Liberal Theology

    This essay is not in support but against Liberal Theology. I believe our modern world has an anti-Bible & anti-Christ spirit which engineers & promotes L.T. If the purpose of life is to find truth & God (Acts 17:26-27) and be Biblically saved, then these are perilous times because of L.T. in the religious arena. Now it’s natural for folks to stand between liberal & conservative positions & choose w/o knowing many of the arguments either way. We choose sometimes at random, but usually from family traditions or friendships.  Which means people may not know what they’re getting into.
     It is commonly believed that L.T. takes away faith. (This makes sense since many liberals are ashamed to believe – see “God’s Not Dead” link 142.) Especially in the seminary where the graduate school profs. have masters & doctorate degrees – how could they be wrong on Bible doctrine? And why wouldn’t our adversary “the serpent” infiltrate seminaries w/educated but deniers of time-honored doctrines & creeds? (Although, the Church was warned of this problem even before the Apostles passed.  
See 2 Peter 2:1)
    The early years of the last century was the main era of doctrinal challenge. Conservative beliefs & creeds were bashed by mostly German theologians & philosophers such as: Paul Tillich, S.A. Kierkegaard, Adolf Harnack, H.E. Fosdick, David F. Strauss, Henry Ware, & Albrecht Ritschl. They came to this country & resumed their teaching careers at our leading colleges & seminaries. Their “new” & liberal theology challenged things like the Nature of God & the Trinity, the Deity & Lordship of JESUS CHRIST AND HIS ATONEMENT, the authority & sanctity of Scripture, miracles & even the RESURRECTION of Christ. There was some resistance in the Church, but faithless, & Christ denying doctrines took hold in the name of “modernism”. To this day about half of the Catholic & Protestant leaders are liberal. And I have known a few. They offer no legitimate Gospel of a heaven to gain or hell to shun by the merits of Jesus Christ.
     I think on the subject of theology and our eternal souls, it is better to be safe than sorry. I know it can be tough to make a stand for Christ & those strange words “saved” & “salvation”. Conservative Bible “thumpers” have been criticized by man for thousands of years. BUT - God has given us his view of loose/liberal handling of revealed Divine truth:
--  1 Samuel 15:23 KJV "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and               idolatry.  Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being             king."  Samuel's word from God to Saul 1050 BC.
--  Proverbs 19:27 KJV “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of             knowledge.” 950 B.C.
--  Jeremiah 7:24 “But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the         stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” 626 B.C.
--  Matthew 10:33 “But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in                 heaven.” Jesus said that.
--  Colossians 2:8 KJV “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the                 tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
--  2 John 9 “Anyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he         who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”
     D.C. Hodge; “No road to perdition has ever been more thronged than that of false doctrine. Error is  a  shield over the conscience and a bandage over the eyes.”  The tragedy & deadly part of Liberal Theology is after it is drilled into people’s heads, and with the majority of the world as a chorus of “One World & Religious Tolerance”, liberals hang with their un-Biblical/Christ rejecting religion till time pulls them under – without Christ’s salvation.  And there are no air conditioners in hell. 
---  LIBERAL THEOLOGY & ETERNITY: If wrong, devotees lose their souls.  If right, devotees gain                nothing.                                                      – NO WAY TO WIN –
---  CONSERVATIVE THEOLOGY & ETERNITY: If wrong, devotees lose nothing.  If right, devotees gain        heaven.                                                      – NO WAY TO LOSE –
    Besides gaining heaven, conservative Christians also get blessed by God while they live. It’s a better deal. Choose Jesus, He is Alive. See also “Waxing Liberal” link 112.

Many other interesting titles:  www.gospelnotes.org                                                         * * F.J. Stone * *
                                                                                                                                                               161