Chapter 11 of the book:
The Failure of the Great Amish and Conservative Mennonite Dress Experiment
Why Christian Conservatism Isn’t the Answer and What to Do
I do not remember anyone warning me about the spiritual danger of Christian conservatism and its conservative mindset and practice when I was part of the conservative Mennonite church. The danger is much greater than I ever realized. What I have to share with you in this chapter is shared in love for you as a person. Think through these things, process them, and deliver yourself and your loved ones from the errors of conservatism and its consequences. If you are not a conservative, do not embrace this wrong doctrine, mindset and practice. Ignorance of the dangers of Christian conservatism is not bliss. It has consequences, painful consequences. Some of what I share may seem harsh, but I share it out of love and concern for you.
Are you looking for something more than just the same old concepts, interpretations, explanations, and perspectives you have heard regurgitated over and over again? This website will give you some new insights and things to think about. You may not agree with everything you read, but Biblical Research Reports will stimulate your thinking. Our goal is to help you to formulate in your own mind what is Jesus’ truth as you look at the research we share on the various subjects facing the Church.
Growing up in the conservative Mennonite church, preachers would portray liberalism as a serious error because the liberals did not follow all of God’s commands or the conservative church dress rules that we had been taught. Meanwhile, these preachers were overlooking their own errors of conservative doctrine.
In studying Scripture, one of the things that I have noticed is that Jesus over and over rebuked the Pharisees for their practices and beliefs. The Pharisees had many parallels to conservative teaching and beliefs today. The word “Pharisee” means “set apart, separated”. A significant portion of the Gospels is spent addressing the errors of the Pharisees. It is important that we hear what Jesus was telling them and not make the same type of mistakes.
Jesus clearly showed us that the Pharisees were not following God’s commands, even though they were very zealous for the Law and were very convinced in their own minds that they were right. They had strong convictions. But having strong religious convictions is not an indicator of Godliness or that a person is even a Christian.
I want to state clearly that Christian liberalism is also wrong. However, the answer is not to be a moderate – to be partway between conservative and liberal. Being partway between two wrong religious belief systems is still wrong. Instead, the answer is to follow Jesus and focus on keeping the commands that He has given us in the New Testament. The keeping (valuing, treasuring, and doing) of Christ’s commands is not the same as the conservative focus of following religious rules of “righteousness”, but rather a motivation to show our love to Christ by doing what He asks us to do. Christ’s commands have a different focus than conservative religious rules. Some examples of His commands are: “Love one another”, “In everything give thanks”, “Be not deceived”, and “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”.
Keeping Christ’s commands has a totally different perspective than the conservative mindset and focus of holding on to the teachings of the past and not changing. Walter Beachy, a Mennonite historian and former president of the Mennonite Bible school, Rosedale Bible College, once said that the basic unwritten rule of the Amish is “Don’t change”. “Don’t change” is the basic focus of all conservatism – in the church or in politics. It is conserving or trying to hold on to the past.
Jesus teaches us that we are to keep His commands. In the Great Commission, He commands us to observe to do all that He has commanded us. Jesus taught us that if we love Him, we willkeep His commands. He said “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21) Keeping Christ’s commands because we love Him and want to show our love for Him is a totally different mindset than the conservative perspective of keeping commands just because it is right and that is the way it has always been done.
The spiritual danger of Christian Conservatism’s focus of holding onto manmade religious rules of “righteousness” is real. Jesus warns us to be careful that we are not influenced by manmade rules of righteousness. Jesus said, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
Conservative religious rules do not help a person to be righteous even though conservatives strongly believe that they do. The scribes and Pharisees were not going to Heaven – so said Jesus, who is the Judge we will stand before on Judgment Day. Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the “righteous” conservatives who are following manmade rules. The righteousness of conservatism is not good enough to enter heaven.
