CHURCH-PRAGMATISM
Ten steps to
becoming a "Pragmatic Church"
1.
"Easy-believism"
gospel.
2.
Place
emphasis on some "work" for salvation and not the need to recognize
and approach a holy God.
3.
Teach
half-truths.
4.
Teach
that grace replaces (instead of produces) holiness.
5.
Teach
that love and truth are opposed and obedience is legalism or optional.
6.
Use
fleshly things to attract unbelievers for evangelism and teach them that carnal,
worldly lifestyles are acceptable.
7.
Avoid
the Biblical teachings that create humility in man and exalt God.
8.
Teach
the means of grace are optional.
9.
Be
"seeker-friendly" and avoid being "offensive."
10. Place being "relatable"
above "biblical accuracy."
Does the Truth Matter Anymore? Video Tape Series.
Pragmatism is
quickly replacing supernaturalism in many churches. It is an attempt to achieve
spiritual objectives by human methodology rather than supernatural power. Its
primary criterion is external success. It will employ whatever method draws a
crowd and stimulates the desired response. Its underlying presuppositions are
that the church can accomplish spiritual goals by fleshly means, and that the
power of God’s Word alone is not sufficient to break through a sinner’s
blindness and hardness of heart.
John MacArthur
Resurrecting
and Old Heresy from Our Sufficiency in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division
of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org. p. 32.
[Pragmatism] seems
predicated on the idea that artificial technique and human strategy are crucial to the church’s mission. Many
appear to believe that we can capture people for Christ and the church only if
our programs are imaginative enough and our sermons are persuasive enough.
Therefore they bend their philosophy of ministry to suit whatever techniques
seem to satisfy the most unbelievers.
John MacArthur
Resurrecting
and Old Heresy from Our Sufficiency in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division
of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org. p. 32.
Wherever
pragmatism exits in the church, there is always a corresponding de-emphasis on
Christ’s sufficiency, God’s sovereignty, biblical integrity, the power of
prayer, and Spirit-led ministries. The result is a man-centered ministry that
attempts to accomplish divine purposes by superficial programs and human
methodology rather than by the Word or the power of the Spirit.
John MacArthur
Religious
Hedonism in Our Sufficiency in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division of Good
News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.
p. 152.
The most
basic truths of our faith have fallen victim to [pragmatic], self-centered
theology. Many modern-day evangelists have reduced the gospel message to little
more than a formula by which people can live a happy and more fulfilling life.
Sin is now defined by how it affects man, not how it dishonors God. Salvation
is often presented as a means of receiving what Christ offers without obeying
what He commands. The focus has shifted from God’s glory to man’s benefit. The
gospel of persevering faith has given way to a kind of religious hedonism.
Jesus, contemporary theology implies, is your ticket to avoiding all of life’s
pains and experiencing all of life’s pleasures.
John MacArthur
Religious
Hedonism in Our Sufficiency in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division of Good
News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.
p. 154-155.
We have come
to a place in time where we measure the correctness of our plans simply by
their seeming to contribute to our favorite aim. We estimate the soundness of our
doctrine, not from its tendency to exalt and glorify God…but entirely by the
apparent facility with which it enables us to get sinners to turn from their
ways.
Horatius
Bonar