Shepherds, sheep, and dust

When I read about John Shuck, a pastorat Southminster Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Beaverton, Ore., I thought about the Onion again—a pastor who doesn’t believe in God. What in the world does he preach?

As you’re probably aware, the PCUSA denomination recently compounded the abandonment of its mission to glorify God, make disciples, and equip the saints when it caved to a depraved culture and redefined marriage to include two people of the same sex.

Shuck doesn’t believe in the God of the Bible but still considers himself a Christian. He wrote on the Friendly Atheist blog that “Jesus may have been an historical figure, but most of what we know about him is in the form of legend. …God is a symbol of myth-making and not credible as a supernatural being or force. … The Bible is a human product as opposed to special revelation from a divine being. … Human consciousness is the result of natural selection, so there’s no afterlife.”

Notwithstanding the other issues, is Shuck denying the deity of Christ? How can one be a Christian and deny this? As the Good Shepherd, the True Shepherd, Christ called other shepherds to feed and tend His flock. What kind of feeding and tending can they do if they don’t believe in the authority of the One whose voice the sheep hear?

Rhetorical questions, perhaps, but important. The Apostle Paul wrote (emphasis added) to the Ephesians that Christ “gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. …”

Some church leaders are like the hireling in John 10, who sees the wolf coming and, not caring about the sheep, flees the scene. Others are the ravenous wolves who’ve come to attack the sheep. As the homosexual lobby takes on Christians and attempts to intimidate us either into silence or celebrating sinful behavior, shepherds tasked with leading Christ’s people are needed now more than ever for guidance and prayer, not capitulation.

What should Christians do when dealing with a man like Shuck, so defiant in his rebellion as he leads the flock astray? When Christ sent out His 12 apostles to share the gospel with the lost sheep of Israel, He told them that if anyone refused to listen to their words, “shake off the dust from your feet” when you leave that house or town.

That’s a powerful and satisfying image. Whether someone accepts or rejects the truth, his salvation is out of our hands. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. Still, it’s heartbreaking to witness the church surrender to depravity. Christ did not give His life for those who refuse to turn from sin.