An open letter to church officials of the Assemblies of God, 

Church of God, and other Evangelicals around the world.

May 2008

To Evangelical church officials around the world:

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is worthy of reverence and highest honor and praise!  

There is a prophecy circulating in your name that God is dissatisfied with old-time religion and wants to do a “new thing” because old-time religion is old-fashioned. Worship pleasing to sinners instead of worship pleasing to God has been prophesied as God’s “new thing” to reach the “unchurched” – lost souls.

This new thing makes Christianity more appealing to the general public. In other words, Christianity will be more popular if it’s worldly and entertaining. So, bring popular culture into the church and you will attract more people, especially youth. But your false statements and false expressions of hope for saving sinners deceive the people.  

This new thing is not a vision from God. This new thing is a false vision: “Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14).

The new worldly worship of pop Christianity makes no separation between the holy sanctuary and the profane place. And God commands that we put a difference between holy and unholy: “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between clean and unclean” (Leviticus 10:10). By bringing in worldly worship to please the carnal flesh, we offer unclean worship. 

The truth is you love the praise of men more than the praise of God. You seek the praise of men for large tithes and large offerings and large congregations.  So, you pollute holy worship with profane music and other uncleanness; and deceive the people into believing that all worship is pleasing to God. 

Therefore, church officials, the people are no longer separate from the heathen but have wed the profane and holy, and your hand has been chief in this trespass. You have committed spiritual adultery against the Church – the Bride of Christ – by going a-whoring after the heathen.  Like the rebellious Israelites in the days of old, we have taken “strange wives” of the people of the land.

We must be ashamed.

We must rent our garment.

We must fall on our knees.

And we must spread out our hands to God and cry out to the Lord, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God:  for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens” (Ezra 9:6). 

We must cry out to God, “ Lord God Almighty, forgive us.  We have wed ourselves to ‘strange wives’ and brought heathen practices into the house of God.”

We must be just as grieved as Ezra when he was informed that the people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, had not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abomination (Ezra 9,10).

We must pray and confess, weeping and casting ourselves down before the house of God. 

We must separate ourselves from the heathen - from the “strange wives” we have wed.

“Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives” (Ezra 10:11)

We must "serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:28, 29).

Again, separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.  Holy Law commands us to "be ye separate" (II Corinthians 6:14 -18).

Faithfully serving our Lord Jesus Christ,

Karen Pansler-Lam, J.D.

Liberty Advocate

http://www.libertyadvocate.com

In the tradition of Martin Luther, consider 

The Sixty-Two Theses on the Prophecy of Popular Christianity 

as posted on the door of the Evangelical Church.

Disputation of Doctor Karen Pansler-Lam

on the Prophecy of Popular Christianity

by Dr. Karen Pansler-Lam, 2008

Out of love for the truth and a desire to bring it to light, the following propositions are discussed at Liberty Advocate under the advocacy of Karen Pansler-Lam, Doctor of Laws, and founder of the same. Wherefore she requests that those who desire to engage in written debate may do so by letter.

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.   

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ willed that a church should be a house of prayer.

2. This phrase cannot be understood to mean a house of reveling, i.e., rebellious noise, which is pronounced by church officials.

3. Yet it means not inward prayer only; nay, there is no inward prayer which does not outwardly reject the carnal flesh – unholy worship, or carnal worship.

4. God commands that we worship Him with reverence and in the beauty of holiness.

5. God commands that everything in the holy sanctuary be pure and undefiled.

6. The penalty of unholy worship is the indignation of God.

7. Church officials cannot remit the penalty of carnal and unholy worship dictated by God.

8. Church officials cannot authorize any worship other than holy and reverent worship.

9. Church officials cannot authorize worship pleasing to man, rather than worship pleasing to God.

10. Therefore those church officials of carnal worship are in error, who say that worship pleasing to man instead of God is not an abomination in the eyes of our Creator.

11. Ignorant and wicked are the church officials who claim a right to disregard reverent worship to favor the carnal desires of sinners - irreverent and wicked people.

12. In former times, church officials instructed pastors and congregations not to pollute the holy sanctuary with uncleanness.

