PULPITEERS ARE WATERING DOWN THE GOSPEL…..
A recently disclosed Pew
Forum on Religion & Public Life survey/poll (http://religions.pewforum.org/reports)
indicated that those who stylize themselves as Christians believe that their
religious belief system can be trumped or is even equal to other “religious”
belief systems. Notably, the core belief that there is salvific truth in other
religions apart from Christianity. In other words, one can find eternal life or
salvation in a name other than Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh. John 14:10.
This alarming statistic
evidences a precipitous falling away of the main line Protestant church
believers who are becoming more and more lukewarm in their faith; and
accompanying that biblical ignorance, is their inability to discern what is
error and what is truth. Hebrews 5:14.
If one takes the position
that absolute truth is revealed in holy writ by the personhood of Jesus and that
He and the Father (God) are one but yet separate and distinct persons. I John
1:1 (along with the other member of the Triune Godhead being the Holy Spirit.
John 1:32), then the current membership of those professing knowing God via the
substitutionary sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ is becoming fewer in
numbers and more apathetic about contending for their faith.
A profound fact of
Christianity which this poll did not take into account is the exclusiveness of
the Christian dogma. Jesus said that he was the only way to the father and that
no one can come to God by any other means, method or personality. John 14:6.
That sovereign right of God
to dictate what constitutes righteousness before Him and as found in Jesus
Christ, sets Christianity apart from any other body of religious belief.
The Word of God does not
make conciliation or allow compromise as to what is termed “non negotiable”
truths. Truths that can either place one in proper relationship with God or
place one outside of the ark of safety (a state of one still being in sin and
facing eternal separation from God). I John 5:11.
What has happened is that
since the advent of taking God out of the schools and with America’s
preoccupation with materialism, we have been co-opted by theories and religious
practices that are not rooted in the Word of God and are not recognized as being
legitimate by the Word of God. 2 Timothy 4:3.
Paul the Apostle during his
famous Mars Hill speech (Acts 17) saw the same moral profligacy at work when the
people of his day were agog by any new and special discussion or debate or
movement that tickled their ear.
Paul had to set the record
straight by his bold declaration that God is and that God has made himself known
to mankind and their folly of running after other man made gods of philosophy or
intellectual debate was a non event and of no value. Romans 1:18-25.
This Pew study is an
alarming indication how our society has waxed cooler and cooler to the things of
God and is ready to coexist on practically any terms with any other body of
religious beliefs that are not of the Judeo-Christian heritage.
If a professing Christian
does not know and accept the basics of the Christian faith including the non
negotiable orthodox tenet of God in human form (Jesus Christ) reconciling the
world back to himself by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and
that it is only the shed blood of Christ at Calvary that cleanses one from sin
and make one acceptable to God, all is lost. John 3:16 and Romans 3:23.
The Pew study is a scathing
indictment on the past and current crop of church pulpiteers who mount the
pulpit Sunday after Sunday and spew forth secular humanism and an invitation to
have a “good life” or to serve the god of prosperity when the Word of God says…
“take up your cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24.
The Sunday morning hireling,
who cares more for his or her paycheck than feeding the lambs and sheep of God
with the milk and meat of the Word of God, will tell fables and tales and
humorous stories and quote poems and authors but fails to tell the assembled
congregants…”you must be born again.” John 3:3.
The Pew study is an
embarrassing close up of a religious system in America that is listing far to
the “port side of the ship” when 92 percent believe in God but yet Jesus Christ,
who is God in the flesh, railed against those who profess lip service to him but
are not in obedience to his written word. Luke 6:46.
I would wager a dollar to
your two donuts that if that many Americans were professing a real belief in God
as exemplified in obedience to the words of Jesus Christ, this society would not
be in the dire situation we are in with sexism, racism, materialism, abortion,
murder, suicide, depression and militarism.
The Pew study was deficient
in that a certain hard baseline question was not placed to these 92 percenters.
For it they were asked, “do you have a personal born again relationship with
Jesus Christ?” the answer would not be near 92 percent.
The Pew study failed to
mention that God has no “grandchildren.” In other words, each person must come
to Jesus on their own and not on the merit of their father or mother or
grandmother or grandfather. There are no salvific points for good works or good
deeds. Ephesians 2:8-9. One does good works and deeds after he or she has
encountered Jesus. James 2: 14-25.
This Pew poll should be a wake up call for the too many idle churches in America who only give perfunctory lip service to the Gospel because such crowd pleasing pastors and feckless teachers need to repent and return to their first love (if in fact they ever knew Jesus at all) or God will remove them since they are neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. Revelations 3:14-21.
Lafe Tolliver, Attorney