6/1 The Fifth Challenge to Christianity – the Counterfeit Religious System
Next we ventured into Evolution and how this ‘religion’ has aimed to replace belief in God, His absolute word and His just requirements of us to live in peace without world.
Another challenge to the Christian message we find in practice around us, was ‘the New Age’. Here we saw the roots of the movement, their beliefs and how the New Age has entered almost every part of our culture.
Lastly, we have just finished a look at the cults we find around us, along with YouTube video coverage of some of the more common cults. We saw why people join such groups and how to spot cult groups.
Now, we want to turn our attention to another Challenge to the message of hope and truth that Jesus came to bring: a counterfeit religious system or ‘Churchology’.
Remember where Jesus had the most opposition? It wasn’t from the tax collectors, the poor, the sick and those without hope – or even those who had a belief in the Jewish faith, like Atimathea or Nicodemus. It was the outwardly righteous religious leaders of His day, the Teachers of the Law, the scribes and the Pharisees who said one thing and did another.
Jesus warned about the wolves that would come to tear apart the flock. He even used the parable of the wheat and the weeds, Matthew 13:25. He knew His Truth would be attacked, polluted, diluted, added to and even reduced to milky, weak water. This is part of the question we are looking at in this series.
We must ask: Has the gospel of Jesus Christ been too watered down, re-translated for unbelievers … or do we see a vital, life giving changes in the way the gospel is being presented? Can His Truth survive the criticisms and judgements of this generation?
In this part of our series on the Challenges to the Christian faith, we will look at some of the basics that Jesus taught. Then we will move onto the position of leadership in the modern day church. Finally, we will add some of these so called alternatives to the Truth Jesus brought. We have research the ‘Emerging Church’ scene to those who have left the ‘church organisation’ for something or …..nothing.
Maybe we can help find some answers for those who say “Jesus I love ….but the church not so much.”
Throughout this series, we have also adapted different comments about ‘church’ from ‘Readers Respond: Why Don’t You Go to Church?’ by Mary Fairchild, from ‘About.com Guide and from ’10 Reasons Why I Don’t Go to Church Anymore’ by Remy Tongol. We also invite you to add your own comments at the end of each of our posts to have your say as well.
( http://christianity.about.com/bio/Mary-Fairchild-16017.htm and Christian Foundations\church\10 Reasons Why I Don’t Go to Church Anymore by Remy Tongol.mht )
I’m not planning on ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ with Jefferson Bethke on his YouTube video about
why he hates religion but loves Jesus – although the bandwagon left in the late 80’s. He received astounding reactions and stirred up debates with his poem on the traditional church ….because the ‘counterfeit’ is here. He now has his own YouTube channel! Catch him here: ‘Jefferson’s Channel – YouTube’. We will feature his poem/YouTube presentation in one of our posts.
The danger has always been to ‘thrown the baby out with the bath water’ if we didn’t agree with those around us in the church community …but there must be a better way. Come with us as we journey into what might be a path through the imitations of the Gospel we find around us.
We will be surprised who will be with us in heaven – see my other blog:
www.hearinggod.mentorsnotebook.com/blog
We will sit and talk with monastic priests, with peasants who couldn’t even read, pagans still with rites and festivals but all came to know who Jesus was. We will talk with martyrs from every tongues, country, colour and culture who gave their life for Jesus.
Early church believers, ones from the dark ages and even from savages, war torn foreign islands will be there. Protestants, Catholics, Jews … even the swinging from the rafters Pentecostals and ‘Reformed Brethren’. So ‘the church’ is far greater than just one group, time or domination. It doesn’t matter the name of the ‘box’ ……but whether we know Jesus.
Remember we invite you to add your comments to the posts as we go along. Agree? …or disagree? … What do you think?
So do come back and join us as we cover these topics and more as we face another Challenge to the Christian Faith – sorting the real from the counterfeit.
Susanne Fengler, Blog Author
www.christianfoundations.jesus-treeoflife.info/blog
Tags: intro to system church
Filed under: Challenges to the Christian Faith
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