8/12/2019 1989 Issue 1 - "The Unhidden Agenda" - Counsel of Chalcedon

1/2

by Larry E. Ball

A popular word today

used

to des-

he pronounces

the intended effect

of this

cribe activist groups

is

the word agenda when

he

instructs his disciples

"agenda."

An

agenda is the goal

or

pur- "to teach them to observe all things

pose of an organization usually as it whatsoever I have commanded you."

s e e ~

to shape the political and social Christ is able

to

guarantee the

s u e ~

forces

of

its culture. Communism, for cess of his agenda because all authority

example, has an agenda of redistributing "has been given" unto Him. The tense

the wealth of nations through revolu- of the verb form here tells us that

tion. The Gay Rights movement has Christ had

all

authority as he spoke to

the agenda ofchanging attitudes towards

His

disciples.

It is

not something yet to

sodomy so that it will become accepted be given

to

Him.

It

"has been given."

as

an alternate and normal lifestyle by ;Paul conflrms this in Ephesians 1:20-

the America people. 21 where he says, "when He raised Him

Sometimes groups which claim one from the dead, and seated Him at His

goal acwally have another one which is right hand in the heavenly places, far

called a "hidden agenda." The National above all rule, authority, power and do-

Education Association (NEA), which . minion, and every name that is named,

claims to be interested only

in

the educa-

not

only

in

.

this

age,

but

in the age to

'tion of

our children, actually has a hid- come." Notice that his authority is

den agenda

of

promoting the religion of. simply more than a "heavenly"

or

. Humanism and putting all education un- "spiritual" authority, but, as he says, it

der

he the control

of

the state. is a power over all that is "on the

, The word "agenda"

is not

a bad word

earth.

. n itself

as

long

as it

merely describes Christ now sits

at

the right hand

of

.

. the goal

of

a group or organization.

In

God the Father, and all rule, authority,

light of this definition, one agen

8/12/2019 1989 Issue 1 - "The Unhidden Agenda" - Counsel of Chalcedon

2/2

the Trinitarian God, "the Father, the

Son,

an(l the

Holy

.Spirit" that we be

come Christians. Thus the agenda of

the Great Commission

is

founded upon

the gospel as

it

is preached unto the con

version

of

sinners.

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In

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.

Larry Woiwode, sets his story against the back-