To My Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Faith,
I am not affiliated with
any specific Church congregation; thus, when I speak of the Church, I am not
referring to a single group or denomination, but the Church
of America as a whole. I am merely a Christian who lives and
walks through life pondering the perplexities of reality. I have come to
realize that truth can be spoken through many different mediums, whether it be
through books, song, poetry, art, or even cinema. Each person can be influenced
in different ways; some can discover truth best through what they read, while
others grasp truth when they see it acted out on screen or spread across a
canvas.
This generation is
greatly influenced by movies and media, and there are many truths that can be
found in the messages of films. Thus, I would like to give a Christian
perspective on the latest installment of the Batman movies, The Dark Knight Rises. I will not go through every frame of
the film; instead, I have selected specific scenes that best illustrate a dark
and disturbing truth concerning our Church today.
Upon reading my personal commentary on the film, I
have no doubt that criticism shall arise. It is true that people can read into
this movie whatever they like, but this is Phineus' personal
commentary—an individual Christian’s way of expressing an all too real truth.
Please do not misinterpret these words of mine. I am
in no way saying that truth is relative, for all truth is absolute and of God.
For instance, God does not hold opinions. He does not “think” something should
or could be one way or another. Instead, He knows, and His
knowledge cannot be wrong. Thus, it is
absolute.
Before I continue, however, I must define certain key
characters and places within the film and their symbolism in light of today’s
church.
#1. Gotham City = The Church of America
#2. Batman = Christians who are CALLED to be Polemicists
#3. Commissioner Gordon = The few Elders who see the dangers of today
#4. Lt. Foley = Complacent Elders of this generation
#5. Blake= The new, zealous, and God-fearing generation
#6. Bane = An
Anti-Christ, the Devil, or a wolf
#7. The Bomb = False doctrine and Heresy
Scene #1: The Hot-Head
At the
film’s outset, Gotham City is enjoying a time of peace due to the “Dent Act,”
which locked away hundreds of criminals and made Gotham safe for the first time
in years. Despite this time of calm, however, a young police officer named
Blake refuses to let his guard down and fights passionately against the
corruption that he still sees in Gotham. His fervor and drive upset his
superior officer, Lt. Foley, who believes that there is no threat, creating
friction between the two.
This friction
comes to light at various times in the film. For example, at one point,
Commissioner Gordon follows a couple of criminals down a manhole and into the
sewers. Moments later, an explosion occurs, and Lt. Foley keeps the other
police officers from following after Commissioner. Confused, Blake asks why
no one is going down the manhole to help, but Foley says that they don’t know
what is down there after seeing the explosion. Blake responds, “We know what’s
down there…the Commissioner is down there.” Instead of listening to Blake and
attempting to help the Commissioner, however, the Lieutenant publicly
discredits Blake by yelling to all around him, “Would somebody get this
hot-head out of here?!”
Later, Blake
is scolded by Foley a second time when he visits the Commissioner who is
recovering from a bullet wound in the hospital. While there, he
encounters the Lieutenant sitting beside the Commissioner Gordon, telling him
that everything is fine and under control outside.
Walking up to Gordon, Blake hands him a giant file that contradicts the
Lieutenant’s assessments, to which Foley replies, “Remind me to tell detail to
keep hot-heads out.” The Commissioner, convinced by the evidence presented to
him, says that they need more hot-heads around, and proceeds to give Blake a
promotion to Detective.
Now you may be wondering,
“How in the world does this apply to us, the Church, in this day and age?”
Please, allow me to explain. In this scene, Gotham represents the Church here
in America. We are in a time of considerable peace: no persecution, everyone focusing on being happy and smiling, singing worship songs on the street corners, doing
mission trips to Mexico and Africa, etc. We are not being put to death or
beaten for the cross, and we can preach the Word wherever and whenever we like.
Lieutenant Foley represents those who are now in charge of the Church and
protecting said peace. They are the elders, pastors, small group leaders, etc,
who, whether it be intentional or not, seek to further this peace at whatever
cost necessary. Now the young cop, Blake, represents the few who see a
potential threat in the church. He is the warrior who does not merely protect
the Church from the evil outside, but from those who are already within as
well. Blake has a passion for the truth and calls it like it is. He does not sugar-coat
things, and his passion is misunderstood. Thus, he is labeled a hot-head.
We
need more Blakes at this time in America. The Church has allowed truth to be
watered down and has traded God’s Word for America’s acceptance. Galatians
tells us that there will be false Gospels and false Christ’s (Galatians
1:6-10). We cannot assume that the true Gospel is being spread simply because
America is accepting of it. We need to be like Detective Blake and care more
about our duty as Christians within the Church than about how the
elders/leaders think we should act towards the world to simply keep “peace.”
