The Hidden Apostasy of Evangelicalism
Where does falling away begin? Not in the mouth, but the heart.
The Hidden Apostasy of Evangelicalism
2 Thessalonians 2... It is a dreadful chapter if you are Christian. It means that many who confess Jesus with their mouth will one day reject him en mass, on such a grand scale that it will simply be called "THE apostasy" (Gk. apostasia, 2 Thess 2.3).
There have been at least two large-scale apostasies in Church history where this is pictured. The first was in the days of Arius who believed that Jesus was a creature, the first creation of God. This idea became infectious in the popular church-goers all the way to the bishops, and finally the Emperor himself was an Arian. The True Trinitarians were thrust out of their churches - sometimes in the middle of their homilies. This is the clearest type of apostasy described, where the whole institutional church falls away. This particular incident was mended when the Nicene party was able to leverage politics and prayer and was restored to their churches after much persecution.
The second large-scale apostasy in church history was far more gradual. This apostasy increased as the knowledge of the Scriptures became secondary and philosophy became the central idea of knowing God. The de-emphasis of Scripture allowed systems of theology that rejected basic doctrines of the faith such as "penance" in the place of "repentance" along with entire extrabiblical schemes for how that penance system should work. Eventually, the church became to be seen as a mediator between people and God, and the presence of Christ on earth was seen as the Bishop of Rome (become Pope). This was a corruption in stages from the days of Nicea to the middle ages. Soon the thing which looked like the church, which sat in the seat of the Apostles, did not know the doctrine of the Apostles, nor would it agree with it when exposed to it in the Reformation. This particular "church" was since the middle ages and still is today, a false and antichrist church.
But what of the title of this article? What is a hidden apostasy and what evidence can I bring to substantiate such a terrible claim against evangelicalism?
The first is that apostasy does not begin with a verbal denial of the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins in the heart with gradual corruption. This is my evidence, that evangelicalism is corrupted in the heart, so that even when it speaks a "true gospel" it has the "leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees" which Christ told his apostles to avoid.
Evidence #1
Evangelicalism has "an appearance of godliness without the power thereof."
The most dreadful thing about the last days is that in each of the typological fulfillments of the apostasy (Arius, Rome) they wear the garb of holiness, of ecclesial authority so that they can bless God, but sin against him and appear pure to worldlings in the process. In the text referenced under the heading Evidence #1, Paul is describing a group of people in the last days. On the first examination, they look like anyone in the world...
"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these."
2 Timothy 3:1–5.
This group of scoundrels are not worldlings, they are "christians." The world doesn't attempt to have an appearance of godliness, that's the "christian" that values that. Notice what Paul states is the application at the end of the verse: "avoid such men as these." You aren't to fraternize with them, you aren't to attend their "churches" you aren't to submit when they wag Hebrews 10:25 over you and say you're "forsaking the assembly." No, you avoid them. If you can't agree that evangelicalism is merely a form of godliness without the power, read the preceding list - it just described the contemporary church.
Evidence #2
Evangelicalism has "refused to love the truth and so be saved."
There is a difference between hanging out around the truth, and loving it. I remember when I was first converted, I said to someone in a church gathering that I would be happy to die for God. Someone said, "that's just because you're new." Evangelicalism sits under the word Sunday to Sunday, but its real passion is other things. It would rather go off to its yoke of oxen, its new wife, its new property than spend a day with God. As Jeremiah says, "they are near to you with their mouth, but their heart is far from you" (Jer 12:2, Mt. 15:8).
Evidence #3
Evangelicalism has said, "this is the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord."
Evangelicalism builds its confidence that THEY are the people of God on a faulty foundation. In Jeremiah 7, Jeremiah warns the people not to treat the Temple like its safety in itself. Jeremiah says that if the people turn from their sins, attending the Temple will be safe, but not while being wicked. God, as you might recall, intended to tear the "Temple of the Lord" down only a few years after this sermon by Jeremiah.
Evangelicalism treats church attendance in the exact same way. It has become the quintessential mark of one's Christianity to attend somewhere on a Sunday. Or rather to attend somewhere where your name is on a roll. That, the logic goes, means you're really committed. But when have religious gatherings become a virtue in themselves? The prophets universally decry gatherings where falsehood prospers (Isaiah 1), where crap offerings are provided to God (Malachi 1:6-11), and where God himself cannot be found (Ezekiel 8). No, for all the glory of gatherings and where they happen, the words of Jesus are apt, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down" (Matthew 24:2).
…
Thus, the apostasy is a little ironic... it doesn't mean Sunday stops, or that the offering is empty, or that sermons cease. The apostasy means Sunday, offering, and sermons become sins before a Holy God. I leave you with the command of Holy Scripture, "AVOID SUCH PEOPLE."