This past week I received an invitation to hear Dr. Jerry Falwell speak at the largest charismatic church in West Texas. On July 8, 2002, he will speak at the Trinity Church, Activity Center, Lubbock, TX.
Trinity Church was once named Highland Assembly of God.
It was a split, but some would call it a mission. When Morris Sheats, son of Homer, became pastor he changed the name to Trinity Church. A rose by any other name is still a rose. Over the years Trinity Church has had many different speakers from many different groups speak there. I remember when some Catholic nuns spoke there, and they were not ex-nuns or ex-Catholics. They used to advertise that they had 27 different denominations worshiping there. You can go to Trinity Church and believe what you want, and wear what you want, and still be accepted. It was reported that one of the former pastors said that he didn't care what you wore to church, even if it was a bathing suit.
Falwell will speak under the sponsorship of Vision America and it will be called a "Pastor's Policy Briefing."
The host committee is composed of:
Rick Scarborough, President of Vision America
Pastor Carl Toti, Trinity Church (Charismatic), Lubbock
Pastor Jackie White, Church on the Rock (Charismatic) Lubbock
Pastor Laurence White, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Houston
Pastor Gregg Simmons, First Baptist Church (SBC), Borger
Pastor Stan Coffey, Jacinto Baptist Church (SBC), Amarillo
Pastor Chris Sutton, Calvary Baptist Church (SBC), Lubbock
While this meeting might contain some aspects of a good purpose, it is an ecumenical gathering of Charismatics, Southern Baptists, and Lutherans. This kind of conglomeration is wrong, and it is never right to do wrong, in order to do right. In the name of good causes, Jerry Falwell has compromised with the Mooneys, Roman Catholics, liberals, and Southern Baptists. He has said nice things about the Pope, and other assorted heretics, and he has had the immoral Senator Ted Kennedy speak for him.
Falwell has for years claimed to be a member of the Baptist Bible Fellowship, since graduating from their school many years ago. He has spoken many times in their national meetings, and he has had his defenders as well as his critics among them. Even though Falwell has now led his church into the Southern Baptist Convention, he is still listed on the Baptist Bible Fellowship web site as a member along with his church. You can run with the hares and the hounds and be a member of the BBF. I wonder what G.B. Vick and Noel Smith would say if they came back from the grave.
Falwell often called himself an Independent Baptist, but he never was according to my understanding of what an Independent Baptist is. He has betrayed the cause of the BBF, and a number of their churches have either joined the SBC, or are flirting with the possibility. I don't hear much news of Falwell promoting the BBF, but mostly he seems to be promoting Southern Baptists. I have never been BBF, but I am sure that there are many of them that would like to get rid of Jerry Falwell all together. One thing for certain, I hope Falwell never says again that he is an Independent Baptist, because he is not.
Jerry Falwell is not willing to obey the Scriptures on separation from false doctrine. He knows very well what the Bible teaches, but he ignores it or explains it away. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Cor. 6:17). These plus many other Scriptures show that separation is a command and not an option.
In the Moral Majority which Falwell founded, there were a very large percentage of the members that were members of the Roman Catholic Church. He has joined hands with Catholics on many occasions, and he does not hurt them when he brags on the Pope. He has spoken for Sun Moon the cult leader from Korea. This man is a million miles away from the truth, but Falwell helped him. He now speaks at a Charismatic former Assembly of God Church, and this cannot be viewed as anything but giving them a helping hand. He needs to take another look at the way that King Jehoshaphat was rebuked by the prophet, because he had entered into an ill-fated alliance with wicked King Ahab. "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD" (2 Chron. 19:2).