The term "cultural Christianity" is being used to describe how so called Christians today have taken the true meaning of being a follower of Christ and turned it into something insignificant and laughable by the outside world. Not sure if that sentence makes any sense, but hopefully this quote from the book The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley will help clear up what I'm trying to say:
Cultural Christianity means to pursue the God we want instead of the God who is. It is the tendency to be shallow in our understanding of God, wanting Him to be more of a gentle grandfather type who spoils us and lets us have our own way. It is sensing a need for God, but on our own terms. It is wanted the God we have underlined in our Bibles without wanting the rest of Him, too. It is God relative instead of God absolute.
I'm sure we are all guilty of living this way at times, if not always. We need to realize that God is the God we read about in Scripture. He is all knowing, always present, loving...the list goes on and on. The problem is that we only want the God that blesses us and makes everything go our way. We don't want the God that will discipline us or the one that will make us answer for the bad things we have done in our lives. We can't pick and choose to pursue only the things about God that make us happy or benefit us. We have to pursue the God who is, the One described throughout Scripture, not just certain verses that make us feel good.
Are you guilty of being a cultural Christian?
I'm sure we are all guilty of living this way at times, if not always. We need to realize that God is the God we read about in Scripture. He is all knowing, always present, loving...the list goes on and on. The problem is that we only want the God that blesses us and makes everything go our way. We don't want the God that will discipline us or the one that will make us answer for the bad things we have done in our lives. We can't pick and choose to pursue only the things about God that make us happy or benefit us. We have to pursue the God who is, the One described throughout Scripture, not just certain verses that make us feel good.Are you guilty of being a cultural Christian?
4 comments:
I respond to this week's Bible study on a blessed day(personally speaking). I say this because I am most definitely guilty of pursuing the God I want.. A God who will answer me on my terms in my time frame. A God who will let me have my cake and eat it too..A God who will turn his head when I am deliberate disobedience. I may think this will make me happy/complete or maybe satisfied but I am wrong no matter how sure I am at the moment. It is so helpful and edifying to go back and revisit the God of the Israelites whose is my God today. I do not want to have a shallow understanding of God b/c I will be an ineffective, weak follower of Christ, unable to share my belief about Jesus with others!
Somebody get me a towel...i'm covered with guilt. Cheesy? Ahhhh. I've been pursuing the God I want...one like Catie said that will turn His head when I sin and answer me on my terms and in my time frame...instead of the God who is. My sinful nature wants the things of this world and i twist my faith and beliefs so that I can enjoy the world and still be a "christian" all at the same time. I can't have it both ways. I don't want anyone to see me living my life in a way that doesn't glorify God. By living my life following the God I want instead of the God who is, I am diminishing how truly awesome God is and I am setting a poor example for those that look to me for guidance in their own spiritual lives. Lord help me to know You for who You really are and not as what I want you to be.
I believe the key is "knowing" God. We spend so little time getting to know God through STUDYING His word and sitting under TRUE biblical teaching that we end up creating a God that we want. We are all guilty of this to some extent but the more we dig into His word, the more we realize just who it is that we serve as Christians.
This post is so true of today's Christians. So many people profess to be a Christian before they really understand what being a Christian really means. It is easy to be a good person and think that because of your righteous actions you are Christian. While it is completely necessary to be good and do good things, we must understand that we are servants to Christ. He is not our buddy, and not someone who we can just say "What's up man, how's it going" too. God is awesome, and we are here to serve him.
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