Escape from Religion — Roger E
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1 Biblical Research Library Roger E. Dickson Dickson Biblical Research Library, www.africainternational.org Escape From Religion — Roger E. Dickson, ©2018: Africa International Missions, Hutchinson, Kansas U.S.A., Philadelphia, South Africa Contents 2 Escape From Religion Roger E. Dickson CONTENTS Preface – 3 Prologue – 6 Introduction – 11 1 – The Subtle Move To Religion – 15 2 – Christianity Versus Religion – 19 3 – Challenge Of The Restorationist – 25 4 – Gospel Stimulated Worship – 27 5 – Gospel Worship – 32 6 – Legalized Worship – 38 7 – Assemblies That Reflect Love – 42 8 – Love–Organized Encounters – 48 9 – Freedom And Law – 52 [email protected] www.africainternational.org www.blog.africainternational.org Facebook: Africa International.org Philadelphia, Western Cape, South Africa Copyright 2018, Africa International Missions Scripture quotations from International King James Version Dickson Biblical Research Library, www.africainternational.org Escape From Religion — Roger E. Dickson, ©2018: Africa International Missions, Hutchinson, Kansas U.S.A., Philadelphia, South Africa Preface 3 Preface For seagoing vessels throughout the themselves with the barnacles of tradi- world, barnacles are a nuisance. They are tion. “Barnacle free” churches are now a type of anthropoid that attach them- independent and on their way. We write selves to the hulls of ships. Over a long to these men and women who are into period of time, they begin to cover the the word of God in order to discover hull of the entire ship. They slow the anew the simple faith that is revealed in ship down, and thus they are a cumber- the word of God. some attachment to the ship. They are Nevertheless, we would give a word an obnoxious obstruction along for the of caution to these often young and zeal- ride, but prevent smooth sailing. For this ous pioneers. When the barnacles of an reason, every sailor must deal with bar- old encumbered religion have been nacles. scraped away, the sailing at first is fast When restoration movements are and furious. Unfortunately, as time young and vibrant, they thrive. The ex- passes, barnacles of tradition again start cited proponents of the refreshing wave attaching themselves to the hull of the of simple Christianity seek to be free of ship. What was once new and vibrant the barnacles of religion (traditions) that becomes bogged down with that from have encumbered them for so long in the which the fathers once freed themselves. past. Those of the initial restoration en- As ships must periodically have their joy the gospel of freedom that they re- hulls scraped free of barnacles, so also ceived in Christ, realizing that their sal- must restoration movements. We have a vation does not depend on defending the tendency to lose our first love, and once barnacles (traditions), but in living the again become stagnant with “barnacle gospel of Jesus Christ. They sail freely religion.” through the sea because they are not en- Since movements are the efforts of cumbered with conflicting barnacles that men, restoration movements are the ef- would make them a unique sect of the forts of sincere Bible lovers who seek to religious world. restore the authority of the word of God The audience of our writing in the for their faith. The problem is with the past few years has been to those through- men of the movement as the movement out the world who are seeking to scrape ages. The initial fathers of the movement the barnacles of religion from their faith braved the trials of getting our thinking in order that they might be free to sail back to the Bible and on track. But since the waters of life. There are thousands the descendants of the movement are men of believers throughout the world who themselves, and many years removed have pulled away from barnacle-laden from the pioneers, they must recognize “mainstream” religions that have over the that the movement has picked up some decades, if not centuries, encumbered barnacles along the way. The result is Dickson Biblical Research Library, www.africainternational.org Escape From Religion — Roger E. Dickson, ©2018: Africa International Missions, Hutchinson, Kansas U.S.A., Philadelphia, South Africa Preface 4 that the restoration loses its energy. It is This is not an easy task, but necessary. no longer restoration, but the preserva- If we are to see the hull again, we must tion of a barnacle-ridden heritage. This scrap away each barnacle one by one. is simply the way of all restoration move- Barnacles cement themselves to the hull, ments. There comes a time, therefore, and so, each one must be scraped away when the ship must scrape itself free