Is New Covenant Theology An Acceptable Reason to Leave a Church?

Status
Not open for further replies.
The issue I bring up here is not whether mocking can be appropriate at times (it surely can). Rather, I question whether we should get loose with the truth in order to mock opponents for things they don't actually believe or practice. What's more important: getting in a good jab or being careful about the truth?

Increasingly, we live within a media culture that believes delivering a one-liner to discredit the bad guys is more important than speaking truth in the process. Believers should resist this trend.

When Jesus criticized the Pharisees, he did not make up over-the-top lies about them in order to get a bigger laugh at their expense so his well-deserved jabs would sting more. Telling the truth matters, especially when we set ourselves up as defenders of truth. We must make sure our criticism—even our mocking criticism—is essentially fair and accurate.

In the example on this thread, the barb in question was not just over-the-top for the sake of effect. More than one poster pointed out that the entire direction of the barb did not truthfully reflect the beliefs and practices of those churches. Once this was made clear, why did the untruthful joke keep getting defended?

I don't think I'm being a spoil-sport here. I like fun, witty language and sharply-made points. But especially on a thread where we have a fellow seriously wrestling with whether or not to leave his church, attention to truth is needed. A jab isn't always right just because it neatly mocks those on the wrong side.
Fair enough, Jack. There's plenty to criticize without bending the truth. But we must not shy from speaking that truth as firmly as is necessary. And to point out where a dangerous path logically leads is not amiss, even if no one has gotten yet to the end of that path. That is why we guard closely against the entrance of error: it's a path that only leads to apostacy.
 
Polygamy is Old Testament. You'll need to connect those dots.

I agree, it is odd but NCA in my opinion has cult like similarities. They pick and choose the parts of the Bible they wish to keep and discard at will what they dislike. Smorgasbord theology.
 
Fair enough, Jack. There's plenty to criticize without bending the truth. But we must not shy from speaking that truth as firmly as is necessary. And to point out where a dangerous path logically leads is not amiss, even if no one has gotten yet to the end of that path. That is why we guard closely against the entrance of error: it's a path that only leads to apostacy.

Ben, great point. Rodney King Theology (can’t we all just get along) is not Christianity. We must defend the faith and that is sometimes ugly or hard to take for a soft society where peace and prosperity are the things we treasure most.
 
I still won't buy the idea that we ought to overlook our carelessness with the truth, and maybe even encourage each other to keep up the good lie-telling work, so long as the higher purpose of discrediting errant teachers is served.

I realize no one here has said that yet, exactly. But that too seems to be where the path suggested logically leads, and hence something to guard against with vigilance.
 
moderating on/
That's enough for the rabbit trail from the OP. Start a separate thread on how ugly we can be in proclaiming the truth if it is burning a hole in anyone's pocket.
/moderator off
Ben, great point. Rodney King Theology (can’t we all just get along) is not Christianity. We must defend the faith and that is sometimes ugly or hard to take for a soft society where peace and prosperity are the things we treasure most.

I still won't buy the idea that we ought to overlook our carelessness with the truth, and maybe even encourage each other to keep up the good lie-telling work, so long as the higher purpose of discrediting errant teachers is served.

I realize no one here has said that yet, exactly. But that too seems to be where the path suggested logically leads, and hence something to guard against with vigilance.
 
Regarding the original post; Yes, you should move on.

New Covenant Theology is just a deceptive form of Antinomianism. It starts by claiming that it only rejects those laws which are not repeated in the new covenant, but it goes on to remove the teeth of any laws that do remain.

How so?

"Love" will be the new banner that all decisions must fall under, and not Biblically defined love (as defined in God's law, Romans 13:8-10), but a nebulous "led by the spirit" love. Don't let the bible-speak fool you, NCT presupposes that God's Spirit is contrary to the commands God has given us in the Old Testament.

As has been mentioned, Matthew 5:19 and following is crucial here. (Remember, Jesus is talking about our "good works" that enable us to be salt and light.)
"Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

NCT will diminish the salt and light of a church and its' congregants. They reject God's law and their pastors will be the "least in the kingdom of heaven". (I do say that in love, for the love of entire congregations, I account those church members worthy of more than the the feelings of their poor leaders.)

That section of Scripture above, as well as the whole Sermon on the Mount, is key to this issue. NCT says that Jesus then goes on to give his NEW law, as opposed to the law as found in the OT. They would argue that Jesus is giving NEW laws that are similar, but better. (Anger, Lust, Divorce, Etc.)

