Our readings in this series are from the book, The Church Captive. Here is a brief excerpt from pages 70, 71:
“In our brief survey, we have seen that, in nearly every age of Church history, segments of the Body of Christ have failed to recognize and resist deceitful winds of doctrine, and have consigned themselves and their churches to a kind of captivity to the spirit of the age. All the external trappings of the faith remained intact: worship, teaching, pastoral ministries of various kinds, and building and maintaining ecclesiastical facilities. But the heart of faith having been compromised, doctrines of self-interest, institution-building, pragmatism and efficiency, an unhealthy conservatism, focus on prestige and numbers, and unwillingness to stand against popular belief have caused segments of the Church to founder on the rocks of unbelief. At such times, the ship of faith, as Columbanus so vividly expressed it, would take on water, and nothing short of a miracle of God could keep it from sinking entirely.
“When church leaders depart from the charts and course God has delivered once-for-all in His Word, they introduce strange maps and questionable helmsmen into the wheelhouse of the vessel of Christ. Everything may seem to be going well, even improving and advancing; but even the smallest deviations from the course of Christ and the charts revealed in His Word can lead a church to unrecognized and dangerous captivity to the spirit of the age.”
Now, and for a limited time, you can order The Church Captive together with the next book in our Read Moore series, Revived!, at no cost. Order copies for yourself and for a study group or companion. A free discussion guide is available as well.
