I wanted to use the bathroom when I arrived yesterday morning at the grocery store I work at. I followed my usual routine of knocking on the door (no answer) and gently turning the handle (it was not locked).
As I opened the door, an older gentleman relieving himself called out ‘Come in!’ It was awkward.
The incident reminded me of a commonly cited Scripture.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
Matthew Henry wrote concerning this verse,
“Christ is graciously pleased by his word and Spirit to come to the door of the heart of sinners; he draws near to them in a way of mercy, ready to make them a kind visit. [2.] He finds this door shut against him; the heart of man is by nature shut up against Christ by ignorance, unbelief, sinful prejudices. [3.] When he finds the heart shut, he does not immediately withdraw, but he waits to be gracious, even till his head be filled with the dew. [4.] He uses all proper means to awaken sinners, and to cause them to open to him: he calls by his word, he knocks by the impulses of his Spirit upon their conscience. [5.] Those who open to him shall enjoy his presence, to their great comfort and advantage. He will sup with them; he will accept of what is good in them; he will eat his pleasant fruit; and he will bring the best part of the entertainment with him. If what he finds would make but a poor feast, what he brings will make up the deficiency: he will give fresh supplies of graces and comforts, and thereby stir up fresh actings of faith, and love, and delight; and in all this Christ and his repenting people will enjoy pleasant communion with each other. Alas! What do careless obstinate sinners lose by refusing to open the door of the heart to Christ!” [i]
[i] Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. VI Accessed 16 August 2006. Available: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.xxvii.iv.html
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Reviewing Themes
A recent article published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram succinctly summarizes several themes I have raised in this blog.
‘“True biblical faith is the kind of faith that is willing to say: 'I don't care what it costs me. I am willing to do whatever [Jesus wants] me to do,'"said Jon Speed, a 34-year-old street preacher from Justin. ‘That's the Gospel.’”[i]
No. That is not the gospel but how Mr. Speed responds to the gospel. As I wrote last month the New Testament defines the gospel as, simply, Christ. More specifically, the “gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The article then addressed the public image of Christians.
“Experts say that evangelical Christians who take to the streets seem to be trying to rehabilitate the image of the street preacher, a figure of disrepute in the popular imagination.”
Next the issue of the Great Commission (it was quoted at the end of the article) arose.
“David Personius, a 15-year-old from Keller, was handing out pamphlets with other Great News Network members. "It might not be the funnest thing to do, but I know I should be doing it," he said. "If I'm a Christian, I should do things Christ said to do."
It sounds like he was ‘doing evangelism’ out of duty because that is what Christians do, rather than a desire to see God’s glory made known.
[i] Jeff Carlton, “Evangelists take to the streets, but aren’t always welcome.” The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 14 August 2006. Accessed 15 August 2006.
Available:
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/nation/15271253.htm
‘“True biblical faith is the kind of faith that is willing to say: 'I don't care what it costs me. I am willing to do whatever [Jesus wants] me to do,'"said Jon Speed, a 34-year-old street preacher from Justin. ‘That's the Gospel.’”[i]
No. That is not the gospel but how Mr. Speed responds to the gospel. As I wrote last month the New Testament defines the gospel as, simply, Christ. More specifically, the “gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The article then addressed the public image of Christians.
“Experts say that evangelical Christians who take to the streets seem to be trying to rehabilitate the image of the street preacher, a figure of disrepute in the popular imagination.”
Next the issue of the Great Commission (it was quoted at the end of the article) arose.
“David Personius, a 15-year-old from Keller, was handing out pamphlets with other Great News Network members. "It might not be the funnest thing to do, but I know I should be doing it," he said. "If I'm a Christian, I should do things Christ said to do."
It sounds like he was ‘doing evangelism’ out of duty because that is what Christians do, rather than a desire to see God’s glory made known.
[i] Jeff Carlton, “Evangelists take to the streets, but aren’t always welcome.” The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 14 August 2006. Accessed 15 August 2006.
Available:
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/nation/15271253.htm
Monday, August 14, 2006
Sweet Union
I recently dipped an Oreo cookie into a glass of milk hoping that my taste buds had changed. They hadn’t. The cookie was soggy. As a boy I could never understand why people in Oreo commercials habitually dunked the cookies into milk.
I recently had a hunch it had something to do with marketing the snack food so I decided to investigate.
My hunch was correct.
Apparently Oreo cookies were initially targeted at the tea-drinking British market. But in the late 20th century, Oreos became synonymous with milk.
