Some Thoughts on Abusive Churches, part 1

I generally do not find myself to be much of a blogger, writer, or Facebooker for that matter.  However, from time to time I may post a song I find meaningful or a video or thought. You never know who might need a positive word or a smile along life’s journey.

Today I have a definite thought in mind about the search for truth in this life.  Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  We know of course that there is no way of salvation apart from Jesus- the truth of the gospel has the saving power, and provides us with eternal life. Let me just say Amen and Amen right there!

But what about our daily lives while we wait for the rapture or the end of this life? I believe that this verse is very powerful for meaning in our lives, and gives us the direction we need for growing closer to God.  We know that Jesus is the way to God. The Bible tells us that we should have the mind of Christ- think like He does and act the way that He would act. Thank God for the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do this (but it is a long journey, isn’t it?)!

Learning to have the mind of Christ brings us to the truth.  And we know that truth (and how to use it) brings us closer in our relationship with God.  I want to mention some observations that I have made about Christians and truth.

1. Many Christians will never take time to study for themselves to understand why they believe what they believe or if things that they have heard or read on the internet, in sermons, etc. is true.  This is very dangerous because we are very easily deceived in the PhotoShop and Internet age.  Computers are terrific at spreading good factual information, and just as efficient in spreading lies, gossip, slander, etc. I believe that every Christian should be motivated to discover what the truth is about something so they know that they are standing on a firm foundation in what they believe.

2. Many preachers and pastors will never take time to study for themselves to understand why they believe what they believe or if things that they have heard or read on the internet, in sermons, etc. is true.   There is a tendency in some Baptist churches to pass on bad information or fail to teach their people on a subject so that a level of understanding is reached.  This leaves the people at the mercy of the books the pastor recommends or information that they pick up from him that can be wrong.  There is a great danger in our churches when the pastor has not done his job in checking out the facts of a source before giving it his endorsement, whether intentional or unintentional, because this is how bad information is passed on to our people, who will parrot what they hear from the pulpit.  We should be teaching our people the facts, not putting on emotional displays. Just because something is said loudly and the pulpit is pounded, does not mean it is true.

3. Although the church is to be the pillar and ground of the truth, some churches have created environments where it is hostile toward people who ask questions.  I have personally heard of churches where people are instructed to never ask questions about what is preached, or question the pastor about beliefs in the church. Isn’t the job of the pastor to make sure that the people are discipled properly? How can this be done properly if the pastor is unapproachable, unavailable, or uninterested in people learning the word of God and applying in their lives? I am afraid that some churches have become a place where people are being told what “truth” is, but no learning ever takes place so that people understand for themselves what the truth is based on the word of God.  To me personally as a pastor, I know that there is nothing more exciting than when the sermon is over and people are still talking about the Scriptures and asking questions. This kind of stimulus encourages growth. How can we expect there to be an excitement about God’s Word if we remove the possibility of discussing it?

4. We have developed a very inbred method of discovering truth in some of our churches.  Christians have to be very careful that they always maintain an openness to God and His Word. So many times in our church culture we are so Baptist that we develop a cock-eyed way of looking at things. Here is how we get to the truth most of the time. We establish what we want the truth to be. Then we check God’s Word for supporting verses (that may or may not be in context!) to prove that our position is Scriptural. Then we find other people who have used the same method at finding truth that we are using, only these people have created websites, written books, visited churches and did presentations and sold books, etc, and we fortify ourselves with information that supports our view and only our view written by people within our group. Another common ploy is to copy everything that a mega-church is doing. I have been guilty of this method myself, and have come to realize an important fact. This method does not involve being open to God to discover what truth is. We start with our mind made up and then expect Him to back us up. We open ourselves up to error when we do this.

A better method is to ask questions to get to what the truth is. If there is any subject that we want to know about, we should start by praying that the LORD will give us wisdom. (James 1:5 promises that God will give wisdom liberally for the asking). Secondly we should go to the Bible without preconceived notions of what we think is right, but rather be open to God. What does the Bible say on a matter? What does it not say? These are important things to consider because going farther than the Bible goes is wrong, and also weakening its message is wrong. Truth always has a balance to it and avoids extremism. We prefer extremism in our truth, and this is where we err. Getting to the truth also involves being able to look at different ideas or opinions about a matter. I would call this weighing the evidence.  I have learned that many of the things I have heard people say so emphatically about certain subjects did not bear out to be truth when I put it under scrutiny and studied it out for myself (Note to self: don’t be so gullible!). My point with all of this is that somewhere along the way we have forgotten how to be students of the Word of God and let it teach us what truth is, instead we have become very issue-oriented Christians who use it to advance our agendas.  I believe that openness allows God to help us relate to the truth more and understand it better, and apply it in our lives. I do not believe it is God’s will for us to be perceived as raving lunatics and cultists by the world because we cannot defend what we believe and merely shout and holler people down that disagree with us. When we have the truth (Jesus), we should be able to share what we believe honestly and rationally. We call it intelligent discussion. When we refuse to do this, we cannot have truth. Iron sharpens iron.

