NAPARC NEWSPEAK: Speaking the Truth in Love as "Judge not" 2.0

 By: Thomas F. Booher 

The problem in our Reformed and Evangelical Churches today is manifold, but the root of it is an unwillingness to speak the truth in love as defined by Scripture. Instead, it is clear that conservative pastors/elders have allowed the progressives and moderates in their denominations, and in their pews, to dictate how they will speak the truth of God's Word to their congregation and on their Twitter feeds. 

There is certainly a problem with ministers who simply rant, or those who are perpetually stuck in the so-called "Calvinist cage stage". But the more prevalent and dangerous problem is the perpetuation of "paddy-caking" in the pulpit, which is to say, ministers wield the word of God with all the might and power to convict as a soft pillow. The truth of God that is meant to cut and convict our souls is spoken to do just the opposite -- comfort and cajole, putting us into a sweet slumber concerning our sins, assuring us that it really isn't that bad or our fault, simply something that gentle Jesus has already died for and forgiven us of. 

This of course is on the far other end of the spectrum. But the cumulative effect of always siding toward softness rather than firmness leads to having MINISTERS in your Reformed/Presbyterian denominations who are openly effeminate, confess to being gay/same-sex attracted, and demand that they can play the victim card of their fallen desires so that they are regarded as heroes rather than compromisers who lead their congregations astray. 

At the Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly that took place just this past week, we had Tim Keller and Kevin DeYoung together presenting their work and conclusions on a report on human sexuality. There were more on the committee, but the public posturing of having both Keller and DeYoung in agreement was a plain move to show that the PCA is still "in this together" whether you are a moderate Keller or conservative DeYoung. Some good things were said in their presentation, but they should be givens, standard orthodoxy. The bad things that were said can be found too, especially Keller's confusing statement about the Westminster Larger catechism NOT saying that some sinful DESIRES were more heinous than others, but only sinful ACTIONS. This is a clear way to permit same-sex attraction as a sinful desire, but not any worse than heterosexual lust/temptation. The result is that a Greg Johnson who professes to be SSA and shows this effeminate affection visibly, is no more "vile" in his passions than the heterosexual minister who looks, well, normal, but like all men still has to resist lustful desires for women. 

How far will we go with this? Will pedophile-attraction be okay, so long as the minister is "celibate"? What happens when these men gravitate toward children's ministry or want to volunteer in the nursery? 

I don't believe this is the intent of DeYoung, or for that matter, even Keller. But it is where things will end up. There is a Newspeak in Evangelical and Reformed churches, and as my background is in the constellation of churches that goes by the acronym NAPARC (North American Presbyterian and Reformed Churches), I am aiming at them especially, as they really should know better given their Church/Christian heritage that they are absolutely squandering, twisting, and maligning. 

Newspeak is taken from George Orwell's novel 1984. Merriam Webster Online defines it as propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings. Another definition they give is speech or writing that uses words in a way that changes their meaning especially to persuade people to think a certain way. 

Now I think the progressives in these once conservative denominations are as subtle as Satan and are surreptitiously doing this knowing full well what they are doing. The moderates are gullible and want to appease everyone, and so with less intentionality are deceiving others, largely because they are deceived themselves. But what of conservatives like Kevin DeYoung, who don't seem willing to put their foot down and say "enough with this nonsense"? Well for one, he wrote that he prefers to be a "careful" 3 rather than a "courageous" 4 during these trying times in the church, especially regarding matters of race, politics, gender, and undoubtedly sexuality as well. I believe anyone who wants to be a "4" in the PCA and most other NAPARC denominations simply cannot accumulate the clout of a Kevin DeYoung, and DeYoung knows he would lose his clout and sever his bond with his more moderate friends if he embraced the courageous 4 position. This is why the conservatives always punch those more conservative/courageous than them to their right, while leaning to the left themselves, and thus tilting the denomination toward the moderates and progressives. 

The conservatives call this holding the line, but in reality it shifts away from faithfulness to God's Word. This is Newspeak. If you dare speak without a "warm fuzzy" filter and instead imitate Paul and Christ as we are commanded to do, you'll wind up being accused of failing to speak the truth "in love". This newspeak "Love" ALWAYS requires softness, gentleness, by which is really meant, only speak as much truth, and only speak in as firm a tone, as you can without really upsetting the person you are speaking to. Better to avoid upsetting someone than the Spirit actually convicting someone! Otherwise you might be accused of being unloving, committing a micro-aggression, and doing more harm than good with the truth. 

How did we get here, where our Reformed conservatives have all the fire and conviction of Joel Osteen's sweet smile? Fear of man is high on the list, but the general idea that truth and love must be held in some sort of competing balancing act really does seem to be the belief and report of even the conservatives. They do not state it this way, but their teaching makes it to be this way. 

But consider the very passage where speaking the truth "in love" comes from, Eph. 4:11ff. 

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

What we see is as ministers speak the truth in love, God's people/congregation are equipped to stand fast in the faith, deeply rooted in the knowledge/truth of God's Word, no longer tossed about like "children" by every wind of doctrine that froths forth from the "trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting." Firstly, Paul just called church members "children" who are tossed about and un-discerning when it comes to doctrine. (Where's Greta Thurnberg's "How dare he?!" meme when you need it?) Second, he said they are tossed about in this way by deceitful, cunning, plotting men. These men, of course, are teaching false doctrine, meaning they are false teachers that have arisen from within the Church itself. 

So notice, the backdrop to "speaking the truth in love" is precisely in the context of leading church congregations into doctrinal/spiritual maturity so that they are well-anchored through the storms caused by wicked, deceitful, plotting false teachers. A faithful shepherd, like a watchdog, is going to have different tones, voices, sharpness, depending on the circumstances and who he is speaking to. He is going to bark loudly at the false teachers in the Church (like a Greg Johnson, whose theology and lifestyle is false, crafty, deceitful, and dangerous), and he is also going to warn and rebuke those in his congregation who are following this false teacher and listening to the lie rather than the truth. For others who are confused but willing to learn and submit to the faithful shepherd, the faithful shepherd will speak with a patient, gentle tone (2 Tim. 2:24-26, and note that you cannot pit Paul in chapter 2 against Paul in chapter 3 of 2 Timothy; "gentle to all" plainly has its limits as I noted above, for Paul was quite ungentle at times/as was needed throughout his NT, Holy Spirit inspired writings) but still warn against the false teachers and church members who are going astray (going "woke" we might say in these days). 

It seems that even the conservatives do not have such a "barking" voice for virtually anyone. We all want to speak in sophisticated or hushed tones, conciliatory and careful, not courageous and contradicting the errors that persist with the truth of God's Word thundering like the trumpet blast that is needed at this late and desperate hour! The only time a conservative might bark, again, is not at the false teachers, but the loud and rowdy faithful teachers who are too vociferous for their liking. So you get accused of being un-pastoral, un-loving, and not winsome enough. 

But wait, Ephesians 4 gives more!  

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Notice how Paul speaks about the darkened, ignorant, blind, un-churched folk in the community who are past feeling and given over to all sorts of sexual depravities, including especially homosexuality. Paul is saying all this openly, publicly, and further, adds that "you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus" and continues that you must put off these wicked passions and deceitful lusts, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man created in Christ that brings true righteousness and holiness. In short, if you continue flirting with these vile passions unrepentantly, you haven't even learned Christ, you haven't even rightly been taught the basics of the gospel/salvation yet, you are still being tossed about by every wind of (false) doctrine and are in your sins if you do not repent. And no, repenting of gay sex but not the gay lifestyle/behavioral patterns isn't a full or genuine repentance. It's still embracing the sin, which is why men like Greg Johnson IDENTIFY with the sin by calling themselves "gay (but celibate)" Christians.

Now thankfully, no one that I know of, even Greg Johnson, is openly saying it is okay to have gay sex, or to be married or dating someone of the same-sex. But saying that is wrong while waffling on the vileness of the attraction, and the wickedness of effeminate behavior, is no small matter. You cannot split the difference with sin. You cannot mute the truth in the name of so-called "love" such that your ministers are still in love with their vile passions and display that with their gay attire, flamboyance, and deportment. A woman cannot have a gentle and quite spirit yet dress like a prostitute. A man cannot be faithful to his bride yet display a bikini model photo in his man cave. Likewise, you cannot leave church members, much less ministers, thinking it is okay to "peacock" their passions for all to see, so long as they don't physically act on those passions any further than that. In short, you cannot have them calling themselves "gay" Christians anymore than we would allow for a believer to call themselves "adulterous" Christians or "racist" Christians (well, this last one might be good with the progressives actually, so long as you grovel a lot) and think people who feel the need to call themselves this/identify themselves in this way are actually overcoming these particular sins in progressive sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit ministering through the Word of God.   

Paul continues in Ephesians saying in 5:3 "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints...for this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light... and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret."

Absolutely no one of prominence who is considered a conservative in the PCA is applying this passage to Greg Johnson and those "gay but celibate" ministers like him in the PCA (to my knowledge). They extrapolate "speak the truth in love" to mean "never speak like Paul speaks when it comes to speaking the 'truth in love'". Never go full Paul. Never go fully under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That diminishes the truth and is unloving, jerk. 

Examples could be multiplied but this is already lengthy enough. I will simply close by pointing out that "speaking the truth in love" is the Newspeak dictionary editors (apparently Keller and DeYoung) upgrading last decade's "judge not" that so many would cry out if you told them their lifestyle was sinful. In fact I think "speak the truth in love" is the softball response and capitulation to the sinful demands of church members saying "judge me not" for my laziness, immodesty, pornography, sexuality, sabbath-breaking, parental failures, and general disregard for holiness and righteousness and the Word of God. 

The ministers themselves in our NAPARC denominations, including some of the most conservative, sadly, are being tossed about by the waves of false doctrine, by the screeching demands of those who have "itching ears" who are heaping up false teachers for themselves (2 Tim. 4:3). The conservatives recognize that the people "will not endure sound doctrine" and so they give them just a taste of sugary "unsound" doctrine, false teaching, to keep them in the pews. So it is no suprise then that the conservatives might consider keeping the ones making the sugar, the false teachers, in their pulpits! To take away that drop of sugar, that pinch of incense, is to suddenly speak the truth "without love". It remains an open question whether Greg Johnson in the PCA will actually be brought under church discipline and removed from his pulpit if he does not repent of his vile affections and open effeminate behavior that comes from his vile affections. 

Such is the scandal of our churches today. But God's Word gives the way forward, and it is always by proclaiming without fear and compromise His truth, no matter what even the conservatives say: 

But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

The Man of God and the Word of God

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [c]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

4 I charge you [a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead [b]at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.