Scene #2:
“Batman Surrounded”
As you may
recall, Batman is a vigilante. At one point in the film, Bane hacks into the
stock exchange and steals funds. When he
attempts to flee the building on a motorcycle, hundreds of Gotham’s cops pursue
him, and Batman joins in the chase. While in pursuit, however, Batman realizes
that the cops have changed their target and are now chasing him! Blake, knowing
that Batman is actually helping, tries to tell Lt. Foley that they should be
more concerned with catching Bane, but the Lieutenant wants Batman instead.
Even though Blake is right, the Lieutenant’s own selfish pride causes him to
ignore the Detective because of his youth.
Surrounded
by almost all of Gotham’s police force, Batman leads them on a wild goose chase
and eventually escapes. However, he isn’t the only one to get away…Gotham’s
greatest enemy lives to see another day as well.
Batman, Commissioner
Gordon, and Detective Blake are warriors of the faith, called to do battle
against the corruption within the Church (Gotham). Batman is aggressive and breaks
all of the so-called “rules” set up by Gotham—the very rules that the enemy
uses to his advantage. These rules are not absolute, but have been imbedded
into the minds of the people for so many years that they have been given the
same authority as Scripture. This same mistake was made by the Catholics with
their traditions, and, as history would have it, a Reformation occurred.
What are
these “rules” you ask? I am not speaking of Dogma, for Dogma is the
unquestionable, authoritative, beliefs of Christendom from which doctrine
stems. Rather, I speak of what has gone from tradition to doctrine, meaning
what once came from doctrine has now become just as authoritative. Love was
once defined as an absolute and has now become an always gentle, all-inclusive,
and non-confrontational emotion. The world has re-defined love, and the Church,
so as not to “lose” souls, has adopted this new definition as its doctrine. And
so, in the eyes of the Church, whenever someone is being aggressive, divisive,
or offensive, they are being “unloving.”
“Batman” is not guided by
the Church or it’s rules; he is guided, as everyone else should be, by the Holy
Spirit. In this day and age, there are repercussions when being a vigilante for
the faith. To those who love the man-ordained rules, “Batman” is considered
divisive and self righteous. And yet, to the enemy, he is seen as a dangerous
threat because he is governed by God’s Word and His commands. The cops, who
represent the passive leadership within the American Church, are more concerned
with the vigilante than the Wolf (Bane) who is slowly but surely corrupting and
destroying the Bride of Christ. The younger generation tries to warn the older,
but is scolded and condemned for being disrespectful towards its elders, too
passionate and over zealous.
You don’t
believe me? Here is an exert from a book recently published by a local Pastor concerning those who are “hot-heads” for the faith. He
writes:
You’ve probably known a
jerk for Jesus…I think of a man in our church who sees himself as a mature,
front-of-the-line Christian. He’s passionate about the Scriptures. Loves to study.
Digs deep. He knows far more than most, so he’s taken it upon himself to become
a spiritual watchdog to protect the rest of us. He barks at and then attacks
anyone who misspeaks or who misuses or misunderstands the Bible. He thinks he’s
helping out Jesus by keeping the heretics out…
The problem is that God
never asked him to be a pit bull for right doctrine. God does ask him (and all
of us) to contend for the faith. But he asks us to do it in a manner exactly
opposite of the way my pit bull friend defends the gospel. We’re supposed to
avoid quarreling, to be kind, and to gently instruct people who oppose us.
My friend’s pit bull
methodology illustrates the biggest problem with overzealous faith and the
reason why it’s so hard to self-diagnose. It’s almost always true to Scripture,
but it’s not true to all of Scripture. It’s partially right. It fixates on one
area of God’s will (for instance, defending the faith) while ignoring other
parts (doing so kindly and gently). (Osbourne 18-19)
Do you see what I am
talking about? What this Pastor is doing is fixating on only one attribute
of love and condemning the rest. He focuses on being gentle and kind, making
these two approaches the only appropriate way for a wolf to be confronted.
Here, this Pastor has taken traditional views on qualities that are to be
respected and admired, and made them absolutely necessary; taking what is
traditionally seen as wise in SOME cases and making it doctrinally necessary in
ALL instances of dealing with heresy. However, to adhere to such a belief would
be to demonize all the examples of aggressive, tough love, displayed throughout
Scripture by righteous, Spirit filled men. For him to say that God has, “never
asked [anyone] to be a pit bull for right doctrine,” takes knowledge that we humans
simply do not have. We cannot know God’s thoughts and what we have seen throughout
Scripture is God using men to confront wolves and false prophets (Numbers 25, 1
Kings 18, Acts 13, Luke 11, Acts 20, etc.)
