There is often a tension between staying within to reform and coming aside to pursue a more perfect way. In 15th century England this tension was represented by the Puritans who believed God had called them to stay in the English state church to reform it, and the Separatists, who believed it was better to come apart and form a new church; the Mayflower Pilgrims of early American history where Separatists.
All of us (you and me) Protestants are part of a group that came apart from the established church structure to pursue a more perfect way. The Reformation or Protestant movement came out of the Roman Catholic Church because they believed it necessary. This includes Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, etc.
We who wish to form this church have this tension within ourselves, so that we both want to see the Church reformed from within, and at the same time feel that for our own sakes, but especially for our children, we ought to come aside, like the Pilgrims, to form a new church.
We acknowledge that the existing churches that name the name of Christ in purity and sincerity are part of the Body of Christ, God’s people. Yet we have concerns.
We are concerned that the modern, western church (Europe and North America) has become the handmade of the secular state. By sending their children to the government schools the children are being trained by the enemies of God, and are often recruited out of Christianity into secularism as a result.[1] Because this has occurred for generations, the government school mentality has been imported into the church as those government school trained children have become adult leaders in the churches. Such churches are permeated with what I call the government school spirit. This government school spirit is evidenced (at least in the local church my family attends frequently) by the celebration of the government school baseball, football, track, or swimming team winning, and also by the frequent announcements about government school activities, and by the active support of the government school programs. We homeschool our kids so that they are not part of the government school system. But when they relate to the government school kids at the government school endorsing church, they are affected by the government school spirit. Not only this, they see the pastor and church leaders tacitly approving the government school training of the large majority of the church’s children.
Another concern is that the churches in our community have acquiesced before the corrupting culture, have culturally retreated to live within the four walls of the church, and have given up hope of reforming the culture. The eschatology of the churches contributes to this, or is largely responsible for this. They believe the devil and his people are winning and will win culturally. As for the Church, they say, Jesus will come and rescue us out before it gets too bad by means of the Rapture. One way this giving up on culture is evidenced is by the belief that Christians should not be involved in politics; some Christians even refuse to vote.
We however believe that Jesus Christ has called us and our children to “possess the gates of our enemies” (Gen 22:17) and that the “God of Peace will soon crush Satan under our feet”! (Rom 16:20) We believe that Christians are called to disciple the nations (Matt 28:18-20) and not the nations to disciple us (as it is in the government schools). We therefore believe that God calls Christians to places in society where a difference can be made politically and culturally by being involved in politics, the arts and media, medicine, law, and every legitimate realm of human endeavor.[2]
We therefore are not content to retreat into the four walls of the church to wait until Jesus comes to take us out of this mess. We seek to equip ourselves and our children to take both sword and trowel (Neh 4:17) as we build the Church and contend for righteousness and Christ’s Kingdom on earth (Matt 6:10).
Here I have shared with you two reasons we hope to establish a new church. I hope to share more with you in time to come.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Eugene Clingman, M.Min.
[1] The Southern Baptists report that of those children in their churches who are government schooled, by the time they graduate, 85% leave the church, never to return.
[2] Each Christian life and occupation makes a difference and salts society. Politics is also an important place: “the gates” (Gen 22:17) is the place of control, of politics, and of judgment (court system).