A 2004 press release illustrates this union.
“Oreo cookies and milk go hand-in-hand – literally,” said Jeff Manning, executive director of the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB). “Nothing beats an ice cold glass of milk and an Oreo…It’s a classic combination.”[i]
The partnership continues. A glass of milk is featured prominently on the main page of the Oreo cookie website. In fact people can write and videotape songs as a part of the ‘Oreo and Milk Jingle’ competition.
It’s a smart public relations campaign. And that got me thinking.
What is the image of the church in North America?
Is it a gathering of believers obeying God and reaching out in love to others?
Probably not.
As one pastor noted, “The face of evangelicals is an angry face, protesting something, rather than people that are serving or helping or reaching out.”[ii]
May the Church of Christ renew its heart for God, service and humanity!
[i] After Dunking for Decades, Oreo and Milk Take the Plunge. Press Release. 9 September 2004. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/evangelical/cst-nws-evang11.html
[ii] Cathleen Falsani, “Church leaders work to alter public perception.” Chicago Sun-Times, 11 February 2005. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.gotmilk.com/news/news_034.html
I recently had a hunch it had something to do with marketing the snack food so I decided to investigate.
My hunch was correct.
Apparently Oreo cookies were initially targeted at the tea-drinking British market. But in the late 20th century, Oreos became synonymous with milk.
A 2004 press release illustrates this union.
“Oreo cookies and milk go hand-in-hand – literally,” said Jeff Manning, executive director of the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB). “Nothing beats an ice cold glass of milk and an Oreo…It’s a classic combination.”[i]
The partnership continues. A glass of milk is featured prominently on the main page of the Oreo cookie website. In fact people can write and videotape songs as a part of the ‘Oreo and Milk Jingle’ competition.
It’s a smart public relations campaign. And that got me thinking.
What is the image of the church in North America?
Is it a gathering of believers obeying God and reaching out in love to others?
Probably not.
As one pastor noted, “The face of evangelicals is an angry face, protesting something, rather than people that are serving or helping or reaching out.”[ii]
May the Church of Christ renew its heart for God, service and humanity!
[i] After Dunking for Decades, Oreo and Milk Take the Plunge. Press Release. 9 September 2004. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/evangelical/cst-nws-evang11.html
[ii] Cathleen Falsani, “Church leaders work to alter public perception.” Chicago Sun-Times, 11 February 2005. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.gotmilk.com/news/news_034.html
Friday, August 11, 2006
Fruit (less) evangelism
I used to attend services at the Anglican Church in my hometown for several summers. I sometimes see the minister but he has never asked why I have not returned to the church. Nor did he invite me back.
In fact the only time the minister invited me to a church-related function it was a strawberry social!
How many 22-year old guys want to attend a strawberry social?
With this style of ‘evangelism’ perhaps it’s not surprising that when I went to that church, I was the only regular attendee in the age bracket of 15-40.
In fact the only time the minister invited me to a church-related function it was a strawberry social!
How many 22-year old guys want to attend a strawberry social?
With this style of ‘evangelism’ perhaps it’s not surprising that when I went to that church, I was the only regular attendee in the age bracket of 15-40.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Rethinking the Great Commission
I’ve heard more sermons and lectures on the Great Commission than any other subject. While certainly some were inspiring, an angry speaker attempting to motivate the listeners by guilt delivered almost all of them.
After most of these ‘share the gospel without resolve or the blood of the unsaved will be on your hands because you have made such a pithy effort to save them” messages, I was always left feeling that something was amiss. I just couldn’t figure out what that was.
It was John Piper’s book Let the Nations Be Glad that helped me understand the folly of this mentality and redirected my understanding of the purpose and pursuit of evangelism.
Rt. Rev. Dr. David Zac Niringiye, an assistant bishop of Kampala in the Church of Uganda (which is a member of the Anglican communion) in an interview with Christianity Today provides a superb perspective as an observer outside our subculture.
Dr. Niringiye believes that one of the most serious threats to the North American church is the deception of power—the deception of being at the centre. He was asked how the Church in the West could better equip itself to be more countercultural.
This was his reply:
“We need to begin to read the Bible differently. Americans have been preoccupied with the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the Great Commission: ‘Go and make.’ I call them go-and-make missionaries. These are the go-and-fix-it people. The go-and-make people are those who act like it's all in our power, and all we have to do is "finish the task." They love that passage! But when read from the center of power, that passage simply reinforces the illusion that it's about us, that we are in charge.
