The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
–2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV)–

I was at an interdenominational men’s group this morning. I’m glad for this group; as I believe it’s perfect for where I’m at in my walk right now. I brought up John MacArthur today and mentioned how he was a man of Biblical convictions known for preaching against things like evolution, egalitarianism, gay marriage, abortion, and most of all easy believism. I said that while I didn’t really care for what he had to say about the Holy Spirit, I was really thankful for his influence on the Church to make people Bible centered. I think of MacArthur as a kind of Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) successor to Dr. John R. Rice–another man of strong Biblical convictions, who preached and published against all the same things mentioned before, through Sword of the Lord Publications. I almost think of Grace to You as a sort of mainstreaming of that same strain of old school Baptist fundamentalism. I thought to myself, without clear Bible-based definitions like this, in terms of teaching, there’s really no reason why Christian high schools should exist. When clear cut teaching distinctives are removed, what reason do Christian parents have to not send their kids to public schools and get indoctrinated into a secular humanist worldview like every other American kid?

The evolution issue divided our group a bit–I got some friendly but confused pushback from a Church of the Nazarene guy and two Southern Baptist guys. One IFB guy agreed on the young earth creation view; and mentioned Kent Hovind favorably.

It’s amazing to me how just firing down the line of clear cut Bible convictions: how clarity and confusion, how the Sword of God’s Spirit, the Word of God, can draw the line between compromisers and people who truly trust in what the Bible plainly and literally says, regardless of what the world says.

I also think the evolution issue confuses people because of its complexity. We need to have more sermons on creation with a strong Bible Baptist preaching against evolution sort of style; that is simple, to the point, and won’t meander about Neander. Dr. John R. Rice’s booklet Evolution or the Bible–Which? was a great example of nailing all the main points without getting into Ph.D. level complexity. I think that the common churchgoer can’t shake off evolution if the issue remains befuddled with complexity, so complex that evangelical pastors don’t even know where to start–even if they work up the guts to confront the problem, as teachings about evolution continue to eat away people’s faith in the Bible every year. Whether they’re aware of it or not.

Although I’m an independent Pentecostal–seriously, where would the Bible believing church be without the independent Baptists? We need them terribly! Especially since most Wesleyan and Methodist denominations compromise with theistic evolution: the Salvation Army, the Evangelical Church of North America, the Free Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Church of Christ in Christian Union, the Global Methodist Church, the Friends Church, the Wesleyan Church, Church of God (Anderson), and even Assemblies of God (only 35% are young earth creationists).

I suspect that the Southern Methodist Church, the Missionary Church, and Church of God (Cleveland) have more young earth creation leanings, and use the A Beka curriculum, but I can’t be absolutely sure about the percentages. The same could be said about the denominations connected with the InterChurch Holiness Convention.