Posted on 12/21/2003 3:46:23 PM PST by nickcarraway
Forgive me for playing prophet, but I think this will be the last Christmas of the 20th century. Yes, I know that the 20th century actually ended a few years ago, but I'm thinking of it as an era. This Christmas a certain era will end.
Call it the era of Christianity lite. Much popular religion of the century descended into mere feel-goodism. Gone was all serious reference to sin, repentance, suffering, atonement, evil, anything unpleasant.
God was in heaven and all was rosy. Say your prayers, try not to hurt anybody, never be "judgmental," and everything will come out right. Business will go well. The kids will behave. You'll never get sick. You'll acquire lots of "stuff." The Father in heaven became a Grandfather in heaven.
Christmas was similarly sterilized. When we were given anything beyond Santa Claus, coloured lights and canned carols, we might actually see a baby, a manger or a star. But Herod's massacre of the children in Bethlehem was certainly never mentioned, nor the dire warning to Mary: "A sword will pierce your soul also" (Luke 2:35).
It was rarely acknowledged that all this unrelieved sweetness and light was much at odds with the Christianity of the New Testament or the actual experience of Christians through much of their history or what ordinarily happens to us ordinary people. Business did not always go well, kids did not always behave, people did in fact get sick (and died, too) and along with all the "stuff" came credit card bills that are now, we're told, astronomical. So 20th century people gradually slipped away from the churches on the sufficient grounds that what they were saying seemed utterly unreal. Such was the era of Christianity lite.
There is convincing evidence now, however, that the era is over, and that the 21st century will see some fundamental changes. I don't mean a massive return to the church, but rather a massive turn of the churches away from Christianity lite.
The after-effect of 9-11 has been a general decline in the credibility of what's called "post-modernism," the belief there are no such things as moral truths. You have your moral truths, I have mine and no version whatever can claim to be really true. This means that the people who deliberately murdered 3,000 innocent civilians had just as good a claim to be right as those who thought otherwise. Nobody, apart perhaps from professors of "ethics," can swallow that line any more, and this has thrown the whole post-modern phenomenon into doubt.
The continuing probability of terror, wrought in the name of an Islamic God, will spur more and more thought about who or what God actually is.
A "spiritual" awakening is going on. According to a recent cover story in Time, Canadians are flocking into prayer groups that meet outside of churches, though they're often sponsored by churches. Such a ferment has preceded every major religious revival. They begin as strictly non-institutional, but they rarely remain that way. Genuine "spirituality" makes people want to do things for God. So corporate action follows and some sort of institution becomes necessary. "Spirituality," in other words invariably turns into "religion."
This may sound extreme, but I think it will happen. Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion, will prove to be the most attended Hollywood movie ever made. (This excludes, of course, the Campus Crusade movie Jesus which is already and by far the most attended movie ever made, but it is not usually considered a Hollywood product.)
The Gibson production is emphatically not Christianity Lite. It portrays the crucifixion for what it was, "a bloody, dusty, sweaty and sordid business." That is, it follows the New Testament account. Never has a movie received so much advance attention - an 18-page review in the New Yorker, columns in every major American newspaper, sophisticated Washington crowds openly weeping. It will hit very hard.
So consider this the last Merry Christmas in the age of Christianity lite. The new century will see a new Christianity which in fact is the old one. And a very different Christmas. Less sugary, but far more real. And it's about time.
While not trying to put a moderenst bent on it, it better translates as Let's ask the UNREGENERATE for advise on how the Saints of God should gather together to Worship Him Who They Hate.
Oh yeah, that's what i want to do! < /sarcasm>
Here's one: USA Today interviews Rick Warren, although that's probably not what you're looking for.
It appears Warren believes in small groups, something I've never much cared for until this year. Now I'm wondering why, previously, I was so resistent to small groups as the environment better helps us to glorify God.
The 40 days of Purpose article at the purpose driven website is an interesting read. I'm looking forward to going through this book in our small group next year.
Plus, there is this:
Hsa 14:8 Ephraim [shall say], What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard [him], and observed him: I [am] like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
Reading the rest of Hosea 14 shows that God was saying He Himself was a fir tree.
And earlier on FR we have seen an article that showed that the Romans "stole" the December 25 date from Christians long after Christians had been celebrating it as the presumed birthdate of Jesus, contrary to the myth that later Christians took a "pagan" holiday and grafted it in their practices.
The bible says that John the Baptist was concieved on June 25 and here's how:
Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elisabeth.
The Course of Abia went from June 13 - June 19.
Luk 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luk 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
So we have Zacharias walking thirty miles to his home and he was an old man and couldn't walk on the Sabbath so he would've arrived home on June 22 or 23 with the conception on June 25. Then we have this:
Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name [was] Mary.
Luk 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women.
Luk 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
Luk 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Luk 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luk 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
Luk 1:40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
Luk 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
So six months after June 25 is December 25 for the Immaculate Conception. So the birth would've taken place in late September and was probably on September 29 (September being the birthmonth of Kings) figuring it by history through Augustus decree and the fact there was no room at the inn due to the Feast of Tabernacles celebration.
I must concur with your statement. Having read Revelation, I do not see ANYTHING that indicates a coming revival, before the Second Coming of the King of Kings.
My point was that I could find some web page that would call anyone a heretic, including Graham. Just because we can link to a web page that attacks someone and states that his doctrine is unscriptural does not make it so.
the doctrine in question is in conflict with nearly 2000 years of church doctrine
Many who diligintly search the Scriptures and are far well versed in doctrine than you or I disagree.
The Church is exploding across the globe. Millions are coming to the Lord. The African continent is currently experiencing a revival of proportions unknown in history.
The Church in China has built a foundation so strong, the forces of communism have been helpless against it. David Aikman, in his excellent new book, "Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power" details the strength of the latter day Chinese Church. He predicts that China will be a "Christian nation" within a generation. The global impact of that will be epochal. And one thing the Chinese churches all have in common: a burning desire to evangelize Muslims in the Middle East.
China is currently sending missionaries to all parts of the Muslim world and is meeting surprising success.
The revival is world-wide, sustained and gaining steam. Persecution has, as it always does, made it stronger.
Just do the research.. many have been misled and I too had been. You'll find it interesting that even Scofield's notes have been altered after the mid fifties. I believe that if the church fathers who had been much closer to our Lord than those in the last 100 years believed differently than those who interpret scripture as many do today, I would examine scripture. Those that you mention who diligently search scripture are in direct contridiction ... are you saying those who were with the Lord and those who followed are wrong?
Apart from those absolutes (the departure from any of them is heresy), different groups of believers are free to interpret portions of Scripture as directed by the Holy Spirit. Eastern Orthodox Christians worship differently than Southern Baptists who worship differently than Pentecostals who worship differently than Coptics.
Some interpret Scripture from a more dispensationalist view than others. Some tend toward premillinenialism, some are mid-trib, others are post-trib (my pastor says he's pan-trip--it'll all pan out according to God's will). Some believe in the Rapture, others deny any event will take place.
None of these viewpoints are inherently false doctrine, provided they adhere to the absolutes.
Sheesh. Some people can't wait to be offended.
Mel Gibson will then gain more respect, and his oppressors will never be able to destroy him because he is a proud Christian. If there was any thing that should rally all Christians to assert themselves, this is it. Forget abortion! Forget prayer in school! Forget all the other rallying causes, this one is a direct hit to the heart of Christianity, and when it is defeated, it will eliminate new efforts to oppress Christians in the West.
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