I have been writing for years that the influx of Secular Humanism into the modern-day church would have a negative effect on Biblical Christianity. I admit I did not have such a clear understanding of the undermining process of this slithering serpent until something profound happened in my life. After hearing two personal life stories I was able to witness firsthand the contrast between social and spiritual, between what was clearly man-made and what is clearly Biblical. These were two life-changing testimonials. One testimony was very much of this world and could be copied by this world. The other described a spiritual new birth which could have only been accomplished by God the Holy Spirit.
We can be very gullible, especially in America where we are bombarded every day with many camouflaged “ism’s”. Nearly everything that our eyes see, or our ears hear has been uniquely constructed to appeal to our senses in a way that makes those messages acceptable to our belief system. Methods which originally were designed to help people understand more about how the brain works eventually led to showing individuals how to manipulate people.
In one setting I heard personal reports of some lives which over time had been completely changed by love, kindness, and a safe environment. This appeared to be wonderful at first. The secular world is successful in helping thousands, of people perhaps millions in a non-eternal way without God or the Bible or any of its balanced teaching. Sadly, those social helps, have nothing to do with eternity. Subsequently, when churches start to adopt similar programs and the truths of the Bible and becoming “born again” are gradually left out of their teachings in fear of offending certain people groups we have a “pseudo gospel without eternity” problem! I believe that we need to wake up and be on guard against this subtle deception. Quite simply it is the way that most of our most historical main line denominations have gone!
As I am becoming increasingly troubled by these secular “conversions”, the question is, using a parallel reference to the story of Adam and Eve, “Are self-motivated church leaders ‘removing the fig leaf’ while trying to remove the shame of sin, and subsequently removing from individuals the ability to see their need to be born again spiritually?”
The personal reports which I heard one day were summed up by a leader who stated, “If you just remove the shame from people’s lives and point to the good, those people will rise to the good person that God has intended them to be!” This misguided belief is identical to Secular Humanism, which believes that man is basically good, although some people turn out bad. God’s Word declares in Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?” By publicly ignoring the clear Biblical model of Adam and Eve’s sin and their subsequent shame, this leader removed the need for a true conversion experience from the equation.
Leaders, in Christ’s love, I admonish you regarding what Jesus warned: “Be careful how you hear!” Luke 8:18 (KJV) Be careful whose teachings you follow! This stuff all sounds so good! However, it does not line up with the doctrinal truths of God’s Word!
When we make Jesus a passive, unrighteous judge, we move away from the teachings of the scripture. Some of Jesus’s last words, quoted by John in Revelation 22:19, are ” I have sent my angel to testify of these things.” What things? The things found in the book of Revelation written less than one hundred years after Jesus left the planet. Study the seven churches of Revelation. Many theologians agree that these churches were chosen to provide a measuring stick for all biblical churches. If your church does not measure up, perhaps it has been molded by the world of Secular Humanism. Removing shame from people simply removes them from seeing their need for a Savior and taking up their own cross to crucify the old self so that Jesus’ new nature and the power of the Holy Spirit can live within! It’s ok to see your shame, understanding the cleansing of Jesus!
