"This prudent steward said, "Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: Must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?"
(Genesis 24:5)
--If she will not come to Isaac, shall Isaac go down to her?
--This is the suggestion of the present hour: if the world will not come to Jesus, shall Jesus tone down his teachings to the world?
--In other words, if the world will not rise to the church, shall not the church go down to the world?
--Instead of bidding men to be converted, and come out from among sinners, and be separate from them, let us join with the ungodly world, enter into union with it, and so pervade it with our influence by allowing it to influence us. Let us have a Christian world.
--To this end let us revise our doctrines.
*Some are old-fashioned,
*grim,
*severe,
*unpopular;
let us drop them out.
--Use the old phrases so as to please the obstinately orthodox, but give them new meanings so as to win philosophical infidels, who are prowling around.
--Pare off the edges of unpleasant truths, and moderate the dogmatic tone of infallible revelation: ...
--Undermine the old faith, and bring in the new doubt; for the times are altered, and the spirit of the age suggests the abandonment of everything that is too severely righteous, and too surely of God.
--The deceitful adulteration of doctrine is attended by a falsification of experience. ...and mourning for sin and communion with God are dispensed with, to make way for entertainments, and Socialism, and politics of varying shades.
Be fashionable, and think with those who profess to be scientific—this is the first and great commandment of the modern school; and the second is like unto it—do not be singular, but be as worldly as your neighbors. Thus is Isaac going down into Padan-aram: thus is the church going down to the world."
Charles Spurgeon
(Genesis 24:5)
--If she will not come to Isaac, shall Isaac go down to her?
--This is the suggestion of the present hour: if the world will not come to Jesus, shall Jesus tone down his teachings to the world?
--In other words, if the world will not rise to the church, shall not the church go down to the world?
--Instead of bidding men to be converted, and come out from among sinners, and be separate from them, let us join with the ungodly world, enter into union with it, and so pervade it with our influence by allowing it to influence us. Let us have a Christian world.
--To this end let us revise our doctrines.
*Some are old-fashioned,
*grim,
*severe,
*unpopular;
let us drop them out.
--Use the old phrases so as to please the obstinately orthodox, but give them new meanings so as to win philosophical infidels, who are prowling around.
--Pare off the edges of unpleasant truths, and moderate the dogmatic tone of infallible revelation: ...
--Undermine the old faith, and bring in the new doubt; for the times are altered, and the spirit of the age suggests the abandonment of everything that is too severely righteous, and too surely of God.
--The deceitful adulteration of doctrine is attended by a falsification of experience. ...and mourning for sin and communion with God are dispensed with, to make way for entertainments, and Socialism, and politics of varying shades.
Be fashionable, and think with those who profess to be scientific—this is the first and great commandment of the modern school; and the second is like unto it—do not be singular, but be as worldly as your neighbors. Thus is Isaac going down into Padan-aram: thus is the church going down to the world."
Charles Spurgeon