The Church and Culture

"The Church is to be a loving church in a dying culture. How, then, is the dying culture going to consider us? Jesus says, "By this shall men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another." In the midst of the world, in the midst of our present dying culture, Jesus is giving a right to the world. Upon His authority He gives the world the right to judge whether you and I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians." The Mark of the Christian by Francis A. Schaeffer.

The Test of Practice

"Worldviews should be tested not only in the philosophy classroom but also in the laboratory of life. It is one thing for a worldview to pass certain theoretical tests (reason and experience); it is another for the worldview also to pass an important practical test, namely, can the person who professes that worldview live consistently in harmony with the system he professes? Or do we find that he is forced to live according to beliefs borrowed from a competing system? Such a discovery, I suggest, should produce more than embarrassment." Dr. Ronald H. Nash

Christianity and Culture One Year Publication Anniversary

One year ago, my first book Christianity and Culture: A Christian Perspective on Worldview Development was released for the public. To God be the glory! Since the publication of this book thousands of souls have been touched by its content. I have had the privilege of speaking on the topic of worldview development at various churches and institutions of higher learning across America. Several Christian leaders and professors in seminaries and universities have endorsed the book. The book is being used as a supplemental text for a variety of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Foundations to Ministry, Christian Ethics, Psychology of Religion, Philosophy and Christian Education courses. By God’s grace and His divine favor, a revised and updated version is due to be released through Creation House Publishers in 2011. So look for the revised edition of Christianity and Culture as well as other publications in your local bookstores! In the meantime if you desire to purchase your copy of Christianity and Culture, you can log on to our secure websites at: http://www.christianityandculturetoday.com/ and http://www.highercallministriesintl.org/

Fourth of July Celebrations and American Freedom

Disclaimer: No part of this note is in any way the endorsement of a political party and does not reflect any of my writings in my latest book, Christianity and Culture: A Christian Perspective on Worldview Development. This is simply my thoughts on the meaning of the Fourth of July in American history.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson

This weekend, Americans everywhere took the time to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It has been 234 years since our forefathers declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and for that we thank God for His many blessings upon this country. And on goes the celebration! Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. It is said that this nation spends billions of dollars during the July 4th weekend celebration each year, but unfortunately very few Americans know the meaning of freedom and the documents that were drafted to secure such freedom.

American Democracy and Freedom

In Democracy in America, Frenchman Alex de Tocqueville (1835) captured an idea that has since become known as the American liberal tradition.[1] When describing the emergence of American democracy, Tocqueville wrote, “The revolution in the United States was produced by a mature and reflective taste for freedom, and not by a vague and indefinite instinct of independence. It was not supported by passions of disorder; but, on the contrary, it advanced with a love of order and of legality.”[2] Tocqueville understands American democracy as a democratic regime at rest (stasis) because of its potency to bring liberty, particularly the personal freedom to do what is right. He also believes that Christianity “has rendered all men equal before God” (11). Louise Cowan and Os Guinness (1998) write that Democracy in America analyzes the workings of a free society and religion’s critical role in ensuring that it remains free.[3]

The Documents

No two documents in American history have been more vehemently debated or interpreted than the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. Ironically they both respectively make up the fundamental artifacts of the American Republic apart from the United States Constitution. Based on the premise that “… all men are created equal, [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness),” these documents share common truths concerning the founding of the American Republic as a political community.

Another Primer on Freedom

The Republic of Plato is the greatest work written on the political community and the power to rule. The Republic begins with the question “what is justice?”[4] In light of the concepts of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address both tackle the philosopher’s quest to define justice and equality. Justice or the good of the many is the goal of a democratic regime. The writers of the Declaration of Independence express the people’s desire to be free from the Tyranny of English colonization. Its premise is that freedom is for the good of the people, thus deliberating a verdict for justice. The same can be said of the Gettysburg Address, perhaps the greatest propaganda for war in world history; Abraham Lincoln’s public address is indeed one of justice’s greatest credence.

As we celebrate freedom, I pray that we remember that “all men are created equal” and that we have been endowed such freedom from our Creator God. God gave America freedom from the cruelty of British tyranny but God never gave America independence from our dependence from His sovereign authority! This is my prayer for all Americans and human beings across the world!

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[1] Smith, Rogers M. “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America.” The American Political Science Review 87.3 (1993): 549-556.
[2] Tocqueville, Alexis De (author), Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Translators), (2000). Democracy in America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 67.
[3]Cowan, Louise and Os Guinness (1998). Invitation to the Classics: A Guide to Books You’ve Always wanted to Read. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 228
[4] Bloom, Allan (1991). The Republic of Plato. New York, NY: Basic Books/Perseus Books, 7-34 (330d-354c).

Your Spiritual Freedom Matters to God

“And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Today, I would like to take the opportunity to draw your attention to a freedom that is greater than human freedom. As we honor those who have died for human freedom, let us treasure the freedom that was brought by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Do not get me wrong, I am all for freedom from any form of dictatorship or tyranny but I am even more for freedom from the tyrannical rule of Satan. God says that He not only desires to give us human freedom, His ultimate goal is for us to live in the freedom that Christ offers.

Human/ Political Freedom

This weekend, Americans everywhere took the time to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It has been 234 years since our forefathers declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and for that we thank God for His many blessings upon this country. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. It is said that this nation spends billions of dollars during the July 4th weekend each year, but it breaks my heart to know that that many have ignored the price that was paid for their spiritual freedom and independence from Satan.

Spiritual Freedom

What is the cost of Spiritual freedom? I was reminded again and again that spiritual freedom isn’t free. Christ paid the price with His precious blood. I fear that an increasing number of Christians have lost the art of living in the freedom that Christ offers.

As part of our covenant relationship with Almighty God, we have received the promises and provisions made through the dispensation of grace. This is God’s appointed time and season of total victory over the powers of darkness. The Word of God gives the promise that “Whatever is born of God overcome the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (I John 5:4).

Let us not steep down to living in sin and allow ourselves to be enslaved by the enemy of our souls. I exhort you and beseech you in the compassion of Christ, faint not, weary not. There is a great necessity of heaven; you must have it. We have spiritual freedom from sin, death, hell and the grave. Dear friend in the name of Christ I urge you not to seek freedom from your dependence upon Almighty God. May we all embrace our freedom in Christ, the grace of the Lord be with you!

Truth and Worldviews in Culture

Everyone has a value set that determines his or her view of the world. However, a recent national survey of adults conducted by the Barna Research Group (2008) indicated that only 4 percent of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision making. The findings from this survey are astonishing, even more surprising is that the survey also discovered that only 9 percent of born again Christians have such a perspective on life.[1] Our perception of truth, and what we esteem the most, directly impacts how we judge everything around us. It also determines the level of influence we will have on this culture.

What is Truth?

Truth in biblical terms can only be known in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is increasingly evident that we are living in “perilous times” (II Timothy 3:1-9), where the Christian faith and its truth are in conflict with the secular worldview of the current age of unbelief (I Timothy 4:1-2).

According to Colson and Pearcey (2001), “The dominant worldview today is naturalism, which has created a culture that is both post-Christian and postmodern. By post-Christian, we do not mean Americans no longer profess to be Christians or no longer attend church. As a matter of fact, most Americans do both. Rather, by post-Christian we mean that Americans, along with most other Western cultures, no longer rely on Judeo-Christian truths as the basis of their public philosophy or their consensus.”[2] If one is to make a difference in our world, he or she must grasp these profoundly contrary worldviews of reality, for they are the roots of our cultural crisis.

The treat against Truth

Whether one embraces naturalism or other worldviews, many in this world are saying “leave me alone with my truth.” They possess a plurality of truth which is commonly known as relativism and is often expressed through liberalism. Unfortunately, a great number of Christians have fallen for the lies of liberalism. Liberalism is always making major concessions to culture in order to become accepted. Adjusting and compromising the message of the cross for the sake of acceptance is an abomination to God. The making of Christianity as a relevant source of comfort to sinners through seeker friendly approaches is a mean of placating the approval of a hostile culture. Rethinking truth in order to make it palatable to culture is a false gospel and an abomination to God. No matter what your set of beliefs at the end of the day you will have to give an answer to God—Jesus Christ.

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[1] Barna Research Group, A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life. Barna Update December 1, 2003 Retrieved on December 15, 2008 from http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=154.
[2]Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy, How now shall we live? (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 22.

Christ and Culture

I am often fascinated by those who possess the ability to speak to the needs of the mass. None was more convincing to me than the Apostle Paul. As one of the greatest thinker and theologian of his day, Paul was called by God to speak to his culture. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Paul’s mandate to communicate the gospel to the culture was his ability to use godly wisdom through rhetoric.

Tertullian, in the seventh chapter of his classic Prescriptions against Heretics once wrote “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? What between heretics and Christianity? Our instruction comes from “the porch of Solomon,” who had himself taught that “the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart.” My friends, may I suggest that what this world needs is not more money and famous Christian leaders but a sound and effective proclamation of the truth claims of the Christian faith.

The Biblical Account

Acts the seventeenth chapter, records what many theologians have described as the time “When Jerusalem met Athens.” Please allow me to provide you with a little background on the story.

For those of you who do not know; in biblical times, Jerusalem was the center of theology, it was the place where theologians gathered to discuss their faith; and Athens was the center of philosophy, it was the place where philosophers gathered to reason and contemplate on life’s questions. In other words, Jerusalem can be seen as the place where men gathered to worship (Churches and the Christian community). And Athens is the marketplace (the world of business or schools) and where most of us live out our Christian faith.
Acts 17:22-25 records Paul address to the Areopagus, an open forum for philosophical debate:

"22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."

Bringing Christ to Bear in Culture

Paul, the apostle is the perfect example of one who took the mandate to engage the culture with boldness and great resolve. He understood that we must be passionate about reaching the world for Christ and propagate the Christian worldview within every man’s world. The Athenians were like many people in our sphere of influence. They are ignorant of the true God, in spite of their religiosity.

Paul’s argument was as follow: “30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31).

Will you join me in answering the call like the Apostle Paul and proclaim the truth God’s answers to man’s deepest questions. For more information on how you can impact culture with the Christian worldview, you can purchase my book on the same subject at www.christianityandculturetoday.com and www.highercallministriesintl.org