True righteousness is a gift from God when we trust in Him and believe on Jesus for salvation. “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5) God further tells us that when His righteousness is within us, we will lead righteous lives. “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil… In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:7-8a, 10)
Since true righteousness comes from God, manmade rules and added standards will never make us any more righteous before God. Instead, they help us to develop our own “righteousness”, in which we can boast. God is not interested in our own righteousness.
Church rules and regulations that are added to Christ’s commands do not help a person to be inwardly righteous, as we are seeing with the Mennopornite problem and the high rate of sexual abuse among conservative groups. Adding manmade regulations to Christ’s commands ignores the wisdom given to us in Proverbs about adding to God’s words. God tells us: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6)
The church leaders that have promoted and held their people accountable to the Great Amish and Conservative Mennonite Dress Experiment have added to God’s words. As God said, they have been found out to be teaching a lie.
A Danger of Conservatism: Showing Partiality – The Exclusive Amish or Mennonite Congregational Social Club
One of the spiritual dangers of Christian conservatism, especially among the most conservative groups, is separating themselves from others who are not part of their church group. There is a tendency for conservatives to judge themselves as more Godly and to treat others as sinners or not as Godly because of the other person’s appearance or the group that the other is a part of. This is most evident among Amish and conservative Mennonites in their practice of communion. Most Amish and conservative Mennonite groups make communion an exclusive club membership ritual in which they prohibit visiting Christians from taking communion with them if they are not a member of their group or a very similarly dressed group. Withholding communion is contrary to the example that Jesus gave us. Jesus gave communion to Judas Iscariot, even though He knew the wickedness Judas was doing behind His back in betraying Him.
This practice of withholding communion from others who do not believe the same as they do is wrong. It is in effect telling others that they are not good enough or holy enough to associate with. God tells us in Isaiah 65:3-5: “A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face… Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.”
In an article about conservative Anabaptist groups, “When the Church is more like an Exclusive Social Club than an Assembly of Believers”, Simon Fry says,
“I have watched changes occur in my church over the years–some changes good and some not so good. But one thing that seems to always stay the same is our tendency to have people among us that are ‘outsiders.’ They worship with us, they love our people and we love them, but they will always remain outsiders because of some idiosyncratic distinction that sets them apart from us. It is usually an outward thing, an application of scripture that they interpret differently than the rest of the church. We view it as the one thing that they refuse to ‘give up.’ And because of that “one thing”, they will always remain an outsider. We don’t deny that they are believers, we don’t doubt their salvation, we just can’t include them as being a true part of our particular assembly.
“We point out our ‘outsiders’ to others and say, ‘Look how inclusive we are! We have people from the community that worship along with us.’
“Never mind that they can never be members. They are and always will be permanent visitors unless they are willing to give up more and look like the rest of us.
“Is that being inclusive or exclusive?
“Recently I was reading about some exclusive social clubs and I was struck once again by the similarities of many of their requirements and the requirements of our Anabaptist churches…”
“That is where I see the resemblance of an exclusive social club. We wish to keep out those that are not of ‘like-mind’. We tend to view those who don’t look like us, talk like us, and live the same lifestyle as us to be an undesirable that we really don’t want to share membership with us unless they are willing to change to become exactly like us.”
In the comments section, one lady said that the term “behavior management” came to mind. She said, “I always found it interesting that for many Anabaptists the standard was how ‘clean’ a person kept their house- yet a person who was obsessive/compulsive who was NOT Mennonite wasn’t fully welcomed UNLESS they were willing to have their total behaviour managed. That explains a whole lot of how its determined who is included and who is not.”
Simon Fry responded: “I have witnessed people refusing to go to a certain family’s house because their house was too dirty. This was a community family that had started attending and did not realize this church had a certain social status that needed to be met. The family was viewed as being “undesirable” and no matter how hard they tried to fit in, they were rejected. They only attended this particular Mennonite church for about two years.”
