SAVING NAMIBIAN CHRISTIANS FROM THE WORST OF WESTERN CULTURE

Please note: This article is not an attack on western people. I myself am a product of  European-Western culture. There are however many aspects about modern western culture that are deeply subversive to the Christian faith. They must be named,  they must  be warned against, and  they must be avoided.

We must admit that western  culture has a winsome flavour.  Everything,  from TV programs and movies,  from to fashion to food, and  from  western Christmas celebrations   to   western  Christian wedding rites  is being exported into all the world. The  West  has become the pacesetter  in many things. The world desperately seeks to imitate the West.   India can come up with nothing better than calling its growing movie industry ‘Bollywood’! Christian Dior, Mercedes Benz, Coca Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Mc Donald’s are house brands in every part of the world. Truly, it seems as if western civilization has subdued the modern earth and…  Namibia.  

Do we want Western  Democracy and Capitalism ?

Most political  systems (except those  guided by an explicit atheism)   will work provided  that God fearing men  are behind it. 

There is the problem … the lack of God fearing men in western democratic and capitalistic  thinking! But capitalism   without Christ  is catastrophic! Democracy without Deity  is dangerous!  Man’s pursuit of  life  without God as the final reference point  is  self –destructive!

Many seem to think  that   western    economic systems are biblically sanctioned. After all, they appear to be successful on the surface of things. Are we  saying  that  democracy  or capitalism  is  God’s truth per se because we perceive it  to be  successful? Health, wealth and prosperity teachers seem to think so, but the biblically saturated mind can come to no such conclusion. The parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21)  teaches us that  wealth is  a deceptive measurement for success.

Western culture is not presently influenced by a God-centered worldview. If the truth be  told  modern western culture is  strongly  influenced by ‘secular humanism’,  a man centered worldview.  We must never  forget  that  the present  form  of western  humanism  was  conceived during  the  French Revolution   in 1789, when  the  “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen”  was formulated.  Now to be  fair, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen”  was formulated against the background of severe political and spiritual abuses by the French monarchy which was  then in cahoots with the Roman Catholic Church. 

The authors of the humanist declaration rightly  rejected the   concept of the “divine right of kings“ and they  rightly rejected the false authority of the Roman Catholic church, but they made a huge mistake by excluding God and His Word  from their manifesto, which was  based on what they called, “natural law”.  This secular document  succeeded  to throw out the baby with the bathwater, and it has managed to   dispose  of God centered thinking  in terms  of  politics, economics, science, education   etc., giving rise to the thought of the ‘secular state’ – an ideal also enshrined in the “Preamble of the Namibian Constitution”!  

In tandem  with  this  concept of  “natural law”  the  theory of evolution , the brainchild of Charles Darwin  (1809 – 1882)  was  conceived and   born into the framework  of  western  thinking  in the 19^th century.  The ‘theory of evolution’ became the replacement for the biblical account of creation. This secular doctrine of creation provided an alternative viewpoint to the  biblical view  of  “creatio ex nihilo”  by a Sovereign Creator,  and it helped the secular humanists to do away with the thought of God.  

Western Culture   as the Primary Exporter of Immorality

While the western world cannot be held solely responsible for the degree of moral decay in the world (for clearly every  human heart  without Christ  is  a fallen heart – Romans 3:23), we do know that the present western world has been the leader  and  prime exporter of    perverse sexuality. Apart from the dissemination   and legalizing of pornography in   so called ‘western liberal societies’, many forms of deviant sexual expression have come to the world through the western door.   The west leads the world in presenting homosexuality as ‘normal’ sexual behaviour.  From a biblical worldview[1]   this clearly clashes with Scripture and with nature.  Can the Anglican Church in Africa   with good conscience look to the mother church in the UK for an unflinching commitment   to the authority of Scripture? Thank God that African Anglicans are taking a strong stance against the homosexual agenda of the western liberals!

The West also leads the agenda on gender equality, maintaining that there is no functional difference between male and female. [2]  In this regard we   are made aware of some   bizarre stories, like the Canadian couple in Toronto raising their 4-month-old without identifying the child as a boy or a girl. This, as you might imagine created a media firestorm in Canada:

“Kathy Witterick, 38, and David Stocker, 39, are raising their third child, Storm, to be free of societal norms regarding gender. Is Storm male or female? The parents won't say, so no one knows except Storm's older brothers, Jazz and Kio, as well as a close family friend and two midwives who helped deliver the baby, according to the Toronto Star.” (Fox News:  24^th May 2011).

A BBC report of the 7^th July 2011 reports that Sweden has opened its first gender neutral school! Where is this happening? Not in Namibia – not in Africa! This is happening in the so called western world!

Do we really want to look to the church in the western world as our definitive guide for life and faith in these challenging days?

The liberal theology  of the 18^th  century  which   has  so profoundly undermined  the historic Christian faith   came as a reaction to the 16^th century theology of the Reformers, and it  has been much more insidious  and subversive  and  devastating  in terms of  its effects,  than the Roman Catholic “Counter Reformation” of the 16^th century.

