To My Facebook Friends

Dear Facebook Friends….

Before I confront some very harsh realities about your (beloved?) religion (evangelicalism), I want to share my heart, especially to those who oppose my (sometimes) hard-to-swallow postings. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” It is also true that out of the abundance of the heart the writer writes. My heart is far, very far, from pure. However….

However, after cross-examination of my quite defective heart, I can declare that Jesus is still my “first love”. Unlike almost every person who impacts your christianity, I am not religious; I serve Jesus Christ and no man, including myself.

My determination is to be sensitive to Holy Spirit whom Jesus has sent to each one of us. I do what “the Spirit of truth” says to do, say what He wants Me to say and write what He wants me to write. (I certainly do not claim infallibility. No way. But I sure try hard to stay within the perimeters of the Spirit’s guidance. Ever before me is the awareness of “the judgement seat of Christ”.

So thanks for your tolerance (and prayers?). I now continue….

Evangelicalism is doctrinally unsound in every matter that makes an evangelical an evangelical. I am not suggesting evangelicals do not also have truth – they certainly do – but these truths do not make him/her an evangelical; “commandments of men” do that.

So now…. please allow me to share some of many such “commandments of men” that have (probably?) weakened your relationship with the Lord Jesus. Okay? Just four of dozens of harmful (devastating, destructive, anti-Bible) evangelical traditions….

One. The division of Christ’s church into two parts, the ‘clergy’ (or ‘ministerial’) and the ‘laity’. (Said another way, pulpit people and pew-people. Said another way, the salaried and the non-salaried. Said another way, the special and not-so-special.)

Two. The awful evangelical tithe. The salaried stretch and twist and wring Scripture to convince the non-salaried to entrust ten percent of their income to them. Is there New Testament precedent for tithing one’s income? No. Did Jesus ever instruct any person to tithe their income? No. How about Paul or John or Peter? No. How about the Old Testament…. is there an example of anyone tithing their income? No. Well, who gave Pastor Whoever permission to collect tithes? Evangelicalism, not Jesus, gave Pastor Whoever permission to collect tithes. I call it embezzlement.

I call the evangelical tithe ‘awful’ because it is harmful to one’s relationship with Jesus. Jesus: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Where your money (treasure) goes, so goes your heart (your loyalty, your affection). If evangelicalism has captured your givings, evangelicalism has captured you. Get it, my brothers and sisters?

Three. Almost total disregard for Christ’s great commission. (Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”)

I ask people, “Do you know what the 10/40 Window is?” Almost always the answer is no. The 10/40 Window is a section of territory between the 10th and 40th degree north latitude which includes North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. About 70% of the world’s population live there, most whom have never heard the gospel.

Question: How can it be that most evangelicals, each of whom has been entrusted with Christ’s Great Commission, have never heard of the 10/40 Window where most people in the world live and have not received the gospel? Blame that on evangelicalism and the evangelical’s subservience to pulpit-people.

One report I read says that as little as one percent of all funds directed toward world missions reaches the 10/40 Window. Another report says one and a half percent. That’s one percent (or one and a half percent) of leftover change after church expenses. I calculated that if one put $100 into one of evangelical’s millions of Sunday’s collection plates the 10/40 Window would receive a nickel! Yes, I said a nickel! (But maybe I miscalculate…. maybe it’s a dime, maybe even 15 cents.)

Do you agree that Jesus is always financing His Great Commission through His people? If so, where does that money go? How has your money been spent? Remember, you must one day give an account to Lord Jesus how you spent the money He entrusted to you. (1 Cor. 4:2: “It is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”)

Now I am going to make a statement that may shock you, so I suggest you brace yourself. Okay? Are you ready? Here it goes….

In my opinion the terrible squandering of money within evangelicalism is responsible for the damnation of millions of people. Millions are suffering (at this VERY moment!!) an indescribable anguish because evangelicals have been coerced to entrust a portion of their income to evangelicals instead of to the Holy Spirit. Is this an exaggeration? I think not. Most likely it’s an understatement – perhaps I should have said billions of people instead of millions.

Four. Monetization of God’s truths and blessings. The words of Jesus, “Freely you have received, freely give”, are rarely, almost never, quoted. The Amplified says it this way, “Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.” All translations from BibleGateway give similar translations. Freely means freely. But your religion (evangelicalism) sanctions the selling of everything – music, testimonies, literature, concerts, conventions and christian service.

When trying to determine what’s right and what isn’t I sometimes ask myself, “What would Paul do?” (Paul: “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”) That’s a great question. Can you imagine this apostle selling his writings? Passing a collection plate after healing the sick? Sending out appeals for financial support? Demanding a salary? Soliciting funds to build a building? If Paul wouldn’t, neither will I.

Paul lived by contributions (and his own labour). I can’t think of one example in the entire Bible of someone selling Bible-truths or christian service. Can you? So that’s it – one, two, three, four. I could go on…. five, six, fifteen, twenty. You must fully understand that evangelicalism only makes sense to the one who realizes that evangelicalism and the Bible have nothing in common.