In late September of 2009, an influential group of Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Evangelical leaders met in Manhattan, NY. The result of this meeting was a document titled “The Manhattan Declaration” which addressed some important cultural issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and religious liberty. The intent of the document was to express a unified religious voice and biblical opinion on these subjects.
On the day this post was written, the official website of The Manhattan Declaration boasts 281,743 signatures. That is just twenty-one days after the document was released to the public. Those who have signed the declaration come from various religious backgrounds. The knowledgeable reader will recognize and respect a few of the names on this list. Here is a very short sampling:
- Dr. Bryan Chapell
President, Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis, MO) - Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput
Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, CO - Chuck Colson
Founder, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, VA) - Dr. James Dobson
Founder, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO) - Most Rev. Timothy Dolan
Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, NY - Dr. William Donohue
President, Catholic League (New York, NY) - Dr. J. Ligon Duncan
Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, & President, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals - His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop Emeritus, Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit, MI - Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) - Most Rev. John J. Myers
Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, NJ - Most Rev. Jerry Ogles
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide (Enterprise, AL) - Dr. Michael Youssef
President, Leading the Way (Atlanta, GA)
With so many signers, and especially with so many signers of such religious prominence, the Manhattan Declaration must be a trustworthy document that expresses a solid biblical solution to the cultural problems the document addresses. . . Right? After all, the Bible does address such issues as abortion and the sanctity of human life, marriage between one man and one woman, and religious liberty in the sense that men have the right to worship the one true and living God no matter what governments or institutions say. The crucial problem with the Manhattan Declaration is that it does NOT address any of these problems from a biblical point of view. The document addresses the cultural problems listed above from a moral and religious point of view, not a biblical, Gospel centered one. There is a huge difference.
The biblical answer to the cultural problems this generation faces is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By never explaining what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and by never applying the message of the Gospel to these problems, the Manhattan Declaration miserably fails to identify the only solution this culture needs to hear. The supporters of this document do not deny the need for the Gospel, they simply never define what the Gospel is. At one point in the document, the writers state, “Christians today are called to proclaim the Gospel of costly grace, to protect the intrinsic dignity of the human person and to stand for the common good.” Later they write, “It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.” After that, there is only one other sentence where the Gospel is mentioned.
These brief references about the need to proclaim the Gospel are not sufficient especially in light of the diversity of “Christian traditions” involved in this project. For example, Dr. Al Mohler does not preach the same Gospel as the Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput. Dr. Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, believes in the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. The Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, CO, believes in the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ for the glory of God. Upon a cursory reading, it would appear that Dr. Mohler and Rev. Chaput believe the same thing, but in reality their beliefs are worlds apart. The critical distinction is the little word “alone.” A Roman Catholic believes in the necessity of grace and faith, but he also insists on the addition of human merit for salvation. The Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation is a damning heresy. In his reasons stating why he personally signed the Manhattan Declaration, Dr. Mohler said, “The Roman Catholic Church teaches doctrines that I find both unbiblical and abhorrent — and these doctrines define nothing less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (http://tinyurl.com/y8u9obp).
Many of the signers of the document point out that they are not compromising the message of the Gospel because the document itself recognizes the doctrinal differences among the signers. The beginning of one paragraph says, “We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences.” However, in that sentence, the message of the Gospel is compromised. Does Dr. Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and the many other Protestant Evangelicals who signed the Manhattan Declaration believe that the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican men and women who signed the same document are Christians? To be a Christian, one must believe the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ. The only sense in which an Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Anglican leader is a Christian is that they are not Hindu or Muslim. Unless a person believes in the doctrine of salvation as it is taught in the Bible, then they have no right to the term Christian. The Manhattan Declaration blatantly blurs the lines between Christianity and Unbelief.
Another major problem lies in the application of the document. If I, as a Christian, counsel a young woman thinking about abortion, I would show her what God says about the sanctity of human life from the Bible and seek to advise her against murdering her unborn child. Also, I would give my advice in the context of the Gospel of the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ and will point her to the forgiveness of sins that Christ has purchased through His blood. On the other hand, a Roman Catholic might give very similar counsel concerning the sanctity of human life and the need for her to go through with the delivery of the child. However, the Roman Catholic will not give any of that advice in the context of the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic cannot give counsel that he does not believe himself. So, the same goes for any of the other cultural issues the Manhattan Declaration addresses. The answer is the Gospel. If everyone has a different view of the essentials of the Gospel, there can only be confusion.
2 Corinthians 5:16-18 says, “God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” The doctrine of biblical separation from unbelievers is founded on the Covenant promise of God to be the God of His people and to claim them as His own. The modern evangelical is afraid of being isolated from the religious and moral dialogue unless they join forces with the influential, religious unbelievers. Admittedly, there is a fear of being closed out of the room and being looked down upon. But ultimately the question must be asked, “Whose opinion and favor do you seek?” If you honestly seek the favor of God, then “come out from among them, and be ye separate.” Attached to that is the promise of God, “I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
Evangelicals can affect social and cultural change without compromising with unbelievers. God took a few “ignorant and unlearned” men and used them to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the known world. They did not seek the help of the unbelieving religious establishment. Instead, they denounced the unbelieving religious establishment as being unbelievers and called them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
The Manhattan Declaration has placed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a secondary position and has elevated cultural morality to the first place. A woman could opt out of a dozen abortions and still spend an eternity in Hell. Every sodomite in America could become convinced that their lifestyle is immoral and still perish for all eternity. Religious freedom could come to such an extent that there is no persecution at all, but men and women will still miss Heaven. Unless the Gospel is put first, the cultural evils of our day will only increase. Unfortunately, The Manhattan Declaration does not put the Gospel first, and therefore offers no lasting help.