Whereas  the  theologians  of the Reformation  affirmed the  SOLA SCRIPTURA principle – namely that the  Bible is  the Word of God, and as such  they affirmed  that  it  was  authoritative  and sufficient, Liberal theology (one of the ill begotten children  of humanism), “made in 18^th Century Germany”[3] did exactly the opposite. It dismantled the Scriptures and rendered them unbelievable and thus essentially useless!

Human opinion triumphed and was declared sovereign.   The venerable, God fearing evangelical  Dr. Martin Luther would turn in his grave if he  knew how neo- Lutheranism has infected an overwhelmingly large number of Lutherans with this liberal virus.

This liberal virus had affected every Protestant denomination.  My own Baptist denomination  were not immune from this cancer.  Charles Haddon Spurgeon a prominent Reformed Baptist of the 19^th century battled the forces of the German led “Higher Criticism movement” which was undermining the English Baptists’ historically solid view of the authority of Scripture.  He was eventually excommunicated from the fellowship of English Baptist churches, because he dared to challenge the liberalism of the 19th century church.

Liberalism and the 20th century Western Charismatic Phenomenon

Theological liberalism is a destroyer of the Word of God and thus it is a destroyer of  the biblical church.  But it has a surprising ally, which came to us from the American   West: the Pentecostal  and Charismatic movement!

I know that many would like to make a distinction between the two, and there are always exceptions,but it must be said that Pentecostalism is the seed bed for the later charismatic movement. This movement  rooted in the “1906 Azusa  Street  revival”, a spin off  from the 1904 Welsh revival began to make more of signs, wonders and ecstatic phenomena  than of  the  plain revelation  of the Word of God. The results are now clearly seen.  American neo-Pentecostals  having dismantled the SOLA SCRIPTURA principle  now have the world eating out of their  hands.  They are now the prime exporters of the new health, wealth and prosperity message.  It is amazing to see how Africans have bought into  American T.V. preachers like  Benny Hinn, Fred Price, Joyce Meyer, and Myles Munroe etc. . . .  These western figures  have become celebrity figures in Africa! 

Apart from this the western world in America has become the prime exporter of cults and sects into the world! Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science, Scientology, Seventh Day Adventism etc. - these weren’t born in Africa, they were born in America - but they flourish here!

The 20^th century Pentecostal and Charismatic movements (which were born in the west) have continued to dismantle the  authority of the Scriptures  as they generally have relied  more on  their prophets, healers and tongue speakers than on the  Word of  God.

The result is that we are now speaking about a post Christian world – a term that, I believe may have been coined by the eminent  American-Swiss theologian, Dr. Francis Schaeffer.  Dr. Schaeffer once observed that   western culture has continued to flourish for a while on the residual moral principles taught by Christianity, on what the Christian philosopher Henry Van Til called “borrowed capital”. The sun of the gospel which once shone so brightly in the west is setting at an alarming rate!

My question is  this: Does the African church  at large wish to continue borrowing from the morally and spiritually bankrupt West?  I know that there are wonderful exceptions  in the West, but it cannot be denied  that  the African church by and large feeds  on the West.  

When will  Africa  choose  to obey  the Word of God rather than the  enticing and corrupt  values of  the West?

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[1] Romans 1:18-32

[2] Gen 1:27 ; Eph 5 :22-33

[3] The Higher criticism movement  led by the likes of Graf Julius von Wellhausen  led the charge  to destroy the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

Saving Christians from a False View of the Church

In Namibia  we   find   a number  of  false views  concerning the  nature   of the church,  and the place of the church in the  life of the believer.

1.   “I do not question  the   beliefs and practises of my church. Into this church I was born and in this church  I  will die.  I am comfortable  here. I do not question my leaders. I accept their teachings uncritically.”  This view  is very common. It is  often associated with  those who  are ‘pew warmers’  and traditionalists  who  have adopted   the mentality - “but-we-have-always-done-it- this-way!”  They tend to be  passive, non-interactive, non-thinking  types who only grow upset when their comfortable routines  are upset!

Omajova mushrooms  grow during the rainy season 

2.   "I have been hurt in the church. Therefore, I will never again  entrust myself  to any  church. I believe in God, but I do not believe in the (local) church. Therefore I will do my own thing." This  view also constitutes a fairly big group.  There are undoubtedly many  casualties  of spiritual abuse in our country, since in Namibia we have a large  group of unruly, undisciplined  churches  which tend  to  grow like  our  large Omajova  mushrooms out of a termite hill – literally overnight! These churches are focussed on  big personalities  rather than on the rule of Christ and His Word in the church.Man-centered churches ultimately always hurt people. This is a serious problem,  and if hurt, it may take years for people to regain their confidence in the local church. But the point is that they must regain their confidence in the local church by joining a church where Christ is  loved and  where Christ is preached.  

3.   "The local church  is an optional extra  for me: First  comes my family, then my leisure, then my work  and if there is  time left … the local church! " This group  has many  adherents in  Namibia. They quickly infect  other church members  with this sort of warped logic. The truth is that Christ  and His church (if it is a Christ centered church)  cannot be divided, any  more than a head may be severed from a body. The man who despises the church despises Christ. This is what many  people are practically  doing in our country. They are dividing what God has joined together.   Granted, it takes  effort  to  learn what the Scripture teaches  about  the union of  Christ and  His body – but learn we must! We shall grow cold in our love for Christ without the church  on earth.  

