Where Have All The Heroes Gone?
I received a letter in the mail a few weeks ago from a woman whose husband had been a long-time subscriber to my monthly newsletter, The Fundamental Pharisee. She noticed that I often quoted from the writers of old, divines of the past who were able to set down the truth once delivered to the saints. She suggested that I print the biographical information of the authors at the end of the article so my readers would learn more about the men who wrote the articles. I thought this might be a good idea until I got to the end of her letter where she said, "That way when people read your editorials, they can see how you praise the writers of the past who were great men of the denominations that you crucify today." She then went on to accuse me of hypocrisy for reading writers of the past who, if they were alive, would be the subject of the kind of harsh criticism I heap on heretical humanistic heathens in today's pulpits.

What this deluded woman does not know is that in the past denominations used to be much truer to the Biblical faith than they are today. In the past, many denominations held to the truths that have been historic Pharisee doctrines down through the ages. However, with the rise of so much apostasy and declension from the faith, there aren't any non-Pharisee churches today that retain even a little of their fathers' truth. They are so far off the mark that they should be ashamed to wear the name Christian. Most non-Pharisee denominations use worldly music in their "worship" services, read from modern per-versions of the Bible, dress so casually that they cannot possibly be in any state to worship and are so concerned with worldly popularity that they are designing their services to appeal to "seekers" rather than designing them to be appealing to God.

The sad truth about the writers of old is that that they are probably more popular in our day than they were in their own. There was just as much resistance against the truth in the old days as there is today. People rarely tolerated having their sins pointed out or their faults exposed so many of these great men of the faith were ignored, reviled or persecuted during their lives. Some were imprisoned, some were banished, some were killed for their strict attention to a faithful rendering of the word. How I wish that I could have lived during their day, for if I had been able to sit at their feet, I would have praised them for their steadfast devotion to the Truth of God's word.

Today, many have left the faith once delivered to the saints. All we can do is praise the accomplishments of our predecessors and admire their perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances and under hardship conditions. Oh, that we had such men today. There are a number of people on the radio and TV who sound good at first, but it doesn't take long to hear how they have slipped away from a strict adherence to the Word of God. Men like John MacArthur, John Piper, R. C. Sproul and many others seemed to start out well, but sooner or later departed into liberalism and softness toward the historic truths of Christianity. That is why I work so hard to expose their errors, their problems, their leaving of the faith. I support the work of those who publish the errors of those who would delude the sheep and long for more men of good faith as we had in the past.

"Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs."
Luke 11:47-48 (NIV)
- posted by rick @ 2:59 PM