Thus, no human being, this Pastor included, has the right or authority to
declare what God has called another individual to do. God may very well have
given someone passion and zealousness in a specific area of the Church, to
persecute this passion would be to persecute a spiritual gift from God. For,
“the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to
the feet, ‘I don’t need you;’” even so, we cannot discredit and attack the
calling of a fellow member in the body Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:21)
We need to stop throwing
water on the fires of these younger Christians. They have a passion, they are
zealous, what they need is to be pointed in the right direction, not stamped
out. As of right now, more and more home churches are appearing, and more and
more young Christians are beginning to realize that something is terribly wrong
in the Church. If the elders keep seeking to attack the inevitability of reform
and those who seek to bring it about, then there will be a great split like no
other. Just like the Christians in Germany who stood against the rule of the
complacent eldership during the Nazi regime, there will be another Confessing
Church.
Scene #3: “I was Born in the Dark”
In another scene,
Catwoman leads Batman to where Bane and his minions are hiding out down in the
sewers. Of course Catwoman, who is simply looking out for herself, leads him
into a trap where Bane is waiting to fight him.
The two face off and Bane
gains the upper hand and goads Batman, saying, “You fight like a younger man,
with nothing held back. Admirable, but mistaken.”
After taking a beating
from Bane, Batman triggers a small EMP that shuts all the lights off, thinking
he will have the upper hand in the dark.
“Oh, you think darkness
is your ally?” Bane asks, “You merely adopted the dark; I was born in it,
molded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man. By then it was
nothing but blinding! The shadows betray you; they belong to me.” Bane
continues to beat up Batman and breaks his spine, throwing him to the ground.“I
will show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring ‘justice,’”
Bane continues. “Then, I will break you.”
Moments
later, Bane hits a detonator, and the ceiling begins to crumble, blowing a hole
into the bottom of Wayne Enterprises’ Armory and Batman’s private stash of
weapons. “Your precious armory,
gratefully accepted. We will need it.”
Let us begin by examining
Bane’s reaction when Batman turns off the lights. Remember, Bane is a symbol
for Evil, born in darkness. He knows how to use the darkness as his ally and
can move just as fast, if not faster, in the dark as he can in the light.
Keeping this in mind, please allow me to ask you, my dear reader, some questions.
What
are the characteristics of Heaven? We know that heaven is a place of peace,
tranquility, no more tears or sorrow, and full of joy (Rev. 21:4). Who do we
know that was born in Heaven? Well, the Holy Trinity is eternal; hence, no part
of it was born, and humans were created on the earth. That leaves us with the
angels. All the angels were born (created) in Heaven: The Archangel Michael,
Gabriel, thousands of others, and last but not least, Lucifer. Yes, Satan was
born in the light (heaven), and he is no stranger to it. And just as Bane uses
his knowledge of the dark to his advantage, so too Satan uses his knowledge of
the light, and of the Word, for his own purposes.
“How could
Satan use the Light to his advantage?” you ask. Think about it. Satan does not
want to be discovered or distinguished by the outside world and the Christian.
He wants to keep his enemies silent and win souls at the same time. He has done
this by corrupting our greatest commandments. You see, the Church of America has
become pre-occupied with making a heaven on earth and spreading the Gospel
under the guise of this new definition of “love”—a love that is nothing but
compromise. Satan knows the truth, and he knows that the best way to win
someone over to a lie is by imitating the truth.
Our enemy has discovered a way to become accepted by
both the Christians and the world at the same time: through love. Satan has
learned to imitate love so that he may win souls, and he is able to do so
because he was born in the light and he is familiar with love, peace,
gentleness, kindness, etc. Paul was not ignorant of this fact and claimed that
Satan, “himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Satan, in a most cunning
and snake-like way, has attacked Biblical Love by redefining it through small,
barely noticeable steps. Love, as defined by the Bible, is powerful, and for
centuries has been a conservative word that Satan could not confront head on;
instead, he mimicked it. He took certain truths about love and fixated on their
importance over all the rest, teaching this new version of love to the American
people. Our enemy’s success can be seen in the words of Pastor Osborne and
others like him who demonize any type of aggression towards the wolves.
The Church found no threat in this reconstructed
definition because it was so similar; however, the ramifications of accepting
such a “love” are enormous. Although the Bible commands us to love one another,
be gentle, slow to anger, and not to be divisive, we must remember that love is
not always gentle. But Satan has taught the world to hate and condemn this
fact. Though it is true that love is slow to anger, this does not mean that all
passion is to be thrown out (Numbers 25). Love may be gentle, but it may also
be aggressive (John 2).
