A Warning about Faddish Fanatics within the Reformed World
By Phillip M Way

Martin Luther said of human tendencies and the church, “Human nature is like a drunk peasant. Lift him into the saddle on one side, over he topples on the other side.” It seems whenever the church falls into a ditch on one side of the narrow road, we inevitably end up toppling back over into the ditch on the other side. We find ourselves prone to fads. Just in the last few decades we have experienced the influence of the Emerging Church, the YRR (Young, Restless, and Reformed), Woke ideology and DEI, Celebrity Church Conference Pastor Scandals, and others.

Two more recent fads that have burst upon the scene involve two groups on either side of the road, each comfortably situated in their own trench. Trouble is, they don’t understand that their trench is actually just a drainage ditch. They have turned to the right or the left (Prov. 4:27), in other words, they are looking for an exit ramp off the narrow road (or seeking to make it more narrow than it is) thereby leading others after them into a shipwreck of their faith (1 Tim. 1:18-20).

These two fads, or sects, within Reformed/Reforming churches are identified as the Patriarchy movement on one side and Christian Nationalism on the other – though not necessarily opposed to one another and often intermarried. These movements claim Scriptural support and authority, and authority is the key word. Both seek to establish a top-down authoritarian structure that is either downright foreign to the Scriptures, or is a severe twisting of what the Bible actually teaches.

Interestingly, both movements also deny basic principles of Biblical ecclesiology. They make up a church of their own imagination without heeding the clear teaching of Scripture on the formation and propagation of local, New Testament churches. While claiming that the Scripture is their only sure rule for life and faith, they instead subject the Scriptures to their interpretations based on faulty hermeneutics. They are self-appointed and confirmed.

Also interestingly, both of these camps are well rooted in home school communities. While we would absolutely support and encourage home schooling, what has happened at the foundational level of the worldview of those in these camps is a confounding of spheres of authority. They have taken the headship of husbands in the home and applied that to every other realm where authority is expressed and practiced.

We must differentiate between the family – God’s first institution in the Garden after Creation – and the other realms also created and instituted by God. The Bible sets clear parameters for the roles on the husband and wife, and parents and children (Eph. 5:21-6:4). These roles are especially difficult to maintain since the fall and the curse, where conflict has become the norm for fallen human beings (Gen. 3:16). The other realms of authority we identify in a Biblical worldview include the role of government (Rom. 13:1-7), church (1 Tim. 3:1-13), and employment (Eph. 6:5-9). While there are many similarities within these realms, they are not identical. And this perhaps is the most serious hermeneutical flaw of those espousing the views of these 2 camps we have identified. They take rules established by God for the family, as the first institution, and apply those rules of operation to all other institutions.

Hence within the Patriarchists and the Christian Nationalists (CN), the headship of man is the first rule among rules. No woman in any sphere can ever be placed in a position of authority over a man. This ignores not only the distinctions between the realms of authority, but also the times in Scripture that women are given a place of rule and influence (Deborah, Esther, etc.), and even in at least one case, we see a woman teaching a man! Now, this is not a woman pastor, for that is clearly forbidden (1 Tim. 3:2; 1 Cor. 14:24). But it is a husband and wife, Aquila and Priscilla, who disciple and correct the preaching of Apollos (Acts 18:26).

On the one hand those who follow the model of Patriarchy also fall into a serious error within the church – they believe any Christian man, or group of Christian families, can establish a New Testament church at will. There are no parameters, Scriptural or otherwise. This seems to be firmly rooted in the fact that most of these home school churches are started because the home school families are excluded from, or voluntarily leave, established churches, usually over a disagreement that is labeled a doctrinal issue but that is actually a matter of faith and practice where the home school fathers disagree with those overseers (elders) in the church in question. Rather than submit (Heb. 13:7, 17) to Biblical authority, they splinter off and form their own group. They call it a church, but there are neither the structure, organization, nor offices that constitute a true church. The home becomes the church, although it isn’t.

