Many commentaries and articles are presented all over the internet that address issues regarding apostasy within churches today, faulty doctrine, prophecy, and other topics that should be of great concern and/or interest to Christians.
A perusal of these sources shows a topic that is almost completely overlooked or not addressed at all. Believers in Jesus Christ should be concerned about the World Council of Churches, it’s “role” in the “religious” world and how the National Council of Churches or NCC (in the USA) is connected to that organization. It is this writer’s opinion that the subject isn’t discussed because most churches are members via the NCC, therefore they see nothing wrong with anything being done by their affiliation with it, (therefore they must agree with its policies and ideals), or perhaps they are ignorant of what it actually stands for to begin with. This needs to be addressed.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) describes itself as “the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement.” Its website boasts that it “brings together 349 church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 560 million Christians and including most of the world’s Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches as well as many United and Independent churches.”
The banner under which it operates is the Greek word oikoumeme (literally “inhabited world”), which is prominently displayed in its logo, its website is oikoumene.org.
Despite its innocent-sounding name, the World Council of Churches is far from loyal to traditional Christian theology. It concentrates on socioeconomic issues and ecology, believes in redistribution of wealth, and is overtly pro-Palestinian. It bases it’s “theology” on universalism; that is, the belief that everyone will go to heaven based on Christ’s atoning work. Read that statement again. EVERYONE. This means that everyone – will go to heaven. Hello?
The World Council of Churches considers the world as one enormous family and itself as helping that family socially and economically. Social and political activism have become the matrix of this organization’s identity. WCC describes the word witness as : speak[ing] out with a strong voice to promote peace, justice and care for God’s creation,” and working to “challenge each other on how to bear witness to Jesus Christ in all realms of life; personal, cultural, and socio-economic. The WCC promotes environmental activism, stating that we have a “deep moral obligation to promote ecological justice by addressing our debts to people most affected by ecological destruction and to the earth itself.” REALLY? REALLY!
There are many problems with this organization’s “mission.” Where to start? First of all, the WCC is at the forefront in promoting Ecumenism. The ecumenical movement has promoted that all faiths lead to God. We can find no such teaching in God’s Word. Why would a Christian or a Christian church then follow such an organization? Historically, ecumenism rallied around “oneness” as it relates to churches and Christian witness in the world. But now, however, the WCC embraces “the unity of God’s whole creation and recognizes every human pursuit as subject to the healing ministry of Christ’s Spirit.”
Under the umbrella of the AGAPE (Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth) reference group on Poverty, Wealth, and Ecology (PWE), the WCC promotes programs to repair the disparity between wealth and poverty. In other words, it promotes the redistribution of wealth. According to the WCC, industrialized countries like the United States is primarily responsible for the planet’s perceived economic and environmental crises. It sees regions such as North America and Europe as perpetrators of the current global “predicament.”
Convinced (and obviously convincing Christians everywhere) that climate change and poverty are due to man’s impact on the planet and that the church is complicit by “perpetuating a theology of human rule over the earth,” the WCC advocates “recognition and application of a concept that expresses a deep moral obligation to promote ecological justice by addressing our “debts” to peoples most affected by ecological destruction and to the earth itself.” Apparently, the WCC has taken upon itself the responsibility for redistribution of wealth. The WCC, PWE, and AGAPE published a joint statement suggesting, “As part of the study’s recommendations, it would be helpful to discuss taxation (as an explicit mechanism for redistribution of wealth and reparation for ecological damages) as well as measures to strengthen corporate accountability and responsibility (“integrity pacts” between corporations and communities).
Many churches allocate funds for the WCC in their annual budgets. According to its website, its “church families” include the following denominations: African Instituted, Anglican, Assyrian, Baptist, Catholic, Disciples of Christ/Churches of Christ, Evangelical, Friends (Quaker), Holiness, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Old Catholic, Orthodox (Eastern), Orthodox (Oriental), Pentecostal, Reformed, The Salvation Army, Seventh-Day Adventist, United and Uniting, and Free and Independent churches.
Additionally, the WCC’s negative attitude toward Israel has been evident from the organization’s formal inception in 1948. It’s website speaks of helping “displaced Palestinians” following World War II but says nothing about helping Jewish people who had endured the horrors of the Holocaust. It did not help Jewish settlers who were and have been continually besieged by Arab gangs and militias in the years leading up to the reestablishment of Israel and up to the current time.
The WCC has advocated a policy of “justice for Palestine” and this is erroneously based on what it calls a “conviction that has grown as 40 years of illegal occupation of Palestinian territory has claimed lives, distorted the rights of both peoples and deepened the conflict between them.” WCC emphasizes that this is their policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict. It disparages Israel. Why would a church be affiliated with such an organization?