Jesus wants us to love everyone and to try to help everyone come to a relationship with Him. This is the example that Jesus gave us: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” (Luke 15:1-2)
James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
James 2:1-4 (Paraphrased) “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man in a plain suit, and there come in also a poor man in blue jeans and a t-shirt; And ye have respect to him that weareth the plain clothing, and say unto him, You can take communion with us; and say to the poor, Communion is for members only, sit there and watch: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”
Matthew 11:19 “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
Luke 19:7 “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.”
Matthew 5:44-48 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
A Danger of Conservatism – Condemning the Guiltless
Another spiritual danger of conservatism is condemning the guiltless. Conservatives tend to judge another Christian or church group because the other person or group is not following the manmade church regulations that they have set up. This is what the Pharisees did in Matthew 12:1-14.
“At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.”
Because the Pharisees had added to God’s commands, they did not know right from wrong, and God (Jesus) told them that they condemned the guiltless. It was not just a simple matter of them speaking out against something, but they were stirred up about the supposed error and wanted to kill Jesus, who was guiltless.
From what Jesus told the Pharisees in this passage, the spiritual danger of conservative groups today adding to Christ’s commands is greater than what we realize. Some of the characteristics of the Pharisees that Jesus condemned can be seen in some of the leadership of some of the Amish and conservative Mennonite groups.
- It results in condemning the guiltless. People are made to feel guilty for things that are not sin and it confuses in their minds what is sin. For example, Amish and Mennonite victims of sexual abuse are often made to feel guilty for causing the sexual abuse that the abuser is responsible for doing. Another example is condemning women for having sleeves that are too short, for wearing pants, or for not having their hair in a bun.
- Adding rules to Christ’s commands subconsciously elevates Amish and conservative Mennonite church leaders in their own minds above God. The Pharisees elevated themselves above God. When they were face to face with God (Jesus), they did not listen to Him and told God that He was wrong and they were right.
- The implication of a church adding manmade rules to what the Bible commands is that what Jesus commanded is not good enough to keep everyone from sin without the church’s help.
- Adding to God’s commands can result in a person either hating God or some of His children. This we have seen in some of the Amish and Mennonite sexual abuse cases in the way the church leaders and others treated the sexual abuse victims with a hateful spirit. The Pharisees hated Jesus, and later after Jesus ascended to Heaven, they hated and persecuted Christians.
- Error is taught as truth, and righteousness as error. We have looked at some of these things in previous chapters – a wrong view of church authority, the errors of the modesty doctrine, the error of the non-conformity doctrine and distinctive dress, the misuse of forgiveness in covering up sexual abuse, and the condemnation and blame put on sexual abuse victims.
- It results in an attitude of superiority toward others, such as not allowing Christians who are not dressed like they are to partake in communion.
- Adding to Christ’s commands tends to prevent a person from seeing their error when it is shown to them. When Jesus showed the Pharisees that it was proper to lift a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath, they could not see that it was proper and not a sin to heal on the Sabbath. Neither are many conservatives able to see the error of their conservative practices.
- God does not force a person to see their error of adding to His commands. Jesus showed the Pharisees their error, but because they thought they already knew what was right they did not listen to God speaking to them. The same thing happens to many conservatives today. God does not force them to understand.
True revival will come when people are willing to follow Christ with all their heart no matter what. True revival will come when under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we take an honest look at Scripture to see if what we believe and practice is right. True revival comes when we are willing to change our beliefs when they do not align with what God says even if it is different from what we’ve been told is right and wrong.
Teaching Church Traditions and Regulations as Doctrine
Is it ever a waste of time to worship Jesus? Is it ever a waste of time to go to church in God’s opinion?
Yes, contrary to what many people think, it is a waste of time if a church is teaching commands of men as doctrines of God. God says that they are worshiping Him in vain. It is not beneficial for a Christian to regularly attend a church that is worshipping God in vain. That person is wasting their time.
