Wednesday, August 21, 2013

One way to destroy your soul. Study Psychology.



Psychology is Manufacturing Victims
March 17, 2009 (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 book “Manufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry Is Doing to People” by Tana Dineen is a powerful warning of the negative effect of psychology on modern society. She warns,

“The Psychology Industry casts a long shadow over life in North America. And the shadow is threatening to shroud the Western world. ... The Psychology Industry is not concerned about, and would prefer to overlook, the damage it wreaks not only on users but also on society as a whole. ... What is overlooked entirely is the larger social effect of the industry, how the Psychology Industry is manipulating everyone to accept its mythology and how it is using its persuasion to enforce conformity” (pp. 269, 270).

Dr. Dineen, who was a licensed clinical psychologist for two decades in Ontario and British Columbia before turning her attention full-time to research and writing, documents how that psychology has become a big business that has created a victim mentality, turning healthy people into victims that need the psychological product to survive.

The book is valuable in understanding modern Western society, which has become not only psychologized, but also feminized, Lennonized, mysticized, environmentalized, rationalized, lawyerized, and socialismized, among other things. All of this is the result of turning away from the truth of God’s Word and rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Since the mid-20th century, psychology has offered itself as the solution not only to individual problems but also to corporate ones, entangling itself within every segment of society, the courts, the military, business, you name it. In fact, psychologists are deeply involved in global affairs, offering their “science” as the key to world peace. When Anthony Marsella accepted an Award for the International Advancement of Psychology in 1998, he said:

“Psychologists, as knowers and helpers, can do many things to address the problems and possibilities emerging from our global community. ... They can assist in envisioning, negotiating, designing, and evaluating a human social order and a meaningful world peace” (
Manufacturing Victims, p. 282).

Dineen pulls no punches. We would wish that Bible preachers would be as outspoken today against heresy and compromise as this psychiatrist is against the Psychology Industry!

The very first paragraph of
Manufacturing Victims sets the tone for the rest of the book:

“Psychology presents itself as a concerned and caring profession working for the good of its clients. But behind the benevolent façade is a voracious, self-serving industry that proffers ‘facts’ which are often unfounded, provides ‘therapy’ which can be damaging, and exerts influence, which is having devastating effects on the social fabric. The foundation of psychology, its critical thinking, if not an illusion from its inception, had by the end of the 20th century been abandoned in favor of power and profit, leaving only the guise of integrity, a show of arrogance and a well-tuned attention to the bottom line. ...
Manufacturing Victims intends to expose psychology as an industry out to sell services, gain influence and make money at the expense of both the authentic victims, which it fails to respect or to protect, and of the fabricated victims manufactured by it” (Manufacturing Victims, third edition 2001, pp. 15, 33).

Since the first edition of
Manufacturing Victims was published in 1996, Dineen has been attacked and ridiculed by the psychology industry. She had to endure an 18 month investigation after a psychologist lodged a formal complaint with her licensing board. She was “diagnosed” at long distance as suffering from “burnout” or “depression”!

Dr. Dineen does not discuss the root of the problem of psychology, that being its rejection of the Bible as God’s infallible Word and its gross misunderstanding of human nature and spiritual realities (e.g., the Almighty Creator God and Satan), but she does well document its wretched fruit in modern society.

She deals extensively with the exceedingly dangerous practice of recovering memories through hypnosis, guided imagery, and suggestive counseling. She also deals with addiction counseling, grief counseling, sensitivity training, and many other things.

Following are some sample quotes from this powerful book:

“The psychological way of life has infiltrated our society to such an extent that it goes unseen, accepted and undetected, affecting our thoughts and language, emotions, behaviors and beliefs” (p. 283).

“By 1995, according to the American Psychological Association, 46 per cent (128 million) Americans had seen a mental-health professional” (p. 21).

“This business, which presents itself authoritatively in a language that appears to be scientific, has succeeded in turning American society into what Charles Sykes recently termed ‘a nation of victims’” (p. 24).

“[A] hairdresser whose personal warmth had always impressed me suddenly changed, there was no sparkle and no animated conversation. When asked why, she spoke of discovering that she was a ‘victim of incest’ and described how memories had begun coming back of how her father had sexually abused her from the time she was six months old. She had lost her vitality and independence, relying on her psychologist to interpret her past, explain her present and predict her future. For the psychologist, a profitable business relationship had been established. ... Once individuals accept a ‘victim’ label, their lives become centered on this new identity” (pp. 26, 27.

“The therapists transformed age-old human dilemmas into psychological problems and claimed that they (and they alone) had the treatment. ... The result was an explosion of inadequacy” (Charles Sykes, quoted in
Manufacturing Victims, p. 37).

“America has become a ‘psychological society’ in which psychologists are allowed, even expected, to interpret what people say, feel and do, and to explain their words, moods and actions. ... This psychological concept holds remarkable similarity to the astrological idea that what happens in the sky determined what happens in people’s lives. Both rely on the assumed ability of trained, gifted or selected people who can see either what is written in the sky or what is hidden in the unconsciousness” (pp. 43, 44).

“[O]ur mental health practitioners and researchers are predisposed by interest, investment, and training in seeing deviance, psychopathology, and weakness wherever they look” (Norman Garmezy, quoted in
Manufacturing Victims, pp. 64, 65).

“The Psychology Industry, with its beliefs and practices, has been largely responsible for the creation of a world in which people live in fear that they will crumble” (p. 66).

“RMT, or ‘memory work’ as it is often called, is based on the fixed belief that psychological problems are caused by traumas, most likely sexual and most often experienced in childhood, and that any inability to remember them fully is due to ‘denial’ and ‘repression.’ ... Proponents of this approach rely on false interpretations, along with leading suggestions and supportive encouragement, to convince people that there may be things in their past that they have forgotten and that ‘repressed memories’ are the cause of their problems. Since virtually everyone has a span of time they can’t remember clearly, and recalls relatively little from early childhood, a psychologist probing these gaps and connecting them with some hidden trauma can make people receptive to the idea” (pp. 76, 77).

“What all fabricated victims have in common is not some extraordinary experience but rather the expectation of a future made brighter by virtue of victim status. Fabricated victims are given permission to lead psychologized lives, where guilt and shame are banished and responsibilities are diminished. ... Fabricated victims of all types run the risk of becoming trapped and tangled up in their victim identities. Unsure of their ability to take care of themselves, they become dependent, immature and helpless, needing protection, support and ‘nurturance.’ Surrendering their autonomy, self-determination and personal power, they come to be identified as helpless individuals, lacking the ability to think clearly and make decisions. ‘Protected’ from situations that test or demand their abilities to deal with conflict, they resign themselves to the unreal compassion and soothing of therapeutic, self-help and support group relationships. Cutting themselves off from family members and friends who may challenge and confront their beliefs, they lose their roots both in their personal histories and in their communities. Tied only to psychologists, who remain ‘allies’ only as long as funds last, they enter a ‘freefall’ into eventual self-destruction” (pp. 68, 99, 100).

“[After studying more than 7,000 psychotherapy cases and comparing them with a control group of 500 people who had received little or no treatment, British psychologist Hans Eysenck, in 1952, concluded] that roughly two-thirds of a group of neurotic patients will recover or improve to a marked extent within about two years of the onset of their illness, whether they are treated by means of psychotherapy or not. ... Many similar studies have supported the overall conclusion that most of the improvement attributed to psychotherapy is due to the general effects of talking to a warm, kind person and the effect of just naturally eventually feeling better anyway” (pp. 116, 117).

“Ditman studied three groups of alcoholics who had been arrested and charged with alcohol-related offences. The court had assigned these individuals to AA, an alcoholism clinic, or a nontreatment control group. A follow-up found that 44 per cent of the control group were not re-arrested, compared wot 31 per cent of the AA group and 32 per cent of those treated in a clinic; those that received treatment did worse than the untreated. ... Such findings are not rare. Robert Spitzer, of the New York Psychiatric Institute, comments that ‘negative effects in long-term outpatient treatment are extremely common,’ and researchers Truax and Carkhuff state that ‘the evidence now available suggests that, on the average, psychotherapy may be harmful as often as helpful, with an average effect comparable to receiving no help’” (p. 122).

“The ominous cautions about the effectiveness of psychotherapy have been echoing throughout the halls of the Psychology Industry for decades. In 1961, Hobart Mowrer succinctly wrote, ‘There is no shred of evidence that psychoanalyzed individuals benefit from the experience’” (p. 147).