It distorts reality, demonizes Israel as a ruthless government oppressing the Palestinian people and refers to Palestinian terrorism as “legal resistance.” It wrongly blames Israel for the entire conflict.
It seems that the warnings given in God’s Word about attitudes in the last days (and we certainly are living in the last days/hours/minutes) are true. How can Christians who say they believe in Jesus Christ and who are supposed to follow His teachings (only) and who are supposed to rely solely on the Holy Spirit to guide them swallow this garbage?
Perhaps – no Jesus WAS correct in what he said would happen because we see this before our very eyes and it is stunning. Jesus told us, “Even the Spirit of truth (reality) whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:17
The Scripture above indicates that the Holy Spirit cannot be received or even understood by “the world” because the world doesn’t know God, doesn’t recognize Him but those who love Him know Him because He dwells within the believer. If a Christian/church can uphold the policies (or endorse them) by their very affiliation with an organization such as the World Council of Churches, then this is a direct indictment of their ignorance of the things of God, their total lack of regard for the Sovereignty of God and of the Holiness of God. It is a direct slap in the face of Jesus Christ Himself. It can be put no other way and we need to begin calling this and other apostasy what it is – evil.
Furthermore, the relationship of followers of Jesus Christ, (I am not referring to following a denomination/teaching/doctrine but adhering to the TEACHINGS of Jesus Christ), is well put in the following; “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing.” Said Jesus – John 15:5
Nothing done of man’s efforts without God brings forth any fruit that is good. Without God, man is nothing but dirt. Man was made from dirt and man will return to dirt. It was God that breathed life into man. Man was made for God’s pleasure and to reflect the glory of God. Man has failed miserably at everything save what he has done according to the will of God and through the power and direction of God Himself.
The talk of saving the environment is laughable because if the churches and the WCC and the National Council of Churches don’t like what they see happening with the earth now, just wait until they see what God does with it! God gave man dominion over the earth – the entire earth. Yes, we are to be good stewards of everything God blesses us with, but we worship the CREATOR not the CREATION.
The agenda of the WCC and it’s member churches is to meld a one-world religion and wield that religion’s power over mankind. This is well-documented in God’s Word. Will there be any Christians who stand and call this what it is? Are all Christians asleep in their comfy pews as they are fed their fifteen minute sermonettes on how to live a fulfilled, prosperous, purpose-filled life? When did doing the work of our Father become less than purposeful? It didn’t. But, like everything else man does without God, the very organizations that claim to be “Christian” are nothing but empty shells. They do not carry out the great commission, they do not preach Calvary, they do not teach the consequences of sin, nor do they teach that the Way and the Truth is Jesus Christ, the King of King and Lord of Lords. They teach warm and fuzzy feelings, feel-good policies that inflate their egos and importance in the eyes of men. This is sad and this is true.
To not know better is one thing but to KNOW and to directly ignore or distort the things of God is an abomination. Where is the outrage? If you are stunned at this or are concerned that your denomination/church is a member of this organization then I suggest you take the matter up with your pastoral staff immediately. Take God’s Word with you, by the way. God is still in charge here and perhaps these “hirelings” need to be reminded of that fact.
Jesus said, “…If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23
“If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 Said Jesus Christ to us. He did not say “keep some of my commandments,” He said keep my commandments and that means all of them. It does not mean distort them or change them to be more “convenient.” He said what He meant and meant what He said.
If we belong to Christ, we WANT to please Him. We WANT to live according to His will and we are not our own for we are bought with a price and that price is His precious blood that was flowing from Calvary. He died a torturous death, a painful death for our sin. It is a mockery of Jesus Christ for any Christian to KNOW these organizations are carrying out such blasphemy and not speak up!
Finally, the words of our Lord and Savior say all that need be said:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not be the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”
John 10:1-5
“…I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:7b-15
Do you know the voice of the Good Shepherd? Or do you follow a hireling?
Sources:
“What Is the World Council of Churches?” World Council of Churches <oikoumene.org/en/who-are-we.html”
Konrad, Raiser, Ecumenism in Transition, trans. Tony Coates (Geneva, Switzerland: WCC Publications, 1991), 73
“Witness,” World Council of Churches <oikoumene.org/en/home.html>
“The WCC and Christian witness” <oikoumene.org/en/resources/themes/christian-witness.html>
“What is the World Council of Churches?”
“Statement on eco-justice and ecological debt,” World Council of Churches, September 2, 2009 <tinyurl.com/8ngge4k>
“Meeting of the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Alternative Globalisation [sic] Addressing People and Earth (AGAPE) Reference Group on Poverty, Wealth and Ecology (PWE)” World Council of Churches, June 27, 2007 <tinyurl.com/942hzb8>
“Church Families,” World Council of Churches <oikoumene.org/en/handbook/church-families.html>
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