I would like to suggest a new favorite passage, the Great Invitation. It's what we find if we read from the beginning of the Gospels rather than the end. Jesus says, "Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men." Not "Go and make," but "I will make you." It's all about Jesus. And do you know the last words of Jesus to Peter, in John 21? "Follow me." The last words of Simon Peter's encounter are the same as the first words.”[i]
How refreshing to hear a God-centered message!
[i] “Experiencing Life at the Margins” Christianity Today. 14 July 2006. Accessed 14 July 2006. Available:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/007/31.32.html
After most of these ‘share the gospel without resolve or the blood of the unsaved will be on your hands because you have made such a pithy effort to save them” messages, I was always left feeling that something was amiss. I just couldn’t figure out what that was.
It was John Piper’s book Let the Nations Be Glad that helped me understand the folly of this mentality and redirected my understanding of the purpose and pursuit of evangelism.
Rt. Rev. Dr. David Zac Niringiye, an assistant bishop of Kampala in the Church of Uganda (which is a member of the Anglican communion) in an interview with Christianity Today provides a superb perspective as an observer outside our subculture.
Dr. Niringiye believes that one of the most serious threats to the North American church is the deception of power—the deception of being at the centre. He was asked how the Church in the West could better equip itself to be more countercultural.
This was his reply:
“We need to begin to read the Bible differently. Americans have been preoccupied with the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the Great Commission: ‘Go and make.’ I call them go-and-make missionaries. These are the go-and-fix-it people. The go-and-make people are those who act like it's all in our power, and all we have to do is "finish the task." They love that passage! But when read from the center of power, that passage simply reinforces the illusion that it's about us, that we are in charge.
I would like to suggest a new favorite passage, the Great Invitation. It's what we find if we read from the beginning of the Gospels rather than the end. Jesus says, "Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men." Not "Go and make," but "I will make you." It's all about Jesus. And do you know the last words of Jesus to Peter, in John 21? "Follow me." The last words of Simon Peter's encounter are the same as the first words.”[i]
How refreshing to hear a God-centered message!
[i] “Experiencing Life at the Margins” Christianity Today. 14 July 2006. Accessed 14 July 2006. Available:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/007/31.32.html
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Sin No More
Jesus told a man He healed, “See you are well! Sin no more.” (John 5:14).
To many contemporary people ‘sin no more’ means just that – sin no longer exists. The Church of England recently investigated the beliefs of “generation Y” (15-to-25-year-olds). Their study, which was published in a book, yielded fascinating results.
As a journalist in The Guardian quipped after reading the results, “Sin is as alien to the contemporary mind as fetching water from a well (and) darning your own socks.”[i]
The researchers found a sense of need for salvation from sin to be non-existent, while death was perceived as less problematic than aging!
The reporter attempted to put a positive spin on the findings.
“Call them empty gestures if you will, but young people today care a great deal about trade justice, making poverty history and saving the planet for future generations and cute little baby elephants. Sinners reject God, but not necessarily the good.”[ii]
Of course, rejecting God, but not the good is impossible.
Paul wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
This is similar to Psalm 14:2-3: “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Both verses are about humanity’s natural fallen condition apart from God’s grace. This is given further credence in Romans 7:18. Paul said, “I know that no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” “Flesh” refers to man in his natural state apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. So he is saying that apart from this Holy Spirit, all we do apart from God is not good.
Romans 12:23 says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” As Dr. John Piper said, “This is a radical indictment of all natural ‘virtue’ that does not flow from a heart humbly relying on God’s grace.”[iii]
Dr. Piper wrote, “Of course totally depraved men can be very religious and very philanthropic. They can pray and give alms and fast as Jesus said. But their very religion is rebellion against the rights of their Creator, if it does not come from a childlike heart of trust in the free grace of God.”[iv]
These caring gestures are not done for God’s glory and out of submission to the Lord’s will - even though He gives us everything (Romans 11:36). After all, we are called to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Dr. Piper said, “Therefore even these ‘good’ acts are part of our rebellion and are not “good” in the sense that really counts in the end – in relation to God.”[v]
Prior to receiving Christ – and the perpetual state of unbelievers- we are enemies of God (Romans 5:10), dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18) and blinded by Satan to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
Further, as Paul noted in Romans 8:7-8, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is death…it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, in cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” The mind of people set on the flesh are people who do have the Spirit of God within them.
In contrast, those whose mind is not set on the flesh focus on God. “You are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9).