Another interesting thing to witness is that these groups tend to continue to break down into smaller and smaller sects. They can’t get along with anybody else for long and eventually are whittled down to small groups usually consisting of one or two families that are inevitably intermarried. This is the very thing we are warned against when the Bible tells us to mark the divisive, doctrinally unstable man and avoid him (2 Thess. 3:6; Titus 3:10-11; 1 Tim. 6:3-5, 20-21). With all the Biblical warnings against causing division, let the reader beware.

The Patriarchists seem to always be looking for a fight. They want to actively engage the secular world and subdue the government through conflict. They want to exert their First Amendment rights, and they will provoke a confrontation in order to be able to sue for those rights. This is not the example Paul gives us when he is beaten even though a Roman Citizen (Acts 22:22-29). He used his citizenship for the sake of the gospel, but never relied upon it to open the door for ministry other than an appeal to Caesar, or as a means of avoiding persecution. Speaking of persecution, to actively seek a confrontation with authorities is not the same as being persecuted. If we are persecuted, so be it. Jesus said we would as we follow Him (John 15:18). But to invite it for the sake of gaining an advantage in the conflict between worldviews is both foolish and futile. And it neglects the truth about how and whom we fight (Eph. 6:12).

Doug Wilson, as the de-facto leader of this movement, faces more scandals and sinful actions than any qualified pastor ever should be allowed to get away with. There are doctrinal and practical controversies that surround him and that is of his own doing. He causes the chaos and then thrives in that environment, displaying character qualities that are at odds with what are the basic expectations for a minister of the gospel. And the trouble is that when he found no one else to endorse him, denominationally speaking, he created his own, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). Founded in 1998 they have grown to include almost 150 churches worldwide. This was Wilson’s way to look like there was some accountability for his ministry, but the truth is, he is accountable only to himself.

Wilson has gone so far in a few instances as to use a community hymn singing event as a forum to confront the local government, where there is video of several of the men in his church being arrested and charged with criminal activity. The charges were dropped, and the local police and government officials were sued and lost, but this literally weaponized worship as a means of protest!

The CN camp seems to actually want the church to take over the governments of the nations of the world and rule them in a Theocracy. When eschatology becomes your hermeneutic, these errors are to be expected. The problem is, who is in charge? Who determines the proper interpretation of questionable passages? Which confession of faith reigns? Many of the men leading this movement have proved well beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are disqualified for even the most basic level of church leadership. They are abusive. And they have gone so far as to have stated that they believe that the government should settle disputes within the church and that the government should punish heretics. This harkens back to the Sacralism of Calvin’s Geneva. Yes, sadly, not even John Calvin could be perfect in his faith and practice.

A shocking, yet not unexpected consequence of the thinking of those in this camp is a sudden increase in declarations of white supremacy and antisemitism. The “White Boy Summer” movement was introduced by a video several years ago, and another one again this last summer, that contained Nazi images and personalities right out in the open! The things being espoused by these “preachers” is absolutely unthinkable for the Christian church. They’ve come loose from their Reformed moorings and are drifting swiftly, and hopefully, to soon destruction.

Many of the men in both of these groups also advocate for their wives and daughters to avoid education, and one local pastor even said that he forbids his wife to read books. He actually believes that if she were ever to learn more about a topic than he knows, then she would be tempted to teach him and lead him and that would violate her Scriptural position as a helpmate and place her in authority over him. No man should ever be taught anything by a woman, because if that happens, he can’t be the head. This subjugation of women proves a complete misunderstanding of the actual meaning of the word “submission.”

With both sides confusing realms of proper authority, the outcome is often spiritual abuse, or worse. Churches falling into one of these camps follow a dangerous precedent, as each generation seems to take things further down the wrong road than their predecessors. Becoming more radical, more confrontational, and more focused on where we can and cannot have fellowship with other churches or other denominations. Instead of defending the essentials of the faith, secondary and most often third-tier doctrines become the focal point for the fiercest fighting.

