THE CURSE OF LIBERALISM
Dr. W. A. Criswell
(One of his
last sermons)
May I speak on The Curse of Liberalism? Because of the opprobrious epithet "liberal,"
today they call themselves “moderates.” A skunk by any other name still stinks!
To my great sorrow, and yours, we have lost our nation to the liberal, and the secularist,
and the humanist, which finally means to the atheist and the infidel. America used to be known as a Christian nation.
It is no longer. America is a secular nation.
Our forefathers who came on the Mayflower founded here a new republic, a new nation, and
it was Christian. Our Baptist forefathers founded a state, and it was Christian. When I was a youth growing up,
the name of God and the Christian faith was a part of the civic and national life of our people. It is not anymore.
By law and by legislation and by court decision, we bow at no altar and we call on the name
of no God. The forefathers who placed in our Constitution the First Amendment did so for the sole purpose of interdicting
a state-established church. But we have taken that First Amendment to read out of our national life, and out of our
public life, the presence of Almighty God.
No longer can we pray in our public schools. No longer can we read God's word in our
public schools. No longer can we have chapel services in our public schools. No longer are we permitted to place
a nativity scene on a courthouse lawn. No longer can we place a star in a public building. We have become a secular
nation. I was invited to speak at a great high school, and the administration of the school came to me and said, "The
American Civil Liberties Union has announced to us that when that preacher speaks, if he names the name of Jesus we'll close
down the school.” That is modern America.
We have not only lost our nation to the liberal and to the secularist and to the humanist,
but in great areas of our Baptist life we have lost our denominations and our Christian institutions, our colleges and our
universities.
All of the Christian schools called "Baptist" in the north, all of them have been lost—all
of them: Brown University, McMaster University, Chicago University. There's not one that remains.
And because of the inroads of liberalism and secularism, the Baptist witness in the north
is small and increasingly anemic. It is the boast of the Roman Catholic Church that the most Catholic state in the union
is Rhode Island. It is the boast of the Catholic Church that the most Catholic city in America is Providence.
This is the state founded by our Baptist forefathers, and this is the capital city founded by Roger Williams.
What we have done: we have taken the great, sanctified Baptist doctrine of the priesthood
of the believer, and made it to cover every damnable heresy that mind could imagine! It’s a tragedy--it's a tragedy.
The British Broadcasting Company in Great Britain—television is under their surveillance—the
British Broadcasting Company sent a crew over here, under a very gifted Britisher, in order to make a two-hour documentary
to present to the people of the British Isles. The first hour was concerning things that are shameful to name in the
religious life of America, and the second hour was on our dear church in Dallas, presented as a fundamental Bible-believing
church in the most offensive kind of a way.
One of our stations in Dallas, one of the television stations in Dallas, gave us thirty minutes
in rebuttal, and when I went to the station, there were four of us seated there for the interview. Two of them were
for them, anti- everything that we believe. Two of them were for us. Dr. Patterson and I sat there, two of the
four. To my amazement, the man who presided over the documentaries was there to my right, and to my left was a woman.
She had on a clerical collar turned around in the back. She had on priestly robes and a gold chain and a golden cross,
and she introduced herself to me as a priest and as a professor in the Southern Methodist School of Theology, Perkins School
of Theology, where the Methodist preachers are taught. And in that interview, that woman said—that woman said,
"The bastard heresy of the 20th century is the teaching that the Bible is the Word of God." The man who presided over
the session said, "Pastor, what do you think about that? You talk to her. What do you think about that?”
And after it was over a thousand of my people said, "Why didn't you answer her?” I said, "For two reasons.
One, my mother taught me to respect a woman; and second, my brethren say I'm not supposed to cuss in the pulpit!"
She is a professor in the theological school that teaches Methodist preachers, and that is
a reason why in the last few years the Methodist denomination has lost two million members. And not only has that liberalism
overwhelmed the Methodist denomination, I hold in my hand a tear-out of a national magazine. We have lost in America
in these last few years millions and millions and millions in the old mainline denominations of our nation. The United Methodist
Church has lost the most; the United Presbyterian Church second, then follows the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian
Church of the United States, the Lutheran Church in America, the Episcopal Church, the Christian Church, the Disciples Church,
the American Lutheran Church—all of them downward, downward, downward.
And these in the liberal press say to us, "The reason we're facing a decline in the growth
of our Southern Baptist people is because of the confrontation in the denomination.” Then why the years and years
of decline in these other denominations? Why? Why? Why? It is very apparent why the decline in all
of the old mainline denominations of America. The curse of liberalism has sapped their strength and their message and
their witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why. When we speak of the decline of the growth in our Southern
Baptist communion, they point their fingers at us and say, "You funny-damn-mentalist. You're the reason why we're losing
in this appeal for the lost and the conversion of America.”
Listen to me. Let me pinpoint the exact reason why we are beginning to decline in our
Southern Baptist Zion like all of the other old mainline denominations. It is certainly not in our conservative, fundamental
fellowship in those Bible-believing Christ-honoring soul-saving churches.
I have in my hand here the bulletin of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida.
