Despite our society’s many displays of individualism, there is yet a strong undercurrent of “group think” that dominates most discussions. Even those who desire to be different from others find themselves becoming part of a group of others who think, feel, dress, and act the very same way. My goal today is not to promote individualism, but rather to show it to be a façade. People think they are going their own way, but they are really going the same old ways fallen people have always gone. People flatter themselves into thinking that they are unique in their opinions – But history would tell quite a different story.
It seems about once a week I read an article that details American’s move away from the historical Christian faith. These articles usually reference some surveys that have been conducted over the last few years. They demonstrate that most Americans no longer hold to traditional understandings of the Scriptures and that many people are exploring alternative modes of spiritual expression rather than church attendance. Most of these people believe that they are “critical thinkers,” who are discerning spiritual matters for themselves, and they think that they are best suited to determine what is “true for them.” And although they might think they are individually coming to their conclusions, the reality is that they are actually coming to the very same conclusions as countless other people. They are adopting the same spiritual clichés, the same catch-phrases, the same arguments, and the same stances as others who are leaving the church. They are saying things such as: “It doesn’t matter if I go to church, what matters in my personal relationship with God.” Or, “I do believe in Jesus, I just don’t like religion.” Or, “I don’t need the church to tell me what I should believe.”
While these people feel they have come to these ideas themselves, the very fact that they are saying the same things reveals that they have been influenced in their thinking. That influence might come from other people, the media they consume, or even other spiritual sources – But it all leads to the same move away from church. To be fair, there are so many false churches out there, that are teaching bad doctrine, and whose practice is so appalling it can be challenging to find a good one. Furthermore, Christianity receives so much “bad press” that people have become very wary of churches. But this is nothing new; the true church has always received bad reports. In Acts 28:22 the Jews questioned Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome saying – “But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.” Down through the centuries, the true church has been spoken against everywhere. It has been maligned by governments, by “learned” men, and even persecuted by the predominant “churches” in the land.
In our day, and in our country, we have a heritage of Christianity that dates back to the Puritans that fled such persecution. But the landscape of Christianity in this country has evolved into something far less pure. Rightly ought people to think critically about the forms of Christianity they observe in our world. Rightly must people separate themselves from false doctrine and heretical teaching. But to isolate and remove yourself from the church altogether is not the answer either. Christ still yet has faithful congregations spread all over this country. And though the church is spoken against everywhere, may we not be taken in by the lie that we should abandon it to go it alone. To do so does not make you a clever individual, but rather one of the many on the broad road who have been overtaken by the spirit of the age. Although you are individually saved by your personal faith in Christ, Christianity is not an individualistic faith – God has ordained that you live out that faith in the context of a community of believers, in the church. To believe anything less is heresy.
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