Holiness Today Magazine: Helping To Build The One World Religion

“The real basis for Christian unity is agreeing in the truth of God’s word, not “Christian love”.

A friend who is attending PALCON (a leadership conference for Nazarene pastors) wrote me a few days ago. He said “I am at PALCON here at MVNU. We had communion last night and I could swear I was back in a Catholic church. Absolutely appalled about this.” This is no surprise. My father, a Nazarene pastor, would have been appalled as well, given that he was rescued from the bondage of Roman Catholicism, and he preached the real Gospel to the Roman Catholics in Cape Verde for years. And now, the premise of a new article in Holiness Today needs to be repudiated, rejected, and condemned by all Bible-believing Christians in the Nazarene denomination.

One of the appalling things we see today is that men who have been taught in seminary are now leading their congregations down a path towards the one world religion of the Anti-christ. They are either deceived and are totally blind, or they know the lie and choose to promote it. In an online issue dated May 17, 2016, Holiness Today has published an article that suggests that Nazarenes have no differences with Roman Catholics that are worth dividing over. Furthermore, it also promises that in the next issue, that they “will report on ways in which the Church of the Nazarene and the Roman Catholic Church share a very important common heritage in addition to how we can partner together for the kingdom of Go

Pastor Jeremy Scott, a Nazarene pastor from Massachusetts, has now put into written form what has been happening for at least the last seven years, if not more. A few years ago, I wrote an article called The Roman Catholicization of the Church of the Nazarene. From imitating the Catholic Eucharist rituals, ashes to the forehead, and other Catholic practices; to contemplative mysticism such as retreats to Roman Catholic monasteries, practicing the silence and using prayer labyrinths; to using books by, and quoting Roman Catholic mystics in sermons and Nazarene publications, it is obvious what is happening.

And now the Nazarene road to apostasy is becoming a shameless, in-your-face declaration of the desire to become “brothers and sisters” with a false religion whose doctrines and practices brought on the great Reformation and much persecution and death to many faithful believers. But now, pastors and leaders who should know better are purposely ignoring the reality of every idolatrous practice and teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, and are now practicing and teaching some of these things themselves.

In case you did not know, the Roman Catholic Church teaches a false gospel of salvation by works, and condemns all who believe otherwise. This and this alone disqualifies the RCC as part of the body of Christ (see Galatians 1:6-10). There are many, many other satanic teachings of the RCC which are well documented, and if you wish to have a refresher, please read this article on my blog.

Here Are Some Major Points Made By The Writer, With My Comments Following:

1. “I have learned not to assume that someone who is Roman Catholic does not know who Jesus Christ is, even to the depths of Lord and Savior.”

That is true, we should never assume for sure that a specific individual is not saved if he is Roman Catholic. But if he believes in the way that the RCC teaches, such as salvation by works or by baptism, can you truly say that he is saved? Can another gospel save you?

2. “ But the fact is that we do find ourselves divided. And there are differences between us. So can we yet be “one” in ways other than strict doctrinal adherence? Might we be one in worship, in sacrament, and in mission? Can we work together compassionately and tell people that Jesus is Lord?”

The answer is no, because they preach “another jesus, another gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4). Jeremy is incorrect when he says that there will be no divisions. Christ Himself said He came not to bring peace, but to bring a sword. There is an idea that the writer and others in his generation are being indoctrinated with. It is the idea that “doctrines divide”, so why can’t we get along in other ways, such as worship, sacraments, etc? Why can’t we set aside our differences and be “one” for the sake of Christ? The answer is we cannot be “one” if we differ in major doctrines that clearly go against what Scripture teaches! This is Bible 101, and Jeremy should know that, and if he did, he would realize that we cannot compromise the Gospel, otherwise as Paul writes in Galatians 1, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”

3. “Indeed there are huge doctrinal, liturgical, organizational, and missional differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of the Nazarene.”

The writer admits there are huge doctrinal differences, yet he sets that aside like it is nothing. Again, this is the mindset of this generations’ graduating pastors, and many of them who have come out of the seminary in the last several decades with a cavalier attitude towards biblical doctrine. But sadly, even many pastors from the older generation are falling for this unbiblical ecumenical stance.

4. “We value the example of Mary, but not nearly in the same ways that Roman Catholics do.”

 Here, the significance of Mary in Catholic theology is completely brushed aside without mention of what she means to the Catholic Church! Mary is prayed to and venerated by Catholics, is called the “Queen of Heaven”, is believed to have been sinless, and can even bring salvation to individuals! Here are the very words from the current pope, one of the most evil popes in years, when he spoke of Mary:

“ “She is a true mother who gives us life in Christ, and in the communion of the Holy Spirit, brings us into a common life with our brothers and sisters. The model of motherhood for the Church is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in the fullness of time conceived through the Holy Spirit and gave birth to the Son of God,” Pope Francis continued. “Her motherhood continues through the Church, who brings forth sons and daughters through baptism, whom she nourishes through the word of God.” (Pope Francis)

5. “The temptation is to assume that because we believe someone to be wrong about one thing, then they are wrong about everything. Or we somehow conclude that when someone does one thing incorrectly, then all else that they perform is also suspect.”

Again, a lack of understanding of Scripture, and illustrates what is a false dichotomy. The Roman Catholic Church does many good things, but that is not the point. The Mormon Church does many things correctly. So does the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Shall we join with them? Christ tells us to obey His commandments if we truly love Him. Not some or most, but all of His commandments. The Roman Catholic Church is far from coming close to obeying His commandments, yet today’s new Nazarene pastor wants to associate with those who preach a false gospel.

6. The gospel calls us not to uniformity, but to unity in love. Christ explicitly told us that people will know that we are following Him by the way they see us love each other. Paul calls us to this same mind of Christ—that we agree together in love in Philippians 2. This is the goal: loving with the love of Christ. The rest is indeed detail.”

This is a sugar coated lie, but a lie nonetheless. The real basis for Christian unity is agreeing in the truth of God’s word, not “Christian love.” This is why we do what we do here. Jude 1 and many other teachings in scripture compels the believer to contend for the faith, exposing the evil wherever it is within the church.” We are not given the freedom to have variations of the Gospel. We cannot believe in “saved by grace” and then have fellowship with those who are “saved by works.” That is a different gospel, yet the writer and many of today’s Nazarene pastors are ignoring essential doctrines for the sake of a false unity. Titus 1:9 says that “He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it.” And this writer fails to take heed to what John said in 2 John verse 6, after exhorting the believers to walk in love. He said: “Now this is love: that we walk according to his commandments.”

7. The Church of the Nazarene and most all Protestant denominations are offshoots of the Roman Catholic Church… it is also true that the Church of the Nazarene wouldn’t exist without the faithfulness of the Roman Catholic Church over those 1,500 years.”

This is nonsense! The writer either forgets, or refuses to acknowledge, the horrible history of the Roman Catholic Church over those 1,500 years! The persecutions, the killings, the special Jesuit units sent out to hunt down and torture thousands of Christians who refused to bow down to a false religion. Are these pastors being taught this nonsensical idea at the seminaries now? It is outrageous to think that the Roman Catholic Church was faithful in any way to God through the centuries. And now with his attempts to unite all religions with Christianity, including the Muslim faith, the pope is clearly leading the way of unfaithfulness now.

8. “But Jesus calls us in John 17 and other places to more than finger-pointing. Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies and demonstrates to us the example of inviting those unlike us to the table.”

Correct in some way, but not completely. What we do is not “finger-pointing. Jesus and the apostles exhorts us over and over to expose the false teachers, shun those who preach a false gospel, and warn the believers not have anything to do with them. We can pray for our enemies and we do; but we should never abdicate our responsibility to obey the other teachings of Christ and the apostles.

These things are all Bible 101 that a layperson knows. Why does not a seminary graduate understand this? And why does the editor of Holiness Today allow this to be published? Because he either agrees with it, or he could care less what is published! This is not an indictment of Jeremy Scott. He is just one of many who believe this nonsense, and are spreading it. He, like many other pastors, have been indoctrinated with the end times “one world religion” philosophy. I wonder, do the General Superintendents have anything to say about this, since they are charged by the church to interpret and uphold the doctrines of the church? If we asked them for clarification, would they even comment?

It will be interesting to find out in the next issue just how the Nazarene denomination is supposed to partner with those of a false religion. To Jeremy and other pastors who are part of this new movement, I pray that you will repent of this, and instead turn towards preaching the Gospel to those who are following a false religion. Every Nazarene pastor in the Church of the Nazarene must answer this question: will I be complicit in this new “fellowship” with a false religion, or will I protect my people and defend the word of God at all costs?

It is evident that the Church of the Nazarene is fast turning into anything other than a “holiness” church. And regarding the General Superintendents and other major leaders in the church: they need to reject this idea completely, or they need to resign because of their incompetence.

 

Additional Resources:

1. Roman Catholic mysticism and the Emerging Church

https://reformednazarene.wordpress.com/roman-catholicic-mysticism-emergent-church-richard-bennett/

In this 57 minute talk, Richard Bennett explains Roman Catholic mysticism and the Emerging Church.  Richard is a former Jesuit priest who now has a ministry website called the Berean Beacon.

2. Roman Catholicism and Its Heresies

https://reformednazarene.wordpress.com/roman-catholicism-and-its-heresies/

3. Walter Martin: The Greatest Danger in the Church Today
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78wRKmmnwhY