Not All Quakers are Christian

I know the title will not make some Quakers happy.  I open the door for disownment by Friends who are Universalist.  However, this does not really bother me.

Several years ago (2003) I was faced with a decision to stay or leave the Yearly Meeting  I had been a pastor in for over 20 years.  It came down to condoning whose theology would be acceptable.  I made the decision that I could no longer support the leadership of the Yearly Meeting and made plans to leave.  However, the church I was pastoring made the decision they could no longer be part of the same Yearly Meeting, they made the decision to leave and to keep me as their pastor.  I have been able to continue my ministry in our community.

It was a difficult decision as a pastor of a church we had grown to love, but we could not in clear conscience continue to support the denominational leadership. Hardly ever does any minister face a decision quite as momentous as leaving the denomination that you have given so many years of service.  Having given consideration to the ramifications of a lost ministry within my community, the division of families within the church, the number of non-members who would not understand why decisions were made, and the possible demise of the church, yet, despite such possibilities, I left everything in God’s hands.  I made a clear and unfaltering decision that I would not compromise with unbelief and immorality found among some of  the churches and leadership of the yearly meeting.  I made the decision having taken into consideration the consequences to my own spiritual life if I were to be faithful to the message I have proclaimed during my ministry.  The Word of God binds me, as I see it.  I had to obey God, not men nor organizations.  Does the Word of God preach separation from unbelief and apostasy?  I cannot say for you, but I can say for myself: I will not go on in compromise.

It became evident that the leadership was not going to abide by the Essential Truths as taught by Orthodox –Friends), I am bound by the Word of God.  It is spiritually unsafe and dangerous to do anything against the Holy Spirit.  It was in a spirit of prayerful concern I made my choice.  So, in the words of Martin Luther, “Here I stand.  I cannot do otherwise.  God help me! Amen.”

That was in 2003.  Much has changed since then. Our church became independent.  We have grown in membership; God has blessed us financially, spiritually, and we have become a refuge for Christians of like faith giving them a place of worship.

On the other hand, instead of drawing closer to the LORD those who practice “another gospel” are slowly dying.  I am sure there are many within the church that have seen the powerlessness of the repetition of Bible verses, used as the basis for Christianity. They have a form of godliness but lack the power.  Authentic spirituality radiates from inside individual hearts, not collective tongues, or church buildings. Our current condition of the Church in general lays bear a system busy with perpetual committees, new programs that rely on man’s abilities rather than the Holy Spirit. Many within these churches are confused about where to look for real answers.  Many satisfy themselves with spiritual placebos and politically correct sermons. Self-appointed shepherds don't recognize the truth. But the most telling aspect of the drifting away is not the failure to guard the flock, or the ineffectiveness in the spiritual, social, or political realms, but its struggle with identify sin as sin.

The centuries old substitutes of words, verses, and chapters, platitudes, plaques, and songs will never suffice. No surface modifications will work, not even if every member agreed to live in unity. The only change to come from symbolic, meaningless gestures will be worse, turning into much worse. A silent, persistent truth fills the church that has forgotten the LORD. It says, there is an absence of a genuine connection to Him who gave rise to the Church. Christ is standing outside the door of the church knocking to come in.

This generation has been told such deep lies that all the efforts now are aimed at restructuring a belief system to fit their illusions and rid them of a guilt coming from a condition they have declared doesn't exist---sin. This prevents them from calling out to God who they need more every day.  We are admonished to repent.  But the question is, Why?  If all are going to heaven and Christ may not even be divine, what is the point?  The very doctrines they expound are destroying their belief system and leaving them with hoplessness.

I know that the issues facing the Church today, are theological ones and that our theology determines, not the emphasis merely, but the character of our message and the end and purpose of our ministry. In a word, I believe that the issue is between the gospels of Jesus Christ, attested by Christ and His Apostles, and recorded in the New Testament, and another gospel, which is not a gospel, but a perversion of the truth as it is in Jesus. This other gospel is the product of a theology that is, at every vital point, diametrically opposed to the doctrine we hold and results, not in a diluted gospel merely, but in a negation of all that is distinctive of Early Christians.

Paul said, “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (Tit. 3:10-11).

