False Conversion
Everyone has a theology that they hold to. Even the most hardened atheist ultimately lives according to some sort of theological framework. Like it or not, what we think of God shapes our very existence. Atheists insist that God does not exist and thus, their worldview is shaped and ultimately destroyed by that denial. Many Christians believe in God, and so, it would be easy to assume that there worldview is quite different than that of the atheist and certainly, to some extent it is. However, a large contingent of those same Christians live as practical atheists. They would deny it, but you have to look at what their actions say and if you do, you will find that it parallels what the atheist does in denying God. I want to look at this more closely in this article. Let me start by examining how someone outwardly appears to be a follower of Christ, but inwardly is as atheistic as the most militant atheist.
A man walks into his local church in need of meaning in his life. He knows something is wrong in his life, but does not know what it is. He finds himself in a large church that has a cool worship band and a hip pastor. The pastor presents a message to this man about God’s plan for his life and how God loves him and asks him if he would like to ask Jesus into his heart. The man, searching for meaning, emphatically says yes. The pastor invites the man, to come to the front to demonstrate his new found faith, so he does. The audience applauds loudly. Emotion is running over and this man is caught up in it. The man believes he has been saved and feels overwhelmed. He then spends a few weeks feeling like he has meaning in his life, only to later fall away and live the same life as before. He continues to go to church because he wants to replicate that feeling he had at first, but he begins to assimilate into the church culture where he sees that everyone acts the same as him. He says to himself that must be it. Everyone else acts that way, so he must be normal. And so it goes, the man mirrors what he sees in other Christians and the deception becomes sealed in his mind for the rest of his life. He continues to go to church and lives out a weekly ritual that is no more spiritual than the emotions found in sports stadiums across the world.
Here is what I would ask you about this scenario. What is the difference between this man and the common atheist? The reality is that there is only one real difference and it is ultimately meaningless. One man has denied God with his mouth and lived out his own existence. The other man has professed faith in God with his mouth and has nonetheless lived out his own existence. The only difference is the profession by this man and that profession means nothing. Neither man is saved and both live as if there is not a sovereign God they are accountable to. Now this brings me to an issue that I believe is closely related to this reality. The existence of so many churches that are preaching a weak and powerless faith results in a larger problem within our culture. I am tempted here to act as if this is a new problem, but in truth, the more I understand Church history, the more it becomes clear that this is a problem that dates back to the beginning. As a church fellowship grows, it becomes more and more difficult to ensure that it is actually filled with real Christians. Eventually, in time entire churches are filled with false converts, as well as in many cases the pastors themselves are false converts.
All of this points to theology. While some would argue that theology is the problem, I would have to counter that it is exactly the opposite. It is through a commitment to true theology that we find the answer to the problem. Again, as I stated at the outset, everyone has a theological framework in which they operate. No one, not even the staunchest atheist, is truly without theology. We all accept or reject some basic truths about God (our own theology). The question is simply where we draw the line. If we call ourselves Christian, we must at least draw the line with Christ. Otherwise, what is the point? If we are, for instance, an Episcopal Buddhist Bishop (as posted on here), then what we have effectively said and done is relegated truth to some back closet in the church and have simply made our own spiritual mash potatoes of the whole thing. So, we must agree that there is a line when it comes to truth; that there are at least some truths that are non-negotiable. And if that be the case, then it is vital that we find out what those truths are.
Again, going back to those individuals that would argue that theology is the problem. I understand the concern. There is a temptation here to believe that the mistakes of the past were in fact too much of an emphasis on theology. I would argue that is not the case. In fact, I believe if you really take the time to look at what was happening in the church, the real cause is similar to what I described above; the church became infiltrated with lost people. And the reality is that lost people can’t do theology well. The Bible makes it clear that it is foolishness to the lost. So, the main battle may have presented as theological skirmishes, but that was merely the manifestation of a greater truth: there are those within the visible church that are lost and those that are not and it takes theology to make that clear. It is, however, at this point, that I have to be real clear. Theology is also important because it is with right theology that we also avoid the unnecessary arguments. It is through right theology that we determine those truths declared by the Bible that simply are nonnegotiable and then allow for disagreement on those others that though we may be passionate about, we also understand that it is not a core belief that determines salvation.
In the end, we are left with this. Theology is vital to our lives and our existence. It shapes our thinking about God, our behavior, and the world. It assures us of true salvation when we see our lives manifest fruit according to the Word of God. It demonstrates for us the true measures of salvation and allows us to proclaim boldly the truth of the gospel. Good theology focuses the mind while bad theology makes a jumbled mess of it. Good theology focuses man on God while bad theology focuses man on man. Good theology holds up the sovereignty of God, while bad theology holds up a jumbled and confused man-centric gospel that cannot comprehend the nature of the cross.
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