THE JUDGMENT OF GOD Why progressive and revisionist churches will never be persecuted

COMMENTARY

By David W. Virtue, DD

Www.virtueonline.org

January 22, 2025

Judgment begins with the household of God….1 Peter 4:17

The verse cited suggests that God's judgment will first affect His own people, the church, before it extends to the world. It is not a verse you will ever hear preached from a liberal pulpit. Nobody will ever persecute The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada or the Church of England. They don’t believe enough to persecute. Worse, they are being ignored. Furthermore, people are walking away because they have no transcendent message to proclaim to a spiritually threadbare nation.

Who would die for the thoughts of a lesbian Archbishop of Wales, or a ‘rave in the nave’ sodomite dean of Canterbury Cathedral! An Ayatollah might just cut their heads off to save the remnant Christians!

Churches that are being persecuted are those that actually believe something like ‘the faith once for all delivered to the saints.’ That Jesus is truly God and man, that salvation from sin is absolutely necessary; that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that ecumenism actually dilutes the faith. Whatever is left of the faith isn’t worth dying of, or for.

Progressive and revisionist churches will never be persecuted. The dilution of faith leads to irrelevance and lack of conviction. And these churches have it in abundance.

Look at the nations under persecution. Much of it is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to 14 countries on the watch list. According to Open Doors US, 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith — more than one in seven — an increase of more than 8 million compared to last year.

Nigeria is at the epicenter of much of the persecution going on. The list notes that the African country is the primary hotspot for deadly violence, accounting for the majority of faith-related killings globally. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during the reporting period, 3,490 were Nigerian, which marks an increase from 3,100 last year, according to the report.

Nigeria is the largest, fastest growing province in the Anglican communion today. Despite persecution (perhaps because of it), the province added 15 new dioceses last year. Meantime The Episcopal Church merged dioceses across the country and continues to close churches that are no longer viable. Some are propped up by diocesan money and the Lilly Foundation. I am told that parishes with endowments are virtually the only ones that can afford a full-time rector.

Half of Episcopal churches have an Average Sunday Attendance under 50. On the other hand, five percent of congregations contain 30 percent of Episcopalians, and these tend to be the churches with the largest endowments.  When the Boomer generation has gone, the disintegration will rapidly increase. Within a decade there will only be a handful of dioceses. More merges are guaranteed. A lot of the rot in TEC began when ACNA was born following the disastrous consecration of Gene Robinson. It has been going steadily downhill since then.

There is a profound irony in all this when The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, says clergy should prepare for a "new era of martyrdom" with rising tensions with federal immigration authorities. He said they should have their wills made out and their affairs in order to ensure that clergy can defend vulnerable individuals effectively. But dying for Miguel who crossed the border illegally hardly fits the martyrdom definition.

This is not dying for Christ. It is dying for a political principle that is tentative at best. It’s not as if America is going to hell like Iran, where thousands have died for freedom from demagogical leaders bent on their destruction, the destruction of Israel, and, if possible, America.

When the apostle Peter emphasizes that judgment must begin with the household of God, he is suggesting that the persecution faced by early Christians was part of God's plan to purify them and prepare them for the ultimate judgment. It highlights the responsibility believers have to live according to the teaching of Scriptures, because those who do not obey the gospel will face severe consequences. The verse serves as a reminder of the grace offered through Christ and the importance of aligning one's life with God's will.

Think about that. Mainline churches are dying precisely because they no longer proclaim Christ and Him crucified; they have bought into every woke idea, capping it with homosexual marriage, transgender disorder and abortion. It is the opposite of purification.

It is why you will never hear about the judgment of God from progressive pulpits. Some key biblical verses include Romans 14:10-12: "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat... each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." This verse highlights the universality of God's judgment, indicating that everyone will ultimately be accountable for their actions.

Hebrews 9:27: "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." This underscores the inevitability of judgment after death, encouraging believers to live with purpose and intention.

Psalm 96:13: "He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness." This verse reassures believers that God's judgment is rooted in righteousness and faithfulness, providing hope for those who suffer injustice.

If you think God is a ‘hail fellow well met’ universalist, think again. Judgment begins first with the household of God. Liberals might to think about that. Time is running out.

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