I am currently involved in two projects that are having an impact on my prayer life, my sense of where we are as a church, my role as a disciple in a non-believing society and who I am as a child of God. I am involved in something called the Truth Project and am reading a book by Francis A. Schaeffer entitled How Should We Then Live?
The Truth Project is helping me reflect on what my worldview is. A worldview, according to Wikipedia is " the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural philosophy, fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes, values, emotions, and ethics." The Truth Project defines a world view as "a comprehensive set of truth claims that purports to paint a picture of reality; the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world." I think it is accurate to say that a worldview is the way that one makes sense of the world around him/her, through a basic understanding of who that person is as a human and how that person relates to God.
I have been amazed as I have participated in the Truth Project and in reading Schaeffer's book, with how different a Biblical world view is from what the world would have us believe. Early on in the Truth Project, we were told that the struggle we face is not one of flesh and blood (sounds like Paul!) but with the spiritual realm. There is a force at work in the world that would keep us confused and deluded about how it is we should see the world and because of that, how we should live.
The basic challenge living in the world that we live in is facing the pernicious lie that man is basically good and that his greatest need is to self-actualize and get in touch with his inner desires. The reason this is such a huge challenge is that we have been socialized in such a way that to even question this lie makes us seem like fossils, out of touch with a progressive society.
It is easy to see how this lie has spread throughout our society. One does not have to look only at New Age religions to see the impact that this lie has had. Even in the church one can hear a theology based on this lie being proclaimed. Instead of a gospel of radical transformation, a gospel of radical inclusivity is being proclaimed. Certainly there is nothing wrong with welcoming people into the church, but if we welcome people and do not offer them a challenge to confront their sinful nature and turn to God who has solved our sin problem through Jesus Christ, then the church has become a mouthpiece for this lie.
Schaeffer's book does an excellent job of tracing the roots of our current situation back to the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages and both the Renaissance and Reformation. I have been amazed as I contemplate both the good and the bad that have had an impact on our journey toward the present time. There have been times when the authority of the Church has claimed to take precedents over the Bible. There have been other times where it has been claimed that human reason is the ultimate authority. But through each of those times God has brought the church back to the place where the Bible is the sole authority and grace the guiding light. I truly believe we are in one of those times of re-formation now. The pernicious lie is still prevalent among us but it has been there throughout the history of Western thought and culture.
It would be easy to throw up one's hands in disgust about where we are as a society and wonder if there is a way back to the truth of God's Word. But going through both of these projects isn't making me feel hopeless. They are making me hopeful. God has not changed His job description nor has He said He won't use the Church any longer. It is our responsibility, though, to know how easy it is to be taken in by the lie, ask for forgiveness when we have, and make a fresh commitment to allow the Holy Spirit to use us to spread the really good news: It's not about us or up to us. It's about Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
The Truth Project is helping me reflect on what my worldview is. A worldview, according to Wikipedia is " the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural philosophy, fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes, values, emotions, and ethics." The Truth Project defines a world view as "a comprehensive set of truth claims that purports to paint a picture of reality; the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world." I think it is accurate to say that a worldview is the way that one makes sense of the world around him/her, through a basic understanding of who that person is as a human and how that person relates to God.
I have been amazed as I have participated in the Truth Project and in reading Schaeffer's book, with how different a Biblical world view is from what the world would have us believe. Early on in the Truth Project, we were told that the struggle we face is not one of flesh and blood (sounds like Paul!) but with the spiritual realm. There is a force at work in the world that would keep us confused and deluded about how it is we should see the world and because of that, how we should live.
The basic challenge living in the world that we live in is facing the pernicious lie that man is basically good and that his greatest need is to self-actualize and get in touch with his inner desires. The reason this is such a huge challenge is that we have been socialized in such a way that to even question this lie makes us seem like fossils, out of touch with a progressive society.
It is easy to see how this lie has spread throughout our society. One does not have to look only at New Age religions to see the impact that this lie has had. Even in the church one can hear a theology based on this lie being proclaimed. Instead of a gospel of radical transformation, a gospel of radical inclusivity is being proclaimed. Certainly there is nothing wrong with welcoming people into the church, but if we welcome people and do not offer them a challenge to confront their sinful nature and turn to God who has solved our sin problem through Jesus Christ, then the church has become a mouthpiece for this lie.
Schaeffer's book does an excellent job of tracing the roots of our current situation back to the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages and both the Renaissance and Reformation. I have been amazed as I contemplate both the good and the bad that have had an impact on our journey toward the present time. There have been times when the authority of the Church has claimed to take precedents over the Bible. There have been other times where it has been claimed that human reason is the ultimate authority. But through each of those times God has brought the church back to the place where the Bible is the sole authority and grace the guiding light. I truly believe we are in one of those times of re-formation now. The pernicious lie is still prevalent among us but it has been there throughout the history of Western thought and culture.
It would be easy to throw up one's hands in disgust about where we are as a society and wonder if there is a way back to the truth of God's Word. But going through both of these projects isn't making me feel hopeless. They are making me hopeful. God has not changed His job description nor has He said He won't use the Church any longer. It is our responsibility, though, to know how easy it is to be taken in by the lie, ask for forgiveness when we have, and make a fresh commitment to allow the Holy Spirit to use us to spread the really good news: It's not about us or up to us. It's about Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
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