Updated January 30, 2006 (first published December 11, 1996)  (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The entire world is crying out today against separation. The biblical fundamentalist who strives to obey the Bible’s commands to separate from false teaching is mocked and slandered on every hand. With each passing year, the hue and cry against the doctrine of separation grows louder. Let’s take a survey:

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY THE WORLD

Global oneness and breaking down every barrier which separates people is a theme which is heard repeatedly in the world today. It is proclaimed by television journalists and by motion picture producers. International news organizations glorify global unity. Rock singers proclaim “We are the world.” Disney theme parks proclaim “It’s a small, small world.” The United Nations seeks to break down national barriers. At the heart of this cry for unity is a call for toleration of religious and philosophical differences. And that requires a resistance to any doctrine of separation.

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY NEW AGERS

New Age is not merely a religious movement or cult; it is a spirit and philosophy which is permeating the secular and religious world in these End Times. The New Age requires toleration; it teaches that separation on the basis of religion, theology, etc., is an evil thing that hinders the evolution of the world. New Agers teach that such separation is the opposite of love. Those who love will not practice separation; those who separate are not loving. The December 1996 issue of “Emergence Online,” a publication of the Tara Center, Benjamin Creme’s New Age organization, contained the following statement:

“REMOVE THE WALL -- Each one of us has a wall around himself: a wall of resistance, of fear and anxiety. ... We know very well what takes place when there is a wall -- then we have resistance, conflict, everlasting battle and pain, because ANY SEPARATIVE MOVEMENT, ANY SELF-CENTERED ACTIVITY, DOES BREED CONFLICT AND PAIN. ... When we remove the division between the ‘me’ and the ‘you’, the ‘we’ and the ‘they’, what happens? ONLY THEN AND NOT BEFORE, CAN ONE PERHAPS USE THE WORD ‘LOVE’. And love is that most extraordinary thing that takes place when there is no ‘me’ with its circle or wall” (J. Krishnamurti, ‘You Are the World’, quoted in Emergence Online, December 1996).

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY ROME

The Pope, of course, has always considered separation heresy. The Waldenses, Albigenses, Lollards, and other Anabaptist and separatist Christian groups through the centuries were charged as heretics. Force was used by the Roman Catholic Church to bring the separatists into the Roman fold. Rome’s attitude has not changed. It still considers itself the only true church in which the fullness of Christ and truth abide. It claims to be the “mother church.”

Those who are separated from Rome are being wooed into the fold today through ecumenical gestures. In November 1964, during the Vatican II Council, Pope Paul VI issued the “Decree on Ecumenism,” which launched Rome’s direct and open participation in the modern ecumenical movement. Vatican II had dogmatically declared that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true church: “THIS IS THE SOLE CHURCH OF CHRIST which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter’s pastoral care. ... This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, SUBSISTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHICH IS GOVERNED BY THE SUCCESSOR OF PETER AND BY THE BISHOPS IN COMMUNION WITH HIM” (Vatican Council II, “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,” chap. 1, 8, p. 329).

Having stated plainly that the Catholic Church is the sole church of Christ, Rome then stated its ecumenical policy: “The Church established by Christ the Lord is, indeed, one and unique. Yet many Christian communions present themselves to men as the true heritage of Jesus Christ. To be sure, all proclaim themselves to be disciples of the Lord, but their convictions clash and their paths diverge, as though Christ himself were divided. WITHOUT DOUBT, THIS DISCORD OPENLY CONTRADICTS THE WILL OF CHRIST, PROVIDES A STUMBLING BLOCK TO THE WORLD, INFLICTS DAMAGE ON THE MOST HOLY CAUSE OF PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS TO EVERY CREATURE” (Vatican Council II, “Decree on Ecumenism”).

