The Reason for My Hope by Billy Graham

Author:Billy Graham
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2013-08-01T04:00:00+00:00

A TRENDY FAITH

As 2012 began, Microsoft reported that its Windows Design Team was working on “How to Redesign a Religion.”19 Advertising agencies are expanding their advisory capacity by offering consulting services on how to brand religion. And many churches of all persuasions are hiring research agencies to poll neighborhoods, asking what kind of church they prefer; then the local churches design themselves to fit the desires of the people. True faith in God that demands selflessness is being replaced by trendy religion that serves the selfish.

Facebook helps connect users to a site known as Religion of Individualism, where individuals can customize their own belief style to accommodate and justify how they want to live.20 British comedian Stephen Harvey targeted this trend in a short film called “How to Start a Religion.”21

A religion designed to reflect one’s personal desire is contrary to having a personal relationship with God, who puts within His true follower His desires. Kristin Chenoweth, Tony Award–winner for the Broadway play Wicked, said, “I’m an actress and a singer and I’m also a Christian. . . . I just want to be like Jesus, forgiving and loving and nonjudgmental, accepting of everyone even if they don’t agree.”22

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been watered down to a myth, causing young and old to doubt the authority of Scripture. Why is this? What is happening? God is viewed as less than the God of the Bible. Society is doing a good job of convincing the world that Jesus has no power to judge sin. Some believe that following His example of doing good to others is what empowers us to be good.

Our world does not object to this kind of Christianity—content to have only a social Christ who provides what we want for ourselves. There are those who would keep Him dying, bleeding, and incapacitated, a Christ who doesn’t come down and smash the falseness of their ideologies.

What the world does object to is a living Christ, a risen Christ who is all-knowing and all-powerful. People in general do not want to meet the moral conditions that Jesus Christ demands. So we try to rationalize away the fullness of Christ, which includes His resurrection and His demand that those who follow Him live in obedience to His Word.

One young woman spoke for her generation, “We live in a cruel world, so we only go to churches that make us feel good about ourselves.”

“Getting in touch with myself,” a young man bragged, “is true spiritualism.”

Such attitudes of self-worship are nothing new. You may be told that this form of religion is revolutionary, but the Bible says, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21 NIV). Society may think itself clever in devising new ways and new things to worship, but the Bible tells us that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Jesus indicated that there would be a permissive society right before He comes back. And the world seems to be on an immoral binge such as has not been known since the days of ancient Rome.

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