I wrote an article recently regarding the collapse of Christianity in America. Not surprisingly, it registered with many who strongly support its conclusion. One responder, wishing to be helpful, offered that Christianity is “declining because it is not becoming tolerant fast enough”. That offered me the opportunity to clarify the difference between many who call themselves Christians and Biblical Christians. In making this distinction, my point was not to challenge traditional Christianity more than it was to suggest that the term “Christian” has lost its meaning, needing to be replaced by “Biblical Christian” in order to affirm a belief in the supremacy of Scripture as the ultimate source of Truth.
The essence of my response to this reader, who desired Christians to accelerate their “tolerance” toward others, is summarized below:
- If by “tolerance” you mean a willingness to love people regardless of their behavior, then that is exactly what Christians of all stripes are expected to do. The fact that we often don’t exhibit that skill is a separate issue involving sin and the plank in our eye vs. the speck in those we condemn (Matt. 7:13).
- However, if by “tolerance” you mean a willingness to set aside traditional Christian values of right and wrong, as taken from Scripture, things become more problematic. Christians who actively reject Biblical teaching in order to fit more comfortably into our current culture are placing man’s views of right and wrong above God’s (2 Tim. 4:3). Biblical Christians, as much as we may wish to, don’t have that luxury. Our definition of “tolerance” must be limited to the first point above (love our neighbor), while maintaining God’s Scriptural authority. God, in His Word to us, specifically calls Christians to be both salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16), and, a witness “in the world”, but not be “of the world” (John 17:15–21).
As “Biblical” Christians hold fast to the tenants of our faith, the collapse of Biblical Christianity is inevitable and predicted (Rom. 11:5).
As “Christians” reject those Biblical tenants that run counter to our culture, their collapse is also inevitable and predicted (Matt. 24:12), as one religion becomes indistinguishable from another.
We live in a climate where:
- A generation has chosen not to train up a child in the way that is [Biblically] right. – Proverbs 22:6
- The educational system has taken over the raising of our children.
- The hearts of many have grown cold – Matt. 24:12
- Fear of man overshadows fear of the Lord – Matt. 10:28
- Social morality has overtaken Christian systematic theology.
- Truth has become relative, personal, and conditional, rather than Biblically sourced. – John 17:17
God is in control of it all and if the trajectory continues, we will come face-to-face with the reason why America is not found in Scripture.
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Jeff Hilles | BCWorldveiw.org, a 501(c)3 Nonprofit