“But now, in the first decade of the 21st century, psychologizing has taken over virtually every aspect of human existence. There are psychological experts in death and dying, obesity and eating disorders, being married and being single, sexual pleasure and dysfunction, being fired and being successful, midlife crisis and growing old, child care and elder care, and so on” (p. 154).

“Nowhere, however, is the entrepreneurial psychologist more evident than in the courtroom. ... ‘the pursuit of truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth has given way to reams of meaningless data, fearful speculation, and fantastic conjecture. Courts resound with elaborate, systematized, jargon-filled, serious-sounding deceptions that fully deserve the contemptuous label used by trail lawyers themselves: junk science’” (pp. 154, 155).

“The Psychology Industry prefers to ‘abolish the hospital only to make the whole world a hospital’ and everyone a patient” (p. 161).

“Self-esteem has become embellished to the point where lack of it is generally accepted as one of the major causes of personal and social problems, which must be directly addressed before people will change or social problems can be solved. As one psychologist wrote: ‘every theory of mental health considers a positive self-concept to be the cornerstone of a healthy ego.’ Such a belief led the California State Assembly to set up a task force charged with the mission of promoting self-esteem. The legislature believed that raising self-esteem would reduce welfare dependency, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and other social ills. ... The problem they encountered was that what they ‘knew’ to be true turned out not to be. The editor of the report admitted that ‘one of the disappointing aspects of every chapter ... is how low the association between self-esteem and its consequences are in research...’ But contradictory findings have never daunted the Psychology Industry. So, despite the admission that ‘there is no basis on which to argue that increasing self-esteem is an effective or efficient means of decreasing child abuse,’ the report went on to recommend that ‘policy interventions to reduce child abuse that involve increasing self-esteem should be encouraged and should include interventions at the individual, family, community and societal levels’” (pp. 171, 172).

“... recent research of the current, psychologically-based ‘Sex Offender Program’ used throughout the Canadian prison system, indicates that those deemed to have benefited the most from the program--were cooperative in group therapy sessions and apparently learn to emphathize with their victims--are also those most likely to re-offend” (pp. 173, 174).

“In one study of 106 people given trauma counseling right after being involved in car accidents, it was shown that their long-term recovery was adversely affected” (p. 182).

“A battalion chief in a large metropolitan fire and rescue agency, writing about the ascendance of the CISD movement in his field, noted a comment made decades earlier by a hook and ladder captain. ‘We used to have steel men and wooden wagons; now we have steel wagons and wooden men.’ He is one of an increasing number of people who are expressing concern that such procedures undermine the natural support and adaptation that keeps those with jobs like firefighting resilient. Adding support to this concern is the growing scientific literature that finds that the debriefing movement appears to have no appreciable preventive or palliative effect, and may, in fact, be responsible for an iatrogenic effect of causing the problems it claims to treat” (p. 184).

“When people who have suffered major traumas are studied, almost half seem not to experience intense anxiety, depression or grief after the loss. And over the years, the roll-with-the-punches people are found to remain well adjusted and healthy. [James] Pennabaker, critical of this simplistic approach [e.g., pop grief counseling] says: ‘Not everyone progresses through stages in grieving or coping. In fact, as many as half of all adults may face torture, divorce, the loss of a loved one, or other catastrophe and not exhibit any major sign of depression or anxiety. By definition, then, a substantial number of people may not benefit from attempts to influence their coping strategies’” (p. 207).

“Another researcher, George Bonanno, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University, offers his empirical analysis of the so-called grief-work hypothesis: the widely held assumption that venting negative emotions and ‘telling your story’ are necessary for regaining mental health. So far, his experiments have yielded intriguingly counterintuitive results, suggesting that grief-stricken people who express intense negative emotions when discussing their loss appear to do worse in the long term, than those that keep it in. ‘There’s really no evidence that these things are effective--and there’s even some to suggest that they can actually be detrimental,’ says Bonanno” (pp. 207, 208).

“Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) reached an estimated 26 million US students at a cost in excess of $1 billion in its first decade. And it continues despite a growing mass of evidence that it does not work. Reporting on a ten-years follow-up, researchers concluded that DARE has no long-term effect on drug use or drug attitudes. Curiously, it was even found to have a negative effect on students’ self-esteem with those exposed to DARE having lower self-esteem ten years later. ... It seems that, whatever the results, addiction treatment is identifiably a business that ignores its failures. In fact its failures lead to more business. Its technology, based on continued recovering, presumes relapses. Recidivism is used as an argument for further funding rather than as evidence of an ineffective treatment” (pp. 214, 215).

“The Psychology Industry operates a powerful technology of victim-making. Sometimes the evoked emotionality of the users is mistaken for authenticity, and the emphatic statements of the psychologists for expertise; however, what their actions reflect is a simplistic process that ignores the individuality of people, the intricacies of thoughts and feelings, and the mysteries of the darker side of life” (p. 226).

“Put simply, the Psychology Industry considers and treats people as children who, regardless of age, experience, education or status must be protected, guided, sheltered, excused and disciplined” (p. 268).

republished here by permission.


Thursday, August 15, 2013

How to recognize true elders



On the Recognition of Elders, being mainly an exposition of 1 Thess 5: 12,13   (first published in Waymarks, 2006)


V.12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
V.13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

The plea “KNOW THEM” is directed to the brethren by the apostle Paul. We do not read, “KNOW US”! The responsibility for recognition lies with the saints. That is, they are to use discernment and understanding as to who their leaders are.

Alas, there have always been men who, in the spirit of Diotrephes, have demanded recognition. They desire the pre-eminence in the assembly of God’s people. No spiritual man will need to make such a demand, for his own life and work will be his commendation and will bring him recognition in the assembly.

Thus the responsibility rests with the saints to give recognition where it is due, rather than with a body of elders seeking to enforce it, for such action is NICOLAITISM (Rev. 2: 6, 15). Nicolaitism ―Victory of the people― is the very root of clerisy from which there was a marked turning away in the latter half of the 19th century. Now we find a turning back again with men ready to “Lord it” over the saints and many ready to let them.
At Thessalonica the leaders were at first not obvious for it was a new work. They emerged under the leading of the Holy Spirit and so to facilitate their ministry, and for the spiritual health of the assembly Paul besought the brethren to give attention in observing who were actually guiding the assembly. Paul did not supply them with a list of names to be read out at the Lord’s Supper.

So how were they to be known? The answer is plain; they “which labour AMONG you”. So how are they to be known today? One might watch to see who goes along to the oversight meeting but some might go in who were never appointed by the Holy Spirit. They have been voted in or have been selected by some leading brother. Also there may be true elders, labouring among the saints who would be unwelcome at the oversight meeting. A man who asks for or demands a place on the oversight should be regarded with the utmost suspicion. He wants the office without the work ― a mere position seeker. The man who is seen labouring among the saints is the man to recognize.

What is it then to “LABOUR AMONG” the saints? Labour is that toil which requires effort and produces weariness. It is at a premium among the saints today and where it does exist, it goes largely unnoticed. But the labouring elder goes on serving the saints anyway. He does not cry out to be noticed, but his work is assisted by those who, appreciating his labour in the word, give him their full support.

An example of such labour is seen in 1 Cor. 16: 15. It is ministry. Essentially it is serving the saints, supplying first of all to their spiritual needs. Thus an aptitude for teaching will be revealed in their labour (1 Tim. 3: 2, Titus 1:9). How strange that some expect to lead the saints but are never heard giving a word of ministry. Much of the labour will also be spent in visiting the sick, the elderly, and any straying sheep. So an elder will be known by what he does and also by his personal character as outlined in 1 Tim. 3.
The next phrase “and are over you in the Lord” has been much misunderstood and abused. Many have used the phrase to justify a hierarchy and to mark off two distinct classes in the assembly, viz; the oversight and the members (laity). That there is no thought of dominion in the phrase is seen in that they labour AMONG (not over) you. The Greek word is proisteemi and is used for one who is a Protector or Guardian;one who oversees, one who gives aid. It is not used in the sense of PRESIDING OVER. It is in the former sense also that the word is used in 1 Tim. 3: 5, “If a man know not how to rule his own house...” (Not in a sense of a rigid authoritarian or despotic approach but in caring, guiding, protecting, feeding, etc) “how shall he take care of the church of God?” And this is what rule is all about in the church of God. So again, a man is recognized as an elder because he is seen to be guiding the church. It goes without saying that he is guiding the assembly in the truth of God’s word.