I am aware of the fact that there are those who would  insert  many buts  into  what I am saying here, and you may of course have  good grounds to disagree.   I want you however  consider the fact that the church  is not your idea.

It is God’s  idea!  So, if you disagree, the best  place to start is not with your own opinions, nor with your denominational comfort zones.

You need to ask,  “What is  God’s  opinion of the church?”[1]. Consider then  God’s  view of the church.  He has, after all, the last Word!

1. The glory of the church is seen in her election by God (Eph.  1: 3 - 6). Whatever the Lord God has set His deliberate love upon from "before the foundation of the world" must be surely of supreme importance to Him.

2.  The glory of the church is seen in the great cost with which she was bought. (Eph 1:7; 5:25; 1 Pet 1:18, 19). We often assess the value of an object by what it costs. God bought the church by the blood of His own Son.  (1 Jn 4:9)

3.  The glory of the church is seen in the adoption of her members as children of God (Eph 1:5; Rom 8:15-17). Through adoption, we are assured of our full standing  as legitimate children. God's people are called a "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession". (1 Peter 2:9).  God's people are children of the heavenly King!

4.  The glory of the church is seen in her splendid and marvellous inheritance (Eph 1:14,18; Rom 8:17, 18). As adopted children  the members of the church are heirs to a multitude of blessings. We have eternal life and the hope of living in the eternal presence of God. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee for this.

5.  The glory of the church is seen in the wonderful purpose and central place she has in the plan of God. Through the church God intends to display to the world  the glory of His love and grace (Eph. 1:6, 14; 2:7; 3:10, 11, 12). The church is at the heart of God’s plan (Eph. 1:9,10). Out of the ruins of fallen humanity, God is building a people for Himself .(Eph. 2:15).

6.   The glory of the church is seen in the glory of her head, the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22, 23; Col 1:15 - 19). Jesus is supreme above all. He is altogether glorious, and the church (as His body) therefore shares in this glory (Eph. 4:15, 16 5:29, 30). The glory of the church cannot be understood apart from the glory of her head.

7.  The glory of the church may be seen in the fact that she enjoys the personal and powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13,14)

8.  The glory of the church may be seen in her true holiness (Eph. 1:4; 2:21; 5:26, 27). The church is 'separated' from the world for God's glory. It is through holy lives that the saints of God reflect His image (Eph. 4:24).

9. The glory of the church may be seen in her nearness and access to God. (Eph. 2:13,18; 3:12). No-one, except the church has unrestricted access to God. The church lives in present fellowship with God.

10.The glory of the church may be seen in her spiritual knowledge of all the mysteries of the gospel. (Eph. 1:9; 3:2-5). Only the people of God, by faith in Jesus Christ have a true understanding of the things of God. They have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:6) and the anointing of God.  (1 Jn. 2:20,27)

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[1] ADAPTED FROM Daniel Wray: "The Importance of the Local Church"

SAVING CHRISTIANS : Why is the Charismatic Movement Thriving in Africa?

Pastors (l-r) Mwashekele , Rieck ,Mbewe 

The article below is reprinted with permission by the author, Pastor Conrad Mbewe  of the Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka , Zambia  
The matter  which he addresses  here is vitally important, and he is speaking for all concerned Christians in Africa .
Pastor Mbewe has  recently spoken on this subject  at the Strange Fire Conference  in  the USA. 

Why is the Charismatic Movement Thriving in Africa?

Many explanations have been given for the explosion of the Charismatic movement in Africa. Many have seen this as a powerful visitation of the Holy Spirit. Whereas there is probably more than one reason, I want to add my own observation to this for what it is worth. In this blog post, I do not refer to the old conservative form of Pentecostalism once represented by the Assemblies of God churches. I have in mind the current extreme form that is mushrooming literally under every shrub and tree in Africa. How can one explain this phenomenon?

I think that one reason why the Charismatic movement in Africa has been like a wild bushfire is because it has not challenged the African religious worldview but has instead adopted it. It has simply baptised it with Bible verses and Christian words that previously meant something totally different.

The African Spiritual Worldview

Let me explain what I mean. The African spiritual worldview consists of four tiers.

1. God

_________________________

2. Angels and demons

_________________________

3. Ancestral spirits

_________________________

4. Human beings

It is because of this reality that Africans do not question the existence of God, as is the case with many people in the Western world. To an African, God is there. He is the Creator and ultimate Governor and Benefactor of the whole universe.

Rather, in our spiritual worldview, although God is there he is very far away. Between him and us as human beings lie two layers in the spirit world. One is that of angels and demons (i.e. bad angels) and the other—which is even closer to us—is that of the spirits of the departed.

So, although God is a benevolent, loving, and caring Being, unless the beings that dwell in these two layers that lie between him and us are appeased, his blessings cannot reach us. It is, therefore, important to appease the ancestral spirits and defeat the demons. Only after that will God’s blessings come upon us.

This is where in African traditional religions witchdoctors come in. They are the people with the mysterious power to break through these two layers. They tell us what we must do in order to appease the spirits of our forefathers. They also engage the demons for us through their midnight trances, dances, and incense.

