ordinary christianity for the world.
New Book!
Informal Christianity—Refining Christs Church by Phillip A. Ross, 2007, 126 pages.
Informal Christianity reviews the personal and informal realities involved in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that provide the foundation of Christianity. Where the internal and subjective realities of regeneration are absent from the lives of church members, churches find themselves on a foundation of sand. Such churches turn away from the heart of Christianity—doctrine and theology—to focus on peripheral concerns of administration and maintenance. Christians and churches that do not enthusiastically embrace biblical doctrine and theology as the life-blood of faithfulness, tend to spend their time and energy polishing the outside of the cup (Matthew 23:25). Such efforts concern themselves with church growth—noses and nickels—rather than Christian maturity (Ephesians 4:13). …more»
Pilgrim Platform provides a glimpse into a theology turned upside down by the love of Christ. A pastor, born again in the pulpit, encounters the world and the church in the light of the gospel — and nothing is ever the same.
Christianity In Crisis
Too many Christian churches and those who claim to be followers of Christianity today are not faithful to Scripture. Is this news? Unlikely. Is it true? Its been true for decades, perhaps a century. It is a persisting condition that is now the accepted norm in too many churches, denominations and seminaries.
This site serves to call Christians to repentance, revival and reformation — back to their historic roots, and to provide an alternative view on church growth. Christianity today is not what it used to be.
Who might be interested in these concerns? Christians — church members and pastors who have an interest in theology, or who are concerned about the deteriorating condition of the churches. Anyone interested in Christianity today, whether contemporary or historic, will find much grist for the mill.
Our concern is the role of orthodox doctrine, which is the basis upon which unity and peace are founded. Our concern is how best to be the church in the midst of a crisis of faith that is bleeding the churches to death. The recent development and failure of the Church Growth Movement has added greatly to these problems. Honest self-analysis is the first step to the recovery of the distinctively Christian mission in the world. But we must be cautious because a prescription without a proper diagnosis can be harmful.
Knowing God
It takes one to know one. I can identify another regenerate person because I know what God's Holy Spirit has done to me. I know how He has changed me, so I can recognize similar changes in other people. But if a person has not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, he will not know or recognize or value regeneration in others. Because the marks of regeneration are personal and subjective, and because regenerate people are intimately aware of how God has changed them, because they know that the changes in their own lives are real, they can trust that similar marks in other people are equally real. The reality of the Holy Spirit in their own lives provides a guarantee of the reality of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others who are similarly marked. The guarantee of God's reality and of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit is found in the heart of the believer. My own changed life is the proof and guarantee of God's reality. Your own changed life is the proof and guarantee of God's reality.
We are the proof of the existence of God. It is not found in an argument. It is not found in the Bible. It is not found in history. It is found in my own regeneration, and your own regeneration. And if a person is not regenerated, it is not found apart from God's judgment.
The whole world stands under the judgment of God as a result of Adam's sin and is exacerbated by our own sin. When God's judgment is manifest, all doubt about God's reality is quelled because God's judgment has a drastic effect upon this world and the world to come, in eternity. By God's grace alone God moves to rescue people from this context of damnation in this fallen world. God's plan will take many generations to unfold in its full glory, and when it is complete all evil will be destroyed and all extant people will live in the context of God's salvation. The process of salvation will be progressive in that evil will be eliminated over time as increasing numbers of people find themselves regenerated by the grace of God.
—from a recent sermon on 2 Corinthians 1:21-24
What To Do?
Good question. Because the problem stems from the compromise between the church and the world, from a lack of sanctification (spiritual growth and maturity) and a fascination with worldliness (relevance, popularity, technology, etc.) we need to explore options that will lead to less worldly fascination and increased sanctification.
Less Fascination
Understanding what fascination is provides a starting point. To see the issue from another vantage point is helpful. Consider this definition of fascination from Websters 1913 dictionary: "The act of fascinating, bewitching, or enchanting; enchantment; witchcraft; the exercise of a powerful or irresistible influence on the affections or passions; unseen, inexplicable influence." Interesting, but we dont want to get enamored or entangled a defense or an attack on Harry Potter or Wicca. To do so is to be driven by the same powers of fascination from which we need to escape.
Note that what the world calls advertising and marketing appears to make use of fascination in that the goal of advertising and marketing is to powerfully or irresistibly influence our affections or passions. Being less fascinated will require resistance and less exposure to advertising and marketing.
Increased Sanctification
Because the word sanctification means separated unto God or separated for the purposes and use of God, and because biblical wisdom opposes worldly wisdom (see Arsy Varsy) increased sanctification requires less entanglement with worldly ways and means. This, however, does not mean creating a Christian commune in the country or a Christian ghetto in the city. Rather, we need to stop responding like cattle to the influences of advertising and marketing, and begin responding to Gods Word.
Our minds are filled with the sludge of those who are trying to affect us one way or another, who are vying for our attention. That sludge has captivated our attention by pushing our emotional buttons — and for what? Notice that the more "plugged in" to the world we are (cell phones, Internet, TV, etc.) the less attention we pay to those people who are nearest to us at any point in our day. We are neglecting our neighbors in order to keep up with the world.
What Can Be Done?
The first thing to do is to see the problem. That is what this website is about, helping people see the problem. Thats why it is not popular and why it seems so out of step. The world does not want us to see what the Bible is trying to show us because the perspective of the Bible threatens the perspective of the world.
If we cant see the problem, we cannot find a solution. If we dont understand the disease, we cannot prescribe a remedy. We are all in denial, so seeing the problem, putting the problem in the correct context — its biblical context, is everything. more»
