History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.

Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire

From the BUV policy on Ordination: “Persons who engage in homosexual practice will not be ordained.“

I’m confused. The leadership of the denomination and it’s theological college do not have a problem with Baptist clergy or theological professors who are advocates for same-sex marriage. Yet the BUV will not allow anyone to be ordained as a minister who engages in homosexual acts.

This is beginning to sound like an echo of the downfall of the Uniting Church of Australia.

Watch this space. It’s a lesson in how dynamic evangelical movements unravel and decay.

Gary Lockyer was the senior pastor at Lilydale Baptist (1988-2002). This is an full version of his comment posted today providing background to the turmoil at his former church.

Steve, I was the Senior Pastor of the Lilydale Baptist Church for 14 years. It had already grown out of its ancient (1881?) but very small building and was meeting in the Senior Citizens Centre. In 1991 we moved into the first stage of the new building and then into the larger auditorium in around 1995.

My theological stance? Conservative Reformed. My personal motto has always been the old Youth for Christ one – “Anchored to the Rock; Geared for the times.”

The Church grew steadily (as you indicated) across all the age groups through those years. In 1996, we presented a submission to the Baptist Union of Victoria (BUV) “Ordination of Homosexuals” debacle that strongly affirmed ministry and welcome to homosexuals, but no unrepentant practising homosexuals in membership or leadership.

I recall that our submission was passed at a well-attended Church Meeting without a dissenting voice or vote. At the time, we had a number of refugees from the Uniting Church with us; the last thing they needed was the fear that their experience would be repeated! How quickly things have changed, with changes in both congregational and pastoral leadership.

I mentioned “debacle” with regard to the 1996 BUV Assembly that ruled out Ordination for a practising homosexual. I was one of the few who pointed out the inadequacy of any motion only based on the “opinion of the Churches” (subject to change) rather than based on a conviction that homosexual practice was a sin according to the Scriptures.

I stressed the foolishness of “locking the front door” of Ordination (a questionable practice anyway) while pointing out that the “back door” was standing unguarded; a Church could call an unordained practising homosexual as a Pastor. The only “discipline” if this was to happen? The BUV would advise that he / she could not be ordained! That’s a forceful blow with a limp lettuce leaf!

With a few others, an attempt was made that night to add the words “or approve of homosexual practice” as a bar to ordination. The amendment was overwhelmingly lost. Worse, we were laughed at openly in the Assembly by some as we attempted to point out the futility of forbidding the practise of homosexuality while allowing its advocacy. What is playing out now at Lilydale is the logical and totally predictable result of that horror of an Assembly.

I am not proud of it – more greatly embarrassed! (and I’ve had my own valley to navigate in the mean time) – but so disorienting was the experience that night that I have never been at a BUV Assembly since.

My heart breaks for the people at Liydale and what they are going through. And I’m not feeling too good about seeing a Church that I served with commitment in this situation. Buy now it should have been established as a strong and vital regional Church with a clear witness to the faith once delivered. May God grant a miracle to see it still get there.

Gary

Here’s my reply to Gary.

Gary

Thank you for your well written and godly response to the situation at Lilydale Baptist.

I googled you and found your response to Pastor Danny Nalliah’s shameful comments following the Black Saturday bush fires which claimed the lives of 173 Australians.

Again, a well written and godly response.

Nice to see you defending the gospel of grace against attacks from the religious left, and the religious right!

Blessings

Steve

On Saturday the ruling Labor conference committed the Party to a policy of support for same-sex marriage. The move was supported by a rainbow coalition of activists including member of the clergy.

History teaches us that this is not the end of a long battle, just a pause before the next push begins. What was unthinkable a decade ago will soon become a reality in Australia and other parts of the Western world.

Brace yourselves for new campaigns—polygamy, group marriage and whatever our foolish hearts can conceive.

We shouldn’t be surprised. We live in a broken world. Sin has taken its toll on the most precious of God’s gifts—our sexuality. It’s why Christ came to rescue us from the guilt and shame.

Or maybe there’s another way. Perhaps there can be salvation without the need to face our sin. Could we remake ourselves and save ourselves from the burden we bear?

Could we recreate God in our image? Could we dictate to the Almighty our standards of sexual behaviour? Could we bow before our preferences and desires?

Yes we can.

How can I, a heterosexual who’s been very happily married for 50 years, tell anyone else they don’t have the right to form a loving, committed, lifelong union and enjoy the fruits of marriage as I have done? Marriage is not a club to be restricted to some. Like the Gospel, it is a blessing to be shared.

