Is The Church Married To The World?

Now, Contending for the Faith.In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here is this week’s question:“Dear Dave and Tom:I greatly appreciate your ministry with its emphasis on the Word of God. I’m in my mid eighties and have been a Christian for most of my life.I have seen the evangelical church go through a lot of phases in my time, but nothing seems to compare with what has been going on for the last half dozen years or so.If I were to pick out one main thing that has led to the church’s ungodly condition, I would say it’s because evangelical Christianity is involved in a love affair with the world.Does it seem that way to you, or do you think I’m just becoming too critical in my old age?”

Tom:

Well, Dave, you’re almost his age.I’m about 25 some years younger, I couldn’t agree more with this guy.The world is in the church, the church is in the world.There’s no holding back, it seems.

Dave:

It’s certainly different from when I grew up.There was a clear distinction between the church and the world.In fact, back to the subject we were talking about, we didn’t go to movies at all.I mean, to set foot in a theater!Wow!That would be unbelievable!My parents wouldn’t let me throw a football on Sunday, and my dad hid the colored Sunday comics from the LA Times.

Tom:

Well, is that something you would recommend, Dave?

Dave:

You know, Tom, I don’t know, because we do live in a different day.But I would say that would be good, let’s sanctify the Lord’s day.It’s not the Sabbath, the Sabbath is still Saturday.We are free in the Lord, but still, let’s make it a different day.In fact, we spent our Sunday afternoons giving out tracts, preaching the gospel and singing in the RiversideCountyHospital.I remember that very well.And then we would head out to the military base, because now we are getting into the war time, the early forties, and we would borrow some army trucks and we would fill them up with guys who were happy to get off the base, and come into the church for a church service.So, we had a great time Sunday evening.But what do we do now, Tom?Well, this person has just been complaining about it, we’re trying to attract the world.So we think if we can disguise Christianity to make it as much like the world as possible, don’t say these hard things, “Take up the cross and follow me” let’s have a seeker-friendly.Well, apparently they are not really seeking the true God, they are seeking some kind of religious experience, and don’t call for repentance, make them feel as comfortable as possible, and then, of course, what we have been talking about, let’s see if we can’t entertain them a little bit.Now, you know, Tom, if you entertain young people, for example, you entertain young people in order to attract them into the church, then you have to continue to entertain them in order to keep them in the church.

Tom:

You have to keep anteing up, Dave, you’ve got to keep producing because they get bored.

Dave:

How are you going to compete with the world?So you join Hollywood, see if they can help you.Tom, it just reminds me, I think--I guess there are not too many communists around, but I’m thinking right now of the letter--I think Bill McDonald quotes it in his book, True Discipleship, of a young communist, engaged to be married, this would be in the forties, went off to Mexico on a mission for further training, and he writes to his fiancé, and he’s breaking it up.He says, I’m on a mission, Communism has become my life.I eat it and drink it and live it and sleep it, and this is everything, I am going to give my life for this cause because it’s worth while.And then, I think of the insult to Christian young people--Christ is not worth giving your life for?Christ is not worth--you know, I think of the hymn:After all He has done for me, how can I do less than give Him my best, Live for Him completely after all He has done for me.And instead of challenging them to serve the Lord, and to love the Lord, and to give of themselves for Him, now we’ve got to put them on a nutritionally deficient spirituality, diet of entertainment and videos and biblical translations that really water down the gospel, and sometimes even deny it.Tom, it is a tragedy, it’s an insult to Christ and to those who claim to follow Him.

Tom:

Dave, the other thing that concerns me about this is, there’s a movement, and people are thinking seriously about that, they are going forward with it, they are trying to regain the culture, find things in the culture that they can emulate, and therefore be attractive to the world and the world’s culture.This is so far removed.You know, we have a movement called, The Emerging Church, right now, and the idea is, let’s let the church reflect that culture, our youthful generation, and so on.Why did we do this back in the, you know, 30 years ago when the New Age movement all of a sudden took the world by storm?Why did we become New Agers, or get into the things of the New Age to attract New Agers?Now we have Christian yoga, so called, and we have many things, but then, I don’t remember us trying to really reflect New Agers.

Dave:

Now Tom, you’re forgetting psychology.They got into visualization.

Tom:

Yeah, but that was under the door, as it were, or through the side door.Not like today, Dave.

Dave:

Oh, well, it’s worse today, there is no question about it.So I would have to say Amen, to what this 85-year old man is writing.What are we going to do about it, Tom?We’re just going to search the Scriptures, we’re going to call people back to the Word of God.

Tom:

Well, the scripture says we are not to love the world and the things of the world.I mean, let’s just obey the Scriptures.That’s why I agree with this man.

Dave:

Amen.It’s the Scriptures that tell us about Christ. This is our guide, this is our light, and this is what we are going to follow regardless of what the world does.We’re not following the world, we’re following Christ, and trying to call as many as we can to Christ.