Hairdos and Clothing Change, But Heresies and Challenges to the Church Don't

I watched the following clip last Saturday night. It fired me up to preach the next day. It encouraged me to boldly expound the plain meaning of the Word of God. It fortified my resolve as a pastor not to worry about the size of my congregation but to continue being faithful as a shepherd.

But what struck me more than anything as I watched it was this: while hairdos and clothing styles change from decade to decade in evangelicalism, the challenges and threats to the gospel and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ never change. They’re just recycled, re-dressed, and renewed with every generation. This video was filmed in the mid-1980s. According to the YouTube post, it was the last time Dr. Walter Martin was on TBN – a television station that (in the great majority of its forty year history) promotes false teaching and the prosperity gospel. As you watch, you’ll understand why a godly man and orthodox theologian like him was never asked back. Some things never change – namely, the truth of God’s Word always threatens and exposes false converts, nominal Christians, and heretical ministries, even when it’s spoken with passionate love for Christ and His bride (as I believe Dr. Martin exemplifies).

You'll initially have to endure two minutes of cheesy-Christian-TV-introductory-small-talk, but there's much to enjoy here, from the 1980s glasses to Dr. Martin's insights.