We've looked at the good and the bad of New Age beliefs, now lets take a deeper look at what the implications might be for contemporary Christianity.
The Ugly:
1) Bastardized Christianity
Just as Westerners have bastardized the Gnostic tradition, we have bastardized the Christian tradition. We have taken bits and pieces of data from the Biblical framework and have embedded them in a completely foreign framework. From eschatology to ecclesiology, soteriology to pneumatology, we have kept the biblical terms but redefined much of what they mean. We have kept the characters, but changed the story.
Just as Westerners have bastardized the Gnostic tradition, we have bastardized the Christian tradition. We have taken bits and pieces of data from the Biblical framework and have embedded them in a completely foreign framework. From eschatology to ecclesiology, soteriology to pneumatology, we have kept the biblical terms but redefined much of what they mean. We have kept the characters, but changed the story.
2) Ascetic Christianity
Christianity has become a religion that denies the world, denies pleasure, and denies passion. Even in the places where we are able to enjoy the world, we do so with an apologetic stance. We call it 'worldly' to enjoy culture, music, art, wine, food, dance, and other forms of beauty.
The biblical faith, however, is one that embraces the creation as God's good work. The biblical faith embraces pleasure and sees it as a gift from a wise and loving Father. The biblical faith seeks to encourage and direct our passions, not to eviscerate us into a dull and sober existence. Contemporary gnosticism is, in this way, much more biblical than contemporary Christianity!
Christianity has become a religion that denies the world, denies pleasure, and denies passion. Even in the places where we are able to enjoy the world, we do so with an apologetic stance. We call it 'worldly' to enjoy culture, music, art, wine, food, dance, and other forms of beauty.
The biblical faith, however, is one that embraces the creation as God's good work. The biblical faith embraces pleasure and sees it as a gift from a wise and loving Father. The biblical faith seeks to encourage and direct our passions, not to eviscerate us into a dull and sober existence. Contemporary gnosticism is, in this way, much more biblical than contemporary Christianity!
3) Powerless Christianity
Alongside our asceticism, contemporary Christianity has lost its practical wisdom and transformative power. We have removed so much of contemporary life from the power of the gospel by removing so much of life from the sphere of the gospel. We label university education and film-making 'secular' activities and then lament that professors and film-makers don't engage in their work with Spirit-led aims. We label construction and medicine 'secular' activities and then wonder why carpenters and doctors don't see the need for the Holy Spirit to guide their work. In short, we do not think God cares much about anything that happens outside of the 'sacred' arena. Unfortunately this is the arena in which we spend most of our time.
Alongside our asceticism, contemporary Christianity has lost its practical wisdom and transformative power. We have removed so much of contemporary life from the power of the gospel by removing so much of life from the sphere of the gospel. We label university education and film-making 'secular' activities and then lament that professors and film-makers don't engage in their work with Spirit-led aims. We label construction and medicine 'secular' activities and then wonder why carpenters and doctors don't see the need for the Holy Spirit to guide their work. In short, we do not think God cares much about anything that happens outside of the 'sacred' arena. Unfortunately this is the arena in which we spend most of our time.
1 comment:
yes!
Post a Comment