Bjcorbin's Blog

In the last few years, the question of whether the United States is still (or ever was) a “Christian Nation” has become a popular topic of debate.  Of course how a person perceives that question is likely to depend on how they define the associated terms (e.g. Christian, Christian Nation…) and how they interpret the available data.  The fact that the vast majority of Americans still profess to believe in God (or in some form of higher power) would seem to be a positive data point, though it’s difficult to pin down exactly what that means.  Though many from that group might still identify themselves as “Christian”, statistics would seem to indicate an ever widening gap between their professed beliefs and even the most fundamental tenets of Christian doctrine.  In the absence of a traditional Judeo-Christian pattern of belief, it might be tempting to simply refer to these people as “God-fearing”; though a closer examination of their theology would seem to indicate that may be an even less accurate term.

The Bible says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, which only really makes sense in the context of a holy God, who cannot abide with sin.  If a person believes that God is simply love, with a corresponding capacity to turn a blind eye to the inequity of man, there would really be no incentive to fear Him at all.  To be sure, the scripture tells us that God is love; that He is good and faithful and full of grace; yet it also says that He is a holy, righteous and an unwavering judge, who finds all sin to be an abomination.  While our finite minds might struggle to understand how all of those traits function together within the same being, our inability to comprehend does nothing to diminish the reality of who He is.  It is the acknowledgment of God’s inherent requirement of justice that produces a holy fear of Him; and without that acknowledgment, the Christian doctrine makes little or no sense.

With the rise of secular humanism in western culture, our societal philosophy has changed dramatically over the last forty to fifty years.  Statistics indicate that more than three quarters of adults in theU.S.now believe that the truth is relative (i.e. that every man defines truth for him self), which undoubtedly has radicalized our cultural view of God.  If the truth is not absolute, then God really has no basis with which to judge anyone; and without that, we really have no reason to fear Him.  Just as moral relativism allows the individual to decide what they are willing to accept as truth, it also allows them to pick and choose what characteristics of God they are willing to accept.  Culturally, we are willing to believe in a loving God, a God of provision, a God who heals and One who will ultimately take us to “a better place” when we die.  We like the idea of heaven and angels and sometimes we can even handle the image of a baby in a manger; but we absolutely reject the notion of a God who might hold us accountable.  I don’t believe that it is at all a coincidence that the cultural symbol for Christmas has become a jolly fat man who gives us the things we want; and that for Easter, we embrace the image of a cuddly bunny, whose colorful eggs are meant to symbolize new life.  These images retain the elements of God’s character that we’re willing to accept, while expunging those characteristics we don’t want to acknowledge.

While those of us within the traditional church structure might want to think of this as a cultural issue, the evidence strongly indicates that “the church” is veering wildly off course as well.  Statistics indicate that approximately two thirds of the people who identify themselves as “Christian” also adhere to the idea that the truth is relative.  This of course directly contradicts Jesus’ claim that, amongst other things, He is the embodiment of truth.  Just as the culture has expunged what they see as the undesirable characteristics of God, “the church” is slowly eradicating those parts of the Christian doctrine that don’t support their contemporary worldview.  Mainstream Christianity inAmericais rapidly adopting a revised view of God, creation, marriage, human sexuality, sin, money, Satan and hell; all of which directly contradict the foundational teachings of Holy Scripture.  Though many of these new doctrines are draped in spiritual sounding arguments, they are rooted in a hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ.  They encourage covetousness, comfort, and complacency; while ignoring our very real need to die to ourselves and to our inherently selfish compulsions.  They create the illusion that wide is the way to righteousness and that everyone is bound to stumble upon it eventually.  We stick verses like John 15:5 (where Jesus says, I am the vine and you are the branches) on our refrigerators, because we love the image of being connected to God and having all our needs supplied; but we ignore passages like the very next verse (John 15:6), where Jesus talks about branches that don’t produce fruit being thrown into the fire.  I believe that it is time that we, who claim the name of Jesus Christ, examine the fruit of this post modern brand of Christianity.

To be sure, the good news of the gospel is that God has made a way for us, but He says that way is narrow and that few find it.  While He is a God of love, He is also One that demands justice for all.  If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, I believe that it follows that losing our fear of the Lord is the pinnacle of foolishness.