Yesterday, I participated in my first webinar. I’d like to say it was a snap, but in fact, the day was fraught with technical snafus. It was a day of “learning opportunities.” People my age are having increasing difficulty keeping up with new technologies. Last week I had breakfast with a millennial (the generation under 30) and mentioned I had been putting off getting a ‘smart’ phone because I didn’t have the time nor did I want to deal with the stress of learning how to use a new device. His answer was the typical “Oh, it’s easy.” (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that one.) Last year when I bought a new DVD/VCR player, I asked the young (aren’t they all!) geek at Best Buy, “is it easy to set up?” “Oh, yes,” he responded; “I sold one to an 80-year old lady last week and she went home and set it up right away with no problems.” (How many people did he tell that story to!?) When I got home and opened the box, and found a 40-page instruction manual, I nearly wept.
But, not unlike our spiritual journey, we have no choice but to go forward. To stand still is to regress. To stop trying is to lose ground, or worse, lose the race. No, we have no choice. We must keep moving—and not aimlessly, but deliberately and progressively. That of course, requires endurance, as Paul says, so we can receive the things God has promised, (Heb. 10:36)—followed by these disquieting words: “And if you shrink back (stand still, stop trying, give up), I [God] will not be pleased with you." "But I know," Paul goes on to say, that "you are not those who will shrink back and be destroyed, but you are those who persevere to the salvation of the soul. (Heb. 10:38-39).
Showing posts with label shrink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shrink. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The “Shrinking” of the Church
Last week I read an article by Os Guinness about the “therapeutic revolution” in American. And he made reference to a book called “The Shrinking of America.” Guinness went on to say that the most egregious effect of psychology on the church has been the re-defining of sin.
There is something about our human nature that makes us want to excuse our sin. Sin sounds so old-fashioned—and so harsh. The word “mistake” or "lapse in judgment” is so much easier to swallow.
This also facilitates our being able to explain it away, e.g. the old familiar "everyone else was doing it;" or the fail-safe "I didn't think anyone would get hurt." But the worst kind of sin-excuse is the now-common "it wasn't my fault; I’m a victim.” All this is the result of therapy’s re-designation of sin. But here's the real danger: if there is no sin, then there is no need for salvation. If there are only mistakes, there is only a need to do better. Translated into therapeutic language: your problem is poor self-esteem. But the self-esteem construct denies original sin, saying “there are no bad people; just people who believe bad things about themselves.” Conclusion: we don’t need to be saved; we just need to recover.
Last year, we visited a church that 20 years ago had been a model of expository teaching. But as I perused the bulletin, I was stuck by the fact that where there used to be mid-week Bible Studies, there were now recovery groups and book clubs. Beware! Psychology’s effect on the church is to replace self-denial with self-improvement. Is this not what Paul calls “another gospel?” (Galatians 1:7)
There is something about our human nature that makes us want to excuse our sin. Sin sounds so old-fashioned—and so harsh. The word “mistake” or "lapse in judgment” is so much easier to swallow.
This also facilitates our being able to explain it away, e.g. the old familiar "everyone else was doing it;" or the fail-safe "I didn't think anyone would get hurt." But the worst kind of sin-excuse is the now-common "it wasn't my fault; I’m a victim.” All this is the result of therapy’s re-designation of sin. But here's the real danger: if there is no sin, then there is no need for salvation. If there are only mistakes, there is only a need to do better. Translated into therapeutic language: your problem is poor self-esteem. But the self-esteem construct denies original sin, saying “there are no bad people; just people who believe bad things about themselves.” Conclusion: we don’t need to be saved; we just need to recover.
Last year, we visited a church that 20 years ago had been a model of expository teaching. But as I perused the bulletin, I was stuck by the fact that where there used to be mid-week Bible Studies, there were now recovery groups and book clubs. Beware! Psychology’s effect on the church is to replace self-denial with self-improvement. Is this not what Paul calls “another gospel?” (Galatians 1:7)
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