The Secular World ...An Emerging Church

By Eric Hoffman

In our world of thinking today, it is hard for one to except any idea that remains exclusive. It seems that our society wants to be open and let other ideas inter mix in order to promote harmony. A person who is on a spiritual journey is sometimes greatly honored. Those who are seeking spiritual truth are much more respected than those who have found it. But even this way of thinking can be considered exclusive. Today our society tends to claim and hold a view of no absolutes in relations to truth. But is that not an absolute in itself? By saying there is no absolute truth is a statement that must include itself. Therefore including the very statement of no absolutes must be given the same criteria. The question must be asked. "Is that the absolute truth?"
Today a church is emerging that is teaching only a certain part of Jesus’ ministry. This church wants to harmonize and compromise truth in order to tickle the ears of millions with a goal to appease those who don’t want to except certain attributes or lifestyles that are sinful. This church hates words like hell and damnation. This church wants the Jesus who fed the five thousand, the Jesus who preformed miracles, the Jesus who said love thy neighbor, but does not want the Jesus who said follow me or parish. We must take into consideration that Jesus came to save the world. But what did he save us from?
Every person is separated from God by their sin and in need of forgiveness. God came to this world in the form of man and He not knowing sin, became sin so that we could have that eternal relationship with Him. Jesus repeated copiously throughout the New Testament that a saving knowledge in Him through faith must be on the heart of men in order to be saved. And if we believed and loved him we would produce and bear good fruit that would testify for this love before men.
So what about all those “good” people out there who don’t believe in Christ? Living a good, moral life is a theistic concept that comes from God, who promised even for the non believer, that His word would not return void. But God also told us that our works were as filthy rags (Isaiah 60:4). It is clear that our works of good deeds and moral values do not save a person, because good works cannot pay the penalty for sin. This has been the message of the Christian church historically. But this emerging church has a different message. It wants you to think that God will allow anybody into His kingdom regardless of your sinful lifestyle and focusing more on your friendliness and good intentions, while in the mean time denying yourself of a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in the bible that the 2 greatest commandments were 1. to love God with all your mind heart and soul. 2. To love you neighbor as your self. One commandment cannot live without the other, and the first is greater than the second. (Matthew 22:37)