Even Christ was aggressive at times. Love may not be dedicated to
opposition, and yet, that is what the Bible is: opposition towards man’s sinful
nature and twisted philosophies. People
may be naturally more receptive towards these kinder descriptions of love, but
when dealing with wolves in the Church, sometimes the opposite is necessary.
Satan wants the Church to be as quiet and gentle as
sheep because he wants no confrontation or opposition from us. For this reason,
we must scrutinize the Church under the microscope of the Holy Spirit rather
than through the eyes of the world which have been corrupted by the Devil. Yet,
how can we fight against the corruption of the Devil? We may try to use
kindness, but the enemy is familiar with this tactic. We may use gentleness and
compassion, and yet, would this not be child’s play for the Devil? He knows how
to fight us, and he is well acquainted with “the light.”
Real Biblical Love is the most powerful thing a Christian
has to defend himself with. This is due to the fact that God is LOVE, and out
of that same love came the creation of Hell and destruction of sin. Our enemy
wants the church to lower it’s defenses, and how better than by making it seem
as if there is no threat? Let’s face it, because of its acceptance and belief
of “one love,” America does not threaten or persecute the Church.
America is a
land of peace for the Christian because over half of this country claims to be
believers! The people here are dedicated to love, acceptance, and gentleness.
Although America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and beliefs, Satan
has infected America in every way imaginable, allowing home-grown Americans to
be under the impression that they are Christian simply because of their
location. In the end, the Church of America is full of individuals who hold to
Satan’s twisted ideologies, whether they be teachers (wolves) or others who are
simply ignorant of the danger. In order to “cleanse” the Church of its false
doctrines and teachers, we must begin to investigate and ask questions. This
may be difficult for many, for with the answers comes difficult decisions for
the Church.
Thus, we are left with a Church in America, full of
believers and nonbelievers, that stresses the importance of this so-called
“love.” Satan has fostered the perfect country in which his lies can grow while
truth is abolished; a place where everyone must accept each other and their
various views as equally true and authoritative. Then, there is no opposition,
no divisiveness; we occupy a world dedicated to “loving” each other. And in
this morally compromised world, one must be “loving” at whatever cost
necessary, even to the point of twisting Scripture.
The Devil thinks that he has taken away our armor, our
zealousness, and the truth. He is banking on us forgetting the true definition of
love and our apathy towards false doctrine. We must remember that, as
Christians, we are called to follow and be like Christ. That means in every
aspect of how Christ lived. He did not come to bring peace, but a sword, and He
divided mother from daughter and father from son (Matthew 10:34). Christ was full of zeal not always gentle when correcting those who believed in God; like casting the
false teachers out of His temple (John 2). He did become angry and would
occasionally offend people (Luke 11:45-46). Christ is the definition of pure love, and we are to be like Him
even when He was divisive and un-gentle.
The early
church was so much like Christ that many were put to death. They were not
afraid to speak out. They were lead by the Holy Spirit, by a passionate fire
that causes one to be persecuted by the enemy and the world. It is true that
the greatest testimony we can give is through our actions and not what we say.
And yet, the time has come to speak, for even the world has
begun to mimic our actions. Whether it be charitable deeds like
helping the poor, mission trips to Mexico and Africa, or building hospitals and
orphanages, the world is mimicking us. So let us not only be different in
action, but in speech as well.
In the film, Bane is able to use Batman’s own skills
and fighting tactics against him. What Bane can’t mimic, however, is Batman’s
beliefs of justice and morality. Our belief is the heart of our actions. Satan
can mimic love all he wants, but in the end, when really tested in the fire, it
can not stand up to the Gospel.
Scene #4
Bane and His Church
The entire police force of Gotham has
fallen into a trap. Barricaded in the sewers, they are helpless, leaving Gotham
to the people and criminals without law and order. Bane steps up and delivers a speech to the
people of Gotham in front of Blackgate prison. He shouts:
“We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The
oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and
we give it back to you…the people. Gotham is yours. None shall interfere. Do as
you please. Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed. Step
forward those who would serve. For an army will be raised. The powerful will be
ripped from there decadent nests, and cast into the cold world that we know and
endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed.
The police will survive as they learn to serve true justice. This great city…it
will endure. Gotham will survive!”
Allow me to re-word this speech as it could be said by our enemy, the
Devil:
“We take the Church from
the God-fearers and Bible-believers! The oppressors of free-thinking and
relative interpretation! Those who have chained down your minds with mythology
and fables, and we give back to you...the intellectuals and self-actualized.
