The belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.

Turn the other cheek to Iran and Al Quaeda.
Take back all the bombs you have dropped on the innocent.
Love the queers, feed the Mexicans.
Pay for the oil you have stolen and killed for.
Give up your false gods on Wall Street and corporate boards.
Forgive.
Love Hamas and Korea as you love yourself.

America cannot be a Christian nation in this world. Reality does not permit.

Assemblies who’d otherwise spit at the Roman Catholic Church may think they’ve got the right Jesus up there, but if they are signed on with Cain’s hegemony through its tax-exempt incorporations and other sin management contracts, it’s no wonder they’re “Christless.” Many who place the name of Jesus on their lips simply can’t fathom the meaning of Jesus’ very words, “My Kingdom is not of this World,” They’re surprised when He’s nowhere around?

Still grafted to the World they’ll just continue to run run run in the reindoctrination wheel of Michael Horton’s little Christian culture compliance cage.

I think the point is to let the Bible dictate what we should apply being “saved” to in this life. The Apostles were persecuted and eventually executed for their faith. Do you think they were concerned with something as trivial as good parking spaces (or the 1st century equivalent)? Hardly. Perhaps you could argue that God will open up good parking spaces or better seats on airplanes when it will help to further the gospel in some way (i.e. by moving you to First Class you will end up sitting next to an unbeliever with whom you can share the gospel), but such rare instances will never be the focus of the gospel message, nor does the Bible teach that we should expect to receive such earthly, material blessings for their own sake.

Will becoming a Christian improve your marriage? Undoubtedly. But there’s no reason to think that an unbeliever cannot also have just as happy a marriage without Christ in his life (there are noble pagans, after all), and the Bible gives us no reason to believe that. And that’s the whole point: It doesn’t matter how polite you are, how well you treat your spouse and children, how generous you are, how you handle pressure, etc. Without Christ you cannot achieve the true purpose of life: eternity spent in worship and fellowship with God Himself. Thus, when the sermon has nothing to do with how Christ became a man and purchased this invaluable, eternal gift for you on the cross, but instead is all about how to be more polite and generous, how to handle pressure, etc., you’ve completely missed the point (and I dare say you’ve substituted an idol for the real thing).

Tyson says:
July 31, 2009 at 10:21 am
Certainly, the main reason Jesus came to earth was to make a way for us to be with Him eternally, but He also did much to help people while they were on earth.
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Whatever else He did was a vehicle, not the goal.

Tyson says:
July 31, 2009 at 10:21 am
Therefore, I think we can apply the gospel to relationships, health, and, yes, even parking spots sometimes.
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Only as far as Salvation is concerned.

Tyson says:
July 31, 2009 at 10:21 am
I agree that it is immensely dangerous to lose sight of the cross of Jesus. I just don’t want to apply the message of the cross to eternal salvation only.
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People do all sorts of things to the Gospel. However, He is what He is, not what WE want Him to be. We have-ta be what He wants US to be, not the other way around.

To apply what WE think is “love” is to apply a worldy understanding to what Christians say is biblical. The biblical understanding of “love” is not OUR understanding.

I agree that it is immensely dangerous to lose sight of the cross of Jesus. I just don’t want to apply the message of the cross to eternal salvation only.

The natural progression of thinking aligns with the worldly, not the eternal. The natural progression of thinking is that WE, not Christ, can and must make things better. Christ said that this kinda thinking does not square with the facts of the eternal.

==In fact, sometimes believing in Christ will make all of those things more difficult.==

“Sometimes believing”? Or “sometimes, believing”?

If you mean the second, it is true that our trusting in Christ is seen by the world as a stumblingblock to the world. But so what? As long as it’s not a stumblingblock to Christ.

If you mean the first, it is true, too, that, when believing intermittently will make things difficult.

==Following Christ is ultimately the most fulfilling (though not easiest by any stretch of the imagination) road. ==

“My burden is light [hardly a burden].” It was a very heavy burden before He came.

His burden is also Light [enlightenment].

==The “Health and Wealth” “gospel” is crumbling from the inside out. That is seen by the pastors who are being exposed as adulterers and frauds, as well as the American economy collapsing and people’s ideas of Christianity making them healthy and wealthy are being found to be unfounded.==

No one claims that Christianity makes one healthy and wealthy. People get that idea, but that’s their perception.

On the other hand, John 15:3, for one example, and Joshua 1:8, for another.

So, does not Christ touch the eyes of those who receive Him? Does He not make them see? Does He not make them walk, and, in this vein, isn’t Amos 3:3 true?

==I pray that we can get back to making Christ and his work on the cross and subsequent resurrection of paramount importance in our lives…==

We can start by refusing to confess that He does not heal, refusing to confess that He wants those who know and receive Him not to prosper.

==… and using that to love others well as fellow humans…==

What is “love,” biblically?

God loved the world. He loved the world so much THAT He gave His Son.

So, God’s love is His Son. His act of love was to GIVE His Son.

His Son is Christ. The Christ is the Word of God, and Jesus was the Christ in the flesh. A man.

The Word is the Message of God’s Reconciliation Offer to Man for Man’s Salvation.

Therefore, to send God’s love into the world is to send His Word — that is, the Christ — into the world so that as many as possible can be saved.

In Genesis 1:3, in His first act of Creation, God said, “Light be!” He sent light into the void. Compare that with the first chapter of John. God’s Son is the True Light.

So, again, our act of God’s love is to shine His Light — the Word — onto and into the world. God had no greater love for us than to send His Word of Reconciliation so that we might be saved. Following Him, we should have no greater love than to give the world His Love — the Word.

I think much of the American church has the tendency, as Horton seems to be saying, of thinking that Jesus came to make our lives here on Earth better. Therefore, the natural progression of thinking goes that the only thing that will make one’s marriage/habits/life better is Christ. In fact, sometimes believing in Christ will make all of those things more difficult. Following Christ is ultimately the most fulfilling (though not easiest by any stretch of the imagination) road.

The “Health and Wealth” “gospel” is crumbling from the inside out. That is seen by the pastors who are being exposed as adulterers and frauds, as well as the American economy collapsing and people’s ideas of Christianity making them healthy and wealthy are being found to be unfounded.

I pray that we can get back to making Christ and his work on the cross and subsequent resurrection of paramount importance in our lives, and using that to love others well as fellow humans, and also to point them to the person and grace of Jesus Christ.

A very important read… I’m looking forward to the next book.

Thanks for the comment. I agree. The place this is hitting the hardest is in our youth groups. And often times youth group is even worse than regular church, since the message is even more niche-driven and catered to the problems and interests of teens. Sadly, between nursery, youth group, and campus ministries like Campus Crusade, it’s now become possible for a child to have grown up in “the church” without ever having attended an actual church service.