“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:1-14 see also Mark 7:1-23)
Jesus explained that even though they were worshiping and honoring God with their mouths, their hearts were far from Him. The Pharisees would have argued strongly that their hearts were not far from God. They would have argued that their regular worship times proved that their heart was not far from God. They would have argued that their zeal and strong religious convictions to follow the Law were evidence that their heart was not far from God. But Jesus was right; their hearts were far from God.
Amish buggies at an auction in Kansas. In the background are Amish “pickup trucks” – tractors with a pickup truck bed trailer for hauling family and supplies. Is it ever a waste of time to worship Jesus? Is it ever a waste of time to go to church in God’s opinion? Yes, contrary to what most Amish and conservative Mennonites think, it is a waste of time if a church is teaching commands of men (church regulations or “guidelines”, or commands from the Old Testament Law) as doctrines of God. (Mark 7:9)
Jesus said that the reason that their hearts were far from God is that they had elevated the teachings of their “church” leaders above the commands of God and were teaching as doctrine the commands of men. (v.9). Even though the commands of their church leaders were based on the commands of God, their focus was on keeping the manmade commands of the religious community they were a part of. This is the same mistake that Amish and conservative Mennonite churches have made and many other conservative congregations have made.
When we add to the commands of God in the New Testament, it is spiritually very dangerous because it causes people to follow men rather than God.
There is no safety in “over-application” of Christ’s commands.
Jesus commanded us in the Great Commission to teach others to observe to do all that He commanded us. Jesus did not command us to teach others to follow our church rules. When a church makes rules more specific than Jesus’ rules, then the church’s rules supersede Christ’s commands and make Christ’s commands of none effect (Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. v.6). In doing so, a church teaches people to follow man rather than Christ. It is a subtle, but serious error.
It is important to remember that the purpose of the Pharisees’ rules was to help people obey God. All of their commands were based on Scripture and were intended to make sure that no one broke the laws of God. Yet, these rules resulted in hypocrisy and rejection of God. They actually did the opposite of the Pharisees’ intentions: they created a barrier between the Pharisees and God.
The Pharisees were offended. This fact is brought out numerous times in the New Testament. The Pharisees were filled with anger against Jesus and those following Him. This is sometimes a characteristic today of conservatives and people who hold to manmade rules. Instead of hearing a rebuke, they are offended that someone is telling them that what they believe is wrong. They are blind to their error and think that they have the truth and that others are in error. Often, they will not listen and will become more angry and offended the more one tries to help them understand.
Just like the Pharisees who did not listen to Jesus, it is very difficult for conservatives today to hear God’s truth when it differs from what their group teaches. Conservatism will close a person’s mind to God’s truth if truth is perceived as error because it is different from what they teach. It is a very spiritually dangerous mindset.
The Leaven of Conservative Doctrine and its Hypocrisy
Jesus tells us another serious spiritual danger of conservatism is the leaven of “conservative” doctrine and its hypocrisy. Matthew 16:6-12 says, “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?… 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
- Mark 8:15 “And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.”
- Luke 12:1 “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
In Matthew 16:6, Jesus commands us twice in one sentence to beware: “Take heed” and “beware”. Whenever God states something twice, we need to take special notice to what He is saying.
The leaven of the Pharisees was their conservative doctrine and their hypocrisy. Their conservatism was exemplified by how they strictly held to the teachings, traditions, and practices the Rabbis of previous generations as laid out in the Mishnah or “Oral Torah”. They stressed doing things to be righteous and added man’s commands to God’s commands. They had a strong zeal for their religion, but their hearts were turned more to what others thought rather than a true love for God.
In the same way, as was the case with the Pharisees, the Amish and conservative Mennonite mindset and hypocrisy is like leaven. A little bit of conservatism influences the whole. Jesus said that the teachings of the conservative Pharisees were very destructive. Therefore, we need to be very careful, even today, of the leaven of conservative doctrine, teachings, interpretations, practices, rules, and regulations that have been added to God’s Word.
The liberal mindset is also like leaven. A little bit of liberalism influences the whole. I have been amazed at how many conservative Mennonite ministers have a liberal mindset in their approach to scripture. They are liberals in some of their thinking and conservative in their clothing. They have been leavened by both liberals and conservatives.
The danger of a teaching that is compared to leaven, is that it is not the amount of influence that the teaching has on us, but rather that there is any influence at all. A little conservative doctrine or a little liberal doctrine is just as serious as being totally indoctrinated or being ultra-conservative or ultra-liberal because leaven or yeast multiplies and spreads in a lump of dough. A church group tends, over time, to move either more conservative or more liberal depending on the leaven that they have.
In Matthew 23:1-38, Jesus went through a long list of errors of conservatism in adding teachings and commands of men to God’s commands. Many of these errors are occurring in Christian conservatism today.
“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
“But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
“… Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
“Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”
There are a number of parallels between errors of the Pharisees in this passage and Christian conservatism today:
- The conservative practice of adding manmade commands to God’s commands can make it very difficult for people to enter the kingdom of heaven – “For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.” V.13) Conservatives today are not intentionally preventing people from entering the Kingdom of Heaven; they are deceived. In fact, they think that they have the real key for entering and that others will be lost.
- Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees made proselytes of their religion, not true disciples of God. (v.15) Adding the commands of man to God’s commands and requiring new believers to follow them, hinders these new believers from following Jesus with all their heart, because they too are required to follow men.
- Another error of conservatism is putting a focus on dress. The dress is used by others in their church group for judging them as “godly” – “all their works they do for to be seen of men” (v.5). They dress to appear righteous and base their dress on Scripture, but the specific details and application of dress styles are manmade commands.
- Jesus said that another error of the scribes and Pharisees is hypocrisy. We see this same hypocrisy among some Amish and conservative Mennonites in a number of the sexual abuse cases that we looked at. They look religious on the outside, but inwardly they may have hidden sins such as lust, immorality, sexual abuse, anger, pride, and covetousness.
- Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for persecuting the prophets that God sent to them. I have seen this numerous times with present day conservatives. Those with the gift of prophecy are often not welcome to share what God has given to them to tell the congregation. The prophets are silenced one way or another. Only those who speak in support of the traditional church doctrine are welcome to speak. Remember, in the cartoon from the Sword and Trumpet, one of the main pillars of conservatism is regulation of doctrine. Prophets are often labeled divisive because they speak out about errors in the church.
Wash day in Amish country. One error of conservatism is putting a focus on dress. The dress is used by others in their church group for judging them as “godly” – “all their works they do for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5). They dress to appear righteous and base their dress on Scripture, but the specific details and application of dress styles are manmade commands. What can easily happen with conservative dress is hypocrisy. They look religious on the outside, but inwardly they may have hidden sins such as pornography, immorality, sexual abuse, anger, pride, and covetousness.
A Danger of Conservatism – The Wrong Perspective of Keeping Christ’s Commands
Another spiritual danger of a conservative mindset is viewing the act of following God’s commands from the wrong perspective: that the Christian life is about following certain rules, standards, or church regulations. In Mark 2:24-28 is this account: “And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”
Subconsciously, conservatives tend to view rules from the same perspective as the Pharisees – that man’s purpose is to follow certain rules and regulations. Their perspective is that God and the local church have set up certain rules that must be followed – as if man was made for the Sabbath (to strictly follow certain rules and regulations), rather than – as Jesus taught us – that the Sabbath was made for man.
God gave us His commands in the New Testament for our benefit. They are not arbitrary lines drawn so that God can “get us” if we cross them, but rather they are there to protect and guide us. We may not understand the reason for a command, but we can rest knowing that it is for our good. If we truly love Jesus, we will desire to show our love for Jesus by keeping His commands. Our disobedience tells God that we love, or care about ourselves or others more than Him. It is a totally different mindset from the conservative perspective that man’s purpose is to follow rules so that God is pleased with us.
We also keep Christ’s commands because we fear Him and the consequences of disobedience. But at the same time, we must realize that keeping Christ’s commands does not make us righteous; righteousness comes only by faith in Jesus. A truly righteous person obeys Christ because they want to follow Christ, not to be righteous.
Many react to the concept of keeping Christ’s commands and call it legalism. However, God has never told us that obeying Him is legalism. He is the one who states what is absolute moral truth – what is right and wrong. Keeping Christ’s commands is a way a Christian, one who has already been saved, shows true love for Jesus. This is stated over and over in the New Testament. The word ‘keep’ means much more than to merely obey, it also means to treasure, to value highly, to keep safe, and to memorize. It is not legalism to keep Christ’s commands out of love for Him.
A Danger of Conservatism – A Lack of Compassion
Regardless of the denomination, another spiritual danger of conservatism is that conservatives sometimes have a lack of compassion which is exemplified in a number of the sexual abuse cases mentioned earlier. Many times perpetrators are protected by cover up and the victims are denied the emotional support and help that they need. Many of these wounded persons continue to bleed and die inside instead of receiving the ointment of love and justice. They want to be heard and believed.
The Pharisees did not really care about the needs of the sick, blind, and lame that Jesus healed. They were more concerned that their rules were being obeyed. “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.” (Mark 3:1-6)
In this situation, the Pharisees did not verbally attack Jesus. It says they “held their peace” – they were silent. But inwardly they were filled with so much anger that they went and planned how to legally kill Jesus. This was also a characteristic of some of the “reformers” such as John Calvin, who approved of killing Christians who did not agree with what he taught. Today, it is not legal to kill those who disagree, but the same anger can still be there and be manifested in other ways.
The Pharisees often asked questions to tempt or test Jesus, not to find out what is truth. This is something that conservatives sometimes do today. They question others, not to understand the truth, but so they can judge the other person. It is important that we ask questions to find out what is the truth. There is the possibility that what we believe might be error, and it is our responsibility to find out what is truth. This, however, is a totally different mindset than questioning someone to test them or trip them up.
A Danger of Conservatism – Young People Lost
A number of years ago God warned me in a dream that we needed to leave the conservative Mennonite church that we were members of. God told me that if we stayed in the conservative Mennonite church, the cost would be greater than what we were willing to pay in losing some of our children spiritually. About 40% of the young people who had grown up in that church were no longer serving the Lord. Others were nominal Christians attending other churches. Very few were committed Christians. We followed God’s guidance and left that congregation. God did not reveal to me the full cost of staying in that church until five years later when I found a newspaper clipping in my wife’s grandparent’s family Bible. This article revealed the true cost if two out of five of each generation did not serve the Lord. The result is very sobering.
For simplicity’s sake we will assume that each descendant has five children. In each Christian family only two of the children end up being non-Christians and three continue the spiritual “revival”. We will assume that all who are not Christians do not become Christians and none of their descendants become Christians. In reality none of these assumptions will be accurate. Some will not get married, and some will have fewer children. Some Christian homes might lose all their children and there will be those who grew up in a non-Christian home that will become Christians. However, the results show the seriousness of only losing a few children in each generation to Satan. Many Christians today live with a short sighted focus as if Christ will return in our lifetime. Many churches would view a 60% success rate with their young people as a good success rate. However, if Jesus does not return for another 200 years, this is what the statistics would look like:
Christians Non-Christians
1st Generation My Wife and I
2nd Generation 3 2
3rd Generation 9 16
4th Generation 27 98
5th Generation 81 544
6th Generation 729 14,896
7th Generation 2,187 75,938
Total Descendants 3,279 94,376
3% Christian 97% Non-Christian
For me, this cost of 97% of my descendants going to Hell is much greater than I am willing to pay. It would sadden my heart to lose two of my precious children in Hell, but it is even worse to consider that 94,376 or 97% of my descendants would spend eternity in Hell. A 60% success rate actually results in a 97% failure rate!
