When Religion Sows Wrong Information
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
2 Corinthians 11:4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus, we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
I have said this many times, but it bears repeating many times, “Religion can be manipulative.” Let me define manipulation … to skillfully, especially in an unfair manner, in some process of treatment or performance, to change to suit one's purpose or advantage.
Here is the Problem
Strong personalities will have strong opinions on matters of faith and practice. This can be a good thing if the character of the leader is Godly, and has a heart that pursues God. This person can be a great asset to the Kingdom, and would never use personality as a tool to achieve a goal. I have experienced strong pastors who have decided there was a need to build a new building, and used their persuasive personality to get it done. I have also known Christian leaders who come into meetings with a predetermined plan, and persuade the members of that meeting to vote in accordance to their plan. Leadership can be persuasive, but it should never manipulate to get its own way. This works for theologically as well. We may personally believe in a doctrine we are passionate about, and will go to the mat to defend it. Here are some of those theological hot spots:
The timing of the Rapture
The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts
The once saved always saved
Women in ministry
Worship styles
It is easy to take a position on these issues, have strong opinions, and miss the point altogether. Recently, I did a podcast on the idea that God can support two positions at one time. The Jewish idea of Block Theology is where opposites are equal. Block Theology can be defined as … two things can be contradictory and true at the same time.
In three places in the Book of Romans alone, the Apostle Paul says that we are saved by faith alone without works (Romans 3:20, 28; 5:1). But when we turn to James 2:25 we read, a man is justified by works, and not by faith only (James 2:24). Well, which is it? It is both. In Greek thinking (which is how the Western world thinks), this is a sequential linear process. If this is true, then it leads to this conclusion. In Hebraic thinking two opposites, like the example above, can also be true. When it comes to the theme of once saved always saved or one can lose salvation, I would argue they both are true. You are secure in Christ, but you still have a free will to decide your fate. We don’t process things like this in our culture, and we certainly don’t process this in the Church. People attend Churches whose theology best matches theirs, so this idea of two opposites can be the same is not even presented. This idea is again illustrated when we say God is ultimate love, yet He is also the ultimate judge, so both are true.
So, Where Do We Land?
Proverbs 18:17 The first to speak in court sounds right until the cross-examination begins.
When religious views dictate to us a specific idea based upon a specific doctrine that claims that it is the only way God can interact with us, I would be cautious. One of the more obvious examples of this is when people claim that God will take His Church from the earth prior to the Great Tribulation, which is His wrath on the earth. They claim that believers are not destined to experience His wrath, so the obvious conclusion is that the Church is gone. Yes, maybe, but when we promote a timeline on when God will perform an act such as the Rapture of the Church, we place ourselves into a position of secret knowledge … we don’t know in certainty that our claims will pan out. At best it is speculation, but it is not taught that way. It is taught as if this is the only option God blesses … that is just not true. Is it possible? Perhaps. Is it an absolute certainty? No.
Here again is where the Hebraic ‘Block Theology’ can help us. Could both be right? Could the emphasis on a pre-tribulation Rapture be helpful to prepare us? I would say yes. However, could a post-tribulation viewpoint prepare us as well? Again, I would say yes. Both could prepare us to know that God is faithful to take us home, whether it’s before or after the Great Tribulation. Now, some of you may think this is just a compromised viewpoint, and I would disagree. The point of the Rapture isn’t when it happens, but more about us being ready. The timing could be critical for us to escape God’s wrath, but if not taken out of God’s wrath, He will protect us. Plus, the destruction of the world may make us stronger and more effective in helping people to know God during God’s judgment being played out.
Conclusion
Here is what we know in this life … that God will be the Glory inside the circumstance, whether good or bad:
Zechariah 2:5 For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.
This blog isn’t about promoting a certain point of view; it just tries to make you think beyond a scripted religious teaching to get at the truth. Two opposites could be both true, and we must acknowledge that God is not double minded … He knows opposites will end in Him. I think it broadens our appreciation for a God who takes two opposing views and unites them in Him. It’s something to think about.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler