II.

The Secular Context:

Materialistic Secular
Humanism. We have already
indicated in our introduction
something of our secular
context and attitude toward the
Clospel and Christianity.
"Secular" means referring to
worldly things, things not
regarded as religious, spiritual,
or sacred. "Secularism" means
viewing life without reference
to Clod. Secularism moves
that has largely been
secularized, Eph. 2:12. Besides
self-conscious secular '
humanists, there are the post-
religious secularists who have
made a transition from church
and Sunday School to
secularism usually through
public schools, college, and the
university. And then there are
the partially-secularized church
goers who believe in Clod and
the Bible, want to go to
atheism (the belief that there is
no personal Clod or creator)'
Narcissism (preoccupation
with self), Agnosticism (I
don't know if there is a Clod -
a convenient cloak for
unbelief, selfishness),
Pragmatism (Not interested in
if it is true, but does it work),
Statism: Socialism,
Communism, Marxism (The
state is Clod, the" one" is more
important thim the many.)
away from theistic
religion.
"Humanism" makes
man, his mind and
reason the measure
and deteoniner of
truth. Humanism
moves toward faith
in man. Sir Julian
Huxley said, "( use
;';TheContext of " <: '
, '1., "", '" " ... ',' ' " . .'. ... '. .,' .' , ,
Our secular
culture is dominated
by: 1. Hatred for
dogmatism, 2.
Subjectivity of truth:
the denial of moral
or philosophical
absolutes. 3.
Confidence in
human ability, 4.
, :' 1 isnf',;. .
, - - .- -. - '
::',Acts 17 '(Part 2) ' " ..
, ..
the word 'humanist' to mean
someone who believes that
man is just as much a natural
phenomenon as an animal or
plant; that his body, mind, and
soul are not supernaturally
created but are products of
evolution, and that he is not
under the control or guidance,
of any supernatural being or '
beings, but has to rely on
himself and his own power."
Paul Kurtz explains, "We can
discover no divine purpose or
providence for the human
species ... no deity will save us,
we must save
ourselves ... promises of
immortal salvation or fear of
eternal damnation are both
illusory and haonful. U
We are living in a
Wayne Rogers : :
heaven when they die, but
who operate on a daily basis as
if there is no Clod or that Clod
is silent, not relevant, to daily
affairs of life. These people
need to be reached just as
much as jungle tribes and
An eclectic apprqach to
religion: Clleaning the
common values and good from
all religiOns, and 5. Temporal
salvation by education and
legislation. 6. Hedonism.
Religion has essentially been
relegated to the private areas of
life. There is a new attitude in
society for global world
citizenship. Exdusivistic
religions, especially
Christianity divide people.
inner city ghettos. Rheinhold
Neibuhr, a liberal himself said, '
"Take no satisfaction in the
prevailing religiosity of our
nation. Much of it is a
peNersion of the Christian
Clospel."
, Therefore, 'it is considered
detrimental to cultUral and .
Humanism is manifest in
commitment to scientific
experiment and provability,
scientific rationalism: if it can't
be proved in the lab or if it
doesn't make sense to me it
must not be true. Other foons
of humanism are blatant
global goals. It is arrogant,
they say, for one religion to
consider itself right and all
others wrong, The cliJim that
Jesus is the only way to Clod
"is naturallyoffensive ... to
modem man, brought up in
12 t THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t December, 1995
the atmosphere of relativism, Ciod. "Kneel to your own self." on good works, works of
in which tolerance is regarded (5) Our resources are within compassion, feeding the
as almost the highest of us. (6) The plinciple of karma hungry at home and abroad,
virtues," Stephen Neil, maintains that suffering is the with little consciousness or
Christian Faith and Other effect of wrongdoing which regard for sin and personal
Faiths. needs to be worked out in the relationship with Ciod in
Ill. The Religious Context:
next life. (7) Stress on the Christ.
All men are religious.
paranormal potential, ESP,
C. Bible Based Religions:
However, here we are
telepathy, etc. (8) It is
Here I include churches and
focusing on formal religions.
syncretistic, all religions are
religions which regard the
We are surrounded by a
basically one. Jesus was one of
Bible as the Word of Ciod,
supermarket of faiths.
the mystical masters. It is a
some of which, however
A. Non-Christian
religion without being a
believe in tradition and
religion, it is about self-
continuing revelation as
Religions, Cults, and Occult
realization, enlightenment, etc.
authoritative alongside the
Religions: Islam, New Age,
(9) Commitment to cosmic
Bible. This would include
Satanism, Mormons,
evolution. The human race is
Roman Catholicism, Cireek
Jehovah's Witnesses, Judaism,
progressing toward the New
Orthodoxy, EvangelicaL
etc.
Age of Aquarius, the age of
Protestant, Reformed, and
1. Islam: Islam means
planetary unity, peace, and
Charismatic and "Faith"
submission. Their faith is
prosperity. The hindrance is
movement churches or groups.
submission to the will of
not sin but lack of cosmic
By including all these groups
Allah. It is simply an
awareness, the cult of
under this broad heading we
uncomplicated religion,
separateness, the illusory bond
are not suggesting that all of
abounding in prohibitions,
of self, family, nation, and
these churches are true
strong on reward and
matter. Knowledge is the basis
churches or that they are
punishment, insistent on the
of "salvation". (Evangelism
Christian, only that they claim
unity of Ciod, on prayer five
Through the Local Church, pp.
to be Christian and they
times a day, on fasting, on
57ff.)
profess allegiance to the Bible
ethical behavior, on
B. Liberal Moralistic
as a source of authority.
pilgrimage, on the holy war
Religion: Liberal churches
Indeed, this is the very danger
against infidels. Jesus was a
which still cling to the Bible as
of this class of churches which
prophet of Ciod; not Ciod,
a witness to "Ciod" while
leads many people to falsely
which they consider to be a
denying the infallibility of
assume that they are
blasphemous idea.
Scripture, the miraculous, and
Christians if they are members
2. New Age: Michael
the need for new birth.
of one of these groups.
Cireen sets forth the main
Cienerally liberal churches There is much confusion
tenets of the New Age: (1)
emphasize the love of Ciod to among Christians and non-
Monistic; all reality is one. (2)
the exclusion of the wrath and Christians alike because of the
The divine is not personal, not judgement of Ciod, promote divisions within the Christian
"He," but an "it". Ciod is religious feminism, moral church, all of which profess to
known as force, energy, relativism, and allow for believe and follow the
essence, consciousness, spirit, homosexuality as an acceptable teachings of the Bible. There is
being, etc. (3) Everything is Christian lifestyle. These denominationalism, easy
Ciod. (4) Human beings are churches are generally focused believism, decisional
December, 1995 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 13
___ _ ... , ___ J-_ ____ _ _
regenerationism, evangelism and the future of or evangelical techniques in
antinomianism, revivalism, the Christian church. We are which they were ambushed,
pentecostalism, cultural breeding error, ignorance, and misled, or by the hypocrisy
escapism, rapturism, etc. ungodliness in and through the they saw in the church. Many
Formal theological church. All these theological have given up because of the
commitments in this positions perpetuate particular false promises of health and
supermarket of religions messages, methods, and views w e l t h ~ We have to get people
include Roman Catholicism, of the mission and future of the lost before we can get them
Cireek Orthodoxy, church in the world. Some saved. Some people who think
Arminianism, believe in "decisionism, " some they are saved we have to get
Dispensationalism, Calvinism, believe that Christians should lost again! And we have to get
Church "CirowthislT1," mix religion and politics, that those who are casualties of the
Pentecostalism, Baptists, "You don't polish brass on a church to be willing to
Independency, Methodists, sinking ship." Some of these reconsider what the Bible
Presbyterians, Premillenialism, have a more popular appeal really says. We have to
Amillenialism, because of their exciting overcome the negative
Postmillenialism, and contemporary entertainment experiences, and false promises
Reconstructionism. model of worship, lack of that were made in the name of
One problem is that people
commitment to holiness Jesus. We have to overcome
have to make a choice about
demanded, and certainly the demand for certain
where they will go to church
because they deny one of the experiences that a person must
at a time when they are least
three marks of a Biblical have to be saved, that he must
able and prepared to make a
Church, church discipline. In know the day and hour, speak
decision on these theological
the" shopping mall" of in tongues as an initial
issues. People have to rriake
churches often the most conversion expelience, etc.
decisions about church
Biblical in theological Many people have sadly been
government, modes and
orientation are going to be the insulted and inoculated against
subjects of baptism,
least frequented. New the truth by "Chrtstians" and
charismatic gifts,
Christians, like little children, the church.
denominations, when they are
are attracted by the lights, the
We must recognize the
usually theologically and
emotion, the action, the
context in which we must
Biblically ignorant. And in
excitement of churches with
proclaim the good news of
making these initial
little knowledge of what the
Salvation in Christ. It is one
commitments the rest of their
Word of Ciod says about
thing to have a godly and
Christian understanding is also
proper worship or the purpose
proper desire to evangelize,
colored by the rest of the
and life of the church.
and another to be able to get
teachings that are generally Many people have grown inside the minds of friends
associated with these primary up in or been evangelized in a and, by Ciod's grace, move
distinctions. People fall into context in which they have them in the direction of
Aminianism, made a decision, received Christian repentance, faith,
Dispensationalism, assurance based on some obedience, and truth. Some
Antinomianism, and experience they had. Many Christians act as though
Pentecostalism, for example. people frankly have been Chrtslian apologetics (defense)
All of these general positions "turned off" because of is inappropriate or unnecessary,
have an impact on continuing personal religiOUS encounters just preach the U simple
14 ~ THE COUNSEL of ChalcedoD ~ Decemhl'l'. 1995
(josper. The issue is not just
preaching the simple Ciospel, it
is communicating the simple
(jospel to real people who
have real questions. People still
ask, "Why am I here!" People
do want a reason to believe the
Bible, to believe in Ciod, in
Jesus Christ, in the church.
Paul not only proclaimed
the good news, but he argued
strenuously, Acts 17:1-3. In
this case he argued based upon
the Scriptures. Today you may
have to begin
we must never appeal to men's
minds or reasons as the final
arbiter of truth. Any
evangelistic method which
seeks by flattery to build up
confidence in the human mind
may win a better hearing, but
it will not win many souls.
"Man's mind is a good tool for
small projects but
is ... inadequate for large-scale
matters," Jim Peterson, op. cit.,
pg. 35. Evangelism must
depend on the rea lity of prayer
created by (jod," Heb. 11 :3.
By faith we know the truth
about the origin, the meaning,
the purpose, the destiny of
men.
Michael (jreen states that
the Christian faith "has
become very implausible to
Western man. Apologetics
represents an attempt to come
to grips with that sense of
implausibility and to turn it
around. The gospel and its
values used to dominate the
evangelism by arguing
for the Scriptures as
the basis of truth. We
often have to respond
to the intellectual and
philosophical
questions and attitudes
that people have:
"Evangelism must depend
upon the truth of the Word of
God and the sovereign work
of God to regenerate the
heart in the context of the
presentation of the Gospel."
legal system, business
practice, legislative
presuppositions,
employee-employer
relationships, and to a
degree, international
relations. Now all
that is gone ... The
Ciospel and the
What about scientific
or historical "facts"? What
about evolution? Why should I
believe the Bible? How do you
know the Bible is true? Why
do you believe there is only
one way to (jod? Why are
there so many different
religions and denominations?
If (jod is good why does He
allow suffering? Churches and
Christians often give the
impression that to be a
Christian is to ignore facts, to
be gullible, to stick your head
in the ground, to believe in
things you know aren't so.
Jesus, however, is the answer
to the real questions about life
now and eternally.
However, in evangelism
and the sovereignty of (jod in
the conversion of the lost.
Evangelism must depend upon
the truth of the Word of (jod
and the sovereign work of
(jod to regenerate the heart in
the context of the presentation
of the (jospel. Christian
apologetics identifies men's
hidden or conscious
presuppositions and
demonstrates that on the basis
of their beliefs they have no
hope, no knowledge, and
shows them that only as we
presuppose the Bible can we
reason at all or is there any
basis for existence and
meaning. "By faith we
understand that the world is
values of Jesus Christ
are not applied to economic
policies, the framing of
legislation, international
relations, or any of the affairs
of State ... Religion has become
a private interest for a minority,
like gardening," Evangelism
Through the Local Church, pg.
118. There must be a
Christian apologetic. The
(jospel is good news to men
and women concerning (jod,
self, life, family, city, the
nation, and the nations of the
world for both now and
eternity! It really is "(jood
News!" Q
December, 1995 t THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t 15