Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1

Fundamentalist Snake Charming

Especially for pastors and leaders...

Recently a good friend of mine, Bruce Oyen posted a warning about the use of alcohol.  It brought to mind the sad statistics I read last week regarding the use of alcohol among Christian pastors and leaders, much less their congregations. That, in turn, brought to mind the young men I have personally buried as a result of this scourge. This flashback evoked memories of the half naked and hungry children we shuttled into our Sunday School buses (when it was still socially acceptable to run bus routes) and the long trail of counseling and admonitions relating to the abuse, scandal, and destruction this scourge brings. That, in turn, evoked my last provocative thought:

Surely, any pastor who labors in the trenches must hate alcohol in his very soul. Notwithstanding all those debates about the wine at Cana, we all know that we are not comparing apples with apples when we use Cana to justify the modern use of alcohol. While we rightfully bemoan the effects of tobacco and second hand smoke, our duplicity is overwhelming and our silence is deafening.  And, those who insist that alcoholism is a disease must still admit that it is contracted on the lip of the glass, a glass we Christians complacently hand off to our children when they "come of age."  Alcohol is the scourge we refuse to see, exacting a horrific toll on the “church” and the world. It is another elephant in room, affecting a shocking number of families in our own Christian circles.

• We do not see the consequences of this scourge because we refuse to see it. We prefer to close our minds to the daily toll this substance takes right before our very eyes.

• We don’t see the danger, because we blithely think that our drinking in moderation will spare us (and our children for generations to come) from going down that same path. Yet the facts prove otherwise.  The flood waters may still be up river, but sooner or later they arrive and this dancing viper will strike someone you love.  Pray to God that the first missteps of their downfall will not be at your hands.

• We don’t see the danger, because to stand against alcohol is to be labeled as a legalistic vestige of a bygone era. Perish the thought that our legalistic fathers could have been lovingly warning us against the things they saw, firsthand!

• Mostly, we choose to ignore this issue because we kowtow to a peer driven culture which professes tolerance to all (except those who would warn against evil). The thin veneer suggesting that our motives are evangelistic, is just that.  One can be as wise as a serpent without dancing with one.

The fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25), and few snares are as damning as alcohol.

It’s time we let our blood boil with a little more indignation instead of boiling with the inebriating bubbles that portend destruction. It’s time we stepped away from snake charming.

Pastor, when was the last time you warned your sheep about this scourge? Are you willing to face the truth about the use of alcohol among your sheep?

The next time you think of those supposed snake charmers, ask yourself, “Who’s really charming whom?”

Take a few seconds and read Bruce Oyen’s blog on this vital subject.

For a good biblical treatment, read Bob Thompson’s paper on alcohol.
Wine and Strong Drink.pdf

See also:

Forty Percent of Evangelical Leaders Drink Alcohol


Moody Drops Alcohol Use Restriction for Faculty and Staff


Need an inexpensive and basic tract on this subject?

Fundamentalists Who Think Like Modernists

Fundamentalists Who Think Like Modernists

(or, How to keep the ministry from ruining your ministry)

Note: This article is geared especially for pastors.

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. 1 Peter 5:1-5

When we claim that a high percentage of fundamentalist pastors reason and process like modernists we are not referring to theological modernism. Rather, we are referring to the modernist period in our history. Though philosophical modernism is officially dead (having been replaced by its horrific successor, postmodernism) the fact remains that many fundamentalists still process modernistically.

Philosophical modernism was committed to the assumption that progress and success are both good and desirable. In a similar vein, many churches and pastors are convinced that the growth of their institutions are the ultimate proof that the blessings of God are on their ministry. Ministry models which evidence these values abound. Transitioning tools are widely observable, and the practice of charting our institutional courses from a team driven perspective has been eisegetically declared to be the biblical pattern.

In retrospect, these values can readily produce wood, hay, and stubble (1 Cor. 3:12) because they are akin to fleshly temple building practices. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to lay hold by faith on a desirable future for our churches. Our churches are to be built on biblically based agricultural and temple building dynamics (1 Cor. 3:6-10), not modernistic business models. The chief ministry model was provided by our Chief Shepherd who built up disciples, not ministry teams. Elders who feed and nurture Christ’s sheep, all the while, seeking, caring for them, praying for them, and guiding them and disciplining them are the ultimate examples of the biblical church growth models.

When we apply biblical ministry principles, we truly are relying on the promises of God (Jas. 5:7) as we patiently wait for the fruit which God has promised while applying His principles. We are not relying on growth dynamics regurgitated second hand from Harvard Business School.

We are not suggesting that churches should not plan and organize ministry. Corporate ministries, raised up by the Spirit in accordance with the gifts and abilities of Christ’s sheep synergistically leverage the energies of God’s people for Christ. Rather, we are arguing that such ministries are not the end. The sheep are the end. Unless there is direct and immediate care for each of Christ’s sheep within the flock, our institutional creations will surely take on a life of their own and ultimately succumb to the same boom and bust cycles that all businesses experience.

While the paste and glitter of institutionally centered ministries may attract many, few durable jewels will be found in the day of testing. The organization found in Acts six represented a proactive response to a present need. The care and feeding of the sheep had been precluded by logistics. The move to delegate through godly deacons was never intended to be the seed from which great institutional machines would grow. Rather, it was to protect the intimate nurturing of Christ’s sheep.

Personal, one on one shepherding is a difficult and challenging vocation and yet it is basic to all others. The pastor will always find that preaching, organizational duties, and a myriad of similar ministry opportunities will quickly and easily supplant this most important of all ministry tasks.

Pastor and elder friends, have you picked up the phone today, made a visit or touched anyone on a personal basis? If you haven’t, you may just be missing your true calling. We may not excuse ourselves by excelling in the things we love to do while ignoring the lamb. The vortex of institutional (modernistic) thinking comes uninvited and will always be ready to suck up our available ministry time.

“Perpetual Care” shouldn’t be limited to cemeteries! Consider a few good habits to help keep the ministry from hindering your ministry

• Consider praying for your sheep before praying for the respective ministries of your church.
• When you pray, ask the Lord to help you observe the spiritual and ministry states of each of Christ’s sheep, considering proactive steps to nudge each one forward in growth and ministry.
• Consider making at least one contact per day by visit, phone, email, or note.
• When organizing your formal ministry keep people first, programs second, and properties third, making sure that personal attention to the spiritual lives of your people is every leader’s first priority.
• In short, develop ministry habits that ensure every member of your fellowship has proper and perpetual spiritual care and attention.

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. - John 21:17