The study’s conclusions are obvious in light of Scripture. After all, 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Ironically the reporter’s term “empty gestures” is more accurate than the reporter intended.
The Westminister Confession states: “Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet, because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful and can not please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God.”[vi]
[i] Julian Baggini, “What is sin?” The Guardian. 9 May 2006. Accessed 10 May 2006. Available:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1770605,00.html
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Bethlehem Baptist Church staff, “What We Believe about the Five Points of Calvinism.” Bethlehem Baptist Church. Revised 1998. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/doctrines_grace/tulip.html
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/
To many contemporary people ‘sin no more’ means just that – sin no longer exists. The Church of England recently investigated the beliefs of “generation Y” (15-to-25-year-olds). Their study, which was published in a book, yielded fascinating results.
As a journalist in The Guardian quipped after reading the results, “Sin is as alien to the contemporary mind as fetching water from a well (and) darning your own socks.”[i]
The researchers found a sense of need for salvation from sin to be non-existent, while death was perceived as less problematic than aging!
The reporter attempted to put a positive spin on the findings.
“Call them empty gestures if you will, but young people today care a great deal about trade justice, making poverty history and saving the planet for future generations and cute little baby elephants. Sinners reject God, but not necessarily the good.”[ii]
Of course, rejecting God, but not the good is impossible.
Paul wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
This is similar to Psalm 14:2-3: “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Both verses are about humanity’s natural fallen condition apart from God’s grace. This is given further credence in Romans 7:18. Paul said, “I know that no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” “Flesh” refers to man in his natural state apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. So he is saying that apart from this Holy Spirit, all we do apart from God is not good.
Romans 12:23 says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” As Dr. John Piper said, “This is a radical indictment of all natural ‘virtue’ that does not flow from a heart humbly relying on God’s grace.”[iii]
Dr. Piper wrote, “Of course totally depraved men can be very religious and very philanthropic. They can pray and give alms and fast as Jesus said. But their very religion is rebellion against the rights of their Creator, if it does not come from a childlike heart of trust in the free grace of God.”[iv]
These caring gestures are not done for God’s glory and out of submission to the Lord’s will - even though He gives us everything (Romans 11:36). After all, we are called to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Dr. Piper said, “Therefore even these ‘good’ acts are part of our rebellion and are not “good” in the sense that really counts in the end – in relation to God.”[v]
Prior to receiving Christ – and the perpetual state of unbelievers- we are enemies of God (Romans 5:10), dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18) and blinded by Satan to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
Further, as Paul noted in Romans 8:7-8, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is death…it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, in cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” The mind of people set on the flesh are people who do have the Spirit of God within them.
In contrast, those whose mind is not set on the flesh focus on God. “You are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9).
The study’s conclusions are obvious in light of Scripture. After all, 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Ironically the reporter’s term “empty gestures” is more accurate than the reporter intended.
The Westminister Confession states: “Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet, because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful and can not please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God.”[vi]
[i] Julian Baggini, “What is sin?” The Guardian. 9 May 2006. Accessed 10 May 2006. Available:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1770605,00.html
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Bethlehem Baptist Church staff, “What We Believe about the Five Points of Calvinism.” Bethlehem Baptist Church. Revised 1998. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/doctrines_grace/tulip.html
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646. Accessed 11 July 2006. Available:
http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The end is near?
A friend told me he was dismayed at a Bible study because the belief that we are living in the last days was accepted as truth and based on the assumption that the world is getting worse.
Much has been written about the End Times. It’s a fascination among so many. I don’t think a lot about the end of the world, believing that while it is certainly possible the world will end soon I don’t think it will.
While liberals can be accused of marching toward their garden of paradise (all the while forgetting the reality of original sin imputed to Adam’s descendants) in their assumption that the world is ever improving, end times advocates are resolute in their belief the world is in a constant decline.
Both positions, I believe, originate from an ignorance of history.
John Piper points out that the letter of Jude teaches us something about the value of learning history in his book Life as a Vapour, which as a side note, was recently given to President George W. Bush as a gift from a Christian family.
He points out that Jude assumes that knowing history will help the church understand their own situation better. Dr. Piper writes, “The Christians will handle the error better today if they know similar situations from yesterday.”[i]
Along with being blessed with a great name, Stanton P. Durham is also blessed with a great mind. He divides history into seven eras, and explains that while the specific obstacles God’s people endure change, enemies always batter the church.
Jesus said this would happen (John 16:33).