Titus 3: 8,14 shows us also that proisteemi  is a matter of maintenance and not dominance. The guides maintain the assembly as they would their own families.  

The man whose own children mix freely with the world and with Christendom is hardly in a position to maintain the local assembly. Indeed, we should consider him a fraud, especially if he shared or encouraged his children’s activities.

The final thing in this verse concerning elders is that they “ADMONISH YOU”. The same Greek word is translated “WARN” in v.14. That is, they are to be continually “PUTTING YOU IN MIND” ― of what? The Scriptures! For says Paul, “these things are written for our admonition.” So the elders are men of the Book who know the Book. A mark of false men is that they give appearance of knowing the Book but they falsely interpret it and often publicly criticise it. We are not required to recognize such despite what pretentious claims they may make for themselves. We are not expected to recognize the unrecognizable.
We note also from v. 14 that the unruly brother (defined in 2 Thess 3: 6 as the one whose life is contrary to the apostolic tradition) is to be warned (admonished, reminded of the Scriptures) by the BRETHREN. It is not merely a function of the elders to do this. The brethren are exhorted to do this whenever necessary and their authority is the word of God.

Then, and only then, if such a person will not respond to specific appeals of Scripture, the saints are to withdraw from him. This is not the same kind of discipline mentioned in 1 Cor. 5.

Having take n note as to whom the Spirit of God would have us recognize as leaders in the assembly (By their fruits ye shall know them), they are to be esteemed very highly in love. And note this, it is FOR THEIR WORK’S SAKE, It is not for their sake, not so that they won’t feel slighted, but for what they are actually doing in the assembly. We see that recognition has to be earned. It cannot be demanded. It is for  that labour of love that the saints need and so those who are supplying it are themselves esteemed very highly in love because of it.

An example of such labour we noted in 1 Cor. 16: 15 where a whole family had addicted itself to the ministry of the saints. What an addiction! They couldn’t give it up. Many today are addicted to their TV sets or their secular employment and are rarely seen at the meetings unless it should be an oversight meeting (for which there is no Scripture). But those of Stephanus’s house were true shepherds. The evidence was there ―the needs of the saints took priority in their lives.

Paul says “that ye submit yourselves to such”. Here only, incidentally, is the word “submit” (or as it may be rendered, OBEY) used in an authoritarian sense towards SUCH (those who exhibit like character as Stephanus’s family) who are true elders.
To all this we add our AMEN. How gladly and how wholeheartedly will we surrender to those who love us, caring for our souls. and placing our interests before their own, teaching us the word of Truth.

 by Ron Smith. (all articles on this blog are mine unless otherwise stated.)


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

AV Verses Vindicated

AV Verses Vindicated has been updated.
go to www.avbibleversesvindicated.blogspot.co.uk
 AV Verses Vindicated

Saturday, August 10, 2013

What is wrong with the Brethren?




What is wrong with the Brethren?


1. They have a false rallying cry.

It is “We gather to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”. The Brethren have produced a number of works defending this slogan. One such work  is Gathering unto His Name by N Crawford and was published in 1985 by Truth and Tidings, an American Brethren magazine.
There is no Scripture calling believers to gather unto His Name. The phrase is an invention of the Exclusive Brethren. It is found in the hymn Gathered to Thy name Lord Jesus, written by C. Anne Wellesley[i], a member of the Exclusive Brethren. The hymn is retained in the Gospel Hymn Book. This hymn book is very popular among assemblies in Northern Ireland.
The phrase is built on a mutilation of Scripture, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst. Mtt.18:

There are some who make a play of the first “in” in Mtt;18: 20. They want to make it read “unto my name” on the grounds that the preposition eis may be translated “unto”.  J N Darby appears to be the first (and only translator, that I can find ) who makes this change. The change was made in order to promote an ecclesiastical system. The system became known as Exclusive Brethrenism and is now as much a false cult as any can be. We note that Exclusive Brethren continue to proclaim they gather to the name of the Lord Jesus. (see Stephen Hesterman; Plymouth Brethren.com). 