Let’s look at several other examples where there are fewer children in a family.
If each family had three children, and two became Christians and one was lost.
Christians Non-Christians
1st Generation Husband and wife
2nd Generation 2 1
3rd Generation 4 5
4th Generation 8 19
5th Generation 16 65
6th Generation 32 91
7th Generation 64 305
Total Descendants 123 486
20% Christian 80% Non-Christian
If each family had only two children, one became a Christian and one was lost.
Christians Non-Christians
1st Generation Husband and wife
2nd Generation 1 1
3rd Generation 1 3
4th Generation 1 7
5th Generation 1 15
6th Generation 1 31
7th Generation 1 62
Total Descendants 6 119
4.8% Christian 95.2% Non-Christian
The true cost of “only” losing some of the children in each generation into Hell applies not only to the family but also to the church. The actual cost in the lives of those in future generations is too great. Brothers and sisters, keeping most of the children in our family or in our church in Christ’s kingdom is not enough. We need to aim for a 100% success rate. We need to keep all the children in Christ’s Kingdom and lose none of them to Satan’s kingdom. We need to focus on bringing all new believers to maturity in Christ and help them so that all their descendants become men and women after God’s heart.
Mennonite Classroom in Pennsylvania in 1942. The true cost of losing only 40% of the children in the church to Satan is much greater than what most people realize. In seven generations almost all of one’s descendants will not be Christians. God told me that if we stayed in the Mennonite church, the cost would be greater than what we were willing to pay in losing some of our children spiritually. There is no safety in conservatism.
Which is Worst? Conservative Christianity or Radical Islam?
For years we have heard a steady drumbeat from conservative God and Country preachers that it is our patriotic Christian duty to serve in the military and defend our country. Probably hundreds of thousands of conservative Christian young men and women have served in the military or worked for contractors that have supported the military. Those of us who believe that a Christian should not kill fellow human beings did not serve in the military, but we supported conservative Republican politicians who were strong military proponents and who sent or endorsed sending the military into various countries where innocent civilians have been killed.
Both radical Islam and conservative Christianity fight under the name of their God. Radical Islam fights under the name of their god, Allah. Conservative Christians fight for God and Country and under the banner of “God Bless America” and with the inscription on our currency, which is used around the world: “In God We Trust.”
We condemn the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and terrorist attacks elsewhere. We are horrified with the shedding of innocent blood by radical Muslims. But we need to ask the question, who is worst when it comes to shedding innocent blood and supporting the shedding of innocent blood? Conservative Christians or Radical Muslims?
It is easy for us to condemn radical Islam and not think about the awful things we are doing and that we are supporting. It is easy to see the problems of radical Islam and not see the awful things that our own country is doing. Jesus told us: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt 7:3-5)
We have been directed by conservative handlers such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and conservative Christian radio and TV programs to support the fight against terror and the bombing of other countries. Many conservative Christians have been solidly behind the US government’s fight against terror, the Afghan war, the Iraq war, the fight against ISIS, Russia, etc.
How many 9/11’s has the US caused in other countries since World War II in comparison to those caused by Islamic terrorists?
James Lucas writes: “It is essential that Americans learn more about this topic so that they can begin to understand the pain that others feel. Someone once observed that the Germans during WWII “chose not to know.” We cannot allow history to say this about our country. The question posed above was “How many September 11ths has the United States caused in other nations since WWII?” The answer is: possibly 10,000.”
He further states: “This study reveals that U.S. military forces were directly responsible for about 10 to 15 million deaths during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and the two Iraq Wars. The Korean War also includes Chinese deaths while the Vietnam War also includes fatalities in Cambodia and Laos.