The word translated divisive (hairetikos) in this context (cf. v. 9) denotes a person who follows teachings and practices that are contrary to Scripture. Heretical teachers are divisive for they seek followers of their own perverted doctrines. Paul obviously is not referring to atheists and pagans but to people who are part of the church. Can a person cause schism in an organization that is not a unified body? Can someone divide that which is not first united? A church must protect itself against false teachers by first a private warning and then if necessary  disownment. Such men who refuse to heed the warning and repent are “self-condemned” (Tit. 3:11). They are sinners and wicked men (Mt. 18:17). The apostle John wrote, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 Jn. 10-11). “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17). “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars” (Rev. 2:2).

Speaking as an Orthodox Quaker, I acknowledge that the doctrines of the trinity, the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth, the resurrection of Jesus, biblical inerrancy and salvation by grace alone are essential doctrines. When a church denies the doctrine of the divinity of Christ that church is labeled a cult. People are then warned to stay away from its teachers.  When churches deny biblical inerrancy (as the universalistic Quakers have done and continue to do), they call our LORD a liar and destroy the very foundation of all biblical truth. The results are individuals that deny the Virgin Birth, the miracles of our LORD and the literal, historical bodily resurrection of Christ. All such individuals are apostate and wicked. All Christians who refuse to leave such a denomination are participants in its sins and are guilty of supporting antichrists. Paul says, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17). “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith” (2 Tim. 3:5, 8).

This section mostly will apply to Quakers.  However, it may  apply to others as well.  Consider an area over which there is NOT agreement among current Quaker pastors and theologians—that is the discussion over whether or not universalistic Quakers are part of the body of Christ.   Is universalism a genuine form of Christianity that has some deficiencies and errors that do not strike at the heart of the Gospel? Or, is it a damnable heresy? Are the errors so fundamental that the true Gospel of Christ is denied? Although it has been fashionable during the last few years or so for Orthodox pastors and writers to speak of Universalistic Quakers as our brothers in Christ and to regard their churches as true churches of Christ, such speaking and thinking is not based on the teaching of Scripture or logic. Rather, such thinking is often based on sentiment, (they are good people, and many are my friends, they can’t be that bad).  People have a desire to fit in with current popular opinions, a desire to appear loving and friendly and the idea that Universalism is really Christian. People who really believe the tenets of Universalism, who hate the true Gospel, are not one bit closer to salvation than the rankest Jehovah Witness for both believe that salvation is achieved not by the grace of God alone but by a cooperative effort between God and man (synergism).

Universalism denies the effects of sin. The Bible teaches that man (as a result of the fall) is depraved and totally unable to respond to the Gospel without a prior work of sovereign grace. All men are dead spiritually (Eph. 2:1-5), hate the truth, hate Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:19-21), dwell in darkness (Jn. 1:4-5), have a heart of stone (Ezek. 11:19), are helpless (Ezek. 16:4-9), are slaves of Satan (Ac. 26:17-18), and cannot see or comprehend divine truth (1 Cor. 2:14). Universal Quakers deny the plain teaching of Scripture by holding to the old semi-pelagian notion that man is not dead but merely spiritually sick.  The whole point of denying man’s spiritual inability is so that the “first and chiefest part in the work of their salvation may be ascribed unto themselves; a proud Luciferian endeavor!”

Universal Quakers deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. While they loudly proclaim that we will all be saved by God’s love alone, they explicitly deny this truth in their doctrine of salvation. They do not believe Jesus Christ is the only part of the plan of salvation.  They explicitly reject the biblical doctrine of atonement, that Jesus Christ by His sinless life and sacrificial death perfectly satisfied God’s justice, thus meriting and procuring all the saving graces: regeneration, faith, repentance, sanctification, and glorification for the believer.

If an individual says, Jesus Christ is not the means of salvation and reconciliation with God the Father to save a people unto Himself, that faith is not a gift of God, that God does not draw sinners unto Christ, God’s un-judgmental love will not condemn souls to hell, then that individual is a dangerous heretic, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a false prophet. The apostle Paul said, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8).

Among Quakers there are different degrees of faithfulness to God’s word, there are different degrees of declension and corruption, and there are churches that are remaining faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ while others are moving backwards. There are even different degrees of faithfulness in different congregations within Friends meetings.  When choosing a church, you should look for a church that is as close to the biblical standard as possible. This is a difficult subject because no church is pure. Every church has defects. All churches are made up of saints and sinners. Yet, when churches obstinately depart from various important doctrines and cannot be won over to the truth through biblical means, Christians are justified in separating themselves from such an ecclesiastical body. However, they should do so “decently and in order.”

