CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
November 28, 2010
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.blakehart.com/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
PETITIONS AND THANKSGIVINGS:
God’s will for our congregation Various friends, relatives and co-workers
Our nation, military and leaders The spread of the good news
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Charles Carter (4th), Larry Ross Sr. (9th), David Stehlik Jr. (17th), Gary Landrum (19th), Peggy Ross (19th), Mel Oller (29th)
IT’S A SALVATION ISSUE - 5
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Various intellectual conflicts with the Judeo-Christian ethic involve salvation issues. Who or what needs to be saved from who or what. Environmentalists want to save the planet mostly from humankind. Government wants to save us from ourselves. The new atheists, as they are known as, want to save us from ignorance and superstitions.
The Judeo-Christian ethic is mocked by atheists who see it as ignorance, superstitious, irrelevant, child abuse, and dangerous, causing all the ills that the world faces. Evolution is the approved and settled method. Any questioning of that view is considered dangerous, so any scientist who questions it is denied tenure or fired. Say something about creationism or intelligent design and listen as they are mocked. Connect evolution with Hitler and watch the fire works. Oppose global warming as settled science and be prepared to be mocked. Even some Christians have bought into this idea. Science has settled all of this so we need to do drastic things.
What is forgotten in all of this is that God is the Creator and that they earth moves through cycles. Science has limited abilities as to what it can discern from experiments and observation. The spiritual is not within its realm. Since it cannot experiment here, it is often denied. There is “settled’ science and anything that questions that must be attacked or ignored (1).
As such, the atheist wants to be a god who rules. If we would only follow them, then the world would be a better place and humanity will be saved from the foolishness of the Judeo-Christian ethic. They will go to such an extreme that they will see alien visitors to this planet before they will admit that there is a God. There are various reasons for this. One is that some want to live an immoral lifestyle, and if there is no God, then anything goes. Others just cannot bring themselves to consider God, blinded by their own philosophy (2).
There are other areas where we will see salvation issues that attack the Judeo-Christian ethic. Islam sees the issue as one becomes a Muslim or dies, until the whole world is under its control and lives be Sharia law (3). The homosexual movement sees the salvation issue as allowing them all the rights of marriage and any opposition must be silent, so they can continue their immoral lifestyle. They attack many who supported Proposition 8 in California and declared it a religious view. Anyone who publicly supports traditional marriage is quickly and viciously attacked. The news media wants to save us as well by advocating many of the above ideas and opposing the Judeo-Christian ethic by mocking it and those who follow Jesus if they oppose their gods. The Jewish conflict between Israel and the Muslims can be a part of this issue as well (4).
To better understand these attacks on the Judeo-Christian ethic, we need to understand that many see them as a salvation issue. What or who are they attempting to save what or who from.
As Christians, that is our challenge. In Athens, Greece, Paul used a stand that was to “an unknown god” to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. Not that it was easy for him, or for us. Understanding why helps us to address these ideas, otherwise we might not communicate at all with those who oppose us. While we might not meet well known people who hold such views, there are people who listen to the media, scientists, politicians, and others, who we can discuss these with. Understanding these as salvation issues might open some doors in presenting Jesus as Lord, and in revealing what scripture really says to people who do not read the Bible. We do not need to mock those who disagree, but rather to show that while we disagree with them, we can pray for them and show God’s love for them in our lives. That will be our challenge as we discuss salvation issues with them.
George B. Mearns
(1) See Patrick Mead and his hidden history and people series at http://patrickmead.net to see how “settled” history has ignored discoveries that would conflict with it.
(2) See Melanie Phillips, The World Turned Upside Down, Encounter Books, 2010 for more on all of these salvation issues.
(3) Robert Spencer, Theology for a Holocaust, copied 5/14/2010 at http://frontpagemag.com
(4) See S.E. Cupp, Losing Our Religion, the latest book that examines how the media sees religion. She is an atheist who is defending the Judeo-Christian ethic.