Rev Dr Rowland Croucher
Baptist Minister

Recognizing same-sex unions will help return marriage to its rightful place in society.

Rev Matt Glover
Baptist Minister

We haven’t even really begun to ask what role the affirmation of the ‘homosexual’, the ‘intersexual’ and the ‘transsexual’ might play in awakening the church to its full glory as the body of Christ.

Dr Keith Dyer
Professor of New Testament
Baptist Theological College

I cannot understand how a man can appear in print claiming to disbelieve everything that he presupposes when he puts on the surplice [clerical robe]. I feel it is a form of prostitution.

Clive Staples Lewis, 1963
Mere Christian

In religion, Liberalism may be characterized by a progressive discarding of elements in historical Christianity which appear superfluous or obsolete, confounded with practices and abuses which are legitimate objects of attack. But as its movement is controlled rather by its origin than by any goal, it loses force after a series of rejections, and with nothing to destroy is left with nothing to uphold and nowhere to go.

TS Eliot

Haven’t you read, that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.

Jesus
King of Kings, Lord of Lords

I guess that means, No we can’t.

The governing Australian Labor Party will introduce a private members bill to legalise marriage between same sex couples. The move is largely symbolic. The bill will most probably be defeated—this time.

Meanwhile some Australian denominations are tripping over themselves on this issue.

A number of pastors and leaders within my own denomination, the Baptist Union of Victoria (BUV) have for years supported the ordination of gay clergy, and same sex marriage. Their exegetical gymnastics are truly impressive.

There has been very little public discussion or debate on the issue.

Progressives, who tend to inhabit denomination headquarters and the college, don’t have the support of their constituency. Conservatives, who tend to lead the healthier growing churches, don’t want the publicity that conflict would bring.

The great irony is that the progressives can’t survive without the funds provided to the denomination, and it’s institutions, by the conservatives.

It reminds me of the quote attributed to Lenin, “The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we hang them.”

We’re one big happy dysfunctional family.

In contrast, the Baptist Union of NSW will have none of this foolishness. They are clear on what the scriptures teach on human sexuality and marriage. The get on with the job of making disciples and planting churches, in which they are making impressive progress.

Compare this to the division and distractions that will impede the mission of the Lilydale Baptist Church for years to come.

The BUV is a case study of a movement well into decline, headed for decay if it doesn’t do something. If you have any doubt, study the history of the Uniting Church in Australia and weep.

Matt Glover, freelance cartoonist and pastor, is an advocate for same-sex unions.

His church, Lilydale Baptist, is in turmoil. They’ve only just found out via this gay website or maybe this one?

A church meeting to deal with the issue was cancelled a few days ago. A newspaper report states confidently that Pastor Matt has the numbers.

I’d be surprised.

Matt assured the reporter that his church members were not “homophobic,” just a bit uptight about public displays of affection between gay couples.”

[Ed. I suppose if any church members were "homophobic" they may need psychiatric treatment. Homophobia is not to be confused with homilophobia (fear of sermons) or homichlophobia (fear of fog), or hobophobia (fear of beggars). Anyway, let's hope there's counselling and medication available for any sufferers out there].

I remember Lylidale Baptist as a thriving evangelical church of around 400 people, once active in planting churches like this one.

The article states that “Lilydale Baptist has a strong community presence, offering financial services, counselling, an opportunity shop [pictured above], cafe, food bank and welfare assistance. Besides the usual youth and play groups, it has a Burmese congregation and a Tuesday night meeting of ‘hard-core” music fans.”

All these ministries were set up before Matt arrived by previous pastors who were evangelical.

Lilydale Baptist is in trouble. Expect the church community shrink, and the ministries above to become unsustainable, if they aren’t already.

The tragedy is, this was all avoidable.

If you want to know what decline and decay looks like at a local church level, this is it. This story is being played out all around the western world, in mainstream churches, missional churches, theological seminaries, and denominational headquarters. The drift starts with the clergy who are less likely to uphold biblical orthodoxy than ordinary disciples.

Matt is not the only well known Baptist leader who has come out publicly in support of gay marriage. What has happened at Lilydale is part of a general trend in the local denominational leadership.

The slide gains momentum because nobody wants to admit there’s an elephant in the room.

Decline and decay is always the result. There may be a time lag. But there are no exceptions.

You foolish Lilydalians. Get back to basics.

UPDATE

The Baptist Union of Australia has made it’s position clear by defining marriage as  the union between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life, although not all Baptist pastors, college lecturers and denominational executives agree.

UPDATE

Paul Kelly, editor of the Australian, on the political and social agenda behind the push for “marriage equality.”