That seems a bit nonsensical, as Jesus just said he did not come to abolish them, seriously it's in the paragraph above his giving of the NEW laws.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

You also have to wonder why Jesus is coming down on the Pharisees so harshly. If the problem with the OLD laws was that the Pharisees were keeping them as intended and Jesus decided that the old laws were just insufficient, then on what grounds does Jesus chide them? How can he condemn them for keeping the poor laws God gave them in the first place? Proponents of NCT do not understand that Jesus is not critiquing the Law of God, Jesus is critiquing the Pharisees horrible understanding and execution of it.

I say this from someone who is currently in the process of leaving their church of the past 20 years. It's not going to be easy, but I cannot continue to attend and tithe in good conscience.

When you get to the point that you no longer trust what comes from the pulpit and hope to find all your scriptural advice online, knowing that any advice you'd receive from your current elders is flawed... well, you are not doing yourself or your family any favors by staying. (I say "you", but am speaking of myself.)

I can give you specific practical examples over PM if you'd like. (I haven't seen polygamy yet, though I'd imagine NCT would argue against that from Matthew 19, as his example has one man and one woman.)

Also, a secondary issue, NCT does not conform to any reformed confessions that I'm aware of.
 
Regarding the original post; Yes, you should move on.

New Covenant Theology is just a deceptive form of Antinomianism. It starts by claiming that it only rejects those laws which are not repeated in the new covenant, but it goes on to remove the teeth of any laws that do remain.

How so?

"Love" will be the new banner that all decisions must fall under, and not Biblically defined love (as defined in God's law, Romans 13:8-10), but a nebulous "led by the spirit" love. Don't let the bible-speak fool you, NCT presupposes that God's Spirit is contrary to the commands God has given us in the Old Testament.

As has been mentioned, Matthew 5:19 and following is crucial here. (Remember, Jesus is talking about our "good works" that enable us to be salt and light.)
"Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

NCT will diminish the salt and light of a church and its' congregants. They reject God's law and their pastors will be the "least in the kingdom of heaven". (I do say that in love, for the love of entire congregations, I account those church members worthy of more than the the feelings of their poor leaders.)

That section of Scripture above, as well as the whole Sermon on the Mount, is key to this issue. NCT says that Jesus then goes on to give his NEW law, as opposed to the law as found in the OT. They would argue that Jesus is giving NEW laws that are similar, but better. (Anger, Lust, Divorce, Etc.)

That seems a bit nonsensical, as Jesus just said he did not come to abolish them, seriously it's in the paragraph above his giving of the NEW laws.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

You also have to wonder why Jesus is coming down on the Pharisees so harshly. If the problem with the OLD laws was that the Pharisees were keeping them as intended and Jesus decided that the old laws were just insufficient, then on what grounds does Jesus chide them? How can he condemn them for keeping the poor laws God gave them in the first place? Proponents of NCT do not understand that Jesus is not critiquing the Law of God, Jesus is critiquing the Pharisees horrible understanding and execution of it.

I say this from someone who is currently in the process of leaving their church of the past 20 years. It's not going to be easy, but I cannot continue to attend and tithe in good conscience.

When you get to the point that you no longer trust what comes from the pulpit and hope to find all your scriptural advice online, knowing that any advice you'd receive from your current elders is flawed... well, you are not doing yourself or your family any favors by staying. (I say "you", but am speaking of myself.)

I can give you specific practical examples over PM if you'd like. (I haven't seen polygamy yet, though I'd imagine NCT would argue against that from Matthew 19, as his example has one man and one woman.)

Also, a secondary issue, NCT does not conform to any reformed confessions that I'm aware of.
Those who would hold to NCT are wrong in some issues, but they are still part of the body of Christ, and their theology is still ongoing, as they have not yet developed a systematic theology yet.
 
Those who would hold to NCT are wrong in some issues, but they are still part of the body of Christ, and their theology is still ongoing, as they have not yet developed a systematic theology yet.

They are wrong on enough issues that we do not need to wait for them to round out their theology. If the foundation is off the finished structure is going to be garbage.

Was there anything specific you disagreed with in my post that you quoted?
 
They are wrong on enough issues that we do not need to wait for them to round out their theology. If the foundation is off the finished structure is going to be garbage.

Was there anything specific you disagreed with in my post that you quoted?
I do see them as being mistaken on how they view the relationship of the Christian now to the law, but would not see them on the whole as being into lawless living .
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top