13. This changing of holy worship to unholy worship is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while Christians slept.

14. Whereas worship that appeals to sinners instead of worship that pleases God has been prophesied as God’s “new thing” in order to reach the “unchurched” – lost souls.

15. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that high-sounding promise of saving sinners.

16. Worship appealing to the carnal flesh is not the power that draws lost souls to Christ.

17. The power of the Holy Spirit stirs souls to repentance.

18. Therefore the “foolishness of preaching” still brings lost souls into the kingdom of God.

19. Whereas the power of church officials is limited to what is commanded by God in Biblical law.

20. Therefore church officials have no authority to overrule what God has prescribed in Holy Law.

21. It is unproved by Scripture that God is indifferent to worship.

22. It is unproved by Scripture that “all” worship is pleasing to God.

23. Whereas God punishes those who offer unholy worship.

24. Therefore those church officials of unholy worship commit sin when they free man from every penalty of unholy worship.

25. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that discriminate and high-sounding promise of release from penalty.

26. Church officials have no such power over the remission of penalties as set forth by God.

27. There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy.

28. Church officials do well when they seek to save the lost, not by the power of unholy worship, but by the power of prayer and “the foolishness of preaching.”

29. They preach the doctrine of men who say that as soon as the voice is lifted up toward heaven, man worships God.

30. It is certain that when voices are lifted up toward heaven, noise is heard, but acceptance of worship is in the power of God alone.

31. When the congregation rejects God’s commandment of holy worship, the Lord rejects their unholy worship.

32. Church officials have been given charge of hallowing all things in the sanctuary.

33. They will be condemned eternally, together with their preachers, who believe that their unholy and self-willed worship is pleasing to God.

34. Church officials shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary and receive greater damnation.

35. Men must be on their guard against those who say that church officials have the authority to dictate what is pleasing to God.

36. For worship is to please God alone, and is appointed by Him.

37. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that purity and reverence are not necessary to worship God.

38. Every true Christian has a right to worship God in reverence and the beauty of holiness.

39. Every true Christian has the right to worship God in purity and holiness and can in no way be despised by church officials.

40. Christians are to be taught that carnal or unholy worship is an abomination to God and pleases Him not, but stirs up the indignation of God.

41. Christians are to be taught the difference between the holy and the profane, and to discern between the clean and unclean.

42. Christians are to be taught that the Lord’s house shall be called the house of prayer.

43. Christians are to be taught to worship the Creator and not the creature.

44. Christians are to be taught to fear God.

45. Christians are to be taught Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

46. They are enemies of Christ who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some churches, in order that God’s “new thing” may be preached.

47. He who speaks against the truth of holy and pure worship, let him be an anathema and accursed!

48. But he who contends for the truth of holy and pure worship, let him be blessed!

49. To think the church officials so great that they can authorize any form of worship – this is madness.

50. We say, on the contrary, that church officials have no authority to substitute carnal and irreverent worship for pure and reverent worship.

51. To say that worship polluted with profaneness, which is set up, is of equal worth with pure and undefiled worship, is blasphemy.

52. The church officials, preachers, and evangelists who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.

53. This unbridled preaching of false worship makes it difficult for true Christians to advocate for reverent and holy worship that is pleasing to God.

54. To wit: -- “Why is irreverent and carnal worship acceptable to church officials when it is wholly unacceptable to God?”

55. Again: -- “Why is unclean worship acceptable to church officials when it is an abomination to God?”

56. Again: -- “Why do church officials preach, teach, advocate, and promote false worship contrary to the Word of God?”

57. Again: -- “Why do church officials suppress and repress the outcry of true Christians against false worship?”

58. Since church officials seek the salvation of souls, why do they bring uncleanness into the holy sanctuary and drive out the Holy Spirit?

59. To repress these arguments and scruples of true Christians by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving Biblical law, is to expose churches and church officials to ridicule.

60. Away, then with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Peace, peace,” and there is no peace!

61. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through repentance and holiness;

62. And thus be confident of entering into heaven.

Written debate may be sent to karenpansler@netzero.com

The above is modeled on Martin Luther's The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences.