Recently, in a national publication, I was personally characterized as “controversial”. While the name appears to have been meant as a put-down, I took it instead as a compliment. The denomination in which I was raised sprang from the liberal fundamentalist wars of the 20's and 30's. Almost every leader in that movement was characterized as being controversial, as well as a few other names not fit to print. Among those movers and shakers was Dr. Robert Ketcham. He was only one of many, but those who disliked him would have branded him controversial.

        People hated Dr. Ketcham not only because he was a dynamic leader, but because of what he taught. The lines were clear between the apostates who led the Northern Baptist Convention and the fundamentalists, but that was not the problem. The real trouble came from those who wanted to blur the lines. The “peacenicks” were bent on keeping unbelief wedded to Bible authority, while the controversial fundamentalists were bound and determined to put some distance between themselves and the infidels in the old NBC. They did manage to accomplish that goal.

        Those with a strong commitment (tagged as controversial) usually remain in the leadership of a movement. The history of every movement demonstrates that it will fade from the scene in due time. The reasons for this may be numerous, but it always seems to occur when “peacenicks” have gained control. At first, it is just one or two hands away from the apostates. Next comes the slow, but deliberate, attempt to close the gap. At that point, any opposition is contemptuously labeled "controversial". I suggest you reread the Shepherd’s Staff entitled The Dog Returns to Its Vomit.

        The major error among those who are blind to the move toward apostasy is their lack of knowledge and commitment to Biblical theology. They usually know about the Bible, but do not know the Bible. Lest I be misunderstood...I certainly do not consider myself to have attained anything akin to the greatness of Dr. Ketcham. On the other hand, I am thankful that at least a few simple minds might see fit to place me among the controversial.

        The sad end of all of this is that never in the history of denominations has one of them succeeded in fully stopping their return to apostasy. Please don’t waste your computer battery on the SBC; that situation is a perfect illustration of my point.

        Last month's journal brought another tidal wave of communication. Thank you for your input, and please forgive me for not acknowledging all your kind comments. That discussion did bring something else to the surface: God has made each of us different from everyone else. It's not just our fingerprints; though we all have some similarities, God, in His sovereign purpose, has prepared each of us to minister for Him. The same is true of spiritual gifts, given to enable us to glorify God in our service.

        We are aware that our makeup and our gifts have both positive and negative implications, and using them in balance makes for powerful local churches. This necessitates patience and consideration with fellow servants, but I must confess that people with gifts such as mercy tend to irritate me. That is good, however, in that I must learn to depend upon the grace of God to respect their way of life and ministry. Their responsibility is to keep their gift in balance, and mine is to maintain a proper perspective..

        All of this to say that I am fully aware that others may often be irritated with people who are designed by God to be foretellers. (Notice, I did not say forthtellers.) Some feel the need to take issue with folks like myself who are always at the issue of right and wrong, truth and error. What you read in these pages is a direct result of the way God framed me. I will be quick to say that the Shepherd's Staff is not inspired, nor do I claim final authority, so thank you for your responses - both negative and positive.

        Years ago, my wife encouraged me to read The Hiding Place. I remember an incident in the life of Corrie Tenboom when she was attending a service at the church her brother pastored. In his message, he warned of the impending doom flowing from Germany. Corrie said it was clear that, as the parishioners left the church, they had no interest whatever in their pastor's warning. At this point in history, we now realize that her brother was right.

        Many people today seem to feel that America is sacred and blessed by God and that an Islamic takeover is not a possibility. To assume that that cruel religion cannot, or will not, do so is extremely dangerous. In fact, as President Lincoln once said, it is foolish to assume anything. This nation has the blood of babies and the stain of sodomy on its hands. We may not like to think about it, but how can anyone possibly ignore the judgment that is sure to come to this once great land of ours. Do you assume that America is a Christian nation? I disagree. In the main, it is a wicked and apostate nation. The religion of our land has put man into the place of God, as is documented every day on the TV. Humanism is taught in the state school sector. Everyone else is free to force their religions on others, while Christianity has become the only permissible target.

        Part of the problem with Christians is that we too often tend to be in the dark intellectually. A pop culture has taken over American Christianity. There is no excuse for ignorance of history and law, but o hear evangelicals and fundamentalists talk, one might suppose that the Supreme Court really does have the final word. If the U.S. Supreme Court is sovereign, then who is God? What happens when the high court breaks the law, which today it does regularly? Not only does it violate the law of the Sovereign Creator, but also the highest law of the land.

        None of this should come as a surprise to us. Liberals have always been a law unto themselves, which makes sense because they tend to think they are God. There is no difference between religious and political liberals, because both think the same way. Courts have no authority to rewrite the law, but they do it every year and no one holds them accountable because the legal system in the U.S. has been so corrupted. Think about it for a minute - to read the reports, you would think that an attorney’s task is to get guilty clients off the hook! And that does indeed happen every day!

        Judges break the law by changing it, while their real job is supposed to be upholding it. A lawyer’s responsibility is to see that the accused is treated fairly and given a sentence that is equal to his/her crime. I can tell you that God does not consider it at all amusing when some shrewd legal dude gets a murderer off. In the Supreme Court of the Universe, we are not “innocent until proven guilty”, as is the rule of human courts. When one person murders another, he is guilty. Period. He is guilty even if a court breaks the law and lets him go free.

        Human government is ordained of God, but government is not God. The real lawbreaker is not that Christian who dares to challenge bad government and its bad decisions. That Christian is not “anti-government”, as the liberal line goes. The real lawbreakers, the ones who are really anti-government, are those who have been charged to govern, but fail to do so. God has ordained government, and it is good. That does not mean, however, that He either approves of bad government or calls it good.

        That Christians are willing to support lawbreakers amazes me, though I suppose I should not be surprised. Anyone who professes Christ, but considers a church constitution to be an authority higher than the Bible, has the same liberal mindset. I would guess that, if a person can’t get it right about the Bible being the highest authority, he will also have difficulty viewing the Sovereign Creator as the highest authority. What we have here is an illustration of neo-liberalism deeply rooted in the evangelical and fundamental movements.

        From time to time I offer things for you to consider. With a sense of confidence I encourage you to take a look at a website. Here is a source of Christian literature that will be helpful to you. As you will see you can use this site to purchase my own helpful book on the controversial subject of church polity, The Weeping Church.     With Integrity.org