So, a person who is beset with perennial illnesses, failing to get a job, failing to find a spouse or to have children, whose business is failing to thrive, etc., simply goes to the witchdoctor who alone has the key to look into the spirit world. He is told that it is either a deceased person or an evil spirit who is frustrating him.

Sometimes the enemy is a person who is alive. However, the reason why this living individual seems to have a mysterious hold over your life is because he has plugged into those two layers (of either dead ancestors or evil spirits) and you have not. With the help of a powerful witchdoctor you can outsmart him in those two layers, and the blessings of God can once again begin to flow into your life.

Whichever way, the power of the witchdoctor is not in explaining truth but in mindless frenzy. His grip upon the popular mind is his eerie mysteriousness and his capacity to knock you out of your senses and then pronounce you delivered. Of course, this is never done by benevolence. You pay for his services.

The Charismatic Movement’s Rendition

I do not mean to be unkind, but what the modern Charismatic movement in Africa has done is to simply take this entire erroneous superstructure of African religious worldview and baptise it with wrongly applied Bible verses and Christian language. The only difference is that the layer of dead ancestors and evil spirits is now one hotchpotch of confusion. This is why the nonsense of demons becoming spirit husbands and wives, and wrecking havoc in marriages, is taken for granted! This is also why the heresy of generation curses has become so popular. In our minds, bad luck can be passed on from that layer of dead ancestors.

In the African Charismatic circles, the “man of God” has replaced the witchdoctor. He is the one who oozes with mysterious power that enables him to break through those two impregnable layers, which us lesser mortals cannot penetrate. So, when blessings are not flowing our way despite our prayers, we make a beeline to his quarters or his church for help. This explains the throngs in these circles. The crowds are not looking for someone to explain to them the way to find pardon with God. No! They want the “man of God” to pray for them.

This also explains the stranglehold that “men of God” have on the minds of their devotees in these circles. In the Evangelicalism of a former generation “men of God” were primarily preachers of the word of God, but in the new setup they are primarily priests who enter the inner sanctuaries to bring down blessings to us.

This also explains why the answer to almost any problem that you take to these “men of God” is “deliverance” and “breakthrough”. God wants to bless you, but you need to break through these impregnable layers before those blessings can reach you. The prayers of the “man of God” will bring deliverance because at the overnight prayer meeting or on the hill he will bring about a breakthrough. Who can doubt that these two phrases have become the key words of this movement?

This also explains why prayer in the modern Charismatic movement in Africa is literally a fight. In fact, the people praying are called "prayer warriors". Although they begin by addressing God, within the first few seconds they divert from God and begin to fight the spirits in these impregnable layers with their bare knuckles. The language is almost always, "We bind every unclean spirit in Jesus' name! We loose the Spirit that breaks the yoke in Jesus' name!" 

The "prayer warriors" scream at the top of their voices and chant the name of Jesus. They sweat as they put up a gallant fight with these spirits, straining every muscle of their beings until they prevail (so they think). That is when they reach through to God and his blessings begin to flow. This is nothing more than the African traditional religious worldview sprinkled with a thin layer of Christianity.

Notice also how teaching is not the strength of the modern Charismatic movement in Africa. Its chief proponents survive on a few, well-worn, tortured verses: “By his stripes we are healed,” “We are not the tail but the head,” etc. There is absolutely no effort to properly exegete Scripture. Rather, by chanting phrases and making people drop under some trance, in witchdoctor fashion, they are holding sway over the popular mind. The people love it and are paying for it! The “men of God” are becoming stinking rich as the crowds just keep on coming.

This is not Christianity

What worries me is that this is so obvious that I am wondering why we are not seeing this. Or if we are, why we are not warning Christians against this. For the love of crowds, we have allowed African traditional religion to enter the church through the back door. Like the Arabian camel, it has since kicked out the truth. This is why I am not excited by the multiplication of churches—or ministries—under this banner.

We need to sound the warning that this is not Christianity. I know that this approach is filling our church buildings and classrooms to overflowing, until we have to multiply church services in order to accommodate the crowds. But this is not Christianity. It does not lead to heaven. It is a thin coating over the religion that has been on African soil for time immemorial, which Christianity was meant to replace. We have lost the Christian faith while we are holding the Bible in our hands and using some of its words. This is really sad.

The religion of the Bible does not teach a God who is so far away from us that unless some powerful humans come in and give us a breakthrough he cannot bless us. No! The Bible teaches a God who is near us. The only barrier between God and us is our sin, and Jesus has dealt with that by his death on the cross.

When we pray, we are in the throne room of divine grace talking directly to God. We do not need to address demons and ancestral spirits before we break through to him. We do not need to chant and jump around like witchdoctors around their fire under the midnight moonlight. God is our heavenly Father. Only our sin can hinder our prayers.

Listen! Angels and demons exist, but they are not an impregnable spiritual strata that needs someone reeking with anointing to breakthrough their layer before we can access God’s blessing. They are simply beings that either carry out God’s commands or the devil’s commands. They are not between God and us!

Finally, we do not need “men of God” to lay hands on us every Sunday (or at Friday overnight prayer meetings, or on hills in the outskirts of our cities) in order for us to know God’s blessings. There is only one Mediator between God and us—it is the man, Christ Jesus. All others are imposters and must be rejected with the contempt they deserve. 

[Included afterwards: Many individuals and organisations that run websites and blogs have asked me for permission to repost this article. Permission is granted, as long as due acknowledgement is made of the author and original blog post. Thank you for your interest in getting the word out!]

Saving Christians from Liberal Theology

        

“If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

I want to make something very clear from the outset. My current series of blogs entitled “Saving Christians from…” is not motivated by a spirit of fear or negativism. I am a Christian in the Reformed mould,  which means that I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God and in the present reign of Jesus who is in the process of subduing this world for His own glory. I do not embrace a negative eschatology (no … I am not post millennial!) but I am absolutely convinced  about the final outcome: "Jesus shall reign wherever the sun does its successive journeys run." 

Yet, at the same time I am also called of God to be an under- shepherd with the duty to preach and teach His Word and to warn His flock on earth concerning all sorts of heretical teachers and deceitful tendencies which threaten to take them away from the gospel truth as it is in Jesus. I write of course from a Namibian perspective. 

In this blog I want to write about an ideological/philosophical movement that affects Namibians, and it is broadly termed ‘Liberalism’ (from the Latin liberalis). Liberalism is primarily a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality and mostly rooted in the French Revolution (1789). Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally they support ideas such as free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property. Now, in and of itself there is nothing wrong with these ideals. In fact, Christians would welcome these ideals. Freedom is after all a Christian core value! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! (Gal 5:1) 

However, here is the problem as I see it. The French Revolution not only stood for freedom from all sorts of burdensome   constraints imposed by kings, rulers and the Roman Catholic church, but the French Revolution in its quest for liberty also sought to divest itself of God and the Scriptures! It clearly threw out the baby with the bathwater and in that process the French Revolution became the exporter of pure humanism, which is a deeply flawed system. 

Liberalism then, being a worldview,  has  also   exported itself into the context of theology. As a result we speak today of ‘Liberal theology’ and of ‘Liberation Theology’ and of 'Progressive Christianity' [1] and of religious ‘Modernism’ and ‘Post Modernism’. Religious liberalism is indeed   a multifaceted phenomenon, but the common denominator is, that it seeks to ‘liberate’ Christianity from the authority of Christ and the written Word of Christ.  Now, if Christ is not a real King,  and His Word not a real and true word, then what do we have?  The net  effect, I would argue, is that our Namibian Christianity has become ‘toothless’ and powerless. Sitting recently in the company  of  a group of politicians   I was told that they did not see the church  as an  effective  agent for change in Namibia.  

Many years ago a 20th century prophet A.W. Tozer (1897 – 1963) wrote an essay entitled “The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches“. In  this essay  he  wrote:

"The present position of Christ in the … churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited, constitutional monarchy. The king…. is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a flag or a national anthem. He is lauded, feted and supported, but his real authority is small. Nominally he is head over all, but in every crisis someone else makes the decisions. On formal occasions he appears in his royal attire to deliver the tame, colorless speech put into his mouth by the real rulers of the country. The whole thing may be no more than good-natured make-believe, but it is rooted in antiquity, it is a lot of fun and no one wants to give it up."

Here is my application:  The Namibian Church ought to be very concerned about the waning authority of Christ and His Word (the Bible) in every church and denomination. This is how we know that the authority of Christ and the Bible is slipping in our churches :

1. The waning authority of Christ in the modern (new) churches:

Here reference is made to the churches that have sprung up comparatively recently (i.e. in the late 20th century ) 

•  Much of church leadership is not Christ centered but man centered. It is men and women with big titles (Reverend , Bishop , Apostle) that rule the church by their own authority , and not under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ . 
• Much of church worship is not Christ centered but man centered.                  Many Namibian churches engage in no serious attempt to make the Word of God known to their congregations. Much of what is called ‘preaching’ is based on the imitation of messages preached by American mega church leaders and worse still, the imitation of the American health- wealth and prosperity teachers. Messages resemble ‘motivational speaking’ characterized by modern business gurus, and ‘pop psychology’, which is a rehash of Dr. Phil and Oprah Winfrey and the likes , dressed up in Christian language.  Most often it is not Christ and His word proclaimed that attracts people to the church. It is music and innovative stage productions that draw people who want to be entertained. In Namibia, endless choir items, liturgical dances etc. tend to crowd out the place of the preached word. In many Namibian churches you will find no systematic and public reading of the Bible in worship, but you will find plenty of testimonies that glorify men and not God. 

2. The waning authority of Christ in the (old) mainline churches 

There is yet another form of the waning authority of Christ and His Word in the Namibian churches, and it relates mainly to the historic mainline churches. 

Some of the old mainline churches  tend to buy into the 'new and innovative  seeker sensitive Christian  fashions'  that abound in American churches like  Willow Creek and Saddleback. These are all cheap substitutes for the  true life of the church which consists in  godly wrestling with the Scriptures from the pulpit  and  in prayer. Both of these disciplines are fading  as innovation wins the day. 