Rome has been very plain about its ecumenical position. It has only one goal, and that is to bring every church and denomination into its fold. It considers separation from itself to be contrary to the will of Christ. Pope John Paul II dedicated himself untiringly to the task of bringing the “separated brethren” back into his fold. He often spoke of “THE INTOLERABLE SCANDAL OF DIVISION BETWEEN CHRISTIANS.” At an ecumenical service conducted at the Vatican in 1985, the Pope embraced the three non-Catholic observers and said, “DIVISIONS AMONG CHRISTIANS ARE CONTRARY TO THE PLAN OF GOD.”

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY THE LIBERAL ECUMENISTS

The liberal ecumenical denominations (such as United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, United Methodist, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., the American Baptist Convention, United Church of Canada, The Church of England, the Uniting Church in Australia, and others associated with the World Council of Churches) boast of their broadminded attitude. They can smile at practically any attack upon the Word of God or the Lord Jesus Christ. If a “clergyman” or “clergywoman” denies or questions the virgin birth or the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that is tolerated. If he or she claims the Bible is filled with myths, that is tolerated. If he or she is an adulterer or a homosexual, that is tolerated.

There is one “heresy,” though, which is not tolerated, and that is the “heresy” of a dogmatic fundamentalist faith in the Word of God and the attendant “heresy” of biblical separation.

In the early 1950s World Council of Churches’ leader Lesslie Newbigin (a bishop in the Church of South India who helped form the WCC) published “The Household of God” (SCM, London, 1953) He divided Christianity into Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal. Newbigin called on Pentecostals to discard their separatist position and join hands with the liberal ecumenical crowd: “We must therefore assure our brethren of our willingness to learn from them in the fellowship of the ecumenical movement. ... We must tell them that in order to enter into the ecumenical conversation with us it is not necessary for them to abandon any of their distinctive convictions, but only to recognize us as fellow Christians sharing with them -- even though we be in error -- the same Spirit. WE MUST ASK THEM TO CONSIDER WHETHER BY DENYING ALL FELLOWSHIP WITH US, THEY DO NOT SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN THEM, AND WHETHER FAITHFULNESS TO THEIR LORD AND OURS DOES NOT ABSOLUTELY REQUIRE US TO SEEK UNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER.”

In June 1984 World Council of Churches leaders received Pope John Paul II to the WCC headquarters in Geneva. They conducted an “ACT OF PENITENCE,” SEEKING PARDON FOR “OUR DIVISIONS and for our failure to overcome them” (Evangelical Press Service, June 16-20, 1984). WCC General Secretary Philip Potter initiated the meeting with a prayer that it “be for all of us a step forward in our search for the unity of the church.”

In 1987 the National Council of Churches welcomed John Paul II to America with these words: “We join Pope John Paul’s conviction that CHRISTIAN DIVISIONS ARE “AN INTOLERABLE SCANDAL which hinders the proclamation of the Good News in Jesus Christ.”

This attitude toward separation among liberal ecumenists was illustrated when Episcopalians and Roman Catholics in Minnesota formed local ecumenical ties. A covenant was signed by representatives of both denominations, affirming the things they hold in common, and pledging members of the denominations to “ASK GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR OUR SINFULNESS IN FOSTERING THE DIVISION OF THE CHURCH” (Episcopal News Service, Nov. 7, 1996). The covenant was signed by Episcopal Bishop James Jelinek and Roman Catholic Archbishop Harry Flynn in a solemn ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Minneapolis.

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY MANY EVANGELICALS

From our files we could pull hundreds of statements by evangelical leaders who claim that biblical separation is heresy or evil or wrong. The Promise Keepers movement was founded upon this philosophy. In an interview on the national radio program “Promise Keepers This Week” (August 31, 1996), Promise Keepers’ founder Bill McCartney said, “Promise Keepers is going to have to understand that more and more Catholics are going to participate. And what every guy needs to do is, STOP LOOKING AT PEOPLE’S LABELS, and ask this question: ‘Does this guy know Jesus? Does he love Jesus with all his heart? Has he been born of the Spirit of God?’ And if you see that fruit, then QUIT MAKING JUDGMENTS. ... So LET’S NOT START CATEGORIZING PEOPLE. Let’s just allow God to be God and he can bless who He chooses to bless. And that’s how Promise Keepers is going to grow.”

