MAY 21

2 Chronicles 19:1-2
Memorise Jude 1:3
“For we walk by faith, not by sight”

WHAT IS WRONG WITH NEO-EVANGELICALISM?

Neo (or New) Evangelicalism is basically a term given to describe the mindset of churches and believers who claim to be evangelical but refuse to agree with the principle of separation. Previously, the term “evangelical” generally referred to those who preach the fundamentals of the faith, in contra-distinction to the liberals. In other words, they were Bible-believing, conservative Christians. Back then, the lines of distinction were clearly drawn. You were either an evangelical or fundamentalist who believed in the Bible and separated from apostasy, or you were a liberal or modernist who denied the inspiration of the Bible, and many of the truths therein.

However, in the early 1940s, after the dust of the fundamental-modernist controversies had settled, a new generation of evangelicals and so-called fundamentalists arose. They were put off by the militant stance of their forefathers, which often resulted in church splits, fragmented denominations and were often looked down upon by the mainline churches. They desired recognition, unity and peace. Thus arose the mindset of what we would term ‘neo-evangelicalism’. They contended that evangelicals should practice infiltration rather than separation, meaning they should stay in the apostate denominations and organizations and try to change them from within rather than separate from them and serve God in pure churches and organizations. They sought to practice dialogue rather than preach against error, that they should not be negative in their message by rebuking and warning the false teachers publicly. They also began to re-examine their idea of worldliness and not be as strict about separating from worldly evils as Bible-believing Christians had been in earlier days.

Whilst these motives might seem to have been good, the methods were in direct disobedience to Scripture. For in so doing, they had gone in the way of men like Jehoshaphat, who had tried to cooperate with unbelievers, and were strongly chastised for it. They were good kings, who had did much to reform their nations. But their problem was their propensity to cooperate with unbelievers, of Asa with the Syrians, and Jehoshaphat with the wicked King Ahab. The warning given to Jehoshaphat was clear: 2 Chronicles 19:2b “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.”

Thought: Leave nothing out when earnestly contending for the faith.
Prayer: Lord, give us courage to share the truth with others and the faith to rely on Your Word as our perfect guide in everything.