Religion without Faith

Meditation:

A little boy pushed his tiny hand into the Pastor's and said "morning pastor, can I ask you a question?" The Pastor, with his usual warm smile said "Sure Billy, what is it?" "Well" said Billy, "I was wondering what it means to be a Christian"?

"Well Billy" responded the Pastor, "I talk about that every Sunday. I will be explaining it again this morning, but just so you don't have to wait, a Christian is just someone who has given up their sin to the Lord and accepted him as their savior".

Billy looked puzzled for a moment, and asked "so a Christian is someone who shouldn't sin anymore right"? "That's right", acknowledged the Pastor, "and when they don't sin, you can see their joy. They are kind and helpful to others. They stand out in a crowd. They are the kind of people you would like to be around Billy. Do you understand?"

Billy, obviously wrestling with his response, hesitatingly nodded his head and said "uh huh, I think so, but, but, but can you tell me, have I ever seen one?"

While this is a humorous story as most stories about children are, Billy's question brings attention to an alarming trend in Christianity. Today we have so many different ideas floating around about what it means to be a "Christian" that we too are tempted to ask the question "have I ever seen one"? One cannot help but wonder how some who claim to be believers can act like those who do not believe.

Many centuries ago, in a world much smaller than today, it was a crime to be a Christian. In fact, it was a crime just to be accused of being a Christian. It took only an unsubstantiated accusation to bring an end to one's freedom. If a business competitor wanted you out of the picture, all they needed to do was to make an official complaint that they heard you praying to the Christian God and the authorities moved swiftly against you.

For a short period of time under Roman rule, if you were found guilty of such a heinous crime as believing in the Son of God, the person who filed the complaint was awarded your property. One had no recourse. They either admitted their guilt and suffered or denied their guilt and suffered. For evil-minded people, this legislative blunder gave them a new way to cheat and steal. You can imagine how quickly this got out of hand.

Then there was a period in history when almost the opposite was true. The Emperor Constantine, after reportedly seeing the sign of a cross in the sky with the words "In this sign conquer", proclaimed himself to be a Christian. It immediately became socially beneficial to declare one's self a Christian. Never mind that there was no actual conversion or regeneration; it was socially expedient to be labeled a Christian.

Sadly, the same thing can be said about many today who name that blessed name. Certain social advantages have manifested themselves for those who give the appearance that they are religious. This is especially true with celebrities. From the rock star who prays with their group before a performance to the professional athlete who points to heaven after scoring in a gesture aimed at making you think they know God; it is popular to come across as religious. This spiritual mentality has manifested itself at all levels of society and is has ecumenically transcended denominational creeds and beliefs. If you appear "religious" you are accepted by all.

But this religion is not fueled by faith and without faith there can be no true religion. There is no evidence of conversion, no thirst for the Word, and no reverence for the one they claim to know. In fact, there is a total disregard for the holiness of God. These are new age Christians. They do not exercise their faith, they sport it on irreverent t-shirts that say "This blood is for you" or "Jesus gym", which depicts a long-haired Jesus as a weight-lifter.

Let us not forget the ever-popular acronym "WWJD" or "What Would Jesus Do" slogan. Theologically, there is nothing wrong with asking ourselves this question. Indeed, we are encouraged to consider what Jesus would do if confronted with the same circumstances? We should ask ourselves "What would Jesus do? How can I honor my Lord in this thing?"

Pragmatically, if we listen to the new age crowd's answer, it seems that Jesus would do a lot of things that traditional Christians would find questionable, and that are in conflict with Jesus?own words. Somehow, I just cannot envision the Son of God blowing up an abortion clinic. I can't see him blasting out an ungodly heavy metal noise from an electric guitar to "bless" a congregation. And there are a hundred other things I know he would not do that others do "in his name".

The problem is that people unskilled and even unfamiliar with the Word of God are gathering large followings and spewing out their humanistic, erroneous views of God. It is the old "if it feels good, it must be right" mentality. There are little, if any, doctrinal stands, and any mention of traditional Christian values are scorned. The consequences are grave. It gives false hope to a faithless religion.

This rapidly growing shift towards religious zeal without foundational understanding of Bible doctrine is no nuance. It is a major change in philosophy that uses religion to make humanism and pluralism more palatable. Worse yet, many of those strong in traditional faith are starting to think maybe this new brand of faithless religion isn't really that bad after all.

True Christians must be vigilant. Jesus warned there would come a falling away from the faith. He said there would be wolves in sheep's clothing and we are seeing that today. Charles Spurgeon warned of this slippery slope that Christendom was on well over 120 years ago. He said that entertainment would find its way into our churches and eventually people would come to be entertained, not to worship.

The question needs to be asked, "Are we to feed the sheep or entertain goats"?

The author is a retired Coast Guard Officer with over 32 years of service. He is also a Baptist Preacher and Bible Teacher. He helps those grieving the loss of a pet to understand the Biblical evidence that proves they live on. His most popular book, "Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates" delivers hope and comfort to the reader in a very gentle, yet convincing way. Visit at http://www.coldnosesbook.com for more information and tips or write to Gary at petgate@aol.com.