[Biblemat] "Tactics of the Proponents of Error"

[Don Martin]

                  "Tactics of the Proponents of Error"
                                By Don Martin


Solomon presented the famous circle or, in common parlance,
"What goes around, comes around"  (Eccl. 1: 4-11).  Perhaps this is
not precisely what Solomon meant, that is, this common expression,
but he did articulate the fact that things are cyclical and tend to be
repeated.  Hence, "...there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl. 1: 9).
After a while, one can often predict the future, to a measure, based
on the past.  This is why history and personal experience are so
important.  I am now what you might, if you are gracious, call a mature
preacher.  I think I qualify for this having had about forty years of
experience in dealing with all manner of people and doctrines.  I will
not affirm that in order to qualify for "false teacher" classification one
must have impure and improper motives.  However, I would
affirm that most with whom I have dealt have ended up being
dishonest, having an agenda, and possessing corrupt motives (2 Pet. 2).
While there is often involved gradation and  particular circumstance
response, the basic tactics of false teachers never change.

First, false teachers attempt to muddy the water and confuse the issue.
Back in the forties, fifties, and sixties, the proponents of church
supported institutions such as colleges and orphanages tried to shift the
focus from the matter of Bible authority for a local church sending
monies to a secular institution teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic
to: "They are opposed to education and glory in their ignorance."  They
would also re-direct the thrust by charging, "You hate orphans and would
allow a poor little orphan to starve to death on the steps of the church
building!" Hence, they often succeed in emotionally exciting and inciting
people to the point to where people could not and would not objectively
consider the issue from the standpoint of Bible authority.

Those who advocate the non-essentiality of water baptism often are seen
employing the tactic of false accusation by saying, "Those Cambellites
believe in water salvation and are akin to Catholics in basic religious
concepts."  They will not calmly study such verses as Acts 2: 38, 22: 16,
and I Peter 3: 21.  The fact that throughout Acts, immediate baptism is
observed, even in the most inconvenient of circumstances matters not
(Acts 16: 30f.).  Rather than attempt to contribute to and encourage a
climate conducive to controlled and reverent study of God's word, they
are always seeking to prejudice people and poison their minds.

The many who include mechanical instruments of music in their worship
do not want to consider or have others to seriously study such verses as
Ephesians 5: 19, a verse in which the kind of music God desires and
requires is set forth.  Instead, they vociferously say with great
persistence, "You who only teach vocal music in praise of God simply
dislike mechanical music."  On many occasions, they are heard saying,
"The church of Christ does not believe in music."  These false teachers
are often successful in skirting the issues and are not experiencing any
responsibility in intelligently dealing with the matter because they
persuade people to simply resent those teaching the truth.

We are often observing the very same tactics regarding the recurring and
on-going divorce and marriage to another and neo-institutionalism among
us. For the most part, there is a manifest and declared refusal to deal with
the issue, whether it be discussion or debate.  Instead, the proponents of
mental divorcement, divorce for various reasons, and Christians building
human societies, privately supporting and working through them to preach
the gospel, falsely charge and engage in gross misrepresentation, playing by
their own rules.  "You believe in the race-to-the-courthouse doctrine," they
are heard charging.  "You allow little children to be beaten and horribly
abused," they emotionally appeal.  Regarding neo-institutionalism, instead
of controllably studying the issue to ascertain the truth, they spread the
slander, "These brethren believe it is a sin for a Christian to contribute
to any organization or charity."  Rather than address the clear issue of
whether or not such foundations as The Guardian of Truth Foundation
are scriptural, they divert the attention to a charity organization set up
by Christians, claiming that the two are exactly tantamount and parallel.
You see, when they succeed in thus re-focusing from the privately
supported missionary society to the entity assisting hungry people and
little children, they have precipitated emotionalism and when such
emotion is stirred up, reason usually departs.

I like a good challenge and intellectual exchange that is based on
biblical teaching and principles.  However, I, frankly, seldom experience
such.  The reason being that the ungodly, false teachers even among us
have to only use such heretofore mentioned tactics to sway and prejudice
many.  Shame on these purveyors of error who shall receive the "greater
condemnation" (Jas. 3: 1).  Notwithstanding the assiduous and repeated
nature of the manner of false brethren, it appears many are relatively
unaware of  their modus operandi, falling for it over and again.  Paul wrote
thus regarding the methods of Satan, "...for we are not ignorant of his
devices " (2 Cor. 2: 11). Let us also not be ignorant of his devices!

Cordially,
Don Martin  dmartinbtbq at comcast.net

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