Wednesday 6 July 2011

The Watershed. Part Three: Down the Mountain the rivers flow..

So where do we go if we move away from the Biblical basis for our faith? Below I am simply listing the trends that are emerging and which I understand to be particularly important.

* Faith based on subjective feelings rather than objective truth.
* Putting man first rather than God.
* Not understanding that God exists outside of His creation.
* Not recognising the gravity of sin and man's hopeless state outside of the Gospel.
* The belief that there is something of God in everyone that can be stimulated by spiritual exercises.
* Setting of God's love over and against His other attributes.
* The erosion of the substitutionary nature of the Atonement.
* The unique nature of Christ and salvation in His name alone is denied.
* Syncretism.
* Universalism.

Personal footnote: I am writing as one who has had a radical conversion experience (37 years ago) as a result of reading the Bible for literary purposes. I have been involved in a wide range of ministry from Aberdeen to Weymouth in just about every sort of church you can think of. In my early days I had to take big decisions because of my experience of the Holy Spirit. For the past five years I have been involved in setting up and running the London Jesus Centre which has caused me to consider many current social issues in the light of communicating  the Gospel and, has brought me into contact with many people and organisations including a wide range of faith based ones.
I have read widely across the range of theological thought seeking to find balance. I have seriously explored the Roman Catholic Church seeing that, if the doctrinal differences have been resolved, there is really no further ground for division. So, here I am still convinced of the historic Christian faith that sustained the martyrs, motivated the Reformers and inspired missionaries-I can do no other!

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