It came to my desk a few days ago. Here in the month of June, I looked at those that were baptized that Sunday.
I counted them. There were 152, 152 by baptism. I counted those who came by letter. They were 29.
There were 3 by statement. This is one Sunday in the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, where Jerry Vines
is co-pastor—in one Sunday.
Now—now, where is the decline in our baptisms and in our outreach ministry for Christ?
I'll tell you exactly where it is. In one of the great cities of our nation in a beautiful, beautiful building, I visited
the people and the pastor and looked at the baptistry. And the baptistry was full of dirt, dust, and debris.
What I would like for the press to do is take a picture of that beautiful Baptist church.
By the side of it, print the picture of that half-infidel, liberal pastor, and by his picture print a picture of the baptistry,
full of dust and dirt and debris.
In our Bible-led, conservative, Christ-honoring, soul-saving churches, you will still see
people come down that aisle. You'll see the baptismal waters troubled. You'll see people saved. It's the
curse—the fetid breath of liberalism—that is destroying us as it has all the other old mainline denominations.
That's why we're going down.
We need a resurgence. We need a renascence. We need a re-commitment. We
need a regeneration. We can do it. We can! In the name of Christ, we can take our rural churches.
In the name of Christ, we can take our city churches. In the name of Christ, we can take our village churches.
We can take this country for Christ if we will be true to the faith, if we will be true. Oh, Lord, that there was in
us the spirit of victory and triumph and conquest in the name of our blessed Savior!
When Alexander the Great died, his generals gathered around and they asked him, "Whose is
the kingdom?” And Alexander the Great replied, "It's for him who can take it!" And Cassander and Lysimachus
took Asia Minor, Seleucus and Antigonus took Syria, and Ptolemy took Egypt, and they kept it in the Greek orbit for generations
and for centuries.
We can do the same for Christ if there is in us the spirit of devotion and soul-winning and
preaching and outreach, visitation, love for the lost, invitation, baptizing our converts; the spirit of genuine, enthusiastic,
victorious triumph.
I went to see Oklahoma and Texas play football in the Cotton Bowl. Seated right there,
square in front of me, was an Oklahoma fan. In all of that whole side of Texas fanatics, there he was. There he
was. This was in the days of Bud Wilkinson. He stood up right there in front of me and held up a $100 bill, and
he said, "All of you Texans, I'll give you seven points. I bet you this $100 bill that we beat you.” He
didn't have any takers. He sat down. After a little while, he stood up again and said, "All you Texans, I'll give
you fourteen points. I bet this $100 bill we beat you.” Nobody took him up. After a little while,
he stood up again and said, "All you Texans; I'll give you twenty-one points and bet you this $100 bill that we beat you.”
Didn't have any takers; he sat right down there in front of me, and I said, "Man, I'd like to have you in my church.
You believe in your team, and you put your money where your mouth is! Boy, I'd like to have you in my church!
I'd like to have you in my church.”
That's what we need, that spirit of conquest and victory. We can do it! I think
of that old codger who married at the tender age of 87 and immediately began to look for a bigger house close to an elementary
school. That's the spirit!
May I conclude?
To my great indescribable sorrow, we are losing our message of salvation to the liberal,
to the secularist, to the humanist, and finally to the atheist and the infidel. Long time ago—I'm talking about
over forty years ago—I built a lower platform in our church. At the top one I preached the gospel, preached that
Book word-for-word, syllable-by-syllable, every syllable in it inspired by God, the inerrant Word of the Holy Spirit of God.
[applause] Do it! Do it!
Then in those days, I would go down to the lower pulpit, and I’d exhort like an old-time
exhorter pleading for people to come to Jesus. On that Sunday, down the aisle came a young woman. She looked to
me to be 16 or 17 years old. She gave me her hand and said, "Today, I'm taking Jesus as my Savior, and I want to be
baptized and be a member of this church.” Then she was seated there on the front row.
As we continued to sing the song of appeal and I pressed the invitation, that girl began
to cry and finally to sob. I turned to my minister of music and I said, "You keep the service going. You sing.
I'm going to sit down by that girl."
I sat down by her side, and I said, "Dear, what you crying for? What you crying for?”
She took the card that she had filled out, and she said, "You see my name?” "Yes.” "You see that 'Mrs.'
in front of my name?” I said, "Yes.” She said, "I'm no 'Mrs.' I've never been married.
I write 'Mrs.' In front of my name on account of my little baby boy. When he was born, I said in my heart, 'I'm going
to raise him in that wonderful First Baptist Church in Dallas. So I began bringing him into the nursery, and I began
attending the services, and I've been listening to you preach, and today I felt I wanted to give my heart to Jesus and be
a member of the congregation."
“But,” she said, "since I have come and since I've been seated
here, I've been thinking about me and my life, a prostitute. I've been thinking about me and what I've done, and if
you knew me, and these people knew me, you would not want the likes of me in this church." I said to her, "Dear, is
that why you're crying?” She said, "Yes. I have made a mistake. I should not have come. You
would not want the likes of me in this church.”
Now, sweet people, somebody sits there by her side as I did. These liberals.