Here is a summary of the seven ages Mr. Durham describes:
Pre-Christian era: Adversaries include Egypt and the inhabitants of Canaan, but Abraham’s promised seed endures.
Proto-Christian era: Mr. Durham writes, “Redemption accomplished, God continues calling His people. God’s adversaries are the city of Rome (the world-wide pagan culture) and Jewry (the unbelieving religious community). The latter adversary is destined to be crushed by the former enemy, while the former enemy is destined to be converted ere long.”[ii]
Pro-Christian era: Although this is the era of Christendom, there are God’s enemies in the church at Rome, in Islam, in struggles between Barbarism and Christianity, and in the consolidation of world empires.[iii]
Paleo-Christian era: Despite opposition from the church at Rome and the neo-pagan Classicism of the humanistic Renaissance, God uses reformers to bring His people to the Scriptures.
Public Christian era: The Copernican and Newtonian revolutions usher in the Enlightenment. God’s enemies including cultists, the Enlightenment itself, darwinian evolution, Eurocentrism and slave-holding.
Protest-Christian: Ushered in by theological liberalism, technology, over-optimism and pragmatism. “Accompanying this reaction appears an eschatological malaise over the world’s pitiable condition, as if the believer were convinced God is no longer in control.”[iv]
Proletarian Christian: God’s kingdom battles liberationism, pluralism and relativism.
Clearly God’s people have always faced challenges. May we be as vigilant as the saints of yesteryear in proclaiming the truth in the face of opposition!
[i] John Piper. “The Value of Learning History.” Life as a Vapor. Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, pp. 93-97 (p 95).
[ii] Stanton P Durham. “Believers in a Post-Christian Era.” The Banner of Truth. Issue 428. May 1999, pp. 25-27 (p 25).
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid, p. 26.
Much has been written about the End Times. It’s a fascination among so many. I don’t think a lot about the end of the world, believing that while it is certainly possible the world will end soon I don’t think it will.
While liberals can be accused of marching toward their garden of paradise (all the while forgetting the reality of original sin imputed to Adam’s descendants) in their assumption that the world is ever improving, end times advocates are resolute in their belief the world is in a constant decline.
Both positions, I believe, originate from an ignorance of history.
John Piper points out that the letter of Jude teaches us something about the value of learning history in his book Life as a Vapour, which as a side note, was recently given to President George W. Bush as a gift from a Christian family.
He points out that Jude assumes that knowing history will help the church understand their own situation better. Dr. Piper writes, “The Christians will handle the error better today if they know similar situations from yesterday.”[i]
Along with being blessed with a great name, Stanton P. Durham is also blessed with a great mind. He divides history into seven eras, and explains that while the specific obstacles God’s people endure change, enemies always batter the church.
Jesus said this would happen (John 16:33).
Here is a summary of the seven ages Mr. Durham describes:
Pre-Christian era: Adversaries include Egypt and the inhabitants of Canaan, but Abraham’s promised seed endures.
Proto-Christian era: Mr. Durham writes, “Redemption accomplished, God continues calling His people. God’s adversaries are the city of Rome (the world-wide pagan culture) and Jewry (the unbelieving religious community). The latter adversary is destined to be crushed by the former enemy, while the former enemy is destined to be converted ere long.”[ii]
Pro-Christian era: Although this is the era of Christendom, there are God’s enemies in the church at Rome, in Islam, in struggles between Barbarism and Christianity, and in the consolidation of world empires.[iii]
Paleo-Christian era: Despite opposition from the church at Rome and the neo-pagan Classicism of the humanistic Renaissance, God uses reformers to bring His people to the Scriptures.
Public Christian era: The Copernican and Newtonian revolutions usher in the Enlightenment. God’s enemies including cultists, the Enlightenment itself, darwinian evolution, Eurocentrism and slave-holding.
Protest-Christian: Ushered in by theological liberalism, technology, over-optimism and pragmatism. “Accompanying this reaction appears an eschatological malaise over the world’s pitiable condition, as if the believer were convinced God is no longer in control.”[iv]
Proletarian Christian: God’s kingdom battles liberationism, pluralism and relativism.
Clearly God’s people have always faced challenges. May we be as vigilant as the saints of yesteryear in proclaiming the truth in the face of opposition!
[i] John Piper. “The Value of Learning History.” Life as a Vapor. Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, pp. 93-97 (p 95).
[ii] Stanton P Durham. “Believers in a Post-Christian Era.” The Banner of Truth. Issue 428. May 1999, pp. 25-27 (p 25).
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid, p. 26.
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