Posted on 03/21/2018 7:22:40 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
People are fleeing the institutional church and there should be no question as to why this exodus is happening. The vast majority of people who claim to represent God in the United States have been perpetuating a Biblical misconception that has been leading the church into decline for decades. That erroneous notion is Escapism Theology.
Escapism theology is the concept that humanity needs to get away from this mess we call Earth and go "home" to Heaven. I hear this kind of verbiage all of the time from church leaders almost everywhere. They say things like: "Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and reserve your place in Heaven."
Most will be dismayed by the fact that the popularization of Escapism Theology in the modern era was advanced by one of greatest Christian evangelists in history, the Rev. Billy Graham. Rev. Graham is well quoted as saying "My home is in Heaven. I'm just passing through this world." He is renowned for statements like: "The Bible says that as long as we are here on Earth, we are strangers in a foreign land. There are enemies to be conquered before we return home. This world is not our home; our citizenship is in Heaven."
The difficulty with quotes like these are that, while they are emotionally compelling and provide great media sound bites, they don't offer the bigger picture of the Biblical message. Generally speaking, most people are not going to question Rev. Graham's ability to lead people to Christ or his tremendous value to humanity. But we also know that God is an agent of reformation and redemption, and the church (made up of called people) is the object and catalyst of God's reforming and redeeming work in Jesus. As such it is pretty straightforward to believe that we Christians, to whom folks like Rev. Graham have faithfully passed the mantle of Christian stewardship on to, have a responsibility to evaluate what we are doing presently in order to continually strive to make things better via the grace of God. And upon such assessment it is clear that things are not going well with the institutional church in the United States and Europe.
That is because people have been led to believe that all they have to do is "accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior" and then they are "good to go" to Heaven. But the problem with this kind of thinking is that it isn't Biblical. And because we have perpetuated unbiblical theology for decades the church has effectively become spiritually impotent.
One of the problems with Escapism Theology is that it is an incomplete expression of humanity's future. Yes, the Bible says that there is a place called Heaven. But the existence of that place doesn't mean that humanity is called to flee the Earth. Instead we are called to participate in the redemptive purposes of Jesus to help redeem and renew the world, in Jesus' own words "on Earth as it is in Heaven." The end game of our participation in these redemptive purposes, from a Biblical perspective, is that it will bring about the creation of a new Heaven and a new Earth in Christ that will intersect/interlock with one another.
Why does this matter? Because it means that instead of escaping from the world we are called to engage it. Our divine calling is literally to strive to make the world and all of humanity better with God's help. That means that we have to choose over and over, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, in every context, to open the gift of grace given by God to walk in the formational teachings of Jesus. Yes it is difficult, but the alternative, regardless of your religious background or belief, or lack thereof, is literally a living hell.
When we fall prey to Escapism Theology it opens up a bunch of excuses for humanity. It allows us to ignore how we care for the Earth because "it's all going to Hell in a hand basket" anyways. Escapism Theology implies that humanity isn't staying here so go ahead and pollute the atmosphere, pour oil and dump plastic into the oceans, cut down the rainforests, bring other forms of life to extinction, because this isn't our long term home "we're just passing through."
Escapism Theology reduces our relationship with God to transactional theology. When we ascribe to escapist notions our public witness to "accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior" is effectively reduced to us bargaining with God to "save us a spot." Such theology is nothing more than a works righteousness hangover disguised as grace.
Beyond this, Escapism Theology has bled into culture causing people to lose hope that there actually is a redeeming way forward. I've written about this previously in articles like — Stephen Hawking is wrong about the Future of the Earth. For instance, the late Professor Hawking believed that we need to make plans to flee the Earth because we are going to destroy ourselves using technology. People like Elon Musk are so worried about AI that he's literally reinvigorated the global space program so that we can one day escape to Mars.
