by: Dr. Steve Heidenreich
The greatest generation has been used to describe a group of people born into poverty who created inventions out of necessity and fought for right. These brave men and women from WWII were no doubt substantial citizens of our great county. Yet, their children and grandchildren were the hippy movement of the sixties and seventies. Now these hippies are back, but this time in our churches.
In the early 20th century a new breed of Christians came on the scene, the Independent Baptist. After a hard fought, yet vital civil war within the movement, fights over the King James Bible, standards, convictions and soul winning separated the Independent Baptist crowd into two distinct parts. There were the Independent Baptist and the Independent Fundamental Baptist. Great generals of their time were making a stand for what they thought was right. Generals like Jack Hyles, Jerry Falwell, Lee Roberson, J. Frank Norris and so many more took their stand and never compromised.
Soon, a younger generation of red blooded American men, many who had witnessed the battle fronts of Vietnam first hand took the mantle of these men and marched forward. They had seen the hippy crowd and despised the shame these communists were bringing to the land of the free. These men not only were patriots of the red white and blue, but they were patriots of their movement, the newly formed IFB. They went through Baptist boot camp and graduated running into the highways and hedges, guns-a-blazing for Jesus. These men dreamed of the day when they too would have to go to war for what they believed, and preached every sermon as if they were under attack.
Much of the fighting had already been over and the victory won, but like any good Baptist preacher, we can’t let dead dogs lie. Some thought that not every battle they fought was worthy of the cause. Every few years there rose up some heretic who had to be put out of his misery and rightfully so. These men built grand churches. Soul winning was a priority and a bus ministry was a must!!
Millions of lives were changed and souls were saved all the while raising a generation of wimpy, pink tea and lemonade drinking, lace on their underwear, panty waisted, compromising misfits who have become the Hippies in our churches today. “No more fighting, only peace, love and change” they proclaim. This generation grew up seeing their preacher on the front line doing his dead level best to keep fundamentalism strong. He fought when it was time to fight, stood when it was time to stand, waving his Bible the whole way, but not anymore. This new generation of lilly livered, backslidden, NIV using, contemporary praise and worship sacrilege garbage is the new grass being passed around. They desire only love, happiness, ear tickling sermons, and God forbid the preacher should raise his voice. We have a group of sin addicted, love everyone and everything is allowed in the church except war.
The battles that need to be fought are not being fought, and those still holding the line are ridiculed, blogged and tweeted about as if they were a common criminal. Is it Vietnam all over, or are there just hippies in the church? Let me kindly remind you that Jude 1:3 says, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” It’s time that we realize we are at war. One thing we have learned from the hippy generation is that peace, love and change will not win a war. There must be men of God who strongly take a stand for truth, and there must be Christians who applaud and help these men as they fight the battle for truth. Souls are at stake! Let’s not lose the battle all for the sake of love and peace.