Bill McCartney does not believe we should make judgments and separate on the basis of doctrine. As long as someone “loves Jesus,” we are to accept him and work with and fellowship with him. Apparently it is wrong to test the man’s “Jesus” by comparing it with the Bible. Paul warned that there are false christs and false spirits and false gospels (2 Cor. 11:1-4), but when we aim to test every man’s doctrine with the Word of God and mark and avoid those who teach error (Rom. 16:17), we are told that this is wrong and mean-spirited and unloving. When we seek to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3), we are told we are grieving the Spirit of God. Apparently it is wrong to examine what the man believes about the Bible or the Holy Spirit or justification or sanctification or creation or sin or hell or judgment or any one of a thousand other Bible doctrines, and then separate from him if he is committed to error.

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) promotes the same philosophy. The 54th Annual NAE Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 3-5, 1996, had the theme: “Reaching America: ONE VOICE IN UNITY.” Speaking before this convention, Joseph Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute, used John 17 as his text, “That they may be one.” Stowell said, “GOD NEVER INTENDED THAT OUR DIFFERENCES WOULD DIVIDE US. We belong to Christ so our mission and purpose are the same. If you belong to Christ you are lifted above the differences, and all else becomes secondary. Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta showed the unity that is possible. ... WE MUST REPENT OF OUR ATTITUDES as I did in Atlanta. I WENT TO A MAN WHO HELD DIFFERENT DOCTRINES THAN I HELD AND APOLOGIZED because I never cared about him. Our differences are not that big, and we must realize this is what will build trust. Revival happens when God’s people network together. The world shall know we are one by our love” (“A Report on the 54th Annual Convention of the NAE,” Ralph Colas, American Council of Christian Churches).

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY MANY CHARISMATICS

The Charismatic movement is the Neo-Pentecostal movement. Old-line Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies of God were separated from other groups on the basis of doctrine until recent decades. The Charismatic movement, on the other hand, has, from its inception in the 1960s, been extremely ecumenical and inter-denominational. It has been one of the chief instruments in these last days for the breaking down of doctrinal divisions and the creation of a one-world church.

The attitude toward doctrinal divisions which permeates the Charismatic movement was illustrated in 1975 at the Fifth International Lutheran Conference of the Holy Spirit. A Catholic cardinal and a Lutheran pastor publicly embraced before the 12,000 in attendance and asked for mutual forgiveness. LUTHERAN PASTOR DONALD PFOTENHAUER ASKED CARDINAL LEO SUENENS TO FORGIVE LUTHERANS FOR THEIR SINS AGAINST ROMAN CATHOLICS, “SO THE LORD MAY RELEASE HIS SPIRIT UPON US” (F.E.A. News & Views, November-December 1976).

At the 1975 Atlantic City Conference, a Roman Catholic charismatic meeting which included many non-Catholics, Catholic priest John Bertolucci led in prayers for the healing of church divisions. The scene which followed is described by a participant: “Protestants were asked to stand and Catholics who were next to them were asked to seek forgiveness from their Protestant brothers and sisters for all the pain and hurt caused by their church’s office over the past 400 years. We Protestants did the same ... This night became, for all of us, the time when the Lord chose to heal 400 years of hurt, pain and division between the Catholic and Protestant churches. ... On this night the Lord forgave the sins of our fathers. We were made into one family by the gift of the Spirit. The next day the procession for the Mass was glorious. Three hundred priests entered to ‘The King of Glory’ and the celebration became joyous. The cross bearer entered with an empty wooden cross -- a resurrection cross -- as if to say, ‘We love you, our Pentecostal brothers and sisters; we thank you for recognizing our obedience to the authority of our church in the Eucharistic celebration” (Thomas Twitchell, That They May Be One, Logos, 1978, pp. 137-138). Twitchell ended his book with the exhortation to “HOLD OUR LEADERS, SHEPHERDS AND OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO DO ALL WE CAN TO BRING TOGETHER THE BODY OF CHRIST--TODAY” (Ibid., p. 216).”

