A question.
In a large portion of the Christianity, particularly the younger generation, the orthodox tenets of the faith are being 're-imagined', 're-painted', and ultimately 're-written'. I believe much of this is being done in the name of cultural relevance instead of in the name of Jesus, with Biblical truth bowing to popular culture; not for the sake of evangelism but for the sake of acceptance.
The Bible, our highest authority and truth, finds itself secondary to, among other things, cultural trends, popular opinion, therapeutic needs, and entertainment.
In an article, David Wells quoted radical deconstructionist Stanley Fish as saying, "since there is no such thing as truth, all that we have left is power, politics, and persuasion."
In a time when American culture as a whole seems hopelessly adrift and when some in the Church are cutting loose their anchors and sawing down their masts to drift ever more efficiently, is this true?
In the absence of Biblical truth, is the Church left with only power, politics, and persuasion?
If so, what do we even have to offer the world but more of the same?
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Hey Nick,
I know this was only the starting point of your blog, but it's what I'm most interested in:
>>In a large portion of the Christianity, particularly the younger generation, the orthodox tenets of the faith are being 're-imagined', 're-painted', and ultimately 're-written'.>>
What are some specific examples of this? I don't just mean to ask for the names of people who are doing this. I mean what specific tenets are being rewritten by whom?
Is heresy any worse now than it's always been? Christian doctrines have always been challenged and 'rewritten' by heretics. Is our generation somehow worse?
Hey TAMB,
In much of the Emergent movement things like Christ's substitutionary atonement, the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of the Bible, the exclusivity of Christ, and the doctrine of hell are being undermined.
These heresies are not worse than it's always been. Like you pointed out, the Church has been fighting heresies since the first century (as the writings of Paul and John show). My understanding is that this current trend is much like the liberalism of the 19th and 20th centuries (that Charles Spurgeon and J. Gresham Machen dealt with), just re-packaged.
I'm not sure if our generation is WORSE because I don't know enough about the state of previous generations. I do worry about two things though; our generations lack of Biblical literacy (or even concern for the Bible) and interest in the past. That's one reason why I'd like to study Church history.
Nick
"In the absence of Biblical truth, is the Church left with only power, politics, and persuasion?"
Define "the Church." Because in the absence of Biblical truth, it seems to me that there is NO true Church left, rendering what it is left with irrelevant.
Nice! Good point.