My point has been that liberal theology destroys the heart of the biblical gospel by tampering with Christ and by tampering with the authority of the Bible. Here are some specific things I have seen  and heard : 

• “the Bible is not the Word of God – the Bible becomes the Word of God as it encounters me”. This is  a position known as Neo-orthodoxy. It is not a very common teaching in Namibia  but it is there. Neo –Orthodoxy teaches that the Bible is a medium of revelation, while orthodoxy believes it is revelation. To the neo-orthodox theologian, revelation depends on the experience (or personal interpretation) of each individual. The Bible only “becomes” the Word of God when God uses its words to point someone to Christ. The details of the Bible are not as important as having a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Our comment is that this is not the historic position of the church which has always held that the Bible is the Word of God. The Word of God IS true whether I believe it or not. It stands outside of myself and it has the authority to judge me, whether I experience that fact or not. 
• Another contemporary challenge to mainline Christian churches is the Jesus Seminar, which has some popular adherents in South Africa and Namibia. Some of the teachings of the Jesus Seminar include : Jesus of Nazareth’s mother's name was Mary, and he had a human father whose name may not have been Joseph;  Jesus practiced faith healing without the use of ancient medicine or magic, relieving afflictions we now consider psychosomatic;  He did not walk on water, feed the multitude with loaves and fishes, change water into wine or raise Lazarus from the dead; Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem and crucified by the Romans. He was executed as a public nuisance, not for claiming to be the Son of God;  The empty tomb is a fiction – Jesus was not raised bodily from the dead. Belief in the resurrection is based on the visionary experiences of Paul, Peter and Mary. 

Clearly, such an undermining of Christ and of the clear words of Christ in the Bible in the name of what is commonly called ‘scholarship’ and ‘academic integrity’ and ‘the new hermeneutic‘ can devastate the faith of many a simple believer, and many such believers have therefore begun to leave such churches where these things are being taught. 

In another article I would like to comment on the latest fad within the broader realm  of liberal theology - Post modernism, which builds on much that I have said here, and which needs a more thorough treatment. 

Conclusion : Saving Namibian Christians from Liberalism 

The matter at hand is extremely serious, and it shows in our society. Liberal theology in its many forms is deeply subversive, undermining the foundations of the historical Christian faith, and “if the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3) 

The big problem with liberalism , both of the new and the old kind is that it robs us of the authority of Christ and His word, and  the question is  again - if we have no biblical Christ and no sufficient word, then what do we have?

We observe the impact that liberalism and neo- liberal ideas have on the church. We see how it lowers the spiritual temperature of the churches. We see it in the way in which our churches have very little real impact upon our society. We observe therefore that the standard response of churches who no longer believe in the authority of Christ and the sufficiency of His Word,  is to get churches involved in social projects that have an appearance of relevance in the community.  Nobody despises soup kitchens and the clothing the poor and the looking after orphans and widows. These are indeed the out-workings of a biblical faith, but this is not the core activity of the church. It flows from the core activity of the church, which is the preaching of the gospel, with conviction, clarity and utter confidence that Jesus will change the heart of the man or woman who will look to Him and believe in Him. 

Our churches are not primarily social clubs or social welfare organisations. Churches are life- saving stations where sinners are mended and healed to be offered up for service to this broken world in the Name of Jesus our King! 

And our service always begins with the Word of God. 

May God deliver us from liberal theology that detaches our hearts from Christ and His Word. 

[1] Progressive Christianity, a 20th-century theology of contemporary Protestant Christianity characterized by willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity with a strong emphasis on social justice or care for the poor and the oppressed and environmental stewardship of the Earth.

SAVING CHRISTIANS FROM A FALSE VIEW OF BAPTISM

"Go therefore  and make disciples  of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching  them to observe all that I have commanded you.” 
(Matthew  28:19,20)

“Brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts  2:38)

“Do you not know  that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus have been baptised into His death? We were buried therefore with Him  by His baptism into death, in order that , just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” 
(Romans  6:3-4)

“Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be to the person baptized a sign of fellowship with Christ in his death and resurrection, of being grafted into him, of remission of sins, and of giving up oneself to God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life.”  (1689 Baptist Confession of Faith)

This series of blog postings  is intended to draw attention to  teachings  and practices  in the church in Namibia  that undermine the  progress of the gospel in Namibia.  In this exercise I am not attempting to draw out  splinters  from  my brother’s eye, whilst having a log in my own.  My desire  is to let  the Scriptures judge us, and in this process  I too need to be self -critical  rather than judgmental.

This week I   want  look at the subject of  ‘false baptisms’. I know that this term sounds a little clumsy. Here is what I mean. Baptism is frequently  administered  in our country  as a  ‘saving ordinance’. Namibian Christians   from  all  kinds of denominations   believe that  ‘baptism’  is  the pathway to heaven. They would not  put it like that, but they act like that.  I have had  people approach me  over many years  with  requests  for  baptism,  which I believe were based more on superstition than biblical  warrant.

