We live in a day of moral relativism.
A day and age where there really is no absolute truth. In fact, we live in a day and age which is called by progressives the era of:
POST TRUTH
In short, an era where anything goes, where the ends justifies the means, and where right and wrong are determined by individuals, groups and entities and of course political parties. We deal with truth and fact only when we have to.
And so it is with the Bible, what once was thought of as:
HOLY SCRIPTURES
All 66 books so-called Old and New Testaments. That Judeo-Christian Bible once thought of as the infallible guide for right living is now regarded as a book of stories, fables, myths, a book irrelevant, no longer read much less taught. The Bible as one progressive stated is the book for the DEPLORABLES, the common man, the non-thinking man, old-fashioned and wedded to the past. The Bible is regarded no longer as infallible but at best inspirational. And of course it is no longer the INERRANT Word of God but the words and sayings of mere mankind. Scripture no longer stands alone but is subject to interpretation, INDIVIDUALITY, what the reader thinks is right and what the reader thinks the words mean. There are versions and interpretations of this once Holy Book, commentaries abound and the emergence of new doctrines produce a fractured and divided Christianity with dozens of denominations, and cults, and independent religious groups and churches which believe what they wish and do their own thing. It is the ME day and age, where truth is within and for that individual. It is all about what I like, what I think, and what I believe. The day and age of Christian commonality, core beliefs and consistency is long gone.
It seems as though even conservative Christians have forsaken some of the core teachings, tenets and beliefs and Scripture fundamentals, themselves corrupted by this ego-driven day and age. A recent poll was conducted by George Barna and Bill Dallas: what they the conservatives believed and how they shared those beliefs with others. They found that Christian conservative:
ADULTS SHARED ALL KINDS OF DIVERGENT IDEAS ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE WITH NON-BELIEVERS
They discovered that conservative Christian believers began with the premise that PEOPLE ARE BASICALLY GOOD. That is, inherently and instinctively, people would choose the good whether in word, thought or deed. In fact, one could expect from another positive, philanthropic even loving behavior because those instincts came from within. No matter that the Bible states clearly that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, that there are none righteous, no not one, that all are in need of salvation and forgiveness of SIN. Mankind was inherently good and that goodness within should be cultivated rather than forgiveness from without, from a PERSON OF OLD.
The Barna Poll surprisingly found that many conservative Christians felt that:
“HAVING SOME FAITH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SUBSTANCE OF THAT FAITH.”
In other words, believe what you want as long as you have faith, just some faith no matter what the substance, the core, the foundation, the fundamentals of that faith would be. It seems almost shocking that conservative Christians would not only believe that, but share that fundamental with non-believers. That of course is clearly contrary to Scripture which states emphatically the words and proclamations of Jesus Christ:
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO MAN COMES UNTO THE FATHER BUT BY ME!
There is, the Bible says, but one faith, one right faith, founded upon the person of Jesus Christ and there are no other ways, religions or beliefs which work. The Bible is ignored in favor of post-truth FEEL-GOOD. Cultivate your own faith, your own beliefs and that is good enough. No matter the Bible soundly disagrees.
Conservative Christians, the pollsters found, believed and shared with non-believers that:
GOD EXISTS AND IS OMNIPOTENT AND OMNISCIENT YET MANKIND EVOLVED.
God, they believe, is all-knowing and all-powerful, the Creator of the universe. And yet, mankind evolved without some act of creation. In short, so many conservative Christians believe in EVOLUTION. If mankind evolved and all things with him, then so does morality, beliefs and way of living, that all evolves as well. Morality is therefore not absolute but rather constantly changing consistent with post-truth standards. Biblical truths may have been relevant 2,000 years ago but not today. Nothing can be more contrary to BIBLE TRUTHS which are absolute, perhaps beginning with the Ten Commandments and establishing the absolute way to salvation and life eternal. Those are the commandments, the absolute ones of an all-knowing and all-powerful God. This poll further found that conservative Christian believers think God is aware of what happens throughout the universe but is not involved in our lives. In short, God knows all but God does not intervene. We are essentially on our own, without divine help, mercy or grace for apparently, this new version of a conservative God is too busy with the universe to be involved with the billions of human beings HE may have created. Such a belief seems absolutely shocking, does it not? From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible indicates that GOD THE CREATOR is involved in the life of every human being and in the course of mankind. In fact, says the Bible, God is not some aloof force, or mind, or even distant Creator, but one who is near and in fact has put the sense of Him deep within us. We are educated by His prophets and His ordained apostles. His truth is revealed to us, says the Bible, and His spirit, THE HOLY SPIRIT is an intimate, current part of the life of every believer. Perhaps these so-called conservative Christians have forgotten that or in their own wisdom, forsaken this mighty truth. Sharing this kind of watered down or corrupted Christianity does more harm than good.
