Posted on 03/23/2020 7:10:19 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Conservative Christian commentator Matt Walsh is condemning complacent Christians in America, saying that, in some cases, Christians are called to be intolerant.
Walsh, a nationally known podcast host and writer for the conservative online website The Daily Wire, is warning that many Christians in America today are constructing their own religion based on cherrypicked ideas from the Bible that support their agenda of tolerance and inclusion.
Walsh released his second book earlier this month titled Church of Cowards: A Wake-Up Call to Complacent Christians.
He told The Christian Post that the book offers his “diagnosis of the problem that most Christians recognize in our culture.”
“If you look at the statistics, we know that the number of Christians is declining while the number of secular atheists is going up,” Walsh told CP in a recent phone interview.
“I think we also know that the problem is even worse than the numbers suggest. If you were to talk to the professed Christians [in the U.S.], a startling percentage of them don’t actually believe in some of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.”
A 2017 survey from the American Culture and Faith Institute shows that only about one in 10 Americans hold a biblical worldview even though nearly half of them claim to lead a Christian life. Among millennials, only four percent have a biblical worldview.
Various factors can play a role in a person's faith and worldview formation. According to Walsh, those include parents, the church, education and culture.
“And that's a problem because the culture itself is so aggressively hostile to Christian faith and very determined to, especially with kids, convert them into secularism and relativism,” Walsh argued.
“That's an enormous problem because you've got so many Christians who don't really know what their faith professes or what their faith even is. And if you don't know what you believe in, exactly, then you’re not going to be able to maintain those beliefs.”
At a time when there is increasing societal and political pressure for people to be accepting of the same-sex relationships and LGBT lifestyles, Walsh said that Christians with a superficial understanding of the Gospel are picking out things from the Bible that they like and “confirm what they already want to believe.”
“They kind of construct their own religion for themselves based on this amalgamation of out-of-context verses. And that's a big problem because the Bible is so long and vast and diverse,” he explained.
“It's not even really a book. It's a library of books. And there's so much in it, that if you're going to go in and throw context to the wind, you can find anything you want. You can find justification for anything. I think that's how a lot of people are approaching the Bible."
Walsh feels that Christians in the West need to “reclaim our warrior spirit” and their “willingness and eagerness to fight back against sin and corruption and evil that we see in our society.”
“I think Christianity has always been a warrior faith. If you go back to the Gospels, now Jesus is often portrayed as being this peacenik-hippie type of figure. But again, if you actually go and read the Bible, particularly the Gospels, you'll find that’s not who Jesus was,” Walsh explained.
“Jesus is obviously loving. But in that love, He confronts sin and you find that in the Gospels. He resists the tide of the culture that He was in back 2,000 years ago. And we need to follow that model and we need to be willing to do that.”
Walsh contended that Christians are not "forfeiting love" by confronting sin.
“It's not that we're confronting and fighting back against evil in spite of the fact that we're supposed to be loving; it's because we love that we do those things,” he said.
As some denominations over the past decade have affirmed homosexuality, Walsh believes that it is impossible to defend homosexuality in Scripture.
“The greater issue is just the misrepresentation of what you find in the Gospel. A good example would be things like ‘tolerance and acceptance’ are now presented in the church as virtues, even biblical virtues,” Walsh warned. “They're not virtues at all. There's nothing wrong necessarily with tolerating. It depends on what you're tolerating. But there is nothing virtuous about it.”
He warned that some churches are teaching that tolerance is the “ultimate virtue” and synonymous with "compassion" and "love."
“To be intolerant of something is thought of automatically as bigotry,” he noted. “The worst thing you can ever be is intolerant. But it's just not the case. We should be intolerant of bad things and intolerant of things that harm people. We should be intolerant with children in our culture. We should be intolerant of sin within ourselves and in the world.”
“So I think we think we're called to intolerance in many cases. Compassion is virtuous, but the version of compassion that is preached so often is something synonymous with acceptance and tolerance. Compassion actually means co-suffering. That's the etymology of the world of the word, which means that you're suffering alongside somebody and taking on their sufferings to alleviate that burden. Christ is the ultimate example of that. [Compassion] is a much more active and sacrificial thing than how it is often portrayed.”
According to Walsh, churches need to be bolder in addressing the problems in the culture today and need to focus more on calling people to repentance and self-sacrifice.
"We have to stop being afraid of preaching that message," he said. "It may scare some people away. But the people who are scared away aren't really Christian anyway. If they don't want to hear the Christian message, they are not Christian. But for everybody else, this is what they want. This is what they are searching for. I think we have to provide that in the Church."
“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:49-53
I have always found the Bible to be a single unified document with a single overarching message about who Jesus is.
...If they don’t want to hear the Christian message,
...they are not Christian.
If The Holy Spirit is not within them,
rejoicing in His Word and embracing His Commandments,
welcoming Correction of our sinful natures,
Then they have not been Baptized in Christ,
or the are in Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (worse)
Oh but we do fret and try and try...God is not mad at you, he never left you. You cannot fall overboard only on-board. He's about love, grace and fellowship. No rules, judgment and condemnation.