A church or denomination, which does not take church, discipline seriously, which allows sinful behavior and false doctrine to function unimpeded in the body is heading toward apostasy. The study of church history is to a large extent a study of what happens to churches, which refused to discipline false teachers.  Men who tolerate evil because of cowardice, or a false view of love, or a false understanding of unity are not fit to be pastors or elders or leaders. Further, men who rule arbitrarily as if authority originates from themselves instead of Christ and His word also are not qualified to govern Christ’s people.  Do not submit yourselves to such men. Does this mean that yearly meetings must function perfectly, or that leaders do not sometimes make stupid mistakes? Of course not. But when dangerous doctrines are repeatedly and openly tolerated (e.g., universalism, and denying essential Scriptural truths, etc.) the writing is on the wall.

Virtually all Friends churches today are deficient in certain areas. Even the apostolic churches that we read about in the Epistles and in Revelation had some serious problems with sin and doctrine. Although as church members we should not expect or demand instant holiness, we do have a duty to strive for the reformation of the church. The best way to avoid schism and preserve the peace of the church is to diligently work for its purity both doctrinally and ethically. Leaving a church is a serious matter that should only occur after all attempts at reformation have failed.  Believers should never separate themselves from a church, which, though still far from ideal in its exercise of discipline, was making a valiant effort to reform and purify itself according to the word. Further, we cannot expect a perfect church this side of heaven. It is, therefore, necessary that all believers embrace the true religion; and, in particular, that they deny none of those fundamental articles of faith which are necessary to salvation. It is not to be supposed that the members of any society have a perfect agreement in their views about all religious matters; for that is hardly to be expected in this world.  A person does not have to believe all the non-essentials of the church. However, once joined, such a person is required to not spread unbiblical opinions in the church.

The Bible makes frequent reference to false teachings, and it is often within the context of refuting heresy that its positive doctrinal material is cast.

There are also warnings about those who proclaim another Jesus or a different gospel, or who introduce a spirit other than God's Spirit (1 Cor. 15:3-5; 2 Cor. 11:4;

The denial of Jesus Christ's coming in the flesh is regarded as from the spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:1-6). There are warnings about people who cause dissensions by teaching doctrine directly opposed to what Christians already know to be true (Rom. 16:17; Tit. 3:10-11). There are warnings about those who claim to love God but do not love God's people (1 John 4:20; 5:1), and who deliberately break away from the teachings of the church on the basis of perverted doctrine (1 John 2:19). Finally, there are warnings against adding to or taking away from the words of prophetic Scripture (Rev. 22:18-19) or twisting the Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16).

Looking over these warnings from Scripture, we may classify heresies into six major categories:
1. Heresies about revelation — teachings that distort, deny or add to Scripture in a way that leads people away from truth
2. Heresies about God — teachings that promote false gods or  distortions of the true God.
3. Heresies about Christ — denials of His Divinity, His genuine humanity, His true identity as God.
4. Heresies about salvation — teaching salvation by works; denying the gospel of Christ's death and resurrection; and so forth.
5. Heresies about the church — deliberate attempts to lead people away from the fellowship of true Christians; utter rejection of the church.
6. Heresies about the future — false predictions for which divine authority is claimed;

Although heresies tend to fall directly into one or more of these six major categories, heresies can, in fact, occur on virtually any doctrinal subject. Nor should it be thought that the New Testament gives us a complete catalogue of all possible heresies. In our day there are literally thousands of clever distortions of Christian theology that deserve the label heresy, and they can be seen as such apart from being explicitly anticipated and identified as heretical in the Bible. The Bible teaches us what is absolutely essential, articulates principles as to what is basic to sound Christian faith and what is nonessential, gives us a wide variety of examples of heresies, and expects us to exercise discernment in evaluating new and controversial teachings when they surface.

Furthermore, it must be realized that as the church progresses through history and deepens its understanding of Scripture, heresies, in general, are becoming more subtle, more deceiving, more easily mistaken for authentic Christianity.

