Observations From the Web

2008-03-24

Recently, while reading some articles on the web on the state of Christianity in America, I found some interesting points of view. One stated that the Faith is regarded as irrelevant and has nothing to offer that is meaningful and intelligent. Some time before that I read an article that says that Christians have lost the culture war in America, referring to homosexuality, abortion, and other phenomena that are considered acceptable that were not acceptable fifty years ago.

My question is, what are we doing wrong?

I read a book a number of years ago written by Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis. I believe he answered that question to a large degree. The world has been firing at our foundation, the Bible, for decades. Casting doubt on Genesis destroys the foundation of the whole Bible, and therefore the foundation of the entire Faith. Meanwhile, we have been attacking the symptoms, not the disease, of the world. We have been lashing out against homosexuality, abortion, and like issues that the world approves. Preaching hard against sin is not bad; it is even necessary. But the underlying problem is the fallen world and sin. You cannot make a person change his or her mind on these topics unless they trust Christ (and even if they did change their mind without Christ, it would be for the wrong reason)! Only by the power of the Spirit are we able to share God’s view on things like homosexuality and abortion. Frankly, I probably would think that these things would be okay too if I did not trust Christ.

Somehow, we need to make a shift... we need to target not the symptoms of sin, but the disease itself. Generally, we call this sin, but more specifically it is a worldview that is not the worldview of the Bible. What wrong thinking do people have? What painful experiences do people have? Increasingly, people have less experience with church or have other very different (or lack) religious beliefs; therefore a recitation of John 3:16 may not be understood because they lack the knowledge of who God is, how He could have a Son, and how or why this Son had to be “given.”

People here in the west are little different in their very core to indigenous people overseas. The Biblical narrative must replace the story they live in. Jesus cannot be shared until one has a true understanding of the Creator God of the Old Testament. And even before that, often one must earn the right to be heard by building a relationship with them.

What do you think? Send me your comments.