From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 9 of a series. Read part 8.

The second deadly dagger of apostasy is the un-Biblical redefinition of Christianity.

We have seen that the authors and signers of the Auburn Affirmation built a pyramid of false principles as a foundation to allegedly justify their departure from the sole authority of the Word of God. In the remaining sections of the Affirmation they erected a three-pointed pinnacle bearing three deadly daggers of apostasy.

The first was the promotion of doctrinal pluralism - the false notion "liberty and unity" requires the church to permit multiple conflicting "theories" about the doctrines of the Bible. We now consider the second: the evil falsehood that the church must broaden the definition of Christianity to be more acceptable to the world.

The Auburn liberals asserted that the church must have a broad definition of "evangelical Christianity" and therefore of the Gospel, employing words that men can all agree to use, even though they mean different things by them, whether Scripture supports what they mean or not. The Auburn Affirmation declared:

We do not desire liberty to go beyond the teachings of evangelical Christianity. But we maintain that it is our constitutional right and our Christian duty within these limits to exercise liberty of thought and teaching, that we may more effectively preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World.[1]

We find many echoes of this kind of thinking in the present day. Denominations like the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America tolerate, even encourage, the presence of those who teach salvation by baptism, and justification by faith-plus-works, alongside those who teach salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. They also tolerate those who teach that an "inspired" and "inerrant" Word of God contains myths, alongside those who understand that to profess such a doctrine is to say that God is a liar.

Increasingly, the post-evangelical church is embracing the same broadening of the definition of Christianity that Pope Francis recently articulated. In late 2023, Francis changed the church laws governing the Pontifical Academy of Theology. Ever the great chameleon, Roman Catholicism is once again changing its colors to broaden it reach. As the Vatican News reported:

Now, for the Holy Father, it is time to revise the norms that regulate its activities to make them "more suited to the mission that our times impose on theology".

Opening up to the world and to humanity, "with its problems, its wounds, its challenges, its potential", theological reflection must make room for "an epistemological and methodological rethinking", and is therefore called to "a courageous cultural revolution".

What is needed is "a fundamentally contextual theology", writes the Pope, "capable of reading and interpreting the Gospel in the conditions in which men and women live daily, in different geographical, social, and cultural environments".

Theology must "develop in a culture of dialogue and encounter between different traditions and different disciplines, between different Christian denominations and different religions", the Apostolic Letter says.

It must engage "openly with all, believers and non-believers alike".

"This is the approach of transdisciplinarity", Francis specifies....this means "situating and stimulating all disciplines against the backdrop of the Light and Life offered by the Wisdom streaming from God's Revelation.

For this reason, theology must "make use of new categories developed by other forms of knowledge, in order to penetrate and communicate the truths of faith and transmit the teaching of Jesus in today's languages, with originality and critical awareness".[2]

Unpacking these statements, we find that Rome is advocating broadening of the definition of "Christianity" even more than it already has over many centuries. The pope asserts that the definition of Christianity must not merely incorporate, but in fact be governed by, external factors such as those to be found through "a culture of dialogue and encounter between different traditions and different disciplines, between different Christian denominations and different religions".

In other words, man, not God, must define Christianity and must keep redefining it to "suit the times". But what does the almighty, unchanging God of Scripture say?

Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Any push to broaden the definition of Christianity bespeaks an exceedingly low view of Scripture - the false notions that human opinion, not Almighty God, determines what is true or not true and that "truth" must change with the times. A low view of Scripture allows men to twist Scripture. The Apostle Peter spoke of those who adulterated the sections of Scripture that the Apostle Paul had already written at that time. He said that these false teachers twist Paul's words, just as they twist all the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).

The Apostle Paul wanted the believers at Corinth to understand that he held the highest possible view of Scripture. And so, he began one of the sections within his two epistles in which he defended his ministry to the Corinthian church by saying this:

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:1-2)

Here is the essence of what the Apostle Paul is saying in verse two: He and those who ministered with him had not handled the Word of God deceitfully. Literally, he says, we have not falsified, adulterated, or corrupted the Word of God. He goes on to say that his ministry has been characterized by "manifestation of the truth" - literally, a plain and forthright disclosure of revealed truth.

In other words, the Apostle Paul was simply obeying the Bible's own commandments about how it is to be handled. In Deuteronomy 4:2 God said this to the nation of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land:

You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

And again, in Deuteronomy 12:32 -

Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

And finally, at the very end of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus himself gives this solemn warning:

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Authentic Bible-believing Christians must never make even the slightest move, utter the slightest word, or entertain the slightest thought, that would in any way broaden the definition of "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude verse 3). We must be constantly on our guard against those who often "have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 4).

References:

1. The full text of the Auburn Affirmation appears here.

2. "Pope: Theology Must Interpret the Gospel for Today's World", Vatican News, November 1, 2023 as viewed at https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-11/pope-francis-motu-proprio-pontifical-theology-academy.html

Next: Unity at the Expense of Truth

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