Truth is ancient; it's grey hairs may make it venerable;
it comes from Him who is the ancient of days. --Thomas Watson

 

23 December, 2005   comments: (0) Changed Message   Pulpits Pirated by Pop-Psychology Michael Horton believes that the greatest problem with the preaching we hear today is that "there is such a demand to be practical - that is - to have clever principles for daily living. But the danger, of course, is that what one hears on Sunday morning is not the Word of God. To be sure, the Scriptures were read (maybe) and there was a sermon (perhaps), but the message had more in common with a talk at the Lion's Club, a pop-psychology seminar, prophecy conference or political convention than with proclamation of heavenly truth 'from above'." [More from Horton] One modern church that's jumped onboard the pop-psychology bandwagon is Mark Batterson's "Theater Church". It's actually called National Community Church, and was recently chosen by their peers for a top 10 list of the "most innovative churches in America". Since they train other churches how to follow their system, I thought I would spend some time evaluating what comes from the pulpit of this influential church. Pop-Psychology Preaching: Mark Batterson is no stranger to modern pop-psychology and philosophy, and that's something that is reflected in his sermons. That's not to say that scripture is absent in the Theater Church's sermons; it's often mixed-in with pop-culture and pop-psychology quotes. I think the reason this "mixing" is done, is to kill two birds with one stone; we see a hint of something similar in Mark's recent Pimp My Church article: "When you use biblical illustrations it gives you credibility with Christians. When you use cultural illustrations it gives you credibility with the unchurched and dechurched". Undiscerning Christians might not recognize problems with this mixing, simply because the presence of bible verses makes them feel as though the sermon is a biblical one. But as these sermon excerpts demonstrate, often what's said has more to do with pop-psychology than anything biblical: Nothing determines who we will become as much as those things we ignore. [+] The goal of the game of life is to set God-sized goals and go after them. [+] The outcome of your life will be determined by your outlook on life. [+] The path of least resistance rarely, if ever, takes us where we want to go. [+] I think there are two basic types of people in the world: complainers and worshippers. [+] I'm not sure we think of Him in these terms, but Jesus was a goal-setter. No one dreamed bigger dreams than Jesus. [+] Goals create what psychologists refer to as "structural tension" in your brain. The brain wants to close the gap between your current reality and your goal. The brain is a goal-seeking organism. And if you don't set godly goals you'll pursue goals of lesser importance. [+] Not necessarily psychology, just biblically-tenuous: if you aren't willing to look foolish you can't worship! [+] Almost on a daily basis now I am reminded that it's not about what I can do for God. It's about what God can do for me. [+] One of the greatest acts of worship is to do a good job at something you don't want to do. [+] Abandoning Sound Doctrine: John MacArthur talks about the effects of sermons like this in a book-chapter entitled Plexiglas Preaching. A Washington Post article about this church, displayed on their own website - reveals a missing priority that may have paved the way for this acceptance of pop-psychology. The article said: "Rather than teaching doctrine, the 45-minute services are geared toward providing an emotional experience". Mark Batterson does not make an overtly obvious assault on doctrine, but as John MacArthur helps us to recognize, it's a subtle relegation of doctrine towards the back of the bus. It's the attitude that "doctrine and bible knowledge are good BUT...", and what follows the "BUT..." is whatever the pastor feels is of equal or greater importance, or whatever he feels are dangers in taking doctrine "too far". Here are a few quotes from the Theater Church website, along-side a reality check from John MacArthur: Mark Batterson John MacArthur I think we [Christians are] more concerned about doctrinal purity than personal purity. Both are important, but personal purity is paramount. [+] Too often, our theology results in intellectual pride. ... Our doctrine becomes our security blanket. ... We dissect Scripture instead of allowing Scripture to dissect us [+] I don't think we need more knowledge as much as we need deeper convictions. [+] We ended up with "systematic" theology yet there is nothing systematic about theology. All we've done is pigeon-hole the Kaleidscopic One. [+] [Too many pastors] know Scripture, but [are] out of touch with the times. The end result is a gap between theology and reality called irrelevance. ... If we divorce Biblical exegesis and cultural exegesis we end up with dysfunctional truth. It doesn't do anybody any good. Either we answer questions no one is asking. Or we give the wrong answers. [+] One approach [to God] takes God apart - I call it the theology of dissection. I think we need to study theological nuances. And I'm not suggesting that we don't put Scripture under the microscope. But... [+] The early church rallied around a three-word creed: Jesus is Lord. I think we need to think through theological issues. We need to wrestle with doctrinal nuances. But... [+] Practical application is vital. I don't want to minimize its importance. But the distinction between doctrinal and practical truth is artificial; doctrine is practical! In fact, nothing is more practical than sound doctrine. Too many Christians view doctrine as heady and theoretical. They have dismissed doctrinal passages as unimportant, divisive, threatening, or simply impractical. A best-selling Christian book I just read warns readers to be on guard against preachers whose emphasis is on interpreting Scripture rather than applying it. - - - Wait a minute. Is that wise counsel? No it is not. There is no danger of irrelevant doctrine; the real threat is an undoctrinal attempt at relevance. Application not based on solid interpretation has led Christians into all kinds of confusion. No discipline is more sorely needed in the contemporary church than expositional biblical teaching. Too many have bought the lie that doctrine is something abstract and threatening, unrelated to daily life. It is in vogue to substitute psychology and spoon-fed application for doctrinal substance, while demeaning theological and expositional ministry. [read the rest of his article] The Therapeutic Message of Self Esteem: Like Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Ed Young, and others, Mark Batterson has also published his own self-esteem book. It's called "ID: The True You" and it explores "four dimensions of identity" including: The Miracle: There never has been and never will be anyone like you. The Process: It's never too late to be who you might have been. The Challenge: True freedom is having nothing to prove. The Goal: You become what you worship. As if in response to this, Robert Reymond made this diagnosis years earlier: "We are seeing a waning confidence