To make things worse, much of the global church has embraced Escapism Theology instead of being God's agent of change and redemption in the world. The institutional church has, in many instances, retreated from engaging culture only to become a failed coping mechanism for people. Veiled in poor theology, much of the church has simply become an isolationist way for people to flee the harsh realities of the world while waiting to cash in their Jesus-ticket to Heaven.
The difficulty with this way of thinking is that, of all the ways that humans have to disengage reality, the church is not a good option of escape because that is the opposite what Christ created it to be. Consequently, being a poor alternative to other ritual forms of self-medication, and not living into its life-giving purpose, people quickly find alternatives to the church. When the church fails to articulate its divine purpose, people understandably leave in mass looking for other founts of ultimate meaning.
What is particularly interesting about this recent exodus though is that polling indicates that, even though people are leaving the institution of the church, they haven't stopped believing in God. They just properly understand that something isn't quite right. What they seem to intuitively know, but struggle to find the words to describe, is that when the church fails to engage the world and change it for the better, the church fails to be Christ's church.
Pastors like Billy Graham had the unique gift of gathering people together and convincing them to listen. He made the world sit up and take notice of humanity's rescuer Jesus. Now the time has come to pivot the larger body of the church from just intellectually confessing that we believe in Jesus to actually showing what it means to live out the formational teachings of Jesus.
In the modern technological age this task will take some creative thinking in context. It will require bold new approaches implementing time-honored virtues. It will take people willing to risk their comfort and security to work to make sure our tomorrow is better than our past. It will demand humanity work together to confront the realized Hell that so many people experience daily in the world.
But the Good News is that the end result is a goal worth pursuing. The end result is a future worth the risk. That is because, if we submit to live the teachings of Jesus, the end result will be an Earth that is heavenly and a humanity that is godly.
Yes, absolutely.
Or as we say in my circles, the saved person endeavors to live their life pleasing to the Lord out of gratitude for their salvation (not to ‘earn’ it).
Off topic a little, but it seems to me that is the Holy Spirit is truly in the individual (a result of being saved), they will naturally desire to live for the Lord. I know there is disagreement on this, but Scripture says by their fruits ye shall know them.
Is your post a multiple choice? Grace ALONE, Faith ALONE, or Scripture ALONE. Seems like the choice of one excludes the other.
I do agree with you that the author misses the mark. While evangelicals might believe that Once saved, Always saved precludes the need to live the Christian life, I am confident most evangelicals try to live out their faith.
I disagree that grace and works must be kept separate in the New Covenant. John Calvin believed that while we are saved by grace alone, there would be a judgment on the White Throne to reward those save of the good works they had done. Secondly I believe most evangelicals would agree that after being saved their lives should reflect that faith by prayer, leading holy lives, and good works as well.
Well, I’d find some fault in that, too.
That commission was given to the apostles and ministers (the sent), not to the people. They were to teach the gospel and baptize.
The divine call to the laity is to Faith (alone); belief in the humiliation and death of Christ for our (my) sins and that He raised His corporal body from the dead three days later. That Faith is thereby accredited to us (me) as righteousness before God.
Luther would provide that the individual XPian (laity) that “goes”, “teaches” and “baptizes” would be found in the Law performing “works righteousness”.
This would be the error of the Schwenkfeldians, who today are known as Modern American Evangelicals (like Billy Graham).
Yep, you are correct. We need to each deal with the Christian nature of our own lives and that of our fellow congregation and let God deal with the "state of the church". We are called on to evangelize the good news, God will take care of the rest. There will always be exactly as many saved Christians in the pews as God wants there to be at that point in time. Not one more or less. Paul instructed Timothy to preach the Gospel "in season and out of season". So, he knew there would be times when the Gospel would be "out of season". There have been many such seasons over the years and we know at the end there will be a great falling away. But until then we just walk the walk, talk the talk and instead of trying to save the world, just try to save your own neighborhood. If everyone only focused on that then the rest would take care of itself.
