The New Pharisees
I am continually growing weary of the cultural newspeak drummed into our consciousness every waking minute. It never fails that I read the paper, surf the web, or turn on the television and there I am treated to the latest phenomenon in "choice", "sexual preference", and other psycho-babble. In the midst of all of this I am suddenly aware that the Pharisees have changed their clothes. They no longer wear the religious robes of Jesus' day. Instead they are outfitted in the latest fashion of pop culture and social consciousness.
Remember the classic confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees in Matthew 15. The Pharisees were upset because Jesus' disciples didn't keep their tradition. But Jesus replied, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?" Then He went on to rebuke them for creating traditions that had the effect of nullifying God's Word. He wrapped up by saying, "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with thier lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men,'" (vv. 7-9).
So it is today. The new Pharisees have a tradition as well. It is a tradition of about 40 years now in which any and every sexual perversion is to be normalized and accepted. Furthermore, unintended consequences from said perversions (pregnancies, STD's, AIDS, etc.) are to be dealt with swiftly so as not to jeapordize the intended pleasure of these perversions.
So while God has said, "You shall not commit adultery," the new Pharisess have taught that adultery is an outdated expression from tight-minded Christian radicals who have too many hang-ups about sex and sexuality. Therefore if it seems good to the parties involved, then it should be encouraged. While God has said that a man shall not lie with a man as he does with a woman, and that no such person will inherit the kingdom of heaven, the new Pharisees assure us that some people are just born this way and each person ought to have the right to choose his/her/not sure- sexual preference. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
So how do we deal with this? Unfortunately, too many well-meaning Christians are going right along with it. They are either afraid that maybe science knows more than God, or they're just too afraid to buck the establishment, or they are so inundated with the values of the current culture that they're not quite sure there is a problem after all. In contrast to this, we see Jesus confronting it head on. Look again at how He dealt with the Pharisees in Matthew 15. Or, for that matter, how He did it again in Matthew 23, or on numerous occasions throughout His ministry. Jesus was not afraid to confront hypocrisy, especially when it was having the effect of carrying the masses away with it.
This is exactly why I feel these are the new Pharisees. The single thing that characterized them was hypocrisy. They thought the whole world should live by their rules. It's just that they didn't always live by their rules. Those propagating such things among us would have us embrace a plethora of perversions while jettisoning any and all Scriptural guidelines. It is a recipe for disaster.
I urge all who read this post that call themselves Christians to stir yourselves and see what is happening in our day. Do not be content to sit back and accept it. Confront it head on. Be content with their ridicule, or their laughter. They won't be laughing on that great and terrible day when each of us will answer to God for what we did when we were on earth.
Let us confront the hypocrisy, and shine the light of God's truth throughout our world!
Remember the classic confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees in Matthew 15. The Pharisees were upset because Jesus' disciples didn't keep their tradition. But Jesus replied, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?" Then He went on to rebuke them for creating traditions that had the effect of nullifying God's Word. He wrapped up by saying, "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with thier lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men,'" (vv. 7-9).
So it is today. The new Pharisees have a tradition as well. It is a tradition of about 40 years now in which any and every sexual perversion is to be normalized and accepted. Furthermore, unintended consequences from said perversions (pregnancies, STD's, AIDS, etc.) are to be dealt with swiftly so as not to jeapordize the intended pleasure of these perversions.
So while God has said, "You shall not commit adultery," the new Pharisess have taught that adultery is an outdated expression from tight-minded Christian radicals who have too many hang-ups about sex and sexuality. Therefore if it seems good to the parties involved, then it should be encouraged. While God has said that a man shall not lie with a man as he does with a woman, and that no such person will inherit the kingdom of heaven, the new Pharisees assure us that some people are just born this way and each person ought to have the right to choose his/her/not sure- sexual preference. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
So how do we deal with this? Unfortunately, too many well-meaning Christians are going right along with it. They are either afraid that maybe science knows more than God, or they're just too afraid to buck the establishment, or they are so inundated with the values of the current culture that they're not quite sure there is a problem after all. In contrast to this, we see Jesus confronting it head on. Look again at how He dealt with the Pharisees in Matthew 15. Or, for that matter, how He did it again in Matthew 23, or on numerous occasions throughout His ministry. Jesus was not afraid to confront hypocrisy, especially when it was having the effect of carrying the masses away with it.
This is exactly why I feel these are the new Pharisees. The single thing that characterized them was hypocrisy. They thought the whole world should live by their rules. It's just that they didn't always live by their rules. Those propagating such things among us would have us embrace a plethora of perversions while jettisoning any and all Scriptural guidelines. It is a recipe for disaster.
I urge all who read this post that call themselves Christians to stir yourselves and see what is happening in our day. Do not be content to sit back and accept it. Confront it head on. Be content with their ridicule, or their laughter. They won't be laughing on that great and terrible day when each of us will answer to God for what we did when we were on earth.
Let us confront the hypocrisy, and shine the light of God's truth throughout our world!
posted by Patrick at 5:09 PM
2 Comments:
Thank you for this post. A recent piece in the paper said that a local university is creating a "genderless" restroom on campus. It is for anyone who is not distinctly male or female: homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, etc. (Transgender? PC for someone born a man/woman who knows they were really meant to be the other sex, so has had an operation to "fix" the problem.) And yet they also say, "This restroom is also family-friendly, since either men or women can use this restroom." Like we'd want our young children in there with these other people? I think not!
Again, thank you for this clear-cut post. It is time we stand up and call it like it is, just like Jesus did.
"Again, thank you for this clear-cut post. It is time we stand up and call it like it is, just like Jesus did."
AMEN.
Post a Comment
<< Home