UPDATE

Rev Matt Glover is no longer the minister at Lilydale Baptist Church. The Age newspaper reports that he had been “sacked” at a “secret meeting.” Rev Andrew Woff, acting Director of Ministries for the Baptist Union of Victoria (BUV), denied Rev Glover had been sacked. Although Woff agreed the process was not “all fair.” On behalf of the BUV, Woff stated, “He [Glover] is a competent and gifted minister, and there is no reason he can’t be called by another church.”

So where does the BUV stand on same-sex unions?

When Saffie the Wonderdog and I take our morning walk, we head out along the creek at the bottom of our street that leads to Blackburn Lake.

Along the way there’s a gum tree whose fortunes we have been following for the last few years. The tree fell on hard times. Literally. It began with a lean, which became increasingly serious.

Into the fray came whoever it is who looks after ailing trees. They built a system of supports to save our tree. But a new problem emerged. The tree was now so low to the ground that it was a danger to anyone walking, or cycling under it.

Imagine the headline in the local paper: Falling tree crushes mother, baby, and puppy dog!

Warning signs were erected either side of this danger to humanity.

That was not enough to satisfy the public liability insurers, so in came the heavy machinery and excavated the pathway below our propped up, ailing tree. They brought in crushed rock and relaid the path so that mother, baby and puppy could pass safely.

Hundreds of dollars has been spent in the fight to save our tree. Meanwhile it continues to decline, and is all but dead.

Imagine, if instead, the tree had been allowed to fall, and then cut up for firewood. They could have planted hundreds of new trees with the money saved.

Here’s the lesson Saffie and I have been pondering . . . .

How many of us are wasting our lives on the worthy cause of propping up what needs to die, instead of planting for the future?

At the end of a long dispute the Catholic church has finally decided to excommunicate Father Kennedy.

Two years ago the Socialist Alliance posters outside St Mary’s Catholic Church in Brisbane said it all. “Dump Intolerance, not Father Kennedy.” “Who would Jesus sack?” The father in question is Peter Kennedy, the 70-year-old Catholic priest who is being forced out of the church he has turned into a green-leftist New Age drop-in centre.

This is a version of the church refashioned ad lib in the likeness of its members. The well-heeled congregation at St Mary’s — many of whom are from the upper echelons of the church’s lay bureaucracy — have been dispensed by their priest from the need to subscribe to the particulars of any credal statements or articles of faith that might prove problematic. The trinity, the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ and his bodily resurrection, not to mention their own; in short, all the perennial stumbling blocks to faith have been in effect discarded. All that remains is a commitment to social justice, feminism and deep green ideology.

Father Kennedy’s response?

Sacked Catholic priest Peter Kennedy says he hasn’t given up on God and prayer, but no longer believes in Jesus.

Father Kennedy, dismissed by the church for unorthodox practices, says he now considers Jesus “a fable”. The rebel priest made headlines in 2009 when he formed a congregation in exile. Fr Kennedy says he still believes in God, just not a God who intervenes in the affairs of humans. “It’s true I’ve given up on that sort of a God, that sort of a ‘being’ that sits up there in heaven somewhere and intervenes in human affairs,” he said today.

“If you believe in a God that intervenes into human history why didn’t God intervene in the massacre in Norway? Whatever God is, God is not that sort of God, obviously. “That’s what I’m trying to say.” Fr Kennedy said he still believed in prayer, but not asking things of God. “For me prayer is just standing in wonder and awe at the mystery of life, the beauty of life, the goodness of people.” Praying in church was not about talking directly to God, he said.

But he said he had not believed in Jesus for some time, calling the son of God a “fable” and a “metaphor”.

The Socialist Alliance banner asked, “Who would Jesus sack?” It appears Fr Kennedy has sacked Jesus.

A great deal of what is being published by writers in the religious tradition is a scandal and is actually turning people away from the church. The liberal writers who are continually accommodating and whittling down the truth of the Gospel are responsible. I cannot understand how a man can appear in print claiming to disbelieve everything that he presupposes when he puts on the surplice [clerical robe]. I feel it is a form of prostitution.

CS Lewis, 1963

When it first came out in March, Rob Bell’s Love Wins was the number one Christian book on Amazon, and number four best seller of all books.

Controversy sells.

I’m thinking the next book I write will be an expose of Billy Graham as a secret Mormon.

Back in the 1960s Bishop John Robinson’s Honest to God was also a best seller. It seems every forty years a new generation of second generation evangelicals has to drift from the faith of their fathers to embrace a more culturally acceptable faith.

As always it begins, not with outward denial of historic Christianity, but with unanswered questions, and musings.

