Welcome to Summit Theological Seminary
"Teaching God's Word to God's World"
2766 Airport Road, Peru, Indiana 46970, (765) 472-4111
Who Would Imagine?
George L. Faull
The
theme of the N.A.C.C. last year was “IMAGINE”. I attended the N.A.C.C. as a boy about 50
years ago. Who would have IMAGINED then that the Lord’s Supper
would have been set aside in our churches to a side room for those who want to
go and take it?
Or
that it would not be observed on Resurrection Sunday “out of respect for our
denominational friends who attend our special Easter service at the High School
due to our overflow crowd that day!
Or
that our Sunday services would be cancelled on Christmas day so we could have a
family day!
Who
would have IMAGINED that we would
have Saturday night communion as a “status symbol” of a growing church because
one of the large churches did not want to have another Sunday service?
Who
would have IMAGINED that we would
stop doing what the Lord did tell us to remember (His death) so we can obey the
traditions and fads of men (Remember His birth)? Does this not ignore that the
Supper commemorates our Lord’s death and the first day of the week commemorates
His resurrection?
Who
would have IMAGINED that the
N.A.C.C. would have as its main speakers, apostates who left us for Willow
Creek or joined their church to a Baptist Church? (Appel, Breaux,
Rutherford) Romans 16:17
Who
would have IMAGINED that Ex-Church
of Christ preachers, such as Max Lucado and David Reagan who practice open
membership be selected speakers at the N.A.C.C.? IMAGINE such men preaching to the heirs of the founders of the
N.A.C.C. and our Bible colleges that held such a doctrine to be anathema.
Who
would have IMAGINED that women would
be our college Deans, our institutions Presidents and filling our pulpits and
conventions?
Who
would have IMAGINED that we’d boldly
use Calvinistic books in our Sunday school curriculum and as our favorite
college textbooks?
Who
would have IMAGINED that the
N.A.C.C. Director would be a close cohort of the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association?
Who
would have IMAGINED that our largest
churches would bring in David Reagan and Max Lucado and others who now mock our
teaching and us? Both men say we are
“water regenerationists” in their literature?
These both offer a “faith only” plea of salvation. Are they brought in simply because they are
well-known prophetic gurus or authors of popular fables?
Who
would IMAGINE that men would lead us
who have no more logic than to believe there is no difference between inviting
in a man to preach than reading his book or singing a song he wrote? Could one really have imagined such undiscerning
leadership as that?
Paul
quoted Athenian poets but would he have had in such men to preach to a church
he established? Such foolishness is
used only by those seeking to justify their ego by wishing to be known as
open-minded. They are so open-minded
that a Catholic proselyter like Chuck
Colson can speak at the N.A.C.C and take support from our own faithful prison
ministries. He turned his organization
over to Catholics.
Who
would IMAGINE that every denominational
fad that comes down the pike would be embraced almost without question? They excluded key 73 but swallowed Promise
Keepers and The Purpose Driven folly and the Prayer of Jabez’ silliness and
whatever else is new in the denominational world. Now they are following another Pied Piper, Robert Bell and his
“Velvet Elvis” heresy.
Who
would IMAGINE that they would be
turned to fables such as the Chronicles of Narnia which advocates
universalism? Is this the fodder we
must feed upon?
Who
would IMAGINE that pragmatism would
outweigh sound doctrine or that subjectivism would supercede objectivism? How pathetic that we have gone beyond, “is
it true,” yes, even beyond “does it work” to “do the denominations do it?”
Who
would IMAGINE that the N.A.C.C.
Presidents would encourage bringing in the denominational superstars or that
Bible College professors would insist the practices of the book of Acts are not
relative but merely history of what did happen, not the pattern for what God
intends to happen today. This is not a
plea for Restoration but an excuse for innovation
Can
you IMAGINE an article in the
Christian Standard advocating that we stop quoting Acts 2:38 because it’s a hindrance rather than a bridge to other
Christians?
Who
would have IMAGINED that we again
would have to worry about a development fund, a publishing house and a
convention being in cahoots in controlling the brotherhood the way it was in
the days when the Disciples of Christ grasped for power? Now we have these three kinds of identities
networking together in special arrangements.
These para-church organizations (N.A.C.C., C.D.F., and Christian
Standard) are the tail that wants to wag the dog.
Who
would have IMAGINED that history
would repeat itself?
Who
would have IMAGINED that they would
have a denominational woman (Rebecca Pippert, board member of Billy Graham
Center in Wheaton, IL) to speak at the Ladies luncheon. She is renowned for speaking on Evangelism! One wonders why Provision (part of the
conglomerate referred to above) would have her speak to our women. One also wonders why only this unholy
trinity gets prime advertising for their workshops as “Featured Events” at the
N.A.C.C.
Can
you IMAGINE the audacity of a group
calling their Website “CHRISTIAN CHURCH TODAY”? It claims to be an online service of, by and for the independent
churches dedicated to the Restoration of the New Testament faith and practice!
Can
you IMAGINE someone claiming the
right to speak for all our churches?
Read the comments on the site and imagine where we’re headed next.
It’s
worse than I ever IMAGINED it could
be!
The
N.A.C.C. and many of the Para-Church organizations that are following their
imagination are not worthy of our support or attendance. They have not been faithful to the trust of
their founders who renounced the very things these men are doing.
IMAGINE what will
happen in another 50 years! The
Restoration Movement will not be recognizable!!