Thursday, June 30, 2005
I once heard a Christian leader say we are living in dangerously exciting times. He was right, of course; even a casual survey of the cultural landscape reveals both danger and excitement. The rapid--almost dizzying--advancements in the medical and computer fields are surely cause for marvel.
On the other hand, consider the troubling realities that confront us in the early twenty-first century, among them: the breakdown of the family, moral relativism, economic uncertainty, strange weather phenomena, and the scourge of terrorism. From a Christian perspective, we could add to this list a number of spiritual dangers, including the subversion of biblical truth and the proliferation of non-Christian religions and cults.
The apostle Paul was concerned about spiritual dangers in his day when he gave this charge to a young pastor named Timothy: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:2-3). Paul's sobering words are certainly relevant today, especially in light of the almost wholesale departure from biblical Christianity we are witnessing in many parts of the church.
I am firmly convinced that the recovery of sound biblical doctrine is an imperative for our time. A humorous yet telling incident drove this point home to me several years ago. Following a worship service one Sunday morning, a young woman approached me and in all seriousness asked if I baptized cats! Although she most likely confused baptism with the blessing of animals in some Christian traditions, this incident was one of many that underscored for me the pastoral importance of sound Bible teaching.
Moreover, I have encountered over the years a growing number of Christians whose understanding of the faith comes largely from pop theology and spiritual faddism. However, a good deal of what purports to be Christian belief and behavior in our time is not consonant with Scripture; much of it borders on sheer zaniness. The overemphasis on financial prosperity (the health and wealth gospel) by many conservative Christians and the affirmation of same sex marriages by those in liberal church settings are but two examples of the doctrinal laxity afflicting much of the church.
No doubt about it: we are living in dangerously exciting times, both within the church and without. May these times find us awakening from our spiritual slumber to embrace biblical truth and know God in Christ. And may it please the Lord to send Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, God-exalting revival to our land ... and to the spiritually-barren American church.
--Deutero Q