with much difficulty. again from the obstruction of barnacles Our goal is to reveal the hull of the that are just along for the ride. ship that lies beneath the cover of the bar- Restoration movements that have nacles. Every ship is sailing with some been around for half a century have al- barnacles attached. But when the accu- ways attached to them some barnacles of mulation of barnacles becomes so mas- tradition. The hull of the ship is being sive, the ship is weighed down and obscured, and thus the ship is identified slowed in the waters. When we see a by the barnacles to be just another ship. heavily laden ship with so many attached It is the nature of our religiosity to barnacles, we know that the efficiency pick up barnacles. If we fail to recog- of the ship is greatly impaired. Because nize this, then we are doomed to create some do not want to suffer the pain of again that from which we once scraped scraping the hull, they simply live in the ourselves clean. Any ship that does not comfort of the ship regardless of it los- occasionally scrape itself free of bar- ing its purpose. There are a number of nacles, will eventually slow down be- ships in harbors throughout the world that cause it is encumbered. are just sitting in the harbor because no The process of scraping away the one wants to clean the hull. barnacles of tradition is hard. Before the As we journey through the trials of days of dry docks, sailors had to hold barnacle scraping, we must keep in mind their breath and dive beneath the surface that we are not of the persuasion to sit in of the sea in order to scrape the hull free a comfortable cabin and allow the ship of barnacles. It was extremely hard work. to sit idle in the harbor, being overloaded But it had to be done in order to free the with the barnacles of religious traditions. ship from that which hindered its smooth As a barnacle laden ship appears ugly be- passage through the waters of the sea. fore the world, we seek to dive beneath Those barnacles had to go in order that the surface in order to scrape the hull the ship go. clean in order that the glory of our Lord It is our task to aid those church Jesus Christ can be witnessed by the leaders who love the simplicity of the world. We ask for others to take up the gospel so much that they are willing to word of God and join in our efforts to endure all the pain that is necessary in clean away those religious rites and tra- order to dive beneath the surface of their ditions that align us with those ships that religious heritage in order to scrape the have long grown weary of scraping the gospel free of the barnacles of tradition. hull. If you are one of those people, then Dickson Biblical Research Library, www.africainternational.org Escape From Religion — Roger E. Dickson, ©2018: Africa International Missions, Hutchinson, Kansas U.S.A., Philadelphia, South Africa Preface 5 this book is meant to be a tool to encour- word alone. We must remember the age you in your “hull scraping” duties to words of two former Jews who were once keep the ship of our Lord Jesus sailing entangled in all sorts of legal religious smoothly through the seas of this world. restrictions. But they were scraped clean Is there an emotional reward for rec- in the blood of Jesus, and thus they ognizing and cleaning the hull of bar- warned some fellow Jews who failed to nacles? There certainly is! Just ask any keep their ship of faith free from the en- sea captain. Ask him his feeling concern- tanglement of barnacles: ing his ship as he sets sail for the first voyage after the hull has been set free For if after they have escaped the pollu- from all the inhibiting barnacles. He feels tions of the world through the knowledge that a great weight has been lifted from of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they his shoulders. He feels the efficiency of are again entangled in them and over- his ship. He feels he can conquer the seas come, the latter end is worse for them with his vessel for it is no longer laden than the beginning (Peter - 2 Pt 2:20). with the encumbering weight and drag of the barnacles. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by And for us to whom the metaphor which Christ has made us free, and do is applied, it is simply great to walk again not be entangled again with a yoke of by faith in God through the purity of His bondage (Paul - Gl 5:1). Dickson Biblical Research Library, www.africainternational.org Escape From Religion — Roger E. Dickson, ©2018: Africa International Missions, Hutchinson, Kansas U.S.A., Philadelphia, South Africa Prologue 6 PROLOGUE These things about which we write would endure the same rejection by the will be quite unsettling to some people.