M-G: 12.6.16 // Going into Theological Absurdity as a Believer, Part 1 of 7

The title of this article, undoubtedly, sounds academically dry and boring (my MO), but what if we actually went theologically absurd or idiotic in some areas of our belief system because of some uncomfortable truths? Somehow, we wound up compromising what we considered an abrasive and seemingly uncaring truth for a comfortable “biblical” fiction, motivated by a personal agenda or pressured by a pagan culture. How so?

Well, we do this whenever we decide to embrace the world’s interpretation of different subjects in the Bible, like judging, forgiving, loving, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, abortion, et al. These are some of the areas in which the devil gets his foot in the door of our lives and the church. When we decide to leave the grid of biblical truth to accommodate our preferences or fears, we just entered into the sphere of personal sin.

In other areas of our culture, we can see the world in dramatic fashion opposing the biblical position on homosexuality and abortion. They attempt to deconstruct the teaching of Scripture and reconstruct a view of acceptance and tolerance. Some believers refuse to take a stand to avoid problems in their life. Someone dear to me who claimed to believe the Bible had publicly embraced the LGBT community recently. I am so disappointed that this person felt the need of selling out the truth to attract business. Isn’t it so much easier going downstream than up? Water takes the path of least resistance; so does our sinful nature.

Genuine believers in Jesus Christ are not homophobes! We love the sinner but hate the sin, but I realize that this position as believers will never resonate with this community of people or even abortionists. They demand tolerance but refuse to give it. It is easier for them to demonize Christians because we don’t think like they do; we don’t share the same values that they do; we have a completely different worldview than they do. So, who is actually demonstrating unkindness, intolerance, and hatred? It is the LGBT group! America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, not the personal sexual preferences of a very small minority. Just because something is legalized, like same-sex marriage or pot or abortion, does not mean it is moral or right in the eyes of God!

As believers in Jesus Christ, we cannot pick and choose what to believe about Scripture and disregard the rest without repercussions from God. The Bible is one organic whole from Genesis to Malachi, from Matthew to Revelation (2 Tim 3:16-17). I am of the opinion such treatment of the Word of God falls under the Divine response to adding to or taking away from the Scriptures. This is a very precarious place to be (cf. Deut 4:2; 12:32; Prov 30:5-6; Mk 7:13; Gal 1:8,9; Rev 22:18, 19).

Anyway, we can get entrenched in our position and feel compelled to throw in our two cents worth to others within our social circles, including those at church, which invariably infects others with another “I think” doctrine. It is amazing how many people are attracted to comfortable compromises, “Thus says me,” than dealing with an uncomfortable truth, “thus says the LORD.” I think of the bugs in the night attracted to a zapper light. We have to be so careful of the kind of light we are approaching in this dark, nebulous world. One is healthy; one is not (cf. 2 Cor 11:14).

I had attended this “Bible-believing” Baptist church in the burbs of Atlanta, some years ago, which was full of I-thinkers. They were heavily into facilitation and inclusion. They would go around the table, per se, and ask what people felt or thought about whatever truth was on the table. Some of their resource material was from some very sound and prominent bible teachers; men that I admired. But it simply was a springboard into people’s response to this truth or that, some kind of existential exercise in listening to what others think about an author’s statement.

I finally had to cut loose of this cutting-edge sophistication out in the country church because I wanted the leadership to stand up and declare with moral authority based on the Word of God, “Thus says the LORD.” It wasn’t going to happen there. My dialogue with the pastor was fruitless; he had no issue with what was taking place, or the direction they were heading.

I have serious problems with any “evangelical” I-think churches, even if they happen to be Baptist. Less you think I am unkind, there were a lot of nice people there, but there was also spiritual error going on in that church that had a strange mixture of legalism (involved-ism) and subjective religious opinion-ism dominating the scene rather than the proclamation of the objective, propositional truth of the Word.

This church was more about the “truth” than of the truth. It may have been out in the country (no old hymns by the way), but there were a lot of highly educated people attending there, but spiritual error is not limited to only the uneducated. Ignorance has no bounds. I particularly liked the fairground act of this one member, who had a Ph.D., clipping his nails as the discussion made its way around the room! Man, he was good at listening, whittling on his nails, and stating his opinion as if he was the man who had all of the answers. He reminded me of a plump turkey waiting to gobble, showing his tail. The most I learned from him was gaining new insight into what it means to be full of self (contrast Eph 5:18). 

In my humble estimation, the only opinion that should have mattered there or any church worth their lick was what God had to say from His Word about any and everything. I know; you are pointing out my “I think.” Some, “I think,” is spot on...! It is far better for us to put on our thinking cap and put a cap on our opinion if it deviates from the Word.

Thankfully, the sermons were solo in that church out in the county, but everything else was on the table for discussion. Life is too short to treat the Word of God in a cafeteria-styled manner; pick and choose what you like and disregard the rest. I can’t speak for you, but I do not need that type of inclusion and dialogue in my life; I need the unadulterated Word of God poured into my heart and soul as often as I can get it! Here is the tone of a spiritually broken record today; it’s not my favorite song: “Well, I think!” “Well, I think!” “Well, I think! “Well, I think!” “Well, I think!” “Well, I think,” ad nauseam. What do you think?

Before jumping into theological absurdity in part 2, one other thing I observed. There are people claiming to be Christians who believe that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice (Take note of that!), but when you talk about a controversial subject from the Bible, the look on people’s faces and their body language reveals they are not in agreement because they have already bought off on the interpretation from the world. It is an edgy feeling when church members do not recognize the truth from the Scripture.

So, let me ask you something. Do you truly believe that the Word of God is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice? I am going to assume that you do. Do you think it is mystifying that a Christian would not believe that the Bible is the ruling authority in our lives? I do. In fact, I am baffled why Bible believers would embrace the world’s interpretation of the Bible on anything, and I have good theological reasons for it. It is theologically absurd to buy into the world’s interpretation of the Scripture, and I will prove it to you in part 2, and you can be the judge, but judge rightly! <><  

To Part 2