Strangely, the poll found that so many conservative Christian believers think there is indeed absolute moral truth. BUT, it is not universal. Absolute truth is there, but not everywhere. It is real but it can not affect the life of every human being. That seems most inconsistent, does it not? If there is absolute truth, then it does in fact exist everywhere and affects every human being. The Bible, now so highly reinterpreted as to be unrecognizable, clearly indicates that there is in fact absolute moral truth and it is in fact universal. How so many conservative Christians in their infinite wisdom came to a different conclusion is puzzling indeed.
And what the poll found next is indeed shocking. Eternal security, these seemingly Apostate Conservative Christians believe can come from:
EITHER FAITH IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST OR BY DOING GOOD DEEDS
In short, get to heaven by faith or by working your way up! That utterly ignores the direct biblical fundamental:
BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITH!
NOT OF WORKS!
NOT OF WORKS LEST ANY MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD PROUDLY BOAST OF THEIR GOOD WORKS.
You can’t work your way to heaven, the Scripture clearly states. But some so-called conservatives when sharing their faith state otherwise. What a tragedy.
And these different kind of Christians state further as they share their faith that a life is considered successful when one achieves his or her personal goals. Apparently, they say, what any individual wants and consequently gets-achieves is all that really matters. That is simply saying that life is a matter of works which can be accomplished for the good even without faith. Yet another non-biblical rationalization.
And more. The Bible they say is:
THE RELIABLE WORD OF GOD
Not the inerrant, infallible Word of God, but simply reliable. Perhaps a good guide but there is more to truth than the Bible.
And the next form of current, modern, individualized so-called conservative belief seems even more shocking, the pollsters found:
JESUS UNDERSTANDS OUR STRUGGLES BECAUSE HE SINNED WHILE ON EARTH.
Truly conservative belief postulates a sinless Christ, a life lived on earth among men but without sin. It is ridiculous to think that Jesus of Nazareth had to sin himself in order for him to understand us. By the power of God, he lived a life of righteousness and without sins, so we are taught and so we believe. What these new conservatives believe is absolutely contrary to the orthodoxy of the Bible.
Ironically, these conservatives believe that sin is real. That we break the law of God, conduct ourselves immorally. That sin is real and all mankind are in fact sinners. They seem to leave out what happens next. They leave out that biblical part about:
THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.
But then these fake conservatives go onto say that:
SATAN AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE NOT REAL!
Satan is mythological, only a human personification of SIN (which is real while he is not) and the so-called Holy Spirit is merely a figment of the imagination. So much for the devil, Satan and his angels. And, how the so-called conservative Christians can state so emphatically that there is no such thing as the Holy Spirit when the Bible’s New Testament, beginning with the Book of Acts states so clearly that there is in fact a Holy Spirit, given by God and altogether real in the life of every believer. When all of this current, self-made and determined interpretation of the Bible and conservative Christianity are shared with non-believers, all that does so much more harm than good.
In summary, these modern, progressive so-called conservative Christians have combined and coupled multiple unbiblical concepts into their very own beliefs and consequently their presentation-sharing of these newly formed versions of the Christian faith with non-believers. It seems these new conservative believers have without compunction ignored much of the Bible and its teachings, interpreted others as they see fit and have been thoroughly influenced by an aggressive, even angry progressive, anti-religious and anti-Christianity, even atheistic culture so as to be able to share a new, non-offensive version of Christianity even if it is thoroughly NON-BIBLICAL. There is now a new amalgamation of beliefs, a new Christianity-light, non-offensive, demythologized and perhaps now believed and presented in combination with the best beliefs and so-called truths of other religions. Absolute truth has given way to an anti-dogmatism so as not to offend. The Bible recognizes these End-Times occurrences and reminds us time and again that Christianity and especially THE CROSS and all that it means is indeed an:
OFFENSE
To be a real Christian, conservative or not, the challenge is to TAKE UP THAT CROSS and follow HIM. There is, SAYS THE BIBLE:
NO OTHER WAY
Small wonder that in this day and age there comes the admonition that we should:
FIGHT THE FIGHT OF FAITH
Real faith and resist this modern day hypocrisy, apostasy and return to Scripture:
BACK TO THE BIBLE
That is, for true Bible believers to become once again:
SALT AND LIGHT
So that, if a Christian belief is shared, it can be shared boldly, clearly and consistently as the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ would have it.
There just simply is no other way, modern, conservative Christians.
None at all.