New and Improved, Christianity 2.0!

"That's right, folks! The religion you've used for years has been improved! With minimal commitment, easy to follow rules, and increased control over your own salvation, why not upgrade today!"

Okay, I imagine that sounds a bit silly, but its not far from the claims of quite a few new and old religions (cults?) alike. It seems that there is no end to the number of people who have taken it upon themselves to recreate Christianity with their own improvements.

This weekend marked the opening of a new Mormon temple in San Antonio. While the Mormons were offering an open house, many Christians attended with the intent of sharing the truth. You can imagine that this was characterized as one "version" of the truth, though. Many are offended by the lack of "tolerance" but this brings us right to the heart of the issue - is there more than one version of the truth?

Modern western sentiments often suggest that "all roads lead to the top" and "what is true for you may not be true for me." But that denies first the nature of truth. "All roads lead to the top" is a faulty analogy because it contradicts what many religions believe. Christ said He was "THE way" and that "NO man" (emphasis mine) gets to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). So, sorry, but the "Budda" road along with all other roads is washed out. Sadly, though, many who can see the problem with an "alternative" religion like Buddism get completely lost when the Truth is added to.

Groups like the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and even Muslims offer a new twist on the truth. The uniting factor between these and many others is that while they start with the truth, they then add to it - Christianity new and improved. The perfect truth of God is mixed with the nature of man. While God desires to save us through Christ's perfect sacrifice, these religions add "good works" to the mix and diminish the uniqueness, necessity and even deity of Christ.

Sadly, because they use the name of Christ, some like the Mormans even calling themself "Christian", many are led astray. Truth is always going to draw the human heart to itself - we are geared for it. We instinctively desire truth. But many will see the seed of truth in these false religions and be led astray just at the point that they begin to seek it.

For Christians it is not only for the purpose of evangelism that we should know the truth and know it well, it is a matter of self defense! Paul warns the Galatian Christians and sums it up best.

Galatians 1:6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
1:7
not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
1:8
But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!

Keep the faith.

Why The New Pope is Dizzy

The Roman Catholic Church has elected a new Pope and I bet he's getting dizzy by now! Dizzy from getting 'spun' by all the different media! There is something out of place when the modern secular press covers something like the election of a new Pope. It's a bit like bringing in John Elway to do color commentary on Olymic Iceskating. He's a great athlete and iceskating is certainly athletic, but he's from a different world of athletics all together. As the world's pundit's all dive in to create their own 'delving and insightful' pronouncements their outsider perspectives not only show that they don't know the game, but even more menacingly, that they are still going to influence it.

Upon Cardinal Ratzinger's selection as Pope the talking heads immediately went into action! Quickly, he was pegged a 'conservative.' His life's history was almost instantaneously digested into its principal (read: 'newsworthy') events and a shortlist of his most significant (read: 'controversial') events. We learned immediately that this 78 year old Pontiff was know for his conservative stance on several key (...to westerners...) issues such as homosexuality, gays and women in the ministry, moral relativism, etc. But, all of this served to tell us less about the Pope and more about where the individual reporters felt Catholicism should be headed.

"What do you mean? Aren't the reporters just giving an unbiased, objective account of the situation?" (For the record a full 5 minutes of laughter have just passed since I typed that last bit.) NO! Of course they are not unbiased any more than 'Christianity Today' would be unbiased in its coverage of a gay rights parade. We're human. Bias is part of who we are. "Prove it! Where's the bias?"

Let's start with the selection of issues. Of all the activities and theological distinctions that could describe Pope Benedict XVI, what is getting the most print? An MSNBC story on April 20 summed it all up under the heading of "Relativism." No judgements were made in the article but the point was clear that the Pope's most controversial characteristic was that he believed that relativism was dangerous.

The language used in coverage is especially telling. The same story noted that he had "upheld church policy against attempts by liberals for reforms." Isn't reform a good thing? Why would he oppose that? Did the Roman Catholic Church characterize these attempts as "reforms" to church doctrine or as "attacks" on it. Language reveals how we see the relationships involved and what we value. Coverage has often sent the clear message that the Catholic Church's moral positions just needed to "progress" or be "reformed."

The worldview is clearly that of an outsider who does not believe in absolute truth. Without going into any defense of the Roman Catholic Church (or attack), it should suffice to say they stand closer to Biblical Truth than the secular realm does. Their moral positions are ostensibly based on Truth which never changes. This doesn't leave room for change unless the belief is found to be untrue. But the worldview found in most media sources is one of relativism where truth is whatever a situation calls for. In this worldview faith and religion are merely phycological constructs that help us to feel good and therefore can be manipulated and 'reformed' as needed to maintain our good feelings.

The danger in all of this is that while they speak from the outside, many on the inside begin to follow their lead. Churches and people of faith far beyond the realm of Roman Catholicism begin to use the secular language and this shapes our thoughts. We've been led to believe that what Christians need is good dialogue with Muslims and Jews. We just need to be more "tolerant" of other faiths. This makes perfect sense if our faith is nothing more than psychic insulation from the fear of a big, impersonal, God-less universe. But if we are standing on the Rock of Salvation that doesn't move, then it is they that must move and abandon deceit, lies, and false religion. Paul says to do it with gentleness and respect, but we're supposed to "correct those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim 2:25).

Keep the faith