The Church is yours. None shall interfere with their absolute statements from
dogma and doctrines. Do as you please. Start by allowing the Liberals to teach
your children, and by ordaining ministers who reject the basic tenants of
Christianity. Those who conform to the traditional interpretation of Scripture
will be shunned and demonized. Church discipline shall be abolished. The
apologists will survive as they learn to adopt the new definitions and truths
set forward by this generation. The Church…it will be replenished. The Church
will survive.”
No doubt there will be those of you who are thinking
that this is quite a stretch, but keep in mind that symbolism is completely
relative. Truly, someone could take this same scene from Batman and apply to it
the complete opposite of what I have just said and am going to say. But this is
Phineus’s interpretation of the movie.
Whether you agree or disagree is completely superfluous. The purpose behind
this symbolism is to get you to think and see things from my perspective, and I
see a problem.
Let us go through the speech one sentence at a time:
“We take the Church from the
God-fearers and Bible Believers! The oppressors of free-thinking and relative
interpretation!”
You must be wondering, “How could
anyone be able to take the Church away from God-fearers and Bible believers?”
The answer is quite simple: apathy. It is possible that you can believe in the
inerrant Word of God and fear the Lord, but do absolutely nothing when
opposition arises. We have, right now, a generation of Church-goers dedicated
to acceptance and brotherly love, to the extent that any type of
divisiveness—even the division of a lie from a truth—is considered a “sin” and
“un-loving.”
“Those who have chained down your minds with mythology and fables, and
we give it back to you...the intellectuals and self-actualized.”
In 2 Timothy 4:2-5, Paul urges Timothy to be prepared, because the time
will come “when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit
their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to
say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from
the truth and turn aside to myths.”
The Devil and his wolves hate the truth because it
keeps God’s children from Hell. They seek after our destruction, and the best
way for them to accomplish this is through our school systems because, in this
day and age, people idolize knowledge. Whether that knowledge be true or false,
all knowledge is power. Satan used knowledge to tempt mankind in the Garden of
Eden, and he continues to use it today. For hundreds of years now, the older
generation has taught the youth to be consumed with school and degrees, but
this still does not satisfy the humans’ lust for power. It’s in our nature. And
yet, as we learn and gain more knowledge, we must judge that knowledge through
the Scriptures. When judged and seen wanting, a choice must be made: Either
believe and have faith in God’s Word, even though it contradicts the world’s
supposed “truth,” or compromise the Scriptures. It takes great humility to
sacrifice knowledge, even if it is false.
To illustrate, think of the Creation vs. Evolution
debate. Before the theory of Evolution came onto the scene, Christian’s would
never have thought of questioning the Creation account of Genesis. Then that
belief was challenged by Evolution, and the Church was unable to give a strong
enough defense. A choice had to be made by not only the world, but by the
believers also. Trust God’s Word, or compromise it. Many did, and still do alter the Scripture to believe in the lie of Evolution. Sure, after so many
years we have a better defense, but Evolution has gained such a foothold that
many consider it fact without a shadow of a doubt. Genesis has become
mythologized, and if you can’t believe in the first chapters of Genesis, why
should you believe any of the Bible for that
matter?
And so, Bane (Satan) and his followers (wolves), under
the guise of freedom and acceptance, gives his so-called “truth” to the wolves.
“The Church is yours. None shall interfere with their absolute
statements from dogma and doctrines. Do as you please.”
Let me begin here by defining these terms. Dogma is
the unquestionable creeds of Christendom. Where as, doctrine is defined as “the
truths of the gospel in general” (Noah Webster’s Dictionary). The difference
between Dogma and Doctrine is quite miniscule. While some Doctrine is
considered Dogma, not all Dogma is considered Doctrine. The only thing that
interferes with what Satan teaches is the Truth, and doctrines grounded in that
truth stand against heresies. If you take away those who defend Dogma and the
Doctrines grounded in that Dogma, the wolves can do what they want.
The Apostle’s Creed is a prime example of what I am
discussing because it is a list of the core beliefs of Christianity. From the
Deity of Christ to the Bodily Resurrection. Only a wolf or a non-believer would
reject the Apostle’s Creed because it is composed of absolute statements
grounded in Scripture.
“Start
by allowing the liberals to teach your children and ordaining ministers who
reject the basic tenants of Christianity.”
It has already
begun. College professors seek to “liberate” the youth from the traditional,
conservative mode of thinking under the guise of love, acceptance, and
open-mindedness. They preach that if there are absolutes, then any other
“truth” would be wrong and excluded from all other ideas. Thus, when absolutes
are acted upon, the very act itself is unloving because of the exclusion it
creates. These liberal professors not only reside in our colleges, but in our
Seminaries as well. Don’t take my words for it; hear the words of Dr. Walter
Martin, the original Bible Answer Man, founder of the Christian Research
Institute, and author of Kingdom of the Cults.
