Are free churches now in the crosshairs? A possible approach is visible

Deutsch

The taxpayer-funded “official church” is lashing out at a free church, not failing to create a seemingly desired, permanent association between the term “free church” and fundamentalism. It even raises a moral finger, as if its own obvious disaster weren’t visible.

Organized differently

In Germany, churches and congregations are organized differently. There is a quasi-official church and a large number of different “free churches.”

The origin of the term “free church” lies in its independence from the state. In addition to the Roman Catholic Church, Germany also has Protestant churches, each organized in the individual federal states, organized under the umbrella organization of Protestant Churches in Germany (EKD). Since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church have each been entitled to receive church tax. The German tax authorities collect these taxes, with a corresponding commission.

Free churches, on the other hand, are not dependent on the income of individual church members. They finance themselves exclusively through contributions, donations, tithes, or other voluntary contributions. Examples of such congregations include Baptists, Methodists, Calvinists, Seventh-day Adventists, and Pentecostals. These free churches are organized in their own associations, such as the Association of Evangelical Free Churches (VEF), but have also been involved in ecumenical organizations for some time, including the Working Group of Christian Churches. (ACK). The churches of the EKD and the Roman Catholic Church are also represented.

Engine can be found in Rome

It is obvious that with this multitude of different denominations, there are correspondingly many different interpretations and understandings of the gospel. At this point, the “active movers and shakers” of the Roman Church can do anything but wash their hands of guilt. Be it the interpretation of prophecies about the end times (Info) or the feigned innocent lamb in the rapid apostasy of (former) Protestantism toward so-called Neo-Protestantism. (Info).

Free churches targeted?

It becomes particularly interesting, however, when the EKD, financed with taxpayers’ money, apparently uses its elbows to defame the free churches as a whole. “Free churches are spiritual prisons,” isn’t explicitly stated, but is nevertheless suggested. The EKD’s media mouthpiece reports on a young woman who apparently managed to escape a free church. The reference is explicitly to the “Free Church of the International Church of Germany (ICF). Indeed, it doesn’t take long to see the ICF organization for what it presents itself as: a “fair-weather, joy-of-life church” that promotes a “watered-down, pink-and-red gospel.” The ICF is much closer to charismatic philosophies than to the gospel. Incidentally, this is also, on a larger scale, thanks to the Church of Rome (after Vatican II).

However, the EKD does not fail to emphasize the term “fundamentalism” and generally describes the young woman as a “free church dropout” (Source). This would roughly outline the starting points of an enemy image, a “free church” and “fundamental” to it.

Cultivation of defamation

The term fundamentalism has long since been redefined and declared to be an enemy of “all reason.” First and foremost, once again, is the Roman Catholic Church. The interpretation of the Bible based on fundamentalism, i.e., reading the Bible as it is written, is dangerous, according to the tenor. The mouthpieces of the formerly Protestant churches, i.e., the daughters who returned to Rome (Info), have also condemned fundamentalism in a fundamental way.

As an ecumenical association, understandable, but not based on the Gospel, the then regional bishop and chairman of the ACK, Friedrich Weber, declared on 13 March 2009:
“Fundamentalism and creationism [the doctrine that God created the world in six days, literally as described in the Bible] must not be allowed into the Association of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK).“

Well, some free churches refer exclusively to the Bible as it is written, and act and teach accordingly. Fundamentalist through and through. The EKD clearly doesn’t care that members are fleeing the affiliated churches in droves. This also results in corresponding cuts in tax revenue. This is likely based on the assumption, and therefore “very courageous,” that the public sector will help out accordingly with other tax-funded resources.

There are some “psycho-organizations” that describe themselves as Christian-oriented and not only put pressure on existing members, but also manipulate and even monitor them. But is this already covered by the term “free church” alone, and even by the term “freedom”?

Freedom? What freedom?

“How free is the ICF Free Church really?” asks the EKD media outlet. This question has a certain comical quality when the Gospel is used to describe the concept of freedom. The Word of God, as it is written, has long been perceived as a foreign body within the “theologies” represented by the EKD churches and is treated as such. This is demonstrated by the definition of sin brought to the ecumenical level. (Info). Baptism is simply declared as an “entrance ticket to the kingdom of heaven” (Info).

Anyone who lives EKD teachings will be unpleasantly surprised

Anyone who actually lives this EKD and ecumenical philosophy and does not care about the truth will probably receive a horrific answer from Jesus Christ:
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23)

In this sense, the churches of the EKD and most of their members are anything but free. For “the truth will set you free,” as Jesus Christ said in John 8:32 and Paul to the young congregation in Rome:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

As always, “those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Denying the gospel, telling a fantasy Jesus, teaching people nonsense, and increasingly behaving like the Pharisees once did. They don’t even intend to enter the kingdom of heaven, but they block the door to it so that no one else can get in.

It will be interesting to see whether one of the many free churches will soon be singled out and targeted.

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)