Why do Liberals Successfully take over Denominations and Churches?

Why is that liberals always seem to win? Allow me to explain my words before I give an answer. Theological liberals (as opposed to economic or secular social liberals) seem to have wheedled their way into the majority of mainstream denominations where they have taken over the reins and begun slowly killing off the body that houses them. The Church of England's House of Bishops is a prime example, and similar characters can be seen leading Methodism, the URC and the Baptist Union. Theological liberals reject the authority of scripture, deny the supremacy of Christ, repudiate the power of the cross and negate the glory of the gospel. In its place they preach ecology, good works or nothing at all. Although exceptions may exist within denominations, in general we may see that the Methodists, Union of Baptists, United Reformed Churches, Churches of Scotland and England, the Church in Wales and many Congregational churches each lost their first love and allowed themselves to be led by deniers of essential truth. Like Adam, they listened to the serpent’s doubting of God’s word and heeded his advice rather than stamping on his head and properly guarding Eden. One by one the main denominations fell, like Middle Earth’s ring holders, becoming ensnared and enslaved by the real source of theological liberalism- the arch-denier of God’s word, Satan himself. I propose a few reasons below.

They become rich

No longer having to trust God for His provision, their bulging denominational bank balances cushioned them from the immediate effects of truth withdrawal. Worldly success makes more attractive worldly glory and worldly values. They seek respectability and endorsement, and no longer wish to preach anything the world finds offensive or mockable.

They become fat

Their former, missionary impetus has died, their desire for souls diminished, their expectation for further growth stunted. Leaders now content themselves with managing. Committees for this and councils for that, secretariats, headquarters and all the other paraphernalia of administering a national or global organisation. Minutes of meetings rush off printers and inboxes are filled with tedious discussion items and agenda requests. Soul-winning seldom features on such to-do lists. Central bureaucracies attract those pastors and ministers who were never entirely comfortable with local pastorates and pulpits; although they may keep a few stock sermons for accepting the odd invitation, they are more comfortable analysing budgets and drafting diktats.

Their training colleges and seminaries imbibe the latest ideas

The ‘latest scholarship’ is held on a higher pedestal than God’s word. Not wishing to be seen as old fashioned or ignorant, the college tutors fill their students’ heads with doubters’ interpretations and apostate theologies. Those who reject the latest fads are mocked and receive sniggers; those who imbibe them and get drunk on their distorted conclusions are held high as role models and future denominational leaders.

They allow the wrong people into the ministry

Having been trained at suspect colleges, these men and women with degrees and qualifications enter pulpits and share their dubious convictions with boggled congregations. They do not know what happened on the first Easter Sunday; they do know that the earth is billions of years told; they suspect that God is as upset at climate change as they are; they wish to be cutting edge in their ethics and say nothing about abortion but say much about carbon footprints and corporate tax avoidance. Jesus is an excellent role model and his cross a symbol of good triumphing over evil. They don’t know what this means, and neither do their congregations, but they have degrees and lots of books, so it must be right.

They go the way of all flesh

All things corrupt and decay. When a church becomes liberal and rejects the Bible, it ceases to be part of Christ’s body and becomes just another human organisation. Like our own bodies, they age and die.  

I began by asking why liberals always seem to win. Of course they do not, because the churches which their insipid teachings smother invariably die out and function no more. Every British village and town has an old church or chapel building where once the gospel was preached but liberalism killed it from within. They are now homes, or shops, or garages. Some are become mosques and carpet showrooms, others just sit forlorn and derelict. That is what theological liberalism does- it kills from within like a tumour, it destroys the very body that tolerates it. The gates of hell rally against it, and prevail, because they don’t believe in hell any more, or the devil.