I’ve said for decades that the most intolerant man to ever live is Jesus. I say that as a strong Christian. He was the first to say, and I paraphrase, “My way, or the highway.”
Frankly, I’m surprised to read this in the Christian Post. They’ve become something of a liberal rag.
Most Christian Churches aren’t cowards, they just don’t want to interrupt the money train that funds their massive multi-million dollar “campuses.”
Actually, your assessment is partially true. They TOLERATE columnists who are liberal Christians even as they for the most part, still have more Conservative Columnists.
The author of this article in a sense and ironically, indicts its own publisher.
Agreed. The famous don Cherry even said in the interview libs think Jesus was a peacenik but he kicked the sh7t out of the vendors who turned his temple into a flea market. How’s that for peacenik? Being intolerant of idiots aka leftards is a very good thing. They run contrary to our values as a religion and nation.
You mix a whole barrel of fresh spring water with a few cups of raw sewage and you get a whole barrel of unpotable water.
I've been guilty of thinking that I need to to present an intellectually powerful defense of Christianity and, Bingo!, they'll all see the error of their ways. It has prevented me from sharing my faith on more than one occasion.
People who aren't ready/prepared to hear the message won't respond to even the most powerful presentation, and those who are ready will respond to even the most simple presentation of the good news of salvation.
A bigger problem with today's Christianity is its joylessness.
We are supposed to exude joy. Have joyful countenances. Speak joyful words. Then when people say, "What are you so happy about?", you set the hook.
Jesus "confronted" sin by forgiving the sinner. The prostitute whom the men of town wanted to stone. The tax collector He invited Himself over to dinner with.
The very people who tortured Him, who mocked Him, who insulted Him, who gave Him vinegar to drink, who stabbed Him in the side with a a spear, who tossed dice for His Clothes, who deserted Him as hung there dying.
Haranguing and browbeating and lecturing obviously isn't working. It's like Socialism. It SOUNDS like it should work. Maybe we just haven't tried enough of it.
We keep insisting that other people change the their behavior when we should be changing our own. Try smiling at someone today. That grouchy grocery clerk. That jerk who just stole your parking spot. That idiot FReeper who just told you to FOAD.
Or the doofus who just told you to express joy whether you have a reason to or not.
That is all. Flame away. I am ready to forgive you.
The bible integrated message system written by over 40 authors over a period of about 2000 year. The Bible’s origin is demostratably from outside space and time.- courtesy of Chuck Missler
Amen! Preach on! Time for Christians to stop being meek and mild and put on the helmet of Charles Martel, Tancred of Taranto or Sancho VII "the Strong" of Navarre--great Christian warriors who prevailed over the Muslims.
Well, you have an ancient caretaker of Christianity in the Roman Catholic Church, and the leadership of that caretaker isn't certain that permanent core beliefs are still enduring. What is a follower to do?
Wrong!
Jesus died on the cross instead of you. He took your punishment from the Law of sin and death. What He did was save you from the second death you earned with your sin. The wages of sin is death. He paid this death. OTOH, Mat 5:17-20 tells us that the Law is still current. The 10 Commandments are still in effect and you will be punished with many stripes if you break Commandments. Jesus said they will last until heaven and earth burn up. There are rules, The Word will judge everyone, and many will be condemned.
Luk 12:47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Joh 12:47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, [75] I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Joh 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
Grace just means that if you still sin, you won't die and go to hell if you confess Jesus as Savior. But you are still responsible for what you have done. As an example, if you are a homosexual and confess Christ, Scripture says you will NOT see the Kingdom of Heaven.
1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
If you are a Christian and you steal, you are still responsible for stealing, but you will be punished but won't end up in Hell. As a Christian you are responsible for what you look like to the world. This is what the Commandment that says you shouldn't take the Lord's name in vain means. There are many verses on cursing and filthy language, but the Commandment means you called yourself a Christian and still willfully sinned. You can't call yourself a Christian and kill babies and support sodomy. Romans 1:32 says you can't even approve of such policies because you deserve death. Grace just means you won't receive the second death because of your sin. I don't know about you, but my earthly father would have beat my tale if I disobeyed him and I'm his son. I don't think he would have killed me however. Jehovah is our Father and will discipline those He loves, but there are still rules, judgement, and condemnation.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,* who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Here Paul explains that there is no condemnation, but you MUST walk in the Spirit. There is a condition. Then he explains that you are free from the law of sin and death, not the 10 Commandments. Kinda puts some importance on keeping the 7th day Sabbath instead of Sunday doesn't it? We have 10 Laws, not 9. Back to Mat 5 Jesus said He didn't do away with the Law, which Law? The 10 Commandments!
You have to ask yourself which Laws you will throw away and which ones you will keep if you believe there is no rules.
Just to be clear, you are saying that God/Jesus is going to beat me with a whip for observing the Sabbath on Sunday instead of Saturday?
Please point out an instance of Christ's forgiving someone that was not proceeded by repentance.
“Walsh contended that Christians are not “forfeiting love” by confronting sin.”
People have forgotten the concept of “tough love”.
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