5. We have the lost the ability to admit that we are wrong about something.  What happens when a person discovers that something they have been taught or read or believed is wrong? I have seen how the same pressure that keeps people from asking questions keeps people from admitting that they are wrong or that they have changed their belief on something. It is very interesting how the power of intimidation and fear keeps our people captive many times. Rather than glorying in the grace of God, many feel trapped in a church system that never offers them true freedom. They can neither ask questions or express an opinion that differs from the status quo. How do we expect Christian growth to come from this? Anyone that is an independent thinker or seeker of truth would immediately be branded a trouble-maker, heretic, or apostate. Is this moving us closer to the truth? But what of the leadership in a church? Is a man able to admit when he is wrong? The same fear and intimidation exists among a pastor’s peers to keep him from moving away from established beliefs that churches share and consider the requirements to be in the “network of churches” or “camp”.  What would happen if a man of God in the pulpit admitted to his people that he had been wrong about something and wanted to be honest with his people about it and teach them what he believed is the truth? Although many preachers know this is the unwritten rule to admit fault or that you don’t know something, I believe it would show our people that we have integrity, we are teachable, and that we are growing closer to the Lord in truth.  Who would be so brave to do such a thing? I believe the Lord requires nothing less than honesty with his people as we shepherd them.  We are not to be Baptist popes, but rather lead by example. Whether pastor or church member, when we are wrong, we should be quick to admit it, and to embrace truth.

6. We have become lazy and unconcerned about the importance of the truth. There is a real danger that we have become reliant on other people to tell us what the truth is. Of course this makes us totally reliant on the source for our information.  I believe that we should be driven to know the truth for ourselves. I don’t see this drive in many people. They are busy and want to be entertained in their down time.  Truth will have to come later, if at all.

I have reached a point in my life where being a person of truth is the most important thing.  People rely on me as a pastor to teach them what truth is from the Word of God. It is an awesome, sometimes fearful, and very enjoyable calling. But I have learned that truth and not fellowship is the most important thing. I have learned that I must have the desire for truth and I have to work hard to find it. I have learned that finding the truth on a matter gives freedom.  But I have also learned that standing for truth has a price that must be paid.  Not every person will understand the importance of truth and will not be open to it. Some will show resistance to any opinion or facts other than their own. Sometimes this resistance comes from other Christians and sometimes even other pastors.  I have made a decision to take a stand for truth and pay whatever price may come along with that stand. I have made a decision to admit when I am wrong and embrace the truth.  I have made a decision to be guided by the truth and not guided by men who have not learned to honestly seek it yet.

Recently I went to visit my Mama and Daddy and spent some time talking with my Daddy who was a Baptist preacher for many years. During our talk, I was able to apologize to my Daddy for remarks that I made to him many years ago when I had come under the influence of some men in a church who tried to teach me their version of truth on an issue. What they taught me divided my relationship with my Daddy and I thought less of him when we discussed it and I found that we did not agree. Fast forward to many years later, and in my personal study of all sides of the issue, I found out that my Daddy was right and those men were well-intentioned, but wrong. I was also wrong, because I believed what I was told and perpetuated that view by feeding myself only things that supported that view. Unfortunately, it took me many years to realize that I never really sought truth on the issue, but rather only made my mind up about the truth and then fortified my position. I cannot express how freeing it was to talk with my Daddy and tell him that I was wrong and that I believed the same as He did about what the Bible clearly taught. Since that time, the Lord has given tremendous freedom in my life and tremendous liberty in my preaching.  I count that as being the fact that I embraced the truth.

I say all of that to say this- are we truly open to God for the truth? Can we put aside all the man-made rules and regulations and be open to His correction and instruction where it is needed in our lives? Can we approach Him with our mouths shut and our ears open?

I write all of this not only to let people know my thoughts on this matter, but also that someone might be edified or built up that is struggling and ready to walk away from God.  Don’t give up.  Keep walking toward the truth. Keep learning all you can about the Word of God. Admit when you mess up and learn from it, but keep moving forward.  For those of you that are seekers or truth and are on that journey, I am on the journey with you. Some may be ahead of us and some may be behind, but fellow believer in Jesus, we are on this journey TOGETHER.

Let’s keep searching for the truth. It is bigger than everything else that we know!

Amen and Amen!

Bro. Beall