He claims:
“We have, for more than one hundred years, been under
sustained attack in the United States in our Theological Seminaries, Church
related schools, and our Churches. A sustained attack by people who have the
form of godliness and work within the structure of the Church, and have,
wherever they’ve been permitted the opportunity, diluted the gospel and
destroyed the faith. They occupy, today, the chairs in our major Theological
Seminaries, the rulership of our major denominational structures, and they
maintain boldly and boastfully, ‘This is the church!’ But it is not the Church
if it denies the power of the gospel. (The Cult of Liberalism)
Even before Dr. Walter Martin, the theologian J.
Gresham Machen preached about how the Church has been infiltrated. He writes,
“The church of today has been unfaithful to her Lord by admitting great
companies of non-Christian persons, not only into her membership, but into her
teaching agencies” (Machen 159). He also
pinpoints our problems and the enemies of the Church when he says, “The great
menace to the Christian church today comes not from the enemies outside, but
from the enemies within. It comes from the presence within the church of a type
of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core” (Machen 159). And
this was written in the 1920s! Things have only gotten worse.
The Devil has infiltrated our seminaries to corrupt
believers and raise up church leaders who are governed by relative truth and
pacifism. What happens when you send your children to a Christian school or
college and the first thing that they are taught is that the Bible is not
inerrant, and there is no such thing as a wrong interpretation?
“Those who hold to the traditional interpretation of Scripture will be
shunned and demonized. Church discipline shall be abolished.”
“What was right will be wrong, and what is wrong will
be right” (Isaiah 5:20). These words ring true and clear. The enemy seeks to be
rid of anything that, or anyone who, clings to the Word of God and the true
interpretation of Scripture.
The heretics who were once called wolves and false teachers have been
renamed “true Christians” and “real Apologists.” In the past, the wolves were
confronted and reprimanded because Scripture dictates such an action (1 Timothy
5:20). Now, however, we the Church have grown to embrace the wolves due to the
world’s idea of “love” and acceptance. We have been made to think that by
embracing the false teachers, we are “loving our neighbor as ourselves” (Mark
12:31).
“The apologists will survive as they learn to adopt the new definitions
and truths set forward by this generation. The Church…it will be replenished.
The Church will survive!”
Satan wants leaders that
will uphold his kingdom and stifle any type of opposition. He wants apologists
who will bend to his will and defend his new form of “love.” He wants leaders
that teach the congregation to not be passionate or zealous. And yet, we all
know that Satan will not get his way. Though he thinks his church will survive,
we know that the real Body of Christ will come out on top, and the enemy will
be destroyed.
Some of you
may ask, “For what reason do you talk of battle and defending the faith when
the outcome has been revealed to us already? The Lord shall win!” This is true.
The Lord will be the victor, but this does not mean we should cease to fight. We
do not fight against the wiles of the Devil simply because we seek to destroy
him or win the war; no, we wage war so that our brothers and sisters will not
fall for the Devil’s lies and thus be taken captive. Today there are more
cults, false religions, and destructive philosophies than ever before. If you
truly believe that every person is a child of God, and therefore our brothers
and sisters, then fight for them. We have been charged, by God, to defend the
faith (1 Peter 3:15). We have been told to be ready to make a defense. The
Apostle Paul’s life attests to this. Even Christ defended what He said with
Scripture (Luke 4:8; Mark 7:6,7; Matthew 21:16; Mark 12:26)! So, too, should
we.
Scene #5 From Within
Near the climax of the film, Commissioner Gordon
prepares to fight back, hitting Bane with everything he’s got…even if it’s only
a few police officers and detectives. The Bomb has been set and the bridges are
closed to prevent anyone from escaping the city. He must act before Bane
fulfills his threat to destroy Gotham. As he looks around at his comrades, he
realizes that Leuitenant Foley, his right hand man, is no where to be found.
Furious, Commissioner Gordon goes to Foley’s house and
bangs on the door. Foley’s wife answers, “Jim…[my husband’s] not here.”
Gordon: [Yelling] “You let your wife come to the door while the city is
under occupation!”
[Foley comes to the door and tells his wife to go wait in the kitchen.]
Gordon: “What did you do? Bury your uniform in the
backyard?”
Foley: “You saw what they did to those Special Forces.”
Gordon: “Have you forgotten all the years we were out on
patrol when every gang banger wanted to plant one as soon as our backs were
turned?”
Foley: “That was different and you know it! These guys run
the city…the governments done a deal with them.”
Gordon: “Bane’s got their balls in a vice. That’s not a
deal.”
