False Religion: Christless Christianity

Christian Smith has identified a false religión “made in America”. He calls this religión “moralistica, thearpeutica deism”. The key points in this religión are:

1.       God created the world.

2.       God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible an most world religions.

3.       The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4.       God does not neeed to be particularly involved in one’s life except when needed to resolve a problema.

5.       Good people go to heaven when they die.

These popular ideas indicate that we are good, God is good and we should be nice. We don´t have to know much to go to heaven and to live our own lives here on earth. We just have to do good things. Knowing the Bible story is unnecessary.

This religión is rapidly taking the place of Christianity arround the world. People need good Bible teaching if they are going to “resist”, we must teaching the whole Bible story and not just accomedate our cultural images of Jesus with Bible texts. 

Lasting Truth

Tradition says that Saint Patrick wrote these words. I think they are a clear expresion of Christian faith. I am posting them so that we can remember Christ on St. Patrick's day 2009.

Lorica of Saint Patrick (Lorica means breastplate)

I arise today
through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
through belief in the Threeness,
through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,
through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial,
through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.
I arise today
through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels,
in hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets,
in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors,
in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
through the strength of Heaven:
light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendour of Fire,
speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea,
stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.
I arise today
through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,
God's host to secure me:
against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices,
against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.
I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils):
against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,
against incantations of false prophets,
against black laws of heathenry,
against false laws of heretics,
against craft of idolatry,
against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul.
Christ to protect me today
against poison, against burning,
against drowning, against wounding,
so that there may come abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
through belief in the Threeness,
through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of Christ.
May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

Missionary Convention Vive 09

We are preparing to go the Vive09 which is a missionary conference planned on the model of InterVarsity's Urbana, which has been successful at recruiting missionaries in the USA for many years. I will be giving conferences on God's Big Picture, which is a summary of the Bible where the theme of the Bible will be developed and explained. This is key to understand Christian Missions and their relationship with God's Mission.

I also recommend two books that develop the missionary nature of the whole Bible: Arthur Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom: The story of God's mission in the Bible, Baker Academic, 2003. and Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's grand narrative, IVP, 2006.

Be praying for us as we speak to Mexico's university students about their part in God's Mission.