Modern day seeker sensitive practices can trace some roots back the pragmatic revivalist movement that began in the 1800s, pioneered by a heretic named Charles Finney.
On this post at www.oldtruth.com, Jim cites Ichabod Spencer's (a contemporary to the mid 1800s) comments on the revivalist movement. My favorite part:
It is better to trouble his conscience, than to please his heart. A convicted sinner is the last person in the world to judge justly, in regard to the kind of instruction he needs. He will seize error more readily than truth, and if his tastes are consulted, his soul will be endangered. In consulting such tastes lies the cunning art deceivers, who lead crowds to admire them, and run after them, and talk of them, while they care not for the truth, "deceiving and being deceived."
2 comments:
I should not that this was published around 1850. The latter part I quoted ("In consulting such tastes lies the cunning art deceivers, who lead crowds to admire them, and run after them, and talk of them, while they care not for the truth...") reminds me of many nationally known evangelical leader, some of whom are a part Southern Baptist Convention.
That’s what is so dangerous about this "new" evangelicalism, it crosses denominational lines. It's so non-threatening that any denomination can toy with it without running off the mass of their adherents. SBC leaders now seem totally concerned with stamping out Calvinism, meanwhile, Warren's "new reformation" is eating away at the last vestiges of REAL fundamentalism in the movement.
On a related note, this article on Finney by Phil Johnson is worth a read. It’s amazing how so-called evangelical leaders can still trumpet Finney as a genius, knowing his own remarks about his theology. They are either willingly ignorant or flat out dishonest. The bit in this article about the retention rate of “converts” from Finney’s methods is of note, and still holds today by my reckoning.
In case that hyperlink doesn’t work (yay Blogger!), here is the site:
www.gty.org/~phil/articles/finney.htm
Post a Comment