Foley: “You move on Bane, the triggerman is going to hit
the button.”
Gordon: “You think he’s given control of that bomb to one of
‘the people?’ You think this is part of some revolution? There’s only one man
with his finger on the button, that’s Bane.”
Foley: “Look, we’ve all gotta keep our heads down till they
can fix this. If you still had family here…”
Gordon: “This only gets fixed from inside the city! Look,
Peter, I’m not asking you to walk down Grand in your dress blues. But something
has to be done.”
Foley: “I’m sorry Jim. I gotta…”
Gordon: “Keep your head down? What good’s that gonna do
tomorrow when that thing blows?”
Foley: “You don’t know that’s going to happen.”
Commissioner Gordon seeks to defend the church from
Bane, an anti-Christ, wolf, and false teacher. The Bomb is the threat of false
ideologies (the cults, liberalism, pacifism, etc). And Lieutenant Foley, like
this generation of elders and leaders, would rather be complacent and remain
comfortable than confront the threat head on. This danger must be addressed, or
else the youth will be corrupted, and their beliefs will be tainted by lies and
destruction. Relativism and complacency will make our children liberals and
pacifists. The Liberal does not believe in absolutes, and the pacifist will
compromise Scripture to fit a false idea of love. Together, they will warp
God’s truth beyond recognition.
When someone
claims to be a Christian and a pacifist liberal, the Bible is no longer
absolute and zeal is thrown to the wind. The Old Testament becomes merely
fables. History becomes relative, and Jesus may not even have existed. The
Virgin Birth never happened. All of a sudden, ethics depend upon what man says rather than what
God commands and turning the other cheek means that we are to bare with
corrupt truths. Genesis never happened; as a matter of fact, science and
evolution are far more reliable than any old book because they correlate more
with reality…the physical world. Such are the beliefs of the liberal pacifist
Christian.
As Christians, we must fight to destroy this “bomb”
before Bane (the Devil) uses it to destroy the youth and other confused or
conflicted believers. We must acknowledge the fact that we, the Church, have a
problem. Still, merely acknowledging the issue is not enough, or we become no
better than Lt. Foley who would look to others to solve his problem while he
“keeps his head down.” We cannot do as so many Christians do: simply pray, and
let God handle it.
Let me tell
you a story. There was once a giant flood that covered a small town. A man
escaped onto his rooftop and prayed that God would save him. Moments later, a
small boat came by and offered the man some assistance. “No thanks,” the man
responded, “the Lord is going to save me.” The boat floated off, and the waters
began to rise. The man continued to pray. Soon, another boat arrived offering
him help. The man gave the same response as before, and the boat left as the
waters began to rise even higher. He prayed once again and a helicopter
appeared, lowered down a ladder, and begged him to climb. “That’s quite alright!
I will wait for the Lord to save me!” Hours later, the man drowned, and he was
greeted by our Father in Heaven. He turned to the Lord and asked, “Why did You
not save me?” The Lord answered, “I tried to save you three times, but you
denied My assistance.”
Now, please do not misinterpret what I have just said. Prayer is good
and righteous. We must always look to prayer in times of need, but we must also
be prepared to act when called to do so. If you truly have faith in our Lord,
then put your faith into action.
You may say that these are all simply hypothetical
situations and analogies, not real life. Well, let me tell you a true story to
illustrate my point. I know a young man who claims to be a Christian and a
pacifist. He has often said that he would never cause harm to another human
being because Christ commands us to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39). So,
I presented a real life scenario to him to see how he would respond. I asked,
“What would you do if you witnessed a burglar raping your wife?” He replied
that he would get down on his knees and pray to God rather than stop the
burglar.
My friends,
prayer is good, but don’t use prayer as an excuse to sit idly by when someone
can be saved from danger. Christ taught that the greatest example of love is to
lay down one’s life for a friend. This means we are called to take action and
not merely pray.
Each and every Christian is called to confront and
rebuke false teachings within the Church. This does not mean that you have to
go walking up and down the street with Bible in hand, screaming out, “Jesus is
the only way, and if you don’t believe, you are going to Hell!” No, instead, we
need to speak when opposition to the truth is present and correct any false
teachings. It is our Christian duty to rebuke any wolf that speaks on behalf of
the Gospel (Acts 20:29).
Right now, the most important task at hand is to help
true believers within the Church to realize how sick we really are as a body.
The enemy is already preparing for a counter attack once we start revealing his
plans. Remember, he has adopted our language. You will be condemned for “divisiveness.”
Those who are content with where the church is at right now will claim that
anyone who is divisive cannot be doing the will of God. They will say that God
has not called you to be a “jerk for Jesus.” But we must examine how the Bible
truly defines divisiveness.
Within the Body of Christ, we must be united as one.
Divisiveness becomes sin once it pulls the body apart with non-dogmatic
ideologies. For instance, when we argue about whether or not to use grape juice
rather than wine or the pre-tribulationist verses post-tribulationist. The Devil has us silenced when we need to speak and
arguing when silence should be practiced. Our structure of denominations is
itself divisiveness. From the Baptist to the Nazarene and the Calvinist to the
Arminius. We must stop dividing each other over such trivial things. Yet,
division is righteous when we reveal evil and confront it, and that evil is
anything that contradicts the Scripture. The Body is defined by, and composed
of, followers who believe and have faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord
and Savior.
This sounds pretty simple, but there’s more to it than
meets the eye. A Christian, by following
Jesus Christ, necessarily believes in the Bible as God’s Word and all that that
entails. When people within the Church reject the Bible, but profess to be
Christian, confrontation arises, and the outcome of this confrontation can
either be good or bad. Either there will be repentance for the individual’s
heresy, or he will be kicked out. This is the positive definition of division.
We must divide the Church in half. One side believing in Christ and His Word,
and the other side rejecting His Word, thus believing in a totally different
Christ.
Once Christians see it as their duty to confront these
wolves and ignorant believers, the Devil will have a lot more to deal with than
he had planned. He does not fear the human…but the Holy Spirit that lives
inside of the believer, that is who he truly fears.
The Church must be willing to confront Bane and be rid
of this “Bomb” that threatens our youth and the Church. The older and more
complacent generation wants to leave everything as it is. This is partly due to
the fact that the men have lost sight of their duty as leaders. If you notice
in this scene of Batman, who answers the door when Commissioner Gordon comes
knocking?
When Foley’s wife answers the door and lies to
Gordon’s face, he knows that Foley is running scared. They are facing a time of
unrest, inner turmoil, and war… and the man, the protector, had his wife answer
the door?!
Nowadays, with the rise of feminism, men have ALLOWED themselves to become
de-masculinized by the woman’s desire for more power. And yet, this desire for
power was not sought out, it was thrust upon them by mans inability to fulfill
his God ordained role. Men are no longer the heads, the decision makers, bread
winners, pastors and protectors. The women have become the Alphas, not just in
Society, but in our Churches as well. The men must realize that they have been
charged by God to protect both the flock and their families. Please do not
misunderstand these words of mine. Women can and do confront wolves; they have
the Holy Spirit just as much as any man. But a pastor is defined as a man who serves as a shepherd and
overseer. The shepherd keeps watch over his flock. If the man does not want to
be a shepherd, the wolves will come in…and they have already. I am not saying
that all men are called to be pastors in the Church, but all pastors are men
and all men are called to be leaders over their household at least.
So this is where we find ourselves. Our Church has
grown full of individuals who call themselves Christians, yet deny the core
beliefs of Christianity. It is saturated by numerous wolves and false teachers.
This is the effect of Liberalism and Complacency. We must acknowledge this
threat. We must acknowledge the condition we are in. The Church may be the Body
of Christ, but this does not mean that it need not be accountable for its
actions or that it is exempt from corruption. The Bible testifies to this
corruption in Revelations (Rev. 2-3). Paul testifies to this in his Epistles as
does Peter.(1 Timothy1; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Christ, in the Gospels, warns us
(Matthew 7:15-20). Shall we heed these warnings and act upon them? A false
peace and this twisted idea of love has taken precedence in our Body. We must
first acknowledge our predicament before change can happen… before a
Reformation can begin.
Work Cited
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.
Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Gary
Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph
Gordon-Levitt. Warner Bros., 2012. DVD.
“Doctrine.” Noah Webster’s First
Edition of an American Dictionary of the English
Language. 1828. Facsimile 1st
ed. 1995. Print.
Machen, Gresham J. Christianity and
Liberalism. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing, 1923. 159. Print.
Osborne, Larry. Accidental Pharisees:
Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other
Dangers of Over Zealous Faith.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. 18-19. Print
Martin, Walter. The Cult of Liberalism.
Walter Martin's Religious InfoNet. CD.
Picture References
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There once was a man walking in the desert. The relentless heat began to take its toll. He yearned for water. Thirst overcame him, and he began to hallucinate great pools of water, crisp cool streams, and trees providing shade and shelter from the sun. And yet, he could not grasp these beautiful apparitions. His legs finally giving out, he collapsed to the ground, slowly losing strength and hope. Suddenly, a traveler appeared. He approached the dying man and asked, “Are you in need of water?”
The dying man responded, “Yes, I am dying, and I am in need of water. Will you save me?”
