In a recent interview entitled “Kay Warren ‘Seriously Disturbed’: Church Must Act on AIDS” by Janet Chismar, Senior Editor for Faith at www.crosswalk.com [see http://tinyurl.com/9l5cm], Kay Warren lists the compassionate reasons for Christian believers to become involved about the AIDS crisis. Many of these reasons to be caring and concerned are valid. But about halfway through the interview there is a jolting switch in agendas. What begins as a plea for simple acts of charity, suddenly represents a massive restructuring of the local church to fit a global church agenda.
The first jolt comes with this statement by Kay Warren:
“I think that, in time, the parachurch organizations will exist to support the local church, rather than the local church existing to resource the NGO.”
The reader is invited to view this statement in context by visiting the url listed above. It is evident that there is a profound switch in focus, which places the autonomy of the local church under the jurisdiction of larger agencies, which may or may not be Christian. To underscore this point, Kay Warren advocates for Peter Drucker’s 3-legged stool philosophy later in the interview:
“We believe the church has been the missing leg of a three-legged stool. Governments are doing things. Private sector businesses are doing things, trying to go after global giants, but the church has been absent. We have been trying to bring the church back to the table and say “It’s going to take all three.” The main reason is that the church has the widest distribution center. The church exists in places where there is nothing else. To utilize the distribution channels for care and compassion and teaching and training. It’s the way to go. It’s smart!”
Peter Drucker’s 3-legged stool philosophy teaches that a “healthy” society is built upon three sectors: a public sector of government (State); a private sector of businesses (Corporations); and a social sector of community, church and charitable organizations.” Each of these sectors must ultimately be accountable to the State, which sets the standards for results that are measurable. A thorough reading of Peter Drucker’s philosophy reveals that the CHURCH must come under the umbrella of the STATE in order to most effectively function. This represents a substantial change in doctrine and worldview, and unbiblically alters the structure and function of the local body of believers.
A more thorough and in-depth explanation of the ramifications of Drucker’s 3-legged stool philosophy and how it is being implemented on churches and charities can be found in a paper entitled “The Pied Pipers of Purpose” posted on-line at www.discernment-ministries.org [see http://tinyurl.com/8d5xv].
The Truth:
What used to be taught in Christianity before modernism in the late 20th century about the ministry of the local church? Here is one poignant example:
“It must be remembered. . . . that Christianity does not involve retreating into a shelter, much less a shell. The type of Christian life advocated in this study is not that of a withdrawal from society but of the active evangelism of that society. This evangelistic program is to be supported by a high type of Christian living; that is, by a spiritual type of Christian nonconformity to the world. It is a separation unto God which is regarded as ‘radical’ by society as a whole, even by much of professed Christendom, which is in the end most attractive to those who are earnestly seeking to do God’s will. The best illustrations of this high type of Christian life combined with a vigorous evangelistic emphasis were found in the ancient church, both apostolic and sub-apostolic, and among the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century. A Christian group does not need to become like the world, nor to become greatly entangled with the organizations of the day, in order to carry on a vigorous program of of Christian witnessing. Rather let the entire life, social, economic, and every other aspect, be one of utter simplicity, combined with a vigorous program of maintaining Sunday schools, holding evangelistic meetings, promoting rural, city, and foreign missions; in short, the seeking first of His kingdom and His righteousness.”
(This quotation comes from p. 191 of a newer edition of Separated Unto God by J.C. Wenger, which was originally published by Herald Press, 1951. This excellent classic has been recently republished by Sword & Trumpet and is available for $12.95 plus shipping by phoning 800-776-0478. This quotation was found in a chapter entitled “Simplicity in a World of Organizations,” which represents a body of teaching long lost to neo-evangelicals concerning the dangers of joining ranks with worldly organizations.)