The abuse of (supposed) authority manifests itself in shutting down anyone other than “leadership” who happens to ask questions. It is reported that to ask a question for clarification or further teaching is seen as questioning authority. Members are expected to take their leaders’ word for it, period. Often those who do ask or express a disagreement for the sake of discussion are shamed, insulted, and at times even shouted down from the pulpit as an example to others. This leads to hurt and division.

As another example, a local church near us that has been highly influenced by Wilson, has spiritually abused multiple families who are now, thankfully, part of other churches, with several in our church family now. They are healing through being gently shepherded by godly elders. One family that visited our church “without permission” from these elders, were confronted by them and threatened to be put under church discipline. The family asked the elders to let them leave that church so that they could join ours, but their elders refused. They stated in no uncertain terms that since they were “covenanted members” of their church, they could not just decide to leave. The only means of leaving that church is by death, excommunication, or being released from their covenant with the permission of the elders. If they say, “No,” then you have to stay. This is actually a growing problem among several Reformed church groups, as they hold rightly to the necessity for church membership but then deny the voluntary nature of willingly and cheerfully joining together with a local congregation. In this case at hand, the elders in our church had to negotiate their release from church membership in a 4 hour long meeting and several follow up discussions, otherwise they were not going to be allowed to  move their membership from one Reformed church to another. We no longer encourage or endorse fellowship or cooperation with that controlling, spiritually abusive church.

In other instances, there have been new “churches” that have popped up over the last few years. Some are actually true churches, working to reform their faith and practice in line with the Word of God. We commend those churches and fully support those pastors in prayer and fellowship in their work. But others we find have started in communities where all they had in common to start was their homeschooling – not doctrine, or even the true gospel. These “churches” that have been born out of these movements are not Biblically structured, not Biblically organized, and have unqualified leaders. In their church practice they often place any willing man into a position of leadership by virtue of his being a man. Each man in the church is identified as the pastor of his family within the larger church family. There is no Biblical accountability and no Biblical precedent for this type of structure.

The Scriptural reality and example is that churches plant churches. Every missionary and church planter we see in the New Testament is sent from an established local church to found other like-minded sister churches. There is oversight from those local church elders, who at first were the Apostles themselves. Without this oversight, a group may meet and preach and teach and sing and worship – but they cannot call themselves a church by the Biblical definition. They are a sect. An offshoot. And often these type groups deny the need for Biblical structure and even ordination. Their pet doctrines become the platform and totality of their “ministry.”

The atmosphere among these groups becomes a legalistic, outward conformity to the accepted standards and views of the group and often leaves little room for actual inward repentance, faith, and obedience. Spiritual fruit bearing is stifled (the Spirit is quenched and grieved), and virtue signaling on social media or other public platforms proves that clicks, likes, and views are the priority to spread the influence of those who promote themselves for a cause other than the gospel.

We should notice another common theme that becomes clear when these groups are engaged or confronted – they are not a church by any Scriptural definition of the word. They are a homogenous pseudo-religious organization built upon a cult of personality. It is not the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It is unquestioning uniformity. This is not fellowship. It is Pharisaism. It is a show, and it is mostly goats that are being entertained while any true sheep present are starving or sickened by what they are being fed.

These groups on both sides are a threat to sound churches. They lure members away through community Bible studies and fellowship events. They try to ally with solid churches for validation. They look good on the outside, but inside they have no true Biblical foundation. They are mavericks and rebels. Their leaders find it difficult to submit to someone else in leadership for long.  A man who cannot follow was never qualified to lead, and the consequences are splits and splinters that follow them wherever they go.

These two groups addressed are not new in their approach or their goals. They are just the latest. We have seen movements like them since the New Testament era, as the takeaway is that some men crave authority and simply cannot themselves submit to the servant leadership of godly elders who know that they themselves will be called to accountability for their service to Christ within their local churches.

Usurpers and wannabees should be warned, “Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1).

Biblical ecclesiology matters. To say otherwise is to deny that Jesus is building His Church His Way!