomination.

We did not employ a Catholic priest, but we did have Roman Catholics fellowshipping with us. None of them ever took a rosary out of their pocket, but they did attend our Bible studies. Was their doctrinal strife? Not nearly as much as one finds in many Baptist churches. Indeed, doctrinal strife was virtually non-existent. We all got along beautifully. We held church services seven days a week and took our evening meals together. And it was very enjoyable sharing the love of Christ with each other knowing that we were Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians, not to mention those from the Assemblies of God, Church of God, Christian Missionary Alliance, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal Holiness, and other groups.

Strife does not come from doctrinal differences—strife comes from an arrogant, haughty, conceited, self-righteous pride in the name of theological correctness.

Why did we get along so well? Maybe it was because of the quality of food that we served for dinner, but more likely it was because the Gospel was preached in a loving and powerful manner that convicted the sinners and brought them to repentance and salvation.

During those six years, and many subsequent years, I learned that it was very foolish for anyone to be so arrogant, haughty, and conceited as to believe that he is right and everyone else is wrong. The Scriptures are subject to interpretation, and the interpretation of the Scriptures has changed and evolved during the past 2,000 years. I’m a Baptist, but that does not mean that my beliefs are necessarily correct. For all I know, God is a Lutheran .

1 Corinthians 13

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
(NKJV)

 

Cright,

Is this Pastor a armenian, calvinist, pre trib,
post trib, mid trib, fundi, neo evangelical, KJVO, KJO preferred, manuscripts T.R. or West Scott & Hort. (JUST KIDDING) yea labels:laugh:

Bob C