The most dangerous moment in a Christian’s life isthe moment he or she begins to lose all discernment and begins following a lie, a counterfeit, a masquerading demon. Psalm 101:7 NLT I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.
Is Christianity a dangerous faith?
That is indicative of an inherent quality of Christian life. Christianity is a very dangerous faith. If you do not think so, you have not begun to live it. We are followers of one who said, I have come not to bring peace on earth but a sword, and to make a division among men… (Matthew 10:34).
What happens if you don’t learn how to live the Christian life?
For if you begin the Christian life but do not learn how to live it, you will still have heaven as your home and God as your Father, and some joy and peace in your heart, but you will be ineffective as a Christian and your life will still reflect bondage to sin and the reign of evil, just as much as it did before you became a Christian.
What are the effects of true faith in Christ?
A true faith in Christ drastically increases the chances you will end up on a collision course with some worldly power or another. If Christians were willing to die rather than offer a pinch of incense to an emperor, it is obvious there is wide, wide latitude to get into trouble with authority.
Why do we rely on God who raises the dead?
The difficulties which strike suddenly in our lives, the pressures through which we must go, the sudden catastrophes that come roaring in unexpectedly out of the blue — these are sent in order that we might rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
Which it claims is a better story
When it comes to human sexuality, the story our secular culture tells us is that we are our sexual desires: if it feels good, then we have a moral duty to do it (as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody else).
Which it claims is a better story
While our secular culture tells us that to be an authentic human being involves being ‘ true to ourselves ’ (i.e obeying our desires), Christianity teaches that our ultimate identity doesn’t come from within ourselves, but is given to us by our Creator. [1]
It’s offensive and ‘intolerant’ to tell people that they’re wrong
If people read what Jesus has to say, they either love him, or they hate him. There’s no in between.
Which is why so many rulers of this age see Christianity as a threat
From its very beginning, Christianity was often seen as a political threat to the state. Jesus was crucified by the Romans on the charge of challenging Caesar’s rule.
Mr Hitchens Was Right: Christianity is Dangerous
For all these reasons – and many more – Christianity is dangerous to those who oppose the Lord Jesus Christ. As British Journalist Peter Hitchens (brother to the late Atheist Christopher Hitchens) so eloquently put it at the ABC’s 2015 ‘Festival of Dangerous Ideas’:
What was the public accusation in Thessalonica?
And the same thing was said about the early Christians. The public accusation in Thessalonica was that “these men . . . have turned the world upside down” ( Acts 17:6 ). The people of Thessalonica were saying that these men were acting against the decrees of Caesar, which meant they are calling up down and down up and good bad and bad good. And they’re going to wreck our good Roman world. So that’s not new.
What was Jesus called?
Jesus was called the devil, and Matthew warned that if they called the master of the house the devil, they’re going to call us worse things ( Matthew 10:25 ). And at the end of Paul’s life, the Jews in Rome said, “Well, we’ve heard about this sect, Christianity, and it is spoken against everywhere” (see Acts 28:22 ).
Is the biblical position on social and cultural issues immoral?
The biblical position on controversial social and cultural issues is not immoral, it’s not harmful, it’s not unloving, no matter what the culture says to the opposite.
What is Christianity based on?
It is “Christianity” that comforts the already comfortable. It is “Christianity” based on cheap grace and easy-believism. It is “Christianity” that goes out of its way to not offend anyone.
What is the most prevalent form of deism?
Sociologists of religion have labeled one discovered form of this as “therapeutic, moralistic deism.” Much more prevalent, however, is entertainment “Christianity” created to make people feel good.
Is Americanism a threat to Christianity?
Americanism is the greatest danger to authentic Christianity today.
Is Christianity a Platonic ideal?
It is , if you will, a Platonic ideal – not identical with any particular embodiment of it . Still and nevertheless, Christianity exists. It would exist even if there were no Christians. It is truth.
Who is Roger Olson?
Roger Olson is the Foy Valentine professor of Christian theology and ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas. He is the author of numerous books, including “Counterfeit Christianity” and “The Story of Christian Theology.”
Is the ideal more real than the physical?
