Protestantism is relativistic in nature. The same sort of relativism that the Protestant decries in the culture he embraces in Protestantism.
In the culture one is expected to believe in certain things, such as, democracy, constitutional freedoms, rule of law, and some basic morals. After that everything is up for grabs. The same is true in Protestantism. One must believe in a few basic doctrines, such as, the Trinity, the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Christ, and basic Christian morality. After that everything is up for grabs.
When a Protestant evangelist tells the popular culture that there is only one true religion he is told that he is prideful, narrow-minded, divisive, a relic of the past etc. When an Orthodox evangelist tells the Protestant that there is only one true expression of Christianity, he is said to be prideful, narrow-minded, divisive, a relic of the past etc. It is the same reaction because it is the same relativism.
The main reason that the popular culture adopted relativism was that it realized that reason alone did not provide them with the means to know the truth on many issues. The main reason that Protestantism adopted relativism is because they realized that the Bible alone could not provide them with the truth concerning many of the doctrines of the faith.
Sometimes it is difficult to know which came first, but usually the culture will reflect the religion of the people, and I believe that this is what has happened in this case. Because of its belief in the Bible alone Protestantism is relativistic by nature and that nature has been reflected in the popular culture. If Protestants do not like what they see in the culture they should take a moment and realize that what they see is merely a reflection of the relativistic Christianity they profess.
The only answer to the relativism of the culture is to realize that the one true God has only one true religion, and the only answer to the relativism of Protestantism is to realize that the one true God has only one true expression of the one true religion.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
A Secularized Christianity
It seems to me that the average American has become totally secularized. Even the Christianity that we profess is secular. We have taken the anti-Christian secular Culture and combined it with our Christianity. So we believe in Jesus but we also accept homosexuality, abortion, fornication, drunkenness, and virtually every religion and philosophy there is.
Our present day popular culture was formed in the 60's and 70's. It was a reaction against the Protestant Christianity which dominated American culture from its inception. As a result it became anti-Christian in nature. Whereas much of western Europe seems to have thrown off Christianity for its version of secularist anti-Christianity, we have combined the two.
It would have been better for us to do what Western Europe has done. At least there one has a clear choice to accept or reject Christianity. Here one can reject Christianity while believing that he still clings to it. It may just be the Devil's masterpiece.
Christians have always thrived when there is a clear choice and even more so when there is persecution. Evangelizing those who know that they are not Christian can be challenging, but at least they know where they stand and can accept or reject. But how does one evangelize those who believe they are Christian but are not? In today's climate they either do not believe they have a need for what the evangelist brings them, or they believe that he is just a far right extremist and dismiss him as such.
It may sound strange but I pray that God would either convert the popular culture or push it into realizing that it is anti-Christian and have it act as such.
Of course that would mean that the rest of the true Christians, who have become soft through lack of persecution, would have to get strong or apostatize. But isn't that the way it is supposed to be?
Our present day popular culture was formed in the 60's and 70's. It was a reaction against the Protestant Christianity which dominated American culture from its inception. As a result it became anti-Christian in nature. Whereas much of western Europe seems to have thrown off Christianity for its version of secularist anti-Christianity, we have combined the two.
It would have been better for us to do what Western Europe has done. At least there one has a clear choice to accept or reject Christianity. Here one can reject Christianity while believing that he still clings to it. It may just be the Devil's masterpiece.
Christians have always thrived when there is a clear choice and even more so when there is persecution. Evangelizing those who know that they are not Christian can be challenging, but at least they know where they stand and can accept or reject. But how does one evangelize those who believe they are Christian but are not? In today's climate they either do not believe they have a need for what the evangelist brings them, or they believe that he is just a far right extremist and dismiss him as such.
It may sound strange but I pray that God would either convert the popular culture or push it into realizing that it is anti-Christian and have it act as such.
Of course that would mean that the rest of the true Christians, who have become soft through lack of persecution, would have to get strong or apostatize. But isn't that the way it is supposed to be?
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