Why Are These Antithetical Cultural Theories Accelerating Within the Body of Christ? by KEVIN MCGARY for Charisma News
Various “theories” and theologies not found in the Bible are gathering momentum—indeed accelerating—within the body of Christ. These theories and theologies are wholly antithetical to the fundamental tenets of the gospel of Jesus and thus undermine the church.
So, why do they accelerate and proliferate?
Most churches have strived with some success at evangelizing and spreading the gospel message. By evangelizing, we mean communicating to non-Christians the saving knowledge of and desire to trust in Christ for eternal life. Making a church’s primary goal to evangelize can be called “evangelicalism.” But, vital and important, “evangelicalism” is actually not the primary task Jesus encouraged and admonished us to do. In fact, Christians’ primary goal is disciple-making, also called discipleship.
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Matthew 28:19-20 declares “the Great Commission.” This commission quotes Jesus as urging His followers to go and make disciples by teaching other people to pattern their lives after Him and be observant of all things Jesus taught and commanded. Jesus taught and lived a pattern of life, and He urged people to follow His pattern. The discipleship process draws directly from the Bible and is available and repeatable across generations.
The repeatable discipleship process is the only solution that circumvents the adoption of “other gospels” and theologies about which apostle Paul warned in Galatians 1:6-9.
We are at a critical point in church history. The church is experiencing a great “falling away” due to the lure of other philosophies. Why? Philosophies of men have an intensely seductive pull. To generally considerate and cooperative people in society, bowing to “the culture” to appease others seems right. Feelings and emotions seem better accommodated when adapted to fit the cultural contours.
This trend confirms why evangelicalism alone is not enough. Gathering “the masses” to experience “church” and answer an “altar call” is insufficient for enduring, long-term spiritual formation. Some people may come to Christ as individuals and receive eternal life through the evangelical outreach. But the transformation can be short-lived. The spiritually weak are drawn to the unrelenting grip of secular culture—and frankly, secular culture is where the doctrines of demons hold sway.
Spiritual maturity is therefore desperately needed. Trouble is, the focus on evangelicalism as the church’s primary mission, to the exclusion of focused efforts to promote relationships, actually generates impotency and provides an opportunity for other doctrines to be embraced. Evangelical efforts are tactics designed to outreach and “birth” more into God’s kingdom. However, the church’s strategy must be active discipleship to preserve, grow and pass forward true spiritual maturity.