“The American public probably is not aware of these numbers and knows even less about the proxy wars for which the United States is also responsible. In the latter wars there were between nine and 14 million deaths in Afghanistan, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor, Guatemala, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sudan.
“But the victims are not just from big nations or one part of the world. The remaining deaths were in smaller ones which constitute over half the total number of nations. Virtually all parts of the world have been the target of U.S. intervention.
“The overall conclusion reached is that the United States most likely has been responsible since WWII for the deaths of between 20 and 30 million people in wars and conflicts scattered over the world.
“To the families and friends of these victims it makes little difference whether the causes were U.S. military action, proxy military forces, the provision of U.S. military supplies or advisors, or other ways, such as economic pressures applied by our nation. They had to make decisions about other things such as finding lost loved ones, whether to become refugees, and how to survive.
“And the pain and anger is spread even further. Some authorities estimate that there are as many as 10 wounded for each person who dies in wars. Their visible, continued suffering is a continuing reminder to their fellow countrymen…”
“To say that it is difficult to get exact figures is not to say that we should not try. Effort was needed to arrive at the figures of six million Jews killed during WWII, but knowledge of that number now is widespread and it has fueled the determination to prevent future holocausts. That struggle continues.”
I encourage you to read the entire article. It details about 37 countries where the US has been directly or indirectly responsible for innocent people being killed. There is a possibility that the number of casualties is overstated, but even if the number of casualties is much less, it does not negate the incredible amount of violence and destruction that has happened around the world with the support of conservative Christianity.
So we go back to the question – Who is worst when it comes to supporting and being involved in 9/11 type of events and the shedding of innocent lives? Conservative Christianity or Radical Islam? Who are the greatest terrorists?
Brothers and sisters, we need to repent of the wickedness that we have supported and been involved in. We have taken a stand against the killing of millions of innocent unborn children by abortion, but have supported the killing of millions of innocent children, men and women by our government and military in other countries. Their blood is on our hands. We can’t tell them about Jesus because they are dead and are spending eternity in hell. We are driving their family and friends far from Christ because they see our hypocrisy and feel deeply the pain and anger we have caused in the name of Christianity.
“Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
Jesus told us: “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. “ (Luke 6:27-36)
The spiritual dangers of being conservative and holding onto man/church defined traditions, rules and regulations are much greater than what we ever imagined possible. There is no safety in conservatism. The costs to ourselves and others of us being conservative are greater than what you and I are willing to pay.
The Next Chapter: Christian Conservatism – The Bigger Picture of its Failure
Why Biblical Research Reports uses the KJV
When I started in-depth Bible research, I was using the NIV translation. I was not prepared for the deception and misguiding information that I found coming from Christian scholars. I did extensive research into Bible translations and into the Greek manuscripts themselves that the various versions are translated from.
I soon realized that the most significant subject facing the Church today is the Bible, what version is used and preached from, the Greek text it is translated from, and the way it is translated. Every Christian doctrine is based on the Bible. The way the Bible reads, the words that it has and the words that it does not have, the way the Greek words are translated or poorly translated, all affect the beliefs and teachings of the Church. At one point I thought that most translations of the Bible were basically the same except for the modernization of the old English in the KJV. This is not the case. Most of the modern translations do not have everything that the KJV does, as a result of changes in the Greek texts from which they are translated. In addition, significant changes have to be made in each new Bible version in order to copyright it. As a result of that research, I switched to the KJV. To read more about my Bible translation research check out these Research Reports:
Evidence the NIV is Not the Best Bible Translation
Evidence the NIV is not the best Bible translation (Condensed)
What is the Best Bible Translation?
I highly recommend the powerful, Free E-Sword Bible program for your computer, cell phone or other mobile device. Make sure you also download the free Treasury of Scripture Knowledge – cross references for each Bible verse to other verses on the same subject. For a cross reference database that is much larger and more complete consider purchasing The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury (in the dictionary category).
