"Pilgrimettes"
From
THE PILGRIM
"Pilgrimettes"
From
THE PILGRIM
by
MARK
A. MCNEIL
Once upon a time, there was a nation that strayed far from the biblical principles upon which it was built. The belief in God that served as its original foundation of morality, justice, law, and the value of each individual life was severed from the practical lives of the people and the life of the nation.
This rejection of God was seen in every area of society. The universities that trained young people to lead the nation into the future found their unity, not in theology (study of God) as was true centuries before, but in a new "science" that considered the material world an end in itself. Human beings did not have "minds" but only brain functions comprised of chemical and biological activities. Every department of the various universities was in some way engaged in contributing to understanding what kind of "animal" humans were with the presupposition that all answers could ultimately be found with no reference to God or an immaterial mind. Few Christians carefully considered the devastating moral, social, and religious consequences of what was happening under their noses.
The churches in this land, by and large, choose not to engage this secularized culture. Instead, the churches chose to withdraw into their own world. They chose to live for the day and ignore the influences around them. They warned against studying theology and philosophy too much since they felt that such was either worthless at best or dangerous at worst. "What does it matter that we have our theology right? What really matters is that we 'feel' Jesus." When asked, "What Jesus do you mean?" the response was largely personalistic with little solid content. Thus, Christianity principally became a contentless faith that rarely offended unbelievers since most considered themselves "religious" in some sense. The only sin in this society was intolerance. Intolerance was equal to not only having convictions about what one believed but also having the audacity to speak out against contrary teachings.
Slowly but surely the churches discontinued warning the people of the land of a coming judgment choosing rather to speculate on and define divine "love" in such a way that many began to hope that all may in fact be saved in the end or at least that the "really bad people" will simply cease to exist at death.
Since many in the land began to feel that the church was no longer relevant to their lives and philosophies of life, many churches began to change their approach. Rather than preach so strongly against sinfulness and the need for salvation from judgment through Christ, a "softer" approach was developed. The church tried to model itself after great companies who appealed to the wishes and wants of this materialistic, selfish generation. So it was that the church began to bend its message and practice to accommodate those who simply did not want to change their worldview.
You may wonder what "brightness" can be found in the midst of this situation. Not only was the society destroying itself by replacing the solid foundation of the Almighty with the finite, subjective, weak, frail, and sinful self, but the church itself was largely unaware that the very same process was eroding its own effectiveness.
Despite, the stubborn facts of reality all about itself, many in the church felt as if it was a great day of revival. There were, they claimed, bright spots in the land. There were pockets of revival and the word was that this revival would soon sweep the country. What was happening? Was it true that God was finally awakening His people, and the powerful influences that were destroying the foundations of this land and its churches were finally to be combated and defeated?
Why were so many travelling from around the world to these bright spots? For one, their own ineffectiveness and lack of spirituality drove them to look for something new and exciting. What new and exciting thing was this that they went to see and experience? Well, bluntly put, word had it that "Christians" would gather and suddenly be overcome by hysterical, uncontrollable laughter. Yes, I am telling the truth! The churches experiencing "revival" were filled with people who were falling to the floor laughing! Not only were they laughing uncontrollably for no apparent reason, but they also, in many cases would stagger around as if they were drunk! When interviewed in this state, their words would be incoherent and their speech would be slurred. And, I am almost embarrassed to admit it, there were even cases of people barking like dogs, clucking like chickens, roaring like lions, and chirping like birds. Yes, human beings were finding "revival" in making noises like animals!
WHAT ?!? You may ask, "Do you mean to tell me that at the time of this country's greatest need for individuals to stand in the market place of ideas and proclaim the truth of God, the church was preoccupied with mindlessness? Do you mean to tell me that when the church needed to show the world what it really means to be an authentic human person, created in God's image, the church had people within its doors that were debasing the divine image by acting like animals?" I'm sorry to say that it is true. Perhaps you are like me and you wonder aloud why the leaders did not call a stop to this kind of behavior. Well, that is one of the great ironies of it all. The leaders believed this was the answer to the church's woes! They believed it was in this retreat from the mind that somehow we would be able to counter the godless influences that were winning the minds of the citizens of the future. So few seemed to realize that the real answer was to be found, not in something new, but in a return to the original foundation that had been forgotten long ago.
Why did they refuse to return to the foundation? Well, simply put, it is not easy work to fight the influences of the world. It is much easier to retreat into mindlessness. Lazy minds are offended when challenged and therefore speak the loudest against a careful, accurate, presentation and defense of the faith. By neglecting to stand against these influences, the churches actually were absorbed by the very influences they chose to ignore. The lives of those within the church were virtually indistinguishable from those without except in the "profession of faith" that was rarely understood in any substantial way by those claiming it. It seemed that because "theology" was deemed unimportant and only for a select few, the framework and foundation necessary for a correct understanding of the Christian message was forgotten and replaced with the values learned from the world. Amazingly, most in the church would be astounded that they are accused of having forsaken the foundations since they retained the same vocabulary yet, unknown to their own selves, they had neglected to learn the meaning of that which they affirmed deeming it unimportant and trivial. The reality was that the thing neglected was actually the world's hope.
This parable of a church that chose to laugh mindlessly when the world most desperately needed its message and influence is my interpretation of what is happening today before our very eyes! Having experienced both university life and knowing numerous Christians who have the very attitude of the church described above, I am convinced that the picture painted in this paper is quite accurate. My hope for the reader is that you too will share the burden to see a true revival of the foundations of our faith and shun the search for novelty and mindlessness that so pervades the modern church.
| written by Mark A. McNeil B.A. & M.A. (Biblical Studies / Luther Rice Sem.), MA (Theological Studies / St. Thomas School of Theology), PhD. Student (University of St. Thomas), Assistant Editor/Writer for THE PILGRIM Magazine, and author of "An Evaluation of the 'Oneness Pentecostal' Movement "— $ 3 / Pilgrim Pub. |
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GOD TOLD
ME He
Didn't Speak to
You !
Can We
Judge Movements By
THEIR FRUITS
?
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