Let me begin with ourselves – the Baptists, and include here also  the Charismatics and Pentecostals, since they generally follow the  practice of   what has been  often termed here as  “adult baptism”.  There was a time in the early nineties  when some American Baptist missionaries  in Namibia determined their church growth statistics  by ‘baptisms’. I understand the logic  behind this - after all, every believer should also be baptized,  but the problem is that in many ways  baptism then   became synonymous  with conversion.

The biblical view is that  while baptism is strongly linked to conversion, it follows conversion. Baptism  is the sign and symbol  that we have been converted, but in and of itself it  has no  saving power. Christ alone  saves, and  Christ commands that those who have been saved should be baptized thereafter !   

In certain areas  of our country,  Baptist churches, as a result of  this false emphasis, practice   the adult equivalent of the Roman Catholic baptism    whereby a baptized child becomes a Christian. This is called ‘baptismal regeneration’. Certain denominations  not strongly represented in Namibia (e.g. the Church of Christ)  believe and practice baptismal regeneration.  We  should  not only strongly disagree with such a practice, we should call it a heresy!  The point is that  this  emphasis  on baptism substitutes  the biblical  emphasis  for genuine repentance  and conversion before  baptism is administered.

Another variation of this practice  in Baptist circles is where  baptism is preceded  by a  shallow, superficial, mechanistic  confession (often based on the four spiritual laws) , followed by a quick baptism which leaves  the subject as  unconverted as the chair they are sitting on! I believe that  many Baptists in America have suffered from  this syndrome, the result  which has produced  huge  nominalism in the church. So much then for the Baptists!

What about the  Paedo Baptists?  They   are those who practice infant baptism as opposed to  ‘believer’s baptism  (which may include the baptism of believing children). The major  denominations in Namibia  in this category are Lutheran, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist  and  the  Dutch Reformed grouping of churches.

In my opinion  these  denominations find themselves  in  an equally  difficult  dilemma. The very nature  of  infant baptism opens  a huge door for  compromising the gospel. No matter  how  seriously the best of  our paedo- Baptist brethren  take the faith of  the parents who dedicate their little ones sincerely  to the Lord, in the sure and certain knowledge that they will be granted  eternal life, and this upon the  covenantal  faithfulness of God  (all true!)  - in practice this is not how it actually works out. I know, for I myself have  been the product  of this  thought system, and  God  saved me  through  the evangelistic gospel preaching of a paedo – baptist pastor of the Church of England in South Africa (REACH), whereupon I was  baptized 2 years later in a Baptist Church.  

My  Lutheran and Dutch Reformed colleagues  often complain of  huge nominalism in their  churches. Their sheep are  not acting like  sheep. This has an enormous impact upon the vitality and spiritual strength of their churches. In my opinion, their  practice of infant baptism significantly contributes to  this problem, for the covenantal view associated  with their baptisms  is  regarded as  more important than the biblical imperative   to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ !

What is the problem here?  It is once again a false view of baptism  and it is killing the church by degrees, because  the  churches are being  populated by goats and not by sheep!  If my analysis is correct, this  means that a great majority of Namibian Christianity is  afflicted  by  a false view on the efficacy  of  baptism.  

I believe in  the holy ordinance  of baptism with all my heart - but if  the  Bible  and our Confession of Faith is  clear  on this matter (and they are), then  my prayer is this,

“Sovereign Lord, graciously save our nation from false views of baptism“.   .

Saving Christians From Joyce Meyer

• “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!“ (Acts 2:40)
• “Keep a close watch  on  yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim 4:16)
• “My brothers if anyone among  you wanders from  the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings  back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul  from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”  (James 5:19,20)
• “And have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire…” (Jude v.23)

This will be the first blog in a series in which I wish to  address  a matter on my heart.

In surveying the church scene  in Namibia,  I  have  said  on a number of occasions to  fellow pastors and   elders, “One of our greatest  duties  in these  days is to ‘save’  Christians!“  I  am not, of course suggesting  at all  that  we  can add to the great saving work of Christ.  Christ alone  saves us and justifies us. PERIOD!

The saving work   to which  I refer here, and which  is  referred to  in the  texts cited above, relates to the work of biblical shepherding  by pastors. It  also relates to  the brotherly care and concern  which any Christian should have when he or she sees a fellow believer  drifting into  sin and doctrinal error. Here is my first concern concern. Many  Namibian Christians   are enamoured  by the  teachings  of mainly (though not exclusively) American prosperity teachers. Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Frederick  Price, Kenneth Copeland, Myles Munroe. These all have  have a substantial following  in our  country.  We also have Pastor Chris and T.B. Joshua, Ray Mc Cauley   who are the African versions of  the Prosperity teachers.  The average Christian  on the street  hardly examines  nor  questions  their teachings.      

A number of  Namibian churches are currently preparing  for  the visit of Joyce Meyer to this country in 2014. If I understand  the above quoted texts correctly,   then  I believe that  biblical Christians have a duty  to  save  those caught in the web of deceit  of these prosperity teachers. I have studied the roots of the prosperity  movement  (The Word of Faith) movement  for more  than 25 years, and I conclude with many others  that this is, frankly speaking, ‘a different gospel’   (Galatians 1:6).  I know that  this posting is not going to make me popular, but I have  come to the conclusion that if I do not warn you, I will be an unfaithful shepherd,  leaving you in the hands of these fierce  wolves. (Acts 20 :29-35)

The following  material   is an excerpt from  a blog article  written by   Rick Henderson. You can read the  complete  blog posting at  http://churchismessy.com/2013/08/05/why-i-called-out-joel-osteen-and-joyce-meyer/   
My purpose is to alert you to the person and teaching of Joyce Meyer.  