in the message of the gospel. Even the evangelical church shows signs of losing confidence in the convincing and converting power of the gospel message. That is why increasing numbers of churches prefer sermons on family life and psychological health. We are being overtaken by what Os Guinness calls the managerial and therapeutic revolutions. The winning message, it seems, is the one that helps people to solve their temporal problems, improves their self-esteem and makes them feel good about themselves". In addition to Mark's book, you will find in his sermons - statements like these, that have less to do with scripture, and more to do with self-esteem: Your focus will determine your reality! [+] I'm absolutely convinced that the most important choice you make everyday is your attitude. [+] I'm concerned about those of you who don't like who you've become. I hope and pray you begin to see yourself the way God sees you. [+] The happiest and healthiest people aren't afraid of looking foolish. [+] I think Jesus came to unearth those gifts and dreams and passions that have been buried when you decided to cave in and become like everyone else. He came to get you out of the psychological straightjacket you got yourself into. He came to help you become the person you were destined to be. [+] The greatest freedom is having nothing to prove. [+] The fewer problems you have with yourself . . . the fewer problems you'll have with others. [+] Jesus never tried to prove who He was. When people asked for proof he didn't give it to them. Here's why. You can't prove yourself to other people. All they can do is accept you for who you are. [+] I think the healthiest and holiest people are those who laugh at themselves the most. [+] There never has been and never will be anyone like you. So what? That means that no one can worship God like you. No one can take your place. You are invaluable and irreplaceable. [+] 'Positive Thinking' Psychology: Lastly, one more area where the world has infiltrated modern evangelicalism, as well as the Theater Church, is that of "Positive Thinking" psychology. Robert Schuller is the TV pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, who once said: "I believe in positive thinking. It is almost as important as the resurrection of Jesus Christ". Schuller has had a major influence on the seeker sensitive movement. Another positive thinking preacher is Joel Osteen, who's sermons are full of worldly motivational advice that is often not biblically derived. Christianity Today once wrote an article on Joel Osteen entitled "Thou Shalt Not Be Negative". At the seeker-sensitive church that I used to attend, the pastor frequently talked (from the pulpit) about not wanting to be around "negative people". Church History Listen to a short audio clip By John MacArthur: The Preaching of the Reformers What did they preach about in the 16th century, and how? 6 minutes, 750k MP3 You have to wonder what these modern 'positive pastors' would have done with one of God's prophets, like Isaiah or Jeremiah. Didn't those men of the bible seem a bit on the negative side, according to this new philosophy? Would these biblical 'negativists' be welcome in these churches? What's a shame about it all, is how churches like this are often deprived of any sermons that deal with life's many negative issues. Let's face it, there are some issues in life that you can't put a positive spin on, in the temporal sense. But as John Piper once said - the Christianity of prosperous modern America is oh so 'chipper'. Mark Batterson's Theater Church website tells us a lot about his positive paradigm. At the time I'm writing this, Google returns 80 pages on the website containing the word 'positive'. There's nothing inherently wrong with the word 'positive', but it's excessive use hints at the presence of a man-made doctrine that's no where to be found on the pages of scripture, with this degree of prominence. Some statements from Mark's pages include: When I was in graduate school I developed what I called "the positive paradigm." I discovered that every negative could be converted into a positive. In other words, I think there is a positive way of doing everything! [+] Every negative event contains within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. I believe that. [+] if you have a worshipful spirit life gets better and better. Why? Because you accumulate positive memories. At the end of the day, one way or the other, your focus determines your reality! [+] There are "positive" and "negative" colors. [+] I don't know anybody who is negative about the past and positive about the future or positive about the past and negative about the future. Positive people focus on the positive -- period. [+] On why to have church in movie theaters: Movie theaters fit the bill perfectly! It's a place people like to go. And that positive feeling translates to church! [+] Another side-effect of this never-be-negative mandate is the elimination of any role for Christian apologetics. After all, in order for someone to defend the Gospel from a false teaching, you must speak negatively about the teaching, right? Oddly enough, Mark does speak negatively towards the ministry of others. You'll find him doing this in the form of "Too many churches do this..." or "Most churches don't do that...". Google reports dozens of hits from him on these two phrases alone. A Return To Biblical Preaching Would Be Positive: After hours of studying the Theater Church's sermons, I am ready to move on to something that REALLY is positive, and that's the abandonment of all of this pulpit-psychology, which is so prevalent in the modern church. We need a return to biblical preaching, where pastors stay within the safe confines of scripture, rather than giving a weekly 'talk' on their own personal philosophies on life. I hope I've demonstrated that this is NOT a matter of style and personal preference, the issue is really biblical versus non-biblical. This is one of the reasons I really like what I'm seeing over at the 9 Marks ministry, which ironically, is headquartered a few miles from the Theater Church. 9 Marks is a group of pastors trying to influence a move back to the more God-centered standards of yester-year. Their approaches to expositional preaching, church leadership, and evangelism, are anchored in the bible, and not in human "creativity" or worldly wisdom. CrossTV's series "A Workman Approved By God" includes an excellent video entitled: Who's Teaching You?. It provides Christians with tools for evaluating whether their pastor is teaching a truly biblical message. This video helps believers to see through the fog of sermons that mention bible verses, but in reality - are not authentically biblical. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:19-25 Note: The [+] links throughout this article are provided for context verification of the included quotes, as space considerations made it impossible to present every quote within it's full context. I strongly encourage readers to click these links to examine the context before coming to their own conclusions. Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.141   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism