I have to confess that I am getting a little tired of hearing all the consternation from those who are scandalized by such attacks on the church. To think that anyone raising such issues as the divinity of Christ or the reliability of the gospels is leveling a new attack is naive, at best. To think that the questions raised by "scholars" weakens the power of the gospel in any way is like saying that someone with a feather represents a threat to a soldier in a tank. The apostle Paul calls the gospel "the power of God," which leads to salvation for all those who believe. The "power of God," certainly has nothing to fear from any power of man.
The greater threat to the church in 21st century America is the "un-christianity" of the church itself. While the gospel carries the same power today as it did in the first century, the church has, in many cases, sacrificed that power for the sake of popularity, prosperity or expediency. Jesus says that if anyone will come after Him, it is necessary that we take up our cross and follow and the Scriptures tell us that the Lord is near those who are of a humble and contrite heart but prosperity preachers proclaim a faith life that is comfortable, prosperous and free of pain. Jesus taught us that the gate into life is narrow and the way is difficult and Paul encourages us to "work out" our salvation with "fear and trembling." Many American churches, however, seek to make the idea of a faith life as trouble-free as possible. Rather than encouraging hearers to conform life to the Scriptures, many contemporary preachers start with the "felt needs" of their congregations and seek, instead, to conform the Scriptures to contemporary issues. I believe that it is necessary to interpret the Scriptures faithfully and meaningfully for each generation, but we should start with God's Word and seek in all ways to conform our lives to the pattern He has established for us. Who knows, that may prevent some of those "felt needs" from every becoming an issue!
Jesus said that He was (and is) "the way, the truth and the life." Way too often, however, we get the impression that some within the church are not telling us the truth. For a community that is not supposed to be "of" this world, we devote a lot of energy to making sure that "this world" is comfortable with us. President Obama told a gathering in Turkey that America is not "a Christian nation." Whether you agree with his assessment or not, we should be more concerned that the American church has ceased to be a "Christian" church. If we would train our attention primarily on the gospel and the Christ who is proclaimed in the gospel, we would do well. While programs and promotions help us connect with those to whom we have been sent as churches, those programs and promotions are not the essence of who we are supposed to be. Christ is. An "un-christian" nation will be transformed, not when Christians are so outraged that they protest the characterization, but when "un-christian" churches decide once again that they will take seriously the call and the example of Jesus Christ.