For example, modern-day heretics who reject the Old Testament are rarely as frank about it as the second-century heretic Marcion, who simply denied that the Old Testament was in any sense Scripture (he also discarded much of the New Testament). Instead, they adopt a method of interpretation, which, while formally admitting that the Bible is God's Word, in effect makes the Old Testament irrelevant to the Christian, which is contrary to the clear teaching of the New Testament (Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16).  This is the same heresy that gives to us the idea of a “continuing revelation” while ignoring the written WORD.

In short, heresy is any doctrine which the Bible explicitly labels as destructive, damning error; or a doctrine which the Bible instructs is not to be tolerated in the church; or any doctrine which, even if not mentioned in the Bible, utterly contradicts those truths which the Bible indicates are essential for sound Christian faith.

The leadership in many churches today is creating turmoil of division and dissension, by judging those who have strong Biblical beliefs as dissidents who are unloving, unkind, judgmental and unstable and preying upon the weaker Christian.  Church leaders are developing an environment ripe with condemnation of Biblical beliefs.  How long can we halt between two opinions?

Here is an observations of the present- day “Christian”-- they lack moral courage. Moral courage involves the willingness to speak out and do that which is right in the face of forces that would lead a person to act in some other way.  For one to have moral courage, they must first have the courage to stand for the core values of the Christian doctrine.  Most Christians have an aversion to speaking about their faith, much less standing up for what they believe.  Moral courage is essentially an act it is a reflection of one’s character.

Moral courage comes from moral wisdom.  The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD.  The fear of the LORD is foundational to true wisdom.  All other types of learning are worthless unless built upon a knowledge of the LORD Himself. 

Solomon understood the importance of building the right foundation when he wrote Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  A wise person fears/reverences/obeys the LORD; a fool despises God’s instruction and cannot be told what to do.  The wise person has a foundation on which to build the moral wisdom to have the moral courage to do what is right.

The connection between the fear of God and wisdom means we cannot possess wisdom if we recreate God in our own image. Too many people want to “tame” God into a non-threatening nobody. But, if we redefine the LORD as a god that makes us feel comfortable, a permissive “buddy” who exists simply to bless us and give us what we want, we will not fear Him in the way He deserves to be feared. The Lord God Almighty is far greater than that, and the fear of the Lord begins when we see Him in His majesty and glory.

One of the major deterrent to moral courage is that of spiritual incompetence.  Spiritual competence requires a knowledge of the written WORD in order to respond to a moral problem unrestrained by emotional passions.  How often have you heard, “I know what they did is wrong, but they seem like such a nice person.” Spiritual competence, which comes by being Spirit led gives the believer insight into the situation at hand and the spiritual wisdom how to react to the situation.  When confronted with a situation that may require hard decisions and deterrent to moral courage is that of risk aversion.  Moral courage requires the willingness to take a risk that leaves one exposed to ridicule and mockery.  Standing for our Christian beliefs requires moral integrity.  This is the courage to speak out against what is wrong and sinful when others might see us as inappropriately crossing the line and oppose us for taking a stand.

Christians should understand that we should not be fearful of confrontation.  It is important to remember any confrontational situation can only be won when one has the moral courage to face what is wrong.  Our Nation is in moral decline because as Christians we have lacked the moral courage to speak against the evil of the day.

The amount of moral courage we have is directly related to our certainty.  When we lack certainty in what we believe is shows in our communication skills.  Often you will hear Christians talk about how they feel uncomfortable about being assertive.  Assertive behavior is an honest, direct, and appropriate expression of one’s thoughts, feelings, or opinions.  The reason to be assertive is to bring about a behavioral change in the other person.  As Christians, we allow others to be assertive in their actions because we are fearful of offending. This fear or anxiety has resulted in many Christians remaining silent in their testimony for Truth.  Moral courage is a means to triumph over fear by the certainty of our actions.

Today we need moral courage to overcome our fear and stand up for the core doctrinal beliefs of the Christian faith.  Overcoming our aversion to taking a risk and developing an assertive attitude will help us enhance our moral courage.  This can only be done by Christians taking the time to gain the knowledge of God’s Word and learning that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. 

 I would offer to you the challenge to return to the old landmarks of the past, which empowered the Church for service, gave victory in the life of the believer, and turned the world upside down.