Christianity Today’s Dangerous Response to Destructive Doctrine
Matt Recker
Mark Galli, the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today expressed sadness that former CT editor David Neff has capitulated on same sex marriage. (Neff now states that he agrees with it.)
In Galli’s piece (June 9, 2015) entitled, “Breaking News: 2 Billion Christians Believe in Traditional Marriage,” Neff is quoted as saying, “I think the ethically responsible thing for gay and lesbian Christians to do is to form lasting, covenanted partnerships. I also believe that the church should help them in those partnerships in the same way the church should fortify traditional marriages.”
Standing with 2,000 years of history and 2 billion Christians, Galli takes issue with Neff’s new founded position and responded, “We at CT are sorry when fellow evangelicals modify their views to accord with the current secular thinking on this matter.” He continued, “We’ll be sad, but we won’t panic or despair. Neither will we feel compelled to condemn the converts and distance ourselves from them. But, to be sure, they will be enlisting in a cause that we believe is ultimately destructive to society, to the church, and to relations between men and women.”
This statement is profoundly revealing and is a dangerous response to the destructive doctrine of same sex marriage. Note carefully that Galli says that he will be “sad” that evangelical Christians take positions on marriage that are “ultimately DESTRUCTIVE to society, to the church” and to those in normal marriage relationships. Galli also says he will not “CONDEMN” those who take this destructive position nor will he “DISTANCE” himself from them. Galli’s Christianity Today will not speak strong words of condemnation nor distance itself from that which is destructive to what he believes. This is dangerous to the faith we hold dear!
Herein lies an ultimate difference between historic new evangelicalism promoted by the first mouthpiece of that movement, Christianity Today, and historic fundamentalism. New evangelicalism refuses to Biblically separate from that which actually destroys the faith we cherish. Galli says it himself. This refusal to speak strong words of condemnation and to separate from “men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,” says the Scripture (Jude 4), ultimately reveals the dangerous direction of the mainline evangelical position.
When some like David Neff bow down to the powerful forces of elite society and political correctness it does make me sad, but it does much more than that. It also leads me to continue to take a Biblical view of separation from evangelicals who refuse to separate from known and destructive error. Our repentance to salvation will not be repented of, but will lead us to diligently defend the faith, grieve over sin with a righteous indignation, and passionately continue to preach the Word (2 Cor.7:10-11). We must work out our salvation by a sanctifying Biblical separation.
Paul clearly wrote that “if any may teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing… perverse disputing of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such WITHDRAW THYSELF” (1 Timothy 6:3-5).
The same sex marriage issue clearly falls into this category described by Paul. It defies the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ and promotes ungodliness and fornication. Paul does not say he is sad that people would teach such things, but he says their teachings are perverse and come from corrupt minds. These words of condemnation lead Paul to rightly separate from them. May God give us the grace of love and loyalty to our God, His Word, His church, and His people to do the same.
Matt Recker is the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in New York City.