I don’t plan to read Rob’s book. I hope this is my last post on the topic. I’m sure others will do a better job of responding to Rob Bell. Other’s will defend him as a victim of the religious right.

It’s a distraction.

For a hundred years Christianity in the affluent, sceptical West has been drifting from orthodoxy. Bishops, theologians and pastors have stood in line to question the very heart of our faith—the uniqueness and divinity of Jesus, the centrality of the Cross, the reality of the Resurrection and the coming Judgment.

Here’s how Richard Niebuhr described this shadow of Christianity,

A God without wrath brought men without sin into a world without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

We’ve spent the last 100 years discussing and redefining “mission” only to end up with a concept that is far from what Jesus actually did as recorded in the Gospels and Acts.

The results have been devastating for the church in the West.

Do not despair, the twentieth century was also the century of the greatest advance of the gospel. It happened in the most unlikely places wherever ordinary people, mostly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, take God at his word. Clerical scepticism is a luxury item that only Westerners can afford.

UPDATE

Derek Tidball of the UK Evangelical Alliance reviews Love Wins.

It comes as no surprise that Western evangelicals are redefining mission for the “postmodern context.”

We’re moving from spreading Christianity to living it. From “hard-core proselytizing” (al Qaeda in Christian wineskins) to social justice and humanitarian work.

Missionaries have become “vacationaries,” going abroad short-term to serve others, rather than share the gospel. Mission means “we are a living demonstration of the love, righteousness and justice that God intends for the whole world.”

A few thoughts . . .

This postmodern “shift” is over a century old. There’s nothing new here. For a 100 years Western religious leaders and theologians have been discussing, defining and redefining mission.

In the modern-postmodern West, the heart of mission is always shifting from the need for salvation through Christ alone—to the challenge of making this world a better place.

Evangelism is labeled “proselytism” or merely “saving souls.” Both those who preach the “prosperity gospel,” and those who preach the “social gospel,” agree that the focus of salvation is this world, rather than the next. Compared to the rest of humanity, Western believers are living in paradise. Why would we long for the world to come when we have it all now?

What’s the fruit of the shift? We have a century of data. When we move from a gospel centered on salvation through Christ’s atoning death there is only one story to tell. Inevitably, we lose, not only the gospel, but the capacity to make this world a better place.

Earlier this year, Brad Greenberg reflected in an article for the WSJ on the changing nature of Christian mission since Edinburgh 1910.

Here are a few edited points and quotes from the article. I’ll have more to say later.

The 1910 World Missionary Conference was a watershed moment for Protestantism. Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, the assembled 1,200 Protestants believed that Christianity was on the cusp of spreading to every corner of the world, and that Christ would come again once every ear had heard the good news of salvation.

But Edinburgh 2010, the centenary conference that concluded in June 2010, drew only about a quarter of the crowd and received attention only from a few Christian publications. The modern master plan was less ambitious as well: a call to global missions and “to witness and evangelism in such a way that we are a living demonstration of the love, righteousness and justice that God intends for the whole world.”

At Edinburgh 1910 , people thought they were going to take over the world, now many of our students wonder if they should even try.

C. Douglas McConnell
Fuller Seminary

The overwhelming majority of American missionaries today are “vacationaries.” Joining mission trips of two weeks or less, they serve in locales where Christianity already predominates.

82% of short-term missions today go to countries in the most-Christian third of the world. Only 2% land in the Middle East.

Robert J. Priest
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Christians today typically travel abroad to serve others, but not necessarily to spread the gospel.

The purpose, then, of their visit is to battle the ills of poverty and to stretch their own spirituality.

The work these missionaries do reflects a paradigm shift—from spreading Christianity, to living it. In a postmodern context it goes against the grain to go in and do hard-core proselytizing. To millenials, it really feels like al Qaeda in Christian wineskins. That’s a good shift.

David A. Livermore
Cornerstone University

Missions experts note rising interest in strictly social justice and humanitarian work, even on short-term visits.

In part, that is what Africa needs [according to Brad]. The Pew Forum reported in April that neither Christianity nor Islam had much opportunity for further growth in sub-Saharan Africa. At least 90% of people in the 19 countries surveyed identified themselves as Christian or Muslim, so the pool of potential converts outside those religions remains small.

Ttwo decades ago half of my graduate students believed building churches abroad was their top priority. Today, it might be 10%, The majority identify fighting trafficking, orphanage work, HIV-AIDS, and poverty, as more important.

Scott Moreau
Wheaton College

Full text: Brad Greenberg: How Missionaries Lost Their Chariots of Fire