I found this post on Facebook this week by a fellow Independent Fundamental Baptist and thought it worthy to share...
WARNING: A POTENTIALLY “UNPOPULAR” POST
We are witnessing a pandemic of repackaged New Evangelicalism rising up within Christian fundamentalism—especially in the area of music over the past few years. 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚?
My wife and I are stunned at the direction some of our fellow fundamentalists have taken. It’s grieving and burdening. Anyone who truly knows us understands that I do not say this with some lofty spirit of condemnation. It is from a broken heart.
Why are fundamentalists embracing pop music, the heavy rhythms, and open rock-n-roll with Christian lyrics? Why are they dancing around dimly lit auditoriums like charismatics and losing their sensible inhibitions to “worship”? Why is there an absolute abandonment of separation and Biblical conviction? It is not praise. It is not purity. It is paganism. IT IS WRONG. “𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮” (I John 2:15. See also I Chronicles 5:25 & Psalm 106:35 & 39.)
THERE IS NOTHING “ANOINTED” OR “ADMIRABLE” IN EMULATING THE WORLD! If you believe there is, you have been deceived with strange fire. It is shameful and egregious to our Holy God.
May God give our generation of fundamentalists true Biblical 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 — 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (Hebrews 5:12-15).
From the host of voices of those who saw its rise in the late 1960s into the 1970s and beyond, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗦 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 born out of a compromised generation wanting to blend rock-n-roll with Christian lyrics.
This kind of music is NOT the direction of fundamentalism. It never has been and never should be. And we will not start accepting it or excusing it away now. Rock music can be hard or soft, fast or slow, loud or quiet, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still rock music. We should want NO PART of the Devil’s music of rebellion blended into our holy worship!John 4:24 — “ 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵: 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘔𝘜𝘚𝘛 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩.” That little word “must” is still in the Bible!
Psalm 29:2 — “𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦; 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.”Worship is not about us, it’s about the Lord. Let’s worship HIM how HE wants to be worshipped — not how WE want to worship Him and make Him accept it because it’s what WE want or like… “𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴; 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮” (Amos 5:23-24). 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗶𝗺!
God is under no obligation to accept our worship no matter how special it might mean to us in the moment or sincere we are as we offer it. (Consider Cain!) Just because “that’s how you worship” doesn’t make it right. Just because “that’s how you worship” doesn’t mean God automatically approves it or accepts it. Just because “that’s how you worship” doesn’t make it off-limits to public accountability (as you flaunt your new-found “liberty” on livestream for everyone to see you “evolving”).
What I’m concerned about even more is the men and ministries who will pander this compromise by turning a blind eye to it. (Maybe some are winking at it behind our backs?) I’m alarmed at how openly they cheerfully pat those who are compromising on the back (or link arms together with no apparent issue with the secular direction their “friends” are going!)WHERE ARE THE WATCHMEN AND WARRIORS?? We need a generation that will take a clear, holy, bold, and loving stand for God! Before his transition to Glory over six years ago, my father warned me that these days within fundamentalism might come. (Oh, how I miss him!) “𝘋𝘢𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵!!”
𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲.
With an open heart before God — is this (“repackaged New Evangelicalism”, worldly “Christian” rock-n-roll music, a lack of Biblical separation, and more) the direction you want to promote and point the next generation to? Are you okay with it?
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Are these fundamentalists the same men they used to be 10-15 years ago? Are they starting to show their colors more and more of who they really are and what they truly believe? You MUST ask yourself if you are going that direction.
BE CAREFUL, MY FRIEND:First comes 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
Then 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
Then 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.I Corinthians 15:33 — “𝘉𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥: 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴.”
Having said all this, I am immensely thankful for the host of men and churches across this nation who refuse to bow their knee to Baal. I praise God for you! STAY IN THE FIGHT! May the Lord continue to greatly bless your faithfulness to Him and your fire for Heaven’s holiness! Keep standing. Don’t compromise. 𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗬!!
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