“Unto” is an archaic word and has been replaced almost entirely by “to” (not “in”) in modern usage.. Eis is translated by many English prepositions; to, into. in, throughout, for, unto, by, at, among, against, upon, toward, on, concerning.  “In”  is used at least 70 times, so we may deduce there is no reason at all why it should not be “in” in Matt. 18: 20. 

The phrase is use to set up an ecclesiastical  boundary. Outside are the denominations and systems of men. They are regarded as gathered to a system, e.g. Methodism, or another name; Wesleyan, or a practice, e.g. Baptist. etc. They are regarded as “Christendom”.

The use of the phrase “gathered to His name” takes us to 1 Cor. 1: 12 where we read every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 
Those saying they were of Christ were the most spiritually arrogant. They were claiming a higher standing than all other believers. So today, those “gathering to the name” refer to themselves as Assemblies of Christian Brethren. They appropriate to themselves a title which belongs to all those born again by the Spirit of God.

2. They have a false gospel  

The error is more in what is omitted rather than in what is said. Essentially there is no call for repentance made. There is no warning given of final judgment. There is no teaching that one must believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. There is scant reference to the person of Christ. The cross is hardly touched upon. The Brethren’s gospel is  more  an emotional appeal to be saved rather than a preaching of Christ crucified. The resurrection is not spoken of nor His coming in Judgment. Certain passages are rarely ever preached on, such as Luke 16, The rich man in hell, or Rev. 20, The Great White Throne.
Emphasis is placed on the individual gaining happiness in this life. Many teach that it is not necessary to understand the gospel. That is, they do not need to understand what they are doing in making a profession of salvation.

3. They have a false bible

In early days emphasis was given to Darby’s New Translation. It was the bible of the Brethren. Few could explain why they considered  it to be superior to the AV Bible. Also high regard was given to the RV for reasons which appear obscure; this version quickly became obsolete. Now the NKJB and the NIV are given prominence and the AV is decried publicly by almost all those engaged in public preaching.
The rejection of the AV Bible has led to much false teaching. An example may be seen in false translation of 2 Thess.2: 2 by the Brethren. They deny the Scripture, God was manifest in the flesh. They reject 1 John 5: 7-8. they shift the atoning work of Christ to the three hours of darkness instead of being at His death.
The acceptance of the Critical Text underlying most modern versions is due to the influence of 19th Century German rationalism.

4. They have a false baptism

The emphasis the brethren give  is not in the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Pet. 3:21), but in a public show to draw others. Baptism is used as an initiation rite into the assembly. The majority of those baptized are the children of assembly members. These do not usually speak of Biblical conversion experiences but of when as small children they “asked Jesus into their hearts”.

5. They have a false government.

Assemblies are ruled by an oversight comprising several brethren. As most assemblies are very small the control is often in the hands of one man.
Historically oversights (this term indicating a collective oversight is not found in Scripture) have been self perpetuating. From time to time brethren are invited to join the oversight. There is of course no Scripture for this procedure. Those invited are not selected because of their labours among the saints in shepherding and teaching; rather because they will uphold the views of those already ruling. The main exercise of oversights is to get the members to conform to their decrees. There has always been a degree of interference in the personal lives of the members. Members are taught to show unquestioning loyalty to the leaders. Their decisions may not be challenged or even questioned.
If an oversight exists it must be recognized as ordained of God. We assume by this that Diotrophese was God’s chosen man. The oversight must be obeyed implicitly whether they are seen to be wrong by all or not. This is cultism.

6. They have a false class of teachers .They will not separate from evil.
The most conservative brethren are willing to preach in liberal assemblies and to work alongside those who hold to error. They are prepared to have fellowship with those who blaspheme the name of Christ rather than risk losing a preaching engagement. There is at least one assembly where a man has been in fellowship who has publicly taught the Lord could sin. This does not prevent our teaching brethren from sitting down and breaking bread with him.
Undiscerning secretaries will invite men to preach because their names have appeared on the circuit cards and other assemblies have accepted them.  So a secretary not holding to the errors of Calvinism invites a man to preach who holds to a limited atonement, because he is a leading Brethren teacher.
They will not permit their teaching to be challenged.
Preachers from liberal assemblies are not barred from the platforms of more conservative assemblies, particularly if they can draw a crowd.  One such goes about preaching that the Lord did NOT die for all.
None of the public men are prepared to name a bible they can trust implicitly as the word of God from cover to cover.  But they do nevertheless claim to be authorities on what is Scripture and use the Critical Text to form their own circle of clerisy. The ordinary believer cannot know what is Scripture and what is gloss so they must approach the men of authority, who themselves have drawn from the polluted wells of infidelity.

7. They have no pastors

The only place where pastors are mentioned in the N T, is at Eph. 4: 11, And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.

The Greek word poimēn means literally, a shepherd. It is translated 16 times thus in the N T and once as Pastor. It denotes the shepherd care of the elder or overseer.
Brethren do not recognize pastors, because they think by implication it shows one man to be in charge, which they claim is a characteristic of apostate Christendom. They ignore the fact that most assemblies are each in the control of one man.
  It is rare to find a man with a true shepherd heart in assembly fellowship. Governing bodies are preferred. If a sheep should be found to be straying he made need disciplining or excommunication. There will not be a shepherd seeking him out on the hills ready to carry him lovingly back to the flock. Pastoral work as seen in Eph. 4: 11 is linked to teaching. i.e. feeding.

8.They have false terms for fellowship

In many assemblies there are no conditions laid down for fellowship other than that the person  requesting fellowship is a baptized believer. Jehovah’s Witnesses make this claim and have on at least one occasion known to the writer presented themselves for fellowship at a Gospel Hall. Likewise charismatics make the same claim.
On the other hand some assemblies require a letter of commendation and as long as one is presented a person will be accepted. Their home assembly, if it exists, may be unsound doctrinally. The doctrines and practices of the person  requesting fellowship may be unscriptural but this is of no consequence if they can produce a letter.
Men holding and teaching false and even blasphemous views are allowed to remain in fellowship. Prpf. F F Bruce was a notorious apostate but he was influential among the brethren so he remained in fellowship. We can cite others. Some Brethren teachers hold to a Limited Atonement. Others encourage the remarriage of divorcees.within the fellowship.

 9. They use the non-biblical term “The Assemblies”

Use of the term “The Assemblies” sets a denominational boundary. It is used instead of speaking of churches, to define a religious system. It is insisted that the word church has connotations that suggests it means no more than the building. Believers have never had any problem with this New Testament word, knowing it refers to a gathered company of believers.
Assembly is a secular word. Church is a properly translated Bible word.


What is the answer?

Brethren will speak of the autonomy of the local assembly. By this they claim they are self governing but will hasten to add that really the Holy Spirit is ruling in the assembly. But assemblies are locked into a circle of fellowship and its members are strongly influenced by what is believed and practiced in other assemblies. If the belief and practice is scriptural so well and good, but this is not always the case. All accept the false rallying cry. All accept the “no reliable bible” philosophy.
J Hay in his booklet Which Church writes
           
The autonomous character of local assemblies is a safeguard against false teaching. Error affecting one assembly will not necessarily corrupt another; but if a central authority exists, Satan need only invade it with his evil teaching and this diabolical doctrine will then be pushed out to every congregation in the group.

The Brethren have a central authority, the circuit teachers, who are united in pushing out a most diabolical lie that God’s word is best found in the Critical Text. They do so because this is the very core of Brethrenism.
The answer is not in autonomy but in independence. If the local assembly is independent it may still enjoy fellowship with other like-minded gatherings but will not be influenced by the majority of assemblies which are now apostate. Bible criticizing preachers must be denied access to the platform. They  cannot be accepted simply because they are popular among the Brethren at large.
Being independent means there will be individuals and assemblies with whom one will not have fellowship. Those who appear to be sound in faith and practice yet associate with those who are not will not be free to take the platform.

Greater care must be taken in receiving the children of members into fellowship. Many of these show little evidence of new life.
The majority of those in assembly fellowship today are the children of Brethren parents. They were encouraged to “get saved” while still infants (under the age of eight). They asked Jesus into their hearts, because of a desire to please their parents. We note that the  New Testament gospel was preached to adults.
So we have a generation in fellowship now who do not know the Lord.
These tend to be orthodox in their beliefs, but very worldly.





[i] Nothing is known of Miss Wellesley. However, it has been suggested (on stempublishing.com website) that she translated a hymn by Dr Rossier, “Réunis en Ton nom”. In which case it is Miss Wellesley who made the change from “in” to “to”.