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Evangelicals tend to have only one string on their doctrinal harps. They will take a stand for a few things, but not for the whole counsel of God. To stand for the whole counsel of God tends to cause division and thus hinders the focus on (and fund raising for) the one string.
There is the string of the family (Focus on the Family), pro life (Evangelicals for Life), creationism (Answers In Genesis, Institute for Creation Research), disaster relief (Samaritan’s Ministries), evangelism (Laurie, Palau, Graham), poverty (World Vision), campus ministries (Campus Crusade, Youth for Christ), complementarianism (Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood), child evangelism (Child Evangelism Fellowship), apologetics (Ligonier Ministries), etc.
Multitudes of evangelical ministries are one string harps. They might play that one string well, but they tend to avoid anything that would interfere with that particular emphasis.
One string ministries typically do not take a clear stand against unscriptural modes of baptism (e.g., infant baptism, pouring, sprinkling), women preachers (such as Beth Moore), allegorical interpretation of prophecy (AiG says their staff “represent a wide range of eschatological frameworks), the heresy that a born-again believer can lose his salvation, errors pertaining to Holy Spirit baptism and Spirit filling, ecumenical evangelism, the errors of the church growth movement (e.g., Rick Warren, Robert Schuller, and Bill Hybels), the error of Christian psychology, the heresy of modern textual criticism and the bewildering variety of modern Bible versions, “Christian” rock, contemporary worship, contemporary Southern Gospel, contemplative prayer, and biblical modesty.
On a visit to the Creation Museum in 2009, I was treated well and thoroughly enjoyed my visit. We were shown some of the normally unseen parts of the museum and had opportunity to interview one of their scientists. I thank the Lord for Ken Ham and what he has done for the cause of truth in this wicked age, but there are serious problems, such as the use of modern versions, contemporary music, and a broad tent philosophy of association. He told me that since Answers in Genesis is “not a church,” they don’t have to concern themselves with issues other than creationism.
It is the church that is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Ti. 3:15). The apostles and prophets and evangelists of the first century established churches, not one string ministries.
Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), was a sincere Christian man who did a lot of good for the cause of Christ, but he was a convinced ecumenist, and that is a serious fly in the ointment of a Christian ministry. He believed that the defense of creation is more important than maintaining doctrinal purity. In the History of Modern Creationism, he described the role that Seventh-day Adventists have played in the field of creation science and he reproved evangelicals for not working more closely with Adventists. Dr. Morris joined the Creation-Deluge Society which was founded by Adventists in 1938. He said the fact that the organization did not draw more non-Adventists is “a rebuke to the conservatives and fundamentalists in the other denominations, who were either so unconcerned with these basic scientific issues or so enamored with their schemes of evolutionary compromise that they had nothing significant to contribute” (p. 135).
Dr. Morris apparently did not consider the possibility of a third option, which is that evangelicals and fundamentalists of that day wanted to obey God’s Word by not yoking together in joint ministry and close association with heretics who followed a deceived female “prophetess” (Ellen G. White).
Dr. Morris’ philosophy was that only a few “fundamentals of the faith” are essential for fellowship. His rejection of the biblical doctrine of separation is evident in the fact that he remained a member of the liberal American Scientific Affiliation for 32 years.
The representatives of Institute for Creation Research (ICR), Answers in Genesis (AiG), and similar ministries speak in churches that represent a wide variety of doctrine. They will be in a Baptist church one Sunday, a Methodist church the next, a Calvinist church the next, and a charismatic church the next.
For example, on August 31, 2014, Ken Ham spoke at the LifeLight Festival in South Dakota. Instead of being in a sound church that Sunday morning and encouraging others to be in such a church, Ken was at a rock concert. LifeLight is an ecumenical ministry that focuses on Christian rock and social work. LifeLight’s founders testify that they were converted through Christian rock music. Sponsors of the August 2014 LifeLight conference included Reformed, Southern Baptist, Assemblies of God, Evangelical Free, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Lutheran, and Cowboy churches. Contemporary Christian musicians who performed included such radical ecumenists as Michael W. Smith, Skillit, and Sanctus Real. In 1993, Smith performed for the Roman Catholic World Youth Day in Denver, attended by Pope John Paul II. In 1997, Smith joined the Roman Catholic Kathy Troccoli and 40 other CCM artists to record Love One Another, an ecumenical song that talks about tearing down the walls of denominational division. In 2009, Smith joined Roman Catholic Matt Maher on the New Hallelujah Tour. Maher believes in praying to Mary as Queen of Heaven.
Mr. Ham’s presence in this mixed multitude is irrefutable evidence of deep compromise in regard to doctrinal purity.
In 2021, the Ark Encounter, operated by Answers in Genesis, hosted a “40 Days and Nights of Gospel Music” event. It featured contemporary, hard rocking Southern Gospel groups (e.g., Brian Free, the Perrys, Inspirations, Kingsmen, Earnie Haase) plus a slate of high profile Southern Baptist speakers, including David Jeremiah, Johnny Hunt, and Robert Jeffress. See the free eVideos CCM A Bridge to Dangerous Waters and A Plea to Southern Gospel Fans - https://www.wayoflife.org/s3/satanic_attack_on_sacred_music.php
Answers in Genesis has a recommendation of the Gettys (Getty-Townend Music) at their web site. The Gettys are a dangerous bridge to many heresies, including Roman Catholicism. (See “The Gettys - Pied Pipers of Contemporary Worship Music,” www.wayoflife.org.)
The reason the representatives of the major creation science ministries can be comfortable in a wide variety of doctrinal forums is that they narrow down their message and focus only on creation science (or basic apologetics or evangelism or some other single-issue orientation).
Actually they might have more than one issue. They might have ten. The problem is that they refuse to make an issue of the WHOLE counsel of God.
The apostle Paul exemplified exactly what the one string ministries neglect to do:
“For I have not shunned to declare unto you ALL the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
I challenge anyone to show me where the Scripture instructs the believer to “stand for the cardinal truths and downplay the peripherals.” I have been issuing that challenge for decades, and no one has even attempted to produce such a Scripture.
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