Rick Henderson writes...

When I first heard her tell her story I was deeply moved and impressed.  She is an amazing example of overcoming hurts and abuse.  She will forever have my admiration and respect in that regard. Furthermore, she gives spectacular advice.  If my wife or if one of my daughters went to her in a moment of crisis, I believe they would return with magnificently helpful advice.  If they went to her for teaching, they would return with deadly heresy.

False Doctrine

1.  She teaches that Jesus literally stopped being the Son of God on the cross:  http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-6-joyce-meyer.mp3

“He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn’t do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin.”   Joyce Meyer

2.  She teaches that Jesus went to Hell and became the first-born again man: http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-7-joyce-meyer.mp3

“Do you know something? The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again. Now that was real it happened when he was in hell.”

3.  She teaches that Jesus paid for our sins in hell  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNfOaxIcOM

“There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell”  Joyce Meyer (The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make) 

4.  She teaches that words have power and you can release the power of Heaven through your words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DInxKmfgts0

5.  She teaches that you need special revelation from God to understand what she teaches because it is NOT contained in the  Bible:     http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-2-joyce-meyer.mp3

“The Bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really. That’s why you’ve got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I’m telling you. I’ve got to just trust God that He’s putting it into your spirit like He put it into mine.”  Joyce Meyer (What Happened from the Cross to The Throne? audio)  

http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-4-joyce-meyer.mp3

“Now spirits don’t have bodies, so we can’t see them. Okay? There probably is, I believe there is, and I certainly hope there is several angels up here this morning that are preaching with me. I believe that right before I speak some anointed statement to you, that one of them bends over and says in my ear what I’m supposed to say to you.”  Joyce Meyer (Witchcraft & Related Spirits (Part 1) – 2 A-27 Audiotape)

6.  She teaches that she is no longer a sinner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmHJdM63hk

I could continue with examples of her utter misuse of scripture, false teaching and blatant heresy.  In America, Christians have an embarrassment of riches.  We can buy more books, download more podcasts and tune into more helpful teachers than anyone else on the planet.  The lies that she teaches are easily lost in the hum of all the great teachers we hear.  But this is not the case in the third world.

In many other countries their resources are far fewer.  Uneducated pastors, who are doing their very best and uninformed Christians have this garbage pumped into their countries through radio waves and TV broadcasts.   Because Joyce Meyer is endorsed here, she is trusted there.  And, she can afford to spread her message with the money she makes from American Christians who buy her books, CDs and who attend her conferences.  Her influence is severely disrupting the church in the third world.  Her teachings are the unfortunate starting point for Christians in the third world and it is birthing even greater heresies.

The devastating reality that we have to come to grips with is that when we support her here, we support the churches she is undoing there.

Financial Concerns

There is nothing wrong with being wealthy.  I love it when Christians are rich.  That should mean more money to fund the mission.  But there is a line to how much money we as leaders should spend on ourselves.  I don’t know where the line is, but it is somewhere before the ministry purchasing million dollar homes for us and our kids.  That line is somewhere before purchasing us a $10 million private jet.  The line is somewhere before the ministry spending $261, 498 for 68 pieces of furniture.  That equates to $3,845.56 per item.  That line is somewhere before spending so egregiously that the U.S. Senate investigates us.  Joyce Meyer lands on the other side of that line.

The following link includes audio from Joyce Meyer.  Around 5:30 she is asked if people will get more money back to them if they give financially to her  ministry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlWQsoA7D24

Not only does she teach giving as a way to leverage more money from God, she is reckless with desperate people.  She is not at all concerned if people give to her instead of paying bills.  This is intolerable!

Questionable Example and Lack of Accountability

I challenge you to watch a typical message by Joyce Meyer.  Here are a few of things you will notice:

·       She pauses about every 5 minutes for applause.  And if people don’t applaud she is likely to say something like, “I’m preaching better than you’re acting.”

·       She talks about herself constantly.  She is the main character in every story she tells.  Even when she talks about herself in a self-deprecating way, some how it comes across in a way that causes people to admire her more.

·       God talks to her and reveals new information to her…a lot!

Her ministry lacks real accountability.  Her family and her close friends are the governing board. This is an organization that receives almost $100 million dollars annually, and with no substantive accountability.

Conclusion 

What I wrote and linked in the first section should have been enough to completely remove her from our sphere of trust.  

·       Her doctrine is horrific.  

·       Her hermeneutics are horrible.  

·     She is a woman who seems to have an unrestrained love for money and applause.  Her finances are questionable at best.  

·       Her example is questionable at best.  

·    Her impact on desperate people here, as well as churches and pastors around the globe is wildly destructive.

I lament with you a sense of loss if she was a teacher you trusted.  I lament that someone who is so wrong has so much influence with so many.  I do not regret, however, pointing to her as a false teacher and as one who should be rejected.