Christians and Their Pattern of Defeat (Part II)

In part I (See May 17^th article) I presented very basic and generalized reasons why I believe Christians remain defeated in almost every cultural arena of life. Many Christian Worldview Network readers responded to my article and expanded on this idea, an excellent job too, I might add. It was exciting and very refreshing to see how readers thought through my points and added so much rich input.

In my many years of teaching, preaching, and writing I have had one underlying goal: To make people think. If people agree with me, that's fine. If they disagree, I can handle it. If they get mad, it's ok as long as they are moved to think and think biblically. In any case, I've done my job.

Thinking is a lost art and reasoning from Scripture is alien to many Christians. This is sad, dangerous, and further adds to our pattern of defeat. There seems to be an anti-intellectual bias in much that comes out of the Christian community. This is unfortunate.

Contrary to popular belief it is not unspiritual to think. Scripture has a lot to say about thinking, reasoning, and using our minds in the Lord's service.[1] So what's our problem? Why are we not good thinkers?

Some years ago Harry Blamires wrote a book, The Christian Mind: How Should a Christian Think. The very first sentence in his book is "There is no longer a Christian mind." I agree. This still remains true. Our Christian thinking has become secularized, spiritualized, and homogenized. This is why, among Christians, there is little consensus about anything.

Christians cannot even agree on what I think are the no-brainer issues such as the death penalty, abortion, and homosexuality. Beyond that some are not even sure the Bible is the only Word of God. If they are sure, then they don't agree whether it is infallible, literal, or figurative. It's a wonder we get anything accomplished at all.

Less I digress too far, let me return to the main point, our continuing defeat. There is one potent and pervasive belief in the Christian world that is adding fuel to our spiritual and social anemia. It has done more to propel our losses than any one thing I can think of at the moment.

Most evangelicals hold this belief. Incredible emotion is attached to it and yet few can adequately defend their position when properly challenged. The thinking is that "the Apostle Paul believed it and so do I". By the way, Paul didn't but that's another story.

I take a strong position on this point. I am convinced that this belief has done, and is doing more to retard proper Christian activism than communism, humanism, feminism, and all the other isms combined. Any guess where I am going with this?

I speak of eschatology, our current[2] end-times theology. I specifically target the popularized version of the end times as propagated by Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, and others.

Now before anybody rounds up the posse, let me say a few things. Personally, I am not going to try to sway you to my belief on the end times. What I believe doesn't matter. And, I don't care what you believe, even if you align yourself with Tim and Hal. Does this surprise you?

What I do care about and will go to the mattress over[3] is whether or not your eschatology keeps you from performing your Christian cultural responsibilities. Let's just be real about this. It's virtually impossible for one to be motivated to fix government, clean up the porn, save babies, or anything else if they are convinced Jesus is coming back this week.[4] Most evangelicals do believe Jesus is coming back real soon, if not this week, the next. This overriding presupposition has become the obsession of the modern church[5] It has done more to paralyze the church than any other factor.

Here is the catch. Jesus doesn't give us the option of giving up and waiting for the end to come. He knows human nature. It's much easier to talk about it and wait than doing what needs to be done. Jesus cuts us off at the pass. I think this is clear from John 21: 20ff:

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at the table close to him and had said, "Lord who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!"

I just returned from speaking in Las Vegas. One of the church members and myself hit a Starbucks after church to dialogue further about the things of God. He shared with me about another church member's roommate who is around forty years old. This man doesn't work. He just goes to "spiritual" events and meetings. Why doesn't he work? It's the end of the world, of course. He sees no future in it. A book could be written with countless similar examples of eschatological paralysis.

Let me sum up. Our eschatology is killing us, demotivating us. The very doctrine that should give us hope for the future, is robbing us of it.

Our hope is not in the rapture. It never was. Our hope is in the resurrection. Our hope is in being obedient to God and seeing our lives and our culture transform in this world, this side of the grave.

Whether Jesus comes back today, tomorrow, or a thousand years in the future should not be our focus. Our focus ought to be on being good godly cultural stewards. We should be ready at all times but working in the Kingdom at the same time.

[1] For just a few Scriptural references to biblical thinking see Mark 12:30, Isaiah 1:18ff, Joshua 1:8, Acts 17:16ff.

[2] I use the word "current" because various eschatological views have waxed and waned over the millennia. The current dominant dispensational premillennial view really came into vogue beginning in the 19^th century. The Scoffield Bible and Hal Lindsey's books added greatly to the view's popularity and dominance in the mid-twentieth century. Of course nothing has done more to help this view than Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series.

[3] Forgive me. I just had to use at least one Godfather reference like the big time writers.

[4] I don't have the time and space here to submit examples but I can site many where people have told me honestly that they won't get involved because the end is near. I had a relative cancel his life insurance and terminate his daughter's college fund for the same reason. This was in 1983. Well, we are still here and so is he. I do appreciate the fact that he was acting on his beliefs while most would hedge their bets. For example, many churches that regularly preach the end is here are also building family life centers. For who I wonder?

[5] Check out Gary DeMar's great book, Last Days Madness: The Obsession of the Modern Church.