I agree about the fruit, but I thought it would be unfair to judge any one’s fruit off of a few sound bytes, since biblical “fruit” is more works; [content removed by moderator] I was more focused on the ditches.
The video demonstrates that secular society is greatly affecting Christians resulting in an unbalance. All truth but no love; all love but no truth. When Christians practice a biblical understanding of scripture in dealing with the world and each other, we have a greater probability of staying out of the ditch.
Just watched it, my take somewhat different… it struck me more that the other self-proclaimed Christians really couldn’t think of any questions that would be particularly discerning, beyond the level of, “so, what church to do you attend?”
Sounds like their definition or understanding of Christianity would be hard-pressed to exclude self-proclaimed atheists.
As I read this discussion here are scriptures that come to my mind:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).”
Besides associated religious rituals, is there readiness to be called on by the Lord to be sent to a place of human need, to make peace, etc.?
It’s also written,
“Therefore leaving the principles a of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God (Hebrews 6:1).”
During an Apollo trip to the moon, the grandeur of the huge rocket lifting off the pad is not the full story, but only the beginning. Neither is a continuum of associated rituals characteristic to a religious faith. Is the equivalent of this all that some tend to brag about? The astronauts must leave orbit, make mid-course corrections, enter orbit around the moon, land, and return, all of which are very critical maneuvers. So must the Christian keep in touch with the Lord to be guided on a similarly narrow path.
We are admonished, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matther 6:13).” Please note, " His righteousness. " Is that attained?
And,
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)”
Let’s also remember that it is the spirit that teaches and guides us. These are only a few items to help us keep off the path of hypocrisy. Is it not the spirit that guides us?
I won’t argue that “keeping people out of the ditch” is a bad motivation. But there are many ways to achieve that end. I would advise against throwing non-Christians into ditches to save Christians, no matter the case. It seems to me, there is a better way…
Do you think modern “secular society” (that strives to create a hospitable social environment for all, including Christians) creates more imbalance than Nero’s scapegoating? The tribulations the Early Christians faced in the Roman coliseum? History shows that those things didn’t destroy the Christian religion. To the contrary, Christianity thrived and ended up engulfing the Roman empire. Why would things like secularism and gay rights ultimately lead to Christianity’s undoing?
A wise man once said: “Lay not up your treasures where moth and dust corrupt.” Perhaps a Christian ought to be concerned with spiritual affairs, not worldly ones. Isn’t it odd that Christianity thrived and grew under oppression from the Romans, and yet numbers (in recent times) dwindle simply because Christian dominance over society wanes? It makes me think that Christianity’s waning influence is not to blame for the empty pews-- rather, perhaps it is a Christian sense of entitlement that is driving people away. You have to admit, Christianity that needs to direct the course of world affairs to satisfy itself is a little mothy.
It is true that a principle promise of Christianity is to make those who become Christian better people. But a subtle change in the wording of this is completely incorrect: to make those who become Christian better than other people. It was never about any such thing. The message of Christianity aims at a particular mindset – that of those who are disappointed in themselves and feel somewhat helpless in overcoming impulses to do things which they think is wrong. In their own words, one becomes a Christian because they know they are a sinner and believe that a relationship with Jesus can help them to change.
This is not to say that all the people who self-identify as Christians have this experience for real. One of the biggest problems with religion is that its trappings become an easily assumed disguise for the so called wolf in sheep’s clothing. And because of people’s rather amazing ability to deceive themselves, this isn’t always even a conscious plan. Not only that, but people can become a rather complex mixture of different things – such as a sincere repentant in one role and a vicious abuser of others in another role.
The saying that you “can know them by their fruits” is similarly complicated, if not more so. To be sure the converted Christian very much hopes to see some fruits in their new way of life and usually does. This doesn’t usually go so well, however, when the Christians actually seeks to manifest such fruits to prove themselves. In that case they tend to look more like they are seeking to earn a feeling of entitlement or trying to stitch together some sheep’s clothing.
Indeed! This explains the observation that Christianity experiences periodic fluctuations. When it dominates then it begins to repel people and only when it is out of favor does it become appealing once again.