There can be no denying the fact that America is in crisis, says a group of Christians. And to find the cause of the bad health of the nation, the group says, "Look to church."
"The current condition of America is a direct result of the Church rejecting the Word of God as the source of all truth and being subverted by the philosophies of the world," says the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches.
Concerned about the health of the nation, the family and the church, the Wake Forest, N.C.-based center is holding a "Sufficiency of Scripture" conference beginning Thursday.
"The importance of this conference is seen in this one truth: if we decide that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant, we have only fought half the battle. We must then go to the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture: that Scripture is not only infallible, the living word of God, but it is sufficient for every case, for every situation that the Christian is confronted with in this life," said Paul Washer, director of HeartCry Missionary Society and one of the speakers at the event.
The three-day conference is being held at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and will feature such speakers as Douglas W. Phillips, founder of Vision Forum; Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum; and Kevin Swanson, executive director of Christian Home Educators of Colorado.
Event organizers say the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture – Sola Scriptura – is "the most important doctrinal battleground in the church today" and "the purity of the Church, the supremacy of the gospel, the biblical family, and the survival of Christian civilization" are hanging in the balance.
The doctrine teaches that Scripture is fully adequate in both content and clarity for "everything pertaining to life (salvation) and godliness (sanctification)" including the ordering of nations, churches, and families, according to the center.
The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches, which is dedicated to the restoration of the Christian family and the reformation of the Christian church, believes the church has deserted the doctrine of Sola Scriptura in the 19th and 20th centuries, resulting in "the defilement of nearly every aspect of America."
"Churches don’t know what it means to be true churches. Christians don’t know what it means to follow Christ. Church members don’t know the importance of the church. Families don’t know how to be families," the organizers lament.
Scott T. Brown, director of the center, argues that by abandoning the sufficiency of Scripture, "the church has assumed features from her surrounding culture, which, though innocently acquired in many cases, have nonetheless worked to dwindle our appreciation for the practices described in the Word of God."
The Dec. 10-12 conference seeks to call Christians back to their foundation in affirming that Scripture alone is sufficient to direct their lives and the life of their families, churches and the country.
Conference attendees will also receive a ticket to visit the nearby Creation Museum, which illustrates the literal six-day creation model in the Bible using science and which conference organizers say complements the event well.
Founded in 2001, the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches holds that the biblical order and unity of the family are crucial to the stability and health of the Church of Jesus Christ. The supremacy of Christ in the home, epitomized by the application of the sufficiency of Scripture, greatly affects the supremacy of Christ in the Church, and the supremacy of Christ in the Church greatly affects the supremacy of Christ in the nation, the center contends.
