Posts Tagged ‘Worldview’
Introducing New Faith “Perspectives”
There’s a movement in this country that’s making our work in youth ministry very interesting. This movement is trying to make relativism and multiculturalism the norm, demonizing fundamental Christianity for its claim to absolute truth.
With more and more people preaching that there are many paths to God, it’s amazing to me to see so many religions fold under the pressure.
Forgive this over-generalization, but you don’t see many other faiths putting up a big stink about absolute truth. It’s becoming the norm to encourage spiritual interest and explore “faith” in any sense of the word, but it’s becoming very unpopular to suggest that any one religion can claim the title of “truth.”
Nobody seems to truly believe in their faiths deeply enough to stand on their holy books and say, “this is what I believe.” Nobody, that is, except for some Christians. (I say “some” because many Christians have definitely gone the route of relativism.)
Different people, they encounter god differently, and if some people at a certain stage in their life need to focus strictly on Christianity, then that might be appropriate for them, as long as they don’t take anything away from those of us who feel differently.
Different people do not–cannot–encounter God through false belief systems. It’s doesn’t happen! If you think you’re encountering God through a seance, meditation, yoga class or a prayer session, and Jesus is not at the center of it, that experience has nothing to do with the true God.
What really gets me is what this quote implies, and what I think many people believe: That Christianity is a domineering, elitist religion because we’re not willing to fold and say what we believe is just one option on the path to enlightenment.
Your students probably have friends that openly and confidently tell them that Christianity is just one way to get to God, and criticize them if they don’t believe that. I guarantee your public school is filled with students that sincerely believe that they can figure out whatever they want to believe, and that to them, that is “truth.”
And your students aren’t protected just because they go to church a couple times a week. Some of them are probably even afraid to admit that they are followers of Christ, or that they believe there is only one way to heaven. Some students in your youth group are still deciding whether they believe that there is only one way to God.
This is a tough time to be a Christian, and it’s only getting tougher. Youth ministry must:
- Teach absolute truth. There is only one way to God. The truth of scripture is 100% true. Other “truths” are not.
- Focus on worldview. Our paradigm of existence determines everything else we believe.
- Get dirty spending quality time with students. We must listen to truly understand the journey our students are in, and then carefully respond with questions and challenges to help them discover the wonderful reality of Christ.
- Pray!!! Faith is not something we can muster up in our students. We need the Holy Spirit to work through us and even in spite of us.
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Why believe in a god?
The American Humanist Association launched an aggressive pro-atheism advertising campaign on city buses in Washington, DC last month. The transit agency says that they can’t reject advertising only because one individual or group finds it offensive, even after more than 200 people complained.
The message is simple: “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.”
The struggles between faith in Christ and opposing belief systems are becoming more and more blatant. Students are asking deeper questions about their faith while simple and misleading arguments like this one are catching their attention and driving wedges between them and Jesus’ message of redemption.
Our response must be two-fold. It is important that when we discuss and present faith in Christ and what it means to be a Christian, whether with a group or individually, that we dig deeper. Jesus saved us from the penalty of sin and gave us eternal life in heaven through faith. But He also created the world and put the universe in order. He gives us purpose and meaning. He gives us answers to our deepest questions. We need to study carefully and ask students to find out what those questions are so we give them relevant answers, not just our prepared “Jesus loves you” speech.
We also must pray, and pray fervently. Faith does not happen because of what we say. It is the work of God in students’ hearts. Prayer must be our foundation as we rely on the Lord’s work in our young people’s lives.
You can find out more about the advertising campaign on their official website, www.whybelieveinagod.org.
This blows my mind
- More and more Americans agree with the idea that, as President-elect Obama is quoted saying, “there are many paths to the same place,” and that being a Christian is just one of those paths. Now it appears that even our President-elect has not taken heed of Jesus’ words, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
- Many put the Word of God on par with quotes from religious experts. Just like we saw in this interview, they put the words of the Pope and Billy Graham on equal footing with the Bible. Now, I don’t expect someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus to put a lot of clout in the Bible, but this is important for us to realize, especially as we engage in intellectual debates with others and train our students to be effective in sharing their faith. The Word is true and powerful, “living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and when we debate and discuss our faith, we need to go further than quoting scripture verbatum. We must dig in and work hard to understand the worldview behind what people say so that we can bring Biblical principles to life for them in a relevant way, while at the same time continuing to pray for guideance (Ephesians 6:12).
