Evangelicalism: Reformation
or Self-Destruction

 By Ingrid Schlueter

At the opening of Shakespeare's Macbeth, three witches stand on the moor, mixing their nasty brew and muttering incantations while the thunder crashes and the lightning flashes. The scene is used to portend evil, as the consequences of raw ambition are about to come to deadly fruition for a hapless king. If Shakespeare was around today to write a play based on the Ted Haggard saga in Colorado Springs, the lightning would certainly be flashing and the thunder would be crashing to portend evil for evangelicals. There is a whiff of sulfur in the air as yet another evangelical leader, this time an immensely influential one, makes headlines blaring words like, “gay,” “prostitute” and “drugs.” The information continues to change as the hourly news cycle turns over. A short time ago it was an allegation and an outright denial. Family values organizations were using terms like “leftist smear job” and “character assassination.” Now there is an admission by Rev. Haggard that he contacted a gay prostitute for a massage and some methamphetamine. The family values groups are growing quieter.

Colorado Springs has had its share of gay church follies this week. Earlier, another evangelical pastor across town from Rev. Haggard's church stepped down after announcing to his congregation that he is actually, “gay.” A more unlikely word to describe this would be difficult to find. Congregations facing these situations are being ripped apart, believers disillusioned, the followers of Christ mocked and ridiculed by the world and the foundation of Christian claims to moral authority shattered. So what went wrong here? How did one of the nation's most visible pastors and outspoken defenders of biblical marriage end up with a gay prostitute, at the very least, for a massage? How does a spiritual leader with all of the years of ministry and presumably, Bible study behind him, end up telling the world's media that he bought meth from a gay hooker because he was “curious,” as though he was an unsaved adolescent, and not a very bright one at that?

Evangelicalism is where medieval Roman Catholicism was just before that portentous day when Dr. Luther pounded his Theses to the castle church door at Wittenburg. Like Rome, today's evangelical Christianity has become about political and temporal power. Similarly, systems and methods have replaced confidence in the Gospel. Church growth and marketing courses now trump Bible classes at many seminaries across the country. Like the Roman Church, the gathering in of money to build bigger and better church edifices is a top priority. In place of medieval church relics and idols, we now have media celebrities and icons to follow after. Rather than do the painstaking and difficult work of daily ministering to a lowly flock, pastors today style themselves after the aforementioned celebrities, lusting after their power and their influence and craving what they believe is ‘success.’ Now the slick, polished icons are falling and nobody seems to know what to do. The Church as a conservative political task force is faltering. There is confusion in the ranks. Nobody seems to know what they are supposed to be doing anymore.

What is needed is a clear biblical voice in this hour. We are in desperate need of a second reformation; not one that is based on some leader's 5 points of this or 40 days of that, but a reformation based on a return to the love of God's authoritative Word. This reformation would see preachers on their knees before God repenting for personal ambition and desire for worldly success and then rising in their pulpits to declare the whole counsel of God without fear or favor.

We need a new generation, sick of man made schemes, political ambitions and mass media dreams, a generation that has been taught to love the Lord God more than anything the world has to offer and that desires to be a called out people, to glorify God and to shun what is not of Him. Then God will honor His people with His presence, the dross and corruption will be cleaned out of the Church, and she will be fit for true service.

I received a press release imploring Christians to take part in a Washington prayer vigil for the elections. What is really needed first is a prayer vigil for the state of Christ's Church. Until we clean up the house of the Lord, who wins the elections is irrelevant. If we can't run our own lives and churches with integrity, we as Christians have nothing to tell the world. Judgment begins at the house of God. That thought should sober us all.

Ingrid Schlueter has been producer and co-host of the Crosstalk Radio Talk Show on the VCY America Radio Network for 18 years. She is author of numerous articles on current issues and is a regular columnist for Wisconsin Christian News. Ingrid has a blog located at http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com.