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Shepherd's Staff is edited by
Clay Nuttall, D.Min
Dr Clay Nuttall

WHEN PAGANS ARE IN CHARGE

It never has been my intention to write about the mundane and routine; this month's journal demonstrates that. Many of the problems in what we call "culture", or "society", have to do with who is in charge. The same is true of the church. In general, most problems stem from incompetent leadership.

In many cases, those in charge are pagans. Those who major in the "dumbing down" of sin will protest this. The politically correct use of "pagan" refers to the uncivilized and uneducated peoples in places such as the center of Africa or the islands of the sea. All right then, we will refer to our own pagan leaders as "civilized and educated pagans", but they are pagans nonetheless.

I can see that this subject is larger than the canvas I have to paint on here, so let me narrow it down to the matter of education.

BEFORE YOU JUMP THE GUN

I have been involved in education the better part of my life. Ignoring the first 13 years of my personal history, let me move to my formal education, including post-graduate work. I do not know that I could have, in the main, had better mentors. During those years and the ones that followed I was always involved, in one way or another, in varying levels of education. My experience as teacher, professor, administrator, and board member, as well as special assignments, served to teach me one thing - education and professional training are extremely important to anyone who desires to make the greatest impact on those around him. To put it plainly, I am not opposed to Biblically sound, valid educational excellence.

PAGANS IN CHARGE OF EDUCATION

I am opposed to much of what I have seen in education. The great majority of educational institutions and their educational processes are controlled by pagans. I know, they are civilized (sometimes) and educated, but they are pagans and are motivated by "a corrupt mind and a dead spirit". Jesus said it plainly, "Ye are of your father the devil". These are people who are "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:7). In Ephesians, Paul properly describes those educated pagans as "having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleaness with greediness"(Ephesians 4:1:18-19).

As unregenerate children of the devil, they are hopeless, helpless, blind, and wicked people whoseminds, as fools', are twisted and incapable of producing anything that will reflect the holiness of God. Everything they think or produce is tainted by their rejection of the Lord. I am sure you get my point.

Please tell me, then, why we depend on them to set standards and give us direction. Why do we allow them to write our textbooks and tell us what and how we are to teach? Why are we comfortable with having pagans in charge? Even more offensive is their abject arrogance and pride. They demand that their flawed thinking is absolute, which is humorous given that they reject absolutes. This group has captured the majority of the education process and by law continues to exclude anything that even faintly resembles truth from God's point of view.

Why do we ask the devil's children how to do the Lord's work? (I trust you know enough about the scripture to know that education is the Lord's work.) Why do we ask fools for wisdom? Why are we so fearful? Why are we so quick to surrender? Why do we not heed the warning, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosphy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and not after Christ"(Colossians 2:8)? Why do we teach their anti-Biblical and faulted theories in what we call "Christian" educational institutions? These include, but are not limited to, humanistic science, music, counseling, psychology, sociology, and other brands of psycho-heresy. Why do we defend such disobedience?

NOT TO WORRY

Don't worry - I know the answer. I wonder if you do? The problem is that so much of the religion of man, so much humanism, so much liberal doctrine has invaded our churches and our schools. The sin of inclusion is egregious enough. The terror of this issue is that so many of our brethren argue in favor of a blatant disregard of God's character and His revealed Word, all based on an erroneous view of God, man, sin, and holiness.

HANG ONTO YOUR HAT

According to my personal observations, the above is illustrated inside what we call "Christian Education". I do not mean that we have learned arrogance and pride from the pagans, but it seems that we feel justified - particularly in education - in picking up their evil habits.

Let me reflect on a major conference I attended. Most of the people involved in the program would be identified as educators. This is not the only illustration, but on several occasions, those who considered their discipline on a higher plane made fun of Systematic Theology and those in that field even though, obviously, some systematic theologians were present. It is understandable that each person is committed to his own field and views it as very important to the process; however, it requires unacceptable arrogance and pride to look down one's noseand mock another servant of God. That is particularly true, since history has shown that the discipline of those who criticized is the one that is most often corrupted to bring liberal doctrine onto the scene.

This same spirit exists in missions, where I have heard faithful church planters referred to as the "baggy pants" missionary crowd. There is no doubt that not all educational institutions have grown to academic excellence. Some may never reach that goal. On the other hand, the amount of arrogance and pride in this area is stunning. Having observed the impact of accreditation over a period of some 40 years, I realize that this is a hotbed for that kind of outlook. When pagans in charge of education exude such an attitude, one might be able to understand; however, when this happens in the company of the redeemed, someone has some explaining to do. The snobbery and ridicule is not a problem of the mind, but of the heart.

WHEN PAGANS ARE IN CHARGE

One of the problems is that, in an effort for professed "Christian" educational institutions to keep up with the pagans, they have actually hired them. I ask you to keep your eyes open. Note, if you will, how often people from our crowd quote religions pagans without a disclaimer. Many who still want to hang on to evangelicalism are often quoted, again with no disclaimer. This is often done in spite of the knowledge that those men hold liberal doctrines. Such men hold to "an open view of God", annihilationism, reformed theology, progressive dispensationalism, and other aberrant doctrines. The problem of giving credence to error is a real one. The question is, "will we be willing to recognize and oppose it or will we defend it"?

FAREWELL

I could have written some bland devotional that you hear repeated daily; rather, I have chosen to stir your mind on issues that may some day create great difficulty for any ministry you may have anywhere on this planet.

Dr. Clay Nuttall is on the staff at Piedmont Baptist College, Winston-Salem, NC.

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