Influential Episcopalian Charismatic leader Michael Harper, writing in 1978 of Christ’s return, stated: “THE CHURCH MUST FIRST BE UNITED. It is as inconceivable to think of Jesus returning for a disunited Church as it is to an unevangelized world” (Christian Life, August 1978). In his book “THE THREE SISTERS,” Harper called for the unity of Evangelicals, Charismatics, and Roman Catholics. “I must confess to a deep longing to see these sisters reconciled to each other; to see them openly united in Christ and the Spirit; learning from each other and humbly listening to each other” (The Three Sisters, p. 11).

SEPARATION IS CALLED HERESY BY MANY NEO-FUNDAMENTALISTS

A new generation of fundamentalists has arisen which rejects the militancy and separatism of its forebears, just as the generation of evangelicals in the 1940s and 1950s rejected the separatism of their forebears. These Neo-Fundamentalists, as I will call them, still claim to be fundamentalists but they sound like and they act like New-Evangelicals. Two key examples of this phenomenon are Jerry Falwell and his Liberty University among independent Baptists and Cornerstone College and many of the other schools and mission organizations associated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

Interestingly, the belligerence of the Neo-Fundamentalist toward the old-line fundamentalist separatist is even more vicious than that of some of the other groups. Consider a statement which appeared a quarter century ago in Jerry Falwell’s now defunct publication “The Fundamentalist Journal.” The author labels the old-line fundamentalist who seeks to practice separation from error and compromise a “pseudo-fundamentalist” --

“Pseudo-Fundamentalists craft their doctrines and rules carefully. THEY BUILD MASSIVE WALLS OF SEPARATION AROUND THEMSELVES and take great pride in standing ‘all alone,’ besieged by wickedness from without and compromise from within. They set themselves as the ultimate standard of orthodoxy and stand prepared to cross swords with any who attempt to breach the walls. ... What should we do? We must take the whole armor of God, and IN HIS MIGHT COMMAND THAT THE WALLS BE BROKEN DOWN, and walk through into the light of day. Fundamental Christianity, strong and robust as ever, must not succumb to these modern-day Pharisees who find contentment only when they effectively mute God’s church” (Daniel R. Mitchell, “The Siege Mentality of Pseudo-Fundamentalism,” The Fundamentalist Journal, February 1987, p. 59).

The Neo-Fundamentalist claims to be concerned about the “fundamentals of the faith,” but in practice he is not. He is willing to fellowship with men, such as Billy Graham, who turn their converts over to theological Modernists and Romanists and others who preach a false gospel. By joining hands with men who are in fellowship with those who preach false gospels, the Neo-Fundamentalist demonstrates that he is not very concerned about the gospel, after all. It is not very “fundamental” to him. If it were truly important to him, instead of fellowshipping with ecumenists he would rebuke them for compromising the gospel of Jesus Christ and for confusing the issue of the gospel in the minds of multitudes of onlookers.

CONCLUSION

The hour is very late. The spirit of End Times apostasy that will result in the formation of the one-world Harlot church described in Revelation 17 is moving powerfully on every hand. The pressure to “give up and join in” with the ecumenical movement is increasing with each passing year. Great numbers of men who once stood firm against ecumenism are weakening and many have capitulated.

May God give us boldness to take our stand for the Word of God! The man who has the mindset and testimony of the sweet Psalmist of Israel will not be able to join hands with anyone who errs from the Word of God: “Therefore I esteem ALL thy precepts concerning ALL things to be right; and I hate EVERY false way” (Psalm 119:128).

Biblical love requires biblical hate. Biblical unity requires biblical separation.

A wise pastor once said, “You if you refuse to limit your message, you will be required to limit your fellowship.”