Editor Weylan Deaver
DENTON, Tex. (BNc) — Weylan Deaver, editor of Biblical Notes and preacher with the Sherman Drive congregation, exposes the problems behind the “Bar Church”, a satellite of Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene TX, slated to begin offering worship services in a local bar, complete with alcohol, Mar. 24.
In an article on his popular online magazine, Weylan explained the wrong-headed approach of using a church’s Sunday meeting as a platform for evangelism and the compromises that flow from such an approach.
Furthermore, since when did Sunday worship services become all about evangelism? Worship is about saints glorifying their God — not an outreach effort for sinners. The latter has its place, but we have too long emphasized the lost during Sunday assemblies, at the expense of worship’s true purpose. Worship services are, primarily, for the saved.
The Bar Church’s worship period will feature secular music and religious music with instruments “for the purpose of making the singing of hymns less threatening and providing a musical sound path for all to follow.”
Weylan asked, “What Christian even thinks in terms of a cappella singing being “threatening” to anyone?”
Bar Church will keep minors from drinking alcohol, with “a system similar to the large X’s that bars place on the hands of underage patrons to insure they are not served alcohol.”
Weylan shows his amazement at the initiative of Bar Church.
We cannot imagine the Lord smiling down on an assembly where alcohol is consumed alongside his memorial supper, where sinners “fed up with church” are still able to be part of one, where worship is corrupted in the name of evangelism, where the gospel is watered down but the liquor not, and all in a location specifically chosen because it is peopled by those who have or want nothing to do with the Lord’s church. At some point, a misguided plan becomes a mockery of all that is sacred.
Read Weylan’s entire article at this link.
Biblical Notes was launched by Roy C. Deaver in May, 1965, for teaching the gospel, later published and edited by Roy’s son, Mac Deaver. In March 2010 Mac’s son, Weylan, moved Biblical Notes to an online presence, where he serves as site administrator.
2013-03-07 at 3:29 pm
Thanks for the Truth.
2013-03-07 at 3:58 pm
After reading this article, I literally became sick to my stomach. How low and liberal will some folks go? “Bar-church”? The devil must be jumping for joy over this. What will misguided elders allow next?
2013-03-07 at 4:06 pm
I cannot imagine this BAR church having anything to do with Christianity whatsoever! There is no excuse for this excuse to be as far left liberal as to fall into the world and its wisdom and way of life. BARS are an invention of man’s “wisdom” and bring only trouble and heartache to all those who come in contact with alcohol and these types of people. “Come ye out from among them and be ye separate!”
2013-03-07 at 4:07 pm
Wow. Not surprised, but wow. What’s next, temple prostitutes?
2013-03-07 at 4:34 pm
I’m reminded of a gospel preacher a few years back in talking about one departure after another in the Lord’s church, said, “My brethren always cease to amaze me.”
2013-03-08 at 6:32 am
Absolutely Uncalled for and hideous! 2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NKJV)
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.
Yes, we need to reach those in the bars, but not to the extent we change the truth to suit them. We are supposed to help pull them out of sin, not encourage them to continue in it, and that is the message this sends!
Josh Lifford
Flat Rock Church of Christ
Flat Rock, Michigan
2013-03-08 at 9:52 am
It is hard for me to believe that my teachers at ACC would approve of such. I wonder what J.W. Roberts, J.D. Thomas, Eugene Clevenger, Lemone Lewis and others would have thought about this. At what point does left leaning thinking take one off the field and away from the Church and the Restoration Movement?
2013-03-08 at 9:56 am
Everyone knows what those brethren at ACC would have thought of it. The same as what the NT says about it.
2013-03-11 at 1:19 pm
Where do you find SINNERS? I know that many are setting in “church”, but there is hope for them. To save the lost YOU must go to them. I do not see this as a replacement for “church” as many of us think of it, but give it a chance,one lost soil may be saved. I would not take children there, and where in the Bible does it say not to take a drink, Christ drank wine.
2013-03-11 at 3:48 pm
You wrote, “Worship is about saints glorifying their God — not an outreach effort for sinners.” I applaud this statement. The New Testament reveals that brethren are to go OUT into the world and TEACH, making disciples, baptizing and teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded. Assembly is for the saved to offer worship to God and that worship is offered by those covered in the blood – not the lost.
Here’s the fundamental problem – in the late 60’s we were known as “the people of the Book.” Brethren stopped studying their Bibles, memorizing Scripture and teaching the lost. Numbers started to decline. During that same time we witnessed our denominational friends building lavish buildings, gyms, rec-centers, family life buildings and elaborate class-room annexes.
We, seeing our decline, went the same direction. We literally went from Bible evangelism to “Building Evangelism!” We started “inviting the lost to Sunday service.” Let them come to hear the paid expert proclaim the gospel. Hey, we pay a guy to do that job! We started saying, “Hey, come be with us in our nice building and meet our friendly people.” Where is this example or command found in the Lord’s Word?
Can you imagine Philip meeting the Ethiopian Eunuch and, rather than preaching Jesus to him, inviting him to Sunday service? “Oh, Mr. Eunuch, hang around another week and come visit with me at the Samaria church of Christ. We’ve got a fantastic preacher, a beautiful building, and such friendly people!”
Building evangelism, inviting to worship, and circumventing our responsibilities are all symptoms of a major problem in our brotherhood today. Until we admit this and “own” it, we won’t see the problem resolved.
2013-03-12 at 7:33 pm
Christians worshiping God in a sacred environment according to His directives and reaching those outside Christ without compromise are completely separate activities, but the critics of Weylan’s article seem to think they either have to be combined or they are mutually exclusive???
2013-03-13 at 10:32 am
Don’t fool yourselves about ACU. They are as liberal as they come and allow all kinds of denominational baloney. Southern Hills has been unfit for years and need to take the name Church of Christ off of their building.
2013-03-13 at 11:31 am
G Porter, The earlier comments are referring to ACC, the old school, not ACU, the liberal school of today.
2013-03-15 at 8:28 am
I did not read the entire article, but the idea likely comes from Alan Hirsch’s, “The Forgotten Ways”. Hirsch is a big name in the missional, emergent movement and he does the same thing. I do not believe camouflaging the church is the answer.