And he says to her, "Why, it's a peccadillo. It is nothing. One half of the girls live just like that, promiscuously,
and two-thirds of the boys. You've done nothing amiss. Forget it. Forget it. Forget it. It's
a peccadillo." Or another sits there and says, "You know, did you ever hear of an abortion? Right up the street
there's a clinic, and in three minutes or four at the most, you can murder your baby. The abortion clinic is right up
there."
I represent now and as I speak to her, the pastor of a church that I know: "Dear,
have you become acquainted with condoms? Rubbers? Our church dispenses them, and we have classes in our church
on the use of condoms. You protect yourself against syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, and AIDS. You come to the class,
and we'll teach you how to protect yourself with condoms in the church."
And another one will say, "It's your lifestyle. If you can make money easier in promiscuity,
that's your choice.” That is modern liberalism, and it's everywhere.
“Well, preacher, what did you say? What did you tell the girl?"
This is what I said. I said, "Dear girl, the Holy Spirit has convicted you of sin,
and that's why you cried. That's why you cried. The Holy Spirit of God has spoken to your heart. And dear
girl, the Holy Spirit of God has done another thing. He's brought you to Him who can wash you clean and white, clean
and white."
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
The fountain in his day,
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
E’er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love—redeeming grace!—has been my theme
And shall be till I die.
The gospel of the Son of God.
Sweet people, you can stand with me at the head of the stairway that leads up from the Patterson
Street side of our church, and see a young woman still writing "Mrs.” in front of her name—I said, "You do it"—leading
a little boy growing up, leading that little boy by the hand, taking him to Sunday school; the beginner division, the primary
division, the junior division. And now he's in our youth division. And when I see it, I say the greatest privilege
God ever gave to me was to preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ my Lord—nothing like it in the earth!
I'm so glad I belong to the family of God,
Washed in the atoning grace, cleansed by the blood,
A fellow heir with Jesus, as I travel this sod,
I'm so glad I belong to the family of God.
Preachers, we have the greatest message in the earth. Let's deliver it with power from
God in heaven. Amen. Amen.
- A Note from Brother O'Connor -
Beloved Readers:
Dr. W. A. Criswell was a beloved Father in the Faith, and one of the finest and most highly
esteemed of all Southern Baptist preachers in his day. Our dear brother preached faithfully and won multitudes of souls to
Christ in his ministry! The above message was delivered shortly before his home-going in 2002, at 93 years of age. This dear
Father in the Faith was truly a “firebrand of the Lord,” who ministered under a powerful anointing, right-up unto
the end of his earthly sojourn.
As you read, please bear in mind that Dr. Criswell preached the above message as a Senior
Baptist Pastor, to fellow Baptists, concerning the matters at issue; yet, it behooves us all to have a hearing ear,
and an open heart to these urgent warnings, which indeed concern every true Believer and follower of Christ!
Due to the glaring retrograde which the Church has experienced in this day, the above
sermon (actually, a stirring treatise upon the “curse of liberalism”), may to some seem overly poignant, and perhaps
a bit harsh; but as I read this powerful message, I was moved to weeping! I became aware of the broken heart of our Lord Jesus,
for the condition of His Church, and for our beloved nation! Yes, it is poignant! Yes, it is indeed “strong
meat!” Thank God it is, and rightfully so! Such preaching and teaching is precisely what the Body of Christ
is starving for in this hour! It is the great need of the moment, because we are even now living in the time which fulfills
the Scriptures:
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD,
that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Amos 8:11
“For the time will come when they will not endure
[shall not tolerate, stand for, or put-up with] sound doctrine [hard teaching and preaching]; but after their own lusts [ungodly
appetites, including unscriptural tangents and pursuits caused by false religious spirits] shall they heap [as gluttons, grasp
after and hoard-up] to themselves [welcome, embrace, employ, and gather] teachers, having itching ears [because they shall
have ears that are always itching for some new doctrine].” 2 Timothy 4:3
It is high-time to get the “pabulum” out of the pulpit, along with all
the “false apostles,” “false teachers,” and “false brethren.” Praise the Lord! It is time
to see true men (and women) of God in our pulpits: Those who “weep between the porch and the altar,” and fast
and pray for the Lost! Oh, for ministers of God who will “lift up their voices, cry aloud, and spare not!” Oh,
for those who will “set their faces as flint, and make their foreheads as an adamant stone!” Oh, for those faithful
preachers of righteousness who will stand as pillars, and preach the “Beauty
of Holiness” unto this wicked and perverse generation; showing the people
their sins, errors, and wicked ways!
Lord, grant us a “Samuel-Company,” who will keep the old “Lampstand”
burning; who will grow more and more (with a changing of their garments, year by year), “unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ.” Lord Jesus, please raise up such a Company of Prophets, who shall stand true and
faithful; even in the midst of “Eli's backslidden house!” Grant to us those stalwarts of the Faith, who shall
indeed stand pure from all compromise and “shadow of turning,” as they call-back your people unto the paths
of their fathers: Unto those “old paths, where is the good way!” Amen and Amen! Lord Jesus, so grant it to
be so!