The divine commission was given to all. The New Testament makes no difference between laity as you call it and apostles. In fact Paul says that we are all a royal priesthood. We are called as believers to preach the gospel at all times and in all places. Sometimes we even need to use words to accomplish that.
Absolutely correct!
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You need to re-read the account. Who was His audience...to whom was He speaking?
And, of course, you are using the modern definition of “royal priesthood”. Stay away from those enthusiasts and schwarmerei heretics like Jesus First.
If good people had learned to say "NO" to evil the evil of the Holocaust would never have happened... and that's just one example. God will deal with the state of the Church... you're right circlecity... Our job is to deal with the 'state of our own souls'...
“Escapism Theology implies that humanity isn’t staying here so go ahead and pollute the atmosphere, pour oil and dump plastic into the oceans, cut down the rainforests, bring other forms of life to extinction, because this isn’t our long term home “we’re just passing through.”
“13 These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” - Hebrews 11
40+ years a baptist, and I’ve NEVER heard ANYONE say what he claims we say!
James 1:.
[21] Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
[22] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only [23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
[24] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
[25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 2:
[17] Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
[18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
[19] Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
[20] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
[22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
[23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness [24] Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
[25] Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
[26] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also
Works done out of belief and obedience are the essence of faith, and thus righteousness.
We do not all have the same gifts, but we all must do the works of righteousness that are the essence of saving faith.
Good works are a symptom of Salvation.
When Jesus left the Earth, he commanded those around him to do things on Earth. He didn’t tell them to wait for Heaven.
One of the major reasons “Christians” quit going to church is because the “Christian” has either created God in his own image (an image not matched by any church) Or the “Christian” is unable to practice grace themselves.
I think we are in agreement.
What i meant by that is that salvation is by grace alone, as written in Ephesians 2:8-9. Works are rewarded, as you have said.
I was suggesting that a saved person will desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord (with the Holy Spirit indwelling in them that desire becomes natural), as opposed to -for example - grudgingly doing good works because they ‘should’.
It seems to me we agree. Or at least for the most part.
” I relate with Jesus on my own. Just Him and me, and that’s the way it will be.”
If Jesus told you that you were wrong, would you find another Jesus? The problem with worshiping alone is that you can’t recognize problems in our faith. There is no one to challenge you.
Churches are full of bad people so we all can fit right in. You can tell me that all churches are evil when you have been a member of every one of them.
I have no contact with any heretics I am a 55-year-old lifelong Christian and you disagree with my reading I disagree with yours I suppose that’s what makes the world go around. But I do think all of us will be asked by Christ what we did to further his kingdom not just the clergy
“Good works are a symptom of Salvation.”
True. But I would add that unsaved people do works that can be considered ‘good’ as from time to time as well.
The difference, I think, is motivation and who gets the glory.
At any rate, I know what you mean and I know you are right.
Those works that we do are a result of our salvation not a part of our salvation. We have had this argument many times in the past. We can add nothing to the finished work of Christ on the cross for our salvation. That is accomplished by Christ’s work alone, good works that we do come after and in response to our salvation. Period
“Good” may not be secular. Things like Christian retreats, teaching Bible studies, worshiping, etc are all works that point toward Salvation.
A Christian and an Atheist should have different goals when helping the poor, etc. Supporting Medicaid Expansion is not a work pointing towards Salvation even though many of the my liberal friends think it is.
I’m not concerned with churches anymore, Appy. If I was the last person on earth, would Jesus tell me I’m wrong? Churches are about power, money and control. Last time I went to church, the pastor tried to tongue kiss me. Last overtly religious person I met is a child predator and a total fraud.
I’ve had enough, not even remotely impressed anymore.
You miss the point. The church isn’t there for you. You are there for the church.
You can only say “Churches are about power, money and control” if you have been to every one of them. And you haven’t.
Listen to this guy and tell me they are all the same
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1160611040
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