Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

I recently received an invitation to an area-wide youth rally that was scheduled to be held here in Glasgow, Kentucky.  As I looked at the flier, I had some serious concerns about the individuals who had been invited to lead in this event.  Due to my concerns, I turned to the Internet and literally, in a matter of moments, I discovered the following facts about the invited guests.

• One speaker worships with a congregation that employs instrumental music in some of their worship services, and provides audio sermons online wherein their preacher argues that there were women apostles.
• This same speaker told me in a personal correspondence that there is nothing wrong with offering instrumental music to God.
• Two other invited guests do not attend any church of Christ in their community, rather they have set up a “home church” in which they receive their weekly preaching through video from Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN.
• These two individuals also admit that they employ instrumental music in their worship services.
• One of the invited guests actually argued on his blog that not only is instrumental music permissible, but it may also be commanded in Christian worship (Shades of O.E. Payne).
• Another one of the invited guests is a “worship team leader” in a congregation that made national news when they decided to employ instrumental music in their worship services.

All of this information was discovered in less than 15 minutes of looking on the Internet.  Consequently, I have a few questions:

• Would men who profess and practice such views be invited to our congregations to lead our adults in a special worship series?
• If not, then why in the world would we invite such men to lead our youth in a special worship series?
• If we would not expose the spiritually mature to such men, why would we expose the spiritually immature to such men?
• While a man may not promote or practice such unbiblical views while among us, is there not an issue of fellowship that must be addressed?
• Does it matter only what a person promotes and practices while among us, or does it also matter what a person promotes and practices elsewhere?

This event has been particularly troubling to me because it is in our “backyard,”  but I’m also concerned because I know that we cannot make ground or hold ground by compromising with those who espouse and practice error.  Why we would not tolerate the likes of such men in our congregations, but would be willing to expose our children to such men is beyond me!  If we are going to prevent another division such as has not been witnessed since the division that occurred over 100 years ago, we had better start taking an uncompromising stand for the truth that doesn’t leave our youth wondering what we really believe.