I believe that the ideal has even more reality than the physical, the measurable, the quantifiable. I also happen to believe the possible is more real than the actual, but that is for another essay.
What did the Jews shout in unison for two hours?
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
What did the disciples shout at Paul?
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
Why was Artemis carved from a meteorite?
She was carved, apparently, from a meteorite, because, later on, the town clerk reminds them that this image had fallen from the sky. According to some of the copies that have been excavated, she was the figure of a many-breasted woman, enshrined as the goddess representing Mother. So, in attacking Artemis, they were attacking Mother. When you attack Mother and apple pie, you are really striking to the heart of a deeply involved emotional issue. And these men knew it.
Why did the silversmiths lose their business?
These silversmiths, who made little silver souvenirs of the goddess Artemis, found their business tremendously diminished because so many people were becoming Christians that nobody wanted their shrines anymore. Demetrius, the president of the union, cared nothing for the real welfare of the hundreds who had become Christians and had found freedom and peace and joy in Christ. He saw only the red ink in the profit and loss columns of his books, and he was very concerned about that. (It is interesting that archaeologists have found in the ruins of Ephesus an inscription bearing the name of the man, Demetrius.) The problem, of course, was that the vested interests in Ephesus were being threatened.
What did Paul do to help the famine-stricken saints of the church at Jerusalem?
The Christians in Jerusalem were hungry, and Paul longed to help them. So he sent Timothy and Erastus into Macedonia. Here we are not told, but from one of Paul’s letters we learn why: It was to tell the churches there about the need of the Christians in Jerusalem, and to collect an offering for them in advance, so that, when the apostle came, he could send it or take it to Jerusalem. We can read this in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 16:
Why is the war in Vietnam being continued?
They say the war is being continued simply because there are men in this country who have vested interests in making money by means of the military machine. If the war ended, their interest would be threatened, and that is why they keep it up. There is a certain degree of justification for this charge, because there always have been profiteers who care nothing for the fact that lives are lost, and bodies smashed and mutilated, so long as they make a fast buck. This was the problem here in Ephesus. Profiteering is nothing new.
What did Paul find when he came to Ephesus?
When Paul came to Ephesus, as recorded in Acts 19, he found that city locked into pagan superstition, the people miserable and depraved, practicing black magic, voodoo, and other occult arts, ridden by fear, by demonism, by darkness, the sordid powers of evil entrenched in a stronghold over the city, holding it in bondage.
Why is progressivism attractive to formerly biblical Christians?
Progressivism is attractive to formerly biblical Christians because it offers a sort of “halfway house” that allows them to remain largely religious and socially responsible, but relieves them from the responsibility of holding to what they consider to be antiquated biblical teachings such as miracles, the authority of Scripture, sexual holiness or the sinfulness of humanity.
Why was Jesus crucified?
The Scriptures teach that Jesus was crucified to atone for our sins , but progressives tend to argue that Jesus’ death was merely a martyrdom. The Scriptures claim that Jesus is divine, but often progressives only emphasize the humanity of Jesus–unitarianism grew up with Western liberalism.
What is social justice?
But often the term “social justice” means little more than political ideology that is largely disconnected from biblical justice. Progressives tend to focus on social justice to the exclusion of the Gospel. The Gospel is not about God making paradise of this world, but God raising us into a new heaven and earth.
What do progressives say when they say "This verse just doesn’t resonate with me"?
Young: Progressives sometimes say things like, “This verse just doesn’t resonate with me.” When they say this, they affirm that no verse can be true unless they feel like it is true.
What does "love" mean in the Bible?
“Love” in the Bible means putting the needs of others first, but “love” in 21st century thought means accepting or embracing whatever a person wants you to accept and embrace.
What is the feeling that comes up time and time again?
David Hunzicker: Feelings often trump fact. Really, a feeling that comes up time and time again is fear. “I don’t want to oppress somebody. I don’t want to exclude. I don’t want to push somebody down.” That’s the fear that often surfaces, and then facts are questioned in light of it.
What does it mean when people play interpretive games with Scripture?
Whenever you hear people playing interpretive games with Scripture, arguing about “trajectories” and the like, you can be pretty sure that someone is trying to make the Christian faith align with their self-inspired sentimentalism.