Bishops or Balogna?

For years I have been asking people to please explain to me the role of a Bishop in the Baptist or nondenominational Church. Since the advent of the “Full Gospel” movement in the 1980’s (was there ever a partial Gospel?), More and more Baptist and nondenominational Pastors have been popping up with the title of “Bishop”. The thing about it is - I have yet to figure out what makes a pastor in these churches a Bishop.

To be sure, the definition of the title Bishop has different connotations and meanings depending upon the source. And, while the Bible is not specific as to the function of a Bishop, the many definitions I have discovered will all fit into three basic categories. 

First, is the belief that a Bishop is of direct succession to the original 12 Apostles of Christ. Since there is no direct evidence that any of the Apostles left children behind, we must assume that this is a succession of office and not genealogy. This definition appears to be more mythological than factual because I doubt anyone can claim such lineage and provide any credible proof of such. Furthermore, since Baptist churches have been largely autonomous since their advent over 400 years ago and nondenominational churches have always been independent, I doubt any Baptist or nondenominational “Bishop” would be ridiculous enough to make this claim. 

The second group of definitions defines a Bishop as one who has administrative authority over a geographical area of churches or Christians. Again, since by definition a Baptist church (and most nondenominational churches) is independent and autonomous, this definition too would be silly to apply at best. 

The third group of definitions defines a Bishop as one who has religious authority over some organized group of Christians (which may or may not be geographical in nature) including the powers to perform certain religious ceremonial acts and confer the title of Bishop upon others. Once again, since every Baptist pastor (and the vast majority of nondenominational pastors) has the authority to perform every religious sacrament and ceremony recognized by the church, this definition would assume that the only purpose of a Baptist or nondenominational “Bishop” would be to create other “Bishops”.

For 400 years, Baptist and nondenominational churches have organized themselves into “conferences” or “conventions” for the purpose of combining certain resources for missions and evangelism and examining the doctrine of local churches. Part of the doctrinal function of these organizations is the ordination of ministers. While these organizations have no actual doctrinal authority over their member churches, ministers ordained by these bodies have been certified to be fully prepared and qualified to lead their local church doctrinally, ceremonially and administratively and each member has agreed to accept the qualifications of ministerial ordination conferred by the body. This being the case, I cannot figure out a purpose or need for creating additional bodies to create mythical “Bishops” with no actual authority over anything other than their local church, which they already possessed prior to claiming the mystical title of “Bishop”.

In this age where church membership has declined to its lowest levels (by percentage of population) since the advent of our nation, where the moral decline of our country has become so prevalent and where poverty is spreading like cancer, I would dare say that the pomp and circumstance surrounding this mystical creation of Baptist and nondenominational Bishops is just plain silly.

The Truth About God's Politics

Theology has always been a part of the American political discourse.  And, despite what the radical left has to say about our American history, America was never intended to be a godless nation.  While much debate continues about the exact theological leanings of the nation’s framers, the fact that they believed in God and expected Him to be a part of our national identity is indisputable.  The very Declaration of independence, from which we draw our authority to exist as a sovereign nation, draws its authority from a single deity credited with the creation of men as equals and responsible for bestowing upon them certain rights that cannot be revoked by other men.  And, while much debate also exists about the exact nature of this Supreme Being, there is a significant plurality of our nation’s electorate that recognizes this deity as the Judeo-Christian God made known to us through the Bible.  While I count myself in that number, I reject outright the notion that the Evangelical Christian right is in line with what the God of Bible thinks of and wants for America.  Likewise, I find it equally ridiculous that those of the political left are any more righteous or Christian in their thinking.  Every day, evangelical and liberal preachers alike tell lie after lie about God and His view of what we are doing here in America.  Many do it intentionally for some political gain or agenda.  Most do it unwittingly by focusing on a particular verse or passage that may align with their own particular view or purpose while ignoring or omitting others that may not be so supporting of the point they may be trying to prove.

According the Bible, the Christian right is correct in their view on their two headline issues, abortion and same sex marriage.  There is no way one can read the Bible and surmise anything other than God’s complete disapproval of our nation’s “tolerance” for people marrying those of the same sex or our national obsession with murdering the unborn for the sake of convenience.  The establishment of homosexuality as a sin is well established in scripture - both Old and New Testaments.  You cannot claim a belief in Holy Scripture without acknowledging this fact.  There are those who claim that the Bible is in error on this topic but that belief is a repudiation of the Bible’s central claim – that every word of it is breathed out of the mouth of God.  In the case of abortion, the Bible is equally clear.  Life does not begin “AT” conception; it begins in the mind of God prior to conception.  A “fetus” is a living being with a soul, spirit and God given purpose in life.  

The fatal flaw in the thinking of the Christian right is twofold.  First, they hang on to these two issues for dear life while ignoring much more fundamental truths to the Bible.  Yes, abortion and homosexuality are recognized and well established as sin in the bible.  On the other hand, Jesus Christ himself declared that we would be judged by God according to how we treat “the least of these”.  To spend billions of dollars fighting gay rights and abortion and oppose programs that establish a safety net for the least fortunate in our nation is nothing short of hypocrisy and borders on the blasphemous.  Secondly, their approach to these headline issues is usually counterproductive, divisive and often unchristian in its execution.  To spend billions fighting abortion and nothing tending to the unwanted children who are already here is again the epitome of hypocrisy, and the vile rhetoric suggesting that God “hates” gays or would seek to deny them certain legal protection is outright demonic.

The other side of the aisle is just as warped in its thinking.

Every election cycle, the political left spends untold cash and political capital forcing upon us the morally bankrupt policies of the liberal extreme.  We can no longer pray in the schools we pay for but more and more our children are forced to learn about “alternate lifestyles” and taught to accept it as a viable life choice.  Abortion for the sake of convenience, the teaching of sexual immorality and an all-out assault on anything that resembles traditional family values have all become a central part of the liberal political agenda.  Furthermore, while they do understand the necessity of taking care of “the least of these”, their political methodology has created a “poverty industry” and a crippled dependent permanent welfare class in America.

To sum it all up, any preacher (Rod Parsley and David Forbes included) that would suggest it is more Christian to vote one American political party over another is not speaking the truth and misleading you!  They have an agenda and it is NOT the Bible.  Jesus Christ would not vote Republican – or Democrat!  That is not to suggest that we should not vote, it is only to say that whatever party we belong to, we have a Christian responsibility to influence the political agenda of that party to better reflect what we believe as Christians.  Remember, a vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil.

The Burning Sword 8/10/11

This Week's Topic: God's Politics

Every day, evangelical and liberal preachers alike tell lie after lie about God and His view of what we are doing here in America.  Many do it intentionally for some political gain or agenda.  Most do it unwittingly by focusing on a particular verse or passage that may align with their own particular view or purpose while ignoring or omitting others that may not be so supporting of the point they may be trying to prove.

This week, The Burning Sword will take a look at what the Bible really says about God's politics and what He thinks about what is going on here in America.  We invite Christians from all parts of the political spectrum to join us as we take a look at how God really views America and her politics.

What is This Blog All About?

2 Timothy 4:3: says “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” I can’t imagine a prophecy anywhere in the bible that has so clearly come to pass in our time.

As I look at the state of the modern church, it pains me to see how far we have strayed and continue to stray from the teachings that Christ and His Apostles left for us to follow. Mega Churches that preach a bastardized, warped version of the gospel that tells people that God wants them to be rich, mainstream churches more concerned with what we think about God than what God actually says about Himself, churches that have embraced popular culture, bringing the profane into the temple celebrating the demonic music and images of the world, and churches that are so desperate to increase membership and offerings that they have defiled what is holy and become a reflection of our twisted sinful society instead of an influence on it. The Burning Sword will take a look at these issues and many more as we attempt to hold the church accountable and expose the lies and false doctrines running rampant through the modern Church.

The Apostle Paul was not shy about using the names of those preaching false doctrines and we will not be either. We will be calling out many popular preachers, teachers and so-called prophets by name when necessary, just as Paul did, challenging them and inviting them to defend their teachings and line them up with the Word. We will be using the names of Churches when appropriate, just as Paul did, calling out practices that we do not believe are consistent with the Word of God and inviting them to defend these practices using ONLY the Word. Everyone claiming to be a follower of the one called Jesus Christ will be fair game (including me) and every place of assembly that meets under the sign of the cross will be eligible for scrutiny (including my own).

As we engage is this exercise, let us be clear about one thing, this is NOT a review or critique of traditions, preferences or cultures in the church. We fully recognize and embrace the importance of everyone - young and old, rich and poor, traditional and contemporary, orthodox and progressive to enjoy a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, to experience an indwelling of the Holy Spirit and to express themselves in the worship of the one true God. However, when our practices, traditions and customs, - no matter how old or new – do not line up with the Word of God as presented to us in the Bible, we believe that it is errant or heretical at best and blasphemous or demonic at worst.

The rules of engagement are simple. There will be no profanity, no character assassinations, no gossip and no name calling. Violators’ comments will be edited or deleted. Most importantly, the only source of reference that we are interested in is the Bible. Mention other texts if you choose but comments that cite other texts without reference to the Bible will be deleted. Use any version of the Bible you prefer but where versions differ, we will go immediately to the original Greek and/or Hebrew Texts. We don’t expect to agree on everything, men (and women) much smarter than us have been debating the Word since there was a Word to debate. However, everything we do, say and teach regarding the things of God must line up with certain universal truths of our Christian faith. If it does not, then we are exactly what Paul describes – hypocrites and liars with dead consciences. (I Tim. 4:1-2)

We look forward to a lively dialogue in the weeks and months (and hopefully years) ahead. We invite your questions, comments, concerns and even topic ideas as we embark upon this journey to see that the Church of Jesus Christ becomes more a reflection of Him that called us than the world he has called us out of.

Thank you for checking in with us. Please join our site by using one of the links to the right or below.  God Bless you, and we look forward to whatever God has in store for us.

Darrell J. Davis

Preacherman808@gmail.com