How did it happen?
In the late 19th century, the same Statists in academe (rooted in the German universities) that infest most of academe with a Marxist world view, also infested the seminaries and theological programs.
The seminaries and theological programs changed the broad purpose of the church from individual salvation to collective salvation. Individual vs. collective...sound familiar. The idea and lie that they studied and then taught and then preached was that your individual salvation is NOT based solely on accepting the sacrifice of Jesus as atonement for your sins (you know, as Jesus himself taught us), but that it is only complete if you take that conversion and then live your life according to the “collective” tenets that are the outward evidence of your inner conversion (misinterpreting, once again, another NT precept, that “ye shall know them by the fruits they bear”).
Some of their lies:
1. “Turn the other cheek” is a mandate for pacifism. Wrong. Jesus said this specifically in regard to debating other Christians when trying to spread the gospel. What Jesus is saying is that WHILE you are witnessing, if tempers flare, getting into a fist fight does NOTHING to spread the gospel. So very true. That is why he said, IN THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION, if they take a swing at you, don't get into a brawl. If you read the Old Testament and Revelations, only a fool could interpret God's (and Jesus’) view of worldly and national affairs as pacifists. According to Revelations, when Jesus returns, what he is going to do to the evil side of humanity makes whatever violence we could wreak upon one another look like patty-cake.
2. The entire “wealth” issue. The OT and NT both teach good stewardship or finances. The Bible teaches us to work hard, save our money, become as financially stable as possible so that our families will be strong. Yes, our finances are directly tied to family strength. The core of our Western civilization is Judeo-Christian in nature and, in that, it is understood that the bedrock of our civilization is the family unit. Families that have as part of their values the importance of good financial stewardship work hard together as a close-knit unit for one another’s benefit.
What the OT and NT warned us against was seeking money for the worldly wealth and power it brings. The OT quote is not “money is the root of all evils” but “THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evils.” Huge difference. But that difference was deliberately misinterpreted by the Christian socialists to make Christians believe that wanting financial security was evil and selfish. It is not. The other side of OT and NT financial stewardship is that if each family is strong financially, then they will be able to help others who fall on hard times — NOT to allow them live on handouts, but just until they are up on their feet. The “charity” of the OT strictly forbids allowing those who are down on their luck to turn a safety net into a hammock, as we have done with our welfare class.
3. Forgiveness of sins has been deliberately misinterpreted to be a tolerance of all behavior. “Go forth and SIN NO MORE” Jesus said. The entire idea of tolerating the BEHAVIOR that God finds abhorrent is so pathetically contrary to the OT and NT that doesn't need much argument. We tolerate and love the sinner AND TRY TO HELP THEM STOP SINNING, but we do NOT white-wash over their sins and say, “go forth and have a good time if that's what makes you happy, because that is just your ‘story,’ and we ALL have stories.”
4. “Judge not that ye be not judged” has been deliberately misinterpreted, in conjunction with #3 in order to loosen moral standards and tacitly, if not openly, condone behavior that the Bible specifically prohibits. What Jesus taught was that salvation is an individual issue, it is a decision of each individual’s mind and heart (in that order, see 5, below). Once a person accepts the sacrifice as Jesus for atonement for their sins, they are forgiven and will be in paradise in the next life. We, as humans without God's omniscience, cannot possibly know whether another person has accepted the sacrifice. AND THIS GOES BOTH WAYS. A person walking the street may claim to be a Christian but really have no idea what that entails (original sin, the sacrifice, etc.) but considers it more an identification. A minister may stand up in the pulpit every Sunday and preach Christianity while being secretly an atheist. Or a drunken bum on the street may have truly accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. We, as observers of these types, have no idea where that individual stands with God. HOWEVER, that does not mean that we cannot judge behavior. If your “Christian” neighbor is out committing adultery every week, we can certainly “judge” that behavior and tell him what he is doing is wrong. His behavior does not mean he is not saved. But we can certainly judge his (or her) behavior) as being in contradiction to what they have been instructed. And for those who are not Christians, we can certainly condemn ideologies and behaviors that we believe to be contrary to God's wish and will and instruction for the humanity he created. So, to the Communist that would enslave all of us, we can condemn that effort as slavery without “condemning” the souls that push such an agenda. And, indeed, WE ARE CALLED UPON TO STAND UP AND TO STAND OUT AGAINST BEHAVIOR THAT GOD INSTRUCTS US AGAINST.
5. Feeling is more important than reason. Many churches these days spend 80% of their effort making people “feel” saved. The OT and the NT, however, when you study them, are far more cerebral than they are emotive. Most of Jesus’ time was spent speaking and debating and engaging people to help them understand through reason how they have become misguided. But part of the Christian Socialist style of rhetoric was to make people feel GUILTY about their privileges they enjoy until they feel FORGIVEN for handing those privileges over to others. And much of the music and rhetoric centers around “feeling good” rather than “thinking clearly.”