In the fourth century, in the face of cultural depravity and religious mediocrity, many Christians fled to the desert, embracing monasticism as a way to draw closer to God. This was their response to a horribly sinful culture. In addition to cultural sin, was the popularization of Christianity. A good thing? Not necessarily. With popularization, came a watering down and simplification of the faith. Quite quickly, it became quite easy and safe to be a Christian.
What is our response to essentially the same set of circumstances? I'm afraid that we have embraced the wave of ease, to the point of not even recognizing it.
Any thoughts?
Friday, May 12, 2017
Run away?
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Personally, I don't favor either option. Running away doesn't seem appropriate; God has not given us a spirit of fear. Nor does it seem appropriate to look to Osteen-tatious televangelists for guidance; if they were my only path to God I'd better get used to brimstone. Adopting this watered down, spiritually compromising, secularity appeasing Churchian façade becomes little more than joining a social club bent more on virtue-signaling than pursuing actual virtue. I would not be greatly surprised to hear God tell many of these people, "Begone, I never knew you."
ReplyDeleteSuch is the price of favoring "tolerance" over integrity.
On the other hand, watching your own country and culture gleefully engage in a race to the bottom can be as discouraging as it is disgusting; one can hardly blame people for assessing the state of things as too far gone, and removing ones self from the cesspit, lest they too become soiled by their mere proximity. But while fleeing to the desert may work for some people, others may have more of a "We live here, let's take a stand" mentality.
I suspect that I will never really set the world on fire for God, starting churches all over the land like the Apostle Paul did or anything, but the more I pay attention to what is going on, the more I am determined to do nothing less than dig my heels in and take a stand where I am. Aside from my own obstinate faith, perhaps the best recourse (and resource) is to find like-minded souls and establish a spiritual beachhead on enemy soil. This is why, recluse though I am, I value the fellowship of a few other Christian friends who will be the iron that sharpens iron. Naturally, this includes you.
Come to think of it, you may have been the first.