In Response, Cont'd

Here is the rest of my response to Manic Magpie's comment on my "Cultural Reformation" post a few weeks ago:

You wrote: "This non-believing segment of our population leaves a huge emotional void just ripe to be filled. And as the second largest and fastest growing religion in the world, the Church of Islam has the numbers and zeal to fill that void."

Response: I agree that there is an emotional void in the hearts and souls of the people of this world. People fill their lives with material possessions, self-wrought happiness, and the pursuit of some kind of truth to guide them, only to find themselves continually reaching, searching, and lacking what they seek. I disagree that the religion of Islam, as prevalent as it may be, holds the solution to such a void, though. Islam, like any other religion (remember, Christianity is excluded here, not to be classified as a religion but as a faith), provides temporal guidance and structure to our broken lives, but will never satisfy the emotional void of our hearts. I understand that Islam is quickly growing and that there is a huge number of people in this country who claim no belief at all, leaving themselves open for whoever comes first or makes more sense, but does that mean that Islam is the default religion? Yes, Muslims are devout and their religion may seem to have much to offer to the non-believer seeking a spiritual journey, but such an offer is futile because it will not offer anything eternal. Christianity is the only faith that will matter in eternity. It is the only faith that will secure a person's eternal destiny and have a real impact on their life here on earth. It is obvious that there are so many people in this world who don't believe anything. My hope is that Christians will recognize this need and do something about it. That is the only solution to this "emotional void."

You wrote: "What duty does a Church have to change the society around it? What ability? And constitutionally, what right?"

Response: Again, let me state that the church does not have a duty to change culture. Culture without the Gospel will always be sinful and dismal. Left to its own depraved condition, a culture or a society, even with laws and ordinances, will always be corrupt on some level. The only way for culture to change is if the Gospel saturates it, if the people in that culture repent of sin and come to Christ. I know that sounds bigoted and narrow-minded, but it is the truth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." A Christian's priority should never be to change the culture, but to preach the Gospel and let Christ change people's hearts. When this happens, culture will be transformed. Christ is the only transformer of culture. The only way that the church can foster this transformation is to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed - to doctrinally, practically, and thoughtfully carry forth the Gospel of salvation. Consitutionally, Christians have the right to proclaim their faith. We cannot of course force our beliefs upon the unbelieving world, and that should never be our desire or intention, nor is such a move necessary. The Christian church should never call for the mandatory adherence to Christian doctrine or Scripture among our society. If we force every citizen in this country to be "Christian" and live by the Bible, all we will get is a nation replete with self-righteous liars. The only real way for culture to change is, again, if the Gospel permeates culture. Only Jesus can make that change!

You wrote: "...I lost my faith and have been missing it ever since."

Response: Magpie, this truly saddened me. Your questions in your comment were legitimate and I sympathize with your quest to decipher the truth. I, myself have wondered before how true my faith is and if it was even worth holding onto. But over the years I have found this to be true: I do not have to understand something to believe in it. I may not always understand Christianity or God or the church and may not ever be able to fully explain it, but that is the beauty of faith. I don't have to. I can just believe it. You said that you know ten Christian families and of those only three actually live according to their faith. That, my friend, was the point of my post - to point out the fact that too many so-called Christians are not living right. There are so many people in this world who claim to know Christ but who do not live as His followers. The other seven families that you know seem to fall into that category. I hope that you consider this though: Just because a person becomes a follower of Christ, that person is not expected to live perfectly, always obedient. Forever we will struggle with our sinful natures. That is, sadly, the result of human depravity. But there is a major difference between Christians who freely and willingly live in rebellion and sin, and those who acknowledge their sins and spend a life time repenting and turning away from those sins. A true Christian should be the latter. Martin Luther, in his 95 Theses, wrote that Christianity is a religion of repentance. This is so unquestionably true. A Christian should hate his sin and should want to turn away from it. Obviously, even Christians sin. That fact should not dissuade a non-believer from considering turning to Christ. A lot of people will say that they don't want to go to church because there are too many hypocrites there. But there are also hypocrites at Wal-Mart, and they go there with no problem! A true Christian should be constantly aware of his failure and should be always striving to be more like Christ. Anyone who you know who claims to be a Christian, yet fails to acknowledge and attempt to correct his sins, is probably not a real follower of Christ. My prayer is that you will reconsider the faith that you gave up. God is real. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. It was not made up. There are historical accounts of it, even aside from the Bible. If you have never realized that you are a sinner and that you have sinned against God and deserve to be condemned for those sins, please think about that today. And then consider the fact that even though you sinned, even though you violated God's commands, He still sent His Son to die for you, so that you could be saved. That is an amazing gift and you don't have to do anything at all to earn it. It is completely free and available to you right now. Thanks for your response to my post. I hope you have found here some guidance and answers. It sounds like you haven't completely given up on the faith. God bless!