Claiming
that Scripture is true and complete should preclude evangelicals from
turning to other sources for establishing thought and life. Yet many do
just that. In cosmology, for example, a straightforward reading of
Genesis 1-2 is often dismissed on the basis of modern evolutionary
theories. In apologetics, philosophy and human reason frequently take
precedence over Scripture. And in church growth, demographic surveys,
marketing techniques, and a man-centered theology with a watered-down
gospel override clear biblical truth.
To
this list, the subject of morality and ethics must be added. Instead
of looking to the Bible, many professing Christians look to psychology
and sociology for supposed solutions to personal needs and social ills.
The rise of postmodern thought has similarly skewed the church’s
understanding of right and wrong - as an unbiblical tolerance (in the
name of love) has weakened churches to the point where they are as soft
on truth as they are on sin. Popular television shows, from Oprah to The Tonight Show
to the average sitcom, have had a tangible effect (and not for the
better) on how American Christians think through everyday issues. The
political arena, too, has played a major role in shaping an evangelical
understanding of morality, as words such as Republican and Democrat or liberal and conservative have come to redefine the difference between what is good and what is evil.
The
fact is the far too many professing Christians live their lives, day in
and day out, on the basis of something other than the Bible. As a
result, their priorities reflect the world’s priorities, not God’s.
Their patterns of behavior and their plans for future differ only
slightly from those of their unsaved friends and neighbors. Their
expenditures reveal that their perspective is temporal, and that they
